The Farming Families of South Dakota—November 2022

Miranda and Alex Koltze at Sweetgrass Soapery.

begins

PUBLISHERS

Garrett and Mindy Gross, AGE Media (605) 690-4071

EDITOR

Bob Fitch, AGE Media (712) 551-4123

ADVERTISING SALES

Garrett Gross, AGE Media (515) 231-9367 garrett@agemedia.pub

© The Farming Families, Age Media & Promotion

The Farming Families is distributed free exclusively to the farmers, ranchers and producers in rural southeastern South Dakota. All rights reserved. Content in this magazine should not be copied in any way without the written permission of the publisher. The Farming Families assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Content in articles, editorial and advertisements are not necessarily endorsed by The Farming Families and Age Media & Promotion.

ADVERTISERS

Baker Audiology 3 Benco 9

Complete Benefits 4 DeKam Construction 28 DeSmet Farm Mutual 13 Dimock Cheese 31 Equipment Blades 15 Farmers Cooperative Society 32 First Class Dental Care 2 Flyboy Donuts 23 Flyger Concrete 31 Grosz Sand & Gravel 27 Heritage Pharmacy 5 Hofer Roofing 31

Jensen Electric 20 Mark Kasten State Farm 7

Merchants State Bank 15 Midwest Livestock Service 25 Minnehaha Funeral Home 29

NuGen 3 Oak Street Station 15

Parsons Insurance 11 Reliabank 11 RiversEdge Bank 5 Roto Rooter 3 Tieszen Memorial Home 8 Tri-States Grain Conditioning 19 Wieman Land & Auction 30

of Sioux County

FAMILY ADDS VALUE TO A SURPRISING SET OF CROPS

By Bob Fitch

Alex and Miranda Koltze are modern day adventurers. In their saga, they inadvertently fell into gardening, which led them into farmers markets and a CSA to sell their produce; then picked up soapmaking along the way; which then took Miranda on a traveling circuit of art and craft shows.

Their life has been a series of trial, error, analysis, followed by embarking on a new adventure. The road they’ve traveled has never been as straight or uniform as a row of corn, but nevertheless, their living comes from adding value to a surprising set of crops they harvest on an acreage west of Viborg.

“We're not afraid to try things. We like to push ourselves,” said Miranda, who makes soaps, salves, balms, sweetgrass ropes and much more from plants found on their Viborg farm. The products are sold at Sweetgrass Soapery, their shop at 319 North Main Street in Sioux Falls. Their crops are plants whose potential is often overlooked today, but might have part of the lives of your great-grandparents.

Miranda and Alex Koltze with the daughters, Bridget and Claudia. Photo by Robin Royal Photography.

Many of the crops and products lean into Miranda’s personal heritage. She’s an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. The Three Affiliated Tribes are located at the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. She was born there and then later was adopted by a family who ranched in the Badlands of North Dakota. The family moved to the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota where they purchased a different ranch.

“I was my dad’s right hand man for a few years through high school. So I can run pretty much any piece of equipment you throw at me,” she said. After high school, she attended Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls, studying graphic communications, which has helped her with marketing their store and online sales.

After she and Alex connected in 2006, the winding career trail began. Alex said, “I was a city boy. But I started gardening our first year living together. I had no idea what I was doing. We had a tiny yard and the whole thing ended up being vines –cucumbers, watermelons, pumpkins. They were climbing up the fence into the trees. And I told her ‘This is awesome. I think I want to be a farmer.’” A couple years later they moved to a home with an acre lot and started selling produce at farmers markets.

Ten years ago, they purchased an acreage west of Viborg with the intent of establishing a fruit tree orchard, growing herbs, and pasturing sheep and goats. They lived on the farmstead for several years, but their other careers – which paid the bills while trying to establish the farm-retail enterprise – were in Sioux Falls or Brandon. The commute became too much and they moved back to Sioux Falls, giving up on grazing the goats and sheep, but continuing to develop the plant crops. Along the way, Miranda was a professional tattoo artist and a certified nursing assistant; and Alex worked construction, HVAC, overnight warehouse, and even operated a food truck.

SACRED HERBS

Included in the crops at Sweetgrass Farm are sweetgrass, sage, cedar and tobacco – the four sacred herbs of the region’s Native American culture.

