Lehman’s Country Life

(from The Dalton Gazette & The Kidron News, Vol. 132, No. 51; reprinted with permission)

Bidders from as far away as Florida, Iowa and Georgia attended the 60th annual machinery sale, held Aug. 25 in Kidron at the grounds of the Kidron Auction. By the start of the sale on Saturday morning, more than 2,500 bidders had registered, hoping to snap up a bargain by day’s end.

Kidron Auction owner John Sprunger noted that items put up for the sale came from surrounding states such as Iowa, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, New York, Michigan, North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois and of course, Ohio.

The annual machinery sale, which is sponsored by the Kidron Community Council, had the air of a carnival during the day. Several food vendors were on hand, the Kidron Volunteer Firemen sold ice-cold pop and the flea market vendors were set up everywhere there was a spare spot.
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At Lehman’s retail store in Kidron, Ohio, we’re almost ready to “open the counter” of our brand-new in-store cafe (aptly named after one of our most beloved product lines, cast iron cookware). Located in the center of the store, the Cast Iron Cafe features hot soups, signature sandwiches, wraps and freshly made salads, plus gourmet coffee drinks and hand-dipped ice cream treats. There’s also snack-type fare like pastries, hot dogs and brats, nachos, and a variety of beverages (such as Lehman’s old-fashioned soda pop). The cafe has lots of indoor and outdoor seating – indoors, conveniently next to the spacious book area and outdoors, rubbing shoulders with one of the realistic farm murals painted by a local artist on the exterior of the store.
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by Jurgen Haver

My son Jason wanted a new bike. I told him, “That’s great. You can earn the money for it this weekend.”

He thought that meant he’d breeze through some light chores like raking up a small pile of leaves. Then off to the store he’d go.

“Not so fast,” I said. Eleven-year-olds are more than ready to know about real work and real contracts. I told him we would put in writing what was to be done and how much money each chore would be worth.
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It’s hard to be sure, but I think the first time I actually gave any thought to the idea of a seasonal feast (apart from Thanksgiving) was when I was attending the University of Rhode Island. On my way home on the odd weekend toward the end of Spring semester, I’d be coasting along in my grandfather’s ancient Hillman Husky, eyes peeled for the inevitable “Pick Your Own Strawberries” sign. There was a wonderful older couple who ran the small farm and allowed the students and passersby to either go out into the field with a borrowed basket or choose from pint and quart baskets of already picked berries. I learned quickly always to buy two - one to take home to my family, and one to enjoy on the ride. There were no throngs of people sampling new uses for strawberries, or small children with balloons but I had music playing on the radio, the windows open letting the sea-scented breeze rush through, and the sweet, ripe-in-the-moment berries on the seat next to me all the way home.
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End-of-Summer Recipes

Where did the summer go? (We always seem to ask ourselves this about September 1st.) Cooking outdoors always seems to make the food taste especially good. But those delicious cookouts don’t have to end with Labor Day.

Amid the chaos of back-to-school activities, soccer games, after-school meetings and homework time, it is possible to prepare nutritious, fast meals for our families. Sometimes this means food on the go. We have all read and heard about the health problems associated with fast food fare. Here are some healthy, fast and easy recipes to make meals that are delicious and can be shared at home or ready to travel.
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Now is the perfect time to have a garage sale. Kids are back in school so you have a little time to sort through things. It’s time to clean the coat closet, put away summer things and get things in order for colder weather. And, many people will be looking for deals this time of year on off-season items.

Extra money this time of year is handy, too, especially if you’re bringing in the harvest and need kitchen or garden tools to do it. Looking even further ahead, you might see the need for wood or stoves or other cold weather products, so here’s your chance to get a fund started for that!
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Fall in Amish country is always beautiful, but some years the colors are more intense and dramatic than others. Why, I wondered. You probably remember the whole photosynthesis/chlorophyll cycle from your eighth grade science class. Basically the trees are getting ready for winter, and the green is fading so the leaves are showing their true colors. Okay, that’s about as far as I am going to go, not being a teacher myself.

Typically, fall color arrives in northern Ohio in late September, with color quickly progressing through the southern part of the state by late October.

However, the vividness of the colors and how long leaves remain on the trees depends on weather and can vary from year to year. The month of September, unpredictable at best, is key to October colors. What we want are cool nights and sunny days. The varying temperatures bring on a chemical change in leaves, producing the deep russets and purples that light up Ohio’s woodlands in fall.

Rainy weather means trees keeps their leaves longer to prolong the season. Of course, severe windstorms can bring leaves down abruptly and cut the fall color season short. We all remember a fall or two where the leaves were beautiful in early October, and a harsh wind and rain storm knocked them all down. Conversely, periods of quiet weather can lengthen the season well into November.

To help you plan your drive into Amish country this fall, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will begin issuing weekly Fall Color updates on October 4. The weekly Fall Color forecast will be available on the Internet at ohiodnr.com and by calling the state’s travel and tourism hotline at 1-800-BUCKEYE. It offers current reports on peak viewing opportunities in our area and is quite, pun intended, cool.

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Raising livestock is a continuous cycle of birth and death. Hopefully, there’s a lot more of the former and very little of latter.

This week at the Lehman farm, we had a little of the latter. One of our sheep died. He was the only male in the herd, and a very happy one at that! During his short life, he fathered nine lambs. This is enough to make him a good investment. (Sheep farmers make their money from selling lambs. Shearing is merely something you do to keep the sheep healthy, since wool has almost no market value.) But, his return on investment does nothing to replace him in our hearts.

Unlike smart farmers (who use numbers), we name our livestock. This one was “Bo”, short for Rambo. Being a sheep, he was too dumb to come when called, but he knew enough to run to us when he heard the sound of the grain bin being opened. And, even if he wasn’t smart enough to know his name, he had a place in our hearts…that small but special place reserved for animals that are a little dim-witted and occasionally smell bad.

Why he died, we don’t know. Sheep are funny that way. Sometimes, they just seem to lose the will to live. One day, they are sitting when the rest of the herd are standing or lagging behind when the rest of the herd comes to the barn. The next day, they are either doing better or dead.

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Here in Ohio, September signals the beginning of fall and the coming of chilly temperatures (and yes, in a month or two, snow). For those of you in more northern climates, autumn is already in full swing and winter is nipping at its heels.

With fuel prices on the rise, most of us already have this winter’s heating costs on the brain. But take heart - finding ways to save money on your heating bill doesn’t mean you have to huddle freezing in your house! There are many easy, economical ways to save money and keep your house warm during the coming seasons.

Here are just a few suggestions - several coming from our cutstomers:
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Here’s a great article from our Country Life Archives - recommended reading for all would-be cheesemakers. When you’re done reading, click here to see Lehman’s complete line of Home Dairy Supplies.

There are as many different fermented milk products as there are different wines and ales. Their histories are deep and diverse. Their benefits and qualities are the subject of folklore and religion, and many are debated throughout the scientific community. The goal here is to present a brief discussion of the different health characteristics possessed by fermented milk products, an introduction to the various products, and simple recipes for their preparation.

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