The Community Garden at the Cable Community Farm is so beautiful this summer!  Maybe we’ve all got more time on our hands or maybe the heat and rain have been just right or maybe we’re all a little bit worried about our food supply.  Whatever the reason, there’s about to be a ton of produce coming out of the Community Garden!

It’s the first vegetable to be ready in the garden and it’s the 2020 Vegetable of the Year.  In fact, the variety that we chose, “Easter Egg” goes from seed to your plate in just 25 days!  The artwork, created by local artist, Mimi Crandall, is entitled “First Up, Radishes” and it depicts the brilliant colors of this humble vegetable.

2020 Vegetable of the Year: Radish!

It seems most people have only enjoyed radishes in their raw state, maybe sliced with a bit of salt.  However, radishes are totally awesome sauteed, roasted, or even boiled and mashed.  Here’s a recipe that quick and delicious:

Roasted Radishes: Wash and trim radishes.  Toss with olive oil and seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder is one good combination).  Bake at 350 degrees in a single layer for about 30 minutes.  Add onions, carrots and other root vegetables for variety.  Add minced garlic during the last 10 minutes of cooking if you like garlic.

For more fun in the kitchen with the Vegetable of the Year:  radish recipes

We are grateful for the support of our Local Business Heroes, who make this project possible: Arm & Hammer Builders, the Brick House Café, Cable Chiropractic, Cable Lumber & Home, Cable Natural History Museum, Hayward Community Credit Union, Lakewoods Resort, Mark Rasmussen Excavating, Northern Native Plantscapes, Norvado, Redbery Books, and Rondeau’s Shopping Center, Start Line Inn and Velo Cafe.

All of these businesses are committed to promoting local food production and healthy eating in our community.  Be sure to thank them for that!

Our mission is simple:  to grow food and build community.  Because of you, our organization is growing more food for the community than ever before!  Volunteers in the Growing Together Garden grew so much produce that we were able to have a strong season at the Cable Area Farmers Market, with twenty-five different varieties of vegetables and four different kinds of fruit.  This kind of growth and diversity is not only good for a healthy diet, but also leads to greater biodiversity in the gardens and increased sustainability for our organization.  To read the rest of the “Letter from the Executive Director” and see the entire 2019 Annual Report, click on the following link:

2019 Annual Report

It’s official:  the 2019 Vegetable of the Year is CABBAGE!  Cabbage is easy to grow, versatile and nutritious.  The Cable Community Farm was originally founded as a family homestead in the 1930’s.  Along with most family farmers of that era, the family would have planted lots of cabbage for fresh eating, to store in the root cellar, and to ferment in the form of sauerkraut.  Today, we are packing up cabbage seeds, along with planting instructions, to encourage people to grow some of their own food, creating a more healthy and resilient community.

The Cable Community Farm is grateful for the support of the Local Business Heroes, who provided the financial resources for the Vegetable of the Year campaign. This year’s sponsors include the Brick House Café, Brush & Bucket Painting, Cable Chiropractic, Cable Lumber & Home, Cable Natural History Museum, Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, King Realty, Mark Rasmussen Excavating, My Villa, Northern Native Plantscapes, Northland Lawn & Sport, Redbery Books, and Rondeau’s Shopping Center. All of these businesses are committed to promoting local food production and healthy eating in our community.  We also extend our appreciation to Mimi Crandall, who painted the artwork, “Warm Cabbage for a Cold Day”, during a recent below zero stretch of weather.

Our mission is simple: to grow food and build community. Our values are powerful: sustainability, inclusivity, and collaboration. Thanks to you, 2018 was abundant with healthy food and our community is more resilient due to collaborative efforts with our partners.  To read the rest of the “Letter from the Executive Director” and see the entire 2018 Annual Report, click on the following link:

2018 Annual Report

Thanks to a grant from the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, we were able to develop and install new signage at the farm.  In addition, the grant provided funding for our summer interns, one of whom tends the Native Plant Garden.  The summer interns also grow fresh, organic produce in the Growing Together Garden, some of which is donated to the Cable Area Food Shelf and some of which is sold at the Cable Farmers Market.  It’s all about growing healthy food and building a resilient community!

In 2018, the Cable Community Farm plans to launch a Community Seed Starting Project and we need your help!  We plan to purchase and install grow lights in the back of the Tool Shed so that members of the community can use the space to get a jump on their seed starting in the spring.  What a great idea, huh?

To help fund the Community Seed Starting Project, click on the “donate” button below:

We sure do appreciate your support!

Join the Cable Natural History Museum’s Pollinator Intern for a tour of the exciting diversity growing at the Cable Community Farm. Explore the Native Plant Garden, the Theatre Flower Garden, the Community Orchard, Community Vineyard, and beekeeping operation. All of this biodiversity helps us grow food in the Community Garden and the Growing Together Garden.  Tours are free, but donations are gratefully accepted.

Saturdays 2:00 – 3:00 pm

13765 Perry Lake Road, Cable, WI

All ages welcome!

The Cable Community Farm is delighted to announce the 2017 Vegetable of the Year…PEAS!  Uniting the community around growing a single vegetable is one way to boost community health because it encourages people to share growing tips, recipes, and enthusiasm about growing food. Ultimately, encouraging people to grow some of their own food leads to a more resilient and inclusive food system.

Peas are nutritious, versatile, and easy to grow in our northern climate.  Green peas also stand out as an environmentally friendly vegetable because they belong to a category of crops that “fix” nitrogen from the air and convert it to a usable form of nitrogen in the soil, reducing the need to add fertilizer. Peas are extremely low in fat, high in nutrients and fiber, loaded with antioxidants, and delicious. In addition, “pea shoots”, which are the tiny plants that will eventually become the vines, can be eaten in their immature form and are often used in upscale restaurants in salads and sandwiches.

The Cable Community Farm is grateful for the support of the Local Business Heroes, who provided the financial resources for the Vegetable of the Year campaign. This year’s sponsors include Northern Native Plantscapes, Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, S. Qualey Studio, Brick House Café, King Realty, Rondeau’s Shopping Center, Cable Natural History Museum, Northland Lawn Sport and Equipment, Redbery Books, and Cable Chiropractic Clinic. All of these businesses are committed to promoting healthy eating and local food production in our community.

As part of the Vegetable of the Year campaign, the Cable Community Farm will be distributing packets of pea seeds, along with planting, harvesting, and preparing instructions, throughout the community. Free packets of seed will be available at local businesses and will be given to all of the elementary students at the Drummond Area School District.

As she has each year, Mimi Crandall, a local artist who is part of the Leadership Team at the Cable Community Farm, created a beautiful watercolor rendition of “English Peas” to be used in the promotional material for the campaign.

SeedMoney is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping food gardens flourish.  They do this by helping organizations with “crowdfunding” campaigns and awarding small grants.  The Cable Community Farm’s SeedMoney campaign goes live today at 12:00 noon and runs until December 15, 2016.  Our goal is $600.  We are raising funds to build raised beds and classroom space in our new hoop house, which will allow members of our community to grow fresh produce almost all year long!  The first 75 organizations to hit their fundraising goal will receive a “challenge” grant from SeedMoney.  We can do this!

Here’s the link to:  Donate Today for a Healthier Community!