How do I grill safely?

Posted on May 23, 2013 by CommonGround Nebraska

For most, Memorial Day Weekend officially kicks off summer grilling season! Perhaps you’re stocking up on charcoal and filling propane tanks to prepare for another great season of cooking out.

But don’t forget about food safety.

Here are a few tips to keep your food safe, from the USDA’s Grill it Safe program.

Be sure to:

Keep food refrigerated until ready to use.
Avoid the “Danger Zone!” Bacteria can grow rapidly between 40 to 140 °F.
Don’t allow perishables to stay unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature is above 90 °F).
Store perishables, including leftovers, in the refrigerator or a cooler. Use ice or gel packs inside the cooler to keep food cold.
Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when using a grill, whether it is charcoal or gas.
Start with clean hands and a clean grill and utensils.
Prepare your ingredients, like marinades, dry rubs, oils, and sauces, ahead of time.

Washing Hands:

Wash hands for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water. Many people don’t realize that they can make people sick if they fail to wash hands before handling food.

Cross-contamination:

Cross-contamination can occur when a cutting board or plate that held raw food comes in contact with foods that are ready to eat.
Clean cutting boards and food thermometers in hot, soapy water between uses. Use a clean plate for cooked foods that you remove from the grill.
Discard marinades or sauces that have come in contact with raw meat juices. Keep raw meat juices away from cooked foods by using a clean plate.

Charcoal or Gas:

It is important that the grill is hot enough to safely cook your food. One way of gauging this is when you can’t keep your hand over it for 2 seconds.
If charcoal is your choice, buy commercial charcoal briquettes or aromatic wood chips. Follow the manufacturer’s directions on the package label.
A gas grill has hot and cold spots. Know your grill and read your manual.

Meat and Poultry:

Completely thaw meat or poultry before cooking.
Trim excess fat from meat to prevent fire and grease flare-ups.
Always marinate foods in the refrigerator using a glass or plastic food-safe container.
Use a food thermometer to ensure that meat and poultry have reached a safe minimum internal temperature.

USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures:

Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.
Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
Cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

See more at: http://www.bestfoodfacts.org/food-for-thought/grill-it-safe#sthash.6fLjb8y6.dpuf

CommonGround Nebraska Volunteer Leslie Boswell Discusses the Truth Behind Corporate Farming

Posted on May 22, 2013 by CommonGround Nebraska

Check out CommonGround Nebraska volunteer Leslie Boswell on KMTV’s Morning Blend talking about the difference between corporate farms and family farms.

Great job, Leslie!

Keeping the Culture in Agriculture – using technology for food production

Posted on May 20, 2013 by CommonGround Nebraska

For anyone who says there’s no “culture” left in agriculture, I beg to differ. Much of this tradition is still passed down today from parents to children, and is a unique culture all its own.

A culture is a way of life of a group of people: the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by technology, communication and imitation from one generation to the next.

With fewer of us down on the farm, there’s also fewer that understand our culture.

Culture of working together: My grandpa and great uncles cutting the neighbor’s wheat in the early 1930s. International tractor with a pull-type Massey combine; the biggest combine available then. My Dad says this is ’28 or ’29 Ford Model A truck. He says he drove grain to town with that same truck when he was about 11. Just like today’s farmers, they used the latest technology.

To be sure, times have changed. There’s less manual labor and more mechanization, but farming still requires substantial knowledge and is still physically demanding. Thanks to technology, a tractor and planter might be set to drive automatically, but Mr. Corn Farmer still likes to turn it around himself at the end of the row to ensure proper alignment. He must possess a tremendous understanding about agronomy and mechanics in order to be able to tell that same tractor what to do. While the tractor drives, he will monitor the equipment, phone the grain broker or his Real Farmwife, use the Internet to check news that affects markets, and review the weather forecast. Every once in awhile he’ll get out to adjust the pressure, seed flow, air supply, and tend to other maintenance issues. There are still some problems that the newest sensors can’t sense, as well as tasks that require heavy lifting and some “old man strength.”

