Nothing compares to tomatoes or watermelon ripened on the vine. Baked apples and pumpkin butter taste better when made from scratch, using locally grown products. Fresh baked bread, rolls and muffins don’t even need butter to make them taste better.

Get a taste of wholesome goodness for yourself! Franklin County Iowa is hosting its 2^nd Annual Fresh on the Farm event, Sunday, Sept. 28, from noon to 6 PM. Sample homegrown foods as you ramble across the county side, stopping at these three host farms: Enchanted Acres, Carlson Learning Tree Lodge and Koenigs Acres.

“Fresh on the Farm is a series of free, on- farm tours that provide the public an opportunity to meet local farmers, learn about their farms, sample the foods they grow and purchase their products,” says Jan Libby, coordinator, Healthy Harvest of North Iowa. “Each farm will have products for sale, so visitors are encouraged to pack a cooler and shop along the route.”

Consumers are invited to shop the route in any order they please as this is a “come and go” event. Each host site will feature additional local producers:

1. 1. Carlson Tree Farm, 867 130th Street, Hampton. Dennis and Cathy Carlson owners.Sample and buy fresh chickens, eggs, aronia berries, grilled goat and bison meat. Try whole wheat buns and flour made from Carlson’s homegrown wheat. Talk to an ostrich grower about how healthy the meat is. Buy and sample fresh in season vegetables and fruit with another local grower. Ask about their CSA gardens. View the tree farm and Learning Tree Lodge. There will baby goats for the kids to pet and whether goats for sale. Be sure to buy Cathy’s fresh, delicious sugar cookies!
   2. Enchanted Acres, 1017 250th Street, Sheffield. Shannon Latham, owner.Enchanted Acres creates magical experiences for the whole family! Enjoy our entertaining goats, rabbits and chickens. Our playground offers endless entertainment. Crunch through the leaves as you walk through trails in our woods. Most of all, be sure to pick your own pumpkins! More than 30 varieties of specialty pumpkins were planted this spring. Pumpkin decorating classes will be offered. Plus, winemakers from Train Wreck Winery will be on hand to offer samples. We’ll also be featuring HenCliff Honey. You’ll have the opportunity to sample and buy bread, dip mixes, homemade jams plus fresh pumpkin butter and apple butter. We’ll also offer an array of fresh produce for sale including apples, spaghetti squash and various baking squashes. Be sure to reserve your locally farm-raised chickens, which will be ready in about 4 weeks.
   3. Koenig’s Acres, 1510 110th Street, Hampton. Matt and Karen Koenig, owners.Check out what Matt intends to raise in the stock tanks. Find out which farmers markets Karen attends. Tour the gardens and sample the Koenigs’ produce. Townsend Winery will also be on-site with samples and wine to purchase. Emily Pfaltzgraf will have bison meat to sample and buy. There will also be fresh chickens, honey, jam, and in-season produce for sale. Be sure to ask about Karen’s CSA and how you can be part of it!

“Fresh on the Farm in Franklin County” is sponsored in part by Healthy Harvest of North Iowa, Iowa State University Extension and Franklin County Tourism.

After eating your way around the county and buying fresh produce, you might be feeling adventurous enough to try some new recipes. My new favorite lunch recipe is the Apple Orchard Panini from the Iowa Girl Eats blog. I make it with my homemade apple butter and top it with Provolone since there’s not a Trader Joe’s nearby.

This fall I’m planning to make Crockpot Pumpkin Chili. I’m intrigued by this recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna, but I’m not sure my kids will actually eat it. (Guess there’s only one way to find out!) Donna Aldinger’s Squash & Sausage Soup is another favorite dish for this time of year. Plus, Katie Olthoff’s Lemon Garlic Turkey Rotini with Zucchini is fun to say and equally fitting for the fall season!

Today I’m going to share with you another fittingly fall, one-dish recipe that my friend Sue made when we visited her family. (She served it with the best Wheat Blueberry Bread.) What’s your favorite way to enjoy fall flavors? I’d love it if you’d share a recipe with me, too!

Starry filled nighttime skies. Wide open spaces to roam. The feel of the sun shining on your face. The smell of harvest in the air…

These are the reasons most farmers enjoy living in rural areas, making a living doing what they love. It’s why Ian Pitzenberger desired to farm. It’s also why he and his wife, Melissa, feel blessed to raise their family on a farm. They’re enjoying keeping farming traditions, while giving their own farm a “flavor” of its own.

Ian has “officially” been raising seed beans for Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds since 2004, but he actually grew up helping his dad raise them on the Tyden No. 6 Farm in Dougherty, Iowa. Aftergraduating in 1999 from Greene High School, Ian attended Kirkwood Community College for two years and then transferred to Iowa State University where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree. He then took a full-time job at a local co-op for a year until he had the opportunity to rent a farm. Today Ian and Melissa farm with Ian’s parents, Ted and Judy Pitzenberger, and Ian’s brother Phil and his wife, Lyndsie.

“My dad is the glue of the operation; he keeps all of us together and running. Phil takes care of the business side. He’s the number cruncher and keeps our profits in the green. I’m the “service manager.” I keep the equipment running as efficiently as possible,” says Ian.

In addition to raising row crops, this year Ian and his son started keeping bees and producing honey. They wanted to diversify their operation, as well as help the environment since there has been so much talk about bees disappearing.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for our children to learn responsibility and to make some money at the same time,” says Ian. “I also wanted a chance to help make a difference. Without bees, there is no pollination. Without pollination, plants die.”

Another advantage of keeping bees is that it’s relatively inexpensive to start plus the turnaround time is relatively low. The Pitzenbergers harvested their first honey within two months. After collecting the combs, they extract the honey and run it through a screen to remove wax and particulates. Then it’s bottled – raw.

“We don’t use any heat in the process because heat destroys all the vital ingredients that give honey its healthful properties,” says Ian, who keeps the bees on the farm where his mother was raised by her parents, Henrietta and Clifford. To honor his maternal grandparents, the product is labeled HenCliff Honey. This first season has definitely been a learning experience, but it’s been a good experience.

“With any job or hobby, there are several ups and downs,” says Ian. “In the end, beekeeping is worth it because it does so much good for the environment and it results in healthy products.”

Honey is extremely versatile, from the medicine cabinet and bathroom vanity to the gym bag and kitchen cupboard. Honey attracts and retains moisture, so it’s used in many beauty and healthcare products. With approximately 17 grams of carbohydrates per tablespoon, honey is an effective and all-natural energy booster. It’s also a natural cough suppressant, helping soothe and relieve irritation from coughing.

To purchase your own bottle of HenCliff Honey, participate in the 2^nd Annual Franklin County (Iowa) Farm Crawl. This event will be held on Sunday, Sept. 28, from noon to 6 PM. Three local farms will participate, and each farm will host other local farmers, who will offer samples of everything from grilled goat and ostrich to aronia berries and local wine. HenCliff Honey will be available for purchase at Enchanted Acres pumpkin patch, 1071 250^th Street, Sheffield, Iowa.

Buy a bottle and celebrate National Honey Month at home! Ian says his favorite way to enjoy honey is with toast and peanut butter because it’s simply delicious. In honor of September National Honey Month, the National Honey Board is sharing recipes for everything from simple After School Snacks to gourmet entrees like Orange Blossom Honey-Seared Halibut.

Because I enjoy making quick breads – and I have a passion for all things pumpkin – I’m looking forward to baking up a patch of this Pumpkin Honey Bread. What’s your favorite way to enjoy honey?

It’s common for local farmers to come together at harvest time and help out their neighbors in need. What makes a group of Scout County farmers unique is that they come together each fall and combine for the benefit of farmers across the globe.

Bob Braden heard about Foods Resource Bank (FRB), a non-governmental humanitarian organization committed to providing food security in developing nations through sustainable small-scale agriculture production projects.

Feeling called to make a difference, Bob passed along the information to the congregation at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Long Grove. He felt God nudge again, so Braden talked with more members of the community whom he thought might feel the same way. A committee was formed, and together they started a growing project called “Hearts to Harvest.” Today 10 committee members participate from both St. Ann’s and Faith Lutheran Church in Eldridge.

Hearts of Harvest consists of 40 acres, which produces a crop of both corn and soybeans each year. All proceeds from the crops go to projects that help poverty-stricken families in third world countries feed themselves with assistance from the FRB. The FRB assists with everything from providing seed for community gardens and getting farmers the tools needed to installing drip irrigation.

“Despite the challenges we might face, our growing project has had tremendous success,” says Braden, president of the Hearts to Harvest LLC. “We feel a sense of achievement working together to achieve a common goal of helping hungry people in developing world have the dignity and pride that comes with feeding themselves.”

“We’ve been truly blessed with such by such a caring and giving community,” adds committee member and Latham® seed dealer David Boeding. “We would like to thank everyone for your past support and prayers. So many companies and individuals come together to support our annual project.”

You can help, too! Simply donate $25 to sponsor one row of corn, which will help since Hearts to Harvest rents a 40-acre parcel to provide funds for the FRB.

Each year after harvest, members of the Hearts for Harvest board gather to choose the sustainable projects to which they’ll donate. Past Hearts for Harvest-sponsored projects have included:

In honor of the work done in the developing world by Foods Resource Bank, today we’re sharing a traditional Tanzanian recipe for Braised Cabbage. Visit your local Farmers Market and gather the ingredients needed to try this at home!

