2011 Indiana State Fair Day Eleven

Nora will use this blog to chronicle her daily adventures at the Indiana State Fair. 

It was eerie walking in to the Fairgrounds this morning. The familiar sounds of laughter and midway rides and tractors and animals was replaced by solemn silence.

I thought the Fair did a marvelous job with the Remembrance Ceremony. I was struck by how appropriate it was that State Fair Queen, Sara Lynn Alford did not wear her crown. Husband and wife team Steven and Amanda Potaczek of the band 1000 Generations sang their original song, “Fail Us Not.”

Governor Daniels, First Lady Cheri Daniels and Lt. Governor Skillman gave moving talks lauding the heroics of concert audience and other Fair goers. As Governor Daniels reminded us, "There was a hero every ten feet on Saturday night."  

My burst-into-tears moment was when the Pioneer Village volunteers formed a funeral parade with antique tractors and bunting on their wagons.

My laugh-out-loud moment came after I learned that the Pioneer Village folks had “borrowed” the black table clothes to make the bunting from a catering site on the Fairgrounds.

The ceremony reminded me of why I love the State Fair and the folks that make up the community.

When I heard the chug of the steam engine tractor fire up for the threshing demonstrations and whirr of a Lemon Shake Up being shaken, everything seemed just a little bit better.

I spent hours at the Fair today. I was able to tuck into a corner of Normandy Barn and write about the Fair and the music community for two publications, Being on the Fairgrounds was the absolute right place to gather my thoughts. It was lovely to take breaks and soak in the sunshine and noises of Pioneer Village and to walk through the 4-H exhibits and Hook's Museum and wander  aimlessly down Main Street and reconnect with the Fair that I know and love. 

2011 Indiana State Fair Day Nine

Nora will use this blog to chronicle her daily adventures at the Indiana State Fair. 

My trip to the State Fair was a short one today. I had to be at work at 5:00 and other errands and chores (can you believe that all other activities don't stop during the seventeen day of the Indiana State Fair?) kept me from the Fairgrounds until almost 3:00.

My main goal for today was to purchase one of Doug's magnificent paintings. I'd had my eye on one since I'd seen it in June, but didn't want to be too piggy and purchase it on the first day.

The Daily Parade of antique tractors and County 4-H Queens and mascots of soybeans and tomatoes is one of my favorite things about the Fair. I've managed to hitch a ride on a wagon a few times and I waved and grinned like a nut the whole time.

Sarah Davis, one of the awesome interns at the State Fair took me to see the balcony of the Administration Building. As I kid I'd look up and daydream about how great the view must be and wonder if I'd ever get to be up there. Decades later I made it up there. And it is as amazing as I thought it would be.

Another amazing day at the Indiana State Fair.

2011 Indiana State Fair Day Seven

Nora will use this blog to chronicle her daily adventures at the Indiana State Fair. 

Nora Spitznogle, Sarah Davis, Douglas David

This evening was the official 'meet the artists night' for the Farm to Fair show. 

It was humbling to hear the memories stirred by the show. I heard several stories of childhoods on the farm and grandmother's journals and other rural tales. 

Gwen has fond memories of pulling weeds with her four sisters and growing up on a working farm. 

It feels odd to watch friends and family and strangers ready my stories and gratifying to hear  that they identified with them. Hearing people laugh while reading the stories is heart-warming. 

My part of the Farm to Fair project is to tie Douglas's farm scenes to the fair scenes. Some were straightforward - dairy cow to a milkshake was easy. Flowers to a pork chop was a little more of a stretch...

The sweet smell of summer flowers help balance some of the not-so-sweet smells of farming. 

I’m looking at you, piglets! Swine have a distinctive odor and I will forever equate that smell with going to visit uncles and cousins and laughter and sunshine.

Lots of little piggies went to market, and several wound up at the State Fair. Indiana farming families sent eight million pigs to market last year – that is enough to meet the pork needs of every Hoosier, and twenty million more people around the U.S. and the world. The pork market is also the leading consumer of Indiana grain. Show your State pride by eating a pork chop at the Indiana Pork Tent. 

