Market garden & homestead coming to Red Lodge spring 2022!
Operating as usual
Our online store is temporarily closed while we attend to some family health matters. Thanks for your continued support of our farm. I hope to be back with microgreens & baked goodies at the next Red Lodge Farmers' Market inside at the Roosevelt Center on February 11th ❤
Thanks for making the past year a wonderful first season farming in Red Lodge. We're looking forward to more growing, learning & adventuring in 2023!
#2023
Hi ya! Quick farm update… I’ve been doing a lot of staring at the computer lately, but am pleased to report meeting my goal of getting seed orders for 2023 completed before the new year 😊
Each winter I review our seed inventory and fill out crop planning spreadsheets (field planting schedules by crop & overall, garden maps & seed starting schedule). This helps determine what seeds to order for the next season and helps me with organization too.
This year we ordered from our standby seed companies… Osborne Quality Seeds Johnny's Selected Seeds High Mowing Organic Seeds and just a bit from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company In the future (when I hopefully have a bit more headspace 😉) I’d like to start to experiment with some of the smaller, regional seed companies as well.
On another note, seed prices (along with the prices of so many things) continue to creep up. This was the largest seed order I’ve placed topping out at just over $2000 yipes 🙄 (although granted we’ll be growing on 1/2 acre which is also the largest area I’ve worked with… up from 1/3 acre last year).
Next steps for winter planning include firming up the details for our caterpillar tunnel build (including what to do about anchoring ground posts in our extremely rocky soil) and figuring out how we want to expand the irrigation system to accommodate the tunnel.
After experimenting with the microgreen CSA and Cody market over the past few months, we’ve decided not to continue with either of those at the moment. I’ll be doing some part-time off-farm work for the remainder of the winter to meet the farm’s (and my) cash flow needs. Not a big deal as this is what I was planning on before getting the last minute brainstorm of selling micros and baked goods through winter. We’ll be continuing weekly sales via the online store though (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/s/shop) and attending the remaining two Red Lodge Farmers' Market Winter Markets (Feb 11 & April 8th). Next winter we plan to have more extended season and storage veggies so we’ll revisit some additional sales channels then.
Well, not so quick after all, but that’s what’s going on around here 😘
Merry Merry… 2nd day of Christmas 🎄❄️✨
Hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. We enjoyed the short days getting in some hiking, sharing food with friends and a few toasty saunas at home.
Back to work now! It’s the last week for holiday cookies… order yours by tomorrow (DM us or via the online store… link in bio) for pickup/delivery Thur/Fri. We also have quiches available for preorder (great for a New Year’s brunch) and lots of other goodies 😋
Happy Solstice!
Our neighborhood wild turkey flock is staying on their roosts until mid-morning... a sure sign of winter in our zone. This time of year brings a shift in farm duties too. Read about what we're up to in our latest quarterly newsletter: Seasonal Shift- Farm Planning, Microgreens, Holiday Cookies! - https://mailchi.mp/c46734b47c9f/happy-solstice-sunday-yoga-brunches-bb-opening-infrastructure-13515972
Christmas countdown… one week until the day 🕰️🎄🎁❄️💗. Need a last minute gift? Meal prep stressing you out? We can help! We’re taking CHRISTMAS PREORDERS through tomorrow evening!
- Holiday cookie boxes… large (4 doz) $40, small (2.5 doz) $25 & sampler bags (baker’s dozen) $10.
- Farm-to-table Quiche $30 (winter squash with sage brown butter, pesto & chevre, or beet & feta).
- Seasonal pies… Pumpkin $25, Apple $30.
- Seeded Sourdough dinner rolls (12-pack) $16.
DM us your order or browse our online store (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/s/shop) for even more goodies.
Pickup/delivery options:
- 12/22 on-farm pickup 4-6pm
- 12/23 Lions Park pickup 4-4:30pm
- 12/23 delivery ($5 within Red Lodge) 4:30-6:30pm
Happy Holidays! ❄️🎁🎄💗
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Oh hey… farmers market is today 😘. Come see us at the Red Lodge Farmers' Market inside at the Roosevelt Center 10-2!
We have beautiful & festive watermelon radishes to dress up your holiday salad or app platter. Plus, microgreens and lots of baked goodies.
