As Healthy Harvest fulfills its mission to connect and educate in support of the local food system, there are many projects underway all across North Iowa. We are excited about North Iowa’s local food movement and invite you to get involved if you are not already. If you have a question or a connection you’d like to share, please contact us.

To sign up for our e-newsletter, click here.

Consumers: Charlie Cart Continues to Promote Recipes Using Local


Thanks to the help of our Summer Healthy Foods Intern, Natalie McMillan, we have been able to host recipe demonstrations at farmers markets in Mason City, Clear Lake, Forest City, and Charles City already this year, plus we’ve done some programing with Central Gardens of North Iowa and Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank – all highlighting easy ways to eat fresh and seasonal products from right here in North Iowa! We will be at the North Iowa Fair in Mason City July 18-21, and the schedule continues to build from there! Additional excitement: we’re recently hired a Food Access Coordinator who will continue this work over the next year – keep an eye out on our social media pages for updates!

We thought we’d let you get to know Natalie a little better with a little Q&A:

Name: Natalie McMillan
Major: Culinary Food Science
Position w/HHNI: Healthy Foods Intern
Background: Hi everyone! My name is Natalie McMillan and I’m going to be a junior at Iowa State this fall. I grew up on a row crop farm near Oelwein, IA where my passion for both agriculture and all things food started. When i’m not working, you can find me cooking, hanging out with my two dogs, or watching the Chicago Cubs. I’ve had a great start with Healthy Harvest this summer and I can’t wait to see where else this summer will take me!

Why local food? Not only is local food delicious, it is also supports local economies and strengthens communities. I also love seeing farmers get to directly connect with consumers.
What are you most excited about this work? I’m most excited to share the endless recipes that can be made using local foods, as well as to continue learning about the local food systems in Northern Iowa.
What’s your favorite local food product (and why): My favorite local food product is Bagge Strawberries in Independence, IA. They have the best strawberries and my grandma never fails to make me delicious strawberry pies using their berries!

 

Producers: NI Local Food Connection Update

We have officially kicked off the Field Day season with our Summer Solstice Picnic at Paul Willis’ in June. Our next field day is Sunday, July 21 at 3:00 – 5:30pm – Field Day at Red Shed Gardens and J&J Drydock Shrimp in Forest City. Followed by:

We’re excited to share that we’ve brought on a Field Day Coordinator to assist with planning and hosting these events. Tanner Jones, from Mason City, got his feet wet in the local food scenes last year at the North Iowa Farmers Market, and his interest for market and business development got our attention.

Name: Tanner Jones
Roles w/HHNI: Field day coordinator
Major: Business management (NIACC)
Background: I first got involved with the local food market last year. I sold apples, pears, and other goods for Wayne and Verlys Huntley out of Emmons MN. Growing up I loved being around my grandparents farm as well as my parents garden. We raise layings hens, +150 broilers, and all the essential fruits and vegetables every year. The path to local ag and foods felt natural to me.
Why local food? I believe that by growing a strong local foods market, we elevate our communities, and living standards, as well as take a step forward into a greener more efficient future.
What are you most excited about this work? I am excited to expand my own horizons this year as I take on the responsibility of field day coordinator. As well as making new connections with the local growers, and getting to know them, and their operations.
What’s your favorite local food product (and why): My favorite, and most popular local food product when I sold at the market in MC would have to be Verlys’ pears.

Join us at our Field Days to meet Tanner, connect with others and learn more about food and farm businesses in North Iowa (plus there are usually pretty good snacks!).

Support in 2019 for the NI Local Food Connection program comes from a partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa’s USDA Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Grant.

 

Communities: Farm to School

For all of you who love our Farm to Fork dining experiences, we’re happy to say we are working with four communities to host events this Summer and Fall. Thanks to a recent award from the Iowa Arts Council’s Cultural Heritage grant, we digging a little deeper into local heritage at these events, highlighting Iowa’s agricultural landscape and community culture. No tickets are being sold yet, but to get some dates on your calendar:

We also highly encourage you to consider getting a ticket for NIFL Connection: Wright County Follow the Beef Tour as it will provide the full experience from farm to burger the journey of local beef (including beer?!).

