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Kalispell 10 acre farm, on creek, for sale

Saturday, March 25th, 2017

 

Olin’s farm house

By Catherine Haug, March 25, 2017 (Photos, right and below, from Olin)

The following is from Olin, a member of our email list:

Who’s your farmer? Does someone out there want to start a small orchard or veggie farm?

Life throws changes and I need to move our family to the Great Falls area for off farm income.  My wife and I are selling our ten acre place here, [south of] Kalispell.  I’ve put a lot of effort into planting things here and  want to pass the torch to someone who wants to keep this land in ag.  There is an NRCS EQIP grant for a high tunnel greenhouse. This could be a good fit for the right person, couple, or team of people willing to live communally.   Plenty of ground and different kinds of terrain for multiple hands and multiple ventures. Deer fence is up… take it from here.

We are asking $375K, higher if we have to end up listing with a realtor.  We’ll have pictures available shortly, please contact me if your interested.

For more about this property, and for owner’s contact information, see printable pdf file: Olin’s PropertyDescription. See another photo, next. (more…)

Posted in Exchange, Home & Ranch | No Comments »

Kitchen Hint: Baking with parchment paper

Sunday, March 19th, 2017

Strained lard in parchment paper-lined mold

by Catherine Haug, March 19, 2017 (photo, right by Cat and Shelli, for our tutorial on rendering lard)

This hint comes from Janet and Edd Blacker of our core team:

“We have found that using parchment paper on cookie sheets and other pans in the oven when baking things works great.  No sticking and it makes the pans easier to clean.“

It’s important to use actual parchment paper, not waxed paper for several reasons; read on for those and for other kitchen uses of parchment paper. (more…)

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Posted in Kitchen Hints | No Comments »

Event: 3 Flathead Showings of documentary “Tapped”, Mar 23, 24 & 26, 2017

Sunday, March 19th, 2017

By Catherine Haug, March 19, 2o1y (Photo, right, from Water For Flathead’s Future website (2))

The following is from the Daily Inter Lake, Sunday, March 19, 2017 and Flathead Events (4):

The grassroots group Water for Flathead’s Future (who oppose the proposed bottling plant in Creston) is sponsoring three benefit screenings of the award-winning documentary “Tapped” this week in locations across the valley:

  • Bigfork showing is Sunday, March 26, 2017, 2 PM at Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts; Tickets are $10 at the door;
  • Whitefish: Thursday March 23, 2017, 7 PM at The O’Shaughnessy Center, 1 Central Ave, Whitefish, MT 59937;  tickets are $10 at the door;
  • Kalispell: Friday, March 24, 2017, 7 PM at FVCC, Arts & Technologies Building, 777 Grandview Drive Kalispel; admission is free.
  • Donations to Water for Flathead’s Future are gratefully accepted.

Read on for more about the events, the film, and to view a trailer for the film. (more…)

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Posted in Ecology, Events: Other | No Comments »

Good candles, bad candles

Saturday, March 18th, 2017

Melted Beeswax

By Catherine Haug, March 18, 2017 (Photo, right, by Cat and Shelli R., for our posting on Cheesemaking: Waxing the Round)

The other day on a MTPR program (don’t recall which one), I caught the message that ‘not all candles are created equal, and most are loaded with toxins.’ Today’s Daily Inter Lake has a short article about this in the ‘At Home” section, by Kimi Harris, from Mother Nature Network: 5 reasons to switch to beeswax candles (1). Not only are they non-toxic, but they may also help purify indoor air.

While beeswax candles may cost a bit more than toxic candles, they burn longer, have a fragrance with a hint of honey, and are available in most communities. Many beekeepers make beeswax candles and sell them in local stores/farmers markets. Here in the Flathead, Trailhead Supply (3) sells candles harvested and handcrafted by Glacier County Honey Co. (Babb, MT). The Good Food Store in Missoula also sells beeswax candles.

Or make your own; see Mother Earth News (2) for details. See Candle Supplies for Home  for beeswax sources in the Flathead.

