Farm Indiana

august 2014 | Section a

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Editor's Note Food Preservation Distelrath Farms A Family History Master Gardeners Farm to School Financial Aids

B1 Harvest Moon Flower Farm B4 Chef Wendell Fowler B5 Organic Land Transition B6 Food Trucks B7 Dig IN: A Taste of Indiana B8 Authentic Indiana B9 Nate Brownlee Column B10 Local Food B12 Bacon Festivals

ABOVE: Distelrath Farms. RIGHT, TOP: Moon Flower Farm. Photos by Josh Marshall. RIGHT, BOTTOM: The Duos Mobile food truck in Indianapolis. Photo by William Vantwoud and courtesy of Duos Mobile.

64 years of Service, Strength, and Integrity.

6672 East 650 South | Edinburgh, IN 46124 | 812-526-5574 | 800-284-2676 | kokomograin.com

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

>> Editor’s Note

Happy Birthday To Us

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side from Farm Indiana, I edit several publications for Home News Enterprises. You might not know exactly what an editor does, but I’m happy to school you on the subject, if you’d like. (That “if you like” part is rhetorical there, since I’m about to do some schooling anyway.)

With the editor title, I’m given many responsibilities. I generate the majority of story ideas that come to life in our publications. This means I have to stay in the know on upcoming events, the latest trends, new faces, interesting businesses and emerging technologies. I have to know enough about the publication’s subject matter that I can make intelligent decisions on how to fill each issue.

As time goes on, this process becomes easier for me. I regularly attend farm- and food-related events. I watch documentaries and read books. I’ve made some wonderful farming friends who help to keep me in the loop. And I live the life, so to speak.

With each passing day, I become more knowledgeable about growing food and raising animals, and I sink ever deeper into the rhythms of living in the country. Even doing my job — editing every story that makes its way into Farm Indiana — teaches me a little more about Indiana’s rich farming history and heritage.

Coming up with ideas, I’ve found then, is the easiest part of my days. My inbox is regularly flooded with suggestions from readers and potential sources. When I pay a visit to a farm, I simply ask where that farmer gets his or her hay. Or who

A Home News Enterprises Publication

supplies the feed. Or why he or she loves that old Farmall tractor or souped-up John Deere. The answers to these questions inevitably lead to other farms, other folks, other suppliers and manufacturers, and — ultimately — to other story ideas.

Once I have the stories lined up, it’s time to get them assigned. I work with dozens of talented freelance writers and one of my all-time favorite photographers (Josh Marshall) to assign the stories and photography for each issue. Then, when that’s completed, I wait. During this time, I go through the same process I just described for several other magazines under my charge.

When each assignment comes in, I finally get to the “editing” part of my gig. (A decidedly small portion of my day-to-day duties.) After I get the stories to where I want them, I send them to our wonderful copy editor, Katharine Smith, who, after working her impeccably detail-specific magic, sends them to Amanda Waltz, our graphic designer. Waltz then takes Marshall’s pictures and our freelancers’ stories and masterfully constructs the beautiful publications you see each month. Her task is no small feat.

This process plays itself out each month. Sometimes, there are hiccups. Sometimes, tiny disasters. But each month, without fail, we get another issue out. There are so many conversations, meetings, phone calls, emails and text messages that come into play to decide upon and design each issue of Farm that days before the publication sees print, we — or I should say, I — say a tiny prayer of gratitude and celebrate when everything gets wrapped up and sent off to the printer. Each issue feels like a major accomplishment. And when you consider the fact that we’re all working on multiple publications each month, our achievements gain that much more weight.

Which is why I’m so proud to announce that we’re celebrating yet another important accomplishment this month. With the August issue of Farm Indiana, we commemorate the completion of our second year in print. We’ve come a long way since the early days of producing Farm Indiana. We’ve hired wonderful contributors who deliver engaging and well-written stories every month.

We’ve incorporated beautiful photography into every issue to showcase the gorgeous landscapes around our state. And we’ve grown the scope of our coverage by including regular columns by experts and farmers well-versed in Indiana’s agricultural industry. I’m proud of who we’ve become and of where we’re going.

So, with this, I’ll close this Editor’s Note by saying, “Happy birthday to us and congratulations to all for a job well done.”

Watch for us next month. We plan to start our third year with a new look and even more changes up our ever-growing sleeve.

A monthly publication of Home News Enterprises, Farm Indiana offers the local news and views of Indiana’s farming world, including features about local families and their farms, agriculture businesses, equipment and technological advances, educational outreach programs and more. Farm Indiana promotes and celebrates Indiana’s rich history and tradition in farming; serves as a conduit of information among growers, producers, farmers, retailers, farming organizations and local food consumers; educates readers about the nutritional, social and financial importance of local food support and consumption; and highlights Indiana local foods and agritourism.

PUBLISHER | Chuck Wells EDITOR | Sherri Lynn Dugger CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cissy Bowman, Nate Brownlee, Cheryl Carter Jones, Julie Cope Saetre, Jessica Ervin, Jeff Evard, Sharon Mangas, Nicole Nicoloff, Jon Shoulders, Clint Smith, Ryan Trares, Marcia Walker, Robin Winzenread Fritz, Jennifer Zanto COPY EDITOR | Katharine Smith SENIOR GRAPHIC ARTIST | Amanda Waltz ADVERTISING DESIGN Emma Ault, Hollie Brown, Dondra Brown, Tonya Cassidy, John Cole, Julie Daiker, Ben Hill, Phillip Manning, Josh Meyer, Desiree Poteete, Tina Ray, Kelsey Ruddell, Robert Wilson PHOTOGRAPHER | Josh Marshall

©2014 by Home News Enterprises. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of stories, photographs and advertisements without permission is prohibited.

Comments, story ideas, events 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 (317) 797-2022.

To subscribe to Farm Indiana, call (800) 435-5601.

12 issues (1 year) will be delivered to your home for $24.

Back issues may also be requested for $5 per issue.

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By cheryl carter jones love to cook and bake and to create my own recipes. When I am preparing a dish, I am like my grandmother was: I use a pinch of this, a handful of that and, oh, throw in a little of this, too. This is, however, unlike my mother, who measures precisely. In the end, although our methods are quite different, my mother and I are both well-seasoned cooks and bakers.

When it comes to food preservation, however, there is no room for my sloppy measurements or creative fun. My mother’s habit of precise measurement rules. Why? Improperly preserved food is the most common cause of foodborne botulism. I begin my column with this fact, not to scare you away from home preservation, but rather to ensure you gain a healthy respect for the importance of the preservation process and recipe sourcing.

A couple of months ago, I wrote about food preservation tools and needs. Clearly, canning and freezing are the most common methods of food preservation, and so I want to write about these methods in more depth in this issue. Next month, as more berries ripen and other vegetables are ready for harvest, we will explore drying foods, as well as making jams, jellies and chutneys.

GETTING STARTED

Always use a trusted recipe. For me, trusted recipes come from a Ball freezing or canning recipe book, a Kerr freezing/canning book, a Purdue Extension publication, National Center for Home Food Preservation (nchfp.uga.edu) or from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If you use another source, make sure the recipe has been tested by an accredited facility. Never try to short-cut a recipe by reducing processing time or thinking you can get by with a little more or less of something.

Make sure you begin with a clean superior product. If there are imperfections on your vegetables or fruits, remove them or discard the vegetable or fruit altogether. You also want to make sure you time your harvest well. You do not want the vegetable or fruit to be too young nor too old. Whether to freeze or can is contingent on the particular item you are preserving. Check the recipe books and resources. Some foods lend themselves to being canned over frozen and vice versa. For some, either process is fine, and it is a matter of personal preference. My family, for instance, prefers frozen corn and canned green beans. Taste is the key in both instances. Freezing, I will say, for the most part is the easier and quicker method.

However, canned goods have a longer shelf life than frozen food.

FREEZING

There are two types of containers for freezing: rigid containers, which may be glass or plastic, or flexible packaging, which can be either plastic bags (make sure the box says they are suited for freezing) or paper or aluminum wrapping (used to wrap meat, for instance).

The selection of containers depends on the type of food to be

frozen, personal preference and types that are readily available. Do not freeze fruits and vegetables in containers with a capacity over one-half gallon. Foods in larger containers may freeze too slowly and can result in an inferior product.

Wide-mouth dual purpose jars are made for canning or freezing and have been tempered to handle extreme temperatures. If using glass jars, use the wide-mouth variety, which makes it easier to remove partially thawed food.

One possible issue with freezing foods, such as berries or cut vegetables (such as french fries or broccoli, for instance), is that they will freeze together. This can be avoided by first freezing them on a baking sheet in single layers. You can put multiple layers on a baking sheet by placing parchment paper or waxed paper between each single layer. Once frozen, you can transfer the food to freezer bags.

Shelf life of frozen food is affected by a number of factors. In general, frozen food generally lasts about 12 months. After that, the food may still be safe, but the quality is reduced. Check the Ball book or the National Center for Home Preservation website for the viability of a particular vegetable or fruit. Make sure you label every jar or bag with the contents and the date it was frozen.

Maintaining a good freezer temperature is critical in preserving your frozen food. Keep the temperature set at 0 degrees or less. Up to 24 hours prior to freezing something new, you may want to lower the freezer temperature another 10 degrees to help the food freeze more rapidly.

CANNING

There are two types of canners: water canners and pressure canners.

They are not interchangeable when following a recipe. Some items cannot be safely preserved through water bath canning.

When using a water bath canner, make sure it is tall enough to allow for at least one inch of rapidly boiling water over the jars. If the processing time exceeds 30 minutes, you will need two inches of rapidly boiling water above the jar height.

Smooth stovetops are wonderful — my mother has one — but you have to be cautious when canning to make sure you do not damage them. Make sure you have a flat-bottomed canner for smooth stovetops. Regardless of whether you have a smooth stovetop or a gas or electric stove, the canner should be no more than four inches wider than your heating element.

Your jars need to be sterilized ahead of time if water canning.

If your jars do not seal after canning (that wonderful little popping you hear signifies the sealing of the jar and the center of the lid dips downward), refrigerate the jars after cooling and use promptly. Or you may re-process them.

Pressure canning can be a little more intimidating the first few times. There is more to think about, but it is a safer process in the long run. If you are raw-packing food, the water in your pressure canner

should be preheated to 140 degrees. For hot-packed food, the preheated temperature should reach 180 degrees. Make sure you use a jar lifter to place your filled jars on the rack in the canner. The jars need to remain upright, not tilted.

Once the lid is secured, you will heat the water to boiling and allow the steam to flow freely for 10 minutes. After the venting, place the counterweight, or weighted gauge, on the vent pipe or close the petcock. It takes up to 10 minutes for the canner to pressurize. You do not start timing the process until the pressure reading indicates the recommended pressure has been reached. If you do not have a dial gauge, then it’s a matter of waiting for the weighted gauge to begin jiggling so many times per minute (check manufacturer’s directions). If during the process the pressure drops below the recommended amount, bring it back to the correct pressure and restart the timing of the process again. Once the timed process is finished, allow it to cool down on its own. This is the depressurizing process.

Preserving the food you raise or buy locally is satisfying and can amount to superior taste and quality in the foods you eat. When my mother and I canned pickled beets and green beans recently, the beets were so beautiful that we kept the jars on our kitchen counter to simply admire. I hope you experience the same pride and satisfaction with each batch of food you preserve this season. *FI

Cheryl Carter Jones is an Indiana farmer and president of the Local Growers’ Guild, a cooperative of farmers, retailers and community members dedicated to strengthening the local food economy in central and southern Indiana through education, direct support and market connections. For more information on the guild, visit localgrowers.org.

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

Outside the Classroom The owners of Distelrath Farms hope to redefine education story By clint smith / photos by josh marshall

Distelrath Farms 6302 E. Raymond St. Indianapolis adistelr@hotmail.com (317) 363-4149

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he morning is easing its way toward afternoon on the property of Distelrath Farms, the growing humidity helping to permeate the grounds with aromas of warm grass, fertile soil and ripening vegetation.

Located on the southeast outskirts of Indianapolis — at just a shade under the six-mile mark from Monument Circle — Distelrath Farms is an urban farm and co-op dedicated to growing premium produce and nurturing the agrarian knowledge of the local community. But if owner Andrew Distelrath’s vision comes to fruition, this special place has the potential of being so much more. Just give him a little time.

