A Whirlwind Summer Month

Sweet, sweet summa-time.

Wow, talk about a whirlwind! Of course I let another month slip by without more than one post...my baddd. August came and went in the blink of an eye, and it wasn't until today that I truly had a chance to reflect on the busy highlights (why hello there, September!). This morning was the first time in over a month that I had the pleasure of sleeping in past 6am, with nothing more than coffee and some NPR dialogue (after several presses of the snooze button) to awaken and soothe my heavy and exhausted body into existence. Exhale...a weekend without ANY plans! After shaking off my sleepy but refreshed state, I delighted in a few phone calls in bed while the morning sun crept in through the curtains, my legs and toes outstretched under the covers reveling in a relaxed and un-rushed morning. A yoga class eventually followed, my first since leaving Steamboat waaay back in April (finally!). This, plus lunch downtown and an upcoming potluck at one of the other farms tonight makes for an all-around lovely Saturday in my book, and a much needed "day of rest' compared to the events of weekend's past. Here's the quick and dirty on what I've been up to the last few weeks:

Sunset and Squash.

So, the weekend after my sibs visited, I headed down to Idaho for a three-day climbfest with some friends from Steamboat that I met at City of Rocks National Park. Holy cow. The City is un-reeeeal!!! Epic rock, epic views, epic weekend...'nuff said. The weather mostly cooperated minus a late-afternoon thunderstorm that rolled through out of nowhere, making us frantically scramble to clean routes and pull ropes amid crackling lightning and booming thunder. Yowzers, that shit was cray! Thankfully, we were all spared, and lived to climb another day (safety first, people) and we definitely took full advantage of the blessing. As some of you know, I've recently taken the plunge into "lead climbing" bolted sport routes, and thus continued this quest to push my limits and rid my mind of unnecessary fear. Several 5.9s, a three-pitch 5.7/5.8, and my first 10a became the noted "lead" accomplishments of the weekend, with many a laugh, smile, beer, knee scrape, washer toss and shooting star to fill in the gaps and round out a fantastic weekend. City of Rocks, I'll be back! Unfortunately, the confidence gained on the trip was short-lived, as the following weekend back in Montana I found myself half-way up a 5.9 scared shitless, and I ended up bailing half-way up. Ya win some, ya lose some, and it just wasn't my day - so I guess I'll take the honorary "pink beaner" until next time... ;)

Cherry Toms...!

Vine-ripening Heirlooms :)

The last two weekends found me hustling vegetables at the weekly Saturday Farmer's Market, a great bonus to the bank account but at the cost of having a 6-day work week. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE working the farmer's market, but admittedly one day off after a 60ish hour work week makes for a faaast Monday turn-around and very little chill time. At least the second weekend of craziness was made all the more enjoyable by a visit with my lifemate/best friend, Laraine, up in Great Falls, Montana. She just happened to be up there for a weekend work conference, so I hopped in the car after market and made it just in time for pizza and a lengthy face-to-face gossip sesh (just barely avoiding a potential speeding ticket outside of Helena on my way up, I might add...7mph over? Seriously?! I thought this was MonFUCKINGtana, land of trucks, campers, and only recently, state-imposed speed limits that also eliminated man's favorite cold beverage from being open and shot-gun in the front seat cup holder. WTF Montana State Trooper - but thanks for the electronic warning....). It's amazing what just a few hours of face time with your bestie will do for your overall mood and general outlook. It was a quick and bittersweet send-off the next morning, but totally worth the quick trip and it won't be long until I'm reunited with all of my Steamboat faves this winter! Woop!

Full and happy belly.

Aaaand, last but not least, the fields of GVB. Not much has changed since the last post - we are still harvesting, packing, selling, eating, etc veggies out the whaa-zoo, but here are some of the most notable moments:

