Karina Jones is a real-life ranch wife in the Nebraska Sandhills and one of the most highly sought-after speakers in the cattle industry nationwide!
It is the first Fun, Fact Friday of the new month! Did you know that December is “Root Vegetable Month”? So, let’s “dig in”….see what I did there?!?!
Root vegetables are quite literally the fruits of the earth, the hearty bulbs that swell and thrive beneath the soil. The root vegetables themselves absorb nutrients from the soil, fortifying them as some of the heartiest, healthiest foods you can find in the fall. Plus, pulling up your root vegetables at harvest time to reveal full orange carrots or bright beets is as exciting as discovering buried treasure.
Our ancestors knew that planting and harvesting root vegetables would be the sustenance they would need to get through the winter months. Root vegetables tend to stay fresh if kept in a cool and dark place, for long periods of time.
This time of year, home cooks lean on root vegetables to put on the table. Whether it be onions, potatoes, carrots, or turnips I love roasting root vegetables to serve alongside a hearty meat dish. Root vegetables are perfect for adding to soups and stews to boost that veggie value.
I really love that you can almost always support American farmers when choosing your root vegetables at the grocery store! So check your labels and when you can choose potatoes and carrots grown right here in America!
Get a pot of soup simmering away, add in a bunch of root veggies and have a great weekend!
Karina ranches with her husband, Marty, and 3 daughters near Broken Bow, NE. She grew up in western NE, with roots also in southwest SD. The cattle industry and raising kids is her passion.
Watching the cattle industry go the path that it has gone, she could no longer sit quietly at home checking cows, fixing fence, and doing all the everyday tasks wondering when some else was going to make it all better. As she became more active and outspoken on industry issues, she was asked to join the R-CALF USA staff in September 2020 as the Checkoff Petition Campaign manager. That position transcended into her current role as full time Field Director for R-CALF USA.
You can hear her almost every Friday on Your Ag Network’s Hot Barn Report that is broadcast on 60 radio stations with coverage in 9 states, where she deep dives into cattle industry issues and highlights R-CALF’s work on industry reforms. Listen to Ranch Raised on a Your Ag Network hometown station or www.youragnetwork.com where she talks about her daily life on the ranch.
Cattle producers are her people. She will meet you at the county fair, at the sale barn, or anywhere the dusty trail leads.
[email protected] or visit facebook.com/ranchraisedwithkarinajones
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