See you soon 😘🌱🥗🍪❄️💗
We'll be at the Red Lodge Farmers' Market inside at the Roosevelt Center tomorrow 10-2 😘. We’re bringing lots of goodies so you can stock up for the holidays:
- Microgreens (pea shoots, sunflower shoots, purple radish & micro mix)
- Watermelon radishes
- Holiday cookies (Checkerboard, Linzer, Chocolate Espresso shortbread & Sour cream twists)
- Apple pies
- Seeded Sourdough buns & rolls
- Weekly cookie bakes (Sourdough chippers, Buckwheat chippers & vegan Ginger)
- Sourdough Banana Nut Muffins
- Powerdough bars
Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow 💗 But, if you can’t make it don’t worry…. order some holiday goodies by Mon for pickup/delivery Dec 22 & 23! Shop via our online store (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/s/shop) or DM us your order. In addition to the above, we have pumpkin pie and farm-to-table quiches (winter squash with sage brown butter, beet & feta or pesto & chevre) available for preorder 😘😋🎄❄️💗
Shop local for your holiday gifts 😊😘
Eat like a farmer 😉😘. Lately one of my fave lunches has been a meal-sized microgreen panzanella. Here’s a choose-your-own adventure recipe to make one for yourself:
1. Cube up 1/2 of a sourdough bun. Toss with olive oil, salt & pepper. Toast to desired crispness in a cast iron on your stovetop (or your preferred toasting method).
2. While the bread is toasting, fill a bowl with your favorite micros (I’ve been enjoying sunflower, pea shoots & broccoli).
3. Chop & top… cut up your veggies of choice and add them to the bowl with micros. I’m eating our watermelon radishes & beets plus roasted kabocha squash from Red Shed Farm. (thanks George for the early Christmas present of a sweet new knife… making chopping extra enjoyable 😘).
4. Add a protein like chickpeas, goat cheese, nuts or seeds.
5. Check your bread! It should be ready 😊. Add it to the salad, finish with your dressing of choice (I used some yummers homemade blue cheese dressing for the win), and enjoy 😋😋😋
Added benefit… eating a healthy salad maybe counterbalances all the sampling of holiday cookies I’ve been doing while baking (quality control 😂).
You can find our sourdough buns, watermelon radishes, microgreens (and cookies 😉), winter squash from Red Shed Farm and lots of other goodies at the next Red Lodge Farmers Market inside at the Roosevelt Center this Saturday (Dec 17th) from 10-2 💗💗💗
We’re taking HOLIDAY COOKIE PREORDERS 🍪🎄😋. Order by Wednesday for pickup at the Red Lodge Farmers' Market at the Roosevelt Center 10-2pm this Saturday, Dec 17th. Or, order by Mon, Dec 19th for on-farm pickup Dec 22 or delivery (within Red Lodge) Dec 23. Our online shop is open (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/s/shop) or DM us!
Small (2.5 doz for $25) and large (4 doz for $40) boxes available. Each box is decorated with a hand cut paper snowflake. What’s in the box:
CHECKERBOARD cookies… cocoa and vanilla flavored decorative butter cookies. I’ve been enjoying eating and helping bake these at Christmas since I was a kid.
SOURCREAM TWISTS… beautiful twists of buttery, flaky layers. These are George’s favorite holiday cookie and the recipe we have comes from his Grandma Den.
LINZER COOKIES… classic Austrian sandwich cookie. Raspberry preserves sandwiched between layers of buttery cinnamon, almond short pastry.
CHOCOLATE-DIPPED ESPRESSO COOKIES… Freshly ground coffee beans flavor this take on a shortbread cookie inspired by Zingerman's Bakehouse . Feels like a lifetime ago, but before starting to farm I spent six holiday seasons slinging dough as a holiday bread baker at this iconic foodie institution in my hometown of Ann Arbor 💗
We’re excited to share some holiday cheer with you. And, your purchase helps support local food, keeping cash flow coming to our farm during the winter months (we’re busy planning our 2023 gardens and are excited for some new veggie offerings and more season extension for next year) 🙏🌱🍪💗💗💗
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Coming up next week 😊 We'll be bringing microgreens, watermelon radishes & lots of baked goodies. We'll have some extra holiday cookie boxes on hand... but to ensure you get one preorder by this Tues (for Sat pickup at market).