Sage has been described as an herb that clears negativity and sweetgrass brings positivity. A healer named Whitehorse

57053

57053

605-297-4747

605-297-4747

57029

605-925-7353

Miranda makes all the soap sold at Sweetgrass Soapery. Ingredients are from local sources, including their own farm near Viborg.

Woman put it this way: “I use sage to remove unwanted energy, and sweetgrass to invite wanted energy.”

Miranda said they infuse sweetgrass into a lot of their products. They also sell sweetgrass braids as fast as they can make them. “The grass has a really nice, vanilla, sweet smell and that's what everyone's after. And traditionally we give it as a protective – the braids can be put over doorways or on the dash of a car.”

In addition to its spiritual uses, sage species have been used in traditional medicine for the relief of pain, protecting the body against oxidative stress, inflammation, and bacterial and virus infection. “I’ve done a lot of educating on the Native culture and Indigenous uses for a lot of these wild medicines,” Miranda said.

They also grow plantain, dandelion, comfrey and other perennials, plus harvest willow and cottonwood buds and twigs which are dried and then infused into liquid oils which Miranda uses in soaps, balms, salves and other products.

According to Alex, “You can go out to any piece of ground in this area and find economically viable plants. They’re more time consuming to harvest because they're not laid out in nice rows. At the same time, you didn't spend any time or money

Bridget and Claudia Koltze with Kai (Great Pyrenees/Maremma) and Clover (Australian Shepherd/ Border Collie). Farm photos courtesy of Alex and Miranda Koltze.

you’re

Tieszen

planting them or weeding them. So we just started working with what we had. We started looking at what grows well here and we saw clover and mulberry trees and raspberries and elderberries planting themselves. We want plants we don’t have to coddle and plants that will naturalize themselves. We've added a lot more pasture species and kind of let them run. We had our first-ever walnut harvest this year from a tree the squirrels planted.” He’s also striving to get an apple orchard going, but it’s been a struggle to keep the trees alive. The one plant they haven’t found a good use for is thistles.

LOCALLY-MADE AND LOCALLY-SOURCED

Their Sioux Falls shop is thriving even though it’s been open for less than 2 years. In addition to their own products, Sweetgrass Soapery has become an outlet for other local producers and artisans. Miranda is committed to using and selling products that are sustainable, locally-made and localsourced. That includes everything from honey to mushrooms to Native-made star quilts. Many of the fixtures in their store have been re-purposed from things they’ve found.

Bridget makes glass bottle earrings filled with herbs and rose petals. Claudia makes “sleep pillows” which include a combination of herbs designed to encourage relaxation and sleep. Both products are sold at Sweetgrass Soapery in downtown Sioux Falls.

In addition to soap, Miranda makes salves and balms as well as a wide variety of herb mixes.

When the couple moved to Viborg, they had to frequently explain that their farm was not corn or cows. “We are the weirdos out there. You'll see people rubbernecking the whole time driving by our property, thinking ‘What are they doing out there?’” When she interviewed for a CNA position at Pioneer Memorial Hospital, she came straight from the field in her muck boots because they’d been busy harvesting zucchini. Despite her muddy clothes, she got the job – and sold a bunch of zucchini, too. “In fact, my soap-selling career started at Pioneer Memorial in Viborg. I brought in shoe boxes of soap. My coworkers bought it right up. That encouraged me to sign up for vendor shows and get into the farmers market.”

GOALS AND DREAMS

Their daughters also have an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong work ethic. “They can outsell me at a show or market no problem. They will move product. They're learning a lot,” she said. “Claudia (age 10) makes sleep pillows where she combines different herbs for relaxing and for sleep. She came up with the recipe on her own and she stuffs these little pouches. She’s made a killing this year. Bridget (age 13) makes jewelry like earrings that are little glass bottles filled with herbs and things like rose petals.”

The girls also help on the farm. Alex said, “They can make as much money as they want to. You’ve just got to work for it.”

Miranda added: They're not afraid to create their own jobs or their own products or live in a manner that they can sustain themselves. It’s really fun that they have the skills.”

Looking forward, the couple has lots of goals and dreams. They’d like to get livestock back into their pasture; do farm-to-table dinners; herbalist classes; informational retreats; and maybe even add some campsites. Alex wants to create a shade arbor made of hops climbing on the frame of the greenhouse. Next year, they plan to spend time on the summer “powwow” circuit to both immerse themselves in Native American culture and sell their products.

