A Little Sun Valley Vacation, Using Trip Advisor, Harvesting Veggies, No Rain- Again, Lemon Scones & Blackberries

A Little Sun Valley Vacation-
After doing a lot of research, we decided to take a short vacation for 3 days to the Sun Valley area here in Idaho. We decided not to go to Yellowstone or the Tetons, since we were late in planning. I found a nice, cheap motel in Bellevue, below Hailey and Ketchum. The great thing is Hailey, much of what Bruce Willis has owned, is the incredible, low cost food places to eat. Think grass fed beef burgers on brioche rolls, with organic veggies at the Power House Pub & Bike Store  Yum! And only $10.00, that would be cheap for Boise. Dave loved the HUGE beer selection! We had breakfast at Shorty's Diner, a fun 50's style place. Willis owns that building too.

Ketchum is the very expensive, somewhat snobby ski area. Lots of mega-mansions up there, and too many golf courses to count. By contrast we've gone to McCall, a resort area, and there's no snobbish behavior from what we've seen. Very relaxed. We went to 2 museums, both closed for some unknown reason. The really cool thing we did was to take a gondola up to 7,000 feet, on Bald Mountain, for lunch! It was a gorgeous ride, but a bit hazy from forest fire smoke. We ate out on the deck (sorry no pics) and had gourmet sandwiches, and relaxed. The Roundhouse interior was really gorgeous, built in the 20's. I love the mountain theme-

Roundhouse deck

I want that sled table!!!

I always try to buy a little something from a special trip. I found this recycled-glass sun catcher for $10.00 in Ketchum, gorgeous purple/blue...

Using Trip Advisor-
One of the things I love is doing research before any kind of travel. I use Tripadvisor! Since we travel rarely, and on a very tight budget, we need more bang for the buck. We've found low cost, reliable motels, meals, and other excursions on it. I also write reviews after we go to some of those places. I highly recommend it!

Harvesting Veggies-

We're finally getting a steady supply of tomatoes: yellow, plum, cherry and some Early Girls. Peppers seem to be late all over the valley, must be the heat. I know fruit won't set on tomatoes if it's over 85 or 90. Maybe peppers too? Yellow squash are coming, pickling cukes, and lots more blackberries!

 

I won the battle of the Swiss Chard! After planting and covering with bird netting, I have a good crop!!!

Twin Falls, Idaho

No Rain, Again-
While we have had lots of thunder heads, and heat, we've had zero rain. Yesterday the rain that bypassed us went east to Twin Falls. We really need some rain, to help rid us of the smokey skies. The lightning has been pretty bad lately, sparking small fires up in the hills and mountains nearby. I have heard at least 6 NIFC planes overhead the last hour. We saw one of these yesterday near McCall-

Used for moving water, had a tube on it, from Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane

Lemon Scones & Blackberries-

I made some quick lemon scones, added our dead-ripe blackberries, with some leftover lemon curd for an amazing quick dessert. Oh man, those berries are so good!

I finally got my vintage apron washed and ironed. I like it!!!

Kitchen Counter Re-Do, History of RV's & A Truly Off Road RV, 100 Day Pantry Cookbook

Kitchen Counter Organization Re-Do-
You know how you just get used to something? Then one day you have one of those "what was I thinking?" moments? I did. My kitchen counter wasn't too messy, but a bit cluttered looking, and in need of reorganizing. This week I was looking at some various organizing ideas for one of our bedroom, then stumbled on to lots kitchen counters ideas. They jumped out at me! Hey, why was my toaster clear across the kitchen away from the food prep area? And the bread box? Hmmm... got me thinking. The short version- I looked more closely at what really gets used daily, and what doesn't. While some have a system of having empty counters, it's a bit to stark for my tastes. Here's what I did, yes it's my kitchen! I know, you've never seen it before :) I hope you like it!

First I took everything off, and wiped down and cleaned, then made piles.
I decided what I really needed to be out. It didn't take too long to decide. Then I moved things closer to where they should be. So...
Toaster and breadbox moved closer to the food prep area
Cutting board off the counter, behind the sink
Created a fermenting station, since I do Water Kefir and am now doing veggies. 
I put the electric can opener in the cupboard. I use one because of some arthritis in my hands, but only once or twice a week, so why have it out?
I put the hot and cold teas in a new little rack I found at Costco, perfect timing! They are 2 for $16.00, all bamboo, with little removable brackets. Perfect size for the teas. I my get some more for another part of the house. Something similar somewhere else was twice the price.
Moved the decorative bin over, to make room for the bread box.
Done! So this is the "after version". It may not make Better Home Gardens but it works for me. Now if I could just get new, solid counters!!! Sigh, someday.

