Country Acres - July 17 edition by Star Publications

Country

Friday, July 17, 2020

cres A

Volume 8, Edition 9

Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment

PHOTO BY KAYLA ALBERS

Rick Murphy takes a break from working on one of his sculptures July 8 in Osakis.

Creativity

unleashed Murphy welds works of art BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER

PHOTO BY KAYLA ALBERS

One of Rick Murphy’s sculptures, a custom piece for a client whose father passed away, is pictured July 8 at Murphy’s workshop in Osakis. The piece features objects to commemorate him including golf balls, bowling figurines and a large mustache.

ST R

Publications The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.

OSAKIS – Milk crates line the wall of Rick Murphy’s shop near Lake Osakis. Each is filled with different bobbles, from antique springs to metal rake heads, car rims, chrome bumper parts and rusty roller skate wheels. It’s an organized chaos as bright yellow painted parts sway from metal chains that hang down from the ceiling. The work bench is littered with dozens of colorful spray paint cans and numerous projects sit in varying states of completion as he readies pieces for painting. While pieces dry, or soak in muriatic acid for aging,

This month in the

COUNTRY

Murphy tinkers, joining metal pieces together as the sparks fly off the welder, creating unique sculptural works of art. He places old chrome bumper guards, from the 1940s to the 1960s, horizontally to create the face of a dog, old tricycle parts for the floppy ears, fire extinguishers for bodies, rake tines for eyelashes, half a soup ladle bowl for eyelids, tractor seats, metal gas tanks, snowblower parts … he uses them all. “Once I started it bit me, and I haven’t stopped; I just love it,” Murphy said. From dogs with silly faces to people, turkeys, pigs, chickens and zany bird-like creatures, the inspiration comes from Murphy’s imagination. He crafts pieces he hopes will speak to people and con-

nect with their passions. Some of the creatures are adorned with car emblems, Harley Davidson parts or harken to the Minnesota Twins. He even does custom work, such as creating a sculpture out of the tools of a loved one in their memory, though he spends most of his time on those projects worrying if the buyer will like it as much as he does. Sometimes, he has trouble putting the pieces up for sale because he’s fallen in love with them. He’s been creating sculptures for the better part of 14 years and still gets excited about each and every piece. He reserves the summers for welding, working in a T-shirt with the arms cut off and jeans, sparks

riddling his shirts with holes and his arms with pock-marked burns. Murphy started creating when he got out of the floor coverings business. He did that all his life and when he retired early, in his late 40s/early 50s, he bought a welder and a plasma cutter. Though he was too intimidated to use them at first, once he did, he discovered he couldn’t stop. He describes his early work as crude compared to the highly detailed pieces he develops today. He gets up early and heads to the shop a half mile or so from his house. He starts creating by 7 a.m. and works until 5 p.m., putting in a full day and sometimes, the clock creeps closer to 7 p.m. before he heads back

11 Exploring another world Alexandria 14 The beauty on our lakes is wild 15 The ultimate farmers’ market

18 Toe-MAY-toe, toe-MAH-toe Herman Lensing Column 20 What’s this? 21 Animals we love 22 In Gilda’s Garden 23 Country cooking

4 7

A treasury of family farms Diane Leukam Column Angels in blue Glenwood Always ready to go Atwater

Murphy page 2

Page 2 • Country Acres - Friday, July 17, 2020

Diane Leukam, Editor diane@saukherald.com Ben Sonnek, Writer ben.s@saukherald.com Herman Lensing, Writer herman@melrosebeacon.com Jennifer Coyne, Writer jenn@dairystar.com Evan Michealson, Writer evan.m@star-pub.com Carol Moorman, Writer carol@melrosebeacon.com Natasha Barber, Writer natasha@saukherald.com Kayla Albers kayla.a@star-pub.com Sarah Colburn, Freelance Writer

Story ideas send to: diane@saukherald.com SALES STAFF

Kayla Hunstiger, 320-247-27288 kayla@saukherald.com Missy Traeger, 320-291-9899 missy@saukherald.com Tim Vos, 320-845-2700 tim@albanyenterprise.com Mike Schafer, 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Warren Stone, 320-249-9182 warren@star-pub.com Jaime Ostendorf, 320-309-19888 Jaime@star-pub.com Bob Leukam, 320-260-1248 bob.l@star-pub.com

home to Deb, his wife of 40 years. Deb also has her own side passion, making wool mittens out of sweaters. When he’s not in the shop working, he’s out buying pieces, following up on leads and figuring out the best way to buy what he needs in bulk, at the lowest price. “They’re sort of 10-dollared together,” Murphy said. “I don’t think about how much I put into each one; if it needs it, I just put it there.” The couple often differs on the artistry of the pieces. Where Rick might craft together 40 vintage locks or handles for old wing car windows to create the perfect tail on a creature, Deb said he could probably do with less. “I think it looks great and I say, ‘more is more,’ a n d she says, ‘less is more,’” more, Rick Murphy said.

PHOTO BY KAYLA ALBERS

Th workshop that Rick Murphy works out of is filled with many trinkets, old parts and freshly painted parts, July 8 The in Osakis.

M Most often Deb Murphy helps work with the cushe tomers, talking about pricto ing and posting his work to in Facebook. His pieces averFa age $200-$500. ag The couple heads to Tempe, T Arizona, each

PRODUCTION STAFF Pat Turner Amanda Thooft Nancy Powell Maddy Peterson CaraLee Feuchtenberger

Deadlines: Country Acres will be published the first Fridays of April, May, June, September, October and November, and the third Friday of every month. Deadline for news and advertising is the Thursday before publication.

