First MN Cheese Festival Coming to State Fair Grounds on Sunday

Check it out! The first ever Minnesota Cheese Festival will be taking place at the State Fair Grounds this Sunday. The following release was sent out from the Minnesota Cheese Festival organizers, and will give you the basic information about the event.

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MINNEAPOLIS - April 9, 2012 - On Sunday, June 3 at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds' International Bazaar, foodies can unleash their inner caseophile (cheese lover) at the first Minnesota Cheese Festival. Minnesota's artisan cheesemakers will be joined by Wisconsin cheesemakers for an event celebrating all things cheese. 

Open to the public from noon - 6 p.m. (with a private media and industry event from 11 a.m. -noon), the event aims to raise awareness for Minnesota's growing cheesemaking community while allowing cheese lovers to sample and purchase artisan, farmstead and specialty cheeses. While its neighbor Wisconsin is best known for a thriving cheesemaking industry, Minnesota is in fact the NO.6 cheese producing state in the US. In recent years, the state's processed cheese giants have been joined by world-class artisan cheese producers - such as Caves of Faribault, Alemar Cheese Co. and Shepherd's Way Farms. All three cheese producers will be in attendance at the Festival, alongside numerous Wisconsin cheesemakers. 

"Wisconsin has incredible, state-run programs that support the cheesemaking community, but the resources for Minnesota cheesemakers are limited," said festival organizer Whitney McChane. "These are hard-working small business owners who are responsible for everything from herd management to product distribution - and marketing often falls to the end of the 'must do' list. This event is hopefully the first of many designed to support and empower the local cheesemaking community while fostering a sense of pride among Minnesota residents." 

Timed to coincide with prime milking season and National Dairy Month in June, the festival is expected to draw sizeable crowds, given America's specialty, artisanal and farmstead cheese consumption is at an all-time high. This can be attributed to a combination of factors including more U.S. citizens traveling abroad and trying unique varieties of cheese; more U.S. restaurants offering a cheese course; and an increased interest in ethnic food (Source: Agriculture Marketing Resource Center). 

"Minnesota has a long and rich history of dairy farming, and while our output can't compete with our Eastern neighbor Wisconsin, our milk quality certainly can," said Keith Adams, Alemar Cheese Company's founder and head cheesemaker. "And, if it isn't immediately apparent, great cheese can only be made from great milk." 

MAIN STAGE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
(Schedule is subject to change)
Noon: Meet the Chef & Recipe Demonstrations - Gastrotruck
12:30 p.m.: Beer & Cheese Pairing Demonstration - Michael Agnew
1 :00 p.m.: Meet the Cheesemaker - Caves of Faribault
1 :30 p.m.: Wine & Cheese Pairing Demonstration - Leslee Miller
2:00 p.m.: Meet the Cheesemaker - Shepherd's Way Farms
2:30 p.m.: Beer & Cheese Pairing Demonstration - Michael Agnew
3:00 p.m.: Meet the Cheesemaker - Ellsworth Creamery
3:30 p.m.: Wine & Cheese Pairing Demonstration - Leslee Miller
4:00 p.m.: Meet the Cheesemaker - Alemar Cheese Co.
4:30 p.m.: Beer & Cheese Pairing Demonstration - Michael Agnew
5:00 p.m.: Meet the Chef & Recipe Demonstration - Chef Shack
5:30 p.m.: Wine & Cheese Pairing Demonstration - Leslee Miller
6:00 p.m.: Event ends 

REAR DEMONSTRATION AREA
Cheesemaking demonstrations will be hosted by experts from Midwest Supplies, which offers a full line of home cheese making supplies and kits: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/other-products/cheese-making.html

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

New Index Ranks Minnesota 17th in Locally Grown Food Consumption

The 2012 "Locavore Index" has ranked Minnesota as 17th in the nation in our commitment to raising and eating locally grown food. Our neighbors, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, all came ahead of Minnesota in the Index. Eight of the 12 states in the North Central region made the top 20. 

