What you do get done IS what matters most!

 

Sunday Share - Yesterday's sunrise taken on The Backroad (4/26/14)

 

 

Often times we get too caught up in trying to get so much done in one day. I know I am guilty of that for sure. I am a task setter, a list maker. It feels great to cross things off my to do list whatever it may be, things on the farm, kids activities, errands to run, craft orders to fill, etc.

But I always don't get everything done.

This quote is a great reminder that it isn't important if you don't get everything done. It's the things you do get done that matter most. Feel proud of the things you did get accomplished in the day. What you do get done IS what matters.

 The others can wait for the next day.

Growing Veggies on Our Farm and You Can Too

My husband and I have always been around growing vegetables. Growing up, my mom always had a good size garden that we ate off of all summer long and even enjoyed homegrown produce after gardening season with stuff she had canned. My husband grandparents and uncle also did the same. There is a long history of growing vegetables in both of our families.

Being on the farm has always been a way of life for us, as we are both come from farm families. In our dating years, we had a small garden that we tended too. After college I was working at a local floral shop and the owner was interested in some straw, and corn shocks for her Fall display. We were able to provide those to her. This was the beginning of Walker Farms where we thought the next year we would grow pumpkins to supply garden shops and retail places with pumpkins to sell. With this we also decided to grow some produce. I don't remember what we started out growing for our first season of produce but this was when we also started selling at the local farmers market.
This was in 2006.

2013 Farmers Market Season

We started with just a small section of land and are now up to 15 acres. We seem to add a little more every year. We grow 8 acres of pumpkins and 7 of produce. We are not a large farm by any means but at a good size right now that we can handle. We sell at the local farmers market and some that are about an hour away. It is so rewarding to hear how people enjoyed the produce they purchased from you and interacting with the public with their questions. It is neat to see people comment "Oh I didn't know on onion grew that way with green stuff coming out the top" or "I didn't know pak choi could be grown around here."

2013 Green Beans

Having a CSA is a large part of our business. We enjoy providing our members with produce they are familiar with and some that they may have not tried before. The following week, I love to hear what they did with their eggplant or kohlrabi, etc. It is nice to share recipes!

2013 Kale

Don't be afraid to grow your own produce if you have space that allows. If not you can even try growing a patio tomato! There's nothing like a fresh tomato right off the vine! I love them!! If you have more than you will eat before they start going bad, can or freeze them. It is a lot of work for some of the vegetables, but you wont regret that you did it when you are enjoying sweet corn, green beans, homemade salsa, and beets in the winter time. The list goes on as to what you can freeze and can. The planting season is just starting or hasn't even in a lot of places, why not give gardening a shot?!

Canning pickles 2013

This is part 3 of a 3 part blog series. Read part 1 here and part 2 here.

Find a Farmers Market/CSA Near You

Are you wanting to join a CSA for fresh weekly produce but not sure if there is a farm close to you that provides a CSA program?

Some of our  CSA shares from 2013 season and Indiana corn and Fall Squash from 2013

Being a CSA member is a great way to get locally grown produce that is fresh and provides members a wide variety of produce to enjoy. It shows support to your local farmer and local economy. CSAs or Community Supported Agriculture programs and farmers markets are on the rise throughout the United States as the population is striving to eat healthier and gain more knowledge about where their food comes from and how it is grown.
A great tool to find farmers markets or produce farms near you are some of the search engines geared towards farms. One being Local Harvest. Here you can search for farms and farmers markets that are local to you. You can also search for a certain product you are looking for, rather it be beef, produce, honey, eggs, and the list goes on. Or you can search for farms, CSAs, or farmers markets by location. With this technology, farms can list their products for a small fee every year and gain advertisement for their farm. Farms can list their CSA information and websites. Farmers markets can be listed with details about the market such as times and vendors. It is a great tool for consumers to find what they are looking for that is local. 

The mobile version of Local Harvest

With consumers so interested in where their food comes from and how it is grown, this provides key examples for farmers to show them using social media. Another great tool for consumers to take advantage of.

With this technology the consumer can see close to first hand the ways that farmers produce their crop. Facebook, Instagram, twitter, websites and blogs all provide ways that the consumer can get a inside view at farm happenings and production. Many farms use one or several forms of these to help advertise and share their product. Find the local farm you buy from on these social media sites and follow them. Farmers post about their daily production. For example, I posted on my Instagram and Facebook page about cutting potatoes today getting them ready to plant. Consumers can use these sites to follow their favorite farms and farms they support. Farms that take advantage of these social media sites like putting the information and photos out there also.

 Facebook and Instagram post today

This post is part of a 3 part series. Part one is here. Check back tomorrow for a little overview of our farm in part 3.

The Old Farmall 560

My guest post to The Farmer's Wifee 

2010 Tractor Parade

 

The other day I was looking through various pictures and reminiscing of fun summer times. (I think I'm trying to help get through these colder temps). One event that takes place for us in several of the past summers is the Antique Tractor Parade at our county fair and is evident in my pictures that it is a big event for us each summer.

