Oh the anticipation! If you grew up in the Van Wert family near Hampton, the day you could join 4-H marked a big milestone.

“We couldn’t wait to get our own 4-H projects, because we’d heard so much about4-H from our parents,” said Jay Van Wert, a Franklin County farmer who is proud that four generations of his family have participated in 4-H.

It all started with Van Wert’s father, J.S. “Pat” Van Wert, who joined 4-H in Franklin County in the 1920s, and his mother, Alice Anderson, who was a 4-Her in Minnesota. “They both benefited from great county Extension staff members and local volunteer leaders who lit the spark of 4-H participation,” said Van Wert, whose father raised pigs, calves and lambs, while his mother specialized in foods, clothing and home furnishings projects.

Pat, who was a member of the Franklin County dairy judging team that won state and national judging contests, also represented Iowa at the National 4-H Camp in Washington, D.C. His experiences prepared him well for his studies at Iowa State College in Ames, where he met Alice.

After the young couple married, they encouraged their four children (Jay, David, Sonnie and Trish) to get involved in 4-H. As soon as they were old enough, the boys joined the Mott Meat Makers, while the girls joined the Mott Cloverettes. The boys raised hogs, calves, hens and dairy cows and competed on the livestock, dairy, crops and poultry judging teams. The highlight of their 4-H projects included a gilt that gave birth to 18 piglets on Feb. 20, 1951.

“We raised all the pigs to market weight,” said Van Wert, who added that the total market weight of 4,419 pounds set a world record.

Reaching this goal was no small feat. When the piglets were young, Van Wert and his brother rotated the animals so nine nursed from the sow while the other nine received a homemade milk replacer every 20 minutes throughout the day and night. “This routine was extended out until every 45 minutes until the pigs reached weaning age at eight weeks,” Van Wert recalled.

The boys also named each pig. Nine had “A” names, including Abner, Abigail, Agnes, Abraham, Albert, Amy, Alex, Amos and Archie. Eight had “B” names, including Barney, Betty, Benny, Bertha, Bernie, Billy, Beulah and Barbara, while the smallest piglet at birth was named Squirt.

Learning lessons that last a lifetime

The yearly anticipation of exhibiting 4-H projects at the county, district and state fairs encouraged all the Van Wert kids to invest the time necessary to succeed. “The challenge was always to make the best better,” said Van Wert, who was honored in 2014 with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award. “4-H demonstrations and judging teams also helped us gain confidence and become comfortable speaking before the public.”

4-H also gave the Van Werts a network of friends throughout the state. “Holding offices in our clubs, and later serving as Franklin County officers and state officer candidates provided great learning experiences,” added Van Wert, who is proud that his children and grandchildren have participated in 4-H, too. “4-H offers tremendous leadership opportunities and helped each of us grow as individuals.”

Home-cooked favorites

Jay and his wife, Sally, served as 4-H leaders while their three children were growing up. Despite their business schedules, which included running J’s Hay Company, home cooking was a priority for the Van Werts, who were inducted into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame in 2010.

Here’s one of their go-to recipes:

 

Guest blog by Jody Halsted.

Jody Halsted is a family travel authority with a mad passion for Ireland.  A frequent visitor to the Emerald Isle, she loves nothing more than exploring the country with her husband and two daughters.  The publisher of Ireland Family Vacations, Jody also plans Ireland itineraries and provides Ireland travel coaching.  Get inspired by the Ireland Family Vacations Pinterest boards or follow Jody on Twitter @IrelandFamTrvl.

As I look out my window right now I see a gentle creek parting the rolling hills that will soon be green. The pre-dawn air is still a bit too brisk for the grass to have the smell of morning dew when I open the door to let my dog out. And the only ruined castle I see is made of snow, its frozen turrets slowly dwindling in our glorious spring thaw.

Across the ocean I am watching my Irish friends already harvesting early spring vegetables from small gardens. Each day brings new photos of baby lambs and colts romping in damp grass, the filtered sunlight creating a magical effect over the entire image. A centuries old ruin can be seen far in the background, its stone walls holding stories of life, love, and intrigue.

Iowa. And Ireland. My two homes.

Though an ocean separates them, I see so very much similarity between my home state and the country of my heart.

Dramatic Views: Though Ireland can boast extraordinary ocean views from its magnificent cliffs, the stark natural beauty of Iowa’s river borders as Bald Eagles soar overhead are just as majestic.

