I’ve has been experimenting with whole wheat bread [...]]]> The difference IS describable! This just in from Jim, one of our organic flour customers: “Baked my first loaf with the Unbleached Wheat on Wednesday and got raves from all taste testers to date.  They noted the “difference” and it was positive; best described as a smooth and hearty taste.”

I’ve has been experimenting with whole wheat bread recipes to replicate the homemade bread my grandmother (Anna) used to bake. I used a combination of white and whole wheat flours, local sweet clover honey, and our Roasted Wheat cereal for even more whole wheat flavor, and I think I just may have nailed it! Read on for the recipe.

Whole Wheat Bread

1 7/8 cups water
2 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. honey
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups GBO Unbleached Wheat Flour
1/2 cup COTW Roasted Wheat Cereal
1 Tbsp. kosher salt (or 1 1/2 tsp. table salt)

Grease 2 loaf pans with spray oil. Mix and knead dough in bread machine, heavy-duty mixer, or by hand. Cover and let rest for 1 hour or so. Dump dough onto an oiled surface and cut in half. Working with one piece at a time, gently shape into somewhat of a square or rectangle and then pull both long ends in toward center, sealing and tucking ends in. Roll over so the seam side is down and gently work into the shape of your loaf pan; place dough in pan. If you haven’t deflated the dough too much, this process should take only a few seconds. Repeat with second piece, cover pans and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Immediately turn bread out from pans and let cool on wire rack. Yield: 2 loaves.

And we’re borrowing Jim’s holiday sentiment to pass along to each of you:

Wishing You All The Best This Holiday Season. You’ve made for a Grand One here!

~Alicia and Susan

Think Tin-Tin Celebration (the duo is a GREAT buy) for hostess gifts…or dorm gifts…or office party gifts! Think Outdoorsman’s Breakfast for your favorite camper. Think Come And Get It for [...]]]> We’re unveiling our new Facebook ad today – featuring Cream of the West’s beautiful gift items. Order soon to guarantee Christmas delivery for everyone on your list!

Think Tin-Tin Celebration (the duo is a GREAT buy) for hostess gifts…or dorm gifts…or office party gifts! Think Outdoorsman’s Breakfast for your favorite camper. Think Come And Get It for busy moms, providing her with full-sized packages of our Montana Crunch, 7-Grain Buttermilk Flapjack Mix, and Cowboy Seasoned Breading Mix – complete with dinner bell! Think Christmas Crate for those hard-to-buy-for inlaws, featuring a sampling of our favorite products and locally made honey and syrup! And think Chuckwagon, a whopper of a gift that says, “I love you Mom & Dad!” or “I’d really love that promotion!” or “Missing you and our chats across the fence!”

We’ll enclose a beautifully designed Cowboy Christmas Card highlighting your personal sentiment and drop ship anywhere.

There! You’ve just completed ALL your holiday shopping…and we did all the thinking for you!

Enjoy a blessed December and we look forward to hearing from you! (And let us know if you come across our Facebook ad )

Take 20% off any 3 or more gift items during our “GIVE the GIFT of HEALTH” 12-hour event. From 8:00am to 8:00pm MST, Friday November 25th, visit us online and take care of all your healthy Holiday shopping in one [...]]]>

FRIDAY ONLY!!

Take 20% off any 3 or more gift items during our “GIVE the GIFT of HEALTH” 12-hour event. From 8:00am to 8:00pm MST, Friday November 25th, visit us online and take care of all your healthy Holiday shopping in one fell swoop!

