Tag: manna food co-op

Getting Back in the Groove for 2024

February 10, 2024

Greetings everyone – I hope the weirdness of this winter isn’t throwing you off too much. Last week I had this terrible feeling that I should be planting radishes or getting the high tunnels prepared until I re-checked my calendar. “Settle down, Ryan, you are at least two month too early.”

Although not a seed’s been put into soil, I do certianly need to get this season kicked off by letting everyone know that NOW is CSA sign up season. I just updated the CSA sign up page for 2024 and looking forward to growing again for the new year! SIGN UP HERE

I did want to take a little time, however, to just give an update on our plans. Last year we intentionally kept it small, capping the the CSA at 40 boxes and only having dropsites in Detroit Lakes and at the farm. I had about four dozen projects that I’d been ignoring for a decade or more, so keeping it simple helped cut through my backlog.

Now that I’m down to only a couple dozen projects that I’m still ignoring, I am kicking the CSA numbers back closer to previous years of 50-55 boxes a week and bringing back the Pelican Rapids and Perham dropsites. I know some of you were dissappointed in 2023 that it wasn’t conveneint to get a share and didn’t, so hopefully with these moves you may choose to return. We’d love to have you back. And, my apologies, good people of Fergus Falls, I’m leaving you abandoned.

As we age, I think we try to find ways to focus our efforts and I realized probably three years ago that I couldn’t keep my stress level as far in the red as it was and some of the proverbial plates had to be set aside. So, my compromise is to return to a good number of shares but in a tight delivery area, bringing back Pelican and Perham, 15 and 20 min from the farm respectively. We will remain at the Pelican Market on Friday evenings and the farm stand will keep on rolling too for anyone to access.

Lastly, let me thank all of you who have been members and anyone who rejoin for the season. I may not say it enough, but I’m super grateful for each and every member. It’s the CSA that is the base load of our business and it’s what allows us to do what we do. My hope is that this CSA arrangement is a mutual exchange and you receive as much benefit as ourselves. SIGN UP HERE

A new season

June 18, 2018

We have reached a new veggie season. For me, this is year 14 in Otter Tail County as Lida Farm. One growing season will end, and, before I know it, another will begin. My sense of these 14 years runs different than my members and I need to remind myself that some CSA members are experiencing the variety of vegetables throughout a summer for the first time, even if it’s ‘old hat’ to me. This reminder is both exciting and humbling.

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I remember back to my first year as an apprentice. I was 23 years old and decided to go ‘all in’ on this farming thing and live and work full-time on an organic vegetable farm. I was out in the field and seeing cauliflower grown for the first time and eating kohrabi for the first time ever! I remember asking Paul, my farm mentor and employer, if people actually ate this stuff called arugula. Well, fast forward 18 years and now I’m the guy saying, “Sure, it’s a good green with nutty taste…why wouldn’t a person eat arugula?” Or I’m surprised when a customer at a farmers market hasn’t even heard of swiss chard. Either way, the point is the same, we’re not all on the same page when it comes to veggies and it’s part of my job to be your guide to the season and gently introduce different crops to CSA members and farm stand customers alike.

So, I’d like to invite you to take on the season in the spirit of discovery. Let’s try some new foods and together learn some things about agriculture and growing. After all, this is the thin green line of life which feeds us both.

In the box:

  • Arugula: The bunch with a blue band and oakleaf-shaped leaves. See recipe below.
  • Snap Peas: As snap peas, you eat the whole pod.
  • Green Leaf Lettuce
  • Green Onions
  • Spinach
  • Kale: A variety called Westlander that we get from High Mowing Seeds, this has become a real standby.
  • Basil 
  • A couple radishes: Man, this first set of radishes didn’t fly, but part of the bed came thru, so I thought I’d include a couple. They give the box some color anyway.

Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette 

Adopted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everybody by Deborah Madison

2 T fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

A few green onions, finely diced

5 T olive oil

Bunch of arugula, chopped coarsely and large stems removed.

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese , coarsely grated

1/2 cup walnuts, roasted

Combine zest, green onions, olive oil, and lemon juice together with salt and pepper to taste. Assemble salad in bowl and toss with nuts, cheese, and dressing. I associate arugula with Italy, so find your inner Italian and combine this salad with a nice crusty bread like Falls Baking baguette we carry in the co-op and a red wine.