Country Acres - June 17, 2023

Spreading

Boutique micro flower farm inspired by infertility

BY SARAH COLBURN STAFF WRITER

At 18-months-old, Eve Bischof toddles about the fifth of an acre of land that makes up Honeydew Fields in St. Cloud and Sauk Centre. She plucks weeds from the soil, grabs at flowers, sprinkles seeds and watches alongside her mom Leah Bischof.

This is the second year Honeydew Fields, a boutique micro flower farm, is growing and selling flowers. From sunflowers and lisianthus to ranunculus, peonies, dahlias, snapdragons, larkspur, pincushions, strawflowers and rudbeckia, the farm has a little bit of everything.

Leah bundles the flowers into bouquets to serve her weekly or bi-weekly Fresh from the Field subscription customers. She also provides wholesale flowers to florists and floral designers.

On the farm, Leah focuses on regenerative farming as the farming and flowers quite literally regenerated her. Originally, she grew vegetables in her garden, but after reading about the benefits of pairing

them with flowers, she found a new passion. The focus came at a time she and her husband Brad were struggling with infertility and she put her energy into the garden, finding solace in the work.

“Flowers ultimately became this beautiful thing in a not-so-beautiful situation,” she said. “They were this thing that brought so much joy to me in a time that was just not fun at all.”

Now, she said, she’s growing flowers to bring joy to others, and she works side-byside with Eve.

“I want to teach her the life lessons that growing up on a farm taught me,” Leah said.

They grow a lot of the flowers from seed, and others they sow directly in the soil. Leah said they carry the transplant seedings outdoors to harden off and then, eventually, get things in the ground.

“I’m more focused on working with Mother Nature directly,” Leah said. “A common question I ask myself is how would Mother Nature fix

Honeydew page 2

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Leah Bischof and her daughter Eve plant together in a bed at Honeydew Fields. Eve can often be found sowing seeds, planting and picking flowers.

PHOTO SUBMITTED Zinnias abound Zinnias at Honeydew Fields in St. Cloud and Sauk Centre. Owner Leah Bischof aims to provide blooms that have a long vase life and a fresh color palette.

While the official start of summer is not until June 21, it sure feels like summer is in full swing with kids home from school and temperatures in the 80s here in central Minnesota.

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is attend area parades. It seems like almost every small, medium and large town in Minnesota has a town celebration of some sort.

When I was growing up, the parades we went to most often were the ones held on Sunday mornings. Saturday evening parades were during chore time, and we were not able to make it to the towns in time for those. And, with my dad being a polka lover, the Sunday morning parades,

which were often preceded by an outdoor polka Mass, became our go-to.

We would race through Sunday morning chores at double time, eat a quick breakfast, shower and get ready for church. We only had one bathroom in our house until I was in middle school, so all six of us had to be efficient. Our own church did not have a polka Mass, so we drove up to 25 miles one way to get to a town that did. We attended polka Masses in communities even if they didn’t have a parade. Many of them, such as St. Rosa, just held parish festivals.

I can vividly remember attending parades with my family and collecting as much candy as my

hands could hold. My brothers and I would get especially excited when a parade float was handing out special treats such as ice cream, cheese sticks or freezes. We were equally as excited by floats that sprayed out water.

By Tiffany Klaphake

We had a family friend who owned a business in one of the nearby towns, and he would have this water float every year. Our family would often be a part of his float. My brothers and I would eagerly say yes to volunteering because we knew we would get wet, and I mean soaked- to-the-bone wet. The annual event seemed to always end

up being on the hottest day of the year, which was in early July. So, getting wet was always welcomed by all the youngsters. The float would include a flatbed wagon pulled by a tractor, and on that wagon was an open water tank the same size as the wagon. In the middle of the tank was a contraption that would shoot water 50feet into the air. The owner of the business would be standing in the water tank and would put tennis balls into the contraption as well to launch into the crowd. My siblings and dad retrieved the tennis balls by watching closely and track-

ing down the people who had picked them up and handing them coupons for the carnival in town in exchange for their tennis balls.

