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www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — MAY 27/JUNE 3, 2022
Haspel’s at-home grocery is entertaining and informative You can absolutely think of “To Boldly You have a lot on your plate. Grow” as a book filled with adventure. “To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, What, with the kids and school, getting Undertaking new endeavors, after all, is not and Dinner in Your Own Backyard” back to normal, pent-up socializing, payalways for the faint of heart — even when ing bills and … yikes, those food prices! by Tamar Haspel those endeavors are as quiet as digging and You’re wondering if maybe it’s time for fishing. c.2022, Putnam that diet you’ve been saying you’ll go on, Consider it, too, as lighthearted reading: $26. or some old-timey recipes from Greatauthor Haspel has a great sense of humor Grandma. Or maybe you should read “To 272 pages mixed with her inner Indiana-Jones-in-theBoldly Grow” by Tamar Haspel and eat a THE BOOKWORM garden; and in that, there’s a lot of goodlittle closer to home. SEZ gardens. This satisfied her for a while natured self-ribbing and an appealing open-mindedShortly after Tamar Haspel married By Terri Schlichenmeyer until she learned about perennial vegetaness for trying new things. But that’s not all. her husband, Kevin, he told her he wantbles, which weren’t necessarily satisfying. There’s seriousness in this book, and a number of ed to plant a garden on the roof of their The couple considered going organic, but pages full of helpful advice. For total novices who Manhattan apartment building. For weeks they the bugs won that battle until chickens arrived at are unsure about raising their own vittles, or for schlepped dirt and colorful containers skyward; and the tiny farm. Eggs were perfect first-hand food. readers who never thought they could grocery shop that summer, they had the best tomatoes Haspel Later, the chickens would be, too — but not until a few feet from their back deck, that’s very tantalizhad ever tasted. after a heartbreaking trial-and-error with fencing. ing information. Consequently, when they bought their house and Haspel learned to trust ice, love fishing, and Whether your tomatoes are starting to bloom, or two acres on Cape Cod some time later, they both embrace the joys of “fishing it forward.” The couple knew that gardening was a for-sure. In fact, Haspel taught themselves to catch lobster, grow mushrooms there are seedlings waiting patiently inside, this is a fun way to pass the time before harvesting it all. suggested, why not try to eat “first-hand food” (dinwith old logs, make their own sea-salt, and to forage Find “To Boldly Grow” and put something different ner they didn’t buy from a store) every day for an in nearby areas with high-level awareness of what on your plate. entire year? was not safely edible. They bought some turkeys The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has and began hunting venison. Immediately, there was a learning curve: they had been reading since she was 3 years old and never to know what kind of soil they had in order to know And then they built their own outdoor oven goes anywhere without a book. She lives in what they could grow. Neighbors helped with that because “There is... a deep-seated satisfaction in Wisconsin with three dogs and 10,000 books. v information and they taught Haspel about cold taking food we harvested, cooking it in an oven we frames, which are often necessary in New England built, and feeding it to people we love.”
Bolks left established church, moved to Orange City FARMHOUSE KITCHEN, from pg. 7
his wife Geertje — who were both nearly 58 years old — to begin all over again. another congregation six miles north at a place No one could have predicted the hardships these called High Prairie. His annual salary from the two early pioneers would face. The Bolks family, along congregations was $650. Many of his parishioners with everyone else, suffered when the locusts came there were dairy farmers or truck gardeners. in 1873. The insects devoured almost every green Nearby Chicago provided an excellent market for and growing plant — whether it be in the field, gartheir produce. den or pasture. Harvest was minimal that fall. In The Bolks family always seemed to be on the spring, when the seed was sown, hopes for a better move. In 1865, they received a call to the Reformed year were soon shattered when the locusts returned. Church in Zeeland, Michigan. After six years of serExtreme deprivation despair set in as all their vice there, he received a call to the new colony that had been formed so far away in Iowa. This would be hard work and dreams were gone. Some did leave … their last move, until God called them to their eter- others stayed. Dominee and Geertje did their best to minister to their flock. Many think this new settlenal home. ment would have failed if it wasn’t for the efforts of Orange City was a new settlement born in 1870. A “Father Bolks” and Henry Hospers, the colony’s Reformed Church had been formally organized on leader. May 6, 1871. On Aug. 21 of that year, the newly Bolks worked tirelessly to encourage during those formed congregation extended a call to Bolks. The desperate days, with his steadfast faith he reminded church history records indicate they didn’t really his flock to look to God. Wherever he was needed, he think he would accept the offer. After all, his church in either walked or rode his horse. During all his years Zeeland was one of the largest churches in Michigan. of ministry, he never took a vacation. He knew every All Orange City had was a small schoolhouse building member of his churches and was well-known in to worship in — and not even a parsonage. nearby settlements such as Alton, Maurice, But Bolks did accept, and in the spring of 1872 he Middleburg, Newkirk and Sioux Center. and his family departed for northwest Iowa to the I wish I knew what words he used to encourage. small town on the prairie. Pioneering was hard So far I haven’t found anything written other than work. It was no easy task for Dominee Bolks and
he preached with great zeal, pounding the pulpit often and hard. When this was brought to his attention, he replied that unless he did so he could not preach. Early in 1878, Dominee Bolks became ill with a lung infection which developed into asthma. By August his health hadn’t returned, so at 64 years old, he resigned as pastor. His faithful helper and counsellor, Geertje passed away on Sept. 10, 1888. She was 74 years old. Seine Bolks lived to be 80 — dying on June 20, 1894. They are both buried in the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City, Iowa. The picture of Bolks I am most familiar with shows a slender man with a white beard and piercing eyes. I can imagine hearing his commanding, pleading voice saying, “He that believeth in the Son, hath everlasting life, and he that obeyeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36 (The majority of this information comes from the paper “Crossing The River With Seine Bolks written by Jan Jongsma ) Renae B. Vander Schaaf is an independent writer, author and speaker. Please contact her at 605-5300017 or agripen@live.com. v
