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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.  After the initial joy and wonder of the first snowfall and the magical times of the holidays are done and even though the sunlight begins to return, this is when the winter doldrums set in.
 You may feel bound by your path that you’ve spent years shoveling. It feels easy to keep pacing back and forth, forgetting all the work you spent shoveling. It feels easy to keep pacing back and forth on the well worn road, when all that shoveling has built high walls and the surrounding snowpack feels unstable.  It feels easy to stay on the safety of the trail, until you see the snowshoes sitting in the corner. Sometimes that little boost, to not fall through the snowpack, to lessen the struggle on the pathless road, is all we need. And, honestly, a few well placed scraps of wood, like a few stepping stones across a fast moving stream, can help you onto the unplanned path. Or maybe a friend with bigger feet to break the trail.  Farming was not the path I planned for myself nor is it an easy one. I've tried following the path of others, the well worn path that was cleared before I even thought about stepping foot on it, one that others did the work to clear. But once I placed my foot, I found that the easy road, the tried and tested methods of growing, selling, and production was too well worn for me. Because, I like the work of clearing a trail, shoveling a path, opening a road.
Future Learning Opportunities Are you ready to step into the wilderness? Saturday, March 4th: Free the Seeds in Kalispell I'll be giving a presentation on Edible Garden Weeds: The Accidental Harvest. Stop by for all the free presentations, info booths, and, of course, free seeds! 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-ups to be announced later. 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. I'll be updating the schedule as we get closer to spring. Where to find it all?
Mini Microgreen Market on Thursdays at the Libby Area Chamber from 12-1pm. Seeds are available to ship with so many new products coming soon!
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Another Wednesday, another reminder about the Mini Microgreen Market each Thursday throughout the winter. Stop by (inside) the Libby Chamber of Commerce between 12-1pm to pick them up! If you need to reserve any, or request a local drop off (within Libby only please), reply and I'll set them aside for you.  The all new Nasturtiums pack that bright & zesty punch that you just might need to get through another cloudy winter week  Why spend hours fighting with computer code when you can hand paint a fun sign?! I'm still working to fix the inventory issues from the website and by 'work' I mean ignore, lol. But I painted a cute sign instead! Priorities right!? Stop by to admire it mini cuteness ;) What are Microgreens?
 These kitten cuddles are as fresh as this weeks microgreens! I caught the rare pairing of Hecate and Oliver deep in face smooshies (Hella wanted to be closer to the warm fire :) ) 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* Thursday is the Mini Microgreen Market at the Libby Chamber from 12-1pm. Come get your old fav or discover a new one! There'll be the trusty Mild Mix, zesty Spicy Mix, Sunflower Shoots, and the new Nasturtiums which are sure to put a smile on your face and a pep in your step on these dreary, foggy, damp, and cold winter days. I'm working on getting the inventory management on the online store fixed so its streamlined for both you and me, but until then, reply to this email with your order to ensure it'll be available or just stop by during the Mini Microgreen Market and test your luck.  They're so tender, so fresh, so crispy! What are Microgreens?
 PSA: When you get the fire in your wood stove going really, really hot (ya know when you can smell hot metal lol), you may then find that any cats present will crawl out from their favorite perches next to the stove and proceed to melt upon the floor 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  The morning after the solstice may have been a crisp one with intense low temps, but on the very first day that the sunlight begins to lengthen, it also decided to shine! Luckily, before the the temperature plummeted well below zero, the snow piled up high. This helps insulate the soil and all that live in it from the frigid air temps. It's also super fluffy and fun to walk through 😝  These temps are nothing to mess with. Some things, like heaters among the pumphouse and pipes, were already going strong to keep out the cold. And the woodstove was cranking to keep me and the kitties comfortable. Awaking at 2am to see the temps already near -30F, I went out to check on the chickens as this is much colder than they have ever dealt with before...  I was able to add an extra heater to their two heat lamps to help them through. Chickens do well with cold in general, but they have their limits and they've gotten frostbite before at much milder temps so I wasn't going to assume they'd be fine. They mainly huddled together in their heated hut covered in snow to keep as warm as possible. The now rain and +40F temps may be frustrating for us to deal with all the slush and compacted snow and ice, but they are just fine with the much warmer temps now.  I might just change the name from the Hen Hut to the Chicken Cavern! And even thought the cold makes everything a bit harder, it was still so nice to get out in the shortest amount of clear sunshine with a walk down to get the mail.  And, of course, the kitties stayed warm and snuggly inside while it was extra cold outside. They attempted a few times to go out but didn't actually want to step over the threshold once they felt the cold, cold, air on their whiskers. These are the days of cuddle buddies by the fire Where to find it all?
