Sapsucker Farms

June 2020 CSA Harvest

By Sapsucker Farms on June 25, 2020 in 2020 Whole Farm CSA

Hello CSA members,

The June CSA harvest is ready for pick up beginning at noon on Thursday 6/25. If you haven’t already done so, please let me know approximately when you think you’ll be coming to pick it up so I can assure the freshest harvest possible.

NEW ADD ON – I am happy to announce that we now have kimchi available on the farm! Our organic ginger that we grow on the farm is one of the magical ingredients used to make – You Betcha Kimchi made in Minneapolis. It comes in three spice levels: Mild (Minnesota nice); Medium (a bit Nippy) and Hot (Uffda). If you are a kimchi fan you can purchase it online right here, $10 per one-pound jar. When you check out, please indicate in the notes which spice level you prefer. I’ll have it ready for you to pick up in the cooler when you come to get your CSA in July.

Now… here is what you will find in your harvest this month.

Romaine – probably the most popular variety of lettuce

Kohlrabi with leaves (white and/or purple) – unlike what you find in the grocery store, this kohlrabi includes all of the leaves. The leaves are also a treat, as they are pretty much the same as collard greens – thick and chewy. If you’re not familiar with kohlrabi, it is kind of like a big radish, but milder. My favorite way to enjoy them is to peel, slice thin and add a little salt. But there are many ways to prepare both kohlrabi and kohlrabi leaves. Google will be happy to help.

Radicchio – You will find two varieties, one is the traditional, small red round head, the other is a frilly green leafed variety. Radicchio is in the chickory family which is kind of a cross between lettuce and cabbage. You can enjoy it raw in a salad, or it can be grilled. Once again, google can help you come up with your own favorite way to prepare

Arugula – this popular green has a spicy, pepper flavor. It is frequently used as a pizza topping, made into a spicy pesto, or added to salads.

Beet greens with stems – these are delicious, colorful greens that are especially great in salads, but can also be sautéed or cooked, just like spinach. The stems add a vibrant color to you dish, and are crunchy when eaten raw, or tender when cooked. You might even find a few micro-mini sized beets on the end. You will definitely need to clean these up a bit more before you enjoy, as you will find some grit.

Swiss chard – these large, beautiful leaves are very versatile. In fact, they are also in the beet family, so you can prepare them raw or cooked, much like spinach….just like your beet greens

Random grab bag – You will find a big yellow tub in the cooler that has a variety of different items. There wasn’t enough of each of these items for everyone, so you can grab one bag of the item of your choice. Options include: radishes, bok choy, zucchini, or kale.

Herb potted plant – in the sugarhouse you will find a potted herb plant. Perhaps you’re not a gardener, but put this in your kitchen window, watch it grown and snip it as you like. The options include: oregano, thyme, dill, parsley, sage, or cilantro

1/2 dozen Eggs – unfortunately, I’m running short on eggs this month. What often happens this time of year, the chickens will slow down their egg laying when it gets warm and they start to molt. But adding to the problem is that since they are free-ranging in the orchard, they will start egg clutches in secret spots where we can’t find them. We’ve discovered clutches in a hay pile by the hoop house, on the trailer in the shed, and under apple trees in the orchard. Sometimes these clutches turn into new families, so don’t be surprised if sometime soon you’ll see some baby chicks following mama. The good news is that our new batch of baby chicks that we got late winter, should be starting to lay eggs within the month, so hopefully they will use the nesting boxes inside the hen spa instead of under an apple tree.

Beverages or substitute – Three four-packs of the beverages of your choice, or if you choose to substitute for maple syrup or honey, you will find it in the sugarhouse.

