Freeze Baby!

And just like that, it’s time to prepare your garden for Winter! We skipped right over frost warnings and went straight to a freeze warning for tonight. Oh Minnesota, somehow your sweet Summer song always lulls me into forgetting about Winter lurking around the corner. It seems like yesterday I was sweating away, swatting mosquitoes, harvesting the abundance from my gardens. So how on earth is there a freeze warning for tomorrow!?!

Since I’m aware the fast change always catches me off guard, I asked friend and local Master Gardener, Brianna Godhe, to give us her take on getting our vegetable gardens ready for the inevitable. The Ramsey County Master Gardeners have been a great asset to our local gardening community, recently attending a Harvest Party, available for Q&A.

Take it away Brianna-

Tucking the Vegetable Garden into Bed

As the days get shorter and the evenings get cooler, it’s time to think about preparing your vegetable garden for winter. It’s hard to think about ice and snow in September when the sun is still warm but you want to be ready. Our average first frost date– that is, the date when we can expect a hard frost which will kill the tender and warm-season crops in your garden – for St. Paul, MN is October 9. It can happen anytime from the end of September to the end of October. It’s a hard truth: once the State Fair ends, our gardening days are numbered. 

To be ready, here are some general guidelines for preparing the garden for winter. These will put you in the best position for starting again when the snow melts next spring.

Steps to Prepare Your Garden for Winter

Step 1: Pick the remaining vegetables

Many of the common vegetable garden plants like peppers, tomatoes, green beans, and eggplant will die when exposed to the first frost. If there’s a frost warning for your area, consider that your last chance to harvest those more delicate vegetables.

Other crops are a little more tolerant of cool weather and, if you have the opportunity, it’s worthwhile to leave them in the garden a little longer. The cool temperatures encourage them to convert some of their starches to sugars as a kind of natural anti-freeze, while also making them taste a little sweeter. These include cole crops (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages and kale), and most root vegetables (beets, carrots, and parsnips). Just make sure to remove them before the ground freezes. If you haven’t harvested them before that happens, usually in early November, they will be stuck in the ground forever. Don’t let it happen to you.

Step 2: Remove all remaining vegetation

Since just about all of our vegetables are annuals, there is no point to keeping that plant material in the garden over winter; they aren’t going to re-sprout in the spring. If your plants were healthy, you can put the remaining plant material (i.e. the leaves, stems, vines, unripe fruit and roots) in your home compost. Be sure to cut it into small pieces so it breaks down faster.

If the plant material was diseased with any fungi, bacteria, or viruses, you will need to either bury it 6-12 inches to breakdown the pathogens, burn it with approval from your city, or dispose of it with a city yard waste program. (Remember: you can’t put plant debris in the trash!) This is important because many of those pathogens can survive the cold of winter and will infect new plants next year if not treated properly. For the same reason, when you are day-dreaming about the garden for next season, plan to rotate your crops, or place them in a new spot in your garden, which further protects them from lingering disease issues.

Step 3: Test your soil

If you have the chance, your local Extension program can analyze a sample of the soil from your gardens and make recommendations about how to make it more productive next year. These tests aren’t limited to the vegetable garden. You can submit samples from anywhere in your yard to get more information about those areas and what you can do to improve them. If you get the results back before the ground freezes, you can even treat the area by adding compost or specific amendments in the fall for a faster start in the spring. For gardeners in Minnesota the University of Minnesota’s Soil Testing Lab is a great resource.

Step 4: Insulate your garden beds

Without the plants growing on top, your garden soil is exposed to the elements the full force of winter. The soil will expand and contract with the freeze/thaw cycles, which can wreak havoc on the beneficial microbial life in the top foot of your gardens. To preserve your soil, the best thing to do is insulate it. You can do this using cover crops, like winter rye planted in September/October, or you can simply rake fallen leaves on top to act as a blanket. If you mulch your leaves beforehand, you can leave them on the garden bed and they will compost in-place, adding fertilizer to your garden without needing to do anything more. In the spring, you’ll cut down the cover crops and remove any leaves to help the soil warm up to a temperature that helps seeds germinate. (If you leave them covered, your garden beds will stay frozen much longer. You don’t want that.) **See Photo

 Step 5: Clean your garden tools

Once your beds are cleared and protected, take a look at your gardening tools. This includes your shovels, shears, rakes, hoes, stakes, trellises, buckets, pots and any seed-starting trays. After removing any dirt and plant debris, clean the surfaces with a 1:9 solution of bleach and water. (For example, 1 cup bleach and 9 cups water)

This is a good practice generally but it’s especially important if your garden tools had any encounters with fungi, molds, bacteria or viruses during the growing season. Using a bleach solution prevents the pathogens from infecting new plants the next time the tools are used. Make sure the cleaned tools are completely dry and properly oiled so they won’t rust.

