Luckybeans

Strawberries

The thing is, you have to pick them right after a sunny spell, and before they have spent much time in the wet because if they ripen in rain, they just aren't very sweet. So we struck right after the weather turned, capturing our haul just in time. 

"We're going on an adventure!" I announced. Bella and Asher were game. We drove up and down along farm lanes over rolling hills studded with sheep or beef cows, past fields of wheat, oats, cherry orchards, hazelnut orchards and christmas tree farms. We went by the trout pond, Baskett Slough, the tractor dealer's, and along a road we only sort-of knew. It was pouring when we started out. As we pulled up, the rain had the grace to ease up a bit.

We followed the signs over bumpy, mown tracks through more fields. It was still 45 degees, drizzling and windy-- but this was for strawberries!

We froze our fingers and ears. We shouted and ran up and down between rows however we wanted to because we were the only ones there. 

"Keep your back to the wind!" Asher advised.

We noticed that the berries were firm and did not dissolve instantly into jam as they tend to do on hot days. Maybe there was some method to our madness after all.

 

We decided it was worth it to have pounds and pounds of strawberries to eat, but we certainly did not linger. Ruthlessly efficient, we were.

Now there are plans for shortcakes and tea parties and melting chocolate for dipping. After all, nothing tastes quite like fresh strawberries from the Willamette Valley. Especially not when you've picked them yourself.

Pakoras

This is the only fried food I make at home. It is hardly glamorous, and I'm sure nobody's granny protects it as a closely-guarded family secret. But, you know, we like them. When the weather warms, a plate of pakoras, slices of watermelon doused in lime juice, and mango lassis make a favorite backyard supper.

Here is how we make ours:

2 1/2 C gram (chickpea/ garbanzo) flour

2 tsp salt

2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Mix together and add:

1 1/2 C water

1/2 finely diced onion

This is your batter. You can add: frozen peas and leftover boiled potatoes (diced), cilantro or curry leaves; chilies for spice, small pieces of chicken or fish, and/or lightly steamed vegetables (I used spinach here).

Mix together thoroughly.

Heat 1 1/2-2" of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drop the batter in by the tablespoon. It will be sloppy and misshapen, and will float and puff as it cooks. When the bottom is brown, after about 2 minutes, flip over so the other side gets its turn. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep pakoras on paper towel in a prewarmed oven until ready to serve.

We like to eat ours with tamarind sauce:

2 tbs tamarind paste

2 tsp demerrera sugar

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 C boiling water

I pour the boiling water over the other ingredients and mix well. If you want a thicker sauce, you can make this in a pot and thicken it with cornstarch, but I can't be bothered.

Pile you pakoras on a plate, grab your sauce, and enjoy! Easy, cheap, gluten free and delicious.

We Could Get Used to This

Ken called us up and asked if we wanted to go fishing again. Um...yes! 

It was a much warmer experience this time. We were out in green fields with freshly shorn sheep, watching an osprey try his luck (not as good as ours) and the farmers repair a fence while their dogs bounded about. The fish were biting like nobody's business, so we weren't out there all that long.

But the rewards were pretty tasty. Ken even shared his recipe, too.

The One That Almost Makes You Envy Oregon in February

This afternoon turned out to be gloriously sunny and almost-balmy. So much so that I extracted myself from the library so that we could all get out into it. Simon and the girls helped pack a basket with thermoses of tea and strawberry shortcake components.

Most of us were giddy and glad to be out and about, but one was less convinced. She reluctantly accompanied us up to the bench at the crest of the first hill where she was squashed by her siblings and laid on by her father. She then stomped her decisive way back to the car. She is The Walrus. Kookookachoo. We love her anyway.

But that is why there are only two children in the rest of the photos.

We walked right up to the tippy top where we could see across to Mt. Jefferson, and the trout pond we went fishing in, and the silver slough filled with birds, and the gently rising foothills (Asher wants to know if you can spot the moustache tree in the first photo).

Those two children went running up paths and walked the ridge between gleaming, worn stalks of grass.

As we headed into the forest, they dashed far ahead of us. We found them ensconced in their favourite spots, content in pools of light and resting against the moss. Pausing here, they even ignored my lens, which is not always so.

And then they were off again. We did not catch up with them until we reached the picnic table where Bella made a miraculous reappearance alongside the picnic basket. Since we were (obviously) spotted, we stopped for tea.

On the way home, we stopped for one last look at the ducks and geese and nutria (ick) beneath the slipping sun. There was a lot of "Be Quiet! I'm trying to hear the blackbirds! Seriously! I mean it!" from me, and a lot of giggling and poking from the back seat. Somewhere between the slough and the driveway, the last of the walrus faded away, and as we arrived hime, we judged it all a great success.

Out for Brunch

We headed out to visit my mum and dad today, and stopped for brunch. It was excellent, particularly the atmosphere and the foam on the lattes...

...and trying to explain to Simon what "Portland" culture is and how Oregon differs from its neighbours. For example, it is definitely hip to bike in Seattle or Vancouver, too. But in Portland, it is hip even if your bike is second hand and you earn bonus points if you've woven the handle bar basket yourself out of invasive blackberry canes you cleared from a woodland reserve down the street. 

