OCTOBER
“LIKE” Kansas Country Living on Facebook.
F E AT U R E S
D E PA RT M E N T S
12 | Shop Kansas Farms
4 |
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the romanticized idea of buying directly from area farmers into a necessity, and Rick McNary’s Shop Kansas Farms Facebook page provides the missing digital hub to connect producers and consumers.
19 | Enriching Experience
Youth programs sponsored by Kansas electric cooperatives create enriching and educational experiences helping youth to build leadership skills, resumes and relationships to last a lifetime.
20 | Celebrate Your Ownership
We like the word local. We like it because it’s the nearby hardware store where we can get what we need. It’s where we meet friends for coffee. It’s the shop where they look us in the eye and smile. Local also means your electric co-op. It’s as local as you and your neighbors because you own it.
22 | Getting Dirty
6 | 8 | 10 | 16 |
E D I TO R’S L E T T E R
More reader shoutouts A RO U N D K A N S A S
Fall family events CO M M E N TA RY
Community partnership E N E RGY W I S E
Basement and crawl space efficiency T H E P R E S I D E N T ’S P E N
The sticker tells the story
Vote and wear that sticker proudly.
16A | 17 |
YO U R LO C A L CO - O P N E W S
What’s new in your neighborhood C RO S S W O R D P U Z Z L E
Co-op Month celebration
What do you know about what you own?
18 |
YO U R P L AC E I N T H E G A R D E N
Spice up your garden
Plant garlic now for tasty meals later.
Embrace the pandemic disruption by creating opportunities to immerse yourself in the splendors of the Kansas countryside. Introduce others to outdoor adventurers in the country with enthusiasm and wonder. With each adventure, affirm the importance of getting dirty!
20
24 |
CO O K I N G M Y WAY H O M E
An ode to weenie roasts
Time for the warming smell of wood smoke.
26 | 28 | 29 |
M A R K E T P L AC E
Barns, chicks, pain cream, safe tub SAFETY
Portable generator hazards M O N T H LY R E C I P E S
Soups to nuts
Fall-inspired recipes.
ON THE COVER
12
The Krafft sisters include crayon-drawn thank you notes in meat boxes sold by Krafft Beef. P H OTO BY A M I E E P L E Y
OCTOBER 2020
LOCAL LOYA LT Y OCTOB ER
Sho
Social netw p Kansas Far ork promotes ms producers
Sense of Ow Celebrate nership Co-o p Month
Get
2020 | BROUG HT TO YOU BY ROLLIN G
Immerse yourting Dirty self outdoors
HILLS ELECTR IC
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
CO-OP | WWW. KEC.CO
3
OP
E D I TO R’S L E T T E R
Wishing the Year Away While Recalling September Issue(s)
(ISSN 0091-9586) OCTOBER 2020 VOL. 70, NO. 10 ©KANSAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES, INC. 2020 WWW.KEC.COOP
Lee Tafanelli
Chief Executive Officer
Vicki Estes
Director of Communications, Editor
Carrie Kimberlin
Manager of Creative Solutions
Shaylee Arpin
in temperature and in landscape colors. Which means we are one step closer to the end of 2020. Never one to wish the years away, 2021 entices me with the promise of healing hugs from family and friends distanced for a good portion of this year. The approaching new year also inches me closer to wiping the slate clean of corrections or clarifications to articles in the magazine. It’s a doubleedged sword, though, as I appreciate hearing from readers and value the interaction, albeit still from long distance by phone or email. Some September local co-op pages within the magazine included an article about online shopping, with the intent of offering readers alternatives to shopping in-person during the pandemic and to find deals through online retailers. The article was not meant to detract from brick and mortar shopping — the local businesses that fuel our rural communities — but rather an alternative for those preferring to shop from the safety of home. Reader and Prairie Land Electric consumer-member Harlan Nonhoff best expressed the overall theme of calls FALL HAS ARRIVED,
or letters I received. “I want my local businesses to still be in business when we get back to ‘normal.’ I saw this sign at a store a few months ago — ‘Find it here, buy it here, keep us here.’” Business owner Regina Stark, Norton, who along with her daughter owns the sewing and quilting supply store Stitch Up a Storm, shared that as much as they would like to offer online transactions, the cost can be prohibitive for a small business. “But call us and we will mail your orders,” Stark said. Find them at Facebook/Stitch Up A Storm. I also heard from Sharon Lawless, a registered dietician, concerning the ice cream recipe on Pages 29-30 of September’s issue that calls for raw eggs. “I have had Salmonella from homemade ice cream made with raw eggs served at a birthday party and do not wish it on anyone. ... I have made it my goal as a dietitian to check published recipes and alert people to food safety issues.” Thank you Harlan, Regina and Sharon for your faithful readership, thoughtful comments and valuable conversation. KCL
VICKI ESTES, EDITOR
Multimedia Communications Specialist
Brianna Magee
Communications Intern Officers Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc.
Terry Hobbs
President
Teresa Miller Vice President
Kirk Thompson
Secretary/Treasurer
You receive Kansas C ountry Living as a service of the following electric co-ops as a cost-effective way to share important information about services, energy savings, electric safety, director elections, meetings and management decisions. It also contains legal notices that otherwise would be published in other media at greater cost: 4 Rivers, Lebo Alfalfa, Cherokee, OK Bluestem, Wamego Brown-Atchison, Horton Butler, El Dorado CMS, Meade Caney Valley, Cedar Vale Doniphan, Troy DSO, Solomon Flint Hills, Council Grove FreeState, McLouth & Topeka Lane-Scott, Dighton Ninnescah, Pratt Pioneer, Ulysses Prairie Land, Norton Rolling Hills, Beloit Sedgwick County, Cheney Sumner-Cowley, Wellington TCEC, Hooker, OK Twin Valley, Altamont Victory, Dodge City Western, WaKeeney Wheatland, Scott City Your co-op’s board of directors authorizes a subscription to Kansas Country Living on behalf of the membership at a cost of $5.58 per year. Individual non-member subscriptions are $10 per year (tax included).
Co-op Members: Please report address changes to your local electric co-op. Postmaster: Send returns to Kansas Country Living, P.O. Box 4267, Topeka, KS 66604-0267. Kansas Country Living is published monthly by Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. P.O. Box 4267, Topeka, KS 66604. Periodicals postage paid at Topeka, KS, and additional entry offices. Editorial offices: P.O. Box 4267, Topeka, KS 66604-0267; 785-478-4554. Advertising: Kansas Country Living is a member of American MainStreet Publications (www.amp.coop), collectively reaching an audited circulation of 9,378,177 monthly. Advertisers call 512-441-5200. Acceptance of advertising by Kansas Country Living does not imply endorsement by the publisher or Kansas’ electric cooperatives.
4
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
OCTOBER 2020
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SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS IN OCTOBER Fall Blast, Scott City. C orn maze, giant slide, hayride and more activities available! Bellwether Barn, bellwetherbarn.com. THROUGH JAN. 3 Animationland, Manhattan. A nimationland offers an immersive, interactive atmosphere for guests to learn how to incorporate animation skills into the creation process. Open for visitors of all ages to experiment and learn. Flint Hills Discovery Center, 315 S. Third St., 785-587-2726, flinthillsdiscovery.org. OCT. 1 Moonlight Madness, Belleville. B usinesses open late! The Moonlight Market will be set up downtown with various vendors from 5-8 p.m. Evening will wrap up with walk-in movie “The Goonies” at dusk. 785-527-5524. OCT. 1-30 Area Artist Exhibit, Fredonia. H osted by the Fredonia Arts Council. Open house on Oct. 24. Stonehouse Gallery, Gyla 620-378-2052, stonehouse2052@gmail.com. OCT. 2-4 Sunflower Futurity, Scott City. A nnual barrel
race event. Scott City Indoor Arena, 620-635-0323.
OCT. 2-3 F&E Auto Auction, Great Bend. C lassics,
muscle cars, antiques, hot rods, motorcycles, automobilia/ petroliana collectibles. Great Bend Expo Complex. OCT. 2-3 Veteran’s Fundraising Event, Derby. M r.
Gourdman’s Pumpkin Patch invites you to join them for two concerts with proceeds benefitting the Vet’s Fundraising Union. Pumpkin Patch open every weekend in October. Mr. Gourdman’s Pumpkin Patch, 3750 S. Dusty Rd., Gary 316-7331887, wichitaspumpkinpatch.com. OCT. 4-10 Restaurant Week, Great Bend. E at in Great
Bend and vote for your favorite restaurant. OCT. 8 73rd Annual Fredonia Business Women’s
Homecoming Pageant. B egins at 7 p.m. Bateman Gym.
OCT. 9-10 SRCA Points Race, Great Bend. T est and
Tune on the 9th, NHRA Summit Points Race on the 10th. SRCA Drag Strip.
SHARE WITH US! f events@kansascountryliving.com f letters@kansascountryliving.com f photos@kansascountryliving.com f editor@kansascountryliving.com f recipes@kansascountryliving.com
6
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
OCTOBER 2020
Check prior to the scheduled date of an event for changes due to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) concerns. OCT. 17 Boo! At the Zoo, Garden City. T ake part in a trick-or-treat experience while supporting the Zoo. Haunted hayride, trick-or-treat trail and themed train are included. Advanced gate opens at 4 p.m., admission begins at 5 p.m. Lee Richardson Zoo, Jessica Norton 620-276-6243. OCT. 17 Oktoberfest, Kinsley. G ather to enjoy German
food, beer and music. Activities include bingo, cornhole and Hammerschlagen. Search Edwards County Oktoberfest on Facebook. OCT. 23 SRCA Points Race, Great Bend. T est and Tune on the 23rd, NHRA Summit Points Race on the 24th. SRCA Drag Strip. OCT. 24 Zoo Boo, Great Bend. Z oo Boo is a favorite
pre-Halloween extravaganza at the local zoo! This is a safe and fun alternative to trick or treating. Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo. OCT. 24 Fredonia Homecoming Festival. P arade,
carnival, vendor booths, food trucks, street dance and class reunions. Carnival opens on Oct. 22. OCT. 26-27 Annual National Conference for
Growing Community Foundations, Online. V irtual conference focusing on a sustainable community for all. kacf-annual-conference.com. OCT. 30 Trunk or Treat Downtown, Belleville. 4 -6
p.m. bellevilleks.com.
NOV. 3-DEC. 18 Barn Quilts of Wilson County, Fredonia. B arn quilts on exhibit. Stonehouse Gallery, Gyla 620-378-2052, stonehouse2052@gmail.com. NOV. 6 Soup Supper, Fredonia. S upper from 5-7 p.m.
S tonehouse Gallery, Gyla 620-378-2052, stonehouse2052@ gmail.com. KCL
Kansas Country Living publishes events free as space allows. Send event information by the fifth of the month prior to publication to events@kansascountryliving.com. To guarantee placement of your event, contact advertising at 785-478-4554 or ckimberlin@kec.org.
C O M M E N TA RY
What is an Electric Co-op? Your Community Partner
to the cooperative world, the celebration of Cooperative Month in October has a special meaning. My first five months working for Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. has been spent mostly on the road, meeting with the electric co-ops’ management, staff and board of trustees. What I’m learning about your local electric cooperative can’t be found by a simple Google search of “cooperative business model” or “how electric cooperatives differ from investor-owned utilities.” It must be experienced in person, though masked and social distanced for the time being. We often joke in the co-op world that once you’ve seen one co-op, you’ve seen one co-op. One size does not fit all when it comes to Kansas electric cooperatives because it’s the people, the businesses, and the communities they serve that shape each co-op and form its unique personality. While some co-ops serve mostly residential, small businesses and farming operations, other co-ops’ membership comprises mostly small and large industrial enterprises. The similarities, however, are unmistakable and I believe can be described in two words: community partnership. It’s my abbreviated and simplified version of the seven cooperative principles and values that guide co-ops around the world. They are why electric co-ops differ from other utilities as they put the needs of their consumer-members and communities first. If this wasn’t apparent prior to 2020, the pandemic and the co-ops’ response to it certainly brought this difference to the forefront. When COVID-19 crept into everyone’s vernacular in early March, Kansas electric co-ops immediately mobilized to protect their consumer-members and staff. Annual meetings, which bring hundreds of consumer-members together under one roof and generally take place in the spring, were rescheduled or reinvented. Any board elections that were required to commence did so using mail-in ballot-
AS SOMEONE STILL RELATIVELY NEW
Lee Tafanelli
What I’m learning about your local electric cooperative ... must be experienced in person, though masked and social distanced for the time being.
8
BY L E E TA FA N E L L I
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
OCTOBER 2020
ing, drive-up voting or occurred at actual movie drive-in venues to capture the camaraderie and fellowship annual meetings offer. Although each co-op determined the best solution for their membership resulting in assorted variations of annual meetings across the state, collectively the co-ops’ focus was identical: to take care of the people and the communities they serve. The economic fallout from the pandemic prompted Kansas electric co-ops to develop creative ways to assist their consumer-members through the difficult economic hardships. Some co-ops’ board of trustees approved early capital credit payouts as bill credits on their consumermembers’ electric bills to help ease the burden for those out of work. Other co-ops established funds to assist consumer-members who were struggling to pay their bills. And co-ops continue to set up payment plans that work for both the consumermembers and the co-ops to maintain economic stability, as much as possible, for all parties. I recognize the hardships for many Kansans are far from over and more unknowns await. I do know the co-ops will face these challenges and make decisions based on the best interests of their consumer-members and communities — their neighbors. As I write this, Gulf Coast electric cooperatives in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi were planning disaster response to anticipated widespread damage and outages on the heels of two hurricanes. Kansas electric cooperatives pledged their support to the effort and were on standby to provide mutual aid in the affected areas. This is one of countless ways cooperatives support each other’s efforts and the needs of all our rural communities across this great country. So, when asked “what exactly is an electric cooperative?” My answer: Your community partner. It’s really that simple. LEE TAFANELLI is Chief Executive Officer of Kansas Electric
Cooperatives, Inc. in Topeka.
