Authentic You - Fall 2023

AUTHENTIC You

Fall 2023

A love of the GARDEN MOVEMENT

Makes her heart happy

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Movement makes her heart happy

Owens teaches traditional and tribal belly dancing

By Celeste Edenloff

Tribal belly dancing is a mixture of all sorts of movements from different influences and cultures, which makes it a “neat way to blend it all together,” according to Katherine Owens, dance instructor and owner of Studio K in Alexandria.

Owens, who lives in Brandon, instructs and dances with a local group of women called The Johari Tribe. The group performs tribal belly dances at the annual Jingle Bells Telethon each year in December and most recently, danced at the annual Art in the Park festival that

takes place in City Park each July.

For the past 13 years, she has been performing tribal style belly dance. She got started doing that type of dance when she took a class through Community Education.

“It was a form of dance that I’d never tried before,” Owens said. “So I thought I would give it a try and I was hooked from the moment I started that first class.”

The instructor of the class had a belly dancing troupe in St. Cloud. Owens, along with two other women, would drive there each week for rehearsals and performances. After about a year, she thought, “I can do this on my own here in town and now have to drive,” she said.

And that is how The Johari Tribe in Alexandria began.

Owens explained that the name Johari

means jewel and the word tribe, to her, means a community – a community who supports one another, encourages one another and grows in friendship.

“Sometimes, people have a hard time with the word tribe because it might have a negative connotation,” she said. “But in my world, in my brain, it’s a very positive, uplifting and encouraging thing.”

Currently, there are eight members, plus Owens. But, she said, the group fluctuates and it can have as few as three members or as many as nine or 10.

Owens teaches the tribal belly dancers in her studio, Studio K, which she opened two years ago. She enjoys teaching that form of dance because of the community of women she instructs.

The women who enjoy it, she said, are very grounded and are encouraging of one another. She said it is not competitive where one thinks they have to do this or that step better.

“Each of us has our own style, which I highly encourage,” Owens said. “ I don’t want any of my dancers to look just like me when I teach belly dancing. We each have our own special way of moving and carrying out our movements.”

LIFELONG DANCER

Owens said she has always danced and moved to the rhythm of music, but as far as formal training, her mother wouldn’t let her start taking lessons until she was 6 years old.

“Nowadays, to think of having to make your child wait until 6 is kind of unheard of,” she said. “Now, they are starting at 2 and half or 3.”

Katherine Owens

The Johari Tribe dancers are, front row, from left, Jess Ptacek, Naomi Linde, Katherine Owens, Nicole Pachan, and back row, from left, April Pilarski, Tonia Dittberner, Hanna Reese and Jackie Firkus. Not pictured: Lesley Donahue.

Contributed photo

Classical ballet and tap were two styles of dance Owens began lessons in. When she was younger and living in Nebraska, she trained with the Omaha Ballet and then at the Nebraska Junior Ballet.

After that, she took part in anything in school where there was movement – pom squad, show choir, jazz dance, modern dance and more.

“Movement makes my heart happy and calms and quiets my brain,” said Owens. “In my world, dance will never be perfect. There is something I can always work on. There’s little tricks I can do. Ways to be stronger, stand taller. It’s

that continual progress and continual learning that keeps me going.”

ANYONE CAN DANCE

Owens believes that anyone can dance, especially when it comes to belly dancing because belly dancing is just moving, one foot to the other foot. She said it doesn’t have to be perfect.

“We’re moving our bodies. We’re enjoying the movement and it doesn’t have to be perfect,” she said. “My belly dancing classes are set in a very encouraging, positive, non-judgemental space.”

She said the great thing about belly dancing is that it doesn’t have to be everyone doing the same thing. Everyone is going to be moving differently, depending on how they feel and interpret the music, she said.

The Johari Tribe tribal belly dancers will perform almost anywhere they are asked to perform. She said they enjoy dancing at an event like Jingle Bells telethon because it is a way to give back to the community.

“We pour our love of dancing into our performances,” she said.

