Lehman's Country Life

This week I had the astonishing privilege of sitting down for a one hour, face-to-face conversation with the CEO of one of the largest companies in the world. I lucked into the appointment through a friend of a friend, but I still can’t get over the generosity of a man who has so much on his plate yet was willing to share time with me. It was an incredible gift.

The first thing that hit me, almost from the second I met him, was a wave of restored faith in corporate America. I walked into the interview with a list of questions that I hoped were important enough to prey on the time of a world-class CEO. But, the meeting didn’t open with the question I expected, which was, “What can I do for you?” Instead, I was disarmed by his genuine warmth and interest as he leaned forward in his seat and said, “Tell me about your company.”

I was surprised to realize that he seemed to have come to the meeting with the same excitement and anticipation that I did. It was a gratifying revelation to find someone whose decisions affect the jobs of thousands of people and whose annual sales are about 200 times more than Lehman’s and yet who is just as caring, humble and, well, “human”, as the next guy. But, building up trust in corporate America was not why I came. I came to learn. So, what did I learn?

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At Lehman’s, we believe that old fashioned, proven solutions often work better than the latest fad. Just because something is new doesn’t make it better.

This means that we get to give ourselves a special pat on the back every time we save something from being lost to forgotten memories and lost skills. Some of our proudest moments have crystallized around such events. For example, we saved the 1878 Reading Apple Peeler from extinction. Here it is 130 years later and we are still making it the same way…mostly by hand using the same patterns. (If you have an antique one that’s not working, let us know. We can fix it.)

In another success story, we imitated the design of the old Dazey butter churn
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Webworms at work in my apple tree. (Click on the photo if you

Webworms are bad this year in our part of Ohio. I’m not sure where they come from or what their purpose in life is, but wherever they build their webs, the leaves die. And this year, I’m seeing them everywhere. Along the roads, in ornamental trees and, most tragic of all, in my fruit trees.

I’ve heard you can control them with Malathion or sevin, but I always prefer and believe in natural solutions, if possible. The “natural solution” for webworms is to cut them out of the tree and burn them. That’s always been my choice. (Webworms can also be controlled with dormant oil spray, usually considered gentle on the environment. But, that must be applied in the Spring before they emerge.)

This year, I was faced with an ethical struggle of mythical proportions in
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Too many tomatoes? Here’s a quick and easy salsa recipe, along with an amazing way to take out all the work:

Ingredients
3 large tomatoes, quartered
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, seeds and veins removed, chopped
2 tablespoons red win vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt
fresh lime juice

Separates and removes skin and seeds. Pulps, purees or chops any soft fruit FAST!

Here’s the amazing work-saving part: Run the tomatoes, peppers and onion through the Lehman’s Best Food Strainer with the optional Salsa screen. (To see the Strainer and optional Salsa screen, click here.)

After you run the tomatoes, peppers and onion through the strainer, add the garlic, vinegar, olive oil, and cilantro to mixture and stir. Add sale and lime juice to taste. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Want to see more? Check out our YouTube video, shot in our store last week by clicking here.

Galen Lehman, President, Lehman’s


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Click the photo above to see a full sized image you can read more easily.

Nothing makes my day more than a nice thank-you note from a customer! Here is one that came in last week’s mail.

In case you can’t read the image of it above, here’s the full text:

Dear Mr. Lehman,

Unfortunately, two freight items I had ordered sustained damage during shipping. I contacted Julie in regard to the damaged items. She arranged to have the
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Mary's photo of Lehman's entrance.

Click here to see the full article: Mary’s Treasured Memories: A fun trip to Lehmans

Thanks, Mary!

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Two weeks ago I blogged about how we should be prepared for more bad economic news. My bottom line that day was that we should be more self reliant. I called for us to be responsible, ready and re-energized. I said, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” (Click here to see the article.)

One of my friends, Clayton Steiner, reminded me, “I thought in this economic time, it’s time to talk about community, sharing, watching out for each other, helping our neighbor, simple living … and good old fashioned Mennonite theology.”

So, what’s Clayton’s hang up with “Mennonite theology?” What you may not
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Last week I took my son out to college. In the back seat of the car, we had three suitcases, a rug and a garden.

Yes, a garden. The sofa, refrigerator, loft and other essentials of college life were already at the school, since it was his second year.

But, he wanted a garden.
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Many say things are as bad now as they’ve been any time since the Great Depression. Bad times change people.

On my Facebook page, I’ve been posting economic benchmarks and leading indicators. Many are obscure things you won’t see in the mainstream press. Most, sadly, predict an extended economic struggle. In response, one of my Facebook friends commented that all the bad news made her feel like giving up.

It’s true that there may be more bad times ahead. We cannot keep our environment today from changing us. But giving up is not the answer. I want to go on record, clearly and forcibly that this is the time when we must take the challenges we face prayfully and purposefully into our own hands.

It’s time to return to the long-standing American concept of self-reliance.

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The weight started coming off when I stopped eating cereal every morning and switched to a healthy breakfast. I’ve kept it off for about 18 months now.

I figured out that a serious breakfast makes your whole day go better. It eliminates hunger pains and gives you the energy to face the problems that will inevitably hit at the worst possible times.
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