SAD NEWS – Over the years I have encountered a wide range of predators that attack my crops. I’ve dealt with pterodactyls chomping on my cabbage (true); aliens putting tattoos on my watermelons (also true); ground hogs devouring my cantaloupes, slugs invading my lettuce, a doe teaching her fawn how to get inside the hoop house, and bears knocking down my honeybee boxes. But my most feared predator of all is the bunny. I know, they’re cute, with their wiggly nose, pointy ears and round little tail. But those rascals have the ability to decimate everything I grow. And I’ve had one of those monstrous creatures get inside the hoop house and completely devour the edamame (Japanese soy beans) crop. Grrrrrrr…… now it’s too late to plant more, so I’m sad to announce there will be no edamame this year. No one is more sad than me.

Meanwhile, we have a number of other activities happening on the farm… food trucks, music, hiking, or just relaxing. You’ll find it all on our website.

Thanks again for your support of our farm, and as always, stay safe!
Debbie

May 2020 CSA – First Harvest of the Season.

By Sapsucker Farms on May 31, 2020 in 2020 Whole Farm CSA

The First CSA harvest of the 2020 season is ready. Here is what is included.

Three 4-packs of beverages* – you may choose from six different flavors of Yellow Belly cider, root beer, or ginger ale. If you desire, you can mix and match your four packs so you will be able to include a mix of all flavors and styles of beverages.
*substitute honey or maple syrup – If you would prefer, you have the option to substitute the beverages for either maple syrup or honey. Just let me know in advance so I can have it ready for you when you pick up.
Pea shoots – a handful of these tender, sweet tendrils of pea shoots that can be added to salads, stir fries, or just as a delicious snack.
Sunflower shoots – delicious, nutty, tender, greens that are sprouts of sunflower seeds. Super delicious raw, topping on a salad, pizza or a healthy snack.
Heirloom lettuce – A nice bunch of small heads of heirloom deer tongue lettuce. These are compact heads of lettuce with tender leaves that actually look like deer tongues.
Spinach – a healthy portion of this popular green that can be served raw or cooked.
Baby bok choy – a combination of purple heirloom baby bok ahoy, and traditional green bok choy. Baby bok hoy is super tender, can be used in stir fries or raw for salads. The leaves and the stalks together add variety to your favorite dishes.
Radish greens with some radishes – ok, so I kinda messed up here. I didn’t thin the radishes in a timely basis, which means the radishes didn’t mature as they should. While the radishes may not be as robust as I would prefer, all is not lost. The greens are super delicious, full of nutrition, with a slight bitter flavor, much like arugula. Personally, I like radish greens as a pizza topping. It can also be made into a pesto, added to a salad, or many other serving suggestions, based on Google’s suggestions.
One dozen eggs – the ladies in the hen spa have been busy and have one dozen of their prized possessions for you.

The Story of Two Yellow Bellies.

By Sapsucker Farms on November 29, 2018 in Yellow Belly Hard Cider

UPDATED 7/15/20 This post was originally written in November 2018 at a time when Omnipolo and Buxton Brewery lost their fight to use the “Yellow Belly” name on their beer after a European trademark dispute. Since we own the Yellow Belly trademark in the USA, our brand was caught up in this dispute. The original post on 11/28/18 was a response to the issue at that time.

However, since November 2018, our perspective on this issue has changed significantly, especially considering the events of 2020 here in Minnesota after the tragic murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Not only was his murder a despicable abuse of power by Derek Chauvin, and three other officers of the Minneapolis police, but I watched live on CNN as my childhood neighborhood in Minneapolis went up in flames and was destroyed during the riots of 2020.

It soon became clear that the devastation in Minneapolis was not at the hands of the Black Lives Matters protestors, who were justifiably angered by (and I completely support) the systemic racism they have experienced for decades… but rather, the destruction was instigated by white supremacists who exploited the anger of the peaceful demonstrators and lit my city on fire.

Exploitation of any kind is wrong and unacceptable. Which brings me back to the issue of the Yellow Belly brand of beer by Omnipolo in Sweden and Buxton Brewery in the UK.

