 |
 |
|||||
 |
 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
I'd been dreaming of a lilac scented home. There's nothing quite like it really. So I headed out with my picnic basket to fill to the brim.
And then, a sprinkle.
Drip. Drop. Drip.
So I wandered back home.
A canning jar and a pretty tin were all I needed.
A little dream come true.
Spring has come to the Palouse. The other night, we took a drive to see.
Each year as the crops come in, it feels like a new beginning.
With every spring, a fresh start.
And that's a beautiful thing, isn't it?
My family and I just returned from spring break in Arizona. I love it there. We started out with several days at the Arizona Grand Resort where we played in the water park, relaxed by the pool, and went for occasional hikes.
Colin get up extra early every morning to go mountain biking on the trails behind the resort. I love how he likes to squeeze every moment out of the day.
We watched the Mariners get ready for their season on a beautiful warm evening in Peoria.
And then awoke the next day to take in the desert and all its beauty.
We watched climbers reaching for the sky.
Then we road-tripped North to see something grand.
The Grand Canyon.
Something so majestic it makes you catch your breath. Greater than anything you can imagine. I can still close my eyes and feel the air that swirled around me and gave me the feeling of forever.
You can feel forever there.
Last month, while visiting Harry & David, I was treated to dinner at the beautiful Hillcrest Orchard and RoxyAnn Winery. A true orchard to table event.
Dinner was planned for outdoors, but the weather took a turn for the worse and was unseasonably cold and wet. So, they moved dinner indoors to the barrel room.
I'll never tire of sunflowers. They're just so beautiful and are great for a summer or autumn table. I love how they added in their pears and local bay leaves for added beauty. My heart aches for bay trees like the ones that grow wild in that area.
Sometimes the most simple ideas are the best. Case in point: the wine bottle candleholders, made from what they had on hand.
The menu:
It was a delicious, cozy, and memorable evening.
In the fall, I'm at Hansen's Orchard at least once a week. Our family goes through a lot of apples.
Here's Derek coming in with a load from the orchard:
My favorite first apple of the season is Ginger Gold.
It's the perfect eating apple for me. And I love Jonagold for baking - especially pies.
But mostly, I love the first bite of the season, when it seems like the sky opens and a choir of angels begins to sing. They're so delicious.
It's another happy harvest.
You can read more about Hansen's here.
This is the final leg of our Harry & David visit and if you were to ask any employee about their most popular product, they'll most likely answer: The Royal Riviera Pear.
I'm here with a group of food bloggers, who were really great. (I've attached links to their blogs at the bottom of this post).
Let's go visit the orchards!
The orchards are spread all around the Rogue valley, tucked in here and there. Their biggest crop is undoubtedly the Royal Riviera, which is a Comice pear.
Our guide is Matt, who is Harry & David's horticulturist. We all grow attached to Matt as he worries aloud about an impending hail storm that threatens about 40,000 tons of pears waiting to be harvested.
Because the pears are so delicate, they're packed in shallow crates, stacked atop one another to create a pallet-sized load for transport by the tractors. I'm happy to see that like my orchards at home, there are lots of grasses and growth beneath the trees, indicating healthy soil. The more sterile looking the orchard, the more likely they're using lots of chemicals.
Our next stop is one of the organic orchards. I'm taken aback by the ashen appearance of the leaves and learn they've been sprayed with an organic substance that pests don't like.
Luckily, the hail storm doesn't materialize and we head back to the fruit processing facility, to watch the pears being processed.
The complex is enormous.
We're passing through during a shift change.
These sorting work stations are so incredibly cute and vintagey.
The next shift begins. The fruit starts coming down the line in the baskets seen on the conveyor belt. Each and every pear is photographed 30 times, searching for blemishes. The blemished pears are sent in the other direction, on the juicing line. The pears that pass the photo test make their way to the worker's sorting stations, where they inspect each one for imperfections. The pears that make their way to the numbered bins are just overflow and once the employee catches up, they'll slowly make their way through sorting those pieces of fruit.
The good ones are boxed and the others go to juice.
This next area we pass through serves as the various Towers of Treats packing area:
We watch as each tower is wrapped together, by hand, with a fabric bow. Each wrapper has their own wrapping station. We talk to the ladies who are wrapping and tying the bows and learn that some use a newer sort of station, while others who have been with the company longer, prefer the vintage style.
After the towers are wrapped up, they move down the conveyor to the person who boxes them up.
He makes the shipping box, grabs a tower, places it inside the box, and places it back on the conveyor. All in a matter of seconds:
Next up, we're on to gift baskets where a similar process takes place, also completed by hand. I even take a stab at packing one.