2011 Indiana State Fair Day Six

Nora will use this blog to chronicle her daily adventures at the Indiana State Fair. 

On the State Fair set of Indy Style - thanks to Sarah Davis for the photo. 

Doug and I had the great opportunity to tape an episode Indy Style to talk about our Farm to Fair exhibit. 

Click here for Doug's interview.  

Click here for Nora's interview. 

I ended my short visit to the Fair with a Tractor Tram ride around the Fairgrounds - it doesn't seem like a true visit to the Fair unless you've made a loop around the Grounds. 

Another great day at the Fair. 

2011 Indiana State Fair Day Five

Nora will use this blog to chronicle her daily adventures at the Indiana State Fair. 

Nora on stage

So, I'm in an all woman jug band, Alice Chalmers and The Stick a Cork in Your Jug Band. And I play the typewriter and rotary phone. There, I said it.

View from the stage

Playing on the stage in Pioneer Village is the best thing ever. Our band is started with the hope to play at the State Fair and we soon discovered that we (and when I say 'we,' I'm not including myself) were good. Amazing harmonies, music and giggling soon poured from our front porch rehearsals. The fact that we had use for grandmother's aprons and punch bowls was a bonus.

Miss Hamilton County, Phoebe Davis

We were lucky enough to have Miss Hamilton County join us for a song. The two hours flew by and I loved seeing friends and family in the audience. 

Pioneer Village Summer Kitchen

One of the perks of playing in Pioneer Village besides looking out at antique tractors while you perform is getting to grab a drink from the little screened in porch - I've always want to be able to go in there. 

After the show we had a grand time wandering around Pioneer Village and checking out the displays and chatting with folks. 

I especially loved meeting this grandfather/grandchildren trio and hearing about the steam engine tractor he demonstrates at the Fair.

Dad reading my work at the Farm to Fair exhibit

I was anxious to show Dad the Farm to Fair exhibit (Normandy Barn, until August 21, 9:00 to 8:00). It's one thing for strangers to read your work, but I'm nervous about family and friends seeing it. Dad enjoyed it - yay!

This was my first look at the cheese sculpture in progress.

Jennifer Dickie and her champion danish. 

We got to the Home and Family Arts Building just in time to see the lovely Jennifer Dickie win first place in the Fleischmann's Yeast contest. Her recipe is now entered in the national contest. Congratulations Jennifer! 

I wrote on my Farm to Fair bio that my State Fair 2011 goals were to win a blue ribbon on my toffee and to ride in the tractor parade. One goal was realized. I got to ride with the Third Satchel Novelty Jazz Orchestra - and the Hamilton County Fair Queen. 

Phoebe Davis, Miss Hamilton County 2011

Our instructions (besides making sure you don't fall off) were to smile and wave. Like you had to tell me that! 

Everyone loves a parade. And corndogs. 

I

Jeff and Jodi from Nebraska bring their booth to the Fair every year.

The rain storm didn't start until the parade was almost over. I got soaked on the way to the car as I juggled my typewriter, typing table, jug of flowers, rotary phone and other goodies. The white dress became transparent in the rain. At least the crinoline protected a bit of my modesty.

Another awesome day at the Indiana State Fair. 

2011 Indiana State Fair Day Two

Nora will use this blog to chronicle her daily adventures at the Indiana State Fair. 

 Today was my first chance to get in to the Home and Family Arts Building to see how my Open Show entries fared. I'd baked snickerdoodle cookies, made English toffee and entered things in the antique division.

English toffee is my signature item. Or was. In the past I've been able to whip up a perfect batch of toffee with my eyes closed. Not this year. Out of six attempts there was only one that even looked good enough to enter. I was not surprised that I didn't get a ribbon on the toffee.

I was was happily surprised to see a third place ribbon on the snickerdoodles, there was lots of great competition in that category.

