It seems kind of strange to write about the history of Pesch Farm and Produce since there is so little of it, but I thought you'd like to know how we got here.Cast of characters:
Me - Ryan
Mar - Maree, my wife
Sylvie - Sylvia, our daughter
We hightailed out of St. Paul and moved to our farm halfway between Pelican Rapids and Vergas two years ago. I'm originally from East Grand Forks and Mar's from Lake Elmo, so we lucked out in landing halfway between both our families.
So how did you get into vegetable farming?
Some 6 years ago I was a kid out of college living in St. Paul. After a stint in a law office shuffling papers and realizing just how boring the real world of employment actually is, I decided to make a sharp left turn and find an apprenticeship on one of the many local organic farms in the "vegetable belt" around the twin cities. I ended up working for Paul and Chris Burkhouse of Foxtail Farm for two seasons before Mar and I got married. At Foxtail I learned all there was to managing a produce farm and CSA (community supported agriculture).
In 2002 Mar and I did a "dry run" on our own. We were tenants on her uncle's land in Lake Elmo and sold at the Northeast Minneapolis Farmers Market. Also at the same time I worked at Mississippi Market Food Co-op in St. Paul as a greengrocer, a job I had until we moved up to Otter Tail County.
So, for us, being able to afford a small farm and actually start up our own place is a dream come turn. It's been a long road, but we're happy to be here.
OK, Ryan, thanks for the history, but I just want to know what you're bringing to market on Saturday...
Cucumbers (new)
Eggplant (new)
Pickling cucumbers
Summer squash: zucchini, crocked-neck, sunburst (new)
Green onions (last week for season)
Broccoli
Green beans
Garlic
Sweet Onions
Zinnias
Maybe potatoes...
