We've moved our website to this gorgeous place over here.
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| The new website. |
Thanks for visiting! See you soon!
Hey! We've Moved!
Farm Friends,
We've moved our website to this gorgeous place over here.
Thanks for visiting! See you soon!
We've moved our website to this gorgeous place over here.
Thanks for visiting! See you soon!
2016 CSA Pick Up Schedule
We are so excited to see you for your first farm share pick up. For Great Falls and Power members, your first pick up will be Thursday June 9. Helena and Choteau members will pick up Thursday, June 16.
Full share members will pick up every week. Half share members will pick up every other week. Following is the schedule for half share members:
Great Falls, Power:
June 9
June 23
July 7
July 21
August 4
August 18
September 1
September 15
Helena, Choteau:
June 16
June 30
July 14
July 28
August 11
August 25
September 8
September 22
Here are the details for pick ups:
Great Falls:
Where: 2509 Upper River Road, Great Falls, MT 59405
When: Thursdays (starting June 9) from 4:30-6 p.m.
Helena:
Where: 705 Saddle Drive, Helena, MT (our super volunteer Susan's house)
When: Thursdays (starting June 16) from 5:30-7 p.m.
Power:
Where: On the farm
When: Thursdays (starting June 9), 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. (please contact us if you need to make other arrangements)
Choteau:
Where: To be determined
When: Thursdays (starting June 16), To be determined
A few notes:
>These first few shares will be early-season crops like greens (galore) and cold-hardy things. We'll ramp up as the summer progresses. This is truly eating in season. By July and August, we'll be getting into tomatoes and peppers and eggplant and cucumbers and summer squash and the like. By fall, potatoes, onions, garlic and other fall crops will come on. The season runs 16 weeks.
>Each pick-up day, look for an email from us with a reminder as well as some recipes to inspire you in the kitchen. (We love to use recipes from members too, so share if you have a great one!)
>Please remember to bring bags or boxes to pick up your veggies.
>Each week, we create the shares based on what's fresh and ready for picking. Within those constraints though, we aim to please, so as the season gets rolling, if there's anything you'd like more of, or less of, in your share, let us now and we'll do our best to accommodate. And, if ever you'd like to stop by our market stand at the Great Falls Farmers' Market and pick up extras, we'd love to see you there!
>If you can't pick up, we're happy to make other arrangements, but do try to give us at least 24 hours heads up so we can make those arrangements and don't end up with more veggies than we need for the pick up.
>We also have our heritage and ancient grains, flour, and sourdough bread available for add-ons. We do round out the early summer shares occasionally with samples of our grains, but if you'd like to purchase any in larger quantities, let us know!
We are so looking forward to growing your food this summer. Thanks for supporting local food and family farming!
Full share members will pick up every week. Half share members will pick up every other week. Following is the schedule for half share members:
Great Falls, Power:
June 9
June 23
July 7
July 21
August 4
August 18
September 1
September 15
Helena, Choteau:
June 16
June 30
July 14
July 28
August 11
August 25
September 8
September 22
Here are the details for pick ups:
Great Falls:
Where: 2509 Upper River Road, Great Falls, MT 59405
When: Thursdays (starting June 9) from 4:30-6 p.m.
Helena:
Where: 705 Saddle Drive, Helena, MT (our super volunteer Susan's house)
When: Thursdays (starting June 16) from 5:30-7 p.m.
Power:
Where: On the farm
When: Thursdays (starting June 9), 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. (please contact us if you need to make other arrangements)
Choteau:
Where: To be determined
When: Thursdays (starting June 16), To be determined
A few notes:
>These first few shares will be early-season crops like greens (galore) and cold-hardy things. We'll ramp up as the summer progresses. This is truly eating in season. By July and August, we'll be getting into tomatoes and peppers and eggplant and cucumbers and summer squash and the like. By fall, potatoes, onions, garlic and other fall crops will come on. The season runs 16 weeks.
>Each pick-up day, look for an email from us with a reminder as well as some recipes to inspire you in the kitchen. (We love to use recipes from members too, so share if you have a great one!)
>Please remember to bring bags or boxes to pick up your veggies.
>Each week, we create the shares based on what's fresh and ready for picking. Within those constraints though, we aim to please, so as the season gets rolling, if there's anything you'd like more of, or less of, in your share, let us now and we'll do our best to accommodate. And, if ever you'd like to stop by our market stand at the Great Falls Farmers' Market and pick up extras, we'd love to see you there!
>If you can't pick up, we're happy to make other arrangements, but do try to give us at least 24 hours heads up so we can make those arrangements and don't end up with more veggies than we need for the pick up.
>We also have our heritage and ancient grains, flour, and sourdough bread available for add-ons. We do round out the early summer shares occasionally with samples of our grains, but if you'd like to purchase any in larger quantities, let us know!
We are so looking forward to growing your food this summer. Thanks for supporting local food and family farming!
As the 2016 Season Begins, Prairie Heritage Farm Pivots
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| Photo by Missy Sprouse. |
This winter was a long one (aren't they all?) as we grappled with some health issues (mostly fine now!) that gave us a late start but also helped us better prioritize by focusing on what's important.
