From an early age, Jennifer Osterholdt recognized the importance of farming and agriculture. She lived on a livestock and crop farm and participated in 4-H, where she learned to cook.
That was the background she took with her to Ohio State University, where she earned degrees in agriculture and business economics. She’s now a marketing consultant who travels the country for her speaking engagements, serves on the local Farm Bureau board, and helps her own kids on their journeys through 4-H.
Along the way, Osterholdt realized that there was a lack of both understanding and positive information available about farming and agriculture. So she decided to start a blog dedicated to her life on the farm.
Eventually, she began sharing recipes, which she says afforded her the opportunity not only to share her love of cooking with the world, but also to offer that positive information about farming and agriculture.
Now she’ll get to share both with a live audience as she serves as the new host of the cooking demonstrations in the Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives building at the 2021 Farm Science Review, Sept. 21–23 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center near London.
Osterholdt’s blog draws hundreds of thousands of viewers each month. One of the things she emphasizes for her audience is accessibility. “There are a lot of people who have misconceptions about large farms versus small farms, GMOs, and other things, where there is no easy, single answer,” she says. “I know that we have a safe food supply, so I don’t use specific ingredient requirements in the recipes. I want all families to be able to enjoy my recipes and not have to worry about breaking the bank.”
She says she’s excited to make the live appearance at Farm Science Review, where she’ll share recipes prepared in air fryers, pressure cookers, and slow cookers.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun because there are a lot of people who want to learn about those tools and how to use them,” Osterholdt says. She plans to make air fryer broccoli, crockpot peanut clusters, Instant Pot hard-boiled eggs, and slow cooker pulled pork.
She’s also excited simply to connect. “I look forward to just being with people, especially now,” she says. “I love hearing other people’s ideas and recipes and twists that you can put on food and make it into a completely new dish. I’m always looking for recipes for my family and my community, and getting to share them through my website is so special.”
