Thursday, July 11, 2013

Check out Some MN Farms for Free at the 2013 Eat Local Farm Tour


Tour Farms for Free at the Eat Local Farm Tour

MARIE FLANAGAN (4)
The 2013 Eat Local Farm Tour will take place next Saturday, July 20th. Presented by the Twin Cities area food co-ops, the goal of the event is to introduce the Twin Cities to the local farmers that make our seasonal, fresh, local food system possible.

My husband and I grabbed the opportunity to visit a few farms during the 2012 tour. Our stops included Shepherd’s Way, where we spent time perusing products at their on-farm store and laughing at their charismatic flock of sheep. At Simple Harvest Farm Organics, goat-milking was the activity of the day. Perhaps the most interesting part of the day was our stop at L & R Poultry and Produce, where we witnessed how they were using sweet corn as a trap crop for squash beetles, and laughed at the antics of pastured-raised turkeys hunting down insects. Taking the time to see expert farmers in the field bolstered our appreciation for the profession–it also reaffirmed our decision to leave poultry-raising to the experts.

Farm animals
Shepherd's Way Sheep 

Included in this year’s tour event are:
Kohnert Organic Farms
Eat Local
Living Land Farm
Chankaska Creek Ranch & Winery
East Henderson Farm
Cedar Summit Farm
Shepherd’s Way
L and R Poultry & Produce
Simple Harvest Farm Organics
Thousand Hills Cattle Company
Ferndale Farm
Gardens of Eagan
Riverbend Farm
Women's Environmental Institute
10th Street Farm & Market
Big River Farm
Growing Lots Urban Farm
Beez Kneez
Stone's Throw Urban Farm

Details for each farm are a bit different, so be sure to check out the Eat Local Farm Tour guide book online or pick it up at an area co-op, including: Eastside Co-op, Harvest Moon Co-op, Just Food Co-op, Lakewinds Natural Foods, Linden Hills Co-op, Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op, River Market Community Co-op, Seward Co-op, St. Peter Food Co-op, the Wedge, and Valley Natural Foods.

Find more information at themix.coop.

Cross posted from: 2013 Eat Local Farm Tour - Twin Cities Taste - July 2013 - Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota

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