Walking casually along cordoned plots reserved for vegetative gardens and paddocks for cyclical rotations of hogs and chickens, Andrew, 30, sweeps a hand out to gesture at the 7 1/2 acre property. “When we first purchased this place,” he says, “all this was just overgrown and basically neglected.”

He points to a tendril-topped variety of wild onion.

“This was everywhere,” along with waist-high weeds and unmanaged trees, Andrew says. “It’s just a sign of taking, taking, taking and never giving.”

For Andrew, who holds a degree from Butler University, the idea of “giving” is a threefold, chronological concept: giving back to the roots of the community; giving to those who support the endeavors of the present; and giving toward a future invested in sustaining our widespread, agrarian gifts.

The foundation for this posterity-centric notion is not unlike the earth underfoot. “The first thing we focus on is building healthy soil,” Andrew says. “We do this initially by mulching frequently and incorporating farm-made compost into the garden. We also rotate our crops and use green manures, which simply means that we let weeds like clover grow when garden beds are not in use, and then till them into the soil.”

Lending a hand is a company of livestock, which supply manure and action to garden segments before planting. “Chickens, cattle and goats range on pasture that will eventually hold crops,” he explains. “Hogs then root up that pasture just before planting, eating all of the forage (including thistle roots) and adding their own special blend of excrement.”

TOP: Andrew and Sarah Distelrath with their two daughters. RIGHT: Immature orange bell peppers. OPPOSITE PAGE: Red Ranger chickens dot the farm with their bright red color, and three Hampshire hogs and a white Yorkshire hog rest.

Andrew goes on to explain that as crops are growing, weeds are composted or used to feed livestock.

“In order to take care of detrimental insects like cucumber beetles and cabbage moths,” he explains, “we do a lot of hand-picking and also encourage carnivorous insects (like ladybugs and some wasps) into the garden to get rid of vegan insects like aphids and tomato horn worms. We try to spray as little as possible, and when we do we use only organic sprays, such as insecticidal soap and Neem oil.”

And this “hands on” engagement is a central part of the Distelrath Farms co-op concept. Distelrath Farms currently has 25 members in its co-op, and in exchange for three-hour shifts — with duties spanning the scopes of gardening, livestock care and even marketing — coop participants qualify for a week’s worth of produce and receive a 40 percent discount on the farm’s meat and eggs. So goes one of the Distelrath mottos: We provide the land, seeds, tools and planning; you provide the hands and hearts.

One of Andrew’s biggest supporters is his wife, Sarah, 33, who is an equally present figure on the farm.

“I believe getting involved in your local co-op or urban farm is one important step, of many, to create a strong and healthy community,” says Sarah. “The more we focus in on our own community, by supporting and getting involved in our local farms, local schools and local businesses, the more power we have to make the

changes we want to achieve together.”

And since meeting Andrew several years ago when they were students at Butler University, Sarah has reshaped her relationship with what she eats. “Getting involved in our farm co-op has given me a new sense of appreciation for food,” she says. “I am constantly learning new ways to prepare a variety of foods, like bok choy, kale, turnips, rabbit and carrot tops received as our coop share, which helps me to cut down on the amount of groceries I purchase from larger corporations.”

But the big picture — from the screen of trees to the north, to the soybean field to the east, to the property line to south, to the persimmon trees out west — is to build a private school on the land. And not just any school, an educational facility entirely invested in teaching both earth-sustaining and self-sustaining activities.

Currently playing host to frequent field trips from nearby schools, Andrew is already preoccupied with spreading the word. Continuing his tour of the property, he points out plots that could serve as fertile fields for fertile minds. Andrew, whose father is a retired high school principal, is constructing things slowly but precisely, conducting on-site workshops, prospective co-op member meetings and assembling an educational advisory board.

Questions emerge regarding getting approval from educational bodies for funding and accreditation, and Distelrath has answers. “The state is only involved when (schools are) seeking one of two things: state funding or state accreditation,” he explains. “We are seeking neither. Neither is necessary in order to develop a (private or home) school.

“Students will essentially be responsible for all aspects of the farm,” he says, explaining that, as the students progress from grade level to grade level, they’ll

Farm Indiana // august 2014

“Getting involved in our farm co-op has given me a new sense of appreciation for food. I am constantly learning new ways to prepare a variety of foods... which helps me to cut down on the amount of groceries I purchase from larger corporations.”

— sarah Distelrath

rotate through four general subject categories and manage a number of responsibilities within each module.

“On a four-year cycle, students will participate in curriculum heavily focused on livestock, crops, construction and administration,” he says. For instance, in the first, fifth and ninth grade levels, “students will work primarily in the gardens, and each discipline (math, reading, writing, science, history and fine arts) will tie in directly with the garden.”

And the current co-op philosophy regularly unfolding on the farm is an ideal model for his bigger vision.

“On a daily basis, there will be morning and afternoon chores, which are simply the basics that keep the farm operational,” he says. “This includes livestock and garden care and facilities maintenance.” Simultaneously, students will progress through daily “blocks,” explains Andrew, wherein they would focus on attendant disciplines. “During the math block,” for example, “fifthgraders might be developing a crop rotation based on plant size, plot size and insight on product demand from the eighth- and 12th-graders. Sixth-grade (students) might work on stocking density and rotational needs based on cattle demands and recorded and predicted weather patterns.”

When asked about classrooms, Andrew smirks, flashing a wry grin that seems to say: This place, the entire farm, is the classroom. But he graciously lays out

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the plan. “Students will plan, develop and create nearly all facilities on the property,” he says. “All school-related activities will take place on-site, whether outdoors, in a student-developed facility or in one of a handful of pre-existing structures.” And though no structures have yet been constructed, Andrew discusses many potential options: Burying storm-proof shipping containers with access hatches leading to grade-level meeting rooms is one of them.

While it’s still tentative, the current name being held up as a banner for the school is The Academy at Distelrath Farms.

Sure, this venture may not be for everyone; but it’s designed to cater to young people who need a challenge — those who are struggling to fulfill their potential in a traditional school setting. “The students will do it all, with guidance and oversight from expert teachers,” Andrew says. “They will plan the garden, order the seeds, prep the soil, plant the seeds, cultivate, mulch and weed the crops. They will also market their product, harvest, wash and pack their product and complete the actual sale, handing the product to the customer and receiving payment for it.”

As things are still in the planning stages, nothing, says Distelrath, is set in stone. But roots are certainly taking hold. “The current strategy is to begin with seventh and 11th grades and grow from there, annually, to encompass all levels from the earliest (day care) to 12th grade. We want kids as soon as we can get them.”

Sarah says that her husband constantly challenges people he interacts with to do, think and be better. “Like Andrew,” she says, “Distelrath Farms and the future school gives the community an opportunity to redefine a typical grocery store and a school to fit our local community needs.” *FI

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

A Business Built on Friendship

Franklin boutique owners carry on the family legacy Perry Township Fire Department battled to save Becker Brothers’ greenhouse on a cold day in 1969. AT RIGHT: The home of Adolph Becker’s parents, which was attached to the market shed, also was destroyed in the fire. BOTTOM RIGHT: Fellow gardeners and southside greenhouse growers arrived the next day to rebuild the business. It was rebuilt in less than two weeks during record cold days. BOTTOM: Adolph (Bill) Becker, age 6, regularly harvested cucumbers with his uncle.

story By nicole nicoloff

A tattered box marked “1969” held a pile of old photographs my grandfather once gave to me to look after. For months that box had been sitting in our attic, and it wasn’t until my family began preparing for a move to be closer to our new business in Franklin that I ran across it again.

One manila folder marked “Becker Fire 1969 and the Rebuilding” stood out. I was curious what might be in that folder and wondered if what was inside would match up with the many stories and memories told to me by my grandfather.

At the age of 6, Adolph (Bill) Becker immigrated to America with his parents and siblings from Germany. It was 1927 when the family arrived in the States and Adolph’s mother took a job as a maid for a goat farmer. His father quickly began working to build the first of 10 greenhouses to launch the family business on Indy's southside.

As his parents got their footing in this new land, my grandfather lived with his uncle. At only 6 years old, he began helping his uncle with farming and gardening. My grandfather often reflects on how hard he has worked all of his life, recalling how his uncle’s donkey led the way to a hand-plowed field where produce would grow. Photos show humbling images of him as a young boy with a wagon, not for playing, but for harvesting loads of cucumbers. He started young and worked tirelessly for years.

Throughout much of his childhood, my grandfather says he felt isolated because he couldn’t speak English and had to learn quickly while he became acclimated to the school, new faces and a life away from his parents. Now 94 years old, he has recalled the days when he would ride his bike for two miles through cornfields, just to visit his mother.

As soon as the greenhouses and a home were built, the family was together again. It was 1945. My grandfather, along with his brother, Freddy, and their dad launched “Becker Brothers” greenhouses. That was around the same time that my grandfather learned to roller skate and spent many nights at the roller skating rink where he eventually met my grandma, Virginia (Ginnie) Baker. After dating and marrying, he brought her into the family business and together they built their house (literally by hand, brick by brick) on the same property where the greenhouses sat.

It was Jan. 25, 1969, when record-freezing temperatures frosted the windows of the 90-degree greenhouses owned by my grandfather and his brother. One of the greenhouse workers ran to my grandfather’s home to tell him that the market shed was on fire. My grandfather, also a volunteer Perry Township firefighter, ran to the scene through icy patches and bitter cold to see their dreams going up in a thick, black smoke.

Adolph called upon his firefighting family to respond. Quickly, because of the freezing temperatures, every water line froze, and tankers from miles away couldn’t make it in time to provide water. Luckily, the fire only burned two of the 10 greenhouses, and the firefighters, dear friends of my grandfather, rushed to erect sheets of plastic between the smoke and the ripe lettuce and tomatoes growing inside, with hopes of salvaging Adolph’s winter’s earnings.

I always knew this was a devastating event for him, but it wasn’t until I reopened that box some 30 years later that I asked him what the day after was like.

My grandpa replied: “The next morning, I put my winter coat and gardening boots on and walked to the pile of rubble to see if there was anything I could salvage. And I said to Freddy, ‘I think this is the end.’” Freddy stood quietly.

Moments later, a gardener friend, fellow immigrant and part-time contractor drove up. His truck was piled high with wood slats, and he’d dressed in double layers of clothes to stay warm. “All of the gardeners will be here at 9 a.m. to

Farm Indiana // august 2014

rebuild your business,” he told the brothers.

My grandpa thought there was no way these greenhouses could be constructed in frigid sub-zero temperatures. But 9 a.m. quickly approached, and, one by one, each gardener showed up with a contribution of donated supplies to rebuild the business. The friends worked for 10 days, rebuilding everything that was lost amid record low temperatures. My grandma and great-aunt cooked for those 10 days, feeding the men, the Beckers’ comrades in the business.

For years, my grandfather yielded many gardens in those 10 glass houses. I spent many days watching him work on his hands and knees, delicately planting and nurturing those beautiful red and delicious tomato plants. Unfortunately in the 1980s, Grandpa suffered a catastrophic heart attack, and Freddy passed away, bringing the Becker Brothers’ greenhouse business to its end. The market shed remained in the backyard at Grandpa’s house, and in the 1990s, it became the home to my parents’ business, Distinctive Designs. With a smidge of gardening legacy, flower know-how

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and savvy in interior décor, my parents launched a busiThe Marshmallow Monkey ness that yielded many years of 436 E. Jefferson St., service to the next generation Franklin of the southside.

(317) 494-6020 My parents eventually had to sell the family property to care for my grandma and grandpa. In January 2013, my parents retired and asked my husband, Brandon, and me to keep the family legacy alive. With plenty of ideas and a pretty rapid-fire upstart, The Marshmallow Monkey was born in Franklin. So as we begin the next generation of running a family business, we hope to bring that special bond with the southside back. This year, we launched a new garden center and are now preparing to move into a more than 100-year-old house in the heart of the town we now call home. *FI

LEFT: Freddy Becker harvests heads of bibb lettuce for the Indianapolis Farmers Market. RIGHT: Adolph Becker picks an orange. BOTTOM LEFT: Crops of bibb lettuce were sold locally and regionally, as well as being shipped to cities as far as Atlanta. BOTTOM RIGHT: Adolph Becker’s orange tree had been brought back from a family trip to Florida. It later grew to be so large it canopied the greenhouse, yielding delicious oranges during the thick of winter.

