Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

We had an absolute downpour yesterday, starting with a brief shower of hail. Surreal. I could see sun on the horizon out my window through the rain. Then I got an email from my husband who was heading into the Windy City to pick me up. This photo of the rainbow reaching for the SearsContinue reading “Rainbow in the City”

Illinois Farmgirl Virginia A. Juenger may lose her farm because of a $38 tax bill? That’s what the headline says in the Belleville News-Democrat. The 89-year-old blind widow apparently never got notice that she was in arrears by $38. Nor did she get notice that her $100,000 property – 35 acres farmed by a tenantContinue reading “Blind Widow Could Lose Land Over $38 Tax Bill”

Thanks much to the Indianapolis Star for this story about Indiana farmer Tom Prince and how his goat slaughter biz is booming because he caters to the cultural diversity that increasingly surrounds him. Prince operates a self-service slaughterhouse in Hazelwood, Ind. His word-of-mouth operation draws Hoosiers who have come to the U.S. from Islamic countriesContinue reading “Getting Your Goat From Hoosier Farmer”

My aunt sent me some pix of the old barn, since torn down, an empty lot in its place. This photo was taken in the ’70s. Back then, the barn was still in good enough shape for me to climb around the lofts, chasing after and herding kitten litters that the feral cats would tryContinue reading “Memory Lane”

Just in this week, a photo of a previously overgrown pathway that’s being cleared. In the background? We’re told some 40 bushels/acre of soybeans!

I was out shopping over the weekend and saw my first sweater made with alpaca fleece on a regular department store sales rack, not some fancy boutique. Still not made in the U.S., but it made me wonder how American farmgirls are faring as they continue to push for greater use of alpaca fleece inContinue reading “Farmers Are Pushing Alpacas on the Masses”

The great thing about Virtual Farmgirl is that this virtual space takes me in directions that force me to think beyond my regular day-to-day life. It transports me outside my community and, in many ways, connects me closer to it. One of the no-duh parts of farmers markets is that they offer not only farm-freshContinue reading “A Fusion of Flavors”

My mother-in-law used to ask us at every supper to share our happy moment of the day. On the best days, it’s hard to pick. But today, my happy moment stood out when I left work late and was waiting on the Blue Line platform. I get to hear street performers pretty regularly, but they’reContinue reading “Entertainment Everywhere”

So I made a last-minute trip to southern California this weekend. Because the visit was so quick, I didn’t have time to schedule a tour of a farmers market. That’s a shame because California agriculture is a force. I did, however, get to hear about the San Diego farmers market at Hillcrest today from myContinue reading “Produce Buying & People Watching at SoCal Markets”

There are a couple of savory throwbacks from my childhood that I’m thrilled I can now share with my virtual farmkids… Kefir, which is now marketed as “probiotic” and a healthy part of a weight loss routine. I just remember it being a milkshake that my parents didn’t cringe at serving me. And, then there’sContinue reading “The Healthy Flavors of Childhood”