2021-12-24

  NEWTON—Prairy Market & Deli in Newton bakes about 40,000 shy of 1 million peppernuts, and that’s just in November and December during the holidays. That’s right. They make about 960,000 peppernuts this time of year. Peppernuts, or pfeffernüsse, are bite-size German spice cookies, many of which have a black-licorice flavor, or anise flavor. Prairy Market uses the German Mennonite […]

Neosho Gardens has been raising poinsettias during the Christmas season for over 35 years.  The 2021 crop consisted of 60,000 plants in five different pot sizes and more than 10 different colors and styles. The operation begins with deliveries of poinsettia stem cuttings shipped in from all over the globe.  Planting begins in July and the poinsettias undergo a series […]

CANEY — A southeast Kansas postmaster is busy with last-minute letters and poems she writes on behalf of Santa Claus. This year, there are dozen of them, from points all over this area of Kansas, and even into Oklahoma. Mona Gilfillan, postmaster at Caney, makes a yearly routine of collecting letters to Santa from area post offices, then writes a […]

Thanksgiving — perhaps the most important food-related holiday on the calendar — has come and gone. But parents and caregivers remain keenly aware that the availability of food is a need thatknows no season. That widespread need became more acute during the past 18 months, when families juggled kids learning from home, unemployment, shortages and inflation. To meet those pandemic-related […]