Walking gingerly, I trained my eye for the golden color that is so easily mistaken for leaves or bare sticks. It was early September, and there was a recent rain, so my mother and I were out on the mossy slopes of a fir forest in search of chanterelle mushrooms. I watched for moss pieces […]
food
Posted inAt Home, Blog
Savor the Basil Season with Sweet Potato Basil Casserole
There’s a lot of basil out there this time of the year, but it has reached the end of the season. Folks are scrambling to use and process the fresh aromatic leaves — drying and making yummy basil butter and pesto concoctions. Basil is a common name for the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum of the […]
Posted inFeatured, Food & Entertainment
The Wine Cabinet — Slippery Pig Brewery
The grand opening of The Slippery Pig Brewery in Poulsbo in June saw a huge amount of excited craft-brew lovers pack the brewery rooms. These were people who enjoy the craft-beer trade and knew that Slippery Pig beers were some of the best in the area. When the doors on both sides of the brewery […]
Posted inAt Home, Blog
Wild Game Meatloaf in Vintage Casserole Dish
It is not so much the food, but also the casserole dish that was selected for the job, a white opaque Pyrex 2.5-quart casserole dish introduced in 1963. As ingredients were added, the meatloaf grew until it wouldn’t fit in a standard loaf dish or my smaller oval casserole dishes. It was then I realized […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Vegetables to Plant Now for Winter Harvest
In the West Sound growing climate, gardeners can often plant seeds and starts in July through September for late fall, winter and sometimes even early spring harvest. The most important thing to remember is soil temperatures and how much water is needed. Many gardeners extend the season even farther by using hoop houses and floating […]
Posted inAt Home, Blog
How to Make an Easy Summer Salsa from Fresh Ingredients
Great summer weather equals great vine-ripened tomatoes, and this summer is the poster child for both. Even if you aren’t growing your own tomatoes, you can find beautiful, local and delicious tomatoes ready to eat now at your local farmers market and store. It’s hard to describe the difference between a freshly picked, vine-ripened tomato […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Waxy Breakdown of Garlic
I love “Aha!” moments. I recently had one regarding the mysteries of garlic in storage. I had noticed that some years, my garlic stored without any trouble, lasting well into the summer, while other times many of the cloves shriveled up and were unusable. I could not pinpoint the cause until the garlic harvest this […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
What To Do with Your Garden Abundance
If you have a vegetable garden, you probably want all your produce to be used well. But there is a limit to how much produce one household can consume. Puget Sound gardeners get an average of 10 pounds of tomatoes from each plant (and as many as 25 pounds), according to The Brothers Greenhouses tomato […]
Posted inAt Home, Blog
The Secret to Homemade Pizza: Pizza Stones
Pizza stones are required equipment for the best homemade thin-crust pizza. There, I said it! I could beat around the bush and say that you can get the same results with a pan in the oven, but I would be lying. It doesn’t matter if you use the oven or put it on the barbecue, […]