day 20 of farmacology: our chickens are cray cray

One of the things you may not know about farm folks is that

we have crazy chickens.  

We have five chickens: three Red Stars and two Black Stars. They haven't started laying yet, but we're banking on them producing any day now.

Ok, so we've been saying that for a month. 

But this time we mean it. 

And they apparently do too, because in the last week, they've discovered that their pen can't contain them anymore. 

First, one Black Star learned she could quite literally fly the coop. 

Then, just as quickly, she learned that puppies find wandering chickens a lot of fun to chase. 

Then she learned that if she darted under the electric fence into the pasture, the puppies would leave her alone. 

Now she pretty much fancies herself a heifer. 

And two of her friends aren't far behind. I looked outside yesterday to see three newly free-range, cage-free chickens and . . . 

one snoozing Great Pyrenees. Some livestock guardian SHE is.

This morning, the three chickens were back out again and darting in and out between puppies and heifers. The heifers chase the chickens out of the pasture. The dogs chase them back in. No wonder they don't have any time to lay eggs. 

Crazy chickens. 

day 19 of farmacology: national pumpkin day

One of the things you may not know about farm folks is that

we make do.

I've always dreamed of having a cute front porch display during the fall, complete with funky colored pumpkins and bundles of corn stalks and brightly colored ears of Indian corn. 

So basically like my mom's front porch.

But we have dogs. Four dogs. And if last year is any indication, a pumpkin would last about ten minutes before it became pumpkin puree spread across the lawn. 

Soooo . . . until our puppies quit teething, we make do with a close second: pumpkin granola and a house that smells like cinnamon. 

It's almost the same-ish. 

Granola lasts about a hot minute in a house with a farmer who likes to snack while he reads, so a double batch of granola is always a good idea. 

Better still, I actually had all of the ingredients on hand  . . . for once: oats, nuts, brown sugar, vanilla, even pumpkin and some caramel baking bits for good measure.

Add some pumpkin puree and some pumpkin pie spice, and our house was left smelling like a virtual pumpkin patch. 

Scratch that. 

Better still, like a pumpkin pie.

Our front porch may be a little -- ummmm -- minimalistic thanks to three puppies and a patient dog, but our house is smelling -- and tasting -- like fall. 

See?

We make do! 

Want to read more of my 31 day farmacology writing challenge? Click here. 

Cinnamon Pumpkin Granola from Creme de la Crumb

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup chopped nuts - such as Diamond of California (almonds, walnuts, and pecans all work well in this recipe too)
• ½ cup coconut flakes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven to 325 and lightly grease a large baking sheet. (Preferable one with a raised edge)
2. In a large bowl combine oats, nuts, coconut, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.In another bowl whisk together honey, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin.
3. Pour the wet mixture mixture over the oats mixture and stir to coat well. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet in an even layer and bake 15 minutes, stir, and continue to bake in 10-15 minutes intervals, stirring well between each, until the granola is uniformly golden and no longer moist (for me this was a little over an hour but it will depend on your oven).
4. Allow to cool completely (the granola will crisp a little more as it cools.) Store completely cooled granola in airtight containers for 1-2 weeks.

day 18 of farmacology: we take breaks . . . sometimes

One of the things you may not know about farm folks is that

we do take breaks. Sometimes.  

We missed the prettiest leaves by about a week, but today we took a little hike at a local state park, and my farmer got to enjoy the weather from outside the cab of a tractor and without his work boots on. Success! 

  

Hiking while pregnant gave me a good foretaste of what growing older will be like. You have to watch where you place each foot like you're walking a mine field, you're basically just trying not to fall, and you lean heavily on your husband, who does his best to humor you with his a fake aged voice. 

  

You also take breaks to learn about acorns. (I told you we were old at heart.)

Here's a fun fact for the day: Did you know that acorns are poisonous to cows? [Click to tweet.]

Neither did I! What a coincidence! 

Not that you or I are busy spending our days cramming nuts down random cows' throats or anything, but it never hurts to know these things just in case. 

Or in the event you're someone phone-a-friend when a million dollar game show question is on the line. 

You can thank us later. 

Chris then pointed out that this plant looked like something I'd attempt to craft with, and as with most things, he's right. 

I left it there . . . but only because I'd probably get it home and then we'd all break out in hives or something equally awesome. 

Because I'm good like that. 

  

We also talked about coming back to that same park in a year and doing some hiking with a little buckaroo or buckarette . . . and how I'd carry the water and he could tote the baby. That's a dad rite of passage, right? Err . . . rite? Errr . . . 

Farmers, to quote Mike Row, are #notafraidtowork. But they're also not afraid to be a little spontaneous, take a little break, go on a little walk, and have a little chat with their wives. 

And that makes me more than just a little happy. 

