"If you're going to garden, you're gonna have to can."
—Richard Ruehlmann

The roots of Rooster Feather begin in Fairmont, Nebraska in 1908. My grandfather, Richard Ruehlmann, was taken on a trip for the summer to a relatives farm there. On the way back, "Little Richie" ran away from his mother while changing trains in Omaha screaming "I don't want to go back!" 

Soon, there was a garden in between apartment buildings on Virginia Avenue on the north side of Chicago. When my grandfather built his house in Des Plaines, he specifically bought a double lot so that there was room for a huge garden. 

It was 1940 and The Depression was still in full swing, with a war to come soon after. The whole family was expected to help. Nothing went to waste. There was a great compost system, and even the cherries that spoiled were turned into wine. My grandmother, Getrude, was always an excellent cook and her skills at baking and cooking were passed down to my Mother, Charlotte. My grandmother always invited me into her kitchen with "Douglas, you look hungry. Let me make you something."

"If you like to eat, you're gonna have to learn how to cook."
–Charlotte Snow

In my family, it was instilled to be self sufficient as much as possible, and have good connections for everything else. When I was growing up, I was encouraged to cook, and canning happened often during the Summers. I can remember in high school being informed that a bushel of this or that was coming into Waldvogel's farm stand, and that we'd be canning over the weekend. This is also when I started working the farm fields of Southern Wisconsin, running harvesting equipment and working in the canning factories. This is how I paid for college. I liked to eat, so I learned how to cook.

After moving from Southern Wisconsin to Western Wisconsin and starting a family, I'm passing all this down to another generation. My daughter Greta helps with canning, and my son Tobias helps in the garden. 

I share a 2,500 square foot garden in Beldenville, WI and some of the produce goes into my sauces. I look at food as a resource and it should not be wasted— and kept as natural as possible. Everything is used or composted. I have a constant line of products and seasonal specials, too. So stay in touch and don't miss out!

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