This Betty Serves Pie — And A Whole Lot More — From Her St. Paul Garden

Betty Lauterman's garden in St. Paul, Minnesota is full of colorful flowers and more than 40 types of food.

The Betty Lauterman Garden in St. Paul is a lush garden dedicated to the common good.

Road. PAUL, Minnesota. - On a weekend in mid-August, buyers flock to the Saint-Paul corridor for a small farmers' market.

The incentive to arrive early is not only the freshest produce, it also increases the chances of walking away with one of my homemade cakes. And no, that's not the fame of Betty from Harbor Pies.

Instead, these pies are baked by Betty Lotterman, who hosts arcade markets and makes fresh baked goods from the produce she grows. The muffins and blueberry muffins were the highlight of the day.

"I like pancakes because they're not too sweet," said neighbor Kim Strain, who shops there and has a better business model. “Betty is interested in growing organic produce and producing zero waste. He believes that everyone has the right to good food.”

To Strain and others who shop there, Lotterman, nicknamed the "Pie Lady," is known for more than her baked goods.

Lauterman uses its grocery license to fulfill its mission of providing neighbors with delicious, healthy, and convenient food using a fee-based business model. Proceeds from the market and other fundraisers benefit a local food bank.

"I'm using it to raise money for a second harvest so it can feed many others as well," said Lauterman, whose dedication to good work won him the 2022-23 Minneapolis Star Tribune Beautiful Gardens contest. .

root

Lauterman grew up gardening with his mother on a farm near Edgerton in southwestern Minnesota. Later, she began experimenting in the kitchen and creating her own recipes using foods from other cultures and places she visited.

Fans of his dishes encourage him to open a restaurant or a bakery. But with three kids and a full-time job teaching Spanish at Mounds View public schools, it all fell apart.

Then, in 2016, as her kids were growing up, recently retired Lauterman started Betty's Business, the perfect way to nurture her love of gardening and continue her philosophy of healthy, convenient eating.

Betty Lauterman uses solar energy to produce food.

Lauterman's backyard in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood is home to more than 40 different types of produce, all grown from Lauterman's seeds with the help of his 5-year-old nephew, Thomas.

"She's been gardening since she was a year old. She knows exactly how to plant and grow things," she said.

Minnesota's native plum and apple trees are thriving, including those that produce Harralsons, which Lauterman says are "great for making apple pie."

Betty Lauterman's garden is filled with colorful flowers and vegetables that she sells in St. Paul, Minnesota.

One Sunday morning, the market across their street reflected what was ripe in the garden. A dozen blueberry muffins and muffins are wrapped and ready to go.

“I baked it this morning,” Lauterman said. "Everything is always fresh."

Canned foods and canned goods were also provided. The apple jelly prawns were alongside herbs like basil, sage, cilantro, mint and thyme and green vegetables like zucchini, cucumber, tomato, onion and garlic. Lauterman regularly offers salsa combos — this week, tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime for the salsa verde — and offers recipe cards.

"Most of the ingredients for the sauce come from my garden," she admits. "I can't grow limes in Minnesota, even though they do wonders."

like a clock

Loterman hosts the Farmers' Market six times during the growing season, approximately every third weekend, and announces the dates through a mailing list and social media. He also runs a small community-supported agricultural project each season, distributing produce to elderly families.

In early June, Lauterman held a seed and plant sale that raised $1,200 for Second Harvest Heartland last year. At the end of the summer, he hosts an annual fundraising dinner with artists in his garden, which is attended by about 60 people. A local musician performs while attendees eat food from Lotterman's garden.

As with his other businesses, Dinner is built on a pay-per-view model. The event also features the work of a local artist displayed in a recycled canopy placed in his garden.

At other times of the year, the bus shelter serves as a rest stop for Lotterman, who rescued him from the corner of Como and Carter avenues during a road construction project.

Betty Lauterman visits a group of people stopping to buy greens, pastries and jelly on Sunday, August 14, 2022 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“As I was cycling through the area, I saw the bus shelter on the back of a large truck. I approached the driver and asked him where the bus shelter was. "For the landfill," he said, filling it with tampons. , an outdoor heat lamp, and cedar planks [It] was in good condition with all those steel, glass, and wood beams.

Betty Lauterman displays homemade pies for sale in front of her home on August 14, 2022 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

It's a way of life

Lauterman wants to keep his garden as green as possible while reducing the use of fossil fuels. She uses no pesticides or herbicides in her garden and the compost comes from an on-site composting process. Using solar energy to process food. He packs the market goods he sells into reusable containers.

Betty Lauterman holds a sign at her small farmers market proclaiming her mission to provide healthy, affordable food.

They are so eco-friendly that they carry everything they need for their garden in a wheelbarrow or wheelbarrow.

“I don't have a car… That means I've developed an ecosystem that doesn't have much to add or take away,” Lauterman said. "I use Nature Cycle to grow amazing fruits and vegetables, as well as beautiful flowers. "Solar panels provide the energy I need."

Betty Lauterman walks through her back yard, which includes an old bus stop that has been turned into a patio, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Your customers, pie or not, couldn't appreciate Lotterman's efforts more.

His former neighbor Paige Harker moves out of her new apartment in Maplewood. Harker was late for pie that August day, but left with wax beans and fresh berries.

"I've been coming here for three years and always come back," Harker said. “It's really the experience and the access to people in the neighborhood. It's a great community."

Betty Lauterman beamed as she brought coffee to visitors on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Betty Lauterman's beautiful, award-winning garden is not only a lush garden, but also serves as a garden for adults. Providing healthy and convenient food to the neighborhood, practicing sustainability and keeping...

© Elizabeth Flores/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS Betty Lauterman beamed as she went for coffee in St. Paul, Minnesota on Sunday, August 14, 2022. Betty Lauterman's winning garden is not just one of many, but also serves as a community vegetable garden. Providing healthy and convenient food to the neighborhood, practicing sustainability and keeping...