Dear Reader,
For centuries, the Midwest was a hub for frontiersmen, homesteaders, traders, and courageous families on their way west, and this pioneering spirit is embedded in our region’s culture. You can also see traces of these early settlers in our landscapes — the prairies that were traversed, the meadows cleared for farmland, the forests foraged for resources, and the rivers ridden and crossed.
Perhaps most notably, these traiblazers helped to establish the long and important agricultural history of Wisconsin. Blending various European traditions and seeds with new native crop species and ancient American practices, generations of farmers began to work these soils with inventive methods suited for the new lands they encountered and climates they endured. During this fall harvest time, let us consider the centuries of Wisconsin farmers we have to thank for the bounties we enjoy today.
Read on for more!
Brenna & Betsy
The Folks at Nature Net
September
Pioneer Harvest
“This nation was built by [people] who took risks — pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, businessmen who were not afraid of failure, scientists who were not afraid of the truth, thinkers who were not afraid of progress, dreamers who were not afraid of action.”
– Brooks Atkinson
Did You Know?
Although the first Europeans to land on the shores of Wisconsin arrived in 1634, where they encountered Native Wisconsinites such as the Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Potawatomi, Oneida, and Ojibwa, pioneers did not truly settle and colonize this state until the 1830s.
Early explorers encountered well-worn pathways used by Native Americans, and originally created by nomadic and migrating animals before that. Some of Wisconsin’s roadways are based on these original trails!
In addition to dense forests, Wisconsin was once heavily covered with vast stretches of tallgrass prairie. Despite the Midwest once being known as the “Sea of Grass,” this native ecosystems is one of the most threatened today — dating back to these early settlers, who started the long tradition of converting these grasslands for development and agriculture.
One of Wisconsin’s iconic native prairie flowers, the compass plant, got its name from the discovery that its leaves and flower heads almost always point in the North-South direction, which early settlers used as orienteering tools as they crossed the central plains. Read more here.
Wisconsin’s first major agricultural crop was wheat. Farmers in the mid 1800s grew one sixth of the nation’s wheat.
Because wheat farming was taxing on the soil (and because the chinch bug showed up in the 1860s), many of Wisconsin’s agricultural fields were transformed into dairy farms.
What To Do This Month:
Take advantage of the Madison Children’s Museum’s Free Family Night on September 10th and visit the pioneer log cabin. Imagine what life would be like living in such a small home and cooking meals over the fire. What fruits and vegetables do you think you would be eating this time of year? How would you store your food without a refrigerator?
Get an in-depth lesson on Wisconsin’s history, agriculture, and landscape legacy with a guided tour of Aldo Leopold’s shack and farm — offered at 1pm most Saturday afternoons through the mid-October.
Tour the Native Plant Garden and learn about sustainable gardening at the UW Arboretum, with special events on Saturday, Sept 20 and Sunday, Sept 21.
Support and enjoy delicious farm-to-table harvests at the Community GroundWorks’ Good Food Garden Party on September 13!
Visit the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s demonstration garden. Can you find the three sisters growing out there? Check out the “Instant Outdoor Expert” below to find out more about these legendary sister crops.
It was very important for settlers to carefully preserve autumn’s bounty to help them get through the long, harsh winter — especially in early days without crispers or grocery stores! Learn about produce storage, which foods keep best, and how to prepare for eating locally in Wisconsin’s winter months here. Find an area farm that offers pick-your-own harvesting or visit a local farmer’s market. Once you get your bounty home, try your hand at preserving foods like the pioneers did. Can you make enough jam, applesauce, pasta sauce or pickles to last the whole winter?
