Farm Indiana

NOVEMBER 2013 | Section A

Planting apple trees has been a long-standing tradition for Sarah Brown’s family

By Ryan Trares

B Sarah Brown Republic file photos

ins full of multicolored apples fill the barn at The Apple Works orchard as customers peruse this year’s fruit harvest.

Bright red Gala apples, sweet and juicy, are piled near the Daybreak Fujis, with their muted orange hues. Tart and tangy Cortlands, complex green-yellow Mutsus and Golden Delicious varieties have crowds packed around them.

The fruit has been harvested over the previous two months, as employees readied themselves for the rush of autumn. After almost a year of preparation, the make-or-break time of year is finally upon them.

“We work all year for September and October,” explains Sarah Brown, owner of The Apple Works.

“Those are the biggest months for us.”

The Brown family founded its apple orchard near Trafalgar in 1989. What started out as a business with a few hundred trees has now grown into a thriving agritourism operation with more than 7,000 trees that draws thousands of people to the area each fall.

The hilly terrain around Trafalgar, and further south into Brown County, has a long history of apple production. Orchard owners William Walden and Benjamin Douglas were prominent citizens in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Their fruit and preserves were once shipped all over the country.

Success in the apple business was partially due to the location of the orchards. The hills in this part of Indiana protect against spring frosts and extreme heat, making for crisp, richly flavored apples, Brown explains.

The orchard now has been open for 24 years. But growing fruit is a tradition that stretches back even further for Brown.

Her grandmother’s family owned large commercial orchards in northern Ohio in the early 20th century. As a child, her own family planted fruit trees, but never a full orchard.

“We’d visit orchards, and we’d always have fresh fruit from our own planting,” she recalls. “It was something that I always loved and was brought up with. When I started this, I always felt like I was finishing someone else’s job.”

The Early Years Sarah and her husband, Rick Brown, initially began planting trees on the southern portion of their property by hand, using a shovel to remove the dirt and placing saplings in their holes.

Those early years revealed a simple operation. The family would pick the apples and tend to the trees, putting the harvested fruit in a pair of refrigerators set up in the middle of a field.

The Browns’ daughters, Maggie and Allison, were stationed at a picnic table by the road, advertising apples for sale. When a car stopped, they’d run to the refrigerator to fill the order.

See apples on a2

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Farm Indiana // november 2013

apples // cont. from a1 Two years later, the family constructed the first portion of its sales barn. The Apple Works has been in operation ever since.

The year’s crops start taking shape in February or March, depending on when winter breaks. Employees begin pruning the orchard’s more than 7,000 trees to clear excess branches and ensure the apples receive more sunlight. These efforts result in bigger and more colorful fruit.

Orchard employees also take time to thin fruit crops in the spring. They’ll clip away close to 98 percent of the apple blossoms, a necessity to ensure full, ripe apples, Brown says.

Letting an entire crop grow out would make for tiny apples, since a tree would have to spread resources around to all of the buds, she explains.

The preparation lasts right up until harvest time, a nebulous period that takes place from as early as July to mid-October. The orchard’s 65 varieties of apples ripen at different times, so employees have precise schedules on when to pick the fruit, as well as when to display and store them.

Around mid-September, approximately 15 varieties of apples are for sale. By the beginning of October, more than 20 kinds are in stock, from the distinctively sweet Red Delicious to mellow Empire and the orchard’s most popular apple, Honeycrisps.

“The apple crop was very good this year,” Brown says. “Flavors are very good on the apples.”

Considering the difficulty of the 2012 season, this year’s harvests seem like nothing less than miracles.

Last year, the Browns endured a spring frost that killed many of the apple blossoms, and then they faced a drought that stunted apple growth. Extreme heat baked the few fruit that did develop.

A Growing Business Because they’re running a smaller operation, the Browns can specialize in unique varieties and flavors that other sellers don’t have. The Swiss Gourmet apple — a sweettart variety — is one of the most popular apples in Europe, but American growers avoid it, Brown says, because it requires almost daily care in this climate.

A variety called Stellar produces a distinctive

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Farm Indiana // november 2013

The Apple Works Where: 8157 S. Road 250W, Trafalgar Owners: Sarah and Rick Brown Founded: 1989 flavor ideal for everything from eating out of hand to baking in pies, but the fruit can bruise easily and has to be handled with care. Larger orchards avoid Golden Russets due to their rusty appearance, but The Apple Works grows them for customers who enjoy the cider-like flavor.

“We even have some new varieties we’re working with,” Brown says. “We’re in an experimental breeding program growing a cross between a Fuji, with its sweet flavor, and a Honeycrisp. It’s called an Evercrisp, and we hope to have it next year.”

Though October is the orchard’s busiest month, The Apple Works will stay open through the Christmas season. Many of the orchard’s apples, such as Gala, Goldrush and Honeycrisp, will store well into the winter, and some as long as spring.

Using the fruits of their harvest, the Browns have established a growing baked goods section of their business. Their apple pies were voted the best in Indiana by the Indiana Office of Tourism Development, and they sell hot apple dumplings, apple fritters and apple doughnuts as well.

“I don’t know what it is about (growing) apples,” Brown says. “It must run in the family.

It’s in the genes.” *FI

Trees: More than 7,000 apple trees and more than 60 varieties Other products: Pumpkins, bakery goods, blackberries, other summer produce such as melons and sweet corn, jams, jellies, cobblers-in-thejar, preserves and fruit butters.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday

An apple orchard at The Apple Works

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Farm Indiana // november 2013

The Sweet Life » My husband’s dream has long been to move to a warm locale, where he might “retire” by running a hole-in-the-wall beachside bar. He loves the ocean, the sand beneath his feet, the waves … and he loves to eat seafood, lots and lots of seafood. Before he and I began dating, in fact, he would take regular sojourns to St. George Island in Florida as a way

to escape the winter blues.

As for me, I’m fine with snorkeling and I adore the sun, but I’m a little leery of things like sharks.

Sharks and I aren’t friends, you could say. And I don’t like seafood … any seafood. It’s one of his biggest disappointments in me to date. Try as he might, he can’t interest me in eating fish. Not a chance. No how. No way.

My long-held dream, on the other hand, has been to live quietly in the country, where I could grow food and raise a little livestock. In this plan, I would remain in Indiana — as much as I loathe the winters here — staying close to family and sitting tight with the state I’ve always considered home.

So far, my dream has won out. (Sorry, honey.)

We finally completed the restoration of our old farmhouse (and by “completed,” I mean … “sort of, mostly completed” enough to move in). Though we’ve owned the property for more than a year now, we’ve only been living in our new home for the past month or so. We were able to plant a garden this year, however, and Randy, my husband, harvested our sweet potatoes in mid-October. What he stumbled upon while digging was a trail of a garden pest we had yet to meet while gardening in the city. He unearthed the work of a vole (or several, it seemed).

Approximately half of our harvested potatoes had bite-size chunks taken from their flesh; some were nearly eaten through. Those buggers had been eating well — if only we knew.

The disappointment of so many sweet potato pies lost stings a little still, but it’s a lesson learned, and one we’ll work to prevent in coming years. One of the great things about my job is that simply by living I find relevant story ideas for Farm Indiana. I’m now going to assign a story on deterring common garden pests for next spring. You can bet your favorite tiny rodent there will be information on voles included.

This past month, I’ve had the opportunity to watch you harvest, too. Yours is a job that spans day and night, weekday and weekend. I’ve slowed my speeds along county roads to make way for your passing combines. I’ve watched … with a bit of end-of-the-summer sadness … as the soybeans

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NOVEMBER 2013

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have kicked up their dust and the stalks of corn have come down, leaving behind what I described to my husband recently as “a tragic haircut” of the land.

Until harvest clean-up begins, there stand in the fields around us rows upon rows of choppy, uneven stalks that remind me of the haircuts (of the same “tragic” quality) that my husband administers to our Australian shepherd, Adelle. Poor Adelle must suffer through a tragic haircut at least once a year. So does our Indiana farmland, it appears.

The good news is I know the land will be beautiful and bountiful and growing once again, even if I have to wait six months to see it. One evening this past summer when we were standing outside our home, I encouraged my husband to stop a minute to listen.

The country was silent except for the wind, which rustled the cornstalks in such a way that mimicked, I suggested, the sounds of ocean waves. He wasn’t buying it. We weren’t at the beach, he said.

Now, we don’t even have the corn-rustling breeze.

Instead, it’s just cold outside. And we have very few soul-warming sweet potatoes to eat. About many, many … OK, MANY … things my husband is regularly right. Maybe it’s time we head for the beach.

Salt Creek Winery Unique Local Wines Cardinal Point Farm Indiana Caves

B1 Strauther Pleak Round Barn B5 Simpson Family Farm B8 Pollerts’ Inc. B10 Post-Harvest Farm Duties B12 Traditional vs. Modern Farming Methods B14 Quick Bites: Food News

Comments, story ideas and suggestions should be sent to Sherri Lynn Dugger, The Republic, 333 Second St., Columbus, IN 47201, call (812) 379-5608 or email farmindiana@hnenewspapers.com.

For advertising information, call (812) 379-5690.

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Farm Indiana // november 2013

Away from the

Hustle and Bustle Part of the fun of visiting Jackson County’s newest winery is getting there story By marcia walker

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Salt Creek Winery 7603 W. County Road 925N, Freetown, (812) 497-0254 SaltCreekWinery.com

alt Creek Winery is located two miles off State Road 135 north of Freetown, down a narrow, winding back road that takes motorists past patches of woodland and up steep Houston Hill.

The winery, which was established in 2010, is perched on one of the hills that surround what was once the thriving community of Houston. The tiny town is all but abandoned now; only a church, old schoolhouse and a handful of homes remain.

Salt Creek owners Adrian and Nichole Lee advise against relying on GPS to find their winery.

