Farmer Cookout

Friday was an unusually long day here at Crazy View. Of course, it was a pick-wash-pack day to prep for the Saturday market in Livingston. So we knocked that out in no time and then got to the real business: prepping for a visit from the farmers and farm interns at Gallatin Valley Botanical for a tour of the place and a cookout.

The GVB farmers Matt and Jacy brought their team of five interns over to check out our farm. They are paid interns all with strong ambitions to run a farm. GVB is seven acres with a large CSA so they have their work cut out for them. Part of their internship is learning about how other farms run their operations and so they spent the day touring the two Wilsall farms - Cloud9 and ours.

The GVB crew brought a ton of great stuff for the cookout. Matt grilled up goat kilbasa and venison burgers and Laurie cooked up amazing pasta salad and sides. We feasted like kings on the porch all night and drank a good deal of Bozone beer and wine.

As the night wore on, rumbles of desert grew louder until Laurie called in a big favor -- we got a five gallon tub of Montana Moose Moss ice cream from the Cafe just before they closed!

It didn't take long for us hungry farm hands to put a serious dent in the ice cream. Not long after 10, the long work day caught up to all of us and we called it a night and bid our new farmer friends adeiu.

Revamping the Hoop House

The hoop house had seen better days.  The tatsoi had bolted and gone to flower.  Just about all the heads of lettuce were harvested.  The spinach was long gone.  Aphids were starting to take control.  And the tomatoes and peppers were ready to be planted.  

So we tried a simple idea.  After removing the tomatoes and peppers we closed all four sides of the hoop house up.  The theory being that it would kill off all the plants, weeds, and aphids still trapped inside.  It didn't quite work out that well.  

Although it did get quite hot inside all of the plants and weed seemed to flourish.  Even after a week with no water and high temps there was barely any yellow to be seen.  On the plus side it did seem to put a hurt on the aphid population.  Hoooray!!


With the tomatoes and peppers beginning to root out the bottom of their pots we couldn't wait much longer.  Laurie finally made the call to go in and rip it all out.  Sara spent an entire day pulling everything.

The next day Moreo, Andrea, and I began to plant.  Digging holes and putting plants into them.  All day long.  We got all 105 pepper plants that were left and 60 of the tomato plants.  The day after I finished the tomatoes and went on to plant squash and cucumbers.  A complete transformation of the hoop house.  And it looks great.

Music on Main

Thursday was our usual upkeep day.  Some weeding and some planting in various gardens.  Nothing special.  But after work we headed into Bozeman for the Music on Main.  It was a band we never heard of but we needed to get to town and pick up our van anyway so we went to check it out.


After we got the van we managed to find a parking spot not too far from the stage.  It was still a while until the music would start so we walked down main street.  Checked out a couple shops while we walked.  When we finished walking to the end of the blocked off section the band still hadn't started.  My stomach was starting to growl.  After much discussion and walking in and out of a few places we settled on the burrito joint.  They were delicious.


The music was in full swing as we returned to the street.  So we moseyed on down to the stage and found a good spot.

Toward the end of the show we decided to skip out a little early.  And good thing too as soon as we shut the doors on the van the rain started.  We managed to beat the rush though.  Hopped onto the expressway and enjoyed a beautiful drive home.

Abe and Beth Stop by the Farm

We've had the good (great!) fortune of having so many visitors to the farm in the past couple of weeks. The latest were my friends Abe and Beth who I know from working to end the death penalty - they're national abolitionist superstars - and their son Issac. Beth is a Montana native and here for a family event. So we had the good pleasure of their visit before they head back home to the DC area.

We started where every farm tour with a kid in tow should: the big animals. We visited the horses and, when they wouldn't come all the way to the fence, we went in the pen to see them.

Beth's an old horse pro - she knew just what to do. That's the advantage of growing up on a farm - a natural calmness big animals that really could do some damage to you if they wanted to. Isaac inherited that gene too.

After giving lots of love to the equines, we checked out the chickens, ducks and the gardens.

After the brief tour, we headed "downtown" for dinner at the Wilsall Cafe. We thoroughly enjoyed beef care of Muddy Creek Ranch at the Cafe and then came back to the farm for a quick bite of brownie before the family had to head back to Bozeman for their early morning flights.

It was so great to have them visit and get all the latest gossip on the abolition movement. Thanks so much for coming out to see us!

