At our house, Christmas is a religious holiday. We have never been extravagant in the gift department. Growing up, my children always got fewer gifts than the other kids. However, we never went into debt to buy them anything. If they wanted a big-ticket item, we waited until the late-January clearance sales.

Every year, I pick a theme for my gift-giving. I pray and meditate on what new things I’ve learned in the past year. This year, I’ve learned the value of creating memories. While others are pouting and whining about what they don’t have because of the “global economic crisis,” I was blessed with the gift of remembering the good times. So, everyone on my Christmas list will receive a memory book from me.

When my kids were little, I took copious amounts of pictures, ordering doubles when I went to have them developed. I have a huge plastic tub full of pictures. Each of my children will recieve a photo-album filled with old pictures from their childhood. My in-laws and parents will recieve one also. My youngest daughter started a scrap book in the seventh grade, and abondoned it the tenth. I’m going to finish it for her and give it to her on Christmas Eve. I’ve been picking up photo albums whenever I find them on clearance. When I add up the cost of giving seven albums complete with photos, it is under $40.00. Add in a few pounds of fudge, dried fruit, and other homemade goodies, and we will have a wonderful Christmas for next to nothing. Joy to the world.

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“This vote was another hit to agriculture and to the American consumer. Under this legislation, it’s going to be significantly more expensive for agricultural input producers to provide farmers with the necessary tools for agriculture production. Without inputs like fertilizers and pesticides, it will be difficult for farmers to produce the same amount of product at the same high quality we have come to expect. Ultimately, this means our food costs will dramatically increase, or we will become reliant on foreign food imports.”

Study after study has shown that farmers can raise as much, if not more, crops without the use of harmful chemicals. The Congressman, while believing he is protecting farmers, is only protecting agri-business, specifically the chemical herbicide and pesticide companies, like Monsanto, that own the exclusive rights to these chemical “inputs.” (Input sounds much better than deadly chemical fertilizer, doesn’t it?)

Now that the bill is in the Senate, it will be reworked in committee. I’ll keep you posted on the progress. Let your Senator know how you feel about chemical fertilizers being pumped into the water supply in the name of cheap, abundant food. Learn more about H.R. 2868 here.

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The tattered scarecrows, left to weather the storm alone, twisted in the frigid onslaught. The scarecrow that was wearing my old bathrobe and holding a coffee pot in one hand succumbed to the force of the driving wind. Its feed-bag head flopped hard with every icy gust. Its coffee pot blew far into the field of dried cornstalks beyond the garden. For a moment, when the storm was at a fevered pitch, I was sure the other scarecrow, posed in mid-cartwheel all season long, would break loose from its stake and actually cartwheel across the garden. I watched with a heavy heart as the scarecrows, abandoned by beast and man alike, greeted winter head-on.

There’s no getting around it, the growing season is over. Old man winter chased it away. Oh sure, there are still a few hardy souls with hoop huts and cold frames clinging to every degree day they can get, but for most of us the only thing left to do is pick up the tools, undress the scarecrows and put the final layer of mulch on.

It was a challenging year for most growers in the Upper Midwest. The drought, high temperatures and odd weather patterns stressed plants as well as gardeners. But we did it; we persevered and met those challenges. Hurray for us!

As another growing season comes to a close, I start to contemplate the next season. Believe it or not, seed catalogs are already showing up in my mailbox. While some may think it is a little early for buying seed, gardeners know it is never too early to start thinking about next year’s garden. This is true of all gardeners in all eras. Way back in the early nineteenth century, Thomas Cooper, a professor and naturalist said, “A garden is never so good as it will be next year.” Spoken like a true gardener.

This winter I plan to re-read several books. The Merry Hall Trilogy by Mr. Beverly Nichols is at the top of my list. I like his style. His works are riotously funny and high-spirited. His gardening insight and smooth story-telling have been entertaining gardeners for years. Every book of his I have ever read has been worth a re-read.