Technology, they say, won’t get you there. But the remoteness is all part of Salt Creek Winery’s charm; the rolling landscape is reminiscent of neighboring Brown County. “We have Brown County views with Jackson County prices,” Nichole says.

The winery came about almost by accident. When the couple moved to the 40 acres that is now home to their winery, they first tried raising sheep. However, the market wasn’t conducive to that venture; all that remains from those days is Cassie, a border collie who serves as the winery’s official greeter.

Adrian eventually became interested in making beer as a hobby, but Nichole convinced him to try wine instead. He gathered information, began reading everything he could find about wine making and picked up advice from other wineries in the state.

“We started making wine and before we knew it, people wanted to buy it,” Nichole explains.

The first season, the couple produced 500 gallons; the next: 1,000. This year, they are on track to produce about 1,500 gallons, doing everything, including putting on labels and corking the bottles, by hand. And the winery is only a side business; they both work full time for Karma Urban Pharmaceuticals in Seymour.

Adrian says he enjoys the art of making wine. He goes on to explain that you can take the same variety of grape from the same harvest, give the grapes to six different wine makers and come up with six different wines. “A lot of it has to do with palate and taste,” he explains. “We don’t rush our wines through. We take our time and let them settle out.”

Nichole and Adrian Lee

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Farm Indiana // november 2013

LEFT: Red raspberry and Moscato are two of the 16 varieties of wine offered at Salt Creek Winery. RIGHT: The Lees won five medals at the 2013 Indy International Wine Competition.

“We’re going to stay small scale,

sell enough to pay the bills.�

Salt Creek’s wine list includes five varieties of dry, three varieties of semi-sweet and eight varieties of sweet. The biggest seller is a catawba; other popular varieties include a merlot and Riesling. The list includes several varieties made from berries, including red raspberry, blueberry and blackberry.

Some of the blackberries are wild, gathered in Hoosier National Forest, which borders their property.

They also offer a plum wine. “We had plum trees, but the drought took those,� Nichole says.

The Lees try to purchase grapes from growers in southern Indiana; the Ohio River valley has conditions that are good for growing the fruit, Adrian explains. One grower they use lives on Madden Hill near Seymour.

Although new to wine making, the couple did well at the 2013 Indy International Wine Competi-

tion, which is held in conjunction with the Indiana State Fair. They entered seven of their wines and brought home five medals. “I believe they judged over 2,000 wines this year,� Nichole says. “This being our first time, we were pretty excited about that.�

Neither Adrian, 41, nor Nichole, 38, is a native of Jackson County. Nichole is from Minnesota but moved to Iowa in 1991 to manage a restaurant and bar owned by her mother. Adrian grew up in England; his family moved to Columbus in the early 1980s where his father had a job with Cummins.

They met in 1996 at the bar in Iowa where Nichole was working. The Lees now have two children, Cameron, 14, and Kimberly, 17.

The couple hope people will use their winery as a venue for small gatherings and have already hosted a bridal shower. Visitors can sit inside, but

—nichole lee

many prefer the back porch, which offers a view of the Salt Creek Valley below. The winery has been steadily growing, and the Lees say there are always plans in the works to make it bigger and better.

New this year on the property is a stage, along with a plan to offer music on weekends. Next on the couple’s to-do list: Enlarge the parking area and hire someone to help out in the tasting room.

But they both stress they don’t want to become too big. “We’re going to stay small scale, sell enough to pay the bills,� Nichole says. “People like the atmosphere of a small winery and being able to talk to the owners,� Adrian adds. “People enjoy the fact that we are small. They like to get away from the hustle and bustle.� *FI

Through New Year’s, Salt Creek Winery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m.

Sundays. Through March, it is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays only.

However, the Lees will open at other times by appointment. Check the winery’s website, saltcreekwinery.com for more information.

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Farm Indiana // november 2013

BY THE

BOTTLE Local winery owners enjoy the fruits of their labor story By Robin winzenread fritz

S

RECIPES

tanding in the tasting room at the Brown County Winery east of Nashville, visitors face a difficult dilemma. Bottle after gleaming bottle of wine beckons from the shelves — some a deep ruby red, others a crisp shade of gold, with still more bottles sporting every shade in between — and begs the question which bottle to try first. In California, that refrain may be to pass the merlot, but here in Indiana, it’s usually replaced by, “I’ll try the blackberry.”

It’s a refrain heard throughout Hoosier wineries, with peach, raspberry, plum and apple giving traditional wines made from grapes a run for their money. From the valleys of the Ohio River spreading northward toward the shores of Lake Michigan, wineries throughout Indiana are creating “country wines” — as non-grape-based wines are called in the industry — and the resulting bottles are not only very drinkable, they’re even winning national awards.

“We get people from California in here, and they really enjoy the fruit wines,” says Cynthia Schrodt, who owns Brown County Winery with her husband, David. “They just don’t seem to have them out there. I think they’ve just been growing grapes for forever and ever and ever, and that’s just what they are used to. That’s what they think of when they think of wine.”

The blackberry and plum wines are the two most popular wines at Brown County Winery, Schrodt says. In fact, her personal favorites are the blackberry and a blended wine, the cranberry apple, which she says is also good served warm with mulling spices. “It’s got a little tart to it,” she explains.

Betty Manning of Stream Cliff Herb Farm

and Winery in southeastern Indiana near Commiskey believes taste should matter more than which fruit is behind the wine.

This philosophy is why at Stream Cliff — like Brown County Winery and others throughout the state — visitors can sample and purchase wines that include a wide range of tasty fruits, with apples, peaches, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries among the most popular.

At Mallow Run in Bargersville, the No. 1 seller, touted on the winery’s website as a “sweeter wine with a unique tart zing,” is made from rhubarb.

“It doesn’t have as much of a bouquet as the grape wines,” says John Richardson, who co-owns Mallow Run with his son, Bill, and daughter-in-law, Laura, “but the f lavor is very much that rhubarb tang like with the rhubarb pie and rhubarb sauce you might have had as a kid.”

Mallow Run offers about 22 wines on its wine list right now, “and it’s quite an array, with a 50-50 mix of dry wines versus sweet wines,” Richardson says. “But the rhubarb is our number one seller.”

Country wines have been around for centuries, with modern-day professionals and hobbyists alike experimenting with a wide variety of ingredients. In addition to such common fruits as apples and peaches and traditional favorites such as elderberry, inventive individuals have experimented with fruits and vegetables ranging from bananas, pumpkins and persimmons to even more unexpected ingredients such as carrots, turnips, fish and, oddly enough, army ants.

Starch-based products are also used to create alcoholic beverages, such as sake, and are

Blackberry Wine Cake 1 box white cake mix 1 3-ounce package blackberry (or other berry flavor) jello ¾ cup vegetable oil 1 cup Brown County Winery Blackberry (or Red Raspberry) Wine 4 eggs 1 cup pecans Grease and flour two loaf pans or one bundt pan.

Line the bottom of the pans with half of the nuts.

Blend the rest of the ingredients and pour over the nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.

Poke holes in the cake with a toothpick and pour glaze over the cake as soon as it is removed from the oven. Cool and serve.

Glaze: ½ stick butter ½ cup Blackberry Wine ¼ box powdered sugar Melt the butter over low heat, add the wine and sugar and blend.

referred to as rice wines, but they are brewed using a process that more closely resembles making beer than traditional wines. Mead, which is made from honey, is often confused with wine as well, though it, too, is brewed similar to beer as the fermented honey is combined with a grain mash — a step not included in traditional wine making.

While country wines have grown in popularity over the years, particularly in the Midwest, it is little wonder grapes are the stars in the wine industry. The grape owes its long history of wine making to its plentiful natural sugars and near perfect balance of acid.

Jim Butler, who co-owns Butler Winery northeast of Bloomington with his wife, Susie, “but the sugars just don’t get as high in most fruits as in grapes.”

The Butlers have been producing “fruit wines all along,” adds Butler, who began making apple wine when the Butler Winery first opened in 1983. “It gives you diversity on your wine list. People like the fruit characters. We do them fairly light, not in real high alcohol. We try to make a fruit wine that’s as much like the fresh fruit as we can. That’s our goal.”

Butler also noted that many other fruits tend to be low in acid, which, if not also increased, will result in a flat, lifeless wine. Still others, like gooseberries and black currants, are so high in acid that, if it is not counterbalanced, the result is a very sharp-tasting wine.

“Probably the biggest difference is that each fruit tends to have its own acids, organic acids,” Butler says. “Citrus fruits have citric acid, apples have malic acid, grapes are primarily tartaric with secondary malic acids.

Those are the things that you deal with.”

Even after balancing the fruit’s sugars and acids, many country wines benefit from other adjustments such as blending with other fruit wines for added flavor. Some country wines also need to be diluted with water to balance their strong natural flavors, as is the case with black currants and elderberries, which are highly astringent.

“Black currant, it’s probably the most difficult one to make,” Butler continues. “They’re very high acid, very intense fruit flavor, black currants. Most people aren’t familiar with the flavor of currants. But we’ve developed a real niche following for it, a cult following, I guess you would say.”

While much of the grape juice used at Hoosier wineries is imported from other states, many of these same vintners are able to use home-grown Indiana fruit for their country wines. “We used to buy Indiana’s entire production of black currants,” explains Butler, who noted that changes with his

For more information about Indiana’s wine industry visit IndianaWineries.com for maps, listings and links to 70 Hoosier wineries, including Brown County Winery, Butler Winery, Stream Cliff Herb Farm and Mallow Run.

With the proper growing conditions, some grapes will produce excellent wines without any adjustments other than fermenting.

Other fruits, however, need some form of adjustment, usually to increase their sugar content or to balance out their acids. A fruit’s sugar content is crucial to wine making as it feeds yeast to form a vital ingredient — alcohol.

