bossy acres: local. sustainable. organic.

May 29, 2012

into the fields

after rocking it out at the greenhouse and getting our seeds started in that lovely hippie grow cave, we’ve finally been moving some transplants out to the main fields.

it’s a little nerve wracking to make the transfer, we’ve found. we can deal with the re-introduction of muscles deep in the glutes that come from so much squatting (we’re calling it “bossy butt”), and it’s been hugely satisfying to plant a row of cabbage or lettuces and see that tidy little line just waiting for a chance to get bigger.

bossy k planting taters!

but the weather has proven to be a challenge with such a famine-to-feast spring. we started with drought conditions, so the soil was hard and crumbly, but then the rains came and turned the beds to mud. we managed to get the tiller into some of the beds in the time between crumble and muck, but it was still a little anxiety producing to see standing water on part of the field yesterday.

maybe our csa members would be okay with us turning our operation to grains and then we could turn the whole shebang into a rice paddy?

another challenging element is to put the starts into the field on their own—it’s like sending kids off to kindergarten. in the greenhouse, the plants are cozied up with each other and look so lush in the trays. in the field, they get separated and placed into their own spots and maybe it’s a bit of anthropomorphizing, but they seem smaller and more wistful that way. when it comes time for harvesting, we’re sure that they’ll be hearty and abundant, but for now, we just act like encouraging parents and hope for the best.

beyond the challenges, though, it feels amazing to finally be out in the field. digging in the soil, being on our knees, planning out the rows—all of it isn’t just the culmination of a winter spent dreaming, but of years spent wishing to get to this exact point.

in may, alone, we’ve already done seven farmers markets – ranging from fulton farmers’ market to mill city farmers’ market to kingfield farmers’ market. plus, coming up this friday we’ll have our very first csa delivery and on sunday, we’ll be adding the new linden hills farmers market to the list!

bossy e at market

it seems like everything is going at double speed, so it’s delicious to sit back and look across the fields in the midst of planting.

this is where we want to be, and despite the bossy butt, it’s an awesome feeling.

1 comment | tags: agriculture, csa, dayton, farming, food, fulton farmers market, king field farmers market, linden hills farmers market, mill city farmers market, minnesota, organic | posted in bossy acres, bossy csa, bossy land

April 9, 2012

overwintering crops

By bossy acres

back in september (which feels like forever ago at this point), we held our very first crop mob and about a dozen hearty, awesome bossy fans showed up to help us plant.

crop mobbin' 2011

as part of an experiment to see how well a few vegetables would do with taking root before the winter — back when we thought the winter would be a traditional snowy and chilly type — the plants ranged from siberian kale to carrots to bull’s blood beets.

the thought behind overwintering crops is that you plant them in the fall, around the time of the first frost. they begin to grow and take root, and then the second frost shoots through and makes them go dormant. when spring comes along, the vegetables already have their root systems established, so the farmer gets a jump on the season.

to encourage our little winter warriors, and keep them safe from hungry animals, we created small hoop tunnels with freeze-grade reemay that allowed airflow and light to come in, but critters and snow to stay out. when the beds were prepped, it was like tucking them in for the winter, and the portion of the field with those crops looked like it was filled with huge white caterpillars.

bossy k laying down the reemay

all cozied in ...

of course, after one of the few snowfalls of the season, the caterpillars looked a little flattened, but at least they didn’t get completely smushed.

with the warm weather, we took time this weekend to remove the covering and take a good look at our bossy bounty. that’s when we found out that, boy, are we good at growing weeds!

but among the weedy portions, some real vegetables peeked through, particularly the kale. the distinctive, jagged leaves of the carrots have appeared, along with some nice spinach leaves. it seems like we see more of the overwintering crops appearing every time we’ve gone to do some hoeing (of which there will be plenty), and with another farm excursion planned for tomorrow, we’re hoping to see another row begin to pop.

overwintered siberian kale

overwintered spinach

overwintered carrot

the fact that we’re watching some of our vegetables growing in the field at the beginning of april is stunning. but hey, we’re not complaining.

grow, bossy babies, grow!

