August 11, 2021 by kharner

Connections

Life is a crazy balance. Today with no sports conflicts, we were able to pause the craziness and connect with many of you.

We also find that the CSA helps us, as a family, to create opportunities for conversations while we are planting, weeding and harvesting. I often remind us; how valuable time is and that time is passing us by quickly.

We need to remind ourselves to listen, be in the moment and fully engage with each other. Doing so, not only helps us to be physically and mentally present to connect with each other, it also helps us to be more aware of the nature around us which we know has a connection to minimizing stress.

Connecting with others with good conversations is time well spent. It fills up our buckets, and we hope that it does the same for all of you.

I found this quote to be so true. Good connecting conversations are not only fun, they are also stimulating for the mind.

“Good conversation is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Garden Science

The dry weather is still impacting garden outcomes. We appreciate your patience as some crops struggle to geminate let alone produce. According to the University of Minnesota – Waseca Experiment Station, we have received just enough rainfall to keep the crops progressing. Not nearly enough rain for our very dry soils.

In addition, we have a few other animal science related items occurring.

Another group of chicks arrived today. Yes, they come via U.S. Postal Sevice from the hatchery.

Pick-Up and Delivery

Remember that pick-up and deliveries will be on the schedule you have arranged with Harner Brothers CSA – please note the exceptions to this which were in the email. Please follow the CDC and MDH guidelines and COVID-19 procedures.

It is your responsibility to know that the pick-up or drop-off time will occur at the agreed upon time, and it is your responsibility as a shareholder to know this and be responsible for the produce at that time. If you are unable to utilize your share that week, it is still your responsibility: find someone else to pick it up or donate it to the food shelf.

Each box is labeled for each family. The same boxes will be used for your family throughout the season. Boxes and containers should be returned the following week. Bags will only be used once.

Boxes of Produce

Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

Lettuce/Spinach Mix – Unfortunately, this crop has really struggled this year. This week was a mix of spinach, kale, black seeded simpson and red oak leaf lettuce.

Cucumbers – The cucumbers have picked up and the second planting is doing well.

The braided stem of an onion is such a fascinating

Onions – We tried this new variety of Blush Onions. Not to hardy with the dry weather this year. Let us know what you think of it.

French Breakfast Radish/Cherry Belle Radish – This is the last of the radishes.

Super Sugar Snap Peas – We started the second planting of this crop. We are grateful that the peas are doing well with the timely rains.

Kohlrabi – A garden favorite. I love to peel it, cut it up like an apple and dip in peanut butter.

Tomatoes – A few Fourth of July and cherry Sungold tomatoes. I love the size of the Fourth of July for a quick lunch, and the Sungolds…well I never would have thought that I would love eating a tomato at 6 a.m.! There are a lot of green tomatoes on the vines. Hopeful for a good next few weeks.

Peppers – A variety are making an appearance in the garden. There will be some super-hot ones forth coming. Meanwhile, I encourage you to try the smaller red peppers, Sweet, Cherry Stuffer.

Beets – Detroit Dark Red Beets – eat them raw or roast them. Learn more here.

Potatoes – Red Nordlan potatoes. Great for the grill, mashed or potato salad.

Summer Squash – Zucchini, Peter Pan and Sunburst varieties. TIP: use your summer squash like your zucchini. None of these need to be peeled when using them.

Sunflowers, Zinnias and Hydrangeas – These should brighten up your home. Put a splash of bleach in the water to help them last longer.

Recipe of the Week

We are blessed with to many eggs and zucchini … so here is my solution!

Zucchini-Parmesan Bake

3 large eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

3 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 pound)

1 cup reduced-fat biscuit/baking mix

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and oil until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients.

2. Transfer to a greased 10-in. ovenproof skillet. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Source: Taste of Home

July 28, 2021 by kharner

Belief

This week has been “fair recovery week” in our house. We were blessed to have our county fair in person providing the boys the opportunity to have their 4-H projects judged in person and to display their projects at the county fair.