That's all I've got.

Fishing

When this posts, I will be sitting in a classrom, my eyes glazed over. But I will be thinking about this, I am sure.

Our friend and neighbor keeps a trout pond. He is a lovely man (with an equally lovely wife who chose not to brave the cold) who is the father of one of my cousin's best childhood friends. Anyway, we were all at my aunt and uncle's a while ago, and Ken asked us if we would like to go fishing. He loves fishing, and he also loves teaching children (and teens and adults) how to fish.To which we replied, "YES!" He kept an eye on the weather, and called us up this weekend.

We bundled up and followed him out to the pond where he equipped us all and led us down to where the action was.

There was, of course, some waiting, and Ken was infinitely patient with all of us, no matter how we twisted the line or dropped bait off the ends of our hooks.

I actually caught the first fish (and the biggest!) within the first few minutes. It was a bit misleading as I never did catch another, and I've certainly never caught one before. And over the next few hours, everyone else followed suit.

Ken informed us that we were supposed to kiss the fish we caught. Alrighty then. Also, the look on Bella's face as she tried her first few casts makes me laugh.

It was great fun just to stand together on the dock, surrounded by so much beauty, watching the ducks and geese. I was surprised at how long we lasted in 40 degree weather, but then again, perhaps not. The process is both peaceful and absorbing, and Ken gave us a constant stream of cheerful encouragement.

I think we had a pretty fantastic time. We even saw a redtail catch and eat a pigeon in the adjacent field.

Oh! Wait, another photo where you can see all the fish as well as the family:

And yes, we took all ten home and cooked them. And yes, they were delicious. And yes, we would love to go again-- I think we are, as they say, hooked. 

Our deepest gratitude to Ken and Fran for their warm generosity. Thank you.

(Also, the photos with me in them and teh girls running on the bank were taken by Simon, and Ken took the family ones). 

So much

Truly, there is so much to be grateful for. We had a quiet, fairly well documented Thanksgiving, followed by a not-so-quiet and not at all documented birthday. Sometimes the more fun you are having, the less you think about your camera. Sometimes.

Bella made us pies (Asher added the marshmallows).

Asher the cranberry sauce.

The winter garden was raided for filling up that turkey cavity (with six of us we had a small one, and no stuffing fans among us).

The children spent some time on Pottermore (alright, maybe it wasn't just the children).

We went for both pre and post dinner walks where we admired mushrooms, climbed the play structures, collected conkers, and worked up an appetite (firstly for dinner, secondly for dessert).

The girls organized a beautiful table (thank you Jordan and Darrin for the potatoes!), and we spent a long time eating...

...some with more elegance than others.

It really was a tremendous day. And yesterday was my birthday, so we had friends over for an Indian feast (which I cooked as it was also one of our friend's birthday), and we were all up until almost midnight, the company was so good.

So very, very much to be grateful for.

 

The Obligatory Leaf Post

Because, you know...

...some things simply must be done.

 

(we are also eating a lot of squash these days)

A Birthday at the Coast

She wanted a tea party, but she also wanted to go to the Coast. This meant a picnic tea party, and the afternoon previous saw a mad whirl of prep work. Ana made a lemon-poppyseed cake, baked in tin cans to make three mini cakes of four layers each (12, you see). Asher helped carve radishes into toadstools. I flew around a bit like a chicken with my head cut off, as my grandmother would say. However, we got it done, and yesterday morning saw us on our way with Grandma. 

First stop was the Hatfield Marine Science Center (of course). The tides were not in our favour for actual tide pool exploration, so the touch tanks here are the next best thing.

After this, she really couldn't wait much longer for her tea. So we obliged. On the menu:

Ham and truffle cheese sandwiches with lettuce on white bread

Smoked salmon, cucumber and labneh sandwiches with dill on rye bread

Radish toadstools

Ginger beer

Mini eclairs

Lemon poppyseed cakes

Melon flowers and leaves

Earl grey tea (with a hint of lavender)

It takes a ridiculous amount of work to make all those fiddly wee tea things, but I believe she does truly appreciate it, so it is worth it.

With fuller bellies, and feeling a bit chilly, we went up to see the light house/ museum. Grandma had never been before.

And then we ran rampant on the dunes.

Asher proved himself the kitemaster! He flew his hundreds of feet up into the air so that it was barely visiblein the mist that blew in. When we (finally) reeled it in, it was soaking wet.

To finish the day, we went for a walk on the bayfront and went to Mo's for dinner.

I hope she had a good day. The rest of us certainly enjoyed it.

 

Sock-less, Eat-more, Dairy-less

You know it is that time when you hang out all the laundry and there is not a single sock because everyone has been in sandals or barefoot.

And when meals are planned around what is found in the garden today.

We tried making whipped coconut cream the other day. We layered it with a few crumbled ladyfingers, raspberry jam, and fresh raspberries (we are in the thick of raspberries right now).

Also? I will come back to announce the winner of the Mama Mead's giveaway tonight. Go leave a comment here for a chance to win before it's too late!