Black Currant Jam
The robust, earthy yet versatile flavor of black currants dominate in this underrated confection, instantly elevating everything from a cheese plate to a thumb print cookie, a cup of tea or a cocktail, meats, or plain ol' peanut butter.INGREDIENTS:4 cups fresh or frozen black currants1.5 cups sugar1 tbsp fresh lemon juice***optionally, finish with 1/8 tsp cardamom and/or1/2 tsp orange flower water or rose waterNote: Black currants have their own pectin. No need to add any to this recipe. DIRECTIONS: Add sugar and lemon juice to berries and crush with a potato masher.
400 Meals Project: ’24/’25
Fall is on its way, and that means we're planning for our 400 Meals project. Each year during the months of November-March, we deliver dinner for 20 to the Rod's House Extreme Weather Shelter. The loaves pictured above are made by the inimitable Nona Schulz, who has generously offered to be our official bread baker for this season, which is fantastic news because her offerings get rave reviews. If you'd like to be part of our community meal project, here are a few ways to get involved:1) Donate produce. If
Oregon Grape Syrup
Yes, Oregon grapes are edible! And it turns out they have been for ages, in spite of my own grandmother's dire warnings that they would kill me on the spot. No disrespect though. The juice is bright red and I'm sure she was just keeping me safe. I'd do the same if I weren't sure. Even so, in designing her own yard, she mimicked the mountain forests, planting Mahonia bushes under the spruce around the house. 75 years later, I have the joy of harvesting the fruit from her plants and
Preserve the Harvest: Arugula Macadamia Pesto
While the arugula is still lush, this toothsome recipe is a fast and favorite way to use up the bounty before the heat of summer hits. Why we love it: It takes five minutes to make and it lasts all year in the freezer (if you don't eat it first). 3.5 oz arugula (4 cups)1 cup roasted macadamia nuts3 cloves garlic1/2 tsp kosher salt (1/4 tsp table salt)1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper2 tbsp fresh lemon juice1/4 olive oil1/4 water 1/2 cup parmesan (omit for vegan option or if you're going
“Some Prose on Poetry” by Raymond Carver
"Years ago--it would have been 1956 or 1957--when I was a teenager, married, earning my living as a delivery boy for a pharmacist in Yakima, a small town in eastern Washington, I drove with a prescription to a house in the upscale part of town. I was invited inside by an alert but very elderly man wearing a cardigan sweater. He asked me to please wait in his living room while he found his checkbook. There were a lot of books in that living room. Books were everywhere, in fact, on
Cottonwood Foray: February 11
It's that glorious time of year when resin begins to flow in the cottonwoods and balsam poplars. Can you smell it? I dropped by Mill Creek in Union Gap the other day and quickly caught the scent in the air.Each February we gather the sticky buds to make enough topical pain medicine for the year. There's a small window when the flow is at its peak and this is it. So let's go!When & Where: Sunday, February 11 at 11:00am at the entrance to Eschbach park. (Cars can't enter the