While we understand that the whole purpose of the alleged use of the KKK packaging and the name Yellow Belly by Omnipolo and Buxton Brewery was intended to be a way to bring attention to the cowardice of racism and the need for racial justice. However, the use of such an offensive symbol such as the KKK for the purpose to sell beer is, quite frankly, exploitation. Perhaps this is a strategy that is effective in Europe, but here in the USA, the KKK is extremely offensive and is an organization that should never be given any attention in any way. Ever.

When we were inadvertently thrust into the middle of this trademark dispute, we were willing to accept and tolerate the narrative provided by Omnipolo and Buxton brewery about their alleged message with Yellow Belly beer was to challenge racial inequality. But the recent events here in my beloved hometown of Minneapolis and considering the history of this abhorrent KKK organization, we now believe that this is an abusive use of a tragic history here in the USA, only for the purpose of selling beer. Perhaps in Europe, the KKK can be used as a marketing ploy, but here in America, the KKK is an active, white supremacist organization that under no circumstances, should be given any clout or attention whatsoever.

Therefore, Sapsucker Farms DOES NOT approve of Ominipolo and Buxton Brewery’s use of our Yellow Belly brand here in the USA. We believe that exploiting imagery of the KKK for the purpose of selling more beer is inappropriate, exploitative, and abusive, even if the alleged message brand message is to call out the cowardice of racism.

Sadly, racism is real. It’s tragic. It’s wrong. And it should never be taken lightly, and should never be exploited as a means to sell beer. Furthermore, my question to Omnipolo and Buxton Brewery is this – have you actually made a difference with racial justice in any country – be it in Europe, Asia, or any of the 50 countries where you claim to be distributed – by selling your beer? Or have you only profited at the expense of African Americans who have suffered at the hands of the KKK?

ORIGINAL POST on November 29, 2018

It’s been a flurry of activity the past 24 hours since Omnipolo, a brewery in Sweden, announced that they received a Cease & Desist for the use of the name Yellow Belly on their famous Imperial stout. Yellow Belly Imperial stout is a collaboration with Omnipolo and Buxton Brewery in the UK and has gained a significant fan base over the past five years. Their attention-getting packaging – cloaked in a KKK robe – also delivers a unique, anti-racism message. Hats off to Ominpolo and Buxton for both their innovative thinking, as well as a making a really good beer.

The problem, however, is that here in the USA, we own the trademark for “Yellow Belly” so fans of their Yellow Belly, jumped to the conclusion that we were the ones filing the C&D. So we started getting some pretty nasty messages from frustrated fans. Nope. It wasn’t us. We eventually learned that it is a brewery in the UK who is behind it, and we really don’t know any more details than that.

We have been very aware of the other Yellow Belly for a long time. In fact, here in Minnesota, we work wth the same distributor too. And even though we own the US trademark for the name, the two Yellow Belly brands (ours and theirs) are so different, that we felt we could easily co-exist. We also liked what they are doing, so we have not felt the need to pursue any legal action. However, that does not mean that we aren’t concerned about protecting our trademark. We are protective of our trademark and we do keep an eye on what is happening here in the USA and evaluate each situation as it arises.

So why are we not concerned in this situation? As you can see, their definition of Yellow Belly is that of a coward who acts anonymously which is a signifying trait of institutionalized racism, thus the KKK robe. Our definition of Yellow Belly is a woodpecker, a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, which exemplifies the products on our farm. There is no confusion between these two brands.

Since this story broke, we have been in contact with Ominpolo and we really appreciate their help in straightening out the confusion regarding the parties involved.

On another note, don’t be too quick to demonize the brewery who did issue the C&D. After all, they do own the European trademark, and none of us know any of the details involved in the case so we need to be fair to them as well. Likewise, Omnipollo and Buxton Brewery should have been more cautious about potential trademark infringement.