But the real fun begins when we start sampling. Cheese - cracker - gingerbread petit four - cheese - cracker with red pepper relish - chocolate truffle. This is my ideal situation. Salty then sweet. Salty then sweet. I could do this all day. Oh ... then we do.
Well, I'm stuffed to the brim. Next up is a beautiful farm dinner. I'll tell you all about it soon.
Click on the links below to visit the blogs of my new friends by clicking on their links below:
Delilah from Cool Mom Picks
Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
You can visit Harry & David's website here.
Photo Credit: First image of group courtesy of Sandy Coughlin.
Today we're touring through the Harry & David candy kitchens and packing facilities. I'm amongst the first group of visitors ever invited for such a behind the scenes look at their operations, and yes, I will speak for the others and say that we feel like we've been invited into a real-life version of Willy Wonka's factory. Come along with me, we have the golden ticket!
When the doors to the kitchens open and that first puff of wind hits you, it's almost like a visible onslaught of a buttery, sugary, crispy popcorn whirlwind of delight - the air so sweet and thick you can almost see it.
This is the Moose Munch room where it's all prepared and packaged. Moose Munch is a combination of caramel corn, cashews, almonds, and chocolate.
I've always wondered how Moose Munch is so perfectly spherical and learned that they use two varieties of popcorn - Butterfly and Mushroom - to achieve their desired mix. And I was really surprised to learn what high quality ingredients go into their products. Real butter, the highest quality chocolate, and so on.
The popcorn is popped and brought up on what I'm going to call a ferris wheel. (It's really not, but hey, since I have the golden ticket, I'm going to call it what I want).
The popcorn goes into that big vat to the left, where it patiently waits for the sugars and butter to reach the perfect caramelization - at which point it's magically drizzled over the popcorn and mixed to perfection. Charlie explains that the mixture is slowly cooled and stirred to prevent clumping.
The nuts and chocolate popcorn are mixed in last
and then it's all bagged and labeled by hand, and packed into boxes that await. I love that they employ workers even though it would be more cost effective to have it done by machine.
Next door is the tumbling room where they shine up the Bing Cherry Chocolates. Fun Fact: 40,000 pounds of chocolate arrive at a time in the kitchens.
I keep noticing the workers here smile a lot. In fact, I'm beginning to think that if they could just bottle up their whirlwind of delight - yes even just that smell, it would create world peace. Everyone. Would. Just. Be. So. Happy.
Down the hall, we're stopped in our tracks by a gazillion foot long cinnamon roll:
The dough is prepared and then flattened by hand to place in the roller:
It's rolled out and then rolled up on the rollers for the next station:
The next station takes the rolled up dough, unrolls it, covers it with butter, followed by spices and sugars, rolls it up again, slices it, and then places it in the pans:
A Cinnamon Swirl is born.
We continue on through cakes, baklava, truffles, and
cheesecake and I secretly wish for just one of the carts filled with springform pans. I LOVE cheesecake.
Tomorrow we'll make our way to the Royal Riviera orchards and the fruit packing facility.
Sweet dreams.
When my parents decided to park the gypsy wagon and settle down in one spot, we made our home in Northern California, not far from the Oregon border. My parents fell in love with the small town of Ashland, Oregon, and we'd spend lots of time there. It took an hour to get there and on the way, we'd always drive by Harry & David. They had the most amazing fruit and treats. One year I saved my money and surprised my mom with a cheesecake for her birthday from their amazing bakery mail order.
Years later, when I moved to the northenmost village in Alaska, fresh fruit was hard to come by, so I'd treat myself to the best that Harry & David had to offer by mail. It was like enjoying a treat from an old friend.
Recently, the folks at Harry & David invited me for a visit to their headquarters for a behind-the-scenes tour of their the orchards and facilities. And how could I say no to an old friend?
I arrived into Medford, Oregon yesterday for my big visit and I thought you'd enjoy getting to see behind the scenes, along with me. So over the next few days, I'll be taking you along.
Today, let's start in the Candy Kitchen Product Development and Testing Lab with Charlie, who has been creating chocolates and treats at the factory for many years.
Charlie is responsible for taking a new recipe that has been developed and trying to bring it to life on a large scale - one that needs to be produced again and again in large quantities for mail order and sale in their stores. A recipe concept may be amazing as one, but can be a challenge to create for the market.
Miniature versions of the ovens and equipment used in the factory are used to test the recipes in the kitchen.
Right now, they're testing for spring.
