LaClare Farms Purchases Sunshine Farms Distribution Goat Milk Bottling Operation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 28, 2013

Contact: Larry Hedrich, 920-849-2926, laclare@bugnet.net

PIPE, Wis. – LaClare Farms today announces it has purchased the Sunshine Farms Distribution fluid goat milk operation to add to the growing line-up of LaClare Farms products.

After March 5, customers may expect a new LaClare Farms label on all former Sunshine Farms bottled goat milk products. The high quality goat milk will come from the same farms, as the milk is already supplied and hauled by LaClare Farms and the Quality Dairy Goat Producers Cooperative of Wisconsin. Milk will continue to be available in quarts of Lowfat and Whole Milk as well as half gallons of Whole Milk.

“We are excited to expand our growing Wisconsin farmstead dairy operation by offering this well-regarded and established line of quality bottled goat milk,” said Greg Hedrich, LaClare Farms Business Manager. 

LaClare Farms already offers a wide array of goat’s milk and mixed milk cheeses, including Evalon, Fresh Chevre, Cheddar, Raw Cheddar, Fondy Jack and American Originals crafted by Katie Hedrich, the reigning U.S. Championship Cheesemaker. The new LaClare Farms bottled goat milk is distributed by Vern’s Cheese, Chilton; Trust Local Foods, Little Chute; and Natural Direct in Oswego, Illinois and is available at retail locations throughout Wisconsin and Northern Illinois.  

Owned by the Larry and Clara Hedrich family of Chilton, Wis., LaClare Farms is currently building a new dairy processing facility on State Hwy 151, north of the village of Pipe. The facility will include a state-of-the-art dairy plant, retail store and café, as well as a milking parlor and housing for 600 milking goats. The under-construction facility will also be capable of aging cheese in curing rooms, as well as producing cultured products and bottled milk. It is scheduled to begin limited operation in May 2013 and be fully completed in June 2013. 

For more information, visit www.laclarefarms.com or call Larry Hedrich at 920-849-2926.

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

Seed Saving: Family Heirlooms for Your Garden

MARIE FLANAGAN (3)

I’m a daughter of a seed saver. Each year, my mom carefully harvests and saves seeds from her prolific garden. A practical woman, she also taught me how to save seeds, so the beans, tomatoes, and dill that I plant today are the same seeds of the same garden goodies that I ate as a kid. The tradition is nostalgic and interesting to me. Each time I pinch a “rattlesnake pole bean” or a “scarlet runner bean” seed between my fingers, I think of my mom, her hard work, and her beloved garden. These seeds are my family’s heirlooms.

Seed savers are especially interested in the concept of heirloom varieties. The Seed Savers Exchange 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."

Now you can become part of the  ever-growing seed saver/heirloom seed movement. The Annual Seed Saver’s Exchange will be taking place at the Oliver H. Kelley Farm in Elk River, Minn. this March 10 at 2 p.m.. The historic farm has been leading seed-saving activities in Minnesota since 1981. Seed saving enthusiasts will gather and celebrate the seed saving tradition with seed art and a gardening presentation. Following the presentation, a seed swap will take place. Seed savers carefully package their seeds and bring them to swap with other seed savers, and the folks at the Kelley Farm make some of their saved seeds available. And you know what’s really cool? You don’t have to bring seeds in order to take some home. The event is free and open to the public and is for novice and expert gardeners alike.

Can’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:

Abrahamson Nurseries 20021 St. Croix Trail N Scandia, MN 55073 651-433-2431	Greenwood Plants 6904 NW 18th Ave. Rochester, MN 55901 507-282-1988
Abrahamson Nurseries 2100 Tower Dr. W Stillwater, MN 55082	Hillside Greenhouse 1934 4th Ave. Windom, MN 56101 507-832-8300
Albert Lea Seed House 1414 West Main St. Albert Lea, MN 56007 800-352-5247	Just Food Coop 516 S Water St. Northfield, MN 55057 507-645-7415
Amelia's Flower & Garden Shoppe 910 W 36th St. Minneapolis, MN 55408 612-208-1205	Kingsley Mercantile 2 Main Ave. N Harmony, MN 55939 507-886-2323
Andrew Skoog 3500 Vicksburg Ln. #334 Minneapolis, MN 55447 612-804-1143	Linden Hills Co-op 3815 Sunnyside Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55410 612-922-1159
Becker Pet & Garden 1008 Washington Ave. Detroit Lakes, MN 56501	Linders Garden Center 270 W Larpenteur Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55113 651-488-1927
Becker Pet & Garden 1008 Washington Ave. Detroit Lakes, MN 56501	Mazopiya 2571 Credit Union Dr. Prior Lake, MN 55372 952-233-9142
Bluff County Co-op 121 W 2nd St. Winona, MN 55987 507-452-1815	Mississippi Market 1500 W 7th St. Saint Paul, MN 55102 651-690-0507
By The Woods/Diggin' In 78 W 78th St. Chanhassen, MN 55317	Mississippi Market 1810 Randolph Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55105
City Center Market 122 Buchanan St. N Cambridge, MN 55008 763-689-4640	Moms Food Co-op 122 N Buchanan St. Cambridge, MN 55008
Cook Country Coop 20 East First St. PO Box 1433 Grand Marais, MN 55604 218-387-2503	Mother Earth Gardens 3738 42nd Ave. S Minneapolis, MN 55406 612-724-2296
Delano True Value 1005 Crossings Dr. Delano, MN 55328 763-972-7272	Rainbow Food Coop 103 S Main St. Blue Earth, MN 56013 507-526-3603
Drummers Garden Center 281 Saint Andrews Dr. Mankato, MN 56001 507-388-4877	Sailers Greenhouse 17011 Sunset Ave. Shakopee, MN 55379 952-403-0630
East Side Food Co-op 2551 Central Ave NE Minneapolis, MN 55418 612-788-0950	Seward Coop 2823 E Franklin Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55406 612-338-2465
Eggplant Urban Farm Supply 1771 Selby Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55104 651-645-0818	Super Fresh Produce 2101 4th St. NW Austin, MN 55912 507-438-2358
Good Earth Food Co-op 2010 Veterans Dr. Saint Cloud, MN 56303 320-253-9290	University of MN Lanscape Arboritum 3685 Arboretum Dr. Chaska, MN 55318 952-443-1403
The Granary Food Coop 47 2nd St. NW Ortonville, MN 56278 320-305-9685	Viola Nursery and Greenhouse 3120 100th Ave. NE Eyota, MN 55934 507-259-3272
Grassroots Cooperative 1917 2nd Ave. Anoka, MN 55303 763-427-4340	Vintage Farmer 41 Oak Ave. S Annandale, MN 55302 763-691-3925

Cross posted from: Seed Saving: Family Heirlooms for Your Garden - Twin Cities Taste - February 2013 - Minnesota

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

The ABCs of CSAs: 2013

It might seem premature to start thinking about fresh, summer produce, but Minnesota’s farmers started prepping for the season long ago. They’re attending conferences with other producers and researchers, figuring out how to best extend their growing season in Minnesota’s challenging climate, selecting the best varieties for their soil and climate, managing their livestock (if they have any), and figuring out the best growing methods for boosting profits while being environmental stewards and community-builders. They have been very busy, indeed. And now it’s our turn to get busy selecting our CSAs for next year. It can be a bit daunting, but never fear—this annual ABCs of CSAs will help you navigate. 

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 sells 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 during the growing season 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 both the challenges and the bounties that the producer experiences. 

Membership arrangements, delivery locations, frequency, products, opportunities for involvement, and costs vary with each CSA operation, so research is the key to finding one that suits you. To make it easier for you to select which opportunity works best for you, Land Stewardship Project releases an annual CSA Farm Directorywhich provides details on more than 60 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. Some of the farms that offer these smaller 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 preservations techniques such as canning, freezing, pickling, and drying. I just made some tomato soup this week using tomatoes that I canned from my CSA share last summer. The University of Minnesota Extension website has all the information you need if you’re interested in getting started.

I Want to Make my Choice Based On Pick-Up Location 

Perhaps you’d like to pick up your share at your community co-op or the market that is closest to your workplace. A few Minneapolis markets have listed the 2013 CSA farms that will be delivering to their markets on their websites.

• The Wedge

• Seward Co-op

• Linden Hills Co-op

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. 

Not listed in the Land Stewardship Project’s CSA Directory.

• Shepherd’s Way Farms’ artisan cheese CSA: shepherdswayfarms.com

• Trumpeter Swan Farm’s free-range egg CSA: trumpeterswanfarm.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

• Prairie Hollow Farm bread shares, cheese shares, eggs shares, beef shares (sold out), and vegetable shares: prairiehollow.com

Listed in the Land Stewardship Project’s CSA Directory.

• True Cost Farm: offers grass-fed, dry-aged beef and lamb as well as pastured non-GMO and chemical-free fed pork, chicken, duck, turkey, and eggs.

