Music! Local, Fresh Flour! And Red Ants Pants!

We had just a fantastic time this weekend at the 2nd Annual Red Ants Pants Festival in White Sulphur Springs.

It's nothing short of amazing to watch a big pasture outside of a small Montana town come to life the way the Jackson Ranch does for this festival. And, to know that one incredible woman's vision for women in leadership and strong family farms and viable rural communities is the reason for it all makes it even more so. That's the reason we go -- because even in dust and heat (and with a toddler in dust and heat) -- it's just magical to watch it all come together and feel that energy.

This is the second year we've done the festival and this year, the music was even better (Mary Chapin Carpenter!) and we were able to do a demonstration of our bike-powered fresh flour, in addition to selling whole grains and our sourdough Farmer Bread.

About 125 people showed up for the demo (called, Tour de Flour) to hear us talk about heritage and ancient grains, fresh flour and the renaissance of family farming. And, at least 15 brave people signed up to compete to win flour and bread with our grain-grinding bike time trials. (We did, however, had to call it at 7 contestants because the mill got so hot it started to gum up -- basically baking -- the flour. We've never tried grinding that fast, for that long or in that kind of heat. :)

To top off the excitement, the Red Ants Pants Foundation -- which is why the whole festival was started to begin with -- announced on stage Saturday that we are one of their first grant winners. Pretty darn cool, especially considering how highly we think of the foundation (and of our friend Sarah Calhoun, the owner of Red Ants Pants). Basically the organization was founded:

-To develop and expand leadership roles for women
-To preserve and support working family farms and ranches
-To enrich and promote rural communities

To that end, this year, the foundation used the proceeds of last year's festival to dole out community grant awards to people and organizations working toward those goals. We were so honored to be on this first list.

We won for a project we've been dreaming about for some time now: stone-milled ancient and heritage grains. So, thanks to the foundation, we're shopping now for an electric (our legs are so happy!) stone mill that will get fresh flour to our Grain CSA farm share members (sign up now!) as well as individuals, restaurants and bakeries across the state and the region.

So, even despite the dust and rain and sunburns, it was a tip-top weekend.

Here's the proof:

Willa and her Papa had a grand time walking around the festival, collecting rocks, listening to music and watching all the people. This girl did not get her Mama's aversion to crowds.

We got to hang all weekend with both our Aunite Hannah and Emily, our amazing, awesome apprentice.  Here's Willa and Emily (or, "Ammee" to Willa) watching Mary Chapin Carpenter, sipping on a lemonade slushy and yelling "Good job people!" after each song. (That was Willa's idea.)

Oh, Mary Chapin Carpenter, your voice is like home to me. Here's one big reason why, and why she was just the perfect voice for this event.

Win a Grain Share! Pedal in a flour-milling time trial!

Prairie Farro in July.

This upcoming weekend, Prairie Heritage Farm will have a booth at the Red Ants Pants Festival. We'll have wonderful heritage and ancient grains for sale, some fresh, bike-ground flour, and we'll be giving away a Prairie Heritage Farm Grain Share. If you sign up for a Grain Share at the Festival, your name will be entered into a drawing for a free share (donated by our very good friends Matt and Bridget C. and their wonderful children).

On Sunday, join us for a bike-powered flour milling demo. We're calling it the Tour de Flour:

Bikes and bakers unite! Join the farmers from Prairie Heritage Farm for a demo of bike-powered flour and a discussion about the history of grain and why ancient and heritage grains, and fresh flour, are on the rise. Includes bike-powered flour time trials. If you grind the fastest, you win!

Let's see Lance grind up this hill.

Local Montana Farro: A Star Rising

Let's talk about farro for a moment.

Farro seed, still in the hull.

 Farro is a big, nutty wheat that's great for salads, soups, risottos and the like. It makes pretty great pasta too.


The stuff we grow and sell -- Prairie Farro -- is an ancient wheat from the Fertile Crescent that dates back to nearly 20,000 years ago. The grain has been discovered in archeological digs and in ancient tombs and is believed to have developed from crosses between wild grasses. It was likely harvested in the wild before people began to select the best plants for cultivation. Farro, known also as Emmer, is often sold pearled, so it has less bran on the kernel.We leave ours completely intact, so nothing has been removed from the kernel that would compromise any of the nutrients the grain has to offer. Its nutritional profile is similar to modern wheat except it is higher in protein, iron, phosphorus, zinc, and copper. It is a versatile grain that can be used in breads, crackers, and salads.

Farro's star is rising, let me tell you. Of all our grains, it's the one people spot on our market table, run over and say, "I've been looking for this!"

The New York Times loves it, Saveur.com loves it, Gourmet loves it, even everyday Rachael Ray loves it.

Our first farro crop, 2009.

Since we started growing and selling it four years ago (btw, not to brag or anything, but Prairie Heritage Farm is one of the only local producers of farro in Montana. We sell direct to customers through our grain CSA farm share, at farmers markets and by special order. We ship too! Email farmer@prairieheritagefarm.com), I've been mostly using farro in soups and cold salads (like this one) and the occasional risotto (or, farrotto), but in the lastT few months, I've started exploring warm farro salads, especially with greens (because it seems like there is no. end. to the greens piling up in our house right now.)

My favorites so far have been this recipe and this recipe.

But I combined them to make this winner:

Warm Prairie Farro Salad With Baby Beets, Blue Cheese and Greens

1 to 1 ½ cup farro (not pearled)

1 bunch mustard greens (or arugula would work here too), chopped (2-3 cups)

1 bunch baby beets with greens

½ wedge blue or cambozola cheese

½ cup walnuts

Dressing:

3 Tbs red wine, apple cider or balsamic vinegar

½ cup olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp maple syrup

1. Rinse farro well. Add farro to pan with 2 cups water (for one cup, 2 cups water. For 1 ½ cups, 3 cups water.) Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. While the farro is simmering, separate the baby beets – cutting off the beet part, scrubbing and placing in a shallow pan (you're going to simmer them a little, just to soften.)
3. Chop the beet greens a long with the mustard greens. (We used Mizuna, btw, but I think you could sub chard or kale here too.)
4. Mix up the dressing and in a separate bowl, crumble the cheese and add in the walnuts. (You'll use the cheese/walnut mixture to top the salad at the very last minute.)
5. Once beets are simmered (about 5-7 minutes) to your liking, add to large bowl with greens.
6. Drain the cooked farro and add directly to the bowl of greens and beets. You want to just slightly wilt the greens with the heat of the farro. Stir quickly until the greens are soften as you like them.
7. Fold in the dressing.
8. Once the salad has cooled a little, top with the cheese/nut mixture and serve.