The Farmhouse beds down with Minnesota Harvest celebration

By LINDSAY GROME

As the cooler temperatures bring down the leaves, autumn also marks the end of outdoor gardening season as we know it. Farmers across the region are harvesting the last of this year’s crop, and The Farmhouse, a collaborative space housing offices for The Tiny Diner farm staff and the Permaculture Research Institute (PRI) Cold Climate, is no different.

On Sept. 27 the corner of 42nd Ave. and 40th St. came alive for one last brew-ha-ha of the season at the Minnehaha Harvest, the second annual end-of-season celebration at this old general store turned community center and urban garden. This year they celebrated a harvest of roughly 1200 pounds for the year.

While offering up fresh salads, salsas and tea from the garden’s bounty, artists showcased screen printing of T-shirts and greeting cards while local musicians strummed originals on the guitar. Self-guided tours of the ¾ acre garden were offered, as were hammocks to relax in and eleven varieties of apples to sample the season.  With 80 pounds of grapes to harvest, a homemade grape sorbet was the perfect treat before a bonfire put an end to the evening.

“This is a thank you to the neighborhood and volunteers for supporting us because we really appreciate the neighborhood we’re a part of,” said Koby Jeschkeit-Hagen, Urban Farm Manager and Community Outreach Coordinator for Tiny Diner.

Staff used the opportunity to gain community input on future ideas for the space. Inside, large sheets of paper asked people to share what kind of workshops they would like to see at The Farmhouse and the top five produce items they’d like to see sold at the farm. This winter, The Farmhouse intends on creating a conversation café, allowing neighbors to get to know one another in a shared community space.

The celebration was also that for the budding farmers who cultivated the land. Earlier in the day 22 urban farmers graduated from the PRI Cold Climate class after nine months of apprenticeship. Come March, another round of urban farmers will be sowing the soil once again for another abundant harvest next year.