A farmer must also be well acquainted with principles of Soil Science, Genetics, Meteorology, Biology, Chemistry, Math, Animal Science, Grain Marketing, Construction, Water Rights, Business Law, Economics, Finance, and Accounting. All of this is balanced with heavy dose of common sense, computer savvy, work ethic, and strong communication skills.

Technology for food production

See the duct tape on the combine’s corn head?
Even the toys on our farm break down and get “farmerized.”

Despite the technological changes over the years, little girls and little boys start learning about this way of life long before high school job shadowing opportunities. They live it by helping feed livestock. (Animal Science) They play at it with a full line of toy John Deere Equipment. (Mechanics) They listen to discussions of break even analysis at the dinner table. (Accounting) They pick up small bales of hay in the summertime. (Work Ethic) They chop ice for the water tank in the winter. (Common Sense) They help in the backyard garden. (Agronomy) They learn how to set the planter for proper seed depth when planting the sweet corn patch. (Soil Science)

They live and breathe farming along with their parents.

Today’s farm kids may be technology savvy, but they retain yesterday’s values. They see us help neighbors and anyone else that needs a hand. They see us take care of baby animals beyond the point of a cost incentive to do so. They learn practices that conserve water and build topsoil in such a way that also makes a living. They see us work long hours on weekends. They are taught to appreciate family, friends, and blessings in the midst of the unpredictability of farming.

In our house, our boys do all this; and then they play sports, practice band instruments, chat with friends, go to Boy Scout meetings, ride bikes, read books, play on the iPad, mow the yard, help with dishes and do all the things that other non-farm kids do.

As much as farming is about passing on skills to the next generation, it’s even more about passing on the attitudes and attributes that make a farmer adaptable, inventive, and ethical whether the planter is pulled by a horse or 425 horsepower tractor.

So what’s the status of “culture” of agriculture? On our family farm, as we consider beliefs, values, traditions and technology, we think it’s alive and well.

Raw Apple Muffins how-to video {Recipe}

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Diane Becker

Have you ever wanted to know the difference in store-bought vs. home-grown vs. farmer’s market organic foods?

This recipe we’ve made for 20 years in our family and is a favorite. You can use any type of apple for this recipe, but in my quick cooking video, I share three types of apples that our family uses: store-bought, apples grown by our neighbor who has an orchard, and organic. All three types of apples will work

Store-bought: Some have a tougher skin, but will stay in the refrigerator for a long time, so I like to keep these apples around.
Home-grown: Not organic as my neighbors spray to keep bugs and fungus away. But I just thoroughly wash them before we eat and they’ll last in the refrigerator for a couple of months. They are also only available for about a month’s time every year.
Organic: I get these from the Farmer’s Market only during a couple months of the year and they do not last very long in my refrigerator. It’s still important to wash organic foods and to cut out the spoiled part.

Start by combining egg and shortening to a bowl and mix well.

Add in sugar, vanilla, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.Fold in apples. Dough will be stiff.Put the mixture in muffin cups, filling about 2/3 of the cup.Cook at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

{Raw Apple Muffins}
Ingredients
1 cup chopped apples
1 egg
¼ cup shortening
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
½ cup walnuts, optional
½ cup raisins, optional

Directions

Combine egg and shortening to a bowl and mix well.
Add in sugar, vanilla, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Fold in apples. Dough will be stiff.
Put the mixture in muffin cups, filling about 2/3 of the cup.
Cook at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Selling Grain? Vegas, Baby!

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Diane Karr

“Chicago Board of Trade, Baby!” just doesn’t have the same ring to it as “Vegas Baby, Vegas!”

Anyway, sometimes when I look at the statement from the grain brokerage firm, I feel that Mr. Corn Farmer and I might as well be taking our chances on the Strip!

I suppose we travel to Las Vegas every two or three years. I’m always impressed with new construction, but seek out old favorites like the fountains in front of the Bellagio. I love how Mr. Corn Farmer is a good sport when I drag him through art galleries and make him sit through shows like “Phantom of the Opera.” It’s not all torture for Mr. Corn Farmer; I’m more than happy to watch football games, drool over Ferrari’s with him, and play a little Blackjack.

