The first ten acres of the Lehne Farm were purchased in 1940 by newlyweds Myron and Helen Lehne.  The young couple dreamed of starting their own nursery.  It was a wholesale nursery that produced daffodils, shrubs and trees for landscaping.  Later additional acreage was acquired, bring Myron and Helen's farm to a total of 45 acres.

One year Myron grew some walnut trees for a special order.  After tending to these trees for a few years the buyer backed out, so Myron planted another 20 acres in Walnuts.  When the orchard was old enough to produce a harvest a crew was hired to hand-pick the orchard.  Walnuts are harvested in November during the cold, rainy late fall.

The pickers would arrive each morning and don their rain gear and boots for a day of messy walnut picking.  This was really back breaking work.  Over the years it became harder and harder to hire a dedicated crew.  So in the early 1970's Myron purchased a mechanical walnut harvester.

As the years went by the family grew, adding one daughter and two sons.  They were very active and involved in the family business.  Early in the 1970s Myron retired, splitting and turning over the farm to his two sons, Ray and Norm.

Myron and Helen enjoyed retirement activities.  They were even more involved in the First Baptist Church in Roseburg.  Myron taught Sunday School and sang in the choir and Helen was involved in the Women's Ministry.

Each winter for many years the couple enjoyed travel to Quartzsite, Arizona, where they hiked, collected rocks and spent time with old friends.  Being involved almost on a daily basis with their five grandchildren was also a favorite pastime for them and their grandchildren.

Myron passed away in 2001 and Helen is still with us at 94 years young!

Next week we will feature the next generation of the Lehne family farm.

Inside this week's box:

• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Zucchini
• Red Cabbage
• "Norm's SuperSweet" corn
• Beets
• Italian Romano Green Beans
• Herb: Summer Savory

We rinse all the produce in the boxes to remove any excess soil and debris...however we do advise that you wash all the produce before eating...Enjoy!

Broccoli, Chopped into medium-sized pieces (larger than bite-sized)

Cauliflower, Chopped into medium-sized pieces (larger than bite-sized)

Zucchini, Chopped into medium-sized pieces (larger than bite-sized)

Combine veggies into roasting pan and spread out in one single layer.  Drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Add chopped fresh parsley and serve...Enjoy!

The roasting process allows the natural sugars in the vegetables to be caramelized hence the sweet flavor of this dish...almost any vegetable will work...have fun experimenting!

Ingredients

3 eggs

3/4 c. oil

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 c. grated zucchini

3 c. sifted flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

3 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. chopped walnuts

Preparation

Beat eggs. Add oil, sugar and zucchini.  Mix lightly.  Sift dry ingredients and mix with above mixture lightly.  Pour into 2 small loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

1 lb Italian Romano Green Beans

1 T Summer Savory, chopped

2 T butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

Rinse and trim green beans.  Steam on stovetop until tender, 5-10 minutes.  Drain and add butter and chopped Summer Savory and salt and pepper to taste and serve.

"Until four or five years ago this bean was known and enjoyed mostly by people from the Mediterranean countries because they were the only ones who knew how good it is.  After all, it did grow in their native land.  It is soft when it is cooked and it has a distinctly different flavor and texture from any other bean.

Italian Romano Beans are a flat bean, about 5-7 inches long and they are good even when the beans themselves burst through the pod.  Now I know that's not a good sign for other beans, but for this bean it is." -Joe Carcione "the greengrocer cookbook"

Serve with ham, pork loin, or roast chicken.

Ingredients

2 bacon slices

1 cup chopped onion

6 cups shredded red cabbage

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from skillet; crumble.  Add onion to bacon drippings in skillet; sauté 5 minutes.  Add cabbage, vinegar and caraway seeds; reduce heat, and cook 20 minutes until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally.  Add bacon, sugar and pepper; cooking an additional 10 minutes.