The next delivery is January 5th to help us all welcome in the New Year with fresh microgreens and hopeful seeds! Winter Solstice. In our modern calendar we call it the beginning of winter, which can seem a little disheartening when it's been a cold and snow-covered world outside for weeks. Yet, ours is not the only calendar in the world. There are many ways of describing the movement of time through our lives and our experiences with that. Most are based upon what that experience is like in that cultures specific location, the land they live with and depend upon. Calendars are land-based just like languages, cultures, and people. For me, I consider this the height of winter and with the sun's return, it begins to decline. Yes, the cold and the snow remains and will be with us for awhile, even get colder and snowier, and that new sunshine carries almost no warmth. Yet, in a few more weeks, the sap in the trees begin to rise. Then the crack of the coldest temps and the flurries of snow feel more like a tempestuous tantrum of a toddler trying to hold onto winter while spring is beginning to write the rules of it's new game. And the sunshine in mid-February carries the intense promise of the warmth of June. Until then it is still a time of rest, a time of dreaming, a time of planning, a time of preparation before the action of spring begins. And if you need a small reminder of the growth and green that is to come, stop by the Libby Chamber of Commerce Thursday from 12-1pm to pick up some microgreens!  The microgreens a'growin while you're a'sleepin and the microgreens aren't the only green things waiting for spring. These are some of the overwintering perennials in the greenhouse sleeping through the subzero temps.  Why clear the truck to get the mail when I can walk in the accumulating powder! Also, walking through deep snow gives the same workout to your legs as walking uphill does. ... Thus, trudging through snow on flat ground is similar to walking uphill. Maybe grandpa wasn't lying about walking uphill both ways to school?!  I love making narrow tidy pathways through the deep snow. It kinda feels like a special maze for me and the cats to run through while they assist with the winter chores of feeding the hens, getting firewood, checking the microgreens, and clearing the truck and driveway.  And when the cold and the dark get a bit too much, it's always nice to have a buddy to cuddle with on a soft couch, next to a warm fire What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
Pick up at the Libby Chamber of Commerce Thursdays from 12-1pm Pickup available December 15th from 12-1pm at the Libby Chamber of Commerce There is Spicy Mix available featuring the robust crisp and zest of Daikon Radish  There is Mild Mix available with the gentle flavor of Kale and Pac Choi And the new Nasturtium! You might be familiar with the peppery snap of their blooms in summer, a taste shared by their edible leaves. They make a great garnish for salads, wraps, sandwiches, and everything else that could use a little kick of flavor What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
Pick up at the Libby Chamber of Commerce Thursdays from 12-1pm While we in the North inch ever daily towards the darkness of winter, where sometimes the brightest light is the Moon or Stars shining upon a crisp snowpack, I work diligently on the task of counting my small blessings, my seeds! While the wind blows the snow in crashing swirls upon my cabin's windows, I sit inside surrounded by seeds as I work to thresh, count, and package them. Saving seeds is not something you do on a whim, for they are promises for the future forged in the past. In their tiny shells and bodies, they gather up all the sunshine, wind, and rain from last season, memories of microbes, animals, and insects, and hopefully, memories of me, first planting them into the soil, then brimming with joy as I watch them grow, walking past them to see what they need, and finally harvesting them in fall so that they may find new homes this winter and maybe be planted by your hands this spring. If you too want to help them grow, check out my online farm store for available varieties and you can gift yourself or someone you love a few little promises for the future while we sit in the cold darkness of winter. The returned Winter Weekly Pop-Up for picking up Microgreens, Seeds, and other farm delights will be Thursday from 12-1pm at the Libby Chamber of Commerce. This gives me a chance to get out of the cold and you a chance to see what else there is to do in winter. I won't have a everything on display but I'll bring all available items along so check the website for what's available even if you just wanna email me your order and pay when you pick up. Seeds are available to ship as well!  The 1906 cabin and it's twinkly lights sharing the dark night with the light of the Moon  The cats ask to go outside constantly but haven't grasped the idea yet that it's not the same temperature outside as it is inside. :) So they go out. Then they come back in. Where they warm themselves by the fire. Then, they ask to go out again.  