Truthfully, I never get that excited at the tables because I feel like farming itself is a daily adventure in risk.

How much money will we make this year selling grain? If I had a crystal ball and could predict a year’s worth of weather and grain markets, I’d give you an accurate estimate.

Until we can predict climate, politics, the economy, we (and our banker) will have to settle for the best “guess-timate.” When we budget, there’s a wide range of scenarios. The best course of action is to mange that risk with tools like crop insurance and selling grain marketing strategy.

While a round of Blackjack is mostly chance, with a little bit of strategy, marketing grain is mostly chance with a whole lot of strategy and analysis.

Every morning, Mr. Corn Farmer grabs the iPad. Not for Angry Birds or Temple Run, but for charts, graphs, and commentary on grain markets. What happened in the overnight trade? Is corn oversold? Why are soybeans down? What’s the production situation in South America? What’s the demand on the Pacific Rim? Is there news on trade agreements? How strong is the dollar? What percentage of this year’s crop should we sell right now? Should we sell out into the following year?

We study trends and news as much as we can when selling grain, but we also trust the advice of a grain broker who specializes in this analysis. Working together, we feel good about the marketing decisions we make. We might not “hit the jackpot,” but it keeps us farming another year.

Then we check the weather to plan the day. Wind speed, temperature, and precipitation affect work plans for the day as well as the upcoming week. (And what kind of coats I suggest to my children as they head off to school.)

It’s like Vegas, Baby. On a farm.

A one track mind – farming on the brain!

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Lana Hoffschneider

Yep, my husband has a one track mind. Not necessarily the one track that most men are accused of however.

It’s May 6, a time of year when we’re usually on the down hill slide of planting. Not this year. We’re still working out the kinks for getting started planting. But we’re not going to complain about the moisture. (Although I did happen to complain about the moisture that came in the form of snow last week!)

So what’s that got to do with a “one track mind?”

Let me give you an example. Monday, as we were on our way home from church, our 3 kids were all making loud & crazy noises of some sort, hollering for our attention… I was mentioning something to my husband about something cool I saw in the Target ad … and when I looked at my husband, he was looking out the window, all around us, with a contemplative look on his face. His phone was ringing with phone calls and texts. I quickly realized he was in the zone. The farming zone.

He was formulating a plan for the day. A couple of farmers were already in the fields that appeared to be too wet earlier in the day. (If you didn’t know, seeing someone in the field when they’re not will send most farmers into a frenzy). His farming partners and other friends were talking/texting back and forth about their thoughts on the field conditions and if it would work to get in the field. He was in the zone.

I’ve finally learned that when he’s in the “zone” to just let him be. No use in getting annoyed or upset. I knew in my mind that as soon as we got home, he was going to change his clothes and head out, and that’s exactly what he did. And that’s exactly what he should do. Farming is our livelihood, and our life. You have to take advantage of the timing when it presents itself… weather is one of the biggest risks we deal with.

I’m still amazed how he can focus so intently on farming. I’m so thankful he can. I just have to remind myself of that from time to time!

This morning he’s planting corn, he’s in the zone, and life is good!

Slow-Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork recipe

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Shana Beattie

I recently had one of my favorite pork recipes featured on AllYou.com that I wanted to share with you.

Raising pork is very important to our family. Our family recently added a new pig barn that can hold 6,200 pigs. This barn is for the comfort and health of all of the pigs

shana pigs

that we bring through our farm – and we are very serious about caring for the environment that we follow strict guidelines that make sure we are taking the right steps to removing the pigs’ waste. By using this new technology, pigs remain healthier and are happier to be in a warm, safe environment where they get plenty of feed and clean water. Our family has been raising pigs for over 60 years and we are growing the 6th generation of future farmers on the farm – despite our size, we are a family farm!