Every year leading up to and during the county fair, there are parental peaks and valleys. It would be so much easier as a parent to decide that our family just didn’t have time for 4-H and the county fair.

As parents and 4-H volunteers, Steve and I have a strong belief in the positive outcomes we see our kids experience because of the opportunities they have through 4-H. At the end of the fair, we as a family reflect upon what experiences we were grateful for during our county fair 4-H experience.

Swine show. The whip is used as a guide for the pigs.

It never ceases to amaze me how much personal growth comes from these experiences. To us it is not about the purple ribbon, it is about growing purple ribbon kids. Two key take aways from this year:

“These are some of my favorite days of the summer and favorite parts of 4-H: General project interviews and showing my animals and talking to the judges.”

“I really enjoyed getting to know the other 4-Hers and their families.”

If you have wondered if 4-H is for you…you should quite wondering and join. Participate in ways that work for your family. It is not just for farm kids. There is opportunity for everyone. It is a safe place for kids to learn and explore their interests through project experiences and learning experiences.

The 4-H Pledge

I PLEDGE my HEAD to clearer thinking,
my HEART to greater loyalty,
my HANDS to larger service,
and my HEALTH to better living,
for my family, my club, my community, my country and my world.

Garden Science

The Japanese Beatles have been doing quite a bit of damage this year. Isn’t amazing to see how they eat the leaves of the plants and destroy the plants’ opportunity to survive.

Japanese Beetles are making their presence known and a detriment to a variety of crops. Learn more from the University of Wisconsin Extension.

Pick-Up and Delivery

Each box is labeled for each family. The same boxes will be used for your family throughout the season. Boxes and containers should be returned the following week. Bags will only be used once.

Boxes of Produce

This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

FanciPak Cucumbers – great for canning into pickles. We have them growing up an angled fence so they grow down and are easier to harvest and cleaner at harvest time with less chance of a soil borne plant disease.

Cucumbers – The cucumbers are just starting to come in. Check out Pioneer Woman’s cucumber sandwich recipe.

Onions – Fresh Walla Walla Onions

French Breakfast Radish/Cherry Belle Radish – We are at the end of the radish crops for a little while.

Super Sugar Snap Peas – This will be the end of the first crop of peas. We hope to have the second crop available next week.

Green Beans growing from the flowers of the plant.

Green Beans – I am sure glad we are seeing some green beans on these plants. Enjoy fresh or cooked.

Carrots – The drought is having an effect on the growth of a variety of crops especially carrots.

Summer Squash – Zucchini, Peter Pan and Sunburst varieties. TIP: use your summer squash like your zucchini. None of these need to be peeled when using them.

Sunflowers, Zinnias and Hydrangeas – These should brighten up your home.

Recipe of the Week

Fudgy Zucchini Brownies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded zucchini

1-1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, combine the zucchini, sugar and oil; stir into dry ingredients until blended. Stir in walnuts and vanilla.

2. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

3. In a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in sugar and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook and stir 1 minute or until smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in chips and marshmallows until melted and smooth; add vanilla. Spread over brownies. Sprinkle with walnuts if desired.

Source: Taste of Home

July 14, 2021 by kharner

Learn More about Land Grant Universities

This week, I had the opportunity to attend four different NDSU Extension Research Center Field Days in Hettinger, Dickinson and Williston, North Dakota and tour the agriculture experiment stations on the NDSU campus. NDSU is one of our nation’s Land Grant University’s. Their work on agriculture and our food system is very interesting. They are doing work to make a positive difference not only for the people of North Dakota but also for the world.

While attending this week’s tours, it was amazing to hear about:

-The different soil types in the region, and how long no-till has been a common practice by farmers in this region for many decades to conserve the soil.

-North Dakota is third in the nation in the variety of crops grown behind California and Florida.

-The excitement demonstrated by each researcher in the work that they do because of the desire they have to make a positive impact on the world around them.