With the crops in the ground and summer well under way, it’s time to look forward to new crop marketing decisions. Let Rose Acre Farms help you with your pre-harvest marketing plan.

Call us today to speak to one of our commodity merchandisers to see what options we can offer you!

• Jenacre Feedmill (North Vernon, IN) (812) 522-8692 corn, soybeans and wheat • Cortacres Feedmill (Cortland, IN) (812) 522-3964 corn • Rose Acre Mill (Hwy 258, west of Seymour) (812) 495-2557 soybeans—GMO and nonGMO

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

Masters of their Craft

Gardeners combine class work and community service to earn horticultural certifications by sharon mangas

If you like to dig in the dirt, have a love for learning and enjoy performing community service, the Purdue Master Gardener Program offers a perfect fit to combine your interests. The Master Gardener Program, administered statewide through Purdue County Extension offices, offers in-depth horticultural coursework to anyone with an interest in gardening, as well as a path to giving back to others. Participants in the program study subjects such as plant science, insect control, vegetable gardening and lawn care. Classes meet once a week for several hours and last three to four months. After candidates complete their course work and successfully pass a comprehensive exam, they’re granted Master Gardener intern status.

Then comes the service piece: “Helping Others Grow” (the program’s motto). To achieve official Master Gardener certification, interns give at least 35 volunteer hours to a community gardening project. Interested individuals can get information and apply for the Purdue Master Gardener Program through any county Extension office and can take classes in whatever county is most convenient for them. A fee of approximately $125 (fee varies slightly from county to county) is charged to cover the cost of class materials and supplies. Class size is limited, so applying early is recommended. Start dates vary by county. Some programs start in the spring, and others begin in late summer or fall.

For links to county extension offices in Indiana, visit extension.purdue.edu/pages/CountyOffices.aspx.

M

aster Gardening came to the U.S. in 1972, when an extension agent in Washington state was looking for local gardeners to assist with horticulture education. The program was a success and quickly spread across the country. “The Master Gardener Program was introduced in Indiana in 1978,” says John Orick, Purdue Master Gardener state coordinator.

“Four counties — Allen, Lake, Marion and Vanderburgh — participated the first year, and it’s really grown from there.” Today 80 counties in Indiana have Master Gardener Programs.

Kris Medic, Purdue Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in Bartholomew County, is busy putting the finishing touches on the 2014 schedule of classes for Bartholomew County residents. Master Gardener training in the county begins Aug. 19, and classes will run through mid-November. “The most important factor for candidates interested in the Master Gardener Program is their willingness to apply their skills in volunteer work for their community,” says Medic. “I think those who do the volunteer work tend to stay engaged.”

Becky Pinto, of Columbus, is one of those. “I graduated from the Bartholomew County Master Gardener Program in February of 2006, and that was a big gardening year for me,” Pinto says. “I was in charge of community involvement when the Columbus in Bloom group took on the America in Bloom contest. Columbus won in our population category that June.”

Many of the same projects started back then to beautify the downtown area — like flowerpots and the Fifth Street median — are still being planted and enjoyed today. Pinto edits the Bar-

tholomew County Master Gardener newsletter, assists Medic with organizing volunteers and occasionally teaches gardening classes.

“Giving back to the community through the Master Gardener Program is ongoing for me,” she explains.

Adults aren’t the only ones who benefit from Master Gardener Programs. In Columbus, Master Gardeners Harvey Taylor and Sherry Warner use their skills to introduce children to the joys of gardening.

Taylor, a full-time lay minister at Sandy Hook United Methodist Church in Columbus, leads one of the first Junior Master Gardener classes in the area. “I completed my Master Gardener class in the fall of 2013,” says Taylor. “It was a great opportunity to broaden my understanding of gardening, and it enabled me to share better gardening information with friends and family. But my main purpose in taking the class was to be better equipped to lead a Junior Master Gardener group.”

The program currently hosts 18 third- to sixth-graders. “Ours is a ‘hybrid’ group; some are 4-H members, and others are children from church families,” Taylor says. “The kids are working on their Level One Junior Gardener certification.” The group meets at Sandy Hook every other week for classes and frequently tends its community service garden in Hope.

“We’re growing produce to donate to Love Chapel, so it can be distributed to needy families in the Columbus area,” says Taylor.

If all goes well this year, he hopes to start another Junior Master Gardener class next spring.

Retired surgical nurse Sherry Warner of Columbus inherited her love of gardening. “My mother and grandmother were both gardeners,” says Warner, “and we had a fairly good-sized garden at home when I was growing up. I always loved helping.”

After getting Master Gardener certification in 2010, Warner put her skills to work at Foundation for Youth in Columbus, overseeing a busy youth gardening program. “I enjoy working with the kids,” she says. “Most of the kids I work with come to gardening without any knowledge of where food comes from. They think food comes out of a box or can, or from a fast-food restaurant.”

Warner takes the students through every step of the growing process, from planting, to weeding, to harvesting and preserving.

The program culminates with the kids’ favorite part of summer gardening: eating the fruits of their labor. “Last year we grew popcorn for the first time,” she says. “The kids got a kick out of that.

After we harvested it, we popped it ourselves and had a popcorn party for everyone at Foundation for Youth.”

Warner even gets the kids to eat things they think they don’t like. “A lot of the kids tell me they don’t like tomatoes, so we make salsa out of our tomatoes, and it’s always a big hit,” she explains.

“I’m glad I got Master Gardener certification. I thought I knew a lot about gardening, but there were things I learned I knew nothing about, like how to trim trees, and the importance of the right soil pH. The classes broadened my gardening knowledge base.”

Shelby County is gearing up for an Aug. 12 start date for its Master Gardener classes, which will run through Dec. 2. Scott Gabbard, agriculture and natural resources educator for the

Becky Pinto in her serenity garden. Around her is moon vine (on trellis), liriope (in foreground) and fine line buckthorn (to the left). Photo courtesy of Becky Pinto. RIGHT: A garden at Foundation for Youth, where Sherry Warner oversees a youth gardening program. Photo by Sherry Warner.

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

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FAR LEFT: Harvey Taylor leads Junior Master Gardeners in earning their certification at Sandy Hook United Methodist Church. Photo by Kathleen Lewis. ABOVE: Master Gardeners at a Bartholomew County Purdue Extension fruit tree training workshop. AT LEFT: Extension educator Kris Medic teaches about the selection and use of pruning tools. Photos courtesy of Purdue Extension.

Shelby County Extension office, is coordinator. “Master Gardeners in Shelby County have volunteered in many capacities,” says Gabbard. “They assist with public education classes, help out at the Master Gardener Spring and Fall Garden Clinics and have lent a hand with the Teaching, Growing, Giving Project (a gardening education program for children.)”

In Nashville, Amanda Dickson, educator for the Brown County Extension office, reports that Master Gardener classes will start in Brown County on Sept.3. Registration deadline is Aug. 27. Dickson says Master Gardeners from Brown County apply their knowledge in many areas. “One project a Brown County Master Gardener worked on last year was assisting a local church that wanted to plant a garden on their grounds,” she says. “They needed guidance on what to plant where. Master Gardeners worked with the church to develop a plan to their liking. Other Master Gardeners keep one of our city block corners planted, trimmed and looking nice.”

Jennings and Jackson County Extension offices combine forces for the Master Gardener Program. The 2014 classes concluded on June 16. Richard Beckort and Josie Huffmeyer, Extension educators for Jackson and Jennings County, coordinate the program, and either can be contacted for information on 2015 classes.

Huffmeyer is proud of the volunteers in Jennings County.

“Master Gardeners in Jennings County have made floral arrangements for nursing homes, and they volunteer at an information table at the Jennings County Fair each year,” says Huffmeyer. “Our Master Gardeners also do a number of beautification projects.

They plant flowers at various intersections around the county. … They’ve improved landscaping at the library and even worked cleanup at the fairgrounds.”

Johnson County Extension educator Sarah Hanson reports that Master Gardener classes in Johnson County will convene on Aug. 19 in Franklin. “Participants will be encouraged to create new educational outreach programs, though we have plenty of ongoing opportunities in Johnson County for volunteers,” says Hanson. “Some of the projects Master Gardeners work on in Johnson County are staffing information booths at gardening events, teaching public education classes, speaking to local clubs and organizations, and tending a hands-on demonstration garden.”

Demonstration gardens are popular, and Master Gardeners in Marion County plant and maintain a large demonstration garden — open to the public — within the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Although visitors are welcome to see it any time, Steve Mayer, Extension educator for horticulture in Marion County, invites people to stop by during the Indiana State Fair, Aug. 1 to 17, when the garden will be at its height. “Last year at the State Fair, over 13,000 people visited our demonstration garden,” says Mayer. “We showcase newer, award-winning varieties of flowers and vegetables, many of which are more compact and disease resistant.” Marion County will offer two sessions of Master Gardener classes this fall, one that meets in the afternoon and one in the evening. Both sessions start Sept. 16.

According to state coordinator John Orick, to maintain Master

Gardener certification, participants need to give at least 12 additional hours of volunteer service each year, along with six hours of continuing education. Committed gardeners can also work their way up to Advanced Master Gardener status, attaining bronze, silver and gold ranking, dependent on hours of service. “We’re also offering a newly developed five-week Advanced Master Gardener leadership program, ‘Growing through Leadership,’” says Orick. Opportunities to hone gardening knowledge — and to be of service to others — are limitless in the Purdue Master Gardener Program.

If you’ve always itched to dig a little deeper in the dirt, call your local county Extension office and sign up for Master Gardener classes. You’ll expand your gardening knowledge and at the same time, find satisfaction in “Helping Others Grow.” *FI

“The most important factor for candidates interested in the Master Gardener Program is their willingness to apply their skills in volunteer work for their community. I think those who do the volunteer work tend to stay engaged.”

— kris medic Bartholomew County Purdue Extension educator

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

Keep an eye out in the September issue of Farm Indiana for a second story

by Ryan Trares on local schools participating in the Farm to School program.

WHAT’S for LUNCH?

Despite the acres of farm fields surrounding them, many Indiana schools don’t use local food to feed their students by ryan trares

I

n the fields surrounding Franklin Community High School, rows of corn and soybeans grow in the summer sun. Beef farmers raise cattle directly across the street from Clark Elementary School. Pork and dairy farms operate within a few miles of other schools throughout Johnson County.

But when students go back to school, locally raised food likely won’t be on the lunch menu.

Despite a growing demand by the public for farm-fresh produce and locally sourced meats, a majority of the meals served at schools don’t come from area farms. Reduced budgets and cost-saving efforts have led to an increased reliance on processed and pre-packaged items.

Still, activists and supporters of local food have become more vocal to find ways to connect students to more wholesome food that in some cases is right outside their windows.

“It’s really important the kids know where their food comes from, that they know what a carrot looks like when it comes out of the ground,” said Rachel Miller of Growing Places Indy, an urban agriculture advocacy group. “It doesn’t come in a plastic bag.”

In the last year, federal regulations have been passed that require schools to offer more nutritious meals.

Food service directors had to conform each meal to calorie guidelines depending on age. Whole grains, more fruits and vegetables, and less sodium were all mandated. Pop and candy have been removed from vending machines. But some local food advocates see the changes as simply shifting the issue around.

“It’s not fixing the problem,” said Miller, who previously worked for three years in the Carmel-Clay and Rice Township school districts as a food service director. “So many schools are serving foods like chicken nuggets, pizza and corn dogs, and making

those products low sodium means you have to process them more.”

Discouraged by the strict regulations and budget constraints of school food programs, as well as the inability of schools to properly educate children about their food, Miller joined Growing Places Indy. Her goal is to reconnect people, particularly children living in urban and suburban areas, to the concept of raising food.

“The last school I worked in, the kids were lucky to have 20 minutes to eat lunch,” she said. “So working food education into the day just isn’t possible. A lot of people aren’t seeing it as a big issue, when test scores are seen as that much more important.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Indiana schools spent more than $7 million on food during the 20112012 year. A majority of the products purchased were fruit and vegetables, though some schools bought milk, baked goods and dairy items.