Not just for garnish 😉😋. We’ve been enjoying MICROGREEN salads for a lovely burst of freshness and nutrition during these winter months 🌱🌱🌱🌱
My favorite is our Micro Mix of sunflower shoots, pea shoots, purple radish, arugula & broccoli microgreens. Top it off with some of our beautiful watermelon radishes sliced thin, carrots from Farmtablewest or roasted squash from Red Shed Farm . We’ll all be at the Cody Farmers Market tomorrow… come get some local goodness 💗
Holiday baking season is on! Don’t have the time?! …don’t worry, we got you! 🎄❄️🍪🥧😘
HOLIDAY COOKIE BOXES are now available to Preorder! Each box is filled with an assortment of Checkerboard butter cookies, Sourcream twists, Whole wheat linzer cookies and Chocolate dipped espresso cookies. Small (2.5 doz) and large (4 doz) boxes available. Each box is decorated with a hand cut paper snowflake and all of our cookies are baked with 💗 and with organic butter, flour & sugar 😋
Order via our online store (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/s/shop). Or, feel free to DM us or call/text Leslie at 406-600-1226. Need a custom order? We’re happy to work with you!
On-farm Pickup available on Thursdays: Dec 15, 22 & 29.
Delivery available on Fridays (Red Lodge area only): Dec 16, 23 & 30.
Or, preorder for pickup at the next Red Lodge Farmers' Market inside at the Roosevelt Center on Dec 17th.
Here's a complete list of the baked goods we have available for the holidays:
- Holiday cookie boxes (small $25; large $40)
- Farm-to-table quiches $30 (winter squash with sage brown butter, beet & feta or pesto & chevre)
- Seasonal pies (Apple double crust $30; Pumpkin $25)
- Seed sourdough burger buns (8-pack for $16) & rolls (12-pack for $16)
- Powerdough granola bars (4-pack for $15)
- Weekly cookie bakes $16/doz (Sourdough chippers, Buckwheat chippers, PB/Oat chippers, Vegan ginger)
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Happy Friday! The holiday season is kicking off with Red Lodge Christmas Stroll tonight and tomorrow. Get out and see Red Shed Farm for winter squash and fundraising to support the Red Lodge Farmers' Market tonight in front of Heist Art + Sundries 🎄❄️💗
We’re finalizing the contents of our holiday cookie boxes and will be taking preorders starting next week (stay tuned for details 😘).
In the meantime, find us at the Cody Farmers Market tomorrow with microgreens, sourdoughs and our weekly cookie bakes (sourdough chippers, buckwheat chippers and PB/oat chippers). We’ll be in Cody this week and next… back in Red Lodge for the next indoor Red Lodge Farmers' Market on Dec 17th. 🌱🌱🍪🍪🥗🥗❄️❄️❄️
Go say hi to Sammy Wicks at Stroll tonight and snag some yummy squash!
We’ll be at the Cody Farmers Market this Saturday and the following. Back to Red Lodge for the next indoor Red Lodge Farmers' Market on Dec 17th 😘
December! We’re entering into winter mode on the farm…
It always seems to take me some time to come down from the somewhat frenetic nature of farming during our short summers. And, to be honest, I don’t yet feel settled into a winter routine.
This is the first year since starting to farm that I haven’t immediately gone back to winter work in the service industry. Instead my days are filled with baking, microgreens, farm planning and continuing education. I’m hoping the side enterprises will be enough to sustain me and the farm through the financially lean winter months. Although this adds a bit of uncertainty, it also adds more time to focus on the farm. I hope (and think) the extra time to research crops and plan improvements for next summer will help get the farm to a place of sustainability (personally, financially & environmentally) more quickly.
“Sufficiency and simplicity go hand in hand. The prevailing notions of the industrialized world are that bigger is better, progress and growth are equivalent, and success is achieved by adopting increasingly specialized technologies and machinery. Simple farming, on the other hand, embraces minimalism and allows us to declutter and shed those objects, practices and enterprises that bring us neither joy nor livelihood. As humans, we have finite energy to plan, execute, and reflect on our activities… why waste it on unfulfilling busyness? As we simplify our work and lives, we free up mental capacity to focus on what matters most, and we allow ourselves time and space to actually enjoy it.” -Daniel Mays, The No-till Organic Vegetable Farm
Microgreen Monday 😉🌱🌱🌱
Today we’re focusing on radish microgreens. We grow a variety called Rambo with striking purple coloration and a spicy bite.
Radish micros have a suite of nutritional benefits… they’re anti-inflammatory, a natural diuretic and aid in cleansing & detoxifying the body.
Mostly we like the way they look and taste 😊 They add a lovely bite to our Micro Mix. On their own to top off a veggie bowl or venison tacos… yes please! 😋
Good food makes us smile 😋
Right now we’ve been enjoying all the microgreens, all the time 😉 …brunch waffles, pasta dinners, lots of salads.