-TOMATOES!! omg, I haven't eaten locally grown tomatoes since...I don't know, probably childhood?! They're like crack. Or candy. Whichever your preference. Either way, once you pop, the fun don't stop. So. Frickin. Good. 
-Beans. Quite the contrary in my enthusiasm, or lack thereof. Love eating them. Absolutely HATE picking them (at least, 10 rows of 200+feet of them, which typically results in endless amounts of time spent hunched over. Shudder. Now you know why I was so pumped for yoga today.). For better or worse, we had our first "mini" frost last Friday and (not) sadly, lost all the beans; which meant I had the honor of flail mowing the shit out of them on Wednesday. Hells to the yes. Especially since the Thursday prior, we were out with HEADLAMPS until 10:30pm picking them ("it builds character" - or something like that). Yeah, sweet sweet vindication. 
-Despite the frost, Montana somehow managed another few days of record high temps in the upper 80s and low 90s. Ew. So over it. Also over the smoky air quality from all the fires. Geesh. Thankful for all the wildland firefighters still working their asses off, but seriously mother nature, how about a break already. Not sure what's in store regarding the MT and ID blazes, but a much needed afternoon thunderstorm swept through town today, and walking back to the red dale tonight I caught the first scents of fall. Pulling on my melanzana hoodie and my favorite knitted hat, I glanced at the week's upcoming forecast that listed day time highs in the mid 70s - glorious. Anxiously anticipating the upcoming seasonal changes, even if that also means chilly mornings where I don't want to get out from under the covers :)

That's about as natural as it gets, folks!

-although the farm has implemented and followed organic growing principles since it began 10 years ago, it wasn't until this past Tuesday that we became officially "Certified Organic" by the USDA. Ya-hoo!

Whelp, I guess that about wraps it up. I'll do my best to check in with another update sooner than October 1st, but a farmer never can truly guarantee anything! 

Until next time, friends - all the best.

Aaaaaaand. Being that it's the opening weekend for college football: GO GREEN!

xo,

B

heart-chu-all ;)

Past, Present, Future

Hellooooo August! Another few weeks have passed, and another month is upon us. The days are still hotter than hell, but growing shorter with each rising moon; and the nights are cooling off a little more with each passing day. Hard to believe we're in the last official month of summer, but things won't slow down on the farm until well into late fall. 

The last few weeks have welcomed a handful of new veggies to our farmer's stand and CSA shares, including zucchini, squash, beets, cherry tomatoes, garlic, carrots, and broccoli to name a few! With a full-staff and some extra helping hands from our awesome volunteers, working members and a spattering of community groups, we've been able to tackle the weeds and at least make harvesting our veggies a mostly thistle-free experience (although there are still plenty out there). Our greens aren't doing too hot right now (pun-intended) thanks to an over-abundance of warm, sunny days - but we're still indulging in smaller harvests of arugula, spinach, lettuce mix, mustards, and braising greens when not tantalized and stuffed to the brim by the aforementioned hard-crop goods. 



Between the long days, short nights, "irrigation irritations," goat-milking shenanigans, farmer's markets, stupendous group lunches, the occasional Friday-night volunteer shift at the Co-Op, and the ever-growing "fertile crescent" farmer's tan on my low back, I'm still finding a smattering of time to get out and enjoy this beautiful place. Although I haven't been trail running as much as I'd like (let's just say the thought of a leisurely run to shake off the 10-12+ hour day when it's still 80 fricking degrees out at 8pm hasn't been of great appeal recently...), climbing seems to be the weekly sunday-funday activity, whilst an attempted mountain bike ride may have left more permanent scars than originally anticipated (let's also just say that a heavily rutted-out and eroded single track, up a fairly steep grade, on a bike you've never ridden before, for someone who doesn't quite yet have the hang of unclipping from her pedals in less than one second is NOT the ideal first ride for someone who already had pre-existing reservations about the sport of mountain biking...lol). 



And the highlight of the summer (thus far) came this weekend when my sister and brother came up to Bozeman for a quick visit, which was truly awesome albeit far too short. 
With Erika just recently moving back to the States from a 2-year teaching stint in Honduras and soon embarking on her next adventure of living&teaching abroad in France, and Graham juggling an aerospace internship in Salt Lake for the summer while finishing up his Master's at Purdue the rest of the year, it's not often that the three of us get to spend much time together; so it was a real treat to have them come visit me in beautiful Big Sky Country! Aside from seeing and staying at the farm, we managed to pack in a sunset hike up one of the local peaks in the Bridgers, a full day of climbing at Bozeman Pass (Erika's second time ever on the rock), and a handful of hilarious sibling moments caught on camera that only the Johnson kids could be capable of producing. My heart is beyond full after such a great 48hrs, and I've definitely added a few smile wrinkles to my face :) Good times, fo sho!


