Life is persistent.

Horsetail - 1
Asphalt - 0

Strawberry-Casting Cake and Spring Visitors

I bet you thought I meant an edible cake. It will be.

This weekend, I returned home from slingin' cheese at the Port Angeles Farmer's Market to find Justin building, what I like to call, a strawberry cake. He calls it a strawberry pyramid. Either way, it is an awesome way to grow strawberries, maximize surface area, and minimize hunched over berry picking...and, the whole thing cost only $7, a burrito, and a beer.

As he was filling it with compost, horse poop, and worm castings, our super-awesome friends, Dana, Brian and super-Lincoln, arrived from Seattle for some Olympic Peninsula fun--a.k.a. planting the strawberry pyramid, kickin' it in sunshine with a giant ball, pizza, pancakes, and a trip to Crescent Beach to explore the tidepools. (Did I mention that Dana is a tidepool enthusiast?)

I hope they come back to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

3-tiered strawberry pyramid.

Lincoln, such a baller.

Dana is showing us something awesome hiding in the eel grass.

hermit crab.

red-blood seastar.

awesome family.

The Morel of the Story

On a sunny, yet breezy, Spring morning, we decided to test whether or not it was truly Spring. Justin did a planting along the Skokomish River on the Southeast side of the Olympic Peninsula a few weeks ago. While there, he learned about a fire that occurred on some timber land last year; he thought, "What a perfect place to hunt for morels!" and filed it away until greener days.

The tractor that started the fire.

Yesterday, we biked the logging roads to the burn and began our search. First, we found some indicators that it might, indeed, be about that time for those little fungi to fruit...






Then, Justin stumbled on some real evidence! Woot.


We continued to stumble and find...

My dad would be a kid in candy land.

We didn't find more than enough for a tasty meal, but we are quite excited to revisit this charred, but living and thriving, corner of the Peninsula. On the way home from the scavenger hunt, we picked up some cream and fresh asparagus from Sunny Farms. I sauteed the mushrooms in butter and olive oil with onions, garlic, and thyme. When they softened, I added asparagus and a bit of cream and water to sauce it up. Served over angel hair with a squeeze of lemon, I call it a Northwest Spring Alfredo! The meaty, earthy morels give the dish some real character.

Spring Cleaning...

As Spring officially sprang a few weeks ago, a group of friends inspired me to take advantage of the increasing sunlight, budding plants, and generally springy-ness to do some spring cleaning of my body. For about two week, I refrained from caffeine, alcohol, animal products (meat, cheese (!), eggs, butter...) and sugar (including honey, maple syrup, and the likes).

I really learned a lot about myself during this time. For example, I put honey on just about everything--my morning oatmeal, my tea, my peanut butter sandwiches, my fingers. Also, I rely on coffee and black tea for more than just caffeine--these drinks serve as little rewards that get me through the day. Not that my love for honey, coffee, or earl grey are bad--they are, in fact, very, very good--, but it is enlightening to know how much I love them.

While I had a pretty terrible headache for the first 3 or 4 days, I tried to think of the cleanse as an opportunity to enjoy the simple and delicious foods that I often coat in butter and honey or skip, entirely, for pastries and such. For example, I rediscovered my love for simple salads with oil and balsamic vinegar, avocados, and the sweetness of a ripe piece of fruit. I also took the time to cook some simple delicious dishes from a new cookbook that my mom got me when she visited: Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair. What a fantastic book! Below are two of my favorite creations from the book:

Quick Lemon and Garlic Quinoa Salad

I doubled this recipe and still made it twice. Its great to take for lunch or to accompany dinner.

Salad:
1 c. dry quinoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. water
1/2 c. chopped carrots
1/3 c. minced parsley
1/4 c. sunflower seeds

dressing:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1-2 TBS. soy or tamari

1. Place quinoa, salt, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until water cooks off.
2. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, veggies, and seeds.
3. In a separate bowl, mix dressing ingredients.
4. Pour dressing over salad and mix. Serve room temp or chilled.

Nutburgers!

I like beef burgers too, but I salivate for these. Enjoy them with buns and all the fixin's or naked over greens.

