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A Little Bit About What I Do In My Spare Time…

Okay, I have to add this…you’ll see why if you get to the third paragraph.  Unfortunately we weren’t able to attend.  (It was the same week as Woody’s heart procedure, but we were there in thought.)

Midwest Aronia Association 5th Annual Conference

“Let’s Get Growing” Moline, Illinois  March 21, 2015

Midwest Aronia Association held their 2015 conference in Moline, Illinois, March 19-21. This annual Midwest event is the largest gathering of Aronia growers in the nation, drawing speakers and attendees from across the United States, as well as internationally, to network, learn and share information about the Super Fruit, Aronia berry.  Aronia has been introduced in recent years as a value-added sustainably grown crop, and researchers continue to discover the numerous health benefits of the dark purple berry.

The Midwest Aronia Association is a non-profit group whose focus is education concerning Aronia. Main goals include assisting growers, and re-establishing Aronia as a healthy staple in modern diets by introducing Aronia berries to consumers. With grower-members throughout the United States and Canada, there is growing focus on local and regional marketability as well as expanding domestic market growth and development of the Aronia industry.

With approximately 150 attendees, events included management practices; marketing and business development; labeling, processing and Regional Chapter development. The conference opened with a well-received Recipe Contest for which participants contributed an Aronia-based food and recipe for judging and eventual inclusion in an Aronia Cookbook with a Harvest Season 2015 targeted publication date.  Additional Aronia recipes will be accepted throughout April.  Other topics included site preparation, harvesting, soil nutrition and cultural management, storm and pest damage mitigation, irrigation, crop insurance, processing, product development and marketing.  The Aronia Promoter of the Year award was given to Peggy Fogle for her tireless efforts in organizing and staffing the successful Iowa State Fair MAA booth and other volunteer activities.  Dr. Terry Wahls whose research on nutrition in the study of traumatic brain injury and Multiple Sclerosis delivered the keynote address after the annual banquet.

The MAA annual business meeting and board member elections were held during the conference. 10 officers/committee chairs were retained or elected to the board. For more information about Aronia and the MAA, please visit www.midwestaronia.org

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Almost There…

Today we pruned, AGAIN.  We are nearly finished pruning 1800+/- plants in Field 4.  What we are finding makes us sick one moment and tickled pink the next.  The Aronia Melanocarpa bushes are such hardy plants, we know we made a good choice planting them.  It seems that the bushes most damaged by the 17-year cycle of Cicadas seem to have sent out the most new shoots last summer.  HOORAY!  Because now as we’re cutting them way off to trim out the damage, we are still hopeful they will be productive, if not this year, in the future.

Yet it still hurts to have to cut the top out of a bush that is as big around as your thumb but has been chewed almost in half and eggs laid in a portion of the stem 2-3″ long.  So much damage that when the bush tries to produce fruit, it will be so weakened, the branch could not sustain the weight or the production.

As we are pruning, we feel it is somewhat of an analogy for our lives.  Just this past week, Woody had angioplasty to open two arteries in his heart.  One artery had a stint inserted to help keep it open.  We have led a life full of ups and downs, much like our roller coaster week last week.  We have been pruned to make us stronger too.  Just like the hardy berries, the Fogle’s are a hardy bunch too.  We have been pruned and grown closer, stronger, and healthier.  In fact, this week marks our 37th year of marriage.  Pretty good for the pair most unlikely to succeed.

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Pruning, Cussing, and Praising

Pruning, Cussing, and Praising

Odd title?  You wouldn’t think so if you joined us the last few weeks in the field.  You see after the 17-year Cicada damage we suffered in June 2014, you’d understand.  Pruning is best done in December-March so the cuts can callous and harden off.  On some of the warmer days we have been out cutting back bushes. It’s a cold, snowy field and the footing is a little slippery.  Secondly, you have to bend down and inspect each branch and remember we have nearly 5,000 bushes, so it seems like it takes forever.  We’re still not done, but we’ll get there a little at a time as the backs can handle it.

I say cussing because It makes you physically feel sick to cut off so much of some of the plants and know how you are cutting down on your yield for the upcoming year.   You have that to deal with emotionally.  I keep telling myself those damned Cicadas layed the eggs in the little branches and weakened the bushes now to the point that they will not support the weight of all the berries they will be having now and in the future.  If the damage isn’t cut out now, they will suffer later.  So I cut and cuss.

At the same time, I praise the quiet time alone in the woods and in the field.   I am so thankful we are where we are and we have a hardy bush that will survive, thrive and be so strong and large in 17 years, the next Cicadas will not be able to damage them this way ever again.  Thus, the life of a farmer.

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What a Summer!

We had such high hopes for our crop this year and were so excited for the changes we were making to our farm.  Yet another lesson in patience.

We ordered our Weed Badger in early April and hoped to be ready to till around the plants in May.  I should never have trusted and sold the little riding mower that went between the small plants.  The weed badger showed up last week!  But it is going to be awesome.  We need some practice with it, but it will do the job, we’re just set back a year.

On June 17th while mowing we noticed all kinds of damaged to the berry bushes.  We couldn’t decide if the heavy winds the night before had damaged our plants or just what had happened.  Turns out it was the 17-year cicada emergence.  They really did a number on us.  The females bury their eggs into the small stems of plants.  Well our place is very wooded and was 17 years ago too, so we had a terrible infestation.  It was like walking on crunchy shells everywhere in our fields.  Turns out they were a problem.  We had lots of branches die and many more erupted and weakened so they did not support all the berry production.  Our crop suffered dramatically and probably will next year too.  We’re thankful it’s only every 17 years!

