January is National Soup and Wheat Bread Month

Soup is an ancient food, prepared with great variation all over the world. In India parched barley was ground with juices to make one kind of soup. Mayan Indians used maize for various liquid foods. Early North American Indians made a broth of hickory-nut milk. Yosemite Indians shredded fungi for mushroom soup and also cooked horse-chestnut gruel. The Greeks made soups of beans, peas or lentils or black broth, made of pork, blood, vinegar, salt and seasonings.

In early times soup was called "pottage" (from pot and the Latin potare, to drink), but by the Middle Ages, the word "soup" had replaced "pottage" in most European languages. The word soup is thought to have come from the sound made by slurping hot liquid from a spoon. To sup was to eat the evening meal at which soup was traditionally served. Eventually the meal itself became supper.

A fast-food first! Soup has been so popular throughout time that it's actually considered one of the first fast foods. There is documentation that as early as 600 B.C., the Greeks sold soup as a fast food on the street, using peas, beans and lentils as main ingredients.  Before there was soup, there was broth, which people used to pour over a piece of bread in a bowl. That bread was known as sop, and from sop came the word soup.

No matter what you call it, there are lots of variations on the basic theme of soup, each offering a wide range of nutritional benefits. Cream soups such as chowders and bisques are often high in calories and fat due to the cream or milk content. Broth-based soups such as consommés will typically be low in calories because of the high water content. Soups loaded with beans and vegetables, such as chili and gazpacho are great sources of fiber and phytochemicals (like lycopene). Canned and condensed soups typically contain large amounts of sodium to enhance the flavor.

The most recognized soup company in the world is the Campbell Soup Company. It was founded in 1869, and originally called the Joseph A. Campbell Preserve Company. The business produced canned tomatoes, vegetables, jellies, soups, condiments, and minced meats.

Teachers-- Here is a fun Soup Activity:

1. Provide an assortment of West Virginia vegetables and meat in well-sealed plastic bags.
2. Students write observations and predict what the raw foods will look like after it has cooked in the crock pot for four hours.
3.  Measure the vegetables and record measurements. (Dice large vegetables ahead of time, but have the whole vegetable available for students to see what it looks like before.)
4.  Students add up volume of all ingredients, including water, to get total volume of soup
5. Students measure temperature of soup before cooking.
6. Students classify vegetables - roots (potatoes, carrots, onions), leaves (greens), stems (celery), fruit (Can a fruit be a vegetable? tomatoes, peas, etc.)
7. Students write observations after soup has cooked.
8. Students measure temperature of soup after cooking.
9.  Teacher carefully measures soup into bowls for students after cooking and then measure what remains.
10.  Discuss any difference between starting volume and ending volume. What happened to the soup that disappeared?
11. Students taste soup and vote on their favorite ingredient. Graph results.

Be creative and have your students come up with a recipe for stone soup based on products that are locally available.  Plant a school garden and grow the vegetables that you will use to make your own stone soup.

Make bread to go with your soup in honor of Wheat Bread month.  You might challenge students to find out what products are made from or with wheat. Wheat is the most commonly grown small grain in West Virginia.  Jefferson County ranks first and Berkeley County second in wheat production in West Virginia.  Wheat is also known by its Latin name Triticum (cereal).  American colonists brought wheat with them from Europe.  Most of the first wheat brought to the U.S. was winter wheat.  In 1898 durum wheat was brought into the U.S. from Russia as spring wheat.  There are thousands of varieties of wheat grown around the world but they are divided into six classes based on hardness, color, and time of planting.  The six classes are: Hard Red Winter, Hard Red Spring, Soft Red Spring, Durum, Hard White and Soft White.

Which state ranks first in wheat production?  If you said Kansas you are right.  Kansas is called the "Wheat State" and "Breadbasket of the World", followed by North Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma and Washington the top five wheat producing states in the U.S.  Kansas produces three of the six classes of wheat.  Hard Red Winter, used for yeast breads and rolls.  Winter wheat is planted and sprouts in the fall, becomes dormant in the winter, grows again in the spring and is harvested in early summer.  Soft Red Winter Wheat is used for flat breads, cakes, pastries and crackers.  Hard White Wheat, used for yeast breads, hard rolls, tortillas and noodles.

 Seed Starting Workshop
The first 2012 Berkeley-Jefferson Master Gardener continuing education class will be Seed Starting with Master Gardener Angie Faulkner on Monday, January 23rd at 6:30 PM at the WVU Tree Fruit Research and Education Center located on old Route 9 in Kearneysville.  The public is invited to attend.  Few gardening pursuits are as rewarding as growing your own plants from seed.  Come out and learn how fun, satisfying and economical this process is.  Get the facts from Angie on starting vegetable, herb, and flower seeds for your garden.  This program is open to the public so don’t miss this opportunity to learn.  For more information call the WVU Berkeley County Extension Office at 304-264-1936.  Reservations are not needed to attend this event.

