A quarterly gathering of Wedge news and nourishment

HOW TO COOK WITH FAVA BEANS • LOCAL CHEF: CARRIE MCCABE -JOHNSTON LOCALLY LAID EGGS • FARM BILL DEALS ORGANICS A BIG WIN

SPRING 2014

A quarterly gathering of Wedge news and nourishment

SPR ING 2014

Chief Executive Officer Josh Resnik

Director of Brand MarketingJessica Pierce

Editor in ChiefMegan Molteni

Original Design Fellow

Photography Michael Paynic

Proofreading Sid KorpiProof Positive

ContributorsCallie MartinWedge Produce

Diedre AustinGardens of Eagan

Dr. Kristen WattsIntegrated Health of Minnesota

Carrie McCabe-Johnston Nightingale

Jason AmundsenLocally Laid

Board of DirectorsEmily AndersonPhilip BradleyMike DooleyMarjorie HegstromMatt StowellDale WiehoffSarah Wovcha

2105 Lyndale Avenue SouthMinneapolis, MN 55405

612 871 3993wedge.coop

Open every day from 8 am to 10 pm.

ALL THINGS NEW THIS SPRING

Spring is a time for new beginnings. And so it is a fitting season for us to embrace our new logo and brand; not to forget what came before, but to simply define in clearer resolve what it means to be the Wedge. We are a year-round farmers’ market, but we’re also so much more. Some aspects of the newsletter will move to a twice-monthly email, which will convey more-timely information, such as our remodel progress, member specials and staff picks. Sign up for the email at wedge.coop. Thank you for being a part of this new chapter, and thank you for reading.

New & Now

NEW BUILDING

In mid-January, we closed on the purchase of a new building at 2412 Nicollet Avenue. The “Eat Street” location will house our future deli and bakehouse production commissary along with a street-side market and café. Now proud owners of the new building, we moved ahead with the expansion project, selecting Cuningham Group as the architecture firm behind the building’s renovation and remodel and Watson Forsberg as general contractor. We anticipate seeing design plans in early March and breaking ground in summer.

STORE REFRESH Starting this spring, you will begin to see changes happening in the store—new paint, new signage and more information about our producers. We don’t want to disrupt your shopping experience, so we will be making most of the changes in the wee hours of the night. But we have to be honest, things won’t be perfect over the next six months; so please be patient with us, keep coming in and, we promise, it will all be worth it.

WEDGESHARE 2014 The 2014 WedgeShare application cycle has begun! Apply for a WedgeShare grant and receive up to $10,000 to help your organization pursue its mission in the community. Applications are due by Friday, April 25, 2014. You can find more information on eligibility and how to apply by visiting wedge.coop/community/wedgeshare. And if you have experience evaluating grant applications, the WedgeShare Committee could really use your help reviewing this year’s round of applicants. If you’re interested in serving as the member-at-large on the WedgeShare committee, please send your qualifications to bodadmin@wedge.coop by March 31, 2014.

EARTH DAY RECYCLING

Local nonprofit Tech Dump will be here the day after Earth Day (Wednesday, April 23) from 9 am to 5 pm to collect your old cell phones and laptops. And every Thursday from 12 pm to 5 pm during the month of April, bring in your old shipping boxes moving boxes and other corrugated cardboard to recycle.

6TH ANNUAL PLANT AND GARDEN SALE

For the entire month of May, the south parking lot will become the go-to spot for all your plant and gardening needs. Gardens of Eagan will have tons of healthy, organic plants available—from heirloom vegetables to culinary-quality herbs to patio plants. Stop by. The green house will be open from 10 am to 6 pm every day in May.

For more info on Wedge news and events visit wedge.coop

CLASS UPDATE

Our regularly scheduled class program will be on hiatus for spring and summer and will resume in September better than ever! During that time, our outreach and education coordinator will be busy developing an engaging, high-quality program that meets the needs of our members. We’ll be reaching out to get your feedback, so keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to contribute. While the education program gets a facelift, we will have special events, lectures, and engaging programs designed to inspire, teach, and nourish, like the ones below:

Chinese Food Therapy: SpringTuesday April 8, 7 pm – 9 pm

Leah from the Health & Body Care (HBC) department will lead a class on Chinese food therapy focusing on eating seasonally for spring.

Container Gardening on a Budget Saturday, May 3, 1 pm – 3 pm

Learn the basics of container gardening from Callie in Produce. You’ll get to dig in the dirt and bring home plants of your own. Kids and families encouraged to attend.

