03 June 2011
Weddings and Family and Friends and Cities
A pre-planned break from the action took us to Omaha and Grand Rapids. Molly got a good couple days in Chicago, too. Weddings, reunions with friends and family, some bike riding, and little glimpses of urban gardening in west Michigan filled our time. We had to pull ourselves away, knowing there's so much for us to experience out east! Click HERE to see photos of some of our good times.
Northwest Iowa - Center of Big Ag?
On our way from Dream Acres to our friends' wedding in Omaha we made a quick stop in northwest Iowa where we had the opportunity to talk with Dordt College Agriculture Professor Chris Goedhart. While much of the work that Dordt is currently undertaking involves enhancing both conventional and organic large scale agricultural operations (corn, soybean, oats), Chris is also well versed in the smaller scale food production operations that we have been visiting. Conversations included the massive number of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the three county area surrounding Souix Center, creative ways of feeding on larger scale pig farms (think ice cream and candy bars), and the recurring question of the best way to feed the world. Chris shared a lot of helpful information, explaining that even after decades of deliberation, he still feels conflicted when considering farming methods. It was sort of comforting, sort of frustrating to hear of Chris's conflicted feeling. Will we ever really know what the best way to nurture a backyard garden or feed the world's hungry might be? How different/similar with those systems look? We left our short afternoon with Chris with a much longer reading list and as usual, many more questions than answers about the best way to create sustainable food systems.
After our chat with Chris we decided to check out for a bit and went to see Thor in 3D. Good entertainment.
Then wrapped up the night with a bike ride on the local trail and a night of van camping at the city campground.
Chris was nice enough to put us in touch with a man in the area who has an organic beef and poultry operation. Carroll DeNooy took time out of his busy schedule to show us around his farm. Originally motivated by health concerns for him and his family, he has been committed to strict organic practices for years and shares this clean healthy food with the community by selling to several local retailers, at farmers markets, and directly off the farm to friends and family. We even picked out some brats and steaks for a wedding gift.
We made a quick stop final stop on the way out of town where our friend Brianna grew up. Very neat home/ barn/ gallery/ farm!
After our chat with Chris we decided to check out for a bit and went to see Thor in 3D. Good entertainment.
Then wrapped up the night with a bike ride on the local trail and a night of van camping at the city campground.
Chris was nice enough to put us in touch with a man in the area who has an organic beef and poultry operation. Carroll DeNooy took time out of his busy schedule to show us around his farm. Originally motivated by health concerns for him and his family, he has been committed to strict organic practices for years and shares this clean healthy food with the community by selling to several local retailers, at farmers markets, and directly off the farm to friends and family. We even picked out some brats and steaks for a wedding gift.
We made a quick stop final stop on the way out of town where our friend Brianna grew up. Very neat home/ barn/ gallery/ farm!
31 May 2011
Dreamy Dream Acres
It's places like Dream Acres that this trip is all about. The aptly named farm of Todd and Evie, was our third farm stop and a very special place.
A Wikipedia article sums up their operation succinctly (click here to be redirected), but the feel - the atmosphere - is not quite captured there. When we expressed how pleasantly surprised we were as we drove closer to this magical little land in SE Minnesota, our hosts said, "Yeah, well don't tell everyone!" (the absence of a crowd certainly contributes to the magic). So you didn't hear it from us, but ...nestled by a curved, tree-covered bluff, adjacent to a clean, lazy creek that runs through the damp forest, and bordered by lush pasture lies Dream Acres, an inviting group of people that exemplifies responsible union with the earth in their method of sustainable existence. Head honchos Todd and Evie have been creating this peaceful place for about 15 years now and although they admit they are still learning, it seemed to us that they have things pretty well figured out. Their home is actually lit by kerosene lamps and heated by a brilliantly designed masonry stove which is also used as an oven and warms late winter seedlings for early planting outside. They say that even when the MN winter thrashes its 30 below fury, 2 fires a day keep it comfortably warm inside. They cut ice out of the creek during the winter to fill their well-insulated, sawdust-filled "ice house" which serves as their refrigerator throughout the muggy summer. They use horse or oxen instead of tractors. They cultivate enough food for a dozen or so shareholders of their CSA in addition to what they as a family will need to survive. Other structures (some equipped with solar power) provide space for animal homes, summer camp activities including theater and music experiences, a blacksmithing area for their Tillers Intl. connection as well as routine maintenance/ repair of their faming implements, very comfortable guest lodging that was offered to us for our brief stay, and the list goes on.
