More About the Holidays

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are always busy and seem to fly by, but December 2015 set a new ‘social’ record for us. Between a week in Portland over Thanksgiving, returning home for a couple of days and then leaving on a road trip to SoCal with Maria in tow, we were gone for over two weeks. We had two short weeks to regroup and prepare for company through the end of the year. Our company was actually family, but that doesn’t minimize the pressure we put on ourselves to have everything perfect…clean house, entertainment planned, and menus created for each of the days of their visit. You have no idea the amount of time Verne and I spend discussing our guests’ food likes, dislikes, and allergies. We scour Moser Family Favorites (over 200 favorite recipes we’ve tested and keep on our computer) and a huge collection of cookbooks and cooking magazines until we come up with a perfect blend of food ideas that leaves everyone with a smile on their face and wanting more.

Our first visit was the Burkhard family. Aaron is still recovering from his back problems (three bulging discs), so entertainment couldn’t include a day working outside cutting, splitting, and hauling fire wood or burning brush piles. Dang! That used to be my favorite way to entertain strong, young men. I would always remind them that some people pay for a visit to a Dude Ranch and here they are getting the experience for free! More recently I remind them that dear old Dad is almost 75 and can use the help. That gets them every time. And it just so happens to be true. With indoor entertainment the only option, I decided to give Aaron another canning lesson.

During our two week hiatus from travel and socializing, we canned a batch of our favorite salsa (similar to the type of salsa you get at Mexican restaurants) and made a second batch using a new recipe, Roasted Tomato Chipotle Salsa, that is made from dried chipotle and cascabel chili peppers and is quite a bit hotter than our old standard made from fresh jalapenos. Aaron loves hot peppers (the hotter the better) and he loved our salsas. In fact, he’s in the process of setting up a hydroponic system to grow peppers in his garage and has been very interested in learning to preserve his harvest by both dehydrating and canning them. So, spending a day in the kitchen was his kind of fun (and mine, of course).  We didn’t limit his lesson to salsa…we also made two batches of Habanero Jelly (one batch with honey that we ended up throwing away and a second batch with sugar that turned out to be a perfect balance between sweet and spicy) and we dehydrated a large batch of granola with all kinds of health food additives. He’s learning, but we both agreed that more lessons (which require regular visits) are in order.

Preparing to make Roasted Tomato Chipotle Salsa

We had planned that Kendall, who was recently chosen to be captain of the JV Color Guard, would show us parts of her rifle routine, but it was too cold and wet the days of their visit. Like typical teenagers, the kids entertained themselves with their electronics (and my phone…yes, Kendall, I did find the two dozen selfies on my phone). Raelin did get them outside for a half hour to help her load the back of their pick-up with firewood -- something that is plentiful on 40 wooded acres.

Sam and Kendall Selfie

Raelin loading the pickup with firewood, Sam helping 

and Kendall watching (she didn't want to dirty her hands)

The same day the Burkhard’s left for home, December 23rd, Jana drove up from SoCal (with her cat, Izzy) to spend the Christmas holiday with us. Lauren flew in from Portland the next day, Christmas Eve, and we started our celebration with dinner at Ruth’s Chris in Sacramento. It was more than a Christmas celebration this year. We celebrated being alive and Jana having survived this past year.

It was just the four of us through the weekend when Jana left to visit her girlfriend in San Francisco and then home to have her final cancer treatment (infusion) on Wednesday. Lauren planned her visit through yearend to help us with a few projects around the house and craft with her mommy. 

Jana with Izzy wearing her antlers

Lauren crafting

We both love our time together in the studio quilting and crafting and finding inspiration in every corner, every drawer, and every storage box. I’m not sure how I can ever be without a studio…something to think about when we finally downsize. I don’t think it will be this year, so no worries for all of you who love to visit “the Property.” But soon...

Pizza Box Mystery

There is much that comes with living in the country…the obvious peace, quiet, and beautiful surroundings, but there’s also responsibility for water, septic, and trash. When we first moved to the country we quickly learned the importance of a secure area for trash and with the new house (we’re talking twenty years ago, really not so “new” anymore) we built an 8-foot square room off the garage where we accumulate trash between dump-runs. Yesterday was just such a run and Verne filled the back of our long-bed farm truck with over two months worth of trash. Are you asking what this has to do with a pizza box? Well, Verne told me this evening he’d found a pizza box in our trash.

Now this is very odd. We both found it mysterious, because (1) we only eat pizza at Pine Grove Pizza (except for one time this past year when we cheated on our favorite pizza parlor and had pizza at Paisano’s Pizzaria in Jackson); (2) our order is always the same (pepperoni, sausage, and green bell pepper); (3) we always eat at the restaurant so we can people-watch (Amador County is full of strange and interesting people to watch); and, (4) most importantly, we always take home leftover pizza in foil, NEVER a box! So, how did the box get in our trash??? After about 15 minutes of concentrated thinking and discussion, we finally kind-of remembered having pizza with Lara, Rick, and the boys when they visited a few months ago. Neither of us remembered exactly when they’d visited and we actually weren’t sure we’d eaten pizza with them, but it was a process of elimination that we determined it had to be the weekend of October 10th (thanks to a note of their visit on my calendar) and, after all of this memory-jarring, I was beginning to have a fuzzy recollection of ordering our pizza “to go” because of one of the boys having a sick tummy). For confirmation, we looked at Moser Good Eats (our family journal) around that time, but there was only one post in October just prior to the Rausch visit and my first post in November was all about pomegranates…no mention of a family visit. Hmm…how is it I failed to blog about the great time we had at Chaw’Se Indian Grinding Rock Park and share the several dozen pictures we took there?

