Planting Has Begun...

On Thursday we had Jamie, Rowan, Roberta, James, Lynn, Josh and Lori all pitch in for a day of turning over a couple rows and planting strawberries while relocating some garlic, chives and lemon balm. It was a beautiful day to get some work done outside the hoop houses. Roberta fed the hungry crew with and excellent stew and beer bread left over from the Earth Day Party that Matt brought along from 406 Brewing.

Many Thanks!

Thank you to all who shared their  Sunday with us last week to celebrate Earth Day here at the farm.  I am very grateful for all the support and participation from  the wonderful  extended community of Family, Friends, Businesses, Musicians, all our guests  from far and near.  It was wonderful have you all. And, WELCOME  NEW CSA  MEMBERS!

Despite the chilly weather folks meandered around the farm, stopping off to watch Cole McElroy  pound steel and put shoes on "Joe". We enjoyed plenty of Fresh Baked Beer Bread  courtesy of Matt Muth from 406 Brewery. Paul Zitzer and Wayne Kryzki both brought a team of horses and wagons. What a treat for those who got on board for a country ride. Fred and Bill  manned the pig roaster  while a Huyser hog slowly turned on the spit,  it made a nice warm place to hover, especially when it reached the perfect degree of doneness! The pot luck was superb, then great music and dancing... again, thank you everyone for all the goodness.

Earth Day Festivities

Cole McElroy - blackmith

 Lydia helps Cole out by holding 'Joe'

Skim milk to the left and cream to the right!

Luka points out the thick cream to Bob and his grandsons

Mark and Jane entertain us in delightful fashion

Paul and teams are ready for the riders.

These boots are made for dancing...

...the marvelous new dance floor gets some action.

Waylon and Willie look on as Paul Zitzer  goes ahead with his own load of folks enjoying a  wagon ride.

Just picked salad anyone?  It couldn't get any fresher!

Bill and Don discuss the new handles for the broad- fork..

Emma endures the spring snow better than  the people. (They all disappeared inside  for warmth and  food!)

Amelia

Spring Is Here! Join Us For Our Earth Day Celebration!

The planting season is just about here so come on out and join us Sunday, April 21st for our Earth Day Celebration. We are happy to be hosting an open house farm field day to celebrate local agriculture. It's going to be a fun filled day to celebrate community support. We are looking forward to welcoming back existing members, meeting new members and those still looking for their own farmer. Come on out and see what's new and growing this year and always we welcome your input. Harvest House networks with other local farmers, services and businesses who will also be taking part of our celebration. So there will be plenty of activities throughout the day to take part in such as farm tours and demonstrations like black smithing and draft horses. As a special treat, conditions permitting, we'll have the horses out to start our first turns of the soil. To round out the day we will be hosting a pig roast/pot luck dinner and music provided by a collection of local farm lovin' musicians. Farm + Friends + Family + Food + Music = Fun

The Details: 

Where: Harvest House Farm, 55 Axtell Anceny Road

When: Sunday, April 21st - Noon till evening

Activities: 

Farm Tours

Black Smithing with Cole McElroy/Waking Anvil 

Draft Horse Demonstrations with Willy & Waylon and others

Cream Separator Demo

Projects for those that want to dig in the dirt

Beer Bread Sampling (406 Brewing) with fresh homemade butter  

Pig Roast/Pot Luck Dinner

Live Music and Dancing

Time for a Harvest Party!

We are in the midst of planning our end of the season 2012 Harvest Party Potluck!  This party is intended to celebrate the end of a great farming season with all involved, whether you physically worked on the farm or you were an encouraging supporter.  I've definitely learned that it takes a village... not to just raise a child, but to raise a farm. We appreciate all the hard work from everyone and hope you are just as excited to continue to see this farm thrive as much as we are.  We hope this celebration will give everyone a chance to meet one another, as not everyone has been able to meet and work together, and help grow the community and family of Harvest House Farm.  

On your invitation we mentioned visiting the blog to find more details of what the evening will consist of, so....

The event will be on Friday, September 28th.  A buffet style dinner will be at 6pm but please come early to pick a spot on the table for your dish.  Please make your specialty dish, whether that's a side dish, main dish or dessert.  A variety of local meat will be provided as well as non-alcoholic drinks.  You're more than welcome to BYOB.  We will be setting up a large dinner table, in hopes everyone can sit and eat together.  Following dinner, we have the amazing Holler N' Pine to help sweep our dancing feet across the dance floor.  We are prepared for all weather, so come rain or shine.  For those who would like to experience a night on the farm, you're more than welcome to bring a tent and camp out.  Please RSVP with the number of people planning to attend by Tuesday, September 25th.  


Feel free to call if you have any more questions.  We look forward to seeing everyone together and hope you can all come out!

An update on the farm is soon to come...

In the Midst of it All....

It's beginning to feel a lot like fall these days!  The mornings are cool and the evenings are even cooler.  I must say, I do like waking up and putting long pants and a sweatshirt on and sipping my hot coffee on the purple porch swing, absorbing the cool air.  But with this cool air comes the end of a season which has quickly come and gone.  Our CSA members can expect at least two more weeks of fresh produce.  The duty of watering in the fields is becoming less arduous, however our list for preparing the farm for winter is growing.  I foresee lots of canning and preserving in the near future!  Here at Harvest House we like to experiment with methods used centuries ago, so our new/old scythe will assist us in our wheat harvest.  Fresh ground flour, Yum! And the hops growing on most buildings on the farm have a beautiful glow with the prospects of turning into a delicious fresh brew.  Lots of harvesting to be done here!

