Farming
With bright blue overhead and vibrant green around us today’s hearty crew gathered a bumper crop of sweet corn for our food shelf partners. Thanks to Barb Pratt, Barb Rose, Chuck Lentz, Cara Rodriguez, Katy Lowery, David Edminster, Julie Young, Evra (starting 5th grade in September) and – clocking in at 92 years old – the queen of today’s harvest, DeeBelle Young (Julie’s mom).
L-R: Evra, Katy Lowery, Barb Pratt, Sarah McCarthy, Julie Young, David Edminster Dee Young, Cara Rodriguez, Barb Rose, Chuck Lentz
Cara Rodriquez loading the pickup (Photo by Barb Rose)
Corn delivery to Pillsbury United Communities
Someday I should figure out how much fills the truck. With a little help from the volunteers at Camden Promise Food Shelf I think it’s reasonable to guesstimate today’s delivery at around 750 lbs. We didn’t count the ears but it was dozens and dozens as you can see in the photos. Pastor Jeff’s crew in North Minneapolis took about half and the remainder went to Pillsbury United Communities in the Phillips neighborhood.
I didn’t know there was a theme but it turned out that today was the tie-dye harvest. I wonder what Thursday will bring as we venture into the second succession. It’s looking mighty fine!
Tie-dye Day!
Chuck Lentz, Dee Young and David Edminster picking organic corn (Photo: Barb Rose)
On this perfect morning for picking corn a hearty crew assembled: Barb Pratt, Zhao Boukei, Babs Pilling, Dan Carlson and Cara Rodriguez.
L-R: Barb Pratt, Babs Pilling, Zhao Boukei (not pictured: Cara Rodriguez)
We were highly selective this time choosing only the plumpest, juiciest ears. First delivery was to Sabathani Foodshelf who took all they could use. Sabathani serves about 300 families each month – it’s among the smaller food banks we serve.
View of Sabathani Food Shelf
After Sabathani I took the remainder to Joyce Uptown Food Bank who were delighted. Joyce serves around 400 families a month with about 700 individual visits. Both food banks offer culturally appropriate foods for our immigrant neighbors.
The consensus among the harvesters was that a lot of the corn needs another week to fill out so the next harvest will be on Monday August 22nd.
Anna and Matt from Joyce Uptown Food Shelf
What a day! A cool, cloudy morning and an abundant harvest then the sun shone on deliveries to two food banks. Our stalwart volunteers started at 9:00 and by 10:30 the truck was loaded and ready to go.
L-R Sarah Purdy, Carol Anne Broad, Theresa Taylor (front) Dug Nicols (rear), Cara Rodriguez and Robin Murie
First I went to North Minneapolis and volunteers at Camden Promise Food Bank took all the corn they thought they could use.
Volunteers at Camden Promise Food Bank
The truck was still half full so I called Ethan at Pillsbury United Communities in the Phillips neighborhood who said, “Come on over!” You should have seen the smiles on the volunteers’ faces as they pitched in to unload the corn. Bystanders were texting their friends to quick come and get fresh sweet corn. I was worried that there might be more than they could use but I was told, “This will be gone by 4:00!” That’s my dream: fresh picked corn on family tables the day it’s picked. Thanks to today’s volunteers: Dug Nichols, Sarah Purdy, Carol Anne Broad, Theresa Taylor and Cara Rodriguez and to the volunteers and staff at Camden Promise and Pillsbury United Communities.
Volunteers at Pillsbury United Communities help unload sweet corn
Volunteers at Pillsbury United Communities help unload sweet corn
Volunteers and staff at Pillsbury United Communities with this year’s first corn delivery
It’s glorious to watch a field transform from this:
Freshly transplanted squash and corn, 15 June, 2022
To this:
Squash plants July 23rd, 2022
The squash is doing well with the recent heat and we have two plantings (10 double rows) of sweetcorn coming along nicely. Looks like the harvest will start in a couple of weeks or so. In short, things are (for now . . .) humming along!
Even though this project is all about sharing food, we’d prefer to share it with food bank patrons as opposed to the critters who live near the farm. This solar electric fence is intended to discourage sampling the corn before it’s ready!
Solar-powered electric fence to protect sweetcorn
And here are a couple more images, just for fun:
Freshly transplanted squash and corn June 15th 2022
Squash plants July 25th, 2022
Corn and squash fields mowed for the winter.
Last week a neighbor came by with a flail mower and chopped the remaining corn stalks and what remained of the squash plants. All that organic matter can now decompose over the winter and return to the soil. With that – and a few remaining minor chores – the 2021 Farm to Foodshelf season draws to a close. Thank you to all the donors who took us past our $6,000 goal, to all the volunteers who harvested, processed and delivered carrots, corn, beets and squash, and to the cooperating food shelves and institutions including The Food Group. Huge thanks to Dana Jokela of Sogn Valley Farm – this couldn’t happen without you. Even with the loss of 2/3 of our planned corn planting we still had an excellent season.