These beautiful little greens add a lovely burst of freshness to winter meals. Find them at our online store (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/s/shop)… order by tomorrow evening for Thur/Fri pickup/delivery. Or, come see us at Cody Farmers Market next Saturday (no markets today, but get out and support your local businesses for 😘).
Quiches getting ready to head out the door today 😋
We’ll have seasonal quiches and pies available throughout the holiday season. Order online (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/shop/baked-goods/2) by Sundays for Thursday pickup or Friday delivery. Or, DM us to arrange a specific date… we’re happy to work with you to craft a special order 🙏💗
Focus on pea shoots… newly germinated and getting their first exposure to light, greening up, and nearing maturity 🌱
I find pea shoots to be one of the more approachable microgreens with a mild pea flavor and pleasant crunchy texture. Pea shoots are high in fiber, protein, and vitamins A, C & K. Our favorite ways to eat them are in salads, on sandwiches or on their own as a snack 😋
No markets this week, but we’ll be at the Cody Farmers Market a week from Saturday. We’re also adding microgreens to our online store offerings… order by Sundays for Thursday pickup or Friday delivery (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/s/shop) 😘
Some valuable reflections on Thanksgiving from Northern Plains Resource Council
For many, Thanksgiving is a time to gather with loved ones, celebrate our connections, and reflect on how much we have to be grateful for. This ritual is a tradition woven deeply into many families and communities. As an organization devoted to community, Northern Plains appreciates how meaningful t...
Come see us at the Red Lodge Farmers' Market today 9:30-noon in the Roosevelt Center!
We’re bringing veggies & lots of baked goods:
- radishes (Easter egg & watermelon)
- microgreens (arugula, broccoli, pea shoots, purple radish and micro mix)
- Sourdough buns & rolls
- Cookies (Buckwheat chippers, Sourdough chippers & vegan Ginger)
- olive oil Zucchini Bread with walnuts
- sourdough Granola bars
- Apple Pies
Hope to see you soon 😘
We’ll have MICROGREENS at Red Lodge Farmers' Market tomorrow 9:30-noon inside at the Roosevelt Center 🌱🌱🌱
Come early for a limited supply of pea shoots, purple radish micros & micro mix. We’re also bringing radishes (Easter egg & watermelon) and lots of baked goodies.
A few things on our approach to micros… We’re aiming to produce affordable micros that can be used more like a salad than a garnish. That means focusing on faster growing and weightier micros like pea shoots and sun shoots (our sunflower seed order arrived late so look for these coming soon). Not that we’ll never grow a fancy garnish though… DM us if you’re looking for something in particular!
We’re dialing in our set up… figuring out growth cycles, seeding rates and ventilation in our shipping container grow room. Keeping the temps warm enough with only a small electric baseboard hasn’t been an issue. The shipping container has insulation with a R-25 value and the lights put out some heat too. Condensation and humidity have been a bit of a concern (thankfully not leading to any issues in micro growth so far, but something to keep an eye on) and we just got a dehumidifier to mitigate this situation. I’m thinking that continuing to observe this space and get it dialed in for microgreen growth will also be valuable in improving the space as a seed starting room (which it will morph back into come spring).
Our farm-to-table quiches are available to order for Thanksgiving (Wed, Nov 23rd pickup or delivery). Order by Saturday via our online store (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/shop/baked-goods/2) or DM us!
We use lovely (and extra yummy) squash from our friends at Red Shed Farm, sage from our indoor container gardens and fresh eggs from Golden Lane Farm in our Winter Squash with Sage Brown Butter Quiche pictured here 😋. Other flavors available include Pesto with Goat Cheese and Beet & Feta.
Quiches by preorder only. Our other baked goods will be available at the Red Lodge Farmers' Market on Saturday as well 😘
Gimme some skin 👋 We like to keep the skin on our apples for the added nutrients. Apple peels contain fiber, potassium and vitamin A to name just a few of the good things 💗
You can snag one of our skin-on Apple Pies at our online store (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/product/seasonal-pies-9-/10?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false) or at Red Lodge Farmers' Market on Saturday! Homemade flaky crust with organic butter & flour. And, a mix of tart & sweet apples spiced with cinnamon & nutmeg 😋🍎🥧.