PRAIRIE SANCTUARIES 2023 CALENDAR

South Dakota is dotted with picturesque and historic country churches from one corner to the other. Christian Begeman has chosen his favorite twelve images for a new 2023 calendar. Look for it while supplies last at www.ViewFromSD.com

Miranda said, “The way this business is going, it won't be long before I have to work Alex into it a lot more. One of the ultimate goals is to use the farm as a basis for everything else we do to get it so that our whole family can be sustained by it.”

Alex concluded, “The farm is still our main engine. The more of our own products we can sell, the more she can make, the more viable it becomes for me to spend more time on the farm and less time in town.”

Red clover ready for harvest at the family’s Viborg farm.

The farmers in the Tripp area plowed the same rows of trouble and hardship as their brethren across the American Midwest in the late 1880s. Seeds of hope were planted each spring. But the uncertainty of the weather made the journey a treacherous trail of the unknown every year.

Farming families faced hot winds and hailstorms, prairie fires and blizzards, drought and floods, grasshoppers and locusts. Cash and credit were hard to come by.

The Homestead Act of 1862 promised “free land” to incentiv ize hard-luck people and adventurers to travel by train, wagon, boat, horse, mule or foot to find a better life in the sparselysettled spots of Dakota Territory. On the 160-acre homesteads claimed around Tripp, the farms usually consisted of a sod house or tar-paper shanty and a barn (often under the same roof), the well or cistern, and a storm/fruit shelter.

When the settlers first came to Tripp, they were greeted by the howling coyote, prairie chickens, wild turkeys and jackrabbits. A farmer needed a good team of oxen, mules or horses. A dairy cow and a few chickens helped provide food. As they were able, they added more livestock and fowl. Slowly, farmers grew enough excess to sell cream, butter, eggs or livestock to reap some cash income.

Mutton and chicken were often staples of the summer diet for farm families. Hogs were butchered in the fall during a cold spell to allow time for the meat to be cured without the fear of spoilage. Hogs were allowed to roam with the cows in the pasture to forage for themselves. Whole ear corn was fed as their finishing ration. Hogs – known as “mortgage lifters” –were shipped by rail from Tripp as early as 1890.

‘THERE’S PLEASURE IN FARM LIFE, BUT DON’T GET THE IDEA IT’S ALL FRIED CHICKEN AND APPLE PIE’

Robert Stoebner, Mrs. Henry J. Hoff and Henry J. Hoff cultivating corn with horses near Tripp.

Adapted from the book “A Touch of Tripp”

Work days were long, starting early in the morn and last ing until late at night. Power was supplied by oxen, mules or horses. The animals pulled one-bottom plows to break the prairie and reveal the rich, virgin soil beneath. Wheat and oats were harvested with hand scythes. When the McCormick reaper was introduced, average production increased from 2-3 acres per day to 10 acres per day. Corn was a secondary crop in the early days. Planting was done by hand and later by one-row corn planters.

Steam-driven tractors first appeared in the 1890s and early 1900s. Steam tractors and more advanced threshers moved from farm to farm. Combined with the new tractors, farmers pooled their labor at harvest and the ability to harvest more acres in less time allowed more acres to be farmed. The 1920s and 1930s saw the advancement of gas-driven tractor engines.

Despite how hard life on the farm was in the early days, humor was still appreciated. A report in March 1897 said: “During the big storm of January 2nd, one of Hassett and Connolly’s porkers got in between 2 haystacks and was completely snowed under. Search was made for him at the time, but he could not be found and he was given up as a gone sausage. This week, he crawled out of his hold as spry and chipper as ever, after an imprisonment of 71 days. Jim says he looks something like the Bohemian’s hog, ‘all before the ears is nose, and all behind the ears is tail.’ However, Jim said he will not winter any more hogs that way if he can help it.”

Hoff Brothers cutting grain

Ted and Walter Heinrich with their dairy herd in 1911.

The Henry J. Hoff farm in the early 1900s included a shed, a horse barn, many horses and a house.

Finally, a story in the Tripp Ledger in July 1937 provides a moral that is more or less as true today as it was then: “A farmer from over near Morgan told the editor the other day that the reason so many people have the wrong idea about the problems of the farm is that they never come out to the farm except when the weather is nice and the chicken is fried or the fruit is ripe. To get a true per spective of the farm, the farmer said, one must experience the other phases of this farm life when the weather is cold and wet and sloppy and when chores are done in the mud and corn shocked in the blistering heat and the field aquiver with heat. Or if that isn’t enough, one should try tackling a dozen cows at the end of a hard day’s work and take a hand at sep arating milk before turning in. There is a lot of pleasure about farm life, but one shouldn’t get the idea that is all fried chicken and apple pie.”

