Dream of Wild Health

Our congregation’s Hunger Advocacy and Awareness Group plans an annual field trip to a hunger-related site. One of the places we have visited is Dream of Wild Health farm in Hugo, a place where this intertribal, independent nonprofit (www.facebook.com/dreamofwildhealth) provides Native youth education and leadership which improve the health and well-being of the Twin Cities’ Native youth through culturally-based mentorship, education, leadership and job training. Over 14,000 lbs of produce were harvested summer 2019 at the farm. Produce is distributed to the community through the farmers market, youth and educational programs, chef donations, the Indigenous Food Share (CSA), and to 700 community members at the Indigenous Food Tasting.

They grow some crops from rare indigenous seeds (the “Three Sisters”: corn, beans, and squash) and are part of Seedkeepers Alliance. They have 200+ varieties of indigenous seeds in their collection.

Here’s one of their weekly updates from August 2020:

“Last week we finished our Garden Warriors Session 1. Our youth had a great week of reclaiming traditional relationships with the meat they ate this week. Garden Warriors participated in a fish filleting demo with Chef Peter Vang, an oyster shucking demo with Hope Flanagan and a rabbit hide scraping lesson with Seed Regeneration Supervisor Lucas Humblet. This week Hope Flanagan worked with Zoe, a seasonal farmer, to forage for wild foods. In a partnership with The Food Group, we are working to help bring Indigenous foods to community members in Little Earth.”

Dream of Wild Health has a wonderful cookbook. Here’s a recipe that will make a delicious and healthy meal for your family or perhaps a soup supper at your congregation: