Strawberry or a tomato?

By The Daily Journal (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, July 12, 2008

After a long season on the vine, strawberries from Gardens Gourmet have hit their prime. Weighing at 2.6 oz., and stretching to a whopping 2 3/4 inches, these ripe berries are ready for delicacy delights of all sorts. Whether eaten plain or prepared in a jam, now is the time to take advantage of the goodies Minnesota’s mid-summers have to offer...

Thursday’s storms left two large pools of water in NP Park — and that’s not a bad thing, say Fergus Falls staff. The topography of the park makes it a natural holding area for storm water, said Cliff Allen of Fergus Falls Public Works.

“It ends up functioning as a temporary retention basin,” he said, allowing groundwater to recharge and “stopping that surge of muddy water from hitting the river.” With this in mind, city staff have no plans to drain the park or change its design. “It’ll dry out by itself,” Allen said...

The Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Farm Bureau will recognize 170 Minnesota farms as 2008 Century Farms —and five of those farms are from Otter Tail County. Qualifying farms have been in continuous family ownership for at least 100 years and are 50 acres or more. The local farms being honored are owned by the Luther family in Fergus Falls; the Huebsch family of New York Mills; Brian & Ronda Hemquist of Parkers Prairie: the Roy D. Olson Family of Parkers Prairie and Marlys Honrud Larsen of Rothsay. Century Farm families receive a commemorative sign, as well as a certificate signed by the State Fair and Minnesota Farm Bureau presidents and Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Since the program began in 1976, over 8,600 Minnesota farms have been recognized as Century Farms. Look for stories on the farms in the coming weeks.