A garden in Verendrye Electric Cooperative’s service territory perfectly portrays the parable about the mustard seed: Sow a single seed and it can grow into a bountiful harvest.
A single idea planted into a single garden eventually grew into The Lord’s Cupboard Food Pantry Garden, providing thousands of pounds of fresh produce to those in need in Ward County.
“How long can you keep dried herbs in your cupboard?” the workshop participant asked.
I anticipated where this was going. I replied with a question.
“How long have your dried herbs been in your cupboard?” I asked.
“I got them for my wedding,” she replied.
After a dramatic pause, she added, “Forty years ago.”
Everyone laughed.
I’m quite sure her dried herbs added little flavor to foods at this point, although they are likely “safe.”
Local farmers Jonathon and Hannah Moser, owners of Forager Farm near Mandan, are foraging more than food to feed their family and community. They’re foraging the life their dreams have sowed.
Those first dreams sprouted after the Mosers’ experience working on an organic vegetable farm in Victoria, Australia.
Even in the depths of winter, Meigan Cameron finds the beauty in nature. She has mastered bringing the outside in, turning her home into a haven for plants and herbs. And, despite the Nanking cherry and apple trees in her yard being draped in white, she strives to include fruits and veggies in her family’s meals.
“In wintertime, fresh veggies are precious, so I like to make good use of what is readily available,” she says.
After spending most of his 20s “running from North Dakota” and working at resorts and restaurants in Minnesota and Florida, Jeff Benda changed directions.
The Grand Forks native and son of a U.S. Air Force veteran found himself working toward a teaching degree in Valley City and surrounded by a group of friends who introduced him to
hunting.
“It was hunting that kept me here in North Dakota,” he says. “Being out in the country, in a small town like Valley City, I’d finally developed a sense of place and belonging, and just fell in love with it.”
A new project on the Spirit Lake Reservation is connecting the Dakota people with their cultural heritage, while tackling the issue of food insecurity.
Construction of a new indoor gardening center is underway at the Spirit Lake Food Distribution building. Once completed, the gardening center will provide more than 1,000 tribal members with access to fresh, locally sourced food year-round, in addition to providing skilled jobs on the reservation.
Why eat vegetables and fruits?
Let the wide assortment of fresh produce available at summer’s end inspire you to add some color and nutrition to your plate. Fruits and vegetables provide fiber, vitamins A and C and minerals, such as potassium. Eating more fruits and vegetables can lower our risk for cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Eating more vegetables and fruits also can help us lose weight or maintain our current weight.
