Life's Pleasures

Goji 枸杞 - AT LAST!

2011-09-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Goji (枸杞) are also known as Wolfberries. I was first introduced to them when I was living in Taiwan. They are used in cooking, both savory and sweet dishes, as well as in herbal remedies. My wife would often prepare a soup using them to boost our immunity. In the US they are now referred to as the "super fruit" as they contain many nutrients, phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals. (see end of article for detailed list) They can also be eaten like raisins as a snack.

When we were in Taiwan we would always buy goji at the herbalist. After moving to Oregon, there was no convenient herbalist but we did find dried goji at the Asian market. I am always wanting to try new things so I thought why not try to grow some. I didn't know how the berries were dried or if the drying temperture was so high that it would prevent them germinating. So, I took some of the dried berries and planted them in potting soil and placed them in a sunlit window along with my other garden starts and waited. Tomatoes sprouted, peppers sprouted, beans and cucumbers sprouted, but no goji. I waited out the entire spring to no avail. Then I happened to see a documentary on the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of north-central China. It mentioned that the area produced about 30 million pounds of goji annually. When I saw the producing fields and heard them talk about the temperature variations in the region with temperatures ranging from 102^oF to -22^oF I had an idea.

So, maybe the cold winters were necessary for conditioning the seed. I placed some of the seed in our freezer and waited three months. This time the seeds germinated within a week.

I transplanted the seedlings and watched them grow into spindly-branched plants. I then pruned several and took the largest one and put it out in our garden. After a season of waiting, the plants all dropped their leaves without blooming. This past spring, three years after sprouting, the plant in the garden was about three feet tall but still spindly. I decided to wait until fall before pruning it.

Last week, as I was picking tomatoes, something caught my eye. There was one red berry hanging on the uppermost branch of the goji plant. I had not even seen it bloom. Now I am encouraged and this fall will move all the seedlings out to the garden, prune them, and wait for an abundant harvest next summer.

Wolfberries contain many nutrients and phytochemicals including

11 essential and 22 trace dietary minerals
18 amino acids
6 essential vitamins
8 polysaccharides and 6 monosaccharides
5 unsaturated fatty acids, including the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid
beta-sitosterol and other phytosterols
5 carotenoids, including beta-carotene and zeaxanthin (below), lutein, lycopene and cryptoxanthin, a xanthophyll
numerous phenolic pigments (phenols) associated with antioxidant properties

Select examples given below are for 100 grams of dried berries.

Calcium. Wolfberries contain 112 mg per 100 gram serving, providing about 8-10% of the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI).
Potassium. Wolfberries contain 1,132 mg per 100 grams dried fruit, giving about 24% of the DRI.
Iron. Wolfberries have 9 mg iron per 100 grams (100% DRI).
Zinc. 2 mg per 100 grams dried fruit (18% DRI).
Selenium. 100 grams of dried wolfberries contain 50 micrograms (91% DRI)
Riboflavin (vitamin B₂). At 1.3 mg, 100 grams of dried wolfberries provide 100% of DRI.
Vitamin C. Vitamin C content in dried wolfberries has a wide range from 29 mg per 100 grams to as high as 148 mg per 100 grams (respectively, 32% and 163% DRI).

Wolfberries also contain numerous phytochemicals for which there are no established DRI values. Examples:

Beta-carotene: 7 mg per 100 grams dried fruit.
Zeaxanthin. Reported values for zeaxanthin content in dried wolfberries vary considerably, from 2.4 mg per 100 grams to 82.4 mg per 100 grams to 200 mg per 100 grams. The higher values would make wolfberry one of the richest edible plant sources known for zeaxanthin content.Up to 77% of total carotenoids present in wolfberry exist as zeaxanthin.
Polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are a major constituent of wolfberries, representing up to 31% of pulp weight.

In Search of the Elusive Huckleberry

2010-09-09T15:38:00.001-07:00

After living in the area four years Sandra and I have been deemed worthy of taking huckleberry picking. I understand that it may be another ten years before the secrets of mushroom harvesting are revealed. Our friends are taking us into Tillamook State Forest in their four-wheel drive off-road Jeeps. They travel in pairs so that in case of an emergency one could haul/pull/tow the other out. Exciting isn't it!

I rode in the lead Jeep. The driver is a member of the local Certified Emergency Response Team. The Jeep is equipped with roof-top light bars, CB and SW radios, walki talkies, GPS, emergency scanner, a siren, and a weather station. There was other "stuff" that I couldn't identify.We also took along the "Bear Necessities" - Bear Mace and an air horn. The bears like huckleberries too. It wouldn't do to surprise a bear OR to be surprised by a bear. So, we were advised to make a lot of noise to let them know we were around.We left the main road and entered the forest at Brown's Camp. The area is well marked with trails for walking, biking, cycling, ATVs, and off-road vehicles. Not the kind of roads you would want to take your drive-to-work car on. The trails are graded from "one diamond" to three diamonds". We stayed on the "one diamond" trails today but saw some others along the way. I'll cover the off-road adventure in another post.We soon came upon a beaver dam, one of many along the river.
The noise of our cars must have scared him away. He was actively "harvesting" material to build onto his already large dam.

The road was not too bad and the scenery breathtaking. It was about 53 degrees with a light breeze, perfect weather for our trip.

The forest has been logged for a long time and we saw the remains of huge trees along the way.

Someone shouted "Stop, there they are!" So we stopped and sure enough found bushes with red berries on them growing on the decaying stumps.

Out came the containers and the work began.

We found a few more bushes growing nearby, also with red berries.

Berries were few and far between. It became obvious that our containers were much too large for the harvest .

The berries were sour and without a distinctive taste. I was wondering what the fascination about huckleberry picking was all about.

But, we picked the bushes in the area and didn't see or hear any bears the whole time. Saw a lot of signs that deer were in the area: hoof prints were plentiful and most of the tender grass and plant parts had been grazed upon.

Oh, did I mention we were travelling logging roads? And that there is active logging in the area? Signs posted along the road advised tuning to CB channel 13 which we did. Soon we heard "coming in empty at mile marker 6.5". We looked and we were inbound at mile marker 7.5 so we quickly broadcast that information. Not long afterward we heard and saw a logging truck coming up behind us. We found a place to pull over to allow him to pass. But, this meant that there would be loaded logging trucks coming out on this road. So we continued broadcasting our position and looking for any sign of trucks coming. We soon came upon the staging area where the trucks were being loaded. Companies contract for logging certain areas of the forest.

They cut the trees and place them along the roadside to make it easier to load the trucks.

We continued along our way and soon came upon one of the "three-diamond" trails. We decided not to take it but continue on up the mountain.

Along the way we stopped for lunch and came upon some black raspberries. The taste was different from any of the berries we had picked at farms around the area.

We were now off the logging road and getting close to "the area" where we should find more huckleberries bushes.

And find them we did, this time the blue black variety resembling a wild blueberry.

It had sprinkled a few minutes and there was a light fog. The result was a picture to behold.

It would have looked better if there were more huckleberries on the branches but the bears and deer had gotten there first.

One of the trails we decided not to take on the way down.

Near the top you can look down into the valley and see old logging areas that have not yet recovered. The logging companies replant the areas; we saw seedlings from a foot high on up.

There was a mist settling in on the way out after spending about five hours enjoying this "rain forest" in the Pacific Northwest.

The lead driver got bored driving the smooth gravel roads so he decided to take the ones he thought more interesting.

The other driver couldn't resist the chance to splash mud/water every time they came upon any.

We came home with about a coffee cup full of each type of berry.

Sandra made jam the next day and it has a very distinctive taste - probably from the effort required to gather the berries.

Huckleberries have been used for many years as a delicious fruit. However, it began to be noticed for medicinal properties as well. In World War II, pilots who ate jam made from huckleberries reported having better night vision. Huckleberry is more well-known for its effect on the digestive system.

When ripe berries are eaten, they can work as a laxative. However, when dried berries are eaten, they can help to counteract diarrhea. It also has uses for problems with the circulatory system such as hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and weak capillaries. It can be used as a mouthwash and can help to prevent the onset of diabetes.

I can attest to the laxative claim!

Oh, did I mention that I copied down the GPS coordinates of the berry patches?

Pears - Now and Later

2010-09-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

Some of our friends live in an apartment in Forest Grove, OR - about 20 minutes away by car. There is an old pear tree on the property that no one has tended for many years. We went three years ago and picked enough pears to eat for several weeks and also make 85 pints of pear salsa. Last year in addition to what we ate fresh we dried a lot for later use in pies and cakes as well as just snacking on. A few weeks ago we learned that the property is being developed and the pear tree will fall to the axe shortly, in fact the survey lines are already marked. So we paid one last visit to the old tree.

I'm too old (and smart) to climb trees anymore. Sandra, our daughter Stephanie, and our friends and I took turns spotting pears and picking. [a lot of time was spend dodging falling pears - they are HARD]

Our fruit picker is indispensable; pears, apples, plums - all are now in reach.

Of course, the largest and prettiest fruit is always at the top of the tree.

Then is when its handy to have a friend who is not afraid of heights. While we were picking, a neighbor walked by and said he had a couple of pear trees just behind our friend's apartment we could pick if we wanted. We picked those and hopefully they will be a source of pears next year.
The fruits of our labor. One of three boxes picked today.

We wrapped most of the pears in paper and will store them in a cool place, taking them out when we want them to ripen. Pears are one of the few fruits that can be picked when mature but not ripe. They will ripen to full flavor later. This box will last several months. Some were ripe enough to use now.

As I sit here I can smell the pear coffee cake Sandra has baked to share with those who helped with the picking. Of course there's one for us!

Gardening? no - Fishing? Yes

2010-08-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

First, an update on the Mason Bee project. We have had cold weather much later than normal this year. As a result, the Mason Bees didn't hatch until after the apricot trees bloomed. So, no apricots again this year. The bees did nest though as you can see below.
Now I will wait until November to open the nesting block and see if I have any viable cocoons to clean and prepare to hatch next Spring.

The apricots will be given one more chance. One tree is being cut back to four 3" diameter main trunks and the second is being severely pruned. Hopefully one of these techniques will result in apricots next year. Otherwise the space will be used for something we can harvest.

The cold weather has delayed the garden production dramatically. Last year we were harvesting in early June. This year it was late July or early August for most crops and we still don't have a ripe tomato. Of course the zucchini are producing.
So, what do you do? Go Fishing!

My daughter Stephanie made arrangements for me to accompany her along with some friends on a salmon fishing trip. Sandra gets seasick on the dock walking to the boat so she stayed home. You have to get an early start so I left home at 3AM to drive to Stephanie's house then we drove another hour and fifteen minutes to the coast. We put the boat in at Hammond, OR - near the mouth of the Columbia River. There wasn't much light at 6AM. It was a 30-minute ride to the area we were fishing. Along the way the sun came up but it didn't feel much warmer. It was 53 degrees NOT counting the wind chill from a 25 mph boat ride or the spray. I had on a tee shirt, long-sleeved denim shirt, sweatshirt, and an insulated windbreaker. That didn't do much for my face! Next time I will wear a wet suit - I was soaked in no time.
Our guide was Shanon; she runs a charter called "Let's Go Fishing" and is well known in the area as one of the few female guides and one that will bring in fish if there are any being caught. The day before she finished second in the Salmon Derby with the next-to-largest fish. Oregon has very tight controls on sport fishing. You must have a license of course but in addition in order to fish for salmon, halibut, or sturgeon you must have an additional license. A one-day license costs $16.75. It includes a tag on which you have to record each catch with type of fish (8 different kinds of salmon), where caught, length, and date. Failure to do correctly can result in a $300 fine. Also, you cannot keep "wild" Chinook or Coho salmon in order to maintain the species. Whew, glad the guide knows all about this.

