I found this tasty sounding and healthier alternative to holiday treats on Frugal Veggie Mama. Frugal Veggie Mama indicates it's from Secor Farms but I couldn't find it on their website. Perhaps she picked it up while visiting the place. No matter. I'm going to make these soon. I might replace some of the oil with unsweetened applesauce and some of the sugar with brown rice syrup. I will let you know what happens.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread or Muffins (this is from a local pumpkin farm, Secor Farms, again with some minor variations from the original)
Combine:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup soymilk
let stand for 5 minutes.
Beat in:
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree
2 Tbs flaxseed meal whisked with 4 Tbs water
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
In a seperate bowl combine:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice (ginger will work in a pinch)
Gradually add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture. Mix until well
blended.
Optional add ins:
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup rasins or dates
Turn batter into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or
until toothpick comes out clean. For muffins bake 20-25 minutes or
until toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.
Categories: recipes
October 25, 2005
October 23, 2005
THAI SHRIMP BISQUE
Julie made this recipe tonight for dinner and it was superbly delicious. Had a flavorful fire and a creamy texture. To indulge but not over-indulge, we used only half a can of the lite coconut milk and then some plain soy milk and water to replace the other liquid. The result was great. Plenty of coconut flavor. It's not a macaroon for cryin' out loud, it's dinner. So here is the recipe and some pics of the action. It's not difficult to make and it will make left-overs that will have your co-workers drooling. Serves 4.
3 C cooked rice (we used Bhutanese red rice because that's what we had)
1 lb. uncooked shell-on medium shrimp
2 large plum tomatoes (or similar) seeded and diced
1/4 C sliced green onion
1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves pressed (or minced)
2 Tbsp corn starch (we use kudzu root)
1 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
1 can (14-14 1/2 oz.) chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (14 oz.) lite coconut milk
2 Tbsp snipped cilantro (more for garnish)
Categories: recipes
3 C cooked rice (we used Bhutanese red rice because that's what we had)
1 lb. uncooked shell-on medium shrimp
2 large plum tomatoes (or similar) seeded and diced
1/4 C sliced green onion
1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves pressed (or minced)
2 Tbsp corn starch (we use kudzu root)
1 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
1 can (14-14 1/2 oz.) chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (14 oz.) lite coconut milk
2 Tbsp snipped cilantro (more for garnish)
Categories: recipes
First peel and devein shrimp. Set aside. Heat oil in large pot (4 qrt.) over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, and onions. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in cornstarch, sugar, fish sauce, tomato paste and curry paste.
Categories: recipes
Gradually add broth and coconut milk, bring to boil. Add tomatoes and shrimp. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered 3-4 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat.
Categories: recipes
Categories: recipes
October 21, 2005
WE NEEDED SHERPAS TO CARRY US HOME
Last night we went out for dinner. It does happen. We revisited Annapurna Cafe, a place on Broadway serving a combination of cuisines from Nepal, Tibet, and India. Why did we wait so long to return? The food is delicious. Can we speak on the authenticity? Of course not. But it tastes damn good. I’ve read several reviews that generally like the place but pick on this or that. Bottom line, good food, friendly people, good location, reasonable price. What’s the problem?
We really ordered too much food but it’s so difficult to narrow it down when everything looks so good. We started with two appetizers. The first one was Bhartha Dip: roasted eggplant blended with spices, peas, and tomatoes served with naan. Of course, once we got home I hit the Interent for Bhartha recipes so this is a dish that I’ll be trying at home very soon. Here are a few that I found:
Baigan Bhartha and
Eggplant with Fragrant Spices & Herbs (Bhartha) And this variation:
Eggplant & Pepper Dip with Yogurt, Garlic & Walnuts
Next we had Spinach Momo: Tibetan style (vegetarian) dumplings served with three chutneys of peanuts, spicy tomato, and cilantro and sesame.
For dinner Julie had one of the current specials, Royal Lamb Kawaf "Tender cubes of lamb marinated with yogurt, garam masala, herbs sauce and cooked in traditional Newari style with onions, garlic, freshly ground spices and served with your choice of Brown or Basmati rice." It was great. Some of the remaining juice was poured on my leftover rice that came with me (along with half of my meal) to work today for lunch.
I had asked for the non-vegetarian Thali but received the vegetarian Thali. No matter. It was delicious. Thali is basically an Indian combo platter. This version came with palak paneer, tofu vegetable curry, basmati rice, dal, papadum, naan, vegetable pakoras, mango and mint chutneys and dessert. There was also a small salad with a spicy, mustardy dressing, and sambar, a tangy lentil soup.
We ate ourselves into a stupor. But I have a great lunch today. We have also been to the Himalayan Sherpa Restaurant In the University District and really enjoyed it. Yesterday I discovered The Everest Kitchen while online. This is the next place we will try. Looks like they have a Christmas Buffet. I’m all for that.
Categories: restaurants
October 17, 2005
I'LL HUFF AND I'LL PUFF AND I'LL BLOW YOUR HOUSE DOWN!
Not likely. A strawbale house should last a lifetime. Speaking of straw bale house, Julie and I volunteered for a day on a straw bale house building site on Camano Island. It began last Spring when we attended the Seattle Tilth’s plant sale. A woman handed us a flyer indicating she was looking for volunteers to help build her straw bale home. We are interested in alternative construction methods and have toyed with the idea of building a straw bale house in the future. An opportunity to get hands-on experience was a bonus. I contacted Carrie Gonzalez right away. Her project had a couple of false starts but began for real in mid-October. She still needed volunteers so Julie and I headed up there Saturday. Camano Island is about 60 miles north of us. It’s a beautiful area. Carrie’s property has a view of Livingston Bay.
At this point in the project, the straw bale walls of her home needed to be covered in cement (mud). The ace team of Habib Gonzalez and His Merry Mudders came down from British Columbia. Habib’s company, Sustainable Works, is a "British Columbia based sole proprietorship involved in education and implementation of basic ecological land use principles. Our work has been as far afield as New South Wales, Australia, Maui, Hawaii, as well as throughout B.C, western Canada and the northwestern United States." So there. Habib’s assistants were Cindy and Dan. Another volunteer was, Ohio, a woman from somewhere near Monroe, WA. Then me and Julie and Carrie, the owner.
It wasn’t long before I had an air gun in my hands and was firing mega staples into the J bead that trimmed the border of the bales. The bales had already been sewn together and then enclosed with what appeared to be large chicken wire. Basically, it had been fenced in. I apologize for my lack of knowledge when it comes to the proper terms. The cement would then be applied over this fencing. In some areas the straw wasn’t quite flush with the fencing so we filled the holes with straw and then secured the fencing down with a robert pin. I looked online for quite a while to find a photo of a robert pin but no luck, sorry. It’s basically a wire staple with an extra bend in the wire on on leg. The bend comes back up toward the top of the pin. These pins are pushed and/or hammered into the bale. In no time we were helping to assemble scaffolding.
We watched Dan create the mud (liquid dish detergent gives it a nice texture). Then it was time to apply the mud. For the most part, Julie and I and Ohio were mud slingers much of the time. Though Ohio spent time on her own conceiving and constructing a remarkable scaffold in an area where the ground was uneven and the surroundings close. Julie and I were happy to be mud slingers. It gave us the opportunity to watch and listen to the pros. We made sure the mud boards were supplied with a perpetual pile of mud. Whether we went from wheelbarrow right to the board shovelful at a time, or shovelled it into a bucket then hoiseted it up and dumped it, or slopped it right onto someone's hawk with a ladle, we got the mud up where it belonged. I have complimentary bruises on each forearm to prove it. Each bruise represents where the bucket rested for just a moment before it was hoisted and dumped.
Julie and I did get to try our hand at applying the stucco. I was told that I had a natural flair for it. I wish I could have done more of that but it was best to leave it to the pros. The mud goes onto a hawk and then you apply the mud with a trowel. Mud is heavy, whether in a shovel, in a bucket, on a hawk or on a trawl. And mud gets everywhere. I had globs in my hair and on my clothes and on my skin. Cement is irritating to the skin because of the lye. I had some red, raised areas form before I could wash off the stuff.