According to Strolling of the Heifers, "using data exclusively from government sources (principally USDA and US Census data) dating from 2010 and 2011, the Locavore Index measures the commitment of states to locally-sourced foods by measuring the per-capita presence of Community-Supported Agricultural enterprises and Farmers Markets, each of which is an indication of both the availability and demand for locally-produced food." 

The 2012 Locavore Index Ranking of States 
(Click here for a PDF chart including the underlying data and sources used to develop the Index):

1. Vermont

2. Iowa

3. Montana

4. Maine

5. Hawaii

6. Kentucky

7. North Dakota

8. South Dakota

9. Wyoming

10. Idaho

11. West Virginia

12. Nebraska

13. New Hampshire

14. Oregon

15. Wisconsin

16. New Mexico

17. Minnesota

18. Missouri

19. Kansas

20. Oklahoma

21. Arkansas

22. Washington

23. Mississippi

24. Rhode Island

25. Michigan

26. Alabama

27. Alaska

28. Massachusetts

29. Connecticut

30. Indiana

31. Colorado

32. North Carolina

33. South Carolina

34. Virginia

35. Ohio

36. Tennessee

37. Utah

38. Pennsylvania

39. Maryland

40. Illinois

41. California

42. New York

43. Texas

44. Georgia

45. Delaware

46. Louisiana

47. Nevada

48. New Jersey

49. Arizona

50. Florida

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

California Street Farm to Host Weekly Farm Stand in Nordeast

Views of California Street Farm, by Greg and Marie Flanagan

Amidst throngs of curious Art-A-Whirlers on Saturday, a new urban farm in Minneapolis, California Street Farm, was hosting a small gathering commemorating Minneapolis chef, artist, and community and sustainable agriculture leader Tom Taylor. A sculpture by Minneapolis artist Aldo Moroni was unveiled in his honor. Shortly after the ceremony, farmers Jillia Pessenda Bovino, her husband Jim Bovino, and their dog, Romeo, gave me a quick tour of California Street Farm, which will be available to serve your tables very soon. 

The Bovinos hail from Minnesota, but honed their farming skills on a small farm in Washington State. As they planned a move back to Minnesota, they decided to get involved in urban agriculture, and when the opportunity to farm the ¾ acre vacant parcel of land presented itself, they seized it. California Street Farm is located in the heart of the Arts District in Northeast Minneapolis. With a view of downtown Minneapolis, the farm is nestled on a former vacant lot between the railroad tracks and NE California Street on 22nd Ave NE, a stone’s throw from the California Arts Building. 

The Bovinos feel fortunate that they are able to use this urban lot to grow food, and are glad that their soil tests have come through clean, despite being located in the middle of the city. “One thing that many are probably wondering about is soil health, in particular toxicity,” Jillia wrote in an email to CSA members. “We are happy to report that we have been very fortunate to inherit an unusually clean plot of ground. There has never been a structure on the site.  This has saved us from many of the ambient chemicals, metals, and other debris that are often the result of a decaying structure.” (I wrote about soil testing in March, if you want to learn more.) 

Although they’re busy with their jobs at Lucia’s, where Jim is a server and Jillia works in the bakery, they take the time to treat their soil with organic compost, mulch to control weeds and retain soil moisture, and use efficient drip irrigation—practices that help them be better stewards of the land, while boosting their yields. As we toured the farm, Jim cheerfully pointed out seedlings of onions, radishes, arugula, kale, squash, three varieties of beets, broccoli, sugar snap peas, and carrots. He pointed to a tub full of raspberry shoots and explained that, eventually, they hope to incorporate fruits and berries. 

Starting in mid-June, California Street Farm will be fulfilling CSA shares to members, and because new zoning rules from the Minneapolis City Council allow farmers to sell their harvest on site 15 days per year, they will be hosting an onsite farm stand open to the public on Tuesday afternoons, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. CSA members (including yours truly) will pick up their shares at the farm, and with a weekly market at the farm’s front door, the California Street Farm hopes to create a feeling of community among their members and neighbors, and give city dwellers the chance to connect with a farm.  

“We want to feed families in the neighborhood. Picking up directly from the farm, we hope, will allow our members the opportunity to connect to the land each week and watch the farm grow,” said Jillia.