Now it’s time to look to the future – the future of this project and the future of our farm. How can the land we now steward best serve our communities? Over the coming months I hope to craft a longer range vision for our farm using what we’ve learned about this place over the last 10 years, and what we’ve learned about communities’ needs over the last couple of years. Comments, thoughts and ideas are welcome! Feel free to comment on this post, email me or get in touch some other way.
Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Thank you to all who have contributed to the Farm to Foodshelf project! We’re so close . . . with two more days to go we only need $400 to reach our $6,000 goal to pay our partner farmer Dana Jokela for all his work, fuel, equipment and so on. Can you help? It’s tax-deductible on this GiveMN page. Thanks!
It was a sunny Sunday for filling the truck one more time with winter squash and this morning I took the last of the harvest to People Serving People “the largest and most comprehensive emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness in Minnesota and a dedicated leader in homelessness prevention’, Camden Promise at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in North Minneapolis and VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People) which was suggested by Jerome Ryan. As ever, I was overwhelmed by the staggering need and grateful for the opportunity to lend a hand. I’ll follow this post with a season summary but, as ever, your tax-deductible financial support of this project via this GiveMN page will help pay our heroic cooperating farmer, Dana Jokela, for his time, expertise, use of equipment, fuel and more. Please help us finish the season with a solid check for Dana! Thank you.
Unloading squash at Channel One
On Tuesday I delivered squash to Channel One Regional Food Bank in Rochester and today made another delivery to The Food Group. According to the receipts that’s 11,361 pounds of winter squash on its way to families in need. And there’s still more in the field! Once again, thanks to all who have helped with this project: Dana Jokela of Sogn Valley Farm (more detail in another post soon), all our volunteer harvesters plus John Beck who loaned the trailer and Danielle Piraino and Talia Miracle at The Food Group. It takes a village – thank you all!
Our squash inside Channel One’s Rochester warehouse
Where is all this squash going? Here is some information from Channel One Regional Food Bank that sheds some light on the work they do in 14 counties across southern Minnesota and Wisconsin in partnership with about 200 smaller agencies and food banks – plus direct service to Seniors and migrant families.
Squash Harvest Volunteers, 2021
This was one amazing year for squash. With the help of a huge volunteer crew we gathered north of 9,000 pounds of delicata, butternut and acorn squash. Over the next few days I’ll be bringing these to The Food Group (in New Hope) and Channel One (in Rochester) for distribution to food banks across the Twin Cities metro and Southern Minnesota. In addition to the work we also had a great potluck and music – it was a glorious day! Thank you to: Amy Shaw, Ann Farrell, Ari, Barb Pratt, Barb Rose, Benjamin Domask, Chris Bashor, Chuck Lentz, Dave Underhill, Deb Liang, Dug Nichols, Isaac, Joan Weber, Jon Freise, Kim Muehlbach, Matt Tillotson, Mike Muehlbach, Miriam Kowarski, Oswaldo, Pat O’Loughlin, Patti Nichols, Rachel FK, Sarah McCarthy, and Sarah Purdy. This harvest was much, much bigger than last year’s so it was a lot more work. Thank you, one and all! (Sorry not everyone is included in the group photo, people came and went during the day.)
Dana Jokela offloads the first pallet of winter squash
We couldn’t do all this without help from Dana Jokela at Sogn Valley Farm. Dana’s expertise, help and equipment have been essential to this project. As you anc imagine, tractors, planters, cultivators and fuel are expensive. Please help me raise funds to pay Dana for all of his contributions. You can make a tax-deductible donation on this GiveMN page.
Volunteers loading winter squash for food shelves.
Pat, Bob, Chris and Amy playing some tunes at the 2021 squash harvest
Chris, Bob, Amy and Pat play tunes during the 2021 squash harvest potluck
Last Friday Dana Jokela of Sogn Valley Farm texted that he had about 1000 extra pounds of beets in his cooler and needed to move them to make space for coming
L-R Hans, Bob, David (standing), Adam
harvests. If I could get a crew to wash and pack them we could get them to The Food Group for distribution to Food Banks. On short notice David Robinson, Adam Brainerd and Hans Barkai responded to the call and got wet and muddy washing, packing and then delivering beets. Thanks guys!
You, gentle reader, can help with this project. Raising organic produce requires seed, machine work, fuel and more all of which cost money. Please help fund this project with a contribution on this GiveMN webpage. Funds will be used to reimburse Dana for the direct costs of this project. Thanks!
20 Totes full of beets delivered to The Food Group