Features
Honey business keeps Tuckers busy as bees
A hobby grew into a successful business in the Tucker farm near Niotaze.
Putting a Face on Food
The Merc has been putting a face on their food and creating a sense of community since 1974.
Artisan Cheese Fresh from the Goat Dairy
Kathy Landers, of Landeria Farms, oversees one of the few Grade A alpine goat dairies in the region. The cheeses produced capture and display the flavors only available in the northeastern part of the state.
Back to School for Barbeque
School’s in session again in Smolan, but don’t expect cafeteria food. The Hickory Tree, dubbed Kansas’s largest barbeque restaurant, operates out of the town’s historic three-story schoolhouse.
Where the Buffalo Roam
Ed Dillinger and his wife Susan own the Lazy Heart D Ranch, home to 80 bison.
Food Memories
Candy Catastrophe
There were flashes of color darting by and objects flying through the air. There were kids on chairs and even desks with fistfuls of chocolate. School was out for the day.
It’s hard to say the exact instant that liberating freedom evaporated. One minute I was enjoying a piece of cheery candy. The next minute I [...]
Feline Goulash Blunder
When it comes to recipes, sometimes you have to remember your sense of humor.
All’s Fair in Blood and Nuts
Bile and acid rose in my throat like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
“What did you say I just ate?” I asked, horrified.
“Cow nuts.”
Chewing through the greasy breading and tough membranous meat was my first clue that these were no ordinary chicken nuggets.
The vague sneer present on my father’s face was all-too-telling. Gullibility was [...]
Recipes
Bierocks
My ancestors were sprinkled throughout the small farming communities of Kansas and Nebraska. Bierocks or runza sandwiches are among the diverse cultural foods influenced by the original settlers of the area. Rooted in the German-Russian history, the bierock dates back to the 18th century. My mother’s recipe has survived many generations. It [...]
Shoo-Fly Pie
My grandmother Jackie McFadden’s favorite recipe to cook and eat was Shoo-Fly Pie. Dessert was a treat for her family, especially this pie. She thinks the desserts of the 1940s were the sweetest and best. She loved to be around the oven and especially making Shoo-Fly Pie with her children.
While cooking this dessert, the family [...]
Dandelion Wine
Full of healing powers and history, dandelion wine is a beverage long forgotten by most and of quite questionable taste to others. Europeans are credited with concocting the recipe, dating back several centuries, to be used as a “cheap-man’s wine”.
In the early development of North America, settlers pioneering the Great Plains continued the tradition. Dandelions [...]
Book Reviews
A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove
A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove: A History of American Women Told Through Food, Recipes, and Remembrances. By Laura Schenone. W. W. Norton, 2003.
A slice of warm, comforting lasagna, with its depth of melded flavors and link to tradition, is the perfect visualization for Laura Schenone’s A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove. This [...]
Food Politics
Scientist and provocateur Marion Nestle tackles how politics affects the food industry and the way we eat.
Hometown Appetites
Caitlin Moser reviews the biography cum recipe highlights of Clementine Paddleford, a woman who did more for food and the way it is written about than any other person… and was then forgotten about by nearly everyone she influenced.
Restaurant Listings
Meyer Deli & Crafts
902 Broadway
Larned, Kansas
620-285-2222
Open Tuesday-Saturday 7:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Closed Sunday and Monday
Tea & Treasurers
305 W 2nd Street
Washington, Kansas
(785) 325-2478