Rubes Sponsored by Elmdale Mutual

“Committed to being the eyes and ears of our communities.”

PHOTO BY KAYLA ALBERS RS

Rick Murphy welds a part for a sculpture, July uly 8 in his workshop in Osakis.

winter for five to six months and they haul a 17foot trailer with artwork to sell while they’re down south, usually around 70 pieces. One winter, they brought down 60 sculptures and in three days, sold all but three of them. “They’re truly unique, there’s just no two alike,” he said. The minute Murphy can unload the trailer, he immediately begins filling it with art parts to bring back to Minnesota. “That’s part of the fun is to find the parts,” he said. He spans the country in search of parts, visitvis ing chrome chrom shops in Los AngeAng les and a hitting hitti up PhoePho nix swap sw meets. He’s H brought broug back as many ma as

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300 chrome bumpers. “When you find them you better buy them,” he said. “I get lucky and find a lead.” He gets to know all the guys at the swap meets; they swap stories and contact information for who might have just what Murphy is looking for. “People stand in front of my sculptures for half an hour trying to figure out what all the parts are,” he said. He searches for old combination locks, lug nuts, spark plugs, cylinder caps for transporting propane, connecting rods for a car engine. “I like to use things that people recognize and are repurposed,” he said. Though Murphy scales back significantly on his welding while in Arizona, he can’t go without it, so he has set up a small shop in the side yard their San Tan Valley home so he can weld outside. He spends most of his time in

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the south shopping for new pieces to add to his collection. Likewise, in Minnesota, he spends most of his time welding but loves shopping too much to give it up. He goes to swap meets, including those in the South Haven/Annandale area. He has chased tips to Brainerd from people he met at those Wright County Swappers Meets. For Murphy, the hunt is almost as exciting as taking to the workshop to build. It’s a passion that he can’t tamp down and now, after all these years, he doesn’t even try.

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Friday, July 17, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 3

A treasury of family farms

by Diane Leukam

We have a special keepsake section for you in this edition, highlighting Century Farms from our seven-county Country Acres area. We also have Benton County, where we publish the Benton Ag pages in our Sauk Rapids Herald and Benton County News. When the idea was broached for this project just two months ago, none of us imagined it would take off quite like it did. We are proud to bring

you one feature story from each of these counties, selected from the farms recognized in 2020. Each county also features a comprehensive list of Century Farms, courtesy of our friends at the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation. To be recognized as a Century Farm, there must be a minimum of 100 years’ ownership within one family. All told, there are more than 1,300 farm names on these county lists, including many sesquicentennial farms, meaning they are in the same family for at least 150 years. I was a bit shocked to see those numbers, but I shouldn’t have been. A couple of years ago, I interviewed Ashley Huhn from Steffes Auction Company out of Litchfield. He told me there are times it happens when a piece of

land comes up for sale outside the family just once in a lifetime. You could say our special section backs up that statement quite nicely. Congratulations to all these farmers on their generations of hard work, ingenuity and endurance. As you read through these lists, you are sure to recognize many of the names. Speaking of lists, many – not all – of you will notice a colored sheet of paper and an addressed envelope inserted in your Country Acres. Please do not ignore this; it is basically your opportunity to continue receiving the paper for free within our expanded coverage area. Simply fill out and return it to us, so we know you really do want the paper. We will be updating our mailing list before the Sept. 18 issue. (If you get Coun-

try Acres in the Star Shopper, you DO NOT need to fill out a form and will continue receiving the paper.) Finally, those of you who read my column in the Sauk Centre Herald last week were expecting to see a photo of turkeys in this paper. For the rest of you, this is a family of wild turkeys that roams our neighborhood; to shorten the story dramatically, my husband, Don, and I watched these birds from our deck one evening. We thought

we scared the mother hen as she suddenly flew very high – 40 feet or so – into a large tree in our backyard. The babies took their turns, one by one, and followed. It was quite the commotion, but after they settled in, we realized they were just roosting for the night. Using a zoom lens, I was able to capture the image from below. You will see that mama turkey has her wings around some of them, and if you look closely, you can count her 12 ba-

bies. We see the birds in our yard quite often and they have nearly doubled in size in just the last two weeks; it is unreal how quickly they grow. I hope your crops and gardens are growing as well as these turkeys. The last I heard, some of you are still waiting for those million-dollar rains; may they fall for you very soon. Enjoy this issue of Country Acres, and we’ll see you again Aug. 14!

We drill wells year round. Winter, spring, summer or fall, our drill rigs are hard at work. We’re committed to providing the best possible water supply, no matter what time of year it is!

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A wild turkey hen roosts 8 with her 12 poults in early July at the home of Don and Diane Leukam in Sauk Centre.

