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Lettuce Eat Local: Palms And Sundaes For Palm Sunday

By
Guest Columnist
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Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local4

Benson came pattering up the stairs, sleepiness still in his eyes but his whole body brimming with enthusiasm. “Mom! I have the perfect plan!” He dumped his armload of clothes onto the living room floor. “Here,” he announced, “are my Palm Sunday clothes.” 

His choices made great logical sense, if not his sartorial aesthetic. The t-shirt was a pale blue, patterned Hawaii-style with cream-colored palm branches; the cargo shorts were similarly colored yet not coordinating in the least, with their cream base color and vibrant blue-and-orange palm-frond floral. I guess Kiah has a dress reminiscent of palm branches, too, because he knew just what to prepare for her. 

This was several weeks ago already, and while I didn’t think we had talked much about the holy day in general, I know we hadn’t discussed any themed clothing options. That said, once I got over the initial second of blinking over the prospect of him showing up at church in that outfit, I felt delighted. Palm Sunday is supposed to be a joyous day, so why not let my five-year-old wear his excitement?

This last Sunday before Easter is marked by celebrations around the globe, in commemoration of when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey in fulfillment of prophecies. The people lined the streets and waved palm branches as he rode by, which seems a little odd to our Midwestern selves but in that era was The Thing to do when welcoming and honoring conquering kings; palm branches were understood to symbolize triumph and righteousness, and the Jews were desperate for someone to come save them. 

Little did they understand that Jesus was coming not to bring military victory, but actual rescue. 

Now we know that the celebration of his triumphal entry is laden with that both-and aspect that infuses so much of life: both joy and sorrow. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, which ends with the most dramatic and joy-filled climax ever, but in the in-between gets pretty rough. The tradition of saving and burning Palm Sunday’s palm branches for next year’s Ash Wednesday’s ashes deepens the sense of both-and. 

I’m actually looking at a couple stands of palm trees standing tall in the deepening dusk as I type this. No, while we have perpetual arboreal hope and plant trees not necessarily befitting our zone — olive, magnolia, dogwood — this time it’s me instead of the trees that has been (temporarily) imported. My parents, two brothers, and I are embarking on what feels a little bit like a wild vacation at this point in my life timeline. No spouses or kids are along, just us OG five! 

Through a series of events, plans led us to San Diego and the surrounding area for a few days, so that’s where I sit, staring at and writing about palm trees. It felt a bit like entering another world to exit the airport double doors and find myself surrounded by waving palms. It made me wonder if Jerusalem’s palm trees were shorter and easier to get branches of off?

I had a few ideas about how to incorporate palms into our recipe this week, leaving the branches for next Sunday and turning instead to hearts of palm (literally the inside of a palm tree trunk) or the fruits of palm (dates!). We are appropriately staying in a little town close to Palm Springs tonight, so anything we eat here is relevant, right?

And I suppose that logic means any clothing with palms on it is appropriate for Palm Sunday, too. 

 

[Date] Palm Sundaes

Bear with me; it was just too fun not to do Palm Sunday sundaes. And then when we found local dates at a farmers market, the idea was clinched — I’ve never had such soft, sweet, rich dates. They’re dried but also basically not: the perfect addition to a sundae with just a few other random ingredients we picked up for at our Airbnb. I almost added some Tajin as a nod to SoCal flavors, but maybe I’ll just try that on my next bowl. 

Prep tips: Regular medjool dates will work fine as well, just be a little jealous of ours.

a bowl of simple, quality chocolate ice cream

a dollop of honey-vanilla greek yogurt

2-3 dates, chopped

a drizzle of salted caramel syrup

a dash of salt

In a snacking dish, layer all ingredients in order given. Eat. 

Blunt doc’s advice

By
Milo Yield
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0
Thayne Cozart
Milo Yield

Millions of folks, and I’m one of them, have gradually put on the pounds as the years roll by. Most of us try in one way or another to curb the growth of our girth by dieting, portion control of our meals, periodic fasting or through some kind of pharmacological solution.