My indoor projects include growing a couple of Venus fly traps. Supposedly they are easy to grow, but I’ve heard that before about things like roses, hollyhocks and orchids. Easy isn’t how I would describe growing any of them. The fly traps sound interesting. We’ll see how it goes.

I enjoyed hearing from readers and fellow growers this season. Thanks to everyone who shared a story or suggestion with me. You made me laugh and think. Next to gardening, these are my two favorite pastimes.

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“Beginning farmers and ranchers face unique challenges and need educational and training programs to enhance their profitability and long term sustainability,” Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said. “The training and education provided through these grants will help ensure the success of the next generation of farmers and ranchers as they work to feed people in their local communities and throughout the world.”

Merrigan announced the funding in Elgin, Minn., at the Hidden Stream Farm and was joined by representatives from the Land Stewardship Project, the local grant recipient that provides local and regional training, education, outreach and technical assistance initiatives that address the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers. Eric and Lisa Klein, the proprietors of Hidden Stream Farm, were some of the first graduates of the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course. Since graduating from Farm Beginnings, the Klein’s have developed a thriving pasture-based livestock operation that markets pork, chickens and beef in southeast Minnesota and the Twin Cities.

This funding announcement is part of USDA’s new ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ initiative which was launched in September 2009 to emphasize the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers. ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ includes such major agricultural topics as supporting local farmers and community food groups; strengthening rural communities; enhancing direct marketing and farmers’ promotion programs; promoting healthy eating; protecting natural resources; and helping schools connect with locally grown foods.

The grants were awarded through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA, formerly the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service) Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). BFRDP is an education, training, technical assistance and outreach program designed to help U.S. farmers and ranchers, specifically those who have been farming or ranching for 10 years or fewer. Congress authorized the FY 2009 funding for this program in the 2008 Farm Bill, with another $19 million in mandatory funding for FY 2010. Under the program, USDA will make grants to organizations that will implement programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers.

Beginning farmers and ranchers interested in participating in any of the education, outreach, mentoring and/or internship activities are asked to contact the grantee institutions listed below.

Fiscal year 2009 recipients include:

Developing Innovations in Navajo Education, Inc., Flagstaff, Ariz., $674,507

Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation, Brinkley, Ark., $313,278

Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association, Salinas, Calif., $515,862

California FarmLink, Sebastopol, Calif., $525,000

Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Fla., $225,079

University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $596,219

University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, $508,618

Angelic Organics Learning Center, Inc., Caledonia, Ill., $750,000

University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky., $749,883

Cultivating Community, Portland, Maine, $600,000

USDA National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, Md., $1,498,137

Land Stewardship Project, Minneapolis, Minn., $413,820

Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Inc., St. Paul, Minn., $506,170

Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute, Columbia, Mo., $730,722

University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., $692,198

University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., $541,239

University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb., $644,408

Holistic Management International, Albuquerque, N.M., $639,301

Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $750,000

Fort Berthold Community College, New Town, N.D., $614,356

Langston University, Langston, Okla., $525,000

Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., 572,178

Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., 733,821

South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D., $701,608

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn., $74,000

University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, Texas, $665,038

Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $748,651

Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $524,896

Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, Spring Valley, Wis., $151,515

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future. For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov .

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On October 24, 2009, the Monroe Lego Club joined millions of people around the world to bring attention to climate change. The Lego Club created an animated, stop-action-video to help world leaders understand that we need to return to 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.Let’s let the Lego people, with our help, share the story of how important it is to achieve 350 ppm of carbon dioxide on Earth and reduce the impacts of climate change. From Media-Citizen Global

If this doesn’t prove that climate change is nothing more than a marketing tool, I don’t know what does. It’s mighty nice of the LEGO Group to sponsor events that could put them out of business. Think about it for just one second. What are LEGOS made from? Plastic, and it is one of the most dangerous substances on the planet, polluting our water and air, and spewing boatloads of nasty carbon into the air.

National Geographic reports:

The team’s new study is the first to show that degrading plastics are leaching potentially toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A into the seas, possibly threatening ocean animals, and us.

