Farming can be a challenging experience at the best of times. One program that I think gives many farmers some positive options is the Canadian Agricultural Skills Service program.
Delivered in each province, CASS is designed to help farmers and their spouses increase the family income by improving farm practices, building new agricultural enterprises, creating business ventures or obtaining employment income.
According to a February 2005 Statistics Canada report called Education Matters, “research shows that investment in education and skills training is three times as important to economic growth, over the long run, as investment in physical capital, such as machinery and equipment.”
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Many farmers cannot afford to invest in new machinery, but with the CASS program, they can access government funds to take training that will enhance their present skills. The government will pay for tuition, textbooks and related costs such as travel, accommodation, dependent care, and in some cases, replacement labour.
In my role as career counsellor at Prairie West Regional College, I work with farmers to identify existing strengths and skills, set realistic goals and develop a plan for training.
I went back to school when I was 50 years old and can appreciate how farmers feel when they think about retraining. It can be a daunting and overwhelming experience.
However, farmers have many skills that are transferable to the workplace, and one of my tasks is to help them recognize these strengths.
Information about some approved courses and CASS application forms are downloadable from www.agtraining.ca. The application form is easy to complete.
Does it apply to you? If your net family
income averages less than $35,000, you have a good chance of qualifying.
You will need to provide your Notice of
Assessment or Income Tax and Benefit Return from the Canada Revenue Agency for each of the last three years (one year in the case of a beginning farmer).
Call 888-887-7977 to learn what is required in your case. They will verify your eligibility, determine your level of financial benefit and process your application. Once you have been approved, call your local regional college and set up an appointment with the career counsellor to discuss your options. Once CASS approves, you can proceed with training.
Warming recipes
Because we started harvest in July this year, and the weather held, we were done earlier than usual. We were able to spend this Thanksgiving in Calgary with our granddaughter Taryn and her parents, Jaime and Troy. We arrived with a new supply of lentils, freshly ground whole wheat flour and garden potatoes. Knowing how we enjoy lentils, Jaime served us this curried soup.
Curried lentil soup
2/3 cup onion 150 mL
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, minced 10 mL
2 tablespoons canola or 30 mL
olive oil
1 cup uncooked lentils 250 mL
1 tablespoon curry powder 15 mL
1 teaspoon cumin 5 mL
5 cups chicken broth 1.25 L
juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup diced tomatoes 150 mL
1/2 pound cooked chicken 250 g
breast, cubed
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped 500 mL
2 cardamom pods, optional
Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger in the oil. Add the lentils, curry powder and cumin, stirring well. Curry lovers may want to use the hot curry or add a greater amount of curry. Add chicken broth, lemon juice, tomatoes and cooked cubed chicken. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce, to your taste.
Simmer for about an hour, until the lentils are cooked. Thicken with flour if you prefer a thicker soup. Add cardamom pods and fresh spinach in the last five minutes of the cooking time. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives on top.
As you noticed from previous Team columns, pumpkins are in plentiful supply this year. Jaime and Troy make this curried pumpkin soup from a well-used cookbook received as a shower gift four years ago.
Curried pumpkin soup
Makes seven servings.
1/2 pound freshly sliced 250 g
mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onions 125 mL
2 tablespoons butter 30 mL
2 tablespoons flour 30 mL
1-2 teaspoons curry powder 5-10 mL
3 cups vegetable broth 750 mL
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree 425 g
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk 341 g
1 tablespoon honey 15 mL
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional 2 mL
1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 mL
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 mL
Sauté the first two ingredients in butter in large saucepan. Stir in flour and curry powder until well blended. Add vegetable broth, bring to boil and and stir for two minutes until thickened. Add pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, honey and spices, stirring until blended. Heat through. Garnish each serving with a teaspoon of sour cream and sprinkle of chives.
Source: 2001 Taste of Home Annual Recipes by Roy Reiman Publications. For additional copies, go to website www.reimanpub.com.
