Edible Twin Cities

A number of organizations familiar to the local, sustainable food community have been recognized for their work to get healthful foods in the hands of Minnesotans.

A top-15 list of high-impact groups includes the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Gardening Matters, the Youth Farm and Market Project, and the Land Stewardship Project.

They were chosen for the list by nearly 100 experts in healthy-food access as part of a research project by Philanthropedia, an arm of Guidestar, the national charities rating system.

The top 15 non-profits on the list are:

• Emergency Foodshelf Network, Inc.
• Second Harvest Heartland
• University of Minnesota
• Hunger Solutions Minnesota
• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
• Gardening Matters
• Youth Farm and Market Project
• NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, Inc.
• Minnesota Food Association
• Land Stewardship Project
• Neighborhood House
• Minnesota Project
• Farmers Legal Action Group
• Eagan Resource Center
• Dream of Wild Health (Peta Wakan Tipi)

More information about the recent research and these non-profits is on the Philanthropedia website.

The Schoenherr family in front of their Woodbury home.

A suburban Woodbury front yard will be turned into an organic edible garden as part of a project by artist Fritz Haeg, who is doing a residency at the Walker Art Center.

A team of volunteers will be helping the Schoenherr family – Catherine and John and their adult children, Aaron and Andrea – tear up the lawn over the Memorial Day weekend and transform it into a highly visible and productive garden.

It will be called Edible Estate #15, since it is part of an ongoing, around-the-world effort by Haeg to re-imagine our everyday relationships to the land, the home, the city, and each other.  Edible Estate #12 was installed in Budapest, Hungary last year, and #13 and #14 are also taking place this year – in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Aarhus, Denmark, respectively.

They will be the final Edible Estates before the 2014 publication of the expanded third edition of the book, “Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn,” documenting all of the gardens Haeg’s series, with stories from the garden owners, and framed by essays from renowned garden writers.

The Schoenherrs were selected from about 100 families all over the Twin Cities who asked to be picked for the “Edible Estate” garden and art project. Haeg said in a news release that the Woodbury family had everything he was seeking: an outer-ring suburban home; a large, sunny and visible front lawn, and some gardening experience.

That experience includes tending a rented garden plat last year, which sparked a gardening bug that by the end of the year had Catherine growing hydroponic lettuce in their basement.

This is familiar turf for Haeg, who is a native of the Twin Cities suburbs now living in Los Angeles. As part of his Walker Art Center residency, Haeg is also establishing a Foraging Circle — a newly planted area of wild plants native to Minnesota — in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Situated at the center of this garden, one of Haeg’s geodesic dome structures will serve as a headquarters for public workshops, conversations, meals, and events related to local gardening, food production, and urban farming.

Big changes are in store for the second annual Minnesota Food Truck Fair. The event is moving to Uptown, and admission is free.

The fair is set for 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday June 30 along two blocks of the Uptown neighborhood.

Among the 30 food trucks already committed to the event are: Anchor Fish & Chips, Andrew Zimmern’s AZ Canteen, Cajun to Geau, GastroTruck, Hibachi Daruma, Hola Arepa, Mac Sammy’s, Motley Crew’s Heavy Metal Grill, Pimento Jamaican Grille, Rusty Taco, Twisted Sister House of Hunger and World Street Kitchen.

For more information, visit: mnfoodtruckfair.com.

Ten percent of proceeds from the fifth annual Plant & Garden Sale taking place at The Wedge Co-op this month are going to the Organic Field School for its work to support beginning farmers.

The plant sale extends through May in the co-op’s south parking lot, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, weather permitting.

The co-op says the plant sale showcases its Gardens of Eagan farm and the farm’s full complement of plants. Gardens of Eagan, according to The Wedge, has added 40 new varieties, including plants for patios, heirloom vegetables with a nod to the Midwest’s heritage, and – new this year – grafted tomatoes.

The Wedge is located at 2105 Lyndale Ave. S. in Minneapolis.

Wedge link: http://www.wedge.coop

Organic Valley’s headquarters building in La Farge, Wis. suffered significant damage from a fire Tuesday evening, May 14.

Western Wisconsin news media reported that one-half to two-thirds of the headquarters building may be a total loss because of the fire, the cause of which was unknown.

WXOW-TV in La Crosse reported that workers were evacuated shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday.

“We were having a board of directors meeting upstairs and the fire alarms went off,” Jim Wedeberg, one of the Organic Valley cooperative’s founding farmers told the TV station. “We saw smoke when we got outside, but couldn’t see where it was coming from or what the severity was.”

More than a half-dozen fire departments responded to the blaze. About 400 people work in the building, according to news reports.

Cooperative Regions of  Organic Producers Pools, which markets products under the Organic Valley brand, is the nation’s largest cooperative of organic farmers, with more than 1,800 members in the United States and Canada, according to the La Crosse Tribune newspaper. It said the headquarters building opened in 2004 and was expanded in 2010 and 2011.

Organic Valley’s products can be found throughout the Twin Cities area, and it has become one of the largest organic brands in the nation, according to its website. It offers milk, cheese, juice, eggs, spreads, produce, and soy, as well as meat labeled under a sister brand, Organic Prairie Family of Farms.

The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild, founded in 2000 to promote Minnesota breweries, kicks off its week-long ode to craft beer today (Monday, May 13).

The guild is calling the event “10,000 Minutes of Minnesota Craft Beer,” since there are about 10,000 minutes in a week. (Actually, 10,080 if you’re being picky!) It coincides with American Craft Beer Week.

A number of events have been scheduled, and they can be found at http://www.mncraftbrew.org/10000minutes

Our May-June 2013 cover.

Our May-June issue will be out next week, and we’re eager to have you see it. You’ll find four compelling “Edible Destinations” to read about, a profile of organic pioneer Jim Riddle, ideas on what to do with all of those veggies you’ll be getting from your CSA, and Beth Dooley’s column in praise of asparagus. Plus lots of fun recipes to try. The magazine hits the streets next week (May 13-17). For a list of where to find Edible Twin Cities, go to http://edibletwincities.com/find-a-copy/where-to-find-us/

The St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department, St. Paul Garden Club and the Ramsey County Master Gardeners are now accepting nominations for the 2013 Blooming St. Paul Awards.

The Blooming St. Paul Awards recognize beautiful gardens located within St. Paul city limits. The awards encourage and celebrate gardening and beautification efforts by St. Paul residents and businesses. Award winners are highlighted during an annual celebratory event and prominently featured online throughout the year.
 
In 2013, nominations can be made in the following seven categories:
 

• Business/Institutional
• Residential
• Clean Water
• Edible Landscaping
• Garden Steward Volunteer
• Art in the Garden
• Gardening Advocate

 
Nominations are judged by the Ramsey County Master Gardeners and winners are announced at the Blooming St. Paul Awards Ceremony on Jan. 27, 2014.
 
All nominations must be received by June 25.
 
Additional information and nomination forms can be found at www.stpaul.gov/bloomingsaintpaulawards or e-mail blooming@ci.stpaul.mn.us.

Minneapolis gardeners are being encouraged to plant an extra row this spring and donate their extra vegetables and fruits to a food shelf that helps the needy.

Homegrown Minneapolis, the city’s local-food initiative, noted in its May newsletter that food shelf managers and recipients appreciate the fresh produce, but that the supply usually doesn’t meet the demand.

The Minneapolis Health Department’s Healthy Food Shelf Network is trying to change that by connecting gardeners with food shelves so that healthy food gets into everyone’s kitchen.

Nearly 100 gardeners have already committed to planting an extra row this year, according to Homegrown Minneapolis. You can, too, by learning more about the program at http://www.healthyfoodshelves.org.

It’s this easy:

• Connect with a local food shelf to learn about the types of produce they want most.
• Plan an extra row (or two) in the garden.
• Gather seeds and supplies and start planting.
• Share high-quality produce with a local food shelf.

You can weigh in on whether the Twin Cities’ long-range plans should accommodate more community gardens and urban farming by joining the Metropolitan Council’s Thrive MSP 2040 discussion.

Thrive MSP 2040 is the metro area’s long-range planning effort, and the Metro Council is working on a plan that will provide a regional vision for the seven-county Twin Cities area for the next 30 years.

The council is now seeking additional input from community leaders, elected officials, and the general public on four key areas, one of which is land use – meaning this is a great opportunity for you to affect policies on local, sustainable food and farming.

You can join Metro Council representatives for small-group and roundtable discussion from 6-8 p.m. May 16 at the Glover-Sudduth Center, 2100 Plymouth Ave. N., Minneapolis.

The council asks that you RSVP if you plan to attend. If you can’t attend the meeting, you can join the online discussion at the Your Ideas website.

Michael Pollan

Food author Michael Pollan was in the Twin Cities this week to promote his newest book, “Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation.”

The author of more than a half-dozen food books – “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “Food Rule” among them – Pollan spoke to about 1,500 people Thursday evening at Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park.

Here are five “aha” moments that Edible Twin Cities gleaned from his talk:

In a nutshell. Pollan’s “Cooked,” which he calls “a deep dive into the soul of cooking,” tops 400 pages. But its message can be stated simply, he says: The most important thing you can do is add to the number of meals you cook at home.

Food spectators. The popularity of TV food shows like “Top Chef” has produced an interesting paradox, Pollan says: Millions of Americans today spend more time watching other people cook on TV than they spend cooking themselves.

Deeper kind of learning. The author maintains that the rewards of preparing and cooking food, and sharing it with your family, are many: You become more self-reliant, you learn to appreciate the wonder of food, and eating becomes a less individualistic experience. “It’s a gratifying way to spend a little time, or a lot,” he said.

Who’s in charge here? There is indeed a food movement in America, noted Pollan, but “it’s a mess”: it lacks leadership and there’s little unanimity on what the objectives are. “On the other hand, there’s a huge amount of energy,” he added. “I think we will see some progress.”

Shop, eat, repeat. Pollan acknowledged that he buys his food at several places – including the supermarket, where he picks up cans of chickpeas or tomato sauce, for example. But the difference between eating locally grown food in California, where he resides, and doing so in Minnesota was obvious when he noted that he lives near a farmers’ market that is open … 50 weeks a year!

More local coverage of Pollan’s Twin Cities appearance can be found in a Star Tribune story at http://bit.ly/160lzoT and a Minnesota Public Radio story at http://bit.ly/132XqKs.

Last year, the “10 Plants that Changed Minnesota” campaign heightened state residents’ awareness of the life-changing impact – good or bad – of the green and growing world around us.

Now the fun begins!  University of Minnesota horticultural science professor Mary Meyer is now asking state youths to take the “10 Plants Challenge” and create games, classroom activities, videos and/or other learning materials that showcase the statewide impact of the selected powerful plants:  alfalfa, American elm, apples, corn, purple loosestrife, soybeans, turf and lawn grass, wheat, white pine and wild rice. (For background info, visit: http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/10PlantsMinnesota.aspx.)

“Specifically, with the ’10 Plants Challenge,’ we are trying to engage youth to develop activities that enhance learning, while also showing the impact of the 10 plants on Minnesota,” said Meyer, who is partnering with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, U of M College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) and U of M Extension in this initiative.   

The challenge is separated into two age categories: “Saplings” (ages 12 and under as of July 15) and “Apples” (ages 13-17 as of July 15). Participants must be younger than 18 (as of July 15).

First-place winners in each category will receive their choice of an iPad or $500 gift certificate for Apple products.  Second-place winners will receive an iPod or a gift certificate for $250 in Apple products.  Third-place winners will receive a $100 gift certificate for Apple products.  Youths may enter individually or in groups.

The “10 Plants Challenge” kick-off was on Earth Day – Monday, April 22 – with the unveiling of an official website and other related events at the Arboretum.  Submissions must be received by July 15 and emailed to arbinfo@umn.edu or mailed to: Mary H. Meyer, 10 Plants Youth Challenge, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, MN 55318.

For a “10 Plants Challenge” application form or background information on the specific 10 Plants that Changed Minnesota, visit the website at http://top10plantsmn.org.  Winners will be announced by Aug. 15 and highlighted at the Minnesota State Fair.  Winning submissions will be posted online and must involve the Internet.  More information can also be obtained from Meyer at meyer023@umn.edu.

Winners of the second annual “Minnesota Grown Retailer of the Year Awards” were announced April 25 at the Minnesota Grocers Association’s annual industry luncheon in Bloomington.

Awards were presented by Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson and Jamie Pfuhl, president of the Minnesota Grocers Association.

Winners were recognized in three categories:

•  Single Store: Mackenthun’s Fine Foods
•  Retail Group of 9 Stores or Less: Festival Foods
•  Retail Group of 10 or More Stores: Lunds and Byerlys

Frederickson says it’s an honor to recognize the grocers who are committed to offering locally grown products in their stores.

“These grocers have answered the demand and have made it convenient for their customers to find fresh, locally grown foods,” said Frederickson. “In turn, they’re supporting local farmers and local economies.”

Winning entries were selected based on the number of Minnesota Grown products and the number of Minnesota farmers that the grocer carried. Judges also considered how the grocer promoted these products to their customers through ads, displays and the use of promotional venues like Facebook pages and other social media channels. And 10 percent of the points were awarded based on fan voting on the Minnesota Grown Facebook page.

In addition to a commemorative plaque, winners receive the exclusive rights to use the “Minnesota Grown Retailer of the Year” logo in their ads and displays for the next year.

Editor’s note: The following story appeared in the March/April 2013 edition of Edible Twin Cities magazine.

By Elizabeth Ries
I simply don’t believe the sounds of the city need to be dominated by cars honking, buses accelerating, and garbage trucks roaring by. In my city backyard, that’s just the background noise. Because behind my house, you’re more likely to hear water flowing from the rain barrel into the garden, bees buzzing around the plants, and chickens softly clucking as they peck and scratch at the grass. My backyard isn’t a soft, perfectly manicured span of green lawn. It’s an urban farm focused on food production. And it’s my very favorite place to be.

I’m one of an increasing number of people within Minneapolis (and other major cities) who are growing food, including animal products, in the backyard. This summer, I’ll have heirloom varieties of beans, squash, tomatoes, melons, herbs, peppers, berries, and more all thriving in my backyard garden. Making dinner begins with a walk down my back sidewalk instead of a car ride to the grocery store.

In my basement, a thousand worms wiggle in a black plastic compost bin, feasting on paper, coffee grounds, egg shells, and other food scraps. The compost they create goes into the garden to nourish the soil.

But the worms were only the beginning. There were more carrot peelings, herb stems, and pulp leftover from my morning juice than the red wigglers could handle. So last July, I brought three little chicks home to roost. We named them Roz, Maryanne, and Susie Q and joyfully watched as they toppled over one another, listened as they chirped in delight or displeasure, and tended to their every need.

As their fluffy baby fuzz was replaced by sleek feathers, their personalities developed too. Roz is the wild woman. She practically trips over her own feet running to me every time I walk into the yard. I think it’s because I’m generally carrying a snack. Maryanne is slower, incredibly sweet, and quite happy to be held. Susie keeps her distance a bit, which is just as well because the black and white pattern of her feathers is just lovely from afar.

The first time we discovered a freshly laid egg in one of the nesting boxes, I was elated. And then shocked. I couldn’t believe I actually raised a chick from just days old into a hen that would lay eggs. And that I could take that egg and eat it. For free!

And then I started to laugh at myself. Of course I can raise a chicken! Of course I can grow vegetables! And plant a cherry tree! And use a water bath to can pickles! Not because I am super smart, or filthy rich, or ridiculously good looking. Because I am a human being. And cultivating food is what human beings have been doing for thousands and thousands of years. Relatively speaking, it’s only recently that we’ve become so disconnected from our food that children don’t even know a tomato grows on a plant. Even worse, they only know tomatoes in the form of ketchup.

Every time I gather an egg, pick a vegetable or pluck a handful of berries, I feel empowered. And proud. And usually hungry.

I don’t own a lot of land. Or have any fancy machinery. I don’t even have a lot of spare time. But I do have .13 of an acre in the city of Minneapolis and a deep desire to be connected to the food I eat.

Whether you have a few pots of herbs on your windowsill, tend to a flock of birds in the backyard or anything in between, you can grow your own food. And take a couple of minutes to hear the un-city like sounds in your neighborhood.

Elizabeth Ries is co-host of Twin Cities Live weekdays at 3 p.m. on KSTP-TV and blogs about her adventures in urban farming at hometohomestead.com.

Monday’s snowfall has prompted the Saint Paul Farmers’ Market to postpone its spring opening at Fifth and Wall streets from Saturday, April 27, to Saturday, May 4.