Want to read more of my 31 day farmacology writing challenge? Click here. 

day 17 of farmacology: we go to church

One of the things you may not know about farm folks is that

we go to church.

Heck, half the time our ancestors founded churches!

As in, if you drive to my little corner of Iowa, you'll find a massive maple tree randomly left standing in the middle of a field. It's where the Lutherans who settled in that county first met for church a hundred-plus years ago. 

Farmers since then could have cut that old tree down, but they leave it as a reminder of the men and women who came before them, their fervent faith in God and His mercy, and the reality that they built churches before they built stores or schools because what happened within the walls of those buildings mattered to them.

Or consider that, a couple of years ago when my farmer and I stood on the steps of the Supreme Court, waiting for the justices to announce their decision on the Hobby Lobby case, we stood next to another farmer. He was in town to testify on a Congressional committee and had made his way to the Supreme Court because he believed strongly in religious liberty and his ability to live and worship as he saw fit. 






So, lest you wonder, yes, we're farmers. And we go to church. 

We're Christians, and more specifically, we're members of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. 

We believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We believe there's nothing we can do to earn our salvation, that it's all been accomplished by Christ on the cross. 

We believe we're sinners and that our Heavenly Father forgives all our gunk and junk on account of Christ. We believe that the Bible is God's Word, not just that it contains it. And we believe that we live in and by His grace alone.

We believe, as one of my former pastors wrote, "Jesus will not be pushed far away. He becomes one of us to be most near us in every part of our lives. He is like us, and therefore, knows us. Although God is no sinner, He takes our sins on Himself and dies for them on a cross. In that moment, God is the most sinful of us all."

"God dies in our flesh, His flesh. He comes in our flesh to save those who have flesh, those who suffer from their flesh and those who sin in their flesh. He does this because of His compassion for those who are like Him. God is a great lover of sinners. That's Jesus."

And we believe that makes all the difference. 

Want to read more of my 31 day farmacology writing challenge? Click here. 

day 16 of farmacology: life by the seasons

One of the things you may not know about farm folks is that

we are all about the seasons. 

Farmers' lives revolve around the seasons. Spring. Planting. Fall. Harvesting. Winter. Snow Removal. Summer. Sweat. 

Nobody knows the weather -- and thus the seasons -- better than a farmer. 

Except maybe the farmer's wife, who keeps just as close an eye on the weather radar to know when to deliver lunch or when rain might keep him home for an afternoon or two. 

So while some people might say that these two pictures were taken two years apart, one in 2013 and one in 2015, we'd say they were taken three corn silages, 1800 calves, one oat silage, three new dogs, one big mustache, two rye silages and a rooster later. 

And either way, we'd all be right. 

Want to read more of my 31 day farmacology writing challenge? Click here. 

day 15 of farmacology: next generation

One of the things you may not know about farm folks is that

we like to encourage the next generation of farmers. 

My farmer's family has been farming for six generations. Mine has been farming for five. I think that means our kids will be eleventh-generation farmers. That's how that works, isn't it?

Because despite the long hours, the too-wet springtimes and the too-dry falls, the broken machinery, the fluctuation of the market and the risks that sometimes are worth taking and sometimes aren't, the problems no one else can solve and the search for good help, snow drifts to plow in the winter and mud to wade through in the spring, the construction projects and the bills, farming is some of the best work out there. 

There's nothing like the smell of fresh-turned dirt, or counting the Vs of geese flying through the air, falling into bed exhausted after an immensely productive day or owning your own farm, watching a litter of piglets thrive on their mama's milk or seeing a tree trunk filled with monarch butterflies in transit. 

It may not always be easy, but it's worth it . . . whether you're one or a hundred. And we don't want them to forget it. 

Want to read more of my 31 day farmacology writing challenge? Click here. 

day 14 of farmacology: ever ready

One of the things you may not know about farm folks is that

we try to keep baked goods in our freezers. 

Because you never know when neighbors will stop by for coffee. You have to be prepared for these kinds of things. 

I tried it once. I baked a pan of bars, ate some with family, put the rest in the freezer . . . and then promptly proceeded to eat the rest one at a time over the course of the next week. 

Whoops. 

But when done properly, a person living in the country can always be ready for the moment anyone might stop by. 

Take one of my mom's friends, for example. She realized that she was in charge of taking cookies to the PTO meeting one evening, but the small-town grocery store was already closed for the night. 

So she called her neighbor and frantically asked if she had any cookies in her freezer that the neighbor would give up for a price. 

Of course the neighbor obliged. Because she had cookies. In her freezer. 

So whether you're living in the country or living in the city, pop those bars in the freezer. Double wrap that coffee cake. At least have some cookie dough handy. 

You never know when the neighbors might stop by. 

Or just need to borrow some. 

Because cups of sugar and an egg are so yesterday. 