So, this season will bring some changes at the farm. We've scaled back on a few things (we've capped the number of traditional summer CSA shares and reined in vegetable production somewhat) so we can expand other enterprises (like the Farmers' Market Share program and a double-down on grains and sourdough bread).
Life (and business) lesson #458: Sometimes you have to say no to some things so you can say yes (and not just a yes, but a Heck Yes!) to others.
It's a tricky balance. You might even call it precarious, but that's running a small business or a family farm for you -- living in an almost constant state of flux. It means being vigilant in choosing which enterprises and crops and markets are going to best serve your land, your community, your bottom line and your family.
Sometimes, it feels like we should have it all "figured out" after seven years in business. But if we've learned anything, it's that "figured out" is like "caught up" -- a fictional state of being.
And with the right intention and mindset, flux isn't chaos. It's innovation and experimentation and the latter two is where true change and true progress happens.
So, here's what we're working on in 2016 on the farm:
Artisan sourdough bread made from the Sonora Heritage Wheat we grow, grind and bake. We're expanding the baking and adding in some variety: Seed bread, olive rosemary bread, focaccia and straight up sourdough, which we call "Papa Bread," because that's what our 3-year-old yells (and we mean YELLS) for in the morning. We will be selling bread at the Great Falls Farmers' Market (Saturdays starting June 4) but we're also in the midst of applying for a wholesale license, which will allow us to sell bread farther and wider eventually.
More sales and production of our ancient and heritage grains, both for home bakers and cooks and as seed for farms like ours. This year, we're focusing on Prairie Farro, Bronze Barley, Sonora Heritage Wheat, Einkorn, Japanese Hulless Popcorn (Popcorn!) and Early Riser corn (For cornmeal! Tortillas! Polenta!). We will continue to offer these grains whole but also hope to have our big mill up and running this summer to be able to start offering fresh flour as well. And soon, we'll start selling some of these grains as seed to other farmers interested in these unique, important varieties.
Fresh vegetables sold at the farmers market, through some grocers and restaurants and in our CSAs. As we mentioned above, we're focusing on a smaller traditional CSA this year to best serve that membership and offering more Farmers' Market Shares, which are like pre-paid cards for shareholders. Instead of us picking what veggies to include, customers get to pick whatever they'd like from our market stand at the Great Falls Farmers' Market. We're still growing all kinds of veggies, but we are scaling back somewhat to hone in on specific crops. You'll also find some of our fresh veggies at 2Js Fresh Market in Great Falls and on occasion at awesome local restaurants like Electric City Coffee.
Hearty, high quality vegetable seed, which we sell through the Triple Divide Seed Coop but also to national companies like Fedco, High Mowing Seeds and Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. This year, we're planting for seed: Snow peas, mustard greens, arugula, fava beans, pole beans, lettuce, kale, chard, carrots, onions and tomatoes.
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| Photo by Missy Sprouse. |
In the tech world, they'd call all of this somewhat of a "pivot" and that seems particularly applicable considering the other, agricultural, definition of pivot. We love the imagery the term gives -- the water direction and flow may change slightly but the whole thing still operates from its center. The engine driving the center of our pivot is running a farm that nourishes our family, our farm, our communities and our planet.
So, let's get this truck (farm) moving!
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| Photo by Missy Sprouse. |
Recipe: Farmer Jacob's Baba Ganoush
As you can see by the sea of eggplant above, we have a bumper crop of eggplant this year. Eggplant is a delicious, hearty vegetable, but it's unfamiliar to a lot of people (including us before we started growing it.) So, here's one of our favorite, and easiest ways to cook eggplant.
Baba Ganoush
Recipe by Jacob and adapted from Farmer John's Cookbook.2 T olive oil
2 medium eggplant
1/4 c lemon juice
1/3 c tahini
2 cloves garlic
1 t cumin
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
3 T fresh chopped parsley
I roasted the eggplant on the grill until the skins were charred. After they cooled, I threw the innards and all the ingredients in the food processor and blended away. That's it.
10 New Beginnings on the Farm This Spring
Starting this month, we'll be sending out regular emails with updates
and recipes from the farm. The aim is to keep you informed about the
farm, but also to share news and views about the local food landscape in
general. Click here to sign up for our email newsletter.
Here's the first of the season:
This month, we're gearing up for our 7th (!) growing season. It's just nuts to think it's been that long since we first put seeds in the ground and took our first farm share sign ups. We've grown so much as people, as a couple, as a family (we've grown to a family of four since we started) as farmers and small business owners.
You may have read this piece in the New York Times and this piece in Salon detailing how popular, but hard it is to do what we do. There's a lot of truth in what these two pieces detail: The economics of the small farm are challenging; It's nearly impossible to run a small farm without off-farm income; and as competition in the sustainable ag market increases, it all gets harder.
But, the picture isn't as gloomy as all that. When we set out seven years ago, the market for local veggies in Central Montana was nascent. The market for heritage and ancient local grains was even more nascent. Yet, here we are, seven years later (even though data from the Small Business Administration shows that only 50 percent of small businesses survive their first five years) growing and expanding -- into new areas and into new markets. That's not to say it hasn't been challenging to make ends meet and yes, we both still work off-farm jobs. We've had to "pivot," as they say in the tech world, more often to find more sustainable models and methods and markets, but we're still here, our customers are still here and we're still making it work and loving what we do.
