The ABCs of CSAs for Summer 2012

Earlier this week, I tweeted about Twin Cities CSAs, and many of you retweeted or replied, which suggests Twin Cities residents are eager and interested in CSAs for summer 2012. This is a great time to take the opportunity to discuss the unique CSA offerings in the Twin Cities and figure out which one is a good match for you.

The Basics on CSAs
A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation is a partnership between local producers and their subscribers. Before the growing season commences, a CSA farming operation will sell subscriptions to members of the public who pay upfront and then become stakeholders in the farm. The public stakeholders then receive regular deliveries from the producer in return for their subscription.

When you subscribe, you enjoy the benefit of having a relationship and understanding with the people growing your food. In a very direct way, you experience the risks and the bounties that the producer experiences.
Membership arrangements, delivery locations and frequency, products, opportunities for involvement, and costs vary with each CSA operation, so research is important in order to find one that suits you. There are several CSA opportunities in the Twin Cities area. To make it easier for you to select which CSA opportunity works best for you, Land Stewardship Project just released their CSA Farm Directory, which provides details on more than 80 Twin Cities area producers and their wide variety of CSA subscription plans.

What if I Can’t Handle a Whole Share?
An almost full bushel of produce every week might be too much for some. For those, consider these options:

• Many Twin Cities CSA operations offer half shares, which are smaller shares. Some of the farms that offer half shares include Axdahl’s Garden Farm & Greenhous, Blackberry Community Farm, Celestial Harvest, Eener’s Farm, Fox & Fawn Farm, Herbal Turtle Farms, Long Siding Farm, Marshwatch Farms, Piney Hill Farm, Prairie Sun Farm, Sweet Beet Farm, Winding Road Farm, Kindred Spirit Farm, Living Land Farm, Northern Light Farm, and Prairie Drifter Farm.
• Split a share with a family member or neighbor. One of you picks up the share, and you split the box each week, or you alternate weeks, so each ends up with a full share every two weeks.
• Many CSA subscribers save their seasonal bounty for later use through preservation techniques such as canning, freezing, pickling, and drying. The University of Minnesota Extension website has all the information you need if you’re interested in getting started.

Beyond Produce
CSAs can provide more than just produce—eggs, flowers, cheese, meat, and more are also available through CSAs in Minnesota. Here are some CSAs that go beyond produce.

• Shepherd’s Way Farms’ artisan cheese CSA: shepherdswayfarms.com
• Grass Run Farm’s organic, grass-fed meat CSA: grassrunfarm.com
• Trumpeter Swan Farm’s free-range egg CSA: trumpeterswanfarm.com
• Common Place Farm’s fresh cut, chemical-free flower CSA: livethislifeonpurpose.com
• Braucher’s Sunshine Harvest Farm meat CSA: sunshineharvestfarm.com
• Grass Fed Cattle Company beef CSA: grassfedcattleco.com
• Hilltop Pastures Family Farm grass-finished beef, pastured pork, and free-range egg CSA: hilltoppasturesfamilyfarm.com
• Community Homesstead: In additional to vegetables, items can be purchased online weekly and added to your weekly standard vegetable box, including flower bouquets, fruits, jams, eggs, beef, pork, bread, cookies, dairy-free baked goods, cards and coffee. communityhomestead.org
• Driftless Organics, in additional to vegetables, offers organic sunflower oil shares and organic grass-fed beef packs: driftlessorganics.com
• East Henderson Farm, in additional to vegetables, offers grass-fed and humanely treated beef, whole chickens, maple syrup and wild edibles: easthendersonfarm.com
• Harmony Valley, in additional to vegetables, offers a fruit share, certified organic, grass-fed Angus beef and pastured pork, fresh-roasted organic Kickapoo coffee, and a cheese share: harmonyvalleyfarm.com
• My Minnesota Farmer, in additional to vegetables, offers strawberries, raspberries, apples, and herbs, as well as chicken, eggs, turkey and beef: mymnfarmer.com
• Treasured Haven Farm, in addition to vegetables, offers harvest boxes, pumpkins, chickens, turkey, beef, eggs, fruit shares, and more: treasuredhavenfarm.com
• True Cost Farm, in addition to vegetables, offers grass finished, dry-aged beef and lamb, as well as pastured non-GMO and chemical-free fed pork, chicken, duck, turkey and eggs: truecostfarm.com
• Turnip Rock CSA, in addition to vegetables, they have an online sign-up option that allows you to buy canning tomatoes, freezer sweet corn, and pesto basil throughout the summer. Organically fed, pasture-raised pork, eggs, beef, chicken and soon, farmstead cheese, are also available: turniprock.com
• Northern Light Farm, in addition to vegetables, offers beef, honey, eggs, and chicken purchased as additions.
• Threshing Table Farm, in addition to vegetables, offers grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chickens, maple syrup, and eggs: threshingtablefarm.org