Just to be sure Verne called Lara to discuss their visit and our dinner at Pine Grove Pizza. No, Lara said, we did not eat pizza that weekend. What??? Impossible! How, then, did the dang pizza box end up in our trash? We were back to square one searching for clues about the pizza box. I continued my quest by looking back through our check register for checks written to Ace for dump fees to determine the timeframe associated with the box. The previous check was written in early September, over three months ago. The box had to have been deposited in our trash sometime during that period. Another fifteen minutes of concentrated thinking and discussion and it came to me! Our young friend Ted Burns came up from SoCal Labor Day weekend to participate in the Kirkwood Chili Cook-Off on Saturday and he met us the following day for dinner at Pine Grove Pizza (his favorite, too). Gradually the memory of that night came back to me and I recalled chastising him when he grabbed a couple of boxes rather than foil for the leftovers. In hindsight, the box is probably a greener approach than foil, but as Verne would say, mox nix. The mystery is finally solved.

I could say something like, “Getting old and forgetful is the pits”, but it is what it is and I’d rather just find the humor in it. We’ve spent over an hour pondering the pizza box and sleuthing like Sherlock himself. We both love a good mystery and it’s been fun. I’m thinking we should dumpster dive more often!

On to the Rausch visit…we always try to plan some fun outdoor adventure for the boys. Chaw’Se is just five minutes from home located between Volcano and Pine Grove and involves a mile hike around the park, which includes a Miwok village and a museum with Miwok and other Sierra Nevada Indian artifacts. The park is best known for its large number of grinding rocks with mortar holes, where the Miwoks ground acorns and other seeds into a meal, their primary sustenance. If you’ve not seen a grinding rock, that would be because you haven’t visited us in Volcano. Our property has over a dozen of these large, flat rocks with mortar holes. The rock pictured below is one of several just outside of Verne’s barn.

Both boys brought their journals and pencils with them on the hike. We must have stopped a dozen times to admire the red bark of the Manzanita and Madrone shrubs (they were fascinated with the red color and texture of the bark) and collect leaves that were later pressed. Matthew made notes and detailed drawings of what he saw, preparing to share the experience with his second grade class. Logan is a few years younger, but he does what his big brother does. So, he too made drawings and notes in his journal. Verne always makes these experiences fun with his colorful and sometimes outrageous stories that captivate little boys and big people alike. Here are a few pictures from our day at Chaw’Se.  

Ready to hike the North Trail

Matthew and Logan journaling

'Tis the Season to Give Thanks

Jana and Lauren with Santa (they think he's a Creepy Santa)

at the Spaghetti Factory in Portland on the Williamette River.

I can honestly say that for our immediate family, every day has become a day for giving thanks. The Thanksgiving holiday this year was much anticipated. It was last November, just a few days before her 30th birthday, that Jana discovered a large lump in her breast. We spent Thanksgiving 2014 in Volcano deeply concerned that despite Jana’s young age and good health the lump was something serious. We couldn’t bring ourselves at that point to say the word “cancer”. We were worried sick. This past year has been one of chemotherapy treatments, surgeries, and recovery. I’d like to say that today Jana is cancer-free, but that declaration must be reserved for another four years. Jana’s new ‘norm’ is pill-taking, ultrasounds, and doctors’ appointments. She will finish her final drug infusion at the end of December and have her port removed sometime in January. She has agreed to be part of a test group for a new drug that will be tested in 2016, which will hopefully reduce her chances of a recurrence of cancer in the future.

Cancer has been a life changer for our girl. She has made several changes that have dramatically reduced the stress in her life, beginning with a new job. In September she chose to resign from Liner LLP, a high-stress firm, to a small practice with an emphasis on employment discrimination, something she has experienced first hand over the past year. We helped her move that same month to a smaller apartment that reduced her daily commute from 45+ minutes to 5 minutes. She has joined a yoga studio just a mile from her home and begins most days with an hour of hot yoga. Jana is planning to train in 2016 to become a yoga instructor so that she may teach yoga to women (and men) rehabilitating from breast cancer. During her months recovering from her surgeries, she got back into baking bread and continues to pursue her interest in cooking and baking. I call Jana my “Wilshire Girl”…except for her trips to the UCLA Oncology Center, she spends her life on a 1-1/2 mile stretch of Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles that encompasses work, home, shopping, entertainment (LA County Museum of Art), her yoga studio, car dealer, and even her cat’s vet. No more 70+ hour work weeks and no more stressful commutes and time lost sitting in a car. In other words, she has found balance in her life, which in and of itself is a stress buster.

We are not short on other opportunities to give thanks this year. Scott suffered a heart attack in August and spent the next several months recovering from a quadruple bypass. Not only are we thankful that he was close to a hospital when he began experiencing chest and back pains (he had just returned home from a weekend of camping and hiking with friends where there was no phone service or other form of communication in the event of an emergency), but we are appreciative of his family support. Scott’s significant others, Ini and her mother, Gloria, and Ini’s son Joshua, cared for him throughout his recovery. They make such a beautiful family and the attachment is so strong that when it came time for Scott to return to his apartment in Ballard and go back to work, they all agreed he should move in full time with them.