But, alas, we spend years going for our annual wellness checks at the doctor’s office, just to hear ol’ Doc give us the same ol’ retread advice on weight loss.

Well, a good friend of mine, ol’ Ben Gainen, recently went for his annual wellness checkup with his family physician, Dr. Will Pokque. After all the poking, prodding, and questioning wuz over, Doc told Ben, “Step on the scales and I’ll get your weight.”

After Ben stepped off the scales, Doc checked his chart from Ben’s previous wellness visit, arched his brow, and commented, “Look’s like you need to quit eating so much fatty.”

Ben questioned back, “You mean quit eating so much fatty foods?

Dr. Pokque shot back wryly, “No, I mean quit eating so much, Fatty!”

Now, that wuz blunt medical advice.

***

The new federal food and dietary guidelines, The Food Pyramid, seems to have upset both the medical community and the skin care community.

One of the prime recommended changes is the use of beef tallow for frying foods. The medicos are not convinced that beef fat is the way to go toward good health. They are still clinging to their long-held belief that veggie oils are better for you.

As for me, I don’t know which is best for my health, but there is no question that foods fried using beef tallow are yummier. And so, at my age, I’m going to follow my personal taste test and eat what tastes best.

Now, for the reason that the skin care companies are upset with the beef tallow is that are is losing sales to a growing trend of folks making their own homemade skin conditioner using tallow.

You can see why they are concerned by going to the DuckDuckGo search engine and looking for homemade tallow lotion recipes. One site shows 29 such recipes.

The website gushes that “homemade tallow lotions offer a luxurious and deeply nourishing way to care for your skin. They are packed with natural vitamins and fatty acids — these DIY recipes are perfect for soothing dryness and achieving a healthy, radiant glow.”

The basic process is rendering beef suet down into tallow and then mixing it with other ingredients that please you. It says you can “discover how simple ingredients can transform your skin care routine into a truly pampering experience.”

Just glancing through some of the tallow lotion ingredients shows castor oil, shea butter and honey, olive oil, beeswax and jojoba oil, magnesium, herb infused oil, and lavender.

I don’t know how many harried farm and ranch wives are finding the time, or are so inclined, as to make their own tallow skin conditioner. But, apparently, there are enuf women somewhere who are making tallow lotion that it’s affecting the skin care market.

I say, “who cares?” It’s a good thing if the new use for tallow does nothing more than help keep beef prices high.

***

It’s amazing what I find by cruising the internet looking for column material. This week was pretty normal. I found these tidbits in the news.

• Researchers in three different studies have found out that some bird species have figgered out for themselves that putting used cigarette butts into their nests keeps down the incidence of pests such as various flies and gnats, fleas, insects and mites that harm the newly hatched chicks.

• In the war in Ukraine, they are using rifle-carrying robot dogs to advance to the front lines and kill Russian soldiers. Makes me think that such weaponized dog-bots may become useful in trimming feral hog numbers or for keeping furry critters from raiding sweetcorn patches.

• A dancing/entertaining robot in a cafe went berserk and started destroying the place and panicking customers. Security folks had to overwhelm it and escort it out and turn it over to the rob-cops.

***

Speaking of going nuts, that’s what the weather has been. Four days ago, the temperature was in the 70s. Then within a few hours the temp plunged to 10 degrees with snow flurries. Today started with temps in the 20s and right now the temp is 77 degrees.

Plus, included in that cold weather wuz winds up to 50 mph that scattered sheets of tin I had stashed for using in my shop construction all over the east side of Damphewless Acres. And, it peeled away some of the weed-control carpeting around my raised garden beds. Later today I plan to retrieve and re-stack all that tin. The wind changed direction daily from south to north, and then repeat.