In the antiques division I'd entered the Ugly Lamp competition, but mine didn't place - I can never decide whether it is good or bad not to have the ugliest lamp. I was excited for my friend Novella, who took the blue ribbon - she deserved it, for sure! 

The piece I entered in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race memorabilia won the blue ribbon. Yay!

Anyone can enter projects in the Open Show divisions. There is a small fee, but you get enough Fair tickets to cover the cost of entering. Click here for details. 

From there I walked to the Normandy Barn to check out the Farm to Fair exhibit. I was thrilled to see folks there and talking about their farming experiences. This is exactly what we were aiming for.

I made a quick stop at the Dairy Barn for a grilled cheese sandwich, retrieved my bike from the lovely volunteers in the Pedal and Park tent and rode the Monon Trail home.

beans

Nora will use this blog to tell stories of her childhood on the farm and her urban adventures in preparation for the Farm to Fair project.

To a farm kid the word beans means, soybeans. Plain and simple.

Green beans and baked beans and kidney beans were called by their full names. The name beans was reserved for soybeans.  As farm kids, we spent a lot of the summer thinking about beans. And not always in a good way.

Those cute little, you-can-swear-that-you-can-see-them grow beans,  turned in to the hottest, longest, most-likely-to-make-you-want-to-take-a-swipe-at-your-little-brother-with-a-hoe summertime task.

Our family called the chore pulling weeds but I've also heard it called walking the beans or hoeing beans. 

Whatever you called it, it was a hot and sweaty task.

In retrospect, I can't believe how much we complained about the job. In the time we spent dragging our feet and doing the math of how many rows apart we could walk and still reach the weeds with our hoes we could have finished for the day before the sun was blindingly hot and we weren't speaking to each other.

The goal was to kill the weeds in the field that competed with the beans for sunshine and nutrients and choked out the beans and attracted bugs and reduced the yield. A byproduct of pulling weeds was seeing the beautiful rows of beans with nary an offending weed peaking over the top of the beautiful rows of soybeans.

Weed control has changed dramatically since the 1970s,  with the help of chemicals and more sophisticated equipment, but that doesn't stop me from judging a bean field by its weeds when I pass by.

A field of beans is one of the prettiest sights in Indiana - as long as you're not standing in them with a hoe.

knee high by the fourth of july

Nora will use this blog to tell stories of her childhood on the farm and her urban adventures in preparation for the Farm to Fair project.

Dad - July 4, 2011. Boone County.

I'm not sure how the "knee high by the fourth of July" idiom started, but as a kid I loved showing off our corn fields to our urban friends that celebrated Independence Day on our farm.

I can't remember a time when the corn was not taller than not only my knobby knees, but the knees of the adults. I remember feeling quite smug that our corn was so tall - that clearly we had done something above and beyond to make it so. As an adult, I know that sunshine and rain and hard work and the bank were responsible for how tall it was.

As any farmer can tell you, a good deal of growing crops is in the preparation - being ready to plant when the time is right - equipment ready to roll,  the right mix of seed corn and fertilizer and labor. And weather. It's always about the weather.

While we kiddos had plenty of chores and responsibilities around the farm, our involvement in planting was typically minimal. I remember stacking the precious bags of seed and driving them to the waiting planter. In retrospect I'm glad that I didn't have the chance to goof up sowing seeds.

Planting season is where the farm fiscal year starts. All of the cash literally goes in to the ground in seed costs, fertilizer and equipment. There is a small window to get the seeds in the ground and start praying for rain - not too much rain, of course. My farm friends and family visibly relax when the planting is done. 

As you can see from the photo this field has not tasseled yet,  which is the real July 4th goal - but that doesn't quite roll off the tongue, does it? This Spring was particularly wet (the rainiest April since 1895), and planting was late. Only 30% of the corn crop was planted by mid-May. 

The director of agronomic research for Weatherbill Insurance Co., Jeff Hamlin, estimates Indiana could see yield losses this year of between 137 million and 203 million bushels of corn. He tells The Indianapolis Star that would amount to a financial loss for farmers of between $960 million and $1.42 billion.

year of the soybean

Nora will use this blog to tell stories of her childhood on the farm and her urban adventures in preparation for the Farm to Fair project. 

