It’s no secret that food brings people together, especially in the Twin Cities. This weekend we saw amazing teamwork and collaboration at the St. Paul Farmers Market, where Prairie Pride Farm joined forces with local Latin cuisine vendor Roberto Galvan of Galvan Foods & Tortilleria to create a unique experience for diners. With a new solo stove fire pit to keep things warm and cozy, visitors enjoyed delicious tacos ???? made with Prairie Pride Farm’s pork chorizo and farm fresh eggs.

The beauty of this type of collaboration is that you get something different and unique every time! When you create an environment where local artisans and farmers can come together to discover creative ways to use their products, amazing things happen. Not only does it bring attention to our local supply chain and keep more money in our local economy, but it also encourages innovative thinking from those involved.

The St Paul Farmers Market is truly a one-of-a-kind place for makers, crafters, chefs, bakers, and artisans alike to come together and create something beautiful – especially during the winter months! Plus, there is free parking so make sure to visit soon! This January you can enjoy the delicious tacos created by Prairie Pride Farms x Galvan Foods & Tortilleria anytime you visit the market on Saturdays from 9 am-1 pm.

There’s nothing better than seeing Minnesotans coming together to support each other at events like this one! Whether it’s an outdoor winter farmers market or a summertime festival full of music and food trucks, when people collaborate they create something extraordinary – not just for themselves but for the whole community! Next time you find yourself in St Paul make sure to check out what special creations are happening at the St Paul Farmers Market – because it could be anything from tacos with farm-fresh eggs to hot apple cider doughnuts made with love!

Not that we ever need the excuse of a holiday celebration to indulge in excessive amounts of chocolate….Valentine’s Day will soon be here….and the Market has tons of beautifully hand-crafted, decadently delicious chocolate for you and your loved ones. Also, as an added bonus and further reason to eat more chocolate, medical research has shown that eating dark chocolate has healthful benefits.

According to medical research from Johns Hopkins University dark chocolate contains powerful antioxidants. Among the most beneficial is a flavanol called epicatechin. Flavanols are compounds found in plants that fight inflammation and protect against cell damage caused by free radicals. Further research has shown that eating dark chocolate can provide the following health benefits :

Six Reasons Why You Should Eat Chocolate

1. Increases heart health: The antioxidants in dark chocolate have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of clotting and increase blood circulation to the heart, thus lowering the risks of stroke, coronary heart disease, and death from heart disease.
2. Balances the immune system: Flavanols prevent the immune system from going into overdrive and reduce oxidative stress, which is an imbalance caused by cells fighting against free radicals and a common cause of many diseases.
3. Combats diabetes: Epicatechin protects cells, makes them stronger, and supports the processes that help the body to use insulin better, which might prevent or combat diabetes.
4. Improves brain function: Flavanols in dark chocolate has a positive impact on brain function, including better reaction time, visual-spatial awareness, and stronger memory. Though research is ongoing, one reason for this may be that flavanols increase blood flow to the brain.
5. Boosts athletic performance: The epicatechin in dark chocolate increases the production of nitric oxide in the blood, which supports circulation and reduces the amount of oxygen an athlete uses while engaged in moderately intense exercise. This allows the athlete to maintain workout intensity for longer.
6. Reduces stress: People who ate dark chocolate reported that they felt less stressed, and researchers confirmed that after eating dark chocolate, there were reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This may be related to dark chocolate’s effects on heart health since stress is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease

The 2022 growing season was the most recent extreme weather battle our farmers and growers wrestled with. Last April was especially cold, wet, and muddy delaying planting in fields; the delay decreases growing times and yields at harvest. The cold and wet conditions also make it harder to keep livestock healthy. And then there is the mud to navigate; it gets on and in everything. Bedding the livestock and keeping them clean and dry is a daily struggle. Getting a tractor or skid-loader stuck in the mud…can make for a very stressful and challenging day. After getting hit with the cold wet Spring, 2022 dealt another blow to farmers with extreme drought conditions across a large swath of the state. September 2022 was the driest on record for the Twin Cities. These extreme weather conditions had a significant impact on our farmers and growers reducing yields and profit. It also reduces the amount and variety of fresh produce we have available at our markets.