I wuz surprised that some, probably a third, of my early-planted radishes and lettuce survived the icy weather. Another sign of impending spring is a pair of killdeers arrived before the cold snap. I hope they survived.

My words of wisdom for the week are: “There are three kinds of persons on the world. Those who can count and those who can’t.” Have a good ‘un.

 

“What the heart wants (is exercise)”

By
Guest Columnist
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0

Cardiovascular disease remains the most common cause of death in the US as well as a very common cause of chronic illness and disability. Heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes result in about 2500 deaths per day in the US, according to the American Heart Association®. While huge strides continue to be made in treatment of these events, including medications and procedural abilities, as always, prevention is the best medicine.

Many risk factors exist for cardiovascular disease; some, such as genetics or family history, are out of ones control. However, there are many things we can do to reduce our risk, including quitting smoking and controlling high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes. One behavior that applies to us all is to get enough exercise.

The American Heart Association® recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, preferably spread over several days in the week. Moderate exercise might include brisk walking, gardening, or leisurely biking. Vigorous exercise might include walking on an incline, jogging or running, or heavy yard work. Additionally, they recommend resistance or strength training be included twice per week.

Starting from sedentary? No problem, but don’t expect to go from zero to 150 minutes in the first week. Listen to your body; you can even start with walking or chair exercise for ten minutes per day. You will find that with consistency you will be able to build on that week to week. Most importantly, find a physical activity that you enjoy enough to keep doing. For many people, exercising with a family member or friend really helps.

We know that regular exercise can cut the risk of cardiovascular disease substantially; one large study showed a reduction in mortality by over 20%, with more exercise giving even greater protection. How exercise benefits the heart goes beyond its effect on obvious markers like weight; exercise improves blood flow in the vessels around the heart in a way that reduces future bad outcomes. As I tell my patients when we discuss exercise, its benefits are far greater than its effect on weight. Your heart will thank you for the exercise no matter what the scale says.

So lets all get moving this week! Any exercise is better than none, and there is something out there for everyone. The heart wants what it wants, and that’s exercise.

Dr. Kelly Evans Hullinger practices internal medicine at Avera Medical Group in Brookings, SD. She serves as one of the Prairie Doc Volunteer Hosts during its 24th Season providing Health Education Based on Science, Built on Trust. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.organd Tik Tok. Prairie Doc Programming includes On Call with the Prairie Doc®, a medical Q&A show (most Thursdays at 7pm, YouTube and streaming on Facebook), 2 podcasts, and a Radio program (on SDPB, Sundays at 6am and 1pm).

It is too cold

By
Guest Columnist
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0

It’s not time to plant tomatoes or peppers because it is too cold. It is time for cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower to be planted, just as it is for the Harvey County Home and Garden Show this weekend!

 

We have 4 different educational programs on food crops you can grow. One of these programs in on “Preparing Your Garden Spot”.

 

One of these crops to plant now after your garden preparation is complete is Cabbage. Cabbage is a hardy, easy-to-grow vegetable that can be grown in the spring or fall in Kansas. Most varieties are green, but some produce a red head. It can be stored for long periods or made into sauerkraut. Cabbage is intolerant of our summer heat.

 

Select green-headed varieties for plants that develop quickly–early heading varieties. These include Conquest, Headstart, Tastie, Emerald Cross, Market Prize, Market Topper, Golden Acre, or related varieties, and Stonehead. A modification of green-headed varieties with a crinkled or savoyed leaf include Savoy King and Vanguard. Red-headed varieties include Red Head, Ruby Ball, and Red Acre.

 

Set cabbage plants in late March to early April or in early August for a fall planting. Direct-seeded cabbage can be planted in early July. Cabbage is easily transplanted by choosing stocky, dark green plants with strong root systems.

 

Cabbage plants should be spaced 12-18 inches apart in at least 3- to 4- foot rows. Closer spacing will result in smaller, but more numerous heads.

