Buy fresh, buy local!

Photo courtesy Worland Chamber of Commerce.

Wyoming farmers' markets are flourishing with fresh fruit and vibrant veggies so I encourage you to buy locally grown produce!

According to Nate Beckman at the Worland Chamber of Commerce, the first day of market this past Saturday featured 28 vendors, to include produce growers, crafts people, food vendors, and flea-marketers, all locals from the Worland area. We also had live entertainment by members of local country/rock band Mountain Scum and local DJ, Mr. B. Beckman reported, "The estimated foot-traffic was around 300. We plan to hold market every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. [and] this year's market should run for about 10 weeks, with September 25th being the projected final date." The market is located on 9th Street (off Big Horn Ave.) between Pioneer Park and City Hall in downtown Worland.

For more information about the Worland community market, please call the Worland Chamber of Commerce at (307) 347-3226. For more information about farmers' markets in Wyoming, click here.

BBQ and Bluegrass

The 6th annual Wyoming State BBQ Championship and Blue Grass Festival will take place August 19-21, 2010 in Worland, WY! Each year over thirty master BBQ'rs converge in the Big Horn Basin to compete for prizes totaling over $6000.00. Each participant spends countless hours preparing their favorite recipes for brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and chicken. Additional categories include lamb and sauce.

For more information, about this Wyomoing state BBQ championship (sanctioned KCBS) event, click on the link above.

Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival

Don't miss the 26th annual Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival September 9-19, 2010 in Jackson, WY. This annual celebration will feature more than 50 events and showcase international and national artists and their extraordinary art. From culinary, contemporary, landscape, Native American, wildlife, and Western art, this festive event provides something for everyone, amidst the glorious backdrop of the majestic Teton mountains!

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountain is going home; that wilderness is necessity; that mountain parks and preservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life. -John Muir

Blues n' Brews

I am delighted to discover and share so many fun events going on in the cowboy state, and my latest find is The Wyoming Blues and Jazz Society - a wonderful organization that was created to promote and perpetuate blues and jazz music across the state of Wyoming. The Society recognizes blues and jazz as being a true American heritage and seeks to educate and encourage young and old to play and listen to blues and jazz. Members are primarily in the Casper area with a few spread across the state, and a few elsewhere in the U.S. The society hopes to grow its membership to encourage and enjoy shared events in many towns across Wyoming.

The Sweetwater Blues n’ Brews Festival will be a rockin' event on Saturday, August 14, in Rock Springs. The festival is a celebration of music and microbrews, located downtown in Bunning Park. This all-day event will feature live blues music, the best microbrews in the region, some homemade BBQ, and a lot more!

Sweet 16

Sweet 16 is the nickname for U.S. Highway 16, that runs east-west in the northwest United States, between Rapid City, South Dakota, and eastern Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. This 507 mile passage was designated by Road & Track as the "shortest, safest most scenic route" from Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone Park.

There is so much to do along this pleasurable path that there is a publication titled, Sweet 16 Travel Guide, with nearly 50 pages of information about all the fun and interesting places along the way.

So if you are planning a trip to the cowboy state, or live here, and looking for new territory to explore, load up the car and travel one Wyoming's sweetest highways! For more information about the Sweet 16 Travel Guide, email: editor@newslj.com

The mountains are alive...

with the sound of music! Summer is my favorite time of year in Wyoming. Old man winter has gone into hibernation, the mountains are blanketed in gradient shades of green, and the wildflowers garnish the landscape with dollops of splendid colors. And what is most exciting about summer in Wyoming is all the fun activities and events around the state that offer something to do for everyone. For those who love music, a must-do event is the Grand Targhee Music Festival at Grand Targhee Resort, nestled in the majestic Teton Mountains. People from all over the world convene in one of our state's most beautiful settings to enjoy the music of talented and accomplished musicians, that includes Grammy award winners and nominees. This three day event is a pleasure for people of all ages, with a variety of activities for kids, too. For more information about the Sixth Annual Targhee Fest on July 16-18, click here.
Photograph courtesy Grand Targhee Resort

Summer Harvest

Summer gardens are bursting with a glorious symphony of ripe, colorful vegetables and herbs. I have two summer harvest favorites that are a harmonious pair - luscious tomatoes and cool cucumbers. This classic duo, combined with a medley of other fresh vegetables and herbs, create a cool refreshing soup to enjoy on a hot summer day. Gazpacho is a chilled, light soup consisting of fresh raw vegetables that originated in Spain, with ancient roots.

Traditionally, gazpacho is made by pounding the vegetables using a mortar and pestle, but contemporary cooks favor using a blender or food processor for ease in preparation. Another preparation method is to dice the ingredients, reserving the liquid from the vegetables, to create a chunky version of the soup. Gazpacho is typically complemented with different garnishes. These may include the same vegetables the soup contains, as well as croutons. I like to serve gazpacho with sliced baguettes, drizzled lightly with extra-virgin olive oil. Click here for my favorite gazpacho recipe.

