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!
How can it be pumpkin spice season without talking about the pumpkin! Thanks for tuning in to Fun, Fact Friday!
Before the pumpkin spice pop culture captured the spotlight and made pumpkin spice a household craze, there is actually a lot behind that spherical, orange fruit to learn about. Yes, pumpkins are a fruit, from the winter squash family! Every part of the pumpkin is edible, the skin, seeds, leaves, everything! The pumpkin is 92% water. Naturally low in energy density, pumpkins are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin A and beta-carotene, the powerful antioxidant that gives orange vegetables and fruits their color.
Scientists believe that pumpkins originated in North America about 9000 years ago. The oldest pumpkin seeds have been found in Mexico and date back to somewhere between 7000-5550 B.C.. Pumpkins (along with other forms of squash) were a historically important food staple among Native Americans.
Today there are 45 different varieties of this plump fruit. pumpkins are grown in every state with Illinois being the leading producer!
I love baking with pumpkin! Pies, cheesecakes, muffins, cookies, and even soups! I don’t think we use pumpkin enough to feed our families. So I challenge you to give it a try! I have a great place to start. Go to the Your Ag Network app or website and try my Pumpkin Oatmeal cookies! A perfect treat on a chilly fall day! Have a great weekend!
Follow Karina Jones on Facebook!
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
