Agritourism Archives - Page 2 of 3 -

The bison has been named the national mammal of the United States. It’s fitting, since it is estimated that 30 to 60 million bison lived in North America in the 1500s before huge slaughters took place as settlers moved westward. The bison was near extinction, down to about 300 head nationally before a handful of ranchers captured orphaned calves and began raising them. Today the population has grown, with bison found in national and state parks, as well as several private herds being raised for food. I toured the Broken Wagon Bison Ranch in Hobart, Indiana, where I learned more about bison and had a chance to meet the herd up close and personal.

Seed Savers Exchange co-founder Diane Ott Whealy fondly remembers passing summer days sitting on the porch of her grandparents’ farmhouse, the porch surrounded by morning glories. So when Diane and her ex-husband, Kent, married and started their first garden in 1975, she wanted morning glories. She asked her grandfather about the ones that he grew. He went into the back bedroom and came out with a little white pillbox filled with tiny black seeds. He explained that the seeds came over with his parents when they emigrated from Bavaria around the turn of the century. Her grandfather also gave them seeds to a German Pink tomato that his parents had also brought with them from Europe. Those two seed varieties were the beginning of the Seed Savers Exchange.

Milton Creamery: Award-Winning Artisan Cheese

At only 17-years-old, Galen Musser received his first U.S. Cheese Championship award for his Prairie Breeze^TM cheddar. That’s just one year after he started his cheese making career. Milton Creamery cheeses have won many awards since then, including one in England.

Pinter’s Gardens & Pumpkins: Garden Center, Restaurant and Fall Fun

Come fall, Midwest garden centers bloom with mums, asters and ornamental kale. Farms open to the public for pumpkin picking, hayrides and corn maze navigation. It’s rare to find both combined and with a restaurant on the premises, to boot, which is what you get at Pinter’s Gardens & Pumpkins in Decorah, Iowa. “…with the restaurant and the garden center and the pumpkin patch, the closest would probably be Chicago, that has all what I have,” said Elisa Pinter, who co-owns Pinter’s Gardens & Pumpkins with her husband Shane.

JT Shrimp: Raising Shrimp Naturally in Indiana

Indiana, like most Midwest states, is big in agriculture. Soybeans, corn and cattle are common. But shrimp? Shrimp are salt water creatures. Indiana doesn’t have salt water. To my surprise, I found out there are a few shrimp farms in Indiana, including JT Shrimp in Wheatfield, where co-owner Scott Tysen gave us a tour.

Corey Lake Orchards: One-Source Farmers Market

The farm is quiet on the late February day we visit. Equipment and supplies are stored for the winter, glistening snow blankets the fields and ice fishermen are on the lake across the road. But farm work never stops. Winter is when grapevines are pruned, tractors are maintained and Beth Hubbard, owner of Corey Lake Orchards, grows tomato plants in the greenhouse.

Midwest Wanderer explores history, nature, and culture through road trips along scenic and historic U.S. highways, byways and trails

Agritourism

Touring Broken Wagon Bison Ranch

Seed Savers Exchange: Passing Heirloom Seeds through Generations

Milton Creamery: Award-Winning Artisan Cheese

Pinter’s Gardens & Pumpkins: Garden Center, Restaurant and Fall Fun

JT Shrimp: Raising Shrimp Naturally in Indiana

Corey Lake Orchards: One-Source Farmers Market