It's definitely been a busy month so far! So much fruit to pick and organize for others to pick! (Did you know you can pick fruit and get paid for how much? It's a great fundraising opportunity!) So many seeds to save, dried flowers to make magic with, infused oils to strain, a whole farm to clean and tidy for winter, pipes and tanks to get in the ground, solar panels to get on the roof, and kittens to cuddle and feed! Yep, we found some kittens and a feral cat mom that couldn't cope. So they are staying with me for now for some full bellies, warm blankets, and lots of plays and cuddles, while hopefully mom can be trapped, neutered, and released. They will be available for adoption in a few weeks! Even at 4 weeks old, their personalities couldn't be more apparent or different. One is always up for a challenge and never sits still and all it's charges are bluffs. One likes to observe before charging, never bluffs, and is fine staying quiet. One, who is first shy, is also the first to purr and snuggle and run around all the corners. They are a reminder that cats, for all their independence and seeming aloofness, are not wild animals and have a hard time trying to survive like one. They all need a warm shelter (indoor or out), food (even if they kill things), and support (even if they are grumpy about needing it). The common idea that cats really don't need us (or want to be around us) is wrong. They may like to choose when touched or held (really a good things for humans too). They may bring us dead things as treats (even if they don't eat them). But they get grumpy when we show affection to another cat instead of them. They will choose to cuddle next to you not only for warmth but because they like you (they are a better judge of character than a lot of humans). They usually like you because you are nice to them, help them out of tough situations, and keep them safe. Domesticating animals is like keeping them as an infant their whole life, dependent upon us. Would you abandon a baby to the wild like cats so often are? Ok, rant over! Growing up and living in rural places where often, but not always, cats are seen as disposable creatures only kept around to hunt mice and easily replaced, I often feel like I need to defend them for the precious tiny fluffs (and sometimes shitheads lol) they are, especially when there are many bigger predators that share their hunting grounds!
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This month is full of activity both on-farm and off! Outside of the regular farmers markets, there are 3 special events. First up is the Kootenai Harvest Festival on Saturday, Sept 16th, then the Kootenai Forest Fair on Friday, Sept 22nd, and finally the Apple Festival on Friday, Sept 29th. So many things to do! I'll have both farm booths and a booth for the Kootenai Fruit Gleaning Program so you can learn about so many things. It's gonna be a whirlwind to prep for the events (products, flyers, and banners don't just appear out of thin air) while also beginning the long process of putting the farm to sleep over the winter. It begins with collecting seeds as they are ready, making lists of things to repair (and the items needed for those repairs), frantically trying to finish up projects that need to be done before snow fall (yep, I'm already planning for that!), and still seeding microgreens and harvesting herbs for salves and oils. Once the frosts come and the crops are gone, it is time to work on the infrastructure and tools that make farming possible, as well as planning and prepping for all those last special events of the season. I hope to see you at one or all three!!! With every rafter looking like this, plus an attic full of totes and boxes filled with more dried flowers, I know it's time to get busy making bouquets, wreaths, bunches, and more! I'll have them available at the special Harvest and Apple Festival this month as well as the Heritage Museum Bazaar coming in November, perfect for bring a little bit of summer inside to keep us going through the long winters Future Learning OpportunitiesAre you ready to step into the wilderness? Fall Foraging Class: Dragon's Breath Farm: Sept 10th It's the push before winter. While we've been planning for it all season by noting plant locations. Now is the time for seed collecting, root digging, and maybe some fruits from the trees. Sign up here! Harvest Festival: Libby, MT: Sept 16th, 12-6pm It's a big deal event with an amazing harvest meal, beer, and tons of vendors, like me :) I'll have freshly dried flower bouquets, wreaths, and, hopefully, some new beaded bracelets with fall and winter themes. Kootenai Forest Fair: Libby, MT: Friday, Sept 22nd, 2-5pm I won't have any goodies for sale, but you can learn more about my on-farm foraging classes, as well as the Kootenai Fruit Gleaning Program and other wildcrafting opportunities! and, of course, the free beer 🍺 Apple Festival: Troy, MT: Friday, Sept 29th, 2-630pm I'll have even more dried flower wreaths and bouquets available 🤞. Also it'll be the last chance of the season to get your fav microgreens!What's available this season?
Where to find it all?
Most Thursdays from 3-630pm at The Farmers Market at Libby Harvest Festival Saturday, September 16th from 12-6pm @ Riverfront Park in Libby Kootenai Forest Fair Friday, September 22nd from 2-5pm @ Riverfront Park in Libby Apple Festival Friday, September 29th from 2-630pm @ Troy Farmers Market |
AuthorI'm Farmer Megan with a life full of cackles, clucks, quacks, weeds, crazy kitten, and one tiny, senior, blind dog. Archives
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