SOURCE

This essay is adapted from a chapter in the book “A Touch of Tripp,” compiled and edited by the Tripp Study Club in the nation’s bicentennial year of 1976. Accompanying photos are also reproduced from the book. Thanks to Heritage Hall & Archives in Freeman for maintaining an excellent collection of community histories.

Emma and Sophia Hoff finished picking corn by hand in 1945.

Lewis and Charlie Fryda and the combine they purchased together.

Emil Dewald getting ready to pick corn with a single-row pull-type corn picker.

BIRDS-EYE VIEW OF OAK GROVE STATE PARK HAWARDEN, IOWA

PHOTO BY JON KLEMME, OCTOBER 9, 2022

KELLY FARM LEGACY PRESERVED AND CELEBRATED

By Bob Fitch

For decades, “The Kelly Barn” was home to a small herd of gentle Holsteins. Today, the refurbished barn is home to both 150 years of family history and also the laughter and love of the descendants of William F. Kelly.

Beginning in late 2014 and continuing into the summer of 2016, the family of Gary and Mary Brendtro spent countless hours restoring and remodeling the barn to become a tribute to her family’s ancestry and a gathering place for the family to make new memories. Mary Brendtro is one of the four “Kelly girls” who inherited the farm from their parents, George and Alice Kelly. Her sisters are Joan Eitrheim, Phyllis Person and Kathleen Killeen. Joan, 90, has written extensively about the family and her books are an informational foundation to stories included in the barn.

Central to the story are three farmers who each left a unique legacy in the family and the community.

AN IRISHMAN MAKING HIS MARK

Founder William Francis Kelly was born in the United States in 1850. A second-generation Irish-American, William moved from Wisconsin in 1874 to stake a 160-acre claim northwest of the future town of Crooks. His farm was an Irish outpost amongst the large number

Gary and Mary Brendtro own the original Kelly homestead. Cropland is farmed by a neighbor.

of Scandinavians who were then settling Minnehaha County. He returned to Wisconsin in 1875 to fetch his wife and son. The family first lived in a sod house and survived through the early years of grasshopper infestations, prairie fires, snow storms, loneliness and other trials.

William admired his father-inlaw, F.O. Sisson, who was a good farmer and civic-minded citizen. He strived to emulate those qualities. Mary added, “Perhaps my great grandfather thought he had to prove himself, being Irish amongst a community of Norwegians and Swedes.” William was a stockholder in Farmers State Bank in Lyons and Farmers Lumber Company in Crooks. He was a postmaster, member of the school and township boards, assessor, and justice of the peace. In 1887, he was elected as a representative to the

territorial assembly and then was elected to the first South Dakota Legislature, where he served 2 terms. While in the legislature, he introduced a bill to confer to women the right to vote in town and city elections. It lost by 2 votes.

A HARD LIFE, BUT HE DIED WITH HIS BOOTS ON

Mary’s grandfather, Willard Francis Kelly, homesteaded and had a sheep herd at Vivian, South Dakota, when he was a young man. But when his father retired, he called Willard home to the family farm.

Mary said her grandfather had a hard life. His wife died young, leaving him with two children. His most vivid memories were of the Children’s Blizzard of 1888 and the Black Blizzard of 1936. At age 68, Willard lost an arm just below the elbow in a corn shelling accident. But that didn’t slow him down. He got a hook as a prosthesis and counted on his granddaughters to tie his shoes and button his shirts. He never had a grandson and when the fourth of five Kelly girls was born, he said “Oh, another girl. Thunderation!” But Mary said he still loved the little girl very much.

Willard lived with the family of his son, George Francis Kelly and his wife, Alice, until he died in 1954 when Mary was 14. “My grandpa always wanted to work and always said ‘I want to die with my boots on.’ And he did. He and my dad were putting up hay and he had a heart attack when he was up in the haystack. And as hard as that was, we were glad for him because he wouldn't have handled not being able to do anything.”

RENAISSANCE MAN

Mary’s father, George, started dairying when he was 15 years old and he continued for 55 years, until August of 1971. He delivered “C” grade milk until World War II when farmers in the Sioux Falls area were asked to produce grade A milk for the cadets at the airbase.