 Cross-posted from The ABCs of CSAs for Summer 2012 - Twin Cities Taste - February 2012 - Minnesota

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

Saving Seeds is for Novice and Expert Green Thumbs

When I moved out of my parent's house 15 years ago, my mother gifted me with a jar of her "rattlesnake snap" pole bean seeds. These are the same seeds of the same beans that I ate as a kid. Last Christmas, she presented me with a dozen or so packets of seeds she’s saved, from tomatoes to dill weed seeds. I have planted and harvested those seeds, and will continue to do so because it’s nostalgic and interesting to me. They are my family’s heirlooms.

Being the daughter of a seed saver, I like to plant saved seeds and heirloom varieties in my backyard garden. The Seed Savers Exchange is the largest organization worldwide devoted to preserving heirloom varieties. It defines an heirloom as "any garden plant that has a history of being passed down within a family, just like pieces of heirloom jewelry or furniture. Some companies have tried to create definitions based on date, such as anything older than 50 years."

On March 4, I attended the 30th Annual Seed Saver’s Exchange at the Kelley Farm in Elk River, Minn. The historic farm has been leading seed-saving activities in Minnesota since 1981.Seed-saving enthusiasts gathered and celebrated the seed saving tradition with seed art and a gardening presentation. And you know what’s really cool? A lot of people brought seeds to trade, but even those who didn't were able to take home some seeds.

Didn’t make the event? No problem. You can still get your green thumbs on some saved seeds by visiting a local store with a Seed Savers Exchange rack. Here’s a list of locations selling Seed Savers seeds:

Albert Lea Seed House 1414 West Main Street Albert Lea, MN 56007 Phone: 800-352-5247	Drummers Garden Center 281 Saint Andrews Dr Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-388-4877	University of MN Lanscape Arboritum 3685 Arboretum Dr. Chaska, MN 55318 Phone: 952-443-1403
Cook Country Coop 20 East First Street PO Box 1433 Grand Marais, MN 55604 Phone: 218-387-2503	Linders Garden Center 270 W Larpenteur Ave Saint Paul, MN 55113 Phone: 651-488-1927	Mazopiya 2571 Credit Union Dr. Prior Lake, MN 55372 Phone: 952-233-9142
Seward Coop 2823 E Franklin Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55406 Phone: 612-338-2465	Hillside Greenhouse 1934 4th Ave Windom, MN 56101 Phone: 507-832-8300	Kingsley Mercantile 2 Main Ave. N. Harmony, MN 55939 Phone: 507-886-2323
Moms Food Co-op 122 N. Buchanan St. Cambridge, MN 55008	Rainbow Food Coop 103 S Main St Blue Earth, MN 56013 Phone: 507-526-3603	Viola Nursery and Greenhouse 3120 100th Ave. NE Eyota, MN 55934 Phone: 507-259-3272
East Side Food Co-op 2551 Central Ave. NE Minneapolis, MN 55418 Phone: 612-788-0950	Abrahamson Nurseries 20021 St Croix Trail N Scandia, MN 55073 Phone: 651-433-2431	Grassroots Cooperative 1917 2nd Ave. Anoka, MN 55303 Phone: 763-427-4340
Mississippi Market 1500 W. 7th St. Saint Paul, MN 55102 Phone: 651690-0507	Abrahamson Nurseries 2100 Tower Dr W Stillwater, MN 55082	City Center Market 122 Buchanan St. N. Cambridge, MN 55008 Phone: 763-689-4640
Bluff County Co-op 121 W. 2nd St. Winona, MN 55987 Phone: 507-452-1815	Amelia's Flower & Garden Shoppe 910 W 36th St Minneapolis, MN 55408 Phone: 612-208-1205	Super Fresh Produce 2101 4th St. NW Austin, MN 55912 Phone: 507-438-2358
Linden Hills Co-op 3815 Sunnyside Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55410 Phone: 612-922-1159	Eggplant Urban Farm Supply 1771 Selby Ave Saint Paul, MN 55104 Phone: 651-645-0818	Andrew Skoog 3500 Vicksburg Ln. #334 Minneapolis, MN 55447 Phone: 612-804-1143
Sailers Greenhouse 17011 Sunset Ave. Shakopee, MN 55379 Phone: 952-403-0630	Greenwood Plants 6904 NW 18th Ave. Rochester, MN 55901 Phone: 507-282-1988	Vintage Farmer 41 Oak Ave. S. Annandale, MN 55302 Phone: 763-691-3925
Mississippi Market 1810 Randolph Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55105	Delano True Value 1005 Crossings Dr. Delano, MN 55328 Phone: 763-972-7272	Good Earth Food Co-op 2010 Veterans Dr. Saint Cloud, MN 56303 Phone: 320-253-9290
Mother Earth Gardens 3738 42nd Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55406 Phone: 612-724-2296	Just Food Coop 516 S Water St. Northfield, MN 55057 Phone: 507-645-7415	Becker Pet & Garden 1008 Washington Ave. Detroit Lakes, MN 56501
The Granary Food Coop 47 2nd St. NW Ortonville, MN 56278 Phone: 320-305-9685	By The Woods/Diggin' In 78 W 78th St. Chanhassen, MN 55317	Becker Pet & Garden 1008 Washington Ave. Detroit Lakes, MN 56501

