14 CountryAcres August

Look inside and meet the people from our rural community...

StoneBridge Beef...page 2

Bringing home ribbons...page 8

Friends rooted in gardening...page 10

A family a-fair...page 22

A Supplement to the Star Shopper Focusing on Todays Rural Environment

PRSRT STDECR

U.S. POSTAGEPAIDMID-

MINNESOTASHOPPER

522 SinclairLewis Ave.

Sauk Centre,MN 56378

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By LIZ VOSStaff Writer

SPANIERcontinued on page 6

WAGON TRAINcontinued on page 4

CountryAcres SAUK CENTRE When most people plan themselves a summer vacation, they go to the beach or head to Disn-eyland. Grace and Anna Wes-terman chose a bit of a differ-ent route. They spent a week traveling in a wagon train near Jamestown, N.D. Its a crazy and fun expe-rience, said Anna. The girls live on a dairy farm south of Sauk Centre with their parents, Scott and Janell. This was the second year that the girls took part in wag-on trail ride. The girls origi-nally found out about the trail ride through a North Dakota resource guide they had picked up at a horse expo. We were hoping to plan some kind of camping trip out in the Dakotas, and then we

PHOTOS BY LIZ VOSRosie Spanier stands in front of the house she is proud to have designedherself after she and her husband, Urban, retired from farming nearly 30years ago.

Westerman sisters enjoy unique vacation

By SABRINA LEYStaff Intern

PHOTOS SUBMITTEDWeaving its way through the North Dakota Prairie is a wagon train traveling on the Fort Seward Pioneer Trail. The annual trail ride lasts six full days and is typically between 75-85 miles long.

came across this, said Grace. Fort Seward Pioneer Trail celebrated their 45 anniversary this year. The Trail left on June 22 and returned June 28. The wagon train is the only one that goes a whole week, and still uses steel wheels versus rub-ber tires on the wagons. About 150 people take part in the ride every year, this year ranging in ages from 11 months to 81 years. Its really a family get to-gether, said Grace. It doesnt matter your age or where you come from. There were people from 17 different states, as well as Can-ada. Each group is put together into a wagon family with about 11 other people. The girls end-ed up in an all-girls wagon except for their wagon driver,

Spaniers dreamSpring Hill lady enjoys home she designed

SPRING HILL As she tends to her vast array of flowers in front of her home, Rosie Spanier is con-tent. I love it out here, she said as she gazed at the gar-dens. I spend as much time in my gardens as I can. Its no wonder Rosie spends so much time sur-rounded by natures peace-ful and enchanting escape. Birds chirp and breezes stream through the trees, gently shaking the leaves of hundreds of trees Rosie and her late husband, Urban, planted on their property. Also special to Rosie is her home, which was built nearly 30 years ago on 100 acres of land. The unique four-bedroom home, locat-ed four miles west of Spring Hill, features a lofted mas-ter bedroom, a brick-sur-rounded stove, ample stor-age, vaulted ceilings and numerous details like the lead glass windows, which

beckon natural light while symbolizing Rosies faith in the Lord. Our son Todd drew the shape of the windows and I drew the designs. We had them created at Michaels Stained Glass in St. Cloud, Rosie explained. I even selected the glass for each one. Each detail of the home was carefully planned and brought to life by Rosie, es-pecially the floor plan. Prior to building the house, Rosie and Urban were beef and dairy farm-ers, raising six children. Urban had also followed his passion for baseball by be-ing an umpire for more than 50 years and serving on the State Baseball Board. He loved baseball so much, Rosie said of Urban, who passed away two years ago. But it certainly caused some issues for his body. Urbans back and an-kle trouble got the couple starting to think about re-tirement over 30 years ago. They sold their beef and

Wagon train!

dairy farms and decided to build their next chapter in life. That was when Rosie began letting her nat-ural ability to create a layout take hold. I started cutting apart shoe-boxes and taped them together exactly how I wanted them to be, she explained. Once I had the mini model ready, I took it to Breitbach Construction in Elrosa

and they put it into a blueprint for me. Breitbach didnt change a thing, Rosie explained. The de-sign was left exactly as she had requested in her model, making it a real dream house.

Sunday, August 15, 2014 Edition 8

Country Acres - August 15, 2014

Country Business

By BRYAN ZOLLMANStaff Writer

LONG PRAIRIE - Mike Stines career has come full cir-cle. After growing up on a farm in southern Illinois, he went on to work in research and develop-ment in the medical field, study-ing heart disease and devices used to fight it. He worked for renowned medical institutions such at Boston Scientific, St. Jude Medical and also Medtron-ic, where he studied diabetes. In between his research he taught high school physics for 15 years. But I was a farm kid long before that, said Stine, 73. And now he owns and op-erates StoneBridge Beef, a 147-acre organic cattle farm located in rural Long Prairie. StoneBridge Beef is a small portion of the beef industry, but Stine and his partner, Lester Good, have bucked the traditional industrial approach to farming and have instead turned back the clock to pre-industrial methods. We take seriously the concept of feed-ing people, said Stine. We think of this as farming, not just food or commodity pro-duction. StoneBridge Beef, named for the split stone bridge over Turtle Creek that runs through the pasture and was built in the 1930s, focuses on the health and environ-mental benefits of pasture-raised beef. Having studied heart disease and having attended conferences led by some of the top researchers in the world, Stine came up with one conclusion.