We were about 500 feet away from the dock when one of the guys said "Wait, I left the box of food on the dock." We went back and got it. He didn't realize then but he also left the ice chest with the food (fried chicken) and the beer. He didn't discover that until mid-morning when Stephanie and I took out our sandwiches for "brunch". He was most concerned about the beer (a 24-can pack) but Shanon was concerned about the lunch which he was bringing. I gave her a banana and she had some cookies and a couple of cupcakes to tide her over until we got back to the chicken on the dock.

Over 1,000 boats put out today, and there was a lot of jockeying for position. The technique was to speed out and troll back in; then repeat - and repeat. We fished from 6AM until 4PM. I caught the first fish. It was early in the first run and we weren't completely ready. The fish made a run for the boat and I called for the net - no net. The tackle was very light and no way to get the fish in the boat without a net. Besides the guide must determine the fish can be legally caught before bringing it into the boat; otherwise it is released while still in the net. The fish made another run at the boat and actually ran into it - still no net. On the third run in the fish decided to run under the boat and caught the leader breaking the line. Oh well, I caught the first fish anyway. The boat was actually a "jet sled" seating six. It was almost a flat-bottom and there was a lot riding up and splashing back down on the way out. Also, no seat belts! On the final run we were a LONG way out and coming back against the tide so there was a LOT of splash and spray. I was very glad that I took along a change of clothes for the ride home.Three happy fishermen (fisherpersons??). I was happy too just to have the experience. Stephanie caught a Chinook and the other two are Coho. No one wanted the fish heads so Sandra has them for fish stew or grilling salmon cheeks. Stephanie graciously shared hers with us. Sandra wants us to go back and while we are fishing she will hang round the place where they clean and dress the fish and collect the "unwanted" heads. That will be another blog entry.

Well now it's sit and wait for the tomatoes to get ripe!

With a Little Help From My Friends (the Mason Bees)

2010-01-14T15:42:00.001-08:00

The first spring we were in our new Oregon home we had trees blooming that we had to identify as no one told us what they were. The first to bud had beautiful pink buds reminiscent of the apples and cherries we had heard of that grew here.

After about a week the buds multiplied and began to open.

The more they opened the less they looked like cherries or apples. We recognized them as either peach or apricot flowers.

As summer progressed we were only able to count 6 fruit on the two trees. As they matured they took on a golden color and eventually we harvested the best tasting apricots we had ever eaten. But we were puzzled, why not more fruit?

We met an elderly gentleman with a fruit orchard nearby and asked him what was wrong. He explained that the temperature changes here on the south side of the Columbia River were too late for the bees to arrive and pollinate the apricots; peaches, cherries, pears, plums – OK but not apricots.

We heard about Orchard Bees or more commonly Mason Bees which are now being used by growers to assist in the pollination of their crops as the honeybee population is decreasing dramatically. They are native to the Pacific Northwest and thrive in the cool damp climate, even working in a light rain. They are solitary and every bee works. Unlike honeybees they do not produce honey.

We wanted apricots. So in March, before the trees bloomed, I went to a local supplier to get some Mason Bees for the 2009 season but it was already too late since they emerge in late-February or early-March. He said to order them as a Christmas Present. BUT, we still wanted apricots. So, I got a Q-tip, climbed the ladder, and hand pollinated as many flowers as I could reach. I must not have looked enough like a bee because none of the flowers produced fruit.

The bees are smart – really smart. The female starts laying eggs as soon as she has mated and can collect pollen. She lays eggs in a hole that must be between 9/32” and 5/16” diameter and 8” to 10” deep. Very picky. She collects pollen and lays an egg on a mass of pollen at the back of the nesting hole and seals the chamber with mud. She continues laying eggs until the hole is full and seals the exit. She will lay one to two eggs a day over a lifetime of four to six weeks.

The interesting thing is that she lays female eggs deep in the hole and male eggs near the opening. So, if the nesting tube is disturbed the males are sacrificed so the egg-laying female can survive.

The eggs hatch a few days after laying and develop in the chambers, feeding on the pollen during the summer. By fall they are mature and stay in the chambers over the winter, emerging only when the temperature is consistently above 55 degrees and the fruit trees are blooming.

This year we got a head start. I got on the contact list of the bee supplier and bought some of the first bees that came in. They come in two forms, nesting tubes and washed cocoons. The tubes are a gamble, may contain from zero to 6-8 cocoons.

I bought 5 tubes and harvested 13 cocoons.

The washed cocoons are a sure thing.The cocoon pack contained 10. Price wise it was almost a wash - $1.00 vs. $1.15.
We also bought a nesting/cocoon-collecting house. There are nesting blocks inside and a place to put the cocoons prior to hatching.

Now to put the house in a south-facing location, load it with cocoons, and wait. THIS YEAR I WILL EAT APRICOTS! (or cut the trees down and replace them with something else that I can harvest)

Things That Go BOOM In The Night

2009-11-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

We have friends who have a vineyard but no buyers for their grapes. We accommodate them by picking the grapes and making raisins and wine. Last year we made about 40 pounds of raisins and several quarts of wine. This year we harvested Pinot grapes and decided to make some sparkling wine to drink in few weeks rather than waiting for a year as we did before. The grapes were beautiful.
After a light rinse we placed them in glass jars along with a "starter" that Sandra uses for making fermented rice. We thought that should give it a boost and start fermentation quickly.

Sure enough, after a few days the action began and bubbles and froth developed. After a week we decided to rack the liquid and separate it from the grape skins. Since we wanted a sparkling wine we decided to place it in soda bottles, since they would withstand the pressure developed during further fermentation and contain the carbon dioxide so we would have the fizz.

We "vented" the bottles daily and after another week racked a second time and had a beautiful product, so nice that we bottled some and gave it to a friend to sample.

We kept the remainder in three soda bottles in the garage where the temperature was about 50 degrees. We expected the fermentation to slow and end within a few days. One day I forgot to vent the bottles. The following evening we were sitting in the family room and heard this loud BOOM. We looked at each other, looked around to see if something had fallen from a high shelf, and then started searching for the source of the noise. Then I thought of the bottles in the garage. Upon opening the door to the garage we were greeted by the aroma of our sparkling wine which was now spewed all over the floor, car, storage shelves, freezer, and yard tools. Thankfully only one bottle had exploded and it split sideways and didn't spray the roof. I backed the car out of the garage and hosed it off while Sandra moved the wet bottles and boxes to a dry spot on the floor. I vented the other bottles while she mopped and we called it a night. The next day we washed down the floor and wiped the bottles before replacing on the shelves. We now were short 1/3 of our "vintage" but we are diligent about venting it every night whether it needs it or not!

Remembering......

2009-10-28T15:37:00.001-07:00

I was a freshman in college when the Vietnam War was beginning. Student, marriage, children, and critical skill deferments kept me in the US during these years. I had friends who went and never returned; friends who returned physically but were never quite the same afterwards, and friends who returned to jeering crowds yelling "Baby Killer" and other epitaphs. I had tried to put these memories behind me until a few weeks ago when they were brought poinantly home.

We were meeting a friend at the Portland, Oregon airport; her flight was unexplainedly delayed. We took a seat in the waiting area and were there just a few minutes when I noticed what I thought was a motorcycle club entering. They were dressed in jeans and each wore a denim vest with embroidery on the back that I was too far away to read. Most had long hair and some had greying ponytails; several were using canes and one was in a wheelchair. Each one was carrying a furled American Flag, full size. They formed into lines along each side of the hallway from the gate area to the waiting area. They just stood there as if waiting for something to happen. My wife asked me if something had happened but I told her that if it had there would be a TV crew there.

After about 15 minutes the group unfurled their flags; the leader was looking at a printed copy of a photograph. Passengers began to enter the waiting area. A young man dressed in civilian clothes and carrying a backpack approached the waiting area and the group came to attention, saluted, and then shouted "Welcome home soldier". People in the waiting area broke into applause. Members of the group came up to him individually and shook his hand, exchanging a greeting. A lump came into my throat then even as it is now as I write this. What a different greeting than these men had received when they returned for you see - they were a group of Vietnam veterans who have committed to meeting every returning US serviceman who arrives at the Portland airport. I have later learned that there similar groups throughout the United States.

We are living through troubling times but let us never forget to honor the men who are fighting for our right to live in a free country.

Chestnut Harvesting Time is HERE

2009-10-16T17:11:00.001-07:00

October is chestnut harvesting time in Oregon. We always go to a farm owned by the Carson family in Hillsboro, Oregon. They grow chestnuts, hazelnuts, and kiwi fruit. Today was the first weekend they were open for U-Pick chestnut harvesting. We have been the last two years and enjoy talking with the family and exchanging chestnut recipes. They have several varieties of chestnut trees, most are about 30 years old.
You need to wait for the nuts to drop off the tree and the enclosing spiny hull to dry and open. There are usually green and brown husks under the trees. You can collect nuts from either but the brown husks indicate that the nuts have begun to dry and the starch has started to convert to sugar. In both cases the nuts will need to be "dry-cured" several weeks before eating.

This year was a bumper crop as you can see from the clusters of nuts on this tree.

The pods begin to crack open when the nut is mature and will soon drop to the ground.

We had to wear gloves to protect our hands when picking up the pods or opening them. One easy way to open the pods is to step on them and release the nuts inside.

The spines are very sharp and will go through even leather gloves if you aren't careful.

Each pod will have between two and four nuts inside.

We harvested 20 pounds in about an hour. We will go again next week introducing some of Sandra's Taiwan friends to this fun pastime.

If you're interested and live in the area the farm is located at:

7110 SW Straughan Road, Hillsboro, OR 97123

So plug the address into your GPS or Google it and tell the Carsons that Michael and Sandra sent you.

Last Harvest

2009-10-16T09:44:00.001-07:00

We have had our fill of zucchini and yellow squash, time to look towards the pumpkins and butternut. Temperatures are dropping and we decided to do a final harvest before frost is on the pumpkin. We let one cucumber grow to full size for next year's seed. Some tomatoes will remain to see just how late we can harvest. The ground cherry plants will stay to see if they winter over, it's the first year we have planted those.
We have been looking forward to the grape harvest; last year we processed about 200 pounds as raisins or a "beverage". Last week our friends said they needed about one more week to reach full ripeness. THEN, over the weekend the temperature dropped to 21 degrees and all of the grapes froze - just a lot of mush now. So, we now better understand the risk farmers take trying to provide food for our needs. Oh well, for us there's always next year.

Crabbing - Oregon Northern Coast

2009-10-10T15:57:00.001-07:00

Our daughter went crabbing with some friends on the Oregon Northern Coast. They went out in a boat for several hours and each caught their limit. She was generous and shared with us.
First the crabs had to be cleaned and prepared for cooking. BIG DECISION - how to prepare them. We settled on stir fry with lots of garlic.

Sandra took about 8 cloves of garlic for each crab.

Chop the garlic finely, and stir-fry it in oil until it is golden brown.

Remove the garlic and add about a tablespoon of dried red pepper flakes and fry until fragrant.

Cut the crab into four pieces and dredge with flour.

Stir-fry the crab in the oil until it is done, adding some chicken bouillon powder and salt.

When the crab is done add chopped green onion and the fried garlic and heat until the onion is softened.

Serve with steamed bread.

DON’T discard any leftover garlic residue. It is great added to rice congee.