“The overall process is very similar,” says

Blackberry Wine Sauce Brown County Winery Blackberry Wine Blackberry preserves Sugar Fresh blackberries 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon water Over low heat mix together equal parts wine and sugar. Add as much preserves as desired. Reduce to thicken. Mix together cornstarch and cold water.

Add to sauce. Before serving add fresh blackberries. Great over ice cream.

Recipes provided by Brown County Winery.

primary black currant supplier and last year’s drought curtailed production. “It’s been two years since we’ve made a commercial black currant. We’re hoping next year to have it back. We’ll see how that goes.”

Harvesting also plays a role in the differences between using other fruits versus grapes. Unripe fruit low in sugar and acid, such as pears, will not lend enough of its natural characteristics to the wine, resulting in a dull flavor. Overripe and bruised fruit is also unsuitable for wine, as it can impart a sour taste to the end product.

Also, due to their lack of acidity and tannins, country wines should be drunk relatively quickly compared to grape wines, whose natural characteristics lend to the wine’s longevity. White wines made from grapes tend to be aged five to seven years, with red wines aged even longer. Country wines, on the other hand, should be aged no more than three to four years, with most experts agreeing that, preferably, they should be consumed within the first year or two, although there are exceptions.

A9

Farm Indiana // november 2013

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A10

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Heat oil in pan and sauté shallots. Add wine and cook until reduced by half. Add plum butter, craisins, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm over pork tenderloin.

Mulled Wine 1 bottle Brown County Winery Vista Red or Cranberry Apple Wine ½ to ¾ cup brown sugar ½ cup water 4 Brown County Winery spice bags Heat all ingredients in a crockpot or on stove top; do not boil. Garnish with oranges, apples and cinnamon sticks, if desired. Serve warm.

Recipes provided by Brown County Winery.

WEBSITES:

country wines turned out to be a wise business decision. They have consistently produced stellar vintages that are getting national notice. This August, during the 2013 Indy International Wine Competition — recognized as the largest scientific independent wine competition in the United States — the Brown County Winery took home four medals for its country wines, including a double gold medal for its 2012 vintage red raspberry wine and a gold medal for its 2012 vintage plum wine.

But the Schrodts are no strangers to winning awards for their country wines. During the 2012 competition, their 2011 vintage blackberry took best in class for all berry wines, while their 2011 vintage cranberry apple took best in class for all fruit blended wines.

Hoosier wine lovers interested in trying these award-winning vintages can purchase bottles at various locations; see individual winery websites for details. Indiana’s open shipping law makes it possible to order through the mail as well, provided patrons first visit the winery in person.

“A person has to come into the winery and physically visit the place and have a face-toface interaction and fill out what’s called a direct wine purchaser verification form,” says Schrodt, adding that she believes the intent of the personal visit is aimed at verifying individuals purchasing wine are of legal age.

Although customers must first set foot in an Indiana winery before they can receive bottles via shipment, it’s not exactly a sacrifice. Many wineries plan special events around their harvests and offer cooking classes, wine tastings, dinners and other activities aimed at entertaining guests. Patrons are encouraged to sample varieties before making a purchase and most include gift shops selling winerelated items, such as glasses, cork screws and

“Blueberries to me are probably as close to grapes as any other fruit,” says Butler with the Butler Winery. “You ferment them on the skin, you get a fairly good body in it, and that one ages well. I’ve had bottles 10 years old that were fine. But it all depends on how you make it. Things like strawberry, in my experience, generally you want to drink those real young. Every fruit kind of has its unique characteristics.”

“The rhubarb, if it stays on the shelf a long time, it will eventually build up sediment, regardless of filtration. That is one of the problems with rhubarb,” Richardson says, regarding Mallow Run’s top seller. “We usually filter it at least five or six times to make sure we get rid of sediments, but even if it is totally clear when we bottle it, within a couple of years it will begin to form a film at the bottom of the bottle.”

This is true with all fruit wines, he adds.

“There’s a tendency to grow sediments after it’s been in the bottle for a while,” explained Richardson, adding that it’s one reason why country wines have a shorter shelf life than grape wines. “The grapes generally do not have that quality. I think somebody knew that a long time ago.”

While making country wines may be a slightly more complex procedure than with grapes, it hasn’t stopped Indiana wineries from branching out into using these more challenging fruits. At the Brown County Winery, the Schrodts, like so many other Hoosier wine makers, began experimenting with just a few offerings.

“We started out with just grapes and apples,” says Schrodt, regarding their early years after opening in 1985, “and over the years we’ve added other fruits, and they’ve been very popular.”

For the Schrodts, expanding to include

Plum Wine Sauce 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup chopped shallots 1 bottle Brown County Winery Plum Wine 2 cups plum butter 1 cup craisins (dried cranberries) Salt and pepper to taste

Brown County Winery browncountywinery.com Butler Winery, butlerwinery.com Stream Cliff Herb Farm & Winery streamclifffarm.com/newsletter/Winery.shtml Mallow Run, mallowrun.com

Farm Indiana // november 2013

A11

Learning from the Land

Steve and Anne Young turned their hobby farm into a living museum FAMILY FARMS

Anne and Steve Young stand with their 2-year-old bull, Chance.

ABOVE: Their 4-year-old donkey, Daisy.

story By ed wenck photos by josh marshall

I

Anne teaches gardening class-

setting up tours on Sunday

es — she’s an advanced master

afternoon so people could see

gardener from Purdue — and

whatever,” says Anne. “What

over the years, she noticed some-

we’re doing now is a little more custom. If you call and tell us

n 2009, Anne and Steve

wanted to do (after retirement),

thing about the folks who came

Young found their dream

we each made a list of the things

to her classes. There was a con-

what you want to see, then we set

property: 11 acres of Mor-

that were important to us.” Liv-

sistent refrain, a thirst for more

up that experience for you.”

gantown countryside that soon

ing out their days on a small farm

knowledge: “People would ask

A variety of guests arrive for

became their own refuge, a

made both their lists. Purchasing

questions: How do you do this?

tours. “People who are interested

hobby farm where they could

the land was a no-brainer.

How do you do that? And even

in any aspect of growing their

The pair dubbed the place

gardeners like myself would read

own food or learning about

livestock free of hormones and

“Cardinal Point Farm,” a name

about a plant and wonder how it

farm animals” come for visits,

chemicals. The land that sits

that carries a dual meaning.

would do in Indiana.”

Anne explains. “We’ve got flower

just south of State Road 44 as

While a red bird is prominently

The couple began to develop

gardens, we’ve got vegetable and

one heads west to Martinsville,

displayed on the farm’s signage,

an idea: create a hobby farm that

fruit plants, we got every kind of

near Trafalgar, was, according to

a “cardinal point” is also a di-

acted as a teaching tool, a living

livestock, we’ve got a rain gar-

Anne, “a blank canvas, which is

rectional point. It’s a term often

museum. Cardinal Point soon

den. … We’ve found that young

what we wanted.”

used by pilots. Steve served in

became a tourist destination and

parents just want to introduce

Steve grew up on a farm in

the U.S. Air Force from 1968 to

outdoor classroom. “It literally

their children to farm animals.”

Kentucky, attended the Univer-

grow organic plants and raise

1980 — including action in Viet-

evolved almost by accident,”

sity of Kentucky and eventually

nam — and that term carried

Anne explains. The Youngs

farm, but every animal on our

moved away from the rural life

special meaning for fliers like

discovered that it was easier to

farm can be hand-fed,” she adds.

to earn a living. Anne’s dad had

Steve who’d made it safely home.

answer questions by showing

“Preschoolers just get a huge

Cardinal Point is “a working

been a vocational agriculture

At first, the farm was part

rather than telling, and soon the

charge out of giving a cookie to

teacher for decades. So, says

single-family food source and

couple began scheduling tours of

an Angus cow.”

Steve, “when we got to the point

private retreat, but soon it be-

their property.

where we were deciding what we

came quite a bit more.

“By the second year we were

The sheep, the poultry and the pigs that live at Cardinal Point

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A12

Farm Indiana // november 2013

Anne and Steve Young stand among their 70 to 80 different plants located along the sidewalk to their home.

are all heritage animals; there

getting natural meat products

also have dogs, cats, a canary that

are no hormones, no “artificial

that don’t come out of a hor-

chirps incessantly, even an old

Youngs the busiest. Garden groups

interested in Cardinal Point’s

anything,” says Anne proudly.

mone-induced factory farm.”

rescue mule that’s hit the crit-

who want to see how various

offerings, though. “We had an

“We do have several people

Eventually the Youngs expect

Larger tours seem to keep the

More than urban children are

ter lottery, riding out life in the

plants thrive in the Hoosier soil

adult who supposedly brought

who are in similar small farm

to raise enough livestock to

Youngs’ bucolic setting. Molly the

are often stopping by the property.

his 4-year-old son out, and actu-

operations who buy animals from

begin providing that meat to lo-

mule, who Anne says was terribly

In 2011, the Youngs were ap-

ally it turned out to be almost

us,” says Steve, “sheep primarily.

cal restaurants that specialize in

mistreated, now has a lovely dis-

proached by a church in Indianap-

his trip. He wanted to know if he

… This type of meat has become

organic protein.

position. “Kids cry when we take

olis’ inner city. “That was just great

could pet a chicken,” Anne says.

them off the mule. She’d let ’em

fun. (The kids) all wanted their

ride until her legs fell off.”

picture taken on the tractor.”

very popular with the slow-food

The animals aren’t all destined

movement and the emphasis on

for the table, though. The Youngs

The farm has been an education for the couple, too. “Local

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Farm Indiana // november 2013

A13

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Amira, a 13-year-old mare, greets Steve Young at the fence. Heritage sheep at Cardinal Point Farm. A Red Waddle pig and Large Black pig (both heritage breeds and named Pork Chop and Bacon) eat dinner at the farm. A dragon that Steve has set up with propane and nozzles expels flames to greet visitors.

farmers were wonderful. They would answer any question I had, but I didn’t know enough to know what I didn’t know,” says Anne. “I just had no idea … how tenuous farming is as an occupation.”