And last but not least, I can't keep the cat in the bag any longer: I am officially heading back to Colorado for the winter, as last week I accepted a job with Steamboat PowderCats (http://www.steamboatpowdercats.com/)! I had refrained from mentioning to pretty much anyone that knows me that I'd even applied for the gig back in May because I really hadn't expected to get the job - but dreams apparently can become reality and I'm beyond excited to not only be returning to Steamboat (at least seasonally for now), but also for such an awesome, awesome job. Yay skiing! How it fits into the bigger picture of my life is still a bit of a mystery, but as Søren Kierkegaard once said, "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." 


Cheers to the journey, my dear friends! And to following your bliss, always :)


With love,
B

So many bins, so little time!

So many bins to wash, so little time...

Hokay. So, a few days longer than anticipated, but still better than letting an entire month pass by without an update!


This coming week marks the three-month point of my time at GVB. Three months. Twelve weeks. Three-fifths of the way done. Wowzers. The days sure are long, but the weeks are flying by! 

Glorious soak-sesh.

And how have I been spending my time, you ask? Well, these past two weeks I found myself house-sitting for one of our CSA members while they vacationed on the Oregon Coast. And oh, what a delight living in a house again was! A top of the line kitchen; a patio with a hanging chair; showering as often as I wanted; a king-sized bed; internet; electricity... But with working 50-60hrs each week, it's not as though I've been lounging around indulging too much...but it sure has been nice to come home after a long, hot day on the farm and feel cool granite on my feet, slip under egyptian cotton sheets, and mindlessly watch an episode of Mad Men before waking up to do it all over again. Good lord, I've been spoiled and my impending return to the Red Dale tomorrow evening will surely be anti-climatic at best. Sigh. 

Legit weeding.

But like most deprivations, I've gained a greater appreciation for such modern day conveniences - and I can say with certainty that although I love the vagabond lifestyle I currently lead (more or less), I eagerly await the day I finally "figure out my life" and settle down in my own house...permanently...wherever and whenever that might be!

Benjamin Bunny would be so stoked!

Also of note, we are finally up to a full farm staff! Hooray! We've finally hired a couple of additional part-timers to help us on our Monday/Thursday harvests, and our newest intern, Michaela, arrived on Thursday evening to replace Dean, who although somewhat recovered from his bout with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, is still not well enough to work the taxing and demanding hours of the farm. A bittersweet replacement, no doubt - for Dean is truly a special character who won't soon be forgotten, but the extra hands and experience that Michaela brings is much needed as we approach the height of growing season. It's a pretty safe bet to say we've been in the weeds (literally and figuratively) the past few weeks, so hopefully we are now better equipped to charge ahead into the August haze...from Arugula to Zucchini! Ho Hey!

Anya helping Chris weigh beets.

It continues to be extremely hottttt up here in Montana-land, making some of the days absolutely brutal in the afternoon/early evening...thankfully, the humidity levels have been relatively low, but doing nearly anything in 90+ degree heat is a mental and physical challenge I'm learning to battle and accept. Chilled coconut water and iced kombucha have been welcomed supplements to the gallons of water I gulp down each day, and my farmer tan is beyond impressive. But I take comfort in knowing I'm not the only one suffering, and at the cost of good food that feeds my belly and fulfills my soul. It's a lifestyle, and although the thought of an air-conditioned desk job has had a 2.5 second appeal on occasion, I can't imagine trading in my dirty fingernails or sweat-drenched tank top for anything else. Yup. Britni the farmer. Whowouldathought?! :)

Deliciously refreshing coconut water.

I had a whole list of other things to write about, but of course, they have conveniently slipped my mind. Oh well. It's time to head up towards Big Sky anyway, to camp for the night with a few new friends and climb at Red Cliff tomorrow. Sunday Funday. Yeah buddy. Get someeee!

Freshly picked strawberries :)

Hasta luego amigos,
-B

A glimpse into GVB's CSA

Jacy at Saturday Market

Each week for our CSA, GVB includes a one-page newsletter written by one of the staff outlining the produce our member's receive in their box; and to make it a slightly more interesting read, we try to incorporate a small blurb about what's been going on around the farm. Well, last week it was my turn to display my creative writing skills (or lack-there-of), and below is the finished product. I hope it paints even more of a picture of what it's like on the farm :) 

Check back in a few days for a more detailed update with plenty more photos! 

Happy Sunday!

