Midtown Farmers Market: Market report with Dream of Wild Health

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This week we got the chance to talk to Frank Haney from Dream of Wild Health, an organization on a mission to teach American Indian youth how to live healthy lives by learning traditional ways of growing and preparing their own food. The organization also maintains a collection of more than 300 seeds. Check out this week’s Market Report to hear more about the program (with the fab musical stylings of Blue Waters Brass in the background). [Audio below]Market Report Notes:Dream of Wild Health invites American Indian teens to its farm for four week sessions where they get the chance to learn about growing and preparing food, and how spirituality ties into the food culture.The U of M has tested the indigenous foods grown at Dream of Wild Health and has found them to be exceptionally nutritious in comparison with more conventional vegetables.Dream of Wild Health is a 10-acre farm in Hugo, MN. Its produce is available at the Tuesday Midtown Farmers Market.The Midtown Farmer’s Market is open Tuesdays from 3-7 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Check out its website for more of what’s fresh at the market.If you like My Broadsheet, help us spread the word and tell your neighbors and friends. Continue Reading

Midtown Farmers Market: Market report with Cha Veggies

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This week we stopped by Cha Veggies to talk to Ger about the unusually shaped opal [opo] squash. The light green vegetable was about 15″ long, and as Ger explained, can get much bigger. If you haven’t tried an opal squash, she described it as having a texture similar to a zucchini, and the ability to take on any flavor, as an eggplant can. Catch the Market Report for tips on cooking the opal squash and a recipe from Ger. [Audio below]Just a small portion of the large opal squash that was for sale at Cha Veggies at the Midtown Farmers Market.The Midtown Farmer’s Market is open Tuesdays from 3-7 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Check out its website for more of what’s fresh at the market.If you like My Broadsheet, help us spread the word and tell your neighbors and friends. Continue Reading

Ethanol is a not long term solution

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In Minnesota, ethanol has become part of our everyday lives. It is blended into our gasoline and is available for flex fuel vehicles in the form of E85, with the intention of lowering our fossil fuels dependence. Ethanol also helps keep corn demand and prices high to support our farmers. But corn ethanol is increasingly becoming a controversial topic. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | Are ethanol fuels better than petroleum?

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In response to “Ethanol is a not long term solution,” I’ll begin by saying the author made some valid points. No, ethanol is not an environmental, economic and political cure-all, nor is it the sole solution to our nation’s fossil fuel addiction. However, the post did fail to address one key question that should be asked of all alternatives to traditional petroleum fuels: “are ethanol blend fuels better than traditional petroleum fuels?”The American Lung Association in Minnesota believes the answer to that question is “yes.” Using E85 in a flex fuel vehicle significantly reduces tailpipe emissions as well as lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions; the 10 percent ethanol added as an oxygenate in our gasoline helps the fuel burn cleaner and reduces the amount of oil we need to import from other states and other countries.Before we critique ethanol, let’s take a closer look at the traditional transportation fuels most of us still use every day. A large percent of the gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels consumed in Minnesota are derived from the Tar Sands region of Alberta, Canada. The partially degraded bitumen used to make our fuels is strip-mined or steamed out of the soil, using processes that require enormous amounts of water and fossil fuels. Continue Reading

Midtown Farmers Market: Market report with Hilltop Pastures

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What’s one of the busiest stalls at the Midtown Farmers Market? Hilltop Pastures. With farm fresh eggs, pork, and beef for sale as well as a grill serving up breakfast and lunch, the Austin family knows how to keep customers coming back. We talk with Sara Austin about their farming practices, what customers are loving right now, and when to place your Thanksgiving turkey order. [Audio below]Tom and Sami Austin from Hilltop Pastures work the grill.Market Report Notes:The Austins use rotational grazing at Hilltop Pastures, which means that all of the animals get fresh pastures for exercise and eating.Hilltop Pastures sells a variety of cuts of pork, beef, and chicken. Continue Reading

No food stamps, no farm program

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One of the last acts of the Republican majority of the House of Representatives before the August recess of Congress was to propose to cut funding for the food stamp program by $40 billion in the fiscal 2014 budget. These cuts were proposed even after the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that the inflation adjusted value of food stamps had declined seven percent between 2009 and 2011. Continue Reading