We got involved in some weeding and planting, as well as a lot of work on the damaged pasture perimeter fence that was damaged by the spring swell of the creek. I was taught how to drive the horses, and used their power to transport hay for mulching purposes, and to turn up part of the garden that needs to be planted soon.
A delightful couple Jake and Liz, along with their sweet little daughter Adele, recently joined the land collective and are in the process of building their home. It was great to hear their perspective as we sat around the fire one night, and the next day I got to make a bit of sawdust helping Jake get the roof on his new home as Molly finished some mulching and planting. They had interned here years ago and after searching for a similar community in a similar setting, they returned here to raise their family and be a part of such a healthy, enduring thing.
This is not a reclusive commune-type effort of people who want to escape, but rather a bold and successful attempt at creating a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable community. And truly an integral part of the larger community, too, we learned that there are regularly neighbors and friends and students who come by to learn, volunteer, and get a glimpse of the homesteading lifestyle, beautifully executed by the people of Dream Acres.
See more pics of our Dream Acres adventure HERE.
A Wikipedia article sums up their operation succinctly (click here to be redirected), but the feel - the atmosphere - is not quite captured there. When we expressed how pleasantly surprised we were as we drove closer to this magical little land in SE Minnesota, our hosts said, "Yeah, well don't tell everyone!" (the absence of a crowd certainly contributes to the magic). So you didn't hear it from us, but ...nestled by a curved, tree-covered bluff, adjacent to a clean, lazy creek that runs through the damp forest, and bordered by lush pasture lies Dream Acres, an inviting group of people that exemplifies responsible union with the earth in their method of sustainable existence. Head honchos Todd and Evie have been creating this peaceful place for about 15 years now and although they admit they are still learning, it seemed to us that they have things pretty well figured out. Their home is actually lit by kerosene lamps and heated by a brilliantly designed masonry stove which is also used as an oven and warms late winter seedlings for early planting outside. They say that even when the MN winter thrashes its 30 below fury, 2 fires a day keep it comfortably warm inside. They cut ice out of the creek during the winter to fill their well-insulated, sawdust-filled "ice house" which serves as their refrigerator throughout the muggy summer. They use horse or oxen instead of tractors. They cultivate enough food for a dozen or so shareholders of their CSA in addition to what they as a family will need to survive. Other structures (some equipped with solar power) provide space for animal homes, summer camp activities including theater and music experiences, a blacksmithing area for their Tillers Intl. connection as well as routine maintenance/ repair of their faming implements, very comfortable guest lodging that was offered to us for our brief stay, and the list goes on.
We got involved in some weeding and planting, as well as a lot of work on the damaged pasture perimeter fence that was damaged by the spring swell of the creek. I was taught how to drive the horses, and used their power to transport hay for mulching purposes, and to turn up part of the garden that needs to be planted soon.
A delightful couple Jake and Liz, along with their sweet little daughter Adele, recently joined the land collective and are in the process of building their home. It was great to hear their perspective as we sat around the fire one night, and the next day I got to make a bit of sawdust helping Jake get the roof on his new home as Molly finished some mulching and planting. They had interned here years ago and after searching for a similar community in a similar setting, they returned here to raise their family and be a part of such a healthy, enduring thing.
This is not a reclusive commune-type effort of people who want to escape, but rather a bold and successful attempt at creating a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable community. And truly an integral part of the larger community, too, we learned that there are regularly neighbors and friends and students who come by to learn, volunteer, and get a glimpse of the homesteading lifestyle, beautifully executed by the people of Dream Acres.
See more pics of our Dream Acres adventure HERE.
27 May 2011
Minneapolis Magic
Started out a rainy sloppy day. Hopes of city riding were suspended and replaced by a few hours in a coffee shop. Things cleared up so we hopped on bikes and headed out, super excited about a little city time in the sunshine. Rode the Midtown Greenway to the Hiawatha Trail down to the river and into downtown.
Minneapolis has done a really great job of planning their bike facilities. In addition to the amazing trails, it seemed like every street had a bike facility of some kind. In fact, Minneapolis overtook Portland as Bicycling Magazine's #1 Bike City in America for their most recent ranking. We checked out some of the things that make Minneapolis great for biking - the NiceRide bike share stations (similar to Denver's Bike Sharing system) and the 1st Ave cycle track.
We rode across the bridge into northeast Minneapolis and immediately came to a place we couldn't ride by without checking out. Nye's is an old Polish bar that has been serving the northeast neighborhood since 1950. We stopped in for a drink and had a great time hearing stories from the bartender (he has been there for 30 years) and enjoying the sampler plate with delicious polish beers.