Speaking of family support, all of our children (his, mine, and ours) have rallied their support over the past year. It has been heart-warming to see and experience the love and selflessness they’ve all shown. I have to say that Lauren, our baby, has shone during these challenging times. Not surprising to anyone who knows her, she is intelligent and articulate. This really came through from her regular updates on Jana’s diagnosis and treatments through her surgery in May. More surprising to me was her strength during the most trying of times. I know she had her share of emotional moments, but we only saw her loving, encouraging, and confident face. She has become the Family Rock…the person everyone will now turn to for strength during tough times. Good job, Sweetie.

One final family experience I want to share. Our son-in-law, Aaron Burkhard, has had his own physical trial over the past few months. He has suffered from three bulging discs, which have left him with limited mobility and continual pain. It has taken two months to somewhat manage the pain. For weeks, he couldn’t stand or walk, so there has been some progress, but, at this point, it is still uncertain as to whether or not he will require surgery. We recently visited with Aaron and he told me that having the last three months at home with his family and experiencing their day-to-day routine has made all of the pain he’s experienced worthwhile. A dad’s family time is often limited to weekends, which has been the case for Aaron with his hour commute and long workdays. He has found the positive in this experience, just as we have with Jana’s cancer and Scott’s heart attack.

These challenges are all part of life and I’m thankful that my family has shown the strength to rise to the occasion and focus on the good with support and love for each other. You make me proud!

Happy Holidays to each of you and looking forward to a healthy New Year!

Two Hectic Weeks

It’s been two hectic weeks of driving (2,500 miles), visiting (just about everyone in our immediate family), and eating. It all started with a trip to Portland to celebrate Thanksgiving and the girls’ birthdays. Jana arrived from Los Angeles Thanksgiving day and Scott and his family drove down from Seattle to help us celebrate. Our Thanksgiving meal was traditional with a turkey and ham and all of the trimmings, including Jana’s favorite, a pecan pie. Lauren’s home and table were decorated beautifully and with the help of four folding chairs (just purchased from IKEA) we managed to seat everyone around her small table. We started with what has also become a tradition, each of us in turn giving thanks for the year. Surprisingly, considering our family’s significant share of health problems in 2015, there was much for which to be thankful. This process took over 20 minutes with me weeping much of the time from the mature, loving, and insightful thoughts that were expressed. Years past our sharing has been light-hearted and accomplished in a few minutes. It has taken adversity to find the courage, strength, and depth of character we each possess. My children are truly an inspiration to me.

The birthday girls goofing around in the kitchen! Did you 

know they share a birthday? Lauren was born on Jana's 2nd

birthday...she still hasn't forgiven her for ruining her party!

Over the past few years we’ve joined in the craziness of Black Friday and 2015 was no exception. We walked our favorite outdoor shopping mall in the Portland area, Bridgeport Village, and shopped Anthropology (bought more dishes we don’t need, but they were deeply discounted), Origins (bought some beauty products we do need – LOL!), Lululemon (Christmas shopped for yoga clothing – even with the Black Friday discount, they are triple Fred Meyer in price (according to thrifty-conscious Lauren). The best deal of the day was a $20 gift card for every purchase over $50. This required that we stand in line at the outdoor Customer Service kiosk for about 45 minutes and freeze our arses off! Because it was so cold, they handed out hand warmers. Cool! We grabbed a bunch and put them in our pockets and, in Jana’s case, in her beanie to warm her head (she’s got barely an inch of hair). The warmers were a big hit!

Friday night dinner at the (first and original) Spaghetti Factory

that overlooks the Williamette River. Lauren is amazing with

kids. Could that be because she is such a big kid herself?

Saturday morning we all went to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) for a special exhibit on guitars. Lauren is a volunteer at OMSI and works two or three Saturdays a month giving submarine tours. Her compensation is free membership to the museum and free entrance for friends and family. I really wasn’t expecting I’d enjoy the exhibit as I’ve never played a guitar and know very little about them. Well, I loved it. We all loved it. Besides all of the displays, including the largest guitar in the world, what made it incredible was a live presentation on the science of sound with demonstrations by a scientist/performer who showed how sound waves move. He showed how they could make a candle flame flicker and fire dance to the tune of music. Amazing! We then spent an hour playing with all of the ‘brain teasers’ that were located outside the exhibit hall. It was great fun! I understand why OMSI is such a “happy place” for Lauren.

Waiting for the Science of Sound to begin and afterwards in the OMSI

store modeling a helmet fashioned after the one used in The Martian.

We drove home Monday arriving in Volcano around 8 p.m. and got up early Tuesday and headed for the airport to pick up Maria, who was coming for a week long visit. Maria and I spent the first few days working on a quilting project in the studio. We have so many good memories associated with the cabin…or is it a studio? It was first the Cabin when Verne, I, and the girls lived in it for eighteen months while the house was being built; for several years Maria and Scott used it during the months they weren’t fishing. Later, Jeff, Trish, and their first two boys lived there for a year between living in San Francisco and relocating to El Dorado Hills and finally our friends Kathleen and Rita lived in the cabin for two years before moving to Santa Cruz. About five years ago it became the Studio when I decided I needed a long-arm quilting machine and the cabin was the perfect place for it. It’s now home to all things quilting and crafting. It’s my happy place.