Leave a comment | tags: bossy acres, carrot, farming, freeze, kale, overwintering, spinach, vegetables, weather, winter | posted in bossy acres, bossy land

March 25, 2012

csa kickoff!

By bossy acres

on saturday, about 40 of our csa members gathered for the bossy season kickoff, and to say it was awesome is an understatement.

a packed house with standing room only!

member meet-up!

connecting on twitter and facebook are lively in their own ways, but there’s something particularly delicious and nutritious about meeting face-to-face. we’re very passionate about what we do, and being able to communicate that to a group of kickass supporters and fellow food lovers was a stellar way to start the season off right.

steeped in the goodness of the blue ox coffee company, we were able to zip through the logistics of dropsite pickups and csa add-ons, and riff on our views about farming and the community.

bossy k

it won’t come as a surprise to any of you, but we’re all about food as medicine — the preventative kind that nourishes and delights. in a very similar way, our community sustains and supports us. seeing so many people voicing their agreement with these principles made our bossy hearts melt a little.

we sure do love you guys.

also during the meeting, we were also able to articulate some ways that we aim to stand out: with our “no waste pledge,” weed n’ feed wednesdays, dirty thursdays, farm fresh fridays, and csa member events during the season.

goodies for our members!

as a bonus, you don’t have to be part of the csa program to be a member in our farm community. everyone is welcome to come out and weed and get dirty and help us pack up vegetables.

or just come visit us at the fulton farmers market on saturdays, starting on may 19. we’ll be there with the same zesty enthusiasm for making this a bossy season indeed.

the csa kickoff reminded us of why we started a farm in the first place: to feel connected. to each other, to ourselves, to our food and our land. but also connected to others.

bossy!

you fuel our excitement for what’s ahead, so thanks for such a perfect kickoff.

(*big thanks to our csa members for these photos)

Leave a comment | tags: blue ox coffee company, bossy, community, csa, farming, health, medicine, organic, vegetables | posted in bossy csa

March 16, 2012

planting o’ the green

By bossy acres

it seems fitting that the week leading up to st. patrick’s day, we’d be seeing a whole lot of green, and working to see even more in the months ahead.

thanks to the warm weather, we’ve been able to get a jump on planting, and like many other eager farmers, we started seeding for transplants. for the past few months, we’ve been happily growing our micro greens, pea shoots, and sunflower shoots, but there’s a different feeling to seeding for our main farmland.

filling the trays

every seed feels important and

filled with potential.

it’s exciting to think that a tiny orange seed about the size of a freckle will become a thai green eggplant at some point. then, it will become a delicious ingredient in a dinner crafted by our food-loving csa members and farmers market customers (we’re thinking now of curries and coconut milk and the mind reels with possibilities).

the space in our “hippie grow cave” at grow! twin cities feels luxurious after some limited growing in raised beds last year, and we’re filling it fast with all sorts of starter plants. in february, we planted onions, leeks, celery, and celeriac. more recently, we’ve seeded broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, chives, parsley, oregano, some flowers, miscellaneous salad greens (arugula, mustard, various asian greens) and even some poppies.

best job ever!

nothin' like getting your hands dirty!

progress!

happy greens!

peas!

there’s something zesty and awesome about emptying a seed packet carefully into some rich soil. along with those little wannabe vegetables, we’re also planting our hopes for an abundant, kickass season.

grow, bossy seeds, grow!

1 comment | tags: csa, farmers market, food, greenhouse, grow twin cities, harvest, minnesota, organic farming, planting, seedlings, spring, st patrick's day, vegetables | posted in bossy acres, bossy csa

March 7, 2012

farming community …

By bossy acres

nearly every profession has its share of resources for those who are new to the field: mentorships, apprenticeships, networking groups, linkedin referrals, and on and on. both of us have worked in the corporate world, and so have seen this helping-hand strategy many times, with numerous stories of those who were assisted in their careers by others who resided a few rungs up the ladder.