Food is medicine, he said. We get most of our ability to fight off disease and keep ourselves healthy not from high-tech medical devices, but from the food we eat. The day-to-day activity of health is all about food. Stine and his wife, Sue, bought the farm in 2004 and by 2006 had begun to operate it as a beef farm. They started with 20 head, but that has since grown to between 300-400 head harvested per year. The farm is atypical in that there are no barns to house and feed the animals. They are allowed to graze in a managed fashion across the many acres of pasture. Stine and Good use a rotational grazing technique that allows the animals to feed off a freshly-grown mixture of grasses. We have highly-nutritious grass, said

Stine, who handles all the mar-keting, sales and delivery of the business, while Good handles the farming aspect of it. The grasses are specially planted to give us a salad bar of mixed grass. Once the animals reduce

the height of the pasture to about half its size, they are moved to another part of the farm that is split into 14 paddocks. The pad-docks are parcels of grazing and watering areas and also include two areas of woods the animals are given access to during in-clement weather. Stine said this technique is better than sticking them in a barn where they are more likely to get sick. We move the cattle strategically to dif-ferent spots, he said. Its a bit like chess and it keeps the diverse mixture of grasses going. Each animal takes about 16 to 18 months to mature to market size. Stine and Good use their naked eye to determine when the animal is ready for market. We look at the brisket and the amount of fat on the tail cod, he said. We pick them out by appearance more than anything else. Once chosen, the cow is then shipped to St. Joseph Meats for processing and returned to the farm where it is put on a freezer truck and delivered by Stine every

StoneBridge Beef gets back to the basicsPublished by Star PublicationsCopyright 2014

522 Sinclair Lewis Ave.Sauk Centre, MN 56378

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CountryAcres

PHOTOS BY BRYAN ZOLLMANMike Stine grew up on a farm in southern Illinois and after a career in research and development in the medical field, now owns and operates StoneBridge Beef, a farm located in Long Prairie where he and business partner Lester Good raise and harvest grass-fed beef cattle.

StoneBridge Beef began in 2006 after Mike and Sue Stine bought the farm in 2004. Their grass-fed beef is served in many popular restaurants in the metro area and is also delivered to hundreds of customers throughout the state. For more information on StoneBridge Beef, go to www.stonebridgebeef.com.

Grass-fed beef becoming more popular

Thursday to different parts of the state, mainly the metro area. There are a lot of people looking for grass-fed beef these days, Stine said. We are not a farmers market. We do all the things Cargill, Green Gi-ant and Hormel do, we just do it on a local scale. The animals feed off a mixture of specially-planted grasses that gives them a diet loaded with natural phyto-nutrients (plant-based nutrients). It is these nutrients, and Omega 3 fats, that Stine said are vital to good health in an-imals and humans. In the 1960s, we went to an indus-trial model in farming that produced growth, which meant more pounds and more dollars, Stine said. Farm-ers have been caught up in a produc-tion-oriented world and have had to farm that way to keep from losing their farms. Thats because very few people get paid on the basis of nutrition. But times are changing, he said. Farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) have in-creased steadily in the past decade as more consumers are searching for lo-cally-grown food. The top chefs in the cities are on to this, and local folks are also getting on to this, he said. We are the alter-native to the meat aisle of the super-market. StoneBridge Beef can be found in several quality restaurants in the Twin Cities and surrounding area, including Hells Kitchen, French Meadow, Vic-tory 44, Grand Caf, Lucias, Broders, Lowbrow, Barbette, Prairie Bay, DB Searles and Broadway Bistro. They also distribute their product to families throughout the state, and have many customers who visit the farm to pick up their product by the half, quarter, or 20-pound variety pack. StoneBridges customer list is well over 700 this year

August 15, 2014 - Country Acres Page 3

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Thursday to different parts of the state, mainly the metro area. There are a lot of people looking for grass-fed beef these days, Stine said. We are not a farmers market. We do all the things Cargill, Green Gi-ant and Hormel do, we just do it on a local scale. The animals feed off a mixture of specially-planted grasses that gives them a diet loaded with natural phyto-nutrients (plant-based nutrients). It is these nutrients, and Omega 3 fats, that Stine said are vital to good health in an-imals and humans. In the 1960s, we went to an indus-trial model in farming that produced growth, which meant more pounds and more dollars, Stine said. Farm-ers have been caught up in a produc-tion-oriented world and have had to farm that way to keep from losing their farms. Thats because very few people get paid on the basis of nutrition. But times are changing, he said. Farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) have in-creased steadily in the past decade as more consumers are searching for lo-cally-grown food. The top chefs in the cities are on to this, and local folks are also getting on to this, he said. We are the alter-native to the meat aisle of the super-market. StoneBridge Beef can be found in several quality restaurants in the Twin Cities and surrounding area, including Hells Kitchen, French Meadow, Vic-tory 44, Grand Caf, Lucias, Broders, Lowbrow, Barbette, Prairie Bay, DB Searles and Broadway Bistro. They also distribute their product to families throughout the state, and have many customers who visit the farm to pick up their product by the half, quarter, or 20-pound variety pack. StoneBridges customer list is well over 700 this year

as sales continue to climb. For Stine, StoneBridge Beef isnt a long way from what he learned as a child growing up on a farm in Southern Illinois. I guess nowadays you would call the farm I grew up on organic, he said. Thats because we couldnt afford the fertilizers, and it was before the days of industrial farming. One could say he is still in the busi-ness of research and development, and still focused on finding ways for people to become healthier. We believe we are doing resto-ration agriculture here, he said. We are building soil rather than mining it.

Mike Stine explains the different mixture of grasses planted on the 147-acre farm where more than 300 head of cattle graze every year.

