Saturday, June 17, 2023 | Country Acres South • Page 1 PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #278 Madelia, MN 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave Sauk Centre MN 56378
SOUTH Saturday, June 17, 2023
Volume 2, Edition 2
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Lincoln (left) and Eliot Sanner plant strawberries in May at Firefly Berries near Rochester. Dean and Tonya Sanner keep a field in strawberries for two to three years before rotating it with cover crops.
t ee sw
p o r c
A
Sanners raise fruit, dye yarn BY AMY KYLLO STAFF WRITER
ROCHESTER – Small, white strawberry flowers blooming in fields, stately twining grapes and the serene blue of Silver Creek Reservoir in the dis-
tance create a peaceful scene at Firefly Berries. Dean and Tonya Sanner bought what is now Firefly Berries in 2010 from retiring fruit farmers who wanted to ensure their farm was
sold to someone who would endeavor for the Sanners and their continue the business. “When we came to four children. Tonya look at it, it felt more said they had a parlike we were being inter- ticularly challenging infestation of thistles viewed,” Tonya said. Today, they raise most- their first year. Their ly strawberries, Concord crew of children, who grapes and raspberries but were 7 and under, took up also have apricots, tart the task of weeding. cherries, plums, pears, crab “We paid them 10 apples, elderberries and cents for every two that honeyberries. Besides fruit, they pulled,” she said. “Afthey dye wool yarn with ter the first day, my husband flowers and fruit juices. realized that was not going For Tonya, the farm to work because they could provided part of the life- pull a lot of thistles for the style she and Dean want- short amount of time even ed for their children. though they were little.” “To have someNow, they pay an thing that I can grow hourly rate plus a matching my own and the kids contribution to their coland I could do togeth- lege fund. er,” she said. “That’s a Tonya smiles when big part of why we do it, she remembers her early too, because it’s good ex- naïveté around weeding. perience for the kids.” The previous owners of the The farm is a family farm kept track of the hours
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Strawberries glow ruby red in containers at Firefly Berries near Rochester. The Sanners made the decision to switch their operation entirely to pre-picked this season.
spent weeding and had given them one of their journal logs. She said she assumed there were so many hours recorded because the couple was getting older. She was wrong. Since they do not utilize spray for chemical weed control, weeding is key. Their three youngest children get up around 6 PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO a.m. and weed for three Skeins of Berry Fun Yarn rest May 31 on a straw bale at Firefly hours every day. Dean, Berries near Rochester. Tonya Sanner has dyed 50 to 70 colors of who works full time at yarn with her homemade dyes. IBM, manages the weeding
ST R
Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
This month in the
COUNTRY:
Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on July 1, 2023
schedule for the children and helps with weeding outside of his job. Much of the weeding is done by hand, but they also have hoes and utilize a tractor-powered weeder. The Sanners, who have about 1.5 acres of strawberries, made the decision to stop the pickyour-own system on their farm this year and switch entirely to prepicked.
Sanners page 2
4
Disasters in the kitchen Amy Kyllo column
9
Regenerating their family legacy Caledonia
5
Blondies carves its place Wanamingo
13 A permaculture of sustainability Wabasha