Cookie season begins

After the candy craze of Halloween, the more genteel cookie season takes off.

Today was the Big Timber Womens Bazaar, an annual event that draws crowds of vendors and customers from all over south central Montana . . . and where you can find plenty of cookies.

This bazaar is sponsored by and raises money for the Big Timber Womans Club, a group of energetic women who support the community in many practical ways, such as awarding scholarships, building (with their own hands) a playground, and helping beautify the town.

Other organizations take advantage of the crowds and use it as their own fundraiser. St. Josephs Catholic church, for example, makes a popular lunch, offering homemade soup and rolls and croissant sandwiches. Theres also pie!

Throughout the bazaar, which fills two buildings, youll see dozens of cookies: Norwegian, Russian tea cakes, ready for the freezer, made by kids, whimsical. I thought the most beautiful were a trayful that were available on the silent auction table. A local kindergarten teacher donated 12 dozen, to be made and delivered throughout the year. When I was there, the highest bid was $55. Im sure the final bid will be much higher.

Of course there were many other food items.

Tumbleweed Teas

Jolies Lollies

Windy Wheat Bakery

This being Montana, you could also find unique gifts such as painted shovels and Christmas trees formed out of barbed wire. And of
course . . . toys!

No doubt Santa found this bazaar a very useful place to shop today.

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Market season is underway!

New in 2012, the Big Timber Kraft and Farmers Market began today under grey clouds. But spirits were bright, with most of the 8 vendors saying the day had been pretty good for them.

The market has a good location right on the main highway into town, and clear signage points the way at each end of town, so no doubt more customers will arrive as the summer season gets underway.

Today there were two tables piled high with delectable baked goods, with plenty of pies, rolls, and the ever welcome maple bars. Some tomato plants were being sold, a reminder that early markets are a good place to stock your Montana garden.

There was also a good selection of crafts available, including jewelry, pottery, blankets, and crocheted items.

Market manager Shona Wieting made sure to add "kraft" to the market name to allow for a wide variety of goods sold.

Shona is known at local markets as the Berry Bandit, with her jellies made from mostly foraged fruits. Because she makes her jellies from scratch each year for market season, Shona often has her freezer full of fruits shes found throughout the year: grapes from a back yard, apples and plums from abandoned trees, chokecherries from wild bushes in the area.

She explained that she picks 50-100 gallons each year to make chokecherry jelly and syrup. In general, she carries a stick with a hook at the end so she can grab high branches of trees or bushes, but she also uses it to prod the ground around the place she will be picking, checking for rattlesnakes.

Shes happy to leave fruits or berries for any bears that appear, preferring to flee rather than fight for her share. One year she felt the skin on the back of her neck prickle; something was watching her. It turned out to be a baby bear whose mother had been killed on the nearby highway. Shona left quickly, figuring the bear needed the chokecherries more than she did.

Shona proudly displays the first-place award she received for her chokecherry jelly at the 2011 Lewistown Chokecherry Festival. Theres a lot of tough competition at that festival, so this is indeed an honor.

Stan and Norma from Wilsall appear at many area markets selling their odds and ends of imaginative items. For example, you can find many people selling lights stuffed into wine bottles, but Stan found a giant beer bottle for something different.

Stan also showed me the spinning wheel he refurbished, figuring out how to create new parts by looking at pictures of other wheels. At $200, youre getting a real bargain.

It was Stan who reminded me why vendors sit in the hot sun at farmers markets, even when theyre not making much money. "You meet nice people, thats the thing," he said.

Yes, you do meet nice people. Be sure to visit as many farmers markets as you can this year!

Big Timber Kraft and Farmers Market

West 1st Ave & Hart Street, next to Car Quest and across from American Bank

June 2 - September (depending on weather)

Saturday, 9 am - 1 pm

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Market season begins!

Kalispell opened first, on April 17, and today the Helena market got underway. Helena claims to be the longest-running market in Montana, going from April through December.

Although you cant really call these farmers markets this time of year (I didnt see any produce at all in Helena, except for some potatoes at the Hutterites table), there is still a fun atmosphere as craftspeople get a head start on their season.

A few food items made an appearance, notably breads and honey.

I find the bear-shaped jars of honey sweet in so many ways.

As for bread, one vendor adds extra ingredients to hers. Here you see dinner rolls made with joy.

