2019 Season Update

Happy spring! This season on the farm will be filled with growing grain and baking bread (and we are still planning for on-farm pizza nights) but sadly, we will not be growing produce for sale this year. And, we’ve decided to not do the Saturday Great Falls Farmer’s Market this year either.

As many of you know, our farm-to-loaf bakery, Blue Truck Bread, has grown exponentially in the last two years and at the same time, growing vegetables where we live and farm has proven to be trying, to say the least. The last two seasons, our fresh produce crops were contaminated with herbicides not approved for use on crops like ours, rendering them inedible and unsalable. The ordeal was extremely difficult on our farm and on our family and we just cannot stomach the risk of going all in and losing it all again.

Never ones to give up or hang our heads, though, when we first learned that our vegetable crops were contaminated two years ago, (but not our garlic or grain crops, which are on the other side of the farm) we doubled down on the bakery as a way to continue farming *and* continue feeding good food to our community. That has turned out to be a great push, even if it was uncomfortable at the time.

Flash forward to today, when Jacob is baking 400-500 loaves of gorgeous, sourdough bread each week for local outlets. You can now find Blue Truck Bread at 2J's Fresh Market (105 Smelter Ave NE, Great Falls, MT) and Electric City Coffee (319 Central Avenue, Great Falls, MT) and on the menu at Beef N Bone steakhouse in Ulm, The Block Bar and Grill, 5th and Wine, and Morning Light Coffee Roasters.

The bakery, and the growing of the grain and the managing of the rest of the farm, demands most, if not all, of our attention these days (and Courtney is now full time at UM, teaching writing), so we’ve decided to not do Farmer’s Market this year. We’ve been doing markets for 10 years and while we have truly loved the connections we’ve made, the friends we see and the community-building of the market, our bodies, minds and children would love to have our summer weekends back while we, and our family, are relatively young.

If you’d like to special order bread for on-farm pick up, shoot us a note via email or text (406) 531-4794 and we can arrange pick up.

(If you have a farm share, please check your email about refund options. Or, shoot us an email farmer@prairieheritagefarm.com for more information.)

We have been so very grateful for the support so many of you have given this family and this farm over the years. Some of you have been with us since our first season in 2009 and that is no small thing to us. You’ve become so much more than customers. You’ve become friends and our community. We sincerely hope the community and friendship continues as our farm and business pivots to new directions.

Thank you.

Don't Be Sadish, Have a Radish

When I was a little girl, my mom told me a story of when she was a little girl – a story of friends and hot summer days and ... radishes.

We didn't grow much in the garden. A thousand acres of wheat was enough to keep alive. But, every year, my Mom planted radishes. It was an exercise in preserving a memory, really.

We’d wander out to the garden, pluck bright red orbs from the dirt and brush them off. Then, she’d pull out the bread and the butter (and sometimes mayonnaise) and we’d sit around the kitchen table while she made sandwiches and told me about her "very best friend."

On long summer days in Great Falls, my Mom -- her Mom at work at the county hospital and her dad dead several years already -- was left to wander.

So, she would meet up with her "very best friend" and pick radishes. They’d bring them home and fill two pieces of bread with the spicy radishes and lots of butter and salt and pepper.

A wave of nostalgia would wash her over as she would tell me the story.

Then, she’d say “don’t be sadish, have a radish,” and we’d dig in. Smooth and sweet as your teeth sink in and then crunch and then spiciness.

Mom and I thought it was just our thing – this odd combination that made other people squirm when we tried to talk them into one.

But then after we started farming, I went to a fancy food event and lo, there on the table were radishes, butter and salt.

(A short while later, I read The Dirty Life, by Kristin Kimball, in which she falls in love with her farmer over radishes.)

And then, today, while picking radishes with my daughter, she asked why the variety we grow is called “French Breakfast.” I didn’t know. So, we looked it up and found this from an article in the Washington Post: “In France they are sliced lengthwise, spread with butter and salted, or placed atop a buttered baguette for a ‘tartine.’”

I hadn’t known my mother was a French foodie.

Neither did she. She just knew how delicious a fresh-from-the-garden radish sandwich can be on a long summer day with a friend.

This afternoon, the kids and I raided Blue Truck bread, stole a baguette, pulled out the butter and sliced the radishes. And, I told them the story of their Nana and a hard childhood made a little bit better with good food and very best friends.