A view from above of the Kelly farmstead in days gone by and today.

Gary and Mary’s daughter, Kärin Renner, worked side-by-side with her father doing much of the down-and-dirty work of the barn's restoration.

Long before the war, George was an innovator and something of a “Renaissance man.” Joan’s family history book reads: “Dad was one of the most hardworking men ever. Alan Oyen, a neighbor once said, ‘No wonder George was so successful. He never walked, but always trotted from one job to the next.’ He never did anything halfway. He was a meticulous man who always did the best job he possibly could, whether he was milking a cow, planting corn, building a fence, repairing machinery, or mending broken or sick animals. He was a craftsman in the finest sense of the word. He built, he soldered, he welded, he fixed. He made many devices, hitches and attachments for his machinery to make the job easier or better. He devised his own manure removal system long before there were any mechanical manure loaders. He made our first power lawn mower.”

Gary said his father-in-law was also known for his gentle ways with cows. Joan’s brother-in-law worked for George in the summer and admired the “placid nature of the livestock on the farm. All his cows received gentle care and therefore they were quiet and easy at milking time.”

SUMMERS WITH GRANDMA

A special corner inside the barn is dedicated to George’s wife, Alice, who brought some Norwegian genetics into the family. When Gary was working at Raven Industries and Mary was teaching nursing at Augustana, their children, Kärin and Erik, were often at the farm with Grandma. Kärin said, “We spent our summers here picking eggs, feeding the cats in the barn, and exploring the woods. Like most families did in those days, every Sunday after church, we came here and Grandma would have roast beef and potatoes and carrots and

pie.” Kärin and her husband, Tim Renner, built a home just across the field in 1997. “So my kids had 7 or 8 years here with Great Grandma on the farm.”

The gatherings of Kelly family members in the barn are a continuation of her grandmother’s tradition of family dinners and celebrations. “Grandma was up before sunrise and working sometimes until late into the night. In addition to helping with the daily outdoor farm chores, she baked every day and she made meals for whoever was here working,” Kärin said. And, Mary added, “She still had time to read books to and play with her grandchildren.”

Alice was a dedicated caregiver to George when was sick towards the end of his life. After he died, Kärin said, “It's like she had a whole new life.” She gave her time to many worthy organizations and causes. Gov. MIckelson recognized her by declaring July 15, 1990, as Alice Kelly Day.

When the family spends time enjoying the barn today, Kärin said, “I just feel Grandma’s presence here.” Mary said when they first started refurbishing the barn, people in the community guessed they were turning it into an event center, a dance hall or a house. But the intention was always to use it for get-togethers of family and friends. “You know, the first time we had friends here and there was all this motion and dogs coming in, I was standing back and the tears just came. It reminded me of my mom and dad; Mom especially, since she was so outgoing and so giving. She would have planned something like this if she was in this spot.”

The loft of the rejuvenated barn decorated for a Kelly family celebration.

A look at a small portion of Kelly farm memorabilia.

George Kelly with his dairy herd.

RECYCLE AND RESTORE CENTRAL TO BARN’S RENEWAL

Mary Brendtro is sad any time she sees old farm buildings falling down and in disrepair. She likes a quote from the book “Rural Wisdom” which says: “Tear down an old barn and you destroy a piece of your heritage.” The barn at the historic Kelly Farm Homestead was saved from such a fate, in large part because of the hard work and dedication of Mary’s husband, Gary, and their daughter, Kärin Renner.

Gary began work on the barn in late 2014 and it continued through 2015 into 2016. Kärin worked full-time on the project in the summers of 2015 and 2016 during her break from teaching. “Dad and I worked seven days a week those two summers,” Kärin said. Her husband, Tim, and their children, Dan and Liz, also played important roles as did other family and friends.

Luckily, the barn was built by skilled craftsmen in 1895-96 and its structure remained strong.

Shepherd Construction of Dell Rapids, a company specializing in the restoration of old barns, fixed the one side of the foundation which was damaged, plus tore off all the old siding and roofing and replaced it. Additional contractors were hired to install plumbing and electrical. Beyond these professionals, turning the interior of the building into something hospitable was literally accomplished on the backs of the Brendtros and Renners.

