Happy Dancing Blog

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

As most of our regular readers know, I, along with my wife Audra, own and operate Island Lake Farm, located east of Brainerd. It is a diverse farm operation with an abundance of different products, from various fruits, nuts, syrup, and lumber grown as part of our agroforestry systems, to livestock and veggies grown for market. Water quality certification is another step Island Lake Farm took for conservation. Photo by Minnesota Water Quality staff With a mission of using ec

Interest in local food isn’t just a passing trend, it’s a return to something deeply rooted in our culture: knowing where our food comes from and who grows it. Across communities, the prevalence of farmers markets reflects a renewed desire for fresh, flavorful, and responsibly grown food, along with connection.

Buying local beef is now even easier thanks to the online store from Headwaters Beef Cooperative.

This interview with The Forager Chef is a preview of his keynote, "The Grocery Store Outside."

My family tries our best to reduce the food waste in our kitchen–even just by doing things as simple as not peeling carrots, cucumbers,...

Doesn’t that title sound super impressive and knowledgeable? Don’t worry I just came up with it in the shower one day. Zero waste...

If you’ve heard an undercurrent of whining every time you step outdoors, that may have been my muttering carried on a brisk north wind to...

The numbers are sobering: According to the Environmental Defense Fund , 160 billion pounds of food goes uneaten every year in the United...

I’ve come to understand that when managed well, livestock work with natural systems to drive ecosystems to an earlier successive stage that is more productive and diverse.

On what appears to be the backside of the 2021 drought, it’s a good time to reflect on the impacts the drought had, and explore ways we might reduce the impact of drought, or other weather related events, on our food supply.

Food sovereignty advocate and author Diane Wilson (Dakota) wants us to know that the local food movement is actually a very old idea.

Up the Creek Meats came from the simple idea that not all farming is the same, and to farm in a way that protects our soil and water resources takes skills, knowledge and physical abilities that have value beyond that of the cost of a double quarter pounder with cheese. The abundant water resources in our area provide us with many benefits; beautiful scenery, food in the way fish and irrigation for crops, and income as a popular tourist destination.

There are options for how to handle the overabundance that is likely pushing against your fridge door’s capability to seal (or is this just my fridge?). Eat right now, eat soon, or preserve/prepare for later consumption, or find a new home – these are the options we’ll be addressing.