Now that you’re prepared to come and experience suwarrow, when, you might ask, is the best time to come?
Well, that depends on your mood. Scan some ideas below and see what suits. Or better yet, pick a different time every summer and try it all!
Late April through first week of May:
Cold weather planting: peas, lettuces, spinach, beets, radishes, etc etc. Morel hunting! Elderflowers for the St. Germain-minded. Settle into an armchair by the incredible wood-burning stove that is the Blaze King, read and enjoy a hot toddy.
Late May to mid-June:
Taking the big raft down rushing, crazy Fish Creek. Prime time to (not on purpose) catch bull trout. Big water in Alberton Gorge. Hiking for wild raspberries. Planting summer plants: tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, herbs, peppers, ??? Crazy tubing on Fish Creek.
July:
Enjoy lettuces, spinach, peas, kale, turnips and radishes. Cherry tree ready to give us or the birds juicy berries – we’d better get them while we can late in the month. Great rafting in Alberton Gorge with the advent of hot summer days. Time to go tubing on Fish Creek and enjoy mighty fine fishing (best during the week to eliminate so many local fishing folk). Float the Clark Fork and count bald eagles. Hiking….picking huckleberries late in the month. Cobbler, anyone?
Early August:
Serious harvesting in the garden: peas, first cucumbers, squash, green tomatoes, peppers, baby beets, sweet strawberries and time to sow second crop of spinach and lettuces. Water’s getting low in the creek, so even easier to fish out of the holes. Don a mask and see how many are actually in there. Shocking! Huckleberry heaven on the higher slopes. Lazy floats on the Clark Fork. Farmer’s Markets and live music in town.
Late August to Early September:
So many vegetables…time to can and dehydrate any leftovers. Pickles how many ways? Pick bunches of juicy, dark purple elderberries to make syrup.
Late September:
Finally the apples and pears. Tomato girls have finally ripened much of their progeny. Have to cook up several batches of fried green tomatoes before the early frost gets the rest. Hiking, dirt biking and just watching the creek flow. Clean up the garden and prep for next summer. Campfires?