Cicada Damaged Bush
Cicada Damaged Bush
Cicada Damaged Branch
Cicada Damaged Branch

June 16th our Horizon Building arrived after a LOT of dirt work that was done, thanks to our son.   The wonderful Amish crew had the building up in a week, mostly.  It rained and rained all summer and the inside was muddy, our granddaughter loved mud stomping inside!  The floor was finally poured (in the rain) August 27th.  But we have a place to put all the equipment for winter storage and it’s wonderful.

Mudstomping Inside the Building
Mudstomping Inside the Building

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Through all the rain, weeds, and cicada damage, we’ve been so impressed at how hardy these plants are.  Plants we put in the ground two years ago have really thrived despite the conditions they had to deal with this year.  That field was neglected this summer with all the rain and the lack of a good way to mow between the plants and the cicada damage as well, but they look really good.

We keep believing the plants will be able to produce a nice crop for us.  We have had friends with excellent yields.  Meanwhile, we keep finding new ways to enjoy them.

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Chocolate Chip Aronia Berry Cookies

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 2 cups sugar (1 brown and 1 white works too)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla
  • 5 cups flour (I usually use 2 c whole wheat and 3 unbleached white)
  • 1 Tbsp baking soda
  • 1 cup aronia berries
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Mix butter, shortening and sugars.  Add eggs, vanilla and soda.  Mix in the flour.  Add the berries and chocolate chips.  Berries may be fresh or frozen and will tend to turn the cookies a swirly purple when mixed.   Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

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Progress, Mess, Patience…

As the summer has progressed around here I find it a somewhat amusing coincidence that the words progress and mess are similar. In a way it’s almost sadistic this summer. Around our house, we began a project requiring massive amounts of dirt work and the rain began. We went from drought conditions to ample rains and flooding conditions in much of Iowa.

Let me explain. This winter we decided to make the move into a little more of a farming operation. We knew the step would need to be made at some point, it’s arrived. We purchased the tractor, ordered the Weed Badger to take care of the weeding. Ordered a building to help store equipment. Finally decided on a location for the building (which was a BIG deal). And then the work began, and the rain began.

Building finally arrived. Problems arose which left a gap in one sidewall and the roof, but the rain didn’t get the message to hold off. Needless to say, more progress, but more mess.  So as I sit and watch the rain, we’re awaiting the finishing dirt work, a floor, etc.  It will happen.  

We believe God is reminding us to be patient as we transition into farming.

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We’re Not Dead Yet

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We're Not Dead Yet

Woody’s motto has always been if you’re not changing, you’re dying. So this is evidence we’re still kicking! This long winter has been preparation for organic certification, tractor and weed badger purchasing, and storage building preparation. You are looking at the future site of our new Horizon building. We had to move over 400 landscape blocks in preparation for the dirt work to begin and get some professional help to determine just where to place the building, but we’re nearly ready.

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A New Deere in the Field

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A New Deere in the Field

After 31 years with the same John Deere, Woody has said hello to a new Deere to graze in the fields. Abe will not be chasing this one away. It is necessary to do the work the old Deere, the Ex-Mark and Woody and I have been doing by hand. Thanks to Kendall, we’ll be outfitting it to weed the berries! We’re so excited. It has already made loading things around here so much easier!

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Blooms Equal Berries!

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Blooms Equal Berries!

May 10, 2014 – We have Blooms! In fact in field two we were out mowing and for the first time we could smell the future. The bushes were loaded with blooms there Woody and I could smell the sweet fragrance of aronia for the first time. It was an unexpected pleasure! We have quite a few blooms even in fields three and even four. The nights of frost worried us a bit, but hopefully it wasn’t cold enough to damage any berry production. Time will tell…

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More Excited Than Ever!

Woody and I recently returned from the 2014 Midwest Aronia Association Conference.  We were thrilled to meet other growers of this super fruit and learn more about its cultivation and potential.

We know we are on the right path when we heard business folks and physicians talk about the health potential of these powerful purple super berries.

Understanding Antioxidants & ORAC values

The Aroniaberry contains a powerful natural blend of polyphenolic antioxidants. Antioxidants are important because they combat free radicals in our body that are created from daily living, stress, environmental pollution, medical x-rays and even exercise. Free radicals can damage cells which can lead to health and wellness related issues. Consuming foods high in antioxidants like the Aroniaberry may help support the body’s defense against these radicals.

Antioxidant levels in foods are measured by a test called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity ).  Scientists have found that antioxidants increase our bodies natural defense systems. The higher the ORAC, the higher the antioxidant activity. (Wu, Beecher et al. 2004) The graph shows the ORAC levels (expressed as µmol Trolox Equivalents per 100 g fresh fruit of a variety of different fruits, including Aroniaberries. USDA 2010).

We all know how they have promoted blueberries and how good they are for you.  Well, our little berries score almost twice as good on the ORAC scale.  It’s exciting…the big challenge is educating people that aronia berries are becoming available, how healthy they are, and how to use them.  Because for those of you who have tried them, they aren’t as sweet as a blueberry or strawberry, they have a little more of the tart tannin flavor.  But they can be wonderful too.  Check out some of the recipes and look for food products at Hy-Vee.