Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens Staci Perry Mergenthal

What began with a tent purchased from an anonymous $200 donation and Dawnna Berndt’s idea to grow a garden to bring in more income, turned into a family-based vegetable farm market business (Berndt Family Produce) that’s been serving their community of customers in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota for 24 years.

At the time, she and her husband, David, had five young children and even though she admits she knew zilch about gardening (she told me she was the “inside girl” and her sister was the “outside girl” when they were growing up), she leaned on David’s knowledge as a lifelong farmer to start growing and harvesting veggies on less than two acres and selling the produce at their local farm stands and self-serve stands. 

Since their start in 2000, they’ve grown to six children, eight grandkids, 30 acres of sweet corn and 25 acres of some of the best vegetables, CSAs and canning and salsa shares around! And Dawnna says that along with all that growth and change, faith and family have always been at the center of what they do and how they treat people.

Berndt Family Produce grows everything from broccoli, tomatoes, cabbage, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, onions, pumpkins, gourds, sweet corn, squash, cauliflower, potatoes radish, carrots, watermelon, cucumbers, beans, muskmelon, and more.

While you’re listening, learn more about Berndt Family Produce at Berndtproduce.com. I also posted photos and the recipe links from Dawnna for their favorite corn salsa, potato soup, copycat KFC coleslaw, roasted garlic parmesan potatoes, and 11 easy potato recipes on randomsweets.com.

Dawnna and David Berndt, Berndt Family Produce, White, SD

Email: berndtproduce@gmail.com

https://www.berndtproduce.com

Mobile: 605-690-4522

Facebook: Berndt Family Produce

Instagram: @berndtproduce

Locations: https://www.berndtproduce.com/visit_us

Recipes Dawnna mentions in this episode: 

11 Easy Potato Recipes

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/3588874692004262/

 Roasted Garlic Butter Parmesan Potatoes

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/241787073737487016/

 KFC Coleslaw Copycat

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/153403931048621958/

 Best Ever Potato Soup

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/274086327313603706/

 Easy Corn Salsa

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/187625/easy-corn-salsa/

Staci Mergenthal

RandomSweets.com

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Website randomsweets.com

Instagram @potatoesandmittens

Instagram @randomsweets

Facebook Random Sweets

Pinterest @staciperry

Email: staci@randomsweets.com

#ag #agriculture #garden #gardening #farmer #farmtotable #produce #vegetablegarden #farmstand #rural #ruralSD #midwest #oursweetmidwestlife #podcast #foodpodcast #southdakota

 


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Roots go deep in today’s show. Come with me to meet fifth-generation farmers, Taylor and Cassandra Sumption, the founders of Anthem Oats. The couple grows and packages premium, gluten-free oats for retail on nearly 400 acres near Frederick, South Dakota, 27 miles north of Aberdeen on US Highway 281, just seven miles south of the North Dakota border, and their packing and offices operation in Frederick. 

Taylor’s great, great grandpa homesteaded in the area in 1882 so Taylor and Cassandra are keeping the family agriculture business alive in what’s now 142 years! They’re focused on value-added agriculture and vertical integration to build their legacy-based, farm-to-table company—this means we can count of them for many years of delicious steel cut, old-fashioned, and quick oats and instant oatmeal cups and packets in flavors like vanilla chai, peach and cranberry, dark chocolate brownie, super fruit, pumpkin spice, and my personal favorite, maple pecan. 

Learn more about their products and the family at anthem oats dot com. The photos and recipes that Cassandra shared with us for tiramisu-inspired overnight oats, energy balls, and her bacon cheeseburger meatloaf with secret sauce are on randomsweets.com.

Taylor and Cassandra Sumption, Anthem Oats

Taylor@anthemoats.com and cassandra@anthemoats.com

https://anthemoats.com

Instagram: @anthemoats

Facebook: Anthem Oats

TikTok: @anthemoats

Also mentioned in this episode: 

South Dakota Value Added Agriculture Development Center

Staci Mergenthal

RandomSweets.com

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Website randomsweets.com

Instagram @potatoesandmittens

Instagram @randomsweets

Facebook Random Sweets

Pinterest @staciperry

Email: staci@randomsweets.com

#ag #agriculture #valueaddedag #oats #oatmeal #farmer #farmtotable #oatfarm #oatfarmer #rural #ruralSD #grocer #midwest #oursweetmidwestlife #podcast #foodpodcast #southdakota


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It’s almost summer, which means pool and lake parties, family reunions and picnics, camping, and smoking out the neighborhood with your backyard grilling. It’s also time to dig out your library card, visit your local indie bookstore, and pack your beach bag with books on your “want to read” list. 



Today I’m bringing back my friend and book goals hero, Christianne Beringer. First, we are talking about easy appetizers and sides delicious enough for sharing, like creamy red pepper dip, Southwest dip with pepperoni, BLT dip, Clara's corn, and green beans with lemon and toasted almonds.

 

Then, Christianne catches us up on (and inspires us with) her reading goals, and she tells us about new authors and book series she’s been enjoying, including the one she likes so much she starting checking out two at a time from the library.

 

We also talk about the handy book recommendation and discovery website and app, Goodreads, which we use to keep track of books we want to read, books we’ve read, and to browse what’s on our friends’ bookshelves as well. 

 

So if you are someone who likes simple recipes and celebrates the joy of finishing a good book, this episode is for you!

 

I posted the five recipes that Christianne shares on my website randomsweets.com.

