From Pasture to Plate: Bringing Local Food Full Circle in the Metro

At first glance, Tangletown Gardens appears to be a comfortable labyrinth of plants, garden decorations and tools. You don't have to go very far inside to see that this store is offering much more than basic garden retail.

Owners Scott Endres and Dean Engelmann offer a variety of food and urban agriculture options to their customers. A family farm, forty minutes outside of the Twin Cities, allows them to provide fresh produce through Community Supported Agriculture. When Liberty Custards closed, they jumped at the opportunity to open a restaurant focused on local food and sourced by their farm in Plato, MN. Named Wise Acre, the restaurant will open in Southwest Minneapolis in May.

Both Endres and Engelmann were raised in farming environments and brought their commitment to sustainable agriculture to the city. For Endres, the emphasis on local produce harks back to the way our grandparents raised and ate food.

Endres, a self-described "plant geek," is always in search of new offerings that city residents can grow in their limited yards. He offers creative solutions to year-round gardening problems, whether for a small decorative patch or a complete urban agriculture system. He even offers squirrel advice (misdirect them with humane products available from your local garden store).

'Ask Me Anything' will run every Wednesday. If you know of experts in your community that we should talk to, please don't hesitate to let us know.