The Minnesota Garlic Festival returns to Hutchinson, Minnesota this Saturday, August 13! And that's got us thinking about seed garlic and planning ahead for the fall planting. Please enjoy this delightful conversation with two seasoned garlic growers, and consider joining us on Saturday for garlic food, fun, and conversations with farmers.
Originally released September 16, 2020.
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“Minnesotans don’t like that garlic. They don’t eat that spicy stuff, dontcha know?” Jerry and Sunny and their sold-out-by-August harvest beg to differ!
Jerry Ford and Sunny Ruthchild are longtime friends in Minnesota garlic and organic farming. Sunny runs Merryweather Gardens near Walnut Grove, raising garlic, poultry, vegetables, and pigs who are happy to be the clean-up crew for her orchard. Jerry raises replacement dairy heifers, grass-fed beef, and garlic with his family at Living Song Farm near Howard Lake.
Before they get back out there to plant next year’s garlic crop, they’re taking some time to compare notes and philosophies as they prepare for the next season and climate unknowns. They get into:
Garlic is a high-value, premium crop here in Minnesota. As Sunny says, “the truth is, Minnesota can grow garlic. And the other truth is, people in Minnesota love good garlic, don’t let anybody tell you anything else.”
Jerry Ford - Living Song Farm, SFA Network Coordinator
Sunny Ruthchild - Merryweather Farm
Katie Feterl - SFA Communications Director
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Resources:
Minnesota Premium Garlic Project
Minnesota Garlic Festival & Virtual Directory
Dirt Rich Episode 6: Harvesting Minnesota Garlic
SFA Garlic Videos
39: Building Relationships and Telling Your Story
Revisited: Planting Minnesota Garlic
38: Getting Water Quality Certified
37: Wisdom of the Prairie: Diversity, Connection, Community
36: Growing Grazing Dairy Farmers
35: Pastured Pork & an Incubator Farm
Revisited: Implementing Silvopasture
34: The Potential of Perennial Crops & Kernza
33: Growing a CSA from 8 to 80
32: A Chat with Gabe Brown
31: Managing Spring Grazing
30: Spring Break
29: From "Conventional" to Resilient
28: Saving Seed & Dancing Feet
27: Home on the Tree-Range
26: AMPed for Grazing!
25: Integrative Nutrition with Sara Keough
24: Restoring Oak Savanna
23: Oak Savanna Origins
22: Matchmaking for Livestock & Land
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