Most Johnson County schools did not have information available on the percentage of their food budget spent locally.

But Clark-Pleasant Community Schools placed an emphasis on buying area products.

More than 20 percent of its annual food budget was spent on local fruits and vegetables, according to the department of agriculture.

Of the $1,094,520 food budget, $229,849 went to local producers for apples, melons, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and other items.

In other areas of the state, Maconaquah School Corp., located just north of Kokomo, spent 75 percent of its food budget on local food, and Shenandoah School Corp. in Henry County spent 60 percent of its budget locally.

“I’m seeing a lot of positive growth in that area,” said Ginny Roberts, an urban garden program assistant with Purdue Extension Marion County. “I’ve been doing this for 16 years, and I think there’s going to be a lot

Indiana Farm to School Census for school year 2011-2012 What is farm to school?

Efforts that bring local or regionally produced foods into school cafeterias; hands-on learning activities such as school gardening, farm visits and culinary classes; and the integration of food-related education into the regular, standards-based classroom curriculum.

How many districts took part: 82 How many schools: 655 Percentage of schools currently involved: 33 percent Percentage of schools planning to start participation in the future: 13 percent $52,444,060: Amount school districts that bought local products spent on food in total $7,224,159: Amount school districts spend locally Kinds of local products purchased by schools: Fruit: 72 percent Vegetables: 68 percent Milk: 36 percent Baked goods: 17 percent Dairy products other than milk: 10 percent Top five local products purchased in Indiana: 1. Apples 2. Tomatoes 3. Watermelon 4. Cucumbers 5. Milk

— Information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

more involvement (of schools) in fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Roberts has been active in connecting with children, helping them to understand the basics of food production and helping start school gardens. Working in local schools, she is seeing a shift in the way that food is viewed.

Part of the problem in getting local food into schools is meeting the demands. Schools get their food in bulk through distribution companies, Roberts said.

Often the cheapest way to provide that food is bringing it from large-scale farms from around the country, packaging fruits and vegetables into individual servings.

Small farmers often can’t produce enough to meet the demands of an entire school district, Roberts explained.

“So one of the things we’re doing is working with the distributors, seeing how difficult it would be, when they get local produce, to make sure schools get some of that,” Roberts said.

While difficulties exist in getting local food into schools, a movement has formed around the country aimed at connecting producers to the school corporations.

August Events Aug. 1-17 2014 Indiana State Fair. With award-winning jams and jellies to blue ribbon rides, the Indiana State Fair offers some of the best the Hoosier state has to offer.

Time: Hours vary. Cost: General admission $10; kids five and under free; midway $30; parking $5. Location: Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E. 38th St., Indianapolis. Information: in.gov/ statefair/fair/index.html.

Aug. 2 Uncork the Uplands! Spend a day filled with vineyard tours and tastings, live music and food. Time: 4 to 8 p.m. Cost: $50. Location: Oliver Winery’s Creekbend Vineyard, 7508 N. Woodall Road, Ellettsville. Information: (812) 8765800, uncorktheuplands.com.

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The program is called “Farm to School,” and an increasing number of schools have added it to their curriculum. The concept includes purchasing locally grown foods for the cafeteria to planting school gardens to taking field trips to area farms.

The Indiana Department of Education partnered with the Department of Agriculture and formed the Indiana Farm to School Network in 2013 to link farmers, local food advocates and school districts.

The state is following the lead of others throughout the country that have been molding curriculum requirements to teach children the relevant skills in math, science and language in outdoor settings.

Support of farm-to-school programs is encouraged. “It’s a positive development,” Roberts said. “A lot of states have curriculum for all of the disciplines where they can do the assignments in class or then can go outside. They can utilize growing fresh fruits and vegetables, animals, whatever you have, and then can still pass the tests they need to.” *FI

Aug. 9 A Taste of White Violet Center Open Garden Walk. In celebration of National Farmers Market Week, head to the White Violet Center to sample a variety of garden-fresh foods, meet the growers and mingle with chickens and alpacas. Time: 2 to 4 p.m.

Cost: Donations accepted. Location: White Violet Eco Center, 1 Sisters of Providence Road, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Information: (812) 535-2930, spsmw.org/

event-details/a-taste-of-whiteviolet-center-open-garden-walk.

Aug. 10 Farmside Chat. Network with other central Indiana producers and discover helpful resources at this quarterly event. Time: 3 to 4 p.m. Cost: Free. Location: Fletcher Place Arts & Books, 642 Virginia Ave., Indianapolis. Information: slowfoodindy.com.

Aug. 17 Dig IN, A Taste of Indiana. More than 40 Indiana chefs, brewers, vintners and food artisans come together to showcase their custom-made offerings. Event includes cooking demonstrations

by James Beard-nominated chefs, live music and lots of local food. Time: Noon to 5 p.m.

Cost: General admission $35, early admission and VIP tickets available. Location: White River State Park, 801 W. Washington St., Indianapolis. Information: digindiana.org.

Aug. 19 Your Body, Your Tools Webinar.

Ann Adams and Liz Brensinger of Green Heron Tools share their knowledge of tools and equipment designed specifically for the needs of women. Learn more about how the ergonomics of

farming and how the right moves and tools can help women farmers avoid injuries and pain. Time: Noon. Cost: Free. Information: Go to connect.extension.iastate. edu/womeninag about 10 minutes prior to the start time. Click on Enter as a Guest and type your name in the space provided, then click on Enter Room.

Aug. 21 Hops Production Workshop.

Learn the art of growing hops.

Topics will include trellis establishment, pruning, hop pest identification and variety evaluations. Time: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost: $20, dinner included.

Information: ag.purdue.edu/hla/ fruitveg/Lists/fruitveg_events/ DispForm.aspx?ID=56.

Aug. 30 through Sept. 1 Mallow Run Labor Day Weekend Hog Roast. Help Mallow Run celebrate its 9th anniversary.

Taste the winery’s wide range of wines, dine on slow-roasted pork and enjoy live music. Times vary. Cost: Free admission and wine tastings. Location: 6964 W. Whiteland Road, Bargersville.

Information: (317) 422-1556, mallowrun.com *FI

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

Grant programs, subsidies and online education are still available Compiled by Cissy Bowman A series on government, private and alternative funding available to Indiana farmers.

Look for more information on available grant money in future issues of Farm Indiana.

The growing season is almost through, but many government and private agencies still offer opportunities to sign up or apply for grants and subsidies for 2014 and beyond. Here’s a look at what’s currently available.

Crop Insurance Subsidies

The United States Department of Agriculture is waiving administrative fees for beginning farmers and reducing out-of-pocket premium expenses for new growers. Changes will go into effect in the fall of 2014 and early 2015. For more information, visit sustainableagriculture.net/blog/new-crop-insurance-changes.

USDA Farm Service Agency Tree Assistance Program (TAP) Sign-up Orchardists and nursery tree growers who experienced losses in excess of 15 percent from natural disasters that occurred on or after Oct. 1, 2011, can sign up for the Tree Assistance Program (TAP), which provides financial assistance to replant or rehabilitate damaged trees, bushes and vines that produce an annual crop for commercial purposes.

Trees used for pulp or timber are ineligible. Acreage cannot exceed 500 acres annually. Eligible trees, bushes and vines must be replaced within 12 months from the date the application is approved.

Deadline to apply is ongoing.

NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Participants who enrolled in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) during 2010 have from July 11 until Sept. 12 to renew their contracts and make decisions on additional conservation activities. CSP helps farmers and ranchers who are already established conservation stewards improve water quality, soil health and wildlife habitat. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.

Risk Management Programs Beginning Farmer Crop Insurance Flexibility: Under an interim rule, the USDA now allows producers to have enterprise units for irrigated and nonirrigated crops, offers the opportunity to purchase coverage for irrigation practices, provides guidance on conservation compliance and more as added protection against weather disasters, market volatility and more. These changes exempt new farmers from paying the $300 administrative fee for catastrophic policies. For more information, visit rma.usda.gov.

The interim rule is available at ofr.gov/inspection. aspx. Written comments on the interim rule can be submitted to regulations.gov by Sept. 2. All comments will be considered when the rule is made final.

Indiana State Department of Agriculture Organic Certification Cost Share Program This program reimburses certified organic farmers and handlers 75 percent of certification costs up to a maximum of $750 per category of certification. Proof of certification to the USDA National Organic Program

(NOP) standards is required.

Deadline for submission is Oct. 15, and all applications must be accompanied by a W-9 and direct deposit authorization form.

ADM Cares Nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations can apply for the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Cares program, which provides grant support that focuses on health and safety programs for farm workers and children who live on farms. The program advocates the responsible use of agricultural chemicals, sustainable farming practices and rehabilitation and preservation of environmentally sensitive lands.

For more information, visit adm.com/en-US/ company/CommunityGiving/Pages/Applyingfor Funding.aspx.

Norcross Wildlife Foundation Inc. This grant program offers, on average, $5,000 toward computer and office technology, specialized software to drive GIS mapping, GPS ground-truthing equipment, water-quality testing equipment, work tools and equipment, including vehicles and boats, and educational materials. For more information, visit norcrossws.org/ Foundation%20Infor/Foundmain.html.

The Captain Planet Foundation Deadlines for submission are March 31, June 30, Sept. 30, and Dec. 31 annually.

Non profit organizations or sponsoring agencies who promote understanding of environmental issues by focusing on hands-on involvement of children and young adults, ages 6-18. Grants are intended to provide hands-on environmental stewardship opportunities for youth; serve as a catalyst to getting environment-based education in schools; have real environmental outcomes; inspire youth and communities to participate in community service through environmental stewardship activities.

Captain Planet Foundation will accept grant requests for amounts between $500 and $2,500.

Preferential consideration is given to requests that have secured at least 50 percent matching or inkind funding for projects. For more information, visit captainplanetfoundation.org and captainplanetfoundation.org/apply-for-grants/#sthash. oHmIPNGr.dpuf.

The Pet Care Trust: Pets in the Classroom Grants Program The Pets in the Classroom Grants Program is intended to establish healthy child-pet relationships at an early age. These grants are intended to provide a means of teaching children to bond with and care for their pets. Kindergarten through sixth-grade teachers in public and private schools are eligible to

apply. Amounts ($50, $100 or $150) are awarded as grants or coupons toward the purchase of new pets and pet environments, as well as food and supplies for existing classroom pets. For more information, visit petsintheclassroom.org.

CHS Foundation Grants up to $1,000 are awarded to innovative leadership and professional development programs with an agriculture focus. Examples include leadership training opportunities, mentorship programs, professional development experiences and student fundraising efforts.

Applicants must be a campus-sanctioned club/ organization and have an ag-related focus. For more information, visit chsinc.com/stewardship/ leadership-development#minigrants.

Ceres Trust 2014 Organic Research Initiative Request for Applications Applicants can receive up to $60,000 per year for up to three years. Must be based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, or Wisconsin. Deadline for submission is Sept. 25. For more information, visit cerestrust.org/organic-research-at-universities/ request-for-applications-universities.

USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) CRP has continuous and general sign-up periods. Under continuous sign-up authority, eligible land can be enrolled in CRP at any time with contracts of up to 10 to 15 years. CRP funds are available for producers who utilize conservation methods on environmentally sensitive lands.

Farmers are compensated for establishing longterm vegetative species, such as approved grasses or trees to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat.

Producers who enroll through general sign-up for more than five years can opt out of the program if certain other conditions are met.

Transition Incentives Program (TIP) TIP provides two additional years of payments for retired farmers and ranchers who transition expiring CRP acres to socially disadvantaged, military veteran or beginning producers who return the land to sustainable grazing or crop production. TIP funding was increased by more than 30 percent in the 2014 Farm Bill. For more information on CRP, TIP and other FSA programs, visit your local FSA county office or go online to fsa.usda.gov.

Webinars and other resources Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) SARE has many informational resources at sare.org/local-food, which includes business planning and project planning when applying for a grant, loan or cost-share.

Hops Farmers new to producing hops or considering getting started in it can find helpful information on the production, management and costs of a hops farming venture as well as potential returns.

For more information, visit morningagclips.com/help-for-farmers-getting-into-the-hops-business.

