Friday, December 19, 2014

Shepherd’s Way Farms Launches Kickstarter to #GrowtheFlock




Shepherd’s Way Farms Launches Kickstarter to #GrowtheFlock

Shepherd's Way Morcella is a seasonal, soft-ripened sheep milk cheese made with morel mushrooms.
MARIE FLANAGAN




Steven and Jodi Ohlsen Read raise their dairy sheep at Shepherd’s Way Farm, just outside Northfield, an hour south of Minneapolis. Shepherd’s Way Farm is known throughout Minnesota for their award-winning, artisan, sheep’s milk cheeses like Shepherd’s Hope, Big Woods Blue, and Morcella (pictured). This week, they announced they need more room to grow, and they launched a Kickstarter campaign to reach their goal. TheirBuild the Barns, Grow the Flock" Kickstarter campaign goal is to finish a lambing barn and begin building a ewe barn that was destroyed in a fire in 2005.

“Our flock is about ⅓ the size it was before the fire,” said Shepherd’s Way cheesemaker, Jodi Ohlsen Read. “We’d like to double our current flock size. Having said that, we’re committed to sustainable growth - as we grow we’ll determine what the best size would be for us. We want to stay small-scale, and be able to make our ends meet.”

The current lamb barn at Shepherd’s Way was saved from demolition when the Reads moved the top half of it from the Big Woods State Park. They’ve been making steady progress on the barn, but it needs a new roof, electrical work, and a warming room for the lambs. They hope to raise $58,000 through Kickstarter, which would allow them to finish and winterizing the lamb barn, and start the initial construction of a barn for the ewes (adult female sheep).

“Our sheep spend much of their time outside, even in the winter if they choose,” said Steven Read in a press release. “But they need warm shelter, especially during lambing. Particularly when we have winters like last year.” Shepherd’s Way begins lambing in mid-January, and the Reads hope to start winterizing the lamb barn as soon as the Kickstarter campaign is complete.

The Kickstarter rewards include cheese, of course, along with wool filled pillows, private cheese tastings, lamb note cards, and a Spring Frolic party at the farm.

“Traditionally, a farmer would get a farm loan for building. Those opportunities aren’t as easily available as they were before the recession, especially when you’re still a growing business,” said Ohlsen Read. “The advantages of Kickstarter, aside from the funding, is that we’ll be able to draw more people who are specifically interested in what we do - it builds community, and I love that idea. I like the connection to the community.”

Ohlsen Read’s enthusiasm for community building extends beyond the Kickstarter campaign. She is currently president of the Minnesota Cheesemakers Guild, hosts regular local farm tours, and Steve and Jodi are also the Minnesota Farmers Union Enterprise Leadership Couple.  But her heart is on the farm, where she spends most of her time crafting small batch cheese. She looks forward to milking season and to growing the Shepherd’s Way flock.

“If you’re gonna be in farming, you’re gonna have some tough times, and it’ll affect you to the core,” said Ohlsen Read. “If the kickstarter doesn’t get funded, it’ll be a tough winter. It’ll take us longer to get self-sustaining...to be a truly sustainable farm, we need to produce enough milk, to make enough cheese, to make all of the ends meet.”

You can learn more about Shepherd's Way and their goals from their Kickstarter video. 


Cross posted from: Shepherd's Way Farm Makes a Kickstarter to Rebuild Flock

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Minnesota to the Core: A Complete Guide to Picking the Perfect Apple


Minnesota to the Core: A Complete Guide to Picking the Perfect Apple
PHOTO BY DAVE HANSEN






















Markets and farm stands are packed with stacks of fantastic apples right now, but choosing the perfect apple when you can't sample can be a bit tricky. Here's an annual roundup of information that can assist your crucial apple selection process.

