Another Reason to Drink Milk!

One of my favorite publications is Disney's Family Fun Magazine.  There are TONS of ideas for, well, family fun....crafts, activities, recipes, etc.  Our local library has a subscription, so I get it read it for FREE!

In the past I have been disappointed in other family/parenting magazines for regurgitating misinformation and scare tactics from environmental and animal rights activist groups about food and agriculture.

That's why I nearly jumped for joy when I saw this recent article called "Another Reason to Drink Milk"!

THANK YOU Family Fun Magazine for sharing a POSITIVE story about milk! 

My family "back home" in Maryland raises dairy cattle and we graze dairy cattle here on our farm in North Dakota, so I know how hard dairy farmers work to get that milk from the cow to the kitchen table and how dedicated they are to making high quality products.

Featured on page 47 of the February 2012 issue of Family Fun Magazine!

Frosty Morning on the Farm

"Be still and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10. 

This morning it was about 23 degrees out with heavy fog.  This, along with my baby boy not being at the top of his game, changed my plans for the day completely.  I was supposed to be blogging from the Dakota Grown Conference the Department of Agriculture is putting on in Fargo, but I decided to skip the 100 mile drive and stick close to home.

I have to admit that I started out the day feeling pretty disappointed, but there's nothing like the tranquility of a farm on a foggy morning with beautiful frost on the trees to set a person straight.

Well, that AND spending some time with my assistant farm cat caretaker :) 

Here Miss C.W. greets C.T., otherwise known as "Coon Tail" ..."because he has dark gray stripes on his tail." We also have the calico named "Rainbow Tail", the orange cat named "Orange Tail" and the striped cat named "Stripey Tail"...are you sensing a pattern here? :)

In other news, the "big blue tractor" (New Holland 9882) is getting new tires. If you think tires on your car are expensive, consider that this beast requires 8 of these huge tires.

Believe me you do NOT want to see the bill for this (and neither do I, ha!).  Ever wonder why your food costs are going up? Consider the enormous increase in the costs of inputs farmers have experienced in recent years.

 Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
- Sarah :)

Apfelschorle!

I first tasted "Apfelschorle" at a farm museum in Germany.

 It was a beautiful place, overlooking a picturesque valley.

I could have spent a week there, but we only had a few hours, which included one of my favorite hours, the lunch hour :)

My fellow McCloy fellow in agriculture, Erin, introduced me to this wonderful drink. 

Here's what Wikipedia says about Apfelschorle (pronounced Ahp-fell-shore-luh).

"Apfelschorle, also known as Apfelsaftschorle, is a popular soft drink in Germany. It consists of carbonated mineral water and apple juice. The broader category Fruchtschorle consists of any fruit juice mixed with carbonated water, but Apfelschorle is by far the most common. Spritzer (that is wine mixed with carbonated water) is called Weinschorle.

Apfelschorle contains fewer calories and is less sweet than pure apple juice. This makes it popular in summer and among athletes. Commercially available Apfelschorle generally contains between 55% and 60% juice.... However, in most bars and restaurants, Apfelschorle is mixed ad hoc from apple juice and carbonated water."

I make it at home...a lot...ever since I introduced my children to "the special drink".

I love that it is bubbly like soda and not as sugary.

And it's SO simple to make!

1 part apple juice.

1 part sparkling water. (I found the "Mendota" brand at our local grocery store called Hugo's)

If you REALLY want to knock the kiddos' socks off, serve it in a wine glass, just make sure it's a wine glass you don't mind having broken. I don't know about your place, but my kids break stuff. all. the. time.  :-)

When served in a wine glass, Apfelschorle can also make a pregnant lady feel like she's drinking something alcoholic.  Not that I really NEEDED something alcoholic when I was pregnant, but it just felt nice to have that glass stem in my hand :)

Also, my oldest daughter, C.W., takes the ingredients for Apfelschorle when she's "snack kid" at her pre-school.  She has done this three times and it's always a big hit! 

However, I found out that this last time she was "snack kid" some of her classmates requested to only have the sparkling water.  When I asked WHY they only wanted the sparkling water she informed me that "it made them burp a lot".  Uhuh.

Well, I THOUGHT Apfelshorle may somehow impose some class and culture on them, but leave it to kids to just be kids! LOL! :)

Have fun making Apfelshorle!  Special THANKS to American apple growers, like my friend in Michigan, Jeff Vanderwerff !

Thanks for stopping by,
Sarah :)