Y OWNED FAMIL
H
KANSAS PROUD SINCE 1917
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E N E R GY W I S E
Make Your Basement or Crawl Space More Efficient
BY PAT K E E G A N A N D B R A D T H I E S S E N
DAW N P E T E R SO N
that energy can be lost through my home’s basement. Is that true? If so, what can I do to make my basement more efficient? – Andy D E AR AN DY: Yes, basements can account for a large portion of your home’s energy use, especially in colder climates. More importantly, basements are often a key area when you’re looking to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Crawl spaces can also waste energy, so we’ll address ways to improve the efficiency of those areas An unfinished basement provides a great opportunity for improving as well. ductwork and insulation. Moisture is a common problem in are solved, the crawl space should have a ground basements and crawl spaces, and can vapor barrier. lead to mold, rot and lowered effectiveness of Before making improvements, you should also insulation. It should be noted that as you make consider whether radon or carbon monoxide could efficiency improvements, you can solve moisture be a problem. If you live in an area where radon has problems, but you could potentially make them been a problem, you should conduct a radon test worse if you’re unsure of the work you’re conthrough a licensed professional or purchase a DIY ducting. Look carefully for signs of water damage home test kit. Carbon monoxide problems can be or moisture buildup, such as rotting wood, mold, deadly. If you have any type of combustion occura stain on a wall or floor, or a musty smell. Any ring in the basement or crawl space, whether it’s a untreated wood in contact with a cement floor or furnace, water heater or even a fireplace, make sure wall could be rotting. Search online for “test basethey have adequate ventilation and that you have ment walls for moisture” and you’ll find a simple working carbon monoxide detectors nearby. test you can conduct yourself. Crawl spaces can If you have a forced-air heating system, your be muddy or even have standing water in them basement or crawl space is abundant with opporif gutters or the slope of the landscaping drains tunities for improving ductwork. Unless you’re in a in the wrong direction. Once drainage problems newer home or the ductwork has been tested and sealed in the last decade, your ductwork is likely leaking. Sealing these leaks helps your system distribute air more efficiently and should make your home more comfortable. The best way to seal ducts is with duct mastic. Metallic tape is the next best solution. Do not use duct tape. An energy auditor or HVAC professional can test your home’s ductwork and identify any leaks. As you look at the ductwork, ask yourself if rooms throughout the home are heated or cooled unevenly. If so, you’ll want to enlist the help of a professional. Sometimes minor modifications to the ductwork can make a big improvement in comfort. Replacing old, leaky windows improves the quality of your You’ll find lots of air leaks in basements and basement living space and saves energy. Notice the pressure treated wood framing around the window.
10
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
OCTOBER 2020
INTIAZ RAHIM
D E AR PAT AN D B R AD : I’ve heard
crawl spaces particularly where pipes and wires tion walls instead of underneath the floor. That said, enter or exit the space. Air often enters the home there are pros and cons to this strategy, so do some around the sill plate, which sits on top of the founresearch online or consult with a local expert. dation. If you can get to the sill plate, apply caulk Here are a few additional ways you can save around it. You can also increase efficiency by sealing energy in your basement: any gaps or leaks around basement windows. f Insulate the hot water pipe exiting your Insulation is an effective tool for reducing water heater; energy use and improving comfort, but the applif Install LED lightbulbs; cations are quite different in basements and crawl spaces. In both cases, the insulation strategy and f Replace appliances that are located in the basethe installation must be done correctly to prevent ment (like water heaters, washers or dryers) mold or exacerbate moisture problems. with newer, energy efficient models. The place to begin in basements is the rim joist, which is right above the sill plate on the top of the As you can see, there are several steps you can foundation wall. Rigid foam board can be carefully take to make your basement or crawl space more fitted between the joists. efficient. If you’re unsure about any of these steps, Insulated basement walls make a room more be sure to talk to a professional first. KCL comfortable. If you’re building a new home, there are advantages to insulating the outside of the This column was co-written by PAT KEEGAN and BRAD THIESSEN of Collaborative Efficiency. For more foundation wall, but this isn’t practical for most information on surprise energy hogs, please visit: existing homes. You can insulate the inside of www.collaborativeefficiency.com/energytips. the foundation wall if you’re sure moisture is not leaking through the wall from the outside. Experts do not recommend fiberglass insulation in contact with the foundation, which was a common practice for decades. Instead, they prefer sprayed-on foam or rigid foam board applied directly to the foundation wall. A wood-framed wall can be butted up against the rigid foam and insulated with fiberglass or mineral wool batts. The bottom plate of the wall, which sits on the concrete floor, should be pressuretreated wood. There are two ways to insulate crawl spaces. Over the past several years, the most common approach was to insulate under the floor with fiberglass batts. This allowed the crawl space to be vented to the outside, which alleviated any moisture buildup. If all the right moisture control and drainage steps Free Building Customization have been taken, the crawl space LucasMetalWorks.com can be unventilated, and the insula396281 West 3000 Rd. Ochelata, OK 74051 tion can be applied to the founda-
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OCTOBER 2020
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
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KRAFFT BEEF
SHOPF A KANSAS RMS BY M E L I N D A S C H N Y D E R
Eight months ago it was an aspiration, then it became a necessity.
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in southeast Kansas? $1.50 per pound, minimum 40 pounds.” “Looking for Jonathan apples for sale.” “If anyone in Topeka area is interested in local, free range duck eggs, our ducks are laying up a storm! Their eggs are a little bigger than chicken eggs and particularly good for baking.” “Who has sides of beef for sale?” These are mid-September posts on a Facebook page called Shop Kansas Farms. They represent a mix of “buyer in search of ... ” and “seller offering ... ” posts. You’ll also see posts reviewing food recently purchased from Kansas farmers and producers, many of which end with “now that I’ve tasted local, I’ll never buy from a store again.” The concept of supporting local isn’t new but the urgency was unfamiliar when Rick McNary created the page on April 28 from his living room in Potwin, about 30 miles northeast of Wichita. He’d just finished a great steak from
“WHERE ARE MY TOMATO CANNING PEOPLE
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
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KCK Farms in Anthony and his wife mentioned that the meat counter was empty at the grocery store when she’d shopped earlier in the day, fallout from disruption in the supply chain during the coronavirus pandemic. He wondered how he could get friends and neighbors who likely found the same issue at their grocery stores to shop family farms and producers, some of whom lost their sales outlets when farmers markets, fairs and festivals closed and when restaurant accounts dried up while people were mandated to stay home. Three hours after launching the page and inviting all the farmers, ranchers and producers he knew to post what they offered, he had 400 people join the page. The next day, there were 800 members. It was up to 5,000 two days later as the network spread. Customers kept inviting friends and farmers recruited fellow producers, and the page plateaued at about 145,000 members by midsummer.