The theme of the 2011 Indiana State Fair is: Year of the Soybean.

How Does a Soybean Became a Corndog?  has been my working title for this project. I've had fun explaining that soybeans are often used as feed for cattle and swine. Thrown in some soy oil and soy milk and you've got a meal.

And celebrating the rich agricultural history of our State Fair most certainly involves food. I love talking about food! A panel of judges and readers of the Indianapolis Star were charged with the daunting task of choosing the signature food for this year's Fair.

This year's contenders are:
Deep-fried tofu on a stick.
Three generous cubes of tofu, rolled in a crisp coating, deep-fried and served on a stick with a spicy dipping sauce.
Where's the soy? Tofu (soybean curd) with a soymeal coating fried in soybean oil.

Soy-marinated beef on a stick with sesame-ginger soy-infused sauce. Chunks of top sirloin are spiced up with a sweet chile-garlic marinade and served on a stick with a sesame-ginger soy sauce for dipping.
Where's the soy? Top sirloin from soy-fed cattle marinated in soy sauce.

Bacon-flavored pork burger. 
Bacon-y pork patty is topped with Indiana-made barbecue sauce from Shoup's Country Foods.
Where's the soy? Pork from soy-fed hogs.

Grilled pepperjack cheese on sourdough.Toasted sourdough bread with plenty of spicy pepperjack -- made in Indiana at Deutsch Käse Haus in Middlebury.
Where's the soy? Cheese made from the milk of soy-fed dairy.

Deep-fried ice cream.
Reminiscent of a  popular dessert at a Mexican restaurant, this crisp/melty treat is topped with chocolate, caramel and whipped cream.
Where's the soy? Ice cream made from milk from soy-fed dairy cows with a soymeal coating fried in soybean oil.

The winner will be announced on July 15, but all of the items will be available during the fair.

Thanks to the Indianapolis Star's Jolene Ketzenberger for the descriptions of the items. Click here to see Michelle Pemberton's video recap of the tasting.

chickens

Nora will use this blog to tell stories of her childhood on the farm and her urban adventures in preparation for the Farm to Fair project.

 Poultry Barn, Indiana State Fair, 2010

We raised chickens for a few years, but I don't remember much about them, other than they were no fun to feed and the memories of butchering them. The idiom, "running around like a chicken with it's head cut off," has real-life meaning for me.

I do remember my duck. Around Easter each year the Danner's Store in Lebanon would sell baby chicks and ducks that had been dyed pastel colors. They were housed in the back of the store next to the shelf full of Little House on the Prairie and Nancy Drew books. I have a memory that the chicks were in a playpen and made quite a racket.                                                                                                                                      

Miraculously, one year Mom said yes, when we did our annual begging for one of the little fluff balls of poultry. My siblings chose chicks and I picked a duck.

We took them home and started comparing our purchases - the chicks were cute as can be and were amenable to being held. My duck was a little more obstinate, but I defended it staunchly. 

Weeks passed and the astonishingly, the pets thrived and fit right into the world of the chickens we already had. My duck was pretty independent and looked awkward as his new feathers grew in around the dyed ones. He could have been a poster duck in the ugly duckling category.

Adding fresh water to the container for the chickens to drink was part of the nightly chore of feeding them. One evening I got the bright idea to 'teach' the duck to swim in the water pan. He took to it, well, like a duck to water. Imagine my shock when I went to care for the chickens in the morning and found the baby chicks had followed the duck into the container and drowned. It was a sad sight, their little pastel bodies floating in the water. 

I'll admit that I felt a little superior to my siblings in the fact that my duck was smart enough to survive. Of course, it never occurred to me how the story would end. Let's just say that the duck left home one evening with a bottle of Dad's homemade wine in the car of one of Dad's friends. 