NRCS Plain Language Guides These guides explain several different U.S. government funding programs, particularly NRCS, for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), as well as farm loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA).

These are helpful to anyone trying to increase his understanding and use of these programs. For more information, visit low.sare.org/Learning-Center/Project-Products/Northeast-SARE-ProjectProducts/Plain-Language-Guides-for-New-and-Under-Served-Producers. *FI

The founder and program director of Hoosier Organic Marketing Education, Cissy Bowman has been growing food organically since 1973 and on her current farm, Center Valley Organic Farm, since 1983. For more information on Hoosier Organic Marketing Education, email cvof@earthlink.net or call (317) 539-2753.

august 2014 | Section B

Linda Chapman

For Linda Chapman, becoming a flower farmer was a happy accident story By marcia walker photos by josh marshall

A bridal bouquet made of sunflowers, nicotiana, matricaria and zinnias.

B2

Farm Indiana // august 2014

inda Chapman is doing something that is out of character. The self-described workaholic is sitting down and taking a break, if one can call it that. While seated, Chapman fields questions about herself and her gardening operation, Harvest Moon Flower Farm. She also turns her focus to filling six orders that need to be sent before the end of the day.

And she keeps an eye on her daughter, Anna Dale, who is gathering flowers outside. “Gooseneck, Anna, gooseneck, see about the gooseneck,” Chapman suddenly shouts, interrupting herself in mid-conversation. A type of loosestrife, gooseneck is one of 130 varieties of flowers that are grown on the Owen County farm.

Chapman has lived on the 4½-acre property for the last 35 years.

The farm was established in 1988 on land purchased by her partner, Deryl Dale. The transition to a flower farm was gradual, beginning with planting a line of walnut trees along the property’s boundary.

She also raises flowers on adjoining property, which she is in the process of purchasing and which will increase the total farm size to 13 acres.

Becoming a flower farmer was a happy accident for Chapman. The Chicago transplant came to Indiana to attend Indiana University. It was there that she discovered she had a green thumb. A friend, who was also one of her teachers, had a flower farm and asked her to lend a hand during the school year. “That gave me a taste for it,” she explains.

Primarily self-taught, Chapman has cultivated her expertise by reading, researching and visiting other farms. She says she is always ready to experiment with new flowers, plants and growing methods. “I enjoy learning and reading,” she said. “It fascinates me to try different things.”

Vegetables actually came before she sowed the seeds for building a working flower farm. The garden, for her, served a dual purpose, becoming part of the home-school experience Chapman wanted for her son, Macey Dale, and daughter, Anna.

The farm not only provided an income, but it also taught important life lessons to her children, such as responsibility and work ethic. Eventually, Anna and Macey began raising their own produce, which they then sold at farmers markets.

“That was about 27 years ago,” Chapman says. “By the time the kids were in high school, we were doing two farmers markets a week. Once the kids were in college, it was three different markets.”

These days, Chapman sells flowers and produce at two markets in Indianapolis (Original Farmers Market at Indianapolis City Market and Broad Ripple) and one in Bloomington. She also works with 11 businesses, offering bouquets and table arrangements and provides several local chefs with micro-greens and herbs.

Harvest Moon is a year-round operation. In the spring, the farm offers bedding plants; in the fall, wreaths and dried arrangements. Even during winter months, the farm grows seasonal vegetables such as chard, carrots, kale, turnips,

Approximately 130 species of flowers, herbs and micro-greens can be purchased from Harvest Moon Flower Farm at the Bloomington Farmers Market, Original Farmers Market at Indianapolis City Market and Broad Ripple Farmers Market in Indianapolis.

For more information, contact Harvest Moon Flower Farm, 3592 Harvest Moon Lane, Spencer, (812) 829-3517.

FROM LEFT: Basil micro greens grown inside the nursery. A bee collects pollen from an onion flower. Chapman holds two bridal bouquets for an upcoming wedding. OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT: A quiet evening at Harvest Moon Flower Farm. RIGHT: Raspberry wine monarda.

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

leeks and onions for the Bloomington Winter Farmers Market.

In 2013, Harvest Moon provided flowers for 37 weddings. Chapman works with brides to determine types of flowers, color preference and design, and the farm occasionally serves as a venue for weddings and special events.

Planting for the future

Most of the plants that are grown on the farm begin life in the solar-powered greenhouse. During the winter, the greenhouse maintains a constant temperature of 48 degrees, even when the outside temperature dips to 5 below.

In addition to outside gardens and cold frames, there are six hoop houses, which are similar to greenhouses, on the property. Although not certified, the farm is an organic operation. Chapman uses straw mulch, always conscious of soil health, erosion and appearance. “It’s all sustainable,” she says. “I don’t know how to do it any other way.”

Key to the farm’s success is its adaptability. Conditions are always changing, creating what Chapman calls “micro-environments.” And different parts of the property are suitable for different types of plants.

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In addition to her daughter, other employees include Carmen Venegas, 22, a neighbor who Chapman says began working at the farm at age 7. Carmen’s mother, Gay Venegas, a midwife, also helps out part time.

Surprisingly, Chapman, who is approaching 60, is considering retirement. It’s not a word that seems to fit well with her personality. Retirement would be gradual, she admits, and it would be done in phases. By all appearances, Anna is set to become the second generation to run the farm.

“The future could go in any number of directions,” Chapman says. “I’ll leave that direction up to the next generation.”

She likes to travel and attend conferences, but her heart belongs to the farm. She allows herself one day off (Sundays) and works by herself on Wednesdays, which, she says, gives her time to think.

“You wouldn’t do this if you didn’t love it,” she explains, unable to sit still any longer. Chapman jumps up and heads for a tractor.

“It’s hard work,” she admits. “You have to love it. My passion for this is what has motivated me all these years, through the thick and thin — all of this, it keeps me so alive. It’s so fascinating. There’s always something going on.” *FI

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

In Support of Farmers Chef Wendell Fowler explains why eating whole, unprocessed foods is about more than just your health story By Robin Winzenread Fritz photos by josh marshall

Chef Wendell Fowler

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hef Wendell Fowler, trim, healthy and bursting with energy at the age of 66, is standing in the kitchen of his Fountain Square home eyeing a pile of burdock roots. Just outside his kitchen door, kale and tomatoes grow green against the wooden fence, soaking up the sun. At the moment, Fowler is a stranger to burdock, but as an advocate for healthy eating, he’s ready to try anything green, provided it’s fresh, organic and locally grown.

“Isn’t this interesting,” Fowler said as he examined a bunch of the young roots. “I’ll make a tea out of it.”

Well-known in central Indiana as the host of CBS WISH-TV’s “Eat Right Now” program in Indianapolis, Fowler is on a mission to change America’s eating habits. It’s a mission he shares through his books, lectures, website and articles, and for him, the key to eating healthy is fairly simple.

“We want pure food in the way that God meant for it to be,” said Fowler as he sat outside on his deck, fresh from filming his morning program. “And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden. We’ve got to learn to get thee back into thy kitchen and cook from scratch where you control the ingredients and you get those ingredients right from the farmer. That’s how you know the story about the food you just ate.”

Fowler is an advocate for eating food as fresh and locally grown as possible. He is quick to point out the dangers of processed and refined foods, and he’s not alone. The American Heart Association states that processed foods contribute to more than 75 percent of the 3,400 milligrams of sodium the average American consumes daily, a

number more than twice the recommended amount at 1,500 milligrams. Additionally, processed foods are also a significant source of trans fats, which have been linked to heart disease, strokes and Type 2 diabetes.

According to Fowler, the starting point to overcoming most of the major health issues facing Hoosiers these days — as well as preserving our local economies — is to say no to highly processed and refined foods and instead embrace family farms and farmers markets.

“We’re going to have to go back to an eatingwith-the-seasons mentality,” Fowler said, “and we need to support the family farm. They are the backbone of America, and they’ve been methodically disassembled. And we need to support the communities where we live. Shop local. Buy everything we can from within a 100-mile radius of where we stand right now.

Keep the money here, instead of stimulating the economy elsewhere.

“On my television show this morning, I held up a little container of fruit salad that got packaged in Chile. We can’t even eat fruit salad without having it shipped here from another hemisphere,” he said with a sigh. “And it’s probably already 6 months old. Yet food starts to lose its oomph within a matter of days.”

In short, putting pure, unprocessed, locally grown food on as many Hoosier plates as possible is Fowler’s goal. “I’ve found that by eating more in this fashion,” he added, “you become who you were meant to be.”

But for Fowler, becoming who he was meant to be — author, lecturer, television chef and natural food advocate — was put on hold for the first 40 years of his life as he, too, found himself eating a less than healthy diet while growing up on Indianapolis’ eastside.

“My grandma’s fried chicken cooked in pork fat,” replies Fowler without hesitation when asked to remember his favorite childhood dish.

“Talk about a cardiac storm brewing. I remember my brothers and me fighting for the skin.

We had fork marks in the back of our fists from being attacked by each other. And I was the baby

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so I had to fight for my life.”

That’s what he remembers mostly: the fried chicken and the pot roast and coming home from church on Sunday morning and smelling the pot roast that had been roasting in the oven all morning.

“Food was a very wonderful and fuzzy part of my upbringing,” Fowler added, “and until I was 40 years old, I didn’t know any different.”

Then after decades of paying little attention to what he ate, Fowler found himself alone, sick and overweight. His standard diet at the time was not composed of fresh fruits and vegetables, but rather buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken, boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, pints of Jack Daniels and cartons of Marlboro cigarettes. It was a combination that sent his weight skyrocketing to 300 pounds and that played into his near death experience when a virus threatened his already stressed heart.

“I could not have sunk any lower into the bottom of the well,” Fowler said of that time in his life, “so I decided I was going to go to the doctor. Well, he found out that I was in atrial fib. I was in congestive heart failure. My resting heart rate was 155, eight pounds of fluid was surrounding my body, my heart had doubled in size, and I was inches away from dying. He immediately said — St. Vincent’s was right across the street — ‘They’re waiting for you.’”

Fowler says he knew something was wrong, “but I didn’t know it was that serious.”

He now says that experience was the best thing that ever happened to him “because then, you have no place to go but up,” he explained.

For the next two weeks, he fought for his life — something his doctor constantly reminded him he was in imminent danger of losing — but rather than allowing fear and depression to overwhelm him, Fowler fought back mentally.

“So here I am in the hospital after I’m told I was going to die, and I’m laughing and joking and denying death,” he said. “But I knew … that the body has the ability to heal itself. And I had been reading Hippocrates, and I thought, wow, food is medicine. I couldn’t make the connection, but I just knew there was something more that I needed to do.”

For Fowler, this realization was a turning point that set his life on its current upward trajectory. Shortly thereafter, he changed his

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diet, said goodbye to alcohol and cigarettes, embraced a healthy lifestyle and met his wife of 24 years, Sandi. Now, healthy and happy, he spends his time doing what he believes he was always meant to do — sharing the message about eating fresh, organic, locally sourced, healthy food with the world.

“Making people realize that they are the only ones who can control their health, they’re the only ones who can control what goes into their body, they’re the ones who make the choices every day that affect their health, that’s what I’m meant to do,” said Fowler. “And those choices decide the quality of your life, the quality of your community and ultimately the quality of your world.

“What I’m telling people is that, you know, you may not want to give up on your macaroni and cheese,” he said, “but you don’t have to. There’s new ways of making it, that you can still enjoy it.”

His message, he said, isn’t about calories.

“Calories aren’t about volume,” he said. “Calories are about quality. And where you’re going to get the quality of the calories is when you buy straight from the farmer. Buy from the guy that makes his own cheese, the one who makes his own sauerkraut. That’s where we need to go and support all of those people. We have to support our farmers.” *FI

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

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Factors to Take into Consideration when Beginning a Transition Strategy Changing the way that we produce our farm products can open new markets and opportunities. Transitioning all or a portion of your operation, whether grain-based, grass-based, fiber-based or specialty crop, is a decision that only you as a producer and land steward can make. Developing a strategy to reduce your risk in entering the developing local, national and worldwide markets in organics through the National Organic Program is the first step. You may want to ask these questions to get started.

1. What is the best use for this land? Should it be planted to a grain rotation? Should it be permanent pasture or hay production? Could it be a responsible mix of grain production and pasture? Selecting a balance in choosing appropriate crops for the conditions, markets and how you want to spend your time is crucial to a successful transition.