{Slow-Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork}
april2013-sweetsourpork-m Prep: 12 min.
Bake: 4 hr. 14 min.
Serves: 6
Cost per serving: $1.07

Ingredients
½ cup low-sodium beef broth
1/3 cup chili sauce
3 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
¾ tsp. ground ginger

6 bone-in center-cut pork chops, 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
3 Tbsp. olive oil
½ onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Mix broth, chili sauce, brown sugar and vinegar in a medium bowl.
2. In a small bowl, stir ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and ½ tsp. ginger; rub mixture on both sides of pork chops. Warm 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook chops in a single layer until browned, about 2½ minutes; flip and cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer to slow cooker. Repeat with remaining pork.
3. Reduce heat to medium; add remaining oil to same skillet. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds. Remove skillet from heat and stir in broth mixture, scraping up browned bits. Pour sauce into slow cooker; stir.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Transfer chops to a platter and cover with foil. Skim fat from sauce. Stir in ¼ tsp. ginger; season with salt and pepper. Serve sauce over pork.

Per serving: 337 Cal., 20g Fat (6g Sat.), 73mg Chol., 0g Fiber, 27g Pro., 12g Carb., 965mg Sod.

“Give a hoot, don’t pollute”

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Joan Ruskamp

When I was growing up there was a slogan that went like this, “Give a hoot, don’t pollute.” For me it meant litter control–not throwing trash out the car window. What I didn’t realize in the 70′s was that a movement was starting with a focus on air and water quality. That movement can be traced back to April of 1970 when Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day. In December of the same year congress authorized the creation of a new federal agency to tackle environmental issues, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

We are very familiar with EPA regulations. Since our feedlot is considered a CAFO we have certain rules to follow in order to operate.

The trees on the left side of this picture are on the north side our farm/feedlot. There is over 3/4 of a mile of trees that are at least four rows deep. There is another windbreak of trees
surrounding our house at the bottom. You can also see two ponds in this picture. The bottom one is fresh water. The top one holds all of the water that runs through the feedlot. We keep records of the water we use for irrigation from that pond.

Earth Day is more than rules and regulations. It is about people returning to the earth more than we take from her. My husband, Steve, and I have been trying to do that ever since we started farming together nearly 32 years ago.

One of our annual projects is planting trees. We started planting trees in the early 1980’s through a tree planting program through the NRD. Since then we have planted thousands of trees and shrubs. The NRD delivers them to us in bundles of 25 trees that look like sticks.

When Steve and I started planting trees we were developing windbreaks. We would plant two rows of Cedar trees and two rows of Ash trees. We started substituting Honey Locust for the Ash trees in the 90’s. We have also started using Pine and Spruce trees. Once the trees were planted we needed to keep them watered and the weeds mowed. We planted so many trees when the kids were young that I taught them math as they rode along with me in the pickup. We had a big tank on the back of the pickup with water and a large hose. As I would drive between the rows Steve would water the trees. As the kids grew they either ran the hose or drove the pickup.

Steve and our son, Scott, walk along a fairly new windbreak in 1989. There are a total of five rows of trees in this windbreak with a fast growing tree on the left called an Austree.

Our kids also planted a tree of their own in our yard. Each of them received money from their grandparents to get a tree after graduating from 8^th grade. It has been fun to watch the speed at which some of the trees have grown.

Steve and Kim are planting an Ornamental Pear tree.

Celebrating Earth Day is a something we do in agriculture every day. The earth is our partner and we know that without her we can do nothing. I encourage you to find ways you can give more than you take by following one of the newer slogans “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” Earth Day has become more to me than keeping our highways clean but that, too, is something that still needs to be done.

Our 4-H club has been picking up trash along highway 91 since 1995. We normally get 2 bags of aluminum cans and 8-10 bags of trash for a 4 mile stretch we walk each year.

Yum Yum’s recipe {Nebraska Sloppy Joe’s}

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Diane Karr

I remember supper with my aunt and uncle in Iowa when they served Sloppy Joes. As a kid, I was totally confused.

I was raised to call them Yum Yums. Maybe it’s a Nebraska thing? Don’t even get me started on Runzas….