(makes 4 burgers)

3/4 c. sunflower seeds
3/4 c. walnuts
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
pinch of cayenne
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 carrot, grated
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 c. cook brown rice
2 tbs. tomato sauce (I used salsa)
1-2 tsp. butter

1. Grind seeds to a find meal and mix with spices, garlic, and carrot.
2. Fold in cooked brown rice and add tomato sauce a little at a time until you get a stiff, workable texture.
3. Form into patties and chill.
4. Lightly coat skillet with butter and brown patties on both sides at a medium heat.
Enjoy!

Fossil Beach

Months ago, Justin heard about this place on the North Olympic Coast called "fossil beach". We sought it out on New Years Day with our friends and their 2 month old--the mission was unsuccessful, but it was a nice trip nevertheless. Last weekend, Justin and I took advantage of a mild, sunny spring day and headed outside in search of the place that had eluded us.

Success! This little stretch of coast is swimming with fossilized bull kelp, clam shells, and other beauties. I imagined that we would have to wander hither and dither to find a single fossil. I imagined that we'd find lots of "fossils" that were really just "rocks". Neither imaginings were true. You could pick a spot on the gravely beach, kneel down and discover lots of sparkling wonders.

Afternoons such as these, remind me that there's always something new and exciting to discover in our own backyard.

Double-crested cormorants enjoying a view of the strait.

fossilized booty.

Flowering coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus)--a true sign of spring.

(Arbutus menziesii) boneyard.

Nothing says "WELCOME SPRING" like a truckload of compost topped with horse poop.

We spent the afternoon prepping our beds and planning what we want to grow this season. With the addition of 3 new beds that Justin built for our anniversary, we've got more room for delicious goodies...

Things we will grow:
yellow German potatoes
eggplant
"cascadia"snap peas
various salad greens
"Olympia" spinach
broccoli
Russian kale
Nash's kale
collards
Scarlet Nantes carrots
radishes
bull's blood beets
rhubarb chard
garlic
sunchokes
sungold tomatoes
roma tomatoes
summer squash
winter squash
pole beans
hot peppers
basil

Things we veto-ed after last year (which we will happily buy from local farmers):
onions
bell peppers
too many tomatoes
rutabagas
turnips
celery
parsnips

Wish List:
chickens

NAANsense.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love bread. I love it as a vehicle for spreads and dip. I love it alone torn in hunks from a warm loaf. I love it toasted. I love bread.

There are all sorts of "breads" out there, but I have to say, beyond a crusty loaf of sourdough or a pillowy, shining braided challah, naan it one of my favorites. Naan is a traditional Indian leavened flatbread that has been oven-grilled. It is light and full of air pockets, crispy on the outside, and great for sopping up hot spicy Indian curries or chilled yogurt sauce.

When my mom was visited a few weeks ago, Justin prepared an Indian feast of roasted eggplant, creamed spinach, ginger-tamarind glazed salmon, and saffron rice. I volunteered to make the naan--it was the least I could do, really. Turns out, it is quite straight forward--even without a traditional tandoori oven.

Naan
adapted from Neelam Batra's 1000 Indian Recipes

2 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
14 c. warm water
1/2 c. plain yogurt
2 TBS. vegetable oil
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. all-purpose flour (in a bowl for dusting)
1/4 c. melted butter

1. For dough, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and set aside for five minutes. Mix in yogurt and oil.
2. Place flour and salt in a food processor and mix. Gradually add yeast mixtures with processor running--run until flour gathers into a ball. Transfer the ball to a large bowl, cover with plastic, and place in a warm place until it doubles in size (3-4 hours).
3. Divide dough into 10-12 balls and keep covered to prevent the dough from drying out. With each ball, place in the bowl of flour and coat it well with the dry flour. Transfer to a cutting board and flatten the ball with the palm of your hand, then roll it into a 7-8in. long triangle.
4. Place on large baking trays and lightly brush the top of each naan piece with water.
5. Preheat the oven to broil. Place the tray 4-5 in. below the heating element and broil until small brown spots appear on the top (1 minute). Carefully flip each piece and cook until the other side is golden.
5. Transfer naan to a platter and baste lightly with melted butter.

Serve warm with plenty of things to dip it in!