On the 4th of July we often went to two parades, one in the morning in Ward Springs and one in the afternoon in Pillsbury - both of which are tiny, unincorporated villages.

Once I entered high school, I was in 4-H, FFA and marching band, and I also served as a county dairy princess. Between these various organizations, I participated in countless parades. I was even in one of the parades twice. First, I marched with my high school marching band. My mom waited at the end for me, and I went

into the high school to change from my wool marching band uniform into a formal gown, crown and sash as I tried to make my hair look as best as I could in three minutes time. My mom drove me back to the start of the parade where the county dairy princess float was just about to enter the parade route.

Did I mention I love parades?

The one summer when I participated in marching band and was a county dairy princess, I was in 12 parades in two months.

This summer I look forward to bringing my own youngsters to some of the area parades and participating in parades with Star Publications!

A trail of painted

patchwor

Barn quilts grow throughout central Minnesota

BY ALEX CHRISTEN STAFF WRITER

STAPLES – A trail featuring nearly 130 barn quilts starts in the small city of Staples and stretches through the four surrounding counties of Todd, Wadena, Morrison and Cass.

In the days of the Underground Railroad, quilts used to be hung on the sides of barns and houses to send messages to those in search of shelter. Today, barn quilts have turned into artwork displays and tourist attractions.

A group of volunteers from the Staples area have spent the last eight years making barn quilts and assembling a trail of them for

people to see, known as the Barn Quilts of Central Minnesota. The trail is part of the larger American Barn Quilt Trail, which stretches throughout 48 U.S. states and two provinces in Canada. Maps of the trail are available online for people to follow as a self-guided tour.

“My favorite part of all of this is providing free public art and meeting

and working with so many great people all around the counties,” said Lisa Kajer, one of the volunteers.

Locally, the volunteers began by reaching out to cities and nonprofits to garner interest in the making of the quilts. The group specifically makes quilts for nonprofits. Once a location is chosen, the volunteers work to de-

cide on the pattern design, size and colors.

“We try to come up with designs that would correspond with their location,” Kajer said. “For example, one quilt went to Harmony Park, and we used the design called Harmony Square.”

The team scours Pinterest in search of designs, making sure the ones they choose are not patented in any way.

“Some of the designs we use actually

have different names depending on what area of the country they are used in,” Kajer said.

The patterns for the barn quilts are quilting patterns that have been modified to work in a painting. The designs tend to be geometric.

Mary Noska is another volunteer with the group.

“You don’t have to be an artist to make a barn quilt,” Noska said.

“You just have to be able to count.”

The idea for the Barn

Quilts of Central Minnesota came after a few friends went on a bus tour of the Carver County Barn Quilts. Carver County was one of the first counties in the state of Minnesota to create a trail of barn quilts, which were actually made by professional artists.

“We fell in love with them,” Noska said. “We said that we could do that.”

After the bus tour, the group brought the idea to the quilt club members to get feedback and the group has supported the volunteers ever since.

After its inception, the group received a grant to support programming with the Staples-Motley School District. The trail extends Barn Quilts page 10

PHOTO BY ALEX CHRISTEN “Pinwheel around the World’’ is displayed outside the Staples World office May 17 in Staples. The quilt has been hanging for almost seven years.

PHOTO BY ALEX CHRISTEN

Two separate barn quilts adorn a barn May 17 near Staples. The quilts are included as a part of the south section of the Central Minnesota Barn Quilt Trail.

Barn Quilts

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through four counties because those counties make up the school district.

“We could not have done this without some funding sources,” Kajer said. “The Staples Motley Community Foundation and (Five Wings) Arts Council gave us money for our first grants that helped to get so many on the trail.”

Volunteers worked with students in the Staples FFA chapter to make their first barn quilts. Throughout the past years, the group has transitioned from working with the FFA students to working with the art students from the Staples-Motley School.

