Tag Archives: food choices

Simple Rhubarb Cake Recipe

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Alrighty, folks…here it is, my first actual recipe post! (I did these flowers for Mother’s Day, but it was more of a craft than a recipe.)

Since I’ll be teaming up with Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks and The Real Farmwives of America and Friends, I better get my apron on and get to practicing my skills, so that some poor soul doesn’t end up following me into kitchen chaos!

My first recipe will be a super simple rhubarb cake. Here are the ingredients:

3 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1 cup sugar

1 yellow box cake mix

1 pt. whipping cream (heavy cream)

9 X 13 pan

Yeah, simple, right??? Thought I should start out easy.

Here’s my rhubarb –

I picked 10 stalks, but only used 5 to get 3 cups of rhubarb.

 

 

My ingredients...all lined up! Super simple!

 

 

After you wash and cut up the rhubarb, pour the cup of sugar over the rhubarb and set it aside. (It will help draw the juices out of the rhubarb and make it sweeter!)

3 cups of rhubarb, 1 cup of sugar = yummy!!!

 

 

Then, make your cake mix according to the instructions on the box.

Yellow cake...all mixed up!

 

 

Then, simply sprinkle your rhubarb mixture over the top of the cake. Pour the cream over the top of that. And bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes.

Top off the cake mix with the rhubarb mix.

 

 

Next, pour the whipping cream over the top of it all.

 

 

Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes...and voila!

 

 

Must have been good, 'cuz my taste tester had to have a whole row!

 

I will warn you, the bottom does end up pudding-like. To serve it all pretty and nice, you would have to serve it upside down somehow. But for now, I’m not at all concerned about presentation, just that it comes out of the oven actually looking like it’s supposed to! Big score for me!

Next I may try something that requires more scratch than box…we’ll see how adventurous I get.

Any suggestions???

Preparing for fall

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It’s raining…again. And although we have a few acres planted, my husband isn’t in the best of moods. He would like to have had more in the ground, but guess what? That’s the nature of the business. So while we’re down, this is what I’ll be doing:

https://secure.apps.state.nd.us/gnf/onlineservices/lic/public/online/lot/lotterypurchase.htm

That’s the link to applying for your deer license, if you’re going to hunt in North Dakota. And I would like everyone to click on it and apply.

Game and Fish has REDUCED the number of licenses this year by almost 7,000 across the state. That’s right, I said reduced. As in subtracted. As in they believe the numbers are getting too low. As in give-me-a-break.

In my perfect world scenario, every single license would be purchased, and every single one would be filled. (They usually expect about half of them to be filled.) If Game and Fish are technically going to “contract” out this many deer, than let’s take them out. And remember, even if you don’t care much for venison, you can always DONATE the meat! (Or donate money so that meat can be donated!)

Game and Fish claim that the last three winters were rough, causing great losses. I agree that the winters were rough, but the management of resources and habitat was severely lacking. And their solutions to the problem were to basically do nothing for the animal, just try to avert the problem from the land owner. Apparently doing nothing is easiery than even attempting anything else suggested.

And this is what you end up with:

The deer died in and on our feed supply for our cattle.

 
And if you know of some young hunters, who are looking for a successful first hunt, send them our way. My husband would LOVE to see some young hunters come and hunt on our land. He’s even talking about setting up soem deer stands, just for the “apprentice” hunters to get a chance at having a successful season.
I’m filling out my application on the wet, rainy day…and I hope you are too. I hope to see you this fall, with my blaze orange on!

The only planting around here…

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Just like most of the state, our area has been too wet to plant. And although this week has seen more and more fields getting going, our planter is still parked in the shop, getting ready to go. So this is the planting that I did this weekend:

Part of our new garden project will include Spaghetti Squash for George to eat through the winter.

 

Our garden is taking on a new role this year. You see, with George not being able to consume much for protein, that really, really, really limits his diet. So I decided that instead of spending a ton of money on frozen and canned fruits and veggies, that I would try to supplement his diet with our own home-grown veggies.

Spaghetti squash will replace his noodles, I’ve started some sugar snap peas, some watermelon and I will get a few packs of other veggies and fun stuff at the greenhouse this week. I can’t wait!

I started these seeds inside a few weeks ago, but they’re outgrowing my containers and the garden isn’t ready yet for them to go outside. So I transplanted them this weekend.

I'm new to all this, so these are my chosen tools for the year.

 

I, of course, needed some extra soil.

 

The bottom is what I started with, and the finished product transplanted at top!

 

I even planted a few flowers in a hanging basket. I know, it's scary for me too!

 
OK, so in the last week or so, I’ve baked, I’ve crafted and now I’m gardening. I think Mark’s going to be glad I started this whole blogging thing!
 