“People

trends wine lovers should know

By Al Edenloff

What’s new in the wine world?

We perused the internet and came up with this list of trends:

Alcohol-free wine. Country & Town House predicts a breakthrough with some non alcoholic or at least very low alcohol wines that taste “characterful and delicious,” the website says.

Goodbye to bottles? Although wine in a can, or in a box, isn’t new, Country & Town House says the quality of the wine is improving. There’s another reason to go glass-free: 90% of the carbon footprint of the wines we drink is from packaging and transport. “2023’s climate conscious wine drinkers could be in for a treat,” the website says.

Fizzy wine. Sparkling wine has always been a pretty popular drink in the United States, but in recent years sales have been increasing dramatically, says 8wines.com. “In 2023, we’re expecting to see sparkling wine overtake beer as the USA’s most-consumed

beverage,” the website said. “This surprising trend goes hand in hand with the rising popularity of wine-based cocktails such as spritzers, or fizzy wine in a can.”

Changing colors. According to New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet, traditional wine categories based on color continue to blur as new generations of winemakers push boundaries and experiment in fresh directions. “These new wines often defy conventional classifications, falling somewhere between pale red and dark rosé,” the website notes. “This trend dovetails well with the growing popularity of lighter, brighter red wines, especially those that lend themselves to being served lightly chilled. Think light pinot noirs, cabernet franc, dolcetto, and gamay noir.”

Alternative wine varietals. Consumers are becoming more adventurous and open to trying new and unusual wine varietals, according to VIDiD. Varietals such as natural wine, orange wine, and sparkling wine are expected to become increasingly popular. Natural wines are made

from organic or biodynamic farming practices, meaning little to no use of harsh chemicals or preservatives.

Sustainable and ethical winemaking. The website, pastemagazine.com, says younger generations of wine drinkers are demanding better treatment of the environment and supporting winemakers committed to sustainable practices. This includes organic and biodynamic winemaking, but it’s also about larger business practices involving labor concerns and even building materials.

Rising Rosé. Rosé wines have been steadily increasing in popularity over the last few years, and this trend is likely to continue in 2023, according to the California based McClain Cellars. “Rosés are

usually made from a blend of red and white grapes, resulting in a dry but fruity flavor that pairs well with various foods,” the website says. “They come in all different styles, from light and crisp to bold and creamy. Look out for an increased selection of Rosé varieties when picking out a bottle this year!”

Focus on indigenous grape varieties. “There is a growing interest in indigenous grape varieties, as wine lovers seek out unique and lesser-known wines to expand their palate,” according to LinkedIn.com. Wineries that produce wines made from local or rare grape varieties can capitalize on this trend, offering a point of differentiation in the market, the website said.

A powerful LEARNING JOURNAL

By Lowell Anderson

There has never been a time when it has been easier to learn. With multiple options for studying and the online accessibility of almost any type of information, enhanced learning opportunities are available for almost everyone.

However, the trick – as it always has been – is finding a way to remember and organize all the bits of information you come across.

One way to accomplish that goal is through the use of a commonplace book, something that people have using to keep track of their learning for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The commonplace book is sort of a free-form journal that was used by students, authors, thinkers and

The Learning Life

leaders to record and organize thoughts, quotations, insights and passages from books or poems.

Although commonplace books were used by many notable people throughout history, such as Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf and Ronald Raegon, they don’t seem to be as common now. That’s unfortunate, since they can be a great way to keep track of and review things that are important to you.

Even though this could also be accomplished using a computer, phone or other digital method, the simplicity and reliability of using a paper journal is hard to beat. Not to mention that paper gives you the ability to not only

scribble notes, but also draw diagrams, pictures and charts. In addition, you have the confidence that it will always be accessible and usable even if the power is out, you’re in the middle of nowhere, or the technology becomes obsolete.

Traditionally, the commonplace book was used mostly as a way to keep track o f external information the person wanted to remember, rather than as a journal, which tends to focus more on internal thoughts and musings. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use it as both.

There are two basic ways to organize a commonplace book.

