The holiday season is rich in tradition. So many family Christmas traditions are related to food! We look forward to our annual meals, whether its oyster stew on Christmas Eve or beef tenderloin with Béarnaise sauce with a side of scalloped oysters on Christmas Day.

In response to a post by Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds on Facebook, customers and friends shared with us some of their family’s favorite holiday foods including: potato soup, squash casserole, cheesy creamed corn and spaghetti with homemade sauce. We definitely connote certain foods with special occasions. The taste and smell of certain foods can bring back beautiful memories and help us remember special people.

Dried fruits and nuts reminds me of my late grandma baking stollen on a few occasions while visiting me and my parents. My husband associates the smell of popcorn with his grandmother. Each year Evelyn Latham, wife of company founder Willard Latham, was known for making Christmas special for her 12 grandchildren with homemade popcorn balls and ice cream dessert.

As a family-owned company, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ is rooted in tradition. Right after Thanksgiving we put up the company tree in the lobby of our office, and each employee hangs the ornament with his/her name on it. We also enjoy a holiday potluck, and this potluck is like no other! Of course, we have to find new ways to celebrate Christmas in 2020 due to COVID-19, but we hope the potluck will be able to pick back up next year!

Each year there is such an abundance of food that we set up separate “buffet” tables for desserts, salads and hot dishes including pork loin, meatballs and cheeseburger soup. We were joking (at least I think we were) that it needs to become a two-day affair just so we have a chance to sample it all!

No matter how full we are, we still find room for sweets. Two of the most popular desserts we’ve had are mini Christmas Tree Cakes, which is the perfect size when you just want a little something sweet, and a beautifully decorated Yule Log.

The level of detail put into the frosting “bark” was impressive, and it certainly sparked an interesting dinnertime conversation. Some of our younger team members hadn’t heard of the word, “Yule.” Others weren’t familiar with the term “yule log.” Because I was a little curious about the history of the yule log, I did a little research and decided to share my findings on today’s blog.

“Yule” has several suggested origins, dating back to pagan religious festivals. The Old English word was geõla. The Old Norse word jõl. The Anglo-Saxon word for the Winter Solstice festival was lul, meaning “wheel” since old almanacs represented the Yule with a wheel. An important “turning point” in each year is Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year and also the beginning of more daylight hours.

The Yule Log was originally an entire tree that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony. The largest end of the log was placed into the hearth, while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room and was slowly fed into the fire throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas.

The Yule log tradition had been adapted throughout the years and varies by region. In parts of France, the whole family helps cut the log and a little bit is burned each night. If any of the log is left after Twelfth Night, it is kept safe until the next year. In some parts of Holland, the “leftover” log had to be stored under a bed until the following Winter Solstice. In some eastern European countries, the tree was cut down Christmas Eve morning and lit that evening. In the United Kingdom, the log was dried out and the bark was removed before it was brought into the house for burning.

Now that many homes have central heat, few people have wood-burning fireplaces. I’m guessing the Yule log is one holiday tradition that isn’t widely practiced anymore. After reading about its history, however, I’m inclined to adapt a new tradition for our family. We have a real Christmas tree, which could be chopped up in January and then enjoyed throughout the summer as a campfire. I learned that sprinkling different chemicals on a log will create different colored flames:

In honor of the Yule Log tradition, we are sharing a treasured recipe for the festive sponge cake.

Traveling to the Windy City during the first week of December for the annual Executive Women in Ag (#EWA14) conference is my favorite getaway of the year – and it’s not just because we’re within walking distance of some of the best shopping in America. Honestly, I’ll bet more conference attendees tour the Chicago Board of Trade than visit the Miracle Mile as these female farm leaders are more concerned with financial statements than with fashion statements.

My favorite part of EWA is the opportunity to meet the women who are changing the face of agriculture… Women like April Hemmes, Jennie Schmidt, Nicole Yoder, Sally Hollis and Stephanie Essick.

“Stephanie exemplifies today’s farm mom!” wrote Sally Hollis in her nomination of Stephanie Essick as 2014 Farm Mom of the Year. “We’ve been family friends since birth, and Stephanie’s passion for farming excited me to join our family farm. She shares this passion with her Facebook page called ‘Life on an Iowa Farm’ and on Twitter @IAFarmLife. She educates the public, answers questions, addresses misconceptions from consumers, and shares amazing photos of daily family and farming life.”

A fourth generation farmer from Dickens in Northwest Iowa, Stephanie began farming full-time with her father upon earning her bachelor’s degree in 1999 from Iowa State University in Ag Business. Stephanie is key to her family farm’s success. In addition to managing the technology and doing the farm accounting, she plants and harvests corn and soybeans plus bales hay. Once the fall tillage is complete, Stephanie finalizes her input purchases for the following year’s crop.