Country Acres - August 15, 2014WAGON TRAIN continued from front___________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Anna (left) and Grace Westerman of Sauk Centre spent a week of their summer experiencing the life of riding on a wagon train with 150 people from 17 states and Canada.

Each person is assigned to a wagon family on the trip. Pictured are Grace (from left) and Anna Westerman with their wagon family and 81-year-old driver, Bob.

Bob and Brooks, the farrier, who was gone most of the time helping people. You kind of just get put in a wag-on together, said Grace with a laugh. They become your instant friends. The evening before the wagon train left was when orientation happened. Everyone got a chance to know each other and make supper together. By 8 a.m. the next morning, everyone was packed up in their wagons and started off. The wagon train consisted of 11 wagons, along with riders on horses in the back. They traveled an average of 15 miles each day before setting up camp. The train was also followed by

an ambulance. At first we thought the ambulance was kind of unauthentic, said Anna. But, its a really great safety precau-tion to have because you never know what could happen. The girls were able to convince some of their family to visit them for one of the days and see what the life is like. We tried to get some of them to come with, said Grace. After each day of travel, the wag-ons chose a spot and circled in for camping. People then set up their tents and prepare for the evening. Each evening they set up a camp-

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fire and had different activities going on, including doing skits every night, which was a favorite for the girls. One night they competed in Prairie Olym-pics. Events like three-legged races, a balloon toss and tug-o-war were just a few. The girls were quite impressed that their wagon family won the tug-o-war contest. We arent really sure how our all-girl wagon beat everyone, but it was pretty exciting, said Grace. Another night was known as barter night. Each member was supposed to bring something from their state and then people exchanged with each other. Its like Christmas in June, said Anna. Its fun to see what people all bring, said Grace. While on the trail, everyone dressed accordingly. The girls wore long dresses, and bonnets, while the men wore button-up shirts and pants. It adds to the character of the trip, said Anna. Of course there were many jobs to do on a daily basis. A job chart was made for each day, and each day, ev-eryone had a different designated job. You dont want to be morning fire builder or morning cook, said Anna. Otherwise, you are up way earlier then everyone else. One thing thats always unpredict-able is the weather. Almost every year they get rained on at least once and the wind and sun out on the prairie are in-tense.

No matter how much sunscreen you use, you still end up burned, said Grace. By the end of the week, the girls were sad to see another year go in the books. Parting with their wagon fami-lies was one of the hardest parts. You may be randomly thrown to-gether, but by the end, everyone is sad because they dont want to leave, said Anna. Theres no doubt about it, that we will definitely be doing a third year, said Grace.

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One day during the trip was spent competing in Prairie Olympics. Pictured are Anna (tan dress) and Grace (pink dress) Westerman with their all-girl wagon family, competing and winning the tug-o-war competition.

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I am so glad they left it the way it was, I really had my heart set on it, she said. Once built, Rosie and Urban turned the house into a home that, over the years, has been a place of refuge for the turbulence and heartbreak that are a part of life, but has also been a place of joy and celebration for the couple, along with their six children and 12 grandchildren. I am so glad we did what we did when we did it, Rosie said with a smile. Urban went on to have so many surgeries on his back, hips and heart, but we really got to enjoy our home to-gether. While Rosie loves her entire home, she says the very best place to be in the

summer or the winter is the octagonal sunroom just off her formal dining room, which was added to the house nearly 15 years ago by Ken Welle of Melrose. This is where I spend most of my time, she said as the sun glowed into the space. This is where I read my books and make my phone calls. Whenev-er the kids and grandkids come over, everyone always seems to wind up in here. Photos of her 12 grandchildren adorn Rosies fireplace, a reminder of the many joys she is thankful for. She also fills her walls with proof of anoth-er joy in her life: art. I love to paint and create, Rosie explained, pointing to an array of her

own paintings hung throughout the house. Back outside, both Rosie and her daughter, Tama Spanier, agree upon their favorite place: near the Bless-ed Virgin Mary. The 10-foot shrine, carved from wood is hard to miss. She stands among the flower gardens, fac-ing the home, hands clasped in prayer. The shrine is carved out of a dy-ing oak tree in front of the house. It was the only tree we didnt plant on the property, Rosie explained. The shrine is coming with me wherever I go from here, its so beautiful. Upon completion, the shrine was blessed and dedicated to honor Urban, making it even more significant for Rosie and her family.

The Spanier home sits on 100 acres west of Spring Hill. The home was completely designed by Rosie Spanier, who used shoeboxes to build a model of the home for a builder nearly 30 years ago.

Natural light beams through lead glass windows designed by Spanier, keeping the formal dining space bright and capturing the full height of the vaulted ceiling.

A Blessed Virgin Mary shrine is located in the front of Rosie Spaniers home. The shrine was blessed and dedicated two years ago to honor Rosies late husband, Urban Spanier.

Signs of faith and of life are every-where on the property. From the 43 re-ligious articles inside the house (count-ed by one of Rosies grandsons) to the shrine in the garden, faith is deeply en-grained. Most of the religious articles are from mission trips taken by Rosies children and each has been given a place of honor. Life is vibrantly on display as 11 chickens wander under the many fruit trees, which are eagerly producing ap-ples, pears, apricots and peaches. Everything here was our design. Even the flower beds were my ideaexcept for the weeds! she said. If I ever move, it would have to be to someplace very special. I love it here.


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A Blessed Virgin Mary shrine is located in the front of Rosie Spaniers home. The shrine was blessed and dedicated two years ago to honor Rosies late husband, Urban Spanier.

