Author Archives: maryjane

GIVEAWAY: “Revomax, Comin’ Up Roses”

Thank you for dropping by my Raising Jane Journal to participate in my giveaways! We’ve chosen a winner for this giveaway already (click here for details), but don’t be afraid to leave a comment anyway. I love reading them. And stay tuned for more great MaryJanesFarm giveaways.

For a chance to win a FREE Revomax vacuum-insulated flask, tell me one thing you do to conserve water in the comments below. (This hot/cold vacuum bottle opens and closes with the click of a button—no twisting or screwing action needed, allowing one-handed operation.) I’ll toss your name into a hat and draw a lucky winner sometime mid-February.

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The Revomax is one of our Farmgirl Finds in the “Comin’ Up Roses,” Feb/March issue of MaryJanesFarm. Stay tuned for more magazine-related giveaways. If you’re not yet a subscriber to my magazine, MaryJanesFarm, subscribe here for $19.95/year.

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GIVEAWAY: “Milk Cow Kitchen, Comin’ Up Roses”

Thank you for dropping by my Raising Jane Journal to participate in my giveaways! We’ve chosen a winner for this giveaway already (click here for details), but don’t be afraid to leave a comment anyway. I love reading them. And stay tuned for more great MaryJanesFarm giveaways.

For a chance to win a free copy of my Milk Cow Kitchen book, tell me about the farmgirl you would gift it to who either has a milk cow or dreams of having one in the comments below. I’ll toss your name into a hat and draw a lucky winner sometime mid-February.

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My book gives you how-to details for keeping a pet milk cow on your suburban half acre, a backyard lot in town … or at least, it’ll help fuel your fantasy of a someday cow grazing outside your kitchen window. Milk cow fantasy aside, my book is chock full of recipes using dairy—75 to be exact—along with 15 step-by-step cheese-making recipes.

Stay tuned for more magazine-related giveaways. If you’re not yet a subscriber to my magazine, MaryJanesFarm, subscribe here for $19.95/year.

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Winners!!! Giveaways: All That Glitters

In the Dec/Jan issue of MaryJanesFarm, “All That Glitters,” I led you here to my daily journal for a chance to win some special giveaways. Following, you’ll find the winners of all five giveaways. Thank you to all who participated by leaving comments, and stay tuned for more giveaways in each issue of MaryJanesFarm. If you’re not yet a subscriber to MaryJanesFarm, subscribe here for $19.95/year.

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The winner of my “Junk Gypsy, All That Glitters” giveaway is Marjie Long, who left this comment in response to “Tell me how MaryJanesFarm has inspired you to upcycle a junk find.”

“Re-purpose, re-cycle, or up-cycle is the main theme here at our home on the Ranch. Not much gets thrown away—someone is always needing something to finish a job, so we go to the old bins, be they old granite bowls found in the pastures or an old post office cabinet. We just hung 2 old wood and screen doors in our remodeled chicken pen. I enjoy the magazine very much—look forward to it coming in the mail.”

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The winner of my “My Gratitude Journal, All That Glitters” giveaway is Zona Hague, who left this comment in response to “Tell me some one thing you’re grateful for this day, TODAY.”

“I am so very grateful for our very young grandchildren!! Their grandpa + I can protect them, pray, and care for them—we can love and cuddle them and reassure them we will keep them safe, when they are scared watching their divorced parents fight in front of them, resulting in repeat police visits. This journal would be a blessing for them, to write even the small things that are secure + beautiful in their small lives/world!!”

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The winner of my “LuLaRoe, All That Glitters” giveaway is Shelli L Miller, who left this comment in response to “Tell me what your favorite woman-run business is.”

“The Heritage Hut owned by Mary Kanesny in Wichita, KS, is a unique yarn and weaving shop. This business has served for many years as a gathering place for women and young girls who are interested in learning now-rare skills such as loom weaving and tatting, along with traditional knitting and crochet.”

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The winner of my “Organic on-the-go, All That Glitters” giveaway is Heather Neeper, who left this comment in response to “Tell me how you discovered us.”

“My mother-in-law would buy MJF magazine and I would read them when she was finished. Not wanting to miss one, I got a subscription. I still have every issue! They’re too good to give up … LOL!!!

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The winner of my “Kazoo, All That Glitters” giveaway is Suaan Sims, who left this comment in response to “Tell me how you or someone else has inspired girls to be strong, smart, fierce and, above all, true to themselves (Kazoo’s mission).”

“My mother is 92 years young, and from the time I was a little girl, I played under the quilting frame. She made many quilts over the years, and as my sister and I watched and learned, she inspired us to make quilts, as well as sew our clothes and those of our kids. She makes quilts today, and has warmed many, many relatives with those quilts. She is truly a pioneer and an inspiration for all her grandchildren and nieces.”

Thank you to the hundreds of women who responded with such thoughtful comments! If you’re one of our winners, keep an eye out for an email from the farm.

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Hear Ye!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Sherrilyn Askew!!!

Sherrilyn Askew (#1350) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning an Expert Level Unprocessed Kitchen Merit Badge!

“I hosted an “unprocessed” party and helped my sisters discover ways to make some of their favorite processed foods organically, specifically candy canes. Candy is as much art as science, hard candy especially. The key is in the temperature. We did one batch with beet juice and one with cranberry juice, and the color difference, as well as the flavor difference, was significant.

We had a bit of a learning curve about kitchen thermometers (meat thermometer vs. candy thermometer), and the importance of having an accurate one. One batch of candy turned out fine, but the other batch burned. Candy canes with cranberry juice tastes delicious, though.

We talked about divinity and caramels, and the problems encountered making each one (granularity) and how to prevent them.

Candy making is an art, and homemade candy with organic ingredients is the bees’ knees.”

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turkey by the numbers

According to the U.S. Census Bureau and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), of the 243 million turkeys raised in the U.S. this year, about 45 million of them ended up on our Thanksgiving tables.

The American Farm Bureau Federation reports that Americans paid approximately $49.87 on average for a Thanksgiving Day meal for 10 people. In 2015, the average retail price for turkey was $1.45/pound (up from $.99/pound in 1995). But in a survey about pricing this year, while 29 percent of Americans said that less than $1.50 per pound was a fair price for turkey, nearly the same percent of respondents said they would pay $5 or more per pound. Sounds like more folks are going organic for the holidays!

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Find organic turkeys at OrganicPrairie.com.

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