Deep gratitude to everyone who helped to make this program a success whether you donated a few dollars, volunteered to flyer or care for a food shelf garden, or played a cheerleader role! We couldn’t have done it without you.

Urban Agriculture: Beyond Your Stomach by Dave Boehnlein

a midsummer harvest at Rivertown Commons

Our unique partnership with the Cornerstone Group met with great success at their new urban farm at the Rivertown Commons housing complex in St. Paul. Over 460 pounds of produce was made available to residents at weekly vegetable distributions. Residents and managers were so pleased with the project that they are already moving to institutionalize it by hiring a staff farmer! Backyard Harvest will continue to assist them on their urban agriculture journey.

Homeless youth and neighbors with HIV/AIDS also benefited from the abundance. Over 160 pounds of fresh veggies and herbs was donated to the hot meal programs at The Aliveness Project and a homeless youth shelter. Youth Farm and Market Project kids chipped in at a garden dedicated entirely to food donations at the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association offices. A grant from the Seward Co-op Community Fund will support this continuing work next season!

Collaborations were also started with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, Frogtown Gardens and the Macalester-Groveland Community Council.

And let us not forget about garlic! Everyone’s favorite flavoring made its debut appearance in our gardens this year. Yum!

Big thanks to our awesome staff including our fantastic farmers – Dina Kountoupes, Andrew Montain, Anders Gurda and Stefan Meyer – who once again inspired and enlightened clients with their plant and soil passions. Lea Berg put her heart into forging what we hope will be long-term relationships focused on getting more fresh food into the hands of those with little access to it. Krista Leraas and Paula Westmoreland (along with Stefan) have continued to provide steadfast leadership.

We hope that this December finds you safe, warm and enjoying the holidays!

Back (l-r): Stefan Meyer, Krista Leraas, Anders Gurda, Paula Westmoreland; Front (l-r): Lea Berg, Dina Kountoupes, Andrew Montain

In the spirit of “using what you have” and leveraging community assets, please join Backyard Harvest in our SECOND canning bee.  Backyard Harvest and local preservationist Jill Jacoby are teaming up to help you preserve your bounty and share the use of canning equipment for individuals new to canning.  Participants will learn proper home-canning techniques, and each take home jars according to the amount they bring.

Bring your cool-season crops or what’s available at the farmer’s markets, and we provide the rest.  Base fee covers kitchen rental, pantry items, equipment, and a certified Food Manager; 50 cents for each glass jar you use (or bring your own).

Fall Canning Ideas:
Pickling– beets, brussel sprouts, peppers, etc.
Tomatoes
Green Tomato Mincemeat, pickles, relish
Sauerkraut
Apple Sauce, Apple Butter, Apple Pie Filling,
Pumpkin Spread
Garlic
Picallili (zucchini, carrots, cauliflower)
Cranberry relish, cranberry jelly, etc.

When: Sunday, November 7 starting at 1:00pm for first-time canners, 1:30pm for repeat canners and going through 5pm
Where: St. Olaf Community Campus, 2901 Emerson Ave N, Minneapolis
Cost: $10 plus cost of jars used. Please bring cash to the event.
To register: Contact Jill at 414-708-8191 or jilljacoby@hotmail.com by November 4th

Bring your cool-season crops or what’s available at the Farmer’s Markets, and we provide the rest.  Base fee covers kitchen rental, pantry items, equipment, and a certified Food Manager; 50 cents for each glass jar you use.

Bring fruit…we’ll make preserves or conserves.
Bring peppers, zucchini, green beans, watermelon…we’ll make pickles.
Bring any type of vegetables and we’ll make stone soup!

Where: St. Olaf Community Campus, North Minneapolis
Cost: $5 plus cost of jars used. Please bring cash to the event.
To register: Contact Jill at 414-708-8191 or jilljacoby [at] hotmail.com by October 14!

We can help you transform your landscape into a tasty, sustainable and beautiful mini-farm!

Backyard Harvest’s urban farmers have both the expertise and time to grow a beautiful, nourishing and abundant garden for you and your family. A Backyard Harvest garden allows you to be a part of the food you eat and to really know your farmer!

Farmer Dina harvesting

We offer a variety of services and options to the Twin Cities including 3 full service garden designs, 5 specialty food gardens and garden coaching. A Backyard Harvest garden is a unique package that includes the garden design, installation, watering system, personal urban farmer for the growing season, weekly harvest at your door, e-newsletter, garden journal and more!

New features and options in 2011 include starter veggie gardens, salsa gardens and season extension. Full Service Gardens now available in all of Minneapolis; Frogtown, Mac-Groveland and Highland in St. Paul; and Morningside in Edina.

Discounts for fall installations  -  For more information visit our website

Learn more and schedule a free consultation today! E-mail Krista

One of this year's potato bins

We did it!! Thanks to the generosity of backers & promoters we made our $8,200 goal on Kickstarter. It was an exciting last minute dash to the finish line. Lots of gratitude to the 109 backers who pledged (& in some cases raised their original pledge) to help us reach our goal. The money has now been transferred to our bank account & we can start utilizing it in strengthening our urban farming & permaculture programming. If you missed your chance to support us via Kickstarter & would like to donate, please visit GiveMN.org to make a secure, online, tax-deductible contribution!

If nothing else, visit the site to watch our lovely little video.

Once again, lots of gratitude to those who have already pledged their support! If you are “waiting to see how close we get”, wait no more! All of those who are “waiting” can make a big difference in whether we meet our goal or not.