Worries about last year’s drought (would the pond go dry?), getting water to the animals during an ice storm, all these challenges became part of Anne and Steve’s day-to-day concerns, but keeping Cardinal Point up and running is clearly keeping the Youngs, well, young.

“When you’re retired, they always say, ‘Make sure you have something to do. Well, we have something to do,” says Anne with a chuckle. *FI

To set up a tour, simply call in advance: Cardinal Point Farm, 3034 S. Road 625W, Morgantown, (317) 422-5259, CardinalPointFarm.com

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A14

Farm Indiana // november 2013

AGRITOURISM

Compiled by Jon Shoulders

Indiana’s caves offer adventure right below your feet

submitted photos

R

eady to cool off after a summer full of sun-filled excursions? Explore southern Indiana’s underground scene—literally.

One of the state’s lesser-known but nonetheless intriguing features is its cave systems, a few of which are regularly open to the public for tours and offer a firsthand glimpse at some of the country’s largest and oldest natural treasures, formed over thousands of years.

Dave Everton, longtime caver and president of the Indiana Speleological Society, says exploration of Indiana’s many caves is a means not only to enjoy a fun day trip, but also to increase appreciation and knowledge of the environment we live in.

“The more we understand about the ground below our feet, the more that will hopefully cause us to make wise decisions in how we live and develop land, buildings, et cetera,” he says.

Marengo Cave Discovered in 1883 by an inquisitive 15-year-old girl named Blanche Hiestand and her younger brother, Orris, Marengo Cave was opened for tours just days later and remains one of the largest caves in the state open to the public. Marengo offers two walking tours including the Crystal Palace tour, which lasts about 40 minutes, and the slightly longer Dripstone Trail, which covers a separate area of the expansive 5-mile cave. Filled with overhanging stalactites, stalagmites and deposits of varying shapes and types, the walking tours are awe-inspiring but quite safe; locals reportedly even used the cave as refuge during a tornado that ripped through the town of Marengo in May 2004. Both all-ages tours are well-lighted, but tour guides also offer a momentary glimpse into the way the cave was discovered over a century ago—by a single candlelight.

For a more hands-on tour, try the Underground Experience or the Waterfall Crawl, a rather muddy trudge that passes by a waterfall and offers peeks at cave-adapted wildlife to those

with a watchful eye. Also check out the Penny Ceiling, which gives new meaning to the term “buried treasure.” It’s a room where visitors can take part in a reverse wishing well ritual, flinging pennies upward to stick on the perpetually muddy ceiling. Every 10 years or so the coins are cleared off the ceiling, cleaned and donated to a charitable cause.

Visitors do not need to bring any caving equipment, although Everton says Indiana caves like Marengo usually remain at around 54 degrees with 100 percent humidity year-round, and visitors may find a jacket or sweater necessary. “Also, most cave passages in tourist caves do not require crawling or going through very small spaces,” he adds. “The operator of each cave may have specific suggestions by phoning or on their website.”

Open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily.

Information: (888) 702-2837 or (812) 365-2705.

Visit marengocave.com for pricing and a checklist of recommended items to bring.

Nearby dining: Located two minutes from the cave site, Van’s Country Table on Indiana 64 offers a home-style menu for post-caving cravings.

(812) 365-2645.

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Farm Indiana // november 2013

A15

Indiana Caverns In February of last year, the Indiana Speleological Society connected a portion of Binkley Cave to the nearby Blowing Hole Cave in Harrison County, forming the 11th-longest cave in the U.S. at approximately 36 miles. A public entrance was created, and Indiana Caverns officially opened June 15.

The cave’s tour includes a 25-minute boat ride, panoramic views of Big Bone Mountain and a waterfall that crashes from a height of almost 40 feet onto flowstone formations, totaling one hour and 15 minutes. According to IndianaCaverns.com, the cave is one of only 21 locations known on Earth where more than 20 subterranean species dwell, so keep your eyes peeled as the tour progresses.

Massive amounts of Ice Age bones from extinct species dating between 15,000 to 20,000 years ago were discovered last year on the cave’s surfaces by a state paleontologist, and the cave awaits similar discoveries as it is examined in further detail, making Indiana Caverns a great spot to continue checking back on for future developments.

“It’s still very much an active process, both the cave exploration and the bone discoveries, so we’re excited to see what happens,” says Carol Groves, Indiana Caverns marketing and communications director.

In order to bring attention and interest to southern Indiana caves, Groves spearheaded the Indiana Cave Trail, a system whereby firsttimers and cave junkies alike can get a trail passport at any of the participating caves—Marengo, Squire Boone, Bluespring and Indiana Caverns—and receive a free T-shirt upon completing visits to all of them. Check out indianacavetrail.com for more information.

Groves says that the Cave Trail is an informal link between the caves that she hopes will facilitate continued visits from all ages. “I’ve always been about building partnerships and consensus, and that’s why I approached the others about joining up,” she says. “These caves have a lot of variety, and by doing the Cave Trail, you’ll have different and unique experiences.”

Information: (812) 734-1200.

Visit indianacaverns. com for pricing, hours of operation, directions and more.

Nearby dining: On your way back to I-64, make a pit stop at Emery’s Ice Cream off East Interstate 62 for ice cream, sundaes, shakes and a wide variety of candies. Get served at the nostalgic bar while sitting on one of the old-school bar stools and … wait for it … it doesn’t charge by the scoop.

(812) 736-6939. submitted photo

Bluespring Caverns Containing America’s longest underground river and one of Indiana’s largest sinkholes connecting the land above to the caves below, Bluespring Caverns in Bedford has a lot to take in.

Bluespring’s one-hour guided tour, taken aboard a 17-person lighted boat, offers those who prefer a slightly more relaxed experience a chance to learn firsthand what thousands of years of natural erosion have created within the cave. Guests can glimpse rare blind cavefish and other forms of wildlife that have never seen the light of day, while checking out the formations that make this cave the 29th longest in the U.S. Above ground is a half-mile walking trail in the Bolton Natural Area circling the park’s massive sinkhole and a visitors center that houses a souvenir shop and the Myst’ry River Gemstone

Squire Boone Caverns Most people have heard the name Daniel Boone, but it was his brother and fellow pioneer, Squire, who eventually purchased the land in Mauckport surrounding a cave the siblings allegedly discovered while hiding from a band of Native Americans in the late 18th century.

Today, guided one-hour tours of Boone’s namesake cave begin and end with a 73-step spiral staircase, taking visitors along a lighted walkway within view of a variety of rock formations, waterfalls, an underground river and an altogether different kind of historic stone—Boone’s final resting place and headstone, which was replaced last year after the marble original became cracked over the years

due to the cave elements. Tours depart every 30 minutes, are all-ages friendly and do not require equipment of any kind, although a jacket or sweater typically comes in handy.

It’s fairly easy to spend an entire day on the Squire Boone grounds, and after emerging from the cave, guests can visit a gristmill, an old-fashioned candy shop, a petting zoo and even a zip line that soars over the local forests and ravines. The Rock Shop sells an assortment of the 200-plus tons of minerals that Squire Boone Caverns imports each year to distribute to shops around the country, including Disney World and Universal Studios.

submitted photos

Information: (812) 732-4381, squireboonecaverns.com.

Nearby dining: Take a drive to the Overlook Restaurant in Leavenworth; if you’re feeling claustrophobic after all the cave exploring, the restaurant’s 20-mile panoramic view of the Ohio River might be just what the doctor ordered. (812) 739-4264.

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Heed this tip: Check for weather updates in the Bedford area and call before hitting the road, as downpours tend to raise the cave river levels, often canceling tours for the day.

Information: (812) 279-9471, bluespringcaverns.com.

Nearby dining: Head to Bedford proper and stop at Grecco’s Pizza, about eight miles north of the cave, for a stromboli or a slice.

(812) 279-9791.

Did you know?

Southern Greene County is home to a curious legend known as the Ice Cave. Located on a private lake property near Owensburg, the cave allegedly contains ice year-round, despite the fact that Indiana caves typically remain in the 50-degree temperature range regardless of the season. Such a phenomenon is theoretically possible, as caves are by definition in perpetual shadow and are naturally insulated by the earth; however, the exact coordinates of the elusive cave remain unconfirmed, and so the legend continues. Check out more information on the Ice Cave at greenecountyindiana.com.

According to CavingNews.com, the Lost River cave system in Hoosier National Forest was purchased by the Nature Conservancy of Indiana for more than half a million dollars last year to protect its clean water and rare species of cave fish and insects, a few of which have not been found anywhere else. In the 1990s, a tiny, eyeless and unnamed red beetle was discovered in the cave system and is now on display at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

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november 2013 | Section B

Full Circle

Richard Reed preserves his round barn’s place in Indiana history story By Robin winzenread fritz photos by josh marshall

Strauther Pleak Round Barn owner, Richard Reed

R

ichard Reed is the CEO of family-owned KOVA Fertilizer Inc. in Greensburg, a company his father founded in 1935. But he doesn’t spend much time in the office these days. Instead, Reed’s three sons, Brad, Brian and Todd Reed, manage the business full time, leav-

ing their father time to devote to hosting children, senior citizens groups and visitors from around the world at his Strauther Pleak Round Barn, which he purchased in 1996.

Reed is a proud owner of the barn, located on Moscow Road just north of Greensburg, where it stands gleaming white against a bright blue sky. The structure is a testament to a time when mules served as tractors and landowners didn’t just erect buildings — they created wooden works of art.