Today, local food is growing in Central Montana with local grocers, restaurants and caterers looking for more products from farmers like us and with customers asking and committing to local food from local farmers. In some ways, it pays to be working in a market that's just starting to grow because it allows us all to experiment and grow together. We learn to stay resilient and courageous.
The seedlings are sprouting as I type and that always brings hope, enthusiasm and energy. It's one of the things we love about farming -- every 12 months, we get a new beginning.
Here are 10 things we're excited about as we start this new beginning:
1. We're growing earlier and earlier every year. And, later and later too. Already, we have kale and chard in the ground. And boy, these are resilient buggers -- they've already been frozen a few times and the wind hasn't exactly been kind. But, Jacob always says, "we don't give plants enough credit sometimes." And he's right. Our goal is to have this food ready in May for harvest and delivery to one of our biggest supporters: 2J's Fresh Market in Great Falls.
2. Speaking of, did you know that in addition to buying our veggies through our Community Supported Agriculture farm share programs and at the Great Falls Farmers Market, you can now also buy them at several local grocers? 2J's Fresh Market is our biggest buyer but you can also find our salad mix and other veggies at Daisy's Deli and most everything we grow at our friend Jill Owen's awesome store Mountain Front Market in Choteau. Bert and Ernie's has also been using some of our local fare (for three amazing farm-to-table events last year) and soon, you'll find our goodies at the new Electric City Coffee.
It's been so fun to work with other small businesses to expand the offerings for local food in Central Montana. And, the diversification is good for our bottom line. We're always trying to find the right balance of direct sales, CSA and wholesale. I think we're getting to the sweet spot.
3. We've shortened our CSA farm share season a little -- from 18-20 weeks to 16 weeks. We started noticing over the last few years that customers were as fatigued as we were by the end of the season and we wanted to be able to offer a more affordable entry into our share program. So, we now offer 16 weeks of fresh vegetables for $480 for a full share or $290 for a half share (deliveries every other week).
4. We're always trying to innovate and experiment and this year is no exception. Some fun things we're trying: developing a consistent red bell pepper, growing sunflowers for seed, trying out a white lentil variety, improving our popcorn varieties, expanding our heritage barley and wheat varieties, expanding our orchard, and installing a moveable high tunnel.
5. We're expanding and changing our grain business to include mail-order direct sales through our grain-of-the-month club, which we call the "Grainy Day Box" subscription program. Grainy Day members get a monthly package of 2 or 4 pounds of our heritage and ancient grains delivered right to their door, with recipes and ideas for how to enjoy these resilient, nutrient-dense grains.
6. This month, we unwrapped our stone mill and started the process of being able to offer fresh, stone-ground flour from our heritage and ancient grains. We're so excited to fire it up and start selling. We'll keep you updated on our progress. We're hoping to have everything in place to meet regulations and start selling and shipping by early fall.
7. We, and a few of our customers, have been enjoying Jacob's 100% whole wheat artisan sourdough bread for years, made from our Sonora Heritage wheat. This year, we're scaling up to offer the bread, which we call "Farmer Bread" in larger quantities and more widely, so we invested in a double oven and Jacob's been fine tuning the recipe all winter. We'll be selling at the Great Falls Farmers Market when it begins in June, but have designs on being able to offer the bread more widely as soon as we get our mill and baking building up to code.
8. We are a founding member of a new cooperative, growing, developing, and selling locally adapted, resilient vegetable seeds. Prairie Heritage Farm and a half dozen other farms have created the Triple Divide Organic Seeds Cooperative. Look for our seed rack at local grocery stores in the future. For now, you can either pick up seeds at our booth at the Farmers Market in Great Falls or they're available at Third Street Market, Whitefish; Delaney's Landscape Center, Polson; Swan River Nursery, Bigfork; Missoula Food Coop, Missoula; Good Food Store, Missoula; Planet Natural, Bozeman; Real Food Store, Helena; and Lakeland Feed & Supply, Hamilton.
9. We are delighted to welcome Ben and Sarah Klein and their little man, Benjamin, to the farm this season as apprentices. They've already arrived and have folded beautifully into the farmstead. They're anxious to get growing and we're anxious for you to meet them.
10. We have grown our farm "family" with about 20 laying hens and 6 sheep (with 3 of them pregnant). If you are interested in eggs or lamb, please let us know.
I just noticed how often I used the word "resilient" in this newsletter, which, I think, is telling. Resiliency drives everything we do, really -- from the seeds we put in the ground to the food system we're working on; from the business models we use to the relationships we're creating and even to the children we're raising.
Thanks for being a part of that resiliency.
Until next time, may you be warm, well-fed and happy.
Courtney, Jacob, Willa and Eli
This month, we're gearing up for our 7th (!) growing season. It's just nuts to think it's been that long since we first put seeds in the ground and took our first farm share sign ups. We've grown so much as people, as a couple, as a family (we've grown to a family of four since we started) as farmers and small business owners.
You may have read this piece in the New York Times and this piece in Salon detailing how popular, but hard it is to do what we do. There's a lot of truth in what these two pieces detail: The economics of the small farm are challenging; It's nearly impossible to run a small farm without off-farm income; and as competition in the sustainable ag market increases, it all gets harder.