Recipe: Chard!

Greetings Farm Friends,

Saturday beckons! Come see us at the Great Falls Farmers’ Market and fill up on what’s good this time of year: tender greens, just waiting to replenish you after a brown and white winter.

We’ll be under a white tent on the East side of Park Drive, kitty-corner from the Civic Center. Look for our white and black signs and chalkboards.

Right now, we have: kale, chard, baby greens, salad mix, spinach and head lettuce. We will also have Jacob’s Blue Truck Bread.

If you’re into freezing food for the winter, now is the time to “put up” some of these greens. (See Bon Appétit's guide here.) They’re at their sweetest right now, so load up and stock your freezer with the taste of early summer.

This week’s green spotlight shines on: Chard.

Kale gets a lot of attention and spinach gets to be the staple, but we think chard is an under-sung green. It’s great sautéed, steamed, pickled (yes! Pickle the stems!) and chopped up to add some color and nutrition to a raw green salad.

Chard is a relative of beets and spinach. It’s full of vitamins C, K, A and magnesium, iron and potassium. The variety we grow is “Bright Lights,” which is known for it’s vibrant color and mild taste.

Don’t believe us about chard? Ask the Kitchn (one of our favorite culinary websites), which says, “There's a lot of great stuff to know about Swiss chard: it's low in calories but packs a ton of antioxidants and vitamins, making it a healthy choice when cooking.”


It also makes great comfort food, like this recipe for chard gratin:

Chard Gratin

2 bunches chard
1 cup water
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
1 cup milk
2 Tbs flour
Salt and pepper
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs bread crumbs or Panko

Preheat oven to 350. Cook chard in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup cooking liquid. Drain chard. Heat olive oil and butter in pan. Whisk in flour. Slowly add milk and ¼ cup cooking liquid. Add chard to pan and mix. Pour into baking dish and top with cheese and bread crumbs and pats of butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Recipe: {Farm} House Dressing

Look for us at Saturday's Great Falls Farmer's Market and pick up one of these Farmhouse Salad Kits -- {almost} everything you need for a gorgeous, flavorful summer salad. (Or, skip the lettuce and just make the dressing for dipping with our farm-grown artisan bread!) The Farmhouse Dressing kit comes with a few of the herbs we grow and the mix depends on what's good this week. Often, it will include: garlic scapes, parsley, thyme, sage, chives, oregano, tarragon and edible flowers (pea flowers, caledula or chive flowers, for example) for the top to add some flavor, color and crunch. Oh, and it includes this recipe for a basic vinaigrette:

3 garlic scapes, or one clove garlic finely chopped
1 bunch of herbs, finely chopped
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
3 Tbs red wine or apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs honey*
¼ cup olive or safflower* oil

Directions: Whisk the first five ingredients in a small bowl (or mason jar). Slowly whisk in the oil until everything is emulsified. Serve over green leaf lettuce and sprinkle with edible flowers. (Or, dip Jacob’s farm-grown, farm-ground, farm-baked artisan bread in it!)

*Note: You should totally get your honey from our neighbors and friends at Smoot Honey Co. and voila, you have a salad almost exclusively brought you to by the good people of Power, Montana. And, you should get your safflower oil from The Oil Barn in Big Sandy.

In case you haven't noticed, big things are happening in small-town Montana and you should really have a taste of that.

You can get The Oil Barn oil and Smoot Honey Co. honey at our favorite -- 2J's Fresh Market in Great Falls.

Recipe: Quick Pan-Fried Noodles With Early Summer Veggies

This time of year, dinner is both frantic and fantastic. The heat tells us "don't you even think about going into the kitchen" and both the farmers and the kids aren't keen on coming in for supper when there's still daylight in which to weed, work, play, build, create and imagine.

Most nights, it's 6 p.m. before we even start thinking about dinner. So, we peek in the fridge or in the field and try to come up with something -- anything -- that gets food in our bellies quickly.

Luckily -- and this is the fantastic part -- there's usually some combination of wonderful veggies to work with. This is how we've cooked since we started farming -- and likely how our CSA customers cook too -- Iron Farm Chef. Instead using a recipe and choosing ingredients that way, you get to create something from whatever you have that's fresh and handy.

