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Organic Farmers at MOSES Conference Plant Seeds for a Sustainable Future

Posted in Farms & Gardens on Fri, 03/12/2010 - 4:59am by Angelique Chao -

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A couple of weeks ago, I spent a day at the largest annual organic farming conference in the US, held just two hours away from the Twin Cities, in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) conference provided a glimpse into the zeitgeist of today’s organic movement. Although organic food is fully integrated into the marketplace and can be found everywhere from Cub Foods to The Wedge, the small farmers who make up the backbone of the movement don’t lack for revolutionary fervor. They’re still driven by a passion to change the world.

Still Searching for a CSA? Consider This...

Posted in Family & Home, Farms & Gardens on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 11:00pm by Alicia Jabbar -

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For years, I would see a vegetable like okra or mustard greens in a grocery store and imagine what it would be like to make a delicious meal with such exotic ingredients. I was constantly promising myself that next week I would find recipes to fulfill my culinary fantasies. But as the weeks passed, it became obvious that I needed something else to get my creativity going. Fortunately, my fiancé knows me incredibly well, and he gave me a CSA subscription as a gift.

Pastureland Butter is Key Ingredient in Scotch Shortbread

Posted in Farms & Gardens on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 11:11pm by Amy Thielen -

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Most of the buzz about grass-fed cows focuses on their lean and flavorful meat. But what about their milk?

Making butter and cheese from the milk of grass-fed cows is a lot like making a varietal wine. This is not the plonk composed of a crushed mixture of grapes from a bunch of different vineyards. No, grass-fed milk offers terroir, a sense of place, and the courage to actually taste like something.

An Open Letter to Our Children: We're Sorry About School Lunch

Posted in Family & Home, Health, News & Views on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 12:41pm by lee -

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I recently had the chance to sit down with a handful of sixth graders at Sanford Middle School in Minneapolis. The students had been complaining that the lunches they were being served tasted bad and made them feel sick, and their teacher asked me to come answer questions, provide context, and make suggestions.

For an hour, these thoughtful students and I discussed healthy food choices, growing a garden, being pressed for time (a 12 year old girl told me she didn't have time to put an apple in her backpack in the morning), eating on a budget, and how to affect change. I've been thinking about the discussion ever since.

Do Honeybees Fly South for the Winter?

Posted in Farms & Gardens on Mon, 03/08/2010 - 4:19am by Debbie Morrison -

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As a 20-year marketing professional living in the Twin Cities, going to the grocery store used to be all business. I had my list of items to get, but I also made it a habit to take note of product packaging, shelf placement, and displays before heading to the checkout.

In 2000, that all changed when my husband and I bought a 172-acre farm and moved 70 miles north to Mora, Minnesota. Here, we established our certified organic farm where we grow apples, plums, and veggies; and we produce maple syrup each spring. I have also joined the incredibly fascinating world of beekeeping.