References

  1. Mother Nature Network: mnn.com/your-home/at-home/blogs/5-reasons-you-should-switch-to-beeswax-candles
  2. Mother Earth News, Making Beeswax Candles by Jennifer Ford: motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/making-beeswax-candles-zbcz1403
  3. Trailhead Supply: trailheadsupply.com; 860 N. Meridian Road #A11, Kalispell MT
  4. Candle Supplies for Home (4) candlesuppliesforhome.com/supplies/montana/kalispell.html

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Posted in Ecology, Home & Ranch | No Comments »

‘IRS’ scam and what to do about it

Saturday, March 18th, 2017

By Catherine Haug, Sept 28, 2016; Updated Jun 19, 2017 and Mar 18, 2017

I’ve now gotten two of those calls, and it is likely that everyone – especially senior citizens – will get at least one of them. Normally I don’t pick up the phone unless I recognize the number. The first one  (9/28/2016) was a 509 area code, which is just across the Columbia River from where I lived in Portland, and is where many of my former coworkers with whom I exchange Christmas cards, live. So I picked it up.

On the other end of the line was a recorded message that went something like this:

This is (male name), an IRS officer. Did you know there is a legal petition filed against you? Call me back immediately at 509-983-0040.

The second call (3/17/17) was with a female voice, but did not give a name. She said:

“an arrest warrant has been issued. Call me back immediately at 907-891-8644.“

If you get one of these calls, DO NOT CALL THE NUMBER. Note, there are many different scam numbers they use. I got two more calls in June 2017 giving the following numbers: 662-214-8288 and 330-954-6946, respectively.  On the first of those calls, the voice said, “you and your property are being watched,” which is a clear threat that you should also report to the county sheriff or city police.

When I got the first call, my first thought was, “I wonder if this is that IRS scam I’ve heard about on the news?” So I googled the number, and got this: Scam Call Fighters (1), where it says: (more…)

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Posted in Security | No Comments »

2017: Clean vs Dirty Dozen Food (whether to buy Organic)

Monday, March 13th, 2017

Free-range chicken farm

By Catherine Haug, March 13, 2017 (Photo, right, from Cornucopia (5)

Cat’s food-shopping tips:

  • Produce: If you can afford Organic, it is highly recommended you choose Certified Organic or Organically-grown. If your budget is limited, see the Clean Dozen and Dirty Dozen food lists, below.
  • Red meats: Pasture/grass raised and finished, locally-raised livestock provide the most healthful meats; see also my posting Why ‘Pasture-Raised’ trumps ‘Organic’.
  • Poultry meats: Your best choice locally raised poultry, provided they have access to the outdoors; and not just a small door to the outdoors, but a door you can use, too. Chickens eat not only seeds but also insects, grubs and worms, and they need the sun for the sunshine vitamin, just like we do.
  • Eggs: Your best choice is eggs from poultry raised in similar way as for ‘poultry meats’ above.
  • Dairy: Buying from a local farmer (who keeps his/her dairy livestock in pasture) is highly recommended. Organic commercial milk is ultra-pasteurized and, in my opinion, ultra-damaged. See my article on Cat’s Kitchen: Raw Milk: A Real, Natural & Perfect Food, which has a discussion about the problems with ultra-pasteurized milk. If drinking raw milk is not for you, choose simply ‘pasteurized’ milk (HTST) from a local dairy, such as Kalispell Kreamery here in the Flathead Valley. See Food Safety & Pasteurization on The EssentiaList for a description of the various pasteurization types.
  • Cheese: This is a dairy food but I give it its own bullet because we have a great source of raw-milk cheeses in Montana: Lifeline brand, from Victor MT. There are also local brands that use simply-pasteurized milk to make their cheeses, such as Flathead Lake Cheese (2) in Polson, and Amaltheia Dairy (3) in Belgrade.
  • Avoid processed foods, even if they say ‘organic’ on the label, because unless they are Certified Organic, they will contain up to 15% non-organic ingredients most of which are GMO. See my posting: Natural vs Organic Labeling for more.

Buying Organic can be expensive, so if your food budget is limited, read on. (more…)

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Posted in Agriculture, Ecology, Food-Nutrition-Health, GMO, Organics | No Comments »

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