Family, Farm, Food

Cluck, Cluck, Cluck....

2010-04-20T11:15:40-07:00

Have you heard? The Coop Tour is coming! The Coop Tour is coming! This weekend! Support our local 4-H Poultry Club by joining in the fun! Check out the link below...

Download Cluck, Cluck, Cluck, the Coop Tour is Coming!

Grange Series Continues!

2010-04-20T07:59:54-07:00

Next talk is "SO YOU WANT TO GET A GOAT ? "  Tuesday , April 27th, at 7 pm at the Deer Lagoon Grange on Bayview Rd,  Vicky Brown owner of the Little Brown Farm, a goat creamery in Freeland, will be the speaker. Whether you are contemplating getting goats or have had  them for a long time, come and listen to Vicky's goat stories.

She will  discuss what you need to do , which is BE READY, before you bring your goat  home. Are you interested in goats for milk, meat, fiber, brush clearing or just as pets? Come and listen to the experiences of other goat raisers and  get ready to enjoy your new life as a goat owner. This talk is FREE and everybody is welcome. Call 321-4027 for more  information.

MAY 11^th, Meena Prochaska from Bangalore, will be talking about Indian  cooking and I believe there will be samples! May 25th Duke LeBaron will be talking about "Raising rabbits for meat."   June 8^th, TBA   

Thanks to Kim Larson for suggestions for future topics. If any of you have suggestions please send them along. If you know people who have niche  specialty skills, ask them if they would be willing to share their  knowledge. Sometimes our speakers have a business and might benefit from the  publicity but most of the time they do not, and contribute their time and  materials out of the goodness of their hearts and the Grange provides the  space . That 's why there is no charge for these learning opportunities. 

We will be taking a break from Grange classes in the summer, but I am  working on Fair U, a series of talks during the Island County Fair, so I  welcome any suggestions for topics there , but send them soon, we are  working with deadlines.   

from Chris Williams, of the Deer Lagoon Grange

If you have EVER wanted to learn more about alpacas or llamas...

2010-04-20T07:53:28-07:00

I love living on Whidbey Island! If there is something you want to do, or something you want to learn more about, all you have to do is wait a little while and before you know it - a wonderful opportunity will appear!

Such is the case here! If you have EVER wanted to learn about alpacas or llamas, how to care for them or how to use their fiber, check out this event!!!!!

Download 2010 EDUCATION DAY FLYER

Download Class Descriptions Final Listing

Sprout Report From The Grange

2010-04-20T07:45:31-07:00

If you missed the great sprouting demo, here's a mini report. Susan Knapp  came prepared with an impressive array of different sprouts , roots and shoots, green and white, some in jars, some in soil. Had no idea there was  such a variety.

I have a new found admiration for people like Susan, who can  produce the right end point for a specific date. And spare a thought for  Phyllis of Ferryview Farm who has to get bucket loads ready for Saturday  only sales at Bayview Farmers Market.  

We all were tasting the sample crops, I just love the whole sunflower seed plants grown in soil. The two inch high stems taste wonderful. Not so sure about the 4" green pea shoots. Loved the beans, lentils , alfalfa and clover, but radish sprouts are unexpectedly fierce. Have a bag of Susan's sprouts in the frig, makes great nibble food when you just need something NOW!  

I learned two important things. First, do not let the ungerminated seeds go  down the drain during the rinsing process. They can germinate in the drain  and clog it with all their entwined roots. Secondly, when you are working  with lentils, the first rinse water is really murky, looks awful. That  happened to me on the one and only time I tried sprouting and I threw them  away. Now I know that is normal and I should have kept going.  

Thanks to Susan for sharing all her knowledge. I just might take another try  at sprouting! 

News From The Grange!

2010-04-06T07:07:25-07:00

The Organic Growing classes taught by the Tilth instructors were a powerhouse of knowledge. There is so much to learn about growing things on Whidbey, especially if you’ve lived in the Mid West where they have proper soil and you can grow Beef steak tomatoes. So now we return to the Food classes.

GROWING SPROUTS - extreme fast food gardening

TUESDAY April 13^th 7 pm at Deer Lagoon Grange, Bayview Rd, Langley.

Susan Knapp has been growing sprouts for 20 years. She will share how she grows tasty, nutritious sprouts “bursting with enzymes” in as little as two days. Producing sprouts from pantry stored seeds is very economical and as a side benefit, fits well into an emergency preparedness food plan. She will be bringing samples grown from a variety of seeds such as alfalfa, radish. lentils, peas and mung beans and will explain successful techniques for each seed type. Sprouting makes a great family project because children are fascinated by the new growth and enjoy the rapid time-to-harvest. Everybody welcome, FREE! This is part of the Grange’s community education program. More info 321-4027.