Fairy Lake

Sunday was rather uneventful.  We mostly hung out watching netflix.  Squeezed in a small nap.  Later we all hung out on the back porch.

Monday we had plans of getting up early and going out for a hike.  We didn't quite wake up early but it was already a gorgeous day when we did get up.  Grabbed a little breakfast and discussed our plan.  We looked at a few hikes and decided that we should go to Fairy Lake and bring Boo with.  So we threw a few things together and borrowed Sara's car.


The drive up to the lake is beautiful.  It took us about 45 min to get to the parking lot.  We got out and were off on the path to the lake.  We noticed that there were a ton of horse-flys but didn't think much of it at first.  Not far from the lot the trees open up and the view of Fairy Lake is gorgeous.

As we were hanging out and Boo was swimming, the flys began to get extremely bothersome.  So instead of eating lunch there we packed it up and headed back home.  And a nice uneventful night to cap it off.

Bob and Edie come to dinner

An exciting Saturday.  For first time we sold at two markets at once.  Laurie went to the Bozeman market while Liz and I went to the Livingston market.  The market in Livingston is pretty small with just a few farmer vendor.  It was cool to hang out with our fellow veggie growers but the customers were not very plentiful.  It was the first market of the season so hopefully interest will grow over the summer.


We got back home and had some lunch.  Shortly after that Laurie got home.  Not much longer til the boys woke up.  We all did a little bit of straightening up around the house.  And then we brought the tables and chairs out onto the deck.  It's been so nice out lately we decided to eat outside.  With the tables and chairs set up Liz and I put up the canopy while Laurie began dinner.


It was a well attended event.  Laurie's friends Cindi and Deb are here visiting from New Hampshire, and Bob and Edie were coming over to join us. They're longtime friends of Laurie and Billy and run Muddy Creek Ranch. As the sun began to set we gathered round the table, feasted on vino and Laurie's famous arugula pesto shrimp pasta.

L-R: David, Billy, Edie, Bob, Deb

After dinner Laurie brought Luggs over to see Eddie and visit with us. Because who doesn't have donkeys on their porch.

It was a lovely evening and we all hung out and chatted til there was no sight of the sun.  As the party died down and everyone turned in Liz, Boo, and I walked out into the fields.  The almost full moon was lighting everything up quite a bit.  With a little foresight we had set up a tent in the field earlier in the afternoon.  It was perfect to lay out with a great view of the night sky.

Another Maintenance Day (with Chicago-style Pizza!)

Vacations are always too short, aren't they?


Now that the excitement of having my parents visit for the week has subsided, we're back to business on the farm.  And, as usual, Thursday was a maintenance day on the farm.  That means we take a crack at the never-ending to-do list.  


We spent all day planting out in Garden 2.  We had some fantastically-growing seedlings in flats that have been hanging out on the porch just screaming to be planted in the ground so they could stretch their legs.  So we planted the biggest and brightest of the lettuce starts for most of the day on Thursday under a blazing sun.  I didn't have nearly enough sunscreen on and now I'm paying for it with a vicious farmer's crescent on my back (think: plumbers butt sunburn...).

The best part of maintenance day is that all of us are in the same place working together unlike picking days where we're frantically all trying to fill our bushels. That means lots of belly-ache laughing, giving each other a hard time, storytelling and messing around.  We told the best kid jokes we could recall and guessed each other's middle names.  In no time, we wrapped up the day just as a drizzle fell over the farm.  

Dave and I headed off for Bozeman for a quick drive to drop off the van.  My friends Abe and Beth and their son Isaac are visiting from DC for a family event and are borrowing the van for the week while they're here (rentals are expensive).  The drizzle quickly turned into a torrential storm as we drove through Bridger Pass with cloud to ground lightening and weather alerts interrupting the news on the radio but we made it in and out of town uneventfully.

Until, nearly home.... 

Montana traffic jam!  There was a big cattle drive going down the road that had cars nearly at a stand still.  It was probably one of the coolest we've seen so far - instead of ATVs, they were real cowboys on horseback, complete with trench coats, spurs and bull whips (I didn't get the camera out in time to take a picture!).  

We were in a rush to get back because we knew what was home waiting for us: authentic Chicago-style deep dish Lou Malnatti's pizza shipped to us from Dave's Mom Mari and Aunt Margie as a birthday gift!

Amazing deep dish pizza!