The microgreens are getting comfortable in their winter grow room (which is the converted walk-in-cooler) where they will soon be joined by plant starts for next season. There'll be a short reminder email next week after they're harvested!  The old hens have been staying warm and cozy in their winter run. Spring chickens may not be bothered by the cold, but these 5 year old hens and their Guinea friend appreciate a little extra warmth (and a lot of extra treats!) when the temps dip below freezing.  These are Plantain seeds. Some of the chaff is still present after doing the bulk of the threshing. The most common way to separate the rest is the real messy bit! It involves using a fan to create a gentle breeze as you let the material (chaff, seeds, and all) fall through the breeze. The heavier seed falls down onto your tarp or blanket and the chaff blows away. I've been waiting for all the seeds to be at this stage so I can clean up only one mess instead of many :)  All the seed packets are written, designed, printed, and filled by me!  And even if views like this are only a distant dream right now, another promise for the future to look forward to is a spring and summer filled with ways to learn on the farm and in the woods. I'll be teaching a series of foraging and plant id classes on the farm as well as in Troy so that you too can wander the wilds with confidence and recognize a few new plant friends! More details will be available closer to spring but you can check out my website by clicking the 'Find Out More' button way down below to, well, find out a bit more until then.  Even if it's cold, dark, and windy outside remember to bundle up and get a little bit of daylight (even if you can't see the Sun, it's up there!) Because, we northerners know that cabin fever is real and it's even worse when you and your seeds are itching for spring to come so we can sow out little promises for the future together. What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
The Microgreens will return next Thursday for local pickup in Libby from 12-1pm at the Chamber of Commerce. Order online for local pickup or ship of Seeds, Crafts, & Botanicals! ... and we turn with it. It's been a packed month of conferences, projects, and planning. And with the weather *finally* turning to winter, everything changes again. The next few months will be filled with lots of reading and classes (as a business owner I get to call it Professional Development 😆), website updating, crop planning, new product development and design, and making crafts of old and learning new ones. Even if winter means the plants get to rest, the Farmer (kinda like the soil and all the little beasties in it that help the plants to grow), just turn our labors to inside things. The things that support a business that aren't usually seen, just as we usually don't see the bacteria, fungi, and insects that support the plants even as we enjoys the fruits and flowers that it produces. As I look forward to curling up in a warm cabin with four furry lap warmers and a warm cup of cocoa reading, writing, making and generally growing all the skills that help me grow the plants (by supporting all those plant-supporting bacteria, fungi, and insects!) I'm using the last days of unfrozen ground to provide those little soil beasties their version of a winter spent in a warm cabin, with warm friends, and warm food. Building a relationship with them and learning what they need to thrive is a foundational principle of relational farming. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village of soil life to raise healthy plants!  What a glorious evening!!! Mid-October was the inaugural Montana Cut Flower Association (MCFA) Conference I've been a minor player in the background as a founding board member of this young organization. We met in Helena for a full day of presentations and discussion. It was magical to meet all the wonderful flower growers in our state and share our triumphs and frustrations. Many hands make work light, many minds make ideas bright, and many hearts make the problems all right.  I also attended the Bionutrient Dense Workshop at the AERO conference in Great Falls. Two days of discussion and learning alongside farmers who value their relationship with the land as strongly as the crop that it produces.  One new project done, for now, is a new (to me) '75 camper! It's in need of a lot of repairs, partly from age and partly from a bear break in which means 3 windows to replace. Add that to a leaky roof and previous modifications that weren't 'to code'. It's wrapped up for winter to wait until spring!  Frosty nights give hints of the cold and (□) snow to come  All the overwintering seedlings have moved into the Dragon Dome which keeps its warmth (and flowers!) for awhile longer. It gives me a place of refuge from the cold rain and a place for the cats to climb and generally get into trouble □ One big project that is done and dusted is the electric bear fence around the hens. After the visit from the chicken-eating, front door-pawing relocated Grizzly from Whitefish, the hens have stayed safe behind the nose-zapping wire as I made it winter-ready. It's the best way to keep then hens safe, me safe, and the bears safe.  