Wrapping Up 2011

Around the end-ish of each year I like to go back over the goals that I set for myself the previous year, before setting new goals for the year ahead. 2011 did not quite go as planned, but by no means would I consider it a failure. It was an interesting one.


1. Do things that terrify, embarrass, startle, and otherwise freak me out. 
I'd consider this the biggest success of all time. I ended a relationship that had been my absolute rock and place of consistency and security for three years. I moved into a place on my own for the first time in my life. I asked for a bigger raise at work (and got it!), I swam with a whale shark (briefly, in six foot seas and open water, and mildly panicked the entire time). Ultimately- I completely restructured my life, stopped shying away from the unfamiliar, and learned to start trusting my own gut more than ever before. It is not the journey that I had intended for myself by any means, but it has been the most significant.

2. Learn more about the joys of yeast and fermentation.
I'd call this questionable. While I started working with sourdough fairly early on in the year- in coming to terms with my gluten intolerance as well as moving into an apartment with the most inconsistent temperature range (ever!) I really let this one slip aside. Bread baking may not be a consistent thing for me, but my love for kombucha, kimchee, and all other things vinegary and mildly terrifying has not faded. 2012 might just be the perfect year for strange fermented things.


3. Go places, take classes, and make things.
2011 was: a gyotaku class in Portland, a four-week mushroom identification class through The Puget Sound Mycological Society, a very successful mushroom hunting trip, the best cupcakes I've ever made, two types of homemade cereal (granola, and amaranth). I also took swim lessons, made recipe after recipe of mediocre gluten free cookies, and spent a whole lot of time tromping around in the woods and mud.

4. Run a full marathon and start training for a triathlon.
Hah! Oops. While I did run my second half marathon (and cut 15 minutes off my previous time!) life really got in the way of any other training. An injury in October led to me having to wear this lovely thing for three weeks, and my foot still isn't fully healed. I'm signed up for my third half marathon this coming March, and will again aim to run my first full marathon in the next year.

5. Go somewhere I've never been before.
Success! Chimacum & Point No Point, Canon Beach, Whidby Island, Guemes Island (favorite!), Port Townsend, Crystal Mountain, and most wonderfully of all- La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico!


Did 2011 throw any surprises your way?

Slow Food Seattle & Canning Wild Pacific Albacore

A few months ago I was invited to apply for a position on the board of directors with Slow Food Seattle, my local chapter of Slow Food International. I was thrilled to come on as their new treasurer, and while I'm definitely still finding my feet- yesterday was my first Slow Food event, and I had an absolutely fantastic time of it.

Jeremy Brown, charming tuna fisherman and canning expert- came down from Bellingham with 800 pounds of locally caught Wild Pacific Albacore tuna and a whole lot of patience. He talked members through the process of canning tuna- from cleaning and trimming fish to stuffing jars and testing for a proper seal. It was at times chaotic and crowded, always cold, and absolutely smelly. We had a seriously great day. And a tremendous "thank you" to Gourmondo for hosting us!

Step 1: Cutting tuna into chunks, removing skin and guts

Step 2: Fine trimming, cutting tuna into smaller pieces to fit into jars

Packing jars

Step 3: Adding salt, olive oil, and our special "secret" ingredient

Filled and cleaned jars waiting to go into the pressure cookers

Step 4: 90 minutes in the pressure cooker

Checking pressure. Yes it takes four people.

Removing cooked jars 

Cleaning and separating unsealed jars

Cooling- the bubbles in the jars are a good sign- it means pressure is built up and they're properly sealed.

Waiting on the last three cookers to finish.

Your Smile Is Contagious: Goodbye Christina Choi

 Source

Rest In Peace, sweet lovely Christina.

Christina sparked my love of wild foods, made the best poached tuna sandwich you could ever dream of, fed me nettles and ramps for the first time, launched me up a six foot ladder the second time I'd ever met her, and was an absolute treat to have known.

The last time I saw her was on the last day that Nettletown was open. She was smiling, at ease, and excited for her new adventure. Just as I will always remember her.

Link Love! Gifts In Jars

My 300-ish square foot apartment is currently overflowing with jars of things. Three types of jam, tomato sauce, two types of liqueur, pickles, pears, and on and on. My general motivation here is not only to have beautiful summer produce throughout the year, but also to have a perfect stash of last minute gifts and treats to share with friends and loved ones during the holiday season. It isn't too late for handmade gifts by any means- and the perks of gifting something that can be both stored, and later eaten once the house is cleared of other holiday sweet things is truly hard to argue. I've also tried to include primarily recipes that don't require any special canning equipment.

