Howdy, MATE!

It's mealtime -- do you know where your food came from? A visit to the Montana Agri-Trade Exposition (MATE) will give you some help answering this question.

MATE, which this year runs for 3 days at Billings' MetraPark on February 14-16, is designed to showcase the latest farming and ranching equipment and services. I must say I was impressed!

I actually started my tour in the Home and Health Expo part of the event. This was where some of the food producers I meet at area farmers markets were selling their wares.

I enjoyed seeing Becky of Becky's Berries again. She has some great new flavors in addition to the tried-and-true ones she's been selling for a while. From past experience I recommend Wild Huckleberry, Traffic Jam, and Road Rage Jalapeno. (I love producers who come up with such clever names!) But today I bought Chuckle Berry Jam, a combination of chokecherry juice, huckleberries, and raspberries, so mouthwateringly delicious that when I got home I just dipped my spoon in the jar and tasted it straight. Mmmm.

Linda ("The Nut Lady") of The Nut Shack, was offering her usual tasty roasted nuts. You gotta try these! They have a unique flavor to complement their sweet crunch. Linda is a real people person, so when you see her, be sure to stay a few minutes to chat and pet her [stuffed toy] squirrels.

There's always something new to try, so of course I was easily persuaded to taste a product out of Ulm, Parker's Hangover Tonic. This was designed to help a bartender mix a Bloody Mary or Caesar in 20 seconds instead of 2 minutes, maintaining consistency and saving time during those busy bar rushes. At home, you add the vodka and tomato juice. I can testify that this stuff packs a powerful punch . . . spicy! But I was assured that you just add twice as much juice to tone down the heat. It makes a nice marinade, too, straight from the bottle.

Joanne at the Watkins booth was filled with enthusiasm for the products she sells. She's been on eBay buying up old Watkins products to display along with the new ones. Below is a look at a set of 1958 spice jars with their accompanying cookbook. In the background of the photo, to the right, you can see an original jar for vanilla (and its box), one of the "Famous Three" (the others are cinnamon and pepper) that won "finest quality" awards at the Paris exposition in 1928. These are still fine products in the twenty-first century.

 While I was chatting with Joanne, Thrifty Nickel employees came by distributing free coffee and doughnuts to vendors. Everyone appreciated the gesture since hanging out for three days answering questions and selling products is tiring. So I'm just saying a little thank-you here on the vendors' behalf.

There was a whole lot more to see in the Pavilion -- cookware demonstrations, aloe lotion samples, the Wool Growers spinning -- but I'll take you right over to MATE in the Expo building, where the big boys were hanging out.

Oh, but first, just a little peek at the Ford truck display. Throughout Montana you will see rugged Ford trucks of all vintages hauling hay, taking kids to basketball games, doing all sorts of rugged chores.

Now for the big stuff: the tractors! Have you seen a modern tractor? My photos can't do their size justice. Some were bigger than apartments I've lived in.

The tractor in the photo above costs $155,000. Add a useful -- and necessary in today's ag world -- GPS system for $30,000. You can see the modern-day farmer is putting some serious investment into his business.

A display by the Montana Farmers Union showed that farmers and ranchers are vastly underpaid for their work. For example, a box of cereal costs the consumer about $5. The farmer has gotten 10 cents for his share.

In between tractors, there were piles of tools, innovative water systems, piles of animal feed -- you name it, and a farmer or rancher was examining it with interest.

And while I enjoyed asking lots of questions about strange farming equipment -- and got thorough answers from patient vendors -- I must admit my very favorite part of MATE was seeing the live animals. I wanted to buy a raffle for a horse, but forced myself away to see the llamas from Manhattan that often appear at area farmers markets along with the lovely, soft, warm products made from their luscious wool. Today they were accompanied by a guard dog that was, well, tuckered out.

I also spent time outside looking over the yearling bulls that would be sold at the Monday bull sale. I thought they looked cute, but I did recall seeing massive and intimidating ones all grown up in fields near my house, and I knew that they don't really stay cute very long. I mentioned this to Shelly Goggins of Beef Unlimited, and she laughed. She told me the bulls on her ranch do remain "cute" all their lives. She said she can't resist treating them like pets, explaining that teaching them to be gentle around people helps a whole lot when something needs to be done in their field or a vet needs to treat them.

The bulls I saw for sale will be used for breeding, but I asked a couple of ranchers how they decide which animals are kept for breeding and which are sent for slaughter. Josh and Robert proceeded to give me a lesson in "carcass data" and EPD (expected progeny difference), which is a mathematical calculation to determine how much meat an animal can produce. I was fascinated by the science involved and impressed with how complex a rancher's job truly is. Below is a photo of an EPD chart that Robert was explaining to me. You can go to simmental.org to learn more.

As impressive as those figures were, my focus was still on the animals. Aren't these one-year-old bulls, well, cute?

There are a lot of things I can say about what I learned today, but I think I can sum it up best by saying: Thank you, all you farmers and ranchers and food producers!