Categories:straw bale
At this point in the project, the straw bale walls of her home needed to be covered in cement (mud). The ace team of Habib Gonzalez and His Merry Mudders came down from British Columbia. Habib’s company, Sustainable Works, is a "British Columbia based sole proprietorship involved in education and implementation of basic ecological land use principles. Our work has been as far afield as New South Wales, Australia, Maui, Hawaii, as well as throughout B.C, western Canada and the northwestern United States." So there. Habib’s assistants were Cindy and Dan. Another volunteer was, Ohio, a woman from somewhere near Monroe, WA. Then me and Julie and Carrie, the owner.
It wasn’t long before I had an air gun in my hands and was firing mega staples into the J bead that trimmed the border of the bales. The bales had already been sewn together and then enclosed with what appeared to be large chicken wire. Basically, it had been fenced in. I apologize for my lack of knowledge when it comes to the proper terms. The cement would then be applied over this fencing. In some areas the straw wasn’t quite flush with the fencing so we filled the holes with straw and then secured the fencing down with a robert pin. I looked online for quite a while to find a photo of a robert pin but no luck, sorry. It’s basically a wire staple with an extra bend in the wire on on leg. The bend comes back up toward the top of the pin. These pins are pushed and/or hammered into the bale. In no time we were helping to assemble scaffolding.
We watched Dan create the mud (liquid dish detergent gives it a nice texture). Then it was time to apply the mud. For the most part, Julie and I and Ohio were mud slingers much of the time. Though Ohio spent time on her own conceiving and constructing a remarkable scaffold in an area where the ground was uneven and the surroundings close. Julie and I were happy to be mud slingers. It gave us the opportunity to watch and listen to the pros. We made sure the mud boards were supplied with a perpetual pile of mud. Whether we went from wheelbarrow right to the board shovelful at a time, or shovelled it into a bucket then hoiseted it up and dumped it, or slopped it right onto someone's hawk with a ladle, we got the mud up where it belonged. I have complimentary bruises on each forearm to prove it. Each bruise represents where the bucket rested for just a moment before it was hoisted and dumped.
Julie and I did get to try our hand at applying the stucco. I was told that I had a natural flair for it. I wish I could have done more of that but it was best to leave it to the pros. The mud goes onto a hawk and then you apply the mud with a trowel. Mud is heavy, whether in a shovel, in a bucket, on a hawk or on a trawl. And mud gets everywhere. I had globs in my hair and on my clothes and on my skin. Cement is irritating to the skin because of the lye. I had some red, raised areas form before I could wash off the stuff.
Categories:straw bale
One wall is finished.
As it was explained to us, the idea is to let the mud dry as slowly as possible.
Categories:straw bale
Categories:straw bale
Speaking of pizza, let me highly recommend Jimmy’s Pizza & Pasta in Stanwood, WA. Damn! That is some good pizza. We never get pizza out and I was kind of worried when I learned that pizza would be lunch, mainly because I feared it would be something along the lines of Dominos or Papa John’s (I’m not making any apologies for my distaste of chain store pizza so get over it). Not to worry. Jimmy’s is excellent and Carrie chose some great creations. One had spinach, tomatoes, feta, olives, etc. One had sausage, pepperoni, and a thinly sliced ham. And the last had roasted peppers, onions, spinach, chesse, etc. but included pine nuts. Just a few. Every now and then you’d get one and it was divine. I think we might be camping and hiking in the area more often next year. I think after a long day’s hike Jimmy’s is where we will be found.
Categories: straw bale,
restaurants
Categories: straw bale,
restaurants
The day spent working on this project was great. When we left we were filthy, exhausted, sore. I had straw and cement in my hair (which would explain the looks I got at the gas station when we ran in for a cold drink and a potty break – I was under the impression that I was merely filthy, I hadn’t realized my head looked like a nesting ground until I used the restroom). I’d inhaled about 3 pounds of straw dust. Patches of skin on my forearms burned. My back was beginning to tighten. It was fabulous! I loved it all.