Instant Outdoor Expert:
Three Sisters Gardening
Many Native American cultures revered food plants as deities or as a special gift from the Creator. Corn, or maize, is particularly featured in many Native tribes’ mythology and lore, but other crops make appearances as well. The story of the “three sisters” is common and often includes an older sister who was strong and tall, a middle sister who always liked to wander, and the littlest sister who could only crawl. The sisters were always together and encountered various adventures and learned important lessons from each other. In one story, they leave the field one by one to live with an Indian boy and help him in his kitchen. These sisters are corn, squash, and beans and they in fact were grown together in Native American fields for thousands of years. Pioneers learned from the Native farmers that the corn stalk can support the growth of the bean vine and the large squash leaves act as a protective ground cover. The beans also fix nitrogen and fertilize the soil. As importantly, the three sisters work well together nutritionally. The three provide the suite of amino acids needed for cell growth, as well as carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins A, B2 and B6. They also provide zinc, iron, manganese, iodine, potassium, and phosphorus. Now known as “companion planting” or “intercropping” this method of growing and eating food was an important factor in the survival of many pioneer families.
Learn more about how you can plant your own Three Sisters Garden next spring from the Cornell Garden-Based Learning site.
You might also be interested in other companion plantings – with the growing season nearly over, it’s the perfect time to start mapping next year’s garden.
In addition to planting proper crops, it was also very important for pioneers to replenish nutrients in the soil so they could continue to farm the same land for years to come — and putting scraps to use as fertilizer is still a good practice for farmers and gardeners today! Learn all about composting here.
For Families:
Tricks of the Trail – Autumn Harvest
Autumn is known as harvest season for a good reason. So many yummy fruits and vegetables are now ready for eating! Before you pick or buy your favorite produce, brush up on the best method and timing for harvest. For example, broccoli should be harvested in the morning and corn is ready when the silky tops turn brown. Over-ripe cucumbers can become bitter and tomatoes should not be left to ripen in the refrigerator, but the counter top. Find more harvesting tips from Renee’s Garden website — and read more from Nature Net about agriculture in Wisconsin, growing gardens, and farming fun.
And finally, celebrate the successful harvest season at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s upcoming Pipers in the Prairie event, Saturday, October 4!
Featured Nature Net Site:
Madison Children’s Museum
Discovery learning and creative play: It’s how children learn about themselves and the world. It’s also the thought behind every MCM exhibit. Layered on top of that are cool colors, great sounds, custom contraptions, green environments, hundreds of activities, and a staff that’s dedicated to making the most of every child’s visit.
Be sure to visit the Log Cabin to imagine yourself as a Wisconsin Pioneer. Cook on the open hearth, write with quill pens, churn butter, and harvest vegetables from the small pioneer garden.
You can also get a feel for Wisconsin-grown foods at the Rooftop Ramble where chives bloom, chickens strut their stuff and the clubhouse is open for crafts and exploration.
Nature Craft:
Pioneer Woman’s Flat Apple Pie
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In large bowl, stir together 5 peeled and sliced apples, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/2 c. granulated sugar, 2 T. flour, 1/4 t. salt, and juice from 1/2 lemon and set aside.
Now, combine 3 c. flour and 1 t. salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 sticks cold butter and 3/4 c. shortening and work the butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles.
Lightly beat 1 egg with a fork, and add it to the mixture. Next, add in 5 T. cold water and 1 T. vinegar and stir the mixture until it’s just combined.
Gently roll the dough into two large circles.
Place the circles on large baking sheets. Pour half the apple mixture onto each crust. Fold over the edges of each crust so that it covers 2 to 3 inches of the apple mixture. No need to be artistic – the more rustic the better.
Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of the butter.
Bake until the filling is golden and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes.
Suggested Reading:
“Summertime in the Big Woods” by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Renee Graef (ages 4-8)
“Johnny Appleseed” by Jodie Shepherd (ages 4-8)
“Harvest” by Kris Waldherr (ages 4+)
“By the Light of the Harvest Moon” by Harriet Ziefert (ages 4-8)
“Corn” by Gail Gibbons (ages 6+)
“Gardening Lab of Kids: 52 Fun Experiments to learn, Grow, Harvest, Make, Play, and Enjoy Your Garden” by Renata Rossen Brown (ages 5-12)
“Pioneer Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes” by David King (ages 8+)
“The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from laura Ingalls Wilder’s Classic Stories” by Barbara Walker (ages 8+)
“A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840” by Barbara Greenwood (ages 8-12)
“The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest: 150 recipes for Freezing, Canning, Drying and Pickling Fruits and Vegetables” by Carol Costenbader (ages 12+)