- Despite the fact that Washington doesn't actually have a citrus season- it still is citrus season. I'm enamored with the idea of this Chili Mandarin Marmalade with a Spritz of Ginger from Mandolin the Mirthful. She notes its intensity and that it would pair beautifully with crackers and chevre. My kind of lady.

- On that note- this idea of gifting Marinated Goat Cheese is unarguably simple, and absolutely gorgeous. This would make a phenomenal host/ess gift, even when rushed for time.

- Homemade Coffee Liqueur from Food In Jars makes for another well received gift that uses a few straight-forward ingredients. The original recipe notes that it's best when allowed to sit anywhere from three to six weeks- but I've given gifts like this in the past that included a note one when it's best to open. No one has complained.

- Okay, I'm totally cheating on this one. It doesn't come in a jar, it's merely just being served in one. But I cannot get over how obscenely delicious this sounds. I cannot. Jen Altman's Black Spiced Rum Eggnog will be my first attempt at eggnog ever. I will drink it out of a jar, and I will probably not share. You should go ahead and make your own.

-  Bacon Jam. I know. Bacon is played out, and this recipe takes hours to make, and if you want to store it out of the fridge you need a pressure cooker. But I don't care about any of those things. It's bacon, and onions, and maple syrup. And I just don't care.

- I accidentally made myself a big beautiful jar of ginger syrup last year- it was the byproduct of candied ginger, and it was probably one of the best accidents I've had in some time. It makes for some of the best ginger ale I've ever had, and has stored perfectly in my pantry without any issues. Joy the Baker shares her recipe for Homemade Ginger Syrup for Ginger Ale and includes a perfectly simple recipe for ginger ale to tack on as part of a gift.

Are you making any of your gifts this year? What are your favorite homemade treats to give and receive?

That Week I Spent Eating Popsicles and Swimming with Whale Sharks

Oh, hi! Did I mention that I went to Mexico? Maybe? I flew down to La Paz, Baja California Sur the day before Thanksgiving with my brother and his lady. My mom and her partner are currently in the midst of a big crazy amazing adventure and we headed down to spend the week with them. We spent a tremendous amount of time talking to birds/stray cats/dogs, sitting in the sun, and eating the best popsicles of my life. We snorkeled with whale sharks(!!!), found a lagoon with wild horses, lived off of fresh avocados, and generally had a really miserable time.

Truly, it was dreadful.

Photos 6, 7, 15, 16, 17 were taken by my mom. Check my Flickr in the very near future for the rest of my photos!

Know You

“I don’t suppose I really know you very well - but I know you smell like the delicious damp grass that grows near old walls and that your hands are beautiful opening out of your sleeves and that the back of your head is a mossy sheltered cave when there is trouble in the wind and that my cheek just fits the depression in your shoulder.”

—	Zelda Fitzgerald, in a letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald

Simple, Small Batch Canning: Pears in Sweet Tea Syrup

I fell in love with this recipe from Coconut & Lime around this time last year. Despite the fact that it's incredibly, almost laughably simple- I just never took the time to pull it all together.

My CSA from Tiny's Organic wrapped up this past week, and my refrigerator is still somehow full of locally grown fruit. I'm heading to La Paz for a week this Wednesday and wanted a quick way to put up the last of my pears before they turned on me.

I made a few modifications to suit what I had on hand, including a lesser quantity. I used a small sized variety of heirloom pears, but feel free to do as the original recipe calls for and use Bartlett if it's what you have available. I also used a black tea from Choice Organic that I love, rather than rooibos. Feel free to try it with any tea that you have on hand and love.


Small Batch Pears in Sweet Tea Syrup:

- 5 small to medium sized pears
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 bags black tea, or tea of choice

Sterilize two pint jars and lids- I generally do this by boiling them covered in hot water for ten minutes.

Peel and cut pears in half. Remove stem and seeds- I did this using a melon-baller and it worked beautifully. Pack pears into jars- I did five halves in each.

Bring water and sugar to a rolling boil, and remove from heat. Add tea bags and allow to steep for up to five minutes. Pour hot syrup into jars, leaving about 1/2" of head space. Process for 15 minutes in a hot water bath. Allow pears to sit for at least two weeks before opening your jars.

Weekend in Photos

A ridiculous and gorgeous birthday party for my bff and love of my life, Amy; a perfect day outside planting trees at Reecer Creek in Ellensburg with some of my favorite people; and thawing my stash of summer tomatoes for a big beautiful pot of tomato basil simmer sauce. Yes, I thawed them on the floor next to my radiator. Classy!

How was your weekend?