Field Tripping to Cache Valley’s Gardners' Market

The Gardeners' Market in Cache Valley has been going on for as long as I can remember. But this year is the first time I didn't just drive by. I wanted to experience the cultural event first hand and learn about the community's summer weekly event, but it was nothing I expected it would be. 
Something I didn’t expect from the Gardeners' Market in Cache Valley was more craft booths than produce. But as my wife, daughter, and I explored the local vendors' goods, we came to find good, wholesome, natural items being sold by everyone who participated. From spinning wool into beautiful, fluffy scarves, to homemade, sugar-free jam, natural honey, flower stands, gluten and dairy free mixes, and quilts made in the old fashioned tying style, the Gardeners' Market is a one-stop shop for those looking for local, natural goods. 

Going blindly into my first garden market was a bit overwhelming and, at first, a bit disappointing not seeing as many produce stands. But as the morning wore on, I found myself enjoying the music, sights, and smells that awaited me around every corner. The smells of love grown flowers, fresh, natural honey, rosemary, mint, and cherries; the sights of beautiful quilts, masterfully crafted wooden cutting boards, rolling pins, and chess boards; all narrated by acoustic guitars and country vocalists made for a great atmosphere for families and friends to enjoy Saturday together. 
We ended up buying products from three booths which I will highlight and post pictures of below. The first booth we stopped by was a local jam maker. Jams that were for sale were sugarless or small amounts of sugar added, locally grown berries and fruits used (except for the fruit that is only found in certain climates), and free samples were provided. I did ask the seller if they were the ones who make the jam and only one of the two participated in the production process. The actual producer was ill but does usually attend the market.

Butcher's Bunches Raspberry Jam

The next booth we purchased goods from was Vivian's Live Again products. Local entrepreneur, Vivian, has found her niche in the gluten free and dairy free market by making muffin mixes, soup, dip, gravy, and pudding mixes for those with gluten and lactose intolerances. What is even more awesome about her products is she was able to get Lee's Marketplace to sell her goods as well. 

Vivian and Daughter

Vivian's Live Again Products

The last booth we visited was a quilting and craft booth. Quilts always catch my eye because my grandmother used to make quilts. I surely admire the work that goes into quilts; they are masterpieces. 

Tammy Macdonald

Tammy also makes animal-themed purses, stuffed animals, and rice bags. 

Though her goods may not be food themed, she and her husband are currently raising goats. Tammy also uses her own herbs in her rice bags. The bag pictured above has homegrown spearmint. 

After visiting the Gardeners' Market I decided to learn more about the specific rules and regulations about the weekly gathering from their website. Their mission statement reflects values I would expect a local event such as this to have. They sell "fresh and local" produce, artisan foods, and crafts. The ways they work to follow their mission statement are: fostering "commercial and educational relationships between our vendors and city-dwellers"; serving "as a small business incubator for local Small family Farms, artisan food producers, and craft artisans"; and by enhancing "the region's quality of life by encouraging environmentally sound agriculture and access to local, healthier foods." Looking around at each boot, and speaking with a few vendors, I truly believe these ideals are met and maintained by all those who participate. I will definitely visit again. Being able to have food and events this close to home that have our community's well being in mind is refreshing. This event has not only changed my culture and my family's, but the community's as well. I am grateful I had the opportunity to go and learn about what Cache Valley has to offer. 

http://gardenersmarket.org/

Dairy Cattle: A Waechtler Farming Heritage

"Before we moved into the city and were able to own more cattle, we would hook the cows up to our milking machines," my dad tells me as we converse on the phone, "when we moved into the city we had to reduce the number of cattle we housed, so we started milking the six cows we owned by hand." Traditionally, in Germany, my great-grandparents on my dad's side would milk their cows by hand. They taught my grandpa Waechtler to milk by hand and he taught my dad and his siblings, seven total, how to milk by hand as well. I remember my dad telling us while we were growing up in Magna how he used to shoot cow’s milk into the farm cat's mouths at 4:30 in the morning when he would milk the cows on their Hyrum property. 