The first is to use it like a basic journal, adding information page after page without really planning it. Number-

ing the pages and putting an index in the back as you add information will give you a way to find important information quickly.

The other way would be to create a table of contents in the front with sections for different topics. This could work well if you have a basic idea about the kind of information you want to record and you can set it up ahead of time. Of course, you could also have a section for miscellaneous information that doesn’t fit in any of your categories.

In the end, there really are no rules. Make your commonplace book something that is unique to you and what you want to learn and remember.

IMPROVEMENT CENTER

“People you know, products you trust”

Following your

PASSIONS

By Celeste Edenloff

Janell Negen has a passion for animals and the outdoors, especially hunting – whether it is with family or friends.

She grew up in Alexandria, but now lives in Miltona with her husband, Cory, and their daughter, Jordie, 5, and son, Casen, 3. They also have two dogs, Brutus and Ranger, some chickens, a horse, a pony and a donkey.

She’s always been into animals, as she was a dedicated and passionate 4-H’er who loved going to the county fair. She took pride in showing her animals and getting her other projects ready each year.

Janelle and her husband, who she met in 10th grade, got married in 2015 and they now own and operate Rolling Acres Retrievers and Pet Boarding.

Dogs are her greatest joy – whether training them, playing with her own, taking them hunting or using them to help others.

“The kennel was my dream, but Cory supports it fully and is the ‘hands-on’ worker behind our success – making my Pinterest pins come to life,” said Janelle. “From a young age, my dream job was to be a stay-at-home-dog-mom.”

For the past couple of years, Janelle said, she has been boarding and training dogs for family and friends and it was always a goal to turn it into something bigger.

“Our dogs have a special place in our family and we love welcoming in new guests each weekend,” she said.

Another one of her passions is therapy dog work. She is a hospice therapy dog volunteer for Hospice of Douglas County. She and Brutus, a British lab, visit nursing homes, assisted living facilities and schools in the area.

Janelle earned her B.S. in animal science from the North Dakota State University in Fargo and her M.Ed in education from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Learn more about Janelle in the following Q and A.

QYou train dogs – how did you get into that?

AIn 7th grade I started cleaning kennels for a professional trainer/breeder in our area. He raised British Labs, so that’s where my passion started. I spent hours at his place playing with puppies and watching him train. He ran hunt tests, so that’s where my interest in that started.

When I was in college, I got my first dog that I was going to train and finish myself. My mom had a female British Lab at the time. We spent time researching and found the perfect dog to sire our family’s first litter of puppies. I wanted a yellow male, and there was only one in the litter – Skeeter.

After getting Skeeter, I joined a UKC Hunting Retriever Club, the Prairie Lakes HRC. This allowed me to learn from other trainers of all levels, both pros and those who just wanted a hunting dog to pick up ducks. I started going to hunt tests and spent all my spare time watching videos and reading books on retriever training.

Currently, I am the vice president of

Prairie Lakes HRC, and am a licensed AA Hunt Test judge with the HRC. I am also an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.

QWhat is your favorite breed to train?

AThere’s just something about a lab. They will always be my favorite.

QWhat is about dog training that you like? What keeps you doing it?

AIt’s such a rewarding sport. You get out of it what you put in. If you put in the time, you will see the results. And when your dog swims across a pond and picks up a 100-yard blind with zero cast refusals, it’s the best, most satisfying feeling ever – and it will make you become addicted.

Dog training becomes more than just a passion or hobby, it becomes a lifestyle. I look forward to summers with all my dog training friends. We understand each other. We’re the same type of “crazy.”

QWhat about hunting? When and how did you get into it?

AMy passion for the outdoors is something my parents instilled in me at a very young age. It was a way of life for us. Most of my childhood memories include outdoor activities. We’d spend the summers traveling the United States with our pop-up tent trailer, visiting places like Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the Badlands and numerous places in Minnesota.

We’d spend the fall at our deer shack up in Aitkin fixing stands, maintaining and checking food plots and four-wheeling. Deer hunting was a family affair each fall. My parents were into bow hunting and my siblings and I would spend our fall evenings in a stand with one of our parents. We’d spend winters on snowmobiles and in the fish house.

