Outdoor Living

Beth Eash and employee tend to the flowers and customers.

Bees are busy on the flowers! The Zinnias are beautiful!

Leave a leaf near the flower for best results when cutting.

A new option for cutting fresh flowers has popped up on County Road 37 in Middlebury this summer. Beth Eash and family started Farm Grown Flowers, a U-Pick flower spot on their family farm. Sunflowers, Zinnias, Cosmos, and other wildflowers are planted in a succession type system, allowing fresh stems for cutting all season long. New rows are regularly planted while older plants feed and nourish the soil once again.

Opening in July, Farm Grown Flowers has posted regular hours on their Facebook page, along with gorgeous pictures of their blooms. Several events have already happened, such as date night or girls’ night with a food truck, flower picking, and photography. Other special days have included prearranged flower bundles. They expect to be open July through mid-October each year.

I took our two youngest boys out to the flower farm. Buckets and clippers were available for our use, along with a demonstration on which flowers to pick. Staff suggested looking for firm stems and petals not yet completely unfurled. With so many varieties, it was hard to choose, but it was fun to search for them all. We enjoyed the experience of family time, being part of nature, supporting local businesses, and interacting with our community. Pollinators were busy throughout the flowers. We reminded ourselves that bees leave us alone if we leave them alone. In reality, the bees were interested in the flowers, not us. We made small bouquet jars with a few flowers each to share with the women in my family.

Farm Grown Flowers has a variety of sunflower species, such as Teddy Bear, Mexican, Gold Rush, Rouge Royale, Goldy Double, Double Quick Orange, Florenza, Firecracker, and more. Each has unique characteristics, and all are beautiful! They accept card, cash, and Venmo for the reasonably priced flowers. You can contact them at 574-370-2667 or farmgrownflowers@gmail.com. When you go, remember to take a bucket or container to transport your flowers. For optimal freshness, change the water and trim the stems every few days, favoring hard water over soft water. Enjoy the fresh blooms!

Dr. Carla Gull blogs at www.insideoutsidemichiana. com and hosts the podcast Loose Parts Nature Play. She is often seen with four tag-along explorers in the greater Michiana area.

For four years I’ve volunteered for Middlebury Parks as a member of the Riverfest Planning Committee. Two years ago, I dressed as the Riverfest mascot in the Summer Festival parade and during the festival. For the last two years I also monitor two trails, the Warren Street trail from First Source Bank to Berry Street and the Middlebury section of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail from the bridge to Dairy Queen.

I am an Advanced Indiana Master Naturalist which is a program led by the Soil and Water Conservation District of Elkhart County and the Elkhart County Parks. It’s a nine-week class that teaches about the ecology of Indiana. Each year I log volunteer and education hours to retain my Advanced IMN status. I enjoy helping out our parks in any way I can. As a volunteer I’ve gained a desire to educate the community about keeping our environment safe and clean for humans and animals. I’ve also gained friends and fun from both opportunities.

Riverfest can’t happen without the help of the community. The Riverfest Planning Committee, the Middlebury Parks Staff, and the Park Board would like to extend their sincerest appreciation to Jayco, Tri-state Bovine, Little Elkhart Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Forks County Line Store, and First State Bank. Remember them when you need a product or services—local businesses build strong communities!

Fall and frost will be here before you know it. Check out the lovely individual gardens inside Krider World’s Fair Garden before it all disappears until next summer.

There’s nothing like a refreshing glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. But members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County are taking the lemon theme to a new level this summer – and learning about business at the same time. As part of the Lemonade Days program partnership with Junior Achievement, members spent the summer working with area businesses to create a product and place it in stores. Teens at the Middlebury Clubhouse partnered with Legendary Grind.

The Lemonade Day program was started in 2007 to empower young people to become entrepreneurs through helping them start, own and operate their own businesses. The program walks them from a dream to a business plan, while teaching them the same principles required to start any company. The goal of the program is to inspire kids to work hard and make a profit. They are also taught to spend some, save some and share some by giving back to their community.

With summer passing and the school year beginning life gets very busy for many families. Here are some of our families favorite easy crock pot recipes for anyone on the go. You can prepare them the night before or even several and freeze them uncooked and ready to drop in the crock pot on a busy day. I hope you try and enjoy some of these. I would love for you to share pictures if you do, and as always please feel welcome to send in your own family recipes to be featured in an upcoming issue of InMiddlebury Magazine. Entries can be submitted to Delightfullyhere@gmail.com with InMiddlebury Recipes as the subject.

• 6 cups chicken stock • 3 to 4 cups cooked shredded chicken • 2 (15-ounce) cans beans of your choice, rinsed and drained (I used

Great Northern beans) • 2 cups (16 ounces) salsa verde (store-bought or homemade) • 2 teaspoons ground cumin • Optional toppings: diced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, chopped red or green onions, sour cream, crumbled tortilla chips

Combine ingredients. Stir together chicken stock, shredded chicken, beans, salsa and cumin in large croc pot. Bring to a simmer. Cook on high heat until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer. Serve. Serve immediately, garnished with your favorite toppings.

• 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, on the small side • 1 (14-ounce) package smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces • 3 ears corn, cut into thirds • 1 tablespoon liquid shrimp and crab boil\ • 3 teaspoons creole or cajun seasoning, divided • 1 1/4 pounds medium to large shrimp • 1/2 cup butter, melted • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Place the first six ingredients in the Croc Pot. Put lid on Croc Pot and cook on medium heat while out for the day. Place butter and garlic powder in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until butter is melted. Serve with the shrimp boil. The shrimp and potatoes taste wonderful dipped in it.

• 2 pounds beef, sliced • 2 bell peppers, sliced • 1 large onion, sliced • 15 ounces diced tomatoes • 2 tbsp fajita seasoning • 1 tbsp oil (for electric pressure cooker) • 1/4 cup beef broth or water

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well. Cook HIGH 2-3 hours, LOW 4-6.

Turn on the IP and select Sauté. Once hot add oil and beef to the pot. Cook 2-4 minutes or until beef is browned. Remove beef. Add onions & bell peppers. Cook 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Pour in broth or water and deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon. Add beef back to the pot along with diced tomatoes and fajita seasoning. Stir to mix well. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure for 9 minutes. Quick release the pressure. Stir & serve.

• 1 cup diced ham + ham bone* • 1 onion, diced • 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled & cut • 4 carrots, peeled & sliced • 1 tablespoon oil • 1 pound dry split peas • 6 cups chicken broth • 3 bay leaves • 1/2 teaspoon thyme • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Simply drop everything g into the croc pot turn to medium heat and wait 3-5 hours.

• 3-4 pounds chuck roast • salt and pepper • 1/4 cup liquid from pepperoncinis jar • 1 envelope au jus mix • 1 envelope ranch dressing mix • 1 stick of salted butter • 10 pepperoncinis

Drop everything in croc pot and turn to medium heat. Allow to cook till roast can be shredded. *we like to serve it over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

106 W. WARREN • P.O. BOX 157

MIDDLEBURY, IN 46540

851 U.S. 20, Suite 2 Middlebury 574-825-7222 54595 C R 17 Elkhart 574-293-0222