May Flowers, Herbs and Veggie Starts on Smyth Family Farm

It’s already May and I’m overwhelmed with how much planting I still have to do on Smyth Family Farm. I bought new Bootstrap Farmer seed starter seed trays recommended to me by my friend Annie. I had my garden club over and she noticed how large my seed starter trays were. These new ones she told me about are remarkable. They are sturdy, just the right size and my seedlings love them. In today’s post I will be sharing my organic gardening practices. 

pink papaver poppy at Smyth Family Farm

The chickens give me organic manure which I compost in my compost pile. Every day, I take out the old newspapers from the coop and replace them with new ones. My sister in law Kathleen gives us her read newspapers and I’ve got quite a collection of them now. These soiled papers are layered in my compost pile along with kitchen scraps, peels and anything from the fridge that has gone bad. I layer with green grass, dry leaves when available and I turn the pile every other day or so. I have the most beautiful worms in this soil which the chickens love eating. 

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Early March, I started Pepper, Tomato and Cucumber seedlings. I was a little late as it’s best to begin planting seeds on Valentines Day according to my garden neighbor Robert. He grows a fantastic garden every year and doesn’t have the ground squirrel problem and gopher problem that Ken and I have. When planting my seedlings in my raised beds, I add new soil called Recipe 420 from Ace Hardware and I add several buckets of fresh compost from my compost pile.

This year I purchased ranunculus bulbs from Eden Brothers and Anemone bulbs from Longfield Gardens. These flowers bloomed profusely and gave me an abundance of joy every time I walked out into my back patio. I didn’t take any chances and I planted them in raised beds or containers to keep the critters from eating them.

I purchased several papaver somniferum at Annie Annuals located in Richmond back in the Fall. These poppies have just begun to open and they are incredible. I have white, “lady bird” red, “heirloom pink peony”, and more that haven’t opened yet. The hardest part of growing these vegetables and flowers is keeping the critters from eating them.  Every plant had a broadcloth wire cage under it, even if it is in a raised bed. Yes, because the rats, gophers, moles and voles can climb into the raised beds even if we put netting up around them. Just recently I learned about black cutworms, which are caterpillar-like insects that curl up when disturbed. They spend their days in soil, coming out to feed at night. Last year these guys decimated every plant in my raised bed, by cutting the plants off at the bottom. Now I use Sluggo Plus around every plant to help curb this problem. I will keep trying to grow my own food no matter what problems the farm throws at me.

Many of my cucumber, tomato and pepper seedlings. some transferred to larger containers.

This year I bought new seeds, even though I have loads and loads of them. I grew Brandywine, Red and Yellow Pear, Black Krim, Roma, Sweetie, Cherokee Purple Tomatoes and Marketmore Cucumbers, peppers, corn, basil, tithonia, zinnias, White Swan and Purple echinacea, mullein, and sunflowers. Every plant needs to be transplanted in a larger container every three to four weeks depending on how fast they grow. I add bat guano, fish emulsion, kelp, perlite and fish bone meal to the Recipe 420 soil. I top each plant with vermiculite to keep the nats out of the soil and get sticky strips to capture as many as I can.

https://letsmakemudpies.wordpress.comCannabis plants from Harborside Dispensary in Oakland growing under lights and on a heat mat

I had grow lights and heat mats set up in Ken’s office and the garage. I picked up six cannabis plants (Wedding Pie, Oreo, Banjo, and three others) at Harborside Dispensary in Oakland. 

Ron and Andrew were helpful about how to grow them under lights. Eighteen hours of lights on, then six hours of no lights. These conditions are challenging for new growers like me. I have already lost 2 plants to teeny nats that live in the soil. I have a fan to keep these flying insects from devouring the stems and killing the plants. They need to be fed regularly and I should be waiting until mid June to plant outside. My babies are going out this week, since it is uncommon for rain in the Bay Area in May. 

Humboldt Raspberry Parfait Seedlings from Oregon Weedery. Grown by cousin Skip

I did try to grow my own plants for the third year. I found Humboldt Raspberry Parfait while in Oregon Weedery Oregon last year and shared 2 of the seeds with my Dad’s cousin Skip. Skip was my inspiration and was the guy to get me started with this project a few years ago. His seeds germinated (mine did too, but I forgot to water them), and are doing fantastic. This plant has 20% Indica ad 80% Sativa. It is a hybrid of Raspberry Parfait, Truffula Tree and Shishka-Berry. Everyone always asks me what I do with my cannabis buds. Even my Mother asked me about them last weekend. I don’t smoke or vape. It’s not my thing. If anything, I will make cookies, cakes and hopefully gummies that I can use for sleep. I also make a healing balm for my feet that contains the leaves of Mendo breath, olive oil, coconut oil and almond oil. It helps with the pain from arthritis in my toes.

My squash seedlings in the Bootstrap Farmer Seed Starter Tray

Besides writing today, I will be planting my cucurbits. I am growing spaghetti squash, butternut squash, mini pumpkins, uchiki kuri squash, large brown pumpkins, Medium size orange pumpkins, mini pumpkins, and more. I collect these pumpkins in the Fall and save the seeds. I’m super excited to see that I can grow. Many babies were planted out this past week before the Spring rain showers last Saturday. 

Here’s hoping you are getting outside and enjoying the sunshine. Try growing your own food. It’s rewarding to pick fresh kale greens and herbs like rosemary, thyme, parsley. I will either make them a part of our dinner or share them with the chickens Bee Bee, Mabel, Harper and Lu Lu. It was very sad to say goodbye to Mary Kate our most prolific layer last week. She became ill, stopped eating and had to be euthanized. The Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital found a cancer growing in her which is common in the breeds that lay eggs often. It’s very hard to see her best friend Mabel wandering around looking for her. I hope to get more chicks closer to the end of summer when I can keep them in the garage for the winter. This is how I handled the first set of chicks and I was able to get them comfortable with me by handling them often.

Thanks for reading. I hope to post my Mother in law’s famous potato salad recipe soon.

Teri

 

Raising Chickens on Smyth Family Farm plus CBD in Portland

 We are back from our Oregon trip. We had a great time exploring the towns of Roseburg, Portland and Ashland. As I’m sitting here, I’m hearing our bantam cochin rooster Peepers cockadoodle doo. This is why I’m writing today, as I’m frustrated with our farm.

I am supposed to be relaxed and all rested up from our vacation. It was stressful getting the farm ready to leave for our two son’s to take over. My husband even made an extra large coop for our garage, so the kids wouldn’t have to truck the chicks up the hill and down the hill every day. 

Everything went smoothly while we were away. I’m not complaining, but we have a lot to maintain here with all of our chickens, plants, vegetables and fruit trees. Just before we left, the ground squirrels destroyed many branches off my fairly new bing cherry tree. The cherries weren’t even ripe yet, and these damn rodents snapped off fragile limbs of this poor tree. They also destroyed a six foot hollyhock perennial that was just getting ready to bloom. They are biennials and take a year and a half to bloom. 

The hard part is that these critters reproduce quickly. I saw a new group of babies eating my collard, broccoli, strawberry patch finding a new home just underneath the bed. They make a constant loud shriek noise that drives me crazy. Last year was the first year we discovered them here on the farm. They’ve always lived in the open space, just not right behind our yard. They ate all of my pumpkin plants and much more.

This year, not only are we putting cages under our plants to protect from the gophers, but we are also keeping wire and netting above and around each plant. This becomes tedious and a real chore especially for my husband who helps me a lot. I get upset when these precious leaves from expensive plants get eaten even when they have protection around them. It’s practically impossible to grow anything. Yet, I keep trying because I love growing my own food. 

In today’s world, I feel it is especially important to know where your food is coming from. This is also why I have chickens and am able to get fresh eggs from them. It’s not easy caring for them. I’m always hyper aware of any weird noise from them in case there is a predator near them. 

Since we have been home, we’ve learned three of our chicks are roosters. We took a chance when we bought them from Alchemist Farm in Petaluma. Only one of the breeds were guaranteed to be hens and those were the Bielefelders. Luckily, we will still have three hens that will grow up with our three other 2.5 year old chickens Mabel, Mary Kate and Bee Bee.

Bee Bee is having the hardest time acclimating to the new chicks. She keeps attacking them and chasing them and I’m scared she will hurt them. I wasn’t worried about having roosters because I’ve been told they are welcome at the ranch in Auburn where Scooby went two years ago. We learned the sad news two weeks ago that a coyote got Scooby. We loved that rooster, but know that these things happen and we have to harden our hearts so we don’t get too attached.

Today, I learned the Auburn ranch cannot accommodate our three roosters. I cannot keep them, even though two of them happen to be my favorite. Peepers and Tweety are the small feathered Bantam Cochins and I’ve tried really hard not to fall in love with them. We didn’t do enough research before selecting them, because they will have quail sized eggs. And mostly I’m worried how they will adapt on the next farm being so small.

I let the older chickens run free in my garden where they are the happiest. They are finding bugs, worms and eating to their hearts desire. I see a female deer behind the house in the open space and they don’t seem to mind the ground squirrels. 

Of course I still have to worry a hawk might get them when they are in the unprotected part of the garden. I’m trying to be brave and let nature take its course since I can’t be with them every second.

Am I meant to be a farmer? I’m still not sure. Maybe I will cut a flower arrangement for my mom and bring them to her. I will need to find a farm to re home our roosters as well.

Before I go, I’d better fill you in on the last two days in Portland. After dropping off my husband at work, I drove to Saint Honore’ Boulangerie. I sat and watched the bakers roll out the sourdough loaves while enjoying half of an apple pastry, half of a lemon blueberry pastry and half of a Kouigin-aminn. I’ve been following this place on Instagram for some time and couldn’t wait to taste their offerings. They also sold quiches, panini’s,a few types of baguette sandwiches like what you see in France. I found two consignment stores in the Nob Hill district called Simple & Just and Seams To Fit. I found a few new summer dresses that I could afford since they were half the price. I was the first customer at Seams to Fit since that day was their opening day. The women there were helpful and patient with me while I shopped for a couple of hours. I had to re park my car, so I didn’t get a ticket. I love buying second hand items. I haven’t bought anything from a department store in years.

Cannabis items at Oregon Weedery in Portland Oregon

Transdermal patches and TCH Topical Oils at Oregon Weedery in Portland Oregon

Just down a few blocks was another great shopping area. I found Oregon Weedery and was happy to purchase edible gummies to help me sleep, stativa seeds and an indica cannabis oil so I can make my own treats. I love checking out these stores whenever I travel. Each one has something new and different and I enjoy learning more about the herb and what it offers. They sold CBD Transdermal patches by Synergy Skin Worx. Peak Extracts Rescue Rub looked interesting too. I didn’t know you could buy a cannabis infused bath bomb either. Who knew? Here’s another blog on cannabis from the last time we traveled to Portland in case you want to hear about Electric Lettuce. I experienced a black lavender fog tea drink at Steven Smith Teakmaker to help me stay awake. I grabbed a piece of pizza across the street at Escape from New York Pizza and loved every bite. The Meadow sold cool gifts like flower arrangements, chocolates, salts, cookbooks and bitters.

Amazing CAKE at Papa Haydn Restaurant in Portland Oregon

On my way to pick up my husband, I drove past Elephants Delicatessen and had to go in. This business has been around for over 43 years and it is something special. They offer specialty items and have a soup bar, a deli case, a dessert bar and more. I found my favorite salted caramel chocolate bar from Wildwood Chocolate and bought two. Lastly, I ran into Papa Haydn Restaurant and took a photo of their delicious dessert display. I saw some sort of marion berry filled torte with white chocolate shards, a lemon citrus cake with vanilla frosting a raspberry gateau and peanut brittle. Wow. I hope we can eat there when we travel to Oregon again someday.

Thanks for reading. 

Teri

Me showing off my slice of pizza from Escape from New York Pizza

 

Coffee, Pastry and Chocolate in Oregon

I’m sitting here at Grounded NW Coffee and Teas writing while my husband Ken works at the Chevron Refinery today. Today’s blog will be about the people and places we’ve explored the last few days while in Oregon. Here is a blog post from the last time we were in Portland Oregon.

My son Curtis drove us to the Oakland Airport to rent a car last Monday Memorial Day. From there we stopped a few times for gas, restroom breaks and to switch drivers. We had brought leftover sandwiches from Ike’s Deli to eat on the way up North. Ken doesn’t enjoy eating in the car, but will occasionally go with the flow and break the rules if I’m convincing enough.

After about six hours on the road we arrived in Roseburg, Oregon. It was 4:15PM and our B&B Terraluna had requested we give them an approximate time of arrival. To be clear, James and Gail wanted an exact time of arrival and kept texting us throughout the day. When we got there, they offered ice cold sangria with bourbon and fresh raspberries and a non-alcoholic sparkling rhubarb drink for Ken.

Terraluna Bed and Breakfast in Roseburg Oregon

James asked if we wanted to get settled before he gave us a tour of the 100 year old Victorian property. We were ready for whatever surprises he had for us and followed him into the music room. The house was filled with classical music when we walked in and James proceeded to show us his musical collection with great enthusiasm. His love for music was contagious and he had some fancy antique equipment to show off. As if this wasn’t enough entertainment, James then took us into the formal living room where he started the movie Guardians of the Galaxy II and we enjoyed the upgraded surround sound Bose speaker system for about fifteen minutes.

Eventually, Gail led us into the back patio garden where she had to scare away the turkey who was trying to eat her plants. They shared the story of their fancy greenhouse where they had rare houseplants and had recently kept their new vegetable starts from freezing. We chattered about the destructive squirrels, deer, and racoons that frequent our gardens and how to control them.

Passing enormous ancient azaleas, rhododendrons, peach tree, tall Oriental lilies and Japanese Maple trees we walked down the brick path to the rose and vegetable garden. We learned the story about the sewer system that crashed on Thanksgiving a few years back and more. 

Gail grows many types of tomatoes, kale, cucumbers, marigolds, squash on the roof so the deer don’t eat them, peppers, and Lincoln roses which Gail makes a jelly with every year. I also spotted California poppies, rhubarb, “love in a Mist” flowers, rosemary, mint, onions, beans, dahlias and strawberries. 

Elegant breakfast table setting at Terraluna B&B

James and Gail at Terraluna in Roseburg gave us a warm welcome of which we’ve never experienced before. They truly enjoy owning a B&B, but looked a little tired and weary from all the work. We were warned to be on time for breakfast at 8:30AM the next morning and that coffee would be served in the hallway an hour before. Beethoven would be playing if we didn’t get up and as it was, James played some annoying Christmas music at 8:00AM. He was a Marine in his younger years who played clarinet in the band while he was in the service. His wife Gail was an ICU nurse who raised her three children on her own as a single parent. I kept finding similarities between her and my own Mother who also raised me and my three siblings without financial help from my father in the 1970’s. My mother and her husband Tom also live in a one hundred year old house with a functional basement and adorable wrap around porch. I digress…

Sashimi and adobo lime chicken dish at True Kitchen & Bar

I forgot to mention we ate at True Kitchen & Bar for dinner. Chef Rodney was just leaving as we were seated. The owners Brad and Lisa Carens have a nice menu and the vibe is clean, happy and modern. We had the Southwest salad, ahi sashimi tuna, scallops and adobo-lime chicken. I had a glass of Trella Gruner Veltliner grown locally which paired well with my meal. Back at Terraluna James was waiting for our return on the front porch. He greeted us and invited us onto the back patio for a small glass of port, a coconut crust with lemon curd dessert and a warm fire in the brick fireplace. We relaxed and then retired early to get a good nights rest.

Dinner at True Kitchen and Bar in Roseburg Oregon

Breakfast at Terraluna consisted of Peets Major Dickenson coffee, Dutch babies with homemade rhubarb compote, sausage and grapefruit orange juice. Ken had mango juice and plenty of water. Gail and James sat down with us and we had a lovely breakfast while we got to know them a little better. Gail has a wedding cake to prepare for her daughter’s wedding in a week. We were happy to meet them, stay at Terraluna and be pampered for one night. It should be mentioned that we have great nieces with the names “Terra” and “Luna” whom we see regularly at family parties.