I grew up with a passion for the outdoors and a strong desire to maintain an active lifestyle with many adventures. I’ve seen some of the most beautiful sunrises from a duck boat, and some

Janell Negen is pictured with her dog, Brutus, during pheasant opener. Contributed photo

beautiful, painted skies from my deer stand. Cory and I intend to raise our kids the way both of us were raised –in the outdoors.

I hope they value this lifestyle as much as we do and will learn positive life skills as they grow up by taking care of the dogs, putting in the time it takes to be successful at the sport and finding something they can be passionate about.

QWhat is your favorite part about hunting and why do you love it?

AThe time I’ve gotten to spend with my family doing things we all enjoy together is invaluable. It’s why I love it. To me, spending time together is what it’s all about. More often than not I can tell you stories about what happened in the blind or sitting in the truck at 4 in the morning, waiting to get into the field before I can tell you if we shot a limit that day.

It’s kind of an unspoken “rule” amongst our friends (especially my brother’s and husband’s) that if you find a good field and invite one of them hunting, he’s more than likely going to be bringing a wife or a sister, or both.

Opening deer hunting weekend is like a holiday to my family. My in-laws and grandpa are also a part of this. We spend weeks talking about who’s sitting where, what time we are meeting at the land, who is bringing what for food, etc. It’s a weekend you know everyone will be there because there is nothing more important.

Shooting a deer or bagging a limit has never been the important or most memorable, it’s always been about the memories of the hunt, the experience of tracking the deer in the dark or disagreeing over who made the best shot at the last flock.

QWhat is your favorite animal to hunt and why?

AIt’s hard for me to choose. Pheasants probably come in at No. 1 because I get to hunt with my dogs. The feeling of watching your dog flush a rooster and make a perfect retrieve is unexplainable – I live for that!

Second would be deer. I have the biggest one on the wall in our house and I love reminding my husband of that all the time.

Janelle Negen of Miltona shot this 12-point buck in 2018 on her family’s hunting land.

Contributed photo

Reaching goals despite

By Celeste Edenloff

Sophia Nohre was born with a rare bone disease – osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly called brittle bone disease. It is a genetic or heritable disease in which bones fracture or break easily.

The 14-year-old, who will be a freshman at the Alexandria Area High School this fall, doesn’t let the disease define who she is or restrict her from doing things she enjoys – swimming, archery, theater, skateboarding, bike riding and even playing dodgeball during gym class.

Although for dodgeball, she said her classmates let her hide behind something.

“I get to throw the ball at people, but they don’t get to throw it at me,” she said with a big smile on her face.

SHE CAME INTO THE WORLD FEELING PAIN

Sophia’s mom, Christie Nohre, said osteogenesis imperfecta, or OI, is very rare and that about one in 10,000 people have it.

She explained how she and her husband, Scott, found out about it. Christie

was about five months pregnant when they were sent to a specialist because of some irregular findings. The specialist first thought Sophia had some kind of skeletal dysplasia. Christie’s local doctor, however, had mentioned that it could have been OI. Testing for OI, she explained, was hard because there are so many different mutations that cause it. Christie and Scott were told that Sophia had some kind of lethal diagnosis, which they researched.

“That was really hard and sad and I cried,” Christie said. “When the test came back negative that she didn’t have that, we decided we were done with testing because I was so close to my due date. We just decided we would have her and precautions were all set in place.”

Because of complications, Christie ended up delivering Sophia at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.

Prior to her birth, Christie said her local doctor kept thinking it was OI so they did do a bit of research, but there was such a large spectrum and it was scary so she said they were done doing any research until they knew exactly what was going on.

“When she was finally born, we didn’t know if she would live and then she screamed loud,” said Christie, who was relieved, but still worried. “I was so happy because I could definitely hear she was alive.”

But, they also found out after a full body X-ray that she had a broken leg that was already healing, some broken ribs and a freshly broken collarbone from the delivery process.

