Can't you see how happy we would be?

 brand new

 first birthday

Two years old!

Believe it or not, Silas turned two years old yesterday. How it's possibly been that long, I couldn't honestly say. We are so lucky to be the parents to such a spirited, smart, sweet little person. It's been great fun to really see his personality emerge this year and we can't wait to see all of the changes that next year will bring! Happy birthday, Silas!

If he stays away, old rocking chair is gonna get me

After a couple weeks of (uncharacteristicly) cool, rainy weather, we're having thunderstorms and highs around 100 today, continuing through the rest of the week's forecast. I suspect that we'll be spending a lot of time in the wading pool and eating popsicles. Let's see, what's been going since I last wrote? I made my first attempt at soap, using the recipe/technique I posted earlier and it seems to have gone quite well. I'll write more about it after the soap has cured and we get to try it out. No more jam yet (although it will be time for blueberries soon!), but lots of great stuff from the garden, including beets, carrots, turnips, kohlrabi, napa cabbage, and the last of the peas. Tres and I accidentally broke one of the honeycombs while checking on the hive last weekend and, while we weren't very happy about it in the moment, getting to taste the honey has been a delicious treat. About 3/4 of a comb (which the bees will be able to rebuild and refill) yielded over a pint of honey!

HAPPY WEEKEND!

The nest is empty now, but here are
the two little guys we had in there

Something delicious: We made this for my mom in the San Juans and it was quite tasty. It was surprisingly easy (despite not having the appropriate pan - a springform worked in a pinch, but I suspect that a pie pan would be better), yet it looks quite impressive.

Something neat: When I was 5 or 6, the neighbors made their own slip and slide and we went down over and over (often landing on the sidewalk - the logistics left a bit to be desired). Silas is a little young for this, I suspect (although maybe he'd just like laying/walking around on it), but it looks pretty fun.

Something to read: I finished this last week and it's definitely worth a read. The science behind processed food is depressing, but ultimately not that surprising (spoiler: they want to maximize the amount that you'll eat, so that you'll buy more). Even more interesting to me was the advertising and psychology behind how they get us to buy stuff. I'm sure most of us feel that we're pretty savvy and aware when we're shopping, but I think we'd be surprised by how easily we're manipulated by words like "natural" and "healthy," or where an item is located in the store. He brings every point back to the health implications of a diet based on processed foods, which is certainly the case for the majority of Americans, and it's pretty bleak. Even with books like this, it's hard to imagine people standing a chance against food juggernauts, with the finest scientific and psychological prowess that money can buy. Although he doesn't quite come out and say it, unless the food companies are willing to take some responsibility for the growing health concerns associated with their products, it seems unlikely that things will get much better.

Something to make: I really like her book and am excited to try some of the recipes that she shared here. I'm thinking that the blackberry honey yogurt pops might happen this weekend.

That's a good hat you got there, Opa

Little to win, but nothing to lose

Ok, I'll admit it, I have a problem: I really like making jam. In the two weeks since fresh fruit has started to become available, I've made 29 (half pint) jars of it. To be fair, a big part of this is my ongoing quest to find a strawberry jam that I really like. Strawberries are my favorite berry. As a kid, strawberry jam was always my favorite, but now I find it too sweet for my adult tastes. After a couple years of strawberry balsamic, I've decided to branch out and try some other options. So, this year we have three new varieties to try. First up, as I mentioned previously, was this. I followed the recipe pretty exactly, estimating with the mint leaves (and erring on the high side, as I saw recommended in another review I read), since those on our plant were pretty small and using regular granulated sugar. It's easily the prettiest of the three, bright red with beautiful whole berries suspended on the top. The jury's still out on the taste. I think I went a little heavy on the mint, but we haven't opened any of the jars that were processed yet. It looks as though it will be pretty runny too, should have done a test rather than relying on the somewhat vague instructions.

Next up was this guy. I was really excited about this one, getting some additional tartness from the rhubarb and making something I didn't have to carefully watch over and stir on the stove. I doubled the recipe and cooked it on high in the crockpot, with the top slightly ajar, for about 18 hours. I really like the flavor of the leftovers that I tried, but the texture is a little gummy. For one, I forgot to mash the strawberries and for two, I think the cook time was a little too long. I'll definitely give it a try again next year, with those two changes in mind.

Last was this one (the amounts have been adapted a bit here, look in the book for her original measurements). I've loved all of the recipes that I've tried from her book, and this is no exception. It may be the sweetest of the three, but the Drambuie gives it such a complex and interesting flavor, that it may be the winner. A winter's eating (and sharing with friends and family) should help with our decision making.

At any rate, that's why we  now have 20 jars of strawberry jam, as well as 9 of apricot (which is possibly the best jam that I've made yet - it's the Royal Blenheim recipe, made with whatever variety I happened upon at the fruit stand, from The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook and definitely a winner). Jam season has only barely started - we still have blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, and pears to consider. Three people eating toast for breakfast every morning (which is typical for us) only consume about one jar a week, so it looks like we'll  need to be gifting some jams and preserves this year. Nothing wrong with that.

Did I mention how awesome this is? Seriously good stuff.

I've got Friday on my mind

The days are really flying by around here lately. Silas was off of his nap schedule (as in, not really napping) for a week there, so I haven't had much time to blog, but rest assured all is well and busy around here. I've got lots of ideas for new posts, so hopefully I'll be able to get back to writing here more regularly. In the meantime, have a

HAPPY WEEKEND!

We've been doing a lot of this lately

(usually in a swimsuit, though)

Something delicious: Find yourself some fresh shell peas, cook them for a couple of minutes in melted butter (just until they're warmed through), add a pinch of salt, and ask yourself if you've ever eaten anything better (spoiler: you haven't).

Something to read: I've had this from the library for a few weeks and it's definitely worth checking out. Everything in it looks delicious, the dishes we tried were great (despite my not having several of the ingredients), and it's full of beautiful photos and interesting stories. 

Something neat:This is pretty much the most idyllic sounding celebration I can imagine (and the costumes - so cute!).

Something to make: These have been in the back of my mind for months now. With tile floors, it's nice to have some cushy areas for relaxing. Silas loves his beanbag chair, so I suspect that these would be popular too.

A rare group shot, in the San Juans

He likes to see all the islands, so island-hopping he goes

HAPPY WEEKEND!

We're excitedly gearing up here for a weeklong trip to the San Juan Islands, to celebrate my parents' (40th) anniversary. We're looking forward to exploring a new place and spending some time around trees!

While letting the chickens out yesterday, I noticed that a Meadowlark

had built a nest under the eave of the chicken coop - it appears to

be made of polyester stuffing and feathers and holds 3 beautiful little eggs

Something delicious: I got super excited about these when I read the article at my parents' house a couple of weeks ago. I don't know about pretzel dogs or hot pockets, but a good soft pretzel is a beautiful thing. I'll bet Silas would like them too.

Something neat: This is a story about how one of my dearest college friends, and incidentally one of the most brilliant women I know, runs a creative, inspirational, and (deservedly) very popular business. She has worked amazingly hard to create something truly special and beloved, and I admire her immensely.

Something to read: This is a totally fascinating article about studies into how microbes and their colonies in our bodies benefit our daily lives, specifically those in our gut (sidenote: I love that gut is the scientific term for our digestive system). He especially focuses on this currently running study, sampling gut microbiota around the country, with the hopes of eventually drawing correlations between these colonies and our overall health. Such, such interesting ideas and so much we don't yet know.

Something to make: We got our first strawberries this week (yippee!) and I've got a batch of this underway in the fridge. I have at least three other strawberry jams I'd like to try this year - hooray for the onset of jam season!

Chocolate will cure most of what ails ya

And I just ate some kind of mushroom

Well, I can't quite seem to get myself back on schedule here, maybe next week. Until then, hope you all had a 

HAPPY WEEKEND!

We picked these yesterday  - it was our first time finding

morels since we moved out here and totally awesome

Something delicious: Tres and I have had this twice in the last week - it is seriously excellent (as is pretty much everything we've tried from that cookbook, it's a goody). We did make a few adaptations, cooking the popcorn in all of the fat from the bacon (decidedly more than the 1 T. she recommends) seemed to eliminate the risk of burning, we added a little chili powder (cayenne could also be nice) and nutritional yeast, and we left out the extra butter and salt, since we had plenty of salty fat already. Vegetarians, or those not feeling bacon-y, this is a delicious alternative.

Something neat: I'm not sure I could tell "artisanal" honey from what you buy at the store, but I thought that this story was quite interesting and inspiring. Can't find what you want? Make it yourself (don't worry, I don't have any commercial honey production plans)!

Something to read: This book, along with some internet research of course, is the main resource we've been using for our bees. It's not quite as detailed as I'd like (as in, I'd prefer a step by step guide for dumb dumbs), but an excellent guide and introduction to the basics of beekeeping. His advice is to observe and learn from a skilled beekeeper, which is no doubt wise. Ahem.

Something to make: I took a one day bookmaking class in college and really loved it, but haven't done much with it since. This series on bookbinding has re-piqued my interest. Upon rereading the linked entry, it turns out that she went to Sarah Lawrence. What a small world.

Now, where are those mushrooms?

Daddy sang bass, Mama sang tenor

Well, some weeks offer more blog inspiration than others. That said, Silas and I have both been very happy to have Tres back and we've all been enjoying spending some time together (in addition to getting back into a more regular routine and getting some things done around here). Hope the weekend is treating you well!

I didn't get a lot of photos this week either, but here's

a sweet one of him reading with his Opa last weekend