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Natural Plus Nursery Tour + Gardening Tips For People Who Treat Plants Like Tamagotchis

April 27, 2015 / / 3 Comments

My mother and her mother grew beautiful roses. They loved to garden and my childhood home was surrounded by snapdragons and peonies. A magnolia tree grew beneath my bedroom window and I looked forward to spring when it would bloom. Back then, I had to stand on a little rock in the garden to sniff its blossoms.

I did not inherit my family’s green thumbs. When we lived in Fargo, I was determined to have a bountiful container garden on our apartment patio. In typical Jeni-style, I became extremely excited about my vision of a glorious container garden and moved forward with zeal.

To begin, I bought big garden pots, lots of dirt, and heirloom seeds which I started too early. The herbs sort of grew, but the vegetables didn’t. It became apparent that I just wasn’t going to grow beets and carrots in pots on my patio. When we went out-of-town for a weekend in July, everything died. The situation reminded me of that time I got tired of taking care of my Tomogatchi and threw it under my bed. This time, I felt way worse because the plants were real, living things. I call it the great container garden disaster of 2012. It was a lot of work to haul all that dirt back down the elevator. Now, we live in a condo development. The beets will have to wait, but I think I could bring out those containers again for an herb garden.

My friend and blogger Mary owns Natural Plus Nursery in Clear Lake, Iowa with her family. She and her husband recently bought it from her in-laws who started the business in 1978. The A-Frame house below is made from recycled barn wood. She invited us over for a tour and garden-themed snacks prepared by Beth.

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For this post, I thought it would be fun to ask Mary for advice she’d give to hesitant gardeners like me. I wanted to know what’s her quintessential garden tool and what plants are easiest to grow.

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Mary responded that her motto is:

 “Just plant it!”

She adds that gardening isn’t rocket science. If it grows, that’s great. If it doesn’t, that’s ok. You can always try again.

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For plants that are easiest to grow, Mary recommends basil and any perennial (as long as they have enough sun). She explained how starter plants can be easier to begin with, since they are already established and you don’t have to begin them from seed.

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She simplified gardening to plants needing two main things: Water and sun. “Don’t forget to make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of the pot,” she added.

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For new gardeners like me who are completely starting from scratch, she recommends obtaining gardening gloves. For planting a vegetable garden, she considers her tiller an essential tool, adding that they are sometimes available to rent.

More plants are arriving in time for their Open House during May 1st-9th. Learn more about Natural Plus by visiting their website or Facebook page. Mary gave the North Iowa Bloggers a $100 gift certificate to give away to one of our readers. The Rafflecopter entry form is located at the bottom of this post. Enter by selecting one option or multiple. It’s really up to you!

What advice would you give to a new gardener?

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puppy chow

Dirt N Worms

Never too old to eat dirt and worms dessert.

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Yes, this is a mini margarita.

Natural Plus Group Photo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Art & Craft of Making Iowan Ham Balls: Val Provides A Tutorial

April 25, 2015 / / 4 Comments

One of the best things about living in three states in three years is learning how food traditions differ just within the Midwest.

Growing up in the Twin Cities, comfort food equaled wild rice and chicken soup from the Byerly’s cookbook. In North Dakota, most restaurants served creamy knoephla soup made with dumplings and potatoes. Some Midwesterners call casserole hot dish and hot dish casserole. My friend Donna grew up in South Florida and now lives in a small town hear the Iowa border. The first time someone asked her to bring a “hotdish” to a church potluck, she felt confused, wondering why on earth they would want her to bring a hot (as in temperature) serving dish.

casserole Collage

Tatertot hotdish & my favorite cheesy potato bake with cornflake topping. Laura prepares the potatoes as good as my mom!

In Minnesota, we always called our favorite state fair food “cheese curds,” but here, they’re often listed as “cheese balls.” I grew up eating cream cheese wontons in Minnesota, but found mostly crab ragoons in Iowa. Ranch dressing seems to be popular throughout MN, ND & IA, but arrives with everything that’s fried in North Iowa. Not that I’m complaining, or anything.

Ranch

One food that I first tried in Iowa is ham balls. Ham balls are not body parts, but balls of ground ham typically bound together with graham cracker crumbs and egg, and baked in a sweet and sour sauce. Most recipes I found in church and community cookbooks include a can of tomato soup in the glaze. Our local butchers and grocery stores sell pre-cooked ham balls and ham ball/ham loaf mix composed of half ground pork and half ground ham. Last fall when I tried to put my own twist on ham balls. I added panko as a binder and baked them a spicy cranberry sauce, calling them “Iowan Ham Balls.” A couple of readers let me know that although they looked good, the ham balls didn’t resemble what they grew up with and so I called on Val.