“That’s how she came into this world, feeling pain,” said Christie.

A LOT OF BROKEN BONES

In her first few years of life, things were challenging for Sophia and her parents. Christie said for the first few days, they didn’t even want to pick up their newborn daughter.

up and hugged her. That made it so much easier. We got comfortable holding her and then when we went home, we were like any new parents, we sat her in the living room and thought, ‘Now what?’ ”

In those first years, Christie said Sophia broke a lot of bones and that she cried a lot. The only difference when she cried, compared to other new babies, said Christie, was they didn’t know if she was hungry, had a wet diaper or if she had broken another bone.

There were frequent trips to the ER, where sometimes her fractures showed up and sometimes they wouldn’t. Sometimes, if they knew nothing could be done, they got to a point where they didn’t even bring her in. But they also got to a point where they started bringing her to see specialists in the metro because they knew she would get the care she needed.

Additionally, the family started to attend OI conferences, where Christie said they learned so much and also made some great connections with other families.

“Meeting other parents was so helpful,” she said.

They learned about a medication that could possibly help and they learned about some doctors in Omaha who specialized in OI.

Contributed photo

“We were lucky to have a doctor who had a daughter with the same condition,” she said. “She came in and showed us how to pick her up. She just scooped her

“I remember one day when she was trying to stand next to me and she was holding onto me while I was trying to zip her coat. She let go for a second and her tibia broke,” Christie recalled. “It was that moment I thought, ‘There has to be

Sophia Nohre, pictured with her parents, Christie and Scott, shot archery just days after having surgery on her femur.

Contributed photo

When she was little, Sophia Nohre broke her back on Christmas Eve and had to wear a brace for six months.

something more we need to do.’ ”

She made the call to the doctors in Omaha and appointments were set up. After those appointments, Sophia was put on the medication they were told about from parents attending the conferences. After the first dose, Christie said Sophia was able to stand on her own and after the second dose, she was able to finally start walking. After the third dose, things were going so well that Sophia was jumping and ended up breaking her foot and didn’t walk for about six months. And then because of the cast she had on, she ended up tripping and breaking her femur.

“They would call these fracture cycles,” said Christie, noting that Sophia was only about two years old when she started the medication.

Because of the potential for Sophia to break one bone or another, Christie said the family has always brought along their own splinting stuff and now that Sophia is older, she keeps stuff in her locker at school and can handle most of that on her own now.

In the past 14 years of her life, Sophia guesstimates she has had around 20 or so surgeries and has broken her bones more than 130 times.

“I lost count around 100,” Sophia said, adding that she doesn’t go to the doc -

tor every time she breaks a bone because there are some bones, like her ribs, that the doctors can’t really do anything about them anyway. “It’s kind of pointless. I just got to let them heal on their own.”

Now that she is older, Sophia said she tries to participate as much as she can in school for gym class, but there are times when she gets to play board games because the risk of breaking a bone is too great.

SHE HAS GOALS

Her favorite sport, however, is swimming. According to her mother, Sophia could swim before she could walk. Christie said when she was learning to walk, they often did it in water and instead of walking, Sophia would just swim away.

Sophia’s dream one day is to swim in the ParaOlympics. She is on the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute’s Blizzards Swim Team, which is an adaptive swim team at St. Thomas University in the Twin Cities. She practices once a week with them. And she has received many medals while competitive swimming with the team. She’s qualified for national tournaments and this summer competed in the Junior National Championship.

Although she loves swimming in the pool, open water swimming is her favorite. She recently swam two miles in an

hour and 10 minutes. Her next goal is to do a four-mile open water swim. Sophia said it is the silence of swimming that brings her peace.

When asked if Sophia had any advice to share, she said that people shouldn’t let their disabilities stop them,

although for herself, she said she doesn’t really look at having OI as a disability. She said she looks at it as an opportunity to travel – whether it is traveling to swim competitions, for fun or even to doctor’s appointments and conventions.

