Author Archives: maryjane

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GIVEAWAY: “Moo-n Over Main Street, Hearts a-Flutter”

WINNER SELECTED, 2/15/16
And our winner is … Shannon Hudson (see winner’s post here).

Original post:

For a chance to win a copy of our Moo-n Over Main Street Metropolis children’s book, tell me what your favorite dairy product is in the comments below. I’ll toss your name into a hat and draw a lucky winner sometime mid-February.

A 34-page cowpanion to my fifth book, Milk Cow Kitchen, this adorable adventure story is about a milk cow named Sally O’Mally who finds love in the home of a single mom and her daughter who never gave up hope that someday, they’d have a backyard milk cow. Includes five reader-to-child educational pages that are jam-packed with conversational questions, including an irresistible hands-on project.

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: “ChillOver Powder, Hearts a-Flutter”

WINNER SELECTED, 2/15/16
And our winner is … Jeri Hart (see winner’s post here).

Original post:
For a chance to win a sample of my ChillOver Powder, tell me about the most memorable gelatin dessert you’ve ever eaten (good or bad) in the comments below. I’ll toss your name into a hat and draw a lucky winner sometime mid-February.

ChillOver-Box

My innovative ChillOver Powder is for all the people who grew up loving gelatin desserts but gave up on them, knowing their animal origin. It sets up in half the time gelatin does. It seals in flavors more quickly. And it doesn’t melt at room temperature. Once you try it, you’ll never go back.

Find Traditional Gelatin Dessert ChillOver DoOver recipes in the Feb/Mar 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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Weird Veggies

You know how, when you’re really hungry, all sorts of strange things start to look or sound appetizing?

When I lived year-round close to 40 miles from the end of a dirt road, I dreamed about all kinds of foods that were out of reach.

Sometimes, it would be hamburgers or candy, or …

boot leather.

Hmmm … jerky, anyone?

Photo by Ragesoss via Wikimedia Commons

Well, this time of year, I get such a yen for some good ol’ dirt-grown grub that I’m liable to think about nibbling on anything I can get my hands on.

(Hide the houseplants, here she comes.)

photo by James Rickwood via Wikimedia Commons

I get it, Bessie.

I really do.

I suppose that’s why a few odd foods caught my eye lately and made me say,

“I want to BITE that.”

Like, now.

To gain some perspective, I think I need to bounce my cravings off you, to see if you can relate to me the way I relate to Bessie.

So if you don’t mind, take a look and let me know if any of these peculiar crops induces the urge to indulge.

Samphire

Photo by Natalie-S via Wikimedia Commons

This succulent-looking wild veggie, common on sea coasts, is enjoyed by English enthusiasts who prefer it pickled.

Oca

Photo by Nzfauna S via Wikimedia Commons

Tangier and sweeter than potatoes, the flavor of this native Andean root has been described as almost fruitlike (I’d love to taste the “Apricot” variety, popular in New Zealand).

Fiddlehead

Photo by New Brunswick Tourism via Wikimedia Commons

One might migrate to Maine just to try these fabulous baby fern fronds (although you can probably find them closer to home). Northeasterners gather them in the woods and serve them fresh or boiled with mayonnaise and butter.

Tiger Nuts

Photo by Tamorlan via Wikimedia Commons

These tasty looking little nuggets aren’t actually nuts, they’re the tuberous roots of the chufa sedge plant. In Spain, they’re often soaked in warm water before eating and are used to make tiger-nut milk (like almond or cashew milk). I hear they have a sweet, nutty flavor … yum.

Romanesco

Photo by Aurelien Guichard via Wikimedia Commons

Don’t you just love the look of this captivating cauliflower variety? According to the folks at Mother Nature Network, the Romanesco’s spirals follow the Fibonacci sequence, which is a bit over my head, but not too sophisticated for my stomach.

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Christmas All Year Long

About an hour north of my farm, folks celebrate Christmas all year long.

You would, too, if you lived in a place called Santa.

Yep, nestled in the hills and forests of the Idaho Panhandle sits a tiny town named Santa.

Santa_KLEW1

But Santa, Idaho, isn’t the only town that rustles up the holiday spirit year-round. How about

  • Santa Claus, Arizona, Georgia, and Indiana
  • Snow, Idaho
  • North Pole, Alaska
  • Silver Bell, Arizona
  • Eggnog, Utah
  • Christmas Valley, Oregon
  • Holly, Washington
  • Christmas, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and Mississippi
  • Shepherd, Montana
  • Elf, North Carolina
  • Mistletoe, Arkansas and Kentucky
  • Bethlehem (this one’s in 18 states)

Also, nearly all of Santa’s reindeer have towns named after them. (Not to mention the 36 locations with “Reindeer” in their names.)

  • Rudolph Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin
  • Dasher (Creek), Georgia
  • Dancer (Flats), Texas
  • Prancer (WAIT, where’s Prancer? He must have been out on a mission when they handed out towns!)
  • Vixen, Louisiana
  • Comet, Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia
  • Cupid, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma
  • Donner, California, Florida, and Louisiana
  • Blitzen, Oregon

You’ll find all these and many more in William D. Crump’s The Christmas Encyclopedia.

 christmas-encyc

Packed with everything Christmas and now in its third edition, the encyclopedia includes Christmas carols and hymns; customs; historical events; popular symbols; plants; celebrations; Christmas movies, plays, books, and TV; and more. A perfect early present for anyone who loves everything Christmas.

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