Kansas Farm to School

 

I am a huge fan of Kansas farmers and the hard work they put in to feed this state and the world. Today I got an interesting press release from the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). It tells a fascinating story of how the pandemic inspired the connection between farmers and ranchers to first consumers and then to schools to provide produce straight from the farm to the dinner table and school lunchrooms. So I wanted to share parts of it with you.

Maybe my Kansas friends are already familiar with Shop Kansas Farms. The story began about a year ago after Rick McNary and his wife, Christine, were eating “a great meal of beef” that they had purchased from a farmer in Anthony, Kansas.

“As we settled in to watch a Hallmark movie, my wife commented that the meat counter was empty at the grocery store that day,” McNary wrote on the Shop Kansas Farms website. “I grabbed my laptop and created the Facebook group, Shop Kansas Farms, for the sole purpose of connecting you to the wonderful farm and ranch families of Kansas so that you can buy your meat, veggies, dairy, and fruit directly from them! Little did I know that I was like a little kid that pulled a plug on a dam and unleashed a flood!”

In just a few hours, more than 400 people had joined the Facebook group. Within 24 hours, there were 5,000 members, and within months, the group had grown to more than 147,000 members – primarily consumers. The McNarys formed Shop Kansas Farms LLC and created a website to meet consumer requests to have a searchable directory and map of farms in Kansas. Shop Kansas Farms was awarded the Agricultural Hero Award by the Kansas Department of Agriculture and the Friend of Agriculture Award by the Kansas Farm Bureau and Butler County Farm Bureau.

Before long, the group caught the eye of Barb Depew, the Farm to Plate project director for the KSDE.  She went to the group as a consumer to find locally sourced items. Then she and McNary began to work on ideas to create a partnership between KSDE and Shop Kansas Farms that would make it easier for schools to connect with producers to get more locally produced food on students’ plates.

“It will help that the kids know where their food comes from,” Depew said.

Thanks to the partnership, the Shop Kansas Farms’ website, www.shopkansasfarms.com, now has a Farm to School link, which provides website guidance about selling local foods to schools. The link also has a list of schools that are currently providing local foods in meals and snacks and a list of farmers who now sell to child nutrition programs or are interested in providing this service.

 

The Farm to School program started in 2008 when the Farm Bill amended the Richard B. Russell School Lunch Act to direct the secretary of agriculture to encourage institutions operating child nutrition programs to purchase unprocessed, locally grown, and locally raised agricultural products. The initiative is an effort to connect K-12 schools with regional or local farms to serve healthy meals using local foods.

The first producer placed on the Shop Kansas Farms’ interactive map with the Farm to School program was Mark Jirak, owner of Jirak Family Produce near Cummings. He has been working with school districts for about 12 years. The farm provides a variety of items from mid-August through mid-October, including watermelon, cucumbers, jalapenos, slicing tomatoes, sweet corn, grape tomatoes, bell peppers, snacking peppers, green beans, cantaloupe, squash, and pumpkins. He recently put in an acre of high-density trellised apple and peach trees and hopes to offer apples to districts in the near future.

Jirak noted there are occasions when buying local can be more expensive. However, districts spend less money because they have less waste, which offsets a higher price. Students tend to eat more of the locally grown items because they are healthier and taste better, and schools can order precisely what they need, which also reduces waste.

“Schools are committed to providing a high-quality, nutritious eating experience,” Jirak said. “They care about the kids. It’s a good program.”

Depew and McNary are excited about the opportunities that the partnership has created.

“The connection is key to rural prosperity,” McNary said. “It’s a win-win for rural progress.”

Hashbrown Potato Casserole from a Virtual #FarmFoodTour

Being a city girl who grew up visiting her grandparent’s farm, I got a real kick out of the #FarmFoodTour trips I’ve experienced in the past few years. Thanks to the Kansas Soybean Commission, Kansas Farm Bureau, and Kansas Pork Association, I’ve traveled around our state learning what it takes to be a farmer in the 21st century. 

This year, because of the pandemic, I participated in a virtual farm visit with Amanda Welch of Meier Dairy in Palmer, Kansas. (Everyone calls her Mandy, except for her husband.) She and her brother are fifth-generation dairy farmers, milking 626 cows for the wholesale market. 

Mandy oversees a 24/7 operation where the cows are milked by robots. Yep, robots! Turns out cows are creatures of habit. Once they learn when and where to go for milking, they will go there every day at the same time. The robot scans each cow’s udder, connects to the teats, gets the milk, and then waits for the next cow to show up. 