Now, to only figure out how to organize…

Feeding Families, Meating Needs

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The North Dakota Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers have come up with a program called “Feeding Families, Meating Needs.” In essence, they are arranging for donations of livestock or wildlife (or even money to cover the processing costs!), to be processed and distributed through the Great Plains Food Bank and Community Action’s Sportmen Against Hunger. What a GREAT program!

With the deer issues that we had this spring, we are looking at changing some of our management plans. We realize we need to handle our hay differently, we need to be more proactive and we need to be creative with our solutions. And so we shall.

Step one, I’m going to promote this program fully. How many people apply for a deer license and intend only to shoot a trophy deer, not concerned about the meat, because they don’t want to go through the hassle? How many pounds of venison is wasted every year? How many families could that feed? Let’s change that!

Here’s the scoop (and pay attention, because this is important stuff!):

Livestock – If you want to donate livestock, you need to contact Ann Pollert at Community Action, Sportsmen Against Hunger, to make arrangements. Processing will be done by approved facilities, and (if donated locally) meat will be distributed back to the region it came from. To contact Ann, call (701) 232-2452 or email annp@sendcaa.org .

Wildlife – You will need to contact the nearest approved processor on the Sportsmen Against Hunger list to verify that there are funds or vouchers available to cover the processing.

Money – This whole idea won’t go far without monetary donations to cover the cost of processing. Just to give you an idea, the processing charge for deer is estimated at somewhere between $50-55, beef is generally estimated at $40 per head plus 45 cents per pound on hanging weight, and then an additional 20 cents to grind. It all adds up quickly, and monetary donations will ensure the food banks receive these meat donations.

This food drive started in April, and will run through January 13, 2012. I am urging you to consider contributing, either through your successful hunting endeavors, an animal donation, or money to cover the costs of processing.

I’m going to bringing this up from time to time, especially as the deadline nears for deer license applications in North Dakota. Instead of applying for buck only, why not apply for buck first choice, doe second? Then, if you don’t get your coveted buck tag, you can still shoot a doe, prove your hunting prowess, get some exercise and target practice in, and donate the meat to a good cause?!? Win-win all the way around! (If you’re wondering about my hunting preferences, I normally apply for a gratis tag, which allows me to shoot either buck or doe, as long as it is on our land. In the last four years, I have shot one spike buck and three does…which made some very tasty sausage!)

If you need more information, shoot me a message, or contact Katie Heger (who’s heading up the program for the NDFB Young Farmers and Ranchers). You can get a hold of Katie at skheger6@gmail.com.

And stay tuned for some other ideas that we’ve come up with. We’re not going to go down in this battle with the wildlife without a fight! 🙂

So far, so good

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Last night’s trip here to Rochester was uneventful. We were able to meet up with friends in the Cities and ate at Fogo de Chao’s (a Brazilian all-you-can-eat steakhouse). It was wonderful! But the company was even better. It’s great to meet up with friends and take a moment to relax and enjoy yourself, even if it’s just for an hour or two.

George likes to keep up-to-date on the Royal Wedding details.

Today’s appointment went pretty well. The blood draw part went better than expected. It usually takes several tries and a few different pokers. But this morning was a one-time shot. It was great! (Maybe the extra flesh on his bones has helped?)

Then we were off to see the dietician. She had good news for us, telling us that his ammonia level had dropped by almost half. (Proof that the diet is truly working.) They want to see it below 20 and we hit 18. Yay, George!

Boss Man was a little disappointed. He asked her if George would someday be able to enjoy a hamburger with the family. She burst his bubble when she told him, “Probably not.” He’s holding out hope that maybe a slider wouldn’t count as a full burger, so I’ll let him live with that dream for awhile.

The surprising news? She told us to start watching calories. Yeah, imagine that. We’ve been struggling with putting on weight, fighting for every pound. Now she tells us to back off. That’s just medicine for you, always changing.

His heighth has hit the 41st percentile, but weight is now at a whopping 93rd percentile. From a boy that was born at over the 95th percentile, then dropping off the chart, we’re now where a Wagner boy normally resides…well into the top of the charts! What a blessing!

We travel economically. Make-do cribs! (Just kidding!) 🙂

I’ll let you know how tomorrow goes. It’s snowing now, so we’ll see how our trip home progresses…if the docs don’t change our plans.

Here is Ag Book of the Day 12, a suggested reading by my sister-in-law. I don’t own this book, but it will definitely be added to our farm library!

A Brand Is Forever

“A Brand is Forever” by Ann Herbert Scott. It’s about a young girl who has a pet heifer, and she’s nervous about branding hurting her pet. The book explains why we brand, and walks through the process. What a great book for those that are familiar with branding, as well as someone who is questioning why we brand! (I think this would work for the parents, as well as the child!)