Checking in on one of Livestock Farmers: After a long day of plowing snow, Craig Fischer of Sleepy Bison Acres graciously took the time to share some thoughts on Wintertime farming in Minnesota. Craig’s farm is located outside of Sleepy Eye, a small town in rural Brown County with a population of 3,428. Roughly a two-hour drive Southwest of Saint Paul. The Fischer family has been farming the area for 5 generations. On his farm, Craig’s pasture raises Bison, Pigs, and Poultry. The recent storm has found Craig spending a lot of time in his skid-loader plowing and piling snow. While the Sleepy Eye area didn’t receive the heavy dump we got in the Metro, there is plenty of blowing and drifting to contend with in the area. 

When I asked Craig how his Bison get by during the Winter, he said they are uniquely adapted to the climate in Minnesota. The Bison are a native keystone mammal that has roamed America for millions of years. Their thick wooly coats are the perfect armor against bitter-cold winds and blowing snow. Under cold stress, a Bison’s metabolism slows to conserve energy and minimize nutritional needs. Craig supplies supplemental nutrition to the Bison while their grazing pastures are covered in snow.

Craig reminded me of the good that the snow brings. Moisture for the topsoil to ward off drought and fuel re-growth. Craig’s pasture raises his animals and skillfully cares for the health of his soil. He incorporates sustainability practices such as rotational grazing, no-till, and the use of cover-crops which leads to nutrient-dense food for the livestock, and nutrient-dense meat and eggs for the consumer. Craig also shared an interesting and important positive side to the Winter snow: as the snow falls it collects atmospheric nitrogen, and when the snow melts the nitrogen naturally fertilizes the soil, how cool is that!

Craig’s work ethic, passion, and intelligence are on display in the beautifully crafted products he brings to the Saint Paul Farmers Market. You can find him on select dates at the Downtown Winter Market or order online at their company website

An amazing trend has taken hold during our Winter Markets. Exciting new foods are being created through vendor collaborations. As loyal market patrons, you regularly seek out your favorite foods vendors bring to the market tables; now several vendors are combining those favorite foods into fun new market treats. The creative mind behind Aunt Kathy’s Kitchen has been leading the way.

Kathy takes her collaboration creativity to the next level as she combines 3 or 4 different vendor products into her creations. Her deliciously addictive gluten-free crackers are a must-try; she uses them as her culinary canvass to create new flavor combinations for every market. Most recently Kathy has been incorporating  Kinney Mini Farms nutrient-rich microgreens into her gluten-free crackers….and they turned out great!

This past week we had an amazing time cooking and collaborating with Kinney Mini Farms at Aunt Kathy’s Kitchen in Rosemount. Lisa from Kinney Mini Farms brought several different new microgreen varieties (Radish, Mustard) fresh from the farm to mix into the crackers. The mustard greens have a wild and surprising “horseradish” kick to them; highly recommended to check out. Kathy also used farm fresh eggs from Green Machine Farms and freshly grated cheese from Eichten. Many laughs were also had, as we shared stories as we bake. The crackers turned out perfect and were simply delicious. We can’t wait for you to try it. 

A treasured experience we all enjoy about our Saint Paul Farmers Market is our shared community interaction. Vendor collaboration is an amazing way we can build and share the community experience through our food.

Jim Golden, new Executive Director of St Paul Farmers Market, speaks with Jennifer Mayerle, CBS local news Anchor. In this clip, Jim Golden showcases a wide range of seasonal goods available from local vendors in Lowertown, St Paul. A perpetual optimist, Jim believes that it is always sunny at the St Paul Farmers Market.

Also featured in this clip is the new Pedi Cab service that offers free rides around Lowertown and Mears Park. 

Ameeta Jaiswal-Dale is CEO and Co-Founder of Panache. She believes having functional ingredients in beverages is a key trend for consumers looking for health and wellness in everyday food and drinks. 

