It's Easy Being Green

We’ve only been staying in Lawrence County, Tennessee for a week but already I think word of me has spread like wildfire through the local Amish community. With each passing horse and buggy, I can just imagine the exchanges between community members.

Maybe it’s a tip of the straw hat or a certain knot used to hitch their horse to the post. It could also be the fact that I’ve now pulled into nearly a dozen Amish farms and stopped several buggy drivers asking for one apparently odd item: a Moses basket. Are you having a “huh?” moment yet? So far just about everyone I’ve met has so don’t feel bad about it.

For those of you feeling like one of my new Amish friends, this is a Moses basket.

Homestead Hottie got the idea to pick up a Moses basket for our daughter whom we’re still waiting to be born while staying here at The Farm. Our Darling Daughter has decided to sleep in the pack ‘n play instead of a “big girl bed” which means we need to find another sleeping option for her baby sister pronto. Talina got the idea to go with a Moses Basket to easily transport our new little one around the house and from house to garden and back again while chasing after our toddler daughter.

Since we are just a few minutes away from a large Amish settlement, we thought their crafting hands might have created some really amazing Moses baskets to sling a baby around in. One dusty farm stop after another, we seemed to be leaving a trail of bewildering looks in our path. After some explanation, the Amish basketmakers usually got the idea but sat in quiet pondering how to put it together.

“Like an egg basket,” one Amish woman muttered while staring holes through her feet, perched on the side doorstep of her farmhouse.

“Is an egg basket big enough for a baby?” I asked.

“Well sure,” she said hesitantly, still staring down at her dusty doorstep. “Egg baskets are big.”

Still not convinced or reassured, I pressed the issue harder. “Will it be able to support the weight of an infant baby?”

“Ya, it should,” the Amish woman said under her breath, now nervously fidgeting with the basket she was in the process of weaving when I pulled up.

“Well, I’ll keep looking but I might be back to ask you to make one,” I ended with as I slinked back through the fine farm dust to the car left idling in the barnyard.

Now repeat that same exchange about a half-dozen times and you begin to get the idea. I also found it funny that no matter how small or tight-knit their Amish community might be, most of them pretend to not know what the other is doing or making. There are no references in Amish country unless it is to someone who is “in the family”. One proud father with a long snowy white beard, perched quietly in his roadside stand, sent me around the corner to his daughter’s farm to pickup fresh peanut butter. Ask them though if there is anyone in the area who makes woven baskets and they clam up, almost as if you’re speaking a foreign language.

After my wild toad ride through the backroads of the Etheridge, Tennessee Amish country, I decided to give my wife and darling daughter a break for a couple days. Pulling out of town for a hike the other day, an Amish horse and buggy was parked at the corner gas station. Spread throughout the grass around the buggy were dozens of baskets. Seeing another opportunity I quickly whipped into the parking lot and approached the man quietly weaving away from his driver’s seat.

“A what?” he said when I asked if he happened to make Moses baskets.

“A Moses basket…something that you can carry a baby around in?” I shot back.

“Are you the one who stopped by the farms the other day?” he asked inquisitively.

I was stunned. Across pastures, barnyard fences and the distinctive cloppity clop clop and rattle of the horse drawn buggies, word of my strange request was making its way through Amish country. Surely word would get around of what I was on the hunt for and work back to me that one had been located and was ready to meet my wallet. But no, it’s just been met with more inquisitive looks and long drawn out thoughts. That’s Amish country for ya though. Unfortunately it looks like this time around, the Amish will just have to lose out to Amazon.

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This time of year, many families are probably happily awaiting their tax return. In years past, the return has always felt like a surprising windfall, giving us a little boost of spending money to pick up a large item or two we normally wouldn’t have the funds for. Last year we used some tax return money to finally purchase an HDTV after using our two little 19″, no frills TVs for more than 10 years. We also completed our Darling Daughter’s furniture set in her bedroom. The most beneficial purchase we made though was buying ourselves real food security.

Last year we made the move to go more local and organic with our food. I’ve discussed the benefits before but we’ve never made it a priority until last year when we finally decided we just needed to bite the bullet. Luckily we ran across the Cannon family and their local meat operation called Stonewall Farm.  The Cannon’s raise all natural grass-fed beef, pork, lamb and poultry on several acres between Evansville and Mt. Vernon.  We had initially thought about buying a half-share of a cow or other large meat animal with another farmer but our major dilemma was we didn’t know how we were going to store all that meat.  But once we learned about the Cannon’s meat CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, we were hooked.

The beauty of the Stonewall Farm CSA program is that you can buy several different sized shares of all natural, grass-fed meat products for six months or a year and it is delivered to you monthly.  You don’t have to fret about finding space in the deep freeze for a year’s worth of meat!  We purchased a full year family share of meat, along with an additional poultry share (we love our chicken) and an additional share of eggs every month.

Condensed Animal Feed Operations or CAFO's are horrible sites to see and smell. We saw endless vistas of CAFO driving through the nation's midsection and it was a true wakeup call for us about where our meat comes from.

While we were kicking around the prices, it initially seemed very expensive and maybe even frivolous.  Then, we kept reminding ourselves of the horrific feed lots we saw as we drove across America’s Heartland to our new home in Indiana a couple years ago.  Once we tallied up the environmental damage along with the damage we were doing to our health by purchasing CAFO meat (Concentrated Animal Feed Operation) at the local supermarket, we knew it was the right investment to make.

We’ve reaped the rewards of a year’s worth of all-natural, grass-fed meat products and it has been nothing short of spectacular.  Each month we get to see Keith and Jerlene Cannon, along with their children, as we pick up our monthly delivery.  We get to actually talk, laugh and ask questions of the farmers raising our food.  How many people can say that these days?  We have also visited the farm on several occasions, seeing our future food roaming about happily, well-fed and treated well.  That’s the kind of meat I want on my plate.  Not some phony, fatty meat injected with every antibiotic, hormone and preservative or flavor-enhancer that some lab junkie whipped up in a test tube.  All of the meat tastes amazing and is often far more flavorful and juicy than market bought goods.  The eggs are huge and have an incredible color that lets you know you’re getting their full offering of flavor and nutrients too.

If you’ve ever wondered how you can better use your money to make an investment in the future, food security is one of them.  Buy your food from local producers.  Keep the money in your community and learn how your food is produced.  It’s time Americans stop investing their hard-earned dollars on cheap, subsidized foods that don’t do any justice for their own community or their family’s overall health.  True, you are going to pay more but the benefits are so worth it.

Make sure to check out Stonewall Farm.  Several area natural food stores sell their products or you can order direct from them.  They also set up a booth at the Evansville Farmer’s Market when that’s in season.  Join their CSA program for 6 months or a year and help the Cannon’s help you.  Do me a favor, let them know Nathan Ryder sent you

Popularity: 4% [?]

The October sun sets over a packed Franklin Street on Evansville's west side for the 2010 Fall Festival

Feeling like I should be wheeled through my front door in a wheelbarrow, Homestead Hottie, Darling Daughter and I have happily returned home from our yearly trek to the West Side Nut Club’s Fall Festival.  Billed by the Guinness World Book as the second largest street festival following Mardis Gras, the Fall Fest is a mecca for all things fried and unusual to eat.

The atmosphere is frenetic even before you make your way down to Franklin Street.  The neighborhoods surrounding the event are packed to the gills with cars, each vying for a free parking spot alongside a curb or looking for the homeowner offering up their driveway at the cheapest price.  Once parked, hoards of festival goers stream down alleyways and sidewalks, many making what is considered to be a yearly and week-long pilgrimage to the midway rides, games and festival delicacies.

Stretching down four city blocks on Franklin Street, 126 different food booths await your temptations.  There is the local favorite of fried brain sandwiches to the unusual like Pig Lickers (chocolate covered bacon), Jalapeno Slushies or even a baked potato stuffed with alligator meat.  Some of the offerings seem downright disgusting and that is part of the event’s fun, seeing who can eat the most stomach twisting creation.  [Check out the 2010 Fall Festival Munchie Map here] For your information, I have not pushed myself to try the fried brain sandwich yet. I downright refuse to eat a Pig Licker (bacon should never be marred by chocolate) and unfortunately didn’t make it to an alligator booth to try out their offerings (I mean how bad can it be when it supposedly tastes like chicken).

