What’s the Big Deal About Buying at a Farmer’s Market?
Tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, watermelon, carrots, basil, chicken, bread… Can’t you find all this stuff at the regular grocery store? Well, superstores like Walmart and Meijer probably do carry these things, but why is it better to buy them at a local Farmer’s Market? If you’ve been to a Farmer’s Market, you probably already know that the fruits, veggies, herbs, meat, and home-baked goods are bursting with more flavor, are more sustainable, and the overall experience of strolling around on a warm summer day while conversing with people from the community is so much more rewarding.
Feeding the Ducks?
Is duck feeding a sound practice? For those of you who have a pond around your home, or who visit a local pond at a park or even the “duck pond” at Ball State University, I thought you might find this question relevant to your own choices. After speaking with some great people from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, as well as doing some reading of my own, I made some fascinating discoveries.
Things to Consider When Designing Your Garden
Is there more to putting a garden together besides simply picking pretty plants? You bet! When considering overall garden design: plant placement, form, color and leaf texture all play a vital role in giving a garden a dazzling appearance.
Mourning Jewelry
In the United States, the Civil War (1861-1865) and economic hardship was taking its toll. Death in the war, high infant mortality, and the hardships of the time all contributed to a communal sense of loss. It was more common to experience death in one’s family than not. During these difficult times, mourning jewelry served as tokens of remembrance and affection.
Rain Gardens, Swales, and Barrels: 3 Ways to Combat Stormwater Issues
I was inspired after Jason Donati shared his knowledge about ways we can reduce stormwater runoff at the Garden Fair at Minnetrista on Saturday, June 2nd. Jason is an educator at Muncie/Delaware Stormwater Management and proved to be very knowledgeable in his field. As I listened to him explain every detail including the problems with stormwater, to steps for building your own rain garden and rain barrel, my hope was that the people who attended his session and who read this blog will be inspired to make a difference in their community as well!
Meet Melia Ross, Farmers Market Blogger
I guess you could say my infatuation with nature began with a fuchsia.
As a child, I spent countless hours in my grandfather’s greenhouse. When he wasn’t looking, my sister and I would pop the bloom right before it was about to open. It would make the most intriguing sound. Inevitably, he would catch us, give us stern look and we knew it was time to find something else to entertain our curiosity.
Ashley's Going to Workshop It Out
Sometimes I think it’d be fun to have random blog posts to see if people can guess what I do for a living because it is so varied. Some days, I take 25 kids out to the nature area and teach them about how animals and plants adapt to their environment. Other days, I watch documentaries with a group of adults. Then, some days, I facilitate creative workshops for adults. I love the variety. However, the creativity harnessed in the workshops is definitely a highlight for me. I love to be able to use my own creativity while helping others find theirs in a variety of ways. The workshops that Minnetrista offers focus on two main topics: canning/food preservation and glass art.
5 Tips for a Smoother Wedding Day
If you visit Minnetrista in the spring, you notice the buds on the trees, the flowers in bloom, the grass freshly mowed, and the event team gearing up for another wedding season. We know it is every brides dream to have the perfect wedding day. You know the kind, seen on TV with the perfect dress, the perfect flowers, glamorous decorations, and something unique that symbolizes individuality. Let's face it that only happens on TV, and with an unlimited budget.Here are some of our tips for a more enjoyable wedding day.
A Really Big Playroom
One of my favorite times of the year is spring. Trees begin to bud and blossom, birds are building nests, flowers are blooming, and everything is coming to life after a cold winter. It is the perfect time to go outside and start exploring and noticing all the changes in nature.
Fire at the Frank C. Ball Home
“A most heartbreaking thing happened this evening,” wrote Rosemary Ball Bracken in her diary entry of Tuesday, February 28, 1967. That event was the fire that destroyed Rosemary’s childhood home.
How Good Are Your Manners?
Have you checked out the Good Manners: Everyday Etiquette Past and Present exhibit yet? This exhibit compares etiquette rules from the past to modern-day rules. My family and I stopped in to see how well we measured up.
Family Traditions
Is there a holiday event, meal, or decoration that you look forward to seeing every year? More than likely, that something has become a tradition for you.
Nutrition, Activity, and Health! Oh, My!
Did you know that what we eat today can affect our bone health in the future? Our family recently learned this and many other fascinating facts about bones when we headed over to the Bone Zone at Minnetrista!
How We Make Apple Cider
Apples and cider are part of a long tradition at Minnetrista. Have you ever wondered why?It all began 140 years ago when the matron of Delaware County Orphanage, located on the southeast corner of what is now Minnetrista's East Lawn, decided that the children needed to earn a little spending money. An orchard was planted, and the children were responsible for selling their produce. What happened next?
From all of us, Thank You!
On behalf of everyone at Minnetrista: First, we want to thank our annual campaign volunteers for all of your hard work on the campaign this year. We also want to thank our wonderful donors, sponsors, partners, members, and visitors!
THANK YOU for making a difference for children, families, and our community in East Central Indiana!
Minnetrista Sculpture - Waterbaby Fountain
I can hardly believe that it’s September. Before the leaves begin to fall in earnest and autumn is officially here, drop over to the Children’s Garden near Oakhurst and make the acquaintance of the bronze baby in the fish pond.
Historic Photographs Part III - The Rise of the Snapshot
We all have that special photograph album that we treasure. Perhaps it includes images of birthdays, vacations, and snapshots of special events. Have you ever thought about how the snapshot came to be? Our digital cameras and prints are easy, but photography wasn’t always such a breeze.
Minnetrista Sculpture - The Wishing Well
Have you ever walked through the gardens at Oakhurst and wondered about the rabbit fountain? Did you get married in the gazebo? At different points across Minnetrista's campus, you see beautiful sculpture and architectural details. Most of the pieces have a direct relation to the Ball family.
Historic Photographs Part II: Cartes de Visite
Like modern trading cards, cartes de visite became the craze in the 1860s. Immediate descendants of the calling card, they are small mounted prints, usually 2 Ѕ” x 4” in size. Cartes were inexpensive, easy to produce, and available to most people. Museums may acquire images for their cultural, rather than photographic, qualities. As cultural objects their value lies in the fact that they reveal history in a way that no other object can. In addition to the scholarly value of the carte de visite, cartes also have exhibition value.
Gardener Dustin answers: "What is a rain garden?"
There's been a lot of buzz at Minnetrista lately about rain gardens. I had a foggy notion of what a rain garden was. A garden full of rain? A garden built to attract rain, like a rain dance? Really, I had no idea.