“The art students are the ones who have really helped us get so many barn quilts on our trail,” Noska said.

Kajer has been with the organization since its beginning in the fall of 2015. She said they want the barn quilts to not only decorate the area, but also help with economic development and bring in tourists to Staples, the main hub of the artwork on the trail, and the surrounding counties.

“You have to have a hub,” Kajer said. “If people are going to come, they want to see a lot of barn quilts in a concentrated area. From there they

are willing to branch out farther.” While this group of volunteers is instrumental in the barn-quilt-making process, their expertise falls into numerous other categories as well. In order to make the money needed to continue making barn quilts, Noska and Kajer also teach classes on how to paint barn quilts and use the proceeds to buy the supplies needed for the trail.

PHOTO BY ALEX CHRISTEN

(Above) Volunteers for the barn quilt trail – Lisa Kajer (from left), Dee Lehner, Annette Good and Mary Noska – display their artwork on finished mini barn quilt signs May 17 in Staples. They are just four of many volunteers who assist in the making of the barn quilts.

(Left) Lisa Kajer paints the mini barn quilt signs May 17 in Staples. Kajer has been a part of making barn quilts since the organization was formed in 2015.

Barn Quilts page 13

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Mary Noska (left) and Jude Vrdoljak work on the “Cactus Blossom” barn quilt.

The quilt is 8-by-8 feet in size.

Frericks family offers variety of produce

BY TIFFANY KLAPHAKE STAFF WRITER

ALBANY – Acres upon acres of juicy red berries bask in the sunshine waiting to be enjoyed as strawberry season is here.

Tammy Frericks, with the help of her husband Steve and their three children, Hailey, Kallie and Bryce, run Strawberries Galore & More LLC. At the farm, near Albany, they grow six acres of strawberries and serve thousands of strawberry lovers each year.

“Our goal is to open up our farm to all, to show people where their food comes from, and to offer a great family experience,” Tammy said.

Tammy and Steve both grew up on farms and Tammy said the couple has spent countless hours researching strawberry farming.

“When we moved to the Albany area there was a friend of mine that came to me and said let’s go strawberry picking,” Tammy said. “I wasn’t quite sure what that actually meant. I’m from Pine River, we didn’t have many strawberry farms around the area.”

Frericks

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Her friend took her to a strawberry farm near New Munich and Tammy soon after became an avid strawberry picker.

“As we had kids, I would bring them strawberry picking and it was a good activity to do each summer, we built a tradition of going berry picking each year,” Tammy said. “I told Steve if we ever get some land outside of town, I’d like to start a strawberry farm.”

In 2017, the Frericks purchased a piece of land suitable for Tammy’s dream. Soon after, they began work on the fields and Strawberries Galore & More LLC. opened in the summer of 2019. The business has grown substantially since its start and the family offers more agricultural experiences to their customers each year.

“One Saturday, we had over 500 cars in our yard,” Tammy said. “They come from everywhere. It’s pretty amazing.”

Strawberries Galore & More LLC. offers you-pick strawberries and pre-picked strawberries. “Some people enjoy the experience of picking their own berries, and some enjoy buying the pre-picked berries for convenience and ease,” Tammy said.

Strawberries begin to emerge on the plants June 5 on the Frericks’ strawberry farm near Albany. The Frericks family hopes to be open for picking by the third week of June.

Prior to opening Strawberries Galore & More LLC., Tammy was working off the farm and said it was difficult to get everything she wanted done to see the business grow. Now, working full-time on the farm, she ensures there are picking times allotted to the evenings and weekends to accommodate working families.

“As a working mom of three I would enjoy getting to hours outside of weekdays and mornings to be able to still go berry picking with my family, so I remain persistent in offering a variety of picking times,” Tammy said. Accommodation is important to the Frericks.

They grow extra strawberries for one special customer, a seven-yearold boy from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who has a rare disorder and can only eat an extremely limited number of foods. One of these foods is a strawberry variety that the Frericks grow, which many other strawberry farms have stopped planting.