Meanwhile… for those of you who have never heard of our Yellow Belly, now that you are on our website, take a few minutes to browse through our products, and if you get a chance to try our cider, we know you will be very pleased. Also, it is the holiday season, and our Minnesota maple syrup, honey, wild rice, and Minnesota gift pack make delightful gifts for your loved ones, and you can buy it right here on our online store.

Wishing everyone a blessed holiday season.

It’s not us!

By Sapsucker Farms on November 28, 2018 in Yellow Belly Hard Cider

It has been brought to our attention that there has been a cease and desist sent to Omnipollo for the use of “Yellow Belly.” While we do own the USA trademark for “Yellow Belly,” WE HAVE NOT FILED THE CEASE AND DESIST. It is our understanding that it is a brewery in the UK who has issued the the C&D. Here is a link to the legal filing in Europe.

So rather than getting upset about the situation and directing your ire (erroneously) toward us, how about we all just take a deep breath, slow down, relax with one of our delicious, award-winning Yellow Belly ciders, and practice some Minnesota Nice. Now doesn’t that sound fun? Oh yah, you betcha!

Temporarily Closed. But Opening Soon.

By Sapsucker Farms on October 29, 2018 in Yellow Belly Hard Cider

Our primitive “tasting room” which was nestled between the boat, skid steer implements and maple syrup buckets is now closed. We made it work through the summer, but now the autumn chill is here. But fear not, we will reopen as soon as we have a warm space in our spacious, brand new building. Construction is moving along just fine, and we plan to reopen before the end of the year. Stay tuned!

2015 Kanabec County Farm Family of the Year.

By Sapsucker Farms on July 26, 2015 in Around Mora

Fun at the County Fair and Parade.

Awe shucks, that’s us. We are so honored to be the 2015 Kanabec County Farm Family of the Year. When we moved up here to Mora in 2000, we never dreamed we would have started a farm from scratch and build it up to the farm it is today. It couldn’t have been done without the love and support we have received from this amazing community of Mora.

The highlight of all of the events was being in the Mora parade which is the grand finale for the Kanabec County fair.

This was our float – an antique hay wagon pulled by a 1955 John Deere 70LP

Queued up for the parade

Jim’s sister Meridith joined us on the float too!

Our delightful chauffeur, Lloyd Erickson, owner of the tractor and wagon.

And the parade begins.

And ends at the fair grounds, home of the famous Dala Horse.

A super fun day!

A Tribute to Jay Baldwin.

By Sapsucker Farms on June 7, 2015 in Maple Syrup

This goofy guy is the person who got us started making maple syrup nearly 15 years ago. He grew up in Vermont and spent his childhood and young adult years making maple syrup every spring. On his first visit to our farm, he walked through our woods, saw lots of sugar maple trees and asked “have you ever thought about making maple syrup?”

On Thursday June 4, 2015, he was tragically killed in an airplane accident in Alaska.

Our hearts are broken. We are only one of the few people he has touched throughout his lifetime. Anyone who has met Jay has a story to tell.

Jay, we love you and miss you so much.

INTRODUCING… Yellow Belly Hard Apple Cider

By Sapsucker Farms on February 18, 2015 in Yellow Belly Hard Cider

After a year of planning, building, licensing, learning, fermenting, and tasting, we are to happy to announce that Sapsucker Farms Yellow Belly Semi-Sweet Hard Apple Cider is now available. This week we are rolling it out in the Twin Cities and East Central Minnesota. Currently you can find it at several local stores in the Twin Cities.

Cheers to all who helped us get this new product on the market. And cheers to you who will enjoy this new, delicious cider.

Cider Tank Installed.

By Sapsucker Farms on September 3, 2014 in Around the Farm

Today was a big day. The 600 gallon cider tank was installed in the small room that will soon be the place where we will be making Sapsucker Farms Hard Cider (more on this soon). Meanwhile, before we can get started with making hard apple cider, we have to get all of the equipment set up and ready to go. The biggest piece of all is this huge tank. So this is what we did.

Removed the exterior wall to the cider room.