A New Heartsease...

The Silent Forest

 

The "Silent Forest" in the Deschutes National Park, Oregon

 

No peep, tweet, or squeak

Nary a flutter, nor footfall

No rustlings or mutterings

No wind, breeze, or dust devil

No animals, birds, bees, butterflies, or "buzz" a'tall

Utter deep silence

No comings, goings, echoes, or sounds...but my own...

 

* * * * *

 

    Last week I had occasion to drive from North Idaho to California for a family reunion and memorial. Cousins from Hawaii and Texas met in Cottonwood, California where my brother lives. My stepmom joined us from nearby Redding. 

    We had a wonderful time reuniting, then caravaning to Chester for the memorial. 

    As my drive to California would take me through Oregon on Hwy 97, I decided to load the car such that I could enjoy a couple of days camping on my way to Cottonwood prior to the family gathering.

    My first day's drive brought me to the Deschutes National Forest in the La Pine region.

    It was late and I had no reservation for a campground so I simply drove deep into the forest on a narrow, dusty dirt road and found a small clearing in the woods big enough to back my Jeep into.

    Camping in undeveloped and undeclared camping areas is called "dispersed" camping or "boondocking". There's no fee. There are no improvements such as picnic tables, pit toilets, showers, or running water. And, it's allowed in most National Forests and Bureau of Land Managed areas (excluding National Monuments, of course).

    The next day, I thought I'd go explore the Lava River Cave - a lava tube that takes about 1-1/2 hours to traverse before looking for another campsite - this one in the Prairie campground off of Pauline Road nearer to the town of La Pine.

    My dispersed campsite was remarkable because other than trees and shrubs there were no signs of life! Very unusual and even a bit eerie.

 

     Someone had camped here previously and built a fire ring.

 

    Backing my car in so that it faced the narrow, dusty road in case I needed to make a quick exit for some reason, I set up a minimal camp. I moved a cut section of log into the existing fire ring so I could set my camp stove on it. A painted heart visible on one side of the log section seemed a good omen.

 

An omen? Someone had painted a heart onto the section of log I set into the fire ring to elevate my camp stove

.

    Fire danger was listed as "extreme" in this area and smoke from wildfires was heavy in the air. Should my stove fall over, I wanted to be sure it was contained by the fire ring. As dry pine needles littered the area and I had nothing to rake them aside with, I took this extra precaution.

    This forest was tinder-dry and the slightest spark could ignite the area...so I would not light a campfire for this evening.

 

As the shadows were already lengthening into evening I opened a can of roasted chicken soup packed for a quick dinner. No insects meant I didn't need the bug spray in the lower right corner of the photo.

 

    The night spent sleeping in my Jeep was uneventful...and quiet. A full moon lit the smokey forest in silver.

    The following morning upon awaking, silence still reigned in the forest. A few drops of rain teased but quickly ceased.

    I thought of the book by Rachel Carson, "Silent Spring" where silence prevails because wild creatures are extinct. Perhaps, the beings of the woods sensed fire was coming to the area and had already fled?

    I had googled "forest fires nearby" and learned that two fires were burning in the Deschutes National Forest. Near, but not near enough to my location to cause worry. One was 20 miles away from La Pine.

    After packing up my Jeep, I headed to the Lava River Cave. It was closed...perhaps due to the fires? There was no sign on the gate to indicate cause of closure. No one showed up at opening time or afterward to open the gate so I headed into La Pine for gasoline then out towards Pauline Road to locate my next campsite at the Prairie campground with such luxuries as a picnic table, a barbeque pit, and a wee pit toilet. Ahhh...the concept of luxury is, indeed, relative!

 

With the rear passenger seats folded down, I have space for a comfy, cushy bed in the back of my 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. It's safe from rain and critters. I feel secure locked inside my car. 

 

    In my next post I'll share my "squirrelly" adventures at the Prairie Campground.

    Here's a hint...

 

In the bag! And...everywhere else, too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

Dande-Mocha-Frappuccino

 

Dande-Mocha-Frappuccino!

 

    Cooling, rich-tasting, caffeine-free, good for you, and satisfying! What's not to love?

    There's a couple of ways to make this beverage which I enjoy as my morning choice during the summer season. I make the hot version for cool autumn or cold winter mornings. 

    The simplest way to make this drink is by using a ground, roasted dandelion product called, Dandy Blend.

 

    I find Dandy Blend at most health food stores and on Amazon. It mixes easily and instantly with hot or cold water.

 

    Or, you can brew up a 3/4's cupful (leaving room for the frothed milk, of course) of Traditional Medicinal's Roasted Dandelion Root Tea. 

 

This tea has a rich coffee-like flavor and needs to steep for about 10 minutes for best results and flavor.

 

Or, you can gather, clean, chop, and roast your own dandelion roots as I used to do when I lived in my Utah farmhouse and allowed dandelions to grow in my garden beds for healthy chickens and a healthy me.

 

    However you choose to make this delicious, no-caffeine, healthful beverage it's good for you!

    Dandelion root has a cleansing action on the liver and gallbladder. It acts as a mild diuretic without flushing potassium from the body as do pharmaceutical diuretics. It is one of the most detoxifying herbs for the kidneys. It's helpful for detoxing from an over-consumption of alcohol. Hangover anyone?

    Dandelion roots are good for constipation, skin problems, arthritis, osteoarthritis (due to its high calcium content), and gout. Perhaps this is why at 72-years old I don't suffer from arthritis...or gout...or any of the other mentioned ailments?

    The recipe in this post uses Dandy Blend for a more instant beverage in the morning or in the afternoon as a healthful pick-me-up. But you won't get a coffee-type buzz. What you will get is a pleasurable, detoxifying and restorative drink!

 

A partial glass of Dandy Blend dissolved in water and some frothed almond milk.

 

Recipe: Dande-Mocha-Frappuccino (serves one)

1 heaping teaspoon of Dandy Blend

6 oz or 3/4's cup cold water

1/2 cup cold nut or dairy milk

6 drops of chocolate-flavored stevia, or to taste, optional

4 ice cubes

Sprinkle of cocoa powder or ground cinnamon as a garnish, if desired.

    Add the Dandy Blend to a glass. Pour in the water and stir to mix in the Dandy Blend. Add the stevia. Add the ice cubes. Pour 1/2 cup of cold milk into a measuring cup and using a wire whisk twirl/rub the handle rapidly between both palms to froth the milk.

    With a spoon holding back the froth, pour the remaining un-frothed milk into the Dandy mixture. Lastly, spoon the foam out of the cup onto the beverage. A sprinkle of cocoa powder or cinnamon makes a nice garnish. Sip and enjoy!

    Oh, and an almond, chocolate-dipped biscotti makes a nice "dunk" for this beverage.

 

 

 Notes:

For instructions on how to gather and prepare your own dandelion roots click on:

https://heartseasecottage.typepad.com/gails-garden-at-heartsea/2014/10/drink-your-morning-dandelions.html  

 

Not all nut milks will foam up. Pacific brand is one that does. Most "bistro" style nut or oat milks will do so, as well.

Dandy Blend is just that... a blend of the extracts of roasted barley, rye, chicory root, dandelion root and sugar beet. It is gluten free.

Barley has been used as a beverage for centuries. It acts to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. It is a good source of dietary fiber and aids in maintaining a healthy digestive system.

Rye is rich in B vitamins, contains some iron and potassium and fiber, has a low glycemic index, lowers cholesterol, is good for the digestion, has some antioxidant properties, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and the likelihood of gallstones.

Chicory root has similar health benefits as dandelion root and supports healthy digestion.

Beet root has a easing effect on high blood pressure and when highly processed is a source of white sugar. In the case of Dandy Blend it's not highly processed and doesn't confer any sweetness to the product that is detectable. It may act as another healthful ingredient that mellows the natural bitterness of the dandelion and chicory roots.

 

 

Sometimes I like it hot! Hot water, heated almond milk...frothed, Dandy Blend + a teaspoon of cocoa powder, plain stevia to sweeten. You'll definitely want a biscotti to dunk with this one! 

 

Snow

 

Then, comes the snow in its beauty,
Each flake a pattern of lace
That floats in the air, so gently;
Then, finds its own, special place.

~Gertrude Tooley Buckingham,

"God is an Artist of Nature" (1940s)

 

*Photo taken from my living room window

A Campfire Lesson In Rising To the Challenge

 

When camping, my SUV also functions as my sleeping chamber. You can see the foot of my 8-inch mattress in the bed of the Jeep...my type of "roughing" it!

 

    On what may have been the last camping trip of the season, my nephew, Jeff, and I were sitting around our toasty campfire roasting marshmallows on our first night in camp.

 

 

    I was telling him of our hardy and stalwart pioneer ancestors and how on their long treks west - some to Ohio, some to Pennsylvania, others, to Utah - they cooked over campfires as they didn't have the modern convenience of a camp stove, such as we do.

    They cooked on a grate over the fire, a kettle suspended above the fire on an iron tripod, and a dutch over placed in the coals. They used skills I'd never tried to replicate. After all, I had a camp stove!  

    Everything from soup to bread was done on their nightly campfires, which when banked with ashes before retiring to their blankets, could be easily reignited the next morning for cooking breakfast. Lunch was usually bread, biscuits, cheese, or cold, cooked meat from the evening or breakfast meal.

    Well, as luck and synchronicity would have it, the next morning when I went to light my 40+-year old camp stove, it wouldn't ignite. I could hear the propane hissing but it wouldn't take the flame from the match.

    Hmmm....gas/air mixture issues? A buildup of propane film from many trips over many years? I tried swapping out propane canisters (I always bring at least two spares). 

    Nothing.

    It was a chilly September morning and we wanted our tea! What to do, oh, what to do. 

    We sat without tea for about 20 minutes in front of our (banked and relit) morning fire. I thought about cutting the trip short. I contemplated eating our food raw - except for those items that must be cooked - raw weenies didn't sound too appetizing...nor did tuna melts without the "melt".

    Perhaps shrimp scampi minus the shrimp? I could boil water for pasta on the campfire grate...

    No French toast either, just cold bread!!!

    Perhaps, driving off the mountain back into town and buying another camp stove was an option? Well, that would have obliterated one whole day of our trip.

    Finally, it occurred to me to at least pour water into a small pan and heat it over the fire for tea and instant coffee.

    With hot beverages finally in our tummies we were better able to shake off the morning cobwebs and really think over our plight.

    With that small success of hot drinks, we stuck some pre-cooked sausages on the ends of our marshmallow forks and browned them over the open flames. They were even better cooked that way than browned in a skillet. Things were starting to look up. 

    We snacked for lunch, but come dinner our menu was to have featured shrimp scampi in a garlic, butter, lemon sauce over orecchiette (little ears) pasta, mopping up any remaining sauce with rustic sourdough. Trying to light the stove many times over was a repeated failure.

    Well, maybe I needed to hark back to my hardy and stalwart pioneer DNA and just get cooking!

    While Jeff tended the pasta simmering in a wok on the campfire, I prepped the shrimp, squeezed the lemon, and got the butter and garlic out of the ice chest.

 

Jeff tends the pasta simmering in a small wok, the only camp pan big enough to hold water and pasta

 

Pasta in a wok, cooked over the campfire coals.

 

    When the pasta was cooked, I drained it on a tree stump in a footed colander I'd brought for the purpose. Then, re-using the wok, I melted butter, added minced garlic, and the prepped shrimp, and simmered it over fire and coals for a few minutes until the shrimp turned pink and opaque. I added the lemon juice and a bit of sea salt, then returned the pasta to the wok and heated everything through.

    The sauce wasn't as thickened as I'd planned, but it was delicious with a sprinkle of Parmesan, and sopped up with torn, rustic sourdough bread.

 

Yum-a-licious!

 

    I ended up cooking the best French toast I'd ever made, with a side of a few more sausages for a meal the next day...over the campfire.

    We decided that our tuna melts on rustic sourdough were so good that henceforth, we'd always cook them over the campfire in the cast iron skillet.

    Of course, hot dogs are always tastiest when the wieners are roasted on marshmallow sticks over the hot coals until they blister! And so we did!

    Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and more foods, were cooked over the campfire each day of our trip.

    A lesson presented itself in the days following our camping trip as I reflected back on our unplanned cookouts.

    I learned that when faced with a dilemma, a challenge, a hardship, or some other event or condition beyond our usual milieu, we have at least two choices.

    The first is to retreat into apathy and spend time trying to resurrect what once worked but is no longer relevant...

    Or, we can face the issue head on, give it a think, and adapt, make do, get creative, or reach deep into our DNA and resurrect the hardy and stalwart spirits of those who've gone before! 

    

    

 

 

 

Yaak Falls Day Trip & the Perfect Onion

 

Yikes!

 

    It's summer. Not much to do because of Covid. So camping is an enjoyable, safe option.

    Thus, I decided to scout out some campgrounds in next-door Montana with my nephew, Jeff. But, he wasn't feeling good that day, so I packed a lunch and set out on my own in my trusty 1998 Jeep with my Montana atlas.

    It was a beautiful drive. One of the first sights of note was crossing the Long Bridge over Lake Pend Oreille (French for "hanging from the ear").

    Now, I'd been to this huge lake by way of Farragut State Park and the town of Bay View, where there's a naval installation. The Navy keeps a submarine parked at the bottom of the lake for sound experiments.

    However, Id never left Idaho to go to Montana via Highway 95 (usually by Hwy 90) and I was surprised by the scenic drive across the lake on this loooong bridge.

       

Named "The Long Bridge", this span crosses Lake Pend Oreille.

 

    The two-hour drive was enjoyable through towns such as Athol, Careywood, Cocolalla, Ponderay (different spelling than the lake), Colburn, Kootenay (different spelling than Kootenai County), Bonners Ferry, and more. The scenery was mostly forest and then into Montana with more small towns and forested vistas.

    My plan was to visit Yaak Falls campground then pass through Libby, MT to visit two or three more campgrounds.

    Reaching the small Yaak Falls campground I paused and noted the campsites there. A couple were available and there was an intriguing path with a sign that indicated that the Falls were 1/2-mile hike away. That upped the desirability factor of this pleasant little campground. Also, the sites while small, were mostly concealed from view of one another by trees and bushes.

    There were no toilets, no picnic tables, and no water faucets. The campground is "unimproved" which makes it all the more appealing to me (barring the "toilet" part, although I have this lack covered in my camping setup).

    I decided not to park and take the hike out of the campground, but instead, to drive up the road and explore further. About a half mile up the road was a turnout with several signs, one of which declared "Yaak Falls". 

    Pulling in I saw that the other sign was a bears warning - and not just one kind of bear! Grizzlies and black bears. Hmmm.     

    This would not be a good place to camp with my nephew. While I sleep snuggly in my car, he sleeps in a pup tent. And, while a black bear is less likely to mess with a tent unless there's food inside, a grizzly is liable to consider the camper in the tent as food. Yaak Falls campground would be one I'd camp in solo. Ah, but the river and falls were a sight to behold and to enjoy for a spell.

    Parking my car, I climbed down a relatively steep incline with cell phone, lunch, and water bottle in hand. This, I decided, would be a great place to soothe the hunger pangs of my breakfast-less morning. 

 

A short climb/slip and slide down a steep embankment from my car parked above brought me to the falls.

 

The falls are composed of a series of short, powerful drop offs.

 

    The roar of the falls and the iridescence of airborne micro-droplets of water made this a spot I decided to enjoy for awhile. There were plenty of flat rock "shelves" upon which to sit right at rivers edge. The one I chose vibrated with the force of the churning water.

 

 

What solo trip would be complete without taking the ubiquitous "selfie"!

 

    After my sandwich (Tofurky and kale on sourdough - yum - and bottled water), I simply sat and lost myself in the beauty and drama of the spot. A fellow hiking along the road above snapped me from my reverie. 

    Looking at the time (on my cellphone), I realized I wouldn't have time to check out the other campgrounds and get back before dark (I don't see as well at night anymore), or, at the "guess-timated" time I'd told my Mom I'd be back. And, as I didn't have any cell service at my present location, I couldn't call and adjust my return time. Hmmm... What to do?

    Explore! There were plenty of dirt roads going off the Park's main road. So, I drove up and down several to check out the area - getting my clean car really dusty.

    I'd really like to return here to the falls with Jeff for a picnic, and another time for a solo camping trip.

    On my way back, I became consumed with the desire for a coffee. Not a decaffeinated version, not a "dande-ccino" or any of the faux versions I resort to and enjoy, but a full on, fully-leaded, espresso-shot-laden, brain-ringing...Coffee!

    Weird. I don't usually have any compulsions toward coffee, whatsoever.

    Despite Covid I decided that the first coffee kiosk I came to, I'd drive thru and get me some. I passed several in-store Starbuck's. Nope! I wanted me some real Northern Idaho brew!

    Having already left Montana behind, I entered Bonners Ferry and there tucked into the corner of a huge trucking/fuel complex at the junction of Hwy's 2 and 95, was a tiny drive-thru kiosk. Battle Grounds Coffee. Yay!!!

    The thing about Washington State and  Northern Idaho is that these people LOVE their coffee. So, practically every corner in town has one of these little drive-thru kiosks - all with catchy names, such as, well, Battle "Grounds" (get it?), The Human Bean, No Doze Cafe, Grind House, and more. It's fun to read how clever and inventive these titles are.

    I got myself a 16 oz cappuccino (they had larger ones but I know my limits) with no sugar. I want to feeeel the full experience, all the jitters, everything!

 

 This libation was so good I photoed the empty cup when I got home.

 

    So, with a full "tank" I motored towards home, blissfully happy, my senses soothed and refreshed by Nature's awesome beauty, and fueled on java juice.

    Ahhh...It was good to the last drop. Literally! Nor, was I able to sleep a wink that night 'cause my caffeinated brain wouldn't shut down. But, it was worth it!!!

    The only "if-only's" I had about this day trip is that I wished I'd brought some other camping gear besides my car bed (which occupies the back of the Jeep all summer long for camping trips). Oh, such things as my camp stove, collapsible potty, food, water, etc. And, that I'd stoked the cat's bowls with more water and a huge pile of kitty kibble, and left word that I might be gone for longer than a day...may two or three.  :(

    I really would have liked to camp solo near Yaak Falls.

 

* * * * *

    So, "Where", might one ask, "does the perfect onion come into it"?

Well, here it is...

 

Mostly, "onions is just onions", but every once in awhile, there's one that's just, well, Perfect!

 

    No, this onion has nothing to do with my day trip to Montana.

    It's just that this lovely onion arrived a few days later in my Full Circle organic delivery box. And, it is (I haven't yet cut into it) just so perfectly beautiful of an onion that instead of putting into the onion basket with the other nice, but, tatty-shedding regular-looking onions, I put onto my counter top in a prominent spot so that every time I wandered into the kitchen to feed myself or the cat, there it would be for me to admire. 

    It's just so sublimely perfect, that I wanted to share it with you. And, to compose an entire blog singing the praises of a single onion just didn't seem to be, well...normal.

Some one of these days, I'll have to peel it and carve it up to add to something or other - I promise I won't cry (unless it's so potent that I have no choice but to shed "onion" tears)- but I will miss its ruddy perfection, its heft, its faultless shape, its splendid....everything.

    So, I took a picture to memorialize it and to share!

 

 

 

What To Do In the Age of Covid-19 - Knit and Think!

 

 This cool-weather knitted outfit is for wearing with leggings. The skirt keeps my 70-year old keester warm and hidden from view. The vest looks great with my lavender long-sleeved turtle neck.

Vest and skirt were knitted with Lion Brand, Woolease yarn in grey heather, which is 20% wool, 80% Acrylic and is cozy and warm. I knitted an afghan in oxford gray for my car camping adventures.

 

    While under Idaho State's Shelter at Home Order, I did a lot of knitting in addition to "social distancing" in the nearby woods on hiking and foraging sojourns. 

 

 

This skirt is paired with the vest in the topmost photo. It's pleated and has a couple knitted and corded pockets for keys and whatnots. After completing the skirt I found the cute pattern for the flared, knitted vest as a "go together".

 

 

This textured vest was knitted to go with my olive-green cargo pants that I wear for hiking.

This vest was knitted with Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in pampas heather green.

 

Another knitted skirt to wear with leggings. The line across the front is what's called a "life-line" in knitting. The lifeline was removed/pulled out after the photo was taken.

Knitted with Lion Brand Woolease in black.

 

    Using a lifeline - a length of contrasting scrap yarn - the knitter can unravel a section to make a correction or alter the knitting trajectory without having to attempt the impossible task of trying to pickup a couple hundred stitches or, nearly as awful, completely unraveling a project and starting over simply to make a course correction. A life line is slipped in along the loops on the needle or slipped into the loops of previously knitted stitches. 

    The reason I used a lifeline on this skirt was because I was altering a pleated skirt pattern - requiring more stitches - into a tapered  A-line skirt requiring fewer stitches and an even decrease along the remaining length toward the waist. It was possible that my plan could have required me to unravel down to the point where my decrease-knitting began.

    Luckily my math was spot on and I did not have to unravel hours' worth of work. Phew!

 

This loose vest is worn over a long-sleeved turtleneck and is long enough for keester-warmth when wearing leggings.

Knitted in Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in blossom heather pink.

 

    All of the above projects were knitted in wool or wool blends for warmth.

    As the weather warmed into summer, it was time to think about knitting things to wear with my summer pants, skirts, and shorts.

    

Knitted from synthetic fibers for coolness, this tank top will be worn with jeans or shorts.

Knitted with Bernat Baby Coordinates in soft grey.

 

    This Bernat yarn is soft grey with a pearlized, shimmery thread running through the strands that will look good with my pair of white "peddle-pusher" jeans that have tiny, silver sequins around the bottom cuffs.

 

Here's my current project in its state-of-becoming.

Yarn is Debbie Bliss Denim, 100% cotton in light blue.

 

    Knitting is a relaxing, rather Zen hobby that's perfect for those times you want to sit, think, and relax while still accomplishing something.

    So, in addition to sitting and knitting, I've been doing some thinking, some life-reviewing, meditating, and making good use of my self-quarantining. 

    Idaho is opening back up now. However, Covid-19 is on the rise. Again.

    Most folks have cast aside their masks and are mingling, gathering, and "herding-up", thus the spike in cases. How will this unfold? Or...unravel?

    What have I been thinking about all this time?

    I've been considering how I live upon the Earth. Am I living as a "user and abuser"?

    Reducing/eliminating the purchase of products that come in plastic bottles is underway and finding those with alternative packaging is a current goal.

    Take butter/margarine, for example. If it comes in a plastic tub, I'll choose the product instead, that comes in a cardboard box with the sticks wrapped in waxed paper or foil. Ditto olive oil. Instead of the plastic bottle, there are options/brands that come in glass or metal.

    Instead of a plastic jar or bottle, is there a version that comes in a glass bottle, cardboard box, or metal can? Something that's degradable?

    Just what are the ways I can live more sustainably and harmoniously...within reason? I mean, I can't rush out and buy solar panels. I live in a condo!  

    And, I've tried the "living off the land/growing my own food" route. It was great and I enjoyed it. However, one day I realized that all my hobbies and lifestyles have always required digging in the dirt and, though fun, were a lot of physical work - rock hounding, gold prospecting, growing all that food, not to mention all the DIY labor of restoring my old farmhouse!

    Yikes! I retired from my career in 1993, wasn't it about time I retired from my hard-scrabble hobbies, too?!  So, I sold my old Utah farmhouse and moved to Idaho about six years ago.

    I bought a condo and polished up my knitting and sitting skills. Ahhh...it feels so good to be totally retired!

    I've been thinking and asking my 70-year old self, "Do I have time for at least one more adventure?

    My answer is, "Yes"! And, I'm contemplating that adventure...what it will be, for what duration, and how. It WILL involve knitting and  some sitting. I can never be totally inert!

    I love hiking, foraging in the woods, and car camping. I think my new adventure must include all three, plus some knitting and sitting.

     Thus, much more car-camping as there are beautiful places to camp where I'm now living. Maybe my new adventure will even evolve into part-time-with-condo-as-home-base, van life? Part of the year at home, the rest living in a my cozy, cute van out in nature wherever my wanderlust takes me?

    I have much to think about whilst sitting and knitting!!!

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woods Walk In the Age of Covid-19

Here in Northern Idaho we're all under self-quarantining restrictions, but we can still get out with some restrictions as I'm doing here at Farragut State Park.

    Although bars and restaurants are closed to entry - we can pick up food at restaurants on a "drive thru" and "curb-side" basis - there do remain a few doable things that maintain that important social distancing.

    Going for a walk or a hike is something we can still do. The State of Idaho has left its State Parks open during the day for our enjoyment.

    Nature and physical movement are gratifying and emotionally uplifting. While gyms are out, walking, an outing with your dog, hiking, and gardening are physical activities we can yet enjoy even during home quarantining.

 

 

 

Be Safe. Stay Well.

 

 

 

Using Your Oven To Dehydrate Food In the Age of Covid-19

 

You can use your oven to dehydrate some foods.

 

    You can use your oven to dehydrate foods thereby adding to your food security. 

    Dehydrated foods are compact, require no refrigeration, and store for long periods of time. You can make tasty dishes, snacks, sauces, soups, desserts, gifts, crafts, and more, with your home-dehydrated fruits, veggies, and herbs.

    The "pros" of oven dehydrating:

    1. It's possible

    2. A convection oven has an inbuilt fan. Some even have a dehydration feature!

    3. You likely own an oven

 

    The "cons" of oven dehydrating:

    1. It's not energy efficient

    2. The oven won't hold as much food to dry

    3. It will warm up your home

    4. Not all ovens have low enough temperature settings

    5. You'll have to re-position the food trays to achieve uniform drying

    6. This may not be a safe option if you have small children

    7. You won't be able to use your oven for at least a day

    8. Most fruits take too long to dry by oven

 

    Check that your oven's lowest heat setting can go below 150-degrees, ideally, otherwise you'll likely slow cook it instead of dehydrating it. Many ovens have a "keep warm" feature. Even if your lowest temperature is 200-degrees, the fact that the oven door is left slightly open, will mean that the inside temperature is less than 200. So give it a try and see. Less than ideal, but still possible.

    Your oven will likely cycle on and off during the dehydrating process to try to maintain internal temperature when the oven door is slightly open, so not as energy efficient.

    You want to keep the oven door slightly open to mitigate moisture which will prevent dehydration. A fan to circulate air means a better dehydration.

 

    Okay let's get started. You'll need:

Some cookie sheets. Old battered ones are fine.

Some cooling racks (the ones used to cool cookies, etc.)

A fan

A chair or stool

Something to hold the oven door ajar

 

 

Cookie sheets and cooling rack combinations allow air to reach the underside of foods you're dehydrating.

 

    Air circulation is of paramount importance for dehydration. Without a rack system of some type, as pictured above, you'll have to turn the food periodically.

 

A chair or stool, and a fan will help with air circulation around the foods your drying.

 

    Position the fan so that it blows into the opening of the oven door as in the photo above.

 

You'll need something to keep the oven door slightly ajar. A garlic press, lemon reamer, whatever works.

 

    The inbuilt "stop" feature of the oven door leaves too large a gap so most of the heat will escape. You want the oven to be slightly ajar by an inch or two; enough so that air from the fan enters, but most of the heat is still retained inside the oven. Dehydration may take six- to 18-hours, depending on the foods you want to dry.

    Some foods need pre-treatment to prevent browning. Apples, pears, peaches, apricots, nectarines, and bananas need this. Although potatoes do need it, too, most other veggies do not. Many veggies will need at least a three minute steam blanching. Steam blanching also means that your dried foods are more tender when re-hydrated.

    For that need an anti-browning pre-treatment, a dip in Fruit Fresh or acidulated water (to each pint of water add 1/2 cup lemon or line juice) does the trick. Again most veggies - except potatoes - don't need this.

    There are some vegetables that don't need steam blanching. Mushrooms, onions, garlic, frozen vegetables, rhubarb, and most fruits. 

    I mentioned frozen vegetables. Frozen potatoes need no pre-treatment or steam blanching. Simple thaw and spread evenly over the drying racks. I also buy bags of frozen green beans and corn. My favorite frozen vegetables to dry are thawed packages of mixed veggies containing corn, green beans, diced carrots, and peas...sometimes there's lima beans in the mix also. I thaw them out and spread them over the drying racks. They're handy to tote along on camping trips, or to re-hydrate when I want to make veggie fried rice and don't have any fresh vegetables on hand.

    Acidic fruits don't need a pre-treatment. Examples are citrus, pineapple, mangoes, strawberries, rhubarb, berries, and plums. 

    Foods need to be cut in 1/4-inch slices or cubes. Grapes, strawberries, cherries, cranberries, raspberries should be cut in half for oven drying. You may need to spray or rub a light coating of olive or other cooking oil onto the racks to prevent sticking.

    Arrange the foods to be dried in single layers on the racks so they aren't touching. Set them into the oven, set the temperature, arrange your stool/fan combination, turn on the fan.

    Every couple of hours or so you'll need to turn the racks 180-degrees and shuffle their positioning to insure even drying. Even so, you may find that the top of the food is drying faster than the bottoms of it. If this is happening use tongs to turn the food over so the bottoms are now better exposed to heat and air.

    I used to oven-dry foods before acquiring my dehydrator. The dehydrator is so much more efficient in every way. However, the oven will get you started until you can acquire a dehydrator.

    Onions, leeks, shallots, garlic, mushrooms, and peppers are some of the easiest items to oven-dry, and some you'll use most often when you're out of the fresh versions. They dry quickly and on those occasions when I find them on sale, I will still use my oven for the overflow.

    When fruits are shrunken, dry, and malleable they should be finished. Low sugar fruits such as cranberries and rhubarb (actually a vegetable used as a fruit) that have little sugar content will tend toward crispness. It's hard to tell if foods are fully dehydrated when they're still hot, so allow them to cool a bit and check for doneness and dryness. They must be dry all the way through.

    If your foods aren't dry at day's end you can turn off the oven, leave the foods in overnight, and simply turn on the oven again the next morning. I do this with my dehydrator, too, if I've waited until late afternoon to start it up. It won't harm the fruits or veggies to sit overnight in a cooling oven or dehydrator.

    Don't do this with meats. I'm not giving instructions for dehydrating meats with an oven for food safety reasons. If you are adamant to oven-dry meats, the Teresa Marrone book, "Dried Foods" (see my previous post) will tell you how to do so. Dried meats should be refrigerated or frozen or they're likely to go rancid.

    Store your dried foods in lidded jars or Ziploc baggies. Potatoes I store in paper bags due to their propensity to mold even if they appear dry.

    Your dehydrated foods may need to be re-hydrated before using. My favorite method is to put veggies into a heatproof bowl or cup. Just cover with water then microwave for 30 or more seconds and allow to sit for 30 minutes. The liquid left over is great to use as a flavoring in sautees, soup stocks, or sip as a hot beverage.

    If you're making soup, re-hydrated veggies may be sauteed in butter or oil, then added to the mixture for simmering. If a soup or stew is set to simmer for 40 minutes or more, the dried veggies may be added straight to the soup as they will re-hydrate sufficiently during cooking.

    For recipes made with dehydrated vegetables that haven't been sauteed first, I like to add a pat of butter or a drizzle of oil before serving to add a mouthfeel of silkiness that only a bit of fat can give.

    Dehydrated fruits may be used to make pies, cakes, added to nut mixtures, and eaten as is. Most fruits dehydrate to a sweet flexibility that makes them tasty as snacks with no preparation. Apples, bananas, pears, mangoes, pineapple,and peaches come to mind.

    I like to make a muesli using my dehydrated fruits, pan-roasted nuts and seeds, and old-fashioned oatmeal. I take this camping in a Ziploc baggies. It makes a nice breakfast by adding some hot water or milk and letting it soak for about 15 minutes. I also make "overnight oatmeal by putting everything on to soak overnight. Add some hot milk and you have a nearly instant hot and satisfying breakfast.

    Adding dehydrated foods to your food security-system is easy, compact to store, and you'll always having something to eat whether camping, traveling, when times get tough, or you run out of a fresh ingredient.

 

I store a pantry's worth of food in a box! 

 

    Be well. Stay safe!

    

 

 

 

    

    

 

Fruits of Winter Tabbouli...and Kayaking?

This festive tabbouli is delicious and nutritious!

    Due to the fact that my several weeks long camping trip was dogged by wind, blizzard, and cold, and few photos were taken, I'll share the high points as an appendage to this blog. The rest consisted of driving, a few hotel stays, and bad weather.

    But first, my recipe for a colorful and delicious winter fruits tabbouli is featured. It's the colors of the Holidays and uses fruits that come onto the market in late Autumn and Winter.

Recipe: Fruits of Winter Tabbouli  (Serves 6 to 8)

1 cup Bob's Red Mill "grains of the Levant" bulgar wheat

1 cup water

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp each salt, and allspice (or 1/2 tsp each cinnamon and clove instead of allspice).

1/4 cup chopped fresh spearmint, or 2 TBS crumbled, dried spearmint

3/4 cup sliced scallions

1 cup chopped parsley

1/2 Granny Smith apple diced 1/4-inch pieces

1/3 cup each reduced sugar dried cranberries and golden raisins

1/2 large pomegranate arils/seeds removed and separated from membranes

1 peeled orange, or 2 tangerines or mandarins peeled and sectioned, sections cut into bite-sized pieces

3/4 cup crumbled feta

1/2 cup sliced, raw almonds

 

You'll need the arils from half of a large pomegranate. Save the other half to garnish salads, grain dishes, chicken, beef, or pork dishes. Or you can eat the arils while standing over the sink to catch the drippy red juice!

   

    Place the bulgar and water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, turn down immediately to a low simmer. Cover and simmer five minutes, then remove from heat. Set aside for 10 minutes while you chop the other ingredients. All liquid should be absorbed into the grains.

    Chop the scallions, apple, orange, parsley, mint, and seed the pomegranate half. Place into a large serving bowl, and add the feta, dried fruits, apple pieces, pomegranate arils, and almonds.

 

The ingredients are colorful and rich in vitamins and antioxidants!

 

    To the pan of warm, cooked bulgar, add the olive oil and stir until the bulgar is coated. Add the lemon juice, teaspoon each of salt and allspice, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Add the bulgar mixture to the bowl of other ingredients and stir all together. 

    This tabbouli may be eaten when still warm, at room temperature, or served cold. It's a great addition to a buffet and makes a festive side to most entree's and barbecues. 

* * * * *

 

 

 
I'm outfitted and kayaking on Whiskey Town Lake!  

 

   While most of my vacation days were fraught with wind, rain, or snow, I spent a few warm and wonderful days in Redding, CA visiting my Dad, and his wife Sandy, before departing to nearby Cottonwood to visit my brother, Russ...where the wind soon caught up to me.

    While in Redding, the wind stopped, and Sandy outfitted me in her gear and taught me the basics of kayaking. It was fun and something I want to do at home this summer. 

    Living near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho means that there are many lakes upon which to practice and hone my new-found hobby! 

    I arrived to visit my brother near Cottonwood just ahead of the return of the California windstorms that have been the cause of Pacific Gas and Electric shutting down service to homes in high fire-risk areas. I arrived just after a return to power and left his place a few days later on the cusp of another windstorm and shutdown scheduled for that very afternoon.