Thomas

Diana and Monica

Katya and Lori

 So, it's a good thing we still have lots of help.  We have said our goodbyes to Perrine and Arnaud. We wished them safe travels as they continued their journey down south.  Tonight we will have a "See You Later" Party for Barbra as she leaves tomorrow for Glacier National Park and then California, but we anticipate her return to Harvest House in September.  I guess she just can't get enough!  The new arrivals have been bright and delightful.  From California came Katya, Diana, and Monica.  Katya was originally going to travel by herself to the farm but her two dear friends decided to keep her company on the road.  They all went to high school together but met at different times and eventually became a trio.  Due to work obligations, Monica could stay for only a week but claims she had a memorable stay.  Katya and Diana have stayed for two weeks and unfortunately leave on Monday to head back to the big city of L.A.  School is calling their names. Thomas from France arrived last night and will be here for at least a week.  He is a mechanical engineering student who's school requires their students to travel as a project.  How great is that?! He has never been to North America and hopes to experience the culture and practice his English.  We believe his will be the last new face we see at the farm this season... soon time for a quiet house.  We greatly appreciate all the diversity brought to the farm and the hard work everyone did.  We look forward to what personalities will join us next year.  Thank you WWOOFers!

Other happenings on the farm include the very newest and youngest biological family member.  Mr. Andrew Riley Bell.  Amber Bell, Lori's daughter had her first baby a couple weeks ago and is here for a visit.  What a change of pace having a newborn in the house has caused.  It's hard enough with all the cute animals to not be distracted, but having a tiny peaceful baby around amazingly can transfix you as if time stopped.  Amber lives in Biloxi, MI and due to the hurricane that swept through, had the opportunity to jump a plan to her home state.  It's been a pleasure getting to know her and her new son.

We are having our first Labor of Love Event: Speed Dating with a Twist on Saturday night.  We have farm chores prepared, food planned, and a group of musicians ready to go.  Although, we do not have our "daters".  Unfortunately, we have not received the response we were looking for despite all the posters we've handed out and people we've talked to.  But, there will still be fun to have at Harvest House.  Friends have been called, decorations are in the works, and some speed dating will still happen.  We are not canceling it so for those of you just learning about it, you are still more than welcome to join in on the fun.



We will keep you all posted as harvest time continues.  Be well everyone and side note, keep the firefighters in your thoughts as they battle the blazes around the valley.                   

Labor of Love Event: Speed Dating with a Twist

With all the help we have right now, the farm is looking quiet good! The weeds are limited in their numbers, the tomatoes are coming on strong, and the cabbages are very large.  Unfortunately, last night we experienced what could be an early sign of fall and winter. A hard freeze swept the valley and we lost most of our squash and bean plants out in the field.  It's heartbreaking to lose something so quickly that you put effort into preparing for so long.  That was the second time we lost squash in the field this year. Early in the season, it was a late frost and now it was a early frost. But these are the facts you have to prepare for being a farmer, a farmer in Montana at that. It's worth every ounce of sweat and blood put into it though.

On a more exciting note, we are having our first Speed Dating at the farm event next Saturday, September 1st. We are trying to put this event on in a short amount of time, so we are unsure of what the outcome will be. If anything, it's been a good trial to see what all needs to go into planning this sort of event. For those who came across our posters throughout town, we mentioned visiting our blog to get some more information on the event. What I'm about to post is a blip we wrote up in hopes that it would make it into the newspaper. It has all the information needed.

Labor of Love Event: Speed Dating with a Twist

            “What the heck?” you may ask.  It’s a speed dating happening for 21 to 35 year olds at Harvest House Farm on the road to Big Sky, 2/3^rds of the way to Gallatin Gateway.  Harvest House is an organic farm run by Lori Davis who invites students to come from all over the U.S. and the world to live and work on the farm for the summer.

            While hosting a couple from Wisconsin, Lori learned they met as working members on a CSA farm so she decided to provide that same opportunity for others at Harvest House. Those interested in the event can come out as early as noon and help with the daily farm routine, otherwise the Labor of Love: Speed Dating event will begin at 5pm.  The event starts with farm fresh appetizers, beer on tap, and an orientation of what’s to come.  We are inviting 20 women and 20 men to join the event on a first come first serve basis but reservations are a must.  20 work stations will be set up throughout the farm to provide convenient places for chatting.  The lovely garden goddesses will remain in their work stations while the handsome male centaurs rotate at 3 to 5 minute intervals.  Following the rotations, folks can mingle and get to know one another better.  More appetizers and authentic Dutch oven desserts will be available with a bonfire after dark.

            Anyone who plays an instrument is encouraged to bring them and join a few guest musicians around the fire to insure the muses will be pleased.  The total cost of this occasion is $15 per person.  Harvest House is anticipating great success so we hope you accept our invitation and join in on the fun.  We are inviting the Chronicle to come and take pictures in hope of making this a yearly event.

            Pretty girls, don’t be shy. Come out and meet your guy.  Guys, don’t be square, we’ll see you there.  Please call Lydia to reserve your spot today at 1-717-825-9941.

Speed Dating may be an intimidating event which is why we are trying to do it in a most casual way. Harvest House has a very homely and friendly feel and we certainly like to have our fun. Even if you don't meet the love of your life, at least you'll meet wonderful new people. Hope to see you here!

Have a great day everyone and remember, people may doubt what you say but they will believe what you do.