UPCOMING BOARD MEETINGS

Member-owners are welcome to attend board meetings. They begin at 5:30 pm in the Wedge classroom. Meeting dates times and location are subject to change. Please call ahead in case of changes.

Tuesday, March 18Monday, May 12Monday, June 9

Hot Breakfast

The Enchilada Breakfast Bake is just one featured item on our new hot deli breakfast menu served Thursday through Sunday 8 – 10 am.

$7.99/lb.

Seitan Gyro Wrap

A vegan version of the Greek classic. Wedge house-made seitan with the quintessential fixings, topped with a vegan tzatziki sauce. Your taste buds will squeal with glee!

$7.99/lb.

The Deli Dish What’s in Store

1. Megafood with Matt’s Vitamin C This vitamin C is sourced from hand-picked Uncle Matt’s organic oranges.30 ct $18.9990 ct $34.79 Currently on sale for $27.79, while supplies last.

2. All Good Lips Tinted Lip Balms Tinted with the earth’s natural minerals to create six different hues and flavored with a hint of organic peppermint oil, these also provide SPF 18 protection thanks to zinc oxide.0.15 oz. tube for $4.99

3. Immuno Viva Black Cumin Seed Oil This antioxidant superstar is concentrated black raspberry and certified organic black cumin seed oils.5.6oz for $49.99 & 120ct for $54.99 4. ECOS 4x Cleaner Same great formula in a more handy bottle size. Great for HE washing machines. Earth Friendly is now certified as a carbon-neutral company. 25 oz. for $8.29

5. Dang Coconut Chips Inspired by Thai-street vendor food, these toasted coconut chips come in original or salted caramel flavors. 3.17 oz. for $4.59

6. Punk Rawk Vegan Nut Milk Cheese Locally handmade, nut-based, fermented product. Try three cashew varieties: nacho, herb, plain ($11.59) or the smoked cashew macadamia blend ($14.79). 5 oz. size

7. Pizzarella The name says it all! Shred this and put it on your pizza for a tangy, delicious alternative to cow’s milk mozzarella. $18.99/lb.

8. Smoked Somerset A rich, tangy sheep’s milk cheddar that has been hickory smoked. Use it in your favorite macaroni-and-cheese recipe for a special treat. $23.99/lb.

9. Living Waters Roma TomatoesLiving Waters Gardens produces outstanding, hydroponically-grown local tomatoes nearly year-round. Prices vary

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MADE

Wedge kitchen supervisor Michael Paynic is also the talented photographer and food stylist behind most of this newsletter’s images. Here are a few more things you might not know about him.

There’s a rumor that you have quite the prop collection, is that true?

I probably have 600 or more, but it’s an ongoing thing, I’m always on the hunt. I could easily add another 400 and not be satisfied, but then I’d need a bigger house.

Where do you find most of your pieces?

Mostly thrift stores. Anyone can buy stuff from a company but not everyone can have round vintage cooling racks. You have to really dig deep into the piles and think about how the pieces support your vision. When you see my photos, that’s what I would want people to see who were just coming over as my guests. Props can tell a story.

So you cook all the food that you photograph yourself?

Yes. My main points of being are cooking, gardening and photography. I fell into cooking early on and just always wanted to learn more. It’s the same with photography. In 2011, I wanted to start a blog, so I bought a camera and just started pointing it and pushing the button just like anyone else. I had to really work to figure out how to tell stories with pictures. You’re taking a 3D image and translating it into a 2D space. You have to figure out how to create depth and pull. Just the way you can’t make meringues in August unless you have a perfectly controlled environment, you can’t make chicken look good unless you have the perfect lighting and composition. And even then it often still looks like a piece of chicken. I prefer vegetables; they’re so photogenic.

What did you find to be the steepest learning curve along the way?

Cooking for the camera is a totally different process. You want vibrancy, but you don’t want to fake it. Everything I do is natural; nothing is inedible. I could eat it right after I shoot it. I have to try recipes a dozen times before I’m happy with them both aesthetically and in terms of taste. But that’s the skill of a cook—to make beauty out of chaos.

Get to KnowMichael PaynicKitchen Supervisor & Photographer

Eat, Drink & Be HealthyKeeping your motivations front and center

Do you have a question that needs answering? Get in touch with Dr. Kristen Watts to start the conversation: nutrition@wedge.coop.

Eat, Drink & Be Healthy is a new column about nutrition, exercise, and wellness to help you navigate your own health and well-being. Dr. Kristen Watts is a doctor of chiropractic, practicing at Integrated Health of Minnesota in Edina.