As kids we loved to visit the Poultry Barn at the State Fair. I'm not sure if I'm remembering the details correctly, but there was a little conveyor belt that the baby ducks rode on to land in a trough of water - I loved it! 

Somehow on our annual visits to the State Fair my parents managed to keep us from the Midway, but on the way out of the Fairgrounds we were allowed to dart in to the games area and pick a plastic duck floating in a plastic pond. The duck had a number on the bottom that corresponded to a prize. I remember always being disappointed in the prize,  wishing I could keep the plastic duck instead. I still head to the duck pond booth each year, hoping for the big prize.

tractors

Nora will use this blog to tell stories of her childhood on the farm and her urban adventures in preparation for the Farm to Fair project.

 

Tractor Parade, Indiana State Fair, 2010

The farm I grew up on was fairly small and our equipment fleet could be counted on one hand, but they were all green. We were a John Deere family, through and through. 

The farm that my parents bought in 1967, and Dad still lives on, came with a John Deere B Series tractor and that was the one that I drove most often. I was a pretty scrawny kid and had to use one of my legs and a foot to jam the tractor into gear - the gear box was on the floor, in front of the seat, while the other foot was on the clutch. It's amazing that it all worked and I didn't tumble off.

My tractor chores involved moving wagons full of corn to the bin and empty ones back to wait for the combine to fill up, repeat as needed, and mowing the corn stalks after harvest. Moving wagons felt stressful to me - you had to have everything lined up perfectly and timing was everything and generally their was a grizzled neighbor or a little brother watching. On the other hand I adored the solitude of mowing stalks. I could look back and see my progress and felt like I was doing something substantial - cleaning the cow barn didn't bring the same sense of satisfaction.

Best of all I loved that Dad mounted a radio on the tractor. I didn't have a record player and we didn't listen to much music at home. I could turn the radio up and sing at the top of my little lungs. I still know all of the words to the 'Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog' song, my favorite to belt out.

Parade, Indiana State Fair 2010

I always try to be at the State Fair in time for the daily parade. The parade features lots of fun stuff, but I'm all about the tractors. I've been lucky enough to hitch a ride in the parade the last few years. You are given the instructions to wave and smile - ha! Try and stop me! Riding in that parade is one of my favorite experiences of the year.

oink

Nora will use this blog to tell stories of her childhood on the farm and her urban adventures in preparation for the Farm to Fair project.

I love this snapshot. It was in a pile of family photographs, mixed in with pictures of children in rows on the steps of the Spitznogle Home Farm and vacation photos.

I wonder what made these pigs special enough to take a photograph? This was in the era before digital cameras and one hour photo processing. I like to write my own stories around old photographs. I imagine that it was a prized litter for a 4-H project. Or that one of my uncles was setting up his farm with his new bride after returning from the war. Or my dad sneaking the camera out of his mom's desk, proud of his barn cleaning task.

While I'll never know why the photo was taken, I do know that raising pigs has been a big part of my extended families farming business. Both sides of my family are based in Cass County. Back in the 60s it was safe for Mom to take me to meet the Greyhound Bus on the highway. I would eagerly board the bus with my little flowered suitcase and Nancy Drew book tucked under my arm and an hour later Grandma Leona would meet me at the bus station in Logansport.

We had a routine of stopping at a restaurant for smelt - small fish that were battered and fried to a crispy goodness. I'm not sure whether I loved the smelt as much as I thought I did or if it was the thrill of being in a restaurant. After we arrived at the farm I would scramble to change clothes - traveling outfits were not the same as playing in the barn clothes, after all - to find Grandpa and my uncles. I loved tagging along on as they did their chores and teased me. 

Pigs and their surroundings have a distinctive odor. I will forever equate that smell with visiting uncles and cousins and laughter and sunshine.

I also have fond memories of pigs at the Indiana State Fair - and not just the pork chop sandwiches. 

I always take time to oh and ah over the new piggies - aren't they darling?

 Swine barn, Indiana State Fair

The Swine Barn on the Indiana State Fairgrounds is beautiful and grand. It was built in 1923 and as modern and sanitary. as possible with its concrete floors, brick, steel and tile building materials.