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Page 4 • Country Acres - Friday, July 17, 2020

Angels in

Blue

Davidson, Bryce prepared to help farmers in crisis BY KAYLA ALBERS | STAFF WRITER

GLENWOOD – Farmers never know when a crisis may strike, whether it is a farm accident, a family illness or a natural disaster. With over a thousand volunteers, or “Angels in Blue,” Farm Rescue is prepared to help family farms and ranches in the midst of a crisis, at a moment’s notice. These volunteer farmers are referred to as Angels in Blue for their blue-collared shirts emblazoned with the Farm Rescue logo, and for taking

the time away from their lives to help other farmers in need. Angels in Blue are not exclusively farmers but hail from all walks of life, such as engineers, mechanics and office workers. Some volunteers take a week’s vacation to help, while others may be retired and serve to shuttle volunteers when needed. Two of these Angels in Blue are farmers Rick Davidson and Alan Bryce, who each have farms near Glenwood. In late June, they received a call that a

PHOTO BY KAYLA ALBERS

“Angels in Blue” Farm Rescue volunteers Alan Bryce (left) and Rick Davidson are pictured July 6 on Bryce’s farm in Glenwood.

farmer in Kansas had severely mangled his leg in a post hole digger in May, and was in need of assistance with his wheat harvest. Despite having farms of their own, it took Davidson and Bryce a matter of seconds to decide they would go to Kansas to help a fellow farmer. Davidson and Bryce left their farms under the care of their sons, Mark Davidson and Chris Bryce, and took off for Fargo, PHOTO SUBMITTED North Dakota to drive a A Farm Rescue semi-truck is ready to be loaded with Farm Rescue grain truck grain during a rescue operation in Abilene, Kansas.

down to Abilene, Kansas, where they stayed for four days to harvest wheat. This was the first rescue in Kansas since one of Farm Rescue’s biggest sponsors, Anheuser-Busch, encouraged them to expand into the area. After help from PrairieLand Partners and John Deere, the organization was able to secure the proper equipment and go to Kansas. Gary Janz, a volunteer from Minot, North Dakota and Tim Sullivan, the organization’s development

officer, also went down for the project. “Everyone does their part because you see that people need help,” Bryce said. When the Farm Rescue volunteers are on projects, they either stay at the farm they are working on, or they stay in motels in the area. Everything is paid for by sponsorships and the farmers being rescued do not pay for the assistance they receive. Farm Rescue owns some of its own equipment

to be used on operations, while other equipment is provided by generous sponsors such as John Deere, Chevrolet, Haybuster, RDO Truck Centers and Wilson Trailers. While Davidson and Bryce were in Kansas, they drove grain trucks to harvest the wheat. The farmer’s neighbors also came out to help and show their support. “It has been a very good experience,” Davidson said.

Farm Rescue page 6

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day was so different compared to what it looked like before the pandemic. I did not think we would be finishing the school year with distance learning. What other hobbies and interests do you have outside of FFA? Working on our family farm. What are your plans for the future? I’m not exactly sure what I want to do in the future, but I do know I want to do something related to agriculture. What are your favorite: holidays, music and food? My favorite holiday is Christmas because I get to spend time with my family. I like country music because it’s what I’ve grown up with. My favorite food would have to be burgers or tacos, or anything with beef and dairy.

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Farm Rescue Page 4 Davidson became involved with Farm Rescue six years ago when he read an article about the organization. He signed up to volunteer right away. Two years later, Davidson convinced Bryce to sign up as well and get his commercial driver’s license to help drive the trucks. Bryce has been volunteering ever since. “If they call you up,

and you don’t have a good reason not to volunteer, you just go,” Bryce said. “Because most of the jobs, I would say, have been really rewarding.” Farm Recue began with the vision of Bill Gross when he was working as a pilot and flying over the farms of the United States, watching them slowly disappear. He wanted to do something

to help the farmers who were losing their land, so he bought farm equipment and founded Farm Rescue in 2005. They have since helped nearly 700 farmers and ranchers in need. Farm Rescue has expanded to seven states, helping farmers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and now, Kansas. They provide as-

sistance with planting, haying, harvesting and livestock feeding. The organization has helped on jobs like hauling hay three years ago to the western part of South Dakota during a drought, and hauling hay to Nebraska last year when there was flooding across the state. The farm equipment, provided through sponsorship with John Deere,

is available at dealerships in Kansas and North Dakota ready to be used. The equipment sports Farm Rescue flags and American flags flying on either side of the front, and large Farm Rescue logos on the sides that read, “Proud to Help Farm Families,” and “Helping Farm Families in Crisis.” The logos promote the organization’s mission and spread the word about

what they are doing to help. “It spurs volunteerism,” Davidson said. Bryce agreed. “It spurs neighbors helping neighbors,” he said. “That’s what it is all about – volunteering to help.” For Farm Rescue to become involved, farmers must ask for assistance and fill out an application. The process moves quickly and the volunteers are there in a matter of days. Davidson and Bryce have gotten to know a lot of other volunteers and farmers through their years with Farm Rescue, and they would like to see that connection grow across Central Minnesota. There are many family farms in the region, and they would like to help keep families who are enduring a crisis on their land by spreading the word about what Farm Rescue does. With the strong agriculture base in Central Minnesota, Davidson and Bryce feel that Farm Rescue could benefit many more farms. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Davidson said. For these two Angels in Blue, awareness of the organization is key so when the unthinkable happens, Farm Rescue comes to mind. “You don’t do it for the experience,” Bryce said. PHOTO BY KAYLA ALBERS “You do it hoping that it A Farm Rescue crew harvests wheat in 2019 near McClusky, North Dakota, for a farmer whose wife suffered a traumatic brain injury, so he could spreads.” be at her side.