An almost done project is the seasonal planting of the Tulips & Daffodils. Because I perennialize them (most cut flower tulips are grown as annuals), I need to protect their juicy, tasty bulbs from my hungry, hungry gophers. Each year I add a bed or two of trenched ½ inch hardware mesh. This year its a full 50 feet to house the 700+ tulips and daffs (the daffs don't need it but I plant them nearby for ease of harvest). The tulips just arrived as I wait for the rains to wet the ground.  As long-time readers know, my longest running project/headache is rebuilding my high tunnels to withstand the winds that tore them down 2 years ago. And I've finally finished the ground-work on tunnel #1!!! 🎉🎉🎉 The end walls are reinforced with posts sunk deep into the clay and the sides are attached to 6 - 6 foot t-posts pounded over 5 feet in. Next step is attaching all the channels that hold the plastic tight. I've also expanded the hardening-off area next to the Dragon Dome and added grass-blocking fabric around the shed to help keep all the gear I use to grow accessible and tidy! The cats are my ever-present shadows as I prepare the farm and field for wintry weather. They are eager to get outside whenever they can, even if the new weather is not always to their liking. When they do come in, they are just as eager to find a warm spot for naps and cuddles  As the trees prepare to spend the winter dreaming of a warm spring, we also wrap ourselves and our homes up tight so we can dream, rest, and spring forth anew when the sun and warmth returns and we can once again leave our windows open to a sweet-scented breeze  Where to find it all?
Stay tuned for a whole new lineup of Everlasting Flowers, Handmade Crafts, and Wild-Grown Botanicals! (and even the triumphant return of your favorite Micro-but Mighty 💪-Greens) As summer transitions into fall, heat gives way to frost (yep I had a deep 25F one), green gives way to brown, and blooms give way to seeds. As such, the seed harvest is underway and I am the only entrant in a slow race against the changing of the seasons. There is much to do with the land as the seasons change beyond harvesting seeds like cleaning and repairing tools, organizing the chaos that became of the work spaces after the speed of spring and summer, saving every last bloom to hang and dry, digging for fall planted bulbs and seeds, preparing tender perennials to survive the coming winter, and working on all the human-based building projects to provide the spaces that I need to work with the land. And as the fruits ripen and the grasses die back, all that work begins now. As green gives way to gold, all that work begins now. As the frosts creep back into the morns, all that work begins now. My favorite part of that work, the part that makes me feel the most rooted, the most connected to this place, this valley, this mountain range, this forest and field, is harvesting seeds. Seeds are a little packet of future life that is gifted upon the land by the plants that live now. I am bestowed with both the duty and the joy of saving them, caring for them, and then planting them. My method of saving seeds works as a metaphor for how I approach tending, growing, and farming the land. It is purposefully 'messy and lazy'! As I collect both grown and wild seeds, I'm purposefully not carefully collecting every single seed. If you watch the birds in deep winter congregating around the few grass stalks that stick above the snow, or clinging to the tall stalks of Mullein, or scratching under bare branches, you will notice that I am not the only one that needs these seeds. I leave many for the birds, squirrels, and other tiny beings that survive winter upon these seeds. Thus from a modern perspective, I am lazy because I leave many seeds behind and I am messy because I let many fall through the grasses and I leave many weeds standing. This is my small way to rebel against the modern ideal of productivity, efficiency, and labor while rejuvenating and healing my relationality to the land and those I share it with. Because the seeds of next year grow abundant for all, not just me or you, but we!  the smoke seems to finally be clearing but it can be hard to tell with the deep mists of cool autumn mornings  the smoke seems to finally be clearing but it can be hard to tell with the deep mists of cool autumn mornings  Impending hard frosts meant deep harvests of some of the last blooms. These marigolds were added to the pile of orange and gold ones already drying and filling up the hanging space in my living room. It's hard not to bring work home, or into your home, when you are a farmer!  And once the frosts came, the harvests are now about getting every last bit that survived even the tiniest amount to dry for a winter season filled with wreaths, bouquets, crowns, and everlasting decorations of all kinds!  Finally the seeds! This is the time of year when I scrounge all the sheds, barns, attic, and field for totes, bags, buckets, anything solid really to collect and store seed heads in. Next week, threshing! Where to find it all?