“The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market has been an institution for more than 150 years,” Mayor Chris Coleman said. “St. Paulites know that when the Farmers’ Market is open, spring has truly arrived. I know I join all of St. Paul when I say that I am genuinely looking forward to opening day.”
 
“We look forward to the new season with many new changes to the market.  The changes will help make shopping for locally grown goods and produce even easier than it has been in the past,” said Jack Gerten, manager of the Saint Paul Farmers’ Market.  “While we are disappointed that we have to wait a week, we welcome the onset of spring, and the market, with excitement and anticipation.”
 
The market will be open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays to Nov. 23.

The St. Paul City Council on April 17 authorized its Department of Parks and Recreation to enter into a development agreement with Frogtown Gardens for the creation of a five-acre urban agriculture demonstration site by a unanimous vote of 7-0.

“Frogtown Park and Farm represents an important asset for the Frogtown neighborhood and the entire City of St. Paul,” Mayor Chris Coleman said. “I am deeply grateful for all the work Frogtown Gardens, the Trust for Public Land, and the Department of Parks and Recreation have done to help us to reach this milestone.”

The five-acre urban demonstration farm will be used to teach both residents and visitors farming and gardening practices that are appropriate for urban backyards. By demonstrating these techniques, the farm will encourage residents to start their own backyard gardens and will promote healthier eating habits.

“This project is a win-win-win for the Frogtown neighborhood, residents of Ward 1, and the City of St. Paul,” Councilmember Melvin Carter III said. “It creates an urban demonstration farm that will supply residents with healthy sustainable food choices and also takes a large step forward in addressing the identified need of lack of green space in the Frogtown neighborhood.”

The land for the Frogtown Park and Farm became available when the Wilder Foundation relocated its administrative offices. The city has entered into a contingent purchase agreement with the Trust for Public Land to acquire the property in 2013.

The Trust for Public Land is currently pursuing a private and public fundraising campaign to raise the required $3.45 million for the purchase of the property and the initial development and programming. The closing date for the property is scheduled for no later than Dec. 4, 2013 and once the closing occurs, the Trust for Public Land will convey the land to the city, officials said.

Planting in a high tunnel is a Braatz family affair.

(Editor’s note: This story by David Schueller is reprinted from the Jordan Independent newspaper.)

They grew up as Jordan High School sweethearts. Now they’re growing sweet-tasting tomatoes and loads of vegetables on the farm.

Jean Braatz and her husband, Dean, were 15 years old when they grew their first garden together in a parent’s backyard.

They turned their love of growing into full-time work in the dirt — growing plants under giant, greenhouse-like tunnels even as the snow blanketed fields into the end of March. The family runs a community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm called My Minnesota Farmer a short distance west of Montgomery.

The farm is still accepting CSA members, and has a healthy number of customers to feed in Jordan. Last year, 18 families from Jordan picked up produce from My Minnesota Farmer at a Jordan pickup location. They were among the 275 families signed up to pay up-front for weekly deliveries of fruits, vegetables or eggs. Members get a selection of whatever is ripe enough to pick.

So far this year, 12 Jordan families have signed up for CSA shares.

Just like the healthy tomato plants that grow in the heat of their high tunnels, the Braatz family saw a rapid rise in the number of families who signed up for their fresh, pesticide-free produce. They have enough customers to sustain them both full time on the farm in what, in real ways, has been a labor of love.

Four years ago, they had four kids ages 2-4. Jean stayed home while Dean commuted to his job at a printing company in Waseca.

“We were so busy. I was a stay-at-home mom with them. We were just praying that my husband can come home for work,” Jean said.

In 2009, they attended Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University at Friendship Church, where they heard this message: Do what you love and make money at it. They knew they loved growing fruits and vegetables.

“We thought, let’s try to make a business out of it,” Jean said.

So they set up a website and figured they’d start with 10 families the first year. Instead, they started with 75 orders. The second year they had 175, and by the third were at their self-imposed capacity of 275.

“The farm has been sustaining us, which has been wonderful,” Jean said.

Still, it was a huge jump from gardening to growing full time. It took study. It wasn’t until March 2012 that Dean was able to go work full time on the farm.

“My husband is a very learned man. He just loves to learn and invest,” Jean said.