But, the picture isn't as gloomy as all that. When we set out seven years ago, the market for local veggies in Central Montana was nascent. The market for heritage and ancient local grains was even more nascent. Yet, here we are, seven years later (even though data from the Small Business Administration shows that only 50 percent of small businesses survive their first five years) growing and expanding -- into new areas and into new markets. That's not to say it hasn't been challenging to make ends meet and yes, we both still work off-farm jobs. We've had to "pivot," as they say in the tech world, more often to find more sustainable models and methods and markets, but we're still here, our customers are still here and we're still making it work and loving what we do.
Today, local food is growing in Central Montana with local grocers, restaurants and caterers looking for more products from farmers like us and with customers asking and committing to local food from local farmers. In some ways, it pays to be working in a market that's just starting to grow because it allows us all to experiment and grow together. We learn to stay resilient and courageous.
The seedlings are sprouting as I type and that always brings hope, enthusiasm and energy. It's one of the things we love about farming -- every 12 months, we get a new beginning.
Here are 10 things we're excited about as we start this new beginning:
1. We're growing earlier and earlier every year. And, later and later too. Already, we have kale and chard in the ground. And boy, these are resilient buggers -- they've already been frozen a few times and the wind hasn't exactly been kind. But, Jacob always says, "we don't give plants enough credit sometimes." And he's right. Our goal is to have this food ready in May for harvest and delivery to one of our biggest supporters: 2J's Fresh Market in Great Falls.
2. Speaking of, did you know that in addition to buying our veggies through our Community Supported Agriculture farm share programs and at the Great Falls Farmers Market, you can now also buy them at several local grocers? 2J's Fresh Market is our biggest buyer but you can also find our salad mix and other veggies at Daisy's Deli and most everything we grow at our friend Jill Owen's awesome store Mountain Front Market in Choteau. Bert and Ernie's has also been using some of our local fare (for three amazing farm-to-table events last year) and soon, you'll find our goodies at the new Electric City Coffee.
It's been so fun to work with other small businesses to expand the offerings for local food in Central Montana. And, the diversification is good for our bottom line. We're always trying to find the right balance of direct sales, CSA and wholesale. I think we're getting to the sweet spot.
3. We've shortened our CSA farm share season a little -- from 18-20 weeks to 16 weeks. We started noticing over the last few years that customers were as fatigued as we were by the end of the season and we wanted to be able to offer a more affordable entry into our share program. So, we now offer 16 weeks of fresh vegetables for $480 for a full share or $290 for a half share (deliveries every other week).
4. We're always trying to innovate and experiment and this year is no exception. Some fun things we're trying: developing a consistent red bell pepper, growing sunflowers for seed, trying out a white lentil variety, improving our popcorn varieties, expanding our heritage barley and wheat varieties, expanding our orchard, and installing a moveable high tunnel.
5. We're expanding and changing our grain business to include mail-order direct sales through our grain-of-the-month club, which we call the "Grainy Day Box" subscription program. Grainy Day members get a monthly package of 2 or 4 pounds of our heritage and ancient grains delivered right to their door, with recipes and ideas for how to enjoy these resilient, nutrient-dense grains.
6. This month, we unwrapped our stone mill and started the process of being able to offer fresh, stone-ground flour from our heritage and ancient grains. We're so excited to fire it up and start selling. We'll keep you updated on our progress. We're hoping to have everything in place to meet regulations and start selling and shipping by early fall.
7. We, and a few of our customers, have been enjoying Jacob's 100% whole wheat artisan sourdough bread for years, made from our Sonora Heritage wheat. This year, we're scaling up to offer the bread, which we call "Farmer Bread" in larger quantities and more widely, so we invested in a double oven and Jacob's been fine tuning the recipe all winter. We'll be selling at the Great Falls Farmers Market when it begins in June, but have designs on being able to offer the bread more widely as soon as we get our mill and baking building up to code.
8. We are a founding member of a new cooperative, growing, developing, and selling locally adapted, resilient vegetable seeds. Prairie Heritage Farm and a half dozen other farms have created the Triple Divide Organic Seeds Cooperative. Look for our seed rack at local grocery stores in the future. For now, you can either pick up seeds at our booth at the Farmers Market in Great Falls or they're available at Third Street Market, Whitefish; Delaney's Landscape Center, Polson; Swan River Nursery, Bigfork; Missoula Food Coop, Missoula; Good Food Store, Missoula; Planet Natural, Bozeman; Real Food Store, Helena; and Lakeland Feed & Supply, Hamilton.
9. We are delighted to welcome Ben and Sarah Klein and their little man, Benjamin, to the farm this season as apprentices. They've already arrived and have folded beautifully into the farmstead. They're anxious to get growing and we're anxious for you to meet them.
10. We have grown our farm "family" with about 20 laying hens and 6 sheep (with 3 of them pregnant). If you are interested in eggs or lamb, please let us know.
I just noticed how often I used the word "resilient" in this newsletter, which, I think, is telling. Resiliency drives everything we do, really -- from the seeds we put in the ground to the food system we're working on; from the business models we use to the relationships we're creating and even to the children we're raising.
Thanks for being a part of that resiliency.
Until next time, may you be warm, well-fed and happy.
