Celebrating Valentine's Day

How did you celebrate Valentine's Day?

Our family tradition is to have a dinner at home.

Traditionally Valentine's dinner is homemade lasagna, lettuce salad (topped with cheese and homemade croutons), wine, and a heart-shaped pan of chocolate chip cookie bars, all served on our best china and crystal. Yes, china and crystal... the gifts we registered for when John and I were married 37 years ago. The china and crystal that used to get brought out only on Christmas and Easter when celebrating with company. But now it gets dusted off for several celebrations throughout the year. After all, who is more special than our own family?

 But what makes the holiday special is not the food or the dishes, but who we spend it with. With everyone's work schedules, dinner with all four of us around the table at the same time has become less frequent. Truth be told, we celebrated on February 13th rather than waiting until the 14th, since our kids had plans with their special someone's on the actual holiday. But hey, what difference does 24 hours make? We celebrated with the ones we love, and isn't that what Valentine's day is all about?

How did you celebrate?

Ready for the oven

Heart-Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookie

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I use a combination of chips and red M & M Mini's)

Lightly grease pan, In large bowl combine sugar and butter, blend well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Stir in vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in chips. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Do not over bake, Cool before cutting. 

W is for Why

Why do we farm?

• it allows us to continue our family tradition as a proud sixth generation dairy farmer.
• my husband, Farmer John never complains about going to work.
• we have raised our children on our dairy farm, and never heard, "I'm bored!"
• we spend many hours working side-by-side with family, and there's nothing better than spending time with family.
• it reinforces that hard work truly does pay off.
• living and working on our dairy farm teaches us to care for and appreciate God's creation.
• we help feed the world safe, nutritious dairy foods.
• my family and I are "leaving this world a little better than when we found it" through our sustainability efforts on our dairy farm.
• we are the first step to making milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream! Yum...dairy deliciousness!

I've Been Doing Some Updating

I began "My Barnyard View" on May 12, 2012. Thanks to you my readers, I have continued, thanks to your support and encouragement, and your continued desire to know what happens on Bremer Farms. Take a look around and you'll see some new additions to the HOME page. I added information tabs about our family-

our cows-

our land-

and our products.

Happy reading!

Meet Farmer John

This week I have shared about our children Sara and Michael, and now it's Farmer John's turn to be featured.

  "I'll never marry a farmer. They work long hours and never take a day off." That's what I said as a teen...but as the saying goes, never say never! I've known John our entire life, as we grew up in the same church, but it wasn't until I returned home after graduating from college that we started dating. We've been married for 33 years and I still admire his dedication to farm and family.

Long days and late nights are a part of many dairy farmers lives, but Farmer John never complains. He loves what he does, and hopes to farm forever! He approaches every task with passion and commitment to do the best job possible. His philosophy is "leave everything better than you found it," and that's an important rule to live by for a farmer as he realizes the importance of properly caring for the land as well as our animals. 

 If you don't find Farmer John in the barn milking cows, or in a field preparing the crops, you may find him talking to our County Commissioner about the latest concerns affecting our farming community. Perhaps you'll see him leading the monthly meetings as the chairman of our township planning commission, or maybe serving on our church council. No matter where you find him, it's always with passion and dedication.

Christmas As A Child

 This Christmas Eve, as I am "celebrating" at home with a terrible cold, eating my soup while bundled up under a warm blanket, I'm thinking back to all the wonderful memories of Christmas Eve when I was a child. I'm sharing this previous post with you, and wishing you a

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Eve day began as usual, except for the fact that my mom was probably putting the finishing touches on the matching dresses she had sewn for my sister and I to wear that night. My dad started farm chores early on Christmas Eve afternoon. Calf feeding and milking began about an hour earlier than usual so that we could get to the annual Sunday School Christmas Eve program on time. My sister, brother, and I each got to open one gift before church. It was often a new pair of socks or something else that we needed to complete our holiday attire. Mom rushed us kids off to church, while dad stayed home to finish the milking, only to slip into the back pew just in time for the program to begin.