A true circular round barn — one of the few remaining in the Midwest — the Strauther Pleak is a formerly endangered piece of Indiana’s architectural history that Reed renovated in 1997 and now uses as a teaching tool on the agricultural industry.

A Look Around The creation of the Strauther Pleak Round Barn began in 1909, Reed says, staring up through the central silo of the barn at the intricate wooden ceiling above, “and this was all done by hand. … Electricity didn’t come until the 1920s out here. So it was all done by steam engine and handsaw.”

The grandson of a Dutch immigrant, Strauther Van Pleak began building his namesake round barn on 80 acres in Decatur County during the height of the Indiana round barn building boom. The original intent for the building was to house young mules brought up from the South for raising, breaking and training. The building’s large octagonal center silo was built first out of wood with the joints sealed with tar, but the 18-foot-diameter silo was eventually bricked over and mortared on

the inside for added strength.

or. “Sometime in the last 90 years they changed

but there’s lots of big old barns like that one, but

the siding on that barn to go this way. They

there’s only a few round barns left so we spent

the exterior of the silo, “and then, I think what

got it wet when they put it in there to frame it,

our money putting this one back together.”

happened, maybe two or three years later, they

to get it to bend. And there’s a creek (Muddy

Reed purchased the barn along with 180

decided after they put this tar in here that it

Fork) right here, and they laid it in the creek

acres at an auction in 1996 and, with help from

wasn’t going to be strong enough for the silage,

and then they would wet it and put it on.”

his family, tackled the large reconstruction proj-

“They built this wood first,” Reed says of

so they laid it all with bricks and then they mortared it.”

Construction of the rest of the barn grew to

A large traditional gambrel or Dutch-style

ect in 1997. Several skilled local carpenters also

barn was originally attached to the Strauther

contributed their expertise to the project. “We

Pleak Round Barn, dwarfing it in comparison,

said if we owned it, we would put this barn back

encompass a large hayloft on the second floor.

but after buying the property in 1996, Reed

like it was,” says Reed, adding that the barn

A true circular barn — as opposed to octago-

was faced with the decision to tear it down as it

was placed on the National Register of Historic

nal — the Strauther Pleak is unique even for

was structurally unsound and was threatening

Places in 1993.

Hoosier round barns. Few round barns sport

to take the round barn down with it.

two separate cupolas, lending the barn its

“When we bought it, this enormous barn was

“Originally it had a dirt floor, and we jacked this whole building up — it took 13 house jacks

striking three-layer-cake appearance, and its

attached, but it was leaning 11 degrees to the

— clear up off the ground, and we tore every-

siding is affixed in a horizontal fashion, rather

east,” says Reed. “We could have straightened

thing out underneath it. It was a huge job,” he

than vertical like on most round barns.

it up, but it was going to be so expensive. It was

says of the restoration project, “and then we

going to cost about a quarter of a million dollars

poured the new foundation and everything and

to put that barn back together. We wanted to,

then just let it right back down and it fit perfect.”

“Most of them have the siding going up and down,” says Reed, pointing to the white exteri-

See reed barn on b2

B2

Farm Indiana // november 2013

BELOW: A photo taken during construction of the Strauther Pleak Round Barn. Reed says the photographer of the photo climbed a windmill next to the farmhouse to get the shot. BOTTOM: A photo taken at a similar height during renovations in 1996 pays homage to the original.

reed barn // cont. from b1 The lumber used for the barn came from Strauther Van Pleak’s Decatur County land.

“This here wood,” says Reed, indicating one of the many original overhead beams on the main floor, “is probably elder. And there’s some ash.”

The wood was black when the restoration

The Family Business

project started. “After we got this all jacked up

The barn is “part of a larger farm,” Reed

one day, I had a power washer, and I hit that

explains of the 180 acres purchased with the

(wood) with that, and I was like, I can’t believe

barn in 1996. “There’s about 1,800 acres in

this,” Reed says, patting the now light golden-

this farm altogether. We’re in the fertilizer

colored wood. “So we just stopped what we were

business, and we do all the research here on

doing, and we went clear upstairs, and we start-

this farm.” He adds that most of the acreage

ed washing all the way down before we put the

is used for farming crops with several hun-

concrete in, and it all washed up just like this.”

dred acres actually being used for the com-

After completing the restoration, Reed opened the historic barn to school and tour-

pany’s fertilizer research.

The primary fertilizer business was started

ist groups, offering educational programs on

by his father in 1935, a year before Reed was

a wide variety of topics. Programs currently

born. After attaining an economics degree

available include educational offerings on

from Purdue University with plans to join the

crops and agricultural equipment from past to

family business, Reed married his wife, Lou-

present, as well as round barn dances, scaven-

ise, in 1958, and moved into his current home

ger hunts, corn mazes, story telling and wagon

south of the Strauther Pleak Round Barn in

and tractor rides. Reed has hosted visitors

Decatur County in 1959.

from as far away as Germany, Japan, England, Russia and Brazil, with guests from Argentina touring the barn just this year.

“We have lots of groups come in, senior

“One wife, one house, that’s it,” Reed says with a chuckle.

Eventually, Reed began working for his father at KOVA, spending 50 years with the

citizens groups, lots of children’s groups, and

company before handing the reins over to his

we don’t charge anything,” Reed explains. “The

sons. Seven grandsons and four granddaugh-

tourism group in Greensburg probably gets six

ters round out the Reed family portrait.

to 10 groups a year from out of state coming

“I have limited responsibilities now,” he

out here. I give them a program on the history

smiled, “but my children run it. We’re going

of the barn, about what we do here.”

through our fourth generation.”

For now Reed prefers to spend his personal time studying his passion — genetically modified organisms — when not hosting tour groups at the round barn. While KOVA does not currently conduct any GMO research, he stays on

“We said if we owned it, we would put this barn back like it was. ... It was a huge job.”—richard reed

Dutch acres equipment 110 CommerCe dr, Franklin, in • 317-215-2944 359 e main St., mooreSville, in • 317-584-3042

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Farm Indiana // november 2013

B3

Groups interested in touring the Strauther Pleak Round Barn should contact Greensburg/Decatur County tourism at (877) 883-5447.

More information can be found at visitgreensburg.com.

The inner structure and open space of the Strauther Pleak Barn's second story. The original wood building with tar sealant first built in 1909 can be seen in the center. BELOW: Farming artifacts found in the barn after its purchase in 1996 are used to decorate the remodeled barn. Such items as the marbles encased by concrete flooring are used for scavenger hunts by students on field trips.

top of current studies. It is an area that fasci-

Barn, Washington’s was a 16-sided thresher

tion’s round barns were primarily concentrated

and created the National Round Barn Center

nates him for its potential implications for the

barn built in 1793 at his farm in Fairfax Coun-

in the Northeast and Midwest, resulting in

of Information to help identify and preserve

agricultural industry. He is a man with his eye

ty, Va., where a replica built in 1995 stands

more than 200 round or octagonal barns built

round barns throughout the U.S. So commit-

cast firmly toward the future of farming while

today. The nation’s round barn building boom

throughout the Hoosier state alone before the

ted is the society to the preservation of round

devoting time to preserving a slice of its past —

began with an octagonal phase, which lasted

era drew to a close. Fulton County alone was

barns that people interested in saving one

a past that extends back to one of the nation’s

from 1850 to 1900. Barns like Washington’s

once home to 23 round barns — earning it the

of these “endangered species” can actually

founding fathers, whose ingenuity sowed the

were built with anywhere from eight to 16

moniker of the “Indiana Round Barn Capital of

request ownership of a free barn — with the

seeds for the Strauther Pleak Round Barn.

sides. In fact, the first “round” barns in Indi-

the World” — though only eight of those barns

catch being that the endangered barn must be

ana were octagonal barns built in 1874.

remain standing today.

moved and restored. Costs to move and reno-

A Rich History

The octagonal barn building phase was over-

In an effort to preserve its round barn his-

vate a round barn are pricey, however, with

George Washington is credited with building

lapped with a true circular barn building era

tory, the Fulton County Historical Society

estimates ranging upward of $80,000, though

the first round barn in the country though,

that spanned from 1889 to 1936, taking root in

opened the Round Barn Museum to educate

grants may help offset the costs.

unlike the true circular Strauther Pleak Round

Indiana around 1900. The majority of the na-

visitors on the architecturally significant era

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B4

Farm Indiana // november 2013

— including Indiana — experienced a round

TOP: A cross view of the original hand-built structure erected in 1909 with wood and tar. MIDDLE: The date Jan. 28, 1917, was painted on a wall to mark the fill line, at that time, of how high grain was in the storage bin. BOTTOM: A Certificate of the Register of the Land, dated March 15, 1827, states the original 80 acres, now part of 180 acres total, had been paid for in full.

“Mules and horses and all that kind of live-

barn building boom at the turn of the 20th

stock have narrow shoulders and wide hips

century. Some claimed the unique structures

so you get more heads in, and the circle gets

were cheaper to build and more efficient to

bigger out here for the hips,” says Reed, com-

use. Others took a more spiritual approach,

menting on the natural wedge-like shape of

citing the round form as a never-ending

many large farm animals. “If you have them in

ref lection of God’s perfection while claim-

a straight line, then someone’s always getting

ing evil spirits couldn’t find a dark corner in

stomped on, but in a round circle, the circle’s

which to hide.

getting bigger out here.”

The University of Illinois is credited with

The building of round barns in Indiana be-

promoting the round barn boom in the Mid-

gan to decline in the 1920s for several reasons.

west, having published a booklet in 1910

Efficiency and cost savings were overstated,

called “The Economy of the Round Barn,”

and the Great Depression hit hard, causing

which highlighted the fact that the volume-

much new construction to be put on hold.

round barn builder Benton Steele — known

cal orbits ... by reason of circular motion and

to-surface ratio of a round barn is greater

Timber-frame structures fell out of favor, and

as the “Father of Indiana Round Barns,” ac-

because of the circular shape of all terrestrial

than that of a square or rectangular barn.

the advent of large farming equipment caused

cording to the Round Barn Museum of Fulton

and existing things.”

