Two years ago I was invited to my dear friend Annie Cooper's baby shower in South Park, Seattle. I had been keeping bees in Annie's backyard since 2008, and while she is completely terrified of the beehives, has been an amazing babysitter and advocate for keeping bees. So I was feeling really lame because I should have been the one to throw Annie a baby shower, but I lived two hours away in a tiny house in the middle of nowhere. To make up for it, I gifted 24 little honey jars with a custom labels just for Annie's shower guests (actually, Noa O'Hare did all the label work, I just got all the credit!) that were a big...
As I drove home from Seattle this morning, I mentally went through the food I knew I had in the pantry, and didn't allow myself to stop for an easy and quick breakfast sammie on the road, even though I reeeeeeeaaallly wanted one! To my dismay, upon arriving home I discovered that my last remaining Breadfarm hoagie bun was covered in white spots, thus ruining my chances of breakfast sammie at home ( I kind of have a thing where I don't like eggs unless accompanied by toast). Frustrated, and almost gave up and followed a dangerous course of coffee-only breakfast (watch out world!) until I saw the perfect little snack to get me back on track. I had one...
It's Memorial Day weekend and it's also rhubarb STRAWBERRY season here in Washington State. What better way to entertain (or just bake for yourself) than with a homemade pie. Ok, for starters, we all know a handmade pie crust is best, with lard or butter for maximum flakiness and flavor. But between work and home chores, we didn't have time (but if we did, we would) so a frozen section grocery store crust will do. Remember to get two crusts, because this pie, unlike pumpkin or key lime, needs a top crust. Here's where it gets a little tricky, because we don't exactly measure everything. Play it by ear and you'll do fine! We chopped up: one pound of rhubarb...
I think one of the reasons why I'm so bad at/not interested in/have no time for writing this blog is that I can't attach photos to my stories. Pictures emote so much more than words ever can, and I don't feel strongly enough that I can share the experience of beekeeping through prose alone. That said, here's a run down of recent events: Had the best weekend ever in Sunny Honey record on Mother's Day at Pike Place Market. Great sunny skies, and my own mother as helper (not to forget the AMAZING Sarah Lippek) really propelled us to success. People grabbed everything they could off the stand, including (my mistake, I'm sooooo sorry) a sample jar of the...
Today, while driving around the Mt Baker foothills, I had the pleasure of passing a giant tractor/mixer/farm implement that happened, upon close inspection, to be a liquid manure spreader. Ahhh, the time of year when these things go all day and night in the farmlands. I could hear one working until nearly 11 pm last night in the neighbors field. And the smell, the smell that until you live in the country, deep country, you can't get used to overnight. I remember many years ago, when I was living in Seattle and would come up to the farm to visit once in awhile, how nearly nauseating the smell was to me. I couldn't understand how anyone could live in a...