Great Grandpa planting w the Farmall 560

The old Farmall 560 is special and we like to show it off. About 10 years ago, the tractor was restored and got a new paint job. My husband is part of the Retired Iron Club here in our county and each year the boys and Scott wash it up and get it ready to display at the fair. Two evenings during fair week, the Retired Iron tractor parade takes place. In our county, there are roughly 25 tractors that go through the parade. Some are show tractors and most are old tractors the members have.  These nights are very exciting for our boys, who have been participating in the parade with Scott for several years now. Each one gets to drive one night of the parade. Not sure what we will do now that we have three children. :)

Washing up the 560

Bought brand new in 1961, primarily for planting purposes by Scott's great grandpa, the Farmall 560 is still going. It has been passed down now through 4 generations and now belongs to our oldest son. Scott has several old family ledgers and paper work from purchases of equipment and other farm items that have been saved for several years. When looking for some old pictures of his great grandpa with the 560, it was neat to look back through some other older items.

Ledgers - the top one dates at 1939 and was Scott's Great Great Grandpa's

We still use this tractor for our produce planting. We hook up our plastic layer and transplanter to it and get our summer crops and pumpkins planted. Family history is important to us and to pass down the information. It is wonderful to share the stories with our kids. Point - Pass down those family farm stories, share the history so it doesn't get lost.

2013 Tractor Parade

National Ag Day 3.25.14

Today is National Ag Day and this week agriculture is being celebrated on a national level as National Ag Week. How can you celebrate??

For those in the Ag industry:

 

Tell Your Stories - tell people how you started in agriculture, share about your production,

 

Share Your Ag Photos - share how agriculture has changed, show how you do things on your farm.

 

AGvocate and Raise Awareness  - there is high interest about how things are grown, answer questions

 

The public want to hear and they are listening.

 

 

 

For consumers:

 

Thank a Farmer

 

Add caption

 

 

2% of the American population provide food for the rest of the population. Even if consumers are not directly tied to agriculture, they still use/eat some form every day. Few people truly understand this and don't know the source of items in their everyday lives.

 

It is extremely important to educate the younger generation as they don't hear as much about agriculture. They need to understand that their food is produced way beyond the grocery store. They need to know that agriculture produces the houses people live in, the food they eat, and provides a large amount of employment for the public.

 

Lets recognize and celebrate the importance of agriculture! Not only today, or this week, but everyday! It truly provides us with great things in life!

 

Do You Wonder Where Your Food Comes From??

Even when there is snow falling, vegetable growth is taking place inside greenhouses and coldframes. Mother Nature seems to be taking full advantage of the Winter season this year as we received another 6 inches of snow this past week. With any luck the Spring will hopefully atleast start on the first day of Spring.

But vegetable production still must go on. We are a little late getting started this year with the propane prices and harsh winter we had, but we do have things growing.

Are you one that often wonders where your food comes from and how it is grown? It seems as that is a growing trend amongst the population today. Consumers are interested in hearing about the growing process and where their food comes from. There are those that want strictly organic or those who want only local. Some only go to a certain grocery store as they have only had luck with the produce or meat there. Then there are those who don't care and buy from anywhere. Whatever the case, there is a lot of interest how food is grown or raised.

Being a small farm produce grower, I have seen this at the farmers markets and talk about how our produce is grown. Our produce is grown naturally and we use organic practices. We are not certified organic. I don't choose an opinion either way as I can understand different sides, but it is important to be well educated on the matter. 

The rising technology to create better crops to help feed the very much growing world is important. From guest speaker Fred Whitford at a Farm Bureau meeting I attended this week "98 % of the population relies on 2% of the population for food." Using GMO seed is beneficial in getting better yield for your crops to provide for the ever rising population numbers. From Farmer Feeds Us, today the American farmer feeds 155 people worldwide. In 1960, one farmer fed 25.8 people.  But on another outlook, I want to provide produce that the consumers are looking for and feed my family as well with growing our produce naturally. 

With today's computer technology, it is easy to learn about different growing practices farms use. Most share their growing practices on their farm websites. The same goes for how beef and pork are raised. If you like to purchase produce from farmers markets, don't be afraid to ask the farmers how they grow. Farmers are proud of their product and don't mind talking about it. With the rise of consumers being more concerned and interested in how their food is grown, it is also important for farmers and producers to be knowledgeable in their farm practices and willing to share them.

Whatever your choice is for what you bring to your dining table, we all have one thing in common. We all need to eat, and there are farmers that produce what will fit best for you.

This is part one of a three part series. Part 2 is here

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

I noticed I had overly ripe bananas on the countertop and I needed to do something with them. Bananas do not last long in our house...usually, but for some reason we didn't eat them as fast this time. I had been planning to make banana bread for a few days but just never got to it yet.

I made a trip to Walmart this week for a quick trip and picked up some breakfast things also, including single serving, prepackaged mini muffins. During the week, the kids usually grab a "on the go" or "packaged item" for breakfast. It just works.
The boys help their self to what they want for breakfast and have no problem getting their own. Then I grab something for the baby. With only 6 packages in the box, they easily disappear fast!
I decided to use the bananas and make some mini muffins adding chocolate chips.
 

The Recipe:

 

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk

3 mashed bananas

3 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips

 

Mix together shortening and sugar. Add eggs, milk, and mashed bananas. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix well. Add chocolate chips. Fill spots in a mini muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes. Yields 4 dozen.

 

 

The best kind of baking bananas :)

 

 

This recipes yields around 4 dozen mini muffins. I put 2 dozen in the freezer and left out the other 2. The kids love them and I'm not spending more money on the prepackaged ones. My middle son said "They are gooder than the store ones!" :) Works for me!! :)

Enjoy and thanks for reading!
Stacy