Most patients I take on come to me with aspirations of new beginnings. What they’ve been doing isn’t working for them, and they want an education in natural health care, lifestyle, and diet. People usually need to be reminded that new beginnings are really about new results. And that is where every person on every health journey needs to begin at the very end, at the question, “WHY am I doing this?”

Where does your health find you this year? Are you functioning at your optimum? Are you moving forward and improving, or do you find yourself merely treading water? Most people have no idea how they feel because they don’t think about their health until it’s threatened. Let’s not let that be you. So think hard for a moment. What is it that motivates you to choose to treat yourself well?

When I keep my WHY in front of me, no matter what end I desire and no matter what reason motivates that end, I always arrive at the place where I come face to face with my choices; do they get me closer or farther away from my health goal? Those choices, such as the foods I eat, the way I prepare them, the frequency and quantity in which I eat them, and places I get them from, have a vital impact on the outcome of my health goal.

So I encourage you to start from the end and work your way back to the beginning. Find your WHY and put it in front of your eyes. Fill your ears with messages that remove barriers, grow your courage and help you gain perspective. Your WHY will direct you to progress with each decision toward your goal. And as you begin your journey, remember to ask the tough questions along the way, celebrate your victories and share your success because someone out there needs your story to inspire him or her.

SpringBrunch Recipes

Baked Eggs with Spinach & ProsciuttoServes 6

6 eggs

12 slices of prosciutto

¾ cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

12 ounces fresh spinach

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

1 cup asparagus, cut into ½-inch pieces

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

Minced chives

Preheat oven to 350°F

1. Line six 8-ounce oven-safe bowls or ramekins with two slices of prosciutto each. Set aside.

2. Melt 4 Tbsp. of butter in a large sauté pan and cook garlic for a few minutes over medium heat.

3. Add spinach a little at a time until wilted, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

4. Divide spinach among bowls, discarding any liquid in the pan.

5. Add remaining butter to pan and sauté asparagus for one minute. Divide evenly over spinach along with cheese and tomatoes.

6. Pour 2 Tbsp. of cream in each dish.

7. Crack eggs over the top, one per dish.

8. Place bowls on a baking sheet and cook 20–40 minutes or until egg whites are opaque. Garnish with minced chives and freshly grated pepper.

Asparagus & Leek StrataServes 4

3 cups bread cubes

1 cup asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large leek, halved and thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tsp. dried fine herbs

½ tsp. sea salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

½ cup peas, lightly mashed

¾ cup whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

4 eggs

2 tsp. extra-strong Dijon mustard

pinch of sea salt

pinch of black pepper

½ cup ricotta

1. Melt butter in a sauté pan and cook leek until tender over medium heat.

2. Add asparagus, herbs, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute.

3. Combine bread cubes, peas, and asparagus mixture. Place in a buttered baking dish. Dollop with ricotta.

4. Whisk remaining ingredients until smooth, then pour into pan.

5. Allow contents to sit for one hour before baking.

6. Bake 35–40 minutes or until custard has set.

Granola Makes approx. 5 cups

2 cups rolled oats (choose gluten-free oats for a gluten-free version)

½ cup sliced almonds

1∕3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1∕3 cup salted and toasted sunflower seeds

2 Tbsp. golden flax seeds

2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

2 Tbsp. chia seeds

1∕3 cup maple syrup or honey

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup cane sugar

½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. sea salt

1∕3 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1∕3 cup dried blueberries

1∕3 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F

1. Combine oats, almonds and seeds in a bowl; set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, stir together maple syrup or honey, brown sugar, cane sugar, spices and salt. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat and immediately pour over oat mixture.

3. Stir oat mixture until evenly coated, then spread onto an oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool.

5. Break up granola and combine with remaining ingredients.

Granola

Asparagus& Leek Strata

Baked Eggswith Spinach& Prosciutto

How do I cook

with that ?We’ve all been there—that moment when you see the fresh fava beans come in, the first in a brigade of spring vegetables, like knobby gatekeepers throwing open wide the doors of spring. And you want to use them because their bright green cries of freshness sound so sweet and welcoming to your ears after months of root-vegetable monotony. But then you realize you haven’t the faintest idea to do with them. Well, read on and you will.

Favas arrive in early spring, and you want to look for plump, firm pods. Run your fingers over each pod to make sure there are beans inside. When you split them open you should see pale green beans nestling in a soft, fuzzy inner shell.