The pandemic had turned the romanticized idea of buying directly from area farmers into a necessity, and McNary’s Shop Kansas Farms page provided the missing digital hub to connect the producers and the consumers. “Suddenly the public — consumers — were fearful and looked to the agricultural community to calm their fears,” McNary said. “Farmers said, ‘We got you. We’re still farming. We’re just a couple miles away, come down our driveway.’” McNary started this on his own, but he’s studied regional food systems for a decade. His day job is working on international hunger relief through an Iowa-based nonprofit, The Outreach Program, and he has a side gig writing about Kansas farm families for Kansas Farm Bureau. “I’ve seen research that the average calorie we consume travels 1,500 miles to get to us,” he said. “Suddenly it might be as close as a mile away. Through Shop Kansas Farms, people realized that the farming community wasn’t just farms you drove by, it was people you could depend on in times of need.” Unprecedented communication happens daily on the Facebook page, which McNary wants to convert to a website because of limitations including the inability to add a searchable directory with a map. At its height of activity, there could be as many as 120 posts a day and thousands of
comments. Via posts and offline conversations, consumers have learned the stories of where their food comes from, they’ve developed trust and built relationships with farmers, ranchers and producers. The platform has an educational component, too, opening up conversations about farming practices and why you can expect to pay more from smallscale producers. McNary gets thanks from shoppers — the reach is well beyond Kansas — for introducing them to fresh foods they didn’t know were available and from countless farmers who expected to lose money this year and instead are marking more than they have in the last several years. He believes this shop local movement will continue beyond the current crisis. Shop Kansas Farms is serving as a regional food system, he said, and has shown there are business opportunities for rural America that weren’t there eight months ago. “We were forced to do it,” he said, “but now that we’ve done it, we like this and we want to continue to be able to go within our region and buy locally. Local and regional food systems are the key to rural prosperity and rural revitalization.” We talked to a handful of Kansas producers, including several co-op members, and each noticed a significant spike in interest and orders whenever they posted on Shop Kansas Farms, or Continued on page 14
Jason and Myndi Krafft moved from southern California to northwest Kansas in 2017 to return to Jason’s family farm. They worked for about a year and a half to develop a direct to consumer addition to their farming and ranching, and Krafft Beef just happened to launch as the pandemic came to Kansas. They started out with the ability to ship their home-raised, dry-aged beef across the continental U.S., which also has been key to their success within the state because of their far northwest address. They already had a loyal customer base in California from their time living and working there, and Shop Kansas Farms has helped regionalize their reach by letting more Kansans know about their product. Their premium steaks, roasts, ground beef, beef bone marrow canoes and bone broth kits receive praise on the page, but it’s the crayon-drawn thank you notes from their two young daughters that prompt the most reaction. The girls help bucket feed the animals, which are born on the farm, pasture raised then grain finished with hay and milo grown on the farm. “Every animal has 100% traceability right down to what they eat,” Myndi Krafft said. “Then when they’re ready, we work with a small, local butcher to produce quality cuts.”
SCOT T STEBNER
Krafft Beef IN PHILLIPSBURG, MEMBERS OF PRAIRIE LAND
Kensi helps her dad, Jason, bucket feed the animals on the Krafft family farm in Phillipsburg.
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Continued from page 13
Thaddeus and Kelly Perry, Bronson, turned a hand-fried pork rinds hobby into a home business that has expanded into a new facility and the wholesale market.
if a customer gave their business a shoutout on the page after receiving their product. The posts drive customers to the producers’ own Facebook pages or their business website for ordering. Here are some of their stories.
Perry’s Pork Rinds IN BRONSON
This is the definition of mom and pop business but they’ve gone beyond mom and pop volume, thanks in part to Shop Kansas Farms and enthusiastic customers who post often after opening a bag of the pork rinds made by Kelly and Thaddeus Perry. The southeast Kansas couple turned a hobby
into a home business that is now expanding into a newly constructed licensed USDA production facility in Bronson, about 50 miles north of Pittsburg, that will allow them to expand into wholesale. Kelly made it her full-time job in December 2018 and Thaddeus, a butcher for 23 years, had to go full-time in October 2019 so he could cook two to three times a week instead of just once to keep up with demand. Thaddeus hand fries each batch, which are then seasoned in one of 10 flavors including garlic Parmesan, sour cream and onion or cinnamon sugar. They are packaged and shipped within a day or two. The freshness of the rinds and the array of flavors not found on grocery store shelves has created a loyal following. When their main distribution method, festivals and fairs, were being canceled left and right earlier this year, a friend invited Kelly to post on Shop Kansas Farms. The initial orders overwhelmed them. Then a new customer posted a review, and they again got slammed with orders. That included several bulk orders and interest from stadiums and vending machine companies that want to carry the Keto-friendly snacks when they get the new facility built.
Bruce’s Bullseye Farms IN AUGUSTA, MEMBERS OF BUTLER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Joel and Lori Bruce’s first generation farm also relied on craft fairs and festivals to sell its value-added jams, jellies, apple butters and other food items, and did not have a website or a retail space for their one-
Jason Wiebe Dairy IN DURHAM, MEMBERS OF THE FLINT HILLS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Jason and Sheri Wiebe’s third generation dairy farm in the middle of the Flint Hills, along the Santa Fe Trail, found many new commercial and direct-to-consumer customers on Shop Kansas Farms for its 18 flavors of natural raw milk cheese and pasteurized milk cheese using hormone free milk from their own cows. “We got on Facebook about six months before, just trying to get community interest,” Sheri said. “Then we posted on Shop Kansas Farms and orders just exploded. It’s surprising that people can live 15 miles away and they’ve never heard of us, and we’ve been making cheese here for 20 years now.”
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They are still making about 1,800 pounds of cheese a week, but their business model shifted significantly because of COVID-19: away from supplying 60-pound blocks of farmstead cheese to grocery stores and upscale restaurants on the East Coast and instead shipping as many as 100 orders a day with 3 pounds of cheese at a time to homes across Kansas. They were thrilled to have the business but it required quickly adapting (and stocking) shipping materials and processes to make it affordable for smaller orders. Among the most popular, Sheri said, are the Cottonwood River cheddar, the jalapeño habañero and cheese curds.
year-old venture before the pandemic hit. Lori, a schoolteacher who hopes to grow the business to support them both working full-time on the farm, quickly built a website to get their products online. They saw a little traffic, then it took off once they posted a link on the newly created Shop Kansas Farms Facebook page. As the Facebook page traffic grew, though, their posts got pushed down on the page quickly as others posted. Lori said she got creative by posting video clips and interacting with customers to help keep interest and to find out what consumers were looking for. “It was more than just the sales, it was also the encouragement to keep going, to keep making our products and keep getting them out there,” said Lori, who also is now selling the jams and jellies at Griggs Bros. Farms market in Augusta. Her handcrafted jams and jellies are made in small batches and some unusual flavors, including turning sodas and wines into jelly. Among her most popular items are those made with Kansas-grown ingredients, such as sand plum jelly, apple pie jam, apple butter and sunflower seed cookies.
MC- Meat Co.
IN JOHNSON CITY, MEMBERS OF PIONEER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
When Lettie McKinney came back as the fourth generation to farm the family’s Johnson City land, she started MC- Meat Co. to sell homegrown sus-
Joel and Lori Bruce, Augusta, found not only a place to sell their value-added food items but also encouragement from Shop Kansas Farms Facebook page.
tainable beef directly to consumers. Bridging the gap between producer and consumer has been a struggle, though. “People didn’t understand the value of buying local,” she said. “They didn’t want to pay for the premium product.” COVID-19 has been eye-opening for consumers as well as for local grocery stores that two years ago said no to carrying her beef and this year reached out to ask her to supply them. Business has improved tenfold and she attributes that to not only the pandemic making people more aware but also the education Shop Kansas Farms has provided. She came back full time in 2019 to help her dad, who continues to work on the farm with a brain tumor. She’s actively marketed MC- Meat Co. on social media but found it hard to get the word out, even in her immediate community. Shop Kansas Farms has been invaluable, she said, and the growth in Kansas sales has made her realize her target market isn’t Colorado or Oklahoma as much as it is the rest of the state of Kansas. KCL Fourth generation farmer Lettie McKinney says business has improved tenfold because of the pandemic and the education Shop Kansas Farms has provided. OCTOBER 2020
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THE PRESIDENT ’S PEN
Wear Your ‘I Voted’ Sticker Proudly
BY T E R RY H O B B S
“THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND.” Familiar lyrics in a composition by singer-
Terry Hobbs
songwriter Woody Guthrie in 1940. There is so much pride and privilege exhibited as we exercise our voting rights, especially in a presidential election year. Proof of pride can be seen on the lapels, jackets, or shirts of voters as they display their “I Voted” gummed stickers. Somehow, I always notice those who display the symbolic evidence that they have been to the polling booth. Synonymously, it is also noted those without any emblem of doing their patriotic duty. It is very apparent the pride shown in voters that engaged in the process. We may all have glimpses of our own personal voting record. Our first exposure to the election process may have occurred during school days when we voted for the class president. We may have had a family vote while surfing television channels deciding whether we watch football or The Hallmark Channel. Whether you are a candidate or support a candidate or cause, it’s enviable to be involved in the process. We have all had opportunities to vote on candidates for school boards and organizations, bond issues, and for county and state government officials. The selection
Proof of pride can be seen on the lapels, jackets, or shirts of voters as they display their ‘I Voted’ gummed stickers. process, after debate and deliberation, ultimately determined by the vote of the majority, has been a foundation for our democracy since our country’s inception. Voting rights and rules continue to change and evolve. In fact, this year marks the 100-year anniversary that women were afforded the right to vote. I don’t remember women not being able to cast a ballot, but in 1920 it took a vote of the majority of lawmakers to allow them such rights. Voting is important. This November 3rd, go to your designated polling place, cast your ballot, get one of those “I Voted” lapel stickers, and wear it proudly! KCL TERRY HOBBS is the board president for Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. He is also a member of Western Cooperative Electric’s Board of Trustees in WaKeeney.