Transitioning Your Land

2. How will this affect crop insurance, if applicable? Transitional ground is generally considered conventional ground, and crop failures and successes will be treated as conventional.

Get the facts from your crop insurance agent.

A low-risk crop that benefits the soil and allows you to reduce your risk may pencil out much better.

By jessica ervin and jeff evard

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ransitioning your farm’s crop or livestock system is a process of moving your farm or parts of your farm operation into compliance with the regulations set forth in the National Organic Program.

The program lays out the national standards that any certified organic operator must operate within to be considered a certified organic operation. The laws are the same, regardless of whether you are growing a half acre of American ginseng in your backyard or managing a 5,000-acre grain operation with half of the acreage in the National Organic Program and half marketed as conventional.

You may have a farm with pasture or fallow field that has been mowed occasionally over the years to keep the saplings down. Though you might think you can jump right into an organic operation with this land, you must first consider several possibilities about why the land hasn’t previously been put to use.

Is it because it is wet ground? Is it because of that big patch of Canada thistle out in the far corner? Is it because that when it rains and the soil is bare, half the hill washes down? These problems can all set yields back and even make your land prone to erosion.

These types of land situations can, indeed, be brought into the National Organic Program

quickly, but there is usually a cost attached. These less favorable parcels can be brought around through good agricultural practices in time, most of which can take anywhere from three to seven years to bring a healthy and balanced soil system to life.

To transition your land into organic production, you first need a strategy. According to the law, any field or farm parcel from which harvested crops are intended to be sold, labeled or represented as organic must have had no prohibited substances applied to it for a period of three years immediately prior to harvesting the crop. The land must also have distinct, defined boundaries and buffer zones to prevent the unintended application of a prohibited substance to the crop or contact with a prohibited substance used on non-organic adjoining land.

These are the rules that apply to bringing any piece of land into the program. Your certifying agency will assign an inspector to verify that all the requirements are being met.

By creating an Organic System Plan, which is the core document you need to create to become an organic producer, and confirming that you have been in control of the land for the required 36-month period prior to harvest, you are affirming that no prohibited substances have been applied while you were the land’s steward. In the case of rental ground, a signed affidavit from the land steward of the previous 36 months must be provided, stating that no prohibited substances have been applied.

The individual lists of prohibited substances can be exhaustive. The best way to see if your land will qualify is to know what has been used on it and check it against the lists found online at ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5&no de=7:3.1.1.9.32#7:3.1.1.9.32.3.354.3. Contact the office of your certifying agency to ask if a substance you may have applied will disqualify the ground. Getting them to give the nod is the surest and safest way to move forward with a transition.

Maybe you want to raise livestock and market that from your certified land as meat or dairy.

There are conditions to transitioning livestock from a conventional system into an

3. Organic production is a system of management. The more effort put into developing and maintaining your own farm-specific systems, the smoother the transition into the National Organic Program.

For more information and assistance in transition to organic production, visit nrcs. usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/in/home, ams. usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop, attra.ncat.org/index. php and ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title07/7cfr205_main_02.tpl.

organic system. Each class of certifiable livestock has its own transition requirements, which are based on the species itself. A dairy cow must be managed organically for a period of 12 months before her milk can be marketed under the organic label. This period of time would obviously be unreasonable if you were raising broiler chickens in eight to 10 weeks. The regulations take these matters into consideration, with each of the commonly produced species separated with their own transition times. Pay special attention to words like “may,” “must” and “except” when reading through the laws (found online at ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5&no de=7:3.1.1.9.32#7:3.1.1.9.32.3.354.10).

The same holds true when your products are not a crop that requires replanting each year. In the case of an apple orchard or stand of nut trees, the crop will not come into bearing immediately, and organically produced planting stock is not commonly available. The more effort and investment that we put into searching for organically produced stock, the quicker we will have the ability take advantage of all the benefits of planting stock reared in organic systems.

According to the seed and planting stock practice standard written into the National Organic Program, non-organically produced planting stock to be used to produce a perennial crop may be sold, labeled or represented as organic only after the planting stock has been maintained in an organic system for at least one year. A transition strategy here could be to plant the trees, and by the time they are coming to bear, the required waiting period is over, and the land and the product are certifiable. *FI

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

With the growing number of food trucks hitting city streets, more Indiana farm products are being served on four wheels

compiled by julie cope saetre

The food truck phenomenon brings mobile cuisine to both urban and suburban culture. But some truck owners/chefs look beyond the realm of city sources for the products behind the recipes on wheels. Whether it’s beef from 100 percent grass-fed cows, certified organic milk or freshly picked produce, Indiana farms provide the key ingredients for some of the best-selling — and delicious — dishes served from food trucks. Here are a few options for local eating, food-truck style.

Nicey Treat

Caveman Truck Where to Find It: Statehouse Market (Indiana Statehouse and Government Center, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis) and other downtown Indy locations; miscellaneous stops in Castleton, Carmel, Fishers and Lebanon.

How It Started: In January 2012, Shelby Malaterre joined a weight-loss challenge with a group of friends and decided to slim down with the paleo diet, based on meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits and nuts. She won the challenge and fell in love with the paleo way of eating.

A restaurant industry veteran since 2003, she decided to open Caveman Truck to showcase the “ancestral” diet.

RIGHT: Humm(ish) recreates the classic hummus flavors with puréed soaked hazelnuts, roasted cauliflower, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sea salt, turmeric and coriander, served with zucchini.

Photos courtesy of Caveman Truck.

What You’ll Find: Paleo spins on family favorites such as chili, burgers, wings and tacos, all made with pastureraised meats and locally sourced produce. Dishes are gluten-, soyand casein-free, and all ingredients are non-GMO. Try the barnyard chili, made with 100 percent grass-fed

beef, Smoking Goose bacon and pastureraised chicken with organic tomatoes and organic sweet potatoes.

Who Provides the Ingredients: 100 percent grass-fed beef from Distelrath Farms (6302 E. Raymond St., Indianapolis), Hoosier Grassfed Beef (3959 State Road 341, Attica), Homestead Heritage LLC (5254 N. Road 500E, Kokomo), Apple Family Farm (3365 W. State Road 234, McCordsville), INgredients Urban Farm (5628 E. 71st St., Indianapolis) and Traders Point Creamery (9101 Moore Road, Zionsville); chicken, duck, turkey and pork: Gunthorp Farms (435 N. Road 850E, LaGrange); eggs: Rhodes Family (1726 W. Gilbreath Hill Road, Newberry); produce: Distelrath Farms, Pogue’s Run Grocer (2828 E. 10th St., Indianapolis), which sources from South Circle Farm (2048 S. Meridian St., Indianapolis), and others. She also shops farmers markets, orders through This Old Farm (thisoldfarminc.com) and uses produce from her brother’s homestead.

Where to Find It: Irvington, Broad Ripple and Carmel farmers markets, Statehouse Market, Downtown Farmers Market, First Friday Food Truck Market, concerts at White River State Park; brick and mortar location at 916 Westfield Blvd., Indianapolis.

How It Started: During a trip to Mexico four years ago, Jeff Patrick discovered paletas, frozen popsicles made with in-season fresh fruit. When he returned home, he decided to make his own and began selling them at local events from a refrigerated cart. Demand quickly grew, and soon his business expanded to include a vintage ice cream truck.

This year, he opened a brick-and-mortar location in the Broad Ripple arts district of Indianapolis.

What You’ll Find: All-natural popsicles made with fruit, vegetables, dairy, coffee, herbs and other ingredients. Pink lemonade is a best-seller, but you’ll find plenty of intriguing options, including avocado, blueberry buttermilk, mango ginger, watermelon and dark chocolate sea salt. All popsicles are glutenand preservative-free, and daily/lactose-free varieties are available.

Little Eataly

Who Provides the Ingredients: Organic milk from grass-fed cows: Traders Point Creamery, (9101 Moore Road, Zionsville).

Photo courtesy of NIcey Treat.

Where to Find It: Various locations in central Indiana.

Visit facebook.com/LittleEataly or twitter.com/littleeataly for the latest schedule information.

How It Started: Owners Chea and Rob Carmack dreamed of opening a small business and debuted Little Eataly shortly before the 2011 Super Bowl took over downtown Indianapolis. Their stated goal: “To build our business one cannoli at a time.”

Tuscan Chickpea Soup.

Photo courtesy of Little Eataly.

Photo by William Vantwoud and courtesy of Duos Mobile.

What You’ll Find: Paninis, pasta dishes, inventive sides (ricotta-filled ravioli deep-fried and served with a vodka dipping sauce, a Sicilian chickpea salad) and cannoli. Regulars swear by the pig and fig panini (prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, basil and fig butter served on freshly baked ciabatta bread) and the lemon-basil cavatappi.

Who Provides the Ingredients: The Carmacks grow much of their produce — including cucumbers, tomatoes, basil and eggplant — on a small, multiacre farm on the southside of Indianapolis. The land is what remains after the family sold much of the original acreage when health issues prevented Rob’s father from farming it any longer. Normally, Chea points out, watermelon for a popular Little Eataly salad would originate from this land as well, but only one stubborn plant managed to produce fruit over the summer — not enough to keep up with demand.

Serendipity Mobile Catering Where to Find It: Statehouse Market, Irvington Clustertruck, Carmel Clustertruck, Keystone Clustertruck, other central Indiana locations.

How It Started: Chef Bill Gruesser, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Atlanta, wanted to achieve “tablecloth casual or higher quality food at truck speed” when he started Serendipity in August 2012. After “scraping through” the first year, in May 2013 he traded his award-winning crabcake recipe (it was named Atlanta’s No. 1 crabcake for four years) to Joe’s Butcher Shop in Carmel for a $5,000 paint job on his truck. Today, as one of a handful of classically trained chef owner/operators in the city’s food truck business, he cooks every single dish to order and is a sought-after staple on the mobile-eats scene.

What You’ll Find: Menus vary seasonally and are themed to the five regions of the U.S — Maryland lump crabcakes for the Northeast, ground elk burgers for the Northwest, a Cuban taco for the Southeast, red mole chicken tacos for the Southwest and grilled cheese for the Midwest at press time.

Who Provides the Ingredients: Gruesser goes through Kinkaid’s Meat Market to purchase elk and ham; pork and chicken come from Simpson Family Farm (1725 Wampler Road, Martinsville).

Photo courtesy of Serendipity Mobile Catering.

Duos Mobile Where to Find It: The Duos schedule varies, but the truck is consistently parked at the Statehouse Market every other Thursday.

How It Started: Owners David and Becky Hostetter are known to food-savvy central Indiana residents as the pair behind the now-defunct vegetarian restaurant Essential Edibles, which served the downtown Indianapolis market in the 1990s. In the late 2000s, they returned with a food truck concept, drawn by the freedom it presented in both cuisine and location.

What You’ll Find: Creative plays on healthy dishes. Try the best-selling “balance bowl,” a power-packed mix of fresh spinach, brown rice, black beans, red bell peppers, scallions, cilantro and a farm-fresh egg, topped with chicken or tofu and served with a chipotle aioli.

Who Provides the Ingredients: Beef and pork: Fischer Farms (Jasper); produce: Harvestland Farm (6775 State Road 32, Anderson), VanAntwerp’s Farm Market (11181 N. U.S. 31, Seymour), Richert/Phillips Farms (North Liberty), Jerry Lambright Farm (N. Lynd Road, Orleans), Cottage Home Community Garden (East St. Clair Street, Indianapolis), Waterman’s Family Farm (7010 E. Raymond St., Indianapolis) and Indy Family Farms (10 Bluffdale Drive, Greenwood). *FI

Farm Indiana // august 2014

Dig This

Annual summer event brings upscale local food to Indy’s plate

By Jennifer Zanto / photos courtesy of dig in: A taste of indiana

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uring a 2008 event at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, worldrenowned chef Alice Waters spoke to a sold-out crowd about how nurturing local farmers and food producers had the power to change the way the restaurant industry sourced fresh ingredients. Waters explained how building a thriving culture of local food — supplied to chefs who could trace their ingredients from farm-to-fork — was a food revolution that was ripe for the picking. Two Hoosiers were all ears.