One of Charlie's favorite creations is Moose Munch. Tomorrow I'll show you around the factory where it and many many more treats are made.
I was having a party but my table needed some harvest splendor. Ho hum.
So I went out and found some
and brought that splendor in and washed it all up.
Then I began to pretty up the table.
But it wasn't quite enough so I added some more.
And then I decided to just get carried away
because the harvest comes but once a year.
P.S. Just in case you wondered where warts come from...
hee hee.
A real favorite of mine at the fair are the exhibits. I love that the simple acts of everday living are celebrated here. Like gardening, canning, baking, etc.
These are some of my favorites from the fair this year, and I think no words are necessary here. This is a celebration of the beauty in the everyday.
Congratulations to all who participated. I think you're all winners.
We went to the Spokane County Fair last weekend. I forgot how much fun the whizzz and whirrr of the midway can be.
A real MUST-DO: Step 1: Eat a deep fried Twinkie
- or -
deep fried Reese's
and then take a ride on the Cliff Hanger.
Peaches are still going strong here. The growing season has been out of whack due to a late spring, but it's sort of like getting to have an extended birthday for me, as I love picking almost more than anything.
Today I went down the road to Smiths. Their Red Havens are GINORMOUS this year.
If there's one thing you should know it's that you should listen to your farmer. Ask questions, because a farmer has so much wisdom to impart.
The first thing Mr. Smith asks when you arrive is what type of peach you're looking for. There are so many varieties. And if you don't know your varieties, just explain what you like and the farmer will give you the best recommendation. Smiths orchard grows only freestone peach varieties, meaning the fruit just pulls right away from the pit, rather than sticking to it, which makes the peaches really nice and easy to process if you're canning, freezing, or making pies.
Mr. Smith is partial to Suncrest peaches. :)
One thing I've learned over the years is that a farmer who cares about their crop won't send you out on a wild goose chase through the orchard for unripened fruit or barren trees. But to make sure, just ask what's ripe and if it's good picking. Good picking means you'll have a lot of ripe fruit to pick from, rather than a scant few sprinkled amongst many picked over trees.
Turns out the ginormous peaches are over 1 pound each! (And they're sweet, juicy, and taste like a piece of heaven).
Here are some tips from Smiths (just another thing a great farmer will do, is tell you how to care for their product):
One way for us to enjoy peaches through the winter is with Peach Pie. So when I'm done picking, I come home and make lots of filling. I mix up each batch and place each pie filling in it's own freezer bag. I then place the freezer bag in a pie pan and place it in the freezer to freeze in that shape. Once the filling is frozen, I take it out of the pan and store the fillings in stacks in the freezer. When I want to make a pie, all I have to do is unwrap a filling, plunk it into the crust, and bake. (You can bake the filling frozen or thawed). If baking frozen, it will just take a while longer and you'll need to cover the crust with foil once it's browned, so it doesn't burn as the pie continues to bake.
Special thanks to Smiths Hilltop Orchard, which is #2 on the Greenbluff Growers map. (The numbers represent the orchard's spot on the map, not popularity).
You can find more information on Smiths here.
My Peach Pie recipe can be found here.
P.S. I have no affiliation with Smiths. I just happen to love their farm.
The Sandpoint Farmers Market was beautiful this weekend - full of autumn beauty.
I ran into Jennifer, selling her wonderful soaps.
Did you know that vegetables are fruits that are darker in color are the most nutritious?
I love finding new ways to enjoy the harvest. Tomorrow I'll tell you about one of my favorite ways to prepare swiss chard.
Last week, Colin and I had the opportunity to participate in one of the most memorable dinners ever.
The dinner was arranged and conducted by Outstanding in the Field, a tiny company, founded by a chef, whose brother is a pioneering organic grower. His vision was to create a roving restaurant without walls, where guests can enjoy a meal with the farmers, growers, and culinary artisans who grow and work the ingredients, oftentimes in the setting the food is grown.
Our setting was Monteillet Fromagerie
where we were greeted with local wines and small bites near their farmstead cheese shop and tasting room.
Then we were off to meet the goats during milking, learn about the cheesemaking operation,
and to tour Nourish Gardens, nestled amongst Monteillet Fromagerie's 32 acre farmstead, where I was inspired by the clover paths, grown to add nitrogen to the soil, and learned about biodynamic horticulture and agriculture.
The biodynamic grower and keeper of the gardens:
And then it was time to grab a plate and let the feast commence.