Starting at the loft level, 50-year-old hay had to be removed. Fitted with a protective respiratory system, Gary, Kärin and Tim teamed up with West Central FFA members to remove the toxic hay. Then every surface was power-washed repeatedly. Kärin scooted inch-by-inch across the entire length of the barn floor many times to scrape 100 years of gunk out of the tongue-ingroove flooring.

During the entire project, great effort was made to recycle and restore instead of purchasing new, Kärin said. Family members and the Shepherd Construction crew repeatedly found ingenious new uses for existing cupboards, adornments

Gary Brendtro power-washing the walls and ceiling inside the loft of the barn.

Most of the barn’s foundation was in excellent condition except for the north wall which had bordered the feedyard. Shepherd Construction shored up and repaired it.

and tools. The appliances, table, chairs and cupboards from Grandma Alice’s house – and even her Geneva kitchen sink base –were salvaged, saved and used in the barn.

Century-old barn doors were re-mounted on the inside, not only protecting the doors from the weather, but also adding to the ambiance. Former feed bunks were converted to bench seats. Gary borrowed lumber from the farm’s east barn to use for the new stairway, as well as for walls and flooring. Replacement stones were acquired from the quarry in Dell Rapids. Gary and Mary’s son, Erik, provided valuable ideas and scoured the Twin Cities for chairs. Mary is thankful to her sisters, friends and neighbors who donated dining room tables, chairs, family heirlooms and other odds and ends.

Before the parts and pieces in the barn were removed so interior cleaning could proceed, Kärin took photos of where everything was positioned. After completion, they were able to return the bridles and reins and yokes and other tools and equipment back to their ancestral home which helped to retain the aura of Grandpa and Great-Grandpa just having been inside working the day before.

The remodeling of the barn could be tiring, even grueling. Was it all worth it? Gary answered in the affirmative: “It was the kind of thing that gave you such a good feeling. We were doing something with an important purpose. This family’s legacy is profound and has touched all of us in some way, whether you’re a direct descendant or an in-law.”

Our publications are based on families and their stories. Our goal is to build community

Tim Renner in the early stages of clean-up on the ground floor of the barn.

CHRISTMAS TREE GROWERS WALK TIGHTROPE THROUGH DERECHO, HAIL AND DROUGHT

By Bob Fitch

Growing Christmas trees is like walking a tight rope without a safety net. When the wind knocks you off the high wire twice and a hail storm adds insult to injury, a grower just hopes there’s plenty of rain to help the trees recover.

With a year like 2022, Tim and Claudia Wassom of Lennox have to wonder why they signed up for this circus at all.

Traditional corn and soybean farmers usually can re-plant crops when the weather deals them a bad hand in the spring. But a Christmas tree takes about 6 years to grow to a salable size –longer when there are back-to-back droughts coupled with two unprecedented derecho storms and a nasty hail storm. “In a dry year like this one, you get about one-third of the growth you normally get,” Tim said. “The derechos tore up one side of the trees and the winds came through just when they were putting on their new growth. We're still going to try to sell a few trees, but supply will be limited.”

The Wassom’s own Tannenbaum Tree Farm, a choose-and-cut Christmas tree growing operation. They planted their first trees in 1988 on 20 acres on the Tea-Ellis Road west of Sioux Falls. Since then the city has grown so far west that Sioux Falls Pettigrew Elementary is today adjacent to their previous property. Their first crop of trees on the Tea-Ellis Road site were harvested in 1994. The last trees were cut in 2010. They had a good run there and it was the last land to be sold to developers in that immediate area. “It was kind of hard giving that up,” he said.

A ROCKY START

They planted trees on their new Lennox farm in 2009, but the transition didn’t go smoothly and they weren’t able to begin harvesting trees until 2017. Tim said, “After we started planting here, it

Claudia and Tim Wassom of Tannenbaum Tree Farm.

got really dry. I put a lot of fir trees out and we lost 99 percent of those. The following year, I replanted and then we had about 15 inches of rain in less than 10 days. So then they all drowned. The only thing that was really taking was spruce trees. I also went back to pine trees because I knew they were more resilient and take adversity so well. I still plant some fir, but it's just too dry unless you have some kind of daily watering system.”

Fortunately, Christmas trees aren’t the only part of their business. When they moved the operation to Lennox, they added a greenhouse to grow annual flowers and vegetables in the spring from seed or tiny cuttings. “We actually start the plants in our house on heating mats under grow lights in an unused room. We call it ‘the library,’” Claudia said. “Tomato varieties are our specialty. We have 4050 varieties of tomatoes and 20 varieties of peppers.”