but neither of us have seen any industry or company that’s been as responsive, gracious, and flat-out generous as organic and sustainable farming folks.

that’s not bias, even though we love our farming life. even seen from an objective view, the willingness of farmers to help other farmers is stunning. we’ve talked to people who, in another profession, may have regarded us as direct competitors — we’re reaching out to the same customers, in the same geographic regions, and offering the same product — and would have held their tactics in reserve as a result.

instead, if we need advice, we simply ask and it comes in a deluge, from multiple sources.

here’s just a sampling of all the support systems that give us comfort on a daily basis:

- organizations like the land stewardship project, renewing the countryside, the sustainable farming association, minnesota grown, and the institute for agricultural and trade policy are geared toward creating a free flowing informational river that just seems to keep getting deeper and wider.

- the university of minnesota runs a couple of listservs (sustag and mnurbanfarmers) that connect farmers with each other and with various resources. for example, an urban farmer recently asked about affordable soil testing services on sustag, and about a dozen people responded within 24 hours with phone numbers, email links, personal experiences, price quotes, and other ideas.

- midwest organic and sustainable education service (moses) has set us up with a mentorship with loon organics, a very established csa farm that sells at mill city market and is run by laura frerichs and adam cullip. at the recent moses conference, adam patiently answered the kajillion questions we had about spring planting and gave us a kajillion ideas in return. we’re really thrilled to know that if we see a roadblock looming ahead, a quick note to laura and adam could potentially help us figure out how to swerve around it.

moses organic 2012

- our fellow beginning farmers and established farmers alike. from the super energetic dayna burtness of laughing loon farm to the very knowledgeable atina diffley (co-founder of gardens of eagan), we’ve met such a wealth of helpful, enthusiastic farmers, and we have yet to encounter someone who won’t answer one of our questions with gusto.

farming can sometimes seem so overwhelming, like trying to empty a bathtub with a teaspoon.

we're in this together!

but our local — and, to some degree, national — farming community is like having a few hundred people using their teaspoons at the same moment. and for no reward other than the satisfaction gained from creating a healthy, stronger food system that benefits us all.

Leave a comment | tags: atina diffley, gardens of eagan, iatp, land stewardship project, laughing loon farm, loon organics, minnesota, minnesota grown, moses organic, organic farming, renewing the countryside, sustainable farming association | posted in bossy acres

March 2, 2012

farmer’s perspective: real meaning of csa

By bossy acres

a few weeks ago, i was reading an article about a csa (community supported agriculture), and the writer described the term as a “subscription service for vegetables.”

while that is somewhat true, it’s inaccurate in many ways as well. a subscription service offers a guaranteed product, at an agreed upon time — a “jam of the month club,” for example, promises to send a new jar of jam, without fail, at a specified time.

comin' together....

but a csa is different in that it asks its members to assume the risks of a farm, and those can be quite formidable: weather, pests, water issues, soil problems, and the myriad other issues that keep farmers feeling anxious.

by signing up for a csa, you’re shouldering part of that worry, you’re providing support and emphasizing to farmers that they’re not alone when it comes to facing the hazards. and to do that, you’re taking a risk. most of the time, that risk turns into reward, but there are plenty of stories where that risk turns into loss.

if that happens, though, a farmer won’t get crushed beneath the financial weight of crop loss, because those supports will be there to help him or her bounce back. it can be chalked up as a tough year, and everyone can move on to the next.

because of the assumption of risk, csa members have a level of bravery that i find commendable. to be willing to share in the difficulties as well as the bounty — often for farmers you’ve only just met, or maybe haven’t yet — is the true definition of support.

community!

then, too, there’s the community aspect of a csa. i doubt that you’d get to know any other members of that monthly jam delivery service, and maybe you wouldn’t want to if you had the chance. but a csa creates a community of people who can meet at farm events, work alongside each other in the fields if they choose, or chat at weekly dropsites or farmers markets.

we draw our members from the community, but we also create a deeper sense of community within that group.

at the bossy, we’re especially keen on boosting this aspect of our csa, because we think our members are all quite kickass, and that if they get a chance to talk with one another, they’ll find some compelling intersections.

for instance, one of our members is an amazing yoga teacher (shout out to jessie seehof carlson!), and another member has been interested in doing more yoga. why shouldn’t they tap into the bossy bond to find each other?

we’ll be hosting events — like an initial gathering slated for the end of march — that let us all enjoy the feeling that we’re in this together, that this is a shared adventure, not just two farmers and a few dozen of their customers.

our csa members aren’t subscribers, they’re our community.

the true meaning

and we think there’s a big difference. we want to blur the line between us and you, because we’re all bossy, and that’s the way it should be.