Cross-posted from the TC Taste blog: New Urban Farm Ready to Serve Minneapolis - Twin Cities Taste - May 2012 - Minnesota

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

City of Saint Paul Launches Website for Sustainable, Local Food Production

The City of St Paul is increasing its effort to promote and support the production of healthy, sustainable, locally-grown food, according to the press release below from the City of St Paul.

Katie Godfrey,MN Living GreenCorps Member with Saint Paul Parks and Recreation said, "[...]the website is a work in progress--if there is information you think should be included on the site, please let me know and I will see what I can do. One thing to note is that under 'Community Connections' there is an inventory of the community kitchens in St. Paul."

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SAINT PAUL – The City of Saint Paul launched a Healthy and Local Food website today to advance the city’s efforts in supporting and encouraging production of healthy, sustainable, locally-grown food. The website covers topics from urban food production and proposed zoning changes to information on permits and an inventory of community kitchens and more. The website was revealed on the same day the Saint Paul City Council accepted a report from the Saint Paul-Ramsey County Food and Nutrition Commission, recommending the expansion of economic and infrastructure development of urban agriculture.

“Saint Paul is a national leader in sustainable living, and access to locally-grown food is an important part of that. By supporting local food production, we support the health of our economy, the health of our environment, and the health of our residents,” Mayor Chris Coleman said.

“There are a growing number of community organizations and individuals doing important work on local food issues – from food security and access to urban farming and backyard gardening. Saint Paul is pleased to be a partner in these efforts and expects that the new website will serve as an easy entry point for residents and businesses interested in healthy local food,” Saint Paul City Councilmember Russ Stark added.

Saint Paul has made great strides in recent years to support local food initiatives as part of broader efforts to create a sustainable community. A 2010 study of some Saint Paul neighborhoods identified price, as well as access, as two of the major barriers to families eating fruits or vegetables every day. Since then, Saint Paul and Ramsey County have worked to open additional community gardens and worked to make it possible to use EBT cards at Saint Paul farmers markets, ensuring that those essential local fruits and vegetable are available to all.

The commission’s report draws connections between food access, public health, economic development and equity. Its recommendations include expanding urban farming, enhancing local food quality, and integrating the promotion of healthy, local food systems into Saint Paul’s government policies and practices.

The new website can be found at http://www.stpaul.gov/indexu.aspx?NID=4811

Catch the Buzz: Bicycle-Delivered Beez Kneez Honey Offers Bee Classes

Today I was reminded that about a third of our diets can be attributed to honey bees. Sure, honey bees produce honey, but it’s easy to forget that they pollinate most of the plants that sustain our food system. What with concerns about honey bee colony collapse and Minneapolis allowing beekeeping in the city, there’s been quite a buzz about bees, and a local beekeeper in bee-striped socks wants to help you learn all about them.

Earlier this week, Minnesota honey producer The Beez Kneezannounced that their Community Bees on Bikes classes were open for registration. The Beez Kneez is a local company offering local, raw honey delivered to homes and businesses via bicycle. And the gal powering the unmistakable honey delivery bike is Kristy Lynn Allen, who loves beekeeping, honey, bicycling, and sharing information about all things honey bee.

Allen graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Global Studies major. After she graduated, she helped her uncle and aunt at their Bar Bell Bee Ranch. After a brief stint farming in Ecuador, Allen returned to Minnesota, where she developed a unique method for marketing Bar Bell’s honey in Minneapolis. Using herself as a traveling advertisement, she decorated her bicycle with bee-like stripes, attached some antennae to her bicycling helmet, pulled on some bee-striped socks, and started pedaling around the city, making deliveries of honey via bicycle.

Her interest in honey bees grew, and in 2010, she founded her own Beez Kneez honey label. To-date, she’s delivered more than 2500 lbs. of Beez Kneez honey around the Twin Cities, sourcing honey from her uncle’s farm as well as hives she’s established in the Twin Cities and Rogers, Minn., and Osceloa, Wisc. Although Allen delivers a lot of honey on bike to customers in Minneapolis (many of whom she’s met through her bartending jobs at Barbette and Bryant-Lake Bowl), her honey also is available at the Kingfield and Fulton farmers' markets. And while a lot of Beez Kneez honey is raised in rural environments, it’s the connection in the urban area that motivates Allen.

