Emigrant People's Market

Midway between Livingston and Yellowstone National Park, along Highway 89, watch for the sign to Emigrant and then turn west at the blinking light. You'll also see signs pointing toward the People's Market and that's exactly where you want to go.

In its second year, this is a small market, with an average of about ten vendors, but you'll find a wide variety of items to look at. And because it is small, vendors are happy to describe their products and make sure you get exactly what you want and need.

I found pottery . . .

healing oils (this was the first time I saw Black Pepper oil, which is useful for many ailments, including arthritis and digestive upsets) . . .

and Bo's Blankets, which I wrote about last week.

There was even a table with lots of stuff . . . fun stuff!

Jo had quite a collection, including her own photographs. In the spirit of recycling, she cuts up photographs that don't quite print right, puts a label with her contact info on the back, and hands them out as a kind of business card -- she also has traditionally printed cards, but I will treasure my oddly shaped photo of a charming rustic porch.

I throughly enjoyed talking to Bev of Healing Earth LLC, who explained the uses of various herbal tea blends.

Bev buys many organic herbs, but said that she gathers echinacea (a prairie variety), St. John's wort, and arnica in Montana. A deeply purple mixture of elderberry and honey looked good enough to scoop out right there with a spoon, but she explained this is actually an immune booster, to be taken as you develop a cold.

Later I visited the Healing Earth store in Pine Creek -- if you're returning to Livingston, take the side Highway 540 and you'll pass right by this charming (and good smelling!) shop.

Mike Smith, the beekeeper of the business, was tending the store when I arrived. I zeroed right in on the jars filled with honeycomb and had to take one with me. Mike has been keeping bees near Livingston for three years, and he couldn't stop talking about how fascinating they are. I learned that there are 55,000 miles of bee activity in each pound and a half (approximately 1 pint) of honey. Mike pointed out that a few bees are inevitably killed when combs are removed from the hive -- after all, they are protecting their work, home, and factory -- but that is far fewer than are killed when you put pesticides on your home garden. And, he added, the bees don't really miss the honey -- they just make more. That's what they do.

But back at the market, I also chatted with Yankee Bob, who loves to bake cookies, breads, and cakes with healthy ingredients. I tasted his applesauce cake and almost swooned.

Bob sells some baked goods in a tea shop in Livingston, but he makes a steady profit at community events around Emigrant. He almost always sells out. Bob learned to cook from his mother, but it wasn't until the 1980s that he began in earnest when he was asked to donate goodies to a church bake sale. He concocted a fruit cake from a Betty Crocker date bar mix, which turned out to be so popular that he went on to perfect his recipe. When the mix was discontinued, Bob cobbled together another winner from six different recipes he saw one day in the Los Angeles Times.

Imagination took off, and he now makes a variety of oatmeal-based cookies along with his applesauce cake and banana strawberry bread, to name a few.

If you can't make it to market, Bob can supply you by mail, just send him an e-mail: rtelljohn at bresnan.net.

Joyce Johnson is the manager of this market, which she calls an "eccentric, eclectic group. There's a little bit of everything here." During the market's first year she saw that there would not be much produce appearing and changed the name from "farmers" to "people's" market to better describe the collection of goods available.

Other community events take place on the wide lawn behind the vendors, which is adjacent to St. John's Episcopal Church, the sponsor of the market: perhaps a dog training demo (bring your own dog for some personalized tips) or fiddlers.

Emigrant is a small village, but the population is spread throughout Paradise Valley. There are several organic farmers in the area, but they prefer to sell at the bigger venues in Livingston and Bozeman. Carting fresh produce to market is a big chore, and the sooner a farmer sells out the better.

But Joyce is optimistic that with more word of mouth and direct advertising, the Emigrant market will continue to flourish. There is a huge amount of seasonal traffic to and from Yellowstone Park, and Chico Hot Springs is only 10 miles away. Local residents also add to the flow of repeat customers.

Although, of course, vendors hope to sell their products, money isn't everything, Joyce explained. "Sometimes encounters [with people] here are more fun than the money we make."

"We're a scrappy little market," Joyce said.

Emigrant People's Market

Lawn of St. John's Episcopal Church, Emigrant

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

June until the weather changes

Farmers market bash

Big Timber was rockin' today during the Montana Farmers Market Season's End Bazaar and Concert.

Welcoming you at the door was Basha, whose smile is as big as the state of Montana. In the photo she is holding a heaping helping of her hospitality, which in this case was a yummy pile of nachos with all the fixings.

Basha was solely responsible for this extravaganza. Oh, she had help from local merchants, who donated door prizes, and of course no market is complete without vendors. But this event was Basha's idea. Plus, she made the nachos, set up the chairs, coordinated the vendors and entertainers, made the signs, placed advertising, and all in all created a wonderful atmosphere of joy.

