MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — With his horses in the corral and a gaggle of geese on the ground, organic farmer Steven Schwen lives life about as basic as one can get. He’s been living off the land for more than 35 years, stocking the shelves of his Oak Center Country Store south of Lake City.
“We have potatoes, beets, carrots and onions, all kinds of organic stuff to sell,” Schwen said.
What he doesn’t need for his store customers, Schwen will pack up and make weekly deliveries to organic food co-ops and restaurants in the Twin Cities.
It was on just such a trip last Wednesday to the East Side Co-op, when Schwen came out and discovered his delivery van had been stolen.
Inside the 1994 Ford Clubwagon were his checkbooks and registers for his business. To make matters worse, Schwen had just picked up a load of fresh bread to stock his own store’s shelves.
“It’s sleepless nights ever since,” he said. “This is what we depend on this to get our stuff to the farmer’s markets and deliver our produce all winter long.”
Six sleepless nights later came the surprise phone call that he’d hoped for. Minneapolis Police had discovered Schwen’s van abandoned on a street in north Minneapolis.
Oak Center General Store would soon get its wheels back — hopefully, no worse for the wear.
Laughs an excited Schwen, “We’re hoping it will last a couple more years. Farming organically is low budget.”