If you’re feeling like a traditionalist and have some time on your hands you’ll want to open all the pods and collect the beans in a bowl. They’re not ready to eat yet, you’ve still got to blanch them and go through another peeling step. Discard the stripped pods and add the fava beans to a pot of boiling, salted water for one minute. (If you have very large beans—bigger than an inch—you’ll want to blanche for a minute or two longer). Then strain, and shock them by throwing them in a bowl of ice water. From there, you fish out each bean and, gently squeezing the narrower end, pop out the inner bean from its skin. What you should see is a much smaller, brilliantly green, kidney-shaped bean.

Now you’ve got favas you can eat. You can add them to succotash, pastas, or use them in a risotto like the recipe you’ll find on the next page. You can also just smash them up with a little olive oil, mint and Parmesan cheese to spread on top of bread to make a light, spring crostini.

Or, if all that sounds like an awful hassle, you can do something completely different. Toss whole fava pods with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast at 450° for 25 minutes or until tender. Put the roasted pods in a bowl, sprinkle with sea salt and serve like edamame.

There. Wasn’t that easy? Now you have no excuse not to welcome spring with favas this year.

FAVA BEANSvicia faba

Try somethinglike this

Spring Vegetable Risotto Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS

2 cups shelled fresh fava beans (from about 2 lbs. of pods)

8 cups vegetable or chicken broth

2 cups Arborio rice, uncooked

1 cup dry white wine

2 large leeks, chopped

1 fennel bulb, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 bunch spinach, trimmed, leaves torn

1 cup fresh peas

1 cup finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese

¼ cup fresh chives, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Shell favas and peas. Blanche them together in boiling water 1–2 minutes. Shock in ice water. Peel favas and set aside with drained peas.

2. Bring broth to a simmer in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover and keep warm.

3. Heat olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add leeks, fennel and garlic. Cook, stirring often until vegetables are softened. Add rice and stir to coat, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until evaporated.

4. Add 1 cup broth. Cook, stirring often (but not constantly), until broth is almost absorbed. Add remaining broth by cupfuls, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more each time. Stir often until rice is tender but still firm to the bite and mixture is creamy (about 20 minutes).

5. Add spinach, reserved favas and peas, the grated cheese, chives and remaining tablespoon of butter to risotto. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted and cheese is melted. Season with salt.

Optional: For some extra fanciness, you could finish this dish with a poached egg nestled atop each serving of risotto. And if you’re a meat eater, try it with some crumbled, cooked bacon, too.

When chef/co-owner Carrie McCabe-Johnston opened Nightingale with her husband, co-owner and bar manager Jasha Johnston in the fall of 2012, they realized a dream more than a decade in the making. Long-time Wedge members, the couple set out to create a quiet neighborhood haunt where the food celebrated local growers and sustainably raised meat. Carrie felt confident they could pull off a communal space that could cater to the thoughtful, like-minded inhabitants of the Wedge area. “We’d already raised two children together,” she says. “The restaurant was like our third baby. We knew we could do it together.”

Owning their own place has given Carrie room to play and experiment in the kitchen. It’s also deepened her connections with farmers in the region. She’s always looking for new farms to support and unique fruits and vegetables that can be locally sourced. “So many people supported us when we started out,” she says. “I’m happy to pay it back and support growers in our community.” She sees Minnesota as a really interesting land of opportunity, with its ever-growing numbers of young people starting farms of their own. “One day I think the dream would be to sustain an entire farm ourselves,” she says. “To have a whole farm catered to growing what you want—now that would be cool.”

Carrie’s chef sensibilities are driven by imbuing Midwestern foods with exciting and far-flung influences. She cooks small plates, inviting people to socialize and enjoy a shared experience over her food. Bruschettas were a natural choice for the menu because they’re an ideal vehicle to highlight seasonal ingredients. Of these, the flagship dish was a homemade ricotta topped with an Egyptian spice blend called dukkah. While other bruschettas rotate out with the seasons, the ricotta dish has stayed on the menu since opening night because it’s Carrie’s personal favorite. “It’s just a lovely combination of flavors,” she says. “The dukkah is aromatic, the ricotta is earthy and creamy, while the mint just brightens everything.”

Nightingale _____________________________________________________ 2551 Lyndale Ave S.