The founder:
The breadmaker:
The winemakers (Rulo):
The winemaker (Flying Trout):
The chef (second from right) and crew:
We're so lucky to have an array of ethnic grocery stores in Spokane. They're some of my favorite places to visit when I'm looking to get inspired in the kitchen. To change things up a bit.
Cassano's is like a little trip to Italy.
It's fun to open my mind to new ingredients and my family's too. Tonight I will say: Come and taste Italy! And they will.
And I'll let them taste one of my favorite childhood treats: sardines from my family's home country, Portugal.
It's such a treat to hop in the car and take a short drive to see what the world has to offer, right in our own city:
Today I visited Italy. And who knows? Maybe next week I'll visit Mexico, Japan, or Russia. All just a quick drive away.
More Information: Cassano's is a family owned and operated Italian grocery store located in Spokane, Washington, where it has served the community for many years.
Address: 2002 E. Mission
Tip: If you're planning a visit, schedule it around lunch time. Cassano's also operates a small bistro within the store which serves authentic Italian cuisine. (Their sandwiches are heavenly!)
P.S. I'm not affiliated with Cassano's. I just enjoy their little neighborhood store and hope you will too!
It was a beautiful day on the Bluff. You can see for miles and miles from up here.
I love it here.
Winter really whammied us this year and I'm completely ready for spring. This day, it felt like spring had finally arrived and I wanted to wake the Bluff from its winter sleep.
Wake up, little trucks. You need to greet the visitors when they start streaming in again.
Wake up, farmhouse. I love that you've been here since the early days of the Bluff. You're one of my favorites.
Wake up, tractor. Wake up, fields. I can't wait to see what you grow this year.
Wake up, Farmer Eddie. Your sign always makes me smile.
Wake up, apple trees. I want to pick you.
Wake up! Wake up! Spring is near.
Spring is near!
Every time I visit a small town, I feel reminiscent.
Have you ever been to La Grande? It's even more special to our family because our cousins, Jamie and Melissa met here, in college.
We had to stop by Hought's.
I love that Hought's is in the Christmas spirit.
And inside, it's like stepping back in time.
And nothing beats a Hought's homemade burger...
and Sweet Potato Puffs! Mmmmm mmmm *mmmmmm*
*Delicious*. Thank you, La Grande. Thank you, Hought's!
One of my favorite purchases of the day, here in New York City.
Having a blast. And getting blasted by the arctic air. Yikes! It's fuh-reeeeezing here.
Couple of things:
Tomorrow is the big Where Women Cook Launch party at the Chelsea Market in New York City. Most of the women featured in the magazine will be there to sign copies.
I'll also be signing copies of both of my books that will be available for sale at the market.
The Jingle holiday pop up by Jill Schwartz will be going on in the market at the same time.
....................Tiffany got stuck in the turnstile entering the subway.
.....I lost my wallet and all of my money and identification.
I bought an ear...........
....Tiffany lost a glove.
...............A cute stranger bought Tiffany a subway ride after she got stuck...............
......I lost my subway pass
We missed the train........ Because I lost my subway pass.
......................................................................A stranger found my wallet.
I like people.
.......New Yorkers are kind.........
P.S. my artwork purchase (above) came from the Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture shop in Soho.
We visited the Chelsea Market tonight, the location of the big party on Friday. What an amaaaazing spot!
I had dinner at The Green Table with Jo Packham, Tiffany Kirchner-Dixon, Laura Lee Choate, and Ronnie Citron-Fink, and it was wonderful! I had a delicious Market Salad and Macaroni and Cheese that was to die for!
Lora Lee, Tiffany, Jo, and Michael Ginsberg of the Chelsea Market
I also got to meet Jill Schwartz, who produces Jingle: A Holiday Pop Up at the Chelsea Market. And we got a sneak peek. OH MY GOSH.... It's amaaaaazing and I can hardly stand waiting for it to open!
Tomorrow we're going to do lots of shopping. Can't wait!
I'm on my way to New York for the big Where Women Cook extravaganza and book signing at Chelsea Market. You can read all about it here.
And some of my dearest friends will be there too. I'll be checking in on my blog, Facebook, and Twitter while I'm away so you can see what we're up to. Hooray!
On The Farm Chicks Facebook Page this week, I shared the fact that I've always got a soundtrack running through my mind. This week, it's been all about New York. Sunday I was hearing the Avett Brothers (I and Love and You). And today, of course, all I can hear is this:
This weekend was cold and drizzly, which made me start to think about the upcoming winter season and lots of baking. And it made me think about stopping by Paul's hazelnut orchard, just down the road.