RURAL COMMUNITIES CAST YOUR VOTE ON NOV. 3
Election Day may look a little different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that’s why we’re encouraging all co-op consumer-members to stay engaged and informed of any changes to polling locations or absentee and mail-in balloting procedures. Voting is central to American democracy. We hope you will commit to casting your ballot on Nov. 3. To learn more about the upcoming elections and access resources that can help you stay informed, visit www.vote.coop. KCL
DEPEND ON CO-OP VOTERS.
Learn about the issues. Talk to your family and friends. Cast your vote. ELECTION DAY IS NOV. 3, 2020
BE AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN OUR DEMOCRACY. BE A CO-OP VOTER. | WWW.VOTE.COOP 16
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Celebrating Co-op Month Across 1
Co-ops reduce these by switching to natural gas and renewables
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Ad ___ committee
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Attempt
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Green prefix
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Green building certification letters
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Hydro-electric facility
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Administer
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One of the Kansas Electric Co-op's distribution systems
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Part of college E-mail addresses
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A, before a vowel
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Electric co-ops generate ___ per cent of the total US electricity
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End of the week day
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Christmas month, abbr.
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Gold measurement, for short
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Co-op principle No. 2: ___ Member Control
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Co-op principle No. 3: Member ____ Participation: Members contribute equitably to and democratically control , the capital of their co-op
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Light ray
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Co-op principle No. 4 Autonomy and ____: Co-ops are self-help organizations controlled by their members
Down 1
Electric co-ops make cleaner ___ by using power from wind farms, hydropower and solar
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Wedding vow, 2 words
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Natural energy that is powered by the sun
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No. 1 in the Co-op principles: Co-ops are voluntary organizations, ____ to all persons able to use their services.....
5
Street, abbr.
ANSWERS CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 26
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7
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Co-ops purchase 10 gigawatts of ____ power from federal power marketing associations Co-op principle No. 7 Concern for ____ (co-ops work for sustainable development in the regions they work in) Co-op principle No. 5: Co-ops ___ and train their members' elected representatives and employees.... All co-op members have a ___ (say) in the management of the co-op OCTOBER 2020
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Supply electricity to
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___ Valley: One of the Kansas distribution systems
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Supplied
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A block to teamwork sometimes
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Part of an hour, abbr.
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Energy derived from natural sources
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Energy saving lightbulb, abbr.
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Possess
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Single
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Madame, for short
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Road, for short
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YO U R P L A C E I N T H E G A R D E N
Plant Garlic Now for Healthy, Tasty Meals Later
BY C Y N T H I A D O M E N G H I N I , P H . D .
Cynthia Domenghini, Ph.D.
The hardneck varieties are what typically grow best in Kansas.
GARLIC HAS BEEN REPORTED to offer multiple health benefits including lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. Though the growing season is coming to an end, the time is right to get this heart-healthy bulb in the ground. There are many varieties of garlic and the plants produce bulbs in varying sizes. However, to get the best growth, garlic needs to overwinter to be ready for harvest in the summer. Garlic varieties are split into two categories: hardneck and softneck. The hardneck varieties are what typically grow best in Kansas. Selecting the variety within this category can be a challenge since the weather can be unpredictable from year to year, and some hardneck varieties perform better under long, cold winters while others prefer mild winters. Being proactive with good soil for planting will give your garlic the best chance at survival. Garlic requires well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Sandy loam soil does not restrict growth and allows the bulbs to grow larger. The soil can be loosened by tilling it prior to planting. It is important to have phosphorus available to grow healthy garlic, so as with any new garden crop, take a soil sample prior to planting to know what nutrients are available or deficient. Choose a planting site that has not been used to grow garlic, onions or any other crop in the Allium genus. This will help prevent diseases and pests that overwinter in the soil from infesting your new crop. Each garlic bulb has multiple cloves held together tightly. Separate the bulb into single cloves, but use care to keep the papery covering intact. Plant the cloves 12 inches apart and about 2
Garlic takes months of rest in the cold temperatures to be ready to send up leaves in the spring. Plant now for a summer harvest.
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inches deep. The pointed end of the clove should be up. Garlic needs to be watered when the soil is dry. If the soil stays saturated it may cause the bulbs to rot. Mulch will help the garlic endure the winter months, but remove the mulch in the spring after the last frost date to allow the soil to warm up with the rising temperatures. In the spring, weed maintenance is an important task to allow the shallow-rooted garlic to access the nutrients in the soil without competition. Toward the end of spring and into early summer you will notice a green stalk above the soil. This stalk will eventually produce a flower, which will take energy away from the developing bulb. Since the garlic is being grown for the edible bulb, it is preferable to use as much plant energy as possible on the bulb growth. The stalk, also known as a “scape,” should be removed to allow the bulb to grow as much as possible. Scapes are also edible. By late June and into July the leaves of the garlic plant should begin to turn yellow and decline. When about five of the leaves turn yellow it is time to harvest the bulb. Dig up the entire plant. Remove the soil and store the bulbs in a cool, dry area. The bulbs need time to dry completely so they will store well. After they are dry, the roots and leaves can be trimmed. Fresh garlic from the garden is just a few seasons away. With a little preparation, you will be rewarded with the health benefits and flavorful meals. KCL is an instructor and coordinator for K-State’s horticultural therapy online certificate program.