Penzey's Banana Nut Coffee Cake

• BREAD
• 1/2 Cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 Cup Cinnamon Sugar
• 1/2 Cup shortening
• 1 Cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Cup bananas, mashed (2 medium to large very ripe bananas)
• 1 TB. pure Vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup sour cream
• 2 Cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 
  
• CARAMEL ICING
• 6 TB. butter
• 3/4 Cup brown sugar, packed
• 6 TB. milk
• 1 tsp. pure Vanilla extract
• 2 Cups powdered sugar

• 1
  Bread: Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease either a bundt or tube pan and set aside. Combine the chopped pecans and CINNAMON SUGAR, set aside. With a mixer, cream the shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, mashed banana and PURE VANILLA EXTRACT. Add the sour cream and mix until blended. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the batter and beat until blended. Sprinkle half of the sugar/nut mixture into the greased pan. Top with half of the cake batter. Follow with the second half of the sugar/nut mixture and end with the rest of the cake batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan then turn out the cake to finish cooling. Top with Caramel Icing.
• 2 Icing: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the sugar and the milk. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the VANILLA EXTRACT and gradually mix in the powdered sugar. This icing hardens up rather quickly so you need to work fast. If it hardens up too quickly for you add some more milk to thin it out.

Want to read more of my 31 day farmacology writing challenge? Click here. 

day 13 of farmacology: celebration

One of the things you may not know about farm folks is that

we celebrate. 

Today my father-inlaw, Paul Heins, received the Governor's Award for Agricultural Achievement. 

And that's worth celebrating!

"Missouri's economy depends on the innovation, dedication and resilience of our farm families, who work each and every day to strengthen their communities and feed, fuel and clothe the world," Gov. Nixon said. "Thanks to producers like Paul Heins and Brent Sanddige, Missouri agriculture continues to lead the way." 

Missouri's Director of Agriculture, Richard Fordyce, presented the award on behalf of the governor and made time for a tour of the farm, some good old-fashioned ag chat and even a bite of cheese. 

What does that award mean? That farmers still know how to combine faith, business, family, farming, fun and a lot of hard work. 

And sometimes, just sometimes, other people notice and value it also. 

And that's worth celebrating too! 

So tonight, we're lifting a glass of milk to you, Paul. Thanks to you -- and to all the cows! -- for putting the good stuff on our kitchen tables and in our cereal bowls every morning.

(Ok, and in secret ice cream stashes too.) 

Want to learn more about the award? Click here. 

day 12 of farmacology: farms help communities

One of the things you may not know about farm folks is that

we know that farms are an economic benefit . 

Ok. You probably figured that, but sometimes it's worth repeating. A lot. 

Farms bring jobs to their communities. Our farm hires men and women to milk cows three times a day, mechanics to keep the machinery in working order, calf feeders, heifer feeders, welders, construction workers . . . 

But we also provide work for people outside the farm. The mechanics at our local dealership sometimes have to fix our equipment. The local trucking company supplies drivers to haul our milk, bring in gravel or drop off feed. Local law enforcement and teachers work part-time driving trucks during silage season. The local dozer operator does dirt work on terraces. 

And then consider the money that goes back into the community as a result of the farm's purchases: gas, diesel, electricity, water, seed, fertilizer, tires, paint, equipment, concrete, steel, dog food for our four canines who eat about as much as all the cows combined . . . 

Then there's the auxiliary people whose jobs are also dependent on agriculture: the accountant who keeps tabs on the books, the milk inspector who checks on the safety of the food produced, the public water supply district staff, the seed salesman . . . 

Jobs for people doing the farming, employment for folks providing services to the farm, dollars that go back into organizations providing goods to the farm . . . all added benefits to farming . . . on top of producing delicious things like milk! 

Or pork. Because I'll always be a pig farmer's daughter. 

And that, to quote my farmer, is why "capitalism is so freaking awesome." Its benefits are so far reaching!

Want to read more of my 31 day farmacology writing challenge? Click here. 

day 10 of farmacology: things that go bump in the dryer

One of the things you may not know about farm folks is that

we find weird things in our laundry. 

It's not uncommon to find things like, say, Kleenex in your dryer. Or stuck to your fleece pajama pants. Or in a little trail from where you put on said fleece pajama pants to wherever it is you're currently sitting. 

Ok. So by "you" I mean "me." 

But do you find tools in your dryer? 

What about pocket knives? 

Pieces of fencing? 

Ear plugs? 

What about corn kernels?

Business cards from seed reps?

Ah, yes.

Then you, too, might be a farmer's wife. 

PS Some lovely bloggers and their kiddos toured the dairy a couple of weeks ago and even joined us for lunch. You can see more about their visit and their thoughts on knowing where milk comes from at Sugar Bee Crafts with a sweet post by Mandy. 

Want to read more of my 31 day farmacology writing challenge? Click here.