Make sure to disconnect your hose and watering equipment and empty it of water so it doesn’t burst. If you have bird baths, watering cans, or rain barrels, make sure they are empty and store them upside down to prevent any lingering moisture from expanding and cracking the frames.

That’s it. Your vegetable gardening season is complete for the year. Great job!

Brianna Gohde – Ramsey County Master Gardener

University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener volunteers use research-based horticultural knowledge to inspire change and promote healthy people, healthy landscapes, and a healthy planet.

Extending the Season

Are you like me and try to eek out those few extra days of growth in your vegetable gardens? If you want to know the numbers I’ve added this chart from Farmer’s Almanac.  It shows the lowest temps at which different vegetables can survive. If you want to try and extend the season a little longer like trying row covers or other garden tactics, here’s my Season Extension Article to get you started.

And here’s another article with lots of solid  ideas on how to Garden into Winter. by Jessica at:

Feeling Prepared for Winter

Thanks so much Brianna! I know I need reminders (especially about taking care of my tools!)

I’d also like to add that while cleaning out our annual vegetable gardens for the Winter, it’s a great idea to leave your perennials. These seed heads and stems give the birds and insects food and homes over our harsh winters.

Having a plan always makes transitions easier. I hope this helps you and your gardens get set  for the next season!

Dig In!
Michelle

The post 5 Steps To Prepare Your Garden For Winter appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

This Harvest Party grew from the BearPower organization. White Bear Lake is lucky to have the efforts and talents of this group of dedicated people. They’re working to bring healthy living to our community in so many different ways.

I’ve been digging into coordinating this BearPower Harvest Party with the BearPower team and loving finding the best of the best to help celebrate community grown food. We’ve brought together the cream of the crop local chefs to prepare all that lovingly grown food. Add to that a great mix of activities to take over our White Bear Area YMCA gardens for the day and you’ve got a can’t miss event! We’ve got FREE food,  games,  information, samples and activities to get you growing your love of good food!

More Information by clicking on the -> Facebook Event Page

The Details:

Sunday Sept 23rd @12:00-3:00PM
White Bear Area YMCA Community Garden
2100 Orchard Lane, White Bear Lake, MN 55110
Indoors @ the YMCA if raining

Harvest Party Food

Tamarack Nature Center Gardens

All the food at the harvest Party was grown in local community gardens, including WBL district schools, HealthPartners White Bear Lake Clinic, Tamarack Nature Center, and the YMCA community gardens! 5 of the beds growing food for the event are part of the awesome local initiative, “Giving Gardens“. Making sure we have enough food to fill in the gaps, All Good Organics local farm has pledged to donate from their recent harvests as well!

Chef Challenge

A chef challenge meal, created from all the locally grown food will be served starting at noon. We’ll keep serving until every last veggie has been eaten. If there’s simply too much food, extras will go the White Bear Area Food Shelf.

The food service will include some freshly made soups and grilled veggies. Huge thanks to  local chefs, Ben Pratt of Ingredients Café + The Burger Bar and Matt Ellison of Bonfire Restaurants, who will be creating tasty creations with all the veggies we throw at them! I can’t wait to see what they come up with

Vote for your favorite food on your way out!

Glen Oliphant of United Methodist Church, WBL with freshly harvested potatoes and herbs to go into the breads!

Bread baked by White Bear Lake United Methodist Church in their Community Bread Oven during a community bread bake on Saturday will also be donated. Ciabatta and Focaccia were mentioned when I was talking with one of the bakers! Our garden-grown herbs and potatoes will be used in making the breads.

Nancy Jacobson with some freshly harvested apples!

Pine Tree Apple Orchard is donating crates of freshly picked apples for the event as well. The apples will be handed out by volunteers from the White Bear Area Emergency Food Shelf. Please think about making a monetary donation to the food shelf to help make sure all our neighbors have access to good food!

