Whispering Winds Farm

Sixty seven people signed up for the first annual farm-to-fork dinner tomorrow at Whispering Winds Farm in Stanwood. It's sold out, thanks in part to Cascade Harvest Coalition, Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland and Sarah Jackson at the Everett Herald who helped get the word out.

I wrote about farmers Char and Doug Byde and Whispering Winds in this post and mentioned the fam dinner in this one. And the heritage barn is featured in my book and since I'm going to the dinner, I stopped by the farm yesterday to take a few pictures to share since this is planned as an annual event. How cool is that?

In the barn, when I noticed a few feathers floating down from the rafters. Char said a barn owl lives there. Every barn should have an owl.

I'm crazy about this barn's rustic character on this lush green landscape. I love vintage things, but I often don't think about what it takes to maintain them. It's a work in progress, Char told me.

I also noticed this old truck in front of the farm, and Char said it was their lawn ornament. I know this is a flood plain but is that a boat on the back of that truck?

Char is the main farmer at Whispering Winds Farm. Doug also has a full time job in Marysville. Char cultivates the crops, delivers the CSAs and still finds the time to blog. Char said she learned everything she knows about farming on the job as an adult. She didn't grow up on a farm, but helped out on a neighbor's farm and one thing she noticed is the kids who lived there weren't hungry and their food was pretty tasty. Char has grown vegetables and flowers all her adult life.

This farm is Char's dream job and her favorite part of farming? Meeting all the people who eat her produce and love what she and Doug are cultivating on this farm.

These beehives belong to a neighbor who brings the bees in to pollinate blossoms and collects honey. I wonder if bees know their hive by color, location or a combination of senses?

Even though the sun wasn't out (so typical Northwest), the flowers brightened the fields. Maybe that's why we love flowers so much here.

One of the tricks in farming is knowing exactly when the vegetables and fruits ripen, and with the variable weather each year, it's a gamble. Everything is late this year--about three weeks late. Even these onions that looked small but good to me, Char said were a few weeks out. The tops need to die back first.

Spring onions are green onions, picked before their time, but they're sweet and delicate like new potatoes.

The potatoes are also about three weeks away, says Char. Mother Nature doesn't like to be hurried.

Though the Northwest is a great growing region one of the challenges is the continual dampness and rain. Stone fruits like apricots and peaches are hard to grow on this damp side of the Cascades.

But cole crops like kale, mustard greens, collards, Brussels sprouts and broccoli love the cool climate and generally thrive here.

Until we have a few hot days, that is. With just a few hot sunny days these cool weather loving crops can suddenly shoot up and bolt (flower). Bolting turns leaves bitter, but some of the flowers are quite tasty. After a few hot sunny days, sample some lettuce leaves at the market before buying it because the flavor may be more bitter than you'd like. That's why California doesn't have lettuce as sweet as some of the lettuce varieties we grow here. So before you start to whine about the cool weather, think about the cole crops.

Another vegetable that grows well here are peas. One friend told me peas are so easy to grow, she could just toss seeds outside and they'll grow. I think she exaggerated, it's not that easy for me, but it is a crop I often hedge my bets on when I draw up my garden plans.

Every pea at Whispering Winds Farm is hand harvested by Char. Love English peas as you can guess with my last recipe.

I took a lot of pictures and I dropped off a couple of baskets for door prizes. My wrapping skills are not Martha Stewart inspired, but check out the Rockridge Orchards wine, Tahuya River Apiaries honey, and of course my cookbook in this basket. It's what's inside the wrapping that really counts. It's fun to give things away.

I'll be selling both of my books at the event.

My friend Kathy Gehrt is taking time out of her busy lavender festival schedule to go to the dinner, too. Devra Gartenstein of Patty Pan Grill is cooking the meal, and I'll be helping serve it.

I'll have more photos and a recipe for you in a few days. If we're lucky we'll see an eagle or two.

If you were lucky enough to get tickets to this event, I hope to see you there. In case you missed out, Char plans to host this dinner in August next year.

Chloe was waiting for me at home. She isn't as obvious as Finn with her disappointment over what I didn't bring home.

Finn doesn't conceal his disappointment when he realizes I didn't score any carrots for him.

Farm-to-Fork Dinner at Whispering Winds Farm

I'm really excited about this farm-to-fork event at Whispering Winds Farm in Skagit Valley on July 16th.

After 30 years of organic gardening, Char and Doug Byde started Whispering Winds Farm in 2004 with a goal to offer reasonably priced organic produce to the community. In 2005 they started a seasonal CSA. Check out the organic vegetables pictured on the flyer. Those vibrant specimens all came from the farm.

This farm-to-fork dinner is an old-fashioned casual get-to-know-your-farm-neighbors event, with music, door prizes and delicious food fresh from the fields. Tickets are available for $45.00 each.

I know July might sound too far away right now; but once the weather warms up here in the Northwest, July is just around the corner.

I met with farmer Char Byde last week and she gave me the low down on all the important details for this event, some of which are still getting organized like who will supply the hard cider or wine. I was hoping Rockridge Orchards could supply the hard cider but due to a soggy spring, Rockridge Orchards could run out of hard cider before summer's end. (A story for another time, I think.)

I digress. The feast that will be served in stages at 4, 5 and 6pm. Here's the menu so far:

Halibut patties (grilled, I think)

Carrots with Fennel and Hazelnuts

Romanesco with Northwest Berry Vinegar

Strawberry shortcake

Hard cider, wine or lemonade (still in the planning stages)

The vegetable recipes are adapted from my book, which will be sold there. Devra Gartenstein author of 2 amazing vegetarian cookbooks, host of the monthy Humble Feast dinners, cooking instructor at PCC Natural Markets, chef at the Patty Pan Grill (at the Ballard Market) and blogger at Quirky Gourmet-- a solid resume for a farm chef.

Who doesn't love the Patty Pan Grill--the best tamales, veggie quesadillas and salsa at the market?

I put a few flyers for the event on the table at the University District market and as I set them down, I realized this was the perfect place for it because people who shop the markets look for these kinds of events. I think they need to be smaller and I can probably put them at all the markets.

I set Whispering Winds farm event announcement next to a tiny flyer for Nash Huber's barn dance this coming weekend. (See it in yellow under the lady bug?) That's another fun event to check out for this coming weekend. My advice for the barn dance is get there early because it will be packed.

Speaking of barns, this is where the farm dinner will be held. Our mutual friends, Sheila and Brad Zahnow took pictures of Char and Doug's farm and when they submitted photos to my book editors, they picked the barn. I wrote a sidebar called "Blogging Farmers," about Char and Doug's farm and last summer I got to see the farm in person. That's when Char mentioned throwing this dinner party for the community. It was just a pipe dream then.

It's interesting the way you meet some people and it's like you've known them forever. That's how how I feel about Char-- her sense of humor, sense of ethics and honesty and empathy for all the animals she takes in and cares for.

"How many dogs do you have Char?" I'd asked her recently.

"Three," she'd said. Then she told me about her chickens, the newest additon to her farm brood.

Check this post about the rescue chickens that Brad and Sheila gave her.

Whispering Winds Farm is a quirky organic vegetable farm, among all the dairy farms in Skagit Valley, and Char does most of the farming and packing up the CSA boxes. Doug has a full time job in Marysville and he does a lot of work evenings and weekends.

Speaking of the weekend, I can't think of a better way to spend a summer weekend than to attend this farm-to-fork dinner. I hope lots of people come out to Skagit Valley to meet the proud owners and farmers at this fairly new organic vegetable farm.

Tickets for the dinner are available through Char, so call or email her. She decided not to go with a middleman like brown paper tickets because they take a share of the ticket and boost the price.

Did I mention you can do self-guided farm tours at this event? Meet alpacas, rabbits, cats and dogs. Oh and I'll be there and I'm also putting together some cool gift baskets for door prizes. I've got a cookbook basket, a local authors' basket and I'm thinking about creating a local wine and chocolate basket and Char is gathering giveaways as prizes, too.

We'll do our best to insure the sun is out, but rain or shine, this is one event to put on your calendars. Hope to see you there!

Port Townsend Library; The Commander's Beach House; and Nash Huber's Farm Store

For anyone who missed this great dessert auction at the Port Townsend Library, mark your calendars for next year. This annual auction is a great fund raiser for the library and you can check their Web site for more details about future events and fundraisers.

Tables were laden with cookies, cakes and even more amazing pies than my grandmother made. One of the best things about this event was every dessert could be frozen then thawed for Thanksgiving. Low bids started at $25.00, every dessert looked perfect, and every one sold, even this old-fashioned cherry pie that caught my eye. I envy the person who won that delicious bid.
Though it was the usual grey Northwest day with rain on and off, the library event was so festive, I didn't even think about the soggy weather outside. And as soon as I set up my table, I couldn't help perusing the old and new Nancy Drew titles just a few feet away. Just seeing these books made me recall all the different libraries from the many towns I lived in as a child.

After the event I stayed the night at the Commander's Beach House. I have to admit that since we usually travel with dogs, this was my first stay at a B & B and I totally loved it. I won't tell my Cooking Assistant but I didn't miss the dog hair one bit.

When I returned from the dessert auction, I flopped down on a sofa in front of the fireplace and a couple from Fairbanks immediately introduced themselves. I filled my glass with wine and after talking for awhile, Jan mentioned that they were lucky to get a weekly CSA from Full Circle Farm in Carnation. "The fresh food in Alaska really isn't very good," she'd said. "We look forward to our weekly vegetable boxes from the farm." Full Circle Farm is the only farm in Washington that offers this unique CSA for Alaska residents.

I got the lighthouse suite and when Jim showed me my room he said, "Sleep with the window open and listen to the ocean." So that's exactly what I did and the gentle ocean sounds and cool breeze made the night seem magical.

In the morning I gave Jim and Gail a copy of my book, so if you stay there, you can read about local farms and get inspired by our Northwest produce.
The coffee was hot and strong, just the way I like it, and Gail made a gourmet breakfast composed of pear slices with walnuts (not pictured), a tiny souffle, a winter squash round topped with cheese and an old-fashioned oat muffin. As soon as I bit into the muffin, I started talking about Nash's flour--one of my favorite baking ingredients these days and I feel compelled to share this secret with everyone.

I discovered a few bags of dog biscuits for sale on a table before I left--just the thing for my Cooking Assistant stuck at home. As soon as I walked out the door I was dreaming about when I could return to this little piece of paradise. I'm marking my calendar for this event next year for sure.

I made a detour to Nash's Farm Store on the way home and was so excited when I discovered the "bargain" section. Peppers were only 20 cents each, lettuce was $1.25 and celery was $1.50. Sure the celery wasn't quite as crisp as #1 stalks, but I'm not always so picky about texture, especially if it's going into soup, plus I got an entire bag of produce for only $12.00. Who said local isn't affordable?

Even my Cooking Assistant was impressed with my local food finds from Nash's Organic Produce. He keeping his eye on Nash's sweet carrots--in fact he chose the carrot over the beef-flavored dog biscuit I bought when I gave him a choice.

Empanadas, San Francisco, and the Scoop on Rancho Gordo Beans

I love it when I go away from home and find exactly what I need without even looking. That's what happened last weekend when I met my daughter Jennifer who lives in Phoenix and my neice Roxanne who lives in San Francisco. We met in San Francisco for a girl's weekend getaway. Mostly I wanted to disconnect for a few days, relax, and discover something new, and I really wanted to catch up with both of them.

Jennifer and I visited a pet store to get treats for dogs we both left behind. It was this cute little place on Castro street where I bought a small bag of gourmet dog biscuits and a stunning schoolboy outfit for my assistant.

Empanadas

Not far from the store we met Roxanne and we stopped for lunch at this charming little place called Urban Bread. As soon as I spotted the veggie empanadas, I knew I had to have one. I've been trying to create empanadas for a veganized Argentina recipe article for Vegetarian Journal and I hadn't been having great success with the dough. I know veggie anything from Argentina sounds odd, but trust me, there are food options beyond the ubiquitious asado in Argentina.

The empanada was perfect. The outside of the pastry had a shine to it and tasted like an egg white had been lightly painted over it, and the flaky crust crunched ever so slightly in my mouth tasting very rich like puff pastry. The delicate flavor was so good, it had to be loaded with butter. It will be a challenge to make a vegan version, especially if it requires lower fat ratios, but this tasty near perfect empanada gave me a goal to shoot for with my own recipe.

Autumn in San Francisco

I must say we walked, and walked, and walked some more and the weather in San Francisco felt like home with the grey days and all the drizzling rain. It was a little warmer than Seattle and not as windy. The cold here seems to trigger bright fall colors in leaves that fall from trees. If I lived in San Francisco I'd definitely miss all the gold, orange, and red tones we get in the Northwest. Nothing but brown and grey in San Francisco.

I insisted we all visit the Ferry Plaza farmers' market again. (The three of us also got together last year and my request was the same. Who cares about plays or movies? I want to see the markets!) Roxanne says the smaller markets have better prices and more character, but I like touristy things and I wanted to visit Book Passage Bookstore, check out the fresh figs and get more almond butter from Massa Organics.

As we walked, horns blared, trolley cars rattled and there were lone people ranting about politics or chanting about God and the world on various corners. Sidewalks were packed and as we drew closer to the market, street musicians played every kind of instrument.
Rancho Gordo Beans

I was surprised that one of the first vendors outside the market was Rancho Gordo Beans. I knew about these beans from the Veggie Queen. Check out her video on how to cook beans in under 10 minutes. I also read about Rancho Gordo beans on 101 Cookbooks and I became very intrigued.

It used to be easier to buy heirloom beans in Seattle. In the 1990s, PCC Natural Markets stocked many varieties, but through the years the numbers dwindled and now it's hard to find heirloom beans in any natural food store here. (Okay, maybe Delaurenti's near Pike Place Market still has some, but those are definitely not anything locally grown.)
I must have paused at the table starring at the Heirloom Beans book a little too long before moving on to the beans, but about a week ago when I had lunch with my editors at Timber Press, they mentioned a Rancho Gordo book in the works. I remembered the conversation as I flipped through the book, perusing the recipes. I was puzzled: Why Rancho Gordo would have two books?

"Can I help you?" A woman's voice asked.

Startled, I looked up and blurted: "Are you doing another book with Timber Press?"

"Oh that," she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "It will be really different than this one," she said. "I think the editors changed the focus of the book in the middle of the project, as I recall," she added.

Still, I'm intrigued. If not a recipe book what will it be?

Now there are two books I definitely want to get next spring from Timber Press--one on corn from Anthony Boutard and this Rancho Gordo bean book. This small Northwest gardening press is definitely branching out into the food world in a compelling way.

As I gathered bags of beans, I tried to restrain myself. Lugging heavy bags around San Francisco is not my idea of a fun time, but on the other hand, I could easily have taken one of every variety. That's how excited I was about finding Rancho Gordo beans. I found flageolets for my friend Patty who has had no luck finding these beans in Seattle; I got tepary beans, an heirloom variety from the Southwest that I haven't tasted for years, and best of all I found prepared hominy (dried corn)--another common ingredient in recipes from Argentina.

Sometimes you just get lucky and find exactly what you need.
My Cooking Assistant gets props not only for wearing goofy clothes but for really getting into the act and looking as intrigued as I am by Rancho Gordo beans.

No Tricks: It's All About Cool Stores, Corn Mazes and Pumpkin Patches in Snohomish

I bought this cute sparkly cat mask for my Cooking Assistant on Saturday in Snohomish. I was there to see La Gourmet Depot, a new cosmopolitan specialty food store and to meet Laura Hall the manager who was busy ordering inventory for this great new store.

Le Gourmet Depot is way cool. It's a boutique ingredient store with a beautiful wooden bar with wooden stools and tall tables with tall chairs. There is a huge silver fork and spoon on one wall and the atmosphere is antique-chic, very classic. It fits perfectly with this town and all the fun unique shops here. Wine, balsamic vinegars, olive and truffle oils--this is a foodie's delight.

In addition to cooking classes, they're hosting "throwdowns," where locals post their best cooking specialities on a blackboard and other people are free to add their names to the list. As soon as there are two or more with the same specialties, they have a "throwdown," or a cooking competition where those attending judge decide who wins. There's a chili throwdown coming up early in November.

During the summer, the farmers' market is right outside Le Gourmet Depot. How cool is that? This is a store that is in a perfect position to connect with the community in many ways.

Laura says Le Gourmet Depot will also carry locally processed foods, and I'm excited about doing some events in her store. Look for one early in the new year. What shall I cook? I'm thinking about the local possiblities already.

As I drove home, I was amazed at how many pumpkin patches and corn mazes seem to define the farmland around Snohomish. And every open farm I passed had cars parked in dirt lots and lots of people meandering through mazes and pumpkin fields. What fun for the whole family.

Check out these pumpkin patches and corn mazes:

• Bob's Corn and Pumpkin Patch--features free hayrides on Friday's, an amazing corn maze and of course more pumpkins than you know what to do with.
• Carleton Farm--features a corn maze, pumpkin patch and new this year--a haunted swamp maze on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Craven Farm--boasts the county's first pumpkin patch, Craven Farm has been hosting pumpkin events for 27 years. Enjoy a tractor pulled hayride, tackle the 15 acre corn maze and don't forget to visit the gift shop before you leave.
• Stocker Farms--hosts the famous Field of Screams with a Rock Star Zombie Contest. This maze looks truly spooky and brings me back to my childhood when I watched Boris Karlof's TV show Thriller on a grainy black and white TV.
• The Farm at Swans Trail--features Washington's largest corn maze, and they don't offer any spooky mazes but you get a great farm experience with a hay maze, wagon rides and a farm animal petting area.

And if all that isn't enough to get you out to Snohomish, on October 23 Snohomish hosts The Great Pumpkin River Race and Celebration. From 11am to 5pm in Historic Downtown Snohomish activities include: children's crafts, face painting, pumpkin painting, a carved pumpkin contest and a costumed pet and owner sidewalk parade. Five dollars gets your pumpkin into the River Race. For more details check out The Festival of Pumpkins.

Odds and Ends or Other News of the Week--

Two taste-off contests were held at Seattle Farmers' Markets recently--apples and tomatoes. Kudos to the winning farmers!

Wade and Judy Bennett of Rockridge Orchards took top spot for the best tasting apple this year with their heirloom Jonathon apple. I'm such an apple snob these days and I must say, it rivals my very favorite golden delicious apples from Cliffside Orchards. Plus it probably has more antioxidants with it's rich red color.

Liz Eggers and Michael Hampel of Grouse Mountain Farm took top honors for the 2010 10 brix contest. Brix measures the sugar content in fruits and vegetable, and Rowley says there wasn't any 10.0 (because of our damp, cold spring) but he found an 8.5 in a German Red Strawberry. I was at their booth when Jon Rowley was snapping a photo of them for his blog, check it out and read Liz and Michael's farm's story and how they farm.

Blaze the farm dog is a bit bored by this news at the market, but she's a good sport for waiting patiently all day at the Saturday market.