It's all about the oysters, baby!

This is what happens when we let the fire go out overnight. I think it got down to about 53, which won't kill anyone, but the dogs get a bit whiny.

We drove down to visit our friends in Endor (in a geodesic dome, in the rainforest, on the banks of the Skagit River) this weekend. We took the scenic route, down Chuckanut Drive, so we could pick up fresh oysters on the way.

This sign was so odd, we actually turned the car around so we could take a picture. There is a giant arrow pinning the sign to the phone pole. I have no idea who did or why, but apparently this part of Skagit County is patrolled by Robin Hood. Better mind your P's & Q's!

Here's the gateway to delicious shellfish at Taylor's. We got some mussels, a crab, some Totten Inlet oysters, and a dozen extra-special super-delicious Kumamoto oysters, pictured below.

Right before we hit the oyster store, located right on the water of Samish Bay, we passed this crumbling old house. Not sure the history of it, but on closer inspection we noticed some neat tribal artwork.

One last look at the entrance to Taylor Shellfish. We let Stewart & Fergus out where it was safe, down by the beach, and they chased us up hill to burn off a little cooped-in-the-car steam. We bought our own oyster knife too, so we can properly process the little packages of delight. I can't wait to get more, right out of the water!

We're getting another little snowstorm, and some below-freezing weather. Looks like the garden will wait a bit longer. Good thing there are always more indoor projects. Later this week we'll share the pickled beef tongue recipe, complete with yucky pictures. It turned out delicious though, and made great tacos. We'll do it again next time we have a steer butchered.

Springing into February

Check out this before & after picture of Hidatsa Shield Figure beans! They really plump when you cook them, and taste great. Hidatsa is the name of the tribe that originally grew these beans, and the dark part of the bean is supposed to resemble they way they painted their shields. I haven't seen any Hidatsa shields, so I can't verify that ;)

These beans were recently boarded on Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste. (Be sure to check their site out for all kinds of amazing foods in danger of disappearing.) We've grown Hidatsa beans for 2 years, and will keep them in rotation as a house favorite. Dry beans take up a fair bit of garden space, and take a long time to mature, but it's worth the trouble to find out for yourself just how tasty heirloom beans can be. You can buy your own Hidatsa bean seed here, or check out Local Harvest to see who's growing them near you.

Finally! Paychecks, days off, and end of road restrictions all aligned so we could have a load of gravel delivered. It was a fun day of being local. The gravel came from the pit nearly next door, then we drove 3.5 miles to our local Breckenridge Dairy for milk (check out this picture of the dairy drive-thru during our recent floods), ran into a neighbor who had just seen a friend/coworker/neighbor coming down the Pole Rd. on his tractor to spread the gravel for us. He brought his cute little dog, Roxie, with him, and took some of our homemade goodies back with him. We had to leave for grocery shopping and traded our hard earned cash for more local delights - fresh oysters from Taylor Shellfish farms. We grilled the oysters on the BBQ and ate them with lime wedges, hot sauce & melted butter.

Stewart, doing his lapdog impression. He's going on 3, but still a puppy at heart.

And as usual, Magnus, demonstrating how stressful his life is.

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We also attended a day of classes in assorted farm & livestock management called the Cattlemen's Winterschool. Here's this year's class schedule, so you can get an idea of what is offered. It is a program of the Washington State University extension, and they have an incredible amount of useful information on their website alone, not to mention all the classes and publications available through them. More about our day of agricultural fun later this week!