Local Food

If you're a Midwesterner who follows urban farming (and you know you are), then you're likely to know all about Milwaukee, Wisconsin's 2008 MacArthur Fellow - and recent NRDC "Growing Green Award" winner - Will Allen.

The waiting is finally over. On my way home from work tonight, I'll be picking up my CSA box from Harmony Valley Farm. Here's what I'm expecting to pick up (direct from Harmony Valley's "What's In The Box" email newsletter):

I'm hooked on The Heavy Table, a new online magazine that's all about Minnesota and Upper Midwestern food. From the About section of their website:

The website Homegrown.org, created by the Farm Aid organization, attempts to bring together all sorts of people who love food, farming, and the land. According to the Philosophy section of their website:

For a city its size, Minneapolis is home to an impressive number of great restaurants, with amazing chefs focused on providing seasonal, local, sustainable Minnesota-and-Wisconsin-grown food. Add in St. Paul (which you really should, especially given the existence of Heartland, named St. Paul's best restaurant in the City Pages 2009 poll), and the number becomes almost shocking. Restaurant Alma has been quietly delighting fans of local food since 1999.

Please join us for another amazing meal this month! The May local, sustainable Simple, Good, and Tasty dinner will be held at the Birchwood Cafe, whose praises I've sung several times here already. Openings for the meal are filling up fast - please email me at lee@simplegoodandtasty.com as soon as possible to reserve your spot.

This Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3, the St. Paul State Fair Grounds is host to the Living Green Expo, billed as: ... a free, family-friendly event that inspires people to lead healthier and more sustainable lives. The focus of the event is living green, of course - not specifically food - so the many vendors and providers (250+) include those in industries as diverse as transportation, building, arts, and music. Here are the details:

Twin Cities mega-garden store Bachman's (no relation to Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, thankgoodness!) is hosting a "grow your own" event at all of their floral, gift, and garden stores on Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3, from 10 am to 4 pm. The event is mostly a sale, of course, and includes the following discounts and activities (summarized here from the

Quick post, with thanks to Tracy from the Birchwood. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) is hosting an event about local food and farming in Minneapolis tonight. Here's the information from their website: Be part of an important conversation about urban agriculture, food policy, city planning and food access. Learn from national experts about how urban food systems can improve health, strengthen communities and grow local economies. Speakers: