To the eleven (faithful) followers, we're sorry it has been so long since our last post. We've been on vacation and busy busy busy.
I'd like to update you on the happenings on the farm and in our lives. Trisa is back to work after a week off last week. I took three days off and am back too. We went to Mt. Saint Helens for a house-sitting vacation. We toured WONDERFUL Willamette Valley near Portland twice while on vacation for some of the best wine tasting we've ever had. We also went to Windy Ridge, the Ape Caves (just a quick stop, not into them), Johnston Ridge, and the surrounding countryside. If you've never been, you seriously need to get off your rear and go. It's absolutely some of the most beautiful, peaceful countryside the earth has to offer. Plus, it's only a quick hour and a half to Oregon's most storied wine region - W Valley.
I'd like to update you on the happenings on the farm and in our lives. Trisa is back to work after a week off last week. I took three days off and am back too. We went to Mt. Saint Helens for a house-sitting vacation. We toured WONDERFUL Willamette Valley near Portland twice while on vacation for some of the best wine tasting we've ever had. We also went to Windy Ridge, the Ape Caves (just a quick stop, not into them), Johnston Ridge, and the surrounding countryside. If you've never been, you seriously need to get off your rear and go. It's absolutely some of the most beautiful, peaceful countryside the earth has to offer. Plus, it's only a quick hour and a half to Oregon's most storied wine region - W Valley.
Two weeks ago we were interviewed and photographed for a possible news(y) article/photo essay for grist.org. I'd like you all to go to grist.org and bookmark the site. They have some very different world views than Trisa and I have, but their agricultural and urban ag (placemaking) articles are first-rate. My coworkers call it a lib rag, but I think very highly of grist.org's work.
We're still on the happy bandwagon of no grocery store food. We bought 2 gallons of Ocean Spray Cranberry juice last week, but it's a beverage, and a tasty one at that. I can't tell you how close I was to stopping at Trader Joe's for their feta with Greek spices. Man, I could eat a tub of that in a flash and only crave more. But, as much as I miss it, I'm sticking to the ban on all food from a grocery store.
We've visited a couple more farmers markets too. I went alone to the Snohomish market and it isn't half as good as I remembered. I think there's less vendors this year and the fruit and veggies are a little less impressive than last year. I left without purchasing anything. I went again to the Everett market and different vendors were there. I bought some dip mix so now I need to source some sour cream to mix them in. I also bought some alder smoked salt that is FRIGGIN AMAZING!
We've learned that the Edmonds farmers market changes every week. Basically there's two markets that switch back and forth. Who knew? I guess people who go every week, but we'd gone every other week for two weeks and so we didn't know there were other vendors until I lamented to the milk dude at the Everett market about having to drive to Everett for milk. He said that if it was more convenient he could bring our milk to Edmonds and told me that he's there every other week and we'd just missed him. So satisfying to know this now and we'll be hitting the Edmonds market two weekend straight to test out the "other" vendors.
We went back to the Ballard market in search for Deborah's Meat Pies. I seriously cannot imagine anything worse than last month's surreal situation where I found out that Deborah's meat pies is JUST Deborah's fruit pies in Edmonds. So, the drive, $2 for parking, the walk and the search being worth every amount of work and the cost weighed, we set out for the meat pies. Lo and behold: NO EFFING DEBORAH! I'm beginning to wonder if in some freak of nature we found Deborah's meat pies in an alternate reality and will never again find her because here, in this reality she seems to not exist. I have only the wisp of a memory, and even that is fading fast, of the most moist, delicious, heavenly meat pie I ever ate. I'll grant you skeptics - it's the only meat pie I ever ate, but I'm telling you it was awesome. Meaty and awesome.
If you haven't seen the picture, go to my facebook page and check out the freak of nature that came form our back yard. It's in the form of a 4.25 lb zucchini. We also harvested another one that weighed 3.75 pounds, but I gave that one to a friend. Trisa nabbed 3 pounds of bush beans, we planted a second planting of them so we'll be eating a lot of "green beans" for the next month or so. The carrots are getting huge. We pulled our peas because they were done. We planted rainbow chard. That stuff is PRETTY. The tomatoes are are on the verge of harvest and there will probably be about 75-100 lbs of them. We pulled our first planting of potatoes. We had about 25 lbs. I expected to get 30-40 pounds, but I think we pulled the first few before they were completely growing. The second planting will be ready in about a week.