Last night, it was this: Quick Pan-Fried Noodles With Summer Veggies. This went from fridge peeking to eating in less than 20 minutes.

Here's the deal:

1 Tbs canola or safflower or sunflower oil (or olive or coconut for that matter)
1 Tbs sesame oil (toasted oil if possible)
3 Tbs chopped garlic scapes
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger
1-2 cups broccoli, roughly chopped
1 medium zucchini, cut into large chunks
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
(Any other stir-fry veggies you might have on hand. I like a little color, so red pepper or carrot is nice. The key is chop large pieces, but not squares – you want to have as much surface area as possible hitting your hot pan.)
3-4 Tbs soy sauce
2-3 Tbs rice vinegar (or white vinegar will do)
1 tsp lime juice
1 package round or flat udon noodles. (We like the Koyo Organic Round Udon noodles at 2Js Fresh Market.)

1. Start a large pot of boiling water and cook pasta according to package directions.
2. While your noodles are cooking, preheat a wide pan to to medium heat. Add oils and scapes and ginger. Saute until just softened and fragrant.
3. All all your chopped veggies and turn up the heat a little, moving the veggies around briskly with a spatula or large spoon. You want to sear the veggies, not sautee them. They should be sizzling and tender, but not mushy.
4. Mix the soy sauce, vinegar and lime juice in a small bowl (and add a squirt or two of sriracha if you’re feeling spicy).
5. Drain the pasta and add to the veggies in the pan with the soy sauce mixture. Turn pan to low and mix the noodles, veggie and sauce together while everything crisps up in the pan a little.
6. Serve with peanuts and/or sesame seeds on top. (And sriracha. Always sriracha.)

Note: This dish is infinitely variable. Add other veggies or cook up some ground pork (if you're in the Great Falls area, stop by the Groundworks Farm booth at the Farmers' Market) or sliced pork loin or chicken before you stir-fry the veggies. Or, as I did the other night, incorporate some sliced leftover grilled pork chops. If you’re using meat, first brown the meat in the pan, remove meat from the pan, stir-fry the veggies and then add the cooked meat at the end, incorporating with the sauce, veggies and noodles.

Recipe: Gramma Ginna's Stuffed Kousa (Zucchini)

My (Courtney writing here) family is Lebanese and this recipe was a staple at family gatherings when I was growing up. It's simple, delicious and easy. It comes from the "family cookbook" Lebanese Cuisine: More than 200 Simple, Delicious, Authentic Recipes by Madelain Farah.

So, when the zukes come on (which is early this year, thanks to a cool moveable high tunnel we built last year), this recipe comes in handy.

• 3 lbs zucchini (small-medium)
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 c uncooked long-grain rice
• 1 lb lamb shoulder, finely chopped, or ground lamb (or ground beef or pork)
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbs salt, plus 2 t
• Pepper to taste
• 3 large tomatoes, peeled and diced, or one 1lb can of stewed tomatoes

Core the zucchini, leaving ½ inch walls. (Don't pierce the shell!) Rinse the zucchini in cold water and drain. Saute the onions in butter in a large pan. Rinse and drain the rice. Place rice in a bowl. Add the meat, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon salt and the pepper. Mix well. Add half of the diced tomatoes to the meat and mix.

Stuff the zucchini three-quarters full with the meat mixture or within an inch of the end. (The rice needs room to expand.) Arrange the zucchini over the sauteed onions in the pan and pour the rest of the tomatoes on top. Barely cover with water and 2 teaspoons of additional salt.

Cover and cook on medium flame for about 35 minutes or until rice is done. Gently remove zucchini to a serving platter. Serve the liquid in a pitcher to pour over zucchini. (My grandmother would also suggest serving with lemon juice drizzled on top.)

(Note, if you want to skip the sauteeing of the onions, you can add the chopped raw onion into the meat mixture. It will give it a more onion-y flavor, which we like.)

A Few Pivots On the Farm

The summer season seems to sneak up on us every year, but this year, it's been extra sneaky.

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.

And, in general, giving longer-term projects like soil health and our budding orchard more attention and care. (The orchard -- pears, apples and plums -- is still in its infancy, as you can see in the awesome photo by Missy Sprouse below).

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 rolling!