Local Indianapolis chefs Thom England, the culinary program coordinator for Ivy Tech Community College, and Neil Brown, owner of The Libertine Liquor Bar and craft pizzeria, Pizzology, were among the guests to hear Waters speak. They, too, were looking to capture

NEW

the local food movement already taking shape in Indiana. With a nod from Waters and some guidance from Bob Whitt, director of White River State Park, and Ann Schmelzer of the Indiana Department of Agriculture, the chefs became the co-founders of a new event that would highlight what the Hoosier state has to offer. The event was to be called Dig IN: A Taste of Indiana, and it would improve upon another annual festival in Indianapolis. “There had been an event called Taste of Indiana, but it really didn’t focus on foods that came from our state,” explains Rob Gaston, executive director of Dig IN. “They took an event that was already happening and just re-focused it.”

Dig IN: A Taste of Indiana has grown to a hearty festival of more than 40 Indiana chefs, offering their favorite foods made with locally grown

ingredients. Indiana-crafted spirits are also represented, with 28 purveyors from the Hoosier state.

In its fifth year, Dig IN brings the delicious with a line-up meant to make mouths water.

Chefs from Meridian will be dishing up lamb belly sausage with caramelized onions and a cherry mostarda, and Napolese will feature a panzanella salad of Indiana heirloom tomatoes.

Fire up your napkins for duck confit short ribs from Mesh and brisket empanadas from Joseph Decuis of Roanoke. Then tuck into a sweet and juicy raspberry frozen pop from Indy’s own Nicey Treat. Shelbyville’s 18 on the Square is represented with a southern Indiana smoked summer succotash, and Indianapolis favorite Smoking Goose bacon will be featured in several of this year’s dishes.

A variety of city food trucks are also making

an appearance, including Scratchtruck, Spice Box and Paleo food champion Caveman Truck.

Crispy pork tacos (Omni Severin), Yankee-style pot roast (J. Ford’s Black Angus) and pork sausage pizza (800 Degrees) will also be making an appearance this year, proving that if you leave hungry … it’s through no fault of Dig IN. Several breweries will be standing by with samples and beers by the glass, including Sun King and Indiana City, a relative Indy newcomer in its second year of operation, but already fresh off its double gold-medal win at the Indiana State Fair Brewers’ Cup for its Haymaker bourbon barrel aged oatmeal stout. Indiana wineries Winzerwald, Easley, Huber and Two EE’s will keep the wine flowing, Natural Born Juicers is showcasing a special Dig IN-inspired juice, and Bjava will be on hand to divvy out sweet sips of its signature iced coffee.

Round out your festival experience by taking in one of several live cooking demonstrations, with topics such as slow-cooking your favorite Indiana meats to food preservation methods like canning and pickling.

This year, Dig IN: A Taste of Indiana will take place at White River State Park on Aug. 17, from noon until 5 p.m. The cost for general admission is $35 if you nab your tickets before Aug. 14, or you can pay $45 at the gate. If you’d like to be among the first to sample what Dig IN has to offer, an extra $20 for an early admission ticket will grant you the grub a full hour earlier than other event-goers. For the serious foodie, Dig IN has put together the Ultimate VIP Experience … a $99 package that allows event-goers an all-access pass to not only food from four James Beard-nominated chefs (hailing from Libertine, R-Bistro, Bluebeard and Recess), but also scores each VIP guest a table in an air-cooled tent, VIP parking and a swag bag — among other amenities. For details on event tickets and pricing, check out digindiana.org or call (317) 363-4625. White River State Park is located at 801 W. Washington St., Indianapolis. *FI

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

Downhome Drinks Hoosier artisans cultivate fresh flavors in the beverage industry by clint smith

It’s no secret that Indiana has a thriving local beer and wine scene. But what may not be so obvious are the many craft beverage producers creating something a little different in the local drink scene.

Jerry Rezny, owner of Handcrafted Beverages.

Photo courtesy of Handcrafted Beverages.

Handcrafted Beverages When it comes to the soda business, Jerry Rezny, owner of Handcrafted Beverages, is no amateur. “I worked for Coca-Cola right out of college,” says Rezny, “when the sweetener was still cane sugar.”

First making waves in producing craft beer, Rezny attributes his interest in food and beer brewing to a trip he once took to Germany. “Every town of any size had at least one brewery, and everyone typically enjoyed the local beer,” he says. “It was so fresh, and only four ingredients: water, malted barley, hops and yeast.”

Upon his return to the States, Rezny’s newfound avocation for brewing grew into a refined hobby. His successful venture into homebrewing won him several awards at the Wisconsin State Fair and carried over into the commercial trade.

“The old, major domestic brewing companies were producing a product that was thirstquenching and cheap, but with very little character,” he explains.

He sensed people wanted “something better” and opened Brewmasters Pub Restaurant and Brewery in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1987, then the 16th brewpub in the country and the first in the Midwest.

It was then that Rezny’s passion grew more focused. “We made our own root beer at the brewpubs,” he says. “After experimenting with other sodas, including colas, we shelved the idea. The ingredients were not readily available, and there was just not enough time to do it all.”

Rezny continued to run the brewpub business for over two decades, but a few years ago he obtained a part-time teaching position in the culinary arts department at the Art Institute of Indianapolis. The gig afforded him the opportunity to focus on his passion for creating craft beverages.

Handcrafted Beverages offers an impressive line of flavored sodas: cola, diet cola, root beer, cherry vanilla cream, red cream soda, ginger beer, lemon lime, citrus, green apple, caramel apple, chocolate, orange and grape.

“We are currently making all naturally sweetened soda syrups for independent restaurants,” he says. “The regular sodas are sweetened with cane sugar; the diet sodas are sweetened with natural Stevia.”

Rezny’s sodas (the syrups of which are presently produced at Indy’s Kitchen on the near northside) are currently featured at Broad Ripple Brew Pub, Pogue’s Run Grocers, Tow Yard Brewing Company, Three Pints Brewpub in Plainfield and Hey Café in Greenfield, along with several others.

For more information, visit facebook.com/pages/ Handcrafted-Beverages /216284711911414.

Photo courtesy of Handcrafted Beverages.

Hoosier Momma In 2010, Hoosier Momma’s homemade bloody mary mix was becoming a fixture at local farmers markets, the result of the three “mommas” behind this Indiana handcrafted mixer — Erin Edds, KC Cranfill and Cat Hill — “taking on the male-dominated (beverage) industry,” explains co-owner Hill.

Eventually those farmers markets offered the trio the opportunity to move to largescale festivals, getting their drink mixer noticed by Glazer Indiana, a drink distributor.

Marsh Supermarkets was the first grocery store to carry Hoosier Momma products — a line of finely crafted “culinary cocktails,” which, as Hill says, “taste as beautiful as they look.”

Then, it wasn’t long before Hoosier Momma products were appearing in local eateries like Flatwater Restaurant, Cafe Patachou and Traders Point Creamery.

“Today we are available at over 800 locations throughout Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Louisiana, Wisconsin and the Chicago area,” reports Hill.

Hoosier Momma also makes regular appearances at Lucas Oil Stadium and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Hoosier Momma’s Original Bloody Mary Maker was created using Indiana products.

The company is dedicated, Hill explains, to offering premium beverage products made with high-quality ingredients.

In 2011, the company’s creative team introduced Spicy Bloody Mary Maker, a popular riff on the original, low-sodium mix. This new blend boasts a smoky blend of horseradish and aged cayenne.

The makers of Hoosier Momma’s hope their line of handcrafted mixers may soon be found at many local package liquor stores across the state, along with local restaurants like St. Elmo’s and Matt the Miller’s Tavern.

Hoosier Momma products can also be found on shelves at local grocery stores, such as Marsh, Kroger and Meijer.

As an added plus, Hoosier Momma Culinary Cocktails will be available for purchase at the DuPont Food Pavillion at the 2014 Indiana State Fair. Hill encourages visitors to stop by and discover a little more about the “who’s” in Hoosier Momma.

For more information, visit hoosiermomma.com.

Wilks & Wilson Intrinsic inspiration is just a handy byproduct of a lengthy career in the food and beverage business, and the innovative duo behind Wilks & Wilson knows exactly how to distill those flashes of libation inspiration.

“I’ve been in food and beverage in one form or another since I was about 14,” says Zach Wilks, the Wilks portion of the company that makes classic cocktail elixirs — tonics, syrups, grenadines and bitters.

For Wilks, much of what he does is old hat.

“My family has always been in the spirits business,” he explains.

“My mother was a bartender, my uncle owned United Package Liquors, which was the largest liquor store chain in (Indiana), and my grandparents used to own a grocery store at New York and Davidson streets that they actually ran a bar out of the stock room during Prohibition.”

And though Wilks has held a multitude of restaurant jobs (bus boy, cook, dishwasher, server, manager and owner among them), that aforementioned inspiration would propel him elsewhere. “Behind the bar is my real passion,” he says.

Wilks employs his culinary experience in his beverage craft. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with many great chefs through the course of my career,” he says, “and I think that’s been a huge influence on the way I work.

I believe (in) sourcing the best ingredients we can get our hands on and letting the ingredients speak for themselves. I also think there is a lot to be said in simplicity, creating cocktails and dishes with fewer high-quality ingredients to highlight the items you’re using.”

Co-owner Greg Wilson goes on to explain that the team is constantly experimenting with new flavor combinations. “It’s always fun to come up with new products for clients or for specific spirits,” he explains.

And though the duo started with elixirs, Wilks & Wilson is expanding into cocktail bitters.

“Our Storyville bitters (pays tribute) to New Orleans and the cocktail culture there,” says Wilks. “Its main flavors are chicory coffee and pecan.”

The mixologists also work with many clients on custom flavors and elixirs for their beverage programs. Wilks & Wilson products are distributed in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Washington D.C., Missouri and Kansas.

For more information, visit wilksandwilson.com.

Photos by John Bragg and courtesy of Wilks & Wilson.

Triple XXX Family Restaurant For husband and wife Greg and Carrie Ehresman, the second-generation owners of Triple XXX Family Restaurant in West Lafayette, owning the well-known restaurant is about more than just having a good soda recipe on tap. It’s an integral part of Greg’s family history.

Ehresman learned in a hands-on environment by working at Triple XXX, when his father and mother, Jack and Ruth Ehresman, owned the restaurant.

“My aunts and grandma ran the place,” Ehresman explains, and he got his start as a dishwasher there when he was just 13.

But Ehresman’s most notable chore took place in the basement, where he mixed the eatery’s famous root beer. The original, pure cane sugar root beer, which was initially developed in 1895, led to the creation of several Triple XXX “Thirst Stations” throughout the country in the early to mid-1900s. These small eateries featured the popular drink, along with popular drivein–style food.

“We still have the original Triple XXX root beer,” says Ehresman, “although not made in the basement anymore.”

Today, the Triple XXX product is created just north of Lafayette at a Chicago-based facility, where it is packaged and shipped. “As the years have passed and the industry has changed,” says Ehresman, “we’ve needed to conform a little bit, and this is just the safest and most efficient way to do things.”

Over the years, Ehresman has made some updates to the menu. He grinds fresh top sirloin for Triple XXX’s signature chop steak sandwiches, prime cuts and homemade chili.

“We also cut and cook our pork barbecue on site, and our grilled tenderloin from centercut, fully trimmed pork loin,” he says. And there’s also what Ehresman describes as the “newly famous,” made-from-scratch Triple XXX root beer cake.

Ehresman’s central responsibilities are overseeing back-of-the-house operations, as well as doing general accounting, but he also enjoys dabbling in the laboratory, as he works with his wife to develop new soda flavors for the Triple XXX brand.

“We are never resting on our laurels,” he explains. “Right now we’re working on the new flavors; cream soda, orange and low-calorie root beer.”

For more information, visit triplexxxfamilyrestaurant.com. *FI

Farm Indiana // august 2014

Nate and Liz Brownlee, center, enjoy life on the farm with their family, including tasks like herding goats, above, and raising chickens, at left.

F

orty years ago, this farm had no name. Around these parts of Jackson County, most farms didn’t have names. This property was just the home place of Lloyd and Carol Otte. The Ottes raised a family, a herd of cattle and crops on a five-year rotation here. After building the farm for a decade, they made what Carol calls the hardest decision of their lives — they sold off everything in order to keep the land.