How lucky are we?!  THANK YOU, Mari & Margie!  It was mouth-watering!  A perfect taste of home.


This pizza capped off one of the best birthdays of my whole life, between having my parents here, Sara's homemade Barbie birthday cake, Irish sausage straight from home, a card in the mail from my best girl friend, visiting Yellowstone, staying at the cabin in Big Sky - and being surrounded by some of the most incredible people I've ever met.  I couldn't have asked for more.

Yellowstone, Big Sky, and no access to wifi

Friday morning we embarked on vacation.  We awoke early to cook up some bangers that Liz's parents had brought.  After breakfast we were on the road.


We took the route to the North gate of Yellowstone.  It was a spectacular drive.  We stopped at a couple scenic spots along the way.  And before noon we had arrived at the park.  After getting through the gate just down the road is a beautiful stone arch from the time the park was built.  We stopped at the first visitor center by Mammoth hot springs.  Grabbed a little info and then walked around the boardwalks.  There is tons of underground thermal activity in Yellowstone.  The boardwalk at Mammoth weaves around some springs.

From there we drove through the park admiring all of the scenery.  We made it down to Canyon Village and stopped for lunch.  We again went into the visitor center.   There was many beautiful works of art there including some from Thomas Moran.  A painter whose work helped to make Yellowstone a National park.  Canyon Village sits atop one side of the grand canyon of Yellowstone.  We went up to Inspiration point with a breathtaking view of the canyon.

After that we decided to begin the trek out to Big Sky.  We were fortunate enough to stay at a friends cabin out there.  We arrived in the early evening.  The cabin was spectacular. A log cabin carved into the mountainside.  It had everything we could possibly want.  Except that the internet didn't work.  Hence the large gap in our posts.  But with that being the only problem we couldn't really complain.


The next morning we got somewhat of an early start and headed back to Yellowstone.  Again we took our time driving and stopped at many sights along the way.  We got to some boardwalks that weaved around a lot of geysers and hot springs.  Mostly clear water and beautiful colored minerals.

One of the turnouts we went by had a larger geyser by it.  And we happened to get there just before it erupted.  So we found a seat and watched it gush.

We continued along the path eventually winding up at Old Faithful.  It had just erupted when we got there so everyone was clearing out.  But it worked well for us because we got some front row seats.  We ate lunch and hung out until it erupted again.

As we finished our drive out we stopped at Canyon Village again.  We went up to Artist point.  It's on the other side of the canyon and allows a great view of the falls.

After that we headed back to the cabin.  With a stop in West Yellowstone for some pizza.


Sunday we stayed around the cabin.  Liz and I walked up the road a little bit to a trailhead.  It headed up to the old asbestos mine.  We didn't make it all the way to the mine but it was a beautiful hike and many spots for great views.

We got back just before the rain hit.  It was a nice relaxing day.  The next morning we cleaned up and headed back home to Wilsall.  We got back before dinner and kicked off our shoes.  Sara's parents had come out to the farm for dinner and we did it up right.

It was a wonderful weekend.  We would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. for coming out to see us and for everything while they were here.  And a thank you to the O'keefe/Sanson family for letting us stay at their cabin.  We couldn't have asked for a better vacation.

The Morans visit the farm

Another beautiful day in Wilsall.  Time to plant out some more seedlings.  We went out to garden 2 and started weeding.  The area that had been tilled not too long ago was filled with thistle.  While we were weeding David and Karen came by.  They were picking up some of the cattle out here.

While we took a break to watch that Liz's parents arrived at the farm.  They dove right in and helped us weed and plant.  Soon we stopped for lunch.  After we ate and talked we went out to show them around the farm.

As the afternoon was getting on we decided to make a trip down to the bar.  We had a couple beers and then continued down the road to see Billy at Muddy Creek.  He had a little bit of work to do before he was able to show us around so we went with for the work too.  It's hay cutting season and we had to drive a load of hay to it's drop spot.  Then we had a small tour of the farm and ended up feeding a bottle to the calf again.


We got back to the farm just in time for dinner.  Laurie had made some pesto from our fresh picked arugula at Liz's request.  It was superb.  We all had a pleasant evening together and watched the sunset on the porch.

The Morans come to visit

Yet another pick and pack day.  Same routine as always.  But after we got the truck loaded it was time for something new.  Today Liz's parents arrived in Bozeman.  They are in town for a week.  We met them at the farmer's market and introduced them to Laurie and Sara.  Then we took a stroll around.  After we finished looking at all the market had to offer we drove to downtown and walked around there.