Homestead Hottie and Darling Daughter plot the food booths to hit on the 2010 Munchie Map

What did we get to?  Darling Daughter loves mac ‘n cheese and I had it on good authority that the Fried Mac ‘n Cheese balls were a must this year.  Conveniently that booth also was offering the much talked about Eagle Egg.  The Fried Mac ‘n Cheese Balls were impressive in size (nearing that of a tennis ball) with a delicious looking golden brown fried crust.  I nearly burned my poor daughter’s tongue off with the molten cheesy interior and had to do lots of extra blowing before she could dig in.  While impressed with the oozing mac ‘n cheese interior, she was less impressed with the fried coating and tossed it off the to the side of her stroller’s tray.  I thought they were delish myself needing only a touch of a salt and pepper

The Eagle Egg is an inventive take on a plain old hard boiled egg.  Instead, the egg is peeled and dipped into a batter loaded with tiny bits of breakfast sausage and then plunged into a waiting bath of fryer oil.  Presented to you cut in half, the Eagle Egg was at the very least edible.  I thought a sprinkling of salt and maybe even some white gravy to dip the Eagle Egg into would have made it that much better.  I can easily see this making a breakfast buffet somewhere in America’s Heartland.

Our next mission was to find items that didn’t gross out Homestead Hottie and Darling Daughter.  If you enjoy a good corn dog every now and then, you can’t miss another yearly favorite: the Pronto Pup.  Made with a pancake batter instead of a corn flour, Pronto Pups are fluffier and sweeter than a typical corn dog.  Homestead Hottie liked hers but wished for a dipping sauce.  Darling Daughter wouldn’t even go for a bite and instead wanted to play with the stick.  As our side dish, we meandered down a booth or two to pick up a basket of Fried Green Beans.  It’s a personal favorite we discovered at last year’s Fall Festival and one we now seek out at other fairs.  Darling Daughter approved, wolfing most of her green beans down and sticking a stray one or two up her nose for good effect.

Homestead Hottie enjoys her first Pronto Pup and seemingly approves

Darling Daughter opts to not dig into her Momma's Pronto Pup but instead wants to play with the stick

Next up, the ubiquitous desert.  I desperately wanted to try the Fried Butter to get that curiosity out of my system but couldn’t locate the vendor on the map.  It was disappointing but probably better that way as my arteries will relish not having to pump even more toxic sludge through my system.  Homestead Hottie opted for a Fried Snickers Bar while I jogged across the finger licking crowd on Franklin Street to nab some Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.  Both deserts were amazingly gooey but good in a most sinful way, heavy enough to keep you sleeping with the fishes should you make your way into a body of water.

Our stomachs began to swell almost as rapidly as the dinner crowd was packing into the 89th Annual Fall Festival so we decided to pack ourselves back home.  Darling Daughter, amazed by the sights and smells, was worn out and yearning for her pre-bedtime soak in a warm bath.  Homestead Hottie and I were ready to loosen our pants and get out of the personal bubble violating crowd (don’t go if you’re a germaphobe, are grossed out by even grosser people pigging out or do poorly at handling many inconsiderate people in shoulder to shoulder crowds).  We usually like to hit the festival mid-week during the lunch hour when it’s quiet but the Fall Festival is a must-do, at least once to see what all the talk is about.

We had another great time blitzing the street fair.  We ran into some great friends, enjoyed some good festival food and clogged our arteries for some great causes in the process (all booths are run by non-profit organizations and are major fund raising activities for their year).

Our Darling Daughter was amazed by all the big fair rides but still managed to stuff her face with Fried Green Beans while not even looking

Popularity: 3% [?]

Have you ever had a rogue plant grow out of your compost pile?  I have several rogue plants that have sprouted through the air vents in our composter including squashes and tomato plants.  Take a look at the rogue composter pumpkin that’s currently taking over the fence and now setting fruit.  I guess that’s some good compost in there!

This is a pumpkin, several other squash plants and some rogue tomato plants that grew out the side of our composter.

This is the first pumpkin to set on the rogue plant that grew out of the side of our composter. I never expected the plant to get this far along but I guess it's happy.

Popularity: 3% [?]

a compass was there to get you thinking

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