Local Chef Connection

Nightingale brings casual creativity to the small plate

INGREDIENTS

For the dukkah

1 cup hazelnuts

½ cup sesame seeds

1 Tbsp. coriander seeds

1 Tbsp. black peppercorns

1 Tbsp. fennel seeds

½ Tbsp. cumin seeds

½ Tbsp. ground paprika

½ cup olive oil

Salt (to taste)

Chef Carrie McCabe-Johnston kindly shared the recipe for her ricotta bruschetta with seeds, nuts and mint. The dish takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and is an impressive way to start a meal. Any extra dukkah will last up to a week in the fridge and is delicious tossed with roasted vegetables or turned into a salad dressing by adding a bit of vinegar. All the ingredients for the dukkah can be easily found in The Wedge’s bulk section. If you’ve never bought bulk, this would be an excellent excuse to try it out!

Ricotta Bruschetta

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Toast hazelnuts and sesame seeds in a saucepan over medium-high heat for a few minutes or until they start to brown. Be careful to not let them burn. Remove from heat and let cool. Throw in a food processor and roughly chop a few times. The hazelnuts should still have some chunks, not be a smooth paste.

2. Toast the cumin, peppercorns, fennel and coriander in a saucepan over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until aromatic but not browned. Remove from heat and grind in a spice grinder or with mortar and pestle.

3. Combine the hazelnuts and sesame seeds with the spice mixture, the paprika and the olive oil. Stir to thoroughly combine. Add salt to taste.

4. Slice and toast bread.

5. Spread ricotta on bread in a thick layer. Spoon the spice mix over the top. Chop the mint thinly and sprinkle over the top.

For the bruschetta

homemade ricotta (see opposite page for instructions)

bread of your choice

fresh mint

Ricotta is Italian for “to cook again,” and traditionally it’s made by heating the whey byproduct of another cheese, like mozzarella. But you can also make it at home with readily available ingredients and just a few simple steps.

D.I.Y.

1. Pour the milk, cream and salt into a 3-quart saucepan and heat under a medium-high flame. If you have a candy thermometer, heat the milk to 180.° If not, heat until just simmering. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. Let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

2. Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let strain for at least an hour, two is better and will give you something the texture of cream cheese. Discard the whey (the watery stuff that drained out). Eat the ricotta right away or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. The cheese will last for a week or two, depending on how fresh the milk is you used.

3. Ricotta is a perfect spring cheese because it’s so delicate and versatile. Fold it into vegetable pastas, tuck it into crepes with berries or make your own version of Nightingale’s bruschetta with nuts, seeds and mint (opposite page).

Make your own ricotta cheese

INGREDIENTS

3 cups whole milk (the fresher the better, as it will make the curds cling more tightly. Local options like Cedar Summit Creamery and Crystal Bar Farms are good choices)

1 cup heavy cream

½ tsp. coarse sea salt

3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Locally Laid

The Little Egg That CouldWrenshall, MN

On the day we visit Jason Amundsenat his farm, it’s two degrees below zero and

blindingly bright. The late February sunshatters off mountains of snow left by themost recent blizzard. And since his hens

possess more sense than people usually affordmembers of the poultry family, they had

thought better of venturing outside today.

Instead, the 2,300-head flock of egg-laying ladies can be found clucking contentedly inside Amundsen’s cozy insulated barn. Perched on hanging water elements, snuggled into nesting boxes, or wandering around the barn’s open floor, these hens (all named Lola, affectionately taken from the first two letters of each word in the farm’s name—Locally Laid) produce about 1,300 eggs each day in the winter months, eating primarily a high-calorie feed comprised of non-GMO corn, soybean meal, alfalfa meal and calcium for shell building. But with winter’s final retreat, the barn doors will be opened wide, and Amundsen’s hens will spend their days out at pasture, digging in the dirt for seeds, foraging for insects, and grazing on anything green.

Pasture-raised chickens are not be confused with free-range, a term that means only that an animal is allowed some access to the outside, with no specifications on the size of the space or the duration of the time outside. Pasture-raising calls for laying chickens to be raised primarily outdoors, as opposed to confining them indoors. It works as a system of moving fenced areas that allow the animals to graze an area during the day then return to the barn at night to safely sleep. Amundsen chose to pasture-raise his hens because he believes they’re salad-eating poultry athletes, not sedentary egg-laying machines. “We want them to be chickens, and do things that make chickens happy,” he said, reaching for a shovel to begin today’s mucking. “We can’t wait for it to be spring so they can get outside.” And what’s good for the chicken is good for the farmer, too. Chickens who go to pasture cost less to feed, and they increase pasture fertility by spreading their own fertile waste on the fields as they forage.