During the summer, 16-hour days are common. They now have six kids. Vacations must be timed around the growing season and require help for watering and feeding animals. They even get their kids involved, not only for the fun but sometimes simply to see them during the long work days.

“I have children who love to play in the dirt,” Jean said.

They recently helped spread organic fertilizer pellets all over.

“Hey, kids know how to spread things out and make a big mess,” Jean said.

The kids also help wash eggs, and their work earns them a small stipend they’re saving toward a trip to Walt Disney World.

“It gives the kids a way to build responsibility,” Jean said.

CSA farms tend to caution buyers not to give up early in the season when the first few boxes can be more meager.

Jean said the early boxes can contain around 12 pounds of produce. Toward the end of the season, there are bountiful returns of about 30 pounds.

Jean said the cost, over the season, ends up being the same or cheaper than buying at a grocery store or farmer’s market.

Actual price comparisons over a growing season would likely depend on stores, amounts and other family-specific minutiae.

Devotees of the CSA model will say price is only one factor in buying decisions. And Jean said each family’s reason for buying into a CSA is different.

“We feel like even if it was exactly the same price, you’re getting a better product,” Jean said.

Besides spending time farming, they work on keeping members and others up-to-date about what’s happening on the farm. Their website includes farm news, and Jean works on a newsletter with photos for members.

“So people can really feel connected to their farm,” Jean said.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) on April 3 alerted consumers to avoid consuming smoked pork and beef pepper sticks produced by Belgrade Meat Center, Belgrade, Minn., after routine product sampling discovered the products to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.

There are no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products, officials said.

The pepper sticks included in the advisory bear the lot number 318130 located on the back of the package, and Minnesota State Establishment Number 1157. Belgrade Meat Center sold approximately 20 pounds of the pork and beef pepper sticks at its retail store in Belgrade. The company is cooperating with MDA’s investigation. Consumers are asked to return packages to the retail store.

In addition, approximately 280 pounds of product was distributed under the Pastures A Plenty label. These products include:

• Uncured smoked breakfast links lot number 311130 distributed to Linden Hills Coop in Minneapolis, and Whole Foods in Duluth. The products are also served at Bryant Lake Bowl, Café Barbette and Gigi Café all located in Minneapolis.
• Uncured pork wieners lot number 311130 was distributed through Seward Coop in Minneapolis, Mississippi Market at both the Selby Avenue and West 7th locations in St. Paul, and at the River Market in Stillwater.
• Uncured pork wieners and uncured smoked bratwurst both with lot number 318130 served at Natedog Mobile Food Cart in the Twin Cities metro.

According to MDA Dairy and Food Inspection Division Director Heidi Kassenborg, the contamination was first detected in a product sample collected during a routine inspection. MDA investigators are now working to determine the source of the contamination.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially serious disease marked by fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis, but it can sometimes cause fatal infections in infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis can also lead to miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.

Any consumers who believe they may have become ill after eating the product should contact their health care provider. For more details about the product, call Belgrade Meat Center LTD at (320) 254-8287 or Pastures A Plenty at (320) 367-2061.

The growing, business and people sides of urban agriculture will be the focus of an Urban Agriculture Expo from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. April 20 at the Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis.

The event, which includes educational seminars beginning at 9:30 a.m., is for those who currently have an urban farming enterprise, are considering starting one, are supporters of urban farming, or are just curious to learn more.

The growing topics will include water management, unique growing systems, and soils management.  The business topics will include record keeping skills and tips, understanding your cost of production, and assessing which market option is right for you.  Lastly, people topics will include updates in local food policies, the Urban Agriculture Alliance, and engaging communities around you.
 
No pre-registration is required for the event. There is suggested donation of $5 to attend.  
 
For an informational brochure about the Expo, with a schedule, visit www.misa.umn.edu  and click on the ‘Urban Ag Expo’ pdf.  
 
There will be vendors to visit with as well.  Vendors will include governmental agencies, businesses and non-profit organizations that support urban agriculture in a variety of ways.  Those interested in reserving a vendor booth may do so online for $40 at http://www.regonline.com/UrbanAg.  Credit cards or checks are accepted.
 
Sabathani Community Center is located at 310 E. 38th St., Minneapolis, MN 55409.  Directions are located on their website at www.sabathani.org/contact_us.aspx