When pets fly Traveling with our pets is becoming more common, especially with more hotels accepting pets and several options for transporting animals by air. There are three ways that your dog or cat can travel by air, but there are many things which must be consid-ered before beginning the adventure. The first way is to travel in the cabin with you. This is usually limited to dogs and cats less than 15-20 pounds whose carriers will fit under the seat in front of you. You are not permitted to take the pet out of the carrier at any time in the boarding area or on the plane. The second way for them to fly is as checked baggage on the same flight you are taking. Some restrictions ap-ply which we will address. The last avenue is to ship your pet alone as unaccompanied cargo. Both pets checked as baggage and pets shipped as unaccompanied cargo travel in a pressurized, temperature-controlled cargo hold. One of the first steps to take is to call the airline your pet will be traveling on and get a list of all the regulations and requirements that apply to your situation. Airlines differ and some do not take pets at all. Typically there is going to be some paperwork involved. For domestic travel within the U.S., a current rabies certificate and a health certificate from an accredited veterinarian within 10 days of departure are required. For international travel, in addition to the above, you may need an endorsement from a federal veterinarian and documents from the embassy of the country to which you are traveling. You can go on the website for the USDA (usda.gov) and find the requirements for different coun-tries by following pet travel links or call the Veterinary Service office in your area. More paperwork is required for pets traveling unaccompanied than if they are traveling in the cabin or as checked baggage. When scheduling your flight, there are several things to consider. Direct flights or flights with the fewest num-ber of connections with the shortest layovers are best. Most problems that occur happen while your pet is on the ground. Make sure that all the types of aircraft on the route have space for pets some models of aircraft cant accom-modate pets. Consider the weather; if there are going to be extremes of heat or cold along the way you may want to reconsid-er. Many airlines have embargoes against pets traveling as checked baggage from mid-May to mid-September due to the heat. Some airlines, like Delta and United, have special programs (Pets First and PetSafe) to provide safe travel year round. Of course there will be extra fees involved

with pet air travel. Currently, United charges $125 one way for a pet in the cabin and Delta charges $200 one way

for a pet as checked baggage. There are also dead-lines for booking pets on flights and for checking them in so start your homework early, especially if international travel is involved. The pet itself needs to be healthy, and certain age and breed restrictions may apply. Typically, the pet needs to be at least eight weeks of age and if a toy or small-breed dog, needs to be weaned for a certain time before air travel is allowed. A microchip is a good idea in case your pet escapes and may be required in some circumstances. Sedation is not recommended by the AVMA and some airlines will not accept a sedated pet as

baggage or cargo. Brachycephalic or short-nosed dogs and cats like Boston terriers and Persians have further re-quirements due to their decreased ability to breath well under the best of circumstances. Some airlines and some countries will not transport or accept certain breeds due to these breathing issues or breeds known for aggression. Make sure you have good information from your airline before booking air travel with one of these breeds. Making sure you have the appropriate carrier is crit-ical to a safe flight for your pet. It needs to comply with USDA and Air Transport Association regulations. The only place soft, collapsible carriers are allowed is in the cabin. As checked baggage or cargo, they must be made of rigid material with a solid top and a metal door with metal fasteners attaching top to bottom. There are differing regulations for the amount of ventilation needed in differ-ent situations usually three sides for domestic travel and four sides for international travel. Your pet must be able to stand up, turn around and lay down in a normal position. For short-nosed breeds, you should get a crate one size larger than those movements require to aid in ventilation. Signage on the outside of the kennel indicating Live Animal in one-inch letters and arrows indicating this side up are needed. Additionally, contact information and, depending on the duration of flight, feeding instruc-tions must be attached. A food and water bowl that attach to the inside of the door are needed so staff can attend your pet without opening the door. Absorbent material like newspaper must be in the bottom to take care of acci-dents. There may be other requirements for your particular situation so the take-home message is: check with every airline and every destination you will encounter and start planning early so your pet will be safe and your travel will be smooth sailing (flying).

by Wendy Womack, DVM

Signs of faith and of life are every-where on the property. From the 43 re-ligious articles inside the house (count-ed by one of Rosies grandsons) to the shrine in the garden, faith is deeply en-grained. Most of the religious articles are from mission trips taken by Rosies children and each has been given a place of honor. Life is vibrantly on display as 11 chickens wander under the many fruit trees, which are eagerly producing ap-ples, pears, apricots and peaches. Everything here was our design. Even the flower beds were my ideaexcept for the weeds! she said. If I ever move, it would have to be to someplace very special. I love it here.


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GREY EAGLE When most peo-ple think of fairs, they think of animals and fair food. But for Lois Thielen, fair time means lots of baking. For the past 20 years, Thielen has been taking baked goods to the Minnesota State Fair and bringing home ribbons for her efforts. Thielen, who lives with her hus-band, John Kunstleben, on their dairy farm north of Grey Eagle, has been at-tending and participating in fairs most of her life. Her mothers family began the fair tradition, with her grandmother exhibiting quilts and needlework at the county fair. Her mother competed

Bringing home ribbonsFor Lois Thielen, state fair is about more than competition

By SABRINA LEYStaff Intern

RIBBONScontinued on page 12

PHOTOS BY SABRINA LEYLois Thielen of Grey Eagle pulls a loaf of homemade bread from the oven, as she prepares to compete at the Minnesota State Fair.

