Lettuce Eat Local: All’s Fair In The Fair
Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local
It was just past noon, and though the laws of time don’t apply in standard fashion in the fair, it seemed like a good excuse to start thinking about lunch. Brian and I had been walking around with the kids through the State Fairgrounds for an hour or two — as well as a decent jaunt from our parking spot to the gate of course — and Brian’s time off the farm was ticking away, in synchrony with our attention span at the fair and Kiah’s ability to function before naptime.
It couldn’t have just been chance then, that as we emerged from the pleasant cacophony of the poultry barn, we happened to be facing the Grandstand. I know the Grandstand is the host of many booths as well as events, but for this family, that looming brick wall means one thing: ice cream. The Dairy Bar might be too obvious a choice for a dairy farm family, but there we were anyway. Do we have far too many containers of ice cream, homemade and otherwise, in the freezer at home? Absolutely. Do we still need to get some at the fair, even though we could get “real” fair food like fried alligator or dill dogs or funnel cakes? I think you know the answer to that question.
To be fair, we did have a coupon for free cones thanks to our dairy-farmer presence in AgriLand one afternoon, and we are not the kind of people who can turn down free ice cream.
I’m sure my four-year-old was wallowing through some cognitive dissonance, since earlier that very morning we had discussed how he can’t only eat sweets when he goes places…and here I am, his own mother, giving him an ice cream cone for lunch. It was a scoop of mint chocolate chip, so at least he was eating his greens, right. All’s fair at the fair.
Kiah and I shared a waffle cone of peach soft-serve; surely it counted as a healthy serving of fruit. I can’t tell if I’m more embarrassed or more proud of that being the bulk of our lunch (we had a few fried cheese curds too). Our mantra is always, “Support your local dairy farmers!” so to be people of integrity we have to live it out.
Oh, the kids had also munched through an entire bag of baby carrots as we walked around. Brian noticed, “Wow, they are definitely your kids.” I just smiled and reminded him that I packed the snacks I did on purpose.
Not coincidentally, I packed a bag of sliced carrots for my own snack a few days later when I worked a shift at, you guessed it, the Dairy Bar. For the sake of research purposes, I had to sample the blueberry cheesecake and glitter explosion flavors — both good enough I regretted not trying them again just to make sure. Fortunately, thanks to my selfless service in having that ice cream lunch and sampling, I felt like I had enough experience under my belt to offer good advice through the window as I took customers’ orders.
I also felt a little more validation having fed my kids ice cream for lunch, as the shop opened at 10:00 in the morning, not for no reason. If people were vacillating over their decisions, I always pointed them to the peach soft-serve: you can always get chocolate or vanilla, but peach is a rare option. And one definitely worth choosing!
For any meal of the day.
Blender Peach Soft-Serve
Our family is a bit of a rarity since we actually own a soft-serve machine, but in general it’s more difficult to find soft-serve than “hard” scooped ice cream. It’s a process to use the machine, but my blender is on the counter, so for a quick meal dessert this is the ticket. It is definitely soft-serve so *oh dear* you need to eat it right away.
Prep tips: make note of the prep necessary to freeze the milk-ice-cubes. Keep the peel on if the peaches are nice, for flavor, color, and nutrition.
2 cups whole milk
2 peaches, in chunks
1 tablespoon instant vanilla pudding
maple syrup to taste, start with a small drizzle
dash vanilla
Freeze half the milk in an ice cube tray. Once solid, add to a high-powered blender along with remaining milk, the peaches, pudding, syrup, and vanilla; process until smooth. It should be thick and creamy, but add some ice cubes if it needs to be thicker or some more milk if it won’t blend.
Lettuce Eat Local is a weekly local foods column by Amanda Miller, who lives in rural Reno County on the family dairy farm with her husband and two small children. She seeks to help build connections through food with her community, the earth, and the God who created it all. Send feedback and recipe ideas to [email protected].