We're still on the happy bandwagon of no grocery store food. We bought 2 gallons of Ocean Spray Cranberry juice last week, but it's a beverage, and a tasty one at that. I can't tell you how close I was to stopping at Trader Joe's for their feta with Greek spices. Man, I could eat a tub of that in a flash and only crave more. But, as much as I miss it, I'm sticking to the ban on all food from a grocery store.
We've visited a couple more farmers markets too. I went alone to the Snohomish market and it isn't half as good as I remembered. I think there's less vendors this year and the fruit and veggies are a little less impressive than last year. I left without purchasing anything. I went again to the Everett market and different vendors were there. I bought some dip mix so now I need to source some sour cream to mix them in. I also bought some alder smoked salt that is FRIGGIN AMAZING!
We've learned that the Edmonds farmers market changes every week. Basically there's two markets that switch back and forth. Who knew? I guess people who go every week, but we'd gone every other week for two weeks and so we didn't know there were other vendors until I lamented to the milk dude at the Everett market about having to drive to Everett for milk. He said that if it was more convenient he could bring our milk to Edmonds and told me that he's there every other week and we'd just missed him. So satisfying to know this now and we'll be hitting the Edmonds market two weekend straight to test out the "other" vendors.
We went back to the Ballard market in search for Deborah's Meat Pies. I seriously cannot imagine anything worse than last month's surreal situation where I found out that Deborah's meat pies is JUST Deborah's fruit pies in Edmonds. So, the drive, $2 for parking, the walk and the search being worth every amount of work and the cost weighed, we set out for the meat pies. Lo and behold: NO EFFING DEBORAH! I'm beginning to wonder if in some freak of nature we found Deborah's meat pies in an alternate reality and will never again find her because here, in this reality she seems to not exist. I have only the wisp of a memory, and even that is fading fast, of the most moist, delicious, heavenly meat pie I ever ate. I'll grant you skeptics - it's the only meat pie I ever ate, but I'm telling you it was awesome. Meaty and awesome.
If you haven't seen the picture, go to my facebook page and check out the freak of nature that came form our back yard. It's in the form of a 4.25 lb zucchini. We also harvested another one that weighed 3.75 pounds, but I gave that one to a friend. Trisa nabbed 3 pounds of bush beans, we planted a second planting of them so we'll be eating a lot of "green beans" for the next month or so. The carrots are getting huge. We pulled our peas because they were done. We planted rainbow chard. That stuff is PRETTY. The tomatoes are are on the verge of harvest and there will probably be about 75-100 lbs of them. We pulled our first planting of potatoes. We had about 25 lbs. I expected to get 30-40 pounds, but I think we pulled the first few before they were completely growing. The second planting will be ready in about a week.
We might have a watermelon. There's an awfully watermelon looking thing growing in our back yard. The first planting of beets came up - 10 lbs. We're onto our 3rd planting of lettuce and about out of it. Our 4th is ready to pick this week and we'll be planting a 5th in a week. So far we've reaped about 25 pounds of peas and 40ish lbs of lettuce - I'm going by bags and an average weight per bag that we weighed. We didn't have a chance to weigh every leaf we cut and every pea we picked.
At the end of August, the farmer is coming back to help me build 3 or 4 hoop houses over the garden boxes in the front yard. We're going to plant winter carrots, spinach, and miner's lettuce to have green (and orange) veggies throughout the winter. A few people have mentioned that they would like to join us when we rent the commercial kitchen, but so far it's just talk. So Trisa and I will plan on being the only ones to go and we'll be making cheese, butter, jams, soups, maybe some breads, and blanching and freezing some fruits and veggies. Maybe next year we'll get some bees and make our own honey.
We found a grain vendor who is local to Washington that we'll be buying fresh grains from. I'm planning on buying a home mill and milling my own flour for bread making.
Ok. I think that's all for now. I gotta get back to work. Peace out homies.
Mike
I have a friend who mills her own flour and it makes the best bread ever! Also, if you have tons of extra tomatoes (30-40 pounds) let me know. I'd be happy to buy them from you. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll let you know if we have extra.
ReplyDelete