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The seeds were sown and now the microgreens have grown! They are back at the market this week with new fun flavors coming soon. The wild greens that I 'let' get big, tender, and juicy are returning with their mild, nutrient-dense flavors. Did you know that Lamb's Quarters, a common garden and farm weed is possibly the oldest cultivated plant in North America?* It has a long history that is deeply intertwined with humans, so why not rekindle that relationship? Turn it from a garden foe into a kitchen friend? It is related to Spinach and can be used anywhere and in any way you would use that favorite green: fresh in salads, cooked into soups or stews, sauteed along with meats, and added to sauces. And because it needs to make it's own way in the world, it's packed with more nutrients than it's pampered Spinach cousin! Find it and all its wild greens friends at the markets this week *Behre, K.-E. “Collected seeds and fruits from herbs as prehistoric food.” Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 2007;17(1):65–73  When you have friendly, free-range, old hens they sometimes make themselves feel at home not just on the farm but in your own cabin. Some farm goodies are happy accidents! These prodigious squashes and a few tomatillos volunteered themselves from some worm bin compost that was added to the dome, but they are so happy where they are that I'm happy they are there too 😆
 What a way to spend a day, searching for roque gophers and dirt bathing. This may be kitty cat heaven! Future Learning OpportunitiesAre you ready to step into the wilderness? Early Summer Foraging Class: Dragon's Breath Farm: June 18th Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. Join me on the farm on the afternoon of June 18th to see what the wilds can provide! Sign up here! HIKE: South Fork of Ross Creek: FSPW: July 2nd Leave the summer crowds behind as we make our way through the ancient Cedars, following the creek up to a waterfall. It’s 9 miles roundtrip with 1300 feet of elevation gain, a small price to pay for getting away from the hustle and bustle along the nature trail. Sign up here! Relational Farming: Dragon's Breath Farm: July 9th Our discussion will focus on the 'why' and 'how' behind the systems and methods I have used to develop farming practices that sit within a worldview that recognizes the sovereignty of the land and all the non-humans that live on it. Going deeper than the popular concepts of permaculture to reset our place and belonging as humans in our relation to land. Sign up here! HIKE: Foraging Hike at Spar Lake: FSPW : July 10th Embark on a magical journey through the lush forest, as you discover the hidden treasures nature has to offer. Follow your senses and collect wild edibles, vibrant berries, and fragrant herbs. The crackle of leaves beneath your feet and the sweet scent of pine needles in the air makes this foraging hike an unforgettable adventure.Join staff member Juli Thurston and board member Megan Leach for a fun day on the trail foraging. We will meet at the Big Spar Lake Trailhead. Bring lunch, snacks plenty of water, and a bag to carry your foraging finds! Sign up here! What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
Thursdays from 3-630pm at The Farmers Market at Libby & Saturdays from 9-1230pm at the Kalispell Farmers Market
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I'm back...well, I've been back for a week but have been slowly catching up with tasks that got caught up with me while I was gone, *cough* weeding. It was great to be away in a beautiful area camped under boughs of Honeysuckles with Hummingbirds dancing about, feral children laughing, and learning new old things. Where was I? At a Gathering! It is a place to learn ancient craft skills, mostly forgotten or disparaged in a world of walmarts and fast fashion. You'll see people hide tanning, basket making, starting fires with friction, and lots of fun around many campfires at night with live music and stories. But I just heard it from afar as I chose to make use of my time away equally for learning and resting. Literally taking that breath! But now I'm back to the daily chores of weeding, flower harvesting, planting, sowing perennials, and the special projects. Some that are just beginning are trenching water lines to my main growing plots and installing an underground rain catchment system. All part of a grant! But before I get too long-winded, I need to get back at it, cause those chores won't do themselves lol.  Misty mornings means cats are on the prowl through the wildflowers under a thinning moon
Two of my new creations that will hold be in good stead and anything I need to carry: willow basket and pine needle basket. I planted wild Willow last fall and it has begun it's fast march skyward, destined for more baskets. And pine needles are in near endless supply in these woods! Did you know a skilled weaver can make them waterproof with only pine needles and sinew or string?! Future Learning OpportunitiesAre you ready to step into the wilderness? Early Summer Foraging Class: Dragon's Breath Farm: June 18th Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. Join me on the farm on the afternoon of June 18th to see what the wilds can provide! Sign up here! HIKE: South Fork of Ross Creek: FSPW: July 2nd Leave the summer crowds behind as we make our way through the ancient Cedars, following the creek up to a waterfall. It’s 9 miles roundtrip with 1300 feet of elevation gain, a small price to pay for getting away from the hustle and bustle along the nature trail. Sign up here! Relational Farming: Dragon's Breath Farm: July 9th Our discussion will focus on the 'why' and 'how' behind the systems and methods I have used to develop farming practices that sit within a worldview that recognizes the sovereignty of the land and all the non-humans that live on it. Going deeper than the popular concepts of permaculture to reset our place and belonging as humans in our relation to land. Sign up here! HIKE: Foraging Hike at Spar Lake: FSPW : July 10th Embark on a magical journey through the lush forest, as you discover the hidden treasures nature has to offer. Follow your senses and collect wild edibles, vibrant berries, and fragrant herbs. The crackle of leaves beneath your feet and the sweet scent of pine needles in the air makes this foraging hike an unforgettable adventure.Join staff member Juli Thurston and board member Megan Leach for a fun day on the trail foraging. We will meet at the Big Spar Lake Trailhead. Bring lunch, snacks plenty of water, and a bag to carry your foraging finds! Sign up here! What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
Find me and all the spring farm goodies both Thursdays and Saturdays. Thursdays from 3-630pm at The Farmers Market at Libby & Saturdays from 9-1230pm at the Kalispell Farmers Market When the rains come to swell the soil and darken the skies, the trees breathe in. When the droplets fall and the air is damp, the plants inhale. All of their leaves (and even some of their stems) are covered with structures called stomata, a fancy word for a system that is their breath. Breath is something my mind wanders to often. I named my farm and business after it. People often seek out water, shelter, and food as things that sustain live, but often overlook breath. That act we do without thinking...but we can also control it...to a point. It is simultaneously automatic (we breathe without thinking to) and manual (we can hold our breath). We can only last a few minutes without taking one and even that requires dedicated practice. If you have ever had the experience of a panic attack, you know the intense fear the body and mind feel at not. getting. enough. breath. And so, when it rains and the air is damp, the plants and trees, mosses and leaves, open their stomata and breathe. A breath they have been holding since winter. With the leaves unfurling, the sun warming, and the weeds growing ever higher, spring is an intense time on the farm. A breathe I have been waiting for all winter. It is easy to begin rushing to complete the tasks, barely slowing for a breath or a meal or a break. So this is me taking a breath. This is me slowing down and controlling my breath. This is me choosing to just 'take a breather' I won't be at either market this week but look for my return to the hustle and hurry of the farm and market on June 8th. And maybe, just maybe, we all (tree, leaves, and humans) will be breathing a little deeper.  You may have seen the new salve packaging this season but may I also introduce the Bud Blood Salve! All those sticky red, resinous Cottonwood Buds that plump in the last vestige of winter are infused into Organic Sunflower Oil. They are strongest with the sticky substance right before the leaves unfurl, birthed into the world to breathe and pull in sunlight. I use it when I feel stiff, like winter won't leave my bones. That ache, soreness, pain, or swelling that lingers and has out-stayed its welcome. When I feel the need to breathe deep again, expand, and stretch in the sunshine.
 The Weeds! Oh my gosh, did I mention the weeds? When you see a task that needs done but you don't wanna do it, what do you often do? *sigh*, with exasperation. A quick inhale before a drawn out exhale. Breathe before all. Future Learning OpportunitiesAre you ready to step into the wilderness? Early Summer Foraging Class: Dragon's Breath Farm: June 18th Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. Join me on the farm on the afternoon of June 10th to see what the wilds can provide! Sign up here! HIKE: South Fork of Ross Creek: FSPW: July 2nd Leave the summer crowds behind as we make our way through the ancient Cedars, following the creek up to a waterfall. It’s 9 miles roundtrip with 1300 feet of elevation gain, a small price to pay for getting away from the hustle and bustle along the nature trail. Sign up here! Relational Farming: Dragon's Breath Farm: July 9th Our discussion will focus on the 'why' and 'how' behind the systems and methods I have used to develop farming practices that sit within a worldview that recognizes the sovereignty of the land and all the non-humans that live on it. Going deeper than the popular concepts of permaculture to reset our place and belonging as humans in our relation to land. Sign up here! HIKE: Foraging Hike at Spar Lake: FSPW : July10th Embark on a magical journey through the lush forest, as you discover the hidden treasures nature has to offer. Follow your senses and collect wild edibles, vibrant berries, and fragrant herbs. The crackle of leaves beneath your feet and the sweet scent of pine needles in the air makes this foraging hike an unforgettable adventure.Join staff member Juli Thurston and board member Megan Leach for a fun day on the trail foraging. We will meet at the Big Spar Lake Trailhead. Bring lunch, snacks plenty of water, and a bag to carry your foraging finds! Sign up here! Where to find it all?
I'll be back June 8th at the Farmers Market at Libby and June 10th at the Kalispell Farmers Market. Until then, just breathe! Find me and all the spring farm goodies both Thursdays and Saturdays. Thursdays from 3-630pm at The Farmers Market at Libby & Saturdays from 9-1230pm at the Kalispell Farmers Market Flower growers, florists, and wholesalers around the country have been spending months preparing for Mother's Day. It is the biggest flower selling and buying holiday, even more the Valentine's Day. It matters a lot to growers to make an early income, but I was gifted with a reminder by a stranger yesterday about flowers, generosity, and how both combine to help us speak our heart to the world and I would like to share it with you as well. Halfway through The Farmers Market at Libby, an gentleman stopped in front of my display of Mother's Day flower full of bright, vibrant tulips and sweet-scented daffodils. He spoke gently and swiftly as he handed me cash and said, "This is the first year that my mother is no longer here to give flowers to. I would like to buy flowers for you to gift to mothers throughout the market in honor of her." He did not mention his mother's name and I had not time to ask before he went away seemingly in a flash. I was touched by his generosity and care, by his thoughtfulness and remembrance, and by the obvious love he had for his mother. I was also surprised by the feeling of joy, solemnity, and connection that I felt as I wrapped up and delivered the anonymously gifted bouquets of flower to the mothers around me in honor of one mother, gone but most definitely not forgotten. The memory of her care, kindness, and devotion wrapped up alongside those blooms. Flowers sometimes seem frivolous and a luxury not always easy to afford, but they help us speak our words when words fail us or we fear to speak them. They can carry thoughts of care and connection when we are not present. And they can give solace in times of pain or sorrow. Flowers are maybe the gift of life, presence, and beauty that this world needs most.  It's green! not white with snow or brown with last years downed grass. The green lets my eyes rest without squinting as all the plants get to absorbing the sun's rays for growth instead of reflecting them back up into the sky If you missed me yesterday at The Farmers Market at Libby, you'll have one more chance to grab some flowers for the mother, grandmother, or mother-to-be in your life at the Kalispell Market this Saturday. All my flowers and food are grown using organic methods and beyond (because, frankly, the standards have been weakened so much over time to allow big growers to qualify for certification). So you can be sure that your mom is getting the best quality, safest, and longest-lasting blooms for her special day! If you would like to learn what all these little plants are, and if you can eat them, then you've signed up for the right newsletter! There are on-farm classes, free hikes, and workshops all designed to help you meet new plant friends and connect to the land you live one. See below for the on-farm schedule and stay tuned for updates on free hikes and workshops happening later this summer.
Future Learning OpportunitiesAre you ready to step into the wilderness? Spring Foraging Classes: Dragon's Breath Farm: May 14th Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. Join me on the farm on the afternoon of May 14th to see what the wilds can provide! Sign up here! Early Summer Foraging Class: Dragon's Breath Farm: June 10th Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. Join me on the farm on the afternoon of June 10th to see what the wilds can provide! Sign up here! What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
Find me and all the spring farm goodies both Thursdays and Saturdays. Thursdays from 3-630pm at The Farmers Market at Libby & Saturdays from 9-1230pm at the Kalispell Farmers Market It's that time of year again! It's time to boogie on down with your favorite Wookie or droid to the farmers markets! Spring has caught up fast. Blooms are popping, greens are growing, and us vendors are ready to show up with the goods! So dust off those light sabers, shake out those old cloaks, spit-shine that beskar and swing through the markets this Thursday from 3-630pm at The Farmers Market at Libby and Saturday from 9-1230pm at the Kalispell Farmers Market! Baby Yoda will be angry if you miss it  With the winter's long lingering snow, I doubted having any fresh flowers at the first market but the heat wave had other plans!