Check out our spring “FLOUR” POWER sale! We’ve slashed prices on 5-pound bags of select whole grain flours.

hard red whole wheat, unbleached     $3.85 whole wheat four, unbleached     $4.10 corn flour     $3.85 buckwheat flour     $5.50 spelt flour     $6.30 medium rye flour     $3.60 whole wheat pastry flour   [...]]]>

Check out our spring “FLOUR” POWER sale! We’ve slashed prices on 5-pound bags of select whole grain flours.

hard red whole wheat, unbleached     $3.85
whole wheat four, unbleached     $4.10
corn flour     $3.85
buckwheat flour     $5.50
spelt flour     $6.30
medium rye flour     $3.60
whole wheat pastry flour     3.90

Cream of the West, makers of the iconic ‘cowboy’ hot cereal in Harlowton, Montana, will feature some of their products on QVC on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 3:00 PM Mountain Time. It’s a big step and increased exposure for the nearly 100 year old Montana company.

“We almost didn’t [...]]]> Harlowton Hot Cereal to be Featured on QVC

Cream of the West, makers of the iconic ‘cowboy’ hot cereal in Harlowton, Montana, will feature some of their products on QVC on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 3:00 PM Mountain Time. It’s a big step and increased exposure for the nearly 100 year old Montana company.

“We almost didn’t make it!” said Alicia Moe, one of the owner/operators. “We were initially slated to be on QVC in November of 2010, but our tractor trailer load of products was caught in a big snowstorm back East and we missed our initial time slot.”  It could’ve been disastrous; Cream of the West had produced and shipped 2,000 special packages, designed exclusively for QVC. The company learned of the new March time slot via an email just last week.

Cream of the West started making their 100% whole grain cereals in 1914. The company moved to Harlowton in 2002, and has expanded their offerings to include Flapjack Mix, Breading Mix, Snack Mix and a line of 100% organic products in addition to their 100% natural whole grain cereals.

Meet some of the team from Cream of the West at the Made in Montana Marketplace at the Great Falls Civic Center on March 25 and 26, 2010, tune in to see their products on QVC at 3:00 PM Mountain time on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, or visit Cream of the West online at www.creamofthewest.com for more information.

- End -

What a perfect meal – the SMOOTHIE! I’ve been experimenting with ingredients: almonds, flax seed, wheat berries, Cream of the West Roasted Wheat and Roasted Ranch Oats, yogurt, buttermilk, fruit, vegetables…and the list goes on. (I haven’t actually tried vegetables yet, but wouldn’t a sweet carrot or garden-fresh cucumber be good?)

Yesterday’s concoction included: a tablespoon of [...]]]>

What a perfect meal – the SMOOTHIE! I’ve been experimenting with ingredients: almonds, flax seed, wheat berries, Cream of the West Roasted Wheat and Roasted Ranch Oats, yogurt, buttermilk, fruit, vegetables…and the list goes on. (I haven’t actually tried vegetables yet, but wouldn’t a sweet carrot or garden-fresh cucumber be good?)

Yesterday’s concoction included: a tablespoon of brown flax seed, a small handful of whole almonds, and a spoonful of soft white wheat berries all ground together in the bottom of the blender. I added three big spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt, some frozen cherries and blueberries, buttermilk to thin, and a couple ice cubes to keep the whole thing frozen…YUM! (Did you know that buttermilk is a really great compliment to yogurt?)

So get busy creating your own favorite combinations for a quick and satisfying breakfast – or start with our basic recipe for Flaxseed and Berry Smoothie. And keep watch on our website for the introduction of our new line of organic grains and flours. You’ll find us to be a unique source for everything you need for the healthiest (and tastiest) of smoothies!

Back in June a group of University of Montana graduate students visited us at the Moe Ranch and Cream of the West. One beautiful rainy evening, the fields refreshingly green, the skies dark and gray, we were treated to yummy, natural ranch-raised beef burgers at Richard and Alicia’s. Blessed with great company, we visited the night [...]]]>

Back in June a group of University of Montana graduate students visited us at the Moe Ranch and Cream of the West. One beautiful rainy evening, the fields refreshingly green, the skies dark and gray, we were treated to yummy, natural ranch-raised beef burgers at Richard and Alicia’s. Blessed with great company, we visited the night away on the screened porch of the old stone house.

A couple of the students enjoying the rustic swing and lovely view of the Musselshell River, snaking it’s way east just on the edge of Moe’s lawn.