Before leaving town, we stopped into Umpqua Sweets & Treats in Roseburg and met the owner Mandi Dolan. We talked about chocolate while Ken waited on a bench outside. I enjoy hearing about the local businesses and what they specialize in. Howl and Whistle Flower Farm leave their flower bouquets in the candy shop for the subscribers to pick up. I purchased the dark chocolate caramels with sea salt for gifts. Father’s day is coming up and my step dad Tom loves chocolate. Mandi also sells dairy free Inspired Artisan Cocoas, icecream, hand dipped truffles and fudge. She and her husband lived in Crocket and she worked in Walnut Creek before opening the shop in Oregon. It’s a small world.

Wool fiber display at Little Hawk Yarns

Just down the block I came across Little Hawk Yarns. The owner Kat Tylee works with yak wool and local sheep farms to provide the best yarn for the community. She will be teaching a local farmer’s daughter how to spin wool and make yarn with Babydoll Southdown Sheep “Penelope” and “Bonnie.” She was inspired to have a yarn shop because her dad did all of the knitting, sewing and crocheting while Kat was growing up. She even has a beautiful feather tatooed on her arm to signify a little hawk feather and the love she has for the craft.

On our way up to Portland, Mandi had recommended stopping at Creswell Bakery in Eugene. There we ordered the ham and cheese pretzel, the chicken pot pie hand pie, a croissant for Ken’s breakfast tomorrow and a ginger molasses cookie for me. The pot pie was fabulous, made with organic chicken, onions, carrots, celery and peas in a crispy pastry. They sell Camas Country stone milled club wheat pastry flour, breads and pastries, local wines, toasted hazelnuts and gifts. I was surprised to see a Mountain Rose Herb tea selection for sale. I have been listening to Mountain Rose Herbs Herbal Radio for a while and enjoy learning about healing herbs since I grow many of them at Smyth Family Farm. 

I was happy to discover this enormous herb shop was only twelve minutes down the road from the bakery. Ken assumed his place on a bench outside the store and I bought an herb bible, cardamon, lemongrass, thyme and more. I was tempted to buy the arnica essential oil for the arthritis in my toe, but kept my purchase to a minimum.

We stayed at the Marriott Bonvoy Hi-Lo Hotel in Portland and walked several blocks to Morton’s Steakhouse for an early dinner. Ken and I shared a Caesar salad, he had the lobster raviolis and I had a steak and baked potato. We took a Lyft ride back to the hotel since it was dark.

I dropped Ken off at his Portland office the next morning after we went to Blue Star donuts to get treats for his coworkers. I ventured about town with the rental car, got gas and ended up at Grounded NW Coffee and Teas for hot chocolate made with Hollander Chocolate. I sampled the olive oil donut from Blue Star and it was light and melt in my mouth delicious.

There are so many cool places to write about in Portland and I look forward to sharing my excursions with you. Recipes will have to wait until next time. I’m hoping to find fun thrift shops to go to nearby while Ken is at work.

I’m grateful our boys Curtis and Andrew can watch over the farm while we are away. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the last days of Spring before the weather heats up.

Teri

 

Smoke This, a CBD Donut you can’t Resist and a Buckwheat Blueberry Pancake Recipe

Today’s blog will be all about Portland’s popular #cannabis scene and everything I learned about edibles. I will also explain how I was inspired to apply to a baking competition. Blogging is my all time favorite past time, but my first love has always been baking. That’s why I include some of my favorite recipes here. Just last week I saw a post on Paul Hollywood’s Instagram about an amateur baking show looking for someone who can bake exceptional cakes and perfect pastries. That’s me! Included is a #Buckwheat Pancake Recipe which I know you will love.

My son Andrew’s version of BCP Banana Cream Pie and here is him singing at his Taekwondo School

 

So I put my priorities in place, and applied to the #GreatAmericanBakingShow. I’m so excited, even though I haven’t been contacted yet. The possibility of being on TV and baking in front of judges blows my mind. I decided it was time to extend myself and try something a little out of reach. Why not do what scares you most?

 

Everyone who knows me has tried convincing me to bake  professionally, yet I’ve never listened. I’ve always enjoyed baking as a hobby. Well, now I’ve gone and put myself out there. Who knows what will happen next?

In the meantime, I will write about my surprise visit a few weeks ago to Electric Lettuce Recreational Dispensary in Portland Oregon.

Here’s the story-

After I parked my rental car, I walked towards Woodblock Chocolate where my Nines Hotel concierge directed me too. I had every intention of walking into the chocolate factory, but this other attractive building caught my eye. The outside sign said “Electric Lettuce,” and as an avid gardener I had to check it out.

Colorful Artsy building attractive to newcomers

You can imagine my surprise when I found a cannabis dispensary inside. It couldn’t hurt to look around, take a few photos and see what all the hoopla is all about. I had to show my license before I stepped in to make sure I was over 18 I guess. The employees were welcoming and helpful answering any questions I had. Looking back, my siblings and I were always surrounded by second hand smoke, especially on long car rides to visit our grand parents. So I never took up smoking as a teenager. And I still can’t stand being around some one who is smoking.

Electric lettuce sold everything from T Shirts and hats, to tinctures and tonics. They sold a probiotic soda called Gold Dragon Ginger Ale, a sparkling beverage called Legal Hybrid made with cannabis-infused Rainier Cherry or a Lemon Ginger, Magic Number Ginger Beer and Gentle Giant– a type of weed that you drink. Or you could buy edibles such as Titan’s Kind Chocolate Chunk Sandwich Cookies, or Wyld edible gummies in raspberry, huckleberry, marionberry, pomegranate and strawberry flavors. They sold tart cherry, lemon ginger, strawberry basil, triple berry, or spicy passion fruit Gumdrops made by Serra that were infused in cannabis. Each variety had a description of how many milligrams of THC and CBD were in each candy. They also offered easy, groovy, cosmic or mellow as descriptions as to how each candy would make you feel after consuming it. There were so many tempting options to choose from.

 

I could have tried their bean to bar Chocolate bar made exclusively with Woodblock Chocolate, CBD and THC but I didn’t feel adventurous enough. If chocolate wasn’t your thing, you could buy cannabis filled Caramels. The Stumptown Coffee Caramel candy had 50mg THC and was made by Serra. Woodblock Chocolate Caramels had 50mg CBD and 25mg THC and another variety was even stronger and sprinkled with Jacobsen Sea Salt another local Portland Company.

 

 

Memorabilia displayed at Electric Lettuce

This magazine was on display

This is what I learned from one of the flyers on display:

CBD (Cannabidiol) is known as a non-psychoactive cannabinoid. It helps balance the psychoactive effects of THC, offers antioxidant properties, helps ease inflammation, reduces anxiety, can promote cardiovascular health and can comfort effects from neurological disorders.

 

THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is responsible for the psychoactive or “high” feeling a person gets from using cannabis. The most common effects felt will be euphoria and relaxation. The benefits of THC include relief from chronic pain, inflammation, insomnia and migraines. This drug suppresses nausea yet encourages appetite. Some suggest it helps patients with their mental health. People  that suffer from depression and PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder might benefit from this drug.

The Entourage Effect is a synergistic reaction in the body when a person consumes THC and CBD. Even though it isn’t clinically proven this combination can help people experiencing anxiety.

The Cannabis plant consumption can be dated back to  2700 BC in China and India. They believed this plant could be used for its anti inflammation properties and to treat disorders such as nausea, seizures, pain and spasms.

 

I kept taking pictures of my surroundings while plenty of customers made purchases and knew exactly what they wanted. I was still trying to figure out what everything was. Avitas and PRUF Cultivar make cartridges filled with extracts like Lemon Meringue, Oregon pinot, Orange Thai, and one named ACDC. I also saw varieties called Timberline Haze, Tangie Biscotti, Blue Dream and G Krush all made with different percentages of CBD with or without THC. It’s all a mystery to me, but it sure sounds like dessert. These guys are marketing geniuses!