“December is busy with bookwork and meetings plus delivering grain and hay,” says Stephanie. “We’re also planning for 2015 by buying inputs such as seed. The calendar fills up fast!”

In addition to being a full time farmer, Stephanie is active in the agriculture community. She is a volunteer spokesperson for CommonGround and communicates online to help others understand the importance of a healthy, abundant food supply. She also serves on the Iowa Soybean Association board of directors and has traveled to Mexico with ISA on a fact finding promotional mission. As a member of an Iowa Corn leadership group called I-Lead, Stephanie traveled to Japan and Taiwan on a market development and fact finding mission.

Stephanie also is involved in her local community. She and her husband chair the fellowship committee for their local church. She also volunteers to help with the Clay County Agricultural Breakfast and with commodity groups’ activities at the Clay County Fair.

“I make time to volunteer because I know how important it is for consumers to understand how their food is raised,” says Stephanie. “I want them to meet farmers like me who are proud of the crops they raise. I also want consumers to know that, just like them, I’m a wife and mother, too.”

Stephanie’s husband, Matt, works full time as an agronomist. Their son, who will turn 8 later this month, wants to grow up and become a farmer like his mom. In honor of his birthday, today Stephanie is sharing the recipe her son requested to take to school as birthday treats. This Iowa farm boy loves his Dirt Cups… with worms. After all, worms are a sign of healthy soils!

Brad and Peggy Greenway from Mitchell, South Dakota, believe it is important to share their family farm story with others.

They both actively talk about how their family farm has changed over the years to provide better care for their pigs. And while they go about it in different ways – Peggy using social media (#RealPigFarming) and Brad speaking in front of numerous groups – their goal is the same: to continue to tell the real story about their family farm.

Peggy enjoys using social media, most often Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to share pictures and information about things that are happening on their farm throughout the year. “Sometimes I share fun photos, but many times I like to explain things, like how we take care of our livestock and land,” said Peggy.

Social media allows Peggy to share with others the many things that happen on the Greenway’s farm every day. From taking care of newly weaned pigs as they come into their barns, vaccinating pigs to prevent diseases, to explaining how they work with a swine nutritionist to make sure their pigs are getting proper nutrition, Peggy shares it all.

Brad, on the other hand, shares their family farm story by speaking to organizations across South Dakota and the nation. He became involved with the Pork Checkoff’s Operation Main Street program in 2004. The program provides public speaking training and coordinates speaking engagements in each participant’s local area and home state.

Locally, Brad has spoken to over 100 groups including civic groups, dietetic and food service associations, county commissioners, zoning boards, and high school careers classes. Nationally, Brad has given pig farming presentations to major grocery retailers and packers and processors. He has also participated in some events where high profile food writers and bloggers were in attendance.

“As someone who has terrible stage fright, I admire Brad’s ability to remain friendly, open and honest with people, even when asked very difficult questions,” said Peggy. “He is passionate about the pork industry and has devoted hundreds of hours over the years to communicate about the exciting improvements we’ve made regard animal care, reducing the use of natural resources and of course about the nutritious and delicious pork all pig farmers provide for consumers.”

Peggy didn’t grow up on a farm and says she had to learn everything from scratch. “We worked extremely hard when we first started farming just to be able to make ends meet. Farming is not a glamorous life. It is filled with long days, a constant battle with weather and prices, and many other variables, too numerous to mention. After 31 years of working hard and embracing changes and improvements in pig farming, I can say we are proud of our farm. Our two modern pig barns help us provide better care for our pigs than ever before. There is an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment in seeing our pigs comfortable every day of the year.”

The Greenway’s own a wean-to-finish pig farm that markets 10,000 pigs annually. They also have 200 beef cows and raise corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa on their family farm in South Dakota.

You can follow Peggy on Twitter @GreenwayPork or on Instagram @PeggyJGreenway. If you’d like to follow more pig farmers, look for #RealPigFarming on your favorite social channel!

Brody Bertram has been known to paddle a canoe to collect garbage from local rivers and answer the call to aid in natural disaster cleanup such as in the case of Hurricane Sandy or forest fires in the west. But he says that, since joining the Franklin County Conservation Board five years ago as a park ranger, serving as leader for the new Outdoor Adventures 4-H Club is one of the most fun volunteer activities he’s undertaken.

“What I enjoy most about members of the Outdoor Adventures Club is how energetic they are,” says Bertram. “These kids have a real desire to learn about so many topics from outdoor survival to campfire cooking.”

The club formed in October 2013 because Flint Hills Resources of Iowa Falls donated $1,000 to start an outdoor recreational club and provide 4-H experiences to kids who might not fall into the more traditional 4-H special interest clubs. There were 12 founding members and the club continues to grow as friends are recruited to join the fun.

