Upcoming Events
Apple Picking Volunteer Opportunity
Come help the Living Earth Center harvest apples for the School Sisters of Notre Dame at their Good Counsel Orchard.
Everyone Welcome ~ All Ages ~ Family Friendly
All Supplies Provided
Registration is REQUIRED to participate. Please sign up via link below.
PLEASE NOTE: These events are NOT for personal apple picking.
All apples will be donated to the School Sisters, Living Earth Center’s Fall Fest, and for local food security programs.
The Good Counsel Orchards are private property and volunteers are welcome ONLY at times listed above.
Apple Picking Volunteer Opportunity
Come help the Living Earth Center harvest apples for the School Sisters of Notre Dame at their Good Counsel Orchard.
Everyone Welcome ~ All Ages ~ Family Friendly
All Supplies Provided
Registration is REQUIRED to participate. Please sign up via link below.
PLEASE NOTE: These events are NOT for personal apple picking.
All apples will be donated to the School Sisters, Living Earth Center’s Fall Fest, and for local food security programs.
The Good Counsel Orchards are private property and volunteers are welcome ONLY at times listed above.
October Community Volunteer Day at the Farm
You are invited to join us at the Community Farm for an evening of volunteering!
Many hands make light work, we will be weeding, turning compost and doing general farm maintenance tasks with...
***BONUS***
Dinner provided by LEC!
The Community Farm is home to our Produce Donation Program, all food grown is donated to local community partners such as ECHO Food Shelf, MY Place, and the St Peter Food Shelf.
You will be making a difference and helping to feed YOUR community.
Registration is not required but appreciated for meal planning.
Fall Farm Fest
Join us at the Blue Earth County Community Farm for our annual celebration of the end of the harvest season and welcome the arrival of fall!
We will have the cider press out and will be making fresh apple cider! Enjoy some on the spot and bring a container to take some home for later.
The afternoon will also feature tours of the Community Farm, fall-themed crafts, yard games, snacks, and more!
Everyone is welcome!!
Bring the whole family for an afternoon of fun!
Event is FREE, with free-will donations to Living Earth Center gratefully accepted.
Preregistration is not required but is appreciated.
Apple Picking Volunteer Opportunity
Come help the Living Earth Center harvest apples for the School Sisters of Notre Dame at their Good Counsel Orchard.
Everyone Welcome ~ All Ages ~ Family Friendly
All Supplies Provided
Registration is REQUIRED to participate. Please sign up via link below.
PLEASE NOTE: These events are NOT for personal apple picking.
All apples will be donated to the School Sisters, Living Earth Center’s Fall Fest, and for local food security programs.
The Good Counsel Orchards are private property and volunteers are welcome ONLY at times listed above.
Apple Picking Volunteer Opportunity
Come help the Living Earth Center harvest apples for the School Sisters of Notre Dame at their Good Counsel Orchard.
Everyone Welcome ~ All Ages ~ Family Friendly
All Supplies Provided
Registration is REQUIRED to participate. Please sign up via link below.
PLEASE NOTE: These events are NOT for personal apple picking.
All apples will be donated to the School Sisters, Living Earth Center’s Fall Fest, and for local food security programs.
The Good Counsel Orchards are private property and volunteers are welcome ONLY at times listed above.
20th Annual Earth Conference
For 20 years, the Earth Conference has brought people together to exchange ideas, inspire action, and build relationships rooted in conservation, community well-being, and Earth stewardship in the Mankato area.
As our world grows more uncertain and injustice threatens the foundations of the communities we love, the need for unity and collaboration has never been more urgent. We believe that true strength lies in coming together, across sectors, disciplines, and lived experiences, to shape a resilient, caring future for Mankato.
That’s why, at this year’s 20th Earth Conference, we’re taking a bold next step: laying the foundation for a Mankato Area Earth Coalition. A new, locally rooted alliance of individuals and organizations committed to a healthy planet and a healthy community.
This coalition is being designed to facilitate powerful synergy to the great work already being done by local groups, amplifying missions, aligning strategies, and creating a shared movement for lasting, systemic change in our region.
At the conference, we’ll work together to co-create the coalition’s structure, guiding principles, communication approaches, and a roadmap for what comes next, so the momentum we build together continues long after the event ends.
If you or your organization is ready to connect, collaborate, and co-create a stronger, more just Mankato, we invite you to take your seat at the table. Join us at the Earth Conference, and help shape a future that cares for all.
Conference Schedule:
8:30am - Check-In, Coffee & Muffins
8:45am - Welcome & Opening Reflection
9:00am - Coalition Framing & Conversations
11:50am - Lunch
12:45pm - Open Space Discussions
2:45pm - Next Steps & Commitments
3:20pm - Wrap Up
Tickets: $50 pre-registration/$60 at the door
Student Tickets: $15
(student scholarships are available, email info@livingearthcentermn.org for scholarship info)
Winter Solstice Celebration
Join us as we celebrate the shortest day of the year and welcome back the light with community reflection and bonfires.
Time TBD, more details to come.
LEC News and Updates
With tomato season just around the corner we thought we would re-share this recipe for Fresh Tomato Bruschetta shared originally by our Executive Director Laura Marsala Peterson back in September of 2020:
I recently made this simple recipe for a small outdoor gathering and multiple people asked how to make it. I was almost embarrassed to tell them because it was so easy didn't want to blow my gourmet chef cover! Nonetheless, if you have tomatoes, this easy summer recipe is definitely one you want in your wheelhouse!
Through a Grow-a-Farmer Grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Fund and Region 9 Development Commission, LEC was able to purchase a new irrigation system for the Blue Earth County Community Farm. The old system had been installed in 2021, when LEC took over management of the Community Farm and was showing its age.
"The old system was dated and comprised of a lot of rigid tubing that was starting to wear out and tear," said Community Farm Manager SkyAnne Walker. "Those tears were leaking and we were both losing water pressure in other areas of the system and having water spurting out and creating little ponds at the tears. In addition, it was cumbersome to match up the tubing to the correct rows and there wasn't a lot of room for customization."
The new system is comprised of multiple valves and flexible tubing, allowing more control over which areas are being watered...
The summer season of Seed to Sauce is in full swing at both the Community Garden and Farm. The program has seen incredible growth this year with past participants continuing and new groups reaching out, wanting to be a part of the program.
"Already after just one year, teachers have heard about Seed to Sauce and are reaching out to us asking to bring the program to their classrooms," said LEC Program Manager Cora Uyigue. "It highlights the need for hands-on, outdoor learning for our students...