Eric's friend Annie and her friend Stacy met us there after an art crawl at the old casket factory. We walked from there to Stacy's school to see a sculpture she had recently sold - great to get some exposure to the burgeoning Twin Cities art scene - then made our way back to Annie's place in Uptown and made a plan for the evening. We settled on pizza and bluegrass followed by bowling and beers. The bowling alley was great - a little 8 laner, no automatic scoring. While Eric won for bowling style points, I took home the winning score. We wrapped up the night with drinks and Chino Latino and sauntered home in the rain.
Morning came fast and we headed out for Basilica of St. Mary - the first Basilica in America. An amazing building and my first mass. We wrapped up our stay with brunch at French Meadow - organic, local, delightful. Just down the road we stopped at the Wedge Co-op. Cool little spot with all of the produce clearly labeled with where it came from and plaques with summaries about each of the co-op's contributing growers. Seems like there is great support for this type of farm and city integration in the area.
Minneapolis was a great stop - click here to check out some more pics.
We rode across the bridge into northeast Minneapolis and immediately came to a place we couldn't ride by without checking out. Nye's is an old Polish bar that has been serving the northeast neighborhood since 1950. We stopped in for a drink and had a great time hearing stories from the bartender (he has been there for 30 years) and enjoying the sampler plate with delicious polish beers.
Eric's friend Annie and her friend Stacy met us there after an art crawl at the old casket factory. We walked from there to Stacy's school to see a sculpture she had recently sold - great to get some exposure to the burgeoning Twin Cities art scene - then made our way back to Annie's place in Uptown and made a plan for the evening. We settled on pizza and bluegrass followed by bowling and beers. The bowling alley was great - a little 8 laner, no automatic scoring. While Eric won for bowling style points, I took home the winning score. We wrapped up the night with drinks and Chino Latino and sauntered home in the rain.
Morning came fast and we headed out for Basilica of St. Mary - the first Basilica in America. An amazing building and my first mass. We wrapped up our stay with brunch at French Meadow - organic, local, delightful. Just down the road we stopped at the Wedge Co-op. Cool little spot with all of the produce clearly labeled with where it came from and plaques with summaries about each of the co-op's contributing growers. Seems like there is great support for this type of farm and city integration in the area.
Minneapolis was a great stop - click here to check out some more pics.
21 May 2011
Capable Carrot
The second farm we visited was located in Stillwater, MN just northeast of Minneapolis-St.Paul and delightfully called the Capable Carrot . Just beginning their first year, Joshua and Olivia are planning to provide veggies for 15 CSA shareholders as well as eggs, chicken, and turkeys by special order.
Starting from scratch provides many challenges in terms of equipment acquisition and maintenance, soil amendment, and just figuring out how to implement plans that had previously only been on paper or stuck in the brain, excited to get out. It was great to walk alongside these well-informed farmers, hearing about their research and background and passions. We now have many resources to consult dealing with bio-intensive and companion planting, as well as wise grazing practices as demonstrated by the people at Polyface Farms.
Our work included pressing potting soil blocks and planting several hundred seeds, spreading compost across the main field using a 1930s Farmall A tractor (and our muscles), and a great construction project (it was worth it to throw those tools in the van).
The EggMoblie took us quite a few hours to put together. Joshua found an old flatbed trailer that he thought would be perfect. We pulled it into the barn and started construction. We had the project pretty close to completed when Joshua came out to the barn to admire the progress. Wisely he asked if we were going to be able to fit it out the barn door...doh! Note to self - before commencing indoor construction on an outdoor project, measure the door. Luckily removing the siding and top supports allowed us to squeeze through. All it needs now is a roof and it'll be ready for 100 laying hens.
We also had a little bit of free time to explore the farm lake and Stillwater, MN.
Starting from scratch provides many challenges in terms of equipment acquisition and maintenance, soil amendment, and just figuring out how to implement plans that had previously only been on paper or stuck in the brain, excited to get out. It was great to walk alongside these well-informed farmers, hearing about their research and background and passions. We now have many resources to consult dealing with bio-intensive and companion planting, as well as wise grazing practices as demonstrated by the people at Polyface Farms.
Our work included pressing potting soil blocks and planting several hundred seeds, spreading compost across the main field using a 1930s Farmall A tractor (and our muscles), and a great construction project (it was worth it to throw those tools in the van).
The EggMoblie took us quite a few hours to put together. Joshua found an old flatbed trailer that he thought would be perfect. We pulled it into the barn and started construction. We had the project pretty close to completed when Joshua came out to the barn to admire the progress. Wisely he asked if we were going to be able to fit it out the barn door...doh! Note to self - before commencing indoor construction on an outdoor project, measure the door. Luckily removing the siding and top supports allowed us to squeeze through. All it needs now is a roof and it'll be ready for 100 laying hens.
We also had a little bit of free time to explore the farm lake and Stillwater, MN.
From There to Here
From Riverbound Farm we started our trek to Minnesota. Along 94 traveling east we came to the Fargo exit and decided it was probably worth a drive through. Pleasantly surprised by the lively downtown we decided to stop and walk around a bit. A couple of gals leaving the old train station turned bike shop told us that things had changed a lot over the last 10 years.
Lighting, benches, trash bins, wayfinding signs all showed intentional city planning efforts. The intersections were all inlaid with brick centers and crosswalks. The new development worked really well with the old along Broadway. One thing that sort of stood out was that the veterans halls seemed to be the place to go – they were having concerts and seemed to be teeming with excited young zombies (the annual zombie walk was going on while we were in town). All in all a very nice stop. Way to go Fargo.
We spent a little bit of time looking for a place to stay along the way from Riverbound to the next stop. As it turned out, even the most primitive RV/ camping spots were $20 a night. Pinching pennies as we are, a bright sign that said "WALMART" near Fergus Falls grabbed out attention. We grabbed a quick snack and parked the van in somewhat private area of the lot. A surprisingly good night's sleep with pillows over our heads to block out the bright bright parking lot lights, a good session of parking lot yoga, and the pricetag ($0) made the experience rather enjoyable.
We made it to Alexandria, MN the next morning for a church service at Calvary Lutheran, then prepared a yummy lunch of mashed potatoes and fried eggs at the park. A very large viking statue at the park claimed "Alexandria birthplace of America." Hmmm...
A friendly fellow at the park came up and asked if we were from Colorado - must have seen the license plates. We talked a bit about our City & Farm travels and he gave us four s'more bars and his card saying that he makes bars for coffee shops, grocery stores, etc. He offered to send a variety pack of bars to us at the next farm. Eric followed up with an email and a day later we had more delicious granola bars than we know what to do with. Very tasty, we highly recommend these healthy treats - check them out at a grocery near you. Thanks Olympia Granola!
We made it to Alexandria, MN the next morning for a church service at Calvary Lutheran, then prepared a yummy lunch of mashed potatoes and fried eggs at the park. A very large viking statue at the park claimed "Alexandria birthplace of America." Hmmm...
A friendly fellow at the park came up and asked if we were from Colorado - must have seen the license plates. We talked a bit about our City & Farm travels and he gave us four s'more bars and his card saying that he makes bars for coffee shops, grocery stores, etc. He offered to send a variety pack of bars to us at the next farm. Eric followed up with an email and a day later we had more delicious granola bars than we know what to do with. Very tasty, we highly recommend these healthy treats - check them out at a grocery near you. Thanks Olympia Granola!
14 May 2011
Riverbound!
Wow, what a great first farm experience! Riverbound Farm owners Brian and Angie and their kids Owen and Pearl sure did spoil us - cooking us good food, welcoming us into their home, their farm, and their daily life. They shared so much valuable information about their experience and farming in general. We're pretty sure that they set the bar a little too high... we can only hope the rest of our farm stays are half as nice as this one!
For more pics of our Riverbound adventures click here.
We weeded, mulched, and transplanted 1000's of seedlings - from raspberries to bok choy, scallions to broccoli. Often with the company of Heidi (dog) and Cookie and Sunny (goslings)...
We also helped finish the trellis system for their indoor tomatoes and cucumbers.
It's exciting to envision what this will all look like in a month or two or three - so much good food that will be gratefully consumed by Bismarck area residents who value healthy, sustainable food enough to invest in Riverbound's CSA and support their local farmer. If anyone has friends in the area, please refer them to this valuable resource.
Also, here's a friendly reminder to seek out and support the local growers in your area! Check out Ecovian or Local Harvest for a CSA near you.
Also, here's a friendly reminder to seek out and support the local growers in your area! Check out Ecovian or Local Harvest for a CSA near you.
After a long day in the field, we even got a bike ride in one evening. The off-street bike trail that ran from near the farm all the way to Mandan and Bismarck was a pleasant surprise. We made it to Bismarck and back (a mere 30 miles) and slept very well that night!
We were impressed by their ambitious goal to use draught horses instead of a tractor for most of the field work and even got to witness the intricate harnessing process of these massive tools.
Despite visiting during an understandably stressful time of the season, this past week was incredibly educational and inspiring. Thank You Riverbound!
For more pics of our Riverbound adventures click here.
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