I’d love to hear any other suggestions! And thank you, for all the thoughts, prayers and support. It’s been a long ride, but we’re keeping our heads above water!

Reflecting (Ag Book of the Day 10)

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I’ve been reading more and more situations lately, where churches and others are making broad statements regarding farming, and the decisions that farmers should make.

I have a real hard time with that. I do not know of one farmer that would ever make a decision, based solely on financial gain, without thinking to the future or what will happen to their land if they abuse or misuse it. Yet, those are the implications that are made everyday by some that are not actually physically involved in production agriculture. Now, I’m not so naive as to think that those types of farmers/ranchers don’t exist, but we can’t cast down all of agriculture for them, can we?

Well, I don’t want to delve too deeply into it today, because it’s Friday, and it’s snowing, and I’m already in a bad mood. But I want to bring your attention to a blog I wrote about it a little while back…and I still stand behind it today. What if these tools have been given to us to use? What if technology isn’t an “accident” at all? Hmmm…

Anyway…on to Ag Book of the Day 10:

Today, I went with an old stand-by…not because I don’t have any others to choose from, but because I have it on my Kindle. How’s that for combining traditional ag-themed children’s books and modern technology??? Without further ado, welcome to

“Old McDonald Had a Farm” and it’s now available wirelessly! 🙂
not only does it have great illustrations (if you have the original version, the illustrations are definitely funnier, and not so politically correct!), but it also teaches young children about the sounds of the farm, and how busy it can be! And who can forget one of the greatest nursery rhymes of all time???
I just had to throw this one in the mix, since it is on my Kindle. Next week I’ll be back to more obscure and lesser-known books, but for now…ENJOY!

Industrial-sized love

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Yesterday, I overheard…hmmmm…over-read?…What would you call it if you caught a tweet that wasn’t directed TO you, but was about you? Well, anyway, that happened.

Someone claimed that a majority of farmers/ranchers involved in social media are “industrial ag.” (Particularly those that have ever participated in a Tuesday-night Twitter chat called #agchat.) I took offense to that. I’ve participated in several of these “chats,” where questions are asked and answered. No one claims to be an expert, no one claims to have all the answers, it’s just a discussion. The point is to connect the consumer to the producer. Sounds great, right?

Well, apparently someone off in cyber-world doesn’t want this conversation to take place. Perhaps it’s someone who enjoys causing trouble, or someone who profits from discontent. But when you accuse me and my friends of being something we’re not, you better back up your accusations with specific definitions, numbers, acres, parameters, etc.

I asked this particular person what “industrial ag” meant. And of course, received no response. Apparently throwing out terms and accusations is enough. Planting seeds of doubt seems to be the game, while we’re all busy planting real seeds…you know, the kind that feed the people who question our motives.

So, I’ve decided to delve into the definition of industrial ag, and see if I can come up with my own answers. I know quite a few people who have participated in the #agchat conversation on Twitter, and they have operations very similar to mine. So let’s get started:

Industrial – definition –

adjective

  1. having the nature of or characterized by industries
  2. of, connected with, or resulting from industries
  3. working in industries
  4. of or concerned with people working in industries
  5. for use by industries: said of products

noun

  1. a stock, bond, etc. of an industrial corporation or enterprise: usually used in pl.
  2. Rare a person working in industry
  3. a form of dance music characterized by pulsating rhythms, fragmented vocal lines, and distorted electronic sounds including urban sound effects

OK, so the definition doesn’t tell me much. I mean, according to the definition, anyone involved in agriculture is industrial…because we’re involved in the industry. But I don’t think that’s the connotation that was shot for when the comment was made. So let’s look at the operation:

They're oldies, but goodies.

Perhaps our state-of-the-art, vintage methods of combining our crops make us industrial?

This is the house I grew up in.

My house

Or maybe it was the silver-spoon I was raised with?

Future Farmer

EJ already knows he has big shoes to fill!

Or maybe it’s our hired men…there are four of them, you know. They don’t get paid much, but their benefits are extraordinary!

It takes all types...of equipment, that is.

Maybe it’s our specialized equipment we use?

Great us of advertising!

I took this ad out of the middle pages of a farm magazine, because EJ wanted to farm it.

Or the land we farm?

Little brother (George), looking up to his big brother, wanting to farm, just like him.

But I’m guessing it’s none of these things. I’m guessing that the reason people are casting doubts on our industry, and those of us doing what we can to protect and promote this way of life that we love, is that we’re cutting into their bottom line. Casting doubt on agriculture and spreading fear and lies about food, fuel and fiber is big business. And if we’re putting some of those questions and fears to rest, then we’re putting some people out of business.

