Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Celebrating diversity past & present in southern Minnesota April 14, 2025

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:00 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
This photo, taken during a car show in downtown Faribault, shows the diversity of my community. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

WALK THROUGH THE HEART of downtown Faribault and you’ll see diversity. Diversity in businesses. Diversity in the people who live here. It’s a beautiful thing, at least to me.

A banner in Faribault’s historic district features a vintage photo outside a local business. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

We need only look back to the founding of Faribault to understand the diversity which existed from the very beginning. Immigrants from around the world settled here, set up shop, engaged in business and grew this community. The shoemakers. The brewers. The furniture builders. The general store proprietors. The barbers. And on and on. They were as diverse as their skills. They shaped this place.

Faribault is the richer for those individuals and families who left their homelands, crossed the ocean, bringing their hopes and dreams to America. With the exception of Indigenous Peoples, we can mostly all trace our ancestry to a land a long ship ride away.

Somali men visit in downtown Faribault. My community is home to a sizeable Somali population, some of whom live downtown. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2024)

Today our newest Faribault residents arrive mostly by plane. From Somalia. From Sudan. From Venezuela. From Mexico. And elsewhere. Many have fled worn-torn countries. Unimaginable atrocities. Their losses, their heartache, their pain is beyond what anyone should have to endure. But they have managed. They settle in, set up shop in our community, work in our local factories gutting turkeys and more, shingle our houses, cook and serve us their delicious cuisine… They work hard to rebuild their lives here in southern Minnesota. And I am glad to have them here as an integral part of my community.

Among the colorful merchandise at Mercado Local. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2024)

In neighboring Northfield, a downtown shop, Mercado Local, vends the art, crafts and more of artisans from Latin America and Hispanic backgrounds. Under the umbrella of Rice County Neighbors United, a nonprofit supporting the immigrant and refugee communities of Northfield, Mercado Local has flourished, serving as a marketplace, arts center (I’ve read poetry here) and community gathering space.

(Promo courtesy of Mercado Local)

From 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, Mercado Local is hosting a fundraiser for this nonprofit which aims to “empower immigrant entrepreneurs to thrive.” There will be updates, raffles, promotions, Loteria (like BINGO) and, of course, Mexican food. Even if you can’t make the event, I encourage you to pop into the marketplace. Just being inside this small space with all its colorful art and wares makes me happy. That’s one of the things I appreciate about Hispanic and Latino culture—the vivid colors. And I rather like the food, too.

A flag ceremony at a past International Festival in Faribault featured national anthems and information about some of the countries from which Faribault residents have originated. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

To have a diverse community is to experience the world up close, to widen our circle and understanding of others. Yet, no matter our skin color, our language, our customs, our dress, our roots, we are all just people. Individuals who laugh and cry and love and live. Now, together, we are growing our communities in new, exciting and diverse ways, just like those who crossed the ocean all those years ago to settle in America.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Dilly Beans, pumpkins & more at Meriden roadside market October 25, 2021

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Teb’s Food Stand in Meriden. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

FROM 7 am – 6 pm DAILY, Louise tends a tiny produce stand along a paved road in the unincorporated northwestern Steele County settlement of Meriden.

A peek inside Teb’s roadside stand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

That’s where I met her on a recent mid-October Sunday afternoon—outside a shed the size of an outhouse. Louise lives right next door to Teb’s Food Stand, a seasonal business owned by her friend, Teborah Kath. Teb, she noted, was likely, in that moment, busy canning vegetables at her nearby country home.

Teb’s canned Cherry Tomato Mix is almost like a work of art. Beautiful. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

Garden-fresh and canned vegetables define the bulk of inventory tucked inside this hand-built shed constructed of salvaged wood, galvanized metal and a modern front door.

Teb’s Dilly Beans. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)
Another jolt of color in canned peppers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)
An assortment of Teb’s homemade pickles. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

Here quart and pint jars edge shelves. Green beans pack tightly inside jars labeled Dilly Beans. Rich red tomato sauce colors Teb’s salsa. Oranges and reds and yellows mix inside jars of Cherry Tomato Mix and Peppers, splashing vibrant autumn hues. For pickle lovers, Teb crafts dill and bread & butter pickles.

Teb sells more than canned and fresh produce. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

She also sells baked goods—I spotted a singular package of bread. Next to the face masks, accessories and scrubbies.

Lots of squash options. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)
Smallish pumpkins splash color into a corner. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)
Bundled corn on a shelf. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

Seasonal fresh produce is sold here, too, and artfully staged. Piles of assorted squash fill metal tubs. Pumpkins hug a corner near the door. Decorative corn and gourds rest on shelves. And outside more pumpkins and a collection of mum plants define this as a seasonal mini marketplace.

Prices & mark-downs. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

Chatting with Louise, who stepped aside when I started taking photos, proved a delight. Considering her 11-hour days at this less-than-busy location, I asked how she passes the time. Reading? She’s not much of a reader, she said, referencing her farm upbringing and the need to stay physically active. Sometimes she leaves temporarily to do chores at home—like mowing her lawn. Or sometimes she simply has other things going on that take her away from the roadside stand.

If Louise isn’t there, just leave your payment in the locked box. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

A handwritten sign next to a locked honor system box directs customers to go next door or call Louise with questions. But don’t count on her having change. She doesn’t. I purchased two squash for $4, almost $5.

Gourds for fall decor. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

In addition to this small town produce stand, Teb also sells her garden and craft and baked goods at the Owatonna Farmers’ Market. Sales are good, even at the remote Meriden location, Louise noted.

The former creamery in Meriden. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

Meriden is one of those rural places perhaps unknown to many. Driving into town, I noticed a former creamery, the brick building in remarkable condition.

Meriden’s grain complex. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

But it is the cluster of mammoth grain bins which landmark Meriden. Homes line the road past the elevator to a dead end, an unwelcome warning sign marking the end of the street.

A slow-moving train moves through Meriden. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

Back at Teb’s Food Stand, conversation halted when a train car and locomotive rolled into town, horn blaring. Soon it reversed course, crossing the tracks again, horn blaring.

Teb’s Food Stand in Meriden. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2021)

By then I’d gathered enough photos and information to craft a story. To write about Lousie and Teb and this tiny produce stand edging a paved road next to a harvested bean field in Meriden, Minnesota.

NOTE: Teb’s Food Stand will close soon for the season, if it’s not already closed.

© Copyright 2021 Audrey Kletscher Helbling