It is so amazing to be able to say that ALL the veggies were grown and/or donated by community members!

Harvest Party Activities

We’ve got a little something for everyone during the Harvest Party!

Chomp at an earlier YMCA Garden Event

BearPower ‘larger than life’ games and the famous carrot mascot, “Chomp” will be perusing the party ready for photos.

Insect Hotel We will be group building a “beneficial bug hotel” Stop by to add your mark and help pollinate our YMCA gardens!

Beets from the YMCA gardens

White Bear Lake Schools will have a table, highlighting the gardens and gardeners (mostly kids) that grew food for the event!

The YMCA will have information on renting a garden bed in the gardens next season. We will also be handing out a limited number of strawberry plants that YMCA Summer Power kids helped propagate!

Sunflowers in the YMCA garden

White Bear Lake Seed Library will be doing Seed Saving Demos with plants growing in the gardens. Take home Seeds to get your garden growing next year! We’ll be working with sunflower and marigold seeds to name a few!

Ramsey County Master Gardeners will be onsite ready for your questions, and info on getting the most out of your Fall garden, and how to prepare it for Winter.

Health Partners Health Club will be onsite with info on eating healthy and demos.

All Good Organics farmer will be onsite with info on growing organic and a few surprises. This farm has dedicated to fill in produce that we need to round out the harvest party meal.

Butch and Kris from All Good Organics

Keeping it Local

As YMCA Community Garden coordinator, I’m wearing a few hats during this event, I’ll be onsite with a Forks in the Dirt information table about the impact of eating local and samples to share!

I LOVE how this whole event began; a well-loved local doctor, Elsa Keeler, had a vision to bring families together over locally grown healthy food. Just look what that one well rooted idea has become!

Staying True to Doing Good

Hanging with some of the YMCA garden Club kids

One of the reasons I started blogging was to highlight all the good that is happening around us.

Forks in the Dirt’s motto is “Crossing paths with Farmers, Food and Doing Good”

And with this event, I got to be part of making that good happen. I have learned so much about our community and how strongly we believe in AND follow through with showing up for one another. It makes me proud to be part of this community

The amount and diversity of Community Gardens in our area truly amazes me. It really is a testament to people wanting to be more connected to the food they eat, and the land they inhabit. If you are interested in joining any of the local community gardens, read my earlier blog post all about our local gardens!

Can’t wait to Dig into some good food and good conversations- hope to see you there!

Michelle

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There is something magical about watching life transform before your eyes, and that magic gets magnified when you share the experience with children and their innocent, impressionable eyes… These memories are here to stay!

Like most of how my life happens, we were in the right place at the right time and stumbled upon a chance to adopt and raise these butterflies.

I love it when serendipity takes center stage!

My mom spotted this one in her gardens!

Most people find their eggs or caterpillars on milkweed leaves outside, but we were fortunate enough to get three monarch caterpillars from a very special children’s librarian, Anna Haase Krueger, who found our little gluttons on milkweed around the Maplewood Library grounds.

The Ramsey County Libraries are amazing “Monarch Mentors”; many of the libraries have been finding and saving eggs, raising and releasing monarchs for a few years now.  This summer all the libraries did it as part of the Countywide Pollinator Project! This grass roots effort is run by the awesome people over at the Pollinator Friendly Alliance.

The day we went to pick up our caterpillars, there was one butterfly that was ready to be released. Being a part of this butterfly’s first flight got my boys extra pumped up for raising their 3 caterpillars!

So with that we brought home our hungry little caterpillars! At first our runt was so tiny I couldn’t pick her up to move her so I just cut out the leaf around her and let her move off in her own time.

They grew and ‘grew on us’ quickly!  They are almost as hilarious as the chickens to watch. (ps- chickens and and caterpillars DO NOT mix!)

In the larvae (cute caterpillar) stage, they undergo five ‘instars’, which means they shed their skin around 5 times.

They poop A LOT! the cage needs to be cleaned pretty much everyday. If this is the part where you’re like, “I want to help pollinators and all, but already clean up after kids, dogs, myself etc- consider making your yard more pollinator friendly with a nesting site outside, Xerxes Society to the rescue!

The second biggest caterpillar didn’t want to leave the leaf her sister was on…for almost a day!

