Saturday July 30th is the time to get out of town and discover, first-hand, where your food comes from. Yep, it's the Eat Local Farm Tour, an open house at 11 Minnesota farms, sponsored by nine metro-area natural foods co-ops. It's free, it'll be fascinating and it's kid- (but not pet-) friendly. Some farms require reservations.
Big River Farm in Marine on St. Croix, a training ground for immigrant- and minority farmers to gain skills in creating their own organic and sustainable vegetable farming enterprises, is offering self-guided tours from 1 to 5 p.m., and a formal tour (limited to 25, pre-registration required) at 3 p.m.
Eichten's Farm, Market & Cafe in Center City is the place to observe a buffalo herd (and enjoy a buffalo burger) and sample cheeses made on the premises. Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Want to participate in a crop mob? Riverbend Farm in Delano, a 30-acre spread which supplies fresh produce to many Twin Cities restaurants, is hosting one of the volunteer-to-work events, starting at 10 a.m. Numbers are limited to 20; find sign-up information here.
The three magic words associated with the Women's Environmental Institute in North Branch are "wood-fired pizza," available between 3 and 6 p.m., along with tours, music and miniature horse-cart rides for kids.
Ferndale Farm & Market in Cannon Falls will be offering free samples of its extraordinary turkey products (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and while that's a pretty great reason to stop by, visitors who drop in between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. can jump on a hay ride for a free tour of the Peterson family's fascinating free-range turkey farm.
Sweet-corn lovers will definitely want to check out Gardens of Eagan in Farmington, which is hosting a free corn boil at noon (while supplies last), along with self-guided tours of the farm's 100 cultivated acres (noon to 4 p.m.), a one-hour guided wagon tour (2 p.m., and limited to 25 people on a first-come, first-serve basis) and a kids' scavenger hunt (noon to 4 p.m.).
The fascinating sheep-cheese dairy that is Shepherd's Way Farms in Nerstrand is welcoming visitors from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (paired with sausage and cheese samples), with guided tours at noon and 2 p.m.