Courtney, Jacob, Willa and Eli
Seeds of New Beginnings
We can taste spring in the air. It's almost here.
As we patiently (or not so patiently) wait, we've been seeding in the warmth of the greenhouse -- the ultimate act of hope.
We love the new beginnings that a tiny seed, and another spring, can bring. Sunshine, hope, promise.
Speaking of seeds and hope and new beginnings, Prairie Heritage Farm is thrilled to be a founding member of the Triple Divide Organic Seed Co-op, which is putting up these gorgeous displays of northern-adapted seeds for farms and gardens across Montana.
You can find our seeds at Third Street Market in Whitefish; Delaneys Landscape Center in Polson; Swan River Nursery in Bigfork; Missoula Food Coop in Missoula; Good Food Store in Missoula; Planet Natural in Bozeman; Real Food Store in Helena; and Lakeland Feed & Supply, Hamilton.
As we patiently (or not so patiently) wait, we've been seeding in the warmth of the greenhouse -- the ultimate act of hope.
We love the new beginnings that a tiny seed, and another spring, can bring. Sunshine, hope, promise.
Speaking of seeds and hope and new beginnings, Prairie Heritage Farm is thrilled to be a founding member of the Triple Divide Organic Seed Co-op, which is putting up these gorgeous displays of northern-adapted seeds for farms and gardens across Montana.
You can find our seeds at Third Street Market in Whitefish; Delaneys Landscape Center in Polson; Swan River Nursery in Bigfork; Missoula Food Coop in Missoula; Good Food Store in Missoula; Planet Natural in Bozeman; Real Food Store in Helena; and Lakeland Feed & Supply, Hamilton.
Ch-ch-changes
We're heading into our third year on our gorgeous farm and our 7th (!) year of farming. Here's to hard work, progress (no matter how slow it seems at the time) and the ever-present promise that the seasons bring. Happy New Year!
This is the farm in August 2012 right before we first moved here, and here it is in August 2014.
This is the farm in August 2012 right before we first moved here, and here it is in August 2014.
Grilled Lettuce (Wait... What?)
We're at the Great Falls Farmer's Market again this season after a few years off. We did the market our first two years, but then kids arrived and we took a little break, focusing on selling our food through our farm shares (CSA) and wholesale to our favorite places (Mountain Front Market in Choteau, 2J's Fresh Market in Great Falls, Daisy's Deli in Great Falls and soon, Wines by Wednesday in Great Falls.)
While all that (CSA and wholesale) continues to grow, we still decided to do the market this year, mostly in an effort to support the food community in Great Falls and meet more people who might be interested in what we do and grow.
So, far, it's been slow, though. I'm trying not to feel desperate about it. My hope is that it picks up as people get to know us again. It's still early. We have a nice display (if I do say so myself), and we're trying to put all sorts of tips we've heard and found to use. So, it will pick up. I know it will.
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But for now, I'm bringing home a fair bit of produce after each market. This week, I brought home more lettuce than I would like to.
We won't sell that lettuce wholesale after it's been in cooler for four hours and we won't give our CSA members anything but the freshest picked produce either.
So, that leaves it up to us to eat everything we bring home.
Kale and chard and other veggies I can freeze for winter. Or, make smoothies or make kale chips (which is how we powered through 6 bunches of kale in one day this week) or soups for the freezer.
But lettuce. You can only eat so many salads, you know?
So, I've been doing a riduculous amount of research on non-salad uses of lettuce. As it turns out, there's lots of things you can do with lettuce that don't involve chopping it up and slathering it with ranch dressing. (Who knew? Certainly not me.)
This one, so far has been my favorite.
Grilled Lettuce
Most recipes on the web call for only romaine hearts, but we thought grilled Black Seeded Simpson lettuce was DELICIOUS. The thing about the lettuce we grow is that it actually tastes good. It actually has flavor and texture -- not that lifeless stuff that's been on a truck for the last week. The charring just makes our lettuce even better, bringing out those unique flavors and characteristics.
Here's what you'll need:
1 huge head of Black Seeded Simpson (or romaine) lettuce
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper
Here's what you'll do:
1. Preheat your grill to medium high heat.
2. Trim off most of the leafy part of the lettuce head and throw that in a salad spinner to wash up and use later for a salad (dang! there's still a salad involved!) or sandwhiches or wraps or whatever.
3. Cut the head down the center of the stalk. (Here's where this gets awesome. Normally, we don't use the stalk -- especially as the season progresses and that stalk gets thicker and longer. Why don't we use it? Because it's thick and doesn't quite fit in a salad. But, grilled! Oh my!)
4. Submerge both sides into cold water for a few seconds to get it cleaned in all its crevasses.
5. Pat dry and let drain a little on a platter.
6. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a generous amount of course salt and pepper (a little minced garlic too if you're into that.)
7. Place on the hot grill and grill for 5 minutes or so a piece -- until the stalk is tender and the leaves are bit charred and crispy.
8. Top with Parmesan cheese or a creamy dressing and eat with a knife and fork, like a big beautiful green steak.
Other ideas for lettuce:
Lettuce wraps, including tacos! (We love this awesome lentil taco filling with our black lentils.)