On the fourth day of Maria’s visit, we piled in the car and took a driving trip to SoCal that included an afternoon and overnight stop to see our friend Sally Simms in Santa Barbara. I was about to say that the highlight was an amazing dinner at The Palace (a Cajun-Creole eatery on State Street that has the best gumbo I’ve ever tasted), but actually the highlight was spending those hours with our dear friend and fellow quilter. 

We got up the next morning, enjoyed Sally’s delicious and hearty breakfast, and drove on to Los Angeles to visit Jana and our other SoCal girls, Raelin and Lara, and their families. 

Note: Grandpa Verne and youngest grandson, Logan, were competing 

to see who could make the meanest looking face. I think it's a draw!

Here’s where it gets crazy…after dinner at Gloria’s in Culver City we piled back in the car and drove home to Volcano. Yep! We made the round trip in less than 48 hours. It was that or spend all of Sunday driving and we weren’t about to do that. Okay, I’ll admit that we were motivated to make the long drive home that night because we had plans on Sunday that couldn’t be postponed. Over the first few days Maria was with us we watched three episodes of the Hunger Games. We’d all read the trilogy and were anxious to see Mockingjay Part II (second half of the third book), which was in theaters. We worked our plan and got up early Sunday and went to a matinee. We all loved the movie making our late-night, exhausting drive home worth it.

Here are a few more pictures from our whirlwind trip…

Maria didn't believe us that Anderson's split pea soup is not

as we remembered it from 30+ years ago...she's a believer now!

Just an hour from Santa Barbara, we stopped to stretch 

our legs and enjoy the beautiful view!

Lauren's Poems

Lauren included the following poem in her Christmas cards this year...

Christmas, 2015

The season is upon us that we wait for all year,

The holiday season that calls for good cheer.

A snowman stands at attention outside,

A carrot for his nose and some coal for his eyes.

The tree is all decked so festive and bright,

Our family's kept warm on this cold winter's night,

And here we all sit with our toes by the fire,

Reflecting back on the year and all that's transpired.

There has been some misfortune thrown in our paths, 

Some days filled with tears and nary a laugh.

But through those dark times, we all soldiered on,

And found that the struggles strengthened our bond.

The bond of our family -- parents, siblings, and friends --

And that's a great note on which this year could now end.

From our family to yours, may you have a Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year!

Patrick and Marietta Afan, our daughter-in-law's parents, are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on December 26th. Lauren wrote the following poem to go with our gift to them, an art clock. 

Time

A Poem for Patrick and Marietta Afan

Tick tock, tick tock,

Time moves, the hands of the clock counting down seconds, minutes, hours, days,

A steady counting of the moments of our lives,

The good times rush past as time seemingly flies,

And times of sorrow seem to linger, one moment apparently here to stay.

Tick tock, tick tock.

But the weight of sorrows lessen with the clock’s steady drumming,

And with a friend and partner standing side-by-side,

All of those moments are easier to take in stride,

For you face them together, to weather whatever hardships may be coming.

Tick tock, tick tock.

And looking back now on the years passed, you’ll see only the blessings of days bygone,

Your family and friends, health and home,

And each other, whom you are so lucky to call “my own.”

Be grateful for the time you have had and look forward to the time that is yet to come.

Tick tock, tick tock.

Still Loving Pomegranates and Other Rare Fruit - Part II

Nothing is ever simple. In particular, making that pomegranate jelly I talked about in my last post. You might remember (if you don’t, reread Part I) that I was planning to make jelly with my MFP friend the following week. In preparation, I decided to experiment with the pom juice I bought from Strutz Ranch and froze. I found a recipe for Pomegranate-Cranberry Marmalade. Right up my alley because I spent all of October preparing for a public class on marmalades. Not only did this recipe put my pom to good use, but it promised to be the perfect holiday gift with its beautiful color and seasonal fruits. However, the recipe called for one ingredient that was missing from my well-stocked jam tote – apple pectin.

This deserves its own paragraph (page). I know what my ‘fam’ is thinking…don’t get her started on the subject of pectin. You see, since beginning my involvement with the Master Food Preserver program in early 2014, I’ve been on a mission to make artisan jams and jellies and have discovered that the key to understanding the magic of jams and jellies is pectin (and the sugar and acid that activate it). I have read and researched; purchased and used over a dozen different kinds/brands of pectin from high to low sugar pectin (or, if I’m going to get technical here, from high methoxyl to low methoxyl to amidated pectins); and, made my own pectin from crab apples. Still having questions on the subject, I’ve read articles written by food scientists who get into the nitty-gritty of the pectin molecule chain and how it changes when ingredients and conditions are right. Here I go again…I can sense your eyes glazing over. I’ll get to the point.

