AgriMissouri

Farmers' Market Workshops

My co-worker and fellow blogger, Lane McConnell, is organizing a Farmers' Market Workshop that will focus on marketing and promoting farmers' markets. This workshop will be held in six different locations across Missouri. The registration fee is $10. If you'd like more information, visit A Look at Missouri's Farmers' Markets blog.

The workshops are being hosted by the Missouri Department of Agriculture, AgriMissouri and the Missouri Farmers' Market Association.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!

Flickr photo courtesy of Martin LaBar.

Applesauce Meatballs

Here is a recipe for anyone who's headed to a New Year's party. It's provided by Ott Food Products from Carthage, Missouri. They have great sauces and salad dressings that are available in most grocery stores or you can order on-line from their web site. Enjoy the recipe!

Applesauce Meatballs from Ott Food Products

3/4 lb. ground beef

3/4 lb. ground pork

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (packed)

1 egg, well beaten

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup minced onion

1/8 tsp. pepper

Flour

Oil

Mix ingredients and form into 12 balls. Roll lightly in flour and brown in small amount of oil. Watch carefully. Place in baking dish and cover with mixture of:

1/4 cup catsup

1/2 cup Ott's BBQ Sauce

1/4 cup water

Add oil from browning. Cover and bake 1 hour in moderate oven.

The Smashed Chefs....Recycling Glass a New Way

Congratulations to The Smashed Chefs! They were featured in the business section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch yesterday.

This is a cool way to reuse glass bottles. The Nash's recycle wine, beer and almost any type of glass into a variety of different serving platters, bowls, decorations and jewelry. The article describes the ornaments that Doug and Sandy manufactured for the Thompson Coburn Christmas gifts. A quote is displayed below.

In the past three years Nash has become comfortable at the kiln, softening and reshaping glass to give it new life as a commemorative plaque, serving bowl or something totally unexpected. He said he cut the bottoms off 400 bottles to form the Thompson Coburn ornaments that were embellished with colored shards to create snowmen.

I talked to Doug in August and he said they have been doing a lot of commemorative bottles/plaques. Couples are saving a bottle from their wedding reception and having their name and date engraved on it so they can hang it on their wall. Another company had plaques made to recognize their employees from recycled wine bottles. These type of mementos provide a unique way to commemorate a date or event.

Check out their web site to see all of the different types of products The Smashed Chefs manufacture. I have one of their necklace slides and I always get compliments when I wear it.

Little Pleasures Foods Makes Dinner Easy

Greetings! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! I apologize for the lack of posts for several days. I had the best of intentions to post over the holiday weekend and time just got away from me. Between visiting family, driving home through the blizzard in Kansas and seeing more family, it seems like Christmas flew by.

After busy weekends and several Christmas dinners, cooking in the evening is the last thing my husband or I want to do. Thank goodness Little Pleasures Foods offers a line of soup mixes that are wonderful. The great thing about these soup mixes is they are unique. Here are a few examples: French Market Soup, Dutch Pea Soup, and Beans, Beer and Brat Soup. That's just some of the great soup mixes. They are easy to use and Little Pleasures Foods also has a great line of dip mixes too. I try to keep a few of the soup and dip mixes on hand for evenings when I don't know what to make or want something easy.

Beehive Cookies

Cookies at Christmas are a necessity! So since I gave you recipes at Thanksgiving that could accompany your Thanksgiving meal, today I've got a recipe to add to your Christmas cookie collections. It's from Gibbons Bee Farm located in Rocheport and Ballwin, Missouri. Gibbons have some great honey products and recipes to use their honey. Another source for honey related recipes is the National Honey Board. Enjoy!

