On our second day at Lake Chelan, we visited Blueberry Hills farm. For us, a family vacation is just incomplete without a visit to a farm. Especially a farm with a U-pick field! And especially when lil’ kids are involved. I was very much farm-deprived as a kid so I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

Before picking any fruit, at the entrance to the farm, we met this lovely lady who talked about barn owls. She explained how the owls help solve the problems caused by mice in, well… barns – what do I know about that? – but is sure does sound better than using poisons and traps; letting nature do its “thing” instead.

She said that a barn owl catches, and eats, about 8 mice a day. That’s 2,920 mice a year! This sure does sound impressive. However, the city girl that I am, I could not help thinking about how this owl looks like an orchestra’s conductor; the way it is standing on its two legs like that, all tall and upright, he seemed to me like a bird wearing a tuxedo with funny, skinny legs.

The owls were fascinating and we spent lots of time asking question about them. Well, OK, I did most of the asking and the kids Suburban Cowboy was getting impatient.

Sadly, the blueberries were still green!

Some with a shade of purple

Or a touch of pink

But not ready to be picked. That’ll take another 2 weeks or so.

Luckily, the farm had strawberries and they were ripe and ready. Yay.

Not certified organic but the folks at the farm promised they do not spray the strawberries with any pesticides, and we took their word on it.

Gorgeous.

Suburban Cowboy was looking pretty good in a hair net, don’t you think?

Oh, Man, the strawberries tasted so good. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!

It was a hot day and the strawberries were warm and bursting with juices and sweetness. Earth-candy.

And I just love to see kids, especially mine, on their hands and knees picking fruits and vegetables.

This is by far the shortest distance food can make from the ground and into the mouth.

(… and I’m starting to fall in love with my cheap lens – the one that came with the camera’s kit – and its “fish bowl” effect.)

OK, that did it! I want a strawberry field in my backyard! Rows and rows of the stuff.

Our bag of treasure cost 85 cents!

after 20 seconds in the microwave…	and another 30 seconds…

Oh, yeah, baby…

That’s right, we were dipping our freshly picked strawberries in chocolate sauce.

The lady who moaned in the pool below as if she was having great s_x (she didn’t; was merely excited by floating in the pool) had no idea what was going on only a few feet away and above her head in our balcony. A quick chocolate fondue by the lake. Oh, yeah…

It was a gorgeous winter day. Although it started gray and cold – welcome winter? – it turned into a sunny warm day with white clouds in the blue sky.

What better way to shut off the constant buzz inside my head – can you hear it too? – than going out on a farms tour?

We went to two local farms as part of the Harvest Celebration where you can see for yourself where and how farmers grow our local foods, raise farm animals, and steward rural and agricultural land.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the great outdoors, the open space, the green fields… acres and acres of land, water, beautiful countryside, and fresh air.

I had a chance to chat with a guy who was an intern with PCC Farmland Trust which “secures, preserves and stewards threatened farmland in the Northwest, to ensure that generations of local farmers productively farm it using sustainable, organic growing methods… by working to place farmers on the property, actively producing food for the local community.”

Important stuff!

Since we only had time to visit 2 farms, we chose ones that had food to eat and chef demos. I got to see Becky, a.k.a as Chef Reinvented, who prepared braised kale with balsamic vinegar, pine nuts, raisins, and cheese on toasted bread (t’was sweet and savory, you gotta love kale), and Rachel from PCC who was in charge of grilling corn and charming smiles.

Local, fresh, organic corn, grilled and basted with lime juice, olive oil, and herbs.

We love corn and extremely enjoyed this

as well as the horsie wagon ride

and the stories this guy who was quite a character, told us about his childhood and what the place looked like back then. He might look a bit scary, but was very sweet really

Live country music = fun

Kids and adults get all excited to the sight of live farm animals from a close distance, don’t they?!

as well as doing some arts and crafts

Visiting local farms and farm stands is an excellent opportunity to shop for the freshest local produce that was picked that same day (or a day ahead) and is mostly organic and cost much less $$

Gorgeous, isn’t it?!

As are the buckets of flowers

and playing with some old tractors

If you missed the festival/s this year, add it to your calendar for next year, around September, to keep an eye for updates.

And don’t forget to smile…

Say “chhheeeeeeeeeeeese”.

Also, don’t forget about the giveaway! Have you entered the giveaway yet? It ends THIS weekend! Click here for details.

Oh, what a summer it has been. Quite stormy, I’d say. If you have been following my family stories, you know what I’m talking about…

My father passed away 3 weeks ago after months of being very sick. I can’t still digest this fact and the only time I have to think about it is late at night before going to sleep.

My mom visited us for a month after three years that we haven’t seen her (with no connection to my father at all as they got divorced when I was a baby) which is a long time to be living in one’s family room, regardless of if you’re having fun together or not.

My son is on summer vacation from school and we spent almost every single day together for the past 6 weeks and there’s another one to go (but who’s counting?) before school starts.

After my father’s death and my mother’s return to her home, we went on a very much needed little summer vacation with the kiddies. Needless to say, although it was lots of fun, a vacation with little kids is not for rest and relaxation. I’m happy to be back home.

And brought a little souvenir from our trip, real Canadian maple syrup

But by now I feel very tired and stressed. All this family “stuff” has been keeping me so busy, too busy, that my head is spinning and I feel so drained. I am so ready to get back to our usual routine. To keep afloat, I’m trying to stay positive and focus on things that make me happy because otherwise, I could go crazy. The simple pleasures of life are filling me back with energies and bringing back the desire to write, to be productive, see people, go out, invite friends over, celebrate… Live.

Like stopping by a farm stand and buying the freshest corn that was picked that very morning at a local farm! 10 for $2! Support your local farmers.

And stone fruits that are the sweetest I have tasted in a long long time. 

     And although the tomatoes in the backyard were not watered for a week while we were away, they waited for us on their vines, ripe and waiting to be picked

and were good and sweet and juicy

Same as these most amazing plums!

But like after any vacation, there is A LOT of laundry to do, grocery shopping, and running errands. A nice quick and light lunch is the best for the day after. Like a good meal after a vacation hangover. Full of summer goodness and sunshine that was soaked into the food.

Quick summer lunch

Corn on the cob quickly cooked in the microwave with a light sprinkle of salt

Simple sandwich with your favorite bread, deli meat, avocado, mayo and/or a drizzle of truffle oil

Fresh mozzarella

10-minutes-ago picked cherry tomatoes

Building our little backyard garden with a raised bed and planting and seeding what grew up to be lettuces, arugula, fresh herbs, and tomatoes really paid off. We enjoy it so much. Next year we might even try raising corn! Now we’re waiting to see what happens with these melons. I hope they will provide a sweet ending to my crazy summer.

The end …

…

I’d like you to visit my Good Food & Bad Food blog and read the post I wrote about it, “Can We Eat Like That and Be Healthy?”

No, this doesn’t mean that I am becoming a vegetarian now. But I did think what can I do that is doable, practical, and will make a change? Even if it is a small one. Because if millions of people will make a small change, then together, it will make a huge difference, don’t you think?!

I have decided that:
1. At least two nights each week we will have a vegetarian dinner.
2. At least once a week, I will pay more to buy meat/chicken/seafood from sustainable, free-range, organic, preferably local farms.

Tonight it’s going to be an Upgraded Pizza (recipe here) and a Citrus Salad (recipe here) for dinner.

What ideas do you have so more animals can live a respectful healthier life which will make our food healthier and better for us?

What a beautiful place, isn’t it?!

Flower beds:

and herbs…

First we visited the animals, and fed them, of course. There were goats, lamas, chickens…

Then we went to dig some potatoes. They had a few varieties. We dug Yokon gold, purple and fingerlings. Fresh from the ground, straight out from the dirt. So earthy.

How cute is that?!

That’s me holding a potato still clinging to the stem of the plant. I have never done this before. I got so excited; my husband had to stop me from digging more and more potatoes because we have already filled a bucket full of potatoes to last a long time. The good thing is that when the potatoes are so fresh, they will last a few good weeks. That is, if they stay in the cold dark pantry that long. Tonight we’re having steak and farm fresh home-made French fries!

The proud Microsofty bragging about his digging skills…

See the bucket!

The Herbfarm is considered one of the best restaurants in the US. I heard it is VERY good and VERY expensive, and dinner lasts 4-5 hours with lots of wine, so it is on our to-do list for a very special occasion. The restaurant has a field in this farm where they grow their own herbs, vegetables, fruits and flower to be used in their kitchen. From farm to the table. How special is that?!

Salmons are a big thing here!!! Check this out: Issaquah Salmon Days Festival 2008.
The farm is not certified organic but they say they don’t use sprays, and they are friendly to the local salmon.

Beautiful sunflowers…

Green blackberries are red We might come back on Wednesday (short day at school) to see if they are ripe and ready to be picked.

But we did manage to fill 2 small boxes. By the way, it costs half of the grocery store price! What a sweet deal!

And how can we go home without kettle corn and apple cider?

Conclusions:
Going to a farm is fun.
Kids learn where food comes from. Very important!
Picking your own food is an extraordinary experience.
Produce cost less at the farm stand compared to the grocery store.
You support your local family farm/business.
It’s a win-win-win for everyone.
We should definitely do this more often.
It’s difficult to write all these conclusions without exclamation point at the end of every sentence!

You might want to read this post too: U-pick farms

And here are the potatoes disguised as REAL French fries (fried twice):

I have just returned from a vacation in BC, Canada, where I read this article in the local Globe and Mail newspaper.
This is another example of how people play with nature, in this case feeding animals what they are not supposed to eat. The result is a food product that is not as healthy for you as you might think.

From Wednesday’s Globe and Mail, by CARLY WEEKS, August 6, 2008

“… eating farmed tilapia, a widely consumed fish that has been steadily growing in popularity, may be no better than dining on bacon, hamburgers or doughnuts.
New U.S. research has found that farmed tilapia have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids – and surprisingly high levels of potentially detrimental omega-6 fatty acids.
Omega-6 fatty acids are considered to be essential and must be obtained through diet because they can’t be produced by the body… But consuming too much omega-6 can contribute to cancer, asthma, depression and heart disease, among other ailments.
Farmed tilapia contains more omega-6 fatty acid than is found in doughnuts, pork bacon or hamburgers made with 80-per-cent lean ground beef, according to a new study.
Tilapia, a lean white fish with a mild taste, is the second-most cultivated fish in the world, after carp, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. While China is the world’s leading producer of tilapia, British Columbia and Nova Scotia also produce it on a commercial scale.”
And the reason is…” “This is a serious problem because they tend to feed [the fish] vegetable oils for growth and that’s not quite what the tilapia is accustomed to getting in its native state,” he said.”
You can read more here.

This article reminded me of the mad cow disease. The cows, which are vegetarian animals, are being fed with animal by-products, than they go mad and get cuckoo in the head and people who eat them get sick. Not to mention the poor animals suffering.

Why do those farmers feed animals with food they don’t naturally eat?

Here, in Bellevue, WA, a suburban city near Seattle, there are still a few farms in the city and plenty within 10-20 minutes drive. It is amazing that you can see not only horses, but cows, and pumpkin fields and a blueberry farm in the city! (Not to mention streams with wild salmon. A post about that later on).

This is so much fun…

At a lavendar farm on the Olympic Peninsula, WA

Picking bluberries, and tasting them too.

Learning how to pick ripe, purple, blueberries at the Blueberry farm in Bellevue, WA

We got plenty of fresh, sweet blueberry. Better than any boxed fruit at the grocery store.

Remlinger Farms, Carnation, WA

Some pumpkins are the size of a little kid.

The freshest corn we ever had. From the field to the farm’s store, and to the grill.

This is the good life.

Click here to find more U-pick farms in King County.

You might like to read this as well: Green blackberries are red

Enjoy.

Nurit