Wheat Scoop: East African Delegation Explores U.S. Wheat Advantage in Kansas
Contact: Marsha Boswell, [email protected]
For the audio version, visit kswheat.com.
Popping a kernel of wheat in your mouth for a quick chew to test quality is almost instinctive, whether you are a Kansas farmer or the leader of a major East African conglomerate. Exploring a shared emphasis on wheat quality, as well as exploring the U.S grain production, handling and marketing systems, was the goal of a Tanzanian trade delegation that traveled to Kansas earlier this week.
The team was organized by U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) with support from Kansas Wheat. Team members included two members of the Bakhresa Group, a diversified, family-owned and operated business in East Africa that operates in agro-processing, food and beverages, packaging, logistics, media, marine transport and more. Bakhresa is the largest grain milling company in East Africa with operations in nine countries, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
After starting their mission in South Dakota, the team traveled to Kansas and visited the USDA Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS), the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center, and the IGP Institute. They also met with grain suppliers, handlers and exporters. The team aimed to gather firsthand information on U.S. wheat production and to gain a deeper understanding of the U.S. grain marketing system.
East Africa relies on imports of wheat to produce a wide range of daily bread products, from traditional mandazi, a fried bread eaten for breakfast, to newly introduced products like instant noodles. Russia has historically supplied more than 50% of imports; however, companies like Bakhresa are exploring ways to diversify their suppliers.
The team went to Justin Knopf’s machine shop near Gypsum to discuss everything from tractors to the dynamics of working in a family-owned business. For Knopf, a fifth-generation farmer who works alongside his father and brother, connecting with customers not too far removed from himself in the grain supply chain gave him goosebumps.
“The relationships between U.S. farmers and these gentlemen running a family business providing flour and baked goods in East Africa are significant to me,” Knopf said. “It’s meaningful to know that they probably have very similar conversations on a day-to-day basis as my brother, dad and I have. Even though it’s a different type of business, the conversations and the values are the same.”
Of course, the Bakhresa team members eagerly reached into the bucket of U.S. hard red winter (HRW) wheat Knopf had ready, even chewing a kernel or two, and noting the wheat’s premium quality.
“They were very pleased with the wheat sample from my field and my farm,” Knopf said. “That’s very reaffirming, and it gives me more motivation and inspiration for that mindset of continuous improvement. We are making sure that we are producing this type of product that when a team like this visits our farm, they want to pop it in their mouth and sample it.”
That positive impression carried through to an immediate sale. At the end of their visit to Kansas, Bakhresa purchased 5,000 metric tons (MT) (nearly 184,000 bushels) of U.S. hard red winter (HRW) for use in their Durban, South Africa mill.
From Kansas, the team will continue on to visit export facilities in Houston before attending an international baking exposition in Nevada. The Bakhresa leaders will return home having gained valuable insights into U.S. wheat quality, production and marketing systems, which will foster new connections and future business partnerships. For farmers like Knopf, missions like this one underscore the importance of considering the needs of international customers when making decisions on his farm.
“I am grateful because I learn something every time that we host a trade team or international visitors on our farm,” Knopf said. “I like to hear about what’s on their mind, what’s important in their business and their values, because that matters to me.”
“The team members were very knowledgeable, incredibly intelligent and asked great questions. They are the type of people that I would like to learn from and do business with.”
Learn more about USW’s work to support international trade at uswheat.org.
Poker in the pokey
Crop harvesting crews usually consist of a few old timers, who own the equipment and establish a customer base, and a bunch of rambunctious, GungHo young guys who do most of the work in their effort to make some good money and make their initial mark on the agricultural world.
So, the nature of a harvest season is that a streak of bad weather shuts down the combines and shuts off the income for everyone until the weather clears and the combines and trucks can roll again.
Well, it wuz during one of those down times because of bad weather that found a typical young harvest crew facing a couple of days of no work to do and a lot of time to kill.
