By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

My childhood was like a country song by Barbara Mandrell.

Her saying “I was country when country wasn’t cool” completely describes my life.

My first five years of life were spent in a large city in Kentucky.

But social turmoil was going on and my dad did not want me involved in it when I started school so we moved to the country in Indiana.

At first it seemed I was the odd girl out. I started first grade at 5 years old and was just overly different then my classmates. I am part Native American and my appearance did not match the German ancestors that were in my classes. As time went on, I became more and more a tomboy, naturalist, environmentalist and when agriculture classes opened up for girls an agriculturist.

My dad always depended on me to take care of the farm. As a matter of fact, I was Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

The other day, I was in a superstore scanning the markdown items and noticed a unique item.

This item I was sure was placed in the wrong department.

I was in the gardening department not the cooking so what was a meat thermometer doing here.

As I examined this strange looking cooking utensil I noticed a picture of plants on the package. Again, I was going what? No pictures of roasts, turkeys or chickens.

So, being curious and not willing to admit I had no idea what I was holding, I flipped over the package and read the directions.

The directions on this odd product were quite clear but again I could not believe my eyes and I could not believe that someone felt they needed this product. Being a science person and a little nerd, I decided I would buy the product. I knew I carried one around with me everywhere I went and I was certain that this one worked just fine and was just as accurate but I just had to have this Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

During my time as a schoolteacher, I have seen and heard some horrid things.

Some things I stepped up and did something about it while others, I am ashamed to say, I did not.

I had hoped and prayed that someone else would step up and do the right thing but in this situation it never happened.

I live with my decision everyday and wonder if I could have really changed the course that this student was traveling but since I cannot turn back the hands of time I will never know. But…

This but always seems to pop up when I am faced with a dilemma so this year I have decided to face the dread but and do something about it. I have decided not to wait, hope and pray for change but instead make the change myself and this change is going to start in my community.

My community has suffered from economic downfall like many other communities far and wide. While this community has never really been rich, the past few years have really take a toll on the residents. More and more kids are on the free or reduced lunch program while others are flooding the already full backpack program. This program packs food in backpacks for kids to take on Friday and return on Monday. In many situations, this is all Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

The other day I was watching a cooking show and saw a chef creating a salad made from purslane.

How funny this seemed to me that people were watching a chef create a salad from a plant that is viewed as a weed or at least viewed as a weed in North America.

Purslane in other areas of the world, such as the Mediterranean, central Europe and Asian countries, is welcomed to the dinner table as a potherb without much fanfare.

But recently, it has resurfaced as a “power food of the future” since it was found to contain omegas and other nutrients.

Purslane is a trailing, annual herb, which grows from both seeds and starts. This plant will grow practically anywhere and will root anywhere the stem touches the soil.

The planting process starts in April to August, depending on Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

As a child, growing up in rural Indiana, I was very aware of where my food came from.

My family always had a garden and what we did not grow we U-Picked.

By the end of the growing season, our freezer was full of beans, peaches, apples, blackberries, and peppers while the pantry was full of home-canned tomatoes, corn, and strawberry jam.

When I went to elementary school the story was the same. The cooks showed up when we did for school and cooked our meals from scratch. Homemade chicken and dumplings, angel biscuits, fresh green beans and applesauce cake for dessert was the norm not the exception when it came to our lunches.

Those who brought their lunch were not excluded from the fresh food. There was always free fruit in season available to everyone. While for some this may seem like a dream, I promise you it was not. It was just a rural community that supported the school with excess produce that turned into fresh meals.

These wonderful meals continued until I Read the rest of this entry »