Though we grew up in a small town near West Valley City, Utah we didn't own cattle. Some would probably say that we were privileged to grow up in a town where we didn't have to worry about feedings at 4:00 in the morning, or having rough hands from milking cattle, or living in a place where we had every convenience and opportunity given to us; but I envy those who were one with the earth and earned everything they had. 

The conversation with my dad today, that is folklore right there. Memories passed on through oral tradition have carried on to me from my dad who got his them from his dad and so on. I hope to share these memories with my children when they are old enough to understand what it took for my ancestors to get to where they are today. And who knows, maybe someday I will be able to learn to milk cows from my dad.

Urban Farming and S.B. 122

State Bill 122 Urban Farming Assessment Act states that "this bill provides that land in a county of the first class that is used for urban farming may be assessed based on its value for agricultural purposes" which brought to mind the Green Bronx Machine project by Bronx 6th grade teacher Stephen Ritz. Utilization of local land in a positive way should be the goal of every community, especially use of land that has been abandoned and unusable for other industries. I fully support legislative acts such as these to be presented not only statewide but nationwide as well. 

In my hometown, Magna, I remember walking down 8400 West and seeing fields instead of buildings, small offices rather than corporations, and cattle housed in nearby farms. As the years have quickly passed by I have seen the landscape slowly change from farmland to houses, shopping centers, and business offices. But amongst all the growth there have been many abandoned lots that sit unused. 

There is an abandoned parking lot about two miles from my parent's house  in south Magna that has been sitting for many years. The company that owns the lot laid off many employees and never got back up to the status they once were as a business in our community; the parking lot has been left untouched ever since. I often wonder if the lot will ever see use again and hope, every time I drive by the lot, that it will come to some better use than sitting and waiting to decay.

I know in the LDS faith self-sufficiency and preparedness go hand in hand. Food storage is built, thrift stores and storehouses are utilized, not only by the members of the faith but the community as well, and gardens are cultivated by volunteers who want to know more about gardening and producing their own crops. This is a great use of old land. The Bishop Storehouse in Magna has a garden on the same property where people can volunteer and help the community prosper through growing fresh, local produce. 

I love the Green Bronx Machine!!! I think the project is a wonderful idea and would help so many communities not only in the United States but around the world. The project has definitely inspired me to be creative in growing crops in our tiny townhome in Logan.

Maybe one day we can all have housetop gardens that we can share with our communities, families, and friends.

http://www.le.state.ut.us/~2012/bills/static/SB0122.html

http://greenbronxmachine.org/

Sugar, Spice, and Natural Flavor? The Unidentifiable Labels of Processed Food

Sugar, Spices, Natural Flavor? 

What is an ingredient, and how do they affect the food we eat?

Ingredients are generally added by the manufacturer of a product for preservation, color, texture, and taste. Most foods in grocery stores are all processed and may have adverse reactions to the community who purchases their products. 

Why even look up ingredients?

Knowing what we eat is the first step to living healthfully. Looking up the definitions to ingredients in the food we eat will help us be more aware of what we put into our bodies. I like going all natural, finding natural food products, or growing them myself makes me feel healthier and more energetic than genetically modified organisms. 

Ingredient (n): something that enters into a compound or is a component part of any combination or mixture. 

I am a word nerd. So I naturally look up words on food labels I don't fully understand. Sure there are some that I kinda sorta know what the mile long words mean, but if I am just a little doubtful of my knowledge of the word, to my dictionary I go. I learned a lot of fascinating things about Jennie-O's Turkey Burgers as I read the ingredients list on their website. I found Jennie-O's burger patties are not what I thought they were. Just goes to show that with a little bit of research we can all live slightly healthier lives. 