-B

Veggies for the week of July 9-13, 2012

Green Leaf Lettuce Head         1/2lb. Snap Peas

Romaine Lettuce Head            1 Bunch Carrots

1 Bunch Red Russian Kale           Garlic Scapes

2 Kohlrabi                                           Scallions

Baby Fennel                                                Dill

With last week’s passing of the 4^th of July, I can’t help but reminisce on childhood vacations spent near the shores of Lake Michigan. Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, my family would escape the Windy City’s notorious heat and humidity with a weeklong retreat to a beach house in Michigan. Days were spent building sandcastles, going for bike rides, picking blueberries and playing game after game of Uno with my grandparents. Recounting such memories twenty years later fills my heart to the brim with happiness and gratitude, especially since I now celebrate such holidays with loved ones from afar.

Although this 4^th of July was spent tending to the many beds of carrots, lettuce heads, kale and kohlrabi at the farm (vegetables don’t exactly take time off for holidays!), our ever-outgoing GVB crew still found several ways to gather and celebrate our Nation’s Independence (‘Merica!). From a full moon, midnight hike up Sacajawea the night before, to a family-style BBQ complete with fireworks for the kiddos the night of, time was definitely taken to enjoy the day and shift our focus from veggies and weeds, even if just for a few hours. But then it was back to work as usual, stooping, bending and squatting in the scorching July sun to bring you the delicious and bountiful harvest found in your weekly CSA box. This week, scallions, dill and baby fennel make their debut among a handful of other seasonal delights!

Fennel, a crisp and sweet-scented vegetable that has its culinary and horticultural roots firmly planted in Italy, is a somewhat obscure vegetable for many Americans (I can still recall the moment several years ago when I received fennel in my CSA box for the first time and hadn’t the slightest clue as to what it was or what to do with it). Fennel’s characteristic taste is usually compared to that of licorice or anise, but it is lighter and less cloying than either – and it becomes more delicate when cooked. Here are a few ideas for incorporating this flavorful vegetable in your next culinary conquest. Enjoy! -Britni

Raw

·       Include fennel with other raw vegetables and serve with dips, or use it as a garnish in your favorite summer cocktail

·       Lay prosciutto or smoked salmon over a bed of paper-thin fennel slices and grind pepper, coriander and fennel seeds over all

·       For a light salad, thinly slice the fennel bulb and arrange with bell peppers, radishes, pear, orange or apple; dress with lemon, olive oil and snipped fennel tops

·       Add fennel to hearty grain salads to lighten and freshen

·       Substitute fennel for celery in any meat or seafood salads

Cooked

·       Parboil fennel slices and marinate in herbed vinaigrette; or brush thick slices with seasoned oil and grill them

·       Stir-fry or sauté fennel slivers or dice with shallot, onion or garlic and just about any other vegetable you can imagine

·       Add slices of fennel bulb atop your favorite homemade pizza

·       Brown quartered bulbs and minced trimmings in oil and butter; moisten with wine and broth; cover and bake until tender – or, layer fennel slices in a casserole with potatoes, broth, milk and cream. Top with bread crumbs or parmesan or both; bake until tender

A great break-down of some fabulous leafy greens!

'Tis Finally Summer!

Tuesday night market!

Ohhhh, where to even begin! Life has gotten the best of me the past few weeks, but I suppose that's not something to be sorry for. A full life is a good life, especially when filled with sunny days, lots of laughs, fulfilling work, and a fair amount of play time. Strike that balance!

Learning how to roto-till

With the recent passing of the summer solstice, things are finally in full swing at GVB...and by full swing, I mean 14hr (not a typo) harvest days, where the day only BEGINS with the snipping of 130lbs of lettuce mix. Yeah. We like our greens around here, and so do all of the restaurants, farmer's markets, and CSA members. And when not busting ass on actual harvest days (we essentially harvest four days a week, but Mondays and Thursdays are the big ones), there's still plenty to keep us all busy and working for 10-11hrs on average (some last minute transplanting, tilling, irrigating, seeding...). 

Family Farm Friday - volunteering

Driving the tractor

Sadly, the weeds have taken over most of our beds due to lack of man-power recently, thanks to the "GVB Plague" took us all out, one by one, over the course of two weeks, rendering fewer hands in the field and a lot of things being re-prioritized and pushed further down the to-do list. The plague started with Zachary, Matt and Jacy's 5yr old - upset stomach and bowels (you get the picture), and subsequently knocked us all out slowly but surely. I thought I'd escaped the exposure because the day that Zachary fell ill, I left for a weekend rendezvous in Jackson, WY (more on that later)....but alas, that wasn't the case, and later the following week, I was the final victim. But I'll take a little upset stomach any day over Dean's encounter with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever...dear God, what a horrible thing! Dean fell sick the same day that Zachary did, so we all just chocked it up to the same stomach virus. But after 6 days with a fever, he was admitted to the hospital for several days until he was finally diagnosed with RMSF.

