Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
I hope you had a wonderful couple of Holidays. 

We had a wonderful Holiday season, with most of the Holiday being in snowy Chicago. The usual, staying downtown and then the suburbs, eating delicious food, and relaxing. Adam's sister, Erica, got engaged and they are planning a wedding in ITALY. I'm so excited to get back to Europe- possibly spend a few extra days traveling.. France!

Here are a few pics:

The Farm in the City, Adam's Aunt's

Our friend, Duncan the Clydesdale who lives at the Farm in the City

With a New Year, it is also a time for new beginnings.

The avoiding of food allergies is tough because soy (my main allergen) happens to be in nearly everything. I might be exaggerating a bit, but it is going to be a very rough, long year. I hope Adam enjoys some extra time at the farm because my other milder allergies are to most of the early season crops (carrots, peas, cucumbers, broccoli etc). I will be fine, I'm just using that excuse to get out of some things!

Other than that, we are busy planning for this upcoming year at Heritage Hill Farm (working out our CSA details for the upcoming year, ordering seeds and supplies) and in general just getting ancy to start growing and selling! 

We're also focused and working hard, so we can get going on the house building! Time will fly...

Happy Thanksgiving, Food Allergies

Happy Early Thanksgiving! 

We're probably like most of you all, scrambling and trying to work on our grocery list for the upcoming feast. Great job for everyone who's accomplished it earlier- someday that will be me. For some crazy reason, I thought Thanksgiving was supposed to be last Thursday (yes, I really am jumping the gun on this- maybe it is the snow on the ground, Holiday music starting around Halloween- who knows). Last Monday I was trying to plan out everything, bought some Harvest Bon Bons at Chocolaterie Stam as gifts and sent then away. Well, they arrived a little earlier but better early than late!


 For this Thanksgiving, we're going to be in Ames celebrating with friends. Since Adam and I both like to cook, we are easily going to be in a bind with oven temperatures and timing. One of my favorite dishes that I'm looking forward to is a sweet potato dish with our giant sweet potatoes from the farm. I'm a huge fan but Adam is a squash and sweet potato hater. I will post the recipe... along with some of our favorites. 

Our Thanksgiving feast was a in limbo for a bit. On Monday I had an allergy test done because I had a severe reaction when I was in Wisconsin. I couldn't breathe and my throat was tight. It was definitely scary and was the defining moment of seriously looking into what was causing this. Before, sometimes I would break out in hives after eating or exercising (the most severe) but other times an annoying little rash. I blamed it on wheat and would try to avoid gluten - sorry wheat- it wasn't you. 

Turns out, I'm severely allergic to soy/ soybeans and soy happens to be almost EVERYWHERE- breads, soups, salad dressings, candy, ice cream and more. I have other allergies to egg yolks, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, raspberries, and TOMATOES- I was very bummed about that last one and the other veggies. I mean really- we have a vegetable farm, what are the odds! Now I've turned into a little label reader, more than ever.  The doctor mentioned on the less severe allergies, if I avoid them for a year or so there is a chance I will overcome them. So, it is going to be a long and difficult year without salsa, ketchup, heirloom tomato salads (the saddest thing) and snitching cherry tomatoes from the field. 

 It also is an opportunity- an opportunity to cook more and really focus on fresh. Even I was caught in the not enough hours in the day mode. Since soy is a major preservative, I can avoid it by cooking more- fresh breads! For the other veggies, I'm going to have to find new favorites. 

We will be possibly going to Italy next year for a wedding. That might be a little more of a challenge. One day at a time... 

Energized...

Lately, I've been all out of sorts. I feel like I've been doing way more of my share with regards to my company, you know the not so fun but important aspects (making sure the pricing is correct, the availabilities are sorted, adding information to the availabilities, and overseeing AR because of some issues in the past- all with little to no communication from my company and juggling my day to day duties). This has been turning me into a control maniac (way past the control freak stage) because I have higher expectations. Okay, enough of my other life for now...

So, I packed up some stress and went with my good friend Libby and her mom Teri, to a spa in Wisconsin. It was an amazing getaway in the Wisconsin Dells. We all needed a relaxing trip- I realized how burned out I was getting. We were making small talk with our driver on the way to a really nice restaurant and he said something that really stuck with me.. "if you are doing what you love every day, then each day is a gift".  I feel like I am so close... and each pathway that I've taken has led me to knowledge. With these adventures, it has shaped me to knowing what I want, what don't want, how I can do things better, and recognize opportunities along the way.

And now we are all back into the real world.
In the next week, I will continue to be working hard. Don't worry- nothing at work is significantly changing but in addition to that, I'm exploring more of what I love in terms of gardening, working with my customers etc- meaning possible new partnerships in addition to what I'm doing currently etc. We are also forging ahead on the farm and are exploring some additional avenues, in addition to Etsy... more opportunities to do what I love.

Catching Up

I finally, finally had a chance to write. Lately I've been wishing that I had more hours in my day- I try to cram everything into the day and I'm at my best when I'm busy. I feel like you should be doing what you love in life and sometimes that has been a challenge because of roadblocks (contracts and all sorts of challenges lately)- that drives me absolutely crazy. Trying to think positively- what I really love is the farm, gardening outside, cooking with our produce (especially canning projects), trying new recipes, and working on projects for the Etsy shop. Etsy has been going very well for me lately. I really enjoy being creative and bringing people joy with handmade quilts.

On the weekends, I am almost so excited to be doing what I love that I can hardly sleep. Other nights, I stay awake with anxiety.



Here's what I've been up to lately on the weekends:

We had our last market at the Ames Oktoberfest (I'm actually 100% German)

One of my favorite canning projects so far is the apple pie filling. Grandma W. would be so proud- she's the legendary pie baker!