A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins. -Laurie Colwin, Author

The Sky is the Limit

Sunsets in Wyoming - simply spectacular! And what a splendid view we had from the cockpit of our Cessna during my first flying lesson - very uplifting therapy after a long week!

Adventure is worthwhile in itself. -Amelia Earhart

Down to Earth

The planting season has arrived here in the Big Horn Basin, finally! With my favorite vegetables and herbs grounded firmly into the rich soil, my only task now is to nurture them with water, and lots of it, in our very dry, high desert climate. If all goes as planned, I will harvest enough tomatoes for canning an ample supply to enjoy through fall and winter in my favorite soups, salsas, and sauces. I'm going to try preserving herbs this year, so I planted several varieties to determine which will hold their flavor. And I found a delicious vegetable antipasto recipe for canning that I will share in an upcoming magazine article I'm writing for Teton Family Magazine. The magazine's first issue will debut August 1st, so stay tuned for more information about this exciting new publication featuring Paulette Phlipot’s beautiful photography.

A Handful of Joy

The days are getting longer and warmer here in the Big Horn Basin, although it's not quite warm enough for me and my plants, yet. Nevertheless, I'm enjoying getting my hands dirty with the joyful work required to prep my garden for planting.

Yesterday, I visited our local nursery and I was overwhelmed by the sea of vibrant colors bursting with life - purple, blue, red, yellow, orange, and lots of green - such splendid food for the soul after a long, gray winter. I found several varieties of tomato plants, a couple of cucumber plants, and all of my favorite herbs. The vegetable and flower seeds I've been cultivating in my kitchen for over a month are almost mature enough to be planted, so now it's just a matter of waiting a few more days and they will be relocated to their new digs.

It was the wise and enduring philosopher, Aristotle, who coined the phrase, "Patience is a virtue," and this certainly applies to those of us who are gardeners in Wyoming!

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. -Aristotle

Bee Friendly

Imagine a world without honey - that pure, sweet liquid gold produced by honey bees and derived from the nectar of flowers. Sadly, there is a honey bee crisis and the future of honey is in jeopardy!

Did you know that the honey bee population in the West has declined by more than 25% in the past year? In fact, honey bees have been abandoning their hives and dying in at least 35 states across America. One cause is linked to a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), but the causes of CCD are not known.

According to the US National Honey Bee Board and various international food regulations, "honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance," so it is truly one of the world's most natural resources. Bees play a vital role in our food supply by pollinating one-third of all the foods we eat, so keeping them alive is crucial to maintaining the natural balance of our eco-system.

You can help preserve this sweet natural resource! Plant bee-friendly flowers and plants in containers or a garden. Lavender, violets, sunflowers, rosemary and many other flowers and plants attract honey bees. To get more of the latest buzz about this important topic and ways you can help, visit this site sponsored by Häagen-Dazs: http://www.helpthehoneybees.com/

Spring Tease

Today was a splendid spring day here in the Big Horn Basin with a high of 67 degrees. I worked feverishly to clean out the flower gardens and get some prep work done for my new veggie garden, because the weather is changing like the wind, and predicted to remind us of winter in the next few days.

I'm ready to hang up the coats but while waiting for warmer weather, I'm doing what I can to enjoy a taste of spring by sowing some seeds inside. I planted corn, zucchini, and carrot seeds today, and my herbs are starting to sprout! How I look forward to the day when I can transplant my crop to the garden, probably some time in mid-May, and await the harvest in late summer.

Until then, I'm trying to be patient and preparing some of my favorite spring foods, like chicken stir-fry with veggies - get this recipe and more favorites on my recipes site.

The Cowboy Chocolatier

Photo by Rick Carpenter

For the love of chocolate, I drive to a lovely hamlet named Meeteetse (pop. 351), about 45 minutes from my home. The sweetest spot in town is a gourmet chocolate shop owned by Tim Kellogg, who is known around Wyoming as the "Cowboy Chocolatier."

Tim has a glorious array of confections that he prepares daily. In addition to his luscious truffles, there are way too many divine creations for me to list here; but of interest to me this month are all the beautiful chocolates he has for Easter - adorable white chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, chocolate farm animals - that will indulge the chocolate-lovers' appetite.

So, I encourage you chocoholics to visit Tim’s online store for a sample of his seductive treats, or stop by the store in Meeteetse - I promise, you won't be disappointed!

In like a lion...

...out like a lamb, but not in Wyoming, as seen by the blustery weather we are enduring here today with snow and 40 mph wind. I am anxiously awaiting spring's arrival, while loading the fireplace with the last of our winter stock of wood. I hope our April (snow) showers bring May flowers!

In the meantime, I am organizing some of my favorite recipes on the lighter side to feature in April - Fettuccini Alfredo with Salmon and Spring Fling Pasta Salad, to name a few delectable creations that I know you will enjoy. So check back soon for these deLIGHTful recipes, and several more, on my recipes site.

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens