Coffee and family

Above is a photo I took today. 

Today my family and I went out to Palmer, Alaska for a community supported agricultural open house event at the Matanuska Creamery. The Creamery of course sells milk to most of the grocery stores. The other things they make they just don't have in enough quantity to sell to the stores. Like flavored cheese curds, rich ice creams and a lovely not too sweet egg nog. Combined with the open house was a farmer's market with the last of the summer harvest, fresh eggs, and the bakery that makes the cinnamon rolls that the kids and I enjoy on market days during the summer. 

After that, we went into Palmer for their Christmas Colony celebration. Palmer is a small town, about 8-10 thousand people, and the Christmas Colony is a tradition there. There are always lots of things going on, but what I was primarily interested in was the craft fairs. We hit a couple. I had a nice conversation with Kellie of Fish Lips and Birds Teeth Studio. We also stopped and talked to Ember of Silver Bear Sundries. She was selling very pretty hand thrown cups, reasonably priced in lovely colors. We love our mismatched, locally made cups and we each got one. 

Then we hit Indian Valley Meats concession van for lunch. Reindeer stew, buffalo steak sandwiches, and reindeer sausage! Yum yum! 

At all our stops, various people were selling coffee from the Coffee Roastery but not the specific coffee I wanted. I love trying new coffees, but for every day drinking, I want one that I know and love. The Coffee Roastery makes one of my favorites. The Arctic Wolf blend. It's a dark roast and a very unlikely blend of beans but it's a bright, flavorful dark coffee that's very smooth and very good.

So on the way home, we stopped by the Roastery.

If you're EVER in Palmer, or even in Anchorage and have a rental car, I think it's worth the trip.

We got there, and it looked all closed for the day. There was a man putting garbage into his truck. I stopped and told him the truth "I'm desperate to buy a couple lbs of Arctic Wolf." and he said "Come on in."

So we pulled up next to the main building, and I got out of the car and went in. In there, freezers lined the room, and the smell of coffee hit and covered me. I could taste it, breathe it, it was heaven.

While he put my coffee together, he told me the story of how that particular blend had come to be. I could tell you here, but I think it's more fun to hear it from Ron himself.

Then Ron said "Would you like to see the Roastery?" Oh.. would I? I love my coffee. Learning more about it? So after getting the rest of the family out of the car, we went into the Roastery.

His roastery is built out of railroad generator car with an addition built to it. He has 3 roasters, including a small one for a custom roasting experience. That's something I'd love to try, to make up a special roast for my friends.  

As we were leaving, he told us we could take some of the burlap bags. So you will see coffee bag crafts soonish in here since we have a surplus of bags now! Yay!

I'm home, enjoying a cup of my favorite coffee. It was simply a wonderful way to spend a day with my family.