Our first stop in Montana was at Amazing Grains, miller and marketer of Montina™ brand Indian rice grass, where we met Grace Lee – “Amazing Grace” – and her husband Brad.
Read more: On the Road: Montina
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Folks, here we are on the start of our Montana Drive About. Join us as we visit grain farmers across the state. 
When you think of Bath, England, you mostly think of the ancient Roman Baths or stately Georgian architecture. That is, if you think of anything at all besides claw foot tubs and jokes about drinking the bathwater. You most certainly don’t think of a thriving food system and underground guerilla gardening. 
From its picturesque location at the end of Washington’s State Route 532, things are looking good at Camano Island Coffee Roasters (CICR). Founded in 1999 by Jeff Ericson and his nephew Dan, it all started with a one-pound roaster in a barn. 
Two and a half days to drive cross country, Seattle to Chapel Hill, NC, an undertaking that came with a price; both myself and my partner in crime found ourselves ripe from days sans shower and exhausted both from sleep deprivation and a diet of fried chicken, mountain dew, and sunflower seeds. 
In the Andes, there have been fundamental changes in production patterns as a result of the different processes of land reform in the region and “agricultural modernization.” Today, the environmental context and local culture are no longer the main determinants of production systems, but rather the habits of unknown consumers and their food demands are determining what farmers grow and when and how they grow it. 
The Methow is home to BlueBird Grain Farm, where Brooke and Sam Lucy raise an ancient grain called emmer. Farming 200 acres, the Lucy family takes their grain from seed to the store shelf and controls the quality through every step. 
Today, we’re on site with Crown S Ranch, Winthrop WA, and it’s spring. That means baby animals everywhere. Listen – you can hear miracles… Muffled peeps are a clue that something special is happening. And the sounds get louder and louder, until… there are chicks! 
The sky is bright blue, the river is smooth as glass, and it’s a beautiful sunny May day. We’re driving north on Highway 97, just east of the North Cascades. There is no doubt that this is the fruit basket of Washington! 
Whenever I eat a mango, no matter where I am or from which country the mango came, I think of Africa. It is still my favorite fruit. |
 Video: Seed Saving Around the World
Kate Flint, Australian gardener and seed saver, talks about her seed saving passion.
The Growing Revolution is the story of Jubilee Biodynamic Farm in Carnation, Washington.
Pig Mania
Crown S Ranch, Winthrop WA
(Click the image for a larger version.) |
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