“Each year, we take pride in growing his strawberries,” Tammy said. “We make sure that we have an extra 10-13 rows of that variety to make sure that we can accommodate his dietary

Frericks page 18

Tammy Frericks tends to her established strawberry plants June 5 near Albany. Tammy and her family have been selling strawberries off of their farm since 2019.

PHOTO S BY ALEX C HRI

Frericks from page 17

needs. That’s one of our projects that we really take pride in every year.”

Strawberries Galore & More LLC. is run almost entirely by the Frericks family members. They do get a few volunteers and extended family members to help out during the busiest weeks of the year.

Tammy said that their main focus is faith, family and farming.

“We are here to try to make a difference,” Tammy said. “To have the community and the customers come out and just enjoy the experience out here, get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Just having that traditional bonding time that we used to have growing up as kids doing things on our own farms.”

In addition to the strawberries, the Frericks also offer sweet corn, honey, pumpkins, asparagus, raspberries, plums, apples,

cherries, beets and snap peas. The apples, plums and cherries will need a couple more years before they are ready to harvest.

The honey, sweet corn and pumpkins are headed up by their children.

“We knew we wanted them to have something of their own,” Tammy said.

“They don’t only work on their own part of the farm, they also work with the strawberries. It’s a family thing.”

Hailey has her own bees and is in charge of the honey, which is known as Hailey’s Honey and can

For updates on the farm and availability, call the berry line at (320) 845-4298 or search Strawberries Galore

be purchased year-round at the farm. The sweet corn was dubbed Kallie’s Kernels and is run by Kallie. In the fall Bryce is busy with his pumpkins and gourds, and sells at various produce stands throughout Albany, Richmond and Melrose.

While the strawberries are the main focus of the Frericks’ family farm, they have diversified and in 2022 were honored as the Stearns County Farm Family of the year and were recognized for their efforts in the community.

“We are fresh into this business,” Tammy said. “But it has grown and we are very happy to have been picked to represent Stearns County in that.”

The Frericks family of Steve (from left), Kallie, Bryce, Hailey and Tammy were named Stearns County Farm Family of the Year in 2022. The family received recognition for this award at the 2022 Stearns County Fair.

Pre-picked strawberries are ready to be bought in June 2022 at the Frericks’ farm. The farm also offers you-pick strawberries straight from the field.

Bryce Frericks’ pumpkins are on display in 2022 in Melrose. The pumpkins are sold in several different locations by Bryce, the youngest of the Frericks children.

Sweet corn is one of the many different products that the Frericks’ farm has to offer. Known as Kallie’s Kernels, the sweet corn sales on the farm are managed by Kallie Frericks.

PHOTO S S U B MITTED

Strawberry pickers flock to the fields in 2022 at the Frericks’ family farm. Each year Strawberries Galore & More LLC serves thousands of customers.

and More LLC. on Facebook.

COMPANY SINCE 1971!

Bork Lumber & Steel is a lumber company and building center located in Central Minnesota. Our Mission is to provide our customers with the best service, lumber and building materials available to meet their residential, commercial and agricultural needs.

I was in the woods, taking time to smell the roses. Of course, there were no roses in the woods, but there were other sweet scents and, tangentially, bird sounds.

My knowledge of birds ranges from the common ones found at the feeder to a few dramatic callers. You know, the blue jays, wood peckers, chickadees, crows, cranes and ducks.

Working out –outdoors, that is

by Nancy Packard Leasman

When my oldest daughter was two, her favorite book was the bird field reference guide. She faithfully pronounced “mallard duck,” “dabbler duck,” “merganser,” “golden eye,” and “coot.” She knew them all, and not just the ducks. But recognizing them in a book is a little different from identifying them flitting from tree to tree.

But, that day in the woods when I wasn’t smelling roses, I heard a melodious sound in the distance. It wasn’t a bird that I recognized, but as the trills moved up and down the scale, the sound came closer. When I looked up, I saw a large dark bird, and as it passed over, it barked like a dog! I had first thought that I was hearing a dog in the distance, but I quickly realized it was the bird that was barking – and I knew it was a raven.