Paul calls his orchard "The Promised Land". And I have to agree. It's peaceful and lovely and the hazelnuts taste like heaven.
The hazelnuts grow in little clusters until maturity, when once reached, they'll fall to the ground.
They're a little stubborn when it's cold and rainy. They don't want to leave their cozy little nest. See, she's just trying to hold on...
This one has just fallen. Paul will gather each and every one from the ground
and sort them by variety.
I purchased 5 pounds and will run them through the nut cracker to make shelling them much easier.
Paul runs the first little batch through the cracker. Twist - CRACK - rumble rumble - POW! And the little hazelnuts are revealed:
And look, here are two different varieties, just removed from their shells:
Since the hazelnuts were so fresh, I had to roast them for about an hour at 270 degrees. Had they been more dry, the roasting time would have been a lot shorter.
I have big plans on making some experimental pies. I can't wait!
Let me tell you, a freshly roasted hazelnut is dreamy. Much different than the taste of a hazelnut that's been sitting on a market shelf for a year or two.
And can I please just add that farmers like Paul are my heroes? I love each and every one for bringing such wonderful food to our tables.
P.S. Did you know you can make little hazelnuts look like acorn treats? I show you how in my new book, The Farm Chicks Christmas.
P.P.S. I'm having a book signing party on Friday. Have you heard about it? I hope you can join in!
It's plum time at Hansen's Orchard, which is something I look forward to all year. I love plum mornings where I can zip over to the orchard and pick to my heart's content.
Rod and Karen Hansen grow Italian plums (also called Italian Prunes), which are excellent for baking and for jam making. Use them in your favorite crumble recipe or experiment with them in a pie. There's no need to skin them. Simply seed and quarter, and bake bake bake! (They're tasty as a simple snack too).
And if you go, you should pick some apples too. You'll be so glad you did.
Part of our fun here in Minneapolis has been exploring the Junk Bonanza. Ki has done such a good job with creating a wonderful show and it has been packed with excited shoppers. And we've scored things we love! Here are our finds:
Me: Cutest little old feed sign. It's super sweet! hee hee
Heather: Several letters (I like her H the best), Display sign holders, old pillows.
We *heart* Minnesota.
We're headed west, homeward bound. We've had a great time in the city. Some highlights for me were
Getting to have birthday dinner with Morgan (Colin's little brother) and Colin at Mas Farmhouse.
Love love.
Getting to see my new book promoted in the city. New. York. City. Gulp. *wow*
Brunch at Pastis. I love that our friend, Dirk, designed the tile for this really well designed restaurant. So vintagey Paris and just plain cool.
Treats at Billy's Bakery. It's so darn cute in there I just want to give it a big hug.
....Shopping at Century 21. So many cute things and lots of designers that Anthropologie carries, but at about 1/16th the price ......Snacks at Pret. I love their marketing. .....riding the subway wondering if anyone is my family. My mom was adopted here. ....looking out onto Ellis Island and cherishing the fact that my grandparent's ship came through here when they immigrated to the U.S.
....getting blisters because I'd rather wear cute shoes than practical ones .....
and wi-fi on the airplane!
Post Edit: My inbox suddenly filled up with questions about Century 21.
Here's the info I know: I don't think there is a website for ordering. It's a lot like TJ Maxx or Ross, just on a much much larger scale.
The Manhattan location is right near the World Trade Center.
GO EARLY!!! During the week, they open at 7:45am. Unless you like mayhem, finish before 11am. It get extremely crowded and crazy there. Here's a little insight into what I mean..... their slogan is: Fashion worth fighting for! eeeeeek But trust me, early in the morning, it's lovely.
You have to be willing to really go through the racks to find what you love. My favorite section is the juniors where I find lots of Anthropologie designers and others that sometimes have things I like such as Free People and Nick and Nora.
Oh, and don't miss the shoe department. When I was there, I found an entire room of boots. double gulp. Jeanne, I thought of you!
If you're hungry after, grab a quick bite to eat from a street vendor nearby. My favorite is Sam's Falafel. And they're only $4 each.
Colin and I are on our way to New York. A super fun birthday present from him to me. Turning 40 is the gift that just keeps on giving!
Don't I look tired? Cody and I were up waaaayyy late cracking up at a wholesale catalog where the translation into English didn't go so well. An unexpected ab workout from our big belly laughs. Funniest thing ever!
P.S.
Thank you ever so so so much for all of your book orders! I signed over 150 copies of the book yesterday and the staff at the store are working hard to get them all sent out to you.
Happy weekend,
me
It's cherry season here and it's a picker's paradise.