The crew had overnighted in a seedy motel in a county seat town in the middle of Fly-Over USA. It wuz a gloomy group that went to bed with the rain falling down.
When the cloudy, overcast morning arrived, the crew members slept in late and then made their way to the only cafe in the county seat in the town that served breakfast.
There, they ate a leisurely breakfast and then decided that playing cards, poker to be exact, would be the best way to kill the day and have a little excitement, too.
So, they asked the cafe owner if they could confiscate a couple of tables for the day to play poker. The cafe owner wisely rejected their suggestion,
Then, the group moved down the street to the only bar in town and sadly discovered that it wuz closed for the day for some unknown reason.
At that low point, one crew member suggested going into the courthouse and asking someone if there wuz anywhere in town where the crew would be welcome to play poker for the day.
The appointed spokesman for the crew decided the sheriff’s office would be a good place to ask. The amiable, genial sheriff heard the crew’s plight and said, “Well, boys, all the jail cells are unoccupied. It’s fine with me if you play poker in the cells.”
The spokesman pushed his luck and asked, “Would it be alright for us to bring in some beer, too?”
The sheriff replied, “That’s fine with me. Just behave yourselves or you’ll be easy to lock up!”
And, that’s how the young harvest crew spent the day — playing poker in the pokey.
That could only happen in small town rural America.
***
I read last week that out West on the border of California and Oregon, cattlemen and wildlife officials are testing the use of drones to deter introduced wolves from preying on cattle and calves and sheep.
The drones are equipped with infrared to locate the wolves and various types of loud noises blared out of powerful speakers to drive the hungry predators away. And, they’ve had some success to date.
What I found most interesting though wuz the kind of noises that the wolves hated most. Not surprisingly, the recorded human voice yelling something like “Get out of here. Vamoose!” wuz most effective. Also not surprisingly, the wolves hated blared amplified rap and hard metal music. In that respect, they are just like me.
The downsides of using drones to deter wolf predation are: First, it’s expensive to set up; Second, it’ time consuming for the skilled operators to monitor the drones; Third, it’s not known if the wolves will quickly figure out that the noisy drones will not harm them.
I figger the old-fashioned way to wolf control — shoot, shovel and shut up —
is always a time-proven fall-back strategy.
***
Another article I read recently bemoaned the “housing crisis” in the U.S. Too many folks can afford to build or buy a first home.
Perhaps the place to start is to not plan on building or buying a first home that costs a half-million bucks.
If zoning laws allowed them, metal buildings with 1,000 to 1,200 square feet and no basement can be built for a fraction of the cost of a stick-built home with a basement. Perhaps that’s the more affordable way to go to get more folks into first homes.
***
It seems there’s no end to human foolishness. In Great Britain the vegan folks are touting the healthfulness of a vegan diet for their beloved Corgis and other dog pets.
I’ll bet you a dollar to a donut that, if they feed their pets a strictly vegan diet, those pets will eagerly roll in and consume a decaying dead animal carcass if they had the chance.
***
I saw on TV that president Trump floated the idea of adding a bust of him on Mt.
Rushmore. Geologists quickly shot down that idea because there’s neither enuf room nor good enuf granite for another head on Mt. Rushmore.
I’ve got another idea. He should emulate the Crazy Horse monument and go solo. President Trump has the money, so he can buy a mountainside of suitable granite someplace he likes and hire a crew to start blasting away. Or, public donations could be a source of funds. There would be no government funds expended — which is most important.
***
Words of wisdom for the week: “It makes no sense for supermarkets to encourage the use of carry-out paper bags to cut down on plastic use when every food item in the paper bag is packaged or wrapped in plastic.” Have a good ‘un.
Rum Rum Chata Cake
Early Fall Rum Cake? Why not, tis the season! The cooler temperatures are definitely an incentive for a return to baking.
Time for creativity, and possibly a new exercise program, in the event we do too much baking. Wait, not necessary, keep the baking going and share the wealth with others, problem solved.