Panache infuses apple juice with ingredients like ginger and turmeric for anti-inflammation purposes. The category of functional beverages is dominated by energy drinks and sports drinks, but Ameeta’s apple-juice based product avoids using caffeine and keeps the sugar count low. She believes that, “Every food group has a function. Food is something that has to be suitable for your body, so we have to customize our intake.” 

For more insights on the functional beverage category, check out the article inside the Star Tribune:

When shopping at the market this weekend, I was looking to pick up some scallions. I mistakenly picked up a bunch of Green Garlic, which looks extremely similar to scallions. I decided to go ahead and purchase it along with my scallions. Now, I just needed to figure out what to do with it. 

I found this simple, healthy recipe from famed Vegetable Chef Alice Waters and tweaked with the addition of asparagus and shiitakes. I love the simplicity of this recipe, using only 6 ingredients. The shiitakes, dried chiles, and asparagus are currently available for purchase at the market. I hope you enjoy this quick, healthy pasta dish as much as I did. 

Welcome to the first edition of the Saint Paul Farmers’ Market Sustainability Corner! Every month, we’ll cover activities at our markets that help make a positive impact on the environment. The sustainability program formally began this year at the Saint Paul Farmers’ Market, although many of the topics we’ll cover in this blog just shine a light on the environmentally friendly practices our growers and staff have been honing in for decades.

Let’s dive right in. You may have noticed some changes at our Downtown Saint Paul market this summer. Throughout the market season, we’ve been slowly phasing in a three-waste-stream bin system. With thousands of visitors each weekend, we knew it was time for our waste to get an upgrade. Thanks to some neighborly assistance from our friends at Saints Baseball, we now have access to properly dispose of organics, recycling, and trash. Later in this post, we’ll go over what each of these streams looks like at our downtown location.

What changed? In years past, our visitors only had access to the City’s recycling and trash bins. We now have five waste stations throughout the market. One at three corners and two in the middle. Each waste station has a bin for organics (compostables), recycling, and trash. Now that we have access to organics collection, our ready-to-eat food and beverage vendors have BPI certified compostable goods that they serve their customers with. 

Compostables/Organics/Food Scraps: 

First off, why does it have so many names? Organics collection is still a new practice and still isn’t completely widespread. Different parties may call it by a few of these different names. No matter what you call it, the process is the same. BPI certified compostables, paper, and food get turned back into healthy nutrient-rich soil called compost. Compost is used to produce some of our best produce and goods at the market!

What is collected in the green Saint Paul Farmers’ Market’s Organics bins?

Our ready to eat food vendors serve you sandwiches, dumplings, BBQ, steamed buns, and more in BPI Certified Products. When you’re finished licking your lips from their delicious food and drinks, please toss these items in the green bins!

In addition to our BPI compostable products, please put all food, paper towels, and napkins in the green bins! No plastic, coated paper, metal, or glass is allowed. If you bring outside containers in, please assure they are BPI Certified Compostable before tossing!

Recycling:

This one is a bit simpler. We use a blue bin, single-stream recycling method which means, cans, glass, cardboard and harder plastics all go in one bin. Things to look out for while recycling. 

If the item you have is covered in food, it shouldn’t be recycled. Look above to see if it is in a compostable container. 

Please try to empty out all liquids before tossing in the blue bins.

Please don’t recycle the compostable items – they’ll serve a much better purpose turning back into soil!

Aluminum cans, glass bottles, and plastic cups are all fine. (no plastic straws)

No coffee cups please. They are either compostable or trash.

No plastic bags or film.

Trash:

When in doubt – toss it out. If something isn’t clearly compostable or recyclable, your safest option is to put it in the black trash bins. We get charged if there is contamination in the other two streams. We are constantly working to give you less items that are trash at the market. However, you may still have some trash with you from time to time. 

Final remarks. This three stream waste collection is still new and we’re fine-tuning it all the time. If you have any questions or suggestions please email Lindsay Anderson, the Sustainability Coordinator at lindsay.spfm@gmail.com. 

Thanks for taking the time to learn about this! Next month’s post will cover our food recovery efforts that help feed our community. See you then!

Lindsay Anderson 

SPFM Sustainability