Hello Community Members,

This Thursday, October 8th from 4pm to Dark we are holding our annual on farm stock up sale. In light of increasing cases of Covid 19 Montana, and specifically, in the Flathead, this is not a decision that we have taken lightly. However, we believe strongly that the best defense against Covid 19 is a strong immune system. And the human immune system is based in our gut biome. So the best thing that we can do as individuals is eat a nutritious organic diet to maximize our gut health, and that means people need access to that type of food. Which means we as a farm feel strongly that we need to provide our community with our fresh organic produce. But making that decision comes with some risk, and so our goal is to mitigate those risks as best as possible. But ultimately, it’s up to you, the attendees to help us do that.

So, when you arrive at the farm for the stock up sale, things will be slightly different than usual (but hell, we’re all used to that by now, right?). There will be a single entry point for shoppers so that you can see the rules and the map laying out the locations of items you may want. There will also be one-way traffic through the buildings, which will require a bit more walking on your part. We have a lot of produce available this year, so please don’t feel so rushed to shop that you forget your patience, spacing, or respect for others. If you plan to attend, please read the following rules and be willing to follow them:

1. A mask is required to enter the farm property, and must be worn at all times unless you are actively eating or drinking. And no, carrying around an empty plastic cup all night doesn’t constitute actively drinking.
2. If you are not willing to wear a mask (regardless of the reason, medical or otherwise), please do not attend this event. You can send someone else to shop for you who is willing to wear a mask. There are no exceptions (this is private property), and we do not want any confrontations or arguments.
3. We will have greeters at the entrance to each building to manage the number of people shopping at any one time and to ensure mask compliance. This won’t really slow things down, but it may create longer lines at the entrances, so please be patient and practice social distancing.
4. No food or drink allowed in any buildings…which means if you are in a building, you will be wearing a mask 🙂
5. We will have people at each exit to help you carry or shuttle your produce back to your vehicles
6. You will only pay a single time at the “check out tent” for all of your purchases. We will provide an index card that tracks all your items, and you will simply hand this index card to the cashier at the time of checkout.
7. Please do not bring your dog or other pets.
8. If you bring children, please keep them under control and out of the landscaping so that they don’t destroy the ornamental grasses. Yep, it’s a real issue.

While this sale is typically a harvest celebration with a festive atmosphere, this year we are walking a fine line. Our main priority is to give people access to good food. We are going to have a food truck on site for those of you wanting dinner, and some straw bales spaced out for seating. There will not be a kids activity this year. We are concerned with people bringing their children and and hanging out in a crowded area all evening, but we are not dictating any rules on that subject….please use your own judgement and maybe keep it simple for this year. It’s supposed to be a beautiful warm day, and we want you to be able to enjoy the farm, the weather, and the sense of community, so please help us do that safely.

In terms of what’s available, the warm fall has really set us up for a great sale. Two Bear Farm will have a lot of produce available, and for anything that we can’t provide, we have invited other Certified Organic farms who we respect to help fill in the gaps and expand our offerings. So here is a list of vendors

Two Bear Farm: Sungold Tomatoes, Slicing Tomatoes, Bulk Carrots (5#, 10#, and 25# bags); Beets (5# bags), Potatoes (Yukon Gold, Huckleberry Gold, Red, and Russet – all in 10# bags); Broccolini, Eggplant, Shishito Peppers, Salad Mix, Winter Squash, Garlic, and whatever else we find out there this week.

Harlequin Produce: Red Bell Peppers, Chili Peppers (including an onsite chili roaster), and bags of storage Onions.

SunHands Farm: A delicious assortment of Mushrooms

Northshore Farm: Additional Winter Squash, Broccoli, Spinach, and Celery.

Marlene – A truck full of pumkins just in time for Halloween!

Farmhands will also be on site with there EBT machine for anyone wanting to use SNAP benefits a the sale

Wicked Good Produce and DirtRich Compost will be onsite with informational materials about their services.

We are looking forward to seeing you on Thursday!

Todd and the Two Bear Farm crew