Busy Hands Homestead

2 fist sized beets (*roasted) 1 lbs of strawberries 4 (or more) ounces of fetta cheese 1/4 (or more) cup of roasted walnuts arugula dressing: 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tbsp agave nectar garlic salt pepper * To roast the beets, set them in a oven safe dish and fill the bottom inch with water cover and bake for an hour or until the beets can be easily poked with a fork.  Let them cool and rub the skin off of them.  They are ready to be used. Place the walnuts in a dry hot pan and "fry" on the stove until the skins darken and they are wonderfully aromatic.  Remove from heat. Chop the beets and strawberries into equal sized pieces. Put on a bed of arugula. Since arugula is a peppery green, use as much or as little as you like.  Sprinkle with the feta and walnuts. Prepare the dressing. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, agave nectar and add garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the salad.  Toss and enjoy. ...

I feel fortunate to have a found a community of stellar parents since moving to Missoula a few years ago. They are vibrant, passionate, talented people who are raising children with love and laughter and creativity.  Sure, raising kids can be tough and often entire days, weeks and months have their unique struggles, but in those times a support network of parents has it's greatest advantages.  It is nice to know that most struggles are universal and that we all get through them in one way or another.  We bitch, we listen, we share ideas and help when we can. One of the most rewarding aspect of being a parent is that we get to share those things that we love with our children and hope that our passions might in some way ignite interests of their own.  Whether it is walking in the woods, drifting down the river, growing a garden, baking bread, curling up with a good book, creating music, or simply spending time with friends we want our children to discover t...

The sun is shinning.  It is warm and humid. We woke this morning to birds singing and the ever present humming of the cars driving by just out of sight.  The view of farm fields and little farm houses tucked between the rolling hills visible from the windows of our room belie the proximity to town.  We are all still a little tired after arriving at my father's house in the wee hours of  Wednesday morning. My father proudly gave us a tour of the yard, coffee cups in hand, and we admired his strawberry plants, tomatoes, peppers, squash, onions, fennel, peas and beans. His yard is something to which I hope ours will someday aspire.  While I have been raging war on the sod in our yard, here there all ready are well established garden beds, filled with beautiful perennials, interspersed with plots of edible plants.  There are covered walkways and sitting areas over which thick stemmed grape, hardy kiwi and wisteria spread their bows. ...