Farm Happenings for September 28, 2022

A bitter sweet week for us as the season comes to a close. We thank you all for your support and patience this season.

A few things I would like to mention:

Once again, we apologize to those of you who received bad cauliflower last week. There was a mix up with one of our bin of cauliflower seconds. We did not catch it until the day of delivery. As mentioned, we will offer a refund or replacement this week. If you have not already, please call or text Phanat at 651-795-8678.

Due to limited quantities, if you select winter squash this week for your box. you will receive a variety at random (more than likely, it will be butternut). Varieties include butternut, buttercup, hubbard, kabocha, spaghetti and delicata. If you prefer one variety over the others, please call or text Phanat so he can make the best effort to place that variety in your box.

Last, Mhonpaj's Garden will continue to finish out our season at the Millcity Farmers Market. That is where you may continue to pick up produce base on availability for the remainder of the season.

Do not hesitate to call Phanat if you have any questions. As soon as we make a decision on our farm for 2023, that will be communicated.

Mhonpaj's Garden Farm Team.

Mhonpaj’s Garden is a 9-acre certified organic vegetable farm owned by May Lee and her daughter Mhonpaj. With 5 acres in Stillwater and 4 acres in Marine on St. Crox, May and her family grow a variety of vegetables, bedding plants and herbs.
In 1980, May, her husband Chue, their children and May’s mother immigrated to the United States from Loas as refugees. They found work farming conventionally, but when May’s mother was diagnosed with cancer after working with pesticides in the United States, May knew she needed to start farming organically.
May’s daughter Mhonpaj was connected with the Minnesota Food Association (MFA) and learned about their New Immigrant Agriculture Program (now called the Farmer Education Program). The Lee’s were accepted into the three-year program, which gave them access to the MFA’s 60-acre certified organic incubator farm, Big River Farm, and connected them with a Hmong-speaking coordinator who helped them find resources and answer questions about organic farming. Together they resolved issues ranging from drip irrigation setup to product liability insurance to insect control.
In 2010, the Lee’s “graduated” from the MFA program and went on to become the first Hmong-owned certified-organic farm in Minnesota. May and her family now farm leased land along the St. Croix River.

In addition to farming, May spends lots of time educating other growers about organic practices through the MFA and as a Master Gardener volunteer for Ramsey County. She and her family also share their culinary heritage through cooking demonstrations and classes.

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