Note: This post has also been published on the Three Rivers Park District Blog.

My first time at Gale Woods Farm was in March of 2019 on a freezing cold, March day. We saw the new piglets, brushed the Great Pyrenees dogs, and helped tap the trees for maple syrup.

Since that day, we have returned many times on our own and as part of educational offerings at the farm. We have baked pumpkin muffins, made apple cider, fed popcorn to turkeys, apples to cows, and veggies to pigs. We have run over and around hay bales, picnicked in the fields, ridden our bikes on the gravel road, hiked with Spud the cat as our companion, and given the dogs many, many hugs and pats. We mourned the loss of Delilah the Great Pyrenees and cannot wait to meet the new pup, Ursa.

Gale Woods has been one of the few places we have felt safe venturing out to during the pandemic. The farm’s amazing meat and produce made our isolated holiday celebrations still feel special. Most recently, we have been taking an online class about wool that makes us still feel connected to the farm when it feels too cold to venture out there in person. Gale Woods Farm has been such a special part of my children’s childhood, and so for that, I say thank you and we love you, Gale Woods Farm! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love,

The Melby Family

Gale Woods Farm is located in Minnetrista, Minnesota. It is part of the Three Rivers Park District.

Visiting on a cold day pandemic day, January 2021.

Admiring the views from atop the hay bales.

Like many of you I’m sure, I’ve been doing more cooking and baking than ever over the last month of being stuck at home. Other than the enormous pile of dishes and dealing with ingredients that are difficult to track down in stores right now, I have to say that my day feels very anchored by my new cooking routines. Our meals are what we most look forward to now, so they had better be worth the wait!

Here are a few cookbooks that I am loving right now:

Bread Baking for Beginners, Bonnie O’Hara

I don’t think anything makes me happier than freshly baked bread. I love to mix it, knead it, smell it as it rises and bakes, and of course, eat it. I have become quite the bread snob and currently laugh in the face of store-bought sandwich bread.

Smitten Kitchen Every Day, Deb Perelman

I mean, who doesn’t love the Smitten Kitchen? I love Deb and her commentary as well as how she approaches food. Enough said.

The Minimalist Kitchen, Melissa Coleman

Melissa Coleman is a Minneapolis local with a blog I love, the Faux Martha. Her cookbook is simple, thoughtful, and many of her recipes have become weekly staples for us.

Feeding a Family, Sarah Waldman.

This was a great recommendation by a friend. I love her approach to both cooking with and feeding kids. Last week we made corn tortillas as a family—and now I think I might be a tortilla snob, too.

Hi, I'm Mari.

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