“It’s really fun!” says member John Reichenbacher of Hampton. “We’ve learned how to make survival kits and taken really cool field trips.”

It’s easy to see why these kids would enjoy learning from a young conservationists who shares their interest in the great outdoors. Here’s an overview of their club meetings:

Future outings include a canoe or kayak float and an overnight camping trip during which they plant to cook over a campfire. There’s even talk they may sample wild game during hunting season.

We all know deer is abundant in Franklin County, but you may be surprised to learn that bison and ostrich are also produced locally. Mark your calendars for September 28, and get a taste of bison during the 2^nd Annual Fresh on the Farm Event in Franklin County. Host farms include Enchanted Acres, Carlson Tree Farm and Koenigs Acres.

If you’d like to give it a try before then, Allrecipes.com boasts 260 tried and true Wild Game recipes like Venison Chili and Mexican Bison Bake. Today the Outdoor Adventures 4-H Club is sharing a recipe that members hope to try soon. They’ve found a recipe for Campground Eclairs on the Backwoods Bound website. I admit this recipe got my attention, too. After all, it’s not every day one can cook in a clay flower pot!

What’s your most unique recipe? Feel free to post it below or email it to shannonl@lathamseeds.com.

RELATED POSTS:

• Æbelskivers Give 4-H Cooking Club a Taste of County History
• 4-H Competition Promotes Iowa Grown Foods
• “Making History” in Franklin County during June Dairy Month

Guest Blog by Val Plagge
Val is a farmer, wife, mom and volunteer discovering “fields of opportunity” in North Iowa.  She blogs at Corn, ‘Beans, Pigs and Kids.

I have so many great memories from my childhood of having fun with my family from playing in the creek in our backyard, to going to the State Fair, to visiting National Park across the United States.  I want to create some of those great memories for my kids too and that is what I created a Family Summer Bucket List.

One item we have on our Bucket List is to go on an Iowa Ice Cream Road Trip during the month of June in honor of National Dairy Month, by visiting an ice cream destination each week.  During Week 1 we stopped at one of our all-time favorite summer ice cream stands, The Whippy Dip in Decorah.  The Whippy Dip is a seasonal walk-up stand that serves creamy and rich soft serve ice cream, along with a lunch and snack menu.  A neat side note is that The Whippy Dip sources its milk from a local dairy.  You wouldn’t expect anything different in Iowa’s dairy country!

The Whippy Dip keeps its ice cream simple by offering only vanilla and chocolate flavors and then letting you make your dish unique by providing many mix-ins.  I personally always go for a Cookie Dough Tornado with chocolate ice cream (think Dairy Queen’s Blizzard – but better!).  They double layer the delicious chocolate soft serve with real cookie dough (not the cookie dough balls found at other ice cream places.  I’m talking about a scoopful of real cookie dough so you can have some in every bite) and mix it up.  Then they add a little extra cookie dough on top!

During Week 2 we visited Hansen’s Farm Fresh Dairy outside of Hudson.  We thought it would be good to have a first-hand look at the process and story behind our ice cream.  Hansen’s Farm has been in Iowa for around 150 years and currently the 6th generation owns and operates the farm, with the 7th generation growing up and living on the farm.  Twelve years ago when 5th generation owners and operators, Jay and Jeanne Hansen, saw that four of their children wanted to come back to the farm they knew they needed a way to add value to their family dairy farm, so the 6th generation that wanted to come back to the farm could, and that is how the on-farm creamery began.  In November of 2002 construction began on the creamery and in February of 2004 the creamery produced its first gallon of milk.

Hansen’s Dairy sells a variety of products including milk, cheese curds, butter and over 30 flavors of ice cream!  What we love about their ice cream is that it’s very rich and thick.  You can buy Hansen’s Dairy products (including their delicious ice cream) at many locations across the Northeast quadrant of Iowa, or if you are ever in the Waterloo area I recommend you going to their Moo Roo ice cream store or their Dairy Outlet store, or head out to the actual Dairy Farm.  They have products available at their tour center.

And today during Week 3 of our Iowa Ice Cream Road Trip we are heading to the ultimate ice cream destination, “The Ice Cream Capital of the World” Le Mars, Iowa, for Ice Cream Days.  We are excited to see everything Blue Bunny and of course have some delicious ice cream!

So if this hasn’t made you crave ice cream yet, maybe this will, my family’s Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream recipe!

Serving up a ham, turkey breast or sweet potatoes this holiday weekend? It pairs nicely with award-winning Gandy Dancer, says winemaker Steve Larson of Train Wreck Winery.