In the United States, commercial pectin available to the home canner is made from citrus, not apples. However, apple pectin is available throughout Europe. I shared this information during a continuing education lecture I gave the Sacramento MFPs a few weeks ago. One of the members raised her hand and told me that she buys apple pectin from the Sacramento Natural Food Co-op. I excitedly told Verne after the meeting and we drove directly to the Co-op and bought several ounces (it was sold bulk) of their Apple Fiber Pectin. I have to say, the fact the pectin was sold in bulk as well as the word ‘fiber’ caused me some concern. I should have listened to my gut! Several hours of work, $18 of pomegranate juice and the apple pectin, which I’ve read should yield a gel more delicate than citrus pectin, and the texture of our jam was anything but ‘delicate’. It had the texture of fine-grit sandpaper or, in this case, the apple fiber pectin we’d purchased, which apparently is intended to be used as a dietary (fiber) supplement, not a thickening agent for jam. Big Mistake! If I have learned one thing in life (and jamming), it is that you learn much more from mistakes than successes. For now I’m going to stick to the familiar citrus pectin readily available at any well-stocked grocery or hardware store, but I am determined to find a source for apple pectin and begin experimenting with it. 

Back to making the Pom-Cranberry Marmalade…I decided to cut the recipe in half (I wasn’t about to waste another 1-1/2 quarts of pomegranate juice) and use a classic citrus pectin. This turned out to be a very challenging recipe as it mostly relied on the natural pectin in the cranberries and pomegranate juice for gelling, and not the small amount of added commercial pectin. The jam was prepared using the traditional long boil method, which requires testing the gel using one of three methods. I’m challenged here….how much to say before you are bored to tears? Maybe I’ve already crossed that line? I think I’ll stop here and sum it up: the jam has a wonderful taste and color, but is still not perfect. It’s a little “sticky”, which was caused by cooking it to a temperature beyond the gel point and closer to the candy stage. OOPS! I still have more juice in the freezer and will just have to try again.

Besides having fun with pomegranates, I’ve been experimenting with a few other exotic or rare fruits, including quince (a green fruit that looks like a cross between a pear and an apple) that I’ve used to make quince paste, which is served with cheese as an appetizer; Buddha’s Hand (a yellow fruit that looks like nothing I’ve ever seen before, but smells and tastes like lemon and is part of the same family), that to date I’ve only used to zest and add to marmalades, but have bigger plans for it in the future; and, kumquats (a popular Asian citrus fruit that may be added to marmalades, made as a jelly, or cooked in a sweet syrup and candied). I’ll save the results of my experiments for a later post…Other Rare Fruits – Part III.

In Love with Pomegranates - Part I

My first memory of pomegranates goes back to my childhood and my mother’s friend, Ruth Templeton, whose home included a hedge of pomegranate bushes. I vaguely remember a conversation amongst the adults about the fruit being “more trouble than it’s worth.” Apparently, they'd never enjoyed a tall glass of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice… my new fave!

I’ve always thought pomegranates, or “poms” as I now call them, were especially appealing because of their color, both the outer peel and the fleshy seed on the inside. Actually, the fleshy part is called the ariel and the little hard part inside of the ariel is the seed, but I’ll just refer to them as ‘seeds’. The work involved to harvest the seeds has limited my involvement with poms to at most one each year during the fall when they are in season. Sometimes that single pom sits in a bowl with other seasonal fruit until it has shriveled to the point of being unrecognizable; however, occasionally, I’ll go to the trouble of harvesting the seeds to use in a salad, the entire time remembering (and agreeing with) that conversation 50+ years ago.

What’s changed my thinking? Last year my friend Sally told me about making pomegranate jelly years ago. She had a friend with a source of fresh poms, who would pick up the fruit, juice it, and deliver the fresh juice to Sally that same day. Sally would in turn make the jelly and share with her friend. Well, I decided to surprise Sally with pomegranate jelly last year. I purchased a couple of quarts of the juice from Safeway and went home and made a dozen jars of jelly, which I gave to her on our next visit to Santa Barbara. My friend Sally doesn’t hold back…she tasted it and said that it wasn’t as she remembered it. In fact, it really wasn’t very good.

I wasn’t planning to give it a second try, but then poms came into season this past month and one of my MFP friends who has a pomegranate tree in her yard asked me if I’d help her juice the fruit (this was her first harvest from the tree and she’d never juiced a pom – nor had I, for that matter, but I didn’t tell her) and make jelly. When it comes to jams and jellies, it’s rare for me to say no. And I didn’t. We are set to make jelly together next week. Making jelly is the easy part; juicing the fruit had me worried. I searched the internet and kept coming up with the same process: basically, peel the fruit, break apart the large sections with the seeds, place the sections under water and separate the seeds from the membrane. Supposedly, the seeds float and the membranes sink to the bottom. The seeds are then accumulated and pressed to extract the juice. “Pressing” ranged from placing them in a baggy and literally smashing them with a rolling pin to processing them with a food mill (although, people warned that the seeds tend to clog the mill requiring it to be disassembled and cleaned before continuing). Ugh!!! This sounded time consuming and tedious! Fine for harvesting a few seeds for a salad, but not extracting a quart or two of juice.