The architects of Arts and Crafts building were J. Edwin Kopf and Deery — also built many of the other buildings on the Fairgrounds and several commercial buildings and schools around town. The style of tapestry brickwork and bands of tile were more typical for houses than commercial buildings. The whimsical hogs head sculpture was molded in terra-cotta — a new and popular building material for the time. The swine medallions are carved from Indiana limestone and many of the buildings feature whatever is appropriate for the building.

Make sure you take time to look up at the building when you're at the Fairgrounds this summer before you run in to see the World's Largest Boar - there is a lot of history in that building.

farm kids

Nora will use this blog to tell stories of her childhood on the farm and her urban adventures in preparation for the Farm to Fair project.

Nora at five, Beth four, J.R. three, sister Ann was a few months from joining us.

I love this classic farm scene. The fact that I'm holding a sandwich is a bonus. 

Both of my parents grew up on farms, but this was the first place they lived that had room for farming activities.

My first memories are from living on that farm.

We had two cows - which against Dad's advice, I named - Popeye and Janie, for the cartoon character and the local host (with Cowboy Bob) of the show that showed cartoons. We didn't get to watch a lot of television, so anything I saw made a huge impact on me.

We didn't grow any crops there, but had a huge garden. I remember tons of eggplants and tomatoes. Let me tell you, there aren't any finer vegetables for lobbing at each other than those two. I remember Mom and Dad being mad at us, but eventually joining in the fun. 

I'm not sure what we prepared with the eggplant - I don't think I was introduced to eggplant Parmesan or eggplant lasagna until I was in my thirties, but the tomatoes were canned on blindingly hot days in the form of juice and whole tomatoes to be used in ox tail soup (I'm sure the Popeye and Janie's were part of the soup) or chili. 

Even though I'd read the book, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, I never had a friend green tomato until the 2009 State Fair, coincidentally, "The Year of the Tomato." I'm hooked. 

potatoes

Nora will use this blog to tell stories of her childhood on the farm and her urban adventures in preparation for the Farm to Fair project.

4-H Champion potatoes, 2010, Indiana State Fair

Right or wrong, I always think of potatoes on Saint Patrick's Day. Well, that and whiskey, but that's a whole 'nother post.

Grandma Leona's family came to Cass County from Ireland in the late 1800s. A generation* later, they had a successful farm raising corn, soy beans, wheat, and cattle. I have no idea whether they raised potatoes or not, but Grandma had a potato ricer - a hinged kitchen tool with two handles that you would squeeze the cooked potato through a grid. The potato comes out in a wiggly squish of goodness. The idea was that the potatoes are easier to mash when they are riced. I always asked for a serving of the riced potatoes, before they were mashed.

Potato salad is a staple at every picnic and part of my favorite summer meal - picked right from the garden corn-on-the-cob, watermelon and potato salad. I remember how shocked I was the first time I had a mustard-based potato salad. Mayonnaise vs. mustard can be a dividing issue among friends, right up there with the 4-H vs. FFA and Purdue vs. IU age-old battles.  

I remember the first time I saw this bit of potato-y genius at the Indiana State Fair several years ago. They use a drill connected to a blade to make one long thin potato ribbon and are fried in to crispy potato chips.

Did you know that the Indiana State Fair was the first to take a stand against trans fat cooking oils? In 2007 trans fat cooking oils were banned from being use at the Fair. This forward-thinking measure was touted in headlines around the world - and all of the State Fair treats are just as delicious.



*Thinking about the farm that Grandma Leona grew up on reminds me of a great story about her sister, my Great-Aunt Mary. The siblings had all either moved away or died and Aunt Mary was living in the house alone, with plenty of help from family and the "hired man," who worked there for decades and took care of basic farm chores and house duties. One Friday Aunt Mary was writing out his paycheck and couldn't remember his name. She didn't want to admit that she'd forgotten, so she said "remind me how to spell your last name?" His reply, "S.M.I.T.H."

popcorn

Nora will use this blog to tell stories of her childhood on the farm and her urban adventures in preparation for the Farm to Fair project.