• Northern Light Farm: in addition to produce, beef, honey, eggs, and chicken can be purchased as additions.

• Lida Farm: In addition to produce, members can reserve chicken and lamb.

• Hungry Turtle: In addition to produce, members receive lamb, pork, beef ,and chicken, along with chicken and duck eggs.

• Herbal Turtle Farms: in addition to produce, members can add on shitake mushrooms, eggs, and herbs.

• Common Ground Garden: In addition to produce, members can add subscriptions to their partners, including an egg farmer, an artisan baker, and a grass-fed beef and pork farmer.

• Chengwatana Farms: members can negotiate any combination of lamb, chicken, eggs, fruit, vegetables, compost, firewood, wool and yarn, seedlings, and potentially even lumber.

• Bossy Acres: in addition to produce, additional options to members include eggs, fresh baked bread (including gluten-free), local raw honey, coffee, and locally cultivated mushrooms.

• Community Homestead: in addition to produce, items can be purchased online and added to a weekly standard vegetable box including: fruits, jams, pickles, beef, pork, bread, cookies, and crafts.

• Waxwing Farms: in addition to produce, they offer an egg share, a winter share, and pastured pork and chicken.

• Crazy Boy Farms: in addition to produce, they offer eggs.

• Treasured Haven Farm: in addition to produce, they offer harvest boxes, pumpkins, chickens, turkey, beef, eggs, and fruit shares.

• Thorn Crest Farms: in addition to produce, they offer limited chicken, turkey, and egg shares.

• Fazenda Boa Terra: in addition to produce, they offer fresh cut flowers and eggs.

• Foxtail Farms: in addition to a summer produce share, they offer a winter share which includes bread, pickles, wheat, soup, granola, sauerkraut, and tomato sauce.

• Harmony Valley: in addition to a summer produce share, they offer a fruit share, a grass-fed Angus beef and pork share, organic fair trade coffee, and an organic cheese share.

• La Finca CSA: in addition to produce, they offer a soup share, grass-fed beef, fish, and prepared foods.

• Lacey “J” Ranch: In addition to produce, they offer eggs.

• My Minnesota Farmers: in addition to produce, they offer chicken, eggs, turkey, and beef.

• Little Flower Farm: in addition to produce shares, they offer fall lamb shares and annual goat and cow cheese shares.

Cross posted from: The ABCs of CSAs: 2013 - Twin Cities Taste - February 2013 - Minnesota

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

Hennepin County Local Food System Profile

The production, distribution, consumption, and disposal of food are critical parts of our economy, community well-being, and family health.

This profile provides an overview of existing data across a broad scope of food systems activities in Hennepin County. It also documents how key indicators are changing over time and serves as a baseline for community leaders and educators to identify opportunities for growth in our food system. Data for this profile was compiled from existing secondary data sources including the U.S. Census of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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

Better Beer Society University now Enrolling Students for Spring 2013

Starting today, you can become a better-educated beer drinker.

Last fall, I wrote a bit about Minnesota’s Better Beer Society, founded by cicerone and all-around beer enthusiast Rob Shellman.

The Better Beer Society works with breweries, retailers, distributors, and consumers. Small breweries that don’t have resources for a market representative can use the Better Beer Society to represent their products in markets outside of their home state. In addition to consulting, the Better Beer Society offers brown bag tasting events and a Better Beer Society University—a “course” for members of our ever-growing beer-consuming public.

According to the Better Beer Society, Better Beer Society University is an educational weekly “beer school” for both beginning or advanced beer enthusiasts. Students will learn various aspects of the beer industry from hop farming to beer distribution. Naturally, a beer university is better with beer, so students can expect to have a chance to sample some exclusive and rare beers like Cantillon Fou'Foune and aged Surly Darkness. And to top it off, there will be field trips, including exclusive visits to local breweries.

Open enrollment for the spring semester starts today, February 6. Weekly classes will begin on March 6, and the semester will run for 12 weeks. Their “campus” will be located at Republic (West Bank location), just as their fall semester was. Tuition is $75, which breaks down to about $6 per class. Tickets for the semester can be purchased online.

Want to catch a glimpse of what you can expect as a Better Beer Society University student? Here’s some video footage of the final class/seminar of the 2012 fall semester, featuring guests Todd Haug of Surly Brewing Company, Pete Rafakes of Town Hall Brewery, and Chip Walton of Chop & Brew.
 

Cross-posted from: Better Beer Society University now Enrolling Students for Spring 2013 - Twin Cities Taste - February 2013 - Minnesota

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