 

Fertilize cabbage with a starter fertilizer when setting out plants, and side dress every 2-3 weeks during the growing season. Cultivate carefully to avoid damaging shallow roots. Irrigation is critical when heads are small and enlarging.

 

Cabbage is ready for harvest when the head is fully formed and dense. This can be judged by pressing or squeezing the head to indicate firmness. Waiting too long may result in heads that split, especially after rainfall or irrigation.

 

Learn about garden preparation and much more from the educational seminars at the Harvey County Home and Garden Show at the Dyck Arboretum in Hesston March 21 and 22! You will also be able to purchase cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower transplants at the show.

Turkey “Tales”

By
Steve Gilliland
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0

As sit here at the computer this morning, trying to decide if I want to spend the money on a spring turkey tag this year, my thoughts drift around through turkey hunts of the past. I’m not a die-hard turkey hunter by any means, but I’ve had some interesting encounters while sitting in a turkey blind. The favorite memory has to be the hunt that earned my wife Joyce her fist Kansas wild turkey.

It was about 20 years ago and we were both still working full time, so hunts were evening and weekend affairs. We’d gotten permission to hunt a small property northwest of Inman, owned by a well-known local guy, Lavern “Curley” Neufeldt. Directly behind Curley’s house was a thicket of a few acres that hadn’t been maintained much for years and was fairly thick and overgrown. A small band of turkeys roosted in that thicket every year, and roamed the surrounding farmland by day. This particular year, the thicket was surrounded by new wheat on 2 sides and on the third side by a fence that was the property line. We discovered that the turkeys would cross the open crop land and follow the boundary fence back to the thicket each evening, so in late afternoon we would set up in the corner behind the thicket and along the fence. On one of our first attempts, we sat on camp stools in a patch of weeds just across the fence on the neighbor’s property. I think the turkeys stood us up that evening, but as we sat there, Joyce suddenly began to nudge me, and as I followed her eyes forward, a bobcat sat just feet away from her on the other side of the weed patch, evidently trying to figure us out before it turned and nonchalantly sauntered off. As I recall, that unexpected and wondrous encounter ended the evening’s hunt.

A few evenings later, we were back and put up our hunting blind in that same corner, but in the wheat field. I don’t think we owned any decoys yet, so we were counting on my feeble calling skills to supplement the fact that the turkeys usually took this route home each evening anyway. Every 15 minutes or so as we sat in the hot blind, I’d try to get the box call in my hands to mimic the sounds of some poor, lonely hen in the brush behind us. After a while, the band of turkeys appeared across the field heading our direction. Binoculars showed several young jakes (one-year old toms) at the front of the pack, and the closer they got, the faster the jakes seemed to go, evidently hoping to score a date with the hen they heard before the elder toms caught-up.

Closer and closer they came until they were well within range of her 20 gauge, but Joyce just sat there as if waiting for some sort of signal. I began to motion violently to her and asked her with muted words what the thunder she was waiting for. Turns out, her seat was low enough and the turkey were so close that she couldn’t even see them. Once my contortions conveyed the fact that they were right outside, she quietly stood, eased the shotgun barrel out the window and the 20-gauge dropped one of the fella’s before he knew what hit him. After some high-fives and the usual exuberance and celebration that goes along with a hunter’s first harvest, we collected her prize, folded up our blind and headed home.

As the evening wore on, Joyce began to complain about her right shoulder, where the butt of her shotgun rested, was exceptionally sore. I thought nothing of it at first, figuring that was normal because we are not seasoned shotgunners. But after a while as her shoulder seemed to get progressively sorer, we rolled up her right sleeve and found a huge bruise lower on her arm just below the shoulder. Evidently when she took the standing shot, leaning slightly toward the window of the blind, the butt of her shotgun slid down below her shoulder and gave her a wallop she’ll never forget, along with her first Kansas turkey. Take someone turkey hunting this year and make memories of your own…Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

Steve can be contacted by email at [email protected].

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