Future Learning OpportunitiesAre you ready to step into the wilderness? Tuesdays in May: Troy Adult Education Program I'll be teaching a Spring Wildflower & Native Plant ID class on Tuesday evenings in May and early June. Two indoor classes to cover the basics and two outings to meet all the wonderful spring plants around Troy. Sign-up here! Seasonal On-Farm Foraging Classes: Dragon's Breath Farm Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. Join me on the farm on the afternoon of May 14th to see what the wilds can provide! Sign up here! What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
Thursdays from 3-630pm at The Farmers Market at Libby & Saturdays from 9-1230pm at the Kalispell Farmers Market Half Moon? What!? Why? So many others do bimonthly newsletters on the Full and New Moon. They always get the attention. They always get the fandom. They always get the importance. The Half Moon, also called quarter moon, but when you look at it with your actual eyeballs it isn’t quarter, its half! (it’s a celestial pet peeve of mine) Half Dark. Half Light. And each switching sides every time. One time growing in light, the other time growing in dark. It isn’t the pause between the inhale and the exhale, it *is* the inhale and the exhale. It is the middle road. It has been a long wait for the snow to leave but the wait is over! And now it's time to transform the anxiety into action. Repairing fences, moving trellises, finishing the high tunnel, seeding, moving seed flats, repairing the greenhouse, and a lot of heavy lifting. It's go time now! As the sap keeps rising, the leaves begin to unfurl, and the first flowers of the season spring up, the farmer dusts off their muscles and begins to harden their hands. And if you want to learn more about our plant friends, be sure to check out the class availability below and on the website  Finally! The snow is cleared and the perennials are in the sun after hiding under their icy cover.
 I was worried the spring bulbs would be super late coming up because of the late snow cover, but they came up even as the snow lingered!
Future Learning OpportunitiesAre you ready to step into the wilderness? Tuesdays in May: Troy Adult Education Program I'll be teaching a Spring Wildflower & Native Plant ID class on Tuesday evenings in May and early June. Two indoor classes to cover the basics and two outings to meet all the wonderful spring plants around Troy. Sign-up here! Seasonal On-Farm Foraging Classes: Dragon's Breath Farm Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. Join me on the farm on the afternoon of Sunday, May 14th for our Early Spring Foraging to see what the wilds can provide! Sign up here!What's available this week?We are preparing for the upcoming market season, so look for everything to be available at our tent this season! Where to find it all?
Select flower seed varieties saved right here on the farm are available at Homesteaders in Libby! The Farmers Markets start the first week in May. Find me and all the spring farm goodies both Thursdays and Saturdays. Thursdays from 3-630pm at The Farmers Market at Libby & Saturdays from 9-1230pm at the Kalispell Farmers Market Where has the time gone?! I feel like I turned around and *bam* the farmers markets start next week. I can't spend too much time gabbing here as I gotta go get ready, plant plants, and continue the spring clean up and market prep. So here's a few pretty pictures to entice you to the 2023 market season opening week! May the Fourth Be With You!  Nuit is telling you to get your tooshie to the farmers market next week!
 And it couldn't have been done without the help of some amazing fellow farmer friends, Bonnie & Rudy from Hoot Owl! I've spent two years repairing the structure with only my two hands and having help for the final push of getting the precious plastic on was monumental and I'm so grateful!
Future Learning OpportunitiesAre you ready to step into the wilderness?
Tuesdays in May: Troy Adult Education Program I'll be teaching a Spring Wildflower & Native Plant ID class on Tuesday evenings in May and early June. Two indoor classes to cover the basics and two outings to meet all the wonderful spring plants around Troy. Sign-up here! Seasonal On-Farm Foraging Classes: Dragon's Breath Farm Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. Join me on the farm on the afternoon of May 14th to see what the wilds can provide! Sign ups available soon! This is the end...thursday, march 30th that is... until the big full Farmers Market at Libby starts up May 4th! I'll be back this year with a full booth of microgreens, salad mix, greens, and the first flowers of spring! Until then, the seed starts that will grow up to be the flowers of summer need all the growing space under lights and in the greenhouse, so the microgreens will have to wait a little while. The break from routine also gives me a chance to switch things up, dust everything off from winter's slumber, and prepare for the busy growing season of tending plants, selling at market, and sharing all my gleaned plant knowledge with you fine folk! But if you want some tasty greens right now, stop by Thursday March 30th from 12-1pm at the Chamber!  I'll be working on more great microgreen recipes and tips for the year, like tacos! Who doesn't like tacos! What are Microgreens?
