Brrrrr! But is it cold?

In the early morning the air is clear and the snow squeaks under your feet but there is no wind so it does not feel that cold. In fact the 16 degrees seem to be quite comfortable with my warm clothes. In Lake Havasu City the daily high has been in the mid-fifties and people there say it is really cold! In Kotzebue, Alaska the thermometer are reading above zero - a real heat wave.

So I guess it depends not on where you are but who you are and your expectations. Me, any temperature is fine as long as the snow does not melt..

It is getting to look like Christmas

My sister-in-law Barbara Jo is out collecting small trees for table decorations for her garden clubs Christmas home tour. The Cadillac Garden Club decorate some local homes for Christmas and sell tour tickets to raise money for the club.

Skiing the River

The snow is deep so the going is a little tough but the river is so beautiful with the fluffy white snow. Except for small hints of green, it has become a black and white world.

Best of all, it is still snowing

This is the stone picnic table in the lower yard of our house. It very accurately shows the amount of snow we have on the ground. As you can see, (look in lower right corner if you don't have your glasses on) and you can see we are almost at 24 inches. It is still coming down pretty steady. Casey tries to stay under the trees where the snow depth is less. Even there he could use some longer legs.

Michigan Association of Swedish Hunters 2008

My favorite time of year

M.A.S.H. (Michigan Association of Swedish Hunters) will be setting up their tent this weekend in the wilds of Northern Michigan.
The surplus 16' by 32' army tent will be home for the Michigan deer season starting on November 15th. This has been a continuous camp for over 65 years. This means that we have a wonderful selection of stories and memories to pass on the younger generation.
Of course with that history, we have all the special facilities available to the camp.

A "Michael Phelps" Whitetail

Yesterday I walked back to the Twin Lakes on the state land south of my brother's property. There were hundreds of ducks that appeared to be practicing takeoffs and landings. I worked around to the west side of the lake to see if I could get some pictures of them. Working my way down the woods towards the lake I come upon two small bucks. One runs around me to the west but the other heads for the lake.

Now I have seen deer in the water but never swimming for this distance. He went entirely across the lake but still did not get out of the water. He started to exit the lake several times but it appeared that he did not like the mucky bottom. He swam along the edge of the entire east side of the lake until he came to the channel where he got out. All very unusual!

Sugar Bush in Fall

The maple trees are getting ready for winter. They need to rest so that they will be ready to provide the maple syrup we all enjoy. This woodlot has been in the Pullen family for over 100 years. Frankly, just looking you can tell that is being managed for the next 100 years. It makes you proud to have neighbors who really care about our earth.

A last look at Fall 2008

Fall is always a special time. My Dad's funeral was on a day that seems to be the best of the colors each year. Some of the trees show off the brightest of colors like this maple east of our house. I enjoy walking in the woods with the ground carpeted with leaves of all colors.

Johnny's Game Park in the Fall

After the Park closes on labor day, things quiet down. While the human visitors stop, the ducks and geese headed south make this a regular stop. The work is one thing that does not stop. Animals, birds and fish all need to be fed and cared for even though the Park is closed. My Mother used to say that "if you could put all the critters on a shelf and forget them until opening next spring, this would be a profitable business."

"Picking" Horseradish

Luke gave me permission to "pick" all the horseradish I wanted from his garden. If fact, he actually helped me pick it. The leaves only became a feeding ground for little critters over the last two weeks. Doesn't hurt anything and letting them eat protects the "organic" aspect of the garden.

The big job is cleaning the roots. They all need to be peeled and brown spots cut out. Then I used the grinder on the cleaned roots. Yes, that is our table on the deck. Fumes are too strong to process inside. After grinding, all that needs to be done is put in jars and fill with vinegar. The longer you wait to apply the vinigar the hotter the radish will be.

The pure horseradish is certainly worth the effort. Frank Mestecy had af ranch hand in Colorado named Clo. Clo was, among other things, a horseradish expert. He would only dig and grind in months with an "r".

Harvest Moon - (almost)

Last night at 20 minutes after 7 I noticed the nearly full moon next to a colorful maple tree lit by the last rays of sunshine for the day. It is only 86% full today, on the 14th it will be the full Harvest Moon.

Watercolor Wednesday

Yesterday we had a overcast drizzling day that muted the fall colors and made things look like watercolor paintings. Certainly is beautiful.

Salsa to Go - Salsa Leathers

Invited out to dinner an needed to take something to contribute. Decided I would make use of the beautiful tomatoes and peppers from my nephews garden.