I wish we could have returned on Sunday but our own yard needed attention if we hope to over-winter parts of the garden. I think about quitting my job often but now I can think about quitting my job and becoming a Merry Mudder. Perhaps we will reconsider that house building course offered by Seattle Central Community College.
To keep the muscles moving we were out of the house by 8:30 the mext morning and hoofed it to Madison Market for coffee and the Sunday paper. Did some shopping then headed to Safeway then home. The weather was blustery but we had on our rain gear.
Once home I hit the yard hard and whipped it into shape. Harvested all the potatoes, most of the carrots, pulled out all the tomato plants and picked what was salvagable, picked green beans, ran the weed whacker, distributed mounds of dirt, turned the compost heap and the straw bale garden bed, and sowed more seeds for arugula and carrots. If there is a dry patch next weekend we can get the second cold frame constructed. Today after work I will plant garlic.
Categories:straw bale
I wish we could have returned on Sunday but our own yard needed attention if we hope to over-winter parts of the garden. I think about quitting my job often but now I can think about quitting my job and becoming a Merry Mudder. Perhaps we will reconsider that house building course offered by Seattle Central Community College.
To keep the muscles moving we were out of the house by 8:30 the mext morning and hoofed it to Madison Market for coffee and the Sunday paper. Did some shopping then headed to Safeway then home. The weather was blustery but we had on our rain gear.
Once home I hit the yard hard and whipped it into shape. Harvested all the potatoes, most of the carrots, pulled out all the tomato plants and picked what was salvagable, picked green beans, ran the weed whacker, distributed mounds of dirt, turned the compost heap and the straw bale garden bed, and sowed more seeds for arugula and carrots. If there is a dry patch next weekend we can get the second cold frame constructed. Today after work I will plant garlic.
Categories:straw bale
October 12, 2005
THE PALM SPRINGS OF WASHINGTON
Saturday we rose early, picked up Sally and hit the highway. Our destination was Yakima, "The Palm Springs of Washington." I didn’t (couldn’t) make that up. That’s what a huge sign along the highway 82 indicates. It’s not the official slogan, the sign is privately owned.
Yakima and the Yakima Valley is a lush, green fertile oasis surrounded by basically a desert. It's a hot spot for produce of every kind, particularly fruit. But we were hoping to score on squash and peppers. But first we wanted some exercise.
We headed to the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy. It’s a beautiful area, full of color though not necessarily lush. The rock formations are columns of pressed rocked. Layers upon layers upon layers. We hiked along the Canyon Trail, encountering a Ponderosa Pine, by far the tallest thing around and the only coniferous tree in the whole joint. Did you know that the Ponderosa Pine smells of vanilla? It’s more apparent where the sun is hitting the bark. But if you put your nose up to the bark there is the subtle hint of vanilla. The Canyon Trail hooked up with the Uplands Trail which wound us up to the Cowiche Knoll. From here you have a 360 degree view of the valley.
After our hike we were on the hunt for squash. We knew from last year’s visit that Jones Farms has the goods. We anticipated a huge score so we brought along two laundry baskets with which to do our shopping. We took home about 40 pounds of squash at $.30 a pound.
After the squash fest we visited Paradisos del Sol a fun winery we visited last year on our first trip to the Yakima Valley. Paul, the owner and winemaker, is friendly and fun. He has over two decades of wine knowledge to share. He also shares Artichoke Crab Dip and Glop aka Bleu Ribbon Dip. The recipes are available on their site. Decadent? Yes. Difficult? No. So go make some dip. Of course, each dip pairs perfectly with a Pradisos del Sol wine. The wine tasting is casual. The grounds are a little unkempt because real people live here, including a menagerie of family pets like cats, dogs and chickens. The 9 yr. old son, Kevin, has set up his own side business selling jelly beans and chocolate covered treats as well as hand made wine charms. I dumped my change into the honor system jar and mucnhed some chocolate covered espresso beans ($.10 each).