• Popcorn is my absolute favorite food - I enjoy some almost every day and I often count it as my dinner. 

  Did you know that the United States grows and consumes most of the world's popcorn? The oldest known ears of popcorn (discovered in New Mexico) date back 4000 years. Indiana is a close second in national popcorn production, right behind Nebraska. Combined, the two states produce roughly 55 percent of the nations commercial production. 

  Popcorn is a type of maize (corn), a member of the grass family, and is scientifically known as Zea mays everta. Of the six types of maize/corn—pod, sweet, flour, dent, flint, and popcorn—only popcorn pops. Popcorn is a whole grain. It is made up of three components: the germ, endosperm, and pericarp (also know as the hull).

  Enough of the science - how the heck does the grain pop into that delicious puffy goodness? 

  Each kernel of popcorn contains a certain amount of moisture and oil and needs about 14% moisture to pop. As the oil and the water are heated past the boiling point, they turn the moisture in the kernel, which has a moisture-proof hull, into a superheated pressurized steam. The hull allows pressure from the heated water to build and eventually bursts open. The inside starch becomes gelatinous while being heated; when the hull bursts, the gelatinized starch spills out and cools, giving it its familiar popcorn shape. 

  I never knew that I would actually crave gelatinized starch! 

  

  One of my favorite Fair treats is the Kettle Korn. How many days until the State Fair? 

  Most popcorn pops into two basic shapes: snowflake and mushroom. Snowflake is used in movie theaters and ballparks because it looks and pops bigger. Mushroom is used for candy confections because it doesn't crumble.

  Here are some fun popcorn facts:

  - Americans consume 16 billion quarts of popcorn - that's 52 quarts per man, woman and child. I'm sure doing my part!

  - Popcorn is pretty low in calories. Air-popped popcorn has only 31 calories per cup. Oil popped is only 55 calories/cup. 

  - Popping popcorn is the number one use for microwave ovens. Guilty! Most microwaves have a 'popcorn' button. 

  - The peak popcorn sales are in the autumn and hold steady through the winter months. 

  - Popcorn can pop up to three feet in the air. I can vouch for that - one too many times testing the stove top cooking oil with the pan lid off. 

  - The world’s largest popcorn ball was created by volunteers in Sac City, Iowa in February, 2009.  It weighed 5,000 lbs., stood over 8 ft. tall, and measured 28.8 ft. in circumference.

buckwheat and cranberries

Nora will use this blog to tell stories of her childhood on the farm and her urban adventures in preparation for the Farm to Fair project.

I love this time of year - I still have a few bags of cranberries tucked in the freezer and I'm ready to cook.  I have an unnatural affection for cranberries. I've been to cranberry country several times and I'm intrigued by the idea of flooding the fields for harvest -- that must save a lot of weather-related angst for cranberry farmers!

My go-to dish for parties is Grandma Leona's cranberry salad. I imagine the great nutritional value of the cranberries is smothered by the sugar, tapioca, marshmallows and pecans. Over the years I've reduced the sugar and marshmallows and added more celery - it's still delicious.  

My cousin LouAnn grew and milled organic buckwheat flour and I wanted to make something special with it. Buckwheat pancakes and seemed like a great way to use some of the precious flour and cranberry syrup would top them off beautifully. 

The only hitch is that I've never made pancakes. Or syrup. How is that possible? I researched recipes and found one that was within my abilities. 

Buckwheat Pancakes

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons buckwheat flour
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons butter

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter.
2. In another bowl, mix together white flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Pour the dry ingredients into the egg-mixture. Stir until the two mixtures are just incorporated.
3. Heat a griddle or large frying pan to medium-hot, and place 1 tablespoon of butter, margarine or oil into it. Let the butter melt before spooning the batter into the frying pan, form 4 inch pancakes out of the batter. Once bubbles form on the top of the pancakes, flip them over, and cook them on the other side for about 3 minutes. Continue with this process until all of the batter has been made into pancakes.

