In The Name Of Science

I confess.

I am a sucker for Science toys.

It's true.

It's a hold over from our homeschooling days.

Science catalogs kept me entertained for weeks.

My boys know this about me.

About a month ago Dylan and his friend Linden were conspiring to invest in a trail camera.

These two share an interest in surfing, hunting, soccer and track & field, and somehow it all seems to overlap.

When Dylan approached me with the idea I resisted.

I mean does that seem fair?

The hunted have to wander the forest without the aid of a camera.

And isn't part of the deal that you have to tramp around in the woods blindly, wearing yourself out, enabling you to have excuses to do this for weeks?

That's how it looks to me anyhow.

I'm just sayin'...



He let it go for about a week and gave it some thought.

Then he found one on ebay that looked perfect and my bright son took another approach.

He has an interest in Science and thinks it might be cool to some day work for the Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife.

But Mom. It will help me to observe wildlife and their patterns.

It's in the name of Science.

And my future.

Well what's a mother to do?

Who am I to stand in the way of Science and my son's future?

I'm such a sucker sometimes.





So he has a trail cam.

What surprised me is how intriguing I have found this gadget.

It's fascinating to see what happens when you aren't looking. These shots show dates and times which makes it all the more interesting.

First he mounted it down the hill from our house and got these:




I'm pretty sure this is a little family we have been watching since those babies were a few days old. We've watched them grazing and nursing and head butting and prancing across the yard.


I snapped a few photos of them a couple of weeks ago.




This looks to us like a juvenile bear. Strange that he would be out this time of day. Sean thinks he may have paid a visit to his chicken coop a while back based on the fur he found on the cage.




Then they took it to Linden's house and mounted it on an apple tree and got these:










This one is my personal favorite.



And 1300 other shots of grass blowing in the wind.

Seriously. There were 1344 shots fired and the vast majority was grass.

So they learned something.

Science right?

Help me out here.

I still feel suckered....but it is pretty cool.






A quick update from the garden. We were out playing at the beach this past weekend but this was haul on Sunday...plus a few cucumbers and tomatoes.


This is another one of my crops grown for visual coolness... I'm a sucker for those too. This carrot is called Purple Haze. It's a fun one for those of us who are easily entertained.


Yours, in the name of science,

Cath

The.Best.Tuna.Ever. In The History Of The World

It's true.

We had the best tuna ever in the history of the world.

The kind you think about an hour after you eat and say "That was amazing".

And then you think about it again 2 hours later.

And then you think about it the next morning.

You get the idea.

BUT... you say.

How can I be so sure that it is the best tuna in the history of the world?

Ok so the world does have quite a history....yada yada yada.

I can say for sure that it was the best tuna in the history of my world.

So I'll stand on that.

I was definitely the best tuna in the history of my world.




Our #2 son works as a commercial fisherman aboard this boat.


I don't often get a peek inside his world.

The crew had been out off the Oregon coast fishing for Hake (Why does the photo in that link make me want to imitate Mr. Bill?) and were finished up there.

Arik had told us that they were going to go off shore on the return trip to the home port and try for tuna on their way back and would we be interested?

He didn't have to ask twice.

One of the great gifts of living near a working port is discovering how amazing the seafood is when it's right off the boat.

You can literally taste the difference when it has been handled well right from the start.

I think these guys know what they are doing.

Which is indeed a comfort to a mom who has a son in this line of work.

Arik really loves this work.

It's an amazing thing as my kids grow up.

I worry.

I sweat.

I pray.

And then I see moments like this.

He belongs there.

He and his boss/future father-in-law seem to really have an easy sort of fit.

And for the record...yes I did comment on his fabulous fashion sense and unique designer styling of the Carhartt pants.

I found out I was late to the party. The other owner of the boat had beat me to the punch ...complementing him on the nice coordination of pants and boots.



I wish I had pulled out and scanned a picture of this kid and his first fish.

He was a very active little dude. The first time we ever saw him stand still was when we put the Mickey Mouse pole in his hand aboard our sailboat.

He fished for hours.

We thought it was a set up.

Here's your pole.

You stand perfectly still and you might feel a fish.

Good luck with that.


But he did!!

Finally he caught a tiny baracuda... or "bawacuda" as he would say it.

It was illegal, I'm sure, but we were so floored that the Mickey pole could actually catch a fish and he was so thrilled with his "Big Fisss" that we just had to let him bring it in.

I'll have to dig that out and post it.


From that point on all you had to do was open the door to his room a 0 dark thirty and whisper "fishing" and he would be up, out, dressed, and smiling.

All school work had to be done early so he could fish with Gramps? No problem.

Chores? Peice of cake.


It's just so right.














Rich got the job of getting them ready for the feast... and for canning.




If all that wasn't already fabulous enough we found a recipe for
Seared Tuna with Avocado (click there for the recipe).

Oh.My.Gosh.

You gotta try this.

It's amazing.

I did a couple of thing slightly differently. I didn't have fresh ginger so I used powdered. I'm sure fresh is much better but oh well. And I subbed Braggs Aminos for half of the soy sauce.






We used and outdoor grill.


Plated it up with some roasted garden broccoli, brussels sprouts and potatoes.

Heaven I tell ya!










These are for my mom.

She was asking about how the canning process worked.




This step doesn't look like much but it's critical. If ya slack and leave anything on the rim they won't seal.


You can fit 16 quart jars... two layers of eight jars.


This outdoor burner is a new addition to our aresenal this summer. It started out as a search for a camp barbeque...there is a barbeques attachment for it...but we've been wanting one of these for a while.

It's so nice to not have your house smelling like tuna or salmon for days.

And it keeps the house much cooler.

Why is it that canning almost always needs to be done on the hottest week of the year?



Once you vent the steam and get the pressure up to 11# it runs for 100 minutes and then you let it gradually cool.


It's not hard but it takes some time.


Try out that tuna and let me know what you think

Cath

Right on Target –{Roasted Chioggia Beet and Feta Salad}

If I were to give out awards to my garden plants…I know... just humor me here…

These Chioggia beets would have to win Most Surprisingly Productive Vegetable Actually Planted for Visual Coolness.

Just picture that engraved on a trophy.


I’ll give you a minute….
















So here they are… the award winning Chioggia beets:


From the little research I did… I warned you before about my compulsive researching so the fact that someone would actually research beets shouldn’t surprise you….the pronunciation is KEE- O-JEE-YA.

It is an Italian Heirloom beet whose outstanding characteristic is its red and white rings.

Aren’t those rings just the coolest?

That was my whole reason for planting them.

Whenever I slice one I kind of stand there for a minute and go….”cool”

Seriously.

A beet that looks like a target.

The possibilities are endless.

It turns out that these beets love my garden. They have far surpassed the supposedly “early” beets.

They have a mild, sweet flavor.

They have less red coloring so they don’t have the staining power of the usual beets.

Half the red = half the mess.

In fact, they turn mostly white it you steam of boil them

The tops are much more delicate than other types I have tried… a lot like chard.

On with the yummy recipe:

Roasted Beet Salad With Beet Greens and Feta
8 Tblsp Extra-virgin Olive Oil + a bit for roasting
5 Tblsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tblsp minced garlic
6-7 Medium Beets
2 Tblsp chopped drained capers
¾ Cup crumbled Feta Cheese
1 Lg or 2 Med sliced Green Onion
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scrub beets. Cut green tops off beets; reserve tops and cut beets in half. Toss in small amount of Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Arrange beets in single layer in 13x9x2-inch baking dish.


Cut stems off beet greens; discard stems. Wash greens. Chop greens coarsely.

Transfer greens, with some water still clinging to leaves, to large pot. Stir over high heat until just wilted but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain greens; squeeze out excess moisture. Cool; chop coarsely.

Transfer greens to medium bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


While the green are cooking whisk oil, vinegar and garlic in small bowl to blend. Season dressing with salt and pepper.


After about half an hour the beets look like this and are tender.
This is totally my new favorite way to cook beets... although we still like the pickled beets ... and I want to try grilling them... but for today... this is my new favorite way.