The next stop was Two Mountain Winery. We had a good time here in spite of the hordes of fruit flies. The wines were tasty and there were chocolate chips to snack on. Actually, chocolate squares, which for some reason taste better than chocolate chips. Sally treated us to a bottle of wine.
It was now dinner time and we knew we could get authentic Mexican food in this area. Paul at Pradisos del Sol immediately recommended El Rancherito. Julie and I stumbled upon this place last year. It’s a little different. El Ranchito has been in business for over 50 years so they must be doing something right. It’s the real deal. It’s not fancy. There is also a small store and a bakery and a room for banquets. There is also a huge collection of some of the worst "pottery" I’ve ever seen. Ceramic statues of everything from hugging pigs to Buzz Lightyear. It all looks like a gradeschool project. We can’t figure out why the collection exists. The items are actually for sale. Regardless, the food is authentic and affordable and very good. The service maybe not so sparkly but when in Rome…When the place is patranized by the locals, it's a good indication that it's damn tasty. I had the fish tacos, heaped with fish. Julie tried the Chili Colorado which we were curious about last year but passed on when we were told the meat was "like pork." Without a definite indentification of the meat, we thought it best to stick to what we knew. But now that we've learned it's made with beef, we enjoyed it. And Sally was delighted to find an authentic bowl of Menudo. Menudo is not for me but I’m glad that I tried it.
Yakima and the Yakima Valley is a lush, green fertile oasis surrounded by basically a desert. It's a hot spot for produce of every kind, particularly fruit. But we were hoping to score on squash and peppers. But first we wanted some exercise.
We headed to the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy. It’s a beautiful area, full of color though not necessarily lush. The rock formations are columns of pressed rocked. Layers upon layers upon layers. We hiked along the Canyon Trail, encountering a Ponderosa Pine, by far the tallest thing around and the only coniferous tree in the whole joint. Did you know that the Ponderosa Pine smells of vanilla? It’s more apparent where the sun is hitting the bark. But if you put your nose up to the bark there is the subtle hint of vanilla. The Canyon Trail hooked up with the Uplands Trail which wound us up to the Cowiche Knoll. From here you have a 360 degree view of the valley.
After our hike we were on the hunt for squash. We knew from last year’s visit that Jones Farms has the goods. We anticipated a huge score so we brought along two laundry baskets with which to do our shopping. We took home about 40 pounds of squash at $.30 a pound.
After the squash fest we visited Paradisos del Sol a fun winery we visited last year on our first trip to the Yakima Valley. Paul, the owner and winemaker, is friendly and fun. He has over two decades of wine knowledge to share. He also shares Artichoke Crab Dip and Glop aka Bleu Ribbon Dip. The recipes are available on their site. Decadent? Yes. Difficult? No. So go make some dip. Of course, each dip pairs perfectly with a Pradisos del Sol wine. The wine tasting is casual. The grounds are a little unkempt because real people live here, including a menagerie of family pets like cats, dogs and chickens. The 9 yr. old son, Kevin, has set up his own side business selling jelly beans and chocolate covered treats as well as hand made wine charms. I dumped my change into the honor system jar and mucnhed some chocolate covered espresso beans ($.10 each).
The next stop was Two Mountain Winery. We had a good time here in spite of the hordes of fruit flies. The wines were tasty and there were chocolate chips to snack on. Actually, chocolate squares, which for some reason taste better than chocolate chips. Sally treated us to a bottle of wine.
It was now dinner time and we knew we could get authentic Mexican food in this area. Paul at Pradisos del Sol immediately recommended El Rancherito. Julie and I stumbled upon this place last year. It’s a little different. El Ranchito has been in business for over 50 years so they must be doing something right. It’s the real deal. It’s not fancy. There is also a small store and a bakery and a room for banquets. There is also a huge collection of some of the worst "pottery" I’ve ever seen. Ceramic statues of everything from hugging pigs to Buzz Lightyear. It all looks like a gradeschool project. We can’t figure out why the collection exists. The items are actually for sale. Regardless, the food is authentic and affordable and very good. The service maybe not so sparkly but when in Rome…When the place is patranized by the locals, it's a good indication that it's damn tasty. I had the fish tacos, heaped with fish. Julie tried the Chili Colorado which we were curious about last year but passed on when we were told the meat was "like pork." Without a definite indentification of the meat, we thought it best to stick to what we knew. But now that we've learned it's made with beef, we enjoyed it. And Sally was delighted to find an authentic bowl of Menudo. Menudo is not for me but I’m glad that I tried it.
