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]

Ready, Set, Go! Twin Cities Farmers' Markets Open This Weekend

TODD BUCHANAN

Mark your calendars. Pack your reusable grocery bags. Slap on some sunscreen. The Twin Cities farmers’ market season will start this Saturday, with season openers at the Minneapolis Farmers Market at North Lyndale and the downtown St. Paul Farmers’ Market on Saturday.
Several other markets have scheduled opening days as well:

• Duluth Farmer's Market on May 5th
• Kingfield Farmers Market on May 20th
• Midtown Farmers Market  on May 5th
• Mill City Farmers Market on May 12th
• Northeast Farmers Market on June 2nd
• Linden Hills Farmers Market on June 3rd

There are many smaller or satellite farmers’ markets throughout the cities and Minnesota. Local Harvest has an online farmers’ market locater to help you find a market near you. And the Minnesota Farmers Market Association has a list of Minnesota farmers’ markets organized by location with links.
Gear up to stroll through lovely outdoor markets as you sample and/or purchase fresh produce, plants, baked goods, cheese, meat, honey, maple syrup, confections, soap, crafts, and more. Take some time to talk with the vendors to learn more about their products and what makes them special. In addition to goods to take home, most markets have vendors and/or food trucks with food and drinks, as well as live music and activities for kids. Make the most of your visit by checking out markets’ websites to see what’s going on that weekend.
More farmers’ market tips and tricks:

• Avoid the crowds by going early.
• Get the best deals by going late.
• Wear sensible shoes and sunscreen.
• Pack a water bottle.
• Bring reusable bags.
• Bring cash, preferably small bills.
• Talk to the vendors, but don’t monopolize their time. If you have a lot of questions, ask if you can contact them during the week.

Let the countdown begin!
And just in case you need a bit of inspiration, check out this video from the Mill City Farmers’ Market:

Posted on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 in Permalink

Cross post from TC Taste: Ready, Set, Go: It's Farmers’ Market Season! - Twin Cities Taste - April 2012 - Minnesota

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

Documentary Feature Film “In Organic We Trust” to Screen at Twin Cities International Film Festival

KIP PASTOR

A brand new food documentary, In Organic We Trust, will be screening at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival next week. I took the opportunity to check out a screener of the film last week, and spoke with the director and producer, Kip Pastor, to pick his brain about why he made the film.

Described as “an eye-opening food documentary that looks beyond organic for practical solutions for me and you,” the film depicts a curious and fervent Pastor as he tries to understand the organic food industry and America’s food system. Early in the film, you get the impression that Pastor is enthusiastic about growing food and eating it, and that, ultimately, he just wants to know more about it.

“I love to eat. I love to cook. I care about the environment and my health,” said Pastor. “As I learned more about food, I learned that we have to address our agricultural system in order to address issues of health.”

The film opens with Pastor asking people on the street, “Do you know what ‘organic’ means?” With baffled expressions, they either admit that they don’t know or try to conjure some sort of definition. Pastor then turns to the expertise of farmers, researchers, chefs, and nonprofit folks to explain what organic is, and what organic is not.

“Making a movie about organics is not easy,” explained Pastor. “I read recently that 78% of Americans have eaten something organic at sometime, so everybody’s heard of it, but not everyone knows what it is.”

In case you’re one who doesn’t know what it means, “organic,” as defined by the USDA, is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used.[…] If you see the USDA organic seal on a product, the product is certified organic and has 95 percent or more organic content. Definitions are necessary, albeit somewhat plodding. Now, back to the film…

SCHOOL GARDEN

The film portrays organic certification as an imperfect solution to concerns about public health and the environment, and then moves on to look at all kinds of grassroots solutions like urban farms, farmers' markets, and youth gardens. Most of the story is told with voiceovers or dialog involving Pastor. As I viewed the film, I empathized with Pastor as he struggled with confusing details, definitions, and bureaucracy, and then felt relieved as he found inspiration and answers from farmers, researchers, educators, and children.

“For me, film is one of the best mediums to disseminate information to a broader audience,” said Pastor. “To really engage with people, you have to tell a story, so it was important to me that this film was a personalized journey─this film was essentially the story of my journey exploring food and agriculture.”

Pastor is the CEO at Pasture Pictures, creative director & partner at Picture Garden, and a producer at Motion Maven. He has a BA in Diplomatic History from UPENN, and a Master in Fine Arts in Producing from the American Film Institute. He spent three years making In Organic We Trust. It premiered in February, and will be appearing in a number of film festivals across the country, including the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival on April 23 and 24, where Pastor will make an in-person appearance.

“Not only are the Twin Cities great for food and sustainability, but they’re great for film and the arts. Let’s come together to watch the movie, and let’s stay and talk about what it means to us.”

Here's the trailer:
 

Posted on Wednesday, April 18, 2012 in Permalink

Cross posted from TC Taste: Documentary Feature Film “In Organic We Trust” to Screen at Twin Cities International Film Festival - Twin Cities Taste - April 2012 - Minnesota

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