Fall is here, both officially and weather-wise, and we are excited! The cool temperatures have been a welcome relief to the heat of the summer, and the mountains look beautiful with their first dusting of snow. We have a little harvesting left to do at the Big Valley fields, so we’re hoping major precipitation holds off in the valley for a little longer. We are appreciative that the weather has helped slow the spread of the Diamond Creek wildfire, which has been slowly creeping towards the Granary for the past month. It’s still burning, but is much less of a risk now than it was 2 weeks ago. Thank you to all the wildland firefighters who have put enormous effort into keeping our community safe!
Introducing Eric Zytowski! Eric has temporarily joined our team as Packaging Room Coordinator while Sheah is away on maternity leave. He brings with him extensive experience in material development and is an all-around great person- Eric, we’re happy to have you on the team! Here’s a quick note from Eric:
“In short I can be described as an Iowa boy, greyhound dad and new fulltime resident of the Methow valley after learning about it 20 years ago. They valley is a special place with (usually) clean air for me and folk who understand the simple pleasures such as good food and knowing where it comes from and how it’s grown. I came here after spending my time with companies such as REI in Seattle and Nike in Portland that showed me how to enjoy the outdoors in a healthy, athletic way. I can be found in my off hours at home planning our garden for next year or riding my bicycle around the valley with my wife Val.”
We’re excited to announce that Huckleberry’s Natural Foods Stores will be carrying Bluebird products in their bulk section! We have 
been working to find a trusted supplier for our grains in the Spokane area, and they’ve come through for us. If you’re an eastern Washington resident, be sure to check out this excellent grocery chain.
Joshua McFadden, farmer and chef at Ava Gene’s restaurant in Portland, has released a new cookbook that we are excited about: Six Seasons: A New Way With Vegetables. There are a lot of vegetable-focused cookbooks out there, but this one really shines- Josh’s culinary skills and love of growing food come through in this inspired, creative work. Josh has worked with Bluebird’s grains at Ava Genes and the recipe for Farro with Tomatoes, Corn, Mint, Basil and Scallions is awesome! If you love local, wholesome, fresh food, this is a great cookbook to check out.