Ancient History: You build with what you have available. In Ireland it was stone. In Iowa it was trees and dirt. Megalithic tombs and ‘thin places’, effigy mounds and sacred places.

Amazing People: The people of Ireland are known as the friendliest in the world, the land of “céad míle fáilte” or “One hundred thousand welcomes”. In Iowa we’re known as nice. Iowa Nice, that is.

John Wayne: OK, this one may be a stretch. But I don’t live so very far from Winterset, where John Wayne was born. And one of my favorite villages in Ireland is Cong, where The Quiet Man was filmed. In both towns you’ll find a statue of ‘The Duke”.

The Weather: Let’s just face facts. No one vacations in Ireland – or Iowa- for the weather. When it is bad it is beyond horrid. But when it is good, oh it is glorious!

Lush, open fields stretching for miles: It’s mid-spring. Stand in the center of Ireland or Iowa. Close your eyes and breathe deep. Open your eyes and slowly turn. A prism of green spreads before you. The land is alive, growing beneath your feet. Everything is fresh, clean, holding promise.

I know that soon the grasses will be lushly green and birds will be singing outside my window. When I open the door as the sun is just breaking the horizon I’ll smell the morning dew before it burns off. For a moment I’ll smell Ireland.

Traditional Irish Breakfast

Also known as the “Full Irish” or the “Fry Up”, you may find it’s not that different from a hearty farm breakfast.

Begin by searching your area for a British or Irish market. (I visit the British Food Store at the Mucky Duck Pub in Ames.)  This is where you will find bacon rashers, also called back bacon, a thicker piece of meat than American bacon, the bangers, a tube shaped sausage, and the puddings, also a sausage.  Black pudding may be called blood pudding, or blood sausage, while the white pudding has no blood.  If you don’t have a market nearby, you can order these treats online from sites like FoodIreland.com.

After gathering your necessary ingredients, you’ll want to bake a loaf or two of Irish Brown Bread.  This filling bread is made with both wheat and white flour, as well as oatmeal and wheat germ. (Note:  This is not Soda Bread.  Soda Bread is made with only white flour.) See the recipe below.

Cooking Your Irish Breakfast

Cooking the perfect Irish Breakfast is really a lesson in timing.  It’s best to have all your ingredients at hand.

Begin with the items that can be kept warm in the oven- the meats.

Begin by frying the bacon.  As Irish bacon is not as fatty as American bacon, you may need a bit of pure butter in the frying pan.  Do not fry the bacon crisp, but just to a bit brown on the edges.

Next you will fry your bangers.  An alternate method of preparation is to bake them on the oven at 375° for 20-25 minutes.

As the bangers are frying, slice the bread and place it in the oven to warm.

Slice your puddings, about ¾” thick, and fry them next, until browned on both sides.

If you are preparing potatoes, you have a couple options.  Slice peeled, boiled potatoes and fry them in a mixture of pure butter and the meat drippings.  Or prepare boxty, an Irish potato pancake, ahead of time.  If you are serving beans, put them in a pan to heat.

Add your sliced tomato or mushrooms to the side of the pan while you are frying the potatoes.

After the potatoes are done, it’s time to fry the eggs.  Though you can serve your eggs in your favorite way, sunny side up or over medium are best for dipping the warm brown bread into the runny yolk.

After the eggs are done, plate it all and enjoy a hearty Irish breakfast.

Sláinte!

(to your health)

If you’re looking for a few great recipes for a St. Patrick’s Day feast, download my Favorite Irish Recipes cookbook.

Not only are hearts synonymous with Valentine’s Day on Saturday, but February is National Heart Month. Today we’re sharing tips from health professionals to help you prevent heart disease. Adequate exercise and healthy meals are key to wellness.

“A healthy meal is balanced by eating something from every food group,” says Anne Hytrek, Dietitian and Diabetes Educator at the Ankeny Prairie Trail Hy-Vee, and member of the Iowa Food & Family Project’s Advisory Committee. “Many times excess calories are consumed when one eats more than the serving size for meat and grains per meal and thereby eating less vegetables.”

Eating a well-balanced diet is extremely important for overall health, adds Hytrek. Eating fruit and vegetables daily lowers the risk of serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and obesity. In spite of all these benefits, only 1 in 5 Americans eats the recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

A healthy meal centers on the USDA’s food guidance system MyPlate, which recommends half the plate is composed of fruit and vegetables.  Hytrek explains the other half the plate is divided between protein like meat or cheese and grains such as bread, pasta or rice.  A serving of dairy, such as 1 cup low fat milk or yogurt, is also included. Pack fruits and vegetables for mid-morning and for mid-afternoon to help reach the 5 A Day goal.