 

My dad's family is close, and I mean close. Besides getting along very well, my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all lived within five miles of our farm. Each of my uncles were dairy farmers too. We all went to the same church too, so all our Christmas Eve schedules were quite similar. After church, we all invaded  Grandma and Grandpa's home. The 16 grandchildren couldn't wait to dig into the Christmas gifts, but we had to wait until after digging into the feast that the mom's had prepared. Due to our dairy farmer schedules, Christmas Eve dinner was after church. While the moms cleaned up the dishes, the kids separated the gifts into piles for each person. We each got a gift from the family member who was lucky enough to draw our name from the hat on Thanksgiving Day, when we were all together to celebrate "turkey day." Of course there was always a gift from Grandma and Grandpa too. Often times we each received a pad of rainbow colored paper, and we always patiently waited for Grandma to hand each of us an envelope with $2.00 tucked inside!

As midnight quickly approached, it was time for some of the mom's to return to church to sing in the church choir for the Midnight Carol Service. Grandpa was comfortable in his tan leather rocker, smoking his pipe, while the dad's each found a spot on the couches to take a little nap. The cousins, however, were exploring the newly received gifts and sharing their hopes for what Santa would deliver the next morning.

I'm the one in the burgundy jumper with the cool glasses.

Faith, family, and farming, it was a perfect way for our family to celebrate Christmas Eve. What childhood memories do you have?

Saying Goodbye To Mom

My Mom passed away this week.  She has battled diabetes, stroke, heart attack, leg amputation, colon cancer, and many other health challenges, all in just the past three years. It is with love that I think of the phrase, "a cat having nine lives." If I'm counting correctly, this was her tenth hospital stay. 

Mom was a fighter. She was stubborn and she was strong. I rarely heard her complain about her physical challenges. She didn't talk about how things have changed, but rather about what she was doing to adapt to the changes.

Family was the most important part of her life. She was a great daughter and big sister,

 a loving wife and help-mate to my dad, Farmer Brown,

 

an encouraging Mom who taught us to replace, "I could..." with "I will..."

a wonderfully supportive Grandma,

 a special Great-Grandma,

and best of all, my friend. 

Because of what you taught me Mom, I will continue to change "I could" to "I will."

I shared this poem on my blog when my Dad passed away three years ago. It's a perfect fit for Mom as well. Love you Mom.

In Our Hearts

by Rose de Leon

We thought of you with love today,
But that is nothing new.
We thought about you yesterday.
And days before that too.
We think of you in silence.
We often speak your name.
Now all we have is memories.
And your picture in a frame.
Your memory is our keepsake.
With which we’ll never part.
God has you in his keeping.
We have you in our heart.

U Is For Us

Bremer Farms is a family affair. Farming takes all of us working as a team to get the jobs done. While Farmer John and I are baling hay, Sara and Michael were feeding and milking the cows.

This is the tractor that I drive. I am pulling the baler which makes square bales.

This is my view while driving the tractor. The light colored stripes on the field is the hay (alfalfa) which has already been cut down into rows. The hay typically lays for a couple days to dry before being baled.

While I am driving the baler, John is picking up the bales using a New Holland Automatic Bale Wagon. Watch the video below to see how it works. I think it is amazing and it sure beats handling all those hay bales by hand like we used to do when John and I were kids!

After the bales are picked up from the hay field, John drives the bale wagon into the hay shed where the bales, with the flip of a lever, are automatically unloaded into a neat pile.

These square bales are fed to our calves and younger cattle. Square bales, which are 16" x 16" x 32" are more convenient and easier for us to bring to the barns where these animals live. We feed about 75 square bales per week. 
We also make large round bales.

Round bales are 4 feet by 4 feet, and are used to feed our cows. Because of their size, they are brought in from the field in a different way. Take a look.

We use about 20 round bales per week. They are stored in another hay barn until they are used.

We can typically  harvest our hay crop 3-4 times during its growing season. It takes about 30 days for alfalfa to grow to be ready for another cutting. It is a really satisfying feeling knowing that when we are finished we will have quality feed for our animals.

PS- Did you know 97% of farms are family owned?

Don't forget to pledge to have your 3 servings of dairy each day.