I encourage you to learn more about the work being done by the land grant universities around us, and to have the same enthusiasm and passion to serve as I saw in these researchers that I met this week.

Field peas…amanzing strength in the stalk to withstand the wind and extreme weather conditions.

Garden Science

Cucumber beetles become active in late May or early June and feed on the blossoms of early flowering plants, such as dandelions, apples and hawthorn, until their host crops are available. Learn more from the University of Minnesota Extension.

Cucumber beetles – Learn more from the University of Minnesota Extension which is also a land grant university.

Pick-Up and Delivery

Each box is labeled for each family. The same boxes will be used for your family throughout the season. Boxes and containers should be returned the following week. Bags will only be used once.

Boxes of Produce

Rhubarb – One-pound equals about 3 cups. Wash, cut the ends off, cut off any bad parts damaged by wind, chop into 1/4 – 1/2-inch pieces. No need to peel. You can freeze it in a Ziploc bag (no blanching) and use for months to come. Our family loves it in muffins, breads, jam, pie, crisp, sauce and torte. Check out these recipes at Martha Stewart.

The Harner Bros are the 5th generation to raise this rhubarb originally planted on the family farm near Tracy by their great-great grandparents after immigrating from Norway and transplanted to our home near Northfield.

For those of you that love cucumbers, see how the young cucumber emerges from the flower..

Cucumbers – The cucumbers are just starting to come in.

Turnips – Learn more about this root vegetable and how to use the leafy greens from the University of Minnesota.

Onions – Fresh Walla Walla Onions

French Breakfast Radish/Cherry Belle Radish – We are at the end of the radish crops for a little while.

Super Sugar Snap Peas – We were glad to see pea pods on the vines this week. It seems this growing season has a lot of hope with it.

Notice all the white flowers on the green bean plan. A green bean will grow from those flowers.

Green Beans – I am sure glad we are seeing some green beans on these plants. Enjoy fresh or cooked.

Hostas with variety of greens and flowers – These should brighten up your home.

Recipe of the Week

Rhubarb Slush

3 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

1 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup apple juice

3/4 cup thawed pink lemonade concentrate

1 bottle (2 liters) 7-Up or Sprite

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine rhubarb, water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Cool for about 30 minutes.

2. In a food processor or blender, puree mixture, half at a time. Stir in apple juice and lemonade concentrate. Pour into a freezer container; cover and freeze until firm. Let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes before serving.

3. For individual servings, scoop 1/3 cup into a glass and fill with soda. To serve a group, place all of mixture in a large pitcher or punch bowl; add pop and stir. Serve immediately.

Source: Taste of Home

July 7, 2021 by kharner

Belief

Each growing season presents unique challenges. Whether they are challenges from Mother Nature or simply schedule and life challenges. Each year is unique. Yet, we continue our strong belief in what we do and why we do it.

This year part of our balancing act is managing additional time pressures since I am in the University of Minnesota Integrated Food Systems Leadership Program. These courses serve as a valuable reminder to never underestimate the value of sharing your story. There are so many different steps in our food supply chain to get our food from farm to fork as well as steps to ensure the foods’ safety. The class has also been a good reminder to remember what our experiences and personalities bring to the table, and how to bring out the best outcomes in a situation.

One area that shed some light for me is the Clifton Strengths Finders analysis when we discussed the area of “Belief.” It helped me understand my passionate core value around agriculture.

So, in my effort to help explain this belief, I felt sharing the FFA Creed in tonight’s blog may be a step to helping others grow in the understanding of how many of us in agriculture feel about the work we do.

The FFA Creed

I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds – achievements won by the present and past generations of agriculturists; in the promise of better days through better ways, even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us from the struggles of former years.

I believe that to live and work on a good farm, or to be engaged in other agricultural pursuits, is pleasant as well as challenging; for I know the joys and discomforts of agricultural life and hold an inborn fondness for those associations which, even in hours of discouragement, I cannot deny.