“I like the idea of bringing beekeeping into the city,” said Allen. “My favorite part about Beez Kneez is that I get to interact with the community and many of our customers, whether it’s at their homes or at a market.”

Right now, profits from Beez Kneez honey sales are being funneled to Community Bees on Bikes, the new, experiential education arm of Beez Kneez. Allen wants the Community Bees on Bikes program to provide hands-on, learning experiences in the city about beekeeping, bee biology, other pollinators, and their roles in our food system.

As a class attendee, prepare to be suited up in a beekeeper suit, and get close-up with a honeybee colony as you observe the bees and learn more about them. Erin Rupp joined Beez Kneez in 2011 as the director of development and education for Community Bees on Bikes. She’s a beekeeper and a K12 Life Science Educator at the Bell Museum of Natural History, and will be leading the Community Bees on Bikes program. Beez Kneez has partnered with several locations throughout Minneapolis to host hives for these Community Bees on Bikes educational opportunities. Class locations include schools, urban farms, and community gardens, such as Blake School in Lowry Hill, the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden at Theo Wirth Park, JD Rivers Children’s Garden at Theo Wirth Park, the McKinley Farm and CSA in North Minneapolis, Kuhl Beans Urban Farm in South Minneapolis, Sisters’ Camelot’s community garden plot in South Minneapolis, and Project Sweetie Pie. Six, one-hour classes with varying topics are being offered, and prices range from $30 to $60, depending on how many people you can get to sign up for a class with you. Once the hives start producing enough honey, community members associated with the programs will have the opportunity to purchase the honey at a discounted rate.

“As soon as you start beekeeping, you become very much aware of your environment, from the wildflowers around you to slight changes in the weather,” said Allen. “I love learning about bees, and I love watching other people learn about bees.”

I know, I know, it’s not exactly wine and roses, but a date to an urban farm to learn more about honey and bees could be pretty sweet, if you can pardon the pun.

Cross post from TC Taste: The Buzz About Bees—And Beez Kneez - Twin Cities Taste - May 2012 - Minnesota

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

Living the Dream Farm's New Duck Barn is Just Ducky

In the April issue of Minnesota Monthly, I wrote a short piece about Khaiti and Andrew French’s Living the Dream (LTD) Farm, where I found two young farmers with big dreams and a lot of energy. What I didn’t mention is that a dream came true for the duo in the form of a successful Kickstarter fundraiser, which has allowed them to expand, sharing their duck eggs with even more consumers. 

In western Wisconsin, the Frenches are raising a flock of buff-colored ducks along with vegetables, fruit trees, chickens, rabbits, goats, and turkeys—and they’re doing it without chemicals. During the day, their flock of more than 200 Khaki Campbell ducks feasts on pasture grasses, local grains, kale, and garden trimmings. Come nightfall, the ducks take baths in small pools and then snuggle up on hay beds in their hoop house. Around 3 a.m., they lay their eggs. At their peak, their flock produces 60-dozen eggs weekly, but that number is set to increase. 

In December, the Frenches reached their goal on a Kickstarter fundraising campaign, which will allow them to expand their farm infrastructure in order to raise more ducks and produce more eggs. Their new duck barn is under construction, and they’re hoping to continue to have eggs into winter this year. Currently, you can find LTD duck eggs and their handmade goat soap at Heartland’s Farm Direct Market, Mississippi Market, and Seward Co-op, Linden Hills, and Eastside Co-ops. 

On average, duck eggs have more fat and protein than chicken eggs, which means duck eggs make magical baked goods. The protein-rich egg whites and rich yolks of duck eggs are known for adding fluffiness and richness to cookies and cakes. Not a baker? Fresh duck eggs make springtime brunch dreams come true. Sauté a few morels (now available at co-ops and markets) and serve them with a fried (or softly scrambled) duck egg.

Cross post from Duo's Farming Dream is Just Ducky - Twin Cities Taste - May 2012 - Minnesota

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