This, according to the booklet, translated

many to build more traditional rectangular

County — recorded in a note: “The circular

into greater square footage with less building

barns instead. But while the building of round

form of building is and always has been and al-

iconic pieces of Midwestern history — whether

materials, thus saving on construction costs.

barns ground to a halt in the 1930s, those that

ways will be, the ultimate in architectural form

practical or spiritual — Richard Reed is just

Another reason promoting the use of round

were built and remain standing today are an

as well as the strongest shapes ever conceived

happy to be the proud caretaker of a small slice

barns at the time, however, had more to do

eye-catching piece of Indiana’s history that tug

by man. The Creator made and fashioned every

of Indiana history and the Strauther Pleak

with anatomy than economy.

at many Hoosier heartstrings.

known or tangible thing after the circular form

Round Barn. *FI

In fact, as death approached him, famed

and to travel and function in circular or ellipti-

Regardless of the reasons for building these

Farm Indiana // november 2013

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A

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B5

B6

Brandy and Darby Simpson

Farm Indiana // november 2013

T

hanksgiving is upon us, and millions of Americans will buy a turkey to serve as the main course and centerpiece of their holiday meals.

If you choose to purchase a locally grown, pasture-fed bird, you might feel more ecologically correct and perhaps you’ll intuit a slight moral elevation. But the important thing about that turkey: It’s going to taste better.

“Oh my gosh, yes,” Simpson Family Farm’s Darby Simpson says. “The taste will absolutely blow your mind, not only the taste, but the texture.”

When turkeys haven’t been raised in confinement operations, he explains, “they’re tender, but the meat has a good muscle texture to it. You can tell they’ve been exercising.”

Customers of the seventh-generation family heirloom farm located between Franklin and Martinsville seem to agree; unsolicited reviews on the Simpson farm’s website report good results from customer purchases, and the Simpsons have had no problem selling all the fall feast fowl they raise.

What is the recipe for producing a tastier turkey? Approximately 100-day-old poults arrive at the farm around the last week of July each year. First they spend a month inside a brooder until they get feathers. Once they’ve feathered out, the birds go to the same pasture used for the Simpson farm’s cattle.

The cattle crop the grass ahead of the turkeys, who are housed in what are known as chicken tractors, which are mobile hoop houses with no floors. In this housing, the turkeys are sitting directly on grass, and they’re moved to feast on fresh patches of land every day.

“The turkeys are eating clovers, alfalfa, fescue, perennial rye grass,” Simpson says. “They eat grass and bugs, and that makes up about 20 to 25 percent of their diet.

“They really love grasshoppers,” Simpson adds.

“This time of year we’ll stop and catch a handful

of grasshoppers and just feed them to them.”

The other part of the birds’ daily diet, Simpson explains, is a custom mix of locally raised, GMO-free, chemical-free corn kernels and roasted soybeans that are mixed with certified organic fish meal and a certified organic mineral supplement. The birds are about 4 months old when finished, and the average dressed weight is about 16 to 17 pounds.

Turkeys are more or less a holiday sideline for the Simpson farm. The family raises 2,500 to 3,000 meat chickens per year, about 70 forestraised hogs and about 12 head of beef cows.

“We sell at farmers markets in Indianapolis and Bloomington, and we sell by appointment from the farm,” Simpson explains. “The retail side is about half of our business, and the other half is bulk sales, where people will buy a whole pig or bulk chickens, or they’ll get

half of a cow or something like that.”

Simpson grew up on the farm and remembers wanting to be a farmer as a young boy, but his grandfather steered him away from the industry. “In the late ’70s and ’80s, small family farms were going broke left and right,” Simpson recalls. “So, he (his granddad) said, ‘You can’t make a living doing farming anymore; go do something else.’”

Simpson did do something else. He built a career for himself in mechanical engineering, in which he labored full time for 17 years and where he still works occasionally today. “But as I began to age and mature, I realized that I wasn’t doing all that God had wired me up to do,” he recalls.

Simpson always felt he would someday become the steward of the farm, which has been in his family since 1828. Around 2004,

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Simpson Family Farm 1725 Wampler Road, Martinsville, (765) 349-4857, simpsonfamilyfarm.com

Farm Indiana // november 2013

he and his wife, Brandy, began moving back to the area and completed a total restoration of the family farm home, built by his greatgreat-grandfather in the 1870s.

In 2007, the couple began to transition the farm from traditional methods of agriculture to more sustainable and environmentally friendly methods that nurture the soil through holistic management and leave it healthier even as it produces “authentic” food.

According to their website, authentic food is produced locally and delivered fresh and is full of healthy nutrients from happy animals that are treated humanely. It is produced, they explain, without the use of genetically modified (GMO) grains or confinement feeding operations.

The Simpsons also don’t use “any chemicals, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, vac-

B7

cinations or injections” on their animals, he says. On the farm’s website, they invite customers to visit and ask questions about all of their farming practices. Now, more than ever, they say, it’s important to know how your food was raised.

Darby and Brandy, who have been married for 18 years, have two sons, Ethan, 11, and Zack, 8. The boys like to help periodically, which includes providing customer service at the farmers markets.

“It’s good for them,” Simpson says. “They’re learning a lot of interpersonal skills, a lot of business skills. They’re learning how to do math on the fly. Even if they don’t want to do farming, they’re learning a lot of valuable skills they can use when they grow up.”

Overall, life is good not only for the animals on the farm, but also for the family.

“We’re not rich, but we’re making a decent living for our family,” Simpson explains. “I’m not making anywhere near what I did, but my quality of life is tenfold what it was.” *FI

Darby Simpson fills buckets that gravity-feed water dispensers for the turkeys.

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Farm Indiana // november 2013

Pollerts’ Inc. takes a three-pronged approach to serving its customers story By ed wenck | photos by josh marshall

interest rates are tremendous and crop insurance is

Mitch Daniels, Fred notes proudly) as a real estate

readily available. As a result, it’s not investors who

firm catering to rural residents. Fred and his father

are purchasing these acres to make a profit later, it’s

later expanded into insurance and auctioneering,

farmers looking to expand their operations. It’s till-

acquiring the necessary licenses and training, and

able ground that the buyers are after.

eventually developed their current three-pronged

Pollert breaks the land down into tracts. A buyer can pick up “a single tract, a combination or the

Insurance demands the most attention because

entire farm. They submit the initial bid in writing,

it’s the most urgent. “A claim has to be filed in

W

and we take the highest on each cut to start.” For

two business days. If you write a policy, you’ve got

hen someone mentions a farm auc-

example, the recent sale of that 392 acres started with

that 48-hour window to process everything,” he

tion, the images that probably spring

bids of $200,000 on tract one, $950,000 on tract two,

explains. And everything on a farm needs insur-

to mind are those from a Hollywood

$300,000 on three, and $1 million for the entire farm.

ance, although lately, the crops themselves have

tragedy: a weeping woman, a stoic husband and

Since the combination of tracts was a higher total

been generating the most claims. Karen Pollert, who

mournful children looking on as a man with a micro-

than the package offer, Pollert opened bidding at the

handles the accounting, confirms what others have

phone patters about the family’s belongings. First the

greater price.

claimed: “The worst year ever was last year with the

combine goes, then the cattle, the home, the buildings, the land itself.

After decades of reports bemoaning the death

Pollert adds in $10,000 when a purchaser is only interested in a single tract. “That

of the family farm — and events such as Farm Aid

covers surveys, legal fees and

reinforcing that notion — it’s understandable that

so on,” he explains. There’s

one would assume an auction is the direct result of

no worry that the bids won’t

disaster: a drought, pestilence, a death in the family.

rise, especially given the cur-

Turns out it’s usually just good business.

rent health of the agricultural

According to Fred Pollert, the man whose name

economy in Indiana. Even

graces the shingle of Pollerts’ Inc., which deals in

still, Pollert points out that the

real estate, insurance and auctions, two different

market has cooled a little bit as

things happen when a farm is auctioned, and the

of late (commodity prices have

reasoning is often a boon for the seller.

peaked), and he also notes

Land and machines are auctioned separately.

that legislative factors can

The gear — tractors, semis, whatever — is personal

affect the number of auctions.

property, and land is just that: ground. Real estate.

Last year, for example, no one

Sometimes a farmer wants to retire comfortably.

knew if the U.S. Congress

Sometimes a farmer wants to retire early. No mat-

would extend the exemption

ter the reason, an auction isn’t generally a decision

on inheritance tax. “We sold

made as a last resort.

15 farms at auction last year

“I … just auctioned 392 acres, only 290 were tillable, for $1.7 million,” recounts Pollert. “The prici-

POLLERTS' INC. 404 N. Chestnut St., Seymour, (812) 522-2112, pollerts.com.

business model in 1981.

compared to four or five so far this year,” he says.

est one I ever sold was in Jackson County last year

As Fred and his wife,

— four tracts went for $11,000 an acre.” In 1985, a

Karen, have developed Pol-

straight sale (not an auction) was handled by Pol-

lerts’ Inc. over the years,

lert on behalf of the Jackson County Development

however, the insurance busi-

Corp. in which land used by Wal-Mart went for

ness has been an area of major

over $2.5 million.

growth. Fred’s dad, Milt Pol-

Farmers are selling right now because the mar-

lert, started the company in

ket’s hot, simply put. Commodity prices are up,

1958 (the family received the

yields have been good (despite last year’s drought),

half-century award from Gov.

