Page 2 - Where We Live

A couple of hours working up 2,000 feet of switchbacks takes me from the valley floor to Alpine Lake, nestled in its cirque below Packrat Peak, and the smaller “frog ponds” just beyond. But it’s not until I climb the final mile, up to the crest of the ridge itself—well above 9,000 feet—and peer into the Baron Lakes Basin, that the scope of the rugged Sawtooth Mountains hits home. The imposing summits of Monte Verita, Warbonnet and Tohobit dominate the massif, rising above Baron Lakes, while Decker Peak looms across the valley to the south, and Braxon and Horstman fill the eastern horizon. From my ridge-top vantage, the wild beauty of the landscape offers mute if irrefutable evidence why the cognescenti, those mountain lovers lucky enough to know the Sawtooths, speak of them with frank awe. The cluster of 10,000-foot peaks in ... Read more about Sawtooth Wilderness Defined

When it comes to food safety, I take it to a whole ‘nother level. Never shall meats and vegetables touch the same surfaces during preparation, and after making chicken, the kitchen smells like a swimming pool with copious amount of the bleach I use in the clean up. So, when home fermentation started becoming popular many years ago, even with all of its nutritional benefits, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do have food soaking in brine on the counter for a week or more, possibly with white fuzz growing somewhere on the liquid, and actually eat it. Thankfully, speaking with Sandor Katz (a.k.a. Sandorkraut), author of Wild Fermentation and The Art of Fermentation, alleviated my fears. His decades of research and international experience convinced me that I wasn’t going to kill my family, and in fact, fermenting food will act... Read more about Fabulous Ferments

Pomeroy, Washington is a Norman Rockwellesque farm town that doubles as NASA’s testing ground for Mars rovers. At the end of the last Ice Age, 2,000-foot-high glacial dams shattered repeatedly, sending cataclysmic floods ripping across the Pacific Northwest. The wild water often hit 65 miles an hour, gouging lakes and razor-edged ravines, and revealing a starkly beautiful landscape of buttes and basalt-pillar colonnades. These “Channeled Scablands” are so otherworldly that NASA tested robotic rovers bound for Mars among the region’s coulees and dry waterfalls. The torrents also eddied, piling fertile dirt several hundred feet deep, while the wind blew the lighter silt and volcanic ash into dunes. This produced the undulating farmland of Eastern Washington’s Palouse, where spotted horses once helped harvest the nation’s riches... Read more about Weekending

The lettuce and spinach are finally planted, but it’s still going to be weeks before they’re big enough to make a salad and, truthfully, I am ready for vegetables that haven’t traveled more than I have. To satisfy my taste for something fresh, I decided sprouts and microgreens are the perfect remedy for a quick, fresh treat any time of the year. Microgreens are fast growing and super nutritious. What is the difference between sprouts and greens? Sprouts and microgreens are the very early growth of seeds, whether those are Asian greens, alfalfa seeds, broccoli, or beans. The difference is how you grow them. Sprouts are a soilless method using a jar and some sort of screened lid to drain out the water. Microgreens are grown just like any new plant, but they are harvested as soon as the first true leaves emerge. Both pack a boatload o... Read more about How To raise Sprouts and Microgreens

Growing up here in the Northwestern US, we are privileged to have a very established hunting culture. Indeed, in the US in general, we are offered choice meats sourced directly from the land. We have some great wild game recipes up on our Pinterest board: check them out for inspiration. As a great example of the fare we have available to us here in Montana, and added to the fact that I write about food as much as I can, I brought in some elk tamales to work on Tuesday. When I told Jake, our photographer here at North 40 Outfitters, he would be shooting tamales in celebration of the wild game many of us here in the Northwest take for granted, I was astounded to learn he had never had a tamale. What is a Tamale? What is a tamale? The dictionary tells us a tamale is a Mexican dish of seasoned meat wrapped in cornmeal dough and steamed or ba... Read more about How to Make Tamales with Wild Game: Recipe & Instructions

In Episode 13 of AskNorth40, we were asked a question about where Simms clothing came from as some shirts say Bozeman, MT while others say Buy Local. To answer this question, we facetimed Michael White from Simms Fishing about where their products are manufactured. The answer to this question became twofold as Michael addressed Simms manufacturing production as well as their ideology behind the Buy Local shirts.   Simms Factory Tour in Bozeman, Montana As a manufacturer, Simms Fishing has been located in Bozeman, MT, since 1993 when the current owner, K.C. Walsh, acquired the company and relocated it from Jackson, Wyoming. Since then, the company has had a partnership with W.L. Gore & Associates (makers of GORE-TEX® fabric) to develop the breathable, GORE-TEX® Waders that Simms is known for. In 2012, Bozeman became the permane... Read more about Simms: From Bozeman to Your Local Fly Shop

