I recently went on a very fun trip, the Kansas Corn blogger tour.  It was put together by Kansas Corn.  This trip was an eye opening experience for me. I am always up for getting the scoop on whatever I can and this time my mission took me to the beautiful Kansas farmland.  While I have lived in the Kansas City area my entire life and Wichita is only about a 3.5 hour drive this was my first trip there.

My KC based blogging friend, La’Shonda from kcfashionplate.com and I packed up the car and started the drive.  This was the perfect time of year to make the trip with the bluest skies and the greenest grassland surrounding us as we made our way (country music on the radio).

When we arrived we checked into the Ambassador Hotel.  This hotel was stunning.  I loved the elegant decor and purple based color scheme.  It is located in the downtown area of Wichita.

The first night all of the bloggers met each other and we loaded up on our transportation for the next few days, a party bus!! We took it to the Wheat State Distillery where we received a tour of the facilities, had dinner and did a fun experiment with fermentation!

Kansas Ethanol Tour

I can say this trip was filled with many first for me.  I have never been on an ethanol tour.  I found it so interesting and yet again technology continues to amaze me. I love when I get to see behind the scenes.  Check out this video to see for yourself what this Kansas Ethanol plant looks like.

Splitter’s Farm Tour

The Splitter’s have the absolute cutest farm.  Matt and Janna are the owners and operators of the farm that has been in the family for over 140 years. Their farm was so impressive, they have incorporated technology and conservation practices into various aspects of their farm to help increase their productivity.

We were able to check out their tractor, combine and more.  We all had the best time taking photos and learning more from the Splitters.  We had lunch on the farm and learned more about farm to table food. I was really surprised to learn about how much corn is used for besides just food.  Here are some more food facts you might not know.

5 False Food Facts That Might Surprise You

source: bestfoodfacts.org

1. Organic food is safer and more nutritious.

     FALSE: Organic and conventional produce are both equally nutritious, and they are both safe options for you and your family.

2. Fresh fruits and veggies are healthier than canned or frozen.

    FALSE: All of these are great options when it comes to fruit and veggie consumption.

3. You should avoid gluten.

    FALSE: For those with celiac disease or a gluten allergy, avoiding gluten is necessary.  For those without allergies or intolerances to gluten, there is no need to pass on the whole grains.

4. There are certain types of sugar that are better for you than others.

    FALSE: Sugar is sugar as far as your body can tell.  Moderation is key.

5. You should be worried about brother hormones in your milk.

    FALSE: Cows naturally producer growth hormones and they can be found in small quantities in all milk.

Cooking Experience at All Things BBQ

I think I found a new love for cooking during our cooking class at All Things BBQ.  We were all able to work together to create a delicious meal. I worked with Erica to whip together the dressing for the salad.

My favorite was the corn on the cob, it was so good! I don't even think these pictures do it justice. It was such a great experience. If you are in Wichita, you definitely need to go check it out! It was great food, conversation and cooking.

We learned so much on this trip and I know many of you are like me and unclear of all the 'buzz' words we constantly hear.  Here are 3 of the most common ones defined for you.

3 Buzz Words Defined 

source: bestfoodfacts.org

NON-GMO

I would say this is the most common one I hear that I had no clue what it really means.  On the trip many people talked about it and basically its food that are made without any genetically modified organisms.  GMOs are created by biotechnology which is defined as intentionally make a copy of a gene for a desired trait from one thing and using it in another.  This is still a controversial and confine topic.  The easiest thing you can remember is that organic is always non-geo but non-geo is not always organic.

CLEAN-EATING

I hear this all the time. Everyone is always saying the=y are going to start-clean eating.  You had a really bad weekend, but you’ll do clean eating all week.  Alright so what does that mean? I personally always see grilled chicken and a pile of broccoli.  But, its more than that. There is no exact definition.  Different people have different views, most health professionals say it is over simplicity to say some foods are good and some are bad.  As always they say balance is key, fruits and veggies are so important.

ORGANIC

So I’ve never quite understood how fruits and veggies can’t be organic.  But, after seeing the back end I know different farms have different ways of growing and creating their food.  It is important to note that only the 100% label guarantees the USDA’s definition of organic.  That means no antibiotics or growth hormones were used on those plants or animals.  There are no GMOs and producers were fertilized without synthetic or sewage components.  Also, important to note that while organic is a great option it doesn’t necessarily mean the food is full of nutrients.

These few days in Wichita were very eye opening for me. I hope you enjoyed these adventures with me and these food tips will help you in your everyday life.  Remember that these farmers are working hard to provide food for us.  They are planning years and years in advance.  With more and more people living in this world they have to be prepared. Honestly, I heard things I had never even thought of, they’re planning game is incredible.  They have such amazing production plans in place and its great to see they are caring for all of us by providing healthy options for us to consume.

This trip was a really great opportunity to educate myself on how food from the farm is actually brought into our kitchens for us to enjoy. In today’s world we hear a lot of different things about food, what we should be eating, what we should stay away from…there are so many things out there its hard to keep it straight. Also, I found even more of a love for corn. Stay tuned as I'll be sharing a recipe involving corn very soon. 🙂

Find out more by visiting Kansas Corn.

Disclosure: This partnership is sponsored by Kansas Corn. However, all opinions are my own.