As you can see, there wasn't anything left. In fact it was so tasty that I bought a license and went out to catch our own crabs this past Friday.

We went to a jetty near Nehalem Bay on the Oregon coast. They rent the traps and I wanted to try it out before I invested in my own traps. The license which allows you to catch 12 crabs per day was $6.50 and the traps rented for $8.00/day including a rotting fish for bait. We went with another family and took the fixings for lunch and hot pot in case we were hungry and didn’t want to eat the crabs we caught “on-the-spot”. We even decided how we would divide our catch among our friends since 12 per family would be more than enough.
They even have a pot to boil your crabs if you want to eat them there at one of the many tables provided surrounding a communal fire pit.

They rent boats if you want to go out into the channel but we decided to crab from the floating dock.

Well, to make a long story short we “crabbed” all afternoon. Throw the trap out – wait 20-30 minutes – pull the trap in – inspect the catch. You are only allowed to keep male crabs measuring over 5-3/4 inches across the back of the shell.

I caught 33 crabs – and brought none home. All the large crabs were female and the males were too small to even measure. My friend and his daughter caught over 40 crabs – same results.

We thought about buying some crabs at the pier but had second thoughts. There will always be another chance; in fact my friend is out today at another location. MAYBE he will share his catch.

Ground Cherry - an elegant presentation

2009-10-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

This is a ground cherry

We found some in a local Farmers' Market and I decided to try to grow some. I planted the seed in pots in the early spring and they soon sprouted.

They were ready to transplant into the garden in late March.
They grew like weeds, literally. I found that in some parts of the country they invade vacant property and take it over. They soon showed that characteristic in our garden.

As the fruit matures and ripens the papery covering turns brown and the fruit drops to the ground, hence the name "ground cherry".

The right plate is the ground cherry as picked up and the left is the ground cherry fruit after removing the outer husk.

The fruit has a distinctive taste, somewhat like a pineapple-flavored tomato with lots of small hard seeds. Sandra dipped some in white chocolate and it has a much different taste - even more delicious.

Recently I looked at ground cherry information on the web and found that it has been planted in Taiwan and is known as the lantern fruit. It is said to be detoxifying, an aid in controlling diabetes, an antitussive, and a diuretic. So, just eat a few at a time.

A few days ago we picked up some and gave to a friend to take home. She gave some to her children to eat. Later we asked her daughter how she liked it. She replied that it was bad, “Tasted like paper”. We found out that she had eaten the whole thing including the papery husk. When I asked her mother if she had told her to peel it first she replied, “That’s just common sense”.

Fortunately, there is information that indicates the outer covering can be used as a tea that has a detoxification effect. This incident reminded me of the time we gave our friends some jongdz; we had to remind them to remove the bamboo leaves before eating.

The Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong serves a tart with ground cherry at their afternoon tea. I don't think it can compare in elegance or taste with the one prepared by Sandra.

Cucumber - plentiful harvest and CHEAP

2009-09-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

We like cucumbers fresh in salads, with Chinese spices and pepper, preserved in soy sauce, and as bread and butter pickles. The first crop of six disappeared overnight, victims of birds hungry for the first signs of spring. The second planting survived after being protected about a week with upturned milk containers.

These cucumbers are long and slender with spines, similar to the cucumbers we found in Taiwan.

They made great tasting Szchuan cucumber pickles with garlic and hwa-jau.

They were also good preserved in soy sauce and made crispy bread and butter pickles.

After pricing them in the local Farmers' Market at $1.50 each I've decided to continue growing our own; in fact I'm preparing for next year by letting one go to seed. I didn't expect it to get this big though.

First Experience with Zucchini

2009-09-26T14:35:00.001-07:00

My friend looked at me askance when I told her that I had planted four zucchini. I soon learned why she had that reaction. The first blooms produced bright glossy-green squash and we enjoyed them in salads and baked casseroles.
They continued to bloom AND bloom, we began to share the zucchini with friends and neighbors.

Sometimes we were full of zucchini and when the neighbors saw us coming they closed the curtains. As a result the zucchini stayed on the plant longer and longer and grew larger and larger.

In fact one hid under the leaves and went un-noticed well beyond the scheduled picking time.

Surprisingly the giant zucchini was tender and tasteful.

LESSON LEARNED: Two zucchini are enough for a family and friends

Garden, first harvesting of 2009

2009-07-16T17:33:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm still learning about gardening in the Pacific Northwest. The late start of the growing season and our unusually cool spring weather resulted in a huge accumulation of seedlings in my workroom awaiting planting. I planted some zucchini very early and had to cover it several times when the temperature dropped below freezing at night. The slugs appreciated the early treat and attacked the two seedlings vigorously and I thought I had lost them so I moved two more outside. The first ones made a miraculous recovery and I now had four healthy plants growing. A couple of long-time resident friends came by one afternoon and looked at the garden; I could hear them whispering "Didn't anyone tell him never to plant more than one zucchini?" We are now harvesting zucchini in sufficient numbers to start giving them away to the neighbors, so beware if you hear the doorbell.

The first spring we were in the house we rejoiced when we saw a large tree in the backyard loaded down with cherries. We went out and picked some and quickly learned that they were a small red plum. They have served us well as ingredients for some plum wine.

This year Sandra is using some of the almost-ripe ones to prepare a Chinese snack using salt, sugar, and dried plum powder.

I harvested our first cabbage today, it wouldn't fit in Sandra's basket; weighed in at 9 pounds 14 ounces. That's a lot of cole slaw.

You can tell from the leaves that we don't use pesticides, we try to be as "organic" as possible and actively compost throughout the year. We started the soil prep this year by digging in 300 pounds of steer manure; any volunteers for next year's prep work?

The tomatoes are almost ready to start turning color, the Japanese pumpkins and yellow squash are bearing as are the English and Chinese cucumbers. Our attempt at growing Sz Gua (loufa) and Dong Gua (winter melon) appear to be successful as both are blooming and preparing to set fruit. We are excited about the first fruit appearing on the ground cherries too.

In the wings I have about 8 goji plants started that will take another 3-4 years to start bearing. I am trying to be patient with some Szchuan pepper seeds that are reported to take up to 18 months to germinate, AFTER 3 months in the freezer. Oh, well, I may have a hard time finding a place for them anyway.

Well Sandra, We're Not in Taipei Anymore

2009-07-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

This sign is at the entry to the playground at Cooper Mountain Elementary School just across the street from our house in Aloha, OR. There is a "pick-up droppings" ordinance for dogs, don't know about horses!

U-Pick - revisited

2009-06-18T15:14:00.001-07:00

The past two years in Oregon we have enjoyed the U-Pick option for fruit and nuts. My earlier posts have covered our exploits in these areas. Two years ago we were able to purchase strawberries at a real good price from a stand at the end of the day. They were very ripe and perfect for the jam Sandra was going to make. Last year we missed out on the harvest as it was very short. This year we decided to go ahead and buy some berries from a roadside farmer's stand. They were Hood berries, smaller but extremely sweet and flavorful.
Well, we decided that the price was a bit higher than we wanted to pay for berries to cook down and can so Sandra decided that she wanted to try another U-Pick adventure. We located a farm about a 10 minute drive from the house and started out this morning loaded with empty boxes for our haul. When we arrived we noted that there were workers picking in one of the fields.
They were loading small buckets with berries and dumping them into large barrels.

They were "stripping" the plants of all mature berries, ripe or not. The filled barrels were then transported to a warehouse to await transport to a plant making jam and other strawberry products.
Well, enough of that, Sandra wanted to get down to business so we staked out a row and started picking. The plants were full, some berries already over-ripe. The plants grow close to the ground so you had to bend over or squat down to reach them.

After about an hour we had all had enough and decided that U-Pick was not the best way to get strawberries even if the price was about half that of already picked berries. We gathered about 18 pounds during that hour's time.

We were accompanied by some friends from Taiwan and their kids. The two girls really took to the picking, being very selective and only getting the perfect berries.
In fact they enjoyed it so much we are thinking about hosting a group of kids from Taiwan next summer to experience the joy of living in the Pacific Northwest.

Next come blueberries, blackberries, marion berries, raspberries, logan berries, and a lot of other goodies. Be patient, they're not ripe yet.

Peonies in Oregon of all places

2009-06-13T14:38:00.001-07:00

The peony is native to China. It is among the longest-used flowers and along with the plum blossom, it is a traditional floral symbol of China, where it is called 牡丹 (mǔ dān). It is also known as 富贵花 (fu gui hua) "flower of riches and honor", and is used symbolically in Chinese art. The English name comes from Paeon or Paean, a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Supposedly Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower. Tree peony (Mudan) and herbaceous peony (Shaoyao) are placed in the same genus and family. The leaves and flowers are similar, but the former is an arboreal plant with a permanent woody branch structure, while the latter is a perennial herbaceous plant with new growth each year from ground level. Tree peony and herbaceous peony both are beautiful and charming flowers and have prestigious reign in the flower world. The tree peony is known as "the King of flowers", whereas herbaceous peony is called "the Queen of flowers". Tree peony has been the favorite flower from the imperial rulers down to the common man for more than 1500 years in Chinese history, whereas the cultivation history of Chinese herbaceous peony can go back to 2500 years ago. During the Tang Dynasty (618A.D.-907A.D.), Empress Wu Ze Tian and Princess Tai Ping were supposedly drinking in the Imperial Flower Garden and admiring the snow when they were greeted by the fragrance of flowers; it was the aroma of wintersweet, which was in bloom. Empress Wu Ze Tian rewarded the wintersweet but to her disappointment, she found only wintersweet, winter jasmine, and narcissus blooming in the garden. She wrote a poem and sent it to the god in charge of flowers, which read “Tomorrow I’ll visit the garden; let me know that spring has come. All flowers are to bloom tonight; don’t wait for the spring breeze to blow.” The next morning, hundreds of flowers bloomed and the garden was full of Springtime. But the tree peonies stubbornly disobeyed the order and refused to bloom.

Empress Wu Ze Tian burst into rage and ordered them banished from Chang An, the capital at that time. Those tree peonies which refused to leave Chang An were burned to the ground. The tree peony was driven out of the imperial palace to Louyang in today's Henan Province. Louyang has a reputation today as a cultivation center for peonies. Throughout Chinese history, peonies in Luoyang are often said to be the finest in the country. Dozens of peony exhibitions and shows are still held there annually.

We had seen peony plants growing in the yards of several neighbors and decided that we wanted to try it too. We purchased a root section of a Mrs. FDR peony and planted it last fall.

It sprouted and produced six stems, one with a flower bud. We should have cut the bud off to allow the plant to grow another year but we couldn’t wait to see what it looked like. The bud never fully opened.

We wanted to see some peonies this spring. We had the good fortune of locating a peony garden less than an hour drive from our home; Adelman Peony Gardens in Salem, Oregon. They cultivate nine acres containing 180 varieties of peonies.

The grounds are open to the public from May 1st through June 15th; the remainder of the time they are concentrating on growing flowers for exhibits and for sale to the public. The Adelmans have taken Best of Show awards for six of the last eight years at the American Peony Society’s annual competition.

They cultivate both tree peony and herbaceous peony as well as an intersectional peony which is a cross of the two.

They sell some mature plants but the majority of their business is the sale of root sections with eyes that are planted in the fall and will produce blooms the following spring.
I was surprised to see peonies in almost every color except blue (that’s the grower’s dream color).

Individual flowersGroups of flowers

One-of-a-kind flowers

Hybrids

Saucers of petals

Compound petals

Compound, Saucer, and multi-colored

Fields stretched as far as you wanted to walk

Buttercup yellow

Fragrant with a lemon aroma or a ginger-spicy aroma

All colors in combination

And the "traditional" shape but gigntic size

It was nearing the end of the blooming season and workers were removing blooms by the bucket full and dumping them on a trailer. The blooms along with the dead foliage will be burned to minimize bacterial growth which is a problem for peony plants.

I picked up a catalog and began making a “wish list” but soon realized that neither my budget nor available growing space were compatible with a large peony garden. This fall I may purchase one or two unique types to add to the Mrs. FDR that we are already growing, but I’m afraid that if I want to see fields of peonies I will have to drive back to Adelman Gardens.

Steamed Bread - a special treat

2009-05-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

A traditional Chinese kitchen doesn't have an oven, so no bread or cinnamon rolls, but a lot of delicious bread-like items are made using a steamer. Most wheat flour based items are originally from Northern China whereas most rice based items are from Southern China. One of the most common bread-like items is mantou 饅頭. It is commonly eaten as a breakfast item or to accompany a meal like rice in Southern China or pasta in the West.

There are several versions of the basic mantou recipe, mainly differing in the leavening agent. The traditional method uses a sourdough starter held over from a previous batch, some cooks now use yeast and/or baking powder.

Start with:
1T yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/4 C warm water
mix and allow to sit until the yeast is dissolved and mixture begins to bubble

Mix together:
6 C flour
1 3/4 C milk
1/4 C sugar
2T vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder

Add the yeast mixture and form into a ball. Place on a floured surface and knead until the mass is uniform and glossy.
Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Put in a warm place and allow to rise until double in size

Divide into workable portions and roll out approximately 3/4" thick. Roll up jelly-roll fashion and cut into 2" long pieces. Place on parchment paper and arrange in a steamer basket.

Place steamer basket over a pot of room temperature water and turn on heat; do not place over already steaming water. After water reaches boiling and steam is seen escaping from the top of the steamer, steam for 12 minutes.

Remove from steamer and enjoy. Especially delicious with any dish that has a lot of juice that the mantou can be dipped in.

How To Make A Fashion Statement and Fight Influenza A(H1N1) [Swine Flu]

2009-05-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

First: WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

The symptoms for H1N1 flu are just like the symptoms of any season flu - a fever of 100.4 degrees or more, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and runny nose. Additional possible symptoms include gastrointestinal disturbances such as vomiting or diarrhea.

If you have flu symptoms and have traveled within the past month to Austria, Canada, China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom, or have come in contact with someone with a confirmed case of H1N1 flu in the last month you should call your doctor.

Then: WHAT CAN I DO TO MINIMIZE SPREAD OF THE FLU?

Learn to sneeze "fashionably" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao7eyqoiIYs

And Finally: MAKE A FASHION STATEMENT
or be creative as some did during the SARS epidemic

Homemade Pizza - YES you can

2009-05-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

We had home-style pizza at a restaurant last Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Sandra said, "I can do that". So we did for lunch today. First step was to make a yeast dough, let it rise, then punch down and form the crust. (don't know why I can't get the picture to load horizontally as I took it)
Then you decide what you want on it. We lightly coated the dough with oil and put down a THIN layer of sauce (actually some of Sandra's spaghetti sauce from the freezer). We decided to make two pizzas, one salami and one Italian sausage.

The meat was followed by a layer of thinly sliced tomato; we wanted some fresh basil but that will have to wait for the plants to grow a bit more before picking it.

Sprinkle on some Italian seasoning instead of the basil and then some mozarella cheese.

Pop into a 475 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Perfect, especially when served with a Clendenen 2008 vintage Marionberry wine cooler.

Now, you try and let me see what you can do!

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm - Holland in Oregon

2009-05-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

Thursday we took a break from gardening and household chores and visited a tulip farm about a 30-minute drive away. The family operation began in 1983 with 15 acres and has expanded to over 40 acres growing 150+ varieties of tulips. It is now known as the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. Every spring they hold a tulip festival where the farm is open to the public. http://www.woodenshoe.com/index.html
We liked the fact that there was no commercialization or hard-sell trying to get you to buy bulbs to take home to plant.
Sandra took all these pictures using our digital camera while I experimented with my film camera to get some close-ups. She did an outstanding job of capturing the realism of the farm.

The view from a distance was like an impressionist painting.

But the close-ups were spectacular.

Influenza A(H1N1) - formerly known as Swine Flu [update and additional information]

2009-05-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

Our church observes communion the first Sunday of each month. Our congregation has several elderly members, at least two pregnant mothers, and many young children. We are now considering a review of our practice to determine if we should modify it in any way to alleviate the celebrant’s possible anxiety so they can concentrate on the actual meaning of the communion sacrament.

The World Health Organization has issued an update today May 1, summarizing the rapidly changing world-wide situation.

“As of 06:00 GMT, 1 May 2009, 11 countries have officially reported 331 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection. Laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths have been reported in - Austria (1), Canada (34), Germany (3), Israel (2), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (3), Spain (13), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (8).”

At this time WHO is not advising restriction of regular travel or closure of borders; although people who are ill would be wise to delay international travel and people developing symptoms following international travel should seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.

They also stated that there is also no risk of from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products.

Oregon's first probable case of Influenza A(H1N1) was identified late Wednesday, April 29 following testing by the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory. A specimen from this case was sent to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for characterization. The individual, who had been in contact with family members who had visited Mexico, began experiencing symptoms on Sunday but was not hospitalized and is recovering. Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski said, “This suspected case is being investigated by health officials, but in the meantime, Oregonians should remain calm and follow the recommended actions for protecting yourselves and your family: Wash your hands frequently and make sure to cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Also, if you are feeling sick, please do not go to work or school; contact your health care provider. Lastly, try to avoid people who are ill.”

Swine Flu - Keep Informed, Stay Well

2009-04-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

As Operations Director at Taipei American School during the SARS outbreak in 2003 I was instrumental in developing a SARS Protocol for keeping our students, faculty, and staff safe and well during this period. I acted as laision between the school and the CDC office as well as local government health agencies. I was under quarantine for 10 days during this outbreak. You can read about my work to maintain a safe environment at the school at this website: http://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article/Overseas-SARS-%E2%80%98Journal%E2%80%99--829

Based on this experience I have decided to gather relevant information from the WHO and U. S. CDC websites and present it here so you can understand what is happening and act in a calm responsible manner rather than one of fear and panic. I will update this material regularly.

Today, Wednesday, April 29, The World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert to 5, its second-highest level, indicating the outbreak of swine flu that originated in Mexico is nearing widespread human infection. The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports additional confirmed human infections, hospitalizations and the nation’s first fatality from this outbreak. The more recent illnesses and the reported death suggest that a pattern of more severe illness associated with this virus may be emerging in the U.S. Most people will not have immunity to this new virus and, as it continues to spread, more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths can be expected in the coming days and weeks.

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze or are out in a public place.
Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. A spray bottle of 75% alcohol works as well as commercial hand cleaners.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Practice good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and keeping physically active.
Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
If you get sick, it’s recommended that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
In areas where transmission of swine influenza virus has been confirmed, rather than relying on the use of facemasks or respirators, close contact with people who might be ill and being in crowded settings should be avoided.
Facemasks should be considered for use by individuals who enter crowded settings, both to protect their nose and mouth from other people's coughs and to reduce the wearers' likelihood of coughing on others; the time spent in crowded settings should be as short as possible.

Keep informed, stay well.

Homeless - but not Hopeless

2009-04-18T07:36:00.001-07:00

We live in Washington County, Oregon. Washington County and the Portland metropolitan area are nationally recognized as one of the most livable areas in the country. The population is ethnically diverse with approximately 500,600 citizens. Washington County is 727 square miles and includes a portion of the City of Portland and eleven incorporated cities including Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard and Tualatin.

Intel, IBM and Tektronix, and world headquarters for both Nike and Columbia Sportswear are located here. Intel’s investment in Washington County exceeds that of any Intel site worldwide. Outside the Urban Growth Boundary, the county transitions to nurseries, wineries and other farm and forest enterprises. Washington County ranks first in manufacturing and third in agriculture production in Oregon. However, nearly one-in-ten residents, live below the Federal Poverty Level, and 122,267 Washington County residents are low-income. In Washington County more than 34% of our neighbors are one catastrophic illness or lost job away from becoming homeless. An estimated 1200 people are homeless in Washington County at any one time; approximately one-third of these are children and 67% of those are in families. The Oregon State Department of Education recently published statistics for Washington County showing last year there were 1,422 homeless children in Grades K-12 based upon one full year of data gathering.

According to a recent Associated Press report Oregon has recorded the steepest year-over-year rise in unemployment rates among the states and now its jobless rate ranks second among them. The Oregon unemployment rate jumped to 12.1 percent in March, putting the state second to Michigan; the national rate is 8.5 percent. Many people are a paycheck or two away from being homeless. In reality, you or I probably have a caring supportive community of family and friends who would not let us be homeless. But most of the families facing homelessness are young adults who have not yet cultivated a community that stands by them in hard times.

Families often avoid calling a shelter because they are afraid of being discriminated against, judged by people who have not experienced poverty and hopelessness on such a deep personal level. No one wants to be homeless. People in desperate situations need a supportive community. It is important to bring families into shelter programs where they receive more than charity. Often we hear the homeless family tell about how ashamed, how embarrassed, and how desperate they are because they are homeless. They think people don’t care.

Our church participates in a program called Family Bridge which assists young homeless families. Their goal is to give them back their dignity and heal their pain – the loneliness they suffer because they are in need of community. This is not a religious organization and they place no religious restrictions on families seeking shelter. A central shelter screens homeless families with children for eligibility. They provide them with shelter for a six week period. They must pass drug screening and actively partake in plans to assist in securing income and housing. Children must be enrolled in and attend public school or Head Start during their stay. They have a family-style evening meal at participating churches and spend the night in church-provided rooms. Church members prepare the meals and eat with the families to provide a cordial and caring atmosphere. A church member also stays at the church overnight to provide any assistance needed. We have prepared meals and shared them with these families several times at our church.

The first time we volunteered to prepare a meal and eat with the "homeless people" I was a bit apprehensive. I didn't know a lot about the program or what to expect. I was all prepared to find a bunch of bag ladies and old men pushing grocery carts filled with all their worldly possessions. We were intrduced to three families, all with children. They were just like the "folks next door" except they had fallen on hard times and were homeless. One husband had lost his job then their house and finally packed the car and drove to Oregon looking for work and were introduced to the shelter. Another family had a catastrophic illness that wiped out their finances and the wage earner was no longer able to work. They were asking the shelter for temporary housing and assistance in finding employment. Last year the program assisted 34 families secure housing and employment. The following is one story taken from the Family Bridge Newsletter.

It was midsummer, 5 pm Sunday, I arrived at the church to unlock the doors. Two families arrived and we all settled in for our week together. Monday morning the director of Family Bridge phoned to say I was to expect another family that evening. This family would include a father and mother, a first grade boy and a third grade girl.

No additional people arrived Monday evening, or Tuesday evening. Wednesday morning I phoned the director and found him puzzled. He didn’t know why they hadn’t arrived. Wednesday at 5 pm I arrived at the church to unlock the door. A van was parked in the church parking lot and the family introduced themselves and apologized for not being there Monday and Tuesday. The children were delightful, full of conversation as we settled in and shared dinner. After dinner the mother came to me and said “We drove into the parking lot each night, but I just couldn’t get out of the van. As long as we were sleeping in the van, I could call it an adventure, but if we came into the church I would have to accept that we are homeless.”