Lettuce soup
Lettuce smoothies
While all that (CSA and wholesale) continues to grow, we still decided to do the market this year, mostly in an effort to support the food community in Great Falls and meet more people who might be interested in what we do and grow.
So, far, it's been slow, though. I'm trying not to feel desperate about it. My hope is that it picks up as people get to know us again. It's still early. We have a nice display (if I do say so myself), and we're trying to put all sorts of tips we've heard and found to use. So, it will pick up. I know it will.
But for now, I'm bringing home a fair bit of produce after each market. This week, I brought home more lettuce than I would like to.
We won't sell that lettuce wholesale after it's been in cooler for four hours and we won't give our CSA members anything but the freshest picked produce either.
So, that leaves it up to us to eat everything we bring home.
Kale and chard and other veggies I can freeze for winter. Or, make smoothies or make kale chips (which is how we powered through 6 bunches of kale in one day this week) or soups for the freezer.
But lettuce. You can only eat so many salads, you know?
So, I've been doing a riduculous amount of research on non-salad uses of lettuce. As it turns out, there's lots of things you can do with lettuce that don't involve chopping it up and slathering it with ranch dressing. (Who knew? Certainly not me.)
This one, so far has been my favorite.
Grilled Lettuce
Most recipes on the web call for only romaine hearts, but we thought grilled Black Seeded Simpson lettuce was DELICIOUS. The thing about the lettuce we grow is that it actually tastes good. It actually has flavor and texture -- not that lifeless stuff that's been on a truck for the last week. The charring just makes our lettuce even better, bringing out those unique flavors and characteristics.
Here's what you'll need:
1 huge head of Black Seeded Simpson (or romaine) lettuce
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper
Here's what you'll do:
1. Preheat your grill to medium high heat.
2. Trim off most of the leafy part of the lettuce head and throw that in a salad spinner to wash up and use later for a salad (dang! there's still a salad involved!) or sandwhiches or wraps or whatever.
3. Cut the head down the center of the stalk. (Here's where this gets awesome. Normally, we don't use the stalk -- especially as the season progresses and that stalk gets thicker and longer. Why don't we use it? Because it's thick and doesn't quite fit in a salad. But, grilled! Oh my!)
4. Submerge both sides into cold water for a few seconds to get it cleaned in all its crevasses.
5. Pat dry and let drain a little on a platter.
6. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a generous amount of course salt and pepper (a little minced garlic too if you're into that.)
7. Place on the hot grill and grill for 5 minutes or so a piece -- until the stalk is tender and the leaves are bit charred and crispy.
8. Top with Parmesan cheese or a creamy dressing and eat with a knife and fork, like a big beautiful green steak.
Other ideas for lettuce:
Lettuce wraps, including tacos! (We love this awesome lentil taco filling with our black lentils.)
Lettuce soup
Lettuce smoothies
2014 Veggie Farm Share (CSA) Delivery Schedule
Great Falls:
Thursdays, from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
at Gibson Park(Half Shares pick up every other week starting with the first pick up on June 5.)
Choteau:
Thursdays, after 4:00 p.m. at
Mountain Front Market
(Half Shares pick up every other week starting with the first pick up on June 5.)
(Our long-time customer and farm friend Terri (Thanks so much Terri) will be doing the delivery this year so you'll go around back to get your share out of the white cooler. Terri will drop the cooler by no later than 4:00 every Thursday. But after you pick up, go into Mountain Front Market and buy a bunch of food from Jill too! :)
(Our long-time customer and farm friend Terri (Thanks so much Terri) will be doing the delivery this year so you'll go around back to get your share out of the white cooler. Terri will drop the cooler by no later than 4:00 every Thursday. But after you pick up, go into Mountain Front Market and buy a bunch of food from Jill too! :)
Helena (Half Shares Only)
Thursdays, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at 705 Saddle Drive.
(First pick up is June 12.)
What to Expect
With the Prairie Heritage Farm CSA you can expect:
-To eat in season. Your first few shares will be early-season crops like lettuce, greens (kale, chard, etc), radishes and the like. Your first share will be baby greens, salad mix and greens mix. We'll ramp up as the season progresses.
-You'll get a weekly newsletter via email with information on the week's share and recipes to give you some new ideas in the kitchen. (So make sure we have the right email address for you!)
-Everything you get in your share will either be harvested that morning or, at the very longest, the night before. There's nothing like fresh-picked homegrown produce.
-To know your farmers. There are many reasons it's good to know your farmers, but one big one is that you have a direct line of communication with us. So, we hope throughout the season you'll tell us what's working for you and what could be better. If you want more of one thing and/or less of another, please let us know. We keep our CSA numbers small so we can have a direct relationship with you and can make sure this isn't a one-size-fits-all program. We understand that different families have different needs and preferences. So, let us know if we can do anything to make the program work better for you and your family.
-Please bring your own bags to pick up your produce
With the Prairie Heritage Farm CSA you can expect:
-To eat in season. Your first few shares will be early-season crops like lettuce, greens (kale, chard, etc), radishes and the like. Your first share will be baby greens, salad mix and greens mix. We'll ramp up as the season progresses.
-You'll get a weekly newsletter via email with information on the week's share and recipes to give you some new ideas in the kitchen. (So make sure we have the right email address for you!)