Though this decision led to renting the fields to neighbors for row cropping, it also preserved the opportunity for their daughter, Liz, and me to start our farm on family land. Land access is a difficult issue, and having land in the family is a great advantage. Here at the beginning, the story of Nightfall Farm is the story of how we are navigating the family dynamics that come with the acres.

Though Liz grew up here on the property, she was born after her family’s farming days.

No one in the family talked of living on a farm. Country life shines through in stories of snapping beans on the front porch, but gone was the expectation or hope of passing on the agricultural tradition.

Liz and I married here five years ago, but then happenstance took us to New England. While there, we worked and apprenticed on several

by nate brownlee Photos by nate and liz brownlee diversified farms, which, of course, led to our dreaming of one day owning our own farm.

Liz felt the pull of home the entire time of our absence from Indiana. Our niece was growing up, Liz’s parents were growing older and we were missing all of it. Our dream of owning a farm was fated to center on southern Indiana.

We convinced ourselves to come home before we decided that we were ready to farm on our own. The original idea was to work on a farm near her family’s property for a year and just use free time to prepare the barns and fields to one day start our own. Instead, we moved in with her parents and got to work starting the farm.

The long cold winter afforded us time to do our planning. We wrote a business plan.

We made business cards and a website. We cleaned the barn and ordered supplies.

Now that it’s warm, we’re into our first season as Nightfall Farm. We are rotationally grazing animals through pasture, raising chickens, pigs and turkeys on the two fields that the family didn’t rent this year. We offer a meat CSA and will sell at a few farmers markets this first season. We have a plan, but

the plan has a small wrinkle.

Liz and I have been planning our farm without realizing that we are just two of the six board members of what I call the Otte Family Landowners’ Association. This means that there are six visions for the present and future use of this land. While these visions are certainly not always different, they are most definitely not always the same.

I tell people that living with Liz’s parents is harder than I thought it would be, but that it is also better than I thought it would be.

Depending on the day, it is, of course, easy to focus on either the “harder” or the “better” parts, but both are true.

Running a farm is not easy, and small family discordances magnify the complexity. It is quite difficult to establish simple new systems, as trivial as where we keep the screwdrivers, when confronted with established habits. And I have yet to figure out a smooth way to switch between the roles of farm manager and son-in-law. I’m not sure if it is harder for my 6-year-old niece or my mother-in-law to understand that I can be at

work without leaving home.

Though running a farm is not easy, small family assistances also make more possible for our farm. We have a crack marketing squad that works for peanuts. We have extra eyes to scout for gently used lumber and supplies that can be repurposed into farm resources. We share supper responsibilities. And this one can go both ways: There is never a shortage of others to double-check your work.

When it comes to the issue of land access, we could not have started Nightfall Farm without our family land. But when you zoom out a little further, we would not have Nightfall Farm without our family.

So now the home of Lloyd and Carol Otte is also the home of Liz and Nate Brownlee, and now the farm has a name. We are still learning from our animals and our fellow farmers, but we’re also building more than just our knowledge and our experiences.

We’re building a home. *FI After years of gaining experience on other farms, Nate Brownlee and his wife, Liz, recently moved back to Indiana to start their own family farm in Crothersville, which they named Nightfall Farm. Here, they will share stories of the many trials, tribulations, successes and failures in running a new family business. For more on Nightfall Farm, visit nightfallfarm.com.

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

>> EatLocal

Land and Sea

New Indy restaurant features upscale surf-and-turf menu by clint smith photos courtesy of plow & anchor

P

low & Anchor is the latest restaurant collaboration between Craig Baker and Derek Means, co-owners of Westfield farm-to-table restaurant, the Local Eatery & Pub. With James Beard-nominee John Adams on staff as chef and the duo’s reputation for sourcing their food offerings locally, Baker and Means refine their formula in this new venture.

The Indianapolis-based Plow & Anchor gives a sly wink to the school of surf-and-turf in both aesthetics and execution. The interior quietly hints at the juxtaposed tones — frosted glass and lengths of stainless steel call to mind the sleek and sterile surfaces of a fish monger’s prep kitchen, while touches of time-scrubbed wood planks echo a tidily maintained barn. Both chefs, Adams and Baker riff off each other’s kindred food philosophy, evident in the streamlined yet accessible menu.

For each seafood offering on the menu (featuring a daily selection of fresh oysters, caviar dip, scallop crudo, ocean trout and a classic cioppino), there’s also a farmland offering, such as hanger steak, pork chops or a burger.

Front-of-the-house restaurant vet Peter Hatton explains the fundamental yet simple philosophy behind the restaurant is to use everything as local “as we possibly can.”

Hatton says that while Indy restaurants boast an abundance of locally sourced ingredients, the seafood segment provides a bit of a challenge. “We use smaller distributors along with individual fishermen (to ac-

Plow & Anchor

43 E. Ninth St., Indianapolis (317) 964-0538, plowandanchor.com

quire the fish, shellfish and crustaceans),” he says, “and we’re staying in touch with people almost every day to obtain the best seafood product possible.”

The management and kitchen team works to reinforce rural ties with local farmers, but has also employed a little middle man assistance in the form of Josh Horrigan with Annabelle’s Garden, which specializes in supplying Indy-based restaurants with produce.

Currently, Sundays and Mondays are off days for the restaurant, but for good reason. “We’re sort of biding our time right now,” says Hatton, “but we also have special plans for those days in the near future.”

Hatton explains that the Plow & Anchor management team has its sights set on monthly wine dinners, bringing in guest chefs for collaborative events.

In the meantime, Plow & Anchor will press forward, decreasing the distance between the farms and forks, and increasing accessibility to premium aquatic products — a celebration of both those pulling the plow and raising the anchor. *FI

Every Last Crumb

by clint smith Photos by Deborah Flowers, courtesy of Front Porch Pretzels Sometimes being a “sell-out” is a good thing — as in this month’s recipe, compliments of Front Porch Pretzels in Kokomo.

This rhubarb crumb cake recipe sells out, according to Front Porch owner Deborah Flowers, every time it’s sold at local farmers markets. “We try to make old-fashioned recipes that are not readily found,” Flowers says, “but use seasonal ingredients to their best.”

Ingredients:

1½ cups organic brown sugar ¼ cup oil 2 farm-fresh eggs 2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract 1 cup buttermilk 1½ cups finely diced rhubarb ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans 2½ cups organic all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Rhubarb Crumb Cake

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees; grease and lightly flour a muffin tin.

2. In a stainless steel bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla; mix well.

Add buttermilk, rhubarb and walnuts.

3. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to rhubarb mixture; stir just until moist.

In another bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and butter.

4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle with topping. Bake in preheated oven for 14 minutes, rotating pan once. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. *FI

Joel Flowers and Lauren Flowers

Front Porch Pretzels 817 E. Hoffer St., Kokomo (765) 455-2085, facebook.com/pages/ Front-Porch-Pretzels

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Yellow beet salad with fried onions, jowl bacon, local greens and blue cheese.

RIGHT: Black Market's patio garden.

BELOW: Chris Coy pours housemade syrups into bottles.

Farm Indiana // august 2014

FOOD AND DRINK Indy restaurant owners find new ways to preserve the flavors of the season By clint smith photos courtesy of black market

aving gained eyebrowraising praise since its 2011 opening, Black Market, located on Massachusetts Avenue in Indianapolis, backs its reputation with forwardthinking culinary creations that feature farm-to-table, seasonal ingredients.

While co-owner and executive chef Micah Frank leads the culinary crew in the kitchen, Chris Coy is at the helm out front as general manager and wine director.

“We are always adding to our offerings in the bar,” says Coy, “and chef Micah’s menu is in constant evolution as the seasons change. Every menu he writes is a snapshot of the season with highlights of previous seasons’ produce that’s been preserved.”

Coy says they also grow their own herbs and vegetables during the warmer months. “It’s wonderful to be able to walk out to our patio and pick fresh basil or tomatoes for the kitchen to use,” he says. “Chef Micah

pickles fruits and vegetables all year to preserve the flavors of the season.”

And though fresh herbs and garden-grown goodies find a hospitable home as accents in edible dishes, the owners at Black Market take things a step further

“It’s wonderful to be able to walk out to our patio and pick fresh basil or tomatoes for the kitchen to use.”

— chris coy

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by incorporating fresh greens into their libations.

Here, Coy supplies a few potent pointers.

“Some of the easiest to grow and most useful herbs for summer cocktails are mint and basil,” he says. “We grow several varieties of each to use in our drinks. We love Thai basil, in particular, because of the complex, licorice notes it offers.”

Another re-emerging medium at Black Market: “We preserve the flavors of the season by making shrubs (fruit- or herb-infused vinegars),” says Coy. “This allows us to offer drinks with Indiana strawberries or blueberries in the fall or winter. By adding spices and herbs, you can add to the complexity of your homemade cocktail mixes.”

But if you’re wary about pairing some of these ingredients on your own, no worries: Coy invites readers — both diners and imbibers alike — into Black Market to chat.

“We love to help educate curious imbibers,” he explains. “The world of distilled spirits is vast, exciting and ever-changing.” *FI

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Farm Indiana // august 2014

>> EatLocal

Celebrate (and sample) the meat that Hoosiers love to eat

By Jon Shoulders

Ah, the ubiquity of bacon.

It tends to find its way onto our plates at meals beyond just breakfast, from BLTs and chopped salads to bacon-wrapped steaks and scallops at the dinner table. According to Indiana Pork Farmers, a nonprofit association representing family pork farmers statewide, 8.5 million pigs were raised throughout Indiana in 2012 alone. That’s a lot of pork, and those who simply can’t get enough of this pan-fried favorite can visit these annual festivals for their bacon fix.

Bacon, Blues & Brew » Where better than a spacious local farm to throw a great bacon-themed music fest? Live bands and visual artists from all over the region will be the focus of the second annual “Bacon, Blues & Brew” event at Walhill Farm in Batesville, but make no mistake—bacon will abound in the form of bacon candy and bacon burgers among other dishes for purchase, courtesy of the farm’s on-site restaurant. Enjoy free blues, country and rock music on the outdoor stage from 2 until 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Coolers and outside food not allowed.

When & Where: Aug. 15 to 17, at Walhill Farm in Batesville, 857 Six Pine Ranch Road. Visit website for each day’s complete event schedule and times.

Admission: Free for outdoor activities.

Ticket prices for music events in the barn vary each day.

Indiana Bacon Festival of Carroll County » With a “Bacon, Bands and Brew” theme, the Indiana Bacon Festival will be offering all the bacon- and pork-inspired dishes, Indiana craft beers and live music you can handle in one day. Look for bacon pork burgers, bacon-wrapped shrimp, chocolate-covered bacon and … drum roll, please … bacon ice cream.

Delphi is home to Indiana Kitchen Bacon, a national producer of locally sourced pork products, and many vendors will feature the company’s bacon in their dishes. A portion of festival proceeds will benefit local nonprofit organizations.

When & Where: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Aug 16 in downtown Delphi on Main Street.

Admission: $5

Information:

Information:

(812) 934-2600, baconbluesandbrew.com

(765) 564-6757, indianabaconfestival.com

Fort Wayne Baconfest

Tipton County Pork Festival

» Local restaurant vendors will be doling out bacon-themed treats galore while local rock, bluegrass and blues bands provide a musical backdrop at Fort Wayne’s Baconfest. Little ones can explore the Kids Zone, which will feature face painting, a bouncy castle and balloon art.

More information and admission discount coupons available on the festival’s official website.

» Bacon is just the tip of the iceberg at Tipton’s pork fest, now in its 46th year. Expect a kickoff parade, a carnival, crafts, a beauty pageant, a zip line, free musical entertainment and, of course, an abundance of food vendors selling bacon burgers, ribs, pork chops, pulled pork and many other pork pleasures.

When & Where: Noon to 10 p.m. Sept. 6 at Fort Wayne’s Headwaters Park, 110 W. Berry St.

Tipton’s Pork Boy

Admission: $7 Information: (937) 938-7237, baconfestfortwayne. com When & Where: Sept. 4 to 6, throughout downtown Tipton. Times vary each day; check website for schedule.

Admission: TBA Information: tiptoncountypork festival.com *FI

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