Pie Cherries: Perfectly sour for Cherry Pie. (Rod and Karen Hansen of Hansen's Orchard recommend picking pie cherries by the stem. Although pie cherries are easily pulled from the tree without their stem and pit, if that's done, the cherries will lose much of their juiciness.)
Lambert: Tasty and sweet, this type of cherry fully sweetens about 1 week later than the Bing variety.
Rainier: Sweet, with a buttery yellow flesh. I prefer to pick the cherries that grow on the outer limbs of the tree, where the sun has turned the cherries extra sweet and the skins blush.)
Bings: Super sweet and firm fleshed. This is my favorite cherry.
Aaaahhhh, cherries. I love you so.
I returned to Pine City yesterday, and brought along some friends. We needed to finish cleaning those barns out! Two truckloads and one horse trailer's worth. And it was a beautiful sunny day, 70 degrees! So beautiful, in fact, the scenery and conversation kept me so distracted that somehow along the way, I missed the turn to take us home. And happened upon this:
And we were lucky enough to meet the Mayor, and his wife, Fran.
She was lovely and even let us in to look around and purchase some items, as the church is no longer operational.
One of the best days ever. In our beautiful Washington State.
When I received a call last month from a family who was moving away from the family farm, I was excited. They wanted to clean some things out and wondered if I'd like to come and take a look.
I never know when I get these calls, because sometimes what I find is great, and sometimes not, but I go into it for the adventure and if I find some fun things, that's good too.
The barns and outbuildings are always my favorite place to dig. It's always where the best old junkiest finds can be found. The place things were commonly taken to when the family slowly modernized the inside of the farmhouse.
And I've learned to always look up. I've found great things stored up high in the rafters.
Like a big load of beautiful old unused beadboard that could be used in a certain someone's new farmhouse?! And did I mention that poor Colin had to unpack our entire load to squeeze this in after I found it? What a husband!
This whole load just made me smile. And the boys too. They love old farm stuff, and this was especially fun for them as we came home with lots of old baseball items that they immediately put to good use. It becomes like a history project for them. "Let's figure out what year these old gloves and cleats are from" and "Were there any dates on anything, mom?!"
And just like that, these old things become treasure for someone once again.
I had an appointment yesterday in Pine City. One of those appointments that I dream about, and that the boys ask me about repeatedly. "When are you going to Pine City?!", about 500 times over the last several weeks. There was something there they wanted badly and an adventure I had been so looking forward to. As luck would have it, Colin was home early from a trip and volunteered to join me. What could be better than an adventure, with my husband, out on the open road?
All this, and we're not even there yet. Tomorrow. What I found. And why I can't stop smiling.
My family and I are home again after a happy vacation to St. Martin in the French West Indies. It's such a treat to be completely free of phones and computers and to just enjoy the world, quietly.
And it's always nice to be home again too. Because there's just no place like home, even if it is the middle of winter and the snow is falling. Oh my.
And because of the wonders of Typepad, my blog was updated regularly while I was away, thanks to the auto posting feature. But some of you had questions which went unanswered until now. If you posted a question, I tried to answer each one, back in the posts that the questions were posted in. You can refer back to the posts for my replies.
And of course, I thought of you while I was away. And I plan on sharing a sweet little giveaway here tomorrow, just for you...
As our extended family enjoys a winter vacation together in Montana, some of us are enjoying this kind of powder
While others of us are enjoying this type of powder
And they're both equally delicious.
Tomorrow we're off to explore Bozeman. Montana is beautiful this time of year.
Good morning, Market. You're sleepy this time of year, and I love you for it.
You scoop up the last bounty of the season
And make it as beautiful as ever.
You make me happy. Love, me.
I'm in Seattle this week and it feels like my home away from home. Colin has another office here, which means we're here often. Seattle is a beautiful city. Isn't the view from our window so pretty?
I went apple picking at Hansen's Orchard yesterday, which, luckily for me, is something I do at least once a week. (We eat a lot of apples!) It's a benefit of living 5 minutes from the orchard. Well, LOTS of orchards. Do you remember the Country Living story on my favorite place in the world, Greenbluff?
How can I not feel like the luckiest girl in the world, living where I do?
Last week, we awoke to a rare cool and drizzly summer day. We'd been itching to visit Garnet Creek, about two and a half hours away in our neighboring state of Idaho. It's the only place besides India where you can find Star Garnets. So Bongo, Lukie and I decided it was finally time. And by golly, no garnets, no glory we decided. And we hit the open road. Twisting our way into Idaho and through St. Maries, which I love. Being the daughter of a logger, I can't help but feel welcome there!