Many people ask Amundsen if his eggs are organic, a question for which he wishes he had a different answer. Every farmer has to make compromises, and for him it’s foregoing organic certification. When faced with the decision between providing his hens with a non-GMO feed produced 10 minutes down the road and an organic feed an eight-hour roundtrip away, he chose local over organic. It was a choice both pragmatic and ethical; trading an organic certification for the added carbon footprint didn’t make sense to him. As it is, he and his wife Lucie donate a tree for every delivery they make in an effort to offset the carbon output of their operation. Since they started the farm a few years ago, they’ve planted thousands of trees across Northern Minnesota through a program with The Nature Conservancy.

Amundsen, who is warm and energetic despite the weather and the fact he rises daily at 4 am to start farm chores, is pioneering a space he refers to as “middle agriculture.” It fits somewhere between farmers’ markets and industrial agribusiness, and has been a next-to-impossible niche to inhabit on account of our bifurcated food system. But little by little, he’s building an egg empire based on happy hens. He partners with farms in Iowa and Indiana, trading his business acumen and brand identity for their pledge to raise their hens to his standards. And he’s got his eyes set on more; this summer, he’ll start construction on a processing facility on his farm. Once that’s completed, he won’t have to drive his eggs to a commercial kitchen in Duluth to cool, clean and package them, but will be able to do it right in his own backyard. These ventures are just a few of the ideas always swirling in Amundsen’s head, which means that he’s always pushing for more. “I call it living at the tip of the spear,” he says, squinting in the sun and gesturing to where the future processing facility will reside. “We want to keep innovating, keep looking for ways to improve what we do and to positively impact our local food system. You look over that precipice of what you can afford to do and you say, ‘Yeah, I think we can go a bit further.’”

Thank you for your grand gardening query, Charles! There are a plethora of alternatives to gardening directly in the ground, and today we’re going to discuss one of the big ones: container gardening.

Container gardening is a simple, inexpensive, fun, and educational way to have fresh veggies and herbs even when you don’t have the yard space. So where do we start? From the ground up, of course! The soil that we use is the key to the health of our plants. We will want to use potting soil (not top soil), which has compost and other nutrients already mixed in. If you want organic potting soil, make sure the label says “Certified Organic.”

Now that we have the dirt on dirt, we need containers in which to put it. Any water impermeable container will do, but there must be holes in the bottom. Holes, each about the size of a pea, allow excess water to drain out of the bottom. If too much water sits in the pot for long periods of time, it can cause molding and rot. Place a plate or tray underneath to keep excess water from spilling.

When choosing planters you want to make sure they are large enough for the roots to grow and expand. For larger plants like tomatoes or peppers, go with a one or two-gallon container; for most herbs, half gallon-containers or smaller should give you more than enough room. Gardening on a budget? Plastic five-gallon buckets from your local hardware store with holes drilled in the bottom are a perfect (and cheap) solution.

The next step is picking a location. A window or patio that gets a lot of sun, or even partial sun, is the perfect place to keep your containers. Your plants will need at least a couple of hours of sunlight a day to grow. But remember, plants in containers dry out faster than if they had been planted in the ground, so be sure to check the soil every day by sticking your finger in it. If it comes out dry, the plants need a drink! If you do not have a sunny spot available, you can get UV or grow lights to use in your house or apartment. And in terms of timing, remember that you’ll need to wait until there is no chance of frost before putting plants outside. A good rule of thumb is to keep them inside until after Mother’s Day weekend.

Professor ProduceCALLIE MARTIN

I love to garden and especially enjoy eating food from my own garden, but recently I moved into an apartment. Is there a way I can still eat fresh veggies I grew myself without having the space or yard to do so?

-Charles, Minneapolis

Q:

A:Why Is Rhubarb Red?

Contrary to popular belief, whether it’s red, pink, green or something in-between, rhubarb’s color has nothing to do with ripeness. Rather, its hue is completely determined by genes; different varieties produce different colors, and green rhubarbs are just as sweet as red ones.

Green varieties actually tend to be better producers—growing faster and having bigger yields. But because consumers tend to favor bright red rhubarb, many contemporary growers take the yield hit and breed plants for color instead.

Red rhubarbs owe their ruby hue to anthocyanins—antioxidants that produce red, purple, and blue colors in plants and confer free-radical fighting health benefits. But if you’re gardening or foraging for your rhubarb, watch out for the leaves; they’re quite toxic!