Common crows make a few different sounds, but all of them could be categorized as crowing. Ravens also crow, but theirs is a marble-mouthed gravelly call of a mob boss. Apparent-

ly, they can sing and bark. Ravens are highly intelligent birds, and that, along with a syrinx which is only found in birds, enables a raven to vocalize a wide range of sounds. Humans have a larynx, or voice box, and we use that along with lips, teeth and tongue to articulate sounds. The avian syrinx, also known as a lower larynx, is positioned at the other end of their wind pipes.

With the necessary anatomy and intelligence, the raven that flew over the woods that day must have also been exposed to the sounds it imitated. I couldn’t identify the melody it sang, but the barking was classic. Any bird that “talks” chooses which sounds to replicate. Parrots and other known “talkers” learn from sounds they hear repeated. A wild raven isn’t likely to make human words because they haven’t heard them repeated, but they certainly hear other birds and animals and can become proficient in making those sounds.

Besides being surprised to hear the barking from above, I was also unaware that ravens lived in central Minnesota. I asked a local bird enthusiast, and she told me that they moved into our area in the last five years. Their usual range is the northern part of the state.

Watch for ravens and pay attention to what you’re hearing. It just might not be what you think it is.

Planning a place with purpose

TAIL-Wind Direction moves ahead

BY JAN LEFEBVRE | STAFF WRITER

HERMAN – In the attached garage of Sandy and Lowell Dunn’s home near Herman stands a 4-by-4-foot model of a place that does not yet exist. The model is of a small produce farm, designed with love for the Dunns’ oldest son, Mikell.

Knowing great strides can be made by everyone if the conditions are right, the Dunns set a goal to create a place where Mikell, 32, could thrive along with other adults like him who need a few more safety measures and a bit more guidance as they walk through life. That place, TAIL-Wind Direction, is beginning to take shape.

As Mikel was growing up on the family’s crop farm near Herman, Sandra and Lowell were able to turn to special education programming at school that addressed Mikell’s autism and other developmental challenges. However, when Mikell graduated, most programming disappeared. Mikell was left with the same enthusiasm for life but no longer had many opportunities to express and apply that enthusiasm.

“There seems to be a lot of help when kids are younger; you always have people coming to help then,” Lowell said. “But, as soon as they graduate from school and turn 18, pretty much all of your support goes away.”

Having a child with intellectual special needs stretches the number of years one is parenting, but the Dunns say it can also bring special gifts.

“When people have children without disabilities, as they grow, they learn to walk and meet all the (usual) milestones that you get to see, and then that kind of disappears as they become adults,” Lowell said. “With Mikell, they don’t disappear. There are always these little things all the time, just these little things that no one else would ever notice.”

Mikell and Sandra Dunn plant together May 25 in their garden near Herman. This is the second year the Dunns have planted a garden as part of a test plot for finding meaningful work for those with intellectual disabilities.

Sandra gave an example.

“Just before he graduated in 2010,

Mikell finally learned to dress appropriately; if it was cold out, he finally knew he needed a jacket,” she said. “But, we always had to help him with his jacket. Then, it was maybe eight years ago that he learned how to get a jacket on, but he couldn’t zip it up. Just recently now, he learned how to do that. There are always those little surprises.”

It was in 2004, when Mikell was in seventh grade, that the Dunns were first asked if they had a plan for Mikell when he graduated.

“We never thought about what that meant; we just thought he would carry on with life,” Lowell said. “But, then we found out what it really meant.”

The Dunns began to brainstorm possible answers, and the idea of TAIL-Wind Direction emerged. The name gives a nod to the tail of a weather vane, which reveals wind direction. TAIL stands for Teach, Advocate, Independence and Life Skills.