CSA veggie assembly line 

Nearly 3 weeks later, he's still feeling the affects and has yet to determine whether he'll be able to stick out the summer at the farm, but we're all pulling for him. So yeah, as you might imagine, weeds have been the least of our concern (for now), as we're more or less just treading water to keep our heads afloat amid the growing demands of our harvest with a small crew. The for-hire ads have definitely been posted, as things are just starting to get crazy busy! 

Beer-thirty.

But despite the seemingly crazy atmosphere just depicted, it's actually felt quite the contrary. The days are long (and ever-warmer and buggier...damn mosquitos!), but the songbirds continue to chirp their lovely tunes, the wind continues to grace us with her cool breeze, the kitchen aromas continue to stimulate all of our senses, the view continues to take my breath away, the company I keep continues to provide entertainment, humility and laughter, and the occasional cold beer at the end of sed long day, in addition to all of the aforementioned little pleasures, makes it all feel worth it and do-able, day after day. This place seriously rocks :)

After-work boulder sesh

And speaking of rocks, the pleasantries of farm life have been further enhanced by a handful of climbing outings. From the occasional after-work boulder sesh (sadly, this is becoming less and less frequent due to the long days), to Sunday-Fundays at one of the local crags with a few new friends, to a couple of trips down to Jackson Hole for weekend adventures, it's been a good couple of weeks for finger crimps and toe jams. I managed my first lead since moving to MT on an easy 5.8 at Bear Canyon...I'm definitely still feeling the headiness of climbing above protection, but it was a victory not just in that sense but also because I was climbing with people I'd just met and had to trust as my belay(ers). Little victories!

Boiling springs at Yellowstone

Then, there was a weekend trip to Jackson...twice. The first was a three-day rendezvous to meet up with a few of my Steamboat favs. The plan was to climb and backpack over the course of three days; however, Laraine's first lead-fall-turned-whipper at the end of day one resulted in a gnarly swollen ankle...so we remedied this unfortunate situation (after passing a hefty bottle of Jack around the campfire) with a family-style "roadtrip" to Yellowstone, which turned out to be a pretty sweet Plan B seeing as most of us (myself included) had never been to the Park. 

Men & Fire

Cramming 6 people into a huge red truck ('Merica!!!!), we got up close and personal with good 'Ole Faithful, snapped a few pictures of the roaming bison, tailgated in semi-frigid conditions near one of the bubbling pool pull-offs, took in the sweeping views, played an endless game of "Anal Fiesta" (take the name of the car camper or RV in front of you and put the word anal in front of it...try it...it's hilarious), and enjoyed the company of friends reunited from far and wide. 

Laraine on lead 

Two weeks later, it was back to Jackson for some legit brother-sister climb time. With Graham living in Salt Lake for a summer internship, Jackson was essentially a mid-point for us both. I hadn't seen him since Christmas, and we hadn't climbed together since last summer when he visited me in Steamboat. Needless to say, I was pumped (pun intended) to see him! We snagged an awesome campsite along the river at Hoback Campground, which is situated just a few miles north of The Shield, a popular climbing area (and the same place I'd climbed with my Steamboat gang a few weeks prior). 

Siblings re-united:)

We climbed both days at two different spots, but the heat kept us off the rock by 2pm...97 degrees literally burns the rubber on your feet and doesn't make for very fun climbing. Thankfully, the river, cold beers, home-brewed kombucha, cribbage, delicious camp meals, an evening hike, ice cream and ample conversation provided a welcomed respite from the hot sun and it was an incredibly enjoyable weekend all around. 

Chillaxin' on the farm

There's likely plenty more that I'm forgetting to share, but that's what happens when I let three weeks lapse in blogging. Woops! Blame it on the lack of internet in the Red Dale...probably my only qualm with my living situation right now (that, and the occasional mouse). Not exactly the worst problem to have - something I'm thankful for on a daily basis.

So on that note, may you all be blessed with menial annoyances and not actual problems, may you enjoy as many local flavors that summer has to offer, and may you continue to live happy, healthy and productive lives. I'll be sure to update you on mine again soon(-ish)!

Love to you all, Britni

Walking back to the Red Dale at dusk.