So we’ve got our containers full of dirt, now we need some seedlings. Luckily, we’ll have adolescent plants available the entire month of May at our Gardens of Eagan plant sale. Healthy and certified organic, these are the only seedlings this old Professor buys. When buying baby plants, make sure they look healthy, not dried out or leaves turning black. Try to transplant the seedlings within five days of taking them home. If the roots are bursting out of the container, they will need to be replanted sooner rather than later. In the center of the pot dig a hole in which you could fit the entire seedling pot. Gently remove the seedling from its small container, lightly break up the bottom of the roots and place it in the hole. Fill in the space with potting soil and add a half- inch layer of soil to the planter, covering the entire top surface. Firmly pat, give a nice watering, place in the sun and you’re done!

Not all vegetable seedling will thrive in containers, so here are a few inside tips to growing success:

Herbs are a really easy place to start as they tend to be lower maintenance and smaller in size. Not all tomatoes are the same. Cherry tomatoes will do much better in containers than larger fruiting tomatoes, such as Bradywine or Purple Cherokee.

Try to avoid large vining plants like cukes, zukes and other squashes.

You can grow leafy greens (lettuces, chards, even kales) if the container is big enough. Try the five-gallon plastic buckets or even an old laundry basket.

If you can see roots bursting out of the container, it’s time to move to a bigger pot.

So you see, my dear my future gardening gurus, container gardening is easy and fun! If you have more questions, gardening- or produce-related, you can always send them to professorproduce@wedge.coop, or visit me at our plant sale in May.

FOOD SCIENCE SLICE

Full House: Farm Bill Deals Organics a Big Win

Amidst all the cuts to the food stamp program and the reshuffling of crop subsidies to insurance payments, the organic

movement somehow managed to quietly score some serious cash.

( Relatively Speaking )

After four years of congressional deadlock, at long last we have a Farm Bill. Standing in front of a tractor and other farm equipment at Michigan State University on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, President Obama signed the sprawling, nearly 1,000-page legislation into law. The Farm Bill, which must be renewed every five years and represents almost $1 trillion in spending over the next decade, drives USDA policy on issues ranging from commodity crops and agricultural research to rural development, nutrition assistance, food safety and environmental conservation.

In simplest terms, it determines whether or not our food is healthful, affordable, nutritious and abundant. Historically, the Farm Bill has predominantly supported big agribusinesses, which grows enormous amounts of crops like the corn and soy that end up in animal feed and processed foods. Which is why it may surprise you to learn that the organic movement actually emerged as one of the biggest winners of the Farm Bill’s most recent incarnation. Have the tides in Washington finally turned for the little guy with his hands in the dirt?

At least in terms of dollar signs, the answer appears to be a tentative yes. The new Farm Bill fully funds the majority of programs deemed necessary to further develop organic food systems including:

The National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program, which offsets the costs of annual certification for organic farmers, producers and handlers. Through the program, they can receive a reimbursement of up to 75 percent of their annual certification costs, up to $750. While this won’t make much difference for large organic operations, who pay thousands in certification costs each year, for small farmers, these reimbursements open the doors to organics as a financially viable option. In 2013, only $1.4 million in funds were available to farmers in 16 states (because of not receiving baseline funding in the 2013 Farm Bill extension that left 37 programs stranded). The new Farm Bill will restore funding to all states for a total of $11.5 million per year.

Organic research gets a big boost, with $20 million per year going to the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative, a competitive grant-making program that funds organic research projects like sustainable organic tribal bison production and nonthermal pasteurization technologies, to name just a couple. An additional $5 million went to the Organic Data Initiative, which gathers statistical data on organic production and market trends. These both represent the most significant changes in new

For all these reasons, the Organic Trade Association has applauded the passing of the Farm Bill. “It is a new day for organic,” said Organic Tarde Association(OTA) Executive Director Laura Batcha, with new champions joining traditional supporters of organic.”

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), while critical of the lengthy political process that it required to get the bill to passage, did express support of the final product. “We are pleased that the bill renews support for innovative programs that invest in the next generation of farmers, the growth of local and organic agriculture, and economic opportunity in rural communities,” said Ariane Lotti, the assistant policy director with NSAC.

And while there were lots of other changes in the bill that made headlines—food stamps being slashed, the end of direct cash payment subsidies and the increase of crop insurance payments, conservation measures now tied to subsidy eligibility, significant cuts to the Conservation Reserve Program, the preservation of country-of-origin labeling laws, and catfish farmers (yes, catfish)—the organic movement is there always in the background, soldiering on. Little by little, support continues to grow, from the hallowed halls of Congress to the dirt in the snow-covered fields of our own farm, that will become 100-percent certified-organic later this year.