An hour or so later it was back to the market to catch a little live music.  We found a bench to sit on and luckily so because the band had some trouble getting started.  But it did allow us time to get a picture taken.

From there we went out for a bite to eat.  And then all called it an early night.  Liz and I are looking forward to having a great adventure with them this next week,

Bozeman Knows How to Do a Farmers Market Right

"Get 'em here."

That's the big challenge of a farmers market: get people (consumers) there.

On Bozeman's Wednesday Farmers Market at Bogert Park, they've got it figured out. The market isn't just for shopping - it's a community experience. They bring in performers - yesterday there was a celtic duo and an orchestra on separate stages; they have food vendors with hot dogs and ice cream; the playground and water park are filled with families. And the best part - they go home with their reusable bags filled with farm-fresh food.

Last night's market was no exception. Added bonus: the weather was immaculate. We sold out of everything bagged - spinach, spicy salad mix, lettuce mix, arugula, cilantro, chard and dill and had a few head lettuces and mustard greens left over.

Laurie at the Crazy View table

It was a great ending to a long day of picking, cleaning and packing that we wrapped up only minutes before we needed to hit the road.

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July everyone!  It was a beautiful day here in Wilsall.  It was just right for washing cars.  So Sara and I did just that.

Later on Laurie and Billy went to go pick up some apple trees.  Us WWOOFers were just hanging out enjoying the day.  As the temperature increase I started to think of ways to cool down.  I had remembered that there was some long sheets of plastic out by garden 3.  I suggested to Andrea that we build a slip and slide.  Moments later we were in action.

It looked like it just might work.  So we turned on the hoses and went for it.  And it worked.

It worked so well the dogs even joined in.

Boo hot on my tail 

Mary riding on Moreo's head

Most of the day was spend hanging out in the backyard and every so often turning the water on to take a few runs.

Soon it was time to fire up the grill.  Laurie had gotten some ground beef from Muddy Creek and it was time to eat my meatday present of Portillo's hot dogs.  Laurie also made potato salad and pasta salad.  It turned into quite a nice spread.  We even had a couple WWOOFers from another farm stop by.

Chicago dog from Portillo's.  Thanks Nate.

Everyone relaxed on the porch for the rest of the evening.

Happy Birthday Dad!




P.S.  We took a lot of pictures yesterday so don't forget to check out our Winkflash album.

Smoke Signals

Pinky and the Floyd

After laying around all morning we got our things together and headed into Livingston.  Liz, Sara, and I pulled into town in the afternoon and checked out the art walk.  There was lots of beautiful hand crafted things.  The one unusual thing that sticks out is pickled garlic.  The guy selling it had some samples and it was amazing.  Pickled garlic is now on the to-do list.  Just as we finished the art walk a storm started to roll in.  As we were standing on the street trying to figure out what to do someone was yelling at us.  It was Andrea.  He and Moreo were across the street in a bar.  Of course we would bump into the only two people we know.  So we joined them for a drink.

From there Sara went with the boys to try and check out the rodeo while Liz and I headed to the Pine Creek Lodge and Cafe.  A couple weeks ago we got tickets to Pinky and the Floyd, a 10 piece band that covers Pink Floyd.

It was a great show.  We skipped out of the show a little early to try and see some of the post rodeo fireworks.  The fireworks had begun while we were driving so we pulled down a dirt road and parked to watch the above the tree line.

It was a pleasant end to a beautiful day.  We got home just after 11 and went straight to bed.

Picnic in the Mountains

Bright and early Saturday morning Laurie and I headed into Bozeman for the market.  It turned into a nice day outside and we ended up doing okay.  Everyone else was working hard back home and Liz documented it for proof.

Sara

Andrea

Moreo

When we got back from the market it was time for a nap.  After our nap as we stumbled outside Laurie said that we were going to go for a picnic in the mountains.  So we got supplies and loaded up the truck. 

A beautiful scenic drive to the Crazy Mountains later we were at the spot.  Billy parked the truck and we walked across a narrow bridge to get to a field.  After some exploring we dove right into the incredible spicy salad with salmon Laurie cooked up.

The rest of our night was just hanging out, exploring the rivers and mountains and talking so I'll just leave you with the rest of the pics.