Val of Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids actually served me my first ham ball at a potluck and I thought it tasted pretty darn fantastic. I’ll always remember how Amy Hild commented that she typically didn’t like ham balls, but loved Val’s version. A few potlucks later, Amy wrote about how I always brought the weirdest dishes, but she liked them the best. I must confess that I usually like whatever Val brings the best. She’s a farmer, mother of three young children, and fantastic cook and so I was thrilled when she graciously accepted my request for a ham ball tutorial.

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Val & I won the prestigious green ribbon at the “Cake Wars” decorating contest at last summer’s Franklin County Fair.

When I arrived at her home, Val greeted me at the front door and ushered me into the kitchen. With a chef’s knife in hand, she stated, “Well, the first thing you need for great ham balls is fresh ham.” I froze and blinked, wondering if she meant we were going to butcher a hog. She laughed and pulled out a small ham for this demo as I sighed with relief. However, they do raise and butcher their own hogs for home consumption.

Cutting ham

Val developed her own ham ball recipe and added that this isn’t a dish her mom prepared often.

To begin, Val chops the ham in a food processor. Unlike ham ball mix, hers only contains chopped ham instead of the ground ham-pork combination. To the ham, she adds eggs, milk and graham cracker crumbs. You can crush your own or buy them in a box. The boxed crumbs have a fine texture and are usually located near the pre-made pie crusts.

Ham ball making Collage

Then, she forms the mixture into balls. The size is up to you.

Gif Hamball

I’m a ham ball GIF! Click me for animation.

Val prepares the sauce by combining one can of condensed tomato soup, vinegar, dried mustard, and brown sugar. She’s also glazed them with her favorite barbecue sauce.

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Finally, she bakes the ham balls for one hour.

I know, the tomato soup freaked me out, too. When the dish finishes baking, the sauce tastes more like a sweet and sour glaze. Some ham balls have struck me as too sweet, but these taste just right. I think it’s because Val only uses ground ham (instead of adding ground pork) and combines it with the graham cracker crumbs for a little sweetness.

Ham Balls

Her son joined us for a taste test and gave his approval.

Hamball Val

For Val’s exact recipe visit her blog at Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids. Even if you don’t think you like ham balls, her’s might be worth a try!

Product Review: Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Boxed Mix

April 19, 2015 / / 37 Comments

The world of strange, kooky boxed baking mixes intrigues me.

They draw me in with their colorful packaging and wildly varied price ranges. I stand in the baking aisle and try to make sense of their antics: Tie-dyed cake patterns, Auntie Annie pretzel kits, and $7 Milk Bar cookies. Do they taste like the boxes claim and are they worth their price tags?

Unfortunately, I found the Duff Goldman Purple Rain cake and insanely expensive Crumbs Bake Shoppe Colossal Cupcake mixes to be lacking. This time I grabbed a less expensive product that made no claims to be “premium” quality. The Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix called my name during my last Target trip. At $2.24, plus 1/2 cup of cheese and 1/3 cup of butter, I proceeded in the spirit of “What the heck?”

It’s true that we all want what we can’t have. In Mason City there is no Red Lobster in sight and so it doesn’t sound too bad. Believe it or not, a Red Lobster actually went out of business here!

Growing up, my parents stuck to a rotation of three dine-in restaurants for special occasions, none of which included Red Lobster because my mom didn’t like it. I wanted what I couldn’t have, so I begged and pleaded to go and they finally took me. I remember it striking me as just “ok.”

I didn’t return to Red Lobster until Jake and I lived in Fargo. It was insanely busy all of the time. Honestly, the food was fine. Ordering Endless Shrimp, however, was most certainly not fine. I got full 1/2 way into my first plate of shrimp, nullifying the whole promotion.

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My first & last endless shrimp experience.

And finally, when I think of Red Lobster, I think of my friend Chelsea. As a high schooler, she once chose to dine here for her birthday. She had always wanted to try eating a lobster. What actually happened horrifies her to this day: The server made her choose a lobster from the tank and give it a name. Then she instructed her to, “Now, say bye-bye. He’s going to boil!” Like many lobsters before him, he suffered a Game of Thrones fate and arrived at the table looking the same, except redder. She’s been a vegetarian ever since.

Frankly, I’m terrified of lobsters. They’re, like, so snappy and pokey. I met my first lobster in culinary school and I’ll never forget this big box of tethered lobsters whose antennas waved wildly from the top.

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But, I digress. The Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix contained one packet of baking mix and a small foil pouch of seasoning. All you need to add is 3/4 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and 1/3 cup of melted butter.

Preparation is simple. Mix together the baking mix, cheese, and water in a bowl until just combined. Place 1/4 cup scoops of batter onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 350℉ for 13-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

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I can’t shred cheese and not think of that scene in Napoleon Dynamite where Kip’s grating a giant brick of cheddar with a tiny little grater.

cheese grating Collage

While the biscuits bake, I combined the melted butter with the seasoning mix. It smelled like bouillon and tastes of garlic salt.

