Happy Dancing Blog

For the last few months we’ve had a large flock of wild turkeys hanging out on our place, Island Lake Farm, east of Brainerd. They gather in the woods and in our big field. It’s a flock of at least three mature hens and their young, maybe thirty birds in all. They spend a fair amount of time in our neglected asparagus patch or in the cover crop that was planted following potatoes. We hope they’re eating bugs and weed seeds, while helping to fertilize the soil. The first time

Do you have a summer and winter diet? Many of us do, at least to a certain extent because it seems more fun to eat melon in the summer and baked potatoes in the winter. Local food advocates (like me), try to eat seasonally–to savor the springtime taste of asparagus and the autumnal return of butternut squash. Squash from campus gardens. Photo by HDT staff. Personally, I’ve found there’s an intrinsic satisfaction to staying in tune with the seasons like this. Eating foods like

We've covered beavers are busy builders, but they are so much more! These incredible ecosystem engineers reshape the landscape by cutting down trees, building dams, and creating wetlands that support a wide variety of plants and animals

People often use the phrase "busy as a beaver" to describe a hardworking individual who is always focused on completing tasks. It's an apt name, for beavers are said to be second to only humans in the way they modify their habitats. In their native ranges, beavers are a keystone species, meaning they play a vital role in the ecosystem around them.

We tend to be more aware of pollinators (bees, butterflies, moths, beetles and some flies) in warm-weather months, there are things to do right now that are crucial to preserve pollinator habitat.

The Happy Dancing Turtle garden team has planted several different purple vegetables in the garden. You may be accustomed to enjoying purple onions (which we also grow), but read on to discover some varieties you may not be familiar with.

Why is Jim Chamberlin nuts for hazelnuts? Hint: It's not a cash crop!

I started this challenge incredibly optimistic. I was optimistic about myself, my available time and even my enthusiasm. It got real, real fast! Sweat and flip flops became a part of the equation. There were wins, there were…not wins.

A mindset can make all the difference. Jim Chamberlin explores what it means to nurture, rather than exploit, soil.

I mean you drive your car and park it at your campsite, cabin, yurt, or other camp lodging option, allowing you to bring some luxuries along that wilderness camping does not.