Where the food is Farmtastic

Mirek and Julia Petrovic moved to an abandoned homestead near Anamoose, N.D. in 2011, with a dream to bring their family up, living off the land. They wanted to teach their children where their food came from, and they found that the garden also provided their kids with a valuable work ethic. Soon, they were producing more than the family could consume, and Julia started selling produce at local farmer's markets under the name Slavic Heritage Farm.

However, she was attending markets three days a week which involved a lot of picking, packaging, driving, setting up and selling, only to bring most of the produce home again. Two years down the road, Julia said she started getting disappointed. Growing vegetables truly is a labor of love; yet, there is so much work that goes into growing vegetables in North Dakota considering the short growing season and very challenging weather.

However, Julia says that even through the disappointment she wasn't ready to quit, and she certainly wasn't ready to move away. That's when she and her husband, Mirek, started brainstorming other ideas. They both agreed that this was a lifestyle they were still passionate about and one that was right for their family. Mirek was running a construction company at the time and Julia said he would come home after a long day on a roof or laying tiles and would then begin working on the farm. It was a recipe for exhaustion and burnout, and they knew they needed to find a way to make the farm a business that would provide their income.

With their entrepreneurial spirit, they started thinking about ways they could expand or diversify their farm. They discussed renting out cabins and started a community supported agriculture program or CSA, which allowed members to prepay in the spring for delivery of food products throughout the growing season. This model served as a way of keeping the independent business thriving and helped families to eat seasonal, local produce. Slavic Heritage Farm continues to offer a CSA program, but in visiting with other vendors, the Petrovic's found that most of them were experiencing the same concerns; too much produce at the same time, with products hard to sell in their small local markets.

They knew they needed to bring their products to the markets where the demand was the greatest. Julia acknowledged that in rural areas, many people are blessed to be able to grow their own produce and often exchange vegetables and share the bounty of their gardens. In the larger cities, residents are not as blessed and are excited about purchasing local, clean produce. So, the Petrovic's started working with seven other producers from a five-county area to aggregate their products and deliver to the more populated areas. One such market is the BisMan Community Food Co-op, which has made local, organic and specialty food products such as grass fed beef, free range chickens, farm raised eggs, produce, local milk and cheese products available to the surrounding communities.

The idea of a food hub is one that evolved out of necessity for their small, family operated, diversified farm to be able to reach a larger market. Their company brochure describes a food hub as a type of business that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, light processing and marketing of not only locally grown fruits and vegetables, but also berries, herbs, specialty grains and flowers. The purpose of the food hub is to pull the producers together, so they can pool their products and be able to fill large orders and gain access to larger markets that satisfy retail, wholesale, and the nutritional demands of entities like schools, universities, hospitals and nursing homes where nutritionally dense foods are needed.

Most of these producers are certified organic, but do not spray pesticides or other harsh chemicals on their crops. Over the years, they have become known as producers who are passionate about clean, nutrient-dense foods. Their customers receive a superior product. Consumers receive the benefit of foods that have been picked that day or a couple of days before rather than transporting them over long distances, to warehouses where items are stored for long periods of time. By the time conventional foods reach the consumer, much of the nutritional benefit has been lost.

FARMtastic Heritage Foods Hub plays an important role in supporting local availability to fresh, healthy foods and is a family owned business that represents small and medium sized producers that grow good food through sustainable and organic methods and helps connect customers with the producers. The market is changing, and customers want to know how their food is being produced and the customers of the food hub know exactly where their food came from, how it was grown, and that it was freshly harvested locally for a top quality product.

The BisMan Community Food Co-op has been an excellent place for the food hub to market produce for two years. But they soon found themselves facing another problem: what to do with the "less than perfect" produce: the larger than average tomato, the slightly blemished pepper, a huge zucchini or misshapen carrots, but Julia knew that these nutritionally dense foods can find a purpose beyond the compost pile.

They knew that, through the use of a commercial certified kitchen, they could turn more of those slightly blemished and sadly wasted foods into value-added products. So, the Petrovic family accepted yet another challenge: they worked with the Anamoose Job Development Authority (JDA) to apply and receive USDA Rural Development grants to renovate the former Anamoose Post Office building into a physical space from which to operate the state's first food hub. The grants were used to renovate the building; they insulated, sheet-rocked, replaced doors and windows, updated plumbing and heating systems and installed new ceiling and floors. They divided the main floor into a sales area, a small bakery and afternoon coffee area and large commercial kitchen.

FARMtastic Heritage Foods Hub has now become a restaurant and bakery that promotes artisan culinary art, a concept that, according to their brochures, "looks at food as a nutritionally dense and beautiful product, which is the needed fuel to maintain vibrant health." They prepare their menu items with locally sourced seasonal produce and grains, all while supporting local farmers and the local economy to provide their customers with the ultimate healthy dining experience.

The certified kitchen and restaurant opened March 1, and the Petrovic's continue to expand the use of local farm products through the artisan bakery and unique menu items. They also provide catering, event hosting, education and community outreach. Their customers have requested cooking classes for help in using the bounty of fresh produce and they are planning to incorporate those educational classes into their services when the vegetables start coming in.

The quality of their food is proven in the taste of the food they serve and the menu continually changes in response to the availability of products. On this particular day, the menu included a beautiful salad with greens freshly picked that morning. It was fresh and flavorful and so beautifully garnished with pretty bachelor button petals. The homemade soups, fresh baked breads, cookies, scones, cheesecakes and other luscious desserts make it a place you will want to try.

Their store hours are changing due to customer demand, and they will also be open on Saturdays from noon to 7 p.m. Now, even if you work during the week, you can still make a trip to Anamoose. Go! You will not be disappointed!

For more information, hours and current menu offerings, search for FARMtastic Heritage Foods Hub on Facebook.