And, we are trying our hand at growing MUSHROOMS. These are baby Phoenix oyster mushrooms.

Iowa State Fair Memories & The Project

Gladiolus Show

The Iowa State Fair has officially wrapped up. Even though I might be a tad bit biased, we are extremely fortunate to have such a legendary event so close. Late Friday night, Adam and I took a break from work and checked it out.

For us, it was more exciting than usual because we have a farm. We've been dreaming of some livestock- Charolais and Shorthorn cattle, maybe just a few Berkshire pigs, chickens, and horses for me.

Enjoy!

Checking out the Big Boar

There was a tad bit of drama surrounding this year's famous Butter Cow

I was a ten year 4-Her in Plymouth County and every year that I was eligible, I had projects advance to the state fair. Of what went to the state fair, I received all blue ribbons in such categories as Food and Nutrition, Clothing, Personal Development and more! It was quite a feat because our county is extremely competitive. My favorite projects include violet jam, strawberry lemonade, a strawberry jelly roll, and even hamburger buns. The last project was definitely the hardest- not because of what it really was- but the circumstances that surrounded it. My grandma Waddell helped me bake these the same night that my father passed away at our home. Heavy stuff, I know but I couldn't have been the person I am without her patience and hard work ethic.

So, the project...
As you may know, I'm passionate about gardening, cooking, and a few other projects. I love to share my experiences and last week, we had a preliminary photo shoot at our farm. More details to come, that is... when the time is right!

Summer So Far...

It is August.

Where did the summer go?

These are some views of the farm and of our summer so far. Enjoy!

Sunsets at the Farm

Finally, we've been harvesting some great things from the gardens

Sweet Corn in Iowa is officially ready!

Blueberry Pie Filling (Canning Project)

The first wave of cucumbers

Pickle Project

Chickens, our first animal at Heritage Hill Farm.

The Pie Lady/ A Heavy Heart

The other day, I was wondering where time has went. It is almost July, which means the strawberry season will come to a close and soon the tomatoes and peppers will be shining in the spotlight.  Even though I say I crave a homegrown tomato, mentally I'm really not quite ready!  

Fresh strawberries that I delivered to friends & family on my Le Mars adventure

Last weekend, I visited my good friend Libby with strawberries and other goodies in tow. She had an adorable little baby boy who was born on St. Patrick's Day of this year. I met him for the first time because I'm not so great with life events during the Spring shipping season! I know, I need to do a better job of friends and family coming first but it can definitely be a challenge- especially with new computer systems and all sorts of changes in my (fairly) high stressed but rewarding career. I have a very short shipping window that is very weather and economical driven. In a nutshell that usually can turn me into a crazy person because anything that possibly could have gone wrong, did this year. 

Tonight I'm writing with a heavy heart. 

As you may or may not know,  my grandma was diagnosed with cancer this year during this very hectic Spring. As a side note, honestly cancer terrifies me because it runs in my family. My father passed away when I was in high school and I've seen my great grandma battle it as well. In Iowa, where I grew up is sometimes referred to as the "cancer belt" and no one exactly can pinpoint the reasons as to why. There are tons of theories out there; lots of chemical run-off from agriculture, an old paint company and other factories that were dumping toxins unsafely (but then again, that was before there was as much concern, research, and regulations), as well as other ideas.

I am very close to my Grandma Waddell who is lovingly referred to as the "Pie Lady". Growing up, I used to sell my vegetables alongside her and her pies at Farmer's Markets. I know everyone probably says that their grandma's and moms can make a mean pie, but really I don't think I can find any that can compare to hers- after all, not at all unexpected with her middle name of Delight! Every Wednesday night for the Akron Farmer's Market and Saturdays in Le Mars, she would have sometimes 50-60 pies in all sorts of flavors that she baked starting at 2.30 that morning all from scratch- cherry, apple, strawberry, banana cream, coconut cream (I melt at that one- that usually involves me vs. a cousin for that pie!), pecan and others. I groggily helped her and she really does mean it when she said she was going to start baking at 2.30 AM. But at least, the coffee was on and it usually was very, very dark! No cream, no sugar and no sunrise for a while either.

Last weekend, I visited her with a container of freshly picked strawberries- one of her favorite things because nothing compares to a local strawberry. She perked up and we sat on the deck, eating strawberries and talking but it was obvious that the chemo has taken a toll. I did take comfort with the fact, that just like old times there was a delicious, uncut pie sitting on the counter.

 Last night, we didn't get good news about the prognosis so hopefully my grandma can be comfortable and strong.  We're praying for her and would appreciate yours as well!

I've put together just a few take-aways from the many years of growing up with the legendary "Pie Lady". I thought about these on my long drive back to Ames.

1. Always treat your customers like friends- know their favorites, be kind and generous. Generous might mean going out of your way to open a door or give a few extra pies or veggies away. Chances are that you won't remember your kindness but others will.
2. Work hard, you can get a lot accomplished at 2.30 in the morning as long as the coffee is on and hot. No cream and no sugar, or maybe you can if its a special day.
3. Don't take shortcuts in life (don't skimp on the Crisco if you want a flaky crust) but it is ok to adjust the sugar for a sugar free/ low sugar pie- some exceptions to the rule but not with the crust. Also, store bought pie crust don't count as homemade pie crust. An interesting fact, actually to this day I can't bring myself to eat a store bought pie!

On the way to my Grandma's house. My cousins and I would ride bikes to "Uncle Ed's" place and sometimes pick plums from the wild thicket. There is still a great fishing pond here!