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

Local Food Resource Hubs Memberships Now Open to Minneapolis Residents

Hubs support gardeners to grow healthy, sustainable, local food March 2, 2012

City of Minneapolis News Release

(MINNEAPOLIS) Minneapolis residents who want to grow their own food but don’t know how, and residents interested in low-cost seeds, seedlings, compost or classes can now become part of a neighborhood-based support network of urban gardeners and local food advocates.

The Local Food Resource Hubs Network, an initiative from the City of Minneapolis, community partners and Gardening Matters, is now in its second year. The hubs are designed to get Minneapolis residents and community gardeners the tools and education they need to grow, preserve, cook and compost their own fresh produce by offering supplies, classes and connections. Hubs benefit communities by connecting neighbors and have been established in four Minneapolis areas: north Minneapolis, south Minneapolis, Phillips and Ventura Village, and northeast and southeast Minneapolis.

Residents can join a Local Food Resource Hub and select the type of membership. Prices vary. Small garden memberships will receive 10 packets of seeds and 12 seedlings, medium garden memberships will receive 20 packets of seeds and 24 seedlings, and large garden memberships will receive 50 packs of seeds and 72 seedlings.

Members can pick up packets of seeds and seedlings at their hub’s distribution event this spring. Seeds and plants will be distributed April 14 and May 19. More information about distribution events will be sent to members and be available at www.gardeningmatters.org.

Memberships are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve a membership spot, residents can contact Gardening Matters at 612-821-2358, download the membership form (in English, Spanish, Hmong or Somali), or sign up online at www.gardeningmatters.org/hubs. Members plan and organize hub activities and events throughout the year. For more details, visit www.gardeningmatters.org/hubs/hubs-events-calendar. Last year the Local Food Resource Hubs Network served more than 600 members, distributed more than 14,000 packets of seeds and 15,000 seedlings, and expanded residents’ food growing skills through classes and training. To learn more, visit www.minneapolismn.gov/health/homegrown/index.htm.

The Local Food Resource Hubs Network was a recommendation from Homegrown Minneapolis, a comprehensive initiative of the City of Minneapolis to improve the growing, processing, distributing, eating and composting of healthy, sustainable, locally grown foods within the city. The Local Food Resource Hubs Network is made possible by funding from the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support and the Minnesota Department of Health’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.


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