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Always ready to go Rosenquists up to challenge of growing vegetables BY DIANE LEUKAM | STAFF WRITER

ATWATER – Growing vegetable crops can be a challenge, but it is something Frans Rosenquist is very comfortable with. The Atwater farmer has been growing peas and corn for 43 years. “You have to approach growing vegetables that this year they may come out perfect, but next year it might not be that way; we’re playing with the weather and mother nature,” Rosenquist said June 4 at the farm. For Rosenquist, growing vegetables requires being ready to go when the time is right, whether that is

getting into the fields in the spring or at harvest time. His farming philosophy revolves around planning, something that has carried over from his years as a professional snowmobile racer from 1967-82, the racing heydays. He was inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in 2006. “When we raced, we always had to have a backup plan,” he said. “If Plan A didn didn’tt work, what was Plan B going to be? You had to be perfect because everyone else was going to be perfect. I took that into farming with me, that I am always 100 percent ready. I’ve got to have a plan; if this doesn’t work what’s my next

PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM

Frans (from left) and Jason Rosenquist, R Brandon Barber and Matt Nelson stand in a field of peas June 19 at Rosenquist Farms near Atwater. Combin Combines work in the background.

plan? We move right into the second stage of it and that’s been very successful for me.” Rosenquist and his wife, Deborah, have three children and 10 grandchildren, all who live close by. Sarah and her husband, Travis

These harvested peas will be loaded onto a semi-truck and hauled to Glencoe for processing, June 19 at Rosenquist Farms near Atwater.

Weseman, live in Grove City; Nicole is married to Brandon Barber, and they live across the field from the farm, and Jason is married to Katey, and they live on the farm. Frans and Deborah live nearby. Frans and Deborah farm with Jason and Brandon, along with one fulltime employee, Matt Nelson. In the fall, five or six part-time employees help with the harvest. They grow 2,500 acres of soybeans, 2,500 acres of corn, 800 acres of sweet corn and 200 acres of peas.

Peas are grown on contracts with Lakeside Foods in Brooten and Seneca Foods in Glencoe, while all the sweet corn is with Lakeside. Seed is provided by the canneries and can vary by the year. Crops are planted according to a delicately balanced schedule determined by the canneries to ensure the vegetables from many farms are ready to harvest in a steady flow. The canneries use a 10-year average yield of 3,000 pounds of shelled peas per acre to calculate planting dates and to keep

the plant running at its peak efficiency. They also keep track of heat units. “The companies know how many heat units it takes to get these peas ripe, so they are watching the heat units. Every day, they get so many heat units so they plant more acres; they know how many acres they can harvest,” Rosenquist said. For the last 40 years, Rosenquist Farms is the first to be planted with peas, due to its de-

Rosenquist page 8

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Rosenquist Page 7 cades-long ability to get into the fields early. “They know we can make it work, so we go,” Rosenquist said. “We plant peas as soon as we can get in the fields; this year it was around April 3 or 4.” Sweet corn is different, with all farmers being placed on a precise timetable, with a rotation for planting. This year, the Rosenquists began planting sweet corn June 4. In this way, once the peas are all harvested, the canneries

can begin harvesting sweet corn within about a week. On June 4, the peas were in full bloom, with an average of six flowers per plant and each flower producing a pod with up to eight peas. As the peas ripen and fill out the pods, staff from the cannery begins to keep a close eye on them. A tenderometer is used to gauge the tenderness of the peas with samples taken throughout the field. A reading between 90-105 is necessary

to strike a balance of peas that are both sweet and tasty, yet hard enough to be combined with a minimum of peas being crushed during harvesting. Samples are taken back to the plant and run through a portable combine to check for readiness. “They continue to check it and sometimes it comes back TY (too young) and they wait a day or two and check again;

Rosenquist page 10

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Rosenquist Page 8

PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

A combine makes its way through a pea field June 19 on Rosenquist Farms near Atwater. This header is much like a soybean head, but is enclosed to create a vacuum to help suck up the peas.

they log it really close,” Rosenquist said. “Peas have a better flavor if they are on the tenderer side.” On June 19, the Rosenquist pea fields were teeming the sights, sounds and smells of the harvest. The aroma of peas filled the air, along with the low roar of eight combining crews from Seneca. Each crew consisted of the operator of a combine, a cart and a semi. One after the other, the combines made their way down the field. A pea combine has a head much like a soybean head,

though it is covered with metal to create a vacuum which helps suck the peas into the machine. “They call it a stripper head; it looks like an older baler with rubber teeth and they strip the pods off; the plant stays in the field and the pods go in the machine,” Rosenquist said. Once in the machine, the peas are shelled. “It’s pretty slick because you think these peas are so tender – which they are – but everything is belted, not augered, so it’s not squished,” Rosenquist

said. “There is a big cylinder in the combine that just rotates and tumbles. There are little holes in the screen and the thing tumbles all the way through the machine and it shells them by gentle tumbling; it doesn’t crush them.” The peas in the combine hopper are dumped into the carts, then into the semi-trailers before embarking on their 50mile trek to Glencoe. The cannery can take in about 500 acres’ worth of peas per day, with some 12,000 acres of peas contracted for

this season. “I remember years ago when they were doing 25,000 each (peas and corn),” Rosenquist said. “They have backed those numbers down because not as many people are eating vegetables as they once did. Years ago, families would all sit down for supper and the mom would

have a bowl of corn and peas or whatever, and now everything is quick, fast food.” The packaging has changed as well. More vegetables are being frozen in microwave packages versus the cans which were once predominant. After more than 40 years growing peas and corn, Rosenquist still gets excited for the harvest, even though many of those years have presented their own unique challenges. “If you are a vegetable grower, you have to realize when those vegetables are ready you can’t wait until tomorrow or the next day,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it rained 6 inches last night, we have to go. Peas have a three-day window to get out or they get too hard and they don’t taste good. Some farmers are afraid to have ruts in the field and they’re tore all to heck. I’m not. I’ve seen it so many times for so many years.” After the peas are out, soybeans are planted within one week. On a very wet year, they might have to bulldoze the ruts shut to get the water out, and use rippers to work the ground and remove lumps.