The next day, she made a webbing and attached her silver button to the GLASS!! Talk about adapting…

A few days later, the littlest sister snuggled right next to big sister and made her chrysalis there…which I happened to catch on video with my phone! Bare with the first few seconds, but the process is mesmerizing regardless.

The boys were especially entranced with how much the chrysalis changed after the monarch was done making it, before it hardened. The chrysalis on the right just finished forming. The one on the left is a day old.

In this stage, the pupa will not consume food but just hangs out for around 10 to 15 days. The first stayed quiet for 13 days, the second only 12 days. With the first two popping out withing hours of each other! They Chrysalises went from the gorgeous jade green color to paler and then transparent- when we could see the orange wings they broke through within the hour, but we missed all three times (arghh). Just another reason to gather some of our own next summer again!

It was really hard waiting for them to get strong and dry enough to fly… they pump a liquid  into their wings to inflate them fully and this takes a while. Add that it was raining the evening they became butterflies, which meant it was best to keep them inside rather than get cold and wet during their first attempts at flying. (Seriously, that’s got to be a weird feeling, right!!)

The last girl hung out for 5 more days, just like she went into her chrysalis 5 days after her sisters.

But finally, she decided to show off her stuff too. Her wings are not quite fully inflated here.

This was really such a fun experience for the kids (and me)! Being able to remind them (again and again) that these beautiful creatures also help pollinate the beautiful flowers and maybe even some of the food we eat was an added bonus for me – and one that finally sunk in for them.

Thank you to Anna Haase Krueger, and the Ramsey County Library for sharing these little nuggets with me and my boys- I just wanted to share this experience with you all as a way of paying it forward.

The look of pure joy at the butterfly’s first flight says it all!

Next summer, we’ll be checking our milkweed for eggs often and probably raising even more of these magical monarchs!

The more time I spend in the gardens the more I see how we’re all connected and dependent on all of nature. To that end,  I’m buzzing with excitement for the upcoming Polli*NATION Festival this Sunday! Party with a purpose for the bees, and support local food trucks, craft beer vendors, bee science and live music!

More info and Tickets HERE!

For now, I’m going to to Dig In and plant a few more fall flowering plants to help extend the pollinator’s nectar season!

Michelle

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An early season market haul

I’ll admit it, my first few trips to the farmer’s market were pretty much like trips to a grocery store. Most of us are just not used to shopping directly from IRL farmers. While I can respect shopping a farmer’s market like a grocery store (you’ll still get super-fresh, tasty, nutritious foods) …for me, part of the Farmer’s Market experience is being able to connect with the farmers. I’m looking to knock out a few chains in the old food chain by visiting. And then there’s the plain old fact that the food tastes phenomenal! Sometimes even better than even your own home-grown produce, I mean these people are the pros after all. Through the last decade I’ve gathered some tips to help you make the most of your market visit.

Ask Away!

I get it- at first asking questions can be a weird thing; maybe we’re too “Minnesota Nice”, or maybe we’re just not used to being able to ask anything about our food. But really, isn’t getting closer to ‘Farm to Table’ eating why you’re at the Farmer’s Market? Don’t be worried about offending a farmer by asking them why their farm isn’t certified organic; you’ll learn so much about the how and why of their farming techniques you can’t help but feel good about eating it.

Here are some questions to get you started:

“Where is your farm?”
“When was this picked?”
“Do you use organic methods?”
 “Any new crops coming next week?”

These questions should get most farmers going! They’ve worked hard to grow and bring this food to market, their name and livelihood is dependent upon people caring enough to buy the food they grow again and again (another 180 from the supermarket).

White Bear Lake Farmers Market 2017

Powers of Observation

“There’s visual evidence behind the display table to give you big clues to how the farmer handles their food,” that’s a tip straight from a farmer who’s been selling at markets for almost 30 years.

It makes sense; if a farmer sets a tray of produce onto hot pavement (which will wilt it) at the market, how are they handling that food when no one is looking? Are there re-used containers, open or closed containers in the vehicle, coolers?

When my kids were at that ‘suicide watch’ stage of development (aka most of toddlerhood), I’d feel bad asking a farmer a question only to have to abandon the conversation to chase after my offspring. I still learned a ton  by hanging back (fine, call it eves dropping) and I kept coming back for more!

