Color Me an Omelet

I try to avoid impulse buying at the grocery store but how could anyone resist these eggs?

Looking at them simply makes me happy.  These delightful eggs come from the Rocking RB Mountain Home Organics farm in Victor where Paula Raines weaves her poultry magic to produce not only these beauties but also duck and quail eggs along with ducks, quail and soon, Thanksgiving turkeys for consumption. 

In a true showing of my chicken ignorance I asked Paula why she decided to dye these eggs.  Silly me. They come out of the chicken that way! What gifted creature I queried can lay pastel pink eggs? The answer is the americauna breed shown below.  I may have changed my mind about having children if they came out a lovely shade of blue, olive, dark olive or pastel pink. 

Paula is a true testament to the dedication of Montana’s organic farmers.  According to Paula, “our chickens eat a well-balanced diet of certified organic mash that is corn free, with Alfalfa meal incorporated in it. They also get meal worms once a week during the winter.” And does Paula head on over to Petsmart for her meal worms? Surely you jest. Rocking RB has the only certified organic meal worms in all of the US! Her chickens also are fed Kelp, certified organic of course, and oyster shells which help make the eggs shells solid.  Paula says, “we love our birds” which is evident when I hear about the devotion she takes in their care. 

As I told Paula, I found it hard to bring myself to actually crack one of these eggs open since they were so perfect in their shell. This morning I finally gave in and made omelets for breakfast. As always, I found that if the main ingredient is good, simple is always better so all I added was a splash of milk, pepper and some shredded smoke Gouda cheese.  The result was divine! The eggs had a fresh taste to them that you don’t find in the mass produced brands. The yolks also seemed larger than what I was used to and had a beautiful pale yellow color.  Paula has provided her own recipe for a Duck Egg Omelet which I have included in the Recipes section. 

I could go on and on about Rocking RB’s organic practices but this post would be endless.  If you’re interested in learning more, you can contact Paula through http://www.localharvest.org/. Look for the eggs at the Good Food store in Missoula or the Bozeman Co-op.

Old 'Stache Whiskey Barrel Porter

For some, the coming of spring is signified by a Robin sighting or the sound of ice breaking up on the lake. For me, it’s Old ‘Stache Whiskey Barrel Porter at Tamarack Brewery.  I look forward to the day this fabulous concoction comes out with great anticipation during our dreary Montana winters. 

                                                    

I first discovered the wonderful combination of beer and bourbon at Magic Hat Brewery in Burlington, Vermont and I now seek it out like Dracula seeks blood.  While we're on the subject, the inability to get Magic Hat beer is really the only thing I dislike about living in the west. Well, that and the fact that I haven’t experience a decent thunderstorm since 1995.

But back to Old ‘Stache.  To make a whiskey infused beer, the beer must be aged in bourbon oak barrels for several months, obviously a time consuming process which is why, I would guess, it isn’t a common type of beer.  According to Tamarack’s website, this particular beer is an old-style Porter brewed inside bourbon barrels for over 100 days.  The result is an extremely flavorful drink with a beautiful dark caramel color. It tastes mostly like a Porter but there is strong hint of bourbon that slips in and thankfully lingers after the initial sip. Tamarack serves it in a snifter glass instead of the usual pint glass.  Not only is it fun to drink beer out of snifter but at 8.9% alcohol it packs a wallop and should be slowly sipped to experience all its deliciousness. 

During a quick chat with our extremely friendly and accommodating bartender at the Missoula taphouse, I learned that Old ‘Stache is so named because one of the owners of Tamarack is known for his formidable mustache and his birthday is in February which is also why it comes out this time of year. 

Run, don’t walk to Tamarack Brewery in Missoula or Lakeside.  This beer goes very fast. While you’re there, try their fabulous food, too.  I highly recommend the chicken enchiladas and Dave swears by their ribs.