Calving season is just around the corner for the majority of our cattle producers in Montana, Washington and Idaho. If you need ear tags, we've got them online and available for delivery to your door, right here. Most ranchers have already made preparations and are mentally ready for the next few months of long nights and the challenges generally associated with calving in the northwest. While warm weather makes conditions a bit more tolerable for livestock and producers, the varying temps can also present their own set of challenges as well, but none are as critical to survival of new calves as colostrum. Colostrum Replacers and Supplements for Calves: Improve Immunity Colostrum supplement and replacer products are valuable tools to increase calf immunity when supplies are limited.  We recently added two colostrum products by APC Life... Read more about Lifeline Nourish Colostrum Replacer: A Rancher's Review

What are some good fruit and vegetables to grow in north-central Washington? We get a lot of different gardening questions at North 40; we have stores in many different zones, and each one of our stores has a special relationship with the growers that supply our fruits and vegetables. One of our suppliers in the area is a husband and wife team who've been providing plants to N40 for 2 years. They have mucho experience in the growing game, and are 15 year veteran, Bonnie certified suppliers. Check out their full interview N40 eMag: Garden Edition. Want to know their specialty (and a great fruit that will do well in north central Washington)? Tomatoes. And the Bonnie tomatoes we stock are known to thrive in these areas. "Our plants are grown hardy and acclimated to our environment. We grow them pretty cold," she tells me, laughing. The Bo... Read more about What Grows in North Central Washington?

It all began standing over a hole in the ice on the south end of Canyon Ferry Reservoir east of Helena, MT. I was on my first of many ice fishing adventures with my dad (Kit) and my grandpa (Poppy). Although I can't fully remember the entire experience of reeling in my first fish (a big rainbow trout), it somehow instilled a passion into my veins that never left. And when I look at the photo, I can almost remember the feeling I felt..almost. But, what I can remember is having cold toes and a happy heart! Now many years later, my best pal and adventure buddy, Chris Schlenker, and I always take an annual trip to the remote and magical Fort Peck Reservoir. The first few years were a big learning experience being under-geared and uneducated on the massive body of water. Our biggest setback was our old Tecumseh power auger. In fact, it was the... Read more about Hardwater Traditions

Walk into my garage and do you know what you are met with? A barrage of towering boxes waiting to be unpacked. However, if you side step twice, do a half spin, duck down, then pivot to the right, you will be standing in the ideal place to view my 'wall-o-packs.' So even though my wife's outrageously large coffee mug collection and my favorite morning breakfast toast plate are still boxed up, we did manage to organize the packs that propel our weekend adventures. What can I say? Priorities. Want to check out our selection and colors on the Scrambler 30 by Mountain Hardwear? The latest addition to the 'wall-o-packs' is the Mountain Hardwear Scrambler 30 Outdry Backpack. Now although the name may seem too long and lack what marketers call "spice", it does virtually tell you everything you need to know about this backpack. How's the Size on ... Read more about Review of the Scrambler 30 Backpack: A Worthy Addition

What is the old saying- "If you can't do it, blog about it?" There's not too many things in life that I am good at, but I like to think I am pretty good at eating food. Now, if only I could cook. My culinary ability rests somewhere between burning box mac and cheese and barbecuing some decent steaks. I have even burned hotdogs on the grill; it wasn't my proudest moment. The good news, I have not yet burned down my house. Plus, I make a pretty mean bowl of cold cereal.  All of that being said, I do love food. I think it is my creative side that really connects with the artistry in good cooking (or just my inner fat kid). I enjoy everything from the composition of a plate to a unique combination of flavors. I have had the pleasure of eating at some fancy places and some pretty fantastic dives across the northwest. I love to try new restau... Read more about Tested by Locals: Alpine Touch

It seems like I have tried my hand at a little of everything in my short 21 years. Growing up, I had a deep love for animals and I searched for anything that meant I could spend more time in the barn and less time in the house. From choosing the correct tack for my performance horses to winning Grand Champion with my barn cat at the county fair, I've always been involved in livestock and shows. I'm the daughter of an outfitter, which means that hunting and fishing is a way of life. In the spring, I love to fly fish and hike. I could spend every day on the river catching trout... or attempting to. When I don't have my crown on as Miss Rodeo Montana, you can find me working as a dental lab technician in scrubs of many colors. Stay tuned to yourlocal40.com for more blogs and write ups as North 40 helps promote the Western culture alongsi... Read more about Meet Hanna: Miss Rodeo Montana 2015