Not quite speed dating, but…
Just because the first farmer you come across has beautiful cucumbers doesn’t mean the farmers down the way don’t have beautiful cucumbers too- maybe grown organically and less expensive. The Real Estate law of “Location, Location, Location” applies to farmer’s markets as well. Take your time and shop around. The farmers’ stalls stay put, you get to peruse and compare- it’s actually really fun once you get comfy!

Happy shoppers on opening day at the White Bear Lake Farmers Market.

The More the Merrier

Bring friends with you to the market. You’ll be more likely to linger and maybe a wee bit bolder to ask farmers your burning questions. *Bonus* you’ll have someone to keep your kids from eating all the bread/caramel corn/honey samples at the next booth over (yes, I’ve learned my lesson now).

Getting to know these hard working, knowledgeable farmers adds so much more than a few extra ears of corn in your bag (which farmers have been known to do after building a relationship with you.) These are the people who know what is coming into season next week, and what will be gone until next year. Valuable info that helps you plan meals around the freshest produce!

I have no idea who this guy is, I just could not decide who my favorite farmer is…

Get Social

To take your connection to the next level, go ahead and ask your favorite farmer if they’re online. You’d be amazed at how many farmers share their stories on one or more social networks. You’ll get to see stories about the ups and downs of farming, healthy recipes for what’s in season and maybe even some adorable baby chick, lamb and calf photos- who wouldn’t want a few of these stories rolling through their feed!?!

Some of my favorite social sites so far:
Facebook:  Heinel Farms  &  Fresh Earth Farms
Instagram: Winnowburrow Farm  &  The Dirt Mag
Blog:  Broadfork Farm

Do you have a Family Farm’s social site you love? Please share it with us!

The early bird gets the… Melon

If you’re craving a watermelon, and they’re just coming on, get there early because there’s no warehouse storage facilities here. Farmers tend to harvest everything that’s ripe and within the realm of what they can sell that day. Example: If the weather is supposed to be rainy, the farmers won’t expect as many shoppers at market, they might not harvest as much, but the clouds blow away and it’s a beautiful summer morning. Well, just see how many farmers are completely sold out before the end of market time. This is part of the local food game. If you think about it, they’re just being good stewards of the land. I mean they have to cut it close, because just like you hate to throw away a bag of spinach- so do they.

*ps- Composting a purchased bag of greens is worlds away from tossing your lovingly home-grown greens; believe me!

Procrastinators Rewards

Showing up late has its advantages at the market. Since these are real farmers in charge of their own sales they can decide to take some $ off the top if the market is closing soon and no one was interested in broccoli that day.  Or if you buy by the case/bushel rather than a few at  a time. Which is a great way to stock that freezer with nutrient rich locally grown food for the long cold winter nights. For some pointers on freezing look no further than our very own University of Minnesota and their easy to follow resources for How to Freeze Produce. Or just watch THIS U of MN VIDEO narrated by Forks in the Dirt guest blogger, Megan Baumler.

At my hometown White Bear Lake Farmer’s Market, about 30 minutes before closing some farmers are ready to sell at a discount, but timing probably depends on the size and attendance of the market. Also, the veggies will be picked through, but anything you buy there will be fresher by far than a grocery store. But be prepared if the hot new item is gone by the end of the market.

A Few More Tips

Any decent article on farmer’s market how-to should include these points as well:

• Bring your own bags (in my book re-useable bags include Target bags that actually do a better job of keeping in moisture than fabric bags).
• Bring Cash (duh).
• Know that you can use SNAP benefits at most markets (check the market website)
• Bring a cooler (there are amazing meats and dairy at these markets too).
• If your low on self-control, (like yours truly) feed your crew first, trust me here!
• SMILE! You are lucky to be able to shop this variety of lovingly grown food

I urge you to get out there and visit your local farmer’s market- and I dare you to wait the extra week or two to buy from your local farmer’s market what the grocery store has delivered from down south. Your taste buds, the local economy, and even your nutritional intake will be improved!

New to the Farmer’s Market Game? Here’s the MN Grown list of Famer’s Markets,   it may take me a while to make it to all 185 Farmer’s Markets in MN, but I’m going to go ahead and DIG IN!

Michelle

The post Secrets to Shopping Success at Farmer’s Markets appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Look at those smiles!

