What's Your 50?

I was honored to be recently recognized by Volunteer Iowa and their "What's Your 50?" campaign.  This campaign recognizes volunteers from across the state and then shares why they volunteer, to encourage all Iowan's to volunteer just 50 hours annually.  I was nominated by Franklin County Extension.

As part of the recognition I was asked to share the top couple organizations I volunteer with and explain why I share my time with them.  It was hard to choose the top couple because I volunteer with many groups.  In the end I decided to share my experiences of volunteering with 4-H, Make-A-Wish and Farm Bureau.

Chaperoning State 4-H Conference (I'm on the far right)

4-H.  I was involved in 4-H as a youth and I credit this activity for helping me explore my interests and ultimately helped me choose the major of agricultural communications for college.  Because 4-H gave me so much, I wanted to give back immediately.  I began judging 4-H projects and contest at the age of 19 and have volunteered with my county 4-H program for the past five years.  For my local county Extension program I am the Communications Project Leader, chaperon conferences, help during the County Fair, serve on the Extension Council Nominating Committee, and have been a 4-H Club Leader.

Working with one of my Wish Kids

Make-A-Wish.  I have been involved with the North Iowa Make-A-Wish chapter for four year and currently serve as the Vice-Chair and a Wish Granter for the group.  I got started with Make-A-Wish because of my cousin Jake who received a wish during his battle with cancer.  He always said that his wish meant so much to him during his last year of life.  I wanted to help make other wishes come true after knowing the impact Jake's wish had on him.  With Make-A-Wish I help with wish granting, fundraising and community events.  I have even jumped out of an airplane (twice) for a Make-A-Wish fundraiser.

Doing a radio interview before my local county Farm Bureau's
"Breakfast Battle" National Food Check-Out Week event

Farm Bureau.  Being a farmer and raising my family on the farm are very important to me.  My Farmer and I both have become active with Farm Bureau, which allows us to network and interact with other young farmers and to perform community outreach that shares information about the importance of agriculture.

So... What's your 50?  I enjoy volunteering because it allows me to make new personal connections and make a big difference in my community, especially in the lives of young people.  I am proud of where I am from and by volunteering I can only make it better and strive longer.  Volunteering is a great way to become a leader in your community.  No matter the amount of time you have to give, there is a volunteering opportunity for you.  I personally average five hours of service each week.  For you, it might be helping with one program's project or event.  Whatever it is, you are making a difference.  Through the "What's Your 50?" campaign, the Governor's Call to Action is to encourage Iowan's to increase their service activities to 50 hours per year.  Currently, Iowa is ranked second in the nation for its state volunteer rate.

Apple Brown Betty

Yesterday I mentioned that the month of October is National Apple Month.  And I don't know about where you live, but for us, October is a great month to pick apples.  We have an apple tree at our old house (which we still go over to pick) that is loaded with apples this year!  The cool, wet spring was perfect weather for our apple tree (too bad it wasn't the same for our corn and soybeans...).  So with a bumper crop of apples I've been making apple treats pretty much nonstop for a couple of month.  One of my favorite go to apple desserts is a Brown Betty.  This apple treat is quick and just the right size for a family to eat in one night or over a couple of nights.  (Plus, it is an excuse to eat homemade ice cream!)

Apple Brown Betty (adapted from Ideals Farmhouse Cookbook by Clarice L Moon, Copyright 1978)

5 to 6 medium-sized apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soft margarine or butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup granola or oatmeal
cinnamon sugar, to taste (optional)

In a bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, margarine or butter, cinnamon and granola or oatmeal.  Sprinkle the sliced apples with cinnamon sugar (optional).  Then toss the apples with half of the crumb mixture.  Put apple mixture into a greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.  Then spread the rest of the crumbs over the top of the apples.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.  Serve with homemade ice cream.  Serves 4.

Mmmm Apple Brown Betty with Homemade Ice Cream
The perfect way to end a crisp fall day

So try an Apple Brown Betty today!  If you like the crumb part of an Apple Crisp, then you'll love a Brown Betty.  The Brown Betty has more crumb mixture throughout the dessert and then of course on top.

What is your go to apple treat treat?  Or what is your favorite apple dessert?

Celebrate National Pork and National Apple Month

I love the month of October for many reasons - cool weather, the changing colors of the leaves, harvest, Halloween and my birthday!  I also enjoy the month of October because it is a great excuse to eat savory pork and delicious apples, since October is also known as National Pork Month and National Apple Month.

To celebrate the first day of this great month, I thought I'd share some fun facts about both pork and apples!

• Iowa's pork producers raise 28% of all US Pork, making Iowa the top producer of pork in the nation.
• There are more than 8 million pigs in Iowa, so yes, it is true, there is almost three times as many pigs in Iowa, as there are people.
• Americans, on average, eat more than 60 pounds of pork each year, and with the popularity of bacon rising, that number is surly to rise!
• Red Delicious Apples, America's favorite apple, was developed on a farm near East Peru, Iowa in the 1880s.
• Apples are grown in all 50 states, but only 36 commercially.  There are over 2,500 varieties of apples grown nationally.
• Apple blossom is the state flower of Michigan.

Also to celebrate be sure to cook and bake with pork and apples.  One great recipe that includes both pork and apples is my Harvest Brats recipe - check it out here.

Harvest Brats
Delicious pork brats with a apple and onion mustard slaw

Wednesday = Library Day

What is your favorite day of the week?  Well, for LP it would have to be Wednesday, also known around our house as Library Day.