-Everything you get in your share will either be harvested that morning or, at the very longest, the night before. There's nothing like fresh-picked homegrown produce.
-To know your farmers. There are many reasons it's good to know your farmers, but one big one is that you have a direct line of communication with us. So, we hope throughout the season you'll tell us what's working for you and what could be better. If you want more of one thing and/or less of another, please let us know. We keep our CSA numbers small so we can have a direct relationship with you and can make sure this isn't a one-size-fits-all program. We understand that different families have different needs and preferences. So, let us know if we can do anything to make the program work better for you and your family.
-Please bring your own bags to pick up your produce
If You Can't Pick Up
If you are not able to pick up your share, it is your responsibility to make arrangements to have someone else pick up your share or you can choose to donate it back to the farm. Please be respectful of the time and energy it takes to harvest and put together your share and let us know -- with some advance -- if you'll need to skip a week. We can be flexible on where and when you pick up to make it work -- we just need a heads up.
5 Reasons to Join a Farm Share (CSA) Program
The Prairie Heritage Farm Vegetable Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA) is a unique way to get local, seasonal, healthy, organic vegetables to your table every week.
We offer two types of shares: A full share (delivered every week) and a half share (delivered every other week). A full share will feed a family of 3-4, or a couple who eats a lot of vegetables. A half share is great for a light-veggie-eating couple or one person.
See more information here.
Now, to the 5 reasons you should join...
Eating from your “foodshed” has many benefits. The first one is easy to quantify because it's economic. Each dollar you spend with a local farmer multiplies as we send it back into our community via stores, suppliers, mechanics and the like. The next benefit is a bit more nebulous, but just as powerful: taste of place. When you eat locally, you are cultivating a taste of where you live – putting the “culture” into agriculture. And, the closer your food is, the less fuel it takes to get to you and the fresher it is. Which brings us to ...
And by “fresh” we mean truly fresh – as in picked that morning. Fresh food not only tastes better (and we're talking way better), it lasts longer, which means you waste less and save money.
Organic is about more than just what a farmer doesn't do. Of course, we don't use synthetic fertilizers or chemicals of any kind. But, being certified organic doesn't stop there. It means we are caring for the whole ecosystem in which our farm operates, doing things like rotating crops to build the soil, planting trees to keep erosion down and making sure that our seeds were also developed organically, among many other things. We take the extra steps to certify ourselves because even though we have a relationship with most of the people who eat our food, (and thus, they know how we farm) we believe that the checks and balances and education that certification offers helps the organic community at large – and that means we are supporting the promise that when you buy anything “organic” you can be certain that it lives up to that name.
Each week, you'll get something new in your share – maybe even something you've never had before. Eating in season means you get to be an “Iron Chef” of sorts. When you start a meal based on what's best and fresh right now, it changes the way you see food. It changes the way it tastes. It's endlessly fun to experiment and create when the food is this good and fresh. And, we all get to be creative together. We love sharing recipes from our own kitchen as well as those of our customers. Each week, you'll get lots of ideas for how to use all these veggies in our newsletter.
Knowing your farmer means you get to create a different kind of relationship with your food. When you get to really be a part of a farm, as you are with a farm share, you get an important connection. Not only do you get an upfront look at the health and safety of your food, but you also share in both the bounty and the risk of farming. And because of that, food becomes something more than just a means to an end, more than just fuel or a commodity. It becomes personal. You start watching the weather. You start thinking differently about soil and fertility and the seasons.
Find out more and how you can join the Prairie Heritage Farm CSA here.
We offer two types of shares: A full share (delivered every week) and a half share (delivered every other week). A full share will feed a family of 3-4, or a couple who eats a lot of vegetables. A half share is great for a light-veggie-eating couple or one person.
 |
| A typical July share. |
See more information here.
Now, to the 5 reasons you should join...
1. Eat local.
Eating from your “foodshed” has many benefits. The first one is easy to quantify because it's economic. Each dollar you spend with a local farmer multiplies as we send it back into our community via stores, suppliers, mechanics and the like. The next benefit is a bit more nebulous, but just as powerful: taste of place. When you eat locally, you are cultivating a taste of where you live – putting the “culture” into agriculture. And, the closer your food is, the less fuel it takes to get to you and the fresher it is. Which brings us to ...
2. Eat fresh.
And by “fresh” we mean truly fresh – as in picked that morning. Fresh food not only tastes better (and we're talking way better), it lasts longer, which means you waste less and save money.
3. Eat organic.
Organic is about more than just what a farmer doesn't do. Of course, we don't use synthetic fertilizers or chemicals of any kind. But, being certified organic doesn't stop there. It means we are caring for the whole ecosystem in which our farm operates, doing things like rotating crops to build the soil, planting trees to keep erosion down and making sure that our seeds were also developed organically, among many other things. We take the extra steps to certify ourselves because even though we have a relationship with most of the people who eat our food, (and thus, they know how we farm) we believe that the checks and balances and education that certification offers helps the organic community at large – and that means we are supporting the promise that when you buy anything “organic” you can be certain that it lives up to that name.