Along with many versions of soap, jewelry, and pottery, there were some unusual items, including chainmail created by -- who else? -- the Chainmail Guy. He admitted that sales of his earrings and necklaces were more brisk than the full-body chainmail, but if you happen to want to order a suit, you can e-mail him at montanaflash23@yahoo.com.

Real estate prices ride the rollercoaster, but it might be worth it to shell out $25 for a bag of gravel. These particular bags also contain Montana sapphires. The woman selling them sets gems and says she has found some truly beautiful specimens in the bags shes looked through. If you arent a gambler, plenty of polished and set gems are for sale at this table, too.

One potter couple, with clever designs, show their enthusiasm with their slogan.

Along with the usual tomato plants, herbs, and onion sets were some easy-to-care-for house plants. Shown here are the Piggy Back plant (leaves grow out from one another ad infinitum) and the Gold Fish plant (gold-colored flowers form colorful rows). According to the saleswomen, these plants actually prefer crowded roots and overwatering -- if only all gardening was so easy!

Although there wasnt much to eat, there was plenty of food for the soul. Musicians abounded, playing violins and guitars. Here, Madison and Sophia show their stuff. Although the girls had plenty of enthusiasm, passers-by gave them money with the stipulation that they promised to keep practicing. Check back at the end of the season!

Helena Farmers Market

April 24 to November 20

Fuller Avenue between Neil Avenue and West Placer Avenue

Saturday, 9 am - 1 pm

November 27 to December 18

Clark County Fairgrounds

Saturday, 10 am - 2 pm

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Hello summer its market season in Livingston

Welcome to the Livingston Farmers Market!

Above you see Mari with her ever-present warm joy inviting you to taste her new guacamole and salsa. Ive written about her fabulous bean dip. Dont miss out on any Maris Montana Kitchen offering.

Elsewhere in the market there were plenty of delightful things to look at, sample, and buy.

Plant starts for the garden were a popular offering.

If you want to grow your own produce in Montana, you might want to invest in a greenhouse.

Soft spring greens beckoned to those who dont want to wait for fall harvest.

I was intrigued by the Montana Roots group that, among other activities, teaches Bozeman students how to garden without dirt. Today they were selling their hydroponic lettuce -- so clean and tender!

Elsewhere, I saw honey (from hives on the outskirts of Bozeman), jelly (made from fruit grown in the vendors garden), and bread (from Crust and Crumb Bakery).

Some pretty pottery caught my eye as it glistened in the late afternoon sun.

You get mighty hungry wandering through any farmers market. Today I stopped at the Tumbleweeds gourmet-on-the-go food wagon to buy a Thai burrito. Believe me, its delicious! Look for Tumbleweeds at major food events around the Bozeman area.

My circuit ended at Maris table, where I picked up my guacamole and salsa to take home, and also bought a copy of Cliff Murrays new book, Zombie Apocalypse NOW. Id like to say I cant put it down, but as I read it, I have to keep getting up to make sure the windows and doors are tightly latched. Contact Mari to buy a copy to add to your zombie apocalypse collection.

As you can see, theres something for everyone at the Livingston Farmers Market this year. Have fun!

Livingston Farmers Market

Sacajawea Park bandshell

June 4 - September 24

Wednesday, 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm (music 6:30 pm - 9 pm)

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Cozy in the snow

Today its snowing -- looks like 6 inches out there and still falling in great puffy flakes. The temperature will dip later tonight although probably not much below 15 degrees F. (Believe me, thats warm compared to what we can get here -- our low last winter was 10 below zero.)

We had a spell of cold weather in mid-October that brought snow and freezing temperatures, but since then its been mild and even warm during the day.

I had plenty of time to plant garlic and get it mulched with leaves and straw for its winter hibernation.

The cows, carrying calves that will arrive in February, are enjoying leisurely grazing despite the difficulty of finding anything without a topping of snow.

Cold weather does not seem to bother the little creature that has made a nest on my car battery, because it has already laid in a supply of tasty seeds. Although what it does when I zoom off to town, Im not sure. My neighbor checked the wires and said none has been chewed, but he recommended I place moth balls or sprinkle bleach on the area so the little mite doesnt settle in permanently. I hate to disturb it today, so Ill wait for better weather, perhaps tomorrow.

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