People in my family are pretty private, so I doubt I could ever get any of them to make a video promoting their farm.  But if you wonder what the farm where we get our pork and milk and a lot of other food from is like, here’s a family farm that’s a lot like it.  Same breed of cows, and even the Oliver tractor looks familiar.  Same problem, too, of trying to make a living when the farmer’s share of the consumer’s dollar keeps shrinking.  We’ve even talked about making cheese, but as you can probably tell by the video, that’s not a simple or cheap endeavor, especially with all the regulations these days.

They’ve got a really nice website too: Laurel Valley Creamery.

From Grass to Cheese: The Nolan Family Farm from Milk Products on Vimeo.

Well, the Adams County Fair starts today.  Some of my family are probably there right now, unloading dairy cows and getting them bedded down.  Thursdays are usually pretty quiet, since there isn’t much going on except the queen contest.

Read more »

Well, the vigil, funeral, and luncheon were all very nice. I recognize most of the people in Angel’s family by now (even if I can’t always put names to them or place them in the family tree), so I could tell a lot of friends other than family came to pay their respects. There was a chilly breeze, but the sun came out and gave us a nice day for it. I was heartened to see that most people in Quincy still pull over and stop when a funeral procession is going the other way. The ladies at St. Anthony’s put on a great lunch; I was even able to get my fill without going overboard on the carbs. Read more »

I don’t remember exactly when I first met my grandmother-in-law; probably about two years ago.  You never know what you’re getting into when you start meeting your intended’s family, but I remember the feeling of relief: “Wow, she’s great; one more mark in the ‘pro’ column.”  I don’t know a lot about her younger years, but in the time I knew her, she was one of those women who loved to cook for the men in her family and watch them stuff themselves.  I was sorry I couldn’t oblige her by scarfing down her pies and potato dishes, because she clearly would have loved it.  I did my best with what I could eat, though, and she tried to accommodate my diet as best she could. Read more »

I love the nuts in the shell that the stores start putting out this time of year. Some places have them year round now, but I like to save them for winter like we did when I was a kid. Since they’re still in the shell, they’re about as fresh as can be, and not roasted in nasty hydrogenated oil or coated with sugar or any of that nonsense. The pecans at County Market are even fairly local, coming from somewhere in Missouri. Cracking them open slows me down, so I can’t gorge myself on them until I’m sick like I can with canned nuts.

The only downside is the nutshells. It’s impossible to crack these things without pieces of shell occasionally flying away. It’s just a given that we’re going to sweep some up this time of year, and eating them in bed is a very bad idea. They’re worth putting up with the shells, though. I like them all, even the Brazil nuts, which can be a bear to crack open. Sort of takes me back to those childhood Christmas mornings when we woke up to find presents under the tree—and nuts, malted milk balls, hard candy, and my mom’s peanut brittle in bowls on the table. I can’t really eat the other stuff now, but I can still have the nuts. They were always my favorite anyway.

To me, the best tasting ones are black walnuts, which we harvest at least every other year, but for those you need more than a standard one-handed nutcracker. For those, you need a hammer, a brick, or an industrial-sized cracker. Then the pieces of shell are really flying. They sure taste great, though, and they’re full of nutrition. I need to try to work some into a low-carb cheesecake somehow; that’s sounding very good right now.