Come see us this Saturday 😘
Soft vegan GINGER Cookies 😋. Double ginger with minced crystallized ginger & ginger powder; sweetened with homemade applesauce and just a bit of organic sugar; and, made with a mix of whole wheat and organic all-purpose flour… these make a healthy snack or dessert.
They’re one of our weekly bakes for winter (along with Buckwheat chippers, Sourdough chippers and PB/oat chippers). Order online for Thanksgiving or find us at the Red Lodge Farmers' Market on Saturday inside at the Roosevelt Center 9:30-noon 😘
Microgreens on the grow… nice to see some growing things on these wintry days 🌱🥗❄️💗
New product alert! SEEDED SOURDOUGH MINIS… same sourdough goodness as our burger buns topped with flax, sesame, poppy seeds & sea salt, but in a smaller format just the right size to serve up at your holiday meals 😋
6-packs are now available at our online store (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/s/shop or you can shop directly here on Facebook). Order by tonight for pickup/delivery Thur/Fri. For Thanksgiving preorder by this Wed, Nov 16th for pickup or delivery on the 23rd. We’ll also be at the next Red Lodge Farmers' Market inside at the Roosevelt Center on Nov 19th 🥖🥖🥖💗💗💗
Our ONLINE STORE is up & running (https://root-to-rise-gardens.square.site/)! Order by this Sunday for pick-up/delivery next Thur/Fri. Thanksgiving pre-ordering is available too… order by Nov 16th for Nov 23rd pick-up or delivery.
We have lots of baked goodies available (and a few veggies):
- seeded Sourdough buns… plus seeded minis (just the right size for a holiday side)
- Cookies (Buckwheat chippers, Sourdough chippers, PB/oat chippers & vegan ginger)
- Farm-to-table quiches (winter squash with sage brown butter, goat cheese & pesto, and beet & feta)
- Seasonal pies (Apple double crust or pumpkin single crust)
- Powerdough bars (granola bar with a base of oats, PB, honey & sourdough starter… loaded up with dates, raisins, chocolate chips, almonds, sunflower, flax & sesame seeds)
- Watermelon radishes
More items (like holiday cookie boxes & microgreens) will be coming online in the next few weeks! Aside from the week of Thanksgiving our standard pick-up & delivery days are Thur/Fri. DM us if you have questions or would like to arrange a special delivery outside of our normal dates 😘🍪🥖🌱😋💗💗💗💗💗
Another wintry day, but we’re still enjoying garden goodness! Harvested the last of the kale & chard before the cold snap. And, have been enjoying tomatoes harvested green from our home garden awhile ago that are slowly ripening up.
Next year we’ll be having tomatoes to sell (not just for us) and extended season kale thanks to an NRCS high tunnel grant that we’ll be using for a 16” x 100” caterpillar tunnel that we’ll install in spring 🙏
I’m antsy to start crop planning for next year’s garden… BUT, still a few things to do (QuickBooks catch up & a little more dialing in of our microgreens set up) before I get to that!
For this year, we’ll have microgreens, watermelon radishes, sourdough & lots of other baked goods at the winter markets: Red Lodge Farmers' Market (next one is Nov 19) and Cody Farmers Market (we’ll be there starting Dec 3) 🌱🥗🥖💗❄️
Snow day… VOTE DAY!
I try not to get too political within the realm of the business, but am a big believer in exercising our right to vote. And in strengthening local communities along with local food systems. Along those lines, we hope to continue to get to know more folks within our local community here in Red Lodge and keep building relationships and connections no matter what side of the aisle folks are on. We need each other 💗
Happy Sunday!
After our fall break we’re diving into a few working weekends to catch up, get the gardens ready for their winter rest and prep for our winter micro greens and baking ventures.
Despite some windy weather, we got most of the garden tarped yesterday and blew out the irrigation system… feeling quite a bit more ready for 🥶🌨❄️
Wondering about the reasons behind this winter prep strategy? We like to get some of the garden ready for spring planting. About half of the beds received a flail mow to break down crop residue, compost application and a light harrowing. The tarps keep these beds protected over winter so the soil isn’t exposed to wind and water erosion. In the spring we can pull back the tarps and the beds will be ready for planting even if weather conditions are too wet to get out there with our BCS (walk-behind tractor).
