even though i’m supposed to put my heels up and rest in duluth in order to recover and indulge in mom and dad’s comfort & care (note to self: adults are not meant to live with their parents); i can’t seem to keep my heels off farms. even in chilly middle earth.
farmers here deserve true bragging rights. for the record; i don’t need yet another book lining the shelves about a california-based urban farmer. i mean, really, who couldn’t grow a tomato in california?
Duluth Urban Farm tour 2011
i’ve been inspired as of late by my hometown, even a little touch of what you might call hometown pride, has set in. this small city on a great big lake not far from canada has seen a lot of change in the 12 years since i’ve lived here. the small farm revolution, the return to the homestead, is a little behind here, no doubt–especially coming from the Pacific NW–but it’s also on a very exciting crux of change and possibility, where every experiment has not yet been done and one has the ability glean from other places to effect change. the momentum is spiraling forward.
who needs a front yard when you can have a farm?!
a couple of weeks ago, my friend kristin invited me to go on the 2011 duluth urban farm tour. we started at her and her partner charlie’s 5 acre farm just outside of duluth and made our way into the city. on the west side we encountered the bright and voracious urban farmer, francois medion, who began orchestrating and creating his urban farm in April of 2011. the farm, which you’ll see pictures of in the slideshow, uses biointensive raised beds and traditional gardens to provide local, fresh organic vegetables, herbs and flowers to Duluth Grill restaurant. they are also researching and developing product that is not readily available to restaurants in Duluth (white cucumbers, hardy kiwis, celeriac and apricots to name a few). they are also insulating from below ground a 20’x30′ hoop house in hopes that it will operate year round even in the frozen tundra of northern mn. the greenhouse is under construction and you’ll notice in the photos the beginnings of a 26′ long x 6′ deep x4′ wide fish pond where francois intends to raise fish and vegetables in an aquaponic system as well as sprouts for the table and seedlings for the gardens. francois also took Will Allen’s (the former Milwaukee-based pro-basketball player turned urban farmer) Growing Power workshop. Growing Power is a national non-profit that seeks to inspire communities to build sustainable food systems that are equitable and ecologically sound, creating a just world, one food-secure community at a time.
rock on D-town!
Greenhouse being built in west duluth urban farm to supply Duluth Grill Restaurant with locally sourced food!
thanks to my bestie billie (pictured below with her backyard chickens) i also attended a free screening of the documentary FRESH hosted by the Duluth Whole Foods Co-Op. you can click hereto watch a selection of trailers from the film. i think every american should watch this film….
among several main characters, FRESH features the aforementioned urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, the recipient of MacArthur’s 2008 Genius Award; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma; and supermarket owner, David Ball, challenging our Wal-Mart dominated economy.
high heels to hay 