Of course, a winemaker might be a bit biased. But you don’t just have to take Steve’s word for it! Wine enthusiasts from across the world last month voted Gandy Dancer as a top wine at the Consumer Wine Awards in Lodi, California.

Gandy Dancer, a semi-sweet white wine made with Seyval Blanc grapes with notes of pineapple and stone fruit, brought home the bronze from The Consumer Wine Awards showcase. The Gold Medal from this competition also went to Train Wreck Winery for its Orphan Train, a semi-sweet blush wine made from Frontenac Gris (prounced “gree”).

“We’re really breaking new ground within the Iowa wine industry,” explains Steve. “Grapes like Cabernet have been used for thousands of years to make wine. But grapes like Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay die at 3°F. That’s why Iowa wineries, including Train Wreck, make wines from hybrid grapes that can grow here. We’re making wine using grapes varieties that are just 5, 10, or 15 years old. As a result, our customers have access to new, exciting wines they can’t get in other regions.”

Just yesterday it was announced that Orphan Train won gold at the World Wine Championships for 2014 Best Iowa Rosé Wine. It earned an “exceptional” rating with 90 points. This wine is described as “aromas of warm apricot compote and buttery pralines with a silky, fruity medium-to-full body and a tangy sour cherry and blood orange accented finish. A delicious, appetizing rosé that dances to its own beat.” If that doesn’t make you want a drum, what will?

Orphan Train also earned a Silver Medal and Caboose earned a Bronze Medal just a few weeks ago during the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition in upstate New York where 75 of the world’s top judges from 20 countries reviewed 3,756 entries.

“Train Wreck Winery has gone up against a lot of well-known and amazing wineries this year at several major competitions,” says Steve. “Competitions are important to us because they provide objective evaluations, and we need that because it’s easy for us to like what we’ve created. It’s more important that our wines appeal to consumers’ palettes.”

Yesterday I had the pleasure of sitting down with Steve and his wife, Jean, inside their cozy tasting room, which is fittingly located in the historic Chicago North Western Railroad Station in Algona, Iowa. The depot’s original terrazzo flooring and oak woodwork have been restored to their natural brilliance. Algona High School art teacher Tong-Uk Yi painted two murals inside the building, depicting the importance of the early rail lines. Sheila Bennett of Ottosen made beautiful stained-glass windows with a grapevine design.

Although it appears there was a grand plan to theme the vineyard and tasting room around the railroad, Steve says serendipity really played a larger role. Steve’s son-in-law, Dallas Clark, had purchased his family’s Century farm in 2006 and was looking for a way to add value. Dallas researched grapes and planted a 1.5-acre vineyard in 2008. A natural outgrowth of that was to make the grapes into wine. Because the vineyard is adjacent to the site of a famous train wreck on the old Minneapolis-St. Louis Rail Line, they decided to name their winery Train Wreck.

In January 2005, Dallas saw the decrepit state of the old train depot in Algona. Windows were broken and pigeons were nesting inside. He purchased the property and work began to preserve the community’s historical landmark. Meanwhile, thoughts were underway to build a winery on the farm. In early 2011, the family decided to establish the winery – in the interim – at the depot. Finishing touches were made to the structure, and the winery opened December 20, 2011. The depot worked so well that thoughts were abandoned to build a winery in the country.

Growing up on an Iowa family farm certainly helped prepare them for this 24/7 labor of love, say Steve and Jean. Other life experiences helped prepare them, as well. While Steve’s Army Reserve unit was stationed in Germany, he enjoyed small-town wine festivals. It inspired him to begin making his own wine from kits.

After returning from a tour of duty in Iraq, Steve used the GI bill to take wine making classes at Des Moines Area Community College. He was fortunate that Snus Hill Winery opened its doors to DMACC students, so he was able to gain some real-life tasting room experience there. He also had the opportunity to learn how to care for mature vines from Wilbert and Martha Rittmueller at Lavendar Crest Winery.

Outside the vineyard and winery, the Larsons enjoy spending time with their family. Their oldest son, Eric, is Train Wreck’s distributor for Central Iowa. He and his wife, Becky, have an 18-month old son.  Their youngest son, Jeff, is a deputy for Dallas County. He and his wife, Shaunna, have a six-month-old son. Their daughter, Karen, and Dallas have 2 boys, ages 5 and 3.

When families get together or large groups gather, you can bet the Larson will be serving up Train Wreck. They also host “Sangria Saturday” in the depot.  You also can enjoy sangria from the comfort of your own home, or make a batch to share at  summer picnics. The longer sangria sits, the better it gets! Sangria is easy to make, and it’s even appealing to those who “really aren’t that into wine.” Special thanks to the Larsons for sharing their sangria recipe with us on TheFieldPosition!