“At the end of June, we don’t have a lot of days to let it dry out,” Rosenquist said. “As soon as we get it planted we’ll start the irrigator and water it and get it to grow right away. I’ve had people stop and say, ‘You’re never going to get a crop out of this,’ and three weeks later everything is up and shaded over.” Now, Rosenquist looks forward to the sweet corn harvest, followed by soybeans and corn. Come winter, they will work on machinery so that when spring arrives, they will go right into planting peas again. “When the fields are ready, our equipment is ready and we aren’t fixing,” Rosenquist said. “We’ll fix it in the wintertime and when it’s time to go, we’re going.” Being on the go has been the story of Rosenquist’s life, even back to the time, 43 years ago, when he and Deborah got married. “We got married on a Friday night, Dec. 17, 1976, so I could race in Alex on Saturday,” Rosenquist said. “She’s still with me!” It is all part of the plan.

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another world Scuba diving adventures captivate Bosek BY KAYLA ALBERS | STAFF WRITER

ALEXANDRIA — In Jeff Bosek’s 34 years of scuba diving, he has found a world of treasures: wedding rings, old cans and bottles, silver nickels from WWII, horses attached to wagons and an elk rack that was 400 years old. Bosek has been to many different places for scuba diving, and each place provides a new adventure, something Bosek loves about diving. His diving skills came about indirectly through his time in the military. He was stationed with the Marines in the Philippines, working as a sniper for special operations for four of his six years on two separate tours of duty. It was during that time when he had the option to take scuba diving lessons from a local, and having always wanted to learn, he seized the opportunity. He took a twoweek initial certification

course in 1986. For Bosek, it was the beginning of discovering a whole new world. After returning from overseas in 1989, Bosek worked at a Marine base scuba store. It was then that he got went to a commercial diving school and received his certification in that category. Bosek went on to operate a deer farm for 12 years, but then opened his own scuba shop in Alexandria, called Divers Clubhouse, in 2000, where individuals can go for lessons and to rent scuba gear. His fascination for diving began early in his life, though, long before he took his lessons. He wanted to learn how to scuba dive as a kid after being inspired by one of his all-time favorite movies, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” a 1954 Disney Film that he has

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Jeff Bosek holds a 400-year-old elk rack he found while scuba diving in Lake Carlos during the summer of 2008 near Alexandria.

seen more than any other movie. “The coolness of underwater farming and the peace and quiet of it all was fascinating,” Bosek said. Bosek also had a dream of becoming an astronaut one day. Becoming a scuba diver was the next best thing, since the gear is similar and he still gets to explore new

worlds. “What I always tell my students is it’s one planet, but it’s two worlds,” Bosek said. “Do you want to spend your whole life on just 25 percent of the planet?” Bosek has been diving in many different places, from lakes to oceans. He has been to the Cayman Islands, Bonaire, Cozumel and Belize, where he dove the Great Blue Hole, the French Anchor and the Aquarium on the Belize Barrier Reef. Bosek said the French Anchor and the Aquarium are two of the best dives he has

Bosek page 12

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While traveling in Cozumel, Jeff Bosek is pictured at the Felipe Xicotencatl shipwreck.

Page 12 • Country Acres - Friday, July 17, 2020

Bosek from page 11 ever made. The French Anchor dive features a 17th Century ship anchor lodged into the reef, and the dive went down to about 90100 feet, though the reef itself drops off to a depth of 5,000 feet. The Aquarium was more of a shallow dive at 50 feet, where many species of exotic

fish could be seen. “It was like being in an aquarium,” Bosek said. The Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole that can be seen from outer space. It is circular, just under 1,000 feet across by about 400 feet deep. Requiring advanced diving skills, Bosek dove to a depth of 135 feet and

as he went down, it continued getting darker and colder, and there were many sharks. Bosek does not worry about sharks when he dives, saying they are not worried about humans. “The key to diving is to not be afraid of sharks,” Bosek said. “I roll them over and rub their tummies. Sharks, in general, are really friendly.” Despite the many dives Bosek has completed in the ocean, he prefers diving in the lakes of Minnesota. For Bosek, diving in the ocean is diving a place where hundreds of people go every day, whereas the lakes are new territory. For him, that is far more fun, and has a lot more adventure involved. “In the lakes, it is like no one has been there and you are the first person to ever be down there,” Bosek said. “If you close your eyes you can almost hear your heartbeat because it is so quiet.” Bosek has been diving in many lakes in Minnesota, but memorable dives have been the underwater forest in the iron pits in Crosby, and the Madera and Hesper shipwrecks in Lake Superior near Duluth. His eyes lit up when he talked about the 40 feet of PHOTO BY KAYLA ALBERS visibility in the iron pits Jeff Bosek sets up an oxygen tank and checks the levels and how amazing the divin his scuba shop, Divers Clubhouse, on June 19 in ing is there. He was also Alexandria.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Jeff Bosek salvages an 18,000-pound PistenBully out of a holding lake near Hibbing. Bosek does some of his commercial work with his eyes closed to stay relaxed underwater.

