Monthly Hush 005: 3 Friend hangouts nearby, Mother Nature videos, Shakshouka
Welcome back to our Monthly Hush stories from the land, the kitchen, the business, and behind the scenes of our lives here at The Hohnstead - our slice of heaven in the Montana woods. It’s a 3-2-1 style monthly journal, which helps us create and connect in a more real way, instead of just trying to “please the algorithmic overlords.”
This month, we’ve got not one, not two, but three hangout spot recommendations near The Hohnstead, two videos with Mother Nature’s fury, and one yummy eggs-and-tomatoes breakfast recipe from our garden and kitchen. Thank you for being here.
3 Hangout spots for friends near The Hohnstead
Did you know that off of Gold Creek Road (where The Hohnstead lives) lies an old 100 acre homestead with 300-400 y.o. Ponderosa Pines and a long history of resilience and grit?
First settler: Frank Parker filed a homestead claim on the land in 1897, living a meager life of trapping and prospecting.
Later residents: Charlie and Mahala Primm lived and worked on the remote homestead from 1938 until 1977, growing barley and potatoes to survive.
Stewardship: The residents and local Native American tribes before them cared for the land by leaving large trees untouched and clearing smaller undergrowth.
Today: The land was purchased and protected through conservation efforts, as detailed by the Seeley Swan Pathfinder, to save the grove from heavy logging and subdivision. Primm Meadow makes for a wonderful, easy, 5-mile round-trip hike that is dog- and bike-friendly.
Another great hangout that is also free and fun and has coverage from the sun, while soaking your feet in cool water — an under-the-bridge hangout at Gold Creek. After Primm Meadow, continue down the road, park at the campsite to the right, and walk towards the creek/bridge. Place your chairs in the creek, pop open a cold one, and hang out till your heart’s content.
Garrett calls it our hillbilly hangout :)
I’m partially biased toward our third recommendation for a friends’ hangout spot near The Hohnstead - Kettlehouse Amphitheater (because I work there). In its 9th season, Kettlehouse Amphitheater is kicking butt, with this season being the largest one yet (37 nights of concerts!).
Last night, for example, we grooved to the incredible beat of the funk band Lettuce, which partnered up with Missoula’s Symphony for a night that quickly became one of my top 5 this summer. It was fantastic, and I’d gladly pay money to see them again!
If you haven’t seen a show at Kettlehouse, there are still a handful left this season (Bonnie Raitt, Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney, Killswitch Engage, Orville Peck, Highly Suspect and Yellawolf, Big Thief), and whether you go alone, bring a friend, or meet new ones, I’m sure you’ll have one heck of a time and it’s only 15 minutes away.
2 Videos from The Hohnstead
This August has been unusually wet, which has been beneficial in helping us water our garden, maybe stopping some forest fires nearby, and providing a nice break between otherwise 90+ temperature days. I just love rainy summer days; waking up to fog in the pines makes for a very spooky, memorable morning in the woods.
Over the years, we’ve made a number of videos celebrating Mother Nature and her unexpected surprises. If you have a minute or ten, we hope you’ll check them out. If you like what you see, please give it a like. If you love this style of content, feel free to subscribe. We’re grateful for your support in our small piece of Montana heaven.
Lightning Storm in Forest with Relaxing Guitar Music
Adventure In Nature: Listening to Summer Rainstorm in the Woods
1 Recipe from our kitchen and garden
For the second summer in a row, I’ve been volunteering at The Rocky Mountain Gardens in Missoula on their tomato experts team. We’re definitely not experts, just gardening enthusiasts with free Tuesday mornings who are passionate about growing things and want to deepen their knowledge about tomatoes. This year, we’re growing 16 varieties in the gardens, and as it gets later and later in the summer season, we’re able to not just pick weeds, set up trellises, pick leaders, deal with pests and disease, but also harvest. This is the most rewarding part of the whole growing season, because each week we weigh, count, and compare the tomatoes.
Some varieties ( like Ukrainian Purple) are prone to splitting. Some are prone to blight. Others (with an impressive name like Gigante di Rotonda) are not as giant as some other ones. Some, we don’t even harvest because they are meant to be picked as a whole vine later in the year, and allegedly you can pick tomatoes off it through the winter- how is that for a gardening trick!
If you live in the Missoula area, I highly recommend you visit The Rocky Mountain Gardens; it’s just on the other side of the Missoula Butterfly and Insectarium near the Fairgrounds. You can check out not only our tomatoes section, but also the rose garden, edible plants garden, dahlias, pollinator garden, A to Z garden, Western Forest Garden, Veggie Patch, and so much more.
Every Tuesday, I get there a little early and just walk around, admiring all the buzzing/growing/thriving activity in a place that was a parking lot JUST TWO YEARS AGO!
Harvested tomatoes at The Rocky Mountain Gardens in Missoula
A friend recently asked: “Where does all the produce go?”
From what I know, some of the tomatoes are used in the cooking classes on site, some are donated to the Poverello Center or to local schools, some are used for events like Tomato Tasting for the public, and some are donated to the volunteers :P
Today I was able to use some of the tomatoes and some homemade sourdough bread in a new recipe, which I would like to share with you. Thank you to the fellow volunteer Joe for sharing this recipe.
SHAKSHOUKA
Origin and Meaning
Name: The word means "all mixed up" or "a mixture" in Maghrebi Arabic.
Roots: It originated in North Africa (likely Tunisia or the wider Maghreb region) before spreading across the Middle East and globally.
Ingredients and Flavor
Base: Ripe tomatoes (or canned tomatoes), bell peppers, onions, and garlic.
Spices: Ground cumin, paprika, and chili powder or flakes for a flavorful, mild warmth rather than intense heat.
Eggs: Whole eggs cracked directly into small wells in the simmering sauce.
Toppings: Often finished with fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley and crumbled feta cheese.
How It Is Served
Mealtime: Eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Accompaniment: Served hot in the cooking pan with crusty bread or pita to scoop up the rich sauce and soft yolks.
Recipe Instructions
Sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions, green peppers, garlic, spices, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
Finish the sauce. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook a bit longer to allow the mixture to reduce and thicken. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Add the eggs. Using a wooden spoon, make 6 indentations, or "wells," in the tomato mixture. Make sure the indentations are spaced out. Gently crack an egg into each indentation.
Finish the eggs. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and cook on low until the egg whites are set.
Garnish and serve. Uncover and add the fresh parsley and mint. You can add more black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes if you like. Serve with warm pita or crusty bread of your choice (I had homemade sourdough on hand, so I ran it under a faucet with water and toasted it in an Air Fryer for 3 mins so the insides stayed soft and the outsides were perfectly crunchy).
If you missed previous Hush stories from the land, you can find all of them here.
Or enjoy these quick links below.
Monthly Hush 001: Red Foxes And Mint Beds
Monthly Hush 002: Pink Cabin, Chopra, and Growing Tomatoes
Monthly Hush 003:Pet stories, gifts that wow, and home-made bibimbap
Monthly Hush 004:Korean Feasts, Gooseberries & Curious Elk
Thanks for following along with our little corner of Montana. We never imagined this forest would become a place where we could share food, stories, wildlife sightings, and moments with people from around the world.
Until next month,
Alla & Garrett