 

Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts

Christmas baking has always been a big part of our family holiday traditions. Growing up, my mom, sister, and I would spend several days baking Christmas goodies each year. Cut-out cookies were always an all-afternoon project. I think the decorating was just as much fun as the eating! My mom also made the world's best fudge and divinity (okay, I may be somewhat bias) and each Christmas my sister, brother, and I would prepare goody boxes for our school teachers, school bus drivers, and Sunday School teachers. The mailman found a box in our mailbox too.

When Sara and Michael were very young, I was asked if I would be interested in selling home-baked Christmas cookies to my sister-in-laws co-workers. Making some extra holiday shopping dollars while doing something I enjoy seemed like a great opportunity. Making 10 kinds of cookies became a whole-family activity. Sara became the expert at Russian Tea Cakes. Michael rolled the balls for the sugar cookies. John always helped with the date balls. My mom and I spent a day rolling the dough for the gingerbread people! The first year of cookie sales, we sold 79 dozen cookies, enough profit to buy a new front door for our house. Fifteen years later, we topped off our sales at 652 dozen (that's 7,824 cookies)! We no longer have our cookie business, but we will always have the "sweet" memories.

A sampler of our 10 varieties of Christmas cookies.

 Of course, being dairy farmers, butter made its way into nearly every cookie recipe! Dairy farmer, or not- there is nothing better than the flavor of butter in baked goods. I'm sure Santa would agree, and who knows Christmas cookies better than Santa?

One of my family's favorite recipes is Mint Brownies. These fudgey squares of goodness, topped with mint, and more chocolate deliciousness spread on top, appear at our house all throughout the year. Something this good can't just be baked at holiday time!

Mint Brownies

 Brownies:

 1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup walnuts, optional

1 cup chocolate syrup (I use Hershey's)

Mix well. Pour into 11x14 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Frosting:

 3 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup butter

1/8 tsp green food coloring

3 tsp milk

3/4 tsp peppermint extract

Mix well. Add more milk if frosting is too thick. Spread on cooled brownies.

Glaze:

Melt 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and 9 tablespoons butter in microwave. Stir until smooth. Pour over frosted brownies immediately.

Makes 4 1/2 dozen.

Do you have a favorite holiday cookie recipe?

Since Christmas is the season of giving, I'd like to introduce you to some of my fellow dairy bloggers. They have some amazing #DairyChristmas recipes and stories to share. 

#DairyChristmas: Peanut Butter Balls by Messy Kennedy

Winter Iowa Corn Chowder (as featured on Cheeserank) by Little House on the Dairy

#DairyChristmas Farm Barbie

The best Christmas cookies in the world by Truth or Dairy

Recipes for a Dairy Christmas by Cow Spots and Tales

#DairyChristmas: Cherry Mint Sugar Cookies by Kimmi's Dairyland

Perfect for a Party – Cheddar Olive Bites by DairyCarrie

Dairy Christmas Traditions by Knolltop Farm Wife

#DairyChristmas: Love and Latkes by New Moon Dairy

Family at the Table by The Deere Milkmaid

French Onion Soup – Our Family Christmas Tradition by Eat Farm Love

Dairy Delight by Spotted Cow Review

Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts by My Barnyard View

Italian Soup by So She Married A Farmer

Christmas Tapioca Pudding by Guernsey Dairy Mama

#DairyChristmas: Festive Parmesan Frico by Dairy Good Life

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Food Preservation

If you ask any farmer, I think they will all agree that when it comes to harvest time, there just aren't enough hours in the day. Even though many farmers work well into the darkness, we still wish for more time each day to check a few more tasks off our to-do list.  

Our list is a bit longer this year, as we've had a change in our work force. You see, Grandpa Roy took a tumble this Summer and broke his leg and also had some heart trouble. Now, I am the first to admit he deserves a vacation from farm chores, but I am confident this is not the vacation he planned! He is getting stronger everyday, but he will be supervising harvest from his recliner this Fall.

While daughter Sara milked cows, and Grandma Karen fed calves; son Michael, Farmer John, and I recently completed chopping corn silage. I like to call it "food preservation."

As Farmer John drove the forage chopper, which chops the entire corn plant into little pieces, and then blows it into a wagon pulled behind the chopper...

...son Michael brought the wagons in from the field.

And now it was my turn. My job was to unload the silage from the wagon into the bags that store the silage. The wagon is lined up to a "shoot" that leads from the wagon to a machine that pushes the silage into the world's largest plastic bag.

The silage left the wagon via an auger system.

It then traveled up the "shoot" and into the packing machine. My job was to slowly drive the tractor forward a few inches at a time because as the bag filled, the bagger moved ahead.

And wah-lah! a lunch bag (8 feet tall and 200 feet long) filled with nutritious corn silage. 

 I admit that I have never been a part of the "silage adventure" but I was willing to learn.  Perhaps I was in charge of this part of the procedure because I have done a lot of food preservation over the years, but this surely was not your typical canning or freezing I was used to!

Silage complete! Check it off our to-do list! 

O Is For Opportunity

I'm taking you on a journey from A to Z throughout June Dairy Month.

So come on in...the barn doors are open!

  O Is For Opportunity

 When I was younger all my grandparents and all six of my uncles families were dairy farmers.  I realize my family is not the norm since now only about 2% of the United States population lives on a farm. Most folks are 2-3 generations removed from farming.

My Grandpa Dankers

 Have you ever been to a farm?

Many people haven't, but you now have a wonderful opportunity to experience a farm first-hand. As part of June Dairy Month, many farms are opening their doors to visitors. You can tour a working dairy farm, see the animals, and ask questions from a real farmer. Many farms even serve meals or snacks! 

Click here for a list of dairy farms you can visit.

It's fun, free, and family friendly. What could be better?

You may also want to read my previous years posts for June Dairy Month...
O Is For Old Fashioned 
and
O Is For Outing 

 Have you entered to win The Dairy Good Cookbook I am giving away?

Click on the Facebook icon on the upper right corner of this page. Click on the giveaway tab when you get to my Facebook page. Bingo! It's that easy!

 

Our Christmas Wish

 Our Christmas Wish For You

 
Our Christmas wish for you
Is not a simple one
For we wish you hope and joy and peace
Days filled with warmth and sun 
 

  May you count your blessings, one by one
And when totaled by the lot
May you find all you've been given
To be more than what you sought 

  May God be your strength and light
May your spirit never grow old
May all your clouds have silver linings
And your rainbows pots of gold 

  We wish this all and so much more
May all your dreams come true
May you have a Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year, too … 

Author: unknown 

 

Merry Christmas from the Bremers 

 

 

Thanksgiving Trivia And Thankfulness

The turkey is now a pile of bones, the mashed potato bowl is licked clean, there's nothing left of the green bean casserole except that one stubborn bean stuck to the bottom of the dish, the cranberry sauce is still untouched, and the pumpkin pie with whipped cream is nothing but a memory. Before heading to the television to watch your favorite football team, take some time to dazzle your family with this Thanksgiving trivia. Hey, today is all about family, remember?

We at Bremer farms wish you a Happy Thanksgiving spent with family and friends. And today, like every other day, we are grateful for you and your love of dairy, and your appreciation for what we do here on the farm to share that dairy goodness with you.

Thanks to Google Image Search

What if we woke up tomorrow with only the things 

we thanked God for today?

I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart...

Psalm 111:1

Have A Soup-er Bowl

Many of you...

probably already know...

our family is...

HUGE Minnesota Vikings fans,

and even though our Vikings will not be in the Super Bowl (again) this year, we will still be watching...and eating our way through the game!

Soup-er Creamy Veggie Soup

 Souper Creamy Veggie Soup

• Servings: 6
• Created by: Midwest Dairy Association

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups reduced fat milk
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 can (14 ½ ounces) fat free chicken broth
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (1 ½ cups)
• 1 ½ cups thinly sliced carrots
• 2 cups small broccoli florets or cut fresh green beans
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth, potato and carrots; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 5 minutes.
2. Add broccoli, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes.
3. Place flour in a medium bowl. Gradually stir in milk, mixing well.
4. Add milk mixture to soup; bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and soup has thickened.
5. On the run? Use pre-cut or thawed frozen vegetables to make this tasty soup in a snap.
6. Substitution Idea
7. For chicken vegetable soup, stir in 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast in with the milk-flour mixture.
8. Now I know my ABC’s For an educational dinner, add 1 cup of cooked alphabet pasta to the soup.

Nutritional Facts Per Serving

• Calories: 130
• Total Fat: 3mg
• Cholesterol: 11mg
• Sodium: 847mg
• Carbohydrates: 19mg
• Protein: 5mg
• Calcium: 15% Daily Value

- See more at: http://www.dairymakessense.com/recipe/soup-er-creamy-veggie-soup/#sthash.ZDZsf4X8.dpuf

The recipe for Souper Creamy Veggie Soup can be found at Dairy Makes Sense.

• Servings: 6
• Created by: Midwest Dairy Association

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups reduced fat milk
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 can (14 ½ ounces) fat free chicken broth
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (1 ½ cups)
• 1 ½ cups thinly sliced carrots
• 2 cups small broccoli florets or cut fresh green beans
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth, potato and carrots; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 5 minutes.
2. Add broccoli, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes.
3. Place flour in a medium bowl. Gradually stir in milk, mixing well.
4. Add milk mixture to soup; bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and soup has thickened.
5. On the run? Use pre-cut or thawed frozen vegetables to make this tasty soup in a snap.
6. Substitution Idea
7. For chicken vegetable soup, stir in 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast in with the milk-flour mixture.
8. Now I know my ABC’s For an educational dinner, add 1 cup of cooked alphabet pasta to the soup.

Nutritional Facts Per Serving

• Calories: 130
• Total Fat: 3mg
• Cholesterol: 11mg
• Sodium: 847mg
• Carbohydrates: 19mg
• Protein: 5mg
• Calcium: 15% Daily Value

- See more at: http://www.dairymakessense.com/recipe/soup-er-creamy-veggie-soup/#sthash.ZDZsf4X8.dpuf

Soup-er Creamy Veggie Soup

Have a "souper" Super Bowl everyone!

 

• Servings: 6
• Created by: Midwest Dairy Association

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups reduced fat milk
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 can (14 ½ ounces) fat free chicken broth
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (1 ½ cups)
• 1 ½ cups thinly sliced carrots
• 2 cups small broccoli florets or cut fresh green beans
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth, potato and carrots; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 5 minutes.
2. Add broccoli, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes.
3. Place flour in a medium bowl. Gradually stir in milk, mixing well.
4. Add milk mixture to soup; bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and soup has thickened.
5. On the run? Use pre-cut or thawed frozen vegetables to make this tasty soup in a snap.
6. Substitution Idea
7. For chicken vegetable soup, stir in 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast in with the milk-flour mixture.
8. Now I know my ABC’s For an educational dinner, add 1 cup of cooked alphabet pasta to the soup.

Nutritional Facts Per Serving

• Calories: 130
• Total Fat: 3mg
• Cholesterol: 11mg
• Sodium: 847mg
• Carbohydrates: 19mg
• Protein: 5mg
• Calcium: 15% Daily Value

- See more at: http://www.dairymakessense.com/recipe/soup-er-creamy-veggie-soup/#sthash.ZDZsf4X8.dpuf

• Servings: 6
• Created by: Midwest Dairy Association

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups reduced fat milk
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 can (14 ½ ounces) fat free chicken broth
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (1 ½ cups)
• 1 ½ cups thinly sliced carrots
• 2 cups small broccoli florets or cut fresh green beans
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth, potato and carrots; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 5 minutes.
2. Add broccoli, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes.
3. Place flour in a medium bowl. Gradually stir in milk, mixing well.
4. Add milk mixture to soup; bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and soup has thickened.
5. On the run? Use pre-cut or thawed frozen vegetables to make this tasty soup in a snap.
6. Substitution Idea
7. For chicken vegetable soup, stir in 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast in with the milk-flour mixture.
8. Now I know my ABC’s For an educational dinner, add 1 cup of cooked alphabet pasta to the soup.

Nutritional Facts Per Serving

• Calories: 130
• Total Fat: 3mg
• Cholesterol: 11mg
• Sodium: 847mg
• Carbohydrates: 19mg
• Protein: 5mg
• Calcium: 15% Daily Value

- See more at: http://www.dairymakessense.com/recipe/soup-er-creamy-veggie-soup/#sthash.ZDZsf4X8.dpuf