And through the woods we went
And after a little hike, we arrived. Turns out, a little rain makes a whole lotta mess at Garnet Creek!
We slipped and slopped about and made a big huge mess. But what a time we had! And at the end of the day, Lukie and Bongo both had bags of newfound treasures. And we couldn't have asked for anything more.
There was an estate sale in the heart of farm country this weekend. The sale was run by one of my favorite estate sale companies, Monarch. I really appreciate the descriptions they give in their advertisements because I know they're always accurate. They described this sale as a "digger", which means there will be a TON of things to "dig" for. My neighbor Michelle loves their sales as much as me, so we decided to go together. We also met up with her friend and business partner, Faith, and her daughter. We ran into the Junebug girls there too.
The house, barn, outbuilding, chicken coop, and tents were jammed full. Everything was for sale. The advertisement described thousands of yards of fabric, which was perfect for me, especially because we're working on a shoot at the end of the month and can always use a good assortment. (Plus, I've never met a fabric I didn't like). After a few hours, our trucks were jammed full. We stopped for lunch on the way home and I couldn't resist snapping a picture of the trucks with their loads.
Last night, we all headed out to Wildrose Prairie to volunteer at a bike race.
If you're going to race, the prairie is where it's at!
You've heard lots about my prairie that I love. And we are so lucky to live in an area where prairies are found almost everywhere you go. Life on the prairie is good!
We're home from Nantucket and had a wonderful time. Once we arrived, it was no hurrying or scurrying the entire time. Just relaxing, happy, family fun.
We love renting a big house where our families can all be together, and the cousins can have lots of room to play and explore. Wiffle ball games, hide and seek, treasure hunts, perfume making, and bike riding were some of their favorite activities. We even watched a turtle lay her eggs in the yard. Nantucket is beautiful. No doubt about it. Here are some of the things I loved:
One of our favorite summer traditions are multiple trips to the berry farms located just minutes from our home. My children really love picking out their berry flat carrier and hopping on the tractor for the ride to the field.
There are always contests they dream up to see who can pick the most or eat the most and everyone leaves with red, strawberry scented fingers and red-ringed lips.
Tips for the trip:
We try to pick in the early morning to avoid the mid-day heat and to avoid "baking" the berries as they sit in the flats.
The boys always end up with strawberry stains on their clothing, but they are easily removed when I pre-treat them before washing with ERA detergent.
Grow your own Patch:
Strawberries are really easy to care for and with some basic care at the end of the season, you can enjoy strawberries fresh from your own garden.
Our family is heading out early in the morning for Nantucket and Boston. I've made sure to load my ipod up on my favorite radio show, This American Life (they have free podcasts, for goodness sake!), for the airplane as well as lots of embroidery supplies to while away the time on the long flight. And I painted my toes Nantucket Red. So, I think I'm all set.
We're really looking forward to meeting up with Colin's brother, Thatcher, and our sister-in-law, Jill. And the boys absolutely love getting to spend time with their cousins. Even though we live so far apart, we get to see each other a lot by planning vacations together. It's the best.
And I love that I can schedule blogs to post while I'm gone, and that's all set up now too. Yahoo!
P.S. If you have any super secret tips or can't miss suggestions for Boston or Nantucket, I'd love to hear them!
P.P.S. Nantucket Red isn't really a nail polish color, but I thought it should be, so I named it. : )
We're back from a whirlwind - action-packed - never-a-dull-moment trip. Happy, spinny, child-like fun.
I tagged along with Colin to Seattle last week. Him: business. Me: Pleasure.
I love staying at the Inn at the Market, where Pike Place is literally steps away from the front door, and in sight from your room.
The market is a lot more quiet this time of year, right before the rush of summer tourists, and the sights are as lovely as ever.
And the clam chowder and crab rolls are a real treat.
I'm aching for spring, and luckily, we awoke to beautiful sunny skies today. Thank goodness. And I'm ready to do some serious junking. With all of the work on the cookbook, we haven't had a lot of time to get out and junk. Can't wait!
Colin and I are off for a few days to someplace warm. I always call these getaways a honeymoon, because it still feels that way, even after all these years. I love this man.
I can't describe how wonderful it is to go on a little vacation and have all of the details completely planned by someone else. So, thanks to my sister-in-law, Jill, for that. Turns out, we were staying in Scottsdale, and spent much of our weekend there. The view you see in the picture above is from our lovely Casita at The Four Seasons Resort.
