meet our farm
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team earthstar
The people we work with and the dogs we love.
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EGGS • GREENS • FLEECE
CHICKENS & EGGSEggs have been the signature product of the farm almost since inception.
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VEGETABLES & HERBSAll EarthStar vegetables are raised from organic and heirloom seeds.
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Wool & SHEEPEarthStar Farm's primary sheep products are luxurious yarns from our Cormo flock.
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What we produce
THE CHICKENS & THE EGGS
We began our organic flock of Happy Hens in 2012 with about 16 different heritage breeds of chickens, selected for superior egg colors, cold-climate adaptability, pretty feathers, and good temperaments. We've been delighted with our ever-evolving friendly flock of chickens over the years, and have enjoyed watching our own EarthStar Farm mixed-breed chicks hatch and grow up. The flocks live in a large fenced pasture (we do have lots of predators, including our local grizzly bears, cougars, foxes, skunks, ermine, etc) and forage freely for bugs, worms, and other delicious natural treats all year long. They also eat local organic chicken feed from Big Sky Organics in Fort Benton, MT. Our Happy Hens help us clean-up and till the garden beds in the springtime. We believe in natural farming. We do not push our hens into egg production with artificial lights in the winter, they are allowed to go through their natural annual laying and dormancy cycles. When their egg-laying days are finished, our hens continue to enjoy their retirement years with their flock families. Though our flock is smaller now (only 75 chickens) than it was a few years ago (250+ chickens), we are proud to share our eggs with our community. You may buy our EarthStar Farm Happy Hen Rainbow Eggs (when available) at Third Street Market or The Farmers' Stand in Whitefish, MT. MICROGREENS & EDIBLE FLOWERS Our EarthStar Farm microgreens are grown in a proprietary mix of organic super-soils, creating a more delicious, nutrient-dense, and longer-lasting product. We grow two standard mixes: a mild Vitality Mix, and a spicier Exhilarating Mix. These microgreen mixes are pre-rinsed and require no further washing by the consumer. Both are readily available retail at local specialty markets. We also custom-grow single-variety microgreens and tiny herbs for our fine restaurant trade. We began growing EarthStar Farm microgreens in 2016, and have steadily grown into the largest supplier of microgreens, microherbs and culinary edible flowers in northwestern Montana. You will find them on plates at many of the finer restaurants around the Flathead Valley, as well as in the organic produce section of specialty grocers. UPDATE: as of 2021, we are no longer growing microgreens for commercial sale HERBS & GARLIC Garlic and herbs are integral to most of our cooking on the farm, and we field-grow a delicious cross-bred "EarthStar Farm" hardneck garlic. It usually ripens for harvest by mid-summer and keeps very well all winter. Herb varieties are rosemary, lavender, several parsley varieties, cilantro, sage, thyme, several basil varieties, mint, etc. LAVENDER We organically cultivate many highly fragrant varieties of lavender at EarthStar Farm. Our 12 varieties of L. Augustifolia and L. Intermedia (Lavandin) are carefully selected for the finest essential oil fragrance, culinary flavor, and beauty. Surprisingly, the lavender plant thrives in our challenging climate. Fun local fact: during the first half of the 20th century, the Flathead Valley of Montana was the largest supplier of lavender essences in the United States. These essential oils were used by the big cosmetic and household cleaning product manufacturers (like Proctor & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Colgate-Palmolive, etc.) of the time. After WWII, the synthetic chemical fragrance market eclipsed the natural flower essence market, and the legacy of Flathead Valley lavender fields slowly dwindled over the latter decades in the 20th Century. But all good things tend to come around again. Interest in organic lavender as a culinary herb and for healing essential oils has increased exponentially over the last decade, and we are very pleased to see a resurgence of its cultivation here in the Flathead Valley. EarthStar Farm is at an elevation of 3300 ft, which produces a more rich density/intensity of essential oil goodness. Our honeybees are also delighted that we have several thousand lavender plants for them to feast upon each summer! 