I guess I might get a little cranky about that too.

If YOU have any questions about your food, fuel or fiber, feel free to ask! I’ll do what I can to answer, show you how we do it, explain why, whatever it may be. And if I can’t answer, I have friends across the world, involved in every aspect of agriculture, that are more than willing to do the same.

We have an industrial-sized love for agriculture…and we LOVE to share!

Looking to the future

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Maybe I should actually title this post, “Looking FOR the future.” What do I mean? Well, once again, I was reading in a farm publication. (I think I need to quit doing that.) It was a very, very, very small brief. It was buried back in the regional news section on page 36 of AgWeek. And it stated that North Dakota is down 100 farms last year from the year before. (Statistics from the USDA’s Agricultural Statistics Service.)

Now, 100 farms doesn’t seem like a whole lot, but since agriculture IS North Dakota’s No. 1 industry, it should mean something to someone…and it should mean a lot more than a three-sentence blip in the back of a publication.

Again, I get that statistics get skewed in the whole picture. Some of the farms could have been non-existent for years, but were missed in the whole red-tape, paper-shuffle mess that we call government. But 100 farms is 100 farms. (To be fair, percentage-wise, that’s less than 1/2 of 1%.)

If you aren’t aware of the problem facing our world, we are gaining more and more people, and losing more and more farms and farmers. Any good statistician will tell you that those statistics don’t factor well for the future.

Perhaps the story of farm numbers dwindling should rank a little higher than page 36.

Only if you like to eat.

Blame game

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I’ve been trying to catch up on some reading, which isn’t an easy task with little ones suffering from cabin fever. But an article that ran on the front page of last week’s AgWeek really got me to thinking.

You see, I’ve been repeatedly told on numerous websites, blogs, article comments, etc., that part of the blame for our country becoming increasingly obese is the amount of meat that is consumed…namely, beef.

Yet, according to the cover article (and facts, stats from the USDA), beef consumption in the U.S. is down by almost 20 pounds per person since 1985. That’s right, our country may be becoming more obese, but the amount of beef consumed can’t possibly be the cause.

This is how our beef gets from pasture to plate.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not shocked by this information. I never bought into the argument that consuming beef is the issue with an ever-growing America. But it was interesting to actually see the numbers, right there, in black and white.

So, the next time someone tries to tell me that my family’s herd is part of the problem, not a solution, I’ll just kindly remind them of all the great-tasting, quickly-prepared cuts of lean meats available, and merrily go about my way.

You just can’t argue with ignorance.

Where’s the beef?

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So, if you’ve heard the news lately, Taco Bell is being sued because someone was reading labels and decided that having less than 35% beef in your “beef taco” meant that a certain company wasn’t being very truthful in their advertising.
 
In response to the lawsuit, Taco Bell ran an ad across the country. It was a very bold ad, and as far as I’m concerned the ad made sure that I will never, ever again step foot into a Taco Bell…unless it’s to use the bathroom.
 
The ad started with the bold headline, “Thank You for suing us.” It then went on to explain why they use additives in their taco product and what is used in their “special recipe.” So why would that bug me? Well, the second paragraph starts off with, “Plain ground beef tastes boring.” Excuse me?
 
Perhaps they should buy higher-quality meat if they think it tastes boring…or maybe they should take a cooking class or two. Now, granted, not a lot of people would eat browned ground beef without some spices, mainly salt, pepper, onions, etc. And when making tacos, I would think that using taco seasoning would make sense to most.
 
Here’s my beef: I make tacos regularly for my boys. They LOVE them. I use ground beef and taco seasoning. I use a little water. It tastes GREAT, and in the process I have never used oats, or any other additive that would add a large amount of substance to my meat. And to claim that you have to, in order for tacos to taste good…I have problems with that.
 
The ad goes on to say: “The only reason we add anything to our beef is to give our meat flavor and quality. Otherwise we’d end up with nothing more than the bland flavor of ground beef, and that doesn’t make for great-tasting tacos.”
 
What???
 
Are you kidding me? Seriously? OK, I get that in order to make taco filling in large quantities, they probably add in a little extra here and there to help it stretch. I get that, I do. But don’t blame the beef. Be honest and tell your public that higher-quality beef costs more. That you’re adding other things so that your costs stay lower. Tell them the truth, not some spin.
 
I’d offer to show Taco Bell how to make a mean taco…without using anything but taco seasoning, some water and some really great-tasting ground beef. But I don’t think they’re very interested in actually improving their recipe.
 
Well, I didn’t stop at Taco Bell very often, but I will never stop there again. And my suggestion to other businesses in the food service industry…if you find yourself in a bind, don’t blame the ingredients. It makes you look like a fool. And whatever you do…
 
don’t blame the beef.