I grew up going to my hometown's library and participating in "Story Time" as a child, and I have continued the tradition with my children.  I started taking LP to the library when he was just a couple of months old and MP's first trip to the library was at age Day 6.  We are so lucky to have such a great library just 15 miles away.  If you live in North Iowa or travel through, I encourage you all to visit the Hampton Public Library.  This Carnegie Library offers a wide variety of services for all ages, including these fun and unique things: book clubs, public computers (including a bilingual AWE computer), interlibrary exchange program (they'll borrow a book, movie, etc. from another library for you if they don't have it), eBooks, youth drama club and LP's favorite - children's "Story Time" (which is held on Tuesday nights and Wednesday mornings).

LP standing outside of the library this summer
with a prize he got during the Summer Reading Program

Do you have a library card?  Do you participate in programs at your local library?  If not, I encourage you all to sign up for a library card and see what your local library all offers.  If you have children, I especially hope you check out your local library's children's programming.

Library Fun Fact:  In a recent study of which states 

have the highest attendance at children's programming, 

Iowa was among the top five. 

#1 Wyoming, #2 Vermont, #3 Iowa, #4 Idaho, and #5 Indiana.

Story Time is an opportunity for my kids to read books, sing songs, make crafts, make friends, etc.  It also gives me a time to build relationships with other parents with children close to my children's ages.  If you are from the Franklin County, Iowa area, be sure to check out Story Time, it starts up October 1st and 2nd.

LP playing with the train set in the children's library

To conclude today, if you're looking for some books to read, here are MP, LP and my top picks from this summer:

LP's Top Pick: Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
MP's Top Pick:  Counting Kisses
My Top Pick:  The Duck Commander Family

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, by Sherri Duskey Rinker

This is a fun book for all truck lovers and that is why LP recommends it!  The story goes through the construction site by showing several types of equipment trucks.  One by one, each piece of equipment goes to rest so they can be ready for the next day.  This book is a great bedtime story to help your busy toddler go to sleep.

Counting Kisses, by Karen Katz

MP recommends this book because she loves how LP, My Farmer and I count and kiss our way through it.  Each number highlights a different area of the body to kiss.  This is a great book for babies and siblings to do together, and is overall a great way for your kids to relax and unwind before bedtime.

The Duck Commander Family, by Willie & Korie Robertson

Calling all Duck Dynasty fans!  If you enjoy watching Duck Dynasty you'll love learning more about the Robertson family.  This book goes through the family's struggles and successes, all while showcasing the family's humor and faith.  Also, it includes some family favorite recipes!  If you haven't watched Duck Dynasty before I encourage you to sit down to this easy read.  I guarantee you'll be intrigued about this family after the reading book and will become a fan before you know it.

Gotta go - we're off to the library!

Wordless Wednesday

Don't worry - Be happy!

Hunger Action Month

In the United States 1 in 6 Americans struggle with hunger; in Iowa, 1 in 8.

September is Hunger Action Month.  This is a nationwide campaign that networks food banks and individuals from across the United States to create a movement to create awareness and help end hunger in America.

As a farmer, I work hard to provide healthy, affordable and quality food.  Even though farmers work hard everyday to provide that for all Americans, hunger is still an issue.  I am fortunate and have not had to struggle with hunger myself.  There were times growing up in the 80's during the farm crisis my family had to literally save our pennies to buy a gallon of milk, but we survived.  Unemployment is a strong predictor of food insecurity and with unemployment levels at some of the highest levels they have been in years, I think we all know and can see hunger in our communities, no matter how big or small they may be.

So what can you do to help this cause?

• The first thing I encourage all of you to do is "Like" Iowa RISE UP.  By liking this page during the month of September $1 will be donated to the Iowa Food Bank Association to help the more than 400,000 Iowans who are food insecure.
• The second thing you can do is take the SNAP Challenge.  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) provides monthly benefits to supplement the food budgets of families in need.  The SNAP Challenge "encourages participants to get a sense of what life is like for millions of low-income Americans facing hunger."  The SNAP Challenge allocates the average SNAP benefit, which is $4.50 per person per day - for ALL your food and beverages.
• The third thing you can do is make a donation of nonperishable food items to your local food bank.  I know our local food bank suggests items such as canned tuna or chicken, canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, juice, rice, soup, crackers, spaghetti sauce, and oatmeal.
• The final thing you can do is check out lots of other ideas through the 30 Ways in 30 Days! program.  Be creative, have fun, get others involved and fight hunger!

So what is your plan?  What are you going to do in recognition of Hunger Action Month?

2013 Family Fall Fun Bucket List

Today is the first day of fall (my favorite season) and to celebrate I decided to make a Family Fun Fall Bucket List.  Fall is our busiest time of the year on the farm due to the many hours, days, weeks and really months of harvesting and fall field work, but we had so much fun working on our Family Fun Summer Bucket List I decided to make one for fall too!

1. Go to a Pumpkin Patch
2. Carve Pumpkins
3. Go Trick-or-Treating
4. Have a Halloween Play Date
5. Jump into Leaves
6. Tailgate
7. Go to a Football Game
8. Go on a Nature Walk at Beeds Lake
9. Make a Tree of Thanks
10. Have Family Dates (Mom & Dad, Mom & LP, Mom & MP, Dad & LP, Dad & MP)

What is on your Fall Bucket List?  What are some of your favorite things to do in the fall with your family?