Look for the return of the Microgreens this winter! Plus lots of Everlasting Florals and, of course, lots and lots of Seed Packets ❤️ As the autumn chill creeps in and my day job with the forest service comes to an end, I return to the familiar pace of fall farm work. Outside of the few larger projects that are key to complete before the snows arrive and the ground freezes, I look forward to days in the warm sun and chill air collecting seeds, prepping beds for next year, and newly winterizing the chickens behind their electric fence. This fall and winter will be full of the usual planning and preparation as well as a lot of learning all about marketing and business stuff, as being a good grower or gardener is all about raising good plants but being a good farmer is about selling them and running a business. So, it's back to school for me! And I make no promises, but I plan to return the farm to a full wholesale and market schedule next year. A lot of things have to happen over the winter to make that possible but having the year off from full-time growing and business management has given me time to imagine, dream, plan, and decide. Now I have to act, learn, and do. A lot. So I'll let you read on and I'll get back to the 'doing'!  First things first! Go get the yummy Salad Mix at the Farm to Market store in Libby. There will hopefully be one more delivery for the season (if the deep frost plays nice and stays away for another week or so) but the end of the fresh greens is near!  Just a few of the flowers I'm saving seeds for this fall! Saving seeds using landrace principles means letting the plants with the most vigorous growth set seed and collect only that. Thus the entire ecology, weather system, geography, and pest pressure selects for the best traits resulting in plants grown for here (NW MT) and not there (usually the SE, Midwest, or Cali)  The Dahlias thrived in the Dragon Dome greenhouse and I got a few nice blooms before the epic level of grasshoppers and earwigs found them and began munching on everything! Next year, the plan is to keep them safe in the high tunnel with netting at all openings to keep out those pesky pests □ Cause we want more of these beauties to enjoy!  Luckily, there is also just time enough to get to collecting all the wonderful wild and farm-grown herbs for infused oils and salves. It's my magical time when I get to collect the plants for what I've been telling them about all year (yep, I let them know what they'll be used for so they can look forward to helping soothe people's pains and problems). It's pretty easy to make oils, even from fresh herbs, but a lot of the specialness is about your intention and timing. Just as in any aspect of farming, context is key and the details matter (spoken in Virgo season by someone with three planets in Virgo □) All these details and intentions will come together over the winter with an expanded range of herbal oils, salves, and balms to be released next spring!  The kitties also enjoy me being home more often as they aren't used to me being away from home so much (which also means they got limited outdoor time as they need to be supervised □). They get to help me collect seeds, plants, and catch a few grasshoppers (and lots of gophers!) from time to time. Plus with the nights being cooler (and thus the cabin) they get more snuggly cuddly whether its with each other, me, or the clean laundry. What's available this week?
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AuthorI'm Farmer Megan with a life full of cackles, clucks, quacks, weeds, crazy kitten, and one tiny, senior, blind dog. Archives
October 2022
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