A special icing
Dear TEAM: I was intrigued with the note about icing made with marshmallows and icing sugar. Could you elaborate as to how this was done? I’d like to try it on a 50th birthday cake. It won’t weigh 65 pounds, though. – M.J., e-mail
Dear M.J.: I called Gail to get more details about how she made the icing, and she directed me to a website where she got the recipe. She also said, “when I made my conversions, I used nine cups (2.25 L) marshmallows to seven cups (1.75 L) icing sugar. I also found it took very little water, two tablespoons (30 mL) at the most.”
Source: http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm. The website is detailed and helpful. I summarized the information readers who do not have internet access.
Making marshmallow fondant
16 ounces mini marshmallows 500 g
2-5 tablespoons water 30-75 mL
2 pounds icing sugar 1 kg
Shortening to keep greased hands
Melt the marshmallows and water in microwave or double boiler, stirring often until melted. Let cool slightly, then when not too hot to handle, knead for about eight minutes as you would bread dough on a greased or cornstarched counter to form a firm smooth elastic ball. Roll out fondant with a rolling pin to desired thickness; roll it up on the rolling pin, and unroll onto cake that has been
prefinished with a butter cream icing. Trim edges. The fondant sticks to the butter cream icing better than to a bare cake. Ideally, you would eat it immediately. However, it still tastes good after two months in our freezer.
This is my new favourite slice recipe,
sent to me by our son-in-law Ben’s paternal grandmother.
Neapolitan squares
11/4 cups graham cracker crumbs 310 mL
1/2 cup melted butter 125 mL
1/2 cup brown sugar 125 mL
1/3 cup all-purpose flour 75 mL
2 cups medium ground coconut 500 mL
1 can (11 oz.) sweetened 311 g
condensed milk
Bottom layer:
Combine first four ingredients. Press into a nine x nine inch (22 x 22 cm) greased cake pan. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 10 minutes.
Second layer:
Combine coconut and condensed milk. Spread over first layer. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 20 minutes or until there is a light tinge of brown on edges. Cool and frost.
Frosting:
2 cups icing sugar 500 mL
4 tablespoons butter 60 mL
3 tablespoons cherry juice 45 mL
Beat above and add a little milk and almond flavouring.
Spiral light bulbs
Dear TEAM: In an effort to reduce the cost of electricity, we purchased some mini spiral soft white light bulbs. The chart said that these 26 bulbs were equal to a 100 watt regular light bulb. They are supposed to last five years and save 74 percent electrical energy. However, perhaps it’s my eyes, but they are not as bright as 100 watt bulbs. They actually seem dim, especially in the stairwells. I think that I will go back to the old bulbs. I do notice that they are slower to come on than regular bulbs and seem to get brighter as time goes on. But I don’t want to have to leave them on all the time so they become as bright as I need them. Do you have any information on the actual light quality of this type of bulb? – N.H., Cactus Lake, Sask.
Dear N.H.: We discussed this at our TEAM meeting and have had the same experience with these bulbs. Your idea to use other bulbs in the stairwells and basement makes sense, especially when you are only turning lights on for a minute or two. Our package boasts 13 watt bulbs equal to 60 watts, both with a light output of 850 lumens. So although the light output is the same, the service satisfaction you feel will depend on what you want.
An April 2006 News release
news stated that a particular brand of the three-way compact fluorescent light bulbs could overheat and spark, posing a burn hazard. The problem is with 32 watt, three-way compact fluorescent bulbs with 40, 75, and 150 watt outputs that were sold April to November 2004 for about $10 for single pack or $19 for double pack.
Bulbs were sold under brand names Commercial Electric (at Home Depot) and DuraBright (at Orchard Supply Hardware). They are about 18 centimetres high and have a white, spiral fluorescent tube attached to the white plastic base. The following item numbers, located on the bulb base, are in the recall: 283-924, 575-717, and 69032. There have been 16 reports of overheating bulbs but no injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Stop using the bulb and call 800-397-2647 for a replacement or gift card.
Barbara Sanderson is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