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THE SHEEP & THE WOOL
Our flock of Cormo sheep are all descended from Merino x Corriedale parentage and are carefully bred to ensure finest quality fiber (super-fine 16-21 microns). Cormo sheep are a relatively new breed that exotically hail from Tasmania, AUS where sheep reign supreme! EarthStar Farm is located on 33+ acres tucked at the foot of the ski & snowboard famous snowy slopes of Big Mountain (aka Whitefish Mountain Resort). The deep-cold winter climate of the Rocky Mountains in Whitefish, MT helps our sheep grow extra fine, soft, and thick fleece. EarthStar Farm is carefully and selectively breeding to accentuate not only fine micron counts, but also the natural black and moorit grey/brown sheep in our Cormo flocks. We create our pearly cream, soft greys and deep black yarn colors by blending our exceptionally soft natural undyed wools to create the twists and solids of the "EarthStar Naturals" range of 6 different yarn weights (from lace-fine Cormo FingerWeight, to thick puffy-soft Cloud Cormo). Our wonderfully smooth yarns are processed and small-batch spun by a small artisanal family mill in Buffalo, Wyoming. Our fine-combed and worsted yarns from Wyoming include Cormo Finger Weight, Cormo Sport weight, Cormo Worsted weight, and a puffy thick/thin twist called Cloud Cormo. Our initial (but very limited) Canadian homespun-type yarns, spun up in an artisanal family-run mill in Carstairs, Alberta are a soft 2-ply Aran weight, and a thick Bulky single twist perfect for Cowichan native-heritage sweaters. We shear our sheep every April, after the harsh winter cold is over. May-June is one of the most exciting times on our farm, as that is when the majority of our adorable new lambs are born! HEIRLOOM TOMATOES We love growing heirloom tomatoes that truly taste like the luscious tomatoes of our dreams. We usually offer healthy tomato plant starts to the community in June. Typical time-tested varieties that do well in Whitefish include: Solar Flare, Gold Medal, Brandywine, Sungold, Sweet 100's, San Marzano, Roma, Caesar's, Costaluto, Genovese. Our fresh heirloom tomatoes are usually available at Third Street Market by July /August. SEASONAL VEGETABLES We grow many heritage-seed hot and sweet peppers, unusual heirloom squashes, pumpkins, peas, beans, cucumbers, and a large variety of interesting greens. We are always trying out new veggies in our gardens, with the primary emphasis on delicious flavor. We will try to keep everyone updated as our crops ripen up. 
FOOD FOREST: FRUITS, NUTS & BERRIES
Our fruits, nuts, and berries are primarily growing in the Food Forest, a longterm permaculture-type planting that we are developing. This is a planned installation of five large concentric circles of fruiting trees and shrubs, which create a microclimate of warmth at the center, increasing by one whole USDA climate zone in the center when the trees mature. This area is approximately two+ acres, and also is the site of the early-stage vineyard and many rows of lavender. Our honeybees also live in the Food Forest, where they are protected from our neighboring bears. We have planted many varieties of apples, pears, plums, cherries, other stone fruits, hazelnuts, myriad interesting berries (goji, seabuckthorn, saskatoons, elderberries, etc.) in addition to future strawberries and blueberries. We look forward to decades of delicious bountiful community harvests as our Food Forest matures. The orchard growing process is very very slow in northwest Montana due to a short growing climate, so this is a long term project. FOXTAIL FORSKOLA/The SKOLA We have been very pleased to host Foxtail Forskola here at EarthStar Farm as a service for our community for the last 7 years. The school began right here, back in Summer 2018, with the first intrepid group of young inquisitive children roaming about our woods, pastures, farmyard and gardens all year long, exploring the world of our farm, guided by several wonderful and dedicated teachers. Foxtail Forskola is forest pre-school with a play and place-based emergent curriculum. Modeled on the Scandinavian outdoor "rain-or-shine schools," Foxtail Forskola uses teachings of Rudolph Steiner and others as a springboard for learning about our natural world. In the last few years, additional Primary grades have been added to the curriculum, and The Skola now runs through 5th grade. As the school has grown, they have also expanded into their new campus nearby, and changed their name to The Skola. Learn more at www.theskola.org VINEYARD Diligent research over decades of dinners & dreams has resulted in us planting several varieties of cold-hardy grapevines in hopes of a future productive vineyard. Grape varietals include La Crescent, Frontenac Gris, and Marquette. Stay tuned ... so far our experiments have been fruitless, haha! GEODOMES We currently have two 30' geodomes on the farm. One is a heated Growing Spaces greenhouse dome, used year-round for winter edible flowers and greens. The other is a simple open-air shelter that the chickens adore. It is said that the beneficial Torus-field energy effect of the geodesic dome structure creates superior egg taste and plant growth. PERENNIAL CUT FLOWERS We grow many different perennial and annual cut flowers, both edible and decorative, and are always exploring new varieties. While many of our flowers are seasonal, our greenhouses do allow us to grow roses and other beautiful edible and fragrant flowers year-round. GREENHOUSES & HIGHTUNNELS We extend our short Montana growing season by utilizing a large 75' high-tunnel for veggies and two greenhouses. One smaller greenhouse is for microgreen production, and the other is a 30' heated geodome greenhouse (currently producing delicious fresh figs!). These structures allow us to grow fresh veggies and flowers year-round for our community, despite the long, deep-snow Montana winters. |
PRODUCTS WE CREATE & GROW
All of the products we produce on EarthStar Farm are grown or raised following natural sustainable organic farming practices.