Choosing Your Apple

Apple varieties have varying attributes, whether they're crisp and sweet, or juicy and sour. Some apples are perfect for packing in a lunch box (Honeycrisp, Zestar!, SweeTango, Haralson), while others are better suited for pies or apple butter (Northern Spy, Prairie Spy, Duchess).  Another attribute to consider is shelf-life; some varieties last longer in storage (Prairie Spy, Keepsake, Honeygold, Sweet Sixteen, Honeycrisp).
Here are the major Minnesota-grown varieties listed by season, in alphabetical order, along with general tasting attributes:

Early Season

  • Beacon (sweet, juicy, good eating apple)
  • Centennial Crabapple (small, juicy, great for kids)
  • Dayton (naturally disease resistant, tart, crisp)
  • Discovery (floral, sweet)
  • Duchess (good for pies)
  • Estivale (sometimes called LaCrescent, sweet, tart)
  • Gingergold (sweet, crunchy)
  • Jersey Mac (sweet, tart, good for applesauce)
  • Lodi (very early, tart, decent pie apple)
  • Paula Red (sweet, tart, bright white flesh)
  • Pristine (disease resistant, crisp, delicate)
  • Redfree (disease resistant, sweet, crisp)
  • Sansa (Gala/Akane cross, crunchy, juicy)
  • Summer Red (similar to Haralson, crisp, tart, juicy)
  • State Fair (tart, crunchy)
  • SweeTango (a personal favorite, crisp, tangy, slightly sweet)
  • Tyedeman’s Red (juicy, sweet, tart, good for apple sauce)
  • Viking (mild, soft, thin-skinned)
  • Wellington (tart, early pie apple)
  • William’s Pride (disease resistant, slightly spicy, bold)
  • Zestar! (large, crunchy, sweet-tart)

Mid-Season

  • Chestnut Crabapple (nutty, smaller, good for sauce)
  • Cortland (bright white flesh, doesn’t brown as quickly, great for fruit salad)
  • Gala (sweet, crisp, yellowish flesh)
  • Honeycrisp (a personal favorite, well balanced, sweet, tangy, crisp, very popular)
  • McIntosh (very tart, juicy, very popular)
  • Red Baron (mild, sweet, juicy)
  • Sweet Sixteen (sticky sweet, crisp, juicy, yellow flesh)
  • Wealthy (tart, medium sized)

Late Season

  • Braeburn (sweet, tart, classic)
  • Fireside (sweet, large, good for baking)
  • Frostbite (very sweet, smaller, juicy)
  • Honeygold (yellow skin, good for cooking, sweet)
  • Haralson (firm, good pie apple, sweet)
  • Keepsake (firm, crisp, yellowish flesh, can store for six months)
  • Liberty (disease resistant, tart, crisp)
  • Northern Spy (tart, juicy, great for pies and sauce)
  • Pinata (orange in color, slightly spicy)
  • Prairie Spy (large, dense, good for baking, long storage time)
  • Red Delicious (very popular, firm, dark red, sweet)
  • Regent (well balanced, good for eating and cooking)
  • SnowSweet (a personal favorite, sweet, slightly tart, white flesh is slow to brown)

Pick Your Apple

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has a list of 116 apple orchards on their website this year. You can search by zip code to find an orchard close to you.
If you’re looking for a referral, some of the most beloved orchards include:
No time for apple picking? Check your local farmers market, which is a perfect weekend outing this time of the year. Doug Bolstorff’s Cedar Grove Orchard stand at the downtown St Paul Farmers Market is a personal favorite. They have good apples, decent prices, and friendly service. Don't miss the Sweetland Orchard stand at the Kingfield Farmers Market where they sell fantastic apple cider donuts. Finally, if you can't make it to the orchard or farmers market, local co-ops can fill your basket with local apples from local organic orchards. Do you research, fill your basket, and when you get home you can sit back and relax knowing you've selected the perfect Minnesota apple.


Cross posted from: Minnesota to the Core: A Complete Guide to Picking the Perfect Apple

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]