The other half of the garden we flail mowed and tarped. Again, tarps to protect the soil from erosion, but also for early season w**d control… this is the part of the garden that we won’t plant into immediately in spring, but rather will get to over time with our succession planting strategy. I don’t love all the plastic and will eventually transition away from tarping and try out cover cropping or mulching with straw and leaves. One step at a time though and for now the tarps are a useful tool. We’re aiming for continual improvement over time to make our farming practices more sustainable, but also trying to be patient and recognize it takes time to get all the pieces to fall into place 🌎🙏🌱💗
Red Lodge, MT
59068
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🎉🎉 Compost delivery from AgriOrganics yesterday! JB is committed to both keeping organic materials out of the waste stream and making a high quality compost. Some of the household compost collected here in Red Lodge goes into his product! You can find out more about AgriOrganics and tour one of their compost sites at the upcoming @montanaorganicassociation conference in Billings in December 💗 We’re grateful to have this fertility boost. Lots of nutrients leave the farm in the form of our veggies so replenishing the soil is super important. We’re spending the rest of the week getting part of the gardens ready for next season… we flail mow to “chop & drop” crop residue, apply compost and work it in with a shallow harrowing, and finally tarp the beds to keep the soil covered and protected over winter. Getting at least some of the beds prepped in the fall means less work in the spring… we can pull back the tarps, work in a few soil amendments and get to planting as soon as warm weather arrives. 🌱🌱🙏🙏💗💗💗 #compost #soilhealth #community #localfood #localbusiness #growninmontana #marketgarden #redlodgemontana
Fall Garden! We had our final market of the growing season this past weekend. Thank you Red Lodge Farmers' Market for a great summer! We’re so happy to be growing food for our community! For now, we’re also happy for a bit of a break & rest. I’m spending the week doing garden cleanup… row cover, hoops & sandbags pulled (except for spinach which we’ll see how long holds on… last year we had spinach under row cover into December!), pea beds in the process of being cleared and readied for garlic planting, and some other small jobs. It’s been a surprisingly warm fall so it's a bit strange to walk away with things still growing. But, we’ll leave on a road trip end of the week to sneak in a Boundary Waters canoe trip and visits with family in Michigan & Colorado. Farming in the short & sweet Montana summer is an intense & wild ride… the older I get the more I find it important to prioritize some time for rest and refocusing. We’ll be back reenergized end of the month! Winter plans: we have 3 sourdough CSA options available (check out our website www.root2risegardens.com) plus we’ll be selling baked goods and microgreens at the winter markets in Red Lodge & Cody. And, doing lots of farm planning for next year! I’ll be a little quiet on here the next few weeks, but will pop in with some CSA reminders. Thanks for a wonderful first season & Happy Fall 🥗🙏💗🍃🍂🍁 #fall #gratitude #community #fallgarden #farmlife #roadtrip #worklifebalance #workinprogress #growninmontana #redlodgemontana
Seeded SOURDOUGH buns in the works 😋. Get them tomorrow at Red Lodge Farmers' Market or snag a share of one of our Sourdough CSA options for winter… details & sign up at our Facebook Store or on our website (www.rootrisegardens.com). Making the buns is a two day process. Day 1: wake up the starter. Day 2: full day of making the dough… 3 rounds of folding, a pre-shaping and then a final-shaping (shown here) before we bake 🙌🍞💗💗💗 #sourdough #csa #breadmaking #knowyourfarmers #knowyourbakers #localfood #eatlocal #shoplocal #farmlife #redlodgemontana
Although the heat & smoke of the last few days feels more like early August, here we are in early September! Seeded the last baby kale & arugula plantings of the season yesterday while watching pollinators flit about on old cilantro and broccolini plantings that are flowering. Earlier in the season the plantings that are no longer getting harvested are removed and the beds flipped into another crop. But, with no more new plantings this season it’s nice to leave the older crops in place… keeping the soil covered and providing pollinator habitat. In the future we may try to work some late season cover cropping into the mix, but for now this is the garden heading towards fall 🌸🐝🪲🐞🦋💗 #september #pollinators #marketgarden #farmlife #growninmontana #redlodgemontana