At any rate, Yum Yums are super easy to make, and are a good go-to meal during busy times of the year. Right now, planting intersects with baseball, soccer, and track season – which means that we don’t always get to sit down together for our evening meal. Yum Yums can be kept warm in the crock pot, so everyone can have a warm meal even if its not at the same time.

Besides using high quality Nebraska ground beef in my Yum Yums, I served this kid sized portion with with a whole wheat bun, carrot sticks, and apples. Good – and good for you!

The best part of Yum Yums is the versatility! I keep the recipe tame for youngsters who don’t like spicy food, and kick it up a notch for truckers during harvest season by adding a can or two of chopped green chilies, a little red pepper sauce, and larger proportions of onion, garlic, and pepper. Another variation: serve over tortilla chips and add toppings for a Sloppy Nacho. Plus, ingredient substitutions always work well – I’ve never had a bad batch of Yum Yums. My recipe for Yum Yums is a thrown together combo of what my mom used to make and what I’ve seen in cookbooks.

Sometimes something easy and basic makes everybody happy! Here’s the How-To:

Yum Yum’s
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can chicken gumbo soup
1 cup ketchup or 1 can tomato sauce
1/2 tablespoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Optional:
1 can chopped green chilies
1-2 drops red pepper sauce

1. Add your (defrosted) ground beef to a skillet on medium heat. I’m using 1-1/2 pounds. Continue to stir and move it around in the skillet so it can brown evenly. I’ll take my steak medium rare – but we don’t want to see any pink in the ground beef! While you’re doing this, grind some fresh pepper over the meat to taste.
2. Add a few dried onion flakes. This is about a 1/2 tablespoon. Or, add finely chopped fresh onion. I’d start with 1/4 cup, and increase from there depending on your love of onions. Today, I’m in a hurry. Onion flakes it is. When the beef is browned, drain off the grease.3. Surprise! Add a can of chicken gumbo soup. If you need to stretch the recipe, add another can. 4. Add a cup of ketchup. Or a can of tomato sauce. You can’t go wrong.
5. Mustard loves ketchup. Add 1/2 Tablespoon.
6. Add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt. Or more, if you’re kicking it up.
7. I like a teaspoon or two of Worcestershire sauce. Throttle the heat down to medium low. Simmer for a few minutes until everything is heated through.
If you think your Yum Yum’s need more pizzazz at this point, add a small can (or two) of diced green chilies, more black pepper, and a couple drops of red pepper sauce.

If you want them thicker, cook a little longer. If you want them saucier, add a tablespoon of water at a time or add more ketchup or tomato sauce.

See? Told you it was easy!

Feel free to accessorize with…. I don’t know what this is.

A blooming carrot? My kids like to dip their carrots in peanut butter… And I’m ok with that!

Serve over whole wheat buns. Then, smile for the camera and tell Mom how much you like your Yum Yums. Or make a funny face.
Alternatively, for Sloppy Nachos, serve over tortilla chips and top with shredded cheese and jalapenos.

Yum Yum’s
1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can chicken gumbo soup
1 cup ketchup or 1 can tomato sauce
1/2 tablespoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Optional:
1 can chopped green chilies
1-2 drops red pepper sauce

Directions
1. In skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef along with pepper and onion. Drain grease.
2. Add chicken gumbo soup, ketchup or tomato sauce, mustard, garlic salt, and Worcestershire sauce – as well as optional ingredients. Stir to combine.
3. When heated, turn down to medium low heat and simmer for a few more minutes.
4. Serve over whole wheat buns.
5. Alternatively, for Sloppy Nachos, serve over tortilla chips and top with shredded cheese and jalapenos.

CommonGround Nebraska Volunteer Joan Ruskamp on Channel 1011 News During GI Grocery Store Appearance

Posted on April 22, 2013 by CommonGround Nebraska

Channel 10/11 News Grand Island catches up with CommonGround Nebraska volunteer Joan Ruskamp at the SuperSaver in Grand Island to discuss CommonGround’s mission. CommonGround is an organization of volunteer farm women who aim to help consumers better understand where their food comes from and how it’s raised. To learn more about the program or to have your food question answered, visit: http://www.FindOurCommonGround.com