ecstatic over how impressive the shipwrecks in Lake Superior were. Just the mere size of them was impressive for Bosek. “The beams are huge,” Bosek said about the Hesper. “You can’t even see the whole thing in one dive.” For commercial work, Bosek described working on a pipeline in Missouri and southern Minnesota, and an underwater hydraulic system for a steel company in northern Minnesota during the middle of winter. When Bosek was working on the hydraulic system, the water was murky and it was very cold. He was shaking the whole time. Bosek had to memorize the system and put it back together with his eyes closed underwater. It took several days to

put the system together. “You close your eyes the whole time because if you open your eyes your body can’t feel as well,” Bosek said. “Then you start to panic because you can’t see and your eyes don’t understand why.” With his experience in commercial work, Bosek has a recovery service through his scuba shop where he will dive into lakes and find people’s lost belongings. One of the more unusual diving excursions he had was to find a woman’s prosthetic leg that she lost while water skiing. However, a lot of his recovery service is to find wedding rings and to retrieve cars and snowmobiles that have fallen through the ice. Bosek not only finds treasures in the lakes, but he learns from them as

well. From his find of a massive elk rack in Lake Carlos, he learned that elk used to live in this part of Minnesota. Bosek had the elk rack tested and found that it was over 400 years old. Over time, the herds migrated north, likely due to hunting, and they no longer live in the area. As of now, Bosek has his vision set on another treasure. Before they passed away, two archaeologists left Bosek all of their research on the whereabouts of a runestone that is supposedly larger than the Kensington runestone found in Douglas county in 1898 by a Swedish immigrant, Olof Ohman. A runestone dates back to the Viking age and is noted for its ancient Scandinavian inscription. “That [the Kensington] was the secondary marker, I believe, and the real marker is the one that I am looking at,” Bosek said. The discovery of this runestone would provide verification that the Kensington runestone is authentic, and it would prove that Vikings came to North America 130 years prior to Christopher Columbus. Since the Kensington runestone’s discovery, there have

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Friday, July 17, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 13

Bosek from page 12

PHOTO SUBMITTED

As a certified commercial scuba diver, Jeff Bosek works on an inlet inspection job in Southern Minnesota.

been debates about the stone’s authenticity and it is thought by many to be a hoax. The stone has created an ongoing mystery in Minnesota that Bosek wishes to solve. Bosek has spent two winters diving under the ice to map out an island in a lake, in a location he wishes not to disclose, that he has named “Templar’s Island.” It is there

that the runestone is supposedly located. He will make one last attempt to find it and if he is successful, it will be a huge historical discovery. Once he has finished his search for the runestone, Bosek’s dream for the future is to build a lake that has an underwater lost sea with a sunken ship to provide a destination for scuba divers in

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Friday, July 17, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 15

Farmers’ Market

Calhoun connects producers with consumers BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER

PHOTO BY SARAH COLBURN

From beef, pigs, turkey and chicken to alpacas, like these from Double S Alpaca in Princeton, the Farm Direct Minnesota Facebook page and website allow farmers to offer products, including livestock, to consumers. Many also offer processed meats, and consumers can purchase anything from a half cow to a whole pig.

ries, mealworms, hay and baked goods made from cricket flour – yes, cricket flour. It’s the ultimate farmers’ market, direct to consumers at the click of a button and its membership is growing daily. Sazzy Calhoun lives in East Bethel and was disheartened by stories of Wisconsin farmers dumping milk with no means to get it to the public, and Idaho potato farmers leaving potatoes in a field for people to come take because he had no way to process them. She wanted to help and on May 5 she launched her Facebook page in hopes it would spur people to pick up a few things they needed and support a local farmer. By July 4, she had 46,139 members. “It’s been amazing, and in some ways, it’s given people – it has me, anyway – something positive to look at,” Calhoun said. People on the site are banding together and organizing with one another. Recently, it was a customer purchasing 65-pound turkeys from a farmer who needed to move 1,000 of the birds because he couldn’t get a spot at a processing facility. People from all across the state purchased them in groups until he sold nearly half of them. He moved the others, eventually selling out. The movement has also helped just a single animal in need. A month ago, someone posted that a

PHOTO BY SARAH COLBURN

Sazzy Calhoun shows off her Farm Direct Minnesota website; she began the site after people flocked to the Farm Direct Minnesota Facebook page by the thousands.

little bird had been dropped at her house. The woman turned to the site for help identifying it and to figure out how to care for what was a baby pheasant. “It’s only one little bird, but I always think of the starfish story,” Calhoun

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Friday, July 17, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 17

Calhoun from page 15 half of a cow or pig. Readers learn exactly how and who cared for the animal and know what they’re getting, Calhoun said. She has even posted files on the site to help consumers understand how much meat they should expect and how much storage space they’ll need for their purchase. She also allows services on the site, from processing capabilities to mobile services including welding. “People will be repeat buyers of these things,” Calhoun said. “It impacts the food chain in a positive way…For people local to Minnesota, it’s definitely helping them.” She has had many consumers tell her that between her site and local farmers’ markets, they are skipping the big box stores. Calhoun, who works in the film industry as an assistant director, has had no work due to COVID-19. She is used to organizing, used to putting together lots of moving parts and pieces. When she started the Farm Direct Minnesota page, she didn’t mention it to her husband, Oskar Granquist; she really wasn’t sure if it would take off. But when her page hit 400 members, she couldn’t believe it and said she took a screen shot to capture the moment and told him immediately. He was just as thrilled as she was. Agriculture is in her roots. Calhoun’s par-

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Harmony Cricket Farm is one of the many unique vendors consumers can find on the Farm Direct Minnesota Facebook page. The cottage baker creates delectable treats using cricket flour.