From 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, Mandy works at training new cows on how the system works, plus makes sure everything is operating smoothly. She is also mom to two boys, 14-year-old Jaxon and 10-year-old Max. Her husband, Kent, works for an area manufacturing company. Her favorite time of day is at 4 a.m. The farm is quiet and peaceful, and she’s the only person around. It’s a time of peace before 6:30 a.m. arrives and she has to get her sons up and off to school.

Mandy told me, “My lifestyle isn't easy. I struggle every single day to find balance. I love what I do but it's both physically and mentally demanding. I hope that by challenging myself every day to keep pushing that I am showing my kids the value in having a strong work ethic.”

Each time I visit with a farmer, I learn:

1. They take great pride in providing food not only for us in Kansas and the U.S., but around the globe.

2. They are a smart bunch considering all of the technology necessary to work in agriculture.

3. No matter the size, pretty much all farms are family farms. Some even support multiple families.

4. Most important, they care a great deal about the land and animals they oversee.

“The biggest misconception about dairy farming, in my opinion, is that the animals are mistreated,” Mandy shared. “The care that goes into making sure that the cows are not only comfortable but as healthy as can be is a dairy farmer's number one concern.” 

On past trips, I’ve always looked for a recipe to share, and this time was no exception. Mandy gave me hers for Hashbrown Potato Casserole—though her family calls them Cheesy Taters. 

She said, “This is one of our family's favorite recipes! It calls for lots of dairy products which is a huge plus!”

This dish is easy to make and creates a creamy, cheesy, tasty casserole I think could replace mac and cheese. The only change I made to the recipe was adding chipotle chili powder to give it a little kick. It was wonderful! 

The next time you grab the milk carton, open a cup of yogurt or slice some cheese, think of Mandy hard at work so you can enjoy what Kansas dairy farmers have to offer.

Yield: 12 to 14

Author: Linda Ditch

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Mandy Welch’s Hashbrown Potato Casserole

A creamy, cheesy side dish that can give mac and cheese a run for its money.

Ingredients

• 2 1-pound packages hashbrowns
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cartons (8-ounces each) sour cream
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon McCormick Chipotle Chile Powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Mix together the butter, soup, cheese, and sour cream. Stir in the hashbrowns, and then pour the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish that is coated with non-stick spray.
2. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the center is hot and the edges are brown.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Mamaw’s Chocolate Meringue Pie

Inspired by my last post, I asked the blog’s Facebook followers to tell me about their favorite pies. Many of them not only said a flavor but also told a family story to go with it. It seems that pie inspires a lot of memories.

For the Spring 2016 issue of Topeka Magazine, I wrote about Easter on my maternal grandparents’ farm. I also included Mamaw’s Chocolate Meringue Pie recipe. This is what I wrote:

“Mamaw’s country dinners were always delicious, but what everyone most anticipated was the dessert. Her chocolate meringue pie made an appearance at every holiday meal. It was mandatory. The meal wasn’t officially a celebration until the pie made it to the table.

Each of the pie's components was made from scratch. The crust was brown and flaky, the chocolate filling rich and creamy, and the meringue topping light, fluffy, and golden brown. Mamaw never used a mixer to make the meringue. Instead, she put the egg whites into her deep-blue, depression glass bowl, and whisked them until light and airy with a flat metal whisk full of holes. Everyone knew the rapid ting, ting sound of metal against glass meant she was making meringue

(That's Mamaw holding me a long, long, long time ago.)

I remember Mamaw's pies being perfect, but admit that my memory may be clouded by my love and admiration. My pies never seem to turn out as perfect as hers. Still, I make them and remember her kitchen and the holiday in muted color images.”

Mamaw’s Chocolate Meringue Pie

Serves 6 to 8 people

1 9-inch pie shell, baked until golden brown

For the meringue:

3 large egg whites, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 tablespoons sugar

For the filling:

3/4 cup sugar

5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups whole milk

3 large egg yolks, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, place the egg whites and the cream of tartar. Turn the mixer on to medium-high and beat until the egg whites form soft peaks. Continue beating while slowing adding the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until the egg whites are glossy and form stiff peaks. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, place the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk together. Slowly whisk in the milk. Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, and then pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining filling. Return to the heat and bring to just a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pour the hot filling into the prepared pie crust. Spoon the meringue over the hot filling, making sure to spread it out so it adheres to the edge of the crust. Create swirls with the back of a spoon.

Place the pie in the oven and bake until the meringue is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least two hours before serving.