So what can you do? Drop some coins in the hat sitting in front of the guitar player on the sidewalk downtown? Put a bill in the bag held by the woman standing by the side of the freeway on-ramp? Or something more personal and more lasting? Why not seek out an organization or group in your area that is trying to help the homeless get back on their own feet, not just giving them a hot meal and a clean bed for the night? Get personal with them and let them know you recognize them as a person of worth. Invest some of your time and energy, it won't be wasted and you will feel a lot better for it; believe me, I've tried it.

Cherry Blossoms - Another Look

2009-04-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we walked along the riverbank in the Old Town area of Portland to view the beautiful cherry trees that were almost at their peak blooming. While there I remembered the times we spent in Kyoto, Japan viewing cherry blossoms.
However, I soon realized that these trees weren’t planted for sitting under to enjoy singing and drinking sake; they have a much deeper meaning. It is deeply rooted in the history of the Japanese settlers who came to the Pacific Northwest. This is their story.

In the late 17th Century, Japanese farmers began to come to the Pacific Northwest hoping to make their fortunes and return home wealthy. These first Japanese were known as the Issei, or first generation immigrants. By 1891, more than 1,000 Japanese men had made their way to Oregon. Discrimination against them grew until in 1907, further emigration of laborers from Japan was prohibited although those already here could be joined by women and family members.

In spite of misunderstandings and prejudice a thriving Japanese community developed in what is now known as Old Town in downtown Portland. However, their relatively tranquil life ended abruptly on December 7, 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The FBI immediately began rounding up prominent Japanese businessmen and putting them in jail.

On January 30, 1942, Portland City Council revoked the business licenses of all Japanese. This was followed quickly by the issuance of Executive Order 9066 by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, using his authority as Commander-in-Chief to exercise war powers to send ethnic groups to internment camps. All persons with Japanese ancestry were removed from the West Coast.

On April 28, 1942 Japanese Americans living in Portland area were ordered to report to Portland Assembly Center. An April 29, 1942 headline in The Oregonian newspaper proclaimed that Portland would be the first U.S. city to rid itself of Japanese Americans. Portland’s Livestock Exposition Pavilion, used for cattle, horses, and hogs, was converted into a detention center for almost 4,000 people. In August and September 1942, Japanese Americans were transferred by rail to concentration camps in Idaho, Wyoming and California. They spent as long as three years in tarpaper shelters. Soldiers guarding them were ordered to shoot anyone who stepped beyond the barbed wire boundaries.

In 1945, Order 9066 was lifted and people were allowed to return to their homes. However, while they were gone, almost everything they owned — homes, businesses and farms had been confiscated either by the government or simply taken by someone. They had no means to secure funds to re-establish their businesses, find housing, or rebuild the previous Japanese community. They were faced with the choice of returning to communities where they were clearly unwanted, or moving into areas unknown to them. Further complicating their lives, the Oregon Legislature passed an Alien Land Law in 1945, prohibiting Japanese Americans from living or working on farmland. In 1949, however, the Alien Land Law was overturned as it was determined it violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, authorizing an official apology to persons of Japanese ancestry for their incarceration during World War II. The official apology was seen as a affirmation that the Constitution works for all Americans.

On August 3, 1990, the Japanese American Historical Plaza was dedicated in Portland, Oregon. This memorial commemorates those Japanese Americans deported to internment camps during World War II. Sculptures and carvings throughout the park tell the story of the Japanese people in the Northwest - of immigration, elderly immigrants, native-born Japanese Americans, soldiers who fought in US military services during the war, and the business people who worked hard and had hope for the children of the future.

The river bank is lined with cherry trees. A large stone in the center is inscribed with the names of the internment camps. Two columns flank the entrance; one depicting the arrival of the first Japanese to the area and a second showing a mother and child in an internment camp. 13 stone markers are engraved with short poems.

Mighty Willamette!

Beautiful friend,

I am learning,

I am practicing

To say your name.

Sure, I go to school
Same as you.
I'm an American

Rounded up In the sweltering yard.
Unable to endure any longer
Standing in line
Some collapse

Who? What? Where?
When? Why?

Black smoke rolls
Across the blue sky.
Winter chills our bones.
This is Minidoka.

Our young men and women
Joined the army too.
They're proud to be American.

Going home,
Feeling cheated.
Gripping my daughter's hand.
I tell her we're leaving
Without emotion.

Through the car window
A glimpse of pines.
Oregon mountains.
My heart beats faster.
Going home.

Glancing up at red-tinged mountains
My heart is softened.
A day in deep autumn

War and change,
My native land.
Once so hard to leave
Is behind me now forever.

Just over there
Was our old community.
Echoes! Echoes! Echoes!

With new hope,
We build new lives.
Why complain when it rains?
This is what it means to be free.

Can't Miss Business Opportunity

2009-02-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

Looking for that "just right" idea for a new business to make some money during the current "turn-down"?

Minimum investment, no franchise fees, flexible hours, be your own boss, expanding market; sound too good to be true? We're in Taipei right now for a short visit. When we went out for a walk this evening we passed a unique shop near Sandra's brother's apartment. It was a newly opened shoe washing shop.
Most kids here, from lower school on up, wear athletic shoes to school. And, they get dirty and soiled. Who wants to wear a pair of dirty shoes to school? AND who wants to wash a pair of dirty tennis shoes? Certainly not the kid that got them dirty; or their mom. So an enterprising individual came up with the idea of a shoe washing service. Drop your shoes off in the afternoon and they'll be ready for you to pick up the next morning, bright and clean. The service only costs about $5 per pair. And they are washed so clean that its hard to tell them from a pair just out of the box. They even have new laces for sale if you want to go an extra step.

So, the kid has a clean pair of shoes to wear (no social embarrassment), the parent doesn't have to wash the shoes (clean hands and minimum cost), and the enterprising individual has gainful employment and contributes to the local economy.

So, what are you waiting for? Get some soap powder, a brush, a sign for the window, and prepare the washer and dryer because they'll be beating on your door as soon as they know you're open for business.

Jam and Jelly Making - "G" Rated

2009-01-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

We have always enjoyed fruit jam and jelly but in Taiwan found it to be both expensive and tasteless. One plus of living in the Pacific Northwest is the abundance of fruit. We have visited U-Pick berry and peach farms and found an abundant supply of blackberries along the fences surrounding the house. First you must harvest the berries. Blueberries are easy, in fact some of the bushes are so tall you don't even have to stoop over to pick.
Blackberries are another story. They grow in thickets and are covered with thorns and barbs . Long sleeves are a must and not always enough; I usually look like I was in a battle with a wet cat after I have picked blackberries.

After picking and a light wash (no pollution in this area, just dust) the berries are ready for processing. The jam must be placed in sterilized jars to prevent bacterial growth. The jars are washed in the dishwasher and put in the oven to dry and heat so the thermal shock of filling with boiling liquid won't crack them.

Blueberries ready to be made into jam.

Fruit pectin is added to assist in the jelling process. It is a natural product derived from apples.

Fresh lemon juice is added for tartness, to raise the acidity and help preservation, and to preserve the color of the fruit.

The fruit is crushed and brought to a boil, then the pectin is added. After returning to a boil sugar is added, the amount depends on the tartness of the fruit. The mixture is boiled for about 10 minutes.

While the fruit mixture is boiling the jar lids are put into boiling water to sterilize them and to soften the rubber sealing surface so a tight seal will be formed.

Everything is laid out so the filling and sealing can be done quickly.

The boiling fruit mixture is ladled into the jar, the lid placed on top, and a sealing band screwed on as quickly as possible.

The filled jars are placed in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes for further sterilizing.

After removal as the jars cool you will hear a "ping" as the lid flexes and seals the jar under a vacuum. The cooled jars can be kept unrefrigerated up to a year without significnt flavor loss; although we have never had any last that long.

So far we have made peach, apricot, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry jam as well as pear salsa and canned peach halves. Can't wait to see what next season brings.

Chinese Birthday Celebration Customs

2009-01-12T13:43:00.001-08:00

We had the privilege this past weekend to be invited to celebrate the first birthday of the daughter of some friends from Taiwan who are living here while the husband is in flight school. For the traditional Chinese, only three birthdays are celebrated until the age of 60, then birthdays are celebrated every ten years.

The first birthday celebration is when the child is 30 days old. You need to know that when a child is born they are considered one year old and another year will be added to their age on Chinese New Year. So, a three-month-old infant could actually be two years old by Chinese calculations. When the baby is 30 days old the parents send gifts to all the family and friends, always including a red dyed egg to announce the arrival of the child. Some of the gifts are returned the child's parents to help to support and raise the child.

The birthday celebration we attended came at the end of the child's first year of life. The parents performed a ritual that they believe will tell them what the future holds for their child. Various objects including coins (wealth), a CD (musician), a ruler (architect), a book (studious) , a calculator (accountant or banker), a pen (author), a camera (journalist/artist), a green onion (intelligent), a head of garlic (shrewd), a thermometer (medical), a scale (judicial), and a golf bag (sports) were placed on the floor; twelve in all.The child was placed on the floor nearby and observed by the parents and the guests gathered around.
Whichever object the child picks up is supposed to represent their future. If the child picks up the coins they will be wealthy, the pen they will be an author, and so on.

Our friends were encouraging their daughter, Dou-dou, to go for the coins - meaning that she would be wealthy and could take care of them in later life. But her first choice was a calculator, indicating a possible career in banking or another occupation where she would be handling large sums of money.

Her second choice was a pen, indicating an aptitude for writing or literature.
And then, what mama was waiting for... THE MONEY.

She was smart enough to immediately hand it over to her mother for managing.

After the money was chosen, anything else was just for fun, like the digital camera which might lead to a career in journalism or the arts and the green onion (tsung) which has the same sound in Chinese as intelligent.

After a shared meal and the ritual, we all gave gifts of clothes, or toys then enjoyed a birthday cake which is a Western custom; although we did sing "Happy Birthday" in Chinese.

When the child is six, they will invite family and friends to their home to eat long noodles and red dyed eggs. The traditional gifts of money in red envelopes are given.

The fourth birthday celebration for Chinese comes at the age of 60, this is the first and probably only time in the persons life that their animal sign and element are together exactly as they were on the day they were born.

The grown children give the celebration for their parents, out of respect, love and appreciation. The celebration begins by the mother or father eating a bowl of long noodles and red dyed eggs for breakfast prepared by their children. Later in the day family and friends are invited to the celebration where they will eat long noodles (representing longevity) and a warm pastry with a sweet mixture that looks like a peach (therefore called a peach) is eaten. Everyone at the celebration must eat both foods, it is considered rude and disrespectful not to. This type of celebration continues every ten years for the rest of the person's life with more family members, being added to the grand celebration each year.

Before the Sausage - What They Don't Show in the Supermarket (Rated PG-13)

2009-01-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

Last week I wrote about making sausage and smoking it. Well, we cheated, we bought the pork at a local supermarket. To make REAL sausage you have to start a little closer to the pig's home, like here. A neighbor of our daughter was going to slaughter a pig and we were going to be lucky enough to get all those "inside" things that nobody else wanted. Sandra didn't want to view the actual "slaughter" so she stayed back at the house until the pig was good and dead then she would make her appearance and gather the goodies. The neighbor lives about 1/4 mile from our daughter and keeps the pigs in a pen near their house. This is not the pig that we have been raising but an "extra" pig that was getting too large to keep and eating too much. We trekked through the snow to the pen and began to plan our attack.
The pig greeted us with curiosity, completely innocent of what was coming.

What was coming was a rifle loaded with a copper-jacketed bullet.

One well-aimed shot right between the eyes and the pig dropped without even a squeal.

As we struggled to lift the pig over the edge of the pen, the other pig went about eating as if nothing had happened. A discussion developed about how to get the pig out of the pen (remember none of these are professional pig slayers) - who would get in the pen, who would grab which foot, should we grab it by the ears? Finally they just muscled it over the edge onto the ground.

A short drag to the truck then up onto the tailgate.

Where a strategically placed knife blade would begin the letting of blood necessary to drain the body.

Since we were getting everything nobody else wanted we collected the blood in a clean bucket.

After a short ride we unloaded the pig onto a tarp to drag it to the barn where we could proceed further. Sandra now made her appearance, but because of her twisted ankle (from an earlier fall on ice) she couldn't make the trek up the hill so she remained in the car and received periodic progress reports. We offered to carry her up the hill but she declined; I later learned that she was afraid we would think she was as heavy as the pig!

In case you hadn't noticed, the pig had been wallowing in the mud. So the next step was to use a pressure washer to clean it up. There is a lot of elk and deer hunting done in our area in addition to the slaughtering of pigs, goats, and sheep. The clean-up of the animal is always a problem. Recently a local car wash discovered an unidentifiable "body part" in the machine area while they were cleaning up. No one could explain what it was or how it got there. They called the local sheriff's office who investigated and finally took it to a local hospital for identification. They determined it was a pig's heart. Seems like the hunters and farmers like to load the animal into a pick-up truck then run the truck through the car wash.

After a good hosing off the next task was to hang the pig, estimated at 250 pounds. A rope over the rafters in the barn gave us a good working area.

You might ask where am I; well, I'm on the end of the rope out of sight tying it off to the garage door track after it is lifted sufficiently high off the floor.

OK, take a break while we decide what comes next.

Well, we'll start by cutting around the "exit point" including the tail; that way everything inside will stay together and it can be removed without loosing anything held in the intestines.Next the belly is opened to allow access to all those goodies inside that nobody wanted.

This was a castrated male pig, no one wanted this part.

The more the belly was opened up the more goodies became available.

After removing the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, stomach, small AND large intestines, and a lot of net fat there wasn't anything left inside. Just one more look inside to be sure nothing was missed.

Now for a cup of coffee and a hand wash in the snow while we prepare for the next step.

The carcass needs to cool as quickly as possible. It's colder in the barn than in the refrigerated locker so we decided to leave the carcass hanging in the barn for two days to finish the bleed and let it get fully chilled. To speed up the cooling, we used a water hose to wash out the body cavity and wash down the pig one more time. We took the large intestines outside to flush them and hoped to use them for sausage casings. We determined that this pig had been supplementing his diet with table scraps, including artichokes. After a few attempts at cleaning the intestines we gave up; it was so cold we couldn't feel our fingers and kept perforating them. We buried them along with what washed out of them so they wouldn't attract coyotes that might try to get into the barn and ravage the pig carcass. So it will be store-bought casings for the next batch of sausage.

We did make it home with some goodies. Sandra has already had liver soup and kidney noodles. We delivered the heart to a friend this morning. I'm remaining silent about how much of these things I actually ate.

Now, tomorrow the feet and head arrive; but that's another story.

Hunan-style Chinese Sausage * from the beginning

2008-12-27T10:27:00.001-08:00

One of the treats I looked forward to every Chinese New Year was Hunan sausage. There was a place near where we lived in Taipei that made it every year. It was a neighborhood populated by many retired servicemen who longed for the traditional dishes of their home provinces in China. They would take over the sidewalk and any empty space available for their efforts. My favorite was the sausage or dry-smoked pork side meat. This type of meat is usually only available during the winter after pig slaughtering. I still have a craving for this sausage so we decided to try to make some ourselves.

First a brief Chinese culture lesson, related to the major ingredient in the sausage:

Part of many Chinese celebrations is a contest to see who can raise the largest pig. These are then put on display for everyone to enjoy.

The heaviest pig is awarded with a gold medal and a cash prize. The heaviest one in this ceremony we attended weighed 1157 pounds.

After the ceremony the pig was butchered and the meat taken home to eat.
In our local market, the pigs are slaughtered and then brought whole to the stand where they are butchered and sold.

Needless to say we don't have access to pork this fresh in Portland so we had to settle for fresh pork loin from the supermarket. It was chopped into 1/4-1/2" chunks along with additional pork fat for flavoring.

The necessary spicy-hot flavor was achieved by adding pepper powder, dried chili pepper, and Kaoliang liquor

To this was added salt that had been "dry-fried" with Szchuan peppercorns.

The spices were added to the meat and then it was allowed to marinate in the refrigerator overnight. The next step was to prepare the casings to receive the mixture. We were lucky and found some at the local Korean market that were already cleaned, but we still felt better after thoroughly washing them.

People who do this for a living have machines that force the meat into the casing - we don't. So we improvised by cutting the top off a Perrier bottle and using a wooden ram to force the meat mixture into the casing.
After the casing was filled we distributed the meat evenly and formed it into links.
The distinctive taste of this sausage comes from the smoking. I never determined what kind of wood they used so I made up my own mixture: sugar (they used sugar cane peel but I don't have any), rice, black tea leaves, and wood chips (cedar, apple, and oak). The sausage links were loaded into our smoker and smoked for about 5 hours.
When they came out it sure looked like I remembered it should.

The smoking also served to partially dry the meat. The low temperature didn't render any of the fat nor did it act to kill any bacteria that might be present so after cooling we store the sausage in the freezer. It must be cooked before eating, we tried some this morning with scrambled eggs and steamed bread - SUCCESS.

We are looking forward to the week after New Years when we will slaughter our pig and have some really fresh pork to make sausage and side meat. More on that later.

Frozen Water - aka snow, hail, sleet, snain, freezing rain, snog

2008-12-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

December 2008 in northern Oregon has proved to be an interesting time to observe the weather. This is the third December we have spent here. Previously we experienced freezing temperatures and enough snow to satisfy our desire for a "White Christmas". This year we are experiencing what has come to be known as "Arctic Blast 2008". Temperatures have dropped as low as 9 degrees, winds have blown as hard as 45 mph, and snow is still falling after accumulating 18" in our front yard. Interstate highways are closed, chains are required on all vehicles travelling city streets, some homes are without electricity, the kids had the full week BEFORE Winter Break off as snow days, and the largest shopping mall in the area only had three stores open Saturday.

Our observations began Sunday, December 14. We had an early breakfast at church, a monthly activity sponsored by the men's group but open to all; only seven people showed up. The forecast was for possible snow in the afternoon but everything was clear when we arrived at 7:45AM. During breakfast the pastor called and said it was snowing at his place and he couldn't get to the church so was cancelling the morning services. We opened the door and looked out upon a steady fall of large fluffy flakes that were not melting as they hit the ground. We decided that since we had prayed, eaten, taken up a collection for the food, and told a joke that it was OK to leave. We divided up the church roster and took it home to call other members and tell them of the cancellation. When we got to the parking lot, it was already covered with snow and we had to clean the windshield before we could start the drive home.

After a slight slip/slide getting out onto the main highway we had a smooth drive home, only seeing one car off into the ditch.

There were relatively few cars on the road.
No cars had been in or out our road since the snow had started. I kept the car in low and going about 5mph up the grade leading to the house and Sandra opened the garage door as soon as we were in range so I didn't have to slow down to get into the garage.

Monday morning we went out for a brief walk to feed the ducks at a pond near the house. Garbage was to be collected that day so I put the collection bins out at the curb. There had been a freezing rain overnight and the road was slick, the only vehicle using the road was the post office truck using chains.

Sandra put on her high top boots to get better traction.

Little did we know that before we had gotten 100 feet from the house she would step on a slick ice spot and fall. She got a bad sprain/twist of her ankle and has been laid up in the house since.

She has been able to watch the snow fall in our back yard from the sliding glass door in the dining room.

We began to get a mix of freezing rain and snow on Saturday night, almost a week after the snow began to fall. Although it was beautiful as it coated the trees it brought with it falling limbs and power outages.
We could hear the ice hitting the windows during the night and when we woke up and tried to look out our upstairs window, we were greeted with a coating of ice.

We occasionally hear creaks as the roof groans under the load of snow. I climbed up into the attic to be sure no snow was blowing in through the vents. Melting snow in the attic isn't something that I want to deal with. No snow was seen, but it sure was cold.

We are using the bench in the back yard as a "snow gauge". This is the level on Sunday morning.
and this is what we saw Monday morning; its misleading because the sleet compressed Sunday's snow.
This is what happens to Thanksgiving decorations left out in 9 degree weather.We are using the millstone by the front door as a snow gauge also. This is what it looked like in November.
But last Sunday afternoon the snow began to accumulate
and continued to builduntil Thursday when we had a slight warming spell

but it hit its peak Sunday afternoon, one week after the first snowfall.I measured 17" in the front yard Monday morning
and some of that was a "sandwich" of snow/ice/snow.
This is the road leading up to our house which sits at the top of the cul-de-sac.
Wonder why no one has come to visit us this week?

The weather bureau says the temperatures may be going up some during the day for the next few days but still below freezing at night; so some melting that will freeze again as ice during the night. One nice thing about being retired; I don't have to go into work. White Christmas? well it's anybody's guess right now. Sandra's biggest concerns are Pre-Christmas sales and "What about all the After-Christmas sales?"

This is the view out our front door of the house next door

and the car in the driveway.

This is the view from our second floor window. Can you see the road?

The garbage hasn't been collected in two weeks, but at least it isn't hot and smelly!

Any body have a guess what this is?

(hint) it's sitting on the back porch

We may not be able to see it for long as the weather bureau has just issued a winter storm warning for MORE SNOW starting during the day Christmas Eve and continuing into Christmas Day with an additional 3"-5" accumulation.

So, I bundled up and went out to try to knock some snow off the eves and gutters so the new snow doesn't pull them off the roof. I had to watch out not only for falling snow but slabs of ice that were sandwiched between layers of snow.

There were four distinct ice layers of varying thickness on the roof. I removed about one foot of the "sandwich" that was overhanging the gutter; hopefully if we get some above-freezing temperatures that will allow the melt to run off into the gutter and hopefully the downspout isn't frozen solid.

Now, its watch and wait for the next snow fall. I'll be inside with a book and a cup of coffee.

Rice Ball Soup - a Chinese housewarming tradition

2008-12-13T09:05:00.001-08:00

When Chinese greet each other it isn't "Hello", it's "Have you eaten yet?". Food is an integral part of life for the Chinese. Since my wife is Chinese (Taiwanese) I have learned a lot about eating for social, as well as nutritional reasons. Recently a young family we met moved into their first house, actually a rental. In keeping with Chinese tradition, we all went over for a housewarming pot luck. One of the dishes that MUST be prepared and served is tang yuan, a glutinous rice ball in sweet soup. Why tang yuan you might ask. Round (yuan) means a circle without an end so a complete and endless relationship; soup (tang), sometimes sweet and sometimes savory so that there would be sweetness and harmony in the relationship, whether it be a wedding, birth, new house, or any number of things. We started early that morning making four colors of rice dough; green, pink, orange, and white.

The colored dough was formed into rectangles which were stacked on top of each other

making a "sandwich" which was then rolled up like a jelly roll.

After cutting into convenient lengths

the sections were reduced in size

then cut into pieces

that were rolled into balls

and more balls

which were dropped into boiling water

and left until they floated to the top indicating they were done.

We took the prepared dough to the party and everyone joined in making rice balls.

Some were very artistic

All were boiled until they floated

then served in either a sweet sugar syrup or a brown sugar-ginger syrup

They were very filling and stuck to your ribs for sure.

Our Own Christmas Tree, the hard way - updated with decorated view

2008-12-08T10:05:00.000-08:00

Last year we bought our Christmas tree at a roadside stand near the house; it was going to be a surprise since it was still wrapped up in a net and covered with mud just as it came from the field. That's what you get when you buy the "bargain" tree on the lot. After wrestling it almost into our Aveo and bringing it home we unwrapped it, hosed it down, and did some serious trimming to get it to the size and shape we wanted. Then I had to give the car a good cleaning to get rid of the mud that came along with the tree. We enjoyed the tree, especially the woodsy aroma that it gave to the entire house.

Oregon is a major producer of Christmas trees; it is considered a farm crop. A tree takes 7-8 years to reach marketable size. Last year some farmers were hurt when large orders were cancelled, they hoped to make it up this year. BUT, the changing economy has put a real pinch on the Christmas tree market and many large orders have been cancelled. Farmers are looking to sell off their entire planting of trees and put the land to another use that will bring in the money that they need. As a result the price of Christmas trees has dropped dramatically; a Nobel Fir which would have cost $45-$60 last year can be bought for $15-$20 this year.

We need to do our part to support the local economy so we decided to buy a tree from a local tree farm this year. In addiditon we decided to locate, cut, and haul our own tree. Our daughter has cut their tree at the same place for the past few years. We went out this past Sunday afternoon to cut ours. The farm is located on a mountain road between Portland and the northern coast. The drive was breathtaking, much of the time in fog as the weather was changing and we had intermittent rain storms.

The farm is operated by the Bateman family. It is a "Century Farm" which is the designation given to Oregon farms that have been owned and operated by the same family for over 100 years.

After getting out of the car and arming ourselves with a saw we set out up the hill to view the possibilities. As you might expect, after several years of harvesting the better trees were located some distance from the road.

The Bateman farm has fir, spruce, blue spruce, Nobel fir, and several other varieties that I don't recognize. I gave Sandra the task of locating the tree we would harvest. Some were short and fat.

Some were skinnier

Some were just right but someone had seen it first and tagged it for harvesting later.
We finally located the "perfect" tree

All that remained was to cut it down

We took turns just to say that "we" cut our own tree this year

Now that its cut, the next task was to carry it down the hill to the truck for the journey back to town. We didn't take any pictures of our muddy boots and pants or our gum smeared hands.

After a night drying out the branches and a good shaking to remove loose needles it was time to bring it inside.

Our niece visited us Christmas 2006 and fell in in love with "living upstairs". She wanted to be sure the tree could be seen from upstairs and gave us instructions about where it should be placed.

We put it there and took a picture to send her and let her know that we had to move it to the living room.

We put it in a more "viewable" spot that didn't block traffic, I hope she feels OK with that

FRESH Crabs - an advantage of living near the Pacific Ocean

2008-12-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

Dungeness crabs are a specialty of the Pacific Northwest. They sell in the local markets for $5 to $7 per pound, BUT an annual shellfish permit only costs $6.50 and you can catch up to 12 every day. The permit is good for shrimp, clams, and crabs. Crab season runs from December 1 to August 15. You can go out into the bays or ocean on a boat or drop your traps from one of the docks jutting out into the bays around the coastal areas. You can even rent traps on a daily basis. The trap comes with a rotting, smelly fish that you use for bait.

Of course you will get crabs of all types and sizes in your trap

However, you may only keep the male crabs over a certain size - so after measuring and "sexing", all the females and smaller crabs go back into the water.

But, there's plenty left to take home.

The crabbing dock has a place where they will steam them for you free-of-charge if you want; or you can ice them down and take them home to cook yourself. We wanted them FRESH so they made the trip to our kitchen in a bucket of ice. Then after a quick scrub in the sink and they were ready for the pot.

We chose to steam these without crab boil seasoning so that we could enjoy the natural sweetness of the first crabs of the season.

Pop off the top shell and dig in.

As soon as January 1 rolls around I'm off to get my license; then look out crabs here I come.

Puffs, Tarts, and other edibles

2008-12-02T08:10:00.001-08:00

When a wife likes to cook and a husband likes to eat - she gets satisfaction and he gets fat. But when both are done in moderation both benefit.

I grew up in the SOUTH; land of butter, lard, turnip greens, cornbread, fried chicken (or anything else), sweet iced tea, and lots of desserts.

My wife grew up overseas in the land of rice, noodles, stir-fry, and things not so sweet or salty.

BUT, she has adjusted well to life in the US including adopting a somewhat modified Paula Deen cooking style. Here are some things she has become "famous" for at our church pot-lucks and family dinners.

In order to "regulate" my intake, rather than make a pumpkin pie or a pecan pie she has chosen to make one-bite sized tarts. She recently invited a couple of her friends over to "practice" before the Thanksgiving holiday.

They made "generic" tart shells

Which could then be filled with pumpkin pie filling

Or pecan pie filling

And baked to perfection

In addition to desserts, her baking extends to the savory like curry puffs

Store-bought puff pastry takes a lot of work out of the process

Filling takes a lot of time

And the waiting .......

But it was worth it

Christmas Trees, Where Do They Come From? revisited 11/22/08

2008-11-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week we were driving to see our daughter who lives "out in the country" about 15 miles west of us. I heard a helicopter as we travelled Highway 26 towards Manning. I slowed down and we saw it in the distance carrying a load from a cable suspended beneath it.

As we got closer we could see that it was ferrying bundles of Christmas trees.

They were being transported from a remote area of a tree farm where the trees were being cut, down to a work station where they were unloaded and put through a machine which enclosed them in a netting.

They were then being bundled for shipment.

We drove up a small country road to get closer and could see the tree farm.

We hoped to get a closer look but it was 3:00 and the workers shut down the operation on the dot. Typically it takes 8-10 years for this type of tree to reach harvesting size. So, if you buy a tree this year, you now have an idea of where it may have come from. In the Saturday Oregonian newspaper they had an article with these pictures describing the Christmas tree being placed in Pioneer Square, a public gathering place in downtown Portland.

That tree is 75 feet tall, weighs 7,500 pounds, and took 34 years to reach that size. Someone rightfully commented that they should plant a tree there and stop cutting one of these giants every year to put there, decorate, and watch it dry up.

pictures from The Oregonian website

We went to town a few days later and saw the tree still "under construction"

They are attaching braces and mounting brackets on additional branches.

These are then bolted onto the trunk to make the tree appear fuller.

As soon as the "construction" is competed they will add the lights and ornaments to the tree. Hope to get some more pictures then.

A Walk in the Neighborhood

2008-11-15T18:19:00.000-08:00

We live in Aloha, Oregon - or maybe it's Beaverton, Oregon. The house address on the deed is Beaverton but the post office is Aloha. Aloha is a "census-designated unincorporated community" in Washington County http://www.alohaoregon.com/ . Beaverton is the closest "city". As you can guess, it got the name from that dam-building animal.

We haven't actually seen any but we have seen their work. We live near a watershed and park with a stream that is continually being dammed up by the critters.

That doesn't affect us but their sourcing of their dam materials does. The road behind our house was nicely landscaped with maple and oak trees about 6" in diameter. One day we went out and about 2/3 of the trees were gone and just pointed stumps left.

When we walked down to the creek area we saw that a large number of similar-sized trees had also been harvested for their dam project.

A few days later, one neighbor noted that a large tree just behind their property had been dropped and another was partially gnawed through.

The county came and cleared it out and cut other trees that might have fallen on their house if dropped by the beavers. I think the beavers were intimidated by the chain saws because they stopped work.

There are many easy to walk trails around our house, most are paved and maintained by the parks department.

Neighbors walk their dogs regularly and are encouraged to "pick-up" after the dogs; they even supply plastic bags for "waste removal".

They are very friendly and whenever they pass they pull in the dog or call it to them so as not to bother anyone. People who live along the walking trails even put out water dishes for "man's best friend".

There are playgrounds along the way for children to use

And picnic areas with tables and grills for public use

The houses lining the walk all have large decks overlooking the wooded area. You usually can see someone sunning themselves or preparing a BBQ supper

There are fruit trees all along the path; apples, pears, and a lot of blackberries

There are public tennis courts also maintained by the parks department

We try to remember to take along some stale bread to feed the ducks that are in residence at a pond along the way. They have gotten so smart that they post lookouts on a nearby fence to watch for anyone approaching

If they see any food being distributed they call the others to come, no need to waste that trip out of the water if there's nothing to eat.

They aren't scared of people and will gather around you as you are feeding them

After you've finished feeding them thay follow along for a while to be sure you don't have anything else for them

Sometimes they are joined by other feathered friends.

One day we even saw a gaggle of geese taking a rest on the local elementary school softball field during their migration

Sometimes the things observed are inanimate, like this "iron cowboy" silhouette leaning against a tree

There's obviously some meaning here that I've yet to discover

We observe all types of flowers and other growing things along the way.

A camellia that can't decide which side of the fence to grow on

Oregon Grapes that you can't eat

and Concord Grapes that you can eat - except they are in a neighbor's yard and they picked them later.

Sometimes the air takes on a yellow tinge as the pine pollen blows through the neighborhood

But later there are pine cones of all sizes and shapes to pick up for decorations and craft work

There are colorful crab apples, that taste surprisingly sweet

And "ordinary" apples, so plentiful that no one stops to pick them up

A single chestnut tree that doesn't get pollinated so the seed pods are beautiful but empty

And hazelnuts that never get a chance to mature before the squirrels eat them

Spiders of all shapes and colors await their prey

And I hope you are awaiting the next chapter in our introduction to our neighborhood.

Cookies to Share With Special Friends

2008-11-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

Julie and Fremon will be coming to Portland to celebrate their third wedding anniversary this weekend. We met them several years ago at our daughter Stephaine's home when they were visiting her. Their combined family includes five children, Julie's three daughters and Fremon's daughter and son. Julie is a massage therapist and Fremon manages a TaeKwonDo dojo; he was formerly a semi-pro wrestler like you see on RAW. They are living in a pole barn on a 40-acre plot near Yelm, Washington while they are building a house. We got to know them a lot better this past March.

We were returning to Oregon from a trip to Taiwan. We arrived in Seattle and Stephanie met us at the airport to drive us home. After stopping for dinner along the way we stopped again near Yelm to fill up with "cheap" Washington gas. When we started to leave the station the car wouldn't start; it's an older Suburban. Stephanie tried several times but to no avail. She realized that we were within a 20 minute drive of Julie's mom's place where Julie and the girls were staying. She called them to see if we could stay there overnight, it was already 10PM. Her mom said OK, come on so Stephanie called road service to tow the car to their place. There wasn't enough room in the tow truck for three of us so Sandra and I rode with the car and Julie came to pick up Stephanie. Julie's mom Jane met us at the door and made us feel like part of the family. They had re-arranged sleeping areas so we had one of the girl's bedroom and Stephanie shared another. After a late night hot meal we went off to bed.

The next morning Stephanie went to the garage to see about having the car fixed. Long story made short, it took three days to get it running. An ordered replacement part didn't work and had to be reordered then another problem was discovered. We spent three nights there and were treated wonderfully. Our concern was the cost of the repair of the car; they had already worked on it over 15 hours. When Stephanie went to get the car, the bill was less than $200. Jane lives near Ft. Lewis and the mechanic noticed the "Disabled Veteran" tag on the car; Stephanie took a medical disability discharge from the Navy after a ship-board accident. He said, "I never charge a disabled vet more than one hour labor and parts". We were most grateful and started our journey home with uplifted hearts.