When Basha does something, she throws her whole heart and soul into it. No wonder everyone who came had fun.

This was foremost a celebration of farmers markets -- the event poster put up around town invited people to "Meet your favorite market vendor!" Thus, when people entered the auditorium today they first saw a montage of market photos taken throughout several seasons. I supplied many photos, but Basha did all the creative work.

There were only three vendors. But size isn't everything. Enthusiasm counts for a lot. (Think of the Wibaux farmers market.)

The first vendor I talked to came from Livingston with handmade blankets and hair decorations. Sandra, in business as Bo Blankets LLC, described how she carefully chooses coordinating fleecy fabrics, hand-ties the knots, and creates charming care tags from the fabric scraps. Some scraps also brighten up headbands and pony tail elastics. I bought a large blanket and expect to be very warm this winter!

Tom and his wife, Melanie, offered made-in-Montana items they buy at discount and often refurbish. There were a lot of things to look at on their tables, but this belt studded with beer bottle caps particularly caught my eye. There was definitely something for everyone!

And, lucky for everyone who came, Riza made an appearance with samples of her Tumblewood Teas.

New flavors have arrived: Chico Cherry (rooibos tea with natural flavors), Paradise Valley (black tea with real vanilla bean pieces), and Mountain Mint Chocolate, a black pu'erh with bits of spearmint and peppermint leaves, as well as chocolate shavings, which make up a rich tea that could replace an afternoon pick-me-up candy bar. I'm just sayin'.

My favorite new blend was Montana Almond Joy, green tea (which makes it especially smooth), along with almond slices and coconut shavings (see photo below). Riza has served this blend as a mocha latte and plans to convince a Big Timber coffee shop to offer this latte, too. Now that will draw in a lot of customers, I'm sure!

When you see Riza at a farmers market, first taste the tea, but then look for other items she sells to help make the tea-drinking experience more pleasant. She has glass teapots and cups, wool cup cozies (which may soon be made from alpaca), and much more. As her sign indicates, the "tumblebees" of Sweet Grass County are very busy helping to supply her customers with honey.

And last but by no means least, while shopping, customers enjoyed a free concert, featuring Dave Christensen, who delighted the audience with foot-tapping songs . . .

cowboy poet June Elges, who started out with a sober-minded poem (not written by her) as a memorial to the victims of 9/11, but then had everyone laughing with hilarious descriptions of ranch life (Ranchin' Grandma, who helps her grandson round up a bull; Doc's Advice, wherein a ranch woman spends the day chasing sheep, calving, and fixing a fence, but then worries that she didn't have time to take her doctor's advice to get on that treadmill to get some exercise; and Horse Sense, which describes June's granddaughter when she was first asked to herd sheep in fog) . . .

and Basha herself, a talented musician who delights Big Timber every time she sings.

A good time was had by all.

Go figure: these clay animals are delightful

When you are at farmers markets be sure to watch for -- and buy from -- young entrepreneurs. They might be selling homemade cookies or homegrown vegetables. Some will be budding artists. All of them will be eager to talk about their products.

Eleven-year-old Emma Phipps is a particularly talented artist, who has created a collection of clay figurines that will delight anyone.

You can buy individual sculptures, which are about 2 to 3 inches high, but they are available in several groupings. Emma's wildlife set includes a moose, deer, elk, antelope, bear, and, upon request, buffalo. Her country set comprises a pig, cow, horse, and cowboy. And many varieties of cats of course form their own independent group.

Although you won't see them displayed at farmers markets, Emma also creates oil and acrylic paintings and especially enjoys using watercolors: "I love watercolor because it blends so easily, and you can do lovely skies."

For a 4-H project, she recently made a large (5-inch) Chinese dragon. Her general entrepreneurial endeavors can also be applied toward 4-H experience.

Emma has been forming these adorable figures since she was old enough, at age four, to play with the clay she makes them with. She learned the technique from her mother, Lynn, whose own style, which she calls the Funny Farm, is more whimsical. Says Lynn: "Emma definitely has her own style."

Homeschooled on a ranch 19 miles north of Reed Point, Emma sells at farmers markets throughout the area: Absarokee, Big Timber, Columbus, Red Lodge, and sometimes Billings. You can also find her at the Reed Point Sheep Drive over Labor Day weekend, where she sells sheep figures in keeping with the general theme of the event.

In addition, Emma does special orders for the same price as her ready-made figures.

To find Montana farmers markets, visit Yummy Montana.

PS --It's Saturday, September 24, and I have a couple of new photos of things Emma made.

First was a special order of unicorns (not for me, unfortunately!). Aren't they neat?

Then, a special order for me: figures of my cats. First, the real ones.

Now, the clay ones. Can you tell them apart from the real ones? :) They are made to be grouped together like this, but they can also stand as separate figures. I love them! Thanks, Emma!