jstv – Page 39

August 14, 2022August 13, 2022

Take a Seat

A mourning dove flutters from tree to tree

“Hurry-up” is programmed into our lives … but what’s the rush? At this point, we’re in a reset, rather than retirement.

No longer in a rush, it’s possible to see details once missed, overlooked, even forgotten … details that make a difference.

The flow of a stream stirs the surroundings. Walk up to the river and you’ll find an abundance of green growth at the base of a hill or canyon. Beautiful sights, but just a facade.

Take a seat on the edge of that river and a whole world will emerge. The river isn’t just motion, it’s a life force. Just a few quiet moments will reveal the extent of life being supported by this high desert waterway.

The fisherman will run a hand over tall grasses at river’s edge, or turn a submerged stone to coax insects out of hiding. Before stepping into the current, a scan will reveal where fish are holding and feeding. A few steps off the bank, and you’re engulfed in water sounds.

Camera in hand, a chair tucked behind a row of tall thistle, you’re in a perfect blind to watch as blossoms come alive with butterflies. The foliage also obscures you from the birds hopping about in the juniper branches or feeding from the water’s edge.

A Canada Goose acts as sentinel over this year’s goslings.

There are waterfowl as well, and today a flock of Canada Geese are spending their day foraging underwater plants.

An osprey plucks a fish from the water and alights at the top of a snag to enjoy her lunch.

When we first pull up to the river there is a burst of activity. Cooler and camp chairs are set out and fly rods strung.

However, the bulk of our time is spent quietly watching as the river unveils a wealth of life. You just need to take a seat and observe.

August 7, 2022August 6, 2022

In Season

Early morning sunlight shines through jars of jelly

Pandemic, supply chain issues, inflation; the last couple of years have been quite a ride. A lesson to take from this turmoil is that we need to stop depending on goods and materials shipped from great distances.

Eating regionally and locally-sourced food puts better quality ingredients on your table. The downside is the seasonal nature of growing food.

In America, we have become accustomed to having year-around access to a wide range of produce. These gas chamber ripened crops lack taste but fill grocery shelves. Until you’ve had a tree ripened stone fruit you might not know what a peach or nectarine should taste like.

There are seasons when produce is available and at its peak. We need to regain an appreciation for these swaths of time. For example, right now summer berry season is coming to a close and a plethora of stone fruits are coming off the trees.

Loganberries, a hybrid of the blackberry and the European raspberry.

You can hold onto a flat of raspberries for maybe a couple of weeks, if you’re careful. A peach or plum will be at its most flavorful for less time, though you can use the fridge to extend that juicy goodness. Its easy to find recipes to preserve any of your favorites.

While there is a narrow window on fresh with any fruit, you can preserve seasonal delicacies. Ironically, at the hottest time of the year our kitchen often has a boiling pot of water and fruit pulp fighting the AC unit.

For the last couple of weeks we’ve been putting up pints of fruit preserves. In our house that consists mostly of jam because it retains the whole fruit, but also that’s the simplest process.

A classic … mason jar logo with loganberry backdrop.

At the same time we are gobbling up bowls of fresh fruits, we are water bath processing pints of that goodness to enjoy through the winter months. The biscuit recipe below is the perfect foundation for your kitchen preserves.

Print Recipe

Freezer biscuits

A cream biscuit recipe to stock your freezer with ... quick cook biscuits

Servings: 24 biscuits

Ingredients

6 cups AP flour
2 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Baking powder
1 ½ tsp Salt
4 1/2 cups Heavy cream

Instructions

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt toether.
Stir in cream with wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball. Knead dough until smooth, about 60 seconds, adding extra flour if dough is too sticky.
Roll to ¾ inch thickness and cut 2 ½ inch round biscuits. Lay out on parchment papered baking sheet with about ½ inch spacing.

To Store

Freeze for about 6 hours, then store in zip lock bags for up to a month or more.

to serve

Adjust an oven rack to the upper middle position and heat oven to 450°. Lay desired number of biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

July 31, 2022August 6, 2022

Dog Days

Once past the summer equinox, days are getting shorter and in Central Oregon, progressively hotter. During these dog days, our schedule shifts toward sunrise and early morning departures. While it may be hitting triple digits by noon, the day usually starts off cool.

At this point in the summer, cool is a relative term. High desert spring mornings often include frost and the need to don a hoody.

However, by July we are withering under 105ºF afternoon heat. So it’s nice to start the day at a brisk 60º. This week we took advantage of a pleasant morning along the river.

You can shave a few degrees off the thermometer in the shaded riparian. There are a few choice spots on the river offering decent fishing and sufficient shade trees.

Wildlife activity seems to shift to morning hours as well. We’re still treated to birds and water fowl along the river. Stepping out from under the shade to cast a line, the breeze across the river and the water itself stave off the worst of the summer sun.

By the time the afternoon sun has penetrated under the juniper boughs, we are back in AC with iced drinks and eBooks. It looks like there might be a cooling trend this coming week, with daytime mercury only raising into the 80’s. We’ll continue to plan around early mornings for a few more weeks.

July 24, 2022August 6, 2022

Pick a spot, any spot

Columbia Gorge, from an overlook near Mosier, Oregon

This week’s travels were more of a route than destination. Typically, we pick a location, then plan a route. Occasionally, we pick a direction and stop whenever and wherever we feel like it. This was one of those trips.

We begin our trek heading north. We have a vague idea of “cherries are in season now” and realize … “it’s been awhile since we saw the Columbia River Gorge.”

As mentioned in previous posts (see “Fossils, Rocks and Turkeys”), there are rules we apply to every road trip. In this case, “don’t repeat route wherever possible.”

With cherries in mind, we head to Hood River’s Fruit Loop. We wind our way past orchards, then stop at Pearl’s Place Fruit Stand, one of our favorites. The owners are nice, the fruit, in this case cherries and fresh peaches, are delicious.

We notice traffic is really picking up on the Loop. We shift to a new route away from the tourists and toward the little town of Mosier in the gorge.

A few years ago, we picked end-of-season apricots from trees on Annie’s Orchard, which is located here. After all, cherries are in season and we are in prime orchard country.

We are ahead of the hottest part of the day as we exit I-84 into Mosier.

A fruit stand, manned by community volunteers and stocked from nearby Roots Farm, has several varieties to choose from.

We pick up a few pounds of Rainers, setting aside a small bag for front-seat snacking. And we are back on our way.

Instead of the freeway, we go east on Second Street, out of town, which is a stretch of the old Columbia River Highway, US-30.

This section is still in service, featuring lots of driveways, wineries, orchards, and scenic overlooks. We follow the narrow, twisty road, watching out for groups of bikers, and enjoy stellar views of the gorge.

Then, we are back on the freeway. This time we turn south towards home, taking an alternate route through landscape that morphs from grain fields into ranch country. Visible from the car are rolling hills with an abundance of sage. After a full day on the road, it is good to be home.

July 17, 2022July 16, 2022

A Day on the River

Summer in Central Oregon starts out full of sunny, warm days that transition to the dog days with sweltering afternoons. There is a shift in how long it takes for the morning chill to burn off.

By August we’ll seek AC spaces for midday retreats. This week we took advantage of one of those slowly warming summer days to sit along the river.

The Crooked River canyon has started to shift to the brown tones of summer. Along river’s edge there are still green grasses and a few remaining blossoms.

While the migratory birds have moved on, the juniper trees and willow bushes are still alive with activity. We even manage to catch glimpses of Osprey stalking the river and raptors hunting the canyon edges.

The day is balmy and we don’t even need to move camp chairs into patches of shade until the late afternoon sun really starts to beat down. Fishing is pretty good and our iPads are full of reading material. We fill cups from a thermos of ice tea and munch on crackers spread with Mettwurst (German spreadable smoked pork sausage) and cream cheese.

Dappled light casts shadows through juniper boughs

By late afternoon the wind picks up so we pack the car and head home. There will be lots more trips to the Crooked. In the weeks to come, we’ll be more dependent on shade trees and actually look forward to afternoon winds coming off the river.