A study from USC found that plastic children’s toys are among the favorites of marine life. It’s also one of the most dangerous.

So why are proponents of climate change willing to overlook the obvious? Further, why are they teaching children that some pollution is better than others? The LEGO Group is not part of the solution. They are the problem.

I suppose you really can fool some of the people all of the time. But they don’t fool me for a second. They might be singing Kumbaya on the magic green bus, but they’re really controlling the message. And that’s my problem with the whole “green” ideology. As long as you’re nice to them, then it’s okay to stink the place up. But if they don’t like a particular corporation or individual, they single them out and pummel them like bullies in a school yard.

On second thought, maybe LEGOS are the perfect symbol of global warming. Like LEGO blocks, global warming can be whatever you want it to be.

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In the current issue of Countryside yet another reader laments that their foray into the country was a miserable experience. Resorting to slurs like “red neck,” the writer places the blame for her situation entirely on the people of the rural Kentucky community that she now despises.

I was watching Ocean Adventures on PBS one evening. John Michel Cousteau was interviewing an Amazon fish farmer. He wanted to know how the small farmer felt about the number of urbanites buying property along the famed river and moving in lock, stock and barrel. Through a translator the farmer replied, “When someone from the country moves to the city, they learn everything they need to survive there in a few weeks. When someone from the city moves to the country, it can take them years to learn what they need to survive.” Leave it to a farmer to come right out and say it. Rural life isn’t simple by any stretch of the imagination.

The writer of the article bashing the fine community in Kentucky did just about everything wrong. She moved to an economically depressed area and flaunted money, leading the locals to believe that the newcomers might hire one or two locals to help spruce up the new bed and breakfast. When the newcomers refused to hire anyone, they got a bad reputation. Things deteriorated fast from there.

If you want to move to the country to open a bed and breakfast, or some other niche business, you might want to read “The Greenhorn’s Guide to Homesteading” before you go. Otherwise, you may end up using unflattering slurs to describe your former neighbors and carry a chip on your shoulder for a long time to come.

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Harrison, ME (October 14, 2009) – Summit Spring (www.summitspring.com), the bottled water company based out of the small town of Harrison, Maine, has announced the release of RAW WATER, the first ever spring water to be bottled directly from the source without any filtration, treatment, pumps or boreholes used in the process whatsoever.

“It’s not every day that the little guy gets to make such a big step,” commented N. Bryan Pullen, President of Summit Spring Water. “The fact that the State ofMaine will allow this product on the market, with absolutely no filtration, is unprecedented and speaks to the sanctity of our historic source.”

Summit Spring gathers its water from one of the oldest and most revered natural free-flowing springs in North America, and has been celebrated for its uncommon purity since the beginning of its recorded history in the late 1700’s. This new product, RAW WATER, is nutrient rich; “living” spring water, blessed with essential minerals and gravity fed straight into a clear glass one liter bottle. The glass bottle is then placed immediately into a recycled-content brown paper bag lined with wax, to protect it from sunlight’s corruption and spoiling, further preserving the taste and clarity of the water inside.

“There are naturally occurring nutrients in ‘living’ spring water, such as microscopic algae, potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium that are routinely being stripped out of bottled water through treatment, reverse osmosis and filtration. When water comes straight from the ground it has nourishing qualities that are not present in purified and treated water. The centuries old reputation of Summit Spring water as a ‘healing tonic’, in addition to extensive and continuous analysis allowed the regulatory agencies to give this unprecedented approval”, notes N. Bryan Pullen, President of Summit Spring Water.

Summit Spring Water is one of a select few bottled waters to carry the State of Maine Premium Grade designation, meeting the very stringent quality and testing guidelines developed by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Summit Spring is located 750 ft. above sea level, is surrounded by pristine Maine forest and has been protected for centuries from man’s contamination. The unspoiled spring flows naturally, producing some of the purest source water on the planet – and unlike most bottled water, Summit Spring will go straight into the bottle, mere minutes after bubbling from the Earth with a natural purity only Mother Nature’s filtration process can provide.