Salsa is always good but with fresh from the garden ingredients, it is even better. Since there was more than I needed for dinner, it seemed like a good idea to experiment making salsa leathers.
After mixing the tomatoes, peppers, garlic, sea salt and cilantro, I put part of the batch on drying trays. It did not take long to dry. Now I need to figure how to use it.



I now have "salsa leather" and need to figure out how to use. It has been suggested by Culinaria Eugenius* to try some on cheese. I will let you know.

*http://culinariaeugenius.wordpress.com/

Peppers for the Winter

Since I received the Excalibur Dehydrator, everything in sight is going in it. Some items require some thought as how to use. That is not the case with the sweet peppers. The farmers at our twice weekly market have had large selections at very reasonable prices.


Preparing them for drying is very simple. After rinsing and draining, I simply removed the core and ribs. Then sliced them, some in circles, some in strips.
Unlike some of the other dried foods, these maintain their flavor and can be put in stir fry or dumped in with a roast. I have been enjoying these.

Beautiful Dried Raspberries - Now what?

Our neighbor called and asked if we were interested in some fall raspberries. The Rodericks always have great raspberries but the strange weather in the spring meant no berries. So hearing that the fall berries are really nice, I said sure, we want some.

I ended up with four pints. Two pints were dedicated to my breakfast and general snacking. The other two pints went into my new dehydrator. They dried to beautiful berries - you would not know they were dried unless you touch them.

So, now I have these beautiful berries, what do I do them now??? I appreciate any thoughts.



Here are some suggestions that I have received. Thanks

Keith - Put them in oatmeal, pancakes, cookies or bread. The cooking process will re-hydrate them to some degree. If this sounds questionable you could always just give them away, to me.
I will be very interested to hear how you use them. They are beautiful.
Bill

Keith
They are beautiful. Toss them into a salad with toasted pine nut. Does your store sell a salad dressing called "Brianna's"? If so, get their poppy seed dressing - itis so good and it would be great on nice greens - and I would probably put in feta cheese. Ummm
Diana

Keith, I have a bag of dried raspberries in my refrigerator from early summer. They actually don’t recommend drying them! The problem is that they really do turn out seedy, and not very sweet (although maybe the fall raspberries are sweeter…) I think they’re beautiful, though, and I like using them as “croutons” in salads with a sweetish dressing, or to toss them in oatmeal and cold cereal in the morning for a little visual interest.

Eugenia

Preserving Gala Apples for Winter

The fall apples at the Cadillac Farmer's Market has really been great. I bought a half bushel of Gala apples and wanted to share them with my daughter in Kotzebue, Alaska. I decide to try dehydrating them to make apple "leathers". The maker of my dehydrator sells some chemicals for pre-treatment. I decided to simply soak the slice in a solution of citric acid for 5 minutes. It should help keep the slices from turning brown.


I did not core the apples, simply sliced them. Seeds fell out by themselves while I was slicing. It took about 15 hours at 135 degrees to get the results shown below.


They taste great and you can tell they were made with Gala apples.

Wisconsin Fish Boil Recipe

First, stop at Carl and Don's in Naubinway to get Whitefish that was caught that very morning.Whitefish is what they use in Wisconsin but almost any fish will work. We primarly use salmon but have also used Rainbow Trout.

Whitefish or other fish (2” - 4" pieces)
Small red potatoes (ends cut off)
Onions (peeled)
1 cup salt
6 quarts of water
Spice bouquet garni

In a large pot, put 6 quarts of water and spice garni
Add 1 cup of salt to water and bring to a boil.
Add potatoes and boil for 15 minutes.
Add onions and boil for 15 minutes more.
Arrange fish in a strainer basket and drop in pot.
Boil for 10-15 minutes until fish is done. Don't overcook.
Drain potatos and onion into a colander.

Serve with melted butter.

Notes: The bouguet garni is collection of herbs (traditionally fresh parsley, fresh/dried thyme and bay leaf) that are bundled together or placed in a cheesecloth bag. I usually cheat and use the Zatarain's Crab Boil.
You can't make too many potatoes - they will be great for breakfast or lunch tomorrow.

Global Warming 2008

Welcome Summer Visitors

In the last 5 or 6 years we started seeing the Sand Hill Cranes in our area. Generally see them feeding in the grain or hay fields. There are two that seem to stay around our house. Their sound is like no other sound that I can remember.