The next morning we hit the Yakima Farmers Market in search of peppers. Sally wanted ancho chilies which are ripened pablanos. We wanted anything that didn’t cost $4.99 a pound. When all was said and done we did score two bags of a variety of peppers at just 3 and/or 4 for a $1. Apples were delicious and cheap too. Julie picked up some of Miz Dee’s barbecue ribs for dinner. Wild chanterelles for $7 a pound! Less than half what we’d pay in Seattle if we could afford to buy them. By the way, the chanterelles were turned into the most amazing wild mushroom risotto. Julie has a gift for making risotto. A newly discovered gift but one that will be called upon often.
Sally found tomatoes for Neva. But no anchos.
Back in the car we called ahead to a farm whose name completely escapes me and were told they had them. When we arrived and looked around we didn’t see them. That’s because we had to pick them ourselves. No problem. It was a beautiful day and the plants weren’t that far from the door. "How much?" we asked. We tried to act real cool and nonchalant when the proprietor announced $.30 a pound. Of course, when we turned around we made faces of disbelief. We grabbed a five-gallon bucket and proceeded to fill it with not only anchos but a variety of sweet bells. It was addictive. We had to pull ourselves away. We could have picked all day. I’ve never seen so many peppers. Keep in mind that we can barely grow a pepper in Seattle. At least not in our yard. It was pepper heaven. And $.30 a pound?! What planet was this? Sally got her bucket of anchos and her anaheims and we got a bucket of everything.
Once back in Seattle we fired up the grill and roasted all of Sally’s peppers and a large portion of our own. We stuffed our peppers into jars with olive oil. We also made two different stuffed pepper recipes and froze a whole bunch of those. And we sliced and blanched enough pepper rings to fill three gallon-sized freezer bags. Of course there are still some hanging around for snacking and cooking.
Where can you pick your own veggies and fruit? Go to
Pick Your Own.
Sally found tomatoes for Neva. But no anchos.
Back in the car we called ahead to a farm whose name completely escapes me and were told they had them. When we arrived and looked around we didn’t see them. That’s because we had to pick them ourselves. No problem. It was a beautiful day and the plants weren’t that far from the door. "How much?" we asked. We tried to act real cool and nonchalant when the proprietor announced $.30 a pound. Of course, when we turned around we made faces of disbelief. We grabbed a five-gallon bucket and proceeded to fill it with not only anchos but a variety of sweet bells. It was addictive. We had to pull ourselves away. We could have picked all day. I’ve never seen so many peppers. Keep in mind that we can barely grow a pepper in Seattle. At least not in our yard. It was pepper heaven. And $.30 a pound?! What planet was this? Sally got her bucket of anchos and her anaheims and we got a bucket of everything.
Once back in Seattle we fired up the grill and roasted all of Sally’s peppers and a large portion of our own. We stuffed our peppers into jars with olive oil. We also made two different stuffed pepper recipes and froze a whole bunch of those. And we sliced and blanched enough pepper rings to fill three gallon-sized freezer bags. Of course there are still some hanging around for snacking and cooking.
Where can you pick your own veggies and fruit? Go to
Pick Your Own.
October 04, 2005
HARVEST TIME
Saturday we headed to Vashon Island. Remarkably, I'd never been to this island in almost eight years of living in Seattle. It's just a 20 minute ferry ride from West Seattle. Saturday marked the Puget Sound Fresh Harvest Celebration. Farms all over the region joined to celebrate fresh, local produce, products, livestock, crafts, and sustainable practices. Checking out the map before we left the house we decided to avoid the I-5 corridor and the many, many miles we would travel to the about 6 farms. Instead, we drove only to West Seattle, hopped a ferry and then covered only a small part of Vashon Island and saw the same number of places. Vashon is only 12 miles long and a bout 8 miles wide and we covered only one area of this.