I believe in leadership from ourselves and respect from others. I believe in my own ability to work efficiently and think clearly, with such knowledge and skill as I can secure, and in the ability of progressive agriculturists to serve our own and the public interest in producing and marketing the product of our toil.

I believe in less dependence on begging and more power in bargaining; in the life abundant and enough honest wealth to help make it so–for others as well as myself; in less need for charity and more of it when needed; in being happy myself and playing square with those whose happiness depends upon me.

I believe that American agriculture can and will hold true to the best traditions of our national life and that I can exert an influence in my home and community which will stand solid for my part in that inspiring task.

The creed was written by E.M. Tiffany and adopted at the Third National FFA Convention. It was revised at the 38th and 63rd Conventions.

Pick-Up and Delivery

Each box is labeled for each family. The same boxes will be used for your family throughout the season. Boxes and containers should be returned the following week. Bags will only be used once.

Boxes of Produce

Outrageous Red Lettuce, Black Seeded Simpson, Spinach and Kale – This year’s weather presents many unique challenges, down to what will germinate in this environment setting and what won’t…this is one of the challenges with these and other crops this year. This crop was cooled with well water to take the field heat off. It was not washed.

Turnips – Learn more about this root vegetable and how to use the leafy greens from the University of Minnesota.

French Breakfast Radish/Cherry Belle Radish – We are at the end of the radish crops for a little while.

Sugar snap peas were first developed in 1952 by cross-breeding snow pea with a mutant shell pea plant. Researchers hoped that the cross might counteract twisting and buckling seen in varieties at the time. With this cross, they developed a new class of snow pea. Snap peas, like all other peas, are pod fruits. An edible-podded pea is less fibrous, and edible when young. Pods of the edible-podded pea, including snap peas, do not have a membrane and do not open when ripe.

Super Sugar Snap Peas – We were glad to see pea pods on the vines this week. It seems this growing season has a lot of hope with it.

Green Beans – I am sure glad we are seeing some green beans on these plants. Enjoy fresh or cooked.

Hostas with variety of greens and flowers – These should brighten up your home.

Recipe of the Week

Do you still have rhubarb in your refrigerator or did you cut it up and freeze it? If so, give this recipe a try. This is a go to of mine for a quick dessert. Next week will be the last of the rhubarb for the season.

Enjoy with ice cream or whipped topping.

Rhubarb Torte

Using a pie crust cutter. Mix the following:

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 cup butter
Mix then pat into a 9 x 13 cake pan.
6 cups rhubarb
6 oz package of strawberry or raspberry Jello.

Place cut rhubarb on top of the bottom layer. Rhubarb should be cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Sprinkle Jello powder over rhubarb.

Topping:

2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter

Mix with pie cutter or fork and spread on top of Jello. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.

June 30, 2021 by kharner

Continual Learning

Life is full of new surprises and trying new things. This week, the boys were station leaders as our county and a neighboring county hosted an 4-H Agricultural Adventures day camp. While the boys have lead agriculture in the classroom activities in a variety of settings, this was a new experience. They taught kids how to plant seeds, plant identification, what parts of the plant we eat and about poultry, laying hens and turkeys.

So often, we are so closely tied to what we do that we take our knowledge for granted. We don’t realize the positive impact that we can have with others if we simply share our knowledge. Shortly after the camp, one of the boys’ friend was at our place and was asking about what the different plants were in the garden. The curiosity to know where and how your food is grown is natural, and we are privileged to share what we know with others.

On the flip side, we are also continually learning. Steve grew turnips when he was growing up. I on the other hand, never experienced them. Shareholders requested turnips so we grew them. Great news, they grow well in dry conditions! The other great news…I love hearing from all of you how you plan to use them.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatama Gandhi

If you haven’t seen the kittens when you are out. Come early to snuggle with a few of these farm kittens. Interesting fact: when these kittens were meowing, Keith had them hug, and they stopped. The power of a hug!