    The wind blew my car into Oregon where wind and rain there necessitated a hotel for the night. Leaving the next morning amidst wind and rain, I left the rain behind - finally - in Washington State, but didn't lose the wind until just before reaching Spokane. I finished the drive home in the dark, arriving home at around 7:30 p.m. after stopping at the Applebee's in Coeur d'Alene for dinner.

    I may have to review the idea of late Autumn camping trips! The weather prevented much of the camping part of my trip that I'd envisioned.

 

 

 

Autumn Camping Trip - Yakima Sportsman State Park

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In the desert-like area around Yakima, Washington this campground is an oasis of trees and animals, and a quiet, calm spot for people to camp and relax. This large leaf may be from the "big leaf maple" native to Washington State - Acer macrophyllum

 

    I've just returned from a two-week camping and visiting trip. My first two days were camping days. I stayed at the lovely Yakima Sportman State Park. I'd hoped to have additional camping days during my trip...but Winter intervened...

    My first two days were in the mid-50's and the nights in the 30's. I was cozy in my Jeep bed. Click the following link to see how I made my Jeep serve my RVing and camping needs without buying another vehicle, and instead using the one I already own and how I made my car bed!

https://heartseasecottage.typepad.com/gails-garden-at-heartsea/2019/08/car-camping-my-way.html

 

    

Tall trees, and hedged in on three sides by wild roses, made my campsite a private Eden.

 

    Not all the campsites were screened from view of other campers, but some where. There were a few other campers in the park due to the lateness of the season. Most were in RV's where privacy is maintained by the RV itself. There are also spots for tents, van and car camping. As many of my activities such as cooking, clothes changing, and sitting occur outside my car, I found a very private, secluded site.

 

With the hatch up and the car backed into my campsite I have a view from my car bed into the rose hedging and trees where I can relax and read or watch the varieties of birds that inhabit the park. Behind the car, out of site, is my folding camp chair and table. My "booth" sits between camp table and car.

 

    I've erected my "booth", a changing room/potty tent for privacy when doing these things. The booth has an open top for ventilation or a solar shower (though nothing to hang the solar shower from...a tree limb would serve or a shepherds hook?) so I've put a tarp over it in case of rain.

    To use the booth one side unzips for stepping into it. I keep a collapsible stool inside of it so I have a place to sit to put on shoes. The stool also raises the collapsible potty to a comfy, usable height. The potty may be moved into the car at night for those pesky nighttime nature calls and is the right height for in-car use where it sits next to the middle of the bed. It has a lid that securely covers it. Thankfully. Kitty sand has a part to play, but I will get into that subject in more detail another time.

    

 

Reading, relaxing, knitting, and sleeping, this car bed is eight-inches-thick comfort! I have a down sleeping bag, a wool blanket, and an afghan I'm crocheting - mostly done - for cozy comfort on chilly nights.

 

    I have three bins that I take on my trips. A small one, and two larger ones. One holds pots, pans, eating utensils, knives, towels and wash cloths, plates, cutting board, glasses and cups, matches, and lighter, and fire starting sticks for recalcitrant campfires. It's a kitchen in a bin! I have a set of two plates, cups, utensils, cups, and glasses.

 

My kitchen set up occupies one end of the camp table at my site.

 

    On the  camp bench is a small bin that holds spices and tea bags. The larger bins holds my kitchen items. On top of the table is my old Coleman single burner stove. The kitchen towel is draped over a one gallon bottle of water so it can dry. A can of chili is at hand for making Frito Pie. My insulated cup keeps beverages hot or cold and I can re-hydrate dried veggies in it by adding hot water.

    Not in the photo is my utility bin. It's the same size as the kitchen bin and serves dually as a bedside table in the Jeep. The utility bin holds tent stakes, a 5'x7' tarp, wet wipes, a roll of plastic bags for my collapsible potty (I will do a post on potty use), and the collapsible potty, an ax, a hammer, a tent stake puller, cording, a roll of duct tape, spring clamps and other odds and ends. 

    Under the front seats of the car I keep a folding table, a folding shovel, and a first aid kit. On the passenger side floor I store three gallons of water, food bags, the stove when traveling.

    The passenger seat holds my small, rolling suitcase and my personals bag for hygiene, washing up, medications, etc.

    My mobile pantry consists of a large bag in which I keep a variety of dehydrated foods and homemade soup and meal mixes. Also I carry minute rice, quick cooking barley, dehydrated pinto, black, and white beans, some "minute" grain mixtures, powdered milk, chicken bullion, and arrowroot.

    I also use those sectioned wine totes from the market. One holds my canned goods and small 8-oz cartons of almond milk, packets of tuna, antiseptically packaged tofu, soy sauce, Tabasco, toasted sesame oil, and olive oil. Another, with the two end sections opened up carries spare propane canisters, while the intact mid sections hold batteries for flashlight and camp lantern and candles for my backpack lantern. 

    My old Igloo Playmateice chest totes things I need to keep cold for a few days such as meats, cheese, beverages. Ice from my ice maker at home will last for about three days.

    Future posts will describe how I prolong my ice supply, why I store and carry my water in vinegar bottles, my "potty Protocol" and other things I've learned from past camping exploits and new things I'm learning about car camping in an SUV!