Chop Capers and onion and crumble Feta.


Slice beets and then cut crosswise if desired to make bite sized pieces. Transfer to large bowl.
Mix in capers and green onion. and remaining dressing. Add Feta and toss.
Season with salt and pepper.


Hope for leftovers.

I love that this recipe uses the tops and the roots at the same time. These Chioggia tops are way too good to pass up.




Here's a copy of the recipes all in one spot for ya. Enjoy!


Roasted Beet Salad With Beet Greens and Feta
8 Tblsp Extra-virgin Olive Oil + a bit for roasting
5 Tblsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tblsp minced garlic
6-7 Medium Beets
2 Tblsp chopped drained capers
¾ Cup crumbled Feta Cheese
1 Lg or 2 Med sliced Green Onion
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scrub beets. Cut green tops off beets; reserve tops and cut beets in half. Toss in small amount of Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Arrange beets in single layer in 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Roast in oven for about ½ hr or until tender.
Cut stems off beet greens; discard stems. Wash greens. Chop greens coarsely. Transfer greens, with some water still clinging to leaves, to large pot. Stir over high heat until just wilted but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain greens; squeeze out excess moisture. Cool; chop coarsely.
Whisk oil, vinegar and garlic in small bowl to blend. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
Transfer greens to medium bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Slice beets and then cut crosswise if desired to make bite sized pieces. Transfer to large bowl.
Mix in capers and green onion. and remaining dressing. Add Feta and toss.
Season with salt and pepper.

Hometown 4th

We almost always head to the lake for the 4th of July.

When Tuesday evening rolled around we had to decide whether to pack and get a spot on Wednesday or call it in and stay in town.

The wind forecast was 5 knots.

That's not even enough for me... and I'm pretty horrible...

So we made the decision to hang out in town, enjoy some time with the guys and relax a little.

I went for a walk at the port of Friday morning.

There are days .... lots of them this year...

When the marine layer descends and the port takes on a quiet, magical feel in the mist.


Brookings is a very partiotic little town.


This scene touched me. It just really said Brookings 4th of July for me.


As I take my walks in the port I like to go thru the little roads behind the commercial boat zone.

The colors and order of the gear are a sort of visual feast.


There were lots of visiting recreational fisherman this weekend too.

I loved how this little seabird was surfing the wake created by the passing boats.



Collin got an extra day off and made a quick trip home to get out of the Sacramento heat.

We had a little fire Friday night with Sean and Collin and made pizza camp pies... our tradtional lake camping food and pretended for a while that we were camping.

It's just nice when the guys make some time to hang out with us for a bit.

It's what you hope for when they are toddlers and you flop on the couch exausted and feeling victorious for having survived another day with all bodies and spirits intact.

Now we get to look across a fire ring, kitchen table or living room and talk with our kids like friends.

An everday gift if ever there was one.

I gotta say I do miss those toddler hugs though... those are the best.






My greenhouse master husband has been thinking that the greenhouse plants haven't really been getting enough light.

We aren't really sure if it's the funky weather this year or just the age of the panels.

A remodel was in order.

C is so great about things like this.

Any new project and he's all over it.

Especially if it involves power tools.


He jumped right in and got er done.

I love how the garden seems to flow right into the greenhouse now.

He ended up doing a vehicle repair for Arik too before he headed back on Sunday.

He was happy to do it.

He's a keeper for sure.



It was a crazy 4th.

Foggy, quieter than usual, and cold...as in a high in the mid 50's!

What's up with that??

Blankets for the 4th of July??

D was sick all weekend and didn't have any fun at all... poor guy.







A couple of shots from the garden.

SO here's how brussels sprouts work!

Look! It's baby brussels nursery:

Cool huh? SO they must chop off all the leaves to make those stalks you see in the store.

I learned something new.

I love these Janie Harmony Marigolds.

I planted them to help keep some of the bugs down but I really love the intense color they have.

They are just fabulous among the greens.

Happy little things aren't they?

I hope you are all having a great week. D is recovering from his wisdom tooth exraction well and we are heading to the county fair tomorrow.