CYNTHIA DOMENGHINI
BECOME PART OF AN
Enriching Experience BY B R I A N N A M A G E E , I N T E R N
NOT EVEN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC can throw a wrench into the gears of Kansas’ electric co-ops from finding alternate and safe ways to continue the 2021 youth programs in Washington, D.C., and Steamboat Springs, Colorado. With dates recently selected for the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp and for the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, organizers are taking precautions to protect youth and their chaperones while on both trips. In lieu of the trips that were canceled this year due to the pandemic, most co-ops recognized their students individually and in place awarded them with scholarships; some co-ops awarded laptops. The trips allow youth to experience the cooperative industry, develop leadership skills, build resumes, and create enriching relationships and lasting connections. Although both trips are vastly different, the winners get an experience they wouldn’t be able to get back home. Shana Read, director of education and training and coordinator of the youth programs for Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., said the youth programs adhere to the seven cooperative principles, in particular, No. 7 — a commitment to the community and No. 5 — education. “We know that the student leaders today will be the community leaders tomorrow,” Read said. “They will always remember that the electric cooperatives gave them this opportunity.” Students interested in applying for the
youth programs should contact their local electric co-op to inquire about participation in the programs. The process for selecting the youth is different for each co-op and includes applications, essays, and even personal interviews that could be done virtually. The electric co-ops will select the youth winners by February 2021. Safety is KEC’s No. 1 priority as the 2021 dates draw near for both programs. Two alternate options will be presented if the pandemic causes either program to cancel. “That could look like a statewide youth leadership convention if it is safe to bring everyone to Topeka or a virtual online webinar series,” Read said. The Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp chooses nearly 100 students from Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Wyoming to spend seven days in Steamboat Springs. The student-driven and led camp offers the opportunity for youth to learn the co-op business model and industry from guest speakers, by raising money for charitable groups and organizations, and by participating in group bonding activities like rafting down the Colorado River. Washington, D.C., is the base for the nationwide Electric Cooperative Youth Tour with 45 participating states sending more than 1,800 youth to engage in an eight-day tour to experience and explore the nation’s capital learning its history, building leader-
Youth experience the co-op industry, develop leadership skills, build resumes, and create lasting connections.
ship skills, and developing lasting friendships. The tour’s original purpose was to teach rural American students about their government and its duties. Students tour the White House and meet with lawmakers. “Every year I take the students to a professional sporting event or a musical theater event,” Read said. “We really try to give a taste of what the city can bring.” Kansas electric cooperatives will continue to monitor and update co-op members as details of the 2021 youth trips develop further. KCL
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CO-OPS and the Local Communities They Serve
BY PA U L W E S S L U N D
We like the word local. We like it because it’s the nearby hardware store where we can get what we need. It’s where we meet friends for coffee. It’s the shop where they look us in the eye and smile. It’s a word of warmth that makes us feel known. Local also means your electric co-op. It’s as local as you and your neighbors because you own it. It’s grown and changed with you, possibly starting before you were even born. Because it’s made up of you and your neighbors, it’s as unique to each part of the country as you are. And it changes to help out with what’s going on in your community, whether that means bringing electricity to farmsteads 80 years ago, providing the community with access to high-speed internet or helping to navigate COVID-19 social distancing today. October is National Co-op Month, and this year, it makes sense to use this time to recognize and celebrate the variety that is the essence of being local. That local heritage for electric co-ops started in the 1930s with neighborly visits, often on horseback from one farm to the next, talking about the lights they could see in the city but didn’t have themselves. They weren’t likely to get those modern conveniences because no company saw a profit in stringing wires to power a few lightbulbs in a remote farmhouse.
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No Such Thing as a Typical Co-op
So, the local farmers took matters into their own hands. They pooled $5 startup fees, organized member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives, and convinced local politicians to create a federal loan program to help with the rest of the cost. They created what others didn’t see: one of the most efficient agricultural economies in the world and communities based around a variety of business and industry, from manufacturing to tourism. Today, 900 electric co-ops provide electricity to more than 20 million businesses, homes, schools and farms. They cover more than half the land in the United States. They employ 68,000 people and invest $12 billion a year in local economies, contributing $88.4 billion to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. Because electric co-ops are so uniquely local, it’s hard to describe a typical co-op. They’re big and small. The largest electric co-op serves nearly 350,000 members; the smallest, 113. They’re in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. While the electric co-op rural heritage
From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric cooperatives are proud to serve 42 million Americans across 56% of the nation’s landscape. meant they don’t serve cities, many of their communities have grown over the decades. About 40% serve counties classified as rural and 60% classified as metropolitan. Another way to look at that variety is by the average number of members served by each mile of its power lines. The co-op with the densest population serves 78 members for each mile of line. The most remote co-op averages less than one person per mile of line. While those numbers reflect the variety and uniqueness of who co-ops serve, what they do also matters.
Less Pollution, More Renewable Energy
As co-op members became more aware of environmental priorities, co-ops focused on reducing power plant emissions. From 2009 to 2016 co-ops reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 8%, nitrogen oxide emissions by 24% and Sulphur dioxide emissions by 66%. Co-ops also launched energy efficiency programs, many offering home and business ‘energy checkups’ to make sure members got the best value for their energy dollar. Electric co-ops are helping power the growth in alternative energy. They pioneered in the development of community solar, which allows co-op members to participate in renewable energy without the expense and effort of installing solar panels on their own property. Co-op solar capacity has more than quadrupled in the past five years. Seventeen percent of co-op electricity now comes from hydroelectric power, solar, wind and other renewable sources.
High-speed internet service is increasingly required for a vibrant local economy, so co-ops around the country are exploring ways their members can get connected. In 2018, Kansas’ Statewide Broadband Expansion Planning Task Force was established to help identify opportunities and potential funding sources to expand broadband infrastructure and increase statewide access to broadband services. Kansas Electric Cooperative Inc.’s Doug Shepherd, vice president of management consulting services, serves on the task force. And now that we’re all faced with the fallout from the effects of COVID-19, electric co-ops are again on the job as the virus changes everything from the national economy to how we say hello to our neighbors. Electric co-ops are developing payment plans for people out of work. They’re socially distancing line crews. They’re setting up drive-in or virtual membership meetings, and offering virtual energy audits. The world keeps changing, and electric co-ops will continue to adapt. Each co-op’s approach may differ, but they’ll do whatever it takes to adapt in ways that make the most sense for the people in their community. That’s what it means to be a local electric co-op. KCL PAUL WESSLUND writes
on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives. Electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56% of the nation’s landscape.
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T H E I M P O RTA N C E O F
BY D R . T Y F R E D E R I C K S O N
Henry David Thoreau, the author of “Walden”, urged us to “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” Over the last few months, and since I began writing these monthly reflections on the beauty and opportunity of the Kansas outdoors, life has become a little more confusing and less certain. COVID-19 now informs much of our daily routine and has forced us to take stock of our circumstances in ways unprecedented in our lifetimes. 22
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My own family home has been immediately affected by this global pandemic. Very close friends, who were living and working in Singapore and set to move to a new post as the head of an international school in Indonesia, are currently living with us, as all incoming flights to Indonesia have been put on hold until the world gets a handle on this crisis. We’ve chosen to embrace our shared disruption by creating opportunities to introduce the splendors of the Kansas countryside to the children of our visiting friends. Having spent the last three years in the beautiful, yet bustling, Singapore, they have immersed themselves in country life with enthusiasm and wonder. With each adventure, we have affirmed the importance of getting dirty! We have been busy this month spending time on the water, building an elaborate shoreline fort, catching (and releasing) snakes, hand fishing for giant carp in the shallow mudflats, trolling for trophy white bass, and learning how to do chores at the chicken farm. We even set up a tree stand in preparation for archery deer season and scouted for the ideal camping spot to enjoy when the weather cools and autumn ushers in. The kids have learned how to spot the perfectly near-ripe tomato, experienced a semblance of the local and state fairs and even successfully gigged individual limits of enormous bullfrogs in the swampy darkness their first time out! These are kids well-versed in the ways of the world. They have lived overseas for either most or even all of their lives and are as well-traveled as anyone you will ever meet. They have been to many of the world’s greatest cities and know
“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” — Henry David Thoreau
how to navigate a myriad of public transportation systems, order food and ask directions in multiple languages, and have close friends in dozens of countries. They are savvy in the city; they are also having the time of their lives wallowing in the mud of the Kansas countryside and living in the moment of Thoreau’s allusion. It is fair to say that one silver lining of the COVID-19 dark cloud has been that they have embraced the opportunity to “resign [themselves] to the influence of the earth.” After learning how to fillet a fish the other evening, the boy, who is 10 and has spent his whole life in cities either in the Middle East or Singapore, turned to me and said “There’s so much to do in the country!” I agreed with him, but more importantly, I felt joy that he saw what I did. What we do. That even when living in an uncertain world, Kansas is a great place to discover who we really are. Stay safe. Be well. See you in the country. KCL grew up in Kansas and Australia. He is a graduate of Emporia State University, Wichita State University, and Wilkes University where he is an assistant professor. He is a FreeState Electric Cooperative member and a U.S. Navy veteran.
