Month: December 2018

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Grain Place Farm Welcomes New Farmers

The past three years have seen us struggle to find the right person(s) to carry on the farming at the Grain Place.  Thanks to the efforts of volunteers we have managed to keep the farm going through several changes of personnel.  We think we finally have the right folks in place stabilize farming operations and enable us to enhance our legacy as a pioneering organic farm.

We have a new resident farm family living in the farm house! Raymond and Kathryn Hain moved in on October 28, and Raymond began as Farm Manager on November 1. They are both native Nebraskans, with a wealth of experience and education. Raymond farmed his parent’s family farm in east central Nebraska for several years before he and Kathryn served in Jerusalem as missionaries. Kathryn recently completed a PhD in History at the University of Utah.

We are also pleased to welcome Travis Stumpf to the Grain Place farm team! Travis attended the Farm Tour Day in July and then began coming over from his home in Doniphan, NE to help out.  He became a full-time employee this fall. We are grateful to have his passion for regenerative agriculture, his desire to learn and youthful energy.

 

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July 13 Farm Tour Welcome Bob Quinn and Liz Carlisle

We are pleased to announce that our 2019 Farm Tour will be Saturday, July 13, at the Grain Place Farm in Marquette, Nebraska. Our afternoon keynote speaker will be Bob Quinn, organic farmer, businessman and author of the upcoming book Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food.

In Grain by Grain, Quinn and Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground, show how his story can become the future of American agriculture. Quinn not only created successful, sustainable farming businesses, he demonstrated that healthy food depends on healthy soil – and healthy seeds. With more and more people complaining of gluten sensitivity, scientists have found that while cheap modern wheat increases inflammation in the human body, ancient varieties like the one Quinn produces actually lower it.

When Quinn stopped growing food on the cheap, he discovered a whole new kind of value. By combining age-old practices like cover cropping and crop rotation with modern science, he was able to return health to his land, customers, and even to his hometown through local jobs. Quinn shows us that we don’t have to accept stagnating rural communities, degraded soil, or poor health. By following his example, we can grow a healthy future, grain by grain.

Our annual Grain Place Farm Tour & Field Day gives guests an opportunity to tour the farm and grain processing plant in the morning, join us for an afternoon program with keynote speaker Bob Quinn and Liz Carlisle, plus a lunch of organic food on the farm. The tour and keynote are free, and lunch tickets will be available for sale ahead of time. Come for all or part of the day!

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Cookie Recipes from Farm Tour 2018

Just in time for holiday baking, we’re glad to share two of Glenda’s cookie recipes! If you were at Farm Tour 2018, these are the homemade treats she shared with us there (using organic grain from Grain Place Foods, of course!)

We hope you can enjoy making and sharing some of these cookies, too. Download a printable version here.

GINGER CRINKLES

  • 2/3 cup oil
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 4 tablespoons molasses
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger

Mix oil and sugar thoroughly.  Add egg, beat well.  Stir in molasses.  Mix dry ingredients and add.  Mix well.   Drop by teaspoon full in sugar and form into balls coated with sugar.   Place on ungreased baking sheet three inches apart.   Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 350.  Remove to wire rack.  Cookies will flatten and crinkle.

ROLLED OAT RAISIN COOKIES

  • 3 eggs well beaten
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup shortening  (or lard rendered from Grain Place hogs)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon molasses
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves                             
  • 2 cups rolled oats               

Combine eggs, raisins and vanilla and let stand 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Cream sugar and shortening. Mix in molasses, then add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in raisin mixture plus rolled oats. Place by teaspoon-full on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake a 350 for 10-12 minutes.