Christianne Beringer on Goodreads

Staci Mergenthal on Goodreads

Goodreads

Libby App (free app for digital reading from your public library)

Hoopla (borrow and enjoy books and media using your library card)

Midwest Independent Booksellers Association

Abe books

Thrift books

Also mentioned in this episode: 


Tikka House at Historic City Market, Kansas City


How to Freeze Green Beans to Enjoy And Time of Year, Good Housekeeping

#amreading #reader #readinggoals #reading #library #books #appetizers #midwest #midwesterner #oursweetmidwestlife #podcast #foodpodcast #southdakota

Staci Mergenthal

RandomSweets.com

#OurSweetMidwestLife

Website randomsweets.com

Instagram @potatoesandmittens

Instagram @randomsweets

Facebook Random Sweets

Pinterest @staciperry

Email: staci@randomsweets.com

 


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Living a life of curiosity and creativity means you will, at times, gracefully let go of things that no longer fuel your passion or serve you positively. This week's podcast guest, Bobbi Lynn Gaukel, and I agree—the earlier in life you learn this practice, the more open and freer you are to being curious and trying new things. 

Throughout her life, Bobbi has weaved in creativity and learning, leaving a trail of beauty wherever she goes. In addition to her professional life as a graphic artist, she gardens, crochets, writes, takes captivating photos, thrifts, repurposes, bakes desserts, crafts and so much more.

Her Grandma Elizabeth taught her to crochet, all while burning through soap operas together. She began her graphic design career without a computer. And she once threw away a paint-by-number because for her, the whole experience was awful. 

She's the friend you give your funeral plants to when they start to die and you feel too guilty to throw them away. 

The recipes Bobbi is sharing with you and photos are on my website, randomsweets.com—sausage wonton appetizers made with ranch seasoning and two kinds of cheese, crock pot apple butter, and Bobbi’s mom’s easy carrot cake with an inch of cream cheese frosting. 

Just like Bobbi and I do when we meet for coffee, we visit here for a long time. So it’s OK to pause the episode when you need a break and resume when you’re ready for more. I hope after hearing from her, you’ll feel inspired to ask yourself the question, “what would happen if…” 

Bobbi Lynn Gaukel, Pie in the Sky Co


Website: pieinthesky.co
Facebook: Pie in the Sky Co
Instagram: @bobbilynngaukel
Instagram: @ps_wedesignthings
Email: bobbi@pieinthesky.co
Bobbi's monthly article in etc. for her magazine. (In addition to the current issue, you can read her articles in the back issues too.)
Watch: How to thrift your way to a beautiful, sustainable home with Bobbi

Also mentioned in this episode: 


Cindy Lindgren, artist, you may recognize her Midwest vibe http://www.cindylindgren.com
Alissa's Flower Farm near Rock Valley and Hull, Iowa, alissasflowerfarm.com

Staci Mergenthal

RandomSweets.com

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Website randomsweets.com

Instagram @potatoesandmittens

Instagram @randomsweets

Facebook Random Sweets

Pinterest @staciperry

Email: staci@randomsweets.com

#graphicartist #graphicdesigner #southdakota #midwest #midwesterner #oursweetmidwestlife #podcast #foodpodcast #siouxfalls #creativelife #entrepreneur


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Have you thought about who you’ll pass down your handwritten recipes to? If you’re like Wendy Doornink and me, you have a mix of handwritten recipe cards from family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and of course, yourself. This episode might make you think about who the next person might be to keep those cherished recipes in your family. 

In our visit, Wendy shares recipes and sweet and fun stories from her grandmothers, and we talk about the correlation between the food basics and mental health. We’re kind of all over the place, there’s head cheese, raisins in the sheep pasture, and popcorn in the cookie box from grandma. 

Wendy shares recipes for zucchini bread, pasties, pie crust, sweet yeast dough and caramel sauce for caramel rolls, and the coconut pie she uses as currency in her family. Those recipes and photos of Great Grandma Emma on a Farmall tractor and grandma Olga are on randomsweets.com.

Staci Mergenthal

RandomSweets.com

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Website randomsweets.com

Instagram @potatoesandmittens

Instagram @randomsweets

Facebook Random Sweets

Pinterest @staciperry

Email: staci@randomsweets.com


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In this episode, you and I are going to meet Betty’s Antiques owner, Liz Murphy from St. Paul, Minnesota. She’s walking us through her charming vintage boutique on the historic corner of Selby and Snelling Avenues, plus she shares the sweet way her grandma Betty influenced how she dresses up a table, in a non-fussy sort of way, so that we can make our guests feel special—even in our everyday living—using touches like fresh flowers and table linens, to glassware and flatware, candles, and pretty dishes.

We talk about an evening with Lawrence Welk, her manageable way to appreciate our fine china, what mindset we should be in when it’s time to wash the fancy dishes, plus, Liz tells us a couple of her favorite spots to each lunch and enjoy a treat near her shop, and we talk about the cookbook that her cousin put together that’s full of recipe and stories the family has of Grandma Betty—she even gives us Betty’s recipe for buttery smooth caramels, which you can get on my website randomsweets.com. 

While you’re listening, take a look at Liz’s website and social media, which you can find on https://www.bettysantiques-stp.com. I hope this episode inspires you to use something fancy in your everyday living and for the holidays. 

Thank you to Sarah Peterson from the blog Vintage Dish and Tell for introducing us. If you missed Sarah’s episode, it is S2 E9 on Dec. 1, 2023.

Show Notes & Links

Betty’s Antiques, Liz (Elizabeth) Murphy

https://www.bettysantiques-stp.com

Instagram: @bettys.antiques.stp

Facebook: Betty’s Antiques

Rose Street Patisserie

Yum! Kitchen and Bakery (multiple locations)

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

#useyourfancydishes #bettysantiquesstpaul #StPaul #SelbyatSnelling #shopBettys

Staci Mergenthal

RandomSweets.com

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Website randomsweets.com

Instagram @potatoesandmittens

Instagram @randomsweets

Facebook Random Sweets

Pinterest @staciperry

Email: staci@randomsweets.com


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