Growing up on her family farm, Mill City Farmers Market vendor Mhonpaj Lee did not envision herself assuming the business from her parents, but over the years has found purpose and a fitting lifestyle for her own family continuing the legacy of Minnesota’s first Hmong-owned certified organic farm. By Mecca Bos After her family emigrated… Read More →
How this summer’s extreme weather is impacting farmers markets’ most iconic crops: heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn and melon, and how Mill City Farmers Market vendor Jeff Nistler has been adapting on the farm for decades. By Jenny Heck “It’s like early childhood development,” Jeff Nistler explained as we rode through hazy fields of melons, flowering… Read More →
In part 1 of 4 in our Regenerative Farming & the Environment series with our sponsors The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, our Executive Director Martha Archer joins Ann Mulholland, the chapter director for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota for a introduction to the work they’re doing to support sustainable… Read More →
How Mill City Farmers Market vendor Vikings & Goddesses Pie Company is working to change the culture in the restaurant industry through the seemingly innocuous vehicle of pie. By Mecca Bos When Rachel Anderson read a New York Times op ed written by the late Babbo pastry chef Gina DePalma, “Pastry Chefs Rule Their Realm Without… Read More →
Our farmers need your help. Women’s Environmental Institute (WEI) and Prairie Hollow Farm totaled their market vans commuting from the market this year–Prairie Hollow in a March snow storm and WEI after hitting a deer in an early morning drive to market in May. While the drivers are recovering, both their vehicles will not and… Read More →
As the market has started to open up again, many of you have asked, “What can I do to support the market?” Mill City Farmers Market’s Executive Director Martha Archer shares updates on the impact of our Charitable Fund and how you can support our work in this letter to the market community. Last Saturday… Read More →
Photographer and Mill City Farmers Market regular shopper Iglika Petrova takes a visit to Shepherd’s Way Farms in Nerstrand, MN to capture the story behind Jodi and Steven’s award-winning sheep milk cheese–complete with her recipe for Bacon, Poached Egg, Asparagus and Morcella Cheese Toast. By Iglika Petrova It takes a special person to be a… Read More →
The powerful story behind Mill City Farmers Market’s vendor Double Dog Kombucha and owner Lee Vang’s journey from tragedy to self-discovery, with two rat terriers leading the way to clarity. By Mecca Bos When Lee Vang adopted his Rat Terrier Mac, he was very close to the bottom of despair. His childhood, he says, was… Read More →
Congratulations to Mill City Farmers Market Charitable Fund’s 2021 Next Stage Grant awardees! The Next Stage Grant program provides funding to local, regenerative farmers and other food makers who are improving sustainable farming and business practices or growing toward the “next stage” of their businesses. In 2021 we awarded 15 grants totaling $73,415 to support… Read More →
Mill City Farmers Market vendor Tim Page shares the inspiration behind his urban farm and greenhouse Holistic Health Farms and his passion for education and community. by J. Annie Wang Tim Page’s Holistic Health Farms sits on a double-wide city lot, hidden behind a Saint Paul house. The clover lawn and raised vegetable beds can… Read More →