The couple caught my attention because they are farming with the sole purpose of giving all the food to a local food shelf! So, I decided to tag along and lend my mini-muscles to the ‘groundbreaking’ of their newly acquired plot. It’s right off Marshall and Snelling, nestled up to a parking lot.

My Urban Farming Experience

It was fun, hard work. And I couldn’t stop smiling afterwards. Five of us prepped about 250 feet of beds for an early crop of green onions. Next, they’ll be followed by collard greens. The other plot will grow radishes, turnips, carrots, baby bok choy, and tomatoes. Any remaining holes will be filled with lettuce.

Getting Started

These two have a passion for growing food, and have been figuring out how to lend that passion to serve the community. In the spring of 2016, when a call was put out to the Woodland Hills Church community for help planting a garden, the couple answered. During its first season, these two helped build six raised bed gardens outside of the church with the purpose of adding fresh produce to the Merrick Services food shelf housed within the church’s walls.

The gardens produced a small but impactful amount of food that was donated last growing season. “Since we enjoy growing food at a scale that far exceeds what we can consume ourselves, we ended up donating produce from our personal gardens as well. In continued response to what we feel is a calling, we decided to challenge ourselves to dedicate all this year’s growing power and space to produce food for Merrick,” says Anna. Turns out, that’s a lot of growing power!

Digging in, by hand, with big hearts.

Urban Farming

On two small urban lots, they are planning to produce enough food so that each family can take home 2-3 veggies/herbs each week for about 6 weeks this summer. That equals 300-450 servings of veggies per week for the growing season! This food shelf currently assists roughly 150 families every week.  Like other area food shelves, Merrick is trying to increase the amount and quality of fresh produce they offer. Samantha Soriano, the Merrick Food Shelf manager, agrees: “we recently surveyed our participants and found a real desire for fresh produce. That Anna and Jesse had conversations with food shelf participants so they could grow what the people wanted shows their level of commitment. We’re excited for the added produce to get onto the plates of the family’s we serve.” Here’s where to find out more about digging in with the Merrick Food Shelf.

Anna and her trusty wheelbarrow

Connected to Community

Being in the local, organic food and farming world has helped them make connections with both land and supplies. Jesse is the buyer at Linden Hills Co-op, and Anna has worked on farms for seven seasons, this being her eighth. They were able to scoop up land after another urban food farm, Stone’s Throw, decided to go in a more educational direction. Many of the plants that will soon be planted out in the fields got their start in a friend’s greenhouse. Gaining access to ‘farmable’ land in the Twin Cities is tricky business right now, especially according to the Star Tribune article from last week. So these two have been very lucky!

The sheer number of people experiencing food insecurity may surprise some of us. Our area’s largest food bank, Second Harvest Heartland, helped people gain access to 80 million meals in 2016. The same as 532,000 people in mid-Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. A large amount of food is lost annually from farm to table (like 96 billion pounds of pre-market food!). But food shelves around the world and right here in St. Paul are forging connections with local farmers, gardeners, and distribution chains to divert food from the landfill to plates.

Ready for planting!

Gleaning

“Gleaning” is the term used to describe harvesting food that would otherwise be left on the field. Here’s a cool NPR Story to listen to from a few years ago on gleaning.

I want to “Go Glean” later this season!! Anyone with me??!!!

As for Anna and Jesse, this summer gives them a chance to “…above all, learn and grow ourselves. The project is a creative outlet for us both in different ways.” Way to get growing, guys!

“We also not-so-secretly want the lawn around Woodland Hills Church to be turned into a huge garden surrounded by fruit trees and bushes,” mentioned Anna, a glint in her eye.  If these ‘giving gardens’ are any indicator, I’d say see you at Woodland Hills for a harvest party next summer! 

Small-Scale Takeaways

What I learned from talking with and digging with them is that it doesn’t take a lot of land to make an impact. Think of how much a 3 pack of organic bell peppers costs at the store or farmer’s market. Now think about being able to bring your own extras in a few times a summer. A little goes a long way. And you’ll be smiling longer than I was after our ‘garden groundbreaking’ day.

These two inspired me to add a few more rows to my garden. Anyone else inspired to garden a little extra for your local food shelf?  I’d love to hear from you!

And if you’re interested in helping with Anna and Jesse’s farming efforts, just leave a comment and I’ll connect you.

Let’s Dig In!

Michelle

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