The list of definitions below, fifteen to be exact, are all ingredients in Jennie-O's "Original" turkey burger patties sold in retail stores. These fifteen definitions are all ingredients that I knew little to nothing about their composition or function in regards to the turkey burgers. Tracing the roots of a food product made by a corporation is pretty much looking for a needle in a haystack, damn near impossible. So, instead, I decided to learn about ingredients, yay. 

See website for definition Yeast Extract: http://www.yeastextract.info/faq.

Dextrose (n): a kind of sugar found in fruits, plants, etc. : a form of glucose.

Maltodextrin: any of various carbohydrates derived from the partial hydrolysis of starch (as of corn or potatoes) and used in prepared foods especially as a filler and to enhance texture and flavor.

Worcestershire Sauce: a fermented liquid condiment. See link for ingredients: http://www.wired.com/2010/05/st_whatsinside_worcestershire/

Molasses (n): a thick, brown, sweet liquid that is made from raw sugar.

Corn Syrup (n): a syrup containing dextrins, maltose, and dextrose that is obtained by partial hydrolysis of cornstarch.

See website for definition of Caramel Color: http://caramel.ddwcolor.com/

Tamarind (n): a tropical Old World tree (Tamarindus indica) of the legume family with hard yellowish wood, pinnate leaves, and red-striped yellow flowers; also : its fruit which has an acid pulp often used for preserves of in a cooling laxative drink.

Cornstarch (n): starch made from corn and used in foods as a thickening agent, in making corn syrup and sugars, and in the manufacture of adhesives and sizes for paper and textiles.

Thiamin (n): a vitamin C12H17N4OSCI of the vitamin B complex that is essential to normal metabolism and nerve function and is metabolism  and nerve function and is widespread in plants and animals - called also vitamin B1.

Hydrochloride (n): a chemical complex composed of an organic base (as an alkaloid) in association with hydrogen chloride.

Lactic Acid (n): a hygroscopic organic acid C3H6O3 present normally especially in muscle tissue as a product of anaerobic glycolysis, produced in carbohydrate matter usually by bacterial fermentation, and used especially in food and medicine and in industry.

Anaerobic (adj): living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen.

Glycolysis (n): the enzymatic breakdown of a carbohydrate (as glucose) by way of phosphate derivatives with the production of pyruvic or lactic acid and energy stored in high-energy phosphate bonds of ATP.

Rosemary (n): a fragrant shrubby Mediterranean mint (Rosmarinus officinalis) having grayish-green needlelike leaves used as a seasoning; also : the leaves of rosemary.

I didn't know turkey could have such a diverse vocabulary. Ingredients are a big thing for me and my health. I try to buy more natural foods to help my fragile digestive system avoid going into shock every time I put a foreign ingredient in my mouth. Knowing that Jennie-O's turkey burgers have all these added ingredients, preservatives, and unnatural flavors, I think I will be looking elsewhere for my turkey fix.

Back to My Roots

As my wife and I reached the mouth Sardine canyon in March 2014 we immediately felt "we're home." I've been coming up to this beautiful valley many holidays, Saturdays and Sundays, and sometimes a lazy summer afternoon to visit grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins living in Hyrum. Cache Valley is home to many memories and I will always see this valley through the nostalgic eyes of days past and gone. But I also see Cache Valley through the eyes of a small town boy that never wants to see the green fields plowed and developed like my hometown was.

My dad grew up in Cache Valley on a small farm in Hyrum with his Eastern German father, Swiss mother, four brothers, and three sisters. Oldest of eight children, he was the first American-born Waechtler from a rich, European heritage. In a recent email my dad, Josef, sent me a brief history of his farm life in Hyrum:

"I grew up working on our small farm when I lived in Cache Valley. There were a lot of Dairy farms. So my brothers also had opportunities to work for these other Dairy farmers. We had 6 cows which we milked and sold to the dairy farmers of Utah. It was a lot of work. In the Summer and Fall, we would have to haul hay for the Winter months. We would haul straw for the bedding. There was also the chore of cleaning their stalls. 
To save some money I remember us going down a dirt road below our home and my mother,father or grandpa would use a scythe to cut down the tall grass.We then would haul this with our truck to one of our pastures and spread it out to dry in the sun. When it was dry on one side we would go and turn this grass hay. When completely dry we would store it in one of our buildings until the animals needed it. We also raised sheep,hogs,chickens and a couple of horses. We raised our sheep for wool and would shear the sheep in the Spring and sell their wool. We had a large vegetable garden which we would eat what we could and can the rest for us to eat during the Winter months. Farming has changed allot over the years. I've seen large dairy farms go out of business due to the economy. These were people's livelihood back then. Now I see some of these fields being made into neighborhoods of homes. What a sad day. 
This is just a brief history of our life on the farm."

I remember stories my dad used to tell me and my siblings growing up about the early mornings he'd milk the cows and shoot some into the feral cats mouths, the times he would play with chicken heads, throw cow pies, and ride bikes in derby races. What a life he got to live, the one I wish I could have, the one I hope to give my children. A life of simplicity, hard work, and family.

Mom's story is a little different. She grew up in California surrounded by vineyards, orange groves, and palm trees. My grandma, Carole Dotson, grew up in Madera, California. Below is an excerpt of her first-hand account in relation to picking cotton in Madera:

"I remember in my childhood after daddy came home and I was a little bit older, I don't remember a lot of my youth, but I do remember going from place to place. We moved many times, I went to many schools around the Madera area. Like I said, my folks were proud people and they didn't really want handouts, so we picked cotton. I remember when I was quite young, maybe five or so, I can't remember the age, but I was to small to fill a sack to put the cotton in, so what we would do is we would pick little piles of cotton in the rows and our parents would come along behind us and pick them up and put them in their sack. When we got a little bit older we graduated to what they call the gunny sack and we got to pull those, we would pick the cotton ourselves out of the bowls and we would put them in our sack and would make enough money to buy us a bottle of soda pop. We didn't like our scratched up hands but we did enjoy having that bottle of soda pop. When we got a little bit older we were allowed to carry our sacks up the ladder into the cotton trailer where we dumped our sacks so they could take it to the cotton gins and we would accidentally fall in to the cotton and that was always a fun part of our day. And then as we got a little bit older we were allowed to hold the big canvas sacks that our mom and dad did. We didn't always get them as full and I think the most money I ever made in one day was $3.00. But Back in those days that seemed like a lot of money to us."

And here is her account of when they lived in Dixie land where her father managed a dairy:

"We never really had  many material things but what we had we earned. My dad was a proud man and he worked hard. Two most rememberable years of my life were spent in an area of Madera County called Dixie land where we went to school and my dad managed a dairy for somebody who lived in San Francisco. And I remember that so fondly because we were a happy family then. We had plenty to eat. We even bought our first TV while we lived there. I believe I was in the third grade at the time and our jobs were to bring the cattle in, the cows into the milking barns for dad and we got to out in the haystacks and look for eggs and bring those in for mom. I remember having a lot of company over and we just had a lot of fun. I wish all of my youth would have been spent in that way."

My mom's favorite animal is the cow. She told  me that when they went to visit their grandparent's farm she would stand on the wooden fence where the cattle were housed and sing to the cows. She loves those memories dearly and holds them close in her heart. 

Farm life is work, real work, one where we get our hands dirty and our souls cleansed. Whether we're born into farm life, or choose it for ourselves, I admire the lessons learned from those who have a close relationship with the land.

Welcome to My Virtual Homestead

Hey all

This blog is a farming journal I will be cultivating over the next few months about farming, farming literature, and my farming roots. With good intentions planted in rich soil, I plan to harvest the fruits of my labor as I strive to understand farming and its relation to me, my family history, and how farming will affect my future endeavors.

Happy planting,

Evan "the old farmer" Waech