It’s not a flashy sea-change that is upon us; organics still only represent a sliver of the Farm Bill’s $956.4 billion budget, even if it’s a bigger sliver than it’s been ever before. While the Farm Bill’s improved support for organic farmers and handlers is a hopeful sign that organic agriculture has earned acceptance among federal legislators, we are still a long way from recognition of organic as a sustainable alternative to the environmentally destructive, chemical-intensive, industrial food-production system that dominates the American agricultural landscape. Only time will tell if this recent headway will evolve into long-term progress. But for now it’s just nice to see a little green go the way of organic.

federal policy; investing in organic farming innovations has long failed to keep up with the growth of the sector, and these funds demonstrate a move toward closing this research gap.

Inclusion in the Federal Crop Insurance Agency, at prices in line with their retail value, must happen no later than 2015 for organic producers. Currently, organic crops are insured at premiums set for conventional counterparts, meaning that farmers take a loss in the case of a crop failure or other problem. It will increase the ability of organic producers to have their crops protected and will allow for “split operations,” in which farmers grow for both organic and conventional markets.

Increased enforcement powers were granted to the National Organic Program (NOP), the organization charged with administering the national organic standards, accrediting certifiers and handling complaints. In essence, they ensure the integrity of USDA’s organic seal. They received funding for technological improvements to help them more effectively investigate fraud and pursue wrongdoing in the organic industry. While NOP is still nowhere near being able to keep up with the exploding organic market, this move indicates at least a nudge in the right direction for policymakers.

After enduring the coldest Minnesota winter in 30 years, here at Gardens of Eagan, all we can think about is spring. Our greenhouses are full of certified certified-organic garden starter plants that made it through the polar vortex, despite challenges in our heating system and a serious propane shortage. We’ll be bringing these irrepressible seedlings to Lyndale Avenue in May for the Wedge’s annual plant sale.

In addition to our long-proven varieties, this year you will also be able to find ever-bearing strawberry baskets, a culinary-quality herb line and selections that do well in containers. And all our plants are potted with locally sourced, certified- organic potting media, mixed to our own special recipes by Cowsmo Compost in Cochrane, Wis.

We’ve also been hard at work on our farmer plug program—wherein farmers choose their favorite certified-organic or non-GMO seeds, and we do the rest—growing transplants in our greenhouses and delivering them in time for spring planting.It’s a great way to help out farmers who want to grow organic and non-GMO but don’t have the resources to raise their own starts. And this year, thanks to our new solar array installed in December, 100 percent of the electricity needed to heat our germination tables will be coming from the sun!

With 148 panels mounted on the roofs of the two south- facing pole sheds, our solar array is already hard at work supplying about half of the farm’s farm’s electricity. Starting in 2014, Gardens of Eagan will save about 75,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering our atmosphere each year. That’s equivalent to adding roughly 30,000 full-grown trees to our forests.

With all these new developments at the farm, we can’t help but be excited for spring to come!

In 1999, the Wedge established Co-op Partners Warehouse (CPW) out of the desire to have a wholesaler who could represent products from small, quality-focused growers in the region. CPW, which distributes organic produce to co-ops, as well as to natural food stores, schools, and restaurants, provides an invaluable service as the connective tissue linking customers to small-scale farmers, fair-trade operations and grower cooperatives. In each issue, we give you the story of CPW through the numbers that define them. In future issues, we’ll delve deeper inside the CPW warehouse, telling its stories with facts and figures that may shock and surprise you.

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PRODUCERS & FARMS

CPW TRUCKS

STATES (MN, WI, IA, SD, ND, IL, MI)

Down on the Farm Supporting the spread of organic to local farmers and gardeners

Diedre AustinGardens of Eagan Outreach Coordinator

What’s in the Truck?

Moving? Go to wedge.coop, click on Co-op Membership and then on Members—Stay in Touch. Or bring or mail the information to the Wedge. You may also call 612 871 3993 and ask for voice-mail box 1831 and leave the information there anytime. Be sure to include your ZIP code and owner number in all communications.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the editor. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the board, management, staff or member-owners of Wedge Community Co-op. Nutrition and health information given is for educational purposes only and is not meant as a substitute for a consultation with a licensed health or dietary practitioner.

©2014 Wedge Community Co-op

A quarterly gathering of Wedge news and nourishment

SPR ING 2014