TOMATOES FOR TUITION

The inspirational roots of their business trace to Tim’s dad, A.J. Wassom, who was an attorney. A.J. frequently planted trees from the Soil Conservation Service and the family usually had a 1-acre garden. “I just kind of enjoyed it as a kid,”

Tim said. Enjoyment blossomed into a small business during high school.

His family lived on 57th Street in the 1960s and 1970s, long before Sioux Falls sprawled to the south. During his elementary years, Tim spent several years at the public schools in Sioux Falls, Harrisburg and Lennox – his family never changed homes, but the district lines kept moving. During the Lennox years, he was the first-on and last-off the bus, spending 3 hours in transit daily. He finally asked his parents if they

could try something different. In 8th grade, Tim enrolled as the first Protestant at St. Joseph’s Cathedral School; then was one of the first Protestants enrolled at O’Gorman High School.

His journey to O’Gorman brings the story back around to growing plants … “In my second year at O’Gorman (1973), I took a $25 savings bond and I bought tomato transplants at Cliff Avenue Greenhouse. I had 500 plants and sold the fruit at $5 a bushel for canners and 50 cents a

Tannenbaum Tree Farm is located northwest of Lennox. Photos courtesy of Claudia Wassom.

pound for slicers. I used the income to pay tuition, which was $500 for the year. I ended up growing and selling tomatoes to pay for my tuition for 3 years.”

Few people were raising tomatoes back then. “There were no farmers markets, but a lot of people still liked to can tomatoes. I'd have a little ad in the Shoppers News and then my dad would drive me around on Saturday morning and I would deliver 5 pounds here and 10 pounds there, especially to the older women who lived in apartment houses. I had some restaurants who would buy my tomatoes and I used to sell them to the Tea Steakhouse.”

GROWING TOGETHER AT HIEBERT’S

After high school, he went to South Dakota State University, starting with a major in pre-dentistry. But he changed to horticulture with an emphasis in plant pathology. That led to a 30-year career with

Hiebert’s Greenhouse, a wholesale operation which grew spring annuals, Easter lilies, fall mums and poinsettias. (Hiebert’s became part of Natural Beauty in 2012.)

Tim became the head grower at Hiebert’s. He and Claudia met there and she later became the company’s production manager, working there for 20 years. “We know all the ins and outs of the greenhouse world, forwards and backwards,” she said. They’re very self-sufficient today, doing all the growing and greenhouse construction themselves.

Claudia didn’t grow up interested in plants. She had a retired uncle who bred horses and had a riding school. She started riding (Englishstyle). Her interest in animals grew and she earned a master’s degree in animal science.

The rest of her back story isn’t a typical South Dakota tale. Her mother was a native German who was working as an interpreter in

Canada. She married an American and Claudia was born in Nebraska. But when she was 3 months old, her mother divorced her father – and mother and daughter moved to Hannover, Germany, which is where Claudia grew up. Her first language is German, but she’s always had dual citizenship.

EDUCATING THEIR CUSTOMERS

Tim and Claudia sold their spring crops at a farmers market in Sioux Falls from 2011-2016. They tired of transporting product to and from the market and, in 2017, they built a second greenhouse and started selling from their acreage. They enjoy sharing their knowledge of plants and growing techniques.

“We try to make people happy by educating them. Some people really know nothing, especially new gardeners. When Covid hit, people wanted to have their own garden and teaching some of them was like we started with the invention of the wheel. They really soaked that up.”

Claudia Wassom designs and creates wreaths, swags and containers for the holiday season.

Tim said, “I give little talks about how to grow potatoes, how to grow tomatoes, how to get the most out of your tomato plant, how to fertilize. Claudia talks to them about how to keep their flowers blooming.” During the 2020 Covid year, customers bought all of the company’s vegetable plants. This year, they noticed a drop in vegetable sales as more people spent time traveling.

Sometimes the education at Christmas tree time starts when the man of the family gets out of the car wielding a chain saw. That’s a no-no for safety and liability purposes. Wassom’s gladly provide the simple handsaws needed to cut the small tree trunks.