Note: Farm to School is still rolling, and we don’t want to miss an opportunity to highlight some of the great work that is happening! In May, we hosted some producer visits into the classroom at Hampton-Dumont and West Fork High Schools where Steve Strasheim of Twisted River Farms  shared his story of starting, and growing, a local food business on a small urban farm (let’s see how many students now try to start a micro-green farm!). The in-classroom lesson was hit home by the students then receiving a sample of micro-greens on the main line in the lunchroom! We’d also like to give a shout-out to Franklin County Extension who is hosting Summer Garden Clubs at Hampton-Dumont and West Fork School Districts which allows students to get their hands dirty exploring and caring for their school gardens, plus incorporating learning in the kitchen and beyond! Finally, another huge shout out to CAL School District for sending a team, including five students, to attend and present at the Iowa Farm to School conference in June. It was a great showing of their amazing School Farm program and really gave the students an opportunity to recognize all their efforts!

 

Regional Partnerships: The NI Food Coalition

We know Summer is a busy time, so the Coalition mixes up our schedule a little bit to allow folks to get out and explore a local project with our Summer Field Day. This year, on Tues. July 23rd from 2:30-4:00pm we will be at Central Gardens of North Iowa celebrating their kids garden program, discussing how sometimes the best laid plans don’t always make for a successful community garden, and brainstorming on how to create a garden in your own community.  Open to all who are interested!

As many of you know, the Coalition is a great way to stay engaged in our local food system, including participating in our five priority project teams: Community Gardens, Farm to School, Farmers Market, Food Hub, and Food Waste. See brief updates from our teams below.

Community Gardens Team – They are busy hosting the Summer Field day (did we mention it’s on Tuesday, July 23rd at 2:30pm at Central Gardens in Clear Lake?!)

Farm to School Team – In addition to all the updates shared in the communities section, we can say there’s lots of work and planning going on as we approach the 2019-2020 school including planning for Iowa Local Food Day in October, local procurement in the cafeteria, more producer-classroom visits, increased programing in our school greenhouses, and potentially applying for a USDA Farm to School implementation grant. If you’re interested in getting involved, contact Michelle Sackville, ISU Extension – Franklin County or Katelyn Nicholson, Cerro Gordo County Public Health.

Farmers Market Team – It’s mid-season, so we highly encourage you check out a farmers market in your home community (Find a Market Near You). The Team is gearing up for National Farmers Market Week, August 5-10, which will have recipe demonstrations, kids activities, and more! Get our there and support our farmers in the most direct-to-consumer method possible! If you’re involved in a market that wants to collaborate with others and/or want to be connected into what’s happening, contact Marie to get involved this with this!

Food Hub Team – North Iowa Fresh is having another great year of growing their network of growers and customers through our local food hub. Their Bounty Box Program, a consumer CSA box program has opened the opportunity for employers and community members to be able to get weekly (or bi-weekly) shares, and has added the capability for online a la carte orders of additional meat, honey, vegetables, bread, and fruit! Learn more on their website or reach out to Andrea Evelizer.

Food Waste Team – Food waste is always a hot topic, with fantastic resources available through some of our Coalition partners, whether it be composting or milling spent grains into pancake mix! This team recently was awarded some funds to be able to pilot some food waste education for students at Lincoln Intermediate in Mason City this coming school year, including a food waste sort, composting, and tasting a recipe with food waste ingredients. To get involved in these efforts, reach out to Sue Marshall, NetZro, and Mitzi Brunsvold, Landfill of North Iowa

Producer Profile Highlight

Anyone who meets Charlie Puffer, and his wife Lonya, can instantly tell how much they loves their farm – and the vision behind it. Puffer Roske Farms in Iowa Falls raises produce sustainably and without chemicals. They also sell pastured-raised pork, poultry, and and free-range eggs. Puffer Roske Farms have a wide variety of fruits and vegetables available, including many heritage varieties, available for UPick and/or at the farm stand. Charlie and Lonya recently welcomed a Summer Garden Club from Hampton to the farm for a tour, raspberry picking, and a lesson on tomato pruning. We thank them for educating our future farmers and buyers! Read more about their farm…

 

 

Become a Member of Healthy Harvest of North Iowa

Like what you see here? Consider becoming a member of Healthy Harvest of North Iowa to ensure our work to connect and education in support of the local food system continues! Memberships start at just $50 a year, and come with some benefits and ways to stay connected to the action. Click here to learn more….