I have to admit it was tempting to bring some home to gift my mom who has cancer, but it wasn’t worth the risk getting thrown in jail trying to get on a plane back to California.

A few more interesting pot company names worth mentioning are Geek Farms, White Label Extracts, and Willamette Valley Alchemy but I think I’m just scratching the surface.

Remember pop rocks? Well now Leif Goods makes a product called Junk Dynamites which is a watermelon flavor exploding candy that sizzles in your mouth. Yuck! I can’t stand watermelon candy. I ate a ton of watermelon gum at a baseball game when I was little and now feel sick to my stomach whenever someone is chewing that flavor of gum around me. Leif Goods also makes a vegan friendly confection called Junk Marshmallow Bon-Bons. Anything with marshmallow in it sounds like the perfect treat. They have thought of  everything!

 

Portland has seen a huge revival in small craft distilleries as well as taking the lead into bringing cannabis into plain sight. I was surprised to see Blue Star Donuts proudly displaying weed in their breakfast treats.

I’m thinking. Should I eat a donut with CBD in it? Yes I should

My first time experiencing a Blue Star CBD chocolate hazelnut custard donut was the next morning when I went to visit the Multnomah Village in Portland. I made sure that I didn’t drive right away after I ate it just in case I was feeling different. To be honest, I didn’t feel remarkably different which was a good thing. The flavor was outstanding and the crumbly crunchy outside was so good, you wanted another. Good thing I bought three more (without CBD) which included an orange olive oil one, an apple cider fritter and a lemon poppy buttermilk donut. And believe me, I wanted to eat all of them, but I saved a few tastes for my husband when he came back from work.

 

Even Prosperity Pie Shop advertised adding 10mg of CBD to any drink for $3.00. You could try their peanut butter chocolate, banana chocolate, key lime, chocolate cream or the gluten free vegan, nut free chocolate bliss pie. I had my fill of sweets for the day, but it was a nice place to hang out.

Let me conclude by neither condemning or condoning the consumption of cannabis. It’s a personal choice just like drinking alcohol is. I can’t say I’m a huge fan since my experience is limited, but either way I got an education on the subject for sure and I hope I’ve entertained you a little at least.

 

So if you are ever planning a trip to Portland, make sure to check out all of these interesting places. Whether you decide to try an edible at Electric Lettuce, or eat a CBD filled donut at Blue Star,  or hang out at one of the 50 craft distilleries, I know you will have a good time. Or go visit  Powell’s City of books megastore. The kids will be entertained at Finnegan’s Toy Store where you can buy anything from kites to nerdy science kits. They have it all.

 

Be sure to check out my next post which will be all about ice cream in Portland. Yes, I tasted those too and I can share the scoop on the best boozy ice cream cocktails like cherry bourbon at Fifty Licks.

 

I need to get this blog posted, so I will add the recipe for banana cream pie a little later. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. Please follow me by subscribing to my blog. You will get an email when I post my next write up. And hopefully you will see me on The Great American Baking Show. Keep your fingers crossed.

Here’s a new Buckwheat Blueberry Pancake recipe I made last week for my family. It was a huge hit and I will be making them again soon. Love trying new recipes and making healthy breakfasts. You will want to make it too! Buckwheat flour was found at Berkeley Bowl Grocery Store in their bin section. Now that I have purchased a grain mill from #Mocksmill I will be making more baked goods.

Buckwheat Blueberry Pancakes with butter and maple syrup

Buckwheat Blueberry Pancakes

 

Ingredients:

1 C Buckwheat Flour

1 C All Purpose Unbleached Flour

1/4 teas Baking Soda

1 teas Baking Powder

1 teas Kosher Salt

⅓ C Granulated Sugar

 

1 T Molasses

3/4 C warm Milk

3 T Plain Yogurt

1 t Active Dry Yeast

1 t Honey

½ C warm water

4 T Melted Unsalted Butter

2 Whole Eggs

1 C Fresh Blueberries

½ C Sourdough Starter

1 teas Vanilla

Canola Oil for frying

Extra butter for Serving

Maple syrup

 

Directions:

In a medium size bowl, mix buckwheat flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt,and sugar.