At Blue Dog Farm we saw dog training in action. Blue Dog Farm employs a grassland-farming approach to livestock husbandry. The farm has pastures for a flock of Barbados Blackbelly sheep that are used to train working sheep dogs.
At Blue Dog Farm we saw dog training in action. Blue Dog Farm employs a grassland-farming approach to livestock husbandry. The farm has pastures for a flock of Barbados Blackbelly sheep that are used to train working sheep dogs.
We drove into town and stopped at the weekly Vashon Island Growers Association (VIGA) Farmers’ Market. We picked up some great onions called Italian Red Bottle Onions. Stopped into the Thriftway for a focaccia sandwich to share with the quinoa salad and fruit we brought for our picnic lunch and grabbed a coffee.
Back on the road we stopped at Mukai Farm and Garden, a historic large-scale strawberry farm here for some 23 years. Masa Mukai developed cold process fruit barreling, a technology that made it possible to sell strawberries in distant markets. Unfortunately, WWII basically brought this all to an end. By the time the Mukai family returned from the Japanese Internment Camps, things were in quite a state of disarray. The rest is history.
As we approached the Beall Greenhouses we could see the skeletons of the structures sticking out of the woods that had reclaimed the deserted buildings. Trees grew up through the centers and there wasn't very much left but the basic frame on many of the greenhouses. The Beall Greenhouses have been in Vashon since 1888. They were a major commercial nursery and island employer. During its 100-year lifespan, Beall Greenhouses became the nation's largest grower of roses, and an internationally renowned orchid establishment. Today, the Harrington-Beall Historic District includes some 59 greenhouses that represent a century of evolving greenhouse technology, a power plant that generated heat for the greenhouses, and the nearby homes of the Beall and Harrington families. Current owners are restoring the oldest greenhouses, and adapting the rest of the site as a sustainable environmental learning center. While there we met Institute for Environmental Research and Education (IERE). Julie had a chance to talk to Rita Schenck the Executive Director of IERE. She is working on the use of life cycle assessment (LCA) as a measurement tool for environmental performance. LCA is a holistic, science-based tool for evaluating the environmental performance of products and services. Plus, the grounds is home to experimental gardens which are studying sustainable practices.
By far my favorite farm was K-Jo Farm. It's a 5 acre homestead in the middle of Vashon that practices sustainable, organic agriculture while being creative with available resources. Nothing goes to waste here. I really dug their mini PVC hoop houses though they were not in the shape of a hoop. They also had a full sized hoop house that, again, I eyed lasciviously. With just some PVC, plastic, wood and nails they grew tomatoes and peppers. Still ripening on the vine on October 1! They also have pasture-raised dairy goats, chickens, ducks, & pigs on a small scale, small budget farm. This is exactly how I would farm if I had a farm. There was a guy pressing apples into cider. I bought a quart and man oh man does it taste great. Nothing but apple juice straight from press to bottle. Julie scored on some homemade pumpkin pie. A woman blacksmith was making dinner bells and horseshoes and there was a fresh batch of chicks under the heat lamps in one of the sheds. Someone made some goat cheese and we had a taste of that. There was also homemade pesto. Admittedly, I like mine better but hey...I really dug K-JO. I'll have my own K-Jo one day.
The weather managed to hold pretty well. While at K-Jo the clouds opened up hard but fast. We had shelter while we sipped the cider and ate the pumpkin pie. We did catch some lightening and thunder while waiting for the ferry back home. Pretty dramatic to see parts of the storm move across the water and see different parts of the landscape disappear behind the rain then reemerge after it passed.