“Our feeling with TAIL-Wind is to pick up where these kids get kind of dropped,” Lowell said. “There are some programs, like DACs (Developmental Achievement Centers) and others, but they didn’t fit for Mikell. (Our plan) could be the next step to help these children and their parents when the support kind of disappears and they think, ‘Wow, what do we do now?’”

Sandra agreed.

“A lot of parents tell me, ‘I don’t know what my child is going to do when they aren’t in school,’” she said. “If (the parents) work, they have to find some-

TAIL-Wind page 23

PHOTOS BY JAN LEFEBVRE Mikell Dunn holds seedlings to plant May 25 on his family’s farm near Herman. Mikell’s autism makes the sensory experience of working with soil and plants a great fit for him.

Mikell Dunn sits in the bucket of the skid loader on his family’s farm near Herman. Dunn’s mother, Sandy Dunn, said he appreciates the movement of riding in a skid loader or similar machinery because of sensory challenges he has due to autism.

PHOTO BY JAN LEFEBVRE

A model of a produce farm and learning facility stands May 25 in the Dunn family’s garage near Herman. The Dunns are working to create the real-life version, TAIL-Wind Direction, as a place for their son Mikell and others with intellectual disabilities to connect, work and learn together.

TAIL-Wind

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abilities pertain to,” Sandra said. “We don’t want to restrict them from being able to accelerate and keep going. If we got the facility and were able to do all those different programs, I would say there would be 40 (participants) minimum, and then we would work our way up. We would grow with what the need is.”

The surrounding areas they hope to serve would reach to Wahpeton, Fergus Falls, Alexandria, Appleton and Morris. They would welcome people with any disabilities and tailor their work and activities toward what their abilities are.

“It’s a balance of both work and wellbeing,” Sandra said. “We want them to fulfill their full potential.”

The organization has been an official 501(c) (3) non-profit since May 7, 2021, allowing it to raise funds and look for the right property to buy or lease. A nine-member board helps lead the organization.

“They all have some background in special needs, whether they were a para at school, special ed. teacher or transportation provider,” Sandra said. “We all have our own ideas, and we bring

them all together and collaborate on TAIL-Wind Direction fundraising efforts.”

The board held its first fundraiser in the

summer of 2022, a gala dinner with a silent auction, a raffle and other activities. 90 people attended. This year’s gala was held in March and

LASER GRADING LASER SCREEDING

Adam Sunderman

Cell: 320-761-9918

Jeremy Sunderman

Cell: 320-267-7712

129 Main St. South Sauk Centre, MN 56378

EMAIL: ahconcreteinc@gmail.com

drew 130 guests, a sign of growing momentum.

Civic groups have donated funds, area artists have contributed silent auction items and

others have given time and talents to help the cause.

Next year’s banquet is already set for April 6, 2024, at the Herman Community Center, with plans for continued growth in attendance and offerings.

Although there are still many hurdles ahead, the Dunns’ can see their dream coming to fruition, and their excitement is palpable. Sandra said their determination grows more every time they are showing their model and sharing their ideas with the public and parents come up and express their concern for their sons and daughters who have special needs like Mikell.

Vegetables just harvested from the Dunn family farm are prepared for sale September 2022 near Herman. The proceeds went to fundraising efforts to acquire a site for creating a produce farm and learning facility for those with special needs.

“Parents want it to be open today. I’ve been amazed just over the past year how many people have heard of us,” Sandra said.

In the end, it all comes back to wanting a better world for Mikell and others with intellectual challenges, a place where they can contribute and reach their full potential.

“Mikell just wants to be part of that,” Sandra said. “We need to have a place for those who want to belong and also want that sense of worth.”

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

Seedlings are planted and ready to grow in the spring of 2020 at the Dunn family’s produce garden near Herman. The garden plot is part of launching TAIL-Wind Direction, which will be a working produce farm and programming facility for those with special needs.

Fresh Produce is ready for market in September 2022, grown and harvested by Mikell and Sandra Dunn. The vegetables were from the first pilot garden the family created as they focused on crafting a program for people with intellectual disabilities.

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