What's New?
It's fresh hop season!
Three years ago we planted these rhizomatic monsters, an assortment of Willamette, Cascade, Chinook and Nugget hops. Now, after a couple of seasons establishing themselves, we have been treated to a bountiful crop of pungent, resinous flowers. Yesterday we harvested approximately 5 pounds of hop flowers which we used to brew 10 gallons of Fresh Hop IPA, a beer style that any Cascadian is familiar with and such a lovely treat to be had in these final days of Summer!
Hops, Humulus Lupulus, are a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily for adding bitterness, flavoring and stabilizing of beer. Hops can add an enormous array of flavors and aromas to beer such as citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit and pine.
Kitchen Notes
It's pepper season!
Despite the excessive heat this year, which is usually an advantage for this crop, pepper season is setting in late this year.
We love peppers! And grow 30 plus varieties at the farm. We work with 4 local hot sauce companies; Silagy Sauce in Battleground, WA, Two Angry Cats in Vancouver, WA, HAB Sauce in Portland, OR, and our newest customer High on the Fire in Vancouver, WA.
This week we are offering a mix of sweet and medium hot peppers, in weeks to come we will be offering scotch bonnet, habanero and super hot peppers.
Our favorite way to prepare sweet peppers is to stuff them with rice, cheese and some local chorizo, then bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until the pepper skin blisters. If you don't eat meat then mushrooms could easily be substituted.
With medium hot peppers they can easily be processed into a lovely hot sauce, added to fresh salsa, used to heat up a stir fry or even dehydrated to be added to dishes during the cold months of Winter.
Local Spotlight
Hello friends, neighbors, family & colleagues,
It's time to get to know our fisherman...
I am working with Schoolhouse Fish Co. to connect our community directly to their wild salmon & halibut fishing family in Alaska. Through their Fish Club program, we can order custom shares of their season's catch this year, shipped directly to us from their port in Petersburg. By ordering together and using Alaska Air Cargo to ship, we get access to super high quality, seasonal wild fish at uncommonly low prices.
You can learn more about Schoolhouse Fish and place your wild seafood orders with our Fish Club at www.schoolhousefish.com/pdx. Just select my name (Elle) and the month(s) you want to pick up from the drop down menus by each product. (October is what is left)
This year Schoolhouse is offering wild coho and king salmon, halibut, sablefish, ling cod, spot prawns, smoked salmon, and seasonal "fish mixes" that include extras like rockfish and halibut cheeks. They ship out monthly from May-November. We can order for each club shipment up until the 1st of the month that we are picking up. (Oct 1st is the last day you can order for this year under Elle)
Pre-season ordering is encouraged for the year with "early bird" prices available until May 15th. (Pre season is over but you an participate next year if you want)
Eric has been fishing responsibly by hook and line for 15 years in Tlingit Aani (Southeast Alaska) and operating Schoolhouse Fish Co. with his wife Malena for the last 6 years. They ship the fish they catch by hook and line, along with a few extras caught by fishers in their town, directly to people like us. They are humbled and gracious to operate their business in Tlingit Aani, the lands and waters of Tlingit people.
After you place your orders, Eric and Malena will bag them individually and box them for shipping to our airport. I'll do the pick up and let you know how to grab your shares from me when they arrive. (You can review their season's calendar to make sure you'll be in town for scheduled shipments.)
If you have any questions about my local Fish Club, contact me directly. If you have questions about the fish or about Schoolhouse Fish Co. you can check their FAQs or feel free to call or text Malena at (907) 957-1007. Eric and Malena love sharing stories and information about their boat (F/V Happy Time!), Southeast Alaska, their sled dog Pilot, and their work to protect fish and fish habitat for future generations.
Elle 971-322-4873