Tipsy Cupcake

Any day is more special with a cupcake, don't you agree? And here it is Christmas, and the Tipsy Cupcake in Billings is helping folks celebrate in a very sweet way.

Kari Jones, the cupcake queen who owns the Tipsy Cupcake shop and makes all the delicious treats for sale there, told me, "We hope to bless people with a little treat every day."

The cupcakes are fresh each morning and come in an imaginative variety of flavors, which vary from day to day. Above, sporting the Merry Christmas tag, is Salted Caramel (delicious). Below, you see it along with (starting at the upper right) Lemonhead, Chocolate on White, and Black Tie (all equally delicious).

So if the cupcakes are fresh each day, what happens to leftovers each night? Sure, folks come in all day to buy goodies and to snack before and after the movies next door, but inevitably there will be a few cakes lingering when the doors finally close.

Kari told me that she donates extras to (and sometime makes special batches for) area nursing homes, schools, youth groups, and the women's and children's shelter. She also caters weddings and other events and supplies corporate gifts for area businesses.

"We're all about love here," Kari admitted. Oh, yeah, that's easy to believe. You can feel the love just by looking around the cozy shop.

Repeat customers are common, and Kari enjoys thinking about each one. One man comes in from Miles City to buy bribes for his kids. An elderly couple buys several to freeze and thaw out over the coming week for evening snacks. (I can personally assure you the cupcakes freeze well.) Others drive in from faraway places like Great Falls and Wyoming. Not just to buy cupcakes, of course. But then, maybe they do . . .

Kari emphasizes that this business is "homegrown" and not a franchise. It's her very own creation, made small batch by small batch.

"It's a lot of work, but fun," Kari assured me.

And I believe her. The atmosphere is warm and friendly. Everyone who enters the shop comes in smiling with anticipation. What flavor will they choose? The shop's Signature Pink Champagne? English Toffee Crunch? Wedding Cake? Root Beer Float? Peppermint Mocha?

Or perhaps a milkshake made from a cupcake crumbled into ice cream?

The gals behind the counter feel they are part of a blissful experience and find no trouble in following Kari's philosophy that they treat a customer as if they are welcoming a guest to their home.

After all, isn't a cupcake what makes a home a happy one?

Have a cupcake . . . perhaps Orange Creamsicle?

 Tipsy Cupcake

1001 Shiloh Crossing Blvd., Suite 7 

(next to Shiloh 14 movie theater)

Billings

(406) 656-5666

Depot Farmers Market

A tractor in the park next to the Depot in Livingston drew my attention this morning as I was on my way to another farmers market. It's always a joy to find a new farmers market, and I stopped on the spot to check out this one. It's small, but it's a real gem.

This is the third year for the Depot Farmers Market, where, I was told, you'll usually find 3 to 6 local farmers with a glorious abundance of produce. Today, there were two farmers with piles of enticing fresh, colorful, and unusual vegetables, and one table loaded with baked goods. You won't find any crafts here.

Don't be shy about asking the farmer what he or she is selling, because they understand that some produce can look odd to someone who is used to finding standard items in the supermarket.

Geyser Farm's tractor was hitched to a cart filled with a wide variety of easily identifiable items like tomatoes, onions, and cabbage. But those odd-shaped objects in varying hues of yellow turned out to be delicious Poona Kheera cucumbers, and the attractive white-and-purple streaked eggplants went by the lively name of Calliope.

There were some mysterious and very large curved green objects under a table. When a bystander asked what they were, Geyser Farm owner and market manager Mark Rehder cracked one open and handed around samples to the curious. Turns out they were overgrown English cucumbers. They still tasted delicious, but the customers tempted by Mark's on-the-spot decision to sell them for $2 each staggered slightly as they walked away with their purchases. The one I bought was 2 feet long!

customer comparing Poona Kheera (left) and English (right) cucumbers; tough decision

Matthew of 3 Fiddles Farm described his produce as "100% natural and super-nutritious." Like many farmers you will meet at the markets, Matthew follows strict organic practices on his farm. But it is against the law to label produce as "organic" unless you have filled out seemingly endless piles of paperwork to obtain official USDA organic certification. Many small farmers do not have time for this. They're busy making sure pests aren't eating their pesticide-free crops.

Matthew also reminded me of what many farmers have told me, that selling perishable crops at a farmers market has its bad side as well as its good side. Consumers get to meet the people who grow the food they buy and eat, and farmers get a decent price for their labor. But all too often much of the produce has to be taken home again to be sold at another market, eaten by the farming family, given away to a local food bank, or composted.

How lovely it would be if everyone could buy all the produce they needed for the week at a farmers market.

If you find yourself on your way to Yellowstone Park on a Saturday morning, drive through Livingston to pick up some fresh veggies for snacks along the way. Or simply make a special trip to visit this well-stocked market.

Depot Farmers Market

Next to the Depot, West Park Street

runs during growing season

Saturday, 9 am - noon