Recipe of the Day

I have so much Rhubarb growing in my garden this year. the Rhubarb is an heirloom rhubarb that has been at the farmstead for over a hundred years. The previous owners took some with them when they moved but it has come back now and is wonderful so I picked a bunch last night and am going to make this tonight as a dessert for the family.

Rhubarb Cake

2 cups sugar 1/2 cup shortening 1 TBL cinnamon

1 beaten egg 1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda 1 cup sour milk

2 cups flour 2 1/2 cups diced rhubarb

Pre heat oven to 350*

Topping: (I like to make this first so it can sit and blend for a few minutes before using) 1/2 cup diced rhubarb mixed with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 TBL cinnamon. Let sit.

Mix together remaining ingredients like cake batter. Pour into a greased 13x9 cake pan. Spread topping on batter. Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes.

Serve with whip cream or ice cream.

Happy Friday

Are you having a summer like me where you think it was just Memorial Day and now here we are halfway through July already? My lists for the farm are growing faster than they are getting done and now I am starting to think about school clothes shopping. Ugh!



However I do enjoy Fridays. Dress codes are relaxed, people are in good moods as the weekend approaches. I will not be at the market tomorrow as I have so much to do to get ready for the Ma's Farm Festival. I was excited to hear that my good friend Babs at Mugwort Maggies Apothecary will also be a vendor there. Two farmgirls hanging out all day! So I look forward to a weekend of soap making and creativity.



To me, making soap or sewing an apron, doing some stitch work or baking a loaf of bread is the biggest creative outlet for me. I spent 20 years teaching pre-schoolers, mostly 3-4 year olds and loved it. Cutting pasting, creating that was my favorite. So now as I have my own shop I can again let the creative juices flow.



Its been a joy to see my own daughter with such creative talent. Her artwork in both watercolors and oils has been received quite well. She loves to paint and that was supported by the wonderful teacher she had in high school. With the right encouragement she has blossomed into quite an artist. I am hoping as she goes off to college this fall she continues to learn more in the field of art. Look for some of her pieces to be up for sale on my website soon!



I hope to see many of you at the Ma's Farm Festival on July 22nd where a portion of my sales will be donated to the festival. For those of you who cannot make it, starting tomorrow through the 23rd I am going to give $1.00 from every item sold toward this worthy cause. So now is the time to stock up on your favorites! If you don't see what you are looking for on my website (I am curently adding my newest items) then just shoot me an email and I will make sure you get what you need. Or you can call the customer service line if you have any questions.



Don't forget to sign up for my Giveaway! Monday is the dealine!

Special Giveaway Sign-Up

Ok - so I thought it about time I do my own giveaway. So for every comment left on this blog I will put your name in a hat for my special Gourmet Strawberry Sauce and a few surprise bonuses. Please introduce yourself and tell me your favorite Strawberry dish! Drawing will be held on Monday July 16th.

Here's mine:

Homemade Baking Powder Biscuits from "The Farmgirl Connection Cookbook"
Gourmet Strawberry Sauce
whipping cream

Love it!

Soap Dishes for Fellow Soapers

Interested in some handmade soap dishes? I have some available wholesale to my fellow soapers. Just send me an email beth@blissnblossomfarm.com and I will get you the details! These are pine and my retired father-in-law makes them in his woodshop.

News Release on Ma's Farm Festival

On Sunday July 22nd, 2007, local residents are getting together to benefit two local charities: Grace Place and Turningpoint. A fun-filled day at the rural Osceola farm owned by Corrine Zehm (“Ma”), will offer visitors many activities for families including: a Bake and Book Sale, children’s activities, shopping the arts and crafts vendors, and a fun 5K walk in the morning. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds to free music by the Bog Creek Band, The Radio and Harshman Brothers.

Turningpoint and Grace Place are both safe places for victims of domestic violence and families in crisis. The emcee for the event will be Trish Van Pilsum of KMSP TV. Her career has included many investigative stories of local cases of domestic violence.

All the proceeds for the event will be donated to either Grace Place or Turningpoint; funds the organizations can use to help break the cycle of domestic violence and make a change to better many lives. This is a local problem and we have seen several recent cases end tragically. Join us on Sunday, July 22nd to raise funds and awareness to the changes possible in the cycle of domestic violence.
For more information email jonnaz@pressenter.com or call 715 248 7176.