The weather managed to hold pretty well. While at K-Jo the clouds opened up hard but fast. We had shelter while we sipped the cider and ate the pumpkin pie. We did catch some lightening and thunder while waiting for the ferry back home. Pretty dramatic to see parts of the storm move across the water and see different parts of the landscape disappear behind the rain then reemerge after it passed.
The rain didn't keep us from the West Seattle Farmer's Market on Sunday. We met Sally for coffee at Speranza, then trekked the 1.25 miles to the market. By the time we arrived the rain was in full gear and so were we. I hate wearing rain gear and I hate wearing a hood. What good did it do? By the time we shopped and walked back to the car my hair was soaked anyway. Did I buy non-waterproof waterproof gear? I didn't think so when I slapped down the money for the name-brand jacket. Whatever, we had fun regardless (but I still hate wearing a hood). The market was no less busy in spite of the rain.
Julie and I then headed to Larry's Market because the weekly flyer held promise. We scored on several items including giant red, yellow and orange bell peppers for $.99 a pound! Portobellos for $2.97 a pound. Plus, there were plenty of samples strategically placed throughout the place. Pesto pasta, salsa, cranberry scones, spiced cider, about six differnt sausage samples, french bread, etc. We didn't even need to make lunch when we got home.
Once we got home we set to work on two separate soups. Mostly Julie's projects, I did lots of chopping. She eventually made a great white bean soup with veggies and endive and escarole and a lima bean soup flavored with a big ham hock. Thanks to our Chinook Book we scored a FREE loaf of crusty bread (my favorite kind with the seeds on top) from Essential Baking Company. Julie was wise to choose the Parisian Baguette, my favorite. I know, I know, I am a not a fan of things French, but the seeds on top of this bread are the best part. It's not my fault it's called Parisian. As for the soups, they were delish! Julie is a superb soup chef.
Julie and I then headed to Larry's Market because the weekly flyer held promise. We scored on several items including giant red, yellow and orange bell peppers for $.99 a pound! Portobellos for $2.97 a pound. Plus, there were plenty of samples strategically placed throughout the place. Pesto pasta, salsa, cranberry scones, spiced cider, about six differnt sausage samples, french bread, etc. We didn't even need to make lunch when we got home.
Once we got home we set to work on two separate soups. Mostly Julie's projects, I did lots of chopping. She eventually made a great white bean soup with veggies and endive and escarole and a lima bean soup flavored with a big ham hock. Thanks to our Chinook Book we scored a FREE loaf of crusty bread (my favorite kind with the seeds on top) from Essential Baking Company. Julie was wise to choose the Parisian Baguette, my favorite. I know, I know, I am a not a fan of things French, but the seeds on top of this bread are the best part. It's not my fault it's called Parisian. As for the soups, they were delish! Julie is a superb soup chef.
October 02, 2005
Funky Fungus
Recently we prepared portobello mushrooms on the grill a couple of times and we highly recommend this method. It's a meaty, savory, meatless dish that takes a little time in the beginning but is well worth the effort.
Choose big, clean flat mushrooms. Wipe the caps with a damn paper towel. Slice off the stems flush with the cap. Reserve the caps.
Into the gills of the mushroom, insert small wedges of parmesan, garlic, pine nuts, fresh basil and fresh rosemary. Marinate in olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, salt and pepper for 30 minutes.
Grill gill side down for 3 minutes on a high heat then flip and grill another 6 minutes. You can also broil these in your oven. It's amazingly delicious and filling.
Serve with a fresh green salad and roasted potatoes. Along with the potatoes, you can chop the stems and roast with onions and garlic.
Choose big, clean flat mushrooms. Wipe the caps with a damn paper towel. Slice off the stems flush with the cap. Reserve the caps.
Into the gills of the mushroom, insert small wedges of parmesan, garlic, pine nuts, fresh basil and fresh rosemary. Marinate in olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, salt and pepper for 30 minutes.
Grill gill side down for 3 minutes on a high heat then flip and grill another 6 minutes. You can also broil these in your oven. It's amazingly delicious and filling.
Serve with a fresh green salad and roasted potatoes. Along with the potatoes, you can chop the stems and roast with onions and garlic.
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