DR. TY FREDERICKSON
Visitors to Kansas, temporarily living with the author and his family until flights resume to Indonesia, embrace the splendors of Kansas and country life with enthusiasm and wonder, affirming the importance of “getting dirty.” OCTOBER 2020
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
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C O O K I N G M Y WAY H O M E
Keepers of the Flame: An Ode to Weenie Roasts and Other Home Fires BY R E B E C C A H O WA R D
THE LAST FEW FALL SEASONS have been tainted by wildfires in California. As early as August this year, rare lightning strikes set the landscape ablaze, leaving destruction and dimmed sunlight from the choking, smoky air. Living in it has made me want to remember more pleasant home fires. For decades, my parents heated their house with a wood stove. The first chill of autumn spurred the inaugural lighting of that stove’s “eternal flame,” as my mother called it, and it provided good heat, as well as the everpresent woodsy smoke from Kansas-cut cedar, oak, hackberry and elm logs. There’s no longer a curl of smoke from their chimney since my mother’s passing last year, but the scent remains as a signature in the house, and if I catch a whiff of wood smoke anywhere now, I feel an instant familial recognition. I picture my
parents carrying out buckets of ash and bringing in logs with a thump in the middle of the night. I see my mom’s cast-iron kettle, water a-boil in it on the stove’s red-hot surface, acting as a homemade humidifier. I picture my dad, always cold as he got older, sitting close and staring into the partially open stove door, entranced by the orange-red coals. My parents were keen and skilled fire starters (and keepers). They knew which wood was still Rebecca Howard too “green” or just aged enough to properly catch and burn. They took this know-how outdoors, too. Their excitement for a good bonfire was catching. Some of my favorite memories of fall include fires, from my early days at our elementary school October weenie roasts to more recent gatherings at my sister’s, where we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows in a limestone fire pit my nephew built. The expanse of “yard” (really too small a term for the woodsy property where I grew up) was also ideal for a bonfire just steps away from the house. In my family, very little persuading — or even much time — has ever been One of the first cookies I ever made, this recipe originally came from my needed to conjure up a weenie roast. Aunt “Mo,” and is a longtime family favorite. I adapted the recipe for A suggestion of it — along with these puffy, cake-like chocolate cookies, topped with a slightly melted maybe a crisp fall day, some sharp marshmallow half, by adding graham cracker crumbs (you can also make sticks and a package of hot dogs them without) to give them a whiff of s’more-like flavor. quick-thawed from the freezer — and f 2 cups flour f 1 cup sugar the whole enterprise could be up and f 1/2 cup baking cocoa f 1 tsp. vanilla running and any and all of us reveling f 1/2 cup finely crushed graham f 2 eggs in it in about a half an hour, holding cracker crumbs f 3/4 cup milk our roasting weenies over the glow of f 1 tsp. salt f 8 ounces semisweet chocolate properly dwindled logs, smoke snaking chips (optional) f 1/2 tsp. baking soda its way (no matter where we were f 1/2 cup shortening f 18 to 20 large marshmallows, cut in half seated or standing) to our eyes, clothes f 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened and hair. to room temperature The place at home where we made Heat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, graham cracker crumbs, salt and many of our fires I called the “meadow” baking soda, set aside. In another bowl with an electric mixer, cream together shortening, butter, when I was a girl because of its unique sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time, beating until fully blended. Mix openness, windless within the seclusion in 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet, alternating with 1/2 the milk, continuing and ending with of oak, elm, ash and cedar trees and the dry ingredients until all is completely mixed. Fold in chocolate chips (if using). the soft grass that comforted my bare Using a tablespoon-sized scoop, portion out cookies in mounds a few inches apart on feet. Once it acquired the old swinging parchment-lined sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove cookies from the oven and place settee and chairs and the regular fires a marshmallow half, cut side down, on top of each cookie. Return to the oven for 30 to 45 seconds. Remove from oven. Let cool briefly on sheet and remove to a wire rack to cool within a circle of cinder blocks, my completely. Makes 3 dozen. mom called it “The Sit,” and it inspired
Chocolate-Marshmallow Cookies
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KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
OCTOBER 2020
For most of us, the fire was the draw here more than food. The crackling flames and warming smell of wood smoke hold their trancing pull to keep us close, and we are there to have a laugh ... or a little time out in nature ... blazes from the heat of summer through winter ... one year, our weenie roast bonfire took place under falling snow. If it was impromptu, a weenie roast took about as long to commence as getting a good fire going, gathering a few condiments and paper plates in a cardboard box, and my dad clicking open his pocket knife to whittle some long thin branches into spears for hot dogs and marshmallows, plenty of both of which ended up in various stages of blistered char. If a more “elaborate” roast was planned, there would be my mom’s baked beans, or even a batch of my dad’s chili for chili dogs, and a simple dessert (like the chocolate-marshmallow cookies shared here). No matter how planned, the weenie roast was the opposite of fancy — unfussy and literally down-to-earth. Sometimes the crowd around the fire was large, friends and relatives; sometimes just immediate family, dogs with pleading expressions and a couple of Barred Rock hens who weren’t invited, but had just the right jumping skills to help themselves to our food.
For most of us, the fire was the draw here more than food. The crackling flames and warming smell of wood smoke hold their trancing pull to keep us close, and we are there to have a laugh or a good scare or a little time out in nature, rather than against it. As we were meant to be. KCL REBECCA HOWARD grew up in Kansas and has written for the Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles Times and LA Parent Magazine, and currently writes the food blog, “A Woman Sconed.”
TOP DOG
A hot dog roasted over a bonfire is pretty perfect with just ketchup and mustard, but you can also offer a “hot dog bar” with bowls of sweet relish, chopped red onion, chopped jalapeño, sauerkraut, crumbled bacon, pickles, chili and cheese. Here are some other topping favorites to try: f CHICAGO-STYLE: The Windy City first popularized this
version with bright green relish, tomatoes, pickles, mustard, yellow onions, peppers and celery salt topping a dog on a poppyseed bun f SOUTHERN SLAW: One of my favorites, the crunch of
sweet creamy coleslaw is an unexpectedly perfect topper for a hot dog.
f GRILLED STREET CORN: Kernels from grilled corn on the cob
are combined with queso fresco, jalapeño and a little chili powder to make a relish topping for dogs, which is finished with a little mayo, lime juice and a garnish of cilantro. f CALIFORNIAN: Chopped fresh cucumber, red onion and
slices of avocado ratchet up the “health quotient” of your hot dog.