Besides selling Christmas trees, Claudia makes wreaths and holiday planters. “My wreath sales are not as high as they used to be. People like door swags more now. To be honest, the door swags are faster and easier to make and you still get good money for it.” Another popular holiday season product is a “mailbox huggy” which is a wreath-type item which wraps around a mailbox. Their wreath, swag and huggy products are usually made-to-order so there is no excess product at

season-end. She also makes custom containers for cemetery decoration.

When they’re not selling trees, tomatoes or thyme, Tim enjoys grafting old varieties of fruit trees. Claudia still rides horse; plus breeds, shows and sells Jersey Wooly rabbits. Tim said, “She goes to local and national shows. She has a pretty good reputation and is known throughout the country.”

Claudia said, “It’s a nice hobby. It's easy. You can just stick him in a little carrier in the car and off you go.”

They also enjoy going to SDSU football games, plus attend

functions at the Center for Western Studies and go to art shows.

Even though her distinctive accent acts as a daily reminder of her heritage, Claudia doesn’t miss her German homeland too much. “In Europe, it’s maybe not as cold, but it's always overcast in winter. Winter weather can be kind of a pain in South Dakota, but at least the sun shines.”

Wassom’s have many decades of experience as greenhouse growers. In spring, they sell flowers and vegetables; and are especially known for their 50 varieties of tomatoes.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and scallions and cook until slightly softened, 2 minutes.

2. Add the cranberries and sage and cook 2 minutes.

3. Add the bread and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.

4. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and the parsley and stir until the broth is absorbed, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to a bowl.

5. Wipe out the skillet.

6. Holding a knife parallel to the cutting board, cut a deep 2-inch-wide pocket into the side of each pork chop. Season the chops on both sides with salt and pepper and fill the pockets evenly with the stuffing.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 stalks celery, finely diced

• 3/4 cup chopped scallions

• 3/4 cup dried cranberries

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

• 4 slices potato bread, cubed (about 2 1/2 cups)

• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

• 4 bone-in center-cut pork chops (about 3 pounds)

• 3 tablespoons heavy cream

7. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add the chops and cook until golden brown, 2 minutes per side.

8. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth; reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook until the chops are cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Transfer to plates.

9. Add the remaining 3/4 cup broth and the cream to the skillet and increase the heat to medium high. Simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

10. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper.

11. Pour over the chops and serve.

in South

By Theresa Kingma from Hawarden Quasquicentennial Cookbook

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups sweet potatoes

• ½ cup sugar

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 4 Tablespoons butter or margarine

• ½ cup milk

• 1½ teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Boil potatoes for 30-40 minutes or until tender. Peel away skins. Put sugar, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla in a bowl and mix with potatoes. Put in a 9x13-inch casserole dish.

TOPPING:

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/3 cup flour

• 1/3 cup butter

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix brown sugar, flour and butter and put over the top of the potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes.

DUTCH GREEN BEANS

From centsablemomma.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 strips bacon, cooked and crumpled

• 1 small onion, diced

• 1 can sliced water chestnuts

• 2 cans cut green beans

• ¼ tsp. salt

• 1 tbsp. brown sugar

• 2 tsp. cornstarch

• ¼ tsp. dry mustard

• 1 tbsp. vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the bacon.

2. Brown diced onions and water chestnuts in hot bacon fat.

3. Drain green beans; saving ½ c. liquid.

4. Mix liquid with the remaining ingredients and add to the onions and water chestnuts in skillet.

5. Cook, stirring until mixture bubbles.

6. Add green beans; heat thoroughly. If you plan to serve the next day in a slow cooker, there's no need to heat thoroughly after adding the green beans. Just mix it together and put into a bowl to reheat in the slow cooker the next day.

7. Serve topped with crumbled bacon. If you reheat in the slow cooker for the actual meal, wait to add the bacon until just a few minutes before the meal so it stays crispy.

Respectfully serving families for generations.

BALTIC | 180 St. Olaf Ave. 605.529.5411

DELL RAPIDS | 104 East 4th St. 605.428.4200

COLTON | 205 East 4th St. 605.446.3246

GARRETSON | 101 South Leslie Dr. 605.594.3700

www.minnehahafuneralhome.com

Sweet Potato Casserole Dutch Green Beans

MASHED POTATOES

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

DOUBLE LAYER PUMPKIN PIE

BY Cheryl Smith in Hawarden Quasquicentennial Cookbook

DIRECTIONS:

By Vera Gilbertson from the book Vaer saa god: Come and Eat, by Doris Stensland.

Roofing

James Hofer, Owner/ Founder