To eat healthier Hytrek suggests:

• Select any lean meat or protein first followed by a low fat cooking method such as grilling, broiling, roasting or baking.  Choose at least two different colors of vegetables to include in your meal.  Finally, choose whole grain foods to balance your meal that provide fiber to not only fill you up, but also help lower LDL “bad” cholesterol.
• Cook from scratch as much as you can rather than relying on processed foods.  Use low fat dairy products and reduced fat/light condiments according to their serving size on the nutrition label.  Switch to Kosher salt, which is naturally one-third less in sodium than iodized salt. You will not notice a taste difference since the salt crystal is hollow inside and “pops” on the tongue a lot like pop rock candy!
• Put a new twist on traditional foods. Try Greek yogurt topped with blueberries, aronia berries or strawberries that are rich in antioxidants. Replace traditional lettuce salads with greens like kale and spinach. Add fiber into your diet with 100% whole grain or ancient grains like quinoa or faro. Salmon and tuna are great sources of Omega 3 healthy fats.

“Hy-Vee dietitians are happy to set up personal shopping appointments where we can suggest heart healthy foods,” says. Hytrek “We can also provide a meal planning consultation with a physician’s referral to individualize meals, according to food preferences and schedules. And on Hy-Vee.com, you can select meal solutions and access recipes tailored to special diet restrictions and individualize healthy eating.”

It feels like we just gathered together to celebrate the New Year, yet January Soup Month ends today. While I’m trying to come to terms with how quickly the month has passed, most Americans have moved on to the next big thing… Super Bowl XLIX!

Scrambling like a quarterback about to get sacked, I sat down at my laptop this morning to come up with a game plan to help feed a crowd tomorrow! Fortunately, I didn’t have to search very long or hard to find recipes for Game Day Grub like dripping roast beef sandwiches or ideas to serve up a little Super Bowl-themed fun.

Below are links to some recipes that will help you keep it simple on Super Bowl Sunday, so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time in front of the television watching top commercials like “Lost Dog.” As touching as this new #BestBuds spot is, nothing pulls at my heart strings like “So God Made a Farmer.”

If you’re in need of some last-minute ideas, check out Latham Seeds’ “Super Bowl” board on Pinterest. Below are a few Super Bowl recipes that our customers and ag friends have shared with us in the past:

• Take it to the House with Pork
• Something Delicious is Stirring
• Cheer On the Cheeseheads with Meatball Soup

Soup sounds like an ideal meal tomorrow for two reasons: (1) I can fix it ahead of time and forget about it until we’re ready to eat; and (2) there’s an 80% chance of snow. We may just need to warm up with Beer Cheese Soup!

Guest Blog by Darcy Maulsby

Darcy Maulsby is a farm cook whose family operates a Century Farm in Calhoun County between Lake City and Yetter. Darcy also runs her own ag marketing/communications business (www.darcymaulsby.com) and enjoys teaching cooking classes, reading and improving her photography skills in her free time. Darcy’s motto? “As long as people need to eat, agriculture will never be irrelevant.” 

Got 30 minutes? You’ve got enough time to make freezer jam. Once you’ve tried this amazing spread, you may never buy the jarred stuff from the store again.

I can speak from experience, because I got hooked on home canning nearly a decade ago. During my class at the recent Women in Denim seminar in Storm Lake, I showed how making a simple, homemade freezer jam is the best way to break into canning. It’s easy, delicious and will make you feel like a major-league home cook.

Jam isn’t just for toast, however. I use it for all sorts of recipes, from sweet to savory. In case you’d like to know what defines a jam, jelly or preserve, here’s the scoop:

• In jelly, the fruit comes in the form of fruit juice.
• In jam, the fruit comes in the form of fruit pulp or crushed fruit (and is less stiff than jelly).
• In preserves, the fruit comes in the form of chunks in a thick syrup.

Here are a few of my best recipes to get you started:

30-Minute Raspberry Freezer Jam

You can use red raspberries or blackberries with this recipe, which is fast, fun, and fabulous!

