A yellow school bus pulled into Farmamerica on August 19, unloading waves of eager—and undoubtedly hungry—young explorers ready for the season’s final Kids Club event.
More than 110 children and chaperones filled the grounds for the summer finale, including group visits from Creative Minds out of North Mankato, alongside Kids Co and Wrap from New Prague. Combining elements from previous popular sessions—Barnyard and Garden Explorers—the interactive day offered youth a hands-on, taste-first dive into how local agriculture moves from field to plate.
According to Farmamerica Director Jessica Rollins, the event was designed to celebrate local agriculture while teaching practical food literacy through history, interactive activities, and fresh flavors.
The farm-to-fork path began at the historic 1850s homestead, where students sampled small portions of root beer and preserved beef sticks. The snack doubled as a history lesson: guides explained how 19th-century families brewed root beer using backyard herbs and spices, while salting and smoking meats served as crucial preservation techniques long before modern refrigeration. The sweet and syrupy root beer paired well with the savory beef.
Further down the trail, young participants rolled up their sleeves for a interactive sourdough workshop. Armed with miniature rolling pins, the children worked dough made from farm-gathered staples like flour, eggs, and water. The hands-on experience showed them how simple, raw ingredients transform a small ball of dough into pizza crusts, cinnamon rolls, or fresh bread.
The sensory journey continued in the Gosen Family Orchard, where kids plucked fresh Honeycrisp, Gala, and Granny Smith apples directly from the branches. The tartness of the Granny Smith apples provided a refreshing twist, but it was the nearby garden’s homemade pickle station that drew the most dramatic reactions—wrinkled noses and puckered faces gave way to cheerful reviews, with one young visitor deeming the briney crunch “very yummy good.”
Beyond the tasting stations, the event emphasized community commerce. Each child received three “Farmamerica Dollars” to spend at a specially constructed mini market. The bustling pop-up featured fresh produce and goods donated by more than eight local businesses, including Sun Honey LLC, Mason’s Sweet Corn, and Tattooed Baker.
Baskets overflowed with locally grown pears, peaches, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes, alongside jarred honey, homemade jams, cornbreads, and trail mixes. Carefully calculating their choices, the children filled small grocery bags to take home, alongside a complimentary snack bag filled with popcorn, pretzels, and chocolate chips.
To round out the culinary offerings, Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm joined the festivities, firing up 10-inch wood-fired pizzas made with local ingredients, offering options like cheese, pepperoni, and pizza fries.
The agricultural celebration concluded with an iconic staple of Minnesota farming: sweet corn. Kari Wadd—of both Farmamerica and Mason’s Sweet Corn— served up hot, freshly buttered bundles of corn to the crowd. As the event drew to a close, the rhythmic crunch of kernels filled the picnic area—a fitting sound to cap off a summer of agricultural discovery and community connections.
