February 2018 Spotted Bear Vacation Rental

February 2018 Blog

Spotted Bear Vineyards & Lavender Farm

Polson, Montana

www.spottedbearvineyards.com

spottedbearvineyards@gmail.com

          February, and here I sit and write with snow covering everything outside and minus zero temperatures for the last three days.  There were other winters when right about now I would be starting to enjoy all the tulips and other bulbs I planted last fall, but that is just not happening this year. So, all I can do is take advantage of the time to plan and prepare for spring and summer.

            The vacation rental cabin on Finley Point has gotten an incredible overhaul during the past month.  A Baker's rack was added to the kitchen for extra storage and convenience.  It’s very stable and has given us quite a bit more counter space. 

I found it on Amazon and all of the items purchased from Amazon for the cabin were ordered through “Amazon Smile” with a percentage of the price going to the Colorado Prairie Initiative. The cabin is currently booked very heavily in July through Airbnb and VRBO, but there are still plenty of openings in the other months.

            The “old lady” decorating style that we inherited with the cabin is gone and now it is in with the new look which I like to call “Hudson Bay Company, Great Northern Railroad" cabin motif.  Going for the “kick back your heels” and enjoy what Flathead Lake has to offer a visitor.  I recovered the dining room chairs, took down the lace curtains and added small conveniences such as more mirrors, utensils and appliances.

            Running late on starting my pepper seeds, and will try to get that accomplished this weekend.  I added d’espelette peppers to my current seed collection consisting of shishito and chile d’agua peppers.  D'espelette Pepper peppers are the backbone of Basque cooking and I hope that they do well here in Montana.  

            I just renewed my Montana plant nursery license for 2018 and will offer lavender plants for the first time this spring.  On the list of offerings are Buena Vista, Phenominal, Provence and Ellagance lavender plants.  Just contact me by email or phone or the Spotted Bear Vineyards facebook page if you are interested in 4” plants.  These will be for pick up at the vineyard only. Twenty-five per cent of all plant profits will go to the Mission Valley Animal Shelter.

            Looking forward to distilling my own Spotted Bear Lavender Farm’s essential oil from fresh flowers this summer but until then I have purchased some essential oils from Mountain Rose Herbs to make several household cleaners.  My favorite is the “Thieves Blend” which uses clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oils.  I always add lavender essential oil because it just makes it better.  Mix the Thieves Blend combination with water or white vinegar or witch hazel or even vodka and it makes a great cleanser and disinfecting agent.

            Before I end the blog for February, I have to include a picture of a mountain lion that was taken on our property on December 6^th, 2017 by our game camera.  I have other pictures of cougars taken in the same spot but this one is just so clear and spectacular.

            Spring really is trying to arrive.  My lilacs actually have buds in this minus seven degree temperature so hopefully, very soon I can get back to gardening and enjoying what spring has to offer in Montana.

January 2018

January 2018 Blog
Spotted Bear Vineyards & Lavender Farm
Polson, Montanna
www.spottedbearvineyards.com
spottedbearvineyards@gmail.com
 

            Hope everyone is getting through the crazy weather this winter.  The road to our house on Hwy. 35 is impassable and we have had to move to our guest cabin in the vineyard on Finley Point for a few weeks.  Overlooking all those vines that need pruning is making me hope spring gets here sooner than later.

            I have been keeping very busy but it’s not the same as working outdoors.  We have listed the Spotted Bear cabin with VRBO and Airbnb and already are booked heavily for July.  We also have some adventuristic competitors booked in May for the Spartan races in Big Fork.  I am definitely planning on going to the open house on May 4^th from 3-5pm at Averill’s Flathead Lake Lodge to get into the spirit of the races.  https://www.spartan.com/en/race/detail/3249/overview.

We are very fortunate in that Deb Carstensen of Diving Dog Vineyard https://www.facebook.com/divingdogvineyard/ , is giving the cabin a style overhaul.  Soon it will become that relaxing cabin at the lake where one is able to escape the bustle of the city and enjoy wildlife and nature.

            It’s almost time to start my pepper seeds so that they are ready for summer planting.  I try to have them in by mid-February.  This year, I dropped Padróns from the lineup.  Every 2 out of 10 is purported to be hot and the rest mild.  Well, that didn’t happen last year, they were practically all hot!  This year I am planting Shishitos and Chile de aguas.  Shishito and Padrón peppers are “cousins.” In fact, both Shishito and Padrón peppers are cultivars from the same variety:  Capsicum annuum var. annuum.  Shishito peppers are the East Asian variety of the cultivar and are named because the tips of the peppers resemble the head of a lion, shishi (or jishi) in Japanese (from: http://www.friedas.com/karensblog/demystifying-shishito-and-padron-peppers/ ).  Shishito peppers have a great flavor, and 1 out of 10 is hot (better odds), and you can never have too many of them.  If they overproduce just make this great sauce that goes with fish tacos or pork or eggs or almost anything.  This recipe is from Trader Joe’s:

Ingredients

1.     1 bag TJ's Shishito Peppers.

2.     3 Tablespoons Spanish EVOO, divided.

3.     2 Tablespoons Lime Juice.

4.     2 Tablespoons TJ's Plain Greek Yogurt.

5.     2 TJ's Premium Peeled Garlic Cloves.

6.     1/4 teaspoon TJ's Sea Salt, or to taste.

7.     1/4 teaspoon TJ's Ground Black Pepper, or to taste.

(Never hurts to add a dash of fish sauce)

For the full recipe, visit this website: https://www.traderjoes.com/recipes/dinner/roasted-shishito-pepper-sauce

            I purchased my Chile de agua (Capsicum annuum) seeds from Jim Duffy at www.superhotchiles.com. I was very impressed with the instructions for starting the seeds that he included with the order.  They were very detailed and suggested many natural alternatives to chemical fertilizers. The Shishito pepper seeds were purchased from Baker Creek. https://www.rareseeds.com/,   I also got some Godiva pumpkins seeds to plant in the garden this spring.  I tried these last year and they were a good tasting pumpkin that has hull-less seeds. You can just roast the seeds and eat them, very easy. I added them to lavender granola and it just put it over the top.

20L Alembic Copper Still

            I purchased a beautiful 20L copper alembic still this month from the Essential Oil Company in Portland  https://www.essentialoil.com/.  It is beautiful to look at and I can’t wait to distill my own lavender this summer.  I currently have lavender soap available, made with my own lavender essential oil that Tootie Welker distilled for me last summer. Tootie sells her own products made with various oils that she distills. https://www.facebook.com/mayarisingshop/  Tootie and I plan on offering lavender distilling workshops at the vineyard and lavender farm this summer.  Please plan on spending a few hours harvesting your lavender and then learn about the distillation process as the freshly cut lavender is placed in the still and the essential oil and hydrosol is coaxed out.  There will be some lavender culinary items available to keep our energy flowing.  If there is interest I would also like to do workshops to make lavender wreaths with grape vine canes and also weave potato baskets from canes.

            When we purchased the property next to the vineyard we picked up a beautiful orchard. We now have cherry, apple, pear and plum trees that haven’t been pruned in years.  So add that to my list of new things to learn.  I never though retirement would be this challenging.

            I spoke to one of our favorite winemakers a few weeks ago, Gary Sloan. http://www.charkoosta.com/2016/2016_05_26/Sul_Lago.html   He reported that the L’Acadie Blanc wine that he is making from our grapes is coming along nicely.  He was getting ready to bottle it and enter it in its first American competition.  I am hoping that his talents will take this grape far.

            Let’s continue the count down until spring!

Skiing in the vineyard last week. Surveying the damage to the nets 

from the snow.