I learned some valuable pancake making lessons:  Multi-tasking is not possible. The smoke alarm is sensitive. Rubber spatulas melt. Skillet handles are hot. I have an exceptional talent for swearing

Cranberry Syrup

• 1  cup  fresh cranberries
• 1/3  cup  maple syrup
• 1/4  cup  sugar
• 1/4  cup  water
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1  tablespoon  lemon juice

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer eight minutes or until cranberries pop, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice.

---

I reduced the amount of maple syrup that was called for in the original recipe - I wanted the taste of the cranberries to pop. Speaking of popping - a lid on your saucepan is a good idea. 

I still have some buckwheat left. I'm thinking I'll try my hand at pretzels next. Do you have a favorite buckwheat recipe? 

farm to fair - the barn

 The Normandy Barn

The Indiana State Fairgrounds is the third home for the beautiful Normandy Barn. Originally built in 1936, the beautiful barn was moved to the north side of the Fairgrounds in 2008, settling west of Pioneer Village. This 120 ft. long by 35ft structure is available for a wide range of events. 

In the early 20th century, the Traders Point area became the location of choice for some of the city's wealthier residents, including Department Store pioneers William H. Block & L.S. Ayres, Eli Lilly, J. K. Lilly, Industrialist Harold Ransburg, and Herman Krannert.

An industrialist who in his later years became a prominent philanthropist, Herman C. Krannert, founded Inland Container. One of his quieter achievements was a meticulously planned estate, located between Noel Road and Marsh Road on the south side of West 79th Street.

The rolling estate was accessed by driving through a two story gatehouse which still stands. Krannert and his wife lived on the 600 acre property they purchased in 1934. Years later following Mr. Krannert’s death, trustees sold their property and it was eventually developed into the Normany Farms subdivision.

The original Normandy Farm not only included the Krannert’s private residence, there was also an elaborate and modern (for its day) dairy farm operation. The farm was managed by agricultural experts and assisted by Purdue University. It was reputed to be one of the most advanced dairy farming operations in the nation.

Mrs. Krannert named the property Normandy Farm after the province in France called “Normandie” because it reminded her of the French countryside with its picturesque landscapes of rolling hills, farms, and forests.

Mr. Krannert died in 1972 at the age of 84. 

food for thought - farm to fair

Douglas David Paints Farm to Fair is made possible through the Food for Thought initiative.
 
Food for Thought, a program of the Indiana Humanities Council, is an examination and celebration of the ways food helps to define Indiana’s culture, considering food in the context of history, law, politics, science, the arts, religion, ethnicity and our place in the world. Through this program, Hoosiers will share and sample the cultures reflected at the state’s table and address the local and global issues of hunger, nutrition, food production, obesity, food security and safety.

What a perfect fit!

the writer - nora spitznogle

Nora Leona Spitznogle is a Hoosier born writer, growing up on a working farm in Boone County. She survived her teenage summers of pulling weeds in the soybean fields by daydreaming of where the beans would ultimately wind up and how they would be used. 

Nora is an Indiana State Fair junkie. She attended every single day of the Fair for the last several years and blogged about her experiences for NUVO newsweekly. Her favorite Fair food is the Pork Producers pork chop sandwich.

Nora Leona is named for both of her Cass County grandmothers and has inherited their farm woman sensibilities and connection to the land. Her Grandma Nora kept a daily journal recording the vegetables she grew and the number of quarts she canned to help feed their nine children. Just a county road over, Grandma Leona raised their six children on one of the largest farms in the county and was a great storyteller.

She is a long-time columnist for the Broad Ripple Gazette and a freelance writer for NUVO newsweekly and the print magazine, Ghettoblaster. Her blog can be found by clicking here.

Nora is the Director of Operations for Second Helpings, a food rescue, job training and hunger relief organization. Second Helpings rescues over one million pounds of food and prepares and delivers over 600,000 meals each year.