Things have been busy busy since Jess and I returned from CBI in Helena. We checked out of CBI a bit early so we could go to the Art walk in Bozeman on the way home...and ended up staying with Rose Marks ! A friend of mine from highschool who has been going to Montana State U in Bozeman for a year. Rose showed us a good time and we ate sushi at Dave's Sushi and it was the first time Jess and I had gone out in a while (not really any restaurants in the Dive..). We saw lots of good and bad art and drank free wine all over town. Bozeman is a kind of upscale place, it turns out. Very funky but a bit yuppie and expensive, Rose said there's a lot of "gearheads" which translates to a lot of young people who only care about hiking, climbing and skiing and live to do those things.
We had a really great time but had to book it back to Glendive for the Dawson County fair! (We picked up 150# of purple hulless barley on the way though) As soon as we got back we were in Fair mode...we ran the Farm-to-Table booth all day saturday until 10:30pm and then again on Sunday until 5:00 pm. Met lots..and I mean LOTS of interesting people. Some whackos too. Got to talk to a variety of locals about farming and local food and what they believe in. Saw my first ranch rodeo. Ate funnel cake and hamburgers. The best part for me was the livestock auction. Do we even have this in VT? Everyone is dressed up for the fair, cowboy hats, cowboy boots, tucked in collared, ironed cowboy shirts...topped off with a giant belt buckle of course...and at the auction an MC stood in the center of a ring and spewed off numbers so fast I couldn't tell what he was saying let alone determine what language he was speaking. I found out that he was selling beef by the pound. "one dolla, dolla fifteen, dolla twenty, SOLD dolla thirtyfi" SO FAST and everyone had these cards that they kept track of what was being sold and how much etc. Pigs, Cows, Lambs. The deal with the livestock auction is that kids from 4H have raised each one of these animals from birth so they bring them out to the ring, walk them around and then the bidding begins - it's a sort of charity because the animals go for way above market price and people bid because they want the animal, they want to support the kid or both - if they don't want the animal they can resell it on the second go around for market price and the kid gets the money either way. It was very cool. Does Bennington even have a county fair???
Jess and I were kind of tired from the fair since we worked all weekend but we had to get ready for our first party at our house on Monday night - Erin, the extension intern, was finishing up her term so we had a combo goodbye barbeque/housewarming party at our place. Jess and I made sushi and she made steak and around 15 of our news friends came by with beer and food and strawberry daquiris and rhubarb wine, homemade vino and peach cobblers...a lot of foodies and their husbands/wives, kids - we felt like such little adults, throwing a bbq in our backyard with everyone sitting around the fire, socializing (not many people were under 30). Our bosses came (it actually feels weird to even call them our bosses but thats what Bruce and Peggy are I suppose) and everyone was just SO helpful, it was like we didn't have to do that much work at all. It's kind of strange the neighborly-ness of everyone. I guess I'm just not used to people being selfless and helpful basic strangers or something..
The party was super fun - we got emails the next day thanking us, so cute - especially from one of our favorite new friends Jessica Beacom, the dietician who we want to be BFF's with us. She's a super cool, foodie mama with an equally cool nurse husband (long red ponytail) and their kid, Lily - they moved here from Alaska and told me and Jess that they were psyched to have some young blood in the food scene here in Glendive...I'm hoping to work with Jessica B on my Eat-In and local food in schools program!
Yesterday I grinded flour and made my first ever radio appearance on the local stations as an advirtiser for the "First annual Glendive Tomato festival" (I was kind of nervous but they let me record it 3 times to get it just right). The Tomato fest is tonight! And Jess is entering a green tomato cake in the tomato contest...
We also made more sauerkraut last night, this time with Alvin's cousins - lovely people - beautiful evening of kraut making, beer drinking, truck bed riding.
Pictured here is: Alvin in the hat, his friend Lisa from Family Farmers coalition, Jess, Alvin's cousin Neil and myself. That wood thing is the cabbage shredder, a very cool invention designed just for kraut. Alvin warned me not to make any "red cabbage" (aka shredding my fingers.)
We had a really great time but had to book it back to Glendive for the Dawson County fair! (We picked up 150# of purple hulless barley on the way though) As soon as we got back we were in Fair mode...we ran the Farm-to-Table booth all day saturday until 10:30pm and then again on Sunday until 5:00 pm. Met lots..and I mean LOTS of interesting people. Some whackos too. Got to talk to a variety of locals about farming and local food and what they believe in. Saw my first ranch rodeo. Ate funnel cake and hamburgers. The best part for me was the livestock auction. Do we even have this in VT? Everyone is dressed up for the fair, cowboy hats, cowboy boots, tucked in collared, ironed cowboy shirts...topped off with a giant belt buckle of course...and at the auction an MC stood in the center of a ring and spewed off numbers so fast I couldn't tell what he was saying let alone determine what language he was speaking. I found out that he was selling beef by the pound. "one dolla, dolla fifteen, dolla twenty, SOLD dolla thirtyfi" SO FAST and everyone had these cards that they kept track of what was being sold and how much etc. Pigs, Cows, Lambs. The deal with the livestock auction is that kids from 4H have raised each one of these animals from birth so they bring them out to the ring, walk them around and then the bidding begins - it's a sort of charity because the animals go for way above market price and people bid because they want the animal, they want to support the kid or both - if they don't want the animal they can resell it on the second go around for market price and the kid gets the money either way. It was very cool. Does Bennington even have a county fair???
Jess and I were kind of tired from the fair since we worked all weekend but we had to get ready for our first party at our house on Monday night - Erin, the extension intern, was finishing up her term so we had a combo goodbye barbeque/housewarming party at our place. Jess and I made sushi and she made steak and around 15 of our news friends came by with beer and food and strawberry daquiris and rhubarb wine, homemade vino and peach cobblers...a lot of foodies and their husbands/wives, kids - we felt like such little adults, throwing a bbq in our backyard with everyone sitting around the fire, socializing (not many people were under 30). Our bosses came (it actually feels weird to even call them our bosses but thats what Bruce and Peggy are I suppose) and everyone was just SO helpful, it was like we didn't have to do that much work at all. It's kind of strange the neighborly-ness of everyone. I guess I'm just not used to people being selfless and helpful basic strangers or something..
The party was super fun - we got emails the next day thanking us, so cute - especially from one of our favorite new friends Jessica Beacom, the dietician who we want to be BFF's with us. She's a super cool, foodie mama with an equally cool nurse husband (long red ponytail) and their kid, Lily - they moved here from Alaska and told me and Jess that they were psyched to have some young blood in the food scene here in Glendive...I'm hoping to work with Jessica B on my Eat-In and local food in schools program!
Yesterday I grinded flour and made my first ever radio appearance on the local stations as an advirtiser for the "First annual Glendive Tomato festival" (I was kind of nervous but they let me record it 3 times to get it just right). The Tomato fest is tonight! And Jess is entering a green tomato cake in the tomato contest...
We also made more sauerkraut last night, this time with Alvin's cousins - lovely people - beautiful evening of kraut making, beer drinking, truck bed riding.
Pictured here is: Alvin in the hat, his friend Lisa from Family Farmers coalition, Jess, Alvin's cousin Neil and myself. That wood thing is the cabbage shredder, a very cool invention designed just for kraut. Alvin warned me not to make any "red cabbage" (aka shredding my fingers.)
whenever i see that there's a new post on the Dive i am anxious to read it but scared it will make me drive west instead of east a week from tomorrow. you make a good case for western living
ReplyDeleteNo county fair in Bennington. But there is the Pownal Valley Fair, which has fireworks and funnel cakes and some livestock but mostly fireworks and french fries... We have 4H here too...
ReplyDelete"ground" not "grinded"
I love hearing about the food you're growing, making, eating and laboring over...
and I love the people you are meeting.
Recipes will be sent under separate cover.
Congratulations to Jess on her green tomato cake! It sounds wonderful.
xoxox
Madre ole