I’ve made rum cakes before, but this time I employed my experience and palate freely as the creative juices began to flow. I took a more conservative approach on the rum of choice, using Rum Chata on the interior of the cake post baking, versus a stronger golden rum. Here comes the however; the batter did have golden rum! The Rum Chata has the addition of coconut flavor included. Therefore; an addition of toasted coconut could be a welcome addition to the top of the cake, after baking.
When serving rum cake to guests do have an alternative dessert, because you will have friends & family that don’t care for alcohol within their foods. My spouse, Ervin, is one of them, I on the other hand adore sherry first followed quickly by rum. Then comes another however, if the cook uses too much alcohol in a dish I can quickly be turned off. There needs to be a happy medium in the works.
Many keep a rum cake in the refrigerator, this is probably due to the fact people tend to eat small pieces of rum cake, over a longer period of time. Rum cakes actually do not have to be refrigerated due to the alcohol content! Truthfully, during the holidays you can use one cake for a couple of different events,
‘if’ it is kept in the refrigerator.
My mom would do this with “Lane Cake”, a rather large cake, kept refrigerated, serving many.
Remember to remove the cake in 10-12 minutes while it is still pretty warm. Enjoy trying this recipe out before the holidays. You may even find a couple of small Bundt pans and make 2 smaller versions of this cake. Have an outstanding week my friends. The Covered Dish.
Rum Chata Rum Cake
325 degree oven, 1 Bundt pan
Flour vegetable spray for baking
Bottom of Bundt pan:
½ cup brown sugar
½-3/4 cup chopped Pecans or English Walnuts
Body of Cake
1 yellow/butter cake mix
1 box instant Vanilla pudding
1 cup sour cream
½ cup oil
½ cup warm water
4 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup spiced rum (golden color)
(Itty bottles at grocery store yield ¼ cup.)
Cake drizzle:
1/2 cup salted butter (one stick)
1/4 cup water
1 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup Rum Chata with coconut flavoring
As ‘Rum Cakes’ go they are truly not difficult to make, however; they do need to have a great deal of common sense during the making and baking.
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees:
In the bottom of a well-greased Bundt pan sprinkle in the brown sugar, followed by chopped/ground nuts. Continue on to the body of the cake: Bring dry ingredients together with a fork or spoon. Make a well in the middle and combine all the wet ingredients. I usually start with the eggs, and whisk them really well before adding the remaining ingredients. The batter will be quite thick. Using a rubber spatula evenly disperse the dough over the brown sugar and nut mix. Tap the pan a couple of times on the counter to release any possible air bubbles.
It took my cake about 1 hour to 1 hour and 10-20 minutes to bake.
Meanwhile; get a small saucepan and place the butter, water and sugar over medium heat. Cook, while whisking until it comes to a hard boil, allow it to boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, letting it cool down substantially, before turning the Rum Chata to the mix. Blend well. Set to the side while cake finishes.
Sit cake on the stovetop and begin poking holes throughout the top of the cake.
I use a wooden kabob skewer to poke holes in my drizzle cakes or an old-fashioned meat fork. A toothpick might work, but with the meat fork or skewer I truly get the nice rum all the way down in the cake. Distribute the sauce as evenly as possible, if you have enough pour some along the side walls. Let the cake set for at least 10-13 minutes. I then take an icing knife and gently insert it around the outer perimeter of the cake. Place a piece of parchment across the bottom of the cake before inverting. Be quick on the flip. You will appreciate this because it helps with moving the cake.
Why did I use the Rum Chata? Sometimes rum cakes can be very overpowering and folks do not enjoy them. I felt the coconut Rum Chata brought a milder/kick to the cake. I did not add any coconut to the cake but it doesn’t mean you cannot. Simply toast the coconut and sprinkle it over the top at the very end. If you put coconut in the bottom of the pan it will burn. I did use the spicy gold rum in the body of the cake, knowing that a good portion was going to cook off, during the baking process.