3 cups prepared fruit (about 6 cups fully ripe red raspberries)—can also use frozen berries
5 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
¾ cup water
1 box fruit pectin (I use the regular kind, not freezer pectin)
Canning jars

Crush raspberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Press half the pulp through sieve to remove seeds, if desired. Measure exactly 3 cups crushed raspberries into large bowl. (If using frozen berries, drain off much of the liquid, and save for jelly making). Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.

Mix water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 min. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 min. or until sugar is almost dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

Fill containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks, or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator before using.

While Jody (Cole) Dvorak grew up in the Land of Deere, she says she had never ridden in a tractor or spent any time on a farm before she started dating the man who became her husband. Her parents operated a professional photography studio in Waterloo, and that’s where she discovered an interest in business.

She enrolled at the University of Iowa, and her career path seemed clear. She would earn a bachelor’s of Business Administration degree, move to Minneapolis or Chicago and work for 10 years before starting her own company in the fashion industry.

Two months before graduation, however, Jody and her roommate went to watch a rugby match at City Park in Iowa City. David Dvorak was “the handsome wing forward” who explained the game to them. David had graduated the previous year from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Business and played for the Iowa City Ducks when his scheduled allowed.

“That day he told me that he’d like to call me in about six weeks,” said Jody. “My first thought was, ‘Whaaaat?” Dave explained that he would be busy with harvest until then, but I was still surprised when he actually didn’t call until the crops were out.”

It goes without saying that love changed the course of Jody’s career plans. She found herself following new dreams that led her down a moonlight path near West Liberty in eastern Iowa.

“Farming is a life unlike any other, and I discovered right away how little I knew about agriculture. But I was excited about the completely new lifestyle. Marriage is marriage. A supportive spouse is there at the end of the day to listen, to understand that her needs don’t come first every day and to provide a safe space for her husband,” says Jody.

When the Dvoraks were married and getting started in the 80’s, one of the most supportive things Jody said she could do was have a paycheck. She worked off farm for 22 years. She was an ad executive for three newspapers and advertising manager at the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She also served as membership director for the Iowa City Chamber of Commerce and as a coach for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. Plus, she owned two Curves fitness centers.

Jody gets involved on the farm when her experience allows her to add value to the operation. Dvorak Farm became ISO-9000 certified about 15 years ago, so she became more involved at that time. She helped create sales and marketing materials for Innovative Growers, which produced expeller pressed soy oil, when David served as president of that group. They attended food shows to find new markets for their oil. Recently, Jody says she’s “dipped a couple toes into the pool of grain marketing.”

Today Dvorak Farm raises primarily corn and soybeans. They lean toward value-added crops, growing white and waxy corn plus non-GMO corn and soybeans, seed corn and seed soybeans. They also grow some organic corn and soybeans. Their business is “driven by ethical principles and land stewardship while maintaining honest and fair relationships with landlords, employees, and everyone with whom they do business.”

In addition to raising crops, David and Jody raised a family on their farm. Their 24-year-old daughter Casey works at an ad agency in Chicago, Their son John, 22, is working on his Master’s Degree in Computer Science at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY.

“While my childhood was spent with a lot of neighborhood kids, Casey and John’s memories include each other. They played outside on the swings or built forts in their rooms together. They walked to and from the school bus every day, and did homework together. They had a mix of life on the farm like their dad had, but they also got time in the ballet studio and wrestling meets like my childhood. But unlike me, they had plenty of space to learn to drive!”

The Dvorak’s children are following their dreams in far-away cities now, but they enjoy trips back home for a good home-cooked meal. In honor of January soup month, today Jody shares with us a favorite recipe for Butternut Squash Soup. She’s also sharing another recipe for bruschetta, which Jody says has become a favorite tailgating recipe.

“Our family enjoys a good-natured competition every September although the Iowa – Iowa State rivalry hasn’t been as enjoyable for me the last few years,” says Jody good-naturedly. “When my Hawkeyes won the Big Game the first 12 years we were together, I should have been more gracious! Fortunately for me, Dave played rugby at Iowa State, not football, so it’s a pretty fun weekend no matter what happens.”

P.S. Jody grew up in the city and graduated from the University of Iowa. David was raised on a farm and graduated from Iowa State University. While opposites attracted, they put their differences aside and work toward common goals. Be sure to read Monday’s blog when Jody shares advice for any girl who decides to marry a farmer! Monday’s blog is Part II in our “Bachelor series.” Click here to read Part I.