ents were farmers in their younger years, and she grew up playing with barn cats and being sprayed in the face with cow milk when she visited the farms of her aunts and uncles. She remembers the joy of dipping into the fresh milk tank with her sister and taking cream home to make butter. Her mom always had a huge garden and canned fresh foods and they had a stock of chickens for most of her life. When they were big

enough, they’d butcher that farm, he was always an auto parts business. Calthem assembly-style in the helping the neighborhood houn carries a bit of her garage and she helped. Cal- farmers. Her father iden- childhood with her and still makes jellies and jams, and has a garden. In June, Calhoun “It’s been amazing, and in launched a website as a some ways, it’s given people – counterpart to the Facebook group. There are 430 it has me, anyway – something farmers/vendors on her positive to look at.” Facebook page and she - Sazzy Calhoun launched the website with 200, and has more signing up every day. While the houn says her dad’s family tified his whole life as a Facebook page is a good threshed oats for people farmer, long after the cows way for consumers to find and even after they sold were gone and he owned items and they can sort by

National Exposure. Local Expertise.

region, the website contains a pin drop map of registrants where consumers can look to see who and what is near them. The project has become a passion for Calhoun, who often takes to her phone just after 6 a.m. checking in on things like 1,000 turkeys that need a home. She doesn’t make money from the Facebook group, but has received gifts of wild rice and homemade soaps. She did add a new link to the website where people can buy her a coffee as she likes to say, or make a donation for her efforts. She treats the site and the page like a nine-to-five job; she and two moderators, LindaSue Toth Carter and Amber Sheehan, approve each and every person who requests membership to the group and they approve all the posts. They dig through users and get rid of the spam, delete the bogus users who joined Facebook two days prior, and ensure each posting is complete with the proper information so consumers can find the goods and services offered. More than anything, Calhoun said the site has given her newfound purpose and brings joy and energy to her life. “It makes you feel good, it restores your faith in humanity,” she said. “The world is kind of crazy now.”

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Friday, July 17, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 19

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This offer is not applicable in Canada. This offer cannot be combined with Polaris National Sales Event offers and is not stackable with other exclusive coupon offers. Dealer Redemption: To process, log on to your Polaris Dealer Website. Select the May Spring Sales Event rebate on the promotion selection page during the registration process. Customers can access the offer by logging onto https://offroad.polaris.com/en-us/heroes-advantage/. Once the customer is verified they will receive a confirmation email. The dealer will need to login to the coupon redemption site, enter in the coupon code and upload a picture of the customer verification email and bill of sale. Also upload a scanned copy of the customer military verification page from the verification website. Name on documentation must match the name on the bill of sale. Once proper documentation is uploaded and approved, Polaris will payout the remaining difference between the May Spring Sales Event rebate and the Heroes Advantage rebate. If proper documentation is not provided Polaris will not payout the remaining difference. If dealer selects promotional financing and receives the Heroes Advantage rebate the promotional financing cost will be charged back to the dealer. All offer redemptions must be submitted online within 5 days after sale of vehicle or earlier. All redemptions will be credited to the dealer's parts account. WARNING: Polaris® off road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver's license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don't mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. ©2020 Polaris Inc.

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Page 20 • Country Acres - Friday, July 17, 2020

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PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM

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Optional equipment may be shown.

This is known as a cattle pass, which is a passageway for animals to safely cross underneath a road.

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Friday, July 17, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 21

SEND US PHOTOS of the animals YOU love, and we will share them here for all our readers to enjoy! Be sure to include your name, town and a description of the photo. Email to diane@saukherald.com, or text to 320-260-0013.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY AVA SAND, Freeport

Nellie takes a nap, looking pretty in her purple ribbon.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GRANDMA CINDY ANDERSON, Farwell

Ivan Anderson, 5, of Farwell, watches cartoons while holding his pet Silky chicken that he hatched. Ivan loves animals of all kinds!

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY BREANNA KLAPHAKE, AVON PHOTO SUBMITTED BY BERNI DOLL, Richmond

This is Bodie (but only comes to Kitty). He is on one of his favorite sleeping places, the dining room table. He keeps us healthy by keeping us laughing. Here he is admiring a picture of himself.

These are Nigerian Dwarf goats Darcie (right), and her daughter, Gracie. Gracie was born last year with only one front leg coming first. Her head twisted back with her other leg tucked in. I spent some time trying to maneuver Gracie out. Eventually, I was able to get her out and she was still alive, surprisingly! I kept Gracie since I became attached here at Goat Haven Acres.

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Page 22 • Country Acres - Friday, July 17, 2020

In Gilda’s

Garden Compiled by Diane Leukam

SAUK CENTRE – Gilda Gieske has been gardening north of Sauk Centre for nearly 30 years, where she and her husband, Dan, work together and have raised their three children. Gilda grows a wide variety of vegetables and berries, and attends farmers’ markets in Long Prairie, Melrose and Sauk Centre. In addition, the couple has a number of sheep and laying chickens, along with some cats, which Gilda says, “just show up.” Having grown up in a large city, Gieske has a unique perspective on her life in the country. We hope you enjoy these photos, accompanied by quotes from Gieske that were gleaned from a visit with her July 9 at the farm.

“I grew up in Cincinnati. I went to Macalester College for a few years for urban planning and then I discovered I really hated urban planning. So, I stayed in St. Paul and met Dan. It’s kind of silly stupid, but I remember sitting in my big high school class doodling and what I really wanted was this farm with these animals, two of these and two of those. I think three species is plenty; I am enjoying this.”

“The se are my hollyhocks. A lot of the se things I grow for e ye candy. Sunflowe rs come up e ve ry ye ar. I le ave the m whe re I want the m and whe re I don’t want the m the y be come a we e d. The de finition of a weed is a plant out of place.”