2 comments | tags: community, community supported agriculture, csa, farming, food, minneapolis, organic | posted in bossy csa

February 28, 2012

the wiggle rooms

By bossy acres

here’s what happens when bossy k takes a class on worm composting: we end up with 15 worm bins and about 4,500 wriggling houseguests.

mmm worms!

the adventure began when she learned about worm basics at a workshop done at wei, featuring growing power’s acclaimed farm guru, will allen. she got some more worm learnin’ recently from neil cunningham at green noise — a redworm purveyor and all-around source of expertise — at a class held at egg/plant urban farm supply, a charming store in st. paul that i wrote about last year, and which holds super useful workshops for the urban farming enthusiast.

i knew the moment she walked in the door, bursting with excitement, that a huge amount of worms loomed in our future. fortunately, i didn’t mind since i find the whole process fascinating, and i was even willing to “feed” them with our partially liquefying vegetable waste. (truly, if you’ve never held a mass of redworms in one hand and a slimy clump of used-to-be veggies in the other, then you’re missing an item on your bucket list.)

gearin' up for some worm bins!

we took cunningham’s recommendation to get bins at ikea. although i’m sure composting is big in sweden, ikea didn’t actually tout the small, red, plastic bins as perfect for worms — instead, they’re sold as part of a “toy storage unit” called trofast. despite having to go to ikea, which is like flypaper thanks to its layout, we felt that the selection was fitting. after all, what are worm bins to a farmer but new toys that never get boring?

after dipping into our soil pail and loading up the bins with small pockets of veggie-waste goo, rabbit pellet food, fine sand, and calcium carbonate, as well as a “ceiling” of wet leaves, we eased our new darlings into their new homes. each bin’s lid had a small hole for ventilation, and we chose to tape some cheesecloth over each one, to keep the fruit fly population to a barely-annoying minimum.

the worms seemed happy. we hope they all had a nice conversation about the quality of ikea products.

piecin' together the ingredients

to be able to track the progress of each bin — which, surprisingly, can differ quite a bit from each other in terms of consumption, worm casting creation, etc. — we put a call out to our facebook followers to come up with some names for the bins, and they came through beautifully.

here are the selections for the wormy 15:

squirms hotel, bait bucket, baits motel, vermispa, the wiggle room, casa de gusano, wriggley field, vermikulture klub, not-poo, casting party, sweet home annelida, can-o-worms, crawl space, boxed lunch, vermination.

the wigglers

at this point, the worms are now reproducing and we’re seeing eggs, which are both signs of healthy bins. another good indication that we’re doing it right: we’ve started to see whiteworms, which are typically found when there’s a good quality of finished material in the bin. it’s good to see them, but they’re not as cute as the redworms.

let's get it on ....

itsy bitsy eggs

we’re keeping them all happy with a mix of more vegetable waste and ground egg shells so they can benefit from the calcium. the resulting worm castings will go toward making our soil even more rich and delicious for our spring transplants, microgreens, pea shoots, and sunflower shoots.

feels very bossy!