Transplanting Lettuce! We use Salanova lettuce in our spring mix and baby lettuce mix. It’s a standout… reliable producer yielding multiple cuttings of beautiful baby leaf lettuce. Hard to believe it’s almost September and our growing season is beginning a slow wind down. Transplanting our last rounds of Salanova lettuce and direct seeding the final baby greens of the season this week. My body is feeling the season change too… ready for lots more yoga and a little less bending at the waist 😉. You can still find our greens for one more month at Red Lodge Farmers' Market Beartooth Market and local restaurants. And, we’re planning for a longer season of greens production next year… something like late May into November 🎉🌱🥗💗 #transplanting #lettuce #babygreens #getyourgreens #farmlife #marketgarden #growninmontana #redlodgemontana
Chow time 😋🐓💗 These are our Rudd Rangers. They’re supposedly better foragers than some meat bird breeds (and we have seen them catching grasshoppers!), but they’re certainly good at plopping down in front of the feeder and chowing! That biggest one has emerged as a rooster, letting out his first awkward attempts at crowing over the past week (they’re just under 2 months old). #happychickens #ruddrangers #homesteading #marketgarden #redlodgemontana
Some naughty garden visitors 😉🦃 This turkey mama has been hanging around for a few days and we’ve enjoyed watching her and the babies. But, maybe they’re getting too comfortable… yesterday they walked right in (granted an open garden gate) while I was harvesting. Herded them right out again… no damage done. If I knew they’d only eat the other naughty garden visitors (grasshoppers) and not the plants, I’d let them stay! #turkey #babyturkey #farmlife #marketgarden #homesteading #redlodgemontana
Come see us at the @yellowstonevalleyfarmersmarket 8-noon today 😘😘😘🥗🥬🥦💗💗💗 #farmersmarket #billingsmontana #localfood #growninmontana #knowyourfarmers #marketgarden #redlodgemontana #veggielove
Peas before the storm… Thunderstorms brought rain the last few evenings… mercifully cooling down what have been some scorcher days. We got a late start this year, but the peas are finally flowering and the rest of the garden is cranking away with quite a lot of production. We’re slowly dialing in our sales channels and are excited to have gotten our greens into one more local restaurant @carboncountysteakhouse …yay! You can also find our veggies at @prerogativekitchen and @oneleggedmagpie and in Billings this week only @yellowstonevalleyfarmersmarket 🥗🙏💗💗💗 #snappeas #summerthunderstorms #marketgarden #localfood #localeconomy #buylocal #growninmontana #redlodgemontana #billingsmontana
Lots of goodies 😋 Come see us until noon @redlodgefarmersmarket 💗💗💗 #redlodgemontana #eatlocal #knowyourfarmers #growninmontana
Chickie update! Our new chicks are almost one month old. Getting their feathers… and, getting adventurous. We just set up electric fencing so we can start to let them out of the safety of the coop to explore 🥚🐣🐥🐓💗 #babychicks #chickens #farmeggs #newfarm #marketgarden #homesteading #redlodgemontana
Boatload of baby greens soon to be on their way to the Gardeners Market in Billings! Our temporary wash pack is working great. Still working out the kinks, but the new greens dryer is a game changer 😁Previously, I spun up to 100# of greens a week in the 5-gallon hand spinner… it definitely can be done, but was a major bottleneck in our wash/pack process. George started in on framing our permanent wash pack space yesterday too. So, hopefully by mid-season we’ll be moved in to the long-term set up. Lots going on around the farm these days! #babygreens #getyourgreens #marketday #farmhack #newfarm #marketgarden #homesteading #redlodgemontana #billingsmontana #growninmontana
Irrigation ditch through our property at the highest that we’ve seen it, but holding. Power is out, but our farm and house are okay. Surreal, historic flooding happening in Red Lodge and throughout the Yellowstone River Drainage. Lots of love to everyone affected 💗💗💗 #redlodgemontana #highwater #flood #redlodgemontana #montana
Morning feed & drink. The chicks are one week old 🐣🐥🐓🥚💗 #babychicks #chickens #cuteness #newfarm #marketgarden #homesteading #redlodgemontana
Day 2 with the cheepers… they’re getting a bit more feisty! Not quite all of our chicks arrived so we’ll have another installment next week. So far we have Rudd Rangers, Sapphire Gems, Easter Eggers, Americana & Midnight Majesty Marans… mostly new breeds for us. 🐣🐥🥚🐓💗 #root2rise #babychicks #chickens #newfarm #marketgarden #homesteading #redlodgemontana
A sea of row cover blowing in the wind yesterday afternoon. Have to admit I used to hate RCM (row cover management 😉), but over time have made peace with it. Row cover helps create a more hospitable environment around the plants… adding a few degrees of warmth and at least a partial barrier to wind, hail & insect pests. I still plan to look for alternatives where feasible and reduce the amount of plastics used on our farm. But, for now, those plant babes are staying tucked in for another snowy May morning! 💨❄️🦗🌱🥗💗 #root2rise #rowcover #seasonextension #springinmontana #newfarm #marketgarden #homesteading #farmlife #redlodgemontana #growninmontana