This revolutionary product will feature a very unique packaging concept, with language denoting the great care that has been taken to protect and preserve the integrity of Summit Spring, making it possible to deliver raw water of this quality to consumers and is in response to growing worldwide concern about raw food, natural products, chemical treatments and disease.

RAW Water bares no nutrition label, as there is none required by the U.S government for 100% spring water that is pure, natural, untouched and untreated. For additional information about Summit Spring, please visit: www.summitspring.com

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“Like people, swine routinely get sick or contract influenza viruses. We currently are testing the Minnesota samples to determine if this is 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza,” said Vilsack. “We are working in partnership with CDC as well as our animal and public health colleagues and will continue to provide information as it becomes available.”

USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories may have confirmatory results within the next few days.

“I want to remind people that they cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products,” said Vilsack.

An outbreak of 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza occurred in a group of children housed in a dormitory at the fair at the same time samples were collected from the pigs, but no direct link to the pigs has been made. Information available at this time would suggest the children were not sickened by contact with the fair pigs.

USDA continues to remind U.S. swine producers about the need for good hygiene, biosecurity and other practices that will prevent the introduction and spread of influenza viruses in their herd and encourage them to participate in USDA’s swine influenza virus surveillance program. Monitoring and studying these influenza viruses in swine, will help USDA learn about the virus, develop better tools to diagnose and develop new and improved vaccines to protect our U.S swine herds. USDA encourages commercial pork producers to intensify the biosecurity practices that they have in place, particularly during this flu season.

More information about USDA’s 2009 pandemic H1N1 efforts is available at www.usda.gov/H1N1flu.

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Cook’s Country Kraut

Peel and wash enough heads of green cabbage to equal 25 lbs. Using a cabbage shredder or food processor, shred the cabbage into a large plastic tub (properly cleaned and sanitized of course). For each 25 lbs of cabbage you will need 2/3 cup of canning salt. Add the salt a little at a time, tossing thoroughly in between saltings.

Once all of the salt is incorporated, begin transferring the cabbage into a crock or fermenting container. We use two five-gallon buckets. Add enough cabbage to fill the the container half way. Using a heavy instrument , mash the cabbage down until liquid starts to form. We use an old wooden table leg that we sanitized in the milkhouse. Add more cabbage to the container(s) and repeat until all of the cabbage has been transferred to the fermenting container. The liquid should rise at least a half-inch above the cabbage. Do not add water if it doesn’t. Just keep mashing.

Weigh the cabbage down with a heavy lid or plate. Then, open a good quality plastic garbage bag and place one in each fermenting container on top of the cabbage and brine. Add enough water to the bag (NOT the cabbage) so that the bag expands and creates an air-tight seal. Close the bag and place the container in the corner of your mud room for six weeks.

Remove the bags and the lids you used for weights. Use a spoon to remove any spoilage from the top and sides. There will be very little. Pack finished kraut into sterilized jars, adding 1 teaspoon of caraway seed to each one as you work. Process in a hot water bath or steamer for ten minutes.

This kraut gets better with age. If you like caraway, you’ll love the taste of this kraut. If you don’t, just leave it out. It still rocks.

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Google Books, Project Gutenberg, and Fullbooks.com have compiled an impressive list of titles, thousands in fact, that are in the public domain, meaning no one holds a copyright on them: they are free for the taking. I’ve downloaded hundreds of titles from these sites, titles like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Love Among the Chickens, and The American Farmer. As much as I enjoy searching for and downloading digital books, I still pine for the real deal now and then. And once again, technology has opened a whole new vista for book lovers everywhere.

BookMooch.com is a service that allows members to give away books they no longer want and get books they do want for free. Each member is responsible for paying the postage on the books they ship. Other than that, the service is absolutely free. It’s like a dream come true. I can trade titles with other book lovers and be part of a community of readers. I am actively trading books on BookMooch.com. I invite you to join me. Winter’s setting in, and nothing goes better with snow, sleet, and blizzard conditions than a cup of hot cocoa and a good book.

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