Fermenting station to the right, on the far left before I bought my bamboo organizer

Bamboo organizer now in far right corner

Hot teas on top, cold on the bottom, cute

the clips are removable and you can use individually

I had hoped to find something like this for under the upper cabinet, but they aren't sold thru Etsy anymore. I may make some to sell :)

 

History of RV's & A Truly Off Road RV-
There's a fascinating look at the history of RV's here Living In Rvs Vs.Tiny Houses! I would add to that info- a lot of RV materials are unhealthy. Off gassing formaldehyde, poor ventilation, a lot of plastics. This came up with people living full time in RVs after Katrina. People started getting sick. I've also seen RV's being built in films and it's all about speed, not quality. Very cheaply made, structurally speaking. It's really the opposite of well-crafted tiny houses. My biggest problem, with either, is that very few people seem to be into self sufficiency, growing their own foods and storing it. They are completely dependent on city/county utilities and buy almost all of their foods. There's no real storage. This is most of what I've read, and I'm sure there are exceptions. Not my thing, here's my thing- Mercedes Benz Zetros  a truly off-road RV. I would do this Mercedes Benz Zetros tricked out with solar, and water making capabilities as well, and a nicer paint job :) Sounds like the way to go! There are very little truly off-grid RVs I've seen for sale. Most are heavily modified by owners. Now if I just had the $$$ for a Zetros! This baby will take you anywhere!!! Some say though, the only way to be truly zombie proof is by sea. Hmmm, I know how to sail!

100 Day Pantry Cookbook-

I had spotted this book somewhere, and decided to order a used copy. It's here 100 Day Pantry Quick Gourmet Meals  While I love fresh foods like anyone else, there's all kind of reasons you might want to think about all the "what ifs?" There's no water needed for any of these recipes, a real bonus. Most of the ingredients are pretty commonly available, but it make you think about things? Dried celery, nope I don't have any. Should I? Some of this is also not very healthy, but probably okay in a pinch. Jars of cheese? OMG the sodium and fat, ew. Anyway, there's some pretty good recipes complied, and for $7.00 it's in my stash. It's always good to have a quick reference if things go bad, in a hurry... or you're just exhausted for another day at work/home!

A little something over my kitchen sink :)

Goodbye Fiona/I Mean Fred, Homemade Non-Toxic Ant Spray, Tons Of Blackberries!!! Not So Much Chokecherries

What a nice couple

Goodbye Fiona- I Mean Fred-
Well you know how it goes- the hatchery gave me two pullets, and one's a roo. When I saw the larger comb and wattles developing I knew I was in trouble. Sad thing is he's a really sweet little guy, loved to cuddle, easy to handle and loves treats. I REALLY want to keep him, but no roos in the city. He also tried mounting one of the girls, Gwyn, last night. Ew, I'm done. I've already cried over this, but it's the way it is. I placed a posting in Backyard Chickens, but no one would take him. So last night he went on Craigslist. I hate to do it, but I don't have much recourse. He's just starting to get some amber and light brown in his feathers, and should be quite handsome! I'd really like him to go into a small flock, and for someone to keep him. Here's hoping... Lesson learned, no more "feather sexed" birds for me :(  Glad I bought four total, 3 different breeds. I was hoping to get my flock up to six laying eggs, but I'll wait until next spring...

Homemade Non-Toxic Ant Spray-

After seeing a small line of ants coming in near my back sliding glass door near my kitchen I panicked. I do NOT want ants in the house! I did some research and made a quick batch of homemade spray. I used the following, and put in a 1 Qt. empty spray bottle-
mix 1/2 water to 1/2 vinegar,
add 2 squirts of dish washing soap
Shake well. Spray well on all visible ants. Kills 'em good, drowning the guys, not too much odor. I also put out some indoor traps, but I was able to get the majority of the with this spray. Cheap and effective....

Tons Of Blackberries!!!-
The last 2 years we had a light harvest on our organic blackberries. This year, score! I picked 1 Qt. last night and they were dead ripe. All gone today :) Superb with good vanilla ice cream and on cereal. We can get quite a lot from a small area. We have 2 rows, about 4' high and 4' long, about 2 ' apart. There's another good Qt. there now, so I'll pick more tomorrow. I love to bake with them, and freeze some for winter baking. They are SO sweet! Worth all the scratches. I did minimize the scratches by trimming off any empty canes, with zero fruit. Makes it much easier... Yum, yum...

Not So Much Chokecherries-

This year I got a pretty small batch of chokecherries. I picked about 2 cups, which yielded about 4 1/2 of my small, mini jars. These jars are great for really small batches. I just water can them on the stove top. The flavor is the best jelly I've ever had and it's a very unique flavor. Everyone who's tried it, and most have never had it, love it. It's tart and citrusy. As sour as the cherries are, you still add lemon juice to the recipe. It seems counter-intuitive, but it works. Luckily I have several jars from last year! Dave and I did a major trim of it this weekend, hopefully that will boost production. Also trimmed the lilac that was creating too much shade for it. I never know what creates a "good" year or "bad", ah well....