First of our irrigation zones up and running… time to get planting! 😊💦🌱🥗💗 #root2rise #irrigation #water #newfarm #marketgarden #homesteading #redlodgemontana #growninmontana
We have water 💦 💦💦 Another little clip from the massive job of getting our well pump and water lines in over the last few days. We got the trench backfilled yesterday evening. Working on a bit more cleanup today and hopefully getting the irrigation zones tied in so we can get to planting! 💦🌱🌦🥗💗 #root2rise #well #water #irrigation #newfarm #marketgarden #redlodgemontana #growninmontana
Whew, this happened yesterday 💦💦🚜💪 The beginning of excavation to get in our well pump and water lines. We knew we had a shallow water table, but holy moly! Turns out there are a few added complications to this kind of work when the water is so high. Like, wider trenches are needed. We had to pump out the trench so we could work in it. And, the pitless adapter (the device that provides a sanitary & frost-free connection between the well casing and water line) install was complicated because at the 6 foot depth there was water in the well so the torch that is usually used to create the opening in the well casing wasn’t working… we ended up using a hole saw and eventually got it in. We are diving into the second (and probably/hopefully final) day of what was initially thought to be a half day job. Still, super grateful to have such a solid water supply in our dry climate. And, super duper grateful for the knowledge and experience of Knox Pilati on the excavator… we’ve done a lot of the infrastructure building on our own, but would have been in over our heads on this one! 🙏💦💗 #root2rise #water #well #irrigation #withalittlehelpfrommyfriends #gratitude #newfarm #marketgarden #redlodgemontana #growninmontana
We had one more weather (wind💨) delay on Saturday… well pump install is now scheduled for Thursday. But, we made use of the time to get our irrigation as set up as possible so once the pump is in it shouldn’t take too much time to get up and running! The plant babies have been hardening off for about a week… and, even experienced their first brief hail 🌨🙄before we whisked them back inside. They’ll be ready to go in the ground asap. Good thing since our seed starting space is nearly maxed out and we need room for the next rounds of starts! 💦🌱🥗💗 #root2rise #irrigation #seedstarting #springinmontana #newfarm #marketgarden #homesteading #redlodgemontana #growninmontana
Something to bring a smile this Monday 😁🐇💤💗 Lately two domestic-looking bunnies have shown up at our place and apparently are making themselves quite at home. George caught this one sneaking in a power nap the other day 🤣 Hopefully they won’t become too problematic for the gardens. For now, we’re enjoying watching them. And, I’m taking this as a gentle reminder… take naps, take rest 💗. This go around of farming I’m trying to be more cognizant of taking care of myself and setting up systems that promote a healthy work-life-rest balance… work in progress as per usual 😉😊 #root2rise #bunny #powernap #takebreaks #farmlife #newfarm #marketgarden #homesteading #redlodgemontana
Happy Friday! Some chickie dust bathing action 😆🏖🐓💗 #root2rise #happychickens #farmeggs #tgif #newfarm #marketgarden #homesteading #redlodgemontana
Morning feed 🐓💗 Enjoying some partial sun and partially snow-free ground today. But, we have another winter storm watch for 5-10” snow Fri-Sat?! Feeling a little uneasy about our what our irrigation system install timing will be, but plugging away at seed starting and keeping fingers crossed we’ll be able to keep field planting mostly on schedule 🤞 On the upside, some added moisture is still a good thing. And, I know the skiers out there (George included) are psyched for some spring backcountry skiing ⛷ . I’m still working on that skiing skill set 😉 #root2rise #chickens #happychickens #farmeggs #farmlife #newfarm #marketgarden #homesteading #redlodgemontana
Happy Spring! 🐓🥚🌱🌸❤️ We’re currently under a brief winter weather advisory. But, bare ground and sunshine yesterday and the chickies were seeming happy. We saw our first robin and heard our first sandhill crane of the year this past week. It’s feeling like spring is in the air! #root2rise #spring #springequinox #happychickens #newfarm #marketgarden #redlodgemontana
Winter gardens ❄️❄️ ❄️ Finally, a much needed solid snowy day. Winter precipitation is critical moisture in our region so this is a relief! 🌨️⛷️⛄❄️🙏💗
Dos Cabras Ranch: Mini Myotonic & Mini Silky
Us Highway 212, Roberts