2012 Ag Ed Dinner Meetings - February 9
Our speaker for the evening will be Lacy Weimer representative of Kencove Farm Fence Supplies.  Her presentation will be State of the Art Fencing  including: Rotational Grazing, Choosing and Energizer/Grounding, Solar Fence Systems and High Tensile Questions?? Lacy has been a purchasing employee for Kencove Farm Fence for almost 2 years.  As well as working for Kencove Lacy and her twin sister own and operate Identical Genetics Inc.  Traveling the country from producer to producer ultrasounding cattle for carcass evaluation.  Growing up on a cattle and sheep farm, accompanied by the family meat packing plant (Weimer Meats), Lacy has a vast knowledge of the industry in which Kencove Supplies Fencing. The remaining 2012 Agricultural Education Dinner Meeting will be held March 8, 2012, at the Berkeley County Youth Fair. Please make a reservation to attend the dinner meeting by calling Mary Beth Bennett at 304-264-1936 by noon on Wednesday, February 1 if you plan to attend the meeting on Monday, February 9.    Hope to see you there!

Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) Conference
The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) will hold their 2012 (PASA’s 21st Annual) Farming for the Future Conference February 2 – 4, 2012 at the Penn Stater Conference Center in State College, PA.  The 2012 Theme is: Strength from Our Roots: Claiming Our Food- System Future.  For more information on the conference go to http://www.pasafarming.org/conference2011

Winter Fruit School Dates
Winchester area commercial fruit production school will be held February 10, 2012 at the Best Western, Lee-Jackson Inn, Winchester VA – program is being developed. Western Maryland Regional Fruit School at WMREC in Keedysville, MD, February 23, 2012.The program for this event is online at: http://www.westernmaryland.umd.edu/Pages/2012BrochureRFM.pdf The morning featured speaker is Dr. Dave Biddinger from Penn State, who will be speaking on Beneficials and Pollinators as well as Spotted Wing Drosophila. The afternoon session will start with a Fungicide and Disease Management Update by Dr. Henry Ngugi of Penn State. The rest of the afternoon will be dedicated to Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) Management. Dr. Tracy Leskey (and her team from USDA), Dr. Greg Krawczyk (Penn State), and Bryan Butler will present. There will be plenty of opportunity for input and questions from the industry. WV Pesticide Applicator License Credits will be available.

Become a Beekeeper
The West Virginia Eastern Panhandle Beekeepers Association is offering their beginner’s beekeeping classes starting on February 6, 2012. Classes will meet for six consecutive Monday nights and will be held at the West Virginia University Fruit Research Center near Kearneysville.  There is a $60.00 fee that allows three family members to attend the classes. The fee covers class materials and a one year membership in both the WV Eastern Panhandle Beekeepers Association and the WV State Beekeepers Association. There will also be free field days and workshops offered upon completion of the course. Preregistration is advised and applications may be downloaded at www.wvepba.org  

2012 West Virginia Small Farm Conference March 1 - 3, 2012
The 2012 WV Small Farm Conference is scheduled for March 1 - 3, 2012 at the Waterfront Place Hotel and Conference Center in Morgantown, WV. This year’s event features various topics: Agri-tourism ~ Alternate Energy ~ Value adding ~ Season Extension ~ Marketing ~ Poultry Production ~ Special Processing ~ Farmers Market Management ~ Farm to School ~ Fruit and Vegetable Production

Day-Long Workshops will be held Wednesday, February 29th Agritourism then Thursday, March 1st for all-day in-depth coverage of: Alternative Energy ~ Poultry ~ Grant writing ~ Cheese making ~ Youth Entrepreneurship ~  High Tunnels.

There are several special events scheduled during the week of the conference:

• Better Process Control School –Wednesday, February 29th
• Aquaculture Forum
• Winter Blues Farmers Market
• WV Local Dine Around
• Vendors & Trade Show

For more information and a registration form, go to the following website: http://smallfarmcenter.ext.wvu.edu/conference

Forum for Rural Innovation: March 9, 2012
The eighth annual Forum for Rural Innovation will be held Friday, March 9, 2012 at the Best Western Lee-Jackson Motor Inn & Conference Center in Winchester, Virginia. The purpose of the Forum is to showcase innovative ideas, projects and programs to enhance farm or rural business profitability in North-Western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. This year’s Forum will focus on local and regional food production, and preservation, direct marketing beyond farmers markets and a host of other innovative topics.  A registration fee of $40.00 per person will include the forum program, morning refreshments, and the buffet lunch featuring local foods.  Registration information is available on-line at www.loudounfarms.org or by calling 703-777-0426. Pre-registration by March 1st is required.The Forum for Rural Innovation is a cooperative educational effort by the offices of Agricultural Economic Development and Cooperative Extension in Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick and Loudoun, counties of Virginia, Berkeley and Jefferson counties, West Virginia, Potomac Headwaters RC&D; The Small Business Development Center of the Eastern Panhandle.

Garden Tips

• Plan for your garden now
• Pick up copies of seed catalogs or go online and check out new varieties of plants for 2012  
• Pick up a copy of the WVU Extension Service Garden Calendar… they are available at the following locations around Berkeley County: Boltz Hardware, Tractor Supply, Orr’s Farm Market, Colonial Farms Nursery, USDA Farm Service Agency, Martinsburg Library, Inwood Farmers Market, Petrucci’s Market or Arden Equipment.

 Until next time ... Until next time ...Happy Gardening, and Farming!

 Mary Beth Bennett, Ph.D. is a WVU Extension agent and associate professor.  She can be reached at 264-1936, MBBennett@mail.wvu.edu or on the web at http://www.berkeleyextension.com
400 West Stephen Street, Suite 302 Martinsburg, WV 25401