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Still, when a farmer decides it’s time to sell the

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B10

Farm Indiana // november 2013

Whether it’s cleaning the equipment or testing the soil, there’s still work to be done when the crops are gone story By barney quick

farm that is common to most op-

T

the dust off his equipment and takes every

erations. On the other hand, there’s

possible measure to remove any moisture.

preference. Lentz does his disking and

enough room for discretion that any given

“Dust can cause moisture to stay in the bear-

plowing before he cleans his equipment.

farm reflects the specific style of its owner.

ings, which will cause rust,” he says.

Armand’s operation is no-till. His rationale

here is much about operating a

This is certainly the case regarding the

Albert Armand of Decatur County blows

“November is a good month for repairs,

there are lots of general-supply places.”

Tillage is also a matter of each farmer’s

is that “if you can retain the top 6 to 10

phase of work that comes after harvest

while it’s fresh in your mind,” says Lentz.

inches of your soil, it will really slow down

time. The basic sequence involves clean-

“You also want to keep a regular watch on

the soil’s movement into streams.”

ing, making repairs, soil testing, tilling

the augurs and fans in your grain bins.”

the land and selecting the next year’s seed,

Armand says that whether repair

“We try to follow corn with a little tillage, enough to break up the stalks and in-

fertilizer and chemicals. Within that,

time entails close contact with dealers

terrupt the insect cycle,” Burcham explains.

there are variations from farm to farm.

and manufacturers, or is more of a do-

He doesn’t till hillier areas, but sometimes

it-yourself operation, depends on a few

plants a cover crop on them.

Bartholomew County farmer Bill Lentz uses either a power wash or air to clean the

factors. Older equipment, for which parts

combines, tractors, wagons and trucks used

may be harder to find, may entail more

harvest activity. “That’s when you assess what

in harvesting. “It’s usually the dirtiest job

home repair. “Some people are really

worked and what didn’t,” says Burcham.

on the farm,” he remarks. “It takes several

good with a wrench,” he says. “We do a

days to do it right. We don’t have a heated

lot of our own work, but if we’re uncom-

by soil types,” explains Lentz. Grid testing

shop, so you kind of pick your days.”

fortable with something, we have a guy

provides the farmer with more samples

whose list we get on.”

within a given area.

Wayne Burcham of Vallonia describes equipment cleaning as “a rainy day job.

“For special parts, you go to a dealer,”

Soil testing is also an important post-

“You can either test by grid sampling or

One type of technology that excites

Sometimes after harvest, a combine is the

Burcham says, “but for items that are

Burcham is yield mapping, which provides

last thing you want to see for a while.”

fairly standard, such as belts and hoses,

useful data on a number of aspects of a

Farm Indiana // november 2013

Albert Armand installs a GPS system on his tractor to determine its location during planting. Photo by Angela Jackson

“November is a good month for repairs, while it's fresh in your mind.”

—bill lentz plot of land. “Using GPS, you can really

I know of one company offering an 11

pinpoint your yield,” he explains. “Your

percent discount,” he explains. “That

yields tell you what kind of hybrid to buy

adds up to quite a value per bag.” Bur-

the next year. It can help you decide on

cham said at the time that he was already

your chemicals as well, because they have

looking at seed selection for next year.

to match up correctly with the seeds.”

“One big thing in the fall is fertilizer

he repairs fences, trims trees and repairs

application,” says Lentz. “The bigger the

tile. “Sometimes you have to wait until it

crop, the more nutrients it takes off.”

freezes,” he notes. “Wet conditions aren’t

There has been a trend under way for

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so good for repair work.” He observes that

several years of seed companies offer-

winter is also a good time to find deals on

ing price incentives to lock in purchases

repair tools and materials.

earlier. Armand said in early October

Contact Jeff Ayers 812-528-1213 Southern IN 800-852-5947

Lentz says that fall is generally when

Throughout the year, there is always

that he planned to lock in at least a por-

planning, hands-on work or both. “I get

tion of his seed supply by the middle of

more than 40 hours a week in, even when

that month. “Compared to spring prices,

it’s slow,” Lentz adds. *FI

B11

B12

Farm Indiana // november 2013

hen Oliver Wendell Douglas, the New York City lawyer of classic TV sitcom fame, gave up his practice and high-rise apartment to head for the green acres of the Midwest, he realized a lifelong dream: farming. And even though he wasn’t a good farmer — he once netted but $16 in one year — “Mr. Douglas” always smiled proudly as he drove his antiquated tractor, outfitted in the same three-piece suit he wore as an attorney. Farm livin’ was the life for him.

Nowadays, about the only place you’d see an idyllic scene like that is on TV. Of Indiana’s 60,000 farms, there are but a few hundred owned by people clinging to the traditional prac-

Indiana farmers are all over the map when it comes to using traditional versus modern farming methods story By Richard isenhour

tices they learned from their fathers and grandfathers. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of others embrace what is known as “precision agriculture,” the extensive use of technology and updated procedures to maximize output. The rest are “hybrid farmers,” those who still use some of the methods taught to them by their grandfathers as they evolve into a more modern, technological approach to farming.

“We cover a large part of Indiana, so we are involved with every type of farming, from old-fashioned to modern,” says Larry McFarland, general manager of Schafstall Inc., the Columbus-based general contracting firm that sells, installs and services grain storage equipment. “With that said, we are seeing a large trend toward mostly modern farming.”

One reason for this trend could be the increased productivity that new methods bring, Joe Moore, executive vice president of the Indiana Beef Cattle Association, believes.

“In 1950, the average pounds of beef produced per animal was about 208,” Moore explains. “Today, we are realizing over 500 pounds of beef from today’s cattle. The improved genetics, improvements in feed and management, as well as improved health care, have all come together to make modern beef production more efficient.”

Simply put, “the genetics and production methods of the 1950s no longer exist in the industry,” Moore adds.

A similar situation exists on today’s dairy farms. “(Because of) advances in technology and management practices, producing the same amount of milk today takes only 21 percent of the animals, 35 percent of the water and 10 percent of the land that would have been

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Farm Indiana // november 2013

LEFT: Liz, left, and Amy Kelsay. BELOW: Brett, left, and Trevor Glick of Brothers Beef bottle-feed twin newborn calves. OPPOSITE PAGE: Petting the cows at Kelsay Farms. Photos by Jennifer Cecil

required in 1944,” notes Jenni Purcell, senior

“Traditional farming,” Schafstall’s McFar-

director of communications and wellness for

land believes, “typically operates at a slower

the American Dairy Association of Indiana

or, at least, a more-controlled pace. Traditional

Inc. “The industry is also producing the same

farming generally takes place on smaller opera-

amount of milk with only 37 percent of the car-

tions owned either by an older person with no

bon footprint it would have had in 1944.”

one to take over or a hobbyist who farms part

Keeping up with technology and modern

time and does what he or she can after work,”

management practices, for example, has given

he says. (According to recent census data, more

Kelsay Farms more pull in the dairy business.

than 80 percent of Indiana’s farm operators live

Located in southeast Johnson County, Kelsay

on the farm, while more than half of them have

Farms is a sixth-generation dairy and crop farm

a principal occupation other than farming.)

that in addition to milking more than 500 cows

Included as traditional farmers, especially

three times a day, attracts more than 10,000

in south central Indiana, is a growing number

visitors per year.

of eco-farmers, ardent practitioners of sustain-

The farm has survived through the years by

able agriculture. These farmers, new methods

using sound management practices, adapting to

notwithstanding, are strong proponents of such

the changing industry and creatively marketing

techniques as crop rotation, conservation tillage

its products, according to Joe and Amy Kelsay,

and pasture-based livestock husbandry.

who run the farm along with Joe’s brother, Russ, and his wife, Liz. “These techniques give us time to efficiently run

The reasons these farmers stay true to these techniques are many. For Larry and Tina Howard, owners and operators of Maple Valley Farm

a fully operational dairy farm,” says Amy, “and

in rural Bloomington, the choice was made as

open its doors to thousands of guests annually.”

the result of a lifestyle decision.

Modern farmers, McFarland notes, also em-

“When we bought this property several years

brace technology because it allows them to grow

ago,” Larry Howard says, “we wanted to raise

in both acreage and personnel. They also can

sheep because we like to eat lamb. We weren’t

operate at a much faster pace.

farmers, so we sought the advice of others. Some

“(These farmers) tend to be younger, progressive and hooked-up farm managers who use technology to stay in touch, maximize produc-

“Through our dedication to our land and traditional ways, we can provide alternatively raised beef that is grass-fed and hormone-free to south central Indiana.”

—brett glick, above, with his brother, trevor

were using modern techniques, while others

raises Jacob sheep, a breed he believes “just gets

our land and traditional ways, we can provide

took the more natural route.”

along better grass-fed than grain-fed.”

alternatively raised beef that is grass-fed and

It was about this time, Howard adds, that he

Fosbrink has been working his 13-acre farm

hormone-free to south central Indiana.”

The Glick family has been raising beef for

tion, operate efficiently, and keep informed and

and his wife were making changes in their diets,

since he bought it more than 40 years ago. He

educated on the most up-to-date farming pro-

which led them “down the road to natural farm-

maintains a flock of about 50 registered Jacob

about three generations. They adopted the natu-

cesses,” McFarland says.

ing,” raising grass-fed sheep.

sheep, all of which are grass-fed and organically

ral approach about five years ago. “The market

raised, using many of the same techniques as

at that time was really tight,” Glick recalls.

Howard says. “It just made sense for us to raise

previous generations of the Fosbrink family,

“We needed to find a niche and learned about a

in Jackson County. Here, three generations of

and eat animals in the ways that had been used

with the exception of his parents. “Farming

growing demand for beef that is grass-fed and

Thompsons grow grain on about 2,400 acres

for thousands of years in the past rather than the

must have skipped a generation for them,” he

naturally raised. So we decided to try it.”

outside the town of Cortland, relying heavily on

ways that have evolved the past 30 years or so.”

says with a slight chuckle.