“These are our winter squash and pumpkins. Back where Dan is mowing is an 1875 log building that we moved from Dan’s home farm. It was originally a granary.”

“A bee lawn is a new thing. Ours started 29 ye ars ago. Some is inte ntional and some just happe ns. We maybe take it a little bit e xtre me with the be e lawn to e ncourage pollinators, but we have all our cherry bushes and plums loaded so we can’t complain.”

“These are garlic scapes and they don’t do anything. Right now, it’s ve ry ‘foodie ’ to have garlic scape s on the me nu. You can pickle or chop the m, or use the m in scramble d eggs, hotdishes and soups.”

“The south e nd is potatoe s that be long to a young frie nd in St. Paul whose maste rs program got close d down be cause of COVID. Instead of doing nothing, he was working with potato farmers in Mexico and Peru. So, he bought 100 pounds of se e d potatoes. I asked him, ‘what are you going to do with 800 pounds of potatoe s?’ Ide alistic young pe ople don’t plan that far ahe ad. The y are e nthusiastic, the y are wonde rful. I love young people. He is 34.”

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Friday, July 17, 2020 - Country Acres • Page 23

COUNTRY COOKING GILDA GIESKE Sauk Centre Todd County

Hopping John • 2 cups dried black-eyed peas (or minced substitute any other beans) • 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice • 1 pound ham hock, or 1/2 pound • 9 cups water bacon or side pork • 1 large onion, chopped • 1 clove garlic, minced • 1 bay leaf • 2 tsp. dried or 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, • 1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper Soak dried peas overnight in 4 cups of water. Drain. If using bacon or side pork, cut into 1 inch pieces and fry until almost crispy. Drain off fat. Or, cut excess fat off ham hock. Combine ham hock or bacon, 5 cups water, onion, garlic, bay leaf and parsley in a 5-6-quart soup pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour. Add soaked, drained black-eyed peas and cayenne pepper. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir in rice and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Remove ham hock, cool, slice meat off the bone and add to peas and rice. Discard bone, fat and bay leaf before serving. Traditionally served in the South on New Year’s Day. Peas for good luck, rice for prosperity, ham for friendship.

Ratatouille • 3-4 Tbsp. olive oil summer squash, thickly sliced • 4 cups onions, coarsely chopped • 3 Tbsp. minced garlic • 3 cups green pepper, cut in 1-inch • 7 cups tomatoes, coarsely chopped pieces • 1/2-1 cup fresh basil, chopped • 2 cups eggplant, cut in cubes • 1-2 tsp. salt, to taste • 6 cups zucchini and/or other • Black pepper to taste Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy 5- to 6-quart pan. Add onions, green peppers and eggplant; stir and sauté 5-10 minutes until softened. Add zucchini or summer squash, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and stir; then tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Stir together well. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer and let stew for at least 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The longer you cook it, the better it tastes! Also good at room temperature. Note: You can use more or less of any of the vegetables, depending on your likes and what you have on hand. To bake: Wash and poke a few holes in the fruit, place on a pan or foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Scrape out meat when cool enough to handle for use in salads and dips. Or peel, cut in slices or strips, baste with oil and bake until lightly browned. Serve with spaghetti or other sauce.

Black Bean Salsa • 3 cloves garlic, minced • 1 1/2 cups onion, diced • 1 pound dry black beans, cooked • 2 cups diced tomatoes and drained (about 4 cups) • 1/4 cup olive oil • 1 can whole kernel corn, drained, • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice or fresh frozen corn (about 1 1/2 • 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced cups) • 1-1/2 to 2 tsp. salt, or to taste • 1 cup green pepper, diced • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. black pepper Mix all together. Serve with tortilla chips or as a salad.

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Golden Cornbread or Muffins (Quaker Oats Co.) • 1 cup yellow cornmeal OR 1 cup • 1/2 tsp. salt Mandan Red cornmeal • 1 egg • 1 cup flour OR 1/2 cup whole wheat • 1 cup milk or water OR 1 cup water flour plus 1/2 cup white flour plus 1/3 cup powdered milk • 2 to 4 Tbsp. sugar, optional • 1/4 cup oil or soft shortening • 4 tsp. baking powder Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sift dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Mix egg, milk and oil together in a small bowl. Beat liquids into dry ingredients until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into a greased 8x8 inch or 9x9 inch pan, or greased or paper-lined muffin pans. Bake at 425 degrees; 20-25 minutes for cornbread, or 1520 minutes for muffins. Remove muffins from their pan, but serve cornbread from its baking pan. Yield: 1 8x8 pan, or 12 muffins Note: Mandan Red corn yields a sweeter, moister (and blue) cornbread than commercial yellow cornmeal.

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• 1 eggplant, poked with a fork and • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced baked until soft • 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil • 1-2 tomatoes, diced • Lemon juice • 1 green pepper, diced • Salt, pepper and sugar to taste • 1 medium sweet onion, diced Cool eggplant until cool enough to handle; cut open and scrape meat out. Chop with a knife or mash. Mix in tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic. Mix/beat in olive oil; season to taste with lemon juice, salt, pepper and sugar. Amounts of vegetables are flexible, depending on your tastes.

Page 24 • Country Acres - Friday, July 17, 2020

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Country Acres - July 17 edition

Articles inside

Glenwood

Animals we love

The ultimate farmers’ market

In Gilda’s Garden

Toe-MAY-toe, toe-MAH-toe

Exploring another world

A treasury of family farms