Sophia Nohre recently played the role of Crutchie in “Newsies, Jr.” at the Andria Theatre. Contributed photo

Sophia Nohre, pictured with her family, received several medals during the Junior Nationals Swim Competition in Colorado. Contributed photo

When she was finally born, we didn’t know if she would live and then she screamed loud. I was so happy because I could definitely hear she was alive.

CHRISTIE NOHRE Sophia’s mother

mommy and me

CRAFTING WITH FALL PUMPKIN SCARECROW

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES:

2x4 Wood end scraps

Craft paints

Burlap or burlap ribbon

Ribbon

Rubber bands

Paint brushes

Glue/glue gun

Plant/seeds

Dirt

DIRECTIONS:

First, paint the 2x4 wood ends with orange craft paint and let dry.

Then paint a face with black paint. (In a pinch, you can use a Sharpie.)

Fray one of the long edges of the burlap and then glue the

CRAYON PLANTER (Pinterest)

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES:

Crayons

Containers

Glue/glue gun

DIRECTIONS:

First separate the crayons and decide what pattern you would like on the container..

Second, attach the crayons to the container with a glue gun.

PENCIL JEWELRY

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES:

Pencils

Pencil Sharpener

Eye pins

Jump rings

Earring hooks

Necklace

Needle nose pliers

Diagonal cutters

Super glue/jewelry glue

DIRECTIONS:

Sharpen your pencils to the desired length.

Then using the cutter, cut each eye pin 2/3 of the length of the pencil eraser.

Insert one eye pin into the center of each eraser.

Using the pliers, pull out the

By Melanie Danner

PAPER BACKPACK (YouTube)

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES:

Cardstock/construction paper

Ruler

Pencil

Markers

Scissors

Glue

DIRECTIONS:

Lay the paper lengthwise. Measure and mark 2, 7, 16, and 21 centimeters in from the right edge of the paper. Draw a straight line (vertically) from the top to bottom of the paper on each mark.

Cut out a 11x8 cm. rectangle from another piece of paper and round the 4 corners with scissors. Draw a face and glue this to the front side of the backpack. (This is the side where the flap folds down.)

Cut out a 16x8 cm. rectangle and round the 4 corners with scissors. Glue this on the back of the backpack, centering from the bottom to the top of the flap.

frayed side around the top of the 2x4.

Fray the other long edge of the burlap, leaving a few inches in the middle.

Use a small rubber band to tie the top ends together to create a sprout.

Then tie a bow with the ribbon around the rubber band.

On the top of the paper, measure 5 cm. and draw a line (horizontally) across the paper. On the bottom, measure 3.5 cm. and draw a line (horizontally) across the paper. Fold the paper on each line toward the center to create creases.

Cut on the 5 cm line, starting 3 cm. from the edge and stop 21 cm. from the edge. Cut outwards and remove this section.

Cut on the 3.5 cm edge starting 3 cm. from the edge and stop at 3 cm from the other edge. Cut outwards and remove this section.

Cut slits on the 7, 16, and 21 centimeter lines from the edge of the paper to the 3.5 cm. line. Fold each section toward the center to create creases.

Cut a strip of paper 3.5 cm. wide and fold in half and half again. Refold on the creases with the edges going in towards the center fold. Glue the last folds together to create a thicker strip of paper.Repeat one more time.

Cut two 7 cm. long pieces from one of the strips and round one end of each piece. (The end will look like a popsicle stick.) Glue the flats end of each piece on the underside of the flap towards the middle, leaving a space between the pieces. (These are the buckle straps.) Fold the flap down and draw small slits on the front where each outer edge of the buckle straps lay.

Use the remaining strip and cut a piece (a little bit longer across than the 2 slits) and fold a small section of each end.

Continue adding crayons until the container is covered.

We placed our plants in a separate container, so the container could be used as something else too!

Fold the left and right edges of the paper inward and glue the large 3 cm. edge to the other end of the paper. (This creates a box shape.) Then fold the 4 remaining 3.5 cm. pieces inward and glue the top and bottom on top of each other. (This is the bottom of the backpack.)