2 comments | tags: farming, growing power, ikea, minnesota, organic, sustainable, vermicompost, vermiculture, wei, will allen, worm bins | posted in bossy acres

February 20, 2012

bossy boom

By bossy acres

we know it’s been a couple months since we updated this blog, and seriously, a lot can happen in that much bossy time. so, we promise to give you weekly updates from here on out, because things with the bossy are moving and shaking!

bossy at market

in the meantime, here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve been doing lately:

- sold out our csa. we’d set a ridiculously ambitious goal of selling out before the start of 2012, and our last spot filled at 9:00pm on december 31st. the power of visualization, baby! but more importantly: the power of community-minded, farmer-lovin’, kickass supporters. we’re super excited about our group of members because, of course, they rock. and if you didn’t manage to get one but are yearning to get bossy, email us (bossy-acres@hotmail.com) and we’d be happy to add you to the waiting list.

bossy micro-greens

- started selling at farmers markets. although we don’t know yet which market we’ll be at this summer (oh, the application process…at least they don’t require essays and test scores), we’ve done some indoor markets and plan to do more over the next couple months. check out our markets page so you can stop by and say howdy to us in person.

- found shelf space. our pea shoots and sunflower shoots are now nestled into the produce section of the linden hills co-op, right below the packaged herbs. we’ve also been selling micro greens and pea shoots at local d’lish, one of the indoor market locations we’ve been attending. so you can get your bossy fix anytime.

bossy goods!

- got some mentors. through our great farm beginnings program — an educational series done by land stewardship project — we now have mentors for our adventure. the well-established and awe-inspiring loon organics will be there through our first season to lend us advice and support. we can’t wait to learn from your insights, laura and adam!

- forged some exciting partnerships. our csa members will have unique add-ons available, thanks to barkley’s bistro dog treats, moonshine coffee, and beez kneez bicycle delivered honey. more on these later, as well as some exciting partnership announcements to come.

- found greenhouse space through grow! twin cities. since we’re currently growing pea shoots, sunflower shoots, and micro greens, and will soon be needing room to start our farm’s transplants, greenhouse space was vital. fortunately, we found some and joined a fabulously knowledgeable growing community in the process. check out this fantastic article (written by csa member meleah maynard) in the line.

oh, the bossy…always on the move. watch this space for more developments. next up: more on our new worm bins!

stay bossy!

-bossy e

Leave a comment | tags: agriculture, co-op, csa, farmers markets, food, grow twin cities, linden hills, local d'lish, minneapolis, organic farming, pea shoots, sunflower shoots | posted in bossy acres, bossy csa, bossy fyi

December 10, 2011

feed that foodie!

By bossy acres

need a gift idea for your favorite foodie?

how about a season’s worth of healthy, organic veggies, herbs, and wildflowers?

bossy csa shares are a wonderful gift for the foodie in your life.

learn more by visiting the csa page and selecting which option best fits.

simply complete the online form or contact us directly at bossy-acres@hotmail.com / 616-915-9027.

we’d be happy to send a gift certificate directly to them or, if you prefer, to you so that you can personalize it and do whatcha do!

give the gift of health!

Leave a comment | tags: agriculture, csa, farming, foodie, gift, herbs, holiday, minneapolis, minnesota, organic, vegetables, wildflowers | posted in bossy csa

November 30, 2011

bossy goes to market

By bossy acres

to say that we were itchin’ to get into a farmers’ market was an understatement.

just ask one of our favorite market groups….fulton and kingfield farmers’ markets!

oh they knew we were hungry for it!

for months prior, we had been growing various gourmet greens and micro mixes…perfecting them and the time had come. time to get out there in our little community and see what people thought of our bossy greens.

we applied for the indoor holiday market that fulton and kingfield put on in late november and were thrilled to be accepted among other wonderful vendors and producers.

it was go time!

bossy greens

dwarf sugar pea shoots

spicy, carrot, red amaranth, pea shoots, micro mix

bossy greens

come november 20th, we were pretty well set with six or seven various mixes….so full of flavor, textures, and earthy smells.

now the question was …… will anyone be interested?

e preppin' for market

we got there nice and early ….. and bustled around with the other vendors getting everything prepped for our first market.

k preppin' for market

come 830am…..it was non-stop goodness ….. people were so wonderful and receptive to who we are, what we do, and the love that we put into our bossy greens.

it was a fun, festive market high that we won’t soon forget, i’m sure!

come noon….bossy had sold out!