with sheaves and seeds of grains and grasses at county fairs and the Minne-sota State Fair for many years. Every summer during Thielens childhood on their St. Rosa farm, her mother loaded their family car with exhibits and trav-eled to the county fair. I knew I wanted to do that some-day with my own exhibits, Thielen said. I just had to find my niche. When she was 19, she brought her first exhibits to the Stearns County Fair in Sauk Centre. Baking, canning and sewing projects were her focus during her twenties. About that time, Thielen visited the Minnesota State Fair with friends and saw the winning baking entries. I knew I could do that, she said. But I didnt do anything about it until I turned 40, when I felt I had paid my

dues and was ready for the state fair. She talked a close friend, Jean McDonald, into entering the fair with her and spent the day before entry day making seven entries. Two of them won blue ribbons. It was enough to make her try again the next year, when on her second outing she won two blue ribbons. Wanting others to receive similar recognition for their baking, she re-cruited family and friends to enter state competition, including an aunt in her eighties who for years entered chiffon and angel food cakes and eventually won a blue ribbon on her angel food cake. After several years, another friend, Candace Freeman of Melrose, asked to join the state fair baking group. Candy became a fanatic, Thielen said with a smile. She fell in love with the state fair. While other competitors tried the experience and then moved on, Free-man and Thielen continued state fair competition. The two of them bring down nearly 40 items in open class competition; Freeman also enters spe-cial food contests. They both enter yeast bread, quick breads and cakes

and they estimate they win on about half of their entries. Last years fair brought some ad-ditional notoriety for the two compet-itors. While waiting in line with their entries, a camera crew began talking to them about what they were entering and their past fair experience. Thielen and Freeman assumed they were just another Twin Cities television crew. But the crew turned out to be that of Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel series Bizarre Foods of Amer-ica. Zimmern, a television personality, chef, food writer and teacher who lives in the Twin Cities, had decided to do a documentary on state fair food and chose the Thielen and Freeman to rep-resent food competition participants. The hour-long documentary first aired on Dec. 16 and features about two minutes of the two. Itll be hard to top all that excite-ment, but Thielen and Freeman are try-ing out recipes and plotting strategy all year long. They search for recipes and sometimes create their own ver-sion to make a winning product.

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NEW MUNICH A gardening idea that took root years ago between friends has flourished into a fun pas-time. You could say Paula Schwieters and Randy Killian are like two peas in a pod. For the past seven years, on an ever-growing plot of land at Paula and Rueben Schwieters New Munich farm, almost any kind of vegetable can be found, many grown to just the

By CAROL MOORMANStaff Writer

PHOTOS BY CAROL MOORMANHolding home-grown produce, Paula Schwieters and Randy Killian stand in front of the garden from which they harvested it. In the wagon are some vegetables they entered in the open class at the Stearns County Fair.

Paula Schwieters uses an old-fashioned tiller to work the dirt, after weeds were picked by hand.

Friends rooted in gardeningWork is worth it at harvest time, fair time and party time

right size and shape to be entered in the Stearns County Fair. In fact, stuck in the ground near a zucchini plant is a stick that says, Save for the Fair. Thanks. Thats so Randy doesnt pick it, a smiling Paula said around 8 a.m., Thursday, July 31, which was open class produce entry day at the fair. That meant it was time to pick that largest zucchini, cabbage, tomato and kohlrabi and close to 60 other vege-tables. They had pre-registered in 80 categories, but with the weather, some vegetables werent ready. The 60 items dont include the other non-vegetable categories Paula enters, like photogra-phy, cattails, pinecones, flowers, rhu-barb bread and cookies. This is the fourth year they have entered items at the fair, earning many ribbons, which are displayed every January during a garden party, when family and friends are invited to the Schwieters shed to enjoy food made from produce they raised. The garden party was the idea of former fellow gardener Joyce Winter. Joyce said we should have a party to use up all the potatoes, said Randy. This January they will host their sixth garden party. A lot of food we make is based on the garden stuff, said Randy.

Growing a garden Paula, Randy and Joyce started gardening together about seven years ago. Randy and Schmidty (Dan Schmidt) went to Dickie Thulls and Randy said, That would be a nice place to plant squash, said Paula, re-calling just how the garden originated.

The Schwieters live just down the road from the Thulls. Paula talks about how Randy, who lives near Birch Lake with wife, Gayle, and she met close to 10 years ago while she was bartending at a local liquor establishment. I used to take Paulas money play-ing cribbage, said Randy. Paula, daughter of Fran and Otto Thelen, was raised in a gardening fam-ily. There were seven of us kids. Each

night we had to pick pickles. I was the third oldest so I had the third row and the 10th row, she said. Randy has a knack for gardening and for cooking as does Joyce. They started with just a few com-mon vegetablescucumbers, pota-toes, tomatoeswith the list of vege-tables growing each year and usually involves something new, which this year included Swiss chard, a form of lettuce.

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We usually get about 3,000 tomatoes, and we have close to 800 onions.

~ Randy Killian

Paula Schwieters picks a number of kohlrabis, from which three are chosen to enter at the fair.

Vegetables for the largest category at the Stearns County Fair are not picked until the last minute, as the sign here Save for the Fair. Thanks, states. With fair entry time at 11 a.m. July 31, Randy Killian picks the largest zucchini around 9 a.m. that morning.

night we had to pick pickles. I was the third oldest so I had the third row and the 10th row, she said. Randy has a knack for gardening and for cooking as does Joyce. They started with just a few com-mon vegetablescucumbers, pota-toes, tomatoeswith the list of vege-tables growing each year and usually involves something new, which this year included Swiss chard, a form of lettuce.