Before I continue my story, we need to back up a bit. You know how Verne and I love to attend farmers’ markets. A couple of times this past summer we had a new vendor at our market in Pine Grove. Verne knew immediately who he was from his banner, which showed a picture of a pick-up with a sign on it, Strutz Ranch. For several years now we’ve seen the pick-up pictured on the banner parked on Highway 16 advertising produce. It’s no more than a mile from the Davis Ranch, which we patronize almost weekly during the summer and is our favorite of all produce stands. Passing the Strutz sign, we often wondered how anyone could compete with Davis Ranch, but we were never curious enough to follow the sign until a few weeks ago when the “pomegranate” sign went up…

We made the turn off of Highway 16 and within minutes were chatting with Chris Strutz, the owner, and enjoying a sample of his fresh pomegranate juice, which he sells for $12 a quart – what a bargain!!! He showed me the process of extracting the juice using a juicer identical to one we happen to own. We bought several quarts of juice (to use for jelly) and a dozen poms and were on our way home with the ‘key’ to juicing a pomegranate. Wasting no time, we got out our juicer, dusted it off, and pressed our dozen poms (paid $1 each), which yielded a quart of juice. We can now say we’ve done it, but based on the math, I may let Chris juice our poms in the future. I still can’t say I’ve made jelly from fresh pomegranate juice, because we ended up drinking it all before any jelly was made! 

To be continued after I make jelly next week…

Beginning of a Busy Fall

My last blog post was about our unplanned trip to Seattle to spend time with Scott following his heart attack and quadruple bypass. So much has happened since then it’s hard to know where to begin. And it’s only been six weeks. Both girls have changed jobs; Jana has undergone another surgery; we spent a week in SoCal moving her to a new apartment closer to work (and to be with her during her surgery); we spent four anxious days worrying about the Butte Fire, which was dangerously close; and, most recently we enjoyed a visit from my two sisters – the first of its kind.

I spent the final few weeks in August preparing for two classes I’m assigned to teach Master Food Preserver trainees. Like many non-profit organizations, money is tight. The lab I planned was extensive and required much of the budget for the 10-week course, which covered several topics besides mine. In an attempt to reduce costs, I asked for fruit donations from members of our sister organization, Master Gardeners, I approached vendors at our local farmers’ markets, and begged from friends with orchards. The donations were plentiful, although the timing could have been better. Because several donations came early, Verne and I had to juice and freeze much of the fruit that would be used for jams/jellies at the first of my two classes. Picking (and picking up) donations and preserving for later use took up a couple of weeks. But, I was determined to be the best and make the experience memorable for the trainees. I was prepared and primed…then came the disaster that cancelled the class.

Just a few days before my scheduled class the Butte Fire started in Amador County and quickly moved in all directions, but ultimately did the most damage in Calaveras County. Our MFP program covers both Amador and Calaveras counties and several people involved in it were directly impacted, with three volunteers losing their homes. The smoke and ash each day was a constant reminder that our home in Volcano was at risk. Had it travelled northeast, we would have literally been in the line of fire. Instead, it aggressively moved into our neighboring county. Needless to say, we were sufficiently worried to move two of our cars and boxes of personal items, including all of my quilts and art, to safer ground. Much of that week was spent packing and making trips to Ione (about 45 minutes from Volcano) to Maria’s home that conveniently sat empty. We survived the fire and on a positive note now have a comprehensive list of what is and what isn’t important to us. While we have accumulated boxes, rooms, buildings full of ‘stuff’ over the last thirty years, very little of it would be missed if it were to be destroyed by fire. I’ll try to remember that as we prepare to downsize to less acreage and a smaller home.

Once the danger was past, we set out for SoCal to move Jana. I was certain we could pack in a day and be ready for the movers. I misjudged. Like parents, like daughter! Jana has accumulated a lot of ‘stuff’ and she was moving from a one-bedroom to a studio apartment. (Note to Self: Sell, give or donate as much as possible during the months prior to moving!) Yikes! We managed to pack in a couple of (long) days and with the help of Raelin and Aaron move some of the lighter and more fragile items on Sunday. We finished the day with dinner at Gloria’s (traditional El Salvadoran food), one of our new favorite restaurants in Culver City. Most everything was moved by Monday night and we began the slow process of unpacking. (Note to Self: Meticulously label moving boxes!) I realize now that the hardest part of moving is living out of boxes as you unpack and finding new homes for everything. The next few days were a challenge with a full day spent at the hospital while Jana had her final reconstruction surgery. As difficult as it is to face surgery of any kind, this one was much anticipated and Jana’s surgeon did not disappoint. We left Jana in the care of her boyfriend, Stefan, and her new apartment in a livable state with most of the boxes unpacked, pictures hung, and so on, and drove home a few days before our company was expected. 

I have two sisters: my older sister by six years, Judy, lives in Clarkston, Washington and my younger sister by six years, Jane, lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I will briefly try to tell the story that brought them together for a road trip from Sacramento to Fayetteville. Jane is an artist and about three or four years ago was selected for a couple of juried shows in SoCal, including the Laguna Art Festival. She shipped a plywood container (4’x4’x8’) full of paintings of which eighty remained unsold at the end of the shows and were placed in storage. You all know and probably have first-hand experience with rented storage facilities. Out of sight, out of mind, except for the monthly reminder when you pay the rent (and that’s not true if you set it up on automatic bill pay). Anyway, when we were together in Missouri last fall, they decided they’d like to take a road trip together to visit family and pick up the paintings. They made their reservations to Sacramento and Jane, hoping to rent a van or Suburban, was advised to rent a small truck. Upon arrival in Sacramento, she was informed that they were upgrading her rental (because they didn’t have any “small” trucks) to a 16-foot truck that was large enough to move the contents of a 2-bedroom house. Excessively large and awkward, but it makes for a very funny story!

