As I continue to plod my way through winter, I’ve been mindful in trying to follow my own recommendations when it comes to managing mental health. In my opinion, the current “open” winter creates a sense of restlessness, as this is supposed to be the quiet time of the year, with sounds, ener…
- Marie Hoyer
Milk is one of nature’s most complete foods and begins to feed humans and mammals at birth. The contents support life with an abundance of essential nutrients. Commercially, milk technically comes from dairy cattle, sheep, and goats.
- By DARLA TYLER-MCSHERRY
This winter, the wind is a huge discussion topic. In many places across the country, it’s been intensely windy and lasting for days at a time. Here in Montana, much of the state, to date, has had an “open” winter, meaning very little to no snow cover or moisture of any significance. This wei…
- Marie Hoyer
There are some foods we take for granted as they are so common. One of those are beans, whether they are fresh, canned or dried. Ancient Egypt, Thailand, and South American people were eating them 6,000 years ago, as well as including them in burial tombs. They were also a staple of the Roma…
- By DARLA TYLER-MCSHERRY
I think it was the winter of 1977-78, one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record. I still remember the “treat” of being snowed in on a Thursday and Friday, so we kids had a four-day weekend. I believe it was this winter when I heard my mom repeatedly say that “January has 59 days.” As…
- Marie Hoyer
Do you ever have to think about what to have for breakfast, lunch, or a quick meal? How about a griddle cake or flapjack? A hot cake, a pancake or a crepe? Despite all the various names, they all mean “pancake.” Pancakes were initially mostly round, cooked batter of flour, milk, and oil. It …
- By DARLA TYLER-MCSHERRY
As I was driving into Billings on a chilly morning in early January, I saw a rancher chopping the ice at his roadside pond for his cows. Seeing that made me smile, as it reminded me of my dad. In the wintertime, it was the first and the last chore of his day. He didn’t have a large herd. He …
- Marie Hoyer
Another new year, another budget made out, and another unexpected increase in bills. These are pretty much the facts of life now. What is a family to do? The prices of the foods we used to purchase may prevent us from doing so now.
- By DARLA TYLER-MCSHERRY
Today is the winter solstice (Dec. 22). Upon wakening, Rudi, my German Shepherd, and I went outside and were treated to a spectacular eastern sky backlit with delicious orange cream, pink, and lilac colors. It was an intense visual treat. Partnered with the stillness of a Sunday morning and …
- Marie Hoyer
Now that the holidays are over, things may be settling down a bit. One might have the time to pursue a new hobby or explore new interests. The kitchen may be one place to start by experimenting with growing seed sprouts for eating. I do not mean garden seeds, but those organically labeled fo…
- By DARLA TYLER-MCSHERRY
I was fortunate enough to take a short vacation and escape the cold of Montana and enjoy a few sunny and warm clear sky days in Phoenix. No schedules, delicious food, and a professional football game made for a wonderfully relaxing and fun respite. A bonus to this experience was my first rid…
- Marie Hoyer
Not everyone will eat the same foods over New Year’s Day. Through the years, we have been going about the world to find out what foods people have eaten in their country. This year we shall stop in Greenland.
- By DARLA TYLER-MCSHERRY
I just checked the weather forecast. At this next time week, the day’s high temperature is supposed to be 45 degrees cooler than today. That’s not a bad thing. It’s late November (at the time of writing this column), and it’s time to actually have some winter weather. It’s an opportunity to …
- Marie Hoyer
Christmas is thought of as a time of Santa Claus, beautifully decorated trees, and gifts, but there is a much deeper-rooted history around the celebration. It originally began over 4,000 years ago in a little town of Bethlehem where a child was born. Jesus Christ came as a redemption for peo…
- By DARLA TYLER-MCHSERRY
It’s pretty safe to say that we Americans are obsessed with dogs. Our comic strips and cartoons are full of them – Snoopy, Scooby Doo, and the Paw Patrol, to mention a few. Favorite television shows and movies feature dogs as the stars – Rin Tin Tin, 101 Dalmatians, Lassie, and many more. Re…
- Marie Hoyer
Christmas may be a little different this year for some of us. Budgets may be overstretched. Types of gifts, either asked for or expected, are not only expensive but also have a financial cost attached. Christmas items on the store shelf or in craft shows are tempting, but mom and dads have h…
- By DARLA TYLER-MCSHERRY
It’s an enjoyable moment listening to the “honk” and wing flaps of Canada geese (also called Canadian geese – sorry, birders) in their V-shaped formations flying overhead. They are amazing creatures. They fly around 40 miles per hour, and with a good tailwind, they can reach speeds of 70 mil…
- Marie Hoyer
November and December are months in which one usually entertains more with holiday parties, company dinners, or just different seasonal get-togethers. Multiple recipes abound for making almost any type of dish. However, there are various tricks that help make things easier that is not found …
- By DARLA TYLER-MCSHERRY
We lose minutes of daylight every evening. We gardeners hastily pick our remaining produce, watch the weather reports, and wonder how many more days we can eek out until the killing frost. Some people are geared up for fall, ready to enjoy the cooler weather, hunting, and breaking out the cr…
- Marie Hoyer
There are many aspects about the fall season to be enjoyed. Football has begun, gardens have been put to bed, days of high heat temperatures are over, and fall festivals are held.
- By DARLA TYLER-MCSHERRY
A favorite childhood photo is one of my dad and I washing carrots. I was about four years old. My mom had me dressed like an Artic air front was likely to come blasting through at any moment – red overboots, hooded jacket zipped all the way up to my neck, hat, and mittens. Our row of freshly…
- Marie Hoyer
With the abundance of fall fruits and vegetables, there is a variety of ways to use them. One of which is to bake quick breads. Quick breads do not take long to make, and they use common ingredients, but no yeast. The loaf may be sweet or savory, and may be used for breakfast, sandwiches, sa…
- By DARLA TYLER-MCSHERRY
We are losing daylight so quickly. During mid-summer, I can leave my house at 9 p.m. to run and have plenty of daylight. Now, it’s dark when I get up and dark by early evening. Fall is officially here. About 40-45 percent of Americans say fall is their favorite season, about 25 percent say s…
- Marie Hoyer
As late fall is here, most of our gardens have been put to bed for the year. Small seeds that were planted last spring produced foods that give us life. Many hours have been spent by some of us canning, freezing, drying, pickling or storing the summer and fall harvests for later use. It is i…
- By DARLA TYLER-MCSHERRY
I’m writing this column over Labor Day weekend, which for so many people, is a definitive time marker. It’s often referred to as the “unofficial end of summer,” and if you are like me, you may wistfully yearn for a few more weeks of late sunsets and skies dotted with puffy marshmallow clouds…
Recently Listed
