Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!  
We had a great Christmas in Indiana!

What are the USDA markets? How do they come up with these numbers?

It is very hard to describe into one post everything that goes into the USDA reports. The Agricultural Marketing Service, AMA, has been conducting reports for over 90 years.   It is a very comprehensive, monthly report.  Reports come in from all over the United States and international locations from USDA officials. 

Reports include markets, prices, volume, and bushels.  Commodities included in the report are corn, beans, wheat, tobacco, cotton, fruits, for example. Certain fields are earmarked to be a representative field for the year.  No one outside the Washington, D.C. office is to know about the final numbers of the report until it is released to the public.  There are many USDA employees who work all night compiling the numbers into the report.  Until a few years ago, the report was released in the morning. Now it is released in the afternoon. 


A few years ago, actually it was four years ago, I traveled to Washington, DC with a group of ag professionals.  We were invited to watch the August 2010 USDA report being presented to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. 



 

Before we were led into the room for the presentation of the report, we were briefed in a separate conference room.  They explained us the procedure, gave us a USDA pass, and we left all forms of communication in the conference room.  All cell phones, tablets, etc were left in the middle of the table.  Then we toured a media room.  It wasn't time for the report to go public yet, but some had the numbers in front of them, entering the information into a computer.  It is entered into a decrypted data system, and that information is not released electronically until the published time.

Many people play a part of the report, and it is a very big process.  They also described the history of the report. Before computers, the report was shared via telephone.  Those reporting from DC were in a media room, standing in the middle. At the time of the report being released, they were allowed to go to the perimeter of the room and use the telephones. The USDA employees who gather the information for the report are not allowed to leave the designated areas of the USDA building until the report is released.  That means some work all night long.

I realize there is so much that goes into preparing each monthly USDA report. The results that come from these reports impact the grain markets because if the report numbers are not within private analyst estimates, it is impacted immediately.  Grain markets can go limit up or limit down if there is a big change in the USDA markets.  It doesn't happen every report, but it is possible. 

We have so much to be thankful for for 2014! Today, the one that tops my happiness? The ability to set up a tripod, and take a family picture, and everyone is smiling! We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

It seems like this time of the year I am pulling out the recipe box, looking through old cookbooks, and contacting relatives to find that "one" recipe we would like to try this year.

Even though our grandmothers are gone, we would like to keep tradition going, and bake the goodies they made for us growing up.  I have a big "wish list" of things I want to bake with the kids. We have already talked about what we are going to leave for Santa. Some of might have to wait until the weekend after Christmas, but it will get done.  The kids are great helpers in the kitchen! I want to take advantage of that!

We had Christmas Eve with my dad's side every year. Grandma Butch would always bring us a batch of her homemade caramels.  This was my first time making caramels.  It is definitely trial and error. I didn't have Grandma's recipe at the time, but I tried a recipe from a college friend I had tucked away in my recipe box. I am sharing Abbie's recipe with you today!  My daughter enjoyed wrapping them in wax paper.  I am sure they won't last long.  Just like they didn't growing up. Dad and I finished these in no time. 



Homemade Caramels
3 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup white kayro syrup
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter
1 can Eagle Brand milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Add sugar, syrup, butter and milk in a large sauce pan.  Heat to soft boil stage (244-248 degrees) while stirring.  Add vanilla, remove from heat.  Beat with mixer until glossy, less than a minute. Pour into greased jelly roll pan. Pour into middle of pan and scrape remaining  onto the edge. Let cool. Cut into bite size pieces and wrap in wax paper.

Peanut butter and chocolate.

These are one of my favorites.  I remember my grandma baking these all the time, especially during the week of VBS , and hoping I would see them as the cookie try was passed around!

This makes a great cookie for any occasion, but with the different selection of Hershey Kisses, you can make this for Christmas time as well.  These go fast in our house.  Everything goes fast in our house!!



Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
PRINT RECIPE

Ingredients

Directions

My daughter loves banana bread! The last batch of banana bread I made, I caught her sneaking bites of bread all day long! Boys came home from hunting and it was all gone!

She runs in the kitchen, grabs a bite, then jets back to the living room.

She has been working on her "sneaking & hiding" skills for quite some time. A few years ago, when she was a 2-year-old "little helper" when we picked strawberries every spring. I remember she loved to help out in kitchen then! I was busy making freezer jelly, but stepped out of the kitchen for a minute. When I came back,  I caught her picking strawberries off the trays, and transferring them to my pocket in my apron. I quietly left the room, and came back with the video camera. That one is in the vault!

This time I decided to make a different type of banana bread. Add some chocolate chips. It should be called the perfect banana bread. It's easy, too!

Let the Holiday baking begin.  I would like to start holiday baking traditions with the kids. They are so eager to help in the kitchen. They are also so eager to help taste-test!

Why not?

Sounds like a great idea to me, too!

This recipe is a no-bake recipe, it's fast, and kid-friendly!

We will work on cleaning the kitchen later!



Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Pretzels
1 bag of chocolate chips or chocolate almond bark

In mixing bowl, beat peanut butter and butter until combined. Add sugars and mix well. You should be able to roll mixture into small balls without sticking to your hands. If needed, add more powdered sugar until it is easy to roll. Take each small ball and press between two pretzels.  Melt chocolate or almond bark in microwave according to directions on package.  Dip peanut butter pretzels into the chocolate, and set on baking sheet lined with wax paper. Put into freezer for 20-30 minutes.

Time flies, especially the older I get, the faster it seems to go. 12 years of marriage and 3 kids later, it is hard to sit back because life going by at a very past pace. I don't wish any day to go faster, but during the fall, days seem to go so fast and slow. All at the same time.

Tammy and Kendall Culp opened their farm to Jasper County officials. It was called a Dine and Discuss Event. Their gravel road lead us to their home and farm in the middle of corn and soybean fields. 




All the food served for dinner was grown in Jasper County. 

Tomatoes are on! They are on my stove to be exact! We canned this weekend, stewed and salsa. Next weekend we plan to can tomato juice.

There is no exact recipe when we are making the salsa.  We add peppers and jalapeno peppers to taste and this was a hot batch! Can't wait to eat this salsa this winter!

A new adventure for the kids this summer was to attend the Indiana State Fair.  The last time Dave and I attended was in 2009.  We went with friends to see Keith Urban and Jason Aldean.  We look so young here!


 Fast forward five years, to 2014 and back to reality!



This year was the kid's first trip to the Indiana State Fair. They were very excited.  But I know they were not as excited as I was.  I won't admit it, but I was up early,  and very anxious to go.   

I knew her first trip to the ring might be a little emotional for me. I am not sure how to explain it, but she is a determined, hard worker.  She has big plans, big dreams and I hope we can fulfill those dreams for her.  One step at a time.  One day we will have a house, then we will build the kids a barn and then fill it with animals. So, one step at a time.  Try out the first year of showing and see if she likes it. She loves it.  It is moments like these when we realize the dreams and plans we have mirror our children's wants and have's (and have-not's).

We are very proud of her. She received Champion Microwave Cooking in her Division.  She participated in the Battle of the Barns, and her team ended up in 3rd place. Macie also received 3rd overall in the Beginner Swine Showmanship Class.
Challenge yourself and your family.  Try something new. Get out there in the ring. Many life lessons are learned in the ring and in the barn.