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The instructions directed me to spoon or brush the butter mixture over the warm biscuits and serve immediately. I ended up with extra butter, so you could get away with only using 1/4 cup.

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And the verdict?

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Pretty dang good. I found this mix to produce an accurate knock-off of what Red Lobster serves in their restaurants. In fact, Jake and I both dare say these taste better. I felt less crazy when a friend informed me that she just made these at home, too, and also thinks they taste better than the restaurant’s.

I didn’t notice anything wild about the ingredients in the baking mix. The list doesn’t list any seasonings or spices and it might actually just be Bisquick. But, somehow, these really do taste like the real thing and possibly better. Having spent $2.24 for the box and adding my own 1/2 cup cheese + 1/4 cup of butter, it’s a relatively cheap thrill, especially since it tastes like the real thing.

Most Red Lobster biscuit recipes do, in fact, call for Bisquick mix. If you already have this on hand, you could try one of these recipes. Bisquick isn’t an ingredient of which I want to keep a large quantity and don’t plan to make them very often, so I’d be satisfied buying an occasional box when the craving hits.

First Visit To The Surf Ballroom, Second Time Locking Myself Out Of My House

April 18, 2015 / / 13 Comments

I locked myself out of my house this morning taking out the trash in my pajamas.

Like every Friday morning, I jolted awake remembering that I needed to take out the trash and recycling. I popped in my contacts and quickly brought my trash bag, cans, and cardboard outside. When I reached for the doorknob to return inside, my stomach sank as I realized it was locked. Jake had gone out-of-town for work the day before and I had made sure to lock every door in the house before bed, including that one I always forget remains locked after I shut it behind me.

I stood outside in my worn and tattered leggings and soda pop sweatshirt scratching my head. It was just before 7 a.m. and not a neighbor was in sight. Since I hadn’t intended to make eye contact with another human being that morning, I neglected to brush my hair or brush my teeth, and I’ll be darned if it wasn’t hard to think through that sleepy NyQuil fog (still recovering from a cold). I saw my neighbor’s dog peeking at me through the window, so I knocked on her door and felt relieved when she answered.

She was kind enough to lend me her phone to call the locksmith. Of course, I had to call the after-hours phone number and suspect I reached some poor sap on his cell phone, mid-slumber. “I’ll be over in 20 minutes,” he said, “but since we don’t open for another hour and a half, I’d have to charge you the emergency unlock fee.”

“I’m not sure I have any other options,” I replied, glancing at my neighbor who I interrupted as she was just getting ready to leave and thinking of my dog who hadn’t gone to the bathroom since the night before. After thanking her for helping me so early n the morning, I slipped out the door and poked around my garage like I meant to be there poking around in my jammies. Eventually, I gave up pretending like I meant to be hanging out in my garage and resigned myself to sitting in front of my door. Literally. We don’t have a front step, so I literally sat in front of my door.

The locksmith arrived just about when he said he would. He really worked at my door knobs, complimenting our no-pick locks. With images of him smashing in our door with a battering ram or resorting to breaking a window, the lock popped and he kindly let me back in. For $75. I texted my husband to share the news and apologize for generating the unexpected cost. “You are a very unique individual,” he replied. Fun times at the Flaas.

Speaking of fun times, I really did have a lot of fun at the North Iowa Green Expo Thursday evening at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. I feel a little sheepish to admit that I’ve lived in Mason City for almost two years and this was my first time visiting the Surf.

Surf Ballroom

The theme of the Green Expo revolved around Earth Day (no pun intended). Most of the vendors featured environmentally friendly products and services.

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This photo was horrible to begin with so let’s add some filters;)

I was surprised to find fresh leeks at One Step At A Time Gardens located in Kanawha, a small town located about an hour east of us. Last week, I wanted to prepare a recipe with fresh leeks and gave-up after not finding them at three stores. One Step At A Time offers CSA memberships and sells pasture-raised chickens.

Leeks

My friend Mary and her family own Natural Plus Nursery. This photo is what happens when the photographer says, “Smile and give a thumb’s up!” We made our thumb’s up and said to each other out the corners of our mouths, “This is going to look totally awkward.” When Sara showed us the photo on her phone, we were like “Ohhh, it doesn’t look too awkward but when I looked at it up close I laughed because it totally was.

Next weekend, Natural Plus is hosting us for a spring preview before their public open house. I’m going to attempt to plant a container herb garden again.

Natural Plus

Thanks for the photo Sara!

Several vendors offered food samples. My favorite butcher Louie’s Custom Meats and the new Clear Lake Supper Club featured Niman Ranch meat products.

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The Clear Lake Supper Club is only open for special events. They announce the dinner’s theme and prix fixe menu and then accept reservations. A vendor selling the Big Green Egg grill offered samples of spicy smoked pork (bottom right), ribs, and scotch eggs.