While we were staying with Julie we found out that her daughters love to eat, especially baked goods. Every time Stephanie is going to visit them we send some cake or cookies along. So, this is a report on the production of a batch of "Monster Cookies" that Sandra made for the girls. The recipe was given me by a friend and former TAS colleague Cabby Tennis. They are called Monster Cookies beause they are about 5" in diameter and one is all you can (should) eat at a time.

These are healthy cookies with only natural ingredients; a lot of fiber and heart-healthy oatmeal. OK, there is some sugar and butter too.
Raisins, walnuts, brown sugar, butter, coconut, corn flakes, rolled oats, spices, flour, chocolate chips - that's about it Remember, MONSTER cookies are BIG
The whole house smells like FAMILY
Who wants to wait for them to cool???
Patience is a virtue, or so I've been told
Now, we've learned that Julie and the whole family have the flu or something with fever and other not-so-nice symptoms and won't be coming this weekend.

Not to let good cookies go to waste we will put them in the freezer and use them for refreshments after church next week - doubt if any of the kids have seen cookies this big before.

God's Fall Paintbrush

2008-11-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Florida I didn't have the opportunity to observe the fall color changes; all our trees stayed green year-round. When I went to college in Nashville, Tennessee I got my first glimpse of the coming change as we drove on Highway 441 through Great Smokey Mountain National Park. As the time passed I always found time to get out of the city and view the changing landscape and marvel at the change that was taking place.

All those years in Taiwan we had a lot of green and no changing seasons . After returning to the states I can again enjoy God's hand at work in the changing seasons. The pictures below were all taken within a short walking distance of our home. As you view them, take a moment and thank God for making this world such a special place.

Remember the old Pepsodent toothpaste ad, "You'll Wonder Where The Yellow Went"? Well one look at our front yard and I got the answer to that question.

God's paintbrush at work:

Enjoy the world God has created for us and marvel daily at the power of his creation.

Corned Beef - the what and how leading to Reubens and hash

2008-11-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up in Miami, Florida we lived in a culturally diverse neighborhood. I went to school with kids from Cuban, Polish, Puerto Rican, Jewish, German, and Japanese families. One of the joys of the neighborhood was the wide variety of foods available in the shops and restaurants. My father was of Scotch-Irish background and my mother would often cook corned beef and cabbage, especially around St. Patrick's Day thinking this was a traditional Irish dish. We later learned that the Irish developed this dish after coming to the United States; because of the cost of meat in Ireland they had used pork. They appropriated the corned beef from their Jewish neighbors in New England. When eating out we could have pastrami sandwiches at the Kosher deli and Reuben sandwiches at the German deli. I knew they tasted similar but I knew the Reuben wasn't Kosher because of the Swiss cheese in it. Little did I know that the pastrami in the Reuben was smoked corned beef.

Many years later my sister's husband Jim would cook corned beef brisket and make Reuben sandwiches at home. Sandra developed a passion for them and every time we visited we knew Reubens would be served sometime during our stay.

After his passing several years ago Sandra decided she wanted to learn how to make Reuben sandwiches. This the story of her quest.

We learned that corned beef has no relationship to corn the vegetable at all. The term refers to the word "corn" used in early Anglo-Saxon times to refer to the size of something similar to a grain of corn. In this case the "corn" refers to the coarse salt used for curing the beef used to make "corned" beef. Alton Brown has a good recipe for preparing corned beef on the Food Network site http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/corned-beef-recipe/index.html

Sandra chose to start with a brisket that had already been brined and seasoned rather than "corning" our own. She put it in the slow cooker along with bay leaves, mustard seed, and the seasoning and liquid from the package. After about four hours we had a fully cooked corned beef brisket.

We couldn't wait for it to cool and sliced some to make Reuben sandwiches. Rye bread, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing, and corned beef all grilling in a buttered pan.

Add some pickles and you've got a sandwich to die for.

If there is some left over corned beef you can make hash. We decided to make some first just in case there wasn't any left over. After cutting the meat into small chunks it was gently browned in a skillet then removed from the pan.

Then onions and cubed potatoes were added to the pan and cooked until done.

The corned beef was returned to the pan and the mixture cooked until it was slightly browned and crispy.

Add a fried egg and you've got a filling breakfast for a cold November morning.

We enjoyed the corned beef hash so much that Sandra is going to make it next Sunday morning to serve at our monthly Methodist Men's breakfast.

Blackberries EVERYWHERE

2008-10-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

When we first arrived in Oregon looking for a house we were surprised to find so many blackberry thickets "in town", in fact they were lining the sidewalks and fences just about everywhere one looked. Our daughter who lives "in the country" had thickets that lined the edge of her property and stood over six feet tall. The house we selected had a "small" thicket on the outside of the back fence and along the sidewalks at the end of the street. When spring arrived we soon learned how quickly they grew and how far the vines would reach. When we would go for an afternoon walk we had to keep ducking to get out of the way or carefully brush them aside. Soon the thorns became so large that "brushing" was no longer an option. In fact, I had to get the clippers and cut the invading vines out of our maple trees on the other side of the fence, some of the vines reaching about 10 feet up into the tree.

We learned that some people around here go to U-Pick vineyards and "buy" blackberries to put on their ice cream, use to make jam and jelly, or for baking cobblers or pies. Why "buy" them when they are so plentiful? Well, we went to a U-Pick to find out. The vines are neatly arranged on trellises so you can pick at a convenient height and there are several varieties bearing rather large berries. You can reach all the berries you see to pick. Convenient? Yes. But still "Why pay for something that's growing everywhere?"

Wild growth

U-Pick convenience

So, we decided to walk the sidewalks and fence rows around our house and pick what we found. They were a bit smaller than the U-Pick varieties but we think they have a more distinctive flavor. They are also a bit more difficult to pick; long sleeves are a must and even then I always ended up with scratches on my hands and coming back to pick small thorns out of my fingers. Sandra made jam with the first batch we picked and we had enough to share with neighbors and friends. We carried some back on a trip to Taiwan and it was so well received that we have even carried it back after the increased luggage charges on flights.

Chinese are always drinking tea, and now flavored teas or fruit teas are very popular. We decided to try making blackberry tea. Simply adding about a cup of ripe blackberries to a large pot of brewing tea transforms it into a unique beverage; tasty and thirst quenching.

Ready for brewing

We were having a Mexican Dinner at church and a couple of the Mexican members were preparing the main dishes; other members were preparing the sides. When it came around to us to say what were bringing all that was left was the beverage. So, we decided to bring blackberry tea. Hot, cold, sweetened, and natural - Everybody was surprised and thought we had bought some exotic flavored tea to prepare. They couldn't believe that it came from our backyard. Now everybody's doing it!

Next time you see blackberries growing along the side of the road, sidewalk, or fence stop a few minutes and pick a handful. Take them home, brew them with a teabag, and enjoy one of Life's Pleasures God has made so freely available to us.

What to do with "free" pears

2008-10-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

Last year we met a new family that has a large pear tree in the back yard. They enjoyed looking at the tree blooming and all the fruit on the tree but when the pears begin to ripen and fall they lost interest fast. So, we were invited to strip the tree for them. Sandra worked with our daughter Stephanie and they made 85 pints of pear salsa, incorporating peppers and onions in a vinegar base. This year the tree didn't produce much fruit so we didn't have much hope for pears.

BUT, we met another new friend who has a wine grape vineyard that we were invited to glean (another story) and they also have two pear trees that were dropping pears on the ground and being fed to the hogs. What a waste.

SO, we loaded up bags of pears and brought them home.

After eating all we could fresh, giving some to neighbors, and distributing them to friends at church, we decided to try something we had seen in a food magazine, red wine poached pears.

We took a recipe from one of Sandra's cookbooks and modified it some to suit our taste.

4 pears - peeled, halved, and core removed

2-1/2 C red wine (we used Burgandy)

1 stick cinnamon

7 cloves

1/4 C sugar

Place in saucepan, liquid must cover the pears. Simmer 7-8 minutes, remove from heat and cool in the liquid. You can eat warm or cold as you choose. Also good with some cream cheese and chopped nuts in the center.

Especially good in cold weather - serve warm along with some of the simmering liquid. Afterwards not only is your tummy satisfied but your body feels warm down to your toes.

A Story for Jasmine

2008-10-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

Jasmine, I remember when you were just about 1-1/2 years old you liked to tell us stories. My favorite story was the one you told about Snow White. When you got to the point about her eating the poison apple you would grab your throat and make choking noises. It made me laugh every time you did it. So I have decided to tell you some stories. You can use them to practice your English and maybe you can tell them to your friends at school.

Many years ago in Ireland a group of people called Celts were living on farms. At harvest time in the fall they collected the crops from the fields and killed the animals they had raised to prepare the meat for storage so they could use it during the winter. They thought that at this time the evil spirits of the dead could come back to earth and cause them trouble. To prevent this happening they made huge fires at night and threw all the bones of the animals they had killed into the fire. They also put on scary masks and danced around the fires to frighten away the evil spirits. Today we buy our meat at the market but a lot of kids take advantage of this old custom and dress up in scary masks to trick their friends and neighbors into giving them candy.

Also at this time in Europe the people thought that a person's intelligence was located in their head. So, to scare off evil spirits they used the head of a vegetable to make a lantern to scare away the evil spirits. They usually took a large turnip, carved a hole in it, and placed a candle in to to use as a light. There was an old farmer named Jack; he liked to drink a lot and gamble. One day he tricked the devil into climbing up a tree. He carved a cross on the trunk of the tree to scare the devil and keep him up in the tree. The devil put a curse on Jack and made him wander the earth at night carrying a lantern made from a turnip with a candle inside it.

In America people found out that pumpkins are larger, more available, and easier to carve - so they use pumpkins instead of turnips. The lights are called Jack's Lantern or Jack-O-Lanterns.

These are pictures of neighbor's yards that they have decorated to scare the kids who come to Trick-or-Treat and ask them for candy.

These are some Jack-o-Lanterns.

These are pumpkins by our front door

This is the candy we will give kids coming to "Trick-or-Treat"

Chestnut Harvesting

2008-10-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

Last fall we bought some chestnuts at an Asian grocery store, they were delicious but they cost $4.99 a pound. In November we found a U-Pick place not too far away to get chestnuts. But, when we decided to go again this year, we forgot where it was - duh! After some searching we found one place but weren't sure it was the same one. We made a trip out there today to check it out and sure enough it was the same place. We have written the contact information down so we don't forget it again. Since we were already there we decided to pick a little bit to be sure they were as good as we remembered them; we wound up bringing 37 pounds home. Next Saturday we plan to return and lead a "field trip". We may have to pick some more for the cupboard! Sandra is roasting some as we write this and the smell is inviting so will stop now.

The trees were loaded with pods just bursting with ripe nuts. Some had fallen to the ground and were ready to pick up.

Heavy leather gloves are a necessity as the pods are covered with sharp spines that will go through even regular gloves.

You can use your hands to open the pods and remove the nuts or you can use your feet to step on the pods and squeeze them open so the nuts can be easily removed.

Most pods have two to three nuts along with a few unformed ones. Some have a larger number and some have a single large nut.

Harvested Chestnuts

2008-10-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

Picked up off the ground or plucked from a pod, you will wind up with a high quality harvest ready to process.

One hour's picking yielded a five-gallon bucket about 3/4 full; that's about 20 pounds.

Two people picking for about an hour yielded a harvest of 37 pounds.

Store-bought size (R)
U-Pick size (L)

The cream of the crop - Korean chestnuts. Five different varieties are available for harvesting at the one location