Such reliance on technology in farming is not lost on the B & A Thompson Grain Farm

technology to increase productivity.

“We learned as much as we could about it,”

Since then, the Howards have expanded their

The farm’s customer base is far and wide.

The move has paid off. Visitors to the recent Fair on the Square in Columbus were able to

operation to include cattle, rabbits and chick-

Fosbrink sells breeding stock all over the United

sample beef from the Glick farm. Their prod-

chased the farm some 60 years ago, says they

ens, all raised on pasture without the use of

States, while limiting sale of meat for eating to

uct also is sold at local farmers markets and

use GPS a lot, as well as aerial surveillance.

hormones, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or

consumers primarily in the Jackson County area.

currently is being featured at Tre Bicchieri

Brian Thompson is a private pilot.

pharmaceuticals.

Brian Thompson, whose father, Allen, pur-

“I try to fly once a week to get a good look at our crops,” he says.

The family also relies on precision technol-

“We’re committed to providing naturally

Fosbrink has made a couple of concessions to modern farming, however. He has an email

produced, grass-fed food of high quality to our

address, which is available by accessing his

patrons who are as passionate about their health

website, 4hornfarm.com.

Most eco-farmers employ natural and more tra-

restaurant in downtown Columbus and FARM Bloomington in the nearby college town.

Glick is quick to point out that raising grassfed cattle does not mean they are averse to modern farming. In fact, the Glicks also are

ogy in crop production through the use of

as we are,” Howard stresses. Their customers

equipment designed to monitor the application

include patrons of local farmers markets as well

ditional methods of farming because they believe

crop farmers, using technology to enhance the

of chemicals. They’ve also begun using grid

as consumers in Monroe, Bartholomew and sur-

the practice produces healthful food while pro-

work of their tractors and combines.

soil sampling.

rounding counties.

tecting the environment. Among them are Brett

Thompson also says they use technology in

Sometimes a breed of livestock flavor a farm-

and Trevor Glick of Brothers Beef in Columbus.

“We use GPS and auto-steering on our tractors,” Glick notes. “We also have the latest in technology

“Over the years, our farm has developed a

to help us with soil sampling and the proper and

their operation so they have time to pursue

er’s decision to incorporate traditional methods

outside interests, one of the benefits often cited

of farming. Carl Fosbrink, owner and operator

strong attachment to our land and our herd,”

safe use of fertilizers. It helps us to farm more ef-

in old-fashioned, traditional farming.

of the 4Horn Farm near Seymour, for example,

Brett Glick says. “Through our dedication to

ficiently and boost our production.” *FI

B13

B14

Farm Indiana // november 2013

An All-Around

Restaurant Guy’

‘

Cody Flynn, Bistro 226 Story by Clint Smith Photos by Amanda Waltz

he adage “Small town boy makes good” is particularly applicable to Cody Flynn, manager and co-owner of Bistro 226 in Bargersville. The restaurant, with Flynn at the helm, has been in business since late summer, taking over the space occupied by the erstwhile Harvest Bistro, which closed in June.

A native of Franklin, Flynn, 24, was drawn to both the culinary arts and food service business as a teenager, working for much-loved Franklin spots Jefferson Street Pub and Historic Don and Dona’s Restaurant.

During that time, he was still attending Franklin High School, but to fortify his developing skills, the young cook also enrolled in the culinary arts program at Central Nine Career Center in Greenwood.

After graduating from high school, Flynn found himself in Denver as a culinary student at Johnson & Wales University, which provided a structured opportunity to enhance his knowledge and refine his cooking craft. After college, he returned to Indiana to work at downtown Indy’s 14 West as a line prep cook. This position gave him “hands-on training that would help me down the road,” he says. “Cooking for an entire restaurant, as well as large parties, helped me to put my wonderful education to work.”

And that road eventually led Flynn to a business proposal from chef Tracy Lemmonds, executive chef at 14 West. Lemmonds approached Flynn about helping him with Harvest Bistro. “I was brought to Harvest Bis-

tro to assist … with running the front-of-the-house, as well as help (the chef) prep food and cook on the line,” Flynn says. “I was the all-around restaurant guy.”

Though the run for Harvest Bistro would eventually hit a dead end, Flynn’s career course did not. Behind the scenes, a new restaurant strategy was in the works.

“The landlords for (Lemmonds), Donna Wyss and Richard Pardue, approached me about opening another bistro, with a management role and a small percentage in the business,” he explains. For Flynn, despite the risks, the answer was painfully simple: “With this being what I’ve always wanted to do, I could not say no.”

Among his supporting cast of restaurateurs and culinarians is Bistro 226’s new executive chef Augustine Sanchez, who has been in the food service business for over a decade and brings to the table his experience from Oceanaire, Ruth’s Chris and Stone Creek Dining Co. Flynn describes the restaurant’s atmosphere and dinner-only menu as “rustic fine-dining,” with entrées ranging from $18 to $30 each. “I make sure that our seafood is as fresh as possible,” says Flynn, who proudly cites exclusive use of Indiana-raised beef through Heartland Premium Aged Beef and pork from Dewig Meats in Haubstadt. Many dishes boast a bit of Southern influence, thanks to items like savory collard greens and traditional shrimp and grits.

With the holidays on the horizon, the team at Bistro 226 encourages new and old friends to stop in. The restaurant even offers space for parties accommodating up to 100 guests.

And now, with the opening of Bistro 226, this all around “restaurant guy” can better articulate gratitude for his situation. “I am … practically living my dream,” Flynn says. “This has always been something I have wanted in life. … I feel very lucky and privileged to have it.”

SERVES

White Chocolate Mousse

4

Provided by Bistro 226 226 State Road 135, Bargersville, (317) 422-4226

2 pounds (32 ounces) unsweetened white chocolate 1 cup whole milk 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 pound butter 1 quart heavy whipping cream Place white chocolate, sugar and milk in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Fill a pot about halfway with water and place over heat; once water begins to simmer, turn off heat and place bowl with chocolate, sugar and milk over the top of the pot (or use a double boiler).

Once chocolate has melted, slowly add the butter and stir. Let the white chocolate sit for about 20 minutes or so to cool.

In a mixer with whip attachment, whip heavy cream until firm peaks form (can stay on your whip attachment without falling off). Fold white chocolate into heavy cream, incorporating air into the white chocolate. Note: Do not overmix or the cream will fall apart.

Refrigerate the mousse and serve in a glass with fresh berries.

Farm Indiana // november 2013

photos By sara clifford

MAKES

10-12

Same Old Story For some, the nostalgic narrative of Nashville’s Story Inn — along with the surrounding tracts of wilderness connecting to the Hoosier National Forest and Brown County State Park — is full of familiar tales. But for others unfamiliar with the hamlet’s venerable history, here’s a glimpse: “Story Inn is the oldest country inn in the state,” spokeswoman Jane Ammeson says.

The 1851 home of the site’s founder, Dr. George Story, is available for overnight guests, along with other buildings in the village. A 110-year-old barn has been converted to accommodate large parties and special events.

But the Story Inn restaurant has long been a dining destination and community centerpiece. “(The) restaurant offers a locally sourced fine dining menu in what was once a general store built in 1916,” explains Ammeson, and the gardens and grounds fringing the inn provide vegetables and eggs for the facility’s dishes. If libations happen to be on the agenda, there’s the Story Still Tavern, the namesake bearing close speakeasy associations with the nearby grain mill.

For the hectic holiday season, Ammeson shares the following piece of advice to avoid stress: “Whenever things seem to be getting out of control, take a deep breath or a sip of a great Beaujolais.”

Which is a fitting segue for which to note Story Inn’s Holiday Wine Dinner at 7 p.m. Dec. 13 and to greet the new year there with a hangover brunch on Jan. 1. Story Inn is promoting the latter event quite simply: “Comfort food. Free aspirin.”

Until then, and with Thanksgiving fast approaching, Ammeson shares a favorite Story Inn recipe.

SERVINGS Pear Stuffing ¾ cup butter cups) 2 large white onions, chopped (2 d (½ cup) 1 stalk celery with leaves, choppe and chopped (about 2 cups) 2 large tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about 2 cups) 2 medium pears, peeled, cored ed mushrooms, drained One 6 to 6 ½-ounce can or jar slic e) 12 cups dry bread cubes (see not 4 eggs, lightly beaten 2/3 cup chicken broth ¼ cup packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt d 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushe ½ teaspoon dried sage, crushed ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

¼ teaspoon ground mace shed ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram, cru k onion and celery until very In a large skillet, melt butter. Coo Add apples and pears. Cook for soft and tender but not brown. are tender. Remove from heat.

2 to 4 minutes more, until apples Stir in drained mushrooms. together the bread cubes In an extra-large mixing bowl, toss 10 minutes to cool. and onion mixture. Let stand for e eggs, broth, brown sugar, In a small mixing bowl, combin , mace and marjoram. Drizzle salt, thyme, sage, white pepper , tossing lightly to combine. broth mixture over bread mixture oons at a time, to moisten If needed, add broth, 2 tablesp y-9-by-2-inch baking dish or a mixture. Place stuffing in a 13-b 3-quart casserole.

20 minutes. Uncover; bake Bake, covered, at 375 degrees for until top is golden brown and about 20 to 30 minutes more or rted in the center of the stuffan instant-read thermometer inse ing registers 165 degrees F. dry bread cubes: Cut fresh Preparation note: To make hteen to 20 slices yields 12 sliced bread into 1-inch cubes. (Eig bread cubes in two 15½-by-10½ cups bread cubes.) Spread the ute degrees for 15 to 20 min s by-1-inch baking pans. Bake at 300 e. Cool. (Cubes will continue or until cubes are dry, turning twic re in an airtight container at to dry and crisp as they cool.) Sto week. room temperature for up to one Provided by Story Inn, 6404 State Road 135, Nashville, (812) 988-2273

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