When Janna Goerdt bought an old dairy farm near Embarrass in 2001, she didn’t realize that the huge flat piece down the hill by the Pike River had excellent soil. It wasn’t until 2009 that she started to farm and named it Fat Chicken Farm. She had all kinds of vegetables as well as chickens and bees. In 2010, she started selling at the Tower Farmers Market and Natural Harvest Food Coop in Virginia. Then she formed a CSA--community supported agriculture—where community members buy a share in a farm in exchange for a basket of produce each week for a season. I bought a share from her in about 2012 before our gardens were bearing enough to feed us. What I remember about Fat Chicken Farm CSA is the personal connection—Janna delivers her own shares every Monday and visits with each of her customers. She knows which produce they like and which they don’t. She meets them in their homes. I looked forward to that brief Monday afternoon chat with a woman who clearly worked the land herself—Janna’s hands are a farmer’s hands for sure. And her smile is a bright light.
She doesn’t make a living with farming, but she doesn’t lose, either. Her inputs are low, she explains. She is the only laborer for this huge expanse of hoop houses and gardens. She has no tractor, no bank loan, just her own dedication and energy. This year she is sold out at 20 CSA shares, a small operation by most standards. She used to raise and sell chickens too, hence the farm’s name. But when her 6-year old twins were born, that part ended. She still has 25 laying hens and bees. Early CSA share deliveries will include eggs. And she makes jellies and jams and honey for the Tower Farmers Market.
I remember my friend Toni Nemanick reading me a tale of racoon predators from Janna’s newsletter last summer—it was apparently quite a challenge. Toni loved that the newsletter told the story of the farm, too. I asked Toni about being one of Janna’s CSA customers. Here’s what she said: “After years of knowing about CSA, it wasn’t until 2019 that I bought my first share in one. Actually, I bought a half share, which meant a home delivery by Fat Chicken Farms every two weeks. One of the best things about this is that Janna includes a newsletter in every basket: a personal story, what’s in the basket, and recipes!!! I was able to cook with new produce - which was great - and also use familiar vegetables in new ways. I am so looking forward to this year’s blue basket coming to my porch.”
This spring presented quite a challenge for planting. Janna’s husband, Tim, is a science teacher and in March, he began, like all the other teachers, to work from home. The 6-year-old twins were home, too, and Janna’s time for concentrating on starting plants in the greenhouse and the eventual labor-intensive planting outside were was severely curtailed. They day I visited the farm, she was planting tomatoes and most of the other crops were up, but there was still a week of school left. I know that Janna’s CSA customers will understand if things are a bit slow to start. The boys love to garden, though, and are learning to help, and you can imagine a 6—year old’s help. Janna says that she “grew up in a garden” (in Iron, MN) and wants her boys to grow up in one, too. I’d say they have a great start.
Fat Chicken Farm’s June 9 delivery will likely include lettuce, asparagus, kale, chard, spinach, eggs, and carrots overwintered in the amazing root cellar at Dawn Trexel-Kroll’s farm. That’s a story for whole other column—a huge, above-ground root cellar built into a hill. We’ve lost two other CSA’s in our region these past 2 years—Owl Forest Farm and Northern Delicious, so I ask Janna why she keeps on? “I love bringing a basket of beautiful food to people who love good food,” she says, and it’s about “connection—it’s so wonderful to give good food to good people.” Janna delivers to customers in Eveleth, Virginia, Biwabik, Ely, Tower, Britt and south of Eveleth.
I ask what crops she doesn’t grow and which is her favorite. She doesn’t grow sweet corn—it takes so much space and is widely available at stands in our area. She doesn’t grow much fruit but barters with Mark Peterson’s Berry Farm to offer berries. Her favorite crop is a sweet melon named “savor charantais.” I ask her what her customers are most excited about—“sugar snap peas” wins the contest. I learned how to use pea shoots and garlic scapes from Janna….there’s no end to what you can do with a fine CSA basket! You can find Janna at the Tower Farmers Market which opens Friday, June 19, 4-6 in the Train Depot Parking lot and at www.fatchickenfarm.com