1: Test Your Farm and Food Knowledge, Find a Farmer Friend, Extreme Sheepherding and More

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Welcome to the October edition of Farm Fresh News. In this issue, we challenge you to get out and make friends with a farmer; get a a glimpse of extreme sheep herding; test your knowledge on our farm and food quiz; get your farm fresh recipe, and more! Click here to view Farm Fresh News on the Web.

What Is Extreme Sheep Herding?

If you have ever seen a sheep dog rounding up a flock of wooly ewes, you know that these animals are spectacularly intelligent. But, how much control do the dogs really have? Watch this video to be dazzled by the artfully outrageous experiment conducted by a handful of sheep farmers in Wales.

So You Think You Are a Foodie. . .

Take our quiz to find out if you know your local farm and local food connections. Are you the local food maven in your circle of friends? Our quiz has a unique blend of local food lore and the real dirt every fan of local food should know about farms and farmland.

Farmers Can Get a Little Help from Friends

We all want to know more about the farmers that are filling our plates each day. But rather than reading a news piece about the issues that farmers face or watching a documentary about the complexities of their livelihood wouldn’t it be great to hear directly from the farmer, right from their farm? Facebook pages, blogs and tweets are now helping farmers like a San Joaquin, California dairywoman tell their stories, and food consumers are getting a chance to learn more about the business and art behind feeding America.

Local Flavor-Filled Recipe

Cutler Cranberry Farm is one of Wisconsin's largest family owned and operated cranberry farms. The family enterprise has now grown to include the Cranberry Discovery Center, which is a learning center teaching the history of cranberry farming in Wisconsin. In addition to selling sweet, tart cranberries for mail order, and growing for the Ocean Spray Cooperative, they also sell cranberry mulch to help your garden grow.

Cranberry Shortbread Bars

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 squares white baking chocolate, melted

In a large bowl, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar, then beat in egg. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, coconut and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Set aside 1 cup of mixture for topping; spread remaining mixture into greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the sugars and cornstarch in a small saucepan, then stir in cranberries and apple juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in walnuts. Spread cranberry mixture over crust, then sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle with white chocolate, cut into bars and serve. Makes 2 dozen bars.