It was great having them spend a few days with us. We ate and talked and laughed and even got in a little sightseeing. Located in Volcano and just a couple of miles from our home is the Black Chasm Caverns, a National Landmark. We took a private one-hour tour of the cave, which has beautiful formations of stalactites and stalagmites, but is best known for its rare helectite crystals. Less than 5% of the caves in America have these crystals and Black Chasm is famous because of them and their pristine condition. Here are a few pictures from our sisterly reunion.

Judy brought an album of old pictures to share. This is one of my favorites of me with Judy and my brother Gary, who was killed in an airplane crash in 1971. 

It’s already October. We have made a few trips to Ione to retrieve our most precious possessions. Did I mention that during the crisis we had the presence of mind to evacuate about 50 bottles of wine? Oh, yes. We have our priorities straight! And, we have been making applesauce. A couple of friends donated about 25 pounds of apples for my MFP training project, which has been rescheduled for later this month. The apples wouldn’t hold any longer and thanks to my helper, Verne, are now preserved as applesauce to be enjoyed for the next year.

An Unplanned Trip

We will always remember 2015 as the year Jana had cancer and Scott had a heart attack and quadruple bypass. Yes, that’s the latest. We just returned from visiting him in Seattle and I am happy to report that he’s doing remarkably well. To recap the event that resulted in our unplanned trip north, about three weeks ago Scott returned home from spending a weekend with friends and family (Lauren) hiking in a remote area in southern Washington and before the evening was over had checked himself into emergency due to severe back and chest pain and numbing in his arm. It was confirmed that he was having a heart attack and he was immediately transferred to Swedish Cardiac Surgery in Seattle, where he underwent a five-hour quadruple bypass. He spent five days recovering in the hospital and then home to the loving care of his girlfriend (Ini), her 8-year old son (Joshua), and her mother (Gloria).

We’d met Ini on an earlier visit to Portland, but it was our first time meeting her mother and son. I’d heard a lot about Josh and he didn’t disappoint. He is precious --an adorable, well-behaved little guy who completely dotes on Scott. We sat outside in the backyard for a couple of hours and watched Josh play with his chickens. (Every backyard needs a few chickens!) His favorite is a Buff Orpington that he incubated and hatched from a fertilized egg last year (a Christmas gift from Scott.) Well, having over 30 chickens of my own, I enjoyed watching him handle and talk to his birds, clearly something he does all the time because they are far calmer than ours, who scatter at the sight of us.  Here’s a picture of Josh “listening” to his Buff Orpington. He kept saying to me, “Did you hear that?” She actually put her beak right next to his ear and softly cackled.  I do believe she was talking to him. Precious!

Gloria, who speaks no English, prepared a gourmet Peruvian meal for us, which featured a potato dish called Causa. According to Scott, Peruvian food almost always includes three ingredients: potatoes, eggs, and olives. I didn’t think to photograph it until there was little left, but this picture will give you an idea of what it was like (top and bottom layer of mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, filling of egg, olives, and tuna that Scott caught and canned, and a side of spicy red pepper sauce). She served it with a seafood soup (also with a hardboiled egg) called Chupe de Camarones. Delicious!

Sadly, I was unable to communicate with Gloria, but she apparently is familiar with the life-style changes Scott needs to make to enjoy a full recovery and avoid further heart complications and I believe she and Ini are a great support for him. We all went out to dinner together at Ray’s Boathouse in Seattle (a favorite of ours) and when the rolls/crackers and butter were served Scott took a cracker and scant amount of butter. Before he got it to his mouth, Gloria had grabbed it, scraped off the butter, and returned the plain, dry cracker to him with a shake of the head. She made her point!

We enjoyed one other outing while we were in Seattle...a visit to SAM (Seattle Art Museum). Their special exhibit was African Masks, but even more interesting were a series of cars hung from the ceiling in the lobby. The first car we noticed, an old beat-up Ford, was parked on the lobby floor as we entered. It just looked bizarre. Then we noticed more suspended overhead. All of them had lights protruding from them that resembled an explosion. The best vantage point was from the third floor where the seven or eight cars hung in a row suggested they were tumbling through the air. I've included a picture of one of the cars below, but it's most impressive to see them all from various perspectives. If you're near Seattle, it's a must see.

We spent a day with Lauren in Portland on our return trip. It started on a happy note with a phone call from Nike and a job offer. She’s worked at the Multnomah County Courthouse in downtown Portland for 2-1/2 years now and has been ready to move on for a few months now. She’ll be working in the legal department of Nike’s world headquarters in Beaverton, known as the Nike Campus, about 30-40 minutes from her home in Lake Oswego. Congrats to Lauren!!! We spent Friday with her working through a long list of errands and finished the day with happy hour at one of our favorite restaurants in Lake O, Manzana’s. 

Excepting the reason for the trip, we had a great time!

Random Thoughts and Special Moments

Random thoughts and special moments. That’s what this blog post will be. After all, this is my journal, so a journal-entry approach seems appropriate.

Entry #1: I took this picture at the Oneto Family Farm on Highway 88. Everything about this place makes me happy -- its honor-system cash box, the handmade chalk labels/pricing, the fresh flowers and wide varieties of produce, and the owner, Scott Oneto, who I've come to know over the last year. Scott is the County Farm Advisor and is in charge of all things related to agriculture in the county, including the MFP program, and he's one of the nicest people I've met since living in Amador County. Enough said -- enjoy the photo.

