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Let’s be honest. No one has ever called Montana a gourmet food destination. It’s far from the trendy world of haute cuisine, black-tie affairs, and fancy culinary techniques. Part of that is because Montana is not easy to get to: it’s far north – up near Canada. And there aren’t a lot of people here – less than a million. And this is a very big state for so few people – which makes it hard to keep a restaurant open. 
One damp day in November, I opened the door to pick up the mail and… lo and behold, there sat a fairly limp, slightly damp brown paper bag slumped against the door. What kind of goodies appeared out of nowhere? 
Mid-September should be the perfect time for a trip along the North Cascades Highway, through the Methow Valley, up and down the Okanogan River Valley from the Canadian border to the confluence with the Columbia River, and back home. This time the perfect weather and lovely views, were marred with smoke from many recent and active forest fires. However your GoodFood World publishers – that would be Ken and me – drove right through and visited old friends, made new friends, and got in a bit of history. 
Yesterday was Tuesday which meant that we spent our afternoon at Jubilee Farm weeding. Actually, at this time of the year, the jobs fall pretty evenly between harvesting and weeding! Simply not enough time 
Your GoodFood World publishers are farmers one afternoon a week at Jubilee Biodynamic Farm in Carnation WA and it has rained every week since the end of April! A little mud never hurt anyone! 
On our way to the Washington Tilth Producers Conference in Yakima, a sign on the freeway beckoned us to explore. Just minutes away, we were in standing in the middle of history. There are a few remaining historic mills in the state. You’ll find the Thorp Grist Mill, just off Interstate 90; about 10 miles northeast of Ellensburg. 
Known primarily for its spectacular castles and fortresses—not to mention the legend of Vlad the Impaler—Romania is also a country abundant in arable farmland. Romania’s allocation of organically-farmed land may seem small but its rate of growth indicates that there is both interest and intent in adopting the practice. 
We are on the final leg of our “grain tour” of Washington and Montana where we met farmers and millers growing and processing heritage grains and grain alternatives. Kevin Murphy and Vicki Bradley are just two of the many links in the chain that makes it possible for this region to produce so many unusual – and delicious – cereal grains. 
We headed off on our Montana “drive-about” looking for heritage grains, small grains, and grain alternatives; and we found some of the nicest people raising some of the most interesting crops! 
OK, folks, I had my first combine ride thanks to Casey Bailey! Complete with a pronghorn antelope in close observation! |
 Seeds of Humanity: Vandana Shiva
“When seed is in the hands of five companies — 75% of the commercial seed is already in their hands. Ninety percent of the corn. Ninety percent of the soy. Ninety-five percent of the cotton — this is an emergency. It is a seed dictatorship. And when you control seed, you control food.” Click here to see more videos.Pig Mania
Crown S Ranch, Winthrop WA
(Click the image for a larger version.) |
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