I think you eat the leaves, just like spinach, said Randy. He smiles when saying also new was kale, but we dont know what to do with it. This year they also grew cucum-bers to climb a fence, which they said was their silent partners (Rueben) idea. Its also this silent partner who tills their garden each spring and every Sunday. Paula laughs when saying the gar-den today is double the size of when they started. Every Sunday they go to the al-

most-weed-free and blight-free garden to weed, water and do what needs to be done, which might include sipping on a few brewskees, sometimes with friends who stop down to check out the garden. Its a relaxing time, said Paula, who tends to more of the garden since its in her backyard. Randy doesnt argue about that. Paula does about 80 percent of the weeding and I do about 20 percent, he said, with Paula adding, Im a little younger. But we do weed the onions to-gether, said Randy. Paula uses rolled-out carpet rem-nants to crawl around on the ground when weeding, while Randy uses old patio cushions that he moves with him. Some vegetables they grow from seed; others they start with plants. Most are planted after Memorial Day. It amazes even them when they think about how much their garden produces. We usually get about 3,000 toma-toes, and we have close to 800 onions, said Randy, who loves freezing pro-duce. Last year we grew 900 pounds of zucchini and I froze 100 cups, he said.

Fair fun About four years ago they started entering produce at the Stearns Coun-ty Fair at the encouragement of Pau-las friend, Georgine Nathe. Much like those first years of gardening, entering items has been a learning experience. The first year I picked the biggest zucchini and they (the judges) said it was too mature, said Paula. While some categories call for the largest produce, other categories re-quire numerous produce samples, so judges can check for size, consistency

and how clean the vegetable is. For ex-ample, 12 green beans similar in size. On this morning, Paula suggests Randy walk down a long row looking for the largest red tomato, while Pau-la pulls out a kohlrabi close to seven inches in circumference. Doesnt this one look good, Pau-la said to Randy, whos still looking for that biggest tomato. With her kohlrabi in her hand, Pau-la heads over to find the largest cucum-ber. We wait until the last minute with the cucumbers, she said. Their largest head of cabbage, which produced a lot of leaves, didnt have the biggest head,

but it was firm. We never beat Marie Wuertz for the largest cabbage, said Paula. Together, they deter-mine which zucchini is the best to enter, not

looking for the largest here, but the best looking. Some items, like the po-tatoes and onions, they harvest a day or so beforehand, so they can dry off on

the grass and be cleaned. One-by-one, produce is placed in a wagon and pulled up to a shed where more produce sits on a long table wait-ing to be bagged up. On this cool but sunny morning, they both get to work preparing their produce for the fair. Paula talks about how she once brought up the idea that they should register items separately and compete against one another. But both admit half the fun is doing it together. Randy peels the skin off the last of four red onions, giving them a nice sheen. They decide which three onions look the best and place them on a paper plate with their registration form and cover in a plastic bag. Randy tosses the rejected red onion into what he calls the soup bucket, where all fair rejects go. On a counter, Paula arranges dill in a vase for another entry. By 10:30 a.m. they have all their entries prepared and loaded into a vehicle and they drive to the fairgrounds in Sauk Centre, on time for the 11 a.m. entry time. They know judging wont be com-plete until later in the day and are anx-ious to return to the fair to see how they did. They received 42 ribbons: 21 for first place, 12 for second place and nine for third place. Last year we made enough money that we could go out to eat, said Ran-dy. While gardening is work, its also fun for this duo. Yeah, there are times when Im out there sweatin away, when I won-der, Why am I doing this, Paula ad-mits, realizing all the sweat is worth it at harvest time, fair time and party time. Its about bragging rights for the garden party, said Randy. And its about having fun for these friends as each year their gardening roots continue to grow.


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Its common for us to use each other as guinea pigs throughout the year, Thielen said. Ill get a call from Candy saying she just tried a new reci-pe and is coming over for me to try it. Although the two compete with each other, they feel its about more than competition. Through having to turn out their best product, both have improved their performance and learned about new techniques, ingredi-ents and recipes. We really enjoy it, Thielen said. She says quality ingredients are key to a good product and feels she has an advantage, living on a farm and having a large garden. The good thing about living on a farm is that we have a lot of resources to make things with, she said. And on a farm youre always cooking so you get lots of practice. When not baking, Thielen works on their dairy farm, writes a monthly column as part of the St. Cloud Times Writers Group and is active in church and civic groups. With this years state fair entry day being Aug. 16, Thielen knows shell be spending plenty of time in the kitch-

RIBBONS continued from front________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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After 20 years entering the state fair baking competitions, Lois Thielen has become used to bringing home ribbons. Pictured is Thielen with last years state Fair ribbons.

Carrot-Oatmeal Muffins

1 1/3 cups flour1 cup oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned)3/4 cup finely-shredded carrots1/2 cup raisins or currants1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar1 Tbsp. baking powder1 tsp. cinnamon1/2 tsp. baking soda1/2 cup milk1 egg, beaten1/3 cup butter, melted1 tsp. vanilla Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9 medium muffin cups; set aside. In large bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, carrots, raisins or currants, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda. In small bowl, combine milk, beaten egg, melted butter and vanilla; mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until muffins test done. Let stand 10 minutes on rack, then gently slide table knife around each muffins edge and remove from pan. Makes 9 muffins, more if cups are smaller.

en. On average, the week before the fair means four to six hours a day of baking. Like the other regulars, she triple-wraps, labels and freezes baked goods as she produced them. Usually I fall off the social calen-dar for that week because all my spare time is spent preparing for the fair, she said.

Thielen is excited about another trip to the Great Minnesota Get-To-gether. We have a lot of fun with it, from our trip down to meeting other entrants to a nice lunch afterward, she said. It makes all the work beforehand worth it.

These two recipes Lois was awarded blue ribbons.

Sour Cream Pound Cake3 cups sifted flour1 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. baking soda1 cup butter, room temperature3 cups sugar6 large eggs1 tsp. vanilla1 tsp. almond extract1 cup sour cream Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt pan; set aside. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda; set aside. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar at medium speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extract. (Total beating time must equal 10 minutes.) Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour or until cake tests done. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool on rack. Makes 12 servings.


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RICHMOND When strolling though the dairy barn at the Stearns County Fair, you can see mostly Holstein cat-tle lining the rows, until you reach the Willenbring section. Their specialty is the Brown Swiss cattle. This whole row is ours, said Carleen. Except that one calf on the end. Carleen, along with her four younger siblings, all show cattle at the fair. Follow-ing Carleen, 19, is Kyle, 17, Marissa, 15, Craig, 12, and the

Siblings enjoy 4-H, fairWillenbrings known for showing Brown Swiss cattle

By SABRINA LEYStaff intern

SIBLINGScontinued on page 15

PHOTO SUBMITTEDThe Willenbring siblings (from left) Craig, Kyle, Darren, Marissa and Carleen are known for showing Brown Swiss cattle every year at the Stearns County Fair.

newest member to show, Dar-ren, 9. The Willenbrings are part of the Dusty Trails 4-H club near Richmond. We were in 4-H for a few years before any of us started showing, said Carleen. We always saw the cattle at the

fair, and thought we should give it a try. Both Carleen and Kyle started showing seven years ago. Their first year they brought three cattle from their herd. Their second year, their older brother, Ryan, decided

to join in the fun and showed with them. Slowly we have added both our number of siblings showing, and the number of cattle that we bring, said Car-leen. The Willenbrings farm south of Richmond with their parents, Ed and Ann, and older brothers, Anthony and Ryan. They milk 44 Brown Swiss cows. This was an exciting year for the Willenbrings, as their youngest brother, Darren, joined the group and showed as a Clover bud at the 4-H show. He seemed to enjoy it, said Kyle. Im sure he will be excited to do it next year. For Carleen, this year was bittersweet as it was her last year of showing. Itll be different being done after all these years of showing, said Carleen. Im sure Ill be back next year helping all the younger ones with their cattle. Carleen and Kyle are the

ones that head everything up for getting ready for the fair. Usually as soon as school is out, they start picking out which cattle they will take and who will be showing them. We try to get ahead of the game, said Carleen. Train-ing the cattle tends to take up a lot of the summer. But its so worth it. For the first time this year, a few of the Willenbrings stayed on the fairgrounds. Ear-ly mornings were spent wash-ing and clipping the cattle to get them ready for the shows. All five Willenbrings show 4-H, but only the oldest four show open class. Each of the Willenbrings have their own favorite part of showing. Its a lot of fun and I learn something different every year, said Marissa. Its crazy but its a lot of fun.


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Imagine its a couple hundred years ago and you are traveling through the countryside with your horse and buggy. You are exhausted after a long day, hungry and theres no town, and certainly no hotel or restaurant, in sight. You look for a red door. Why? Well, fast forward to a cou-ple weeks ago. I have an idea and I want you to think about it before you say no, said my husband, Don, as we discussed what we were going to do with a large space above the stairs in our entryway. We had discussed the subject to exhaustion already, ve-toing ideas like painting a mural (who has the time), buying a large painting (why buy when I could paint one my-self), putting a chandelier in the space (the house really isnt chandelier-like enough) to name just a few. But we still wanted to come up with something interesting, to catch your attention as you walk in the front door. A little wow factor. Okay so here comes his idea: we take the screen door that used to be on the front of my old house in town, and mount it in the space above the stairs. Hmmmm. I didnt say no right away, though I try to be very careful about that anyway. You often need to give an idea time to sink in. We brought the door home and held it into place; it fit the space perfectly. I still wasnt completely convinced. The door is the old-fashioned wood with details on the inside corners of the screen. It reminds me of the doors pret-ty much every farm had years ago that

The red door narrativehad a full-time job keeping flies out of the house. Antiquing it wouldnt work.

Rustic is great in the right situ-ation, but our house isnt really a shabby chic kind of house. We decided instead to repaint it to the fairly bright red color it was originally. Since I wanted a decorating theme that would meld the in-side to the surroundings of the house, that means we have trees and birds. And, since there is a large dark metal tree within

sight in the living room beyond, why not place a metal branch with a couple of birds on it in the screen space. Black metal, with colored birds, maybe. And below the door, a black welcome sign. I was really warming up to the idea, so I decided to check if there was any symbolism in red doors. I loved what I discovered. Red doors have three basic mean-ings, which you can find on dozens of websites. Number one: In the days when America was being settled, a red door meant that travelers were welcome to come have a warm meal and stay the night. Hotels were few and far be-tween, so a red door was a sight for sore eyes. (As that imaginary horse and buggy traveler, you feel better now, dont you!) Number two: The Israelites put red blood on their doorposts to pro-tect them from the angel of death. So traditionally, a red door symbolized that you were being protected by God. Many churches supposedly have red doors. Ill be watching for that. Number three: In Scotland, a red

by Diane Leukam

PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAMA red door is a symbol of welcome and protection, among other things. This one graces the entry of the Don and Diane Leukam home in Sauk Centre.

door meant that you had paid off your mortgage. Other traditions include that it was a signal to traveling salesmen that they couldnt sell there; Einstein painted his door red so he could find his house; in Ireland, red doors were supposed to ward off ghosts and evil spirits and in the United States during the time of slavery and the Underground Railroad, a red door meant the house was safe. This was all the positive reinforce-ment we needed to go forward with the

project. Knowing this, who wouldnt want a red door, wherever it happens to be placed! Anyway, should we not like it, using my sister Carols theory, if it went in, it can come out. Actually, our particular red screen door has special symbolism for us. It was the door that Don opened on a warm April evening over five years ago, welcoming us to a new life togeth-er. Sappy but true! Now I wonder what birds and trees stand for

SIBLINGS continued from page 13_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I show so that I can be out at the fair, said Kyle. Theres something about this atmosphere that just gets in your blood. Ive always enjoyed the animals, said Carleen. Theres just something about cattle that we all love. Both Kyle and Carleen were given the chance once to go and show at the state fair. Following in their footsteps, Marissa will be taking her winter calf, Daisy, to the state fair this year.

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SIBLINGS continued from page 13_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I show so that I can be out at the fair, said Kyle. Theres something about this atmosphere that just gets in your blood. Ive always enjoyed the animals, said Carleen. Theres just something about cattle that we all love. Both Kyle and Carleen were given the chance once to go and show at the state fair. Following in their footsteps, Marissa will be taking her winter calf, Daisy, to the state fair this year.

Their love for cattle doesnt stop at just showing. Carleen, Kyle and Ma-rissa all have participated in FFA dairy judging with the Paynesville Area FFA Chapter. When talks of next year come about, there is little doubt the Willen-brings will have their section of Brown Swiss to fill the dairy barn. We love having a different breed, said Carleen. Its what everyone iden-tifies our family with.

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Being judged in the show barn at the Stearns County Fair are (from back left) Carleen, Kyle and Craig Willenbring.

Carleen Willenbring showed one of her Brown Swiss animals for the last time this year at the Stearns County Fair.


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Variety Plot ToursWednesday, September 3rd, 2014

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Country Viewby Dennis and Nancy Winter, Sauk Centre

How long have you lived in the country? We have a 140-acre hobby farm three miles northeast of Sauk Centre. Sixty-five acres are farmland and the rest is woods. Only two buildings remain of the original property, the rest have been torn down and replaced.

How long have you lived in the country? We bought this property almost 35 years ago, before we were married. Both of us grew up on a farm and lived in the country our entire lives. This place was a dream come true for us; its where many memories were made and where we raised our girls. The place is the perfect size for us to retire here.

Describe your place in the country? Our farm has rolling hills and beautiful big oak trees. It has trails through the woods, marked with various road signs and street names, where we can go four-wheeling and where Dennis deer hunts. We have three big storage sheds for the machinery, and of course, for our toys too! The old barn still stands from many years ago, painted red, a structure that just adds that special touch to our farm. We have a pool off to the side of the house to keep us cool on hot days and we do also heat it with our outdoor wood boiler to enjoy on the chillier nights as well. We have no animals except two dogs and a few cats. Our yard is about three acres, which we can enjoy through the living room window. We grow wild grasses on our

cropland; I cut the hay during the week and weather permitting, Dennis round bales it on the weekend. The bales are net wrapped and put in a row to be put up for sale at a later date.

Whats your favorite thing about living there? Our favorite thing about liv-ing here is the location. Only three miles from town and were on a tar road. Were out far enough yet not too far. We love to watch the change of the sea-sons. We have great neighbors with whom we have become great friends. This farm was a great place to raise kids and have them enjoy the ability to run free. Dennis loves farming the land. He enjoys driving the tractor and watching the deer run through the deer trails, seeing the varied wildlife such as turkeys, deer and this past May, we had a bear on our deer trail camera. This is the place we call home, were proud to call this home!

Whats your favorite activity to do at your place? We have many activities here on the farm. Lots of four-wheeling on the many trails, and we have a camp in the woods called Moonshine Camp, where Dennis deer hunts and where we make venison over the open fire. We snowmobile through the woods and slide on the hills. We enjoy the smell of freshly-cut hay, and just seeing the trees bud and watching the leaves turn colors in the fall. We enjoy sitting in the pool and looking up at the hills behind us. Our favorite time of the year is seeing the snow fall; the more the better!

Whats been your most memorable country living experience? Many mem-ories have been made here on the farm. This is where Dennis proposed to me, this is where our two girls were born and raised. The girls learned first to ride their bikes here and later they learned how to drive a stick shift on the trails in the woods. Its the place where the girls friends came to ride four wheeler and have get-togethers at camp. The girls could run and scream here without bothering anyone. We hosted many a Moonshine camp party to enjoy lots of different meats such as elk, fish, venison, ostrich, buffalo and beef over the open fire. Many a deer story has been told from our woods and with each time told, the buck got just a bit larger! Our first grandchild is due soon; its going to be a place for him to come and enjoy, a place where he can start making memories as well.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare-time In our spare time we like to ride our Harley, or take our Polaris ranger for a ride. We both enjoy the outdoors. We spend time cutting wood for the boiler and to heat the shop. Dennis works for RL Larson, a water and sewer contractor out of St. Cloud, as a loader operator, so when the season comes to an end he enjoys just being home, working in his shop on cars and tractors. I work part-time for Jitters Java in Sauk Centre and when Im not at work I enjoy shopping, redecorating, playing on Pinterest and hanging with friends.

Tell us something about yourself that most people dont know? This is a tough one. Nancy: Im not fond of the color red (I didnt even dress my girls in red as kids), Im deathly afraid of a mouse and I dislike beans! Dennis: For those of you that dont know me, Im partial to green and yellow. Years ago I even painted a New Holland baler green and yellow, which I swear made the baler work better!

CDL DRIVER WANTED

Apply online at www.dh eldservices.com or call Darrin at 320-760-0848.

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14 CountryAcres August

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