Entry #2: At the end of July we attended the Amador County Fair in Plymouth. It was free for seniors on Friday (these occasional discounts are one of the few perks that come with aging). Actually, we’d planned on going Friday so that we could watch the jam judging. I know what you’re thinking…after touting my amazing jams and jellies over the past year I must have come home with a stack of blue ribbons! The answer is “no ribbons” for me, because I didn’t enter any of my jams and jellies. You’d like me to explain??? I’d like to make one thing clear, I never explain anything! (That’s the Mary Poppins approach and I use it often.) I can assure you, though, had I entered I would have been the top contender. No kidding! I sat in the front row so that I could see the products and hear the judge’s comments. At one point she quietly said to her helper, “Sometimes I just have to choose the best of the worst!”  Well, the experience boosted my confidence and I’m already planning to participate next year…not in the Amador County Fair, but one much larger like the El Dorado County Fair or maybe the California State Fair where I’ll be competing with jammers of a higher caliber and the ribbons will hold more significance. I plan to work all year further perfecting my practically perfect jams and jellies. I’m inspired and excited that I have a valid reason to keep on jamming. 

Before we left the Fair, we walked through the barn to look at the animals and reminisce. For about eight years while the girls were in junior high and high school, we practically lived at the fairgrounds during “Fair week.” Twice a day the girls had to tend to their animal entries (sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens) – feeding, cleaning their stalls and cages, washing and sheering sheep, until the grand finale, the Sunday Auction, where the girls sold their little friends to the highest bidder. There were tears the first year, since our Fair has a “kill” policy, but after that the girls adjusted to the idea that they were raising meat animals that would be humanely slaughtered and eaten. Of course, Jana became a vegetarian in high school and is to this day. Until now I’ve never considered there might be a connection between this childhood experience and her choice to forego meat. Hmm… something for us to discuss.

Entry #3: Speaking of jam making, my helper (that would be Verne) and I canned over 40 half-pint jars of plum jam this past week -- Plum Strawberry with Rosemary and Plum Strawberry with Vanilla. For the most part we buy our produce from farmers’ markets and the like. Occasionally, we have an opportunity to “pick our own” and enjoy a complete farm-to-table experience.  We have been tending Maria’s house in Ione while she and Ruben are fishing and noticed a few weeks ago that her two plum trees were heavily laden with fruit ready to be picked. We found a large bucket in her garage and picked until it was full (25+ pounds) and in a matter of two days we preserved it all – capturing a little bit of summer for Maria to enjoy this fall when she returns home. And, the 40 jars of jam are now her problem and not mine. Have I mentioned our pantry is a bit overcrowded? Actually, that word doesn’t begin to describe the sagging shelves and stacked boxes of home canned and dehydrated food we’ve put by over the last year and now an entire section is devoted to ferments. Oh my! Back to Maria…getting rid of food is really not a problem for her. She’s got a very large extended family and what isn’t given as gifts goes with her on the next fishing trip. My preserves, even the “seconds”, taste of artisan quality when you’re out to sea for two and three months at a time. That’s what I’m told, anyway. Maria always comes home with empty jars and rave reviews. It’s a win-win situation.

Entry #4: I’ve finished drinking my first quart of Kombucha and I’m still alive! After reading my blog post about “me and my SCOBY,” I’m sure a few of you figured the next post would be my obit. Nope, I’m alive and well and already brewing my next batch.  We must have perfect conditions in our basement pantry, because I’ve now got four healthy SCOBYs. There are lots of ideas for using excess SCOBYs (sharing with a friend, dehydrating and grinding into a powder to be added to food and drinks or used as a plant food), but I’m thinking I’ll chop them up and feed them to our chickens. We may end up with super-sized eggs or, at a minimum, super nutritious eggs. I took a second class this week on other fermented beverages using a ginger bug (rather than a SCOBY), including ginger beer, kvass, and carbonated lemonade. More inspiration! For your information, a ginger bug is not a “bug” at all, but the culture used to inoculate, or start, fermented beverages (other than Kombucha). Anyone can grow their own ginger bug with a mixture of water, sugar, and fresh ginger. Easy and not nearly as scary as a SCOBY.

Entry #5: We’ve spent about a month watching a pair of birds build a nest in a wreath that hangs on the front of the house. This isn’t the first time this has happened, but it’s always fun to watch. At the end of the first week I snuck a peak at three little eggs in the nest (and received a very strong scolding from Mama Bird). The next week there were three little down-covered baby birds (and another scolding). I’ve been checking on them every day and finally this past week they’d flown away and the nest was empty. They aren’t the only babies we’ve seen – there’s a mother doe and her twins along with another doe and baby that frequent our lawn and plants. They are so bold as to walk on the deck, check to see if we’re home, and then proceed to eat our plants. We’ve got several wild turkeys with youngsters and families of quail. We have a bird bath (and wildlife watering system) that brings them all quite close to the house. Verne spends hours sitting on the deck (he’ll deny this, but it’s true!) doing crosswords, reading, and smoking his pipe.  He’s so still and apparently has become so familiar to these animals (a fixture, of sorts) that they show little caution when approaching for water or to graze on our landscaping and will get within about ten feet from him. I occasionally catch him quietly watching and I quietly watch him watch them. It’s one of those special moments for both of us when we are living in the present moment. It’s a good thing!

Here's a picture of the baby Western Flycatchers.