OCTOBER 2020
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
25
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KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
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SAFETY
Portable Generator Use Caused More Than Half of Hurricane Laura Deaths
BY B R I A N N A M A G E E , I N T E R N
and resulting carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning caused more than half of the 15 deaths associated with Hurricane Laura that destroyed parts of Louisiana in late August, according to several news sources. A family of five in Lake Charles, Louisiana, succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning from a running portable generator because the odorless, colorless fumes had entered their home through an open doorway. Following the hurricane, people placed generators in their garage or under their porch to keep them dry or from being stolen. This allows carbon monoxide to build up in enclosed areas even though there is access to fresh air. Most generator-related deaths are caused by carbon monoxide as it builds up in enclosed spaces. In a study released on Aug. 14, 2020, “Consumer Reports” found that “dangerous gas can build up in an attached garage even if the garage door is open.” A “Chicago Sun-Times” article from Oct. 25, 2019, suggests that just one portable generator can emit as much carbon monoxide as 400 idling cars. The “Consumer Reports” study also estimates that carbon monoxide poisoning from generators kills an average of 70 Americans each year. Depending on levels, exposure to carbon monoxide for more than five minutes can be deadly. Federal agencies stress just how important carbon monoxide detectors are to avoid incidents such as those following Hurricane Laura. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, weakness, stomach pain, chest pain and confusion. The Occupational, Safety and Health Administration recommends the following to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning:
IMPROPER USE OF PORTABLE GENERATORS
An Oct. 25, 2019, Chicago Sun-Times article indicated that one portable generator can emit as much carbon monoxide as 400 idling cars.
28
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
OCTOBER 2020
f NEVER USE A GENERATOR INDOORS or in
enclosed spaces such as garages, crawl spaces and basements. Open windows and doors cannot prevent carbon monoxide buildup.
f MAKE SURE THE GENERATOR HAS 3 TO 4 FEET OF
on all sides and above to ensure proper ventilation.
CLEAR SPACE
f DO NOT USE A GENERATOR OUTDOORS IF ITS PLACEMENT IS NEAR DOORS, WINDOWS AND VENTS that could allow for carbon monoxide
enter and build up.
f IF ANYONE IS EXPERIENCING CARBON
to
MONOXIDE POISONING SYMPTOMS, find fresh air immediately and seek medical attention. Do not re-enter the area until it is determined safe by trained professionals.
Kansas will soon experience colder temperatures and fall and winter storms. Those with portable generators or contemplating purchasing one, should take these safety tips seriously and read the manufacturer’s safety procedures to protect themselves and their families against carbon monoxide poisoning. Don’t be silent with your family about this silent killer. Share these safety procedures with everyone in the household as you prepare for winter weather. KCL
OCTOBER 2020
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
29
Turkey Fajita Soup
Breakfast Sausage Pizza
KANS AS COUNTRY LIVING, OCTOBER 2020
Warm, comforting and the perfect one pot meal for those chilly nights.
KANS AS COUNTRY LIVING, OCTOBER 2020
Start the day with a hearty piece of pizza. This breakfast the kids are sure to enjoy.
Walnut Apple Pear Crisp
JalapeñoBacon Cheese Balls
KAN S AS COU N T RY L IVIN G, OCTOBE R 2020
Nothing screams fall more than apple crisp topped with a little ice cream.
KAN S AS COU N T RY L IVIN G, OCTOBE R 2020
Little bites of heaven you didn’t know you needed to make.
Jalapeño-Bacon Cheese Balls
f 1 tsp. cinnamon f 1 Tbs. lemon juice
f 1/8 tsp. salt
COURTESY NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF BRE ADS
f 4 slices white sandwich f 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour f 3 slices cooked crispy bread, crusts removed bacon, finely chopped f 1 large egg, beaten f ½ cup whole milk, f 1 slice white sandwich f 2-3 Tbs. finely scalded (180 F) bread, crust removed, chopped jalapeño crumbled f 2/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese f Vegetable oil, for frying In medium saucepan, add bread slices. Pour scalded milk over bread and set aside until lukewarm. Place pan over low heat and stir with spoon until pasty. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and flour. Blend egg into mixture, mixing well. Stir in jalapeño, bacon and breadcrumbs. Allow mixture to cool. Use a small cookie scoop or rounded tablespoon to shape into ¾-inch balls. In heavy, deep-fry pan, heat 2-inches oil to 350 F. Using a slotted spoon, lower one ball in the oil to see if it rapidly sizzles. Fry in batches of four, without over-crowding. Fry 1 ½-2 minutes; turning balls for an even golden brown. Remove balls from oil and place on paper towels to drain. Let oil return to 350 F before making the next batch. Check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of cheese ball; it should register about 160 F. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce. Yield: about 20 cheese balls.
sliced into 1/4-inch slices
f 2 Tbs. cornstarch
f 1/2 cup granulated sugar
f 1/2 cup walnuts
f 3 pears, peeled and
Apple Pear Filling f 4 apples, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
Walnut Apple Pear Crisp Walnut Crisp Topping f 1 cup walnuts f 1/4 cup all-purpose flour f 1/4 cup brown sugar f 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats f 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon f 1/2 cup butter, chilled and sliced into pieces Heat oven to 350 F. TO MAKE WALNUT CRISP TOPPING: In food processor, pulse 1 cup walnuts until finely ground. Set aside in separate bowl. In medium bowl, combine ground walnuts, flour, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon. Cut butter into mixture until coarse crumbs form. TO MAKE APPLE PEAR FILLING: In food processor, pulse 1/2 cup walnuts until chopped. In large bowl, toss apples, pears, walnuts, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and lemon juice. Pour fruit mixture in bottom of 12-inch cast-iron pan. Layer walnut crisp topping mixture over fruit.
COURTESY FAMILY FE ATURES , CULINARY.NET
Bake 45 minutes, or until fruit mixture is hot and bubbly and topping is golden brown. Top with ice cream and caramel sauce, if desired.
f 1/2 tsp. black pepper
f 1/2 tsp. salt
f 1/4 cup Italian parsley snipped
f 1/2 cup onion thinly sliced
Breakfast Sausage Pizza f 6 ounces pork sausage bulk f 4 slices bacon thick cut, cut in half f 8 eggs beaten f 1 10-inch pizza crust f 1 cup Colby Jack cheese shredded
In a large skillet cook sausage, bacon, and onions over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through (about 10-15 minutes). Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Remove all but 1 teaspoon of drippings from pan. Add eggs, parsley, and seasonings, stirring to scramble. Stir while cooking for 2-3 minutes or until eggs are just set.
Meanwhile, place pizza crust on a pizza pan or baking sheet and top with 1/2 cup of the cheese. Place in a 400 F oven for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove crust and top with eggs, sausage, and onions. Top with bacon and remaining cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted and bacon is crisp.
f Salt and pepper, to taste
f 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
f 1 (24 ounce) jar of tomato or pasta sauce
(bell peppers and onion strips)
f 2 cups frozen fajita veggie mix
COURTESY KANS AS P ORK P RODUCERS , E ATP OR K .ORG
Garnish with additional parsley, if desired. Slice to serve. Serves 8
Turkey Fajita Soup f 1 lb. ground turkey f 1 Tbs. steak seasoning f 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
bean, and carrot mix
f 2 cups frozen corn, green
Cook ground turkey on medium heat in a large soup pot, breaking it up into smaller pieces. Cook to 165 F using a meat thermometer.
Add seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Add frozen veggies and sauté the mixture until ground turkey is cooked through. Stir in tomato sauce and barbecue sauce.
Bring soup to boiling, then take heat down to simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips for topping, if desired.
CO URTESY HONEYSUCKLE WHI TE
OCTOBER 2020
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
30
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