Unbelievable views of the Musselshell River and Crazy Mountains following a cleansing, June rain.

What better place to set up camp than on a grassy lawn on the banks of the Musselshell, right outside a beautiful house with indoor plumbing facilities?

Beautiful Maya, Richard’s and Alicia’s granddaughter, happened to be visiting as well – and she had no trouble charming the socks off us!

The next day, the group aquiesced and donned hair nets for a tour of our plant in Harlowton (good sports that they are!).

Neva Hassanein, Ph. D. (far left) led her “Food, Agriculture, and Environment” graduate students on an eight-day tour of Montana. Making a loop from Missoula, all the way east to Glendive, north around Malta and Great Falls, and back, the group visited several Montana businesses taking advantage of  sustainable agriculture practices and principles. Cream of the West was lucky enough to be one of their stops.

The course description for the Environmental Studies class states, “According to Wendell Berry, “eating is an agricultural act.”  But most of us know very little about how the food we eat each day is produced or how it reaches our plates. Food is central to our lives, and it has the capacity to profoundly connect us with nature and the place where we live. In this course, we will explore the premise that the sustainability of the food and agriculture system requires practices, policies, and social arrangements that balance concerns of environmental soundness, economic viability, and social justice among all sectors of society. We will look at the conditions created by the dominant, “industrial” food and agricultural system, as well as investigate emerging alternatives – such as “sustainable agriculture” and “local food systems.”  The purpose is to introduce you to some of the central contemporary issues in the study of food and agriculture in the U.S. and to demonstrate an approach to broad, interdisciplinary study and practice. Through a research paper or a project, you will also have the opportunity to improve your research, communication, organizing, and presentation skills.”

Along those lines, the students let go many tough, yet insightful questions of us (the owners). We had lengthy conversations about what it takes to get our food from the farm to the table, and Cream of the West’s role in that endeavor. Here at COTW, we do believe in the concept of sustainability, and live it every, waking day. Four of our owners (Richard, Alicia, Steve and I), are full-time, local ranchers, producing natural, ranch-raised beef and grain. Two of our owners (Tom and Beth) own and operate our local grocery store (and stock every one of COTW’s products, of course!). Two of our owners (Tom and Trudy) own and operate Rocky Mountain Cookware. And two of our owners (Keith and Janet) deliver irrigation water and clerk for the district court. Most of us have lived here our entire lives, and all of us contribute mightily to not only our small community’s sustainability, but to the promise to deliver natural, healthy, and delicious food to our customers.

The maroon UofM van delivers and it takes away. So long, thanks for a lovely stopover, and we look forward to seeing you again!

(photos by Susan)

Mission Statement!

greenBarn organics (GBO) is the brainchild of Richard, Alicia, Steve [...]]]> At Cream of the West we have officially introduced our new line of organic flours and grains. We begin our foray by offering our line to natural foods stores in Montana…so kudos to the Good Earth Market in Billings for being our very first GBO customer!

Mission Statement!

greenBarn organics (GBO) is the brainchild of Richard, Alicia, Steve and I, and we have all worked very hard bringing these “Montana-made”, and to a certain extent “Montana-grown”, flours and grains into your home. Bobby and Stacy, our production crew, have labored tirelessly getting our plant in “organic” order, which involved some remodeling and much re-organizing. And our office manager, Liane, has been chugging away seeing that nutritional labels are being generated, customer sheets are being designed, and our inventory system is up to date. Our certification from Montana’s Department of Agriculture came to us in May, and since then we’ve been narrowing down the product list, setting prices, and finally, FINALLY, we are ready to introduce you to greenBarn organics!

meet Green Barn Organics!

Richard and Alicia made the delivery to Good Earth Market last Thursday, so you should be able to head straight to their bulk bins and stock up on some organic and Montana-made grains! Please stay tuned as we expand our list of Montana natural foods outlets, and be sure to keep watch on our website for retail offerings, nutritional information, recipes, and more!

Alicia delivering our first GBO order!