Grace Place, 203 Church Hill Rd., Somerset, WI 54025, 715-247-4265
Turningpoint, P.O. Box 304 River Falls, WI 54022, 715-425-6751
www.turningpoint-wi.org

Ma's Farm Festival

Welcome to the 1st Annual
Ma’s Farm Festival
Mark your calendars and join us
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Fun with Family and Friends
Doing something to help Break the Pattern of Domestic Violence
Start the day (8 am) with a walk/run, and then spend the day with family and friends.
Music by the Bog Creek Band and other entertainment throughout the day.Shop (9am-5pm) the vendors, the farmer’s market, join in the art projects (11am-2pm) for the kids, participate in the silent auction and raffle full of great gifts and items, have a picnic and help us raise awareness and funds.
Unfortunately, many of us know someone who has or is suffering through domestic violence. Maybe you don’t know what to do. After Sue’s senseless death last summer, we chose to do “something”. We hope to raise funds for safe places and raise awareness to stop domestic violence. This is a local and all too frequent problem. The festival will raise funds that can be used to change people’s lives, make an improvement and hopefully, make their home a safe place. Until we break the chain of domestic violence, too many victims are not safe. Help us raise awareness and funds. In honor of Sue, or maybe someone you know and care for, let’s do “something” to improve lives.

If you’d like to donate extra books, plants or baked goods for the day, please contact Jonna for pick up or drop off times for your donation.
100% of the proceeds of this festival
will be donated to Grace Place or Turningpoint.
Turningpoint has EXCITING NEWS! Turningpoint for Victims of Sexual and Domestic Violence
has been selected by the St. Croix Valley Community Foundation to participate in the
Partners for the Future Initiative, a $2 million dollar challenge match.
Every dollar Turningpoint raises through Partners for the Future
through November 2009 will be matched dollar for dollar and
invested in Turningpoint's permanent fund at the Foundation.
Visit www.turningpoint-wi.org or www.scvcf.org for more information.
We are looking for sponsors for the walk/run, Children’s activities and the rental of the sound system and stage.. Does your organization want to assist, play music, give money, water, fruit or volunteer time?
Contact jonnaz@pressenter.com

Location: Ma’s Farm 764 240th St. Osceola WI 54020 3 miles east of Osceola, N of Co Rd M.
Want to volunteer, join as a vendor or make a donation of any kind?
Contact:
Jonna Zehm, Festival Coordinator
P. O. Box 141 Star Prairie, WI 54026-0141
715-248-7176 or 651-303-1711
jonnaz@pressenter.com
In memory of Suzanne Marie Weiland 1966-2006

Website Changes

Over the next few days you will notice big changes on my website. The first was to add this blog. My goal is to make the webstore and farm more user friendly and bring a part of the farm to each of you. I spent 15 years on a farm, with cows and chickens, large gardens and numerous fruit trees. But as old farm houses can do, I got burnt out. Winters with little insulation and chopping wood daily, appliances breaking all the time and just the work it took to keep a place that size running took its toll. So we sold the farm and bought a nice new house in town with neighbors right outside our window and a huge 50 by 50 backyard for the kids to try and play in. Well, as you can see it wasn't for us. Mind you it was a beautiful home but it just wasn't our home. So after much searching, I found this new farm. It happened not long after Labor Day of 2005. I had been sitting at Barnes & Noble reading a great new book by MaryJane Butters MaryJane’s Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook - For the Farmgirl in All of Us and thats when it all came together. I took one look at the farm and immediately put an offer on it and I guess the rest is history. So as we become farmers again, I want to share with you what we are doing on the farm.

the first project is our farmhouse makeover. I will take many before, in progress and after pictures. I will show materials purchased, cost and suppliers. I hope it will give you ideas that you can use for your own home makeovers.



Other changes will be new products for both the Bathworks and Farmhouse Kitchen. I will also be adding samples to my shop. These little goodies make wonderful travel packs for short trips as well as giving you the opportunity to try different items and new scents.



Thanks for stopping in and seeing what we are up to. Tomorrow look for a new recipe and a Farmhouse Kitchen Giveaway!

Welcome and hello from the Farm

Spring has come and gone and if you're like me you can't believe how tall the corn is or how much things have grown. Here at the farm we are enjoying tomatoes and asperagus, fresh berries and delectable herbs already.

Last week was official berry picking week at the farm. The neighbor up the road grows some of the best organic berries I have ever tried. the sugar content is so high that i hardly added any sugar to the jams and sauces I made. Normally you will see a sugar content in the 6-7% range. these berries were running anywhere from 11-17% natural fruit sugar. What that means to you is less added sugar in your jam or sauce. Talk about sweet! We pick the berries and can them the same day. They are a s fresh as you can get. I have a limited amount from my stock taht are still available at http://www.blissnblossomfarm.com/ but don't wait too long.

I will be getting several goat kids in the near future and so I am doing a Farmhouse Makeover. I will post the progress here and then the arrival of the new family goats.