Dahlias

SHOW OFFS.  I’d never paid much attention to Dahlias until I came to Oregon and then only because the person who cut my hair had an unbelievable collection of them planted in her backyard.  As a true Dahlia aficionado she gave me my first tubers along with her enthusiasm and knowledge of the plant.
  

Now I have them tucked away in every corner of the perennial garden.  At the end of summer they are the main attraction.  Looking around the garden all else has started to fade except this darling diva.  Their time has come and they will show off their splendor with a profusion of bloom through October.  

Dahlias have genuine horticulture merit and great ornamental value in the garden .Their diversity is astonishing in form, color and size from lowly little border flowers to giant plate size blossoms and their dramatic bouquets fill the house for weeks.

They originated from the mountains of Mexico and thrive in even average soil that must be well drained.  They are grown from tubers and not bulbs. Tubers have "eyes", for example a potato is considered a "tuber."  Bulbs (daffodils, tulips, lilies) are planted in the fall, Dahlias are planted in the spring.

Here in Oregon we plant after danger of frost has past (about the end of April) in a sunny location.  The taller Dahlias need to be supported because the flowers get so heavy from rain or wind that it is impossible for them not to fall.

Whether to dig or not to dig - that is the question in Oregon. In the colder regions of the country Dahlias are removed at the first light frost and stored in sawdust (or something like sawdust) in a cool dark place. Because of our milder (but not quite mild enough) climate we are a little hesitant.  I always leave mine in the ground.  I think what really kills them is poor soil drainage, not frost.  My theory is they have to have good drainage or they’ll rot.

If you want to visit a Dahlia producer  there are plenty in the WV.  Probably the most “famous”  is the Swann Island Dahlia Farm up in Canby or if you are ever in or around the town of Turner you can visit Frey’s Dahlias .  They are also at the Salem Saturday Market  each Saturday during the summer.

Looking around on the web I also found an intriguing Dahlia producer in Portland called Old House Dahlias.  I’ve never been there but would love to stop in the next time I’m in Portland. According to the website, the proprietor, Mark Harvey, started growing Dahlias in his backyard in 2003. He now offers more than 175 varieties which he continues to grow in his backyard, but he also has a one-acre farm in Corbett and one acre in Portland's South Waterfront district. If you live in Portland, you can buy dahlias at 8005 SE Mill Street in the Montavilla neighborhood. Mark hosts an annual dahlia fest each September 8-9 and 15-16.  What's really interesting is that they also sell dahlia tubers for food, great raw on salads (who knew?)

 

Now is the time to look for that Dahlia you want to grow next spring - you only have a couple of weeks left to see these beauties - the real show offs in the garden!  

Life is good - bye for now.  Evelyn

Remember:  Buy Local When You Can!

Lady in Red - Cabbage Revisited

We're having another wave of surplus cabbage in the garden.  If you remember last month when I harvested the Savoy cabbage  and made one (which turned out OK) and then a second batch of sauerkraut. Well the second batch is percolating along just fine, in fact it’s fantastic – what an improvement over the first batch - way too much salt.

The last of the cabbage is ripening in the garden and giving us a magnificent harvest of blushing red beauties.  And tasty - much better than the Savoy which we let grow too long.

Obviously sauerkraut success has gone to my head.   With my first attempts turning out so well, I thought what the heck, lets see what red cabbage will do.

Success again - this time with a nice tinge of ruby.

I’m amazed at how easy making sauerkraut has been, practically the easiest thing I’ve attempted yet as far as letting beneficial bacteria grow and ferment. 

I guess we’ll be eating lots of brats and sauerkraut this winter. If I get really ambitious choucourte garni.  Seriously though, easy or not, I've got to stop making this stuff or I'll be forced to give it away, kind of like zucchini.

Life is good – bye for now.

Evelyn

REMEMBER - Buy Local When You Can

Labor Day at Redhawk

The world outside of the Willamette Valley should know more about the incredible wine industry that flourishes within.  

With over 200 working wineries between Portland to Eugene I wonder if anyone is ever more than 15 minutes from a winery that produces some of the world's best wines.  Impressive, given that wine production in the WV didn't get started until 1960.  

As everyone in the WV knows pinot noir is king, chardonnay is queen and then there's lively, fresh and fruity pinot gris.

Being at the same latitude (45th parallel) as the Burgundy region of France, the WV has a similar climate where the glamorous, fabulous pinot noir grapes thrive. Happily we are becoming highly regarded for our production of truly great pinots.  In fact the prestigious International Pinot Noir Celebration takes place every summer on the Linfield College campus in McMinnville. More than 60 American and international pinot noir producers are on hand at the three day event to celebrate pinot noir and pair it with the absolutely most incredible northwest cuisine.

With Labor Day weekend comes winery events and celebrations all over the valley. This year, we visited Redhawk Vineyard and Winery which is just down the road in West Salem. Oregon wineries are generally unpretentious and laid back and Redhawk is no exception.  The tasting room is pretty casual so that you feel comfortable to drop in for a tasting, a bit of food, relax and enjoy the entertainment.  For $10 Red Hawk offered a generous tasting of 8 different wines plus a surprisingly wonderful barrel tasting of their 2011 estate pinot noir.  It was good!

As has become expected at Oregon wineries, we were serenaded by the toe tapping music of Joni Harms, Female Western Swing Artist of the Year.  And she was great!  

The food was plentiful   -  very tasty smoked sausages, homemade smoked salmon patè and topped off by their signature BBQ tri tip. 

Resident pal at Redhawk

The Redhawk Vineyard and Winery is just outside the city limits of West Salem. Their hilltop setting captures the beauty of the rural Oregon wine country. Although Labor Day was a bit hazy, the views of the valley, the Cascades and Mt. Hood can be spectacular.   John & Betty Pataccoli, who own and run the vineyard and winery, are committed to producing small quantities of high quality, yet affordable wines.

If you would like more information about the Oregon Wine Industry the Oregon Wine Board has a terrific web site: http://www.oregonwine.org/Home/

Life is good - bye for now!  Evelyn

French Salad

Saturday evening I topped off summer by serving French salad to several of my closest friends. The tradition started when a friend, who has family living in Provence, France, shared with us this delicious salad. We could not let summer pass without enjoying this perennial favorite at least once. The dish is very similar to Salade Nicoise (or Nicoise salad) but not quite the same.  I'm saying not quite the same because I have found that the French can be very particular about what you do with their classic cuisine.  

What’s authentic and what’s not is very controversial when preparing this Nicois classic.  Should one use fresh or canned tuna?  Are both green beans and boiled potatoes to be included?  Is lettuce or other greens included or should they be left out?  Should it be mixed or composed?

The salad got it's start in the city of Nice located in Southern France, near the Italian border.  Nice has a distinct cultural and historic heritage that can be traced back to the Middle Ages and includes Greek, Italian and French influences.  Here authenticity is sacred, the preparation of their distinct traditional cuisine is staunchly guarded -  ingredient by ingredient.  

Although all sorts of variations on Salade Nicoise are served all over France, each claiming to be "authentic", the purists in this region would insist on a composition of a Niçoise salad as follows: tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, salted anchovies, tuna, spring onions, small black Nice olives and basil. And if in season, you can add young, tender broad beans out of the pod, young, raw artichokes and thin green peppers. 

Our salad includes all of the above plus thinly sliced roasted beets, roasted peppers, green beans, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic - so we just call it French salad.  

Aside from the ingredients, my friend also brought back from his French relatives the tradition of serving the meal as a communal partaking, gathering together around the table, passing the individual ingredients starting with garlic clove, and ending with grilled tuna.

You take what you want, composing  your own salad and then you just kind of mash it up, tear it up, cut it up and eat it.  It's fun, delicious and healthy. 

Included in the meal -  what else but some crusty bread and a chilled Rose.  

Then to complete the evening and the summer properly - blackberry pie.

Bon Appetit!

Evelyn



REMEMBER:  Buy Local When You Can!

August - Favorite Things

Lately I’ve been reading a lot of blogs and notice that publishing lists of things for one reason or another is a useful and effective way of conveying to your audience things you want them to know about.

I kind of liked the idea and have decided to start making a list on a month by month basis of great stuff.  So here is my first list.  Included are links, when available, for additional information about the items. I hope you find some things in the list that you too enjoyed in August.  Let me know what you think.  I'd love to hear from you and know if you have a "favorite" thing about August.

Favorite Things ~ August (it's a short list, I'm just getting started)

~ Queen Anne's Lace ~ Tomato Bread Salad ~ My Antonia ~ Goat Cheese  ~ Cape Kiwanda ~ Blackberry Jam ~ Basil Pesto ~ Perserving Summer's Bounty ~ Rain Valley Soap ~ My Life ~

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Queen Anns Lace ~ Like blackberries, it grows everywhere in Oregon in August - in the city, in the country, on the roadside, and on the hillside.  It's really very beautiful, kind of like a snowflake in the middle of summer.  Makes a nice bouquet too!

Tomato Bread Salad - One of the best of many ways to enjoy summer's homegrown tomatoes.  

My Antonia - A great American novel by Willa Cather first published in 1918 which realistically depicts frontier life and the settling of the American prairie. Great summer re-read. 

Goat Cheese Cookbook  - Authored by Maggie Foard, there are over 60 farm-fresh recipes for appetizers, breakfast, lunch and dinner using various forms of goat cheese.  Each recipe is beautifully photographed and well thought out for perfect results.

Cape Kiwanda - The family favorite.  We never stop climbing the mountain at Cape Kiwanda!

Blackberry Jam - Plan, pick, and process.  My favorite jam always.

Betty the Cat – A loyal companion this month.

Basil Pesto - Perfect August addition to pasta, veggies, pizza.  Yum.

Preserving Summer’s Bounty - A "how to" book authored by the very credible Rondale Food Center. Everything you need to know about preserving food from harvesting, canning, pickling, drying, juicing, to root cellaring.

Rain Valley Soap - Wonderfully luxurious, lubricating soap handcrafted in Portland.

My Life – Ukulele king Jake Shimabukuro released a brief but completely delightful EP of six classic songs by a wide variety of artists (Judy Garland, Cyndi Lauper, two by the Beatles, Sarah McLachlan, even Led Zeppelin).  My favorite "In My Life"  is a wonderful rendition of the Beatles classic.

Life is good - bye for now!  Evelyn

REMEMBER:  Buy Local When You Can!