PicMonkey Collage

Other exhibitors featured cloth diapers, earth-day themed artwork, and energy-efficient options for homes and businesses. Although I have a background in studying herbalism, I haven’t entered the Pandora’s box of essential oils. I giggled when I saw a vendor selling kits of essential oils for cats and dogs. My dog leaves the room whenever I light a scented candle, so I’m thinking aromatherapy’s not in the cards for us. Smoked meat’s my aromatherapy. I have to admit, I spent a lot of time wildly chasing hopes of that scotch egg I saw on other people’s plates. I never did get a bite, but enjoyed all of the foods I was able to taste.

It won’t be long before I return to the Surf, because it’s the new location of the Clear Lake Farmers Market. Plus, it’s about time I attend a concert there.

Coming up next: 

  • Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Boxed Mix: It’s time for another strange and silly boxed mix review! Believe it or not, my review of Duff Goldman’s Purple Rain cake mix has become one of my most viewed blog posts and videos. This one was really fun to create.

Red Lobster

  • Japanese DIY Candy Kits: I first learned about these kits through My Subscription Addiction’s review of Japan Crate. I ordered two kits themed around a pizza parlor and “Happy Sushi House.” Unfortunately, I made the mistake of choosing free shipping instead of Amazon Prime shipping and so these could take two months to arrive. I think they’re arriving by pony express. From Japan.
  • Ham Ball Cooking Lesson with Val of Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids: My friend Val is graciously hosting me at her home to cook ham balls. I want to learn how to make real ham balls with a real Iowan.

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  • Also ag-related, Beth and I are going to bottle feed a calf next week. It will be my first time meeting a bovine!

Recipe: Adobo-Style Beef Stew in the Slow Cooker

April 15, 2015 / / 2 Comments

I love vinegar.

I clean with vinegar and I cook with vinegar. There’s always a collection of vinegar bottles in my cupboard. At any given moment, my pantry may contain white vinegar, mellow rice wine vinegar, tart red wine vinegar, balsamic, the sweeter white balsamic, or fruity apple cider. I’m not sure if my tastes are changing as I’m getting older, but I crave the tangy note vinegar adds to dishes. Some people are tiring of restaurants squirting ornate tapestries of reduced balsamic drizzle on everything, but honestly, I couldn’t even be that mad.

One of my new favorite flavor combinations is salty soy sauce and tart vinegar in Filipino-style adobo. I’ve never had the opportunity to enjoy real adobo from a Filipino restaurant, but have tried preparing adobo-style dishes in my slow cooker. According to this Splendid Table piece about adobo, the step that really sets adobo apart is browning the meat after it’s done cooking. I never completed this extra step when I prepared my chicken or beef dishes. We dipped our forks directly into the crock pot for tastes and liked them so much so we dug in right away.

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This beef stew is easy to throw together in the morning before work. As a word of caution, those of you who know me know that I usually cook without carefully measuring ingredients. This recipe provides a basic outline of how I adapted this recipe for the stew. Not to fear, though. Crock pot recipes are usually forgiving and you can’t go too wrong with a sauce made of soy, vinegar and sugar. Just be careful not to add much additional salt, besides the soy sauce. When the dish is done cooking and the beef’s tender, skim off the excess fat and taste the sauce to see if it needs more sugar, soy or vinegar.

Adobo-Style Beef Stew In The Slow Cooker
Adapted from Kaz’s recipe for Beef Adobo (Slow Cooker Recipe) posted on Knittingforums.org, 2009. 

Adobo stew bowl

Ingredients:
2 lbs. stew beef (My favorite butcher recommended chuck)
Flour, about two tablespoons (Omit if gluten-free)
5 tablespoons soy sauce
5 tablespoons vinegar (I used white vinegar)
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
2 bay leaves
Water or broth (try to use low-sodium)

Instructions: 

  1. Preheat large skillet to medium-high.
  2. Place beef in a large bowl and dust with enough flour to lightly cover each piece. Stir pieces around so they’re evenly coated.
  3. Drop stew beef in hot vegetable oil and brown on a couple of sides. Try your best to leave the excess flour in the bowl. Brown beef in two batches if necessary. Overcrowding your pan will steam the meat instead of brown it.
  4. Add browned beef to crock pot.
  5. Add soy sauce, vinegar, onion, garlic, ginger, honey, and bay leaves to the crock pot. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the crock pot. I added about 1 1/2 cups. Stir.
  6. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until the beef is perfectly tender. If you are home, stir the stew occasionally. Some of the pieces that stick to the edges of the crock pot become dry.
  7. When the stew is finished, let the stew sit on warm long enough for the fat to rise to the top. Gently skim off with a spoon. A little sheen is ok! Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
  8. Serve with your favorite grain and vegetable.
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