Sitting on our balcony, enjoying the view, and taking in the warm desert air, was re-energizing, to say the least. The desert is stunning.
On Saturday, we enjoyed a beautiful breakfast, outside, at the resort, picked up our race packets, enjoyed a small hike up Pinnacle Peak,
lounged around the pool, did a tiny bit of shopping, and enjoyed a lovely dinner at Digestif, which is owned by the aunt of one of Emily's friends.
Dinner was amazing. We were so jealous to learn that their farmer's market runs from November to May. So lucky! Digestif offers so many dishes with the produce from the market, and the evening we visited, served an amazing hand-pulled fresh mozzarella. We even got some pointers on cooking fresh asparagus from the chef, who was genuinely sweet.
On Sunday, I'm happy to say we all managed to grind out the run, despite the heat none of us are used to running in.
We dilly dallied the rest of the day away, relaxing at the resort and enjoying the spa. We all left feeling incredibly happy, renewed, and filled with sun.
My sisters-in-law, Jill, Alison, Emily, and I are off to Arizona for a few days. Since Emily is a Montana State hall-of-famer and is sporty like that, we'll be running this. As often happens when one runs with Em, she'll dash off and return to us at about the half way point. And I'll say, "Hey Em, you finished already didn't you?" "Oh, well...ummm....yes", she'll modestly reply. "You won it didn't you?!", I'll say. "Mmmm-hmmm", she'll say, shrugging it off, and then she'll re-run it with the rest with us. No biggy. mmm-hmmm.
I'm guessing that Emily's pre-flight packing consisted of making sure she had her heartrate monitor, multiple copies of Sports Illustrated, Power Bars, and her favorite Nalgene.
Me? I rounded up a cute little fabric case for my tom tom, downloaded some podcasts of This American Life to my ipod, and made sure I noted where all the best shopping is in the Phoenix area.
One of the many things about the beautiful area where my sister lives is the accessibility to amazing wild greenery. One of the must-dos on the list during my last visit was to get a bunch of pepper berries and bay leaves for some projects Teri and I are working on. When my son, Lucas, asked me where my sister and I went on my recent visit, I told him, "where the wild pepper berries grow". "That's sounds just like Dr. Seuss!", he said. Now I'm the cool mom.
I'm off to San Francisco for a happy weekend with my big sis, Heather. Of course, no trip is ever set until I've gotten everything just right for Colin and the boys. I overdo it but I really do love it - making everything nice before I leave. Sometimes I wonder why.
I've washed all the slipcovers so they're perfectly clean.
I'm sure when I return, they'll be covered in chocolate or mud or both.
A crock-pot is softly simmering with lemon chicken for their dinner tonight, the freezer is full of homemade casseroles and pies, the fruit bowl is overflowing with tangerines, apples and grapefruit, and healthy snacks like peeled hard-boiled eggs, carrot and celery sticks that are all prepped and ready for them in the fridge should they get a little hungry.
But I'm sure they'll head to Egger's Meats and load up on sausage, bacon, ribs, and steaks and proceed to eat meat and only meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The floor has been mopped with my favorite Mrs. Meyer's Lemon Verbena Cleaner. It's so clean they could eat off it.
I bet they do.
Every last little scrap of clothing has been washed, crisply folded, and neatly put away.
I bet they spend the weekend in their boxers and make ape noises the entire time. In fact, I bet all they speak all weekend is ape.
Good-bye my monkeys. I'll see you soon!
About 150 miles into our 280 mile trip to Seattle, we realized that trick-or-treating right before a roadtrip is a really bad idea. Especially if too many Twix are consumed. And I do have to admit that for a split second, I did cry just a little on the inside when I had to sacrifice a Cath Kidston pillow to catch the vomit produced by the Twix overload. And then a second Cath Kidston pillow. And then a Farm Chicks tote. Poor Micah. Poor us. Poor car.
After a good night's sleep and recovery from the vomit incident, we headed out for a family baseball game at Green Lake, visits to Pike Place, the baseball card shop (where the boys have purchased so much that we're on a first-name basis), the comic book shop, and lunch at our favorite bagel shop.
The main event for our little roadtrip was a skateboarding extravaganza at Key Arena. Boy stuff. Their little eyes are still as big as raccoons after meeting these guys.
Back home, I'm happy to report that the pillows and bag have been thoroughly soaked and have made a full recovery as well. And Micah? He's Twix free and has vowed to never eat another as long as he lives. We all like that plan very much.
I'm Serena, mom of 4, author, entrepreneur, & Country Living Magazine contributing editor. I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world and I write about it all here, on my blog.