“Kickoff” is a sure sign that seasons are changing. Our annual Latham® dealer kickoff meeting marks the beginning of a new sales season. And our annual Latham tailgate marks the beginning of a new football season – including another season of the Latham Locker Room Show.

The Latham Locker Room Show airs during every football broadcast on the statewide Cyclone Radio Network. This segment airs following the play-by-play and includes exclusive “locker room” interviews with players and coaches. We’d like to invite you to listen along as you’re tailgating in the parking lot, driving home from the game or bringing in #crop14.

Just as we enjoy a friendly rivalry when Iowa State takes on Iowa, there is sure to be a fair amount of smack talk when Latham customers from North Dakota Roll into Ames this weekend,” says John Latham, company president and ISU alum.

The Bison may be the three-time defending national champions, but the Cyclones will have the home field advantage. Iowa State’s top tight end, E.J. Bibbs, is generating lots of attention already. Although this ISU senior had a breakout season in 2013, Iowa State Head Coach Paul Rhoads says his team’s offense won’t revolve around one player this season.

“It takes a good offense and a good offense to win on the grid iron – or in a farm field,” agrees John Latham. “I’m really excited about the talent ISU has and am looking forward to seeing the new defense come together. I’m equally excited about our new offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mark Mangino. I know our team will be prepared to do battle.”

To help you prepare for the new season, we’re sharing a recipe for Pizza Snacks from the new Let’s Cook cookbook featuring “Iowa Girl Eats” blogger and host of “Join My Journey”, Kristen Porter. We know that large quantities of good food are key to hosting a successful tailgate, so we’re also including links below to some of our most popular tailgating recipes.

Get into the spirit and bring home the “W” with Team Latham!

Top Tailgating Recipes

• • Tailgating Tips
  • Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip
  • Pulled Pork
  • Tailgating Eggs
  • Build Your Own Burger

I’ve attended the Iowa State Fair for about 30 years, and I’m “amazing amused” to discover new sites on the grounds and new foods to try. (Side bar: The Smoked Brisket and Bacon Mac n’ Cheese gets my vote in the 2014 New Foods Contest although I found the Bauders Brownie Blitz to be a delectable, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.)

I’m also still learning life lessons. It may sound cliché that youth gain valuable skills as members of 4-H or the FFA, but now that I’m a 4-H mom, I realize that I’m gaining a whole new set of life skills! I was reminded of this fact yesterday when I found myself pacing as our daughter showed her meat goats.

It was Ellie’s first year in the big ring and a ring that size – filled with the top stock from across the state – can be intimidating. I need to appreciate the fact that it took a great deal of courage for my self-conscious girl to come to the state fair when she didn’t know another 4-H member in her project area. I also need to remember that many families in the ring have a show stock legacy, and competing is something they enjoy doing as a family.

Yesterday I found myself wanting my daughter to desire to create a legacy. I wasn’t content with having her just show up… I wanted her to show! I wanted her to show her goats with heart – the way I used to show my lambs at the state fair.

And I wanted her to desire to win a purple ribbon. That means she would need to really work with her goats, training them to lead with a collar instead of a halter and helping them develop their natural potential as performance stock. It’s like the difference between an athlete playing sports at the high school level verses the college level or even training for the Olympics. Raising show stock requires a different diet and an actual training regime.

Fact is, my daughter loves her goats… as pets. She has spent hours in their pen, playing with them and talking to them. Through her 4-H Goat Project, she’s learned to be responsible and do her chores daily. She understands the importance of good health and nutrition. She knows these wethers’ purpose in life is to become meat for someone’s table. We’ve had discussions that our job is to take the best possible care of them so they make high quality meat, but this doesn’t make the reality of the situation any better.

Now that the show is over, we must say goodbye to our beloved Immanuel and Cupid. They have the sweetest personalities, and we’ve had so many fun hours together. (I find myself holding back tears even as I write about them.) I believe it’s important for kids to know how food is grown, but I’ll confess that we aren’t going to put these goats in our freezer.

Next year we’ll probably just show does, or females, at our county fair. Then we’ll bring them home and add them to our tribe, or group of goats. Showing breeding goats at the county fair is a better fit for my daughter’s interests. Her real passion is showing horses. I’m going to accept that but… I still have hopes of her someday winning a purple ribbon at the Iowa State Fair with her new horse! After all, I’m a show mom. 🙂

In celebration of the Iowa State Fair, today I’m sharing another recipe from the Let’s Cook cookbook that features Iowa Girl Eats blogger Kristen Porter. You can get your own autographed copy tomorrow, Aug. 16, between 10 am and noon at the Iowa Food and Family Project exhibit, located inside the south atrium of the Varied Industries Building.