Beehive Cookies

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup lightly chilled butter (6 oz.), cut in bits
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup creme or whipped honey
Zest from 2 lemons, about 1 tablespoon
1 egg
Coarse sugar as needed (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients; reserve. Cream butter, brown sugar, honey, and lemon zest until smooth; beat in egg. Add dry ingredients in thirds, mixing well with each addition. Scrape dough onto plastic wrap; shape it into a log about 12 inches long. Chill an hour or so until firm, or up to 24 hours. Cut log into 1/4-inch slices; place 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired, lightly pressing sugar into dough. Bake until edges are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack. Cool completely.

Farmers' Markets Can Apply for EBT Machines

My co-worker and fellow blogger, Lane McConnell, is working to get electronic benefits transfer machines (aka debit card machines) into 19 farmers' markets across the state. Below is part of her post from yesterday that explains how the selection process will work.

As part of the Missouri Specialty Crop Block Grant, the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) will be purchasing 19 EBT/ Debit Wireless Machines that will be distributed to chosen markets. The MDA is currently identifying which markets across the state will be eligible to receive the wireless devices. Eligible markets will be chosen through scoring on a Missouri EBT Market Criteria Form that scores markets on subjects such as: city population, unemployment rate, market experience, food stamp participation and funding.

To obtain more information on how to obtain an EBT machine for your farmers' market, contact Lane McConnell at Lane.McConnell@mda.mo.gov or read her post from yesterday.

Farm Offers "1900s Family Christmas Adventure"

I ran across this article on a farm in Nebraska who is offering visitors a "1900s Family Christmas Adventure." Families stay for the weekend, participate in chores (no matter what the weather), bake cookies, cut their own Christmas tree and hunt for food.

Bill and Karen Stoverink brought their teenage children, 13-year-old Brian and 16-year-old Katie.

"We're from St. Louis. We don't see much country like this too often," Bill Stoverink said. "I thought farmers had it easy in the wintertime ... no crops, they had nothing to do. Now I realize they work harder in the winter than they do in the summer."

The farm is a good example of the agritourism opportunities out there. If this is something you would like to research for your farm, contact me at Sarah.Gehring at mda.mo.gov.

Christmas Tree Farm Feature: Pine Meadows Tree Farm

Pine Meadows Tree Farm, a division of Schweizer Orchards, is our last AgriMissouri Christmas tree farm featured for this season. They will be open through December 24 so you can get your Christmas tree right up until the last minute.

Pre-cut and choose and cut trees are available in many different varieties. The Christmas Shop features hot cider, hot chocolate, coffee and free cookies on the weekends. They are located at 11672 County Road 428 in Savannah, Missouri. Pine Meadows is open Monday-Friday from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. and weekends 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Episode 10: Last-minute Shopping

If you need a gift, and you need it fast, we've got your back this week. Julie Harker talked to four people who can help you fill that last-minute gap on your holiday shopping list.

Related Links:
Free Range Cookies
The Smashed Chefs
Lahm's, Inc.
Missouri Mercantile

Download audio (MP3, approx 6 megabytes)

Christmas Tree Farm Feature: Heritage Valley Tree Farm

Heritage Valley Tree Farm is located in Washington, Missouri. This is the last weekend they will be open (December 15 & 16), so be sure to drive over and pick up your tree. Their hours are 10a.m. - 5 p.m. Below is a description from their web site about their farm and Christmas tree experience.

The 75-acre farm, recognized by the Missouri Century Farm program, has been family owned for over 100 years. The first evergreen seedling was planted in the spring of 1983 and the tree-growing family tradition continues today.

Tree Farm features gorgeous fir and pine Christmas trees as well as a relaxed, outdoor experience for family and friends. Wagon rides are available to and from the Christmas tree fields when weather permits. Saws are provided as well as tree shaking, netting and drilling.

Visitors are welcome to warm up from the cold and enjoy the country Christmas atmosphere of the historic 150-year-old log cabin farmhouse. Refreshments such as hot chocolate, apple cider, bottled water and fresh baked cookies are available.

In addition to choose and cut Christmas trees, decorated Fraser Fir wreaths and combination greenery bundles are offered.