 Cottonwood buds are known for their sticky, rich resin this time of year and you might just see me out and about putting some into a jar. Add oil. wait. then strain and add beeswax. and presto! you have an amazing salve that is great for achy joint or muscles, a closed throat, and some headaches. Things were the tissues are tight and constricted but need to soften, flow, and unfurl. Kinda like how the resinous sap pumping into these buds helps the leaves to form and open. I'll have some available this spring right along with my Dragon's Scale Salve. What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
The Mini Microgreen Market of course Thursday from 12-1pm at the Libby Chamber of Commerce *come inside where it's warm & toasty while the micros are chill in their mini cooler* Select flower seed varieties saved right here on the farm are available at Homesteaders in Libby! As winter keeps its hold on the field and forest, my heart and head holds fast to the promises of spring. I talk a lot here about the inherent tensions of being a land tender: you walk with one foot in the civilized world of clocks and static calendars and the other on the sometimes fast and sometimes slow pace of nature. Everything happens in it's own time, yet civilization follows a steady forward marching beat. Most of our neighbors and ourselves live outside of 'natural time'. Our global infrastructure supplies us with all things at all times: bananas in winter, citrus in summer, apples in spring, and strawberries in fall. Whatever we want, when we want it. Because we can source it from somewhere else, somewhere far away. Somewhere where it is spring during our fall, summer during our winter. Few of us know the patience of watching an apple ripen, waiting to pluck it until it is the sweetest. Or even planting an apple seed, watering it, nurturing it, caring for it for years before it in turn nurtures us. Why would we when we can go to the store, trusting that someone else planted that seed years earlier. In this time of lingering winter, when tasks and chores (which all equal time) are compressed and the anxiety grows before you are able to plant any seeds, I remind myself, repeat to myself, almost as a mantra that the fruit still ripens, the seed still grows, the flowers still bloom, and the sap still rises. For everything happens in it's own time. The sweetness of fruit doesn't care about our clock or our calendar, but about the sunshine, the rains, and the bees to pollinate it. The seed doesn't care about our clock or calendar, but about the soil warmth, moisture, and microbes. The flowers don't care about our clock or calendar, but about the summer heat, the butterflies, and spring rains. The tree does not care about our clock or calendar, but about the temperature between night and day, the years of shed leaves that decay at it's feet to feed it today, and the child that climbs its boughs and calls it friend. If none of them that feed us, clothe us, shelter us, care about our clock and calendar, then why do we? We made it, that clock and calendar. To keep us civilized, 'on time', and on schedule. Does it feed us anymore or does it eat away?  I can finally see the soil! Spreading the wood ashes has helped clear path.
I love watching the fast and furious glow up that the microgreens go through
These are just some of the plants that we might see in our outing for the Spring Wildflower & Native Plant ID Class in Troy this May. Sign up at the link below to learn all about the little and big plants we share this land with. Two indoor classes will focus on terminology about how we describe the shapes and patterns of plants, plant families, and how different field guides are laid out. Then we'll spend two evenings walking among our new plant friends putting what you learned into action: identifying, observing, and marveling at these little beauties. Future Learning OpportunitiesAre you ready to step into the wilderness? Tuesdays in May: Troy Adult Education Program I'll be teaching a Spring Wildflower & Native Plant ID class on Tuesday evenings in May and early June. Two indoor classes to cover the basics and two outings to meet all the wonderful spring plants around Troy. Sign-up here! Seasonal On-Farm Foraging Classes: Dragon's Breath Farm Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. Join me on the farm on the afternoon of May 14th to see what the wilds can provide! Sign ups available soon! What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
This week is the LAST Mini Microgreen Market! of the winter Thursdays from 12-1pm at the Libby Chamber of Commerce *come inside where it's warm & toasty while the micros are chill in their mini cooler* Select flower seed varieties saved right here on the farm are available at Homesteaders in Libby! The Farmers Markets start the first week in May. Find me and all the spring farm goodies both Thursdays and Saturdays. Thursdays from 3-630pm at The Farmers Market at Libby & Saturdays from 9-1230pm at the Kalispell Farmers Market The greens are growing gorgeously again as all they start to share their space with all the germinating flats of flowers and veggies for the coming season (spring is coming right? like I know it 'spring' and others have snow-free soil and are planting but, it's easy to have momentary doubts when you've still got a lot left to melt 😩) Snow, rain, or shine the freshly harvested microgreens will be coming to town tomorrow! Joined by their farm-saved flower seeds, dried flower bouquets, and more. And this farmer has her fingers crossed for more sun, warm rain, and melting snow  Even while the snow lingers outside, there is all this green growing inside! What are Microgreens?
To help the snow melt along, I sprinkled some wood ash cleaned out from my stove along it's surface. The darkness helps absorb more warmth from the sun, create more edges in the snow pack, and it's good for the soil. All good things to get the garden growing!
I know who to put on the nice list and who is the naughty one 😼  An afternoon nap in the warm sunshine is a welcome spring hobby What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
The Mini Microgreen Market of course, running all winter! Thursdays from 12-1pm at the Libby Chamber of Commerce *come inside where it's warm & toasty while the micros are chill in their mini cooler* Select flower seed varieties saved right here on the farm are available at Homesteaders in Libby! |
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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