4. Eat creatively.
5. Know your farm, your farmer and your food.
Knowing your farmer means you get to create a different kind of relationship with your food. When you get to really be a part of a farm, as you are with a farm share, you get an important connection. Not only do you get an upfront look at the health and safety of your food, but you also share in both the bounty and the risk of farming. And because of that, food becomes something more than just a means to an end, more than just fuel or a commodity. It becomes personal. You start watching the weather. You start thinking differently about soil and fertility and the seasons.
Find out more and how you can join the Prairie Heritage Farm CSA here.
Happy Earth Day: Celebrate by Supporting Local Food in the Great Falls Area!
Happy Earth Day! To celebrate, we planted hundreds of trees today to build the shelterbelt along the South side of the vegetable garden.
2J's has been a big supporter of what we do. In general, they do a lot to help promote local food in the Great(er) Falls area, but they also buy and sell quite a few of our veggies.
This year, we're planning to produce even more for the market. We will be at the store on Friday afternoon to sample a few of our favorite dishes and talk to people about local agriculture and Community Supported Agriculture farm shares. Come by and say hello if you're in the neighborhood.
And, now, in other news from the farm.
We have pigs. (Thanks to the pork operation over at Groundworks. Hoo boy. They raise some good pastured pork.)
And sheep.
And sheep with baby lambs.
And on the grains front, we've started working with this ahhh-maze-ing coffee shop in Great Falls, The Crooked Tree. They've been experimenting with some of our flour and will be using some of our veggies this season as well in their baked goods.
And we've been doing some experimenting on our own. Sonora Heritage Wheat makes super good whole-wheat tortillas. It's truly incredible how different something can taste when you use fresh, high-quality ingredients. (I detest flour tortillas normally.) We're thinking of calling these Willa's Tortillas. (See what I did there?)
Farro Recipe: Prairie Farrotto
The last two weekends, we've been offering tastings of our favorite ancient grain: Farro. As I've mentioned before, our Prairie Farro is quite versatile. It's great in soups, salads or as hot cereal. It's a big, nutty, flavorful grain that feels hearty and healthy.
Lately, I've been making quite a bit of "Farrotto" -- like risotto, only with Farro. The trick here is to pre-cook the Farro a little to open up the grain and get it ready to absorb all the goodness in which you're about to simmer it. (Our Prairie Farro takes a little longer to cook because it's the whole grain. Most other Farro or Emmer you might find in stores is cracked or pearled, which is fine if you want to shave off a little cooking time, but pearling does strip away some of the nutrients and fiber and flavor of the grain. We're big proponents of eating truly whole grains so we everything is there to do as nature intended it to do, so our grains are always whole.)
Here's a favorite version, but feel free to play around with spices, etc.
Prairie Farrotto
1 cup Prairie Farro (Email us at farmer -at- prairieheritagefarm.com to order some. We ship!)
1 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic
½ onion, chopped
1 Stalk celery
1 medium carrot
1 cup broth
½ c dry white wine
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried sage (or basil or whatever strikes your fancy)
Parmesean cheese (for the top)
Fresh parsley (for the top)
- In large pot, boil Prairie Farro for 45 minutes to an hour, until tender and chewy. Drain. (I boil our Farro like you would pasta – in lots of water and then drained.)
- In heavy-bottomed large saucepan or pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until softened.
- Add celery and carrots and saute until glistening.
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sage.
- Add Farro and stir, gently sauteeing the grain until shiny.
- Add wine, broth and bay leaves and turn heat down to a low simmer.
- Simmer for about 30 minutes to an hour, adding more broth and stirring as needed if grain gets dry.
- Serve hot and sprinkled with good, strong Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
The 2013 Season (Year 5 of ?)
By far, the biggest news of 2013 was the birth of our second child, a son we named Elias Leavy, who was born on May 9th. As I write this, he's a smiling, giggling, crawling, solid-food-eating little 8-month old. As when Willa was born (who is now 3), every day is an entirely new experience, fraught with challenges, but also delights. Sleep and routine are relative terms.
Courtney continues her part-time work in addition to teaching an online class for the University of Montana. I lobbied at the state legislature for a farm organization from January through April and taught an online class for UM as well. I also took on work as a substitute Postal Service rural mail carrier. That means that I deliver the mail when the main carrier is sick or takes vacation (about 30 days a year).
2013 was our first full season on our new farm. We had broken ground for the vegetables the previous fall, but felt we needed just a bit more room, so worked more ground in the spring. We have about 4 acres under cultivation. That ground also includes cover crops, milk thistle, our heritage and ancient wheat trials, and our dry flour corn.
Weeks in Photos
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| Claytonia. |
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| Cucumber seed. |
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| High tunnel winter crops. |
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| Low tunnel winter crops. |
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| Minutina. |
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| Planting garlic. |
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| Turkeys on a fence. |
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| White Bush Lebanese summer squash seed. |
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| First winter CSA share. |
Weeks in Photos
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| Buckwheat harvest. |
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| Tom Thumb popcorn and Painted Mountain flour corn. |
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| The final summer squash harvest. |
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| The selections for seed of the Painted Mountain corn harvest. |
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| Painted Mountain corn. |
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| Red Kuri winter squash and White Bush Lebanese summer squash for seed. |
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| Winter rye and hairy vetch germinated for a winter cover crop. |
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| Tom Thumb popcorn. |
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| Tom Thumb popcorn. |
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| The first load of the winter squash and pumpkin harvest. |
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