***************************

TUNA FROM A LOCAL BUSINESS

High Seas Tuna is a family owned fishing business, based in Bayview on Crawford Rd,. They use their own boats to line catch young albacore tuna which are then blast frozen at sea .When the boat returns to land, the whole fish are processed while still frozen (didn’t know you could do that) and the fillets are vacuum packed in 1.2-1.3 lb packets. This yields a premium quality product, it’s actually sashimi grade and sells for $8 /lb which is a tremendous value. A friend of mine has been buying this tuna and said it was so good that I should send out information in the next Grange Food News. So support your local fisher folks, Michael and Paulette Brown, by buying direct. www.highseastuna.com

Their main product is canned tuna, again processed to yield a premium product. They have natural and smoked tuna packs. If you like a very light smoked flavor, use a can of each. Call 321-2084

***************************

SAVE THE DATES

TUESDAY April 27^th 7 pm Vickie Brown , owner of Little Brown Goat Dairy in Freeland will be talking about “SO YOU WANT TO GET A GOAT”

Whether you are contemplating goats or had them longer than you care to remember, come and listen to Vickie’s goat stories and things you need to think about before you dive in. Trust me, life will never be the same if you do get a goat.

TUESDAY May 11th ISLAND MASALA Grange member Meena Prochaska, a native of Bangalore India, will be talking about Indian food. Rumor is that she is bringing the components for Chicken Tika, which will be cooking while she is talking.

TUESDAY May 25th Still working on this one.

Send me a note if there is a topic or a speaker you would like to hear. Maybe you’d even volunteer yourself. These aren’t lectures. Somebody who knows how to do something well and has been doing it for a long time, tells us what they are doing and the tricks of the trade they use to make it successful. - submitted by Chris Williams of the Deer Lagoon Grange.

Never Short of Great Things

2010-03-03T10:26:30-08:00

We are so fortunate to live where we do! Whidbey Island offers so many incredible opportunities for residents and guests alike...rather than creating a separate posting for each one, click on the links below to learn about the current batch on the horizon.

Each is exciting, so don't skip! You'll find info on a llama farm, a fiber sale, a chance to learn about leveraging your ag/forestry operations for carbon markets, and the upcoming Growing Groceries workshop! We are a busy bunch.

Download Growing Groceries2 March2010

Download Carbon Brochure 2010_FINAL_low res

Download Paradise Found Fiber Farm Download Save the date

Download Save the date

Download WI Fabulous Fall Fiber Sale

A New Way To Shop The Rock

2010-02-14T10:19:17-08:00

There is a small, but growing number of local crafts people putting their wares on the market... in new and interesting ways. As an example, check out the wonderful goods being created at Paradise Found Fiber Farm. Go to their new on-line Fiber Shack at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ParadiseFoundFiberShack

You'll notice that one of the slides that comes up on the left says "open me first." It will explain how you can purchase from the Fiber Shack.

Give it a click, and let Mary know what you think of her new shop!

First Class Was GREAT!!!!

2010-02-14T10:06:31-08:00

The first "Growing Groceries" class was held yesterday...and it was GREAT! We had about 28 people join us, and the conversations were lively and informative. We talked about the basics of growing food: understanding the role of light, soil temperature, and soil fertility. And we got some hands-on experience with two different approaches to starting seeds indoors.

There was a lot of interest in how to compost and how to safely use animal manures. So much so, that we'll be posting info on those topics, and doing our best to get Janet Hall (Waste Wise Coordinator) to join us at the next session, Saturday, March 13, 2010.

Many thanks to Cary Peterson and the Whidbey Institute for pulling this together, and for the team spirit of South Whidbey Tilth, Bayview School, Good Cheer, and WSU Island County Extension. For more info, Download Growing-groceries

Growing Groceries!!!!

2010-02-11T08:07:54-08:00

This Saturday marks the beginning of a fantastic series on how to grow more of your own food! Check out this flyer, and please share wildly with your friends and neighbors! Will we see you there?

Download Growing Groceries3a

Master Gardeners will be at Skagit Farmers Supply in OH!

2010-01-25T10:28:41-08:00

The second of three free workshops held at Skagit Farmers Supply, Oak Harbor will take place on Tuesday, January 26, starting at 6:30 p.m. Master Gardener Deb Mitchell will explain seed starting for the beginner gardener. After the class, guests will be able to purchase seeds and the materials needed for their garden this year. Refreshments will be served. The third and final workshop will be about pruning on February 23. Please pass this information on. Thank you.

Questions: Call Adam Troyer, SFS, Oak Harbor, 360-675-2277 (except Mondays).