Whenever people find out I didn't grow up in Indiana, the first thing they usually ask if how different Washington and Indiana are. Very different! I grew up with the best view of Mt. Rainier (it's only about 75ish miles away) and the Cascade Mountain range, about an hour from Seattle. It took me a while to get used to how flat most of Indiana is.
Baling hay at our place. Check out that view of Mt. Rainier!
Each state is different in agriculture, too. Washington's top agricultural commodities are apples, dairy and wheat. Indiana is a lot smaller, but is big in a lot of things, including leading the nation in duck production and being in the top five in pigs, laying hens/egg production, turkey production, ice cream production and popcorn production.
One thing that is the same in all six of the states I've lived in is farmers' passion for caring for their animals and the environment. Most of these farms have been in the family for generations and they'd like to keep it that way, so it's so important to preserve the natural resources and maintain good animal health so that they next generation will have the same opportunity.
As time goes on, there is more and more competition for land. No more land is being made and where do you think the land for that new housing development came from? It was probably a crop field (or even possibly a livestock farm) at some point.
With that in mind, farmers are doing more with less. Growing more crops on less land. Getting higher yields and increasing efficiency. Technology continues to help them do this. My Grandpa didn't have the same tools and technology to help him farm in the 1950s as we have today. We also have cows that produce more milk, crops with higher yields and much bigger equipment now.
A lot has changed in farming over the years. The values behind farming...they haven't changed one bit.
Let's get back to this recipe! It is amazing!! I always add a lot of cheese on top of it. It makes it even better.
Cascade Scramble
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups hash browns
- 3 cups diced potatoes
- 12 oz little smokies
- 2 cups diced peppers and onions
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Add the eggs, hashbrowns, diced potatoes, little smokies, diced peppers and onions, olive oil, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, salt and pepper to a large skillet
- Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until done
- Place onto four plates
- Cover with shredded cheese (as much as you'd like)
- Enjoy!!