Round the two corners of the top flap with scissors.

Use the Exacto knife to cut the slits on the front of the bag only. Dab a dot of glue on each end of the strip and insert into the slits. (This will glue the edges to the backside of the front.) Then you can insert the two buckle straps into the buckle to close the backpack.

Using the second strip, cut a piece and fold the tips of each end inward to create the handle. Glue to the top of the backpack. Repeat on the back with two longer strips to create the shoulder straps.

eye pin and dip the end of the pin into the glue and reinsert the eye pin. (This adds extra strength, but is not required.)

Open the jump ring with the pliers and insert the eye pin and the earring hooks.

Then close the jump ring.

Follow the steps above for the necklace, but skip adding the earring hooks to the eye pin. String the charm onto a necklace instead.

Writers contributing toAUTHENTIC

Celeste is a reporter for the Echo Press. She enjoys perusing her social media accounts, running and participating in races with her husband, Al.

Al Edenloff of Alexandria and his wife, Celeste, were married in the heart of California wine country and enjoy sipping wine on their weekend date nights.

Al Edenloff

Melanie Danner of Alexandria is an at-home mother and craft lover.

Melanie Danner

Lowell Anderson is a photographer at the Echo Press newspaper.

Lowell Anderson

Celeste Edenloff

A love of the garden

Alida Fischer has been gardening for more than 40 years

By Celeste Edenloff

Even though she has been gardening for more than 40 years, Alida Fischer of Alexandria says she is learning something new all the time.

Alida and her husband, Rocket, live on a hobby farm southeast of Alexandria. They have been married for 17 years and have a beautiful blended family of seven children and nine grandchildren.

She has worked at the Alexandria Country Store for the past 10 years and says that she really enjoys her job.

Both Alida and Rocket have a passion for gardening, she said, so she always gets help when it comes time for harvesting and canning.

Her main vegetable garden is about 100 feet by 80 feet.

FRESH GARDEN SALSA

INGREDIENTS:

4-5 ripe tomatoes

2-3 onions

1-3 bell peppers

1-3 jalapenos (seeds or no seeds)

Salt and pepper to taste

Lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Chop all the veggies and mix together with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

“We usually start by putting up cattle fencing in sections that are 16 feet by 4 feet,” she said, adding that this works great for tomatoes, snap peas, green beans and cucumbers.

Also included in her garden are Pontiac red potatoes, yellow and white onions, Detroit dark beets, radishes, kohlrabi, cabbage, broccoli, celery, green peppers and hot peppers.

“I love everything about the garden,” she said. “And because I’m blessed with several tillers, it takes a lot of work out of weeding.”

She also enjoys seeing the progression of planting to harvesting and always loves to see the growth in the items in her garden.

Her favorite veggies include potatoes and sweet corn. But the most fun, she said, are her tomatoes because of all the ways she cans them.

“Stewed tomatoes are a must for hotdishes, chili and swiss steak,” she said. “And salsa is another family favorite. There are so many different ingredients to use to make it your own.”

Alida says she only cans and freezes what she needs and the rest of her harvest she will give away to friends and family.

When it comes to fruit, Alida said she likes to steam down apples and black chokecherries for the juice. She cans the juice for future use when making homemade jelly.

“It is the best!” she said.

When freezing broccoli, she will first steam it for four minutes and then she will par-freeze it on sheets before vacuum sealing it.

She said most people have their own way of freezing or canning, but when it comes to canning, she said that people can always count on “The Ball Blue Book” for ideas for preserving and canning.

Alida shared two of her favorite recipes – Crockpot Apple Butter and Fresh Garden Salsa.

CROCKPOT APPLE BUTTER

INGREDIENTS:

5 lbs. apples

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. allspice

1/4 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

Spray slow cooker with Pam. Peel, core and quarter the apples. Add all ingredients to crockpot and stir. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours. Uncover, cook for another 2 hours on low or 1 hour on high. After it is done, put in a food processor and puree. Then, put in canning jars and process for 10 minutes.

Alida Fischer