In a small bowl, mix warm water, dry yeast and honey and let sit on the counter until bubbly. 

 

In a small pot on the stove, warm milk and melt butter together. Cool. Add molasses and yogurt to the pot and set aside.

 

Crack eggs into a small bowl and stir.

 

Place dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, pour cooled milk and butter into the bowl. Add eggs, add bowl of bubbly yeast, sourdough starter and mix until combined, being careful to not over mix. Fold in blueberries.

 

Heat a large non stick skillet on medium heat. Pour a tablespoon of canola oil into the pan. Using a measuring cup, scoop batter and pour onto a hot pan. Flip when bubbles disappear and the pancakes are light brown.

Buckwheat Pancakes with blueberries. They are sweet and nutty

Heat oven to 200 degrees. Place a sheet pan in the oven with a wire rack on top. Put cooked pancakes into the oven as they are ready. Serve with butter and maple syrup. Makes enough for 3-4 people. 

Thanks again for reading my blog. Hope you get a chance to comment below and share this blog with your friends and family. Maybe you will run across buckwheat at the store and be inspired to make pancakes. Love to you all.

Teri:)

 

 

 

My True Chocolate Obsession: From Bean to Bar

Décor at the Ace Hotel Portland Oregon next to Stumptown Coffee

Spent the week in Portland researching Chocolate Shops recently. Out gracious concierge at The Nines Hotel gave me some great places to check out while my husband was at work. Today’s blog will focus on the chocolatiest hot spots in Portland including Creo Chocolate, Woodblock Chocolate, and Cloud Forest Chocolates.

 

To be truthful, I actually spent the morning at Stumptown Coffee writing my last blog because it was one of the only places open early. This cool place had Ace Hotel in an adjoining room that guests could drink their latte’s and read the news or work on their computer. Since I had to drive my husband to work by 8AM, I needed a place to hang out before venturing out into the city. This was the perfect place to write and enjoy my two shots of espresso and steamed milk. Delicious. My usual preferred method of blogging consists of a happy hour where I order a Shock Top Beer with fresh orange and an appetizer. The words start flowing and my fingers start typing.

 

Creo Chocolate is a family owned and operated bean to bar factory with internationally award winning hand crafted chocolate. Their beans are sourced from the Los Rios region of Ecuador and they use 2 main ingredients: cacao beans and evaporated cane juice. They offer Twicks Bars (yes that’s what I said) made from milk chocolate, shortbread and caramel. I had to have one and it was decadent. The Batch Bar looked equally delicious make with dark chocolate, coconut almond praline and caramel. I saw truffles galore made by their chocolatier Jeremy Karp who makes many chocolates with fun names like Vietnamese iced coffee, Dark chocolate meltaway, Coconut almond delight, Spicy passion, Garden mint, Yuzu gimlet, Earl grey, Raspberry dark, Dulce de leche, Hazelnut crunch and  try my favorite Raspberry dark chocolate. I wish I had bought one of each! They sold malt balls, Cacao Seasoning Rub, Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, and have a variety of sipping chocolate mixes like Mayan Spice, and Mint, Midnight Truffle. And of course they had chocolate bars like 62% Dark Orange, Dark Raspberry, 73% Dark Toasted Coconut which I had to have, 64% Oreo Crunch, a Dark Milk and a Coffee and Cream bar Yum. Honestly, chocolate is almost a spiritual experience. I know how much work goes into growing, harvesting, fermenting, packaging and preparing each and every sustainable bar.

Minty sipping Chocolate at Creo Chocolate in Portland Oregon

 

I decided to try their mint sipping chocolate drink served with a side of seltzer water and whipped cream. It was exquisite! I savored every drop. One of my hiking friends Sharon drinks a hot chocolate every day at Peet’s Coffee to get in her calcium for the day. I think she would approve of Creo’s sipping hot Chocolate.

Creo had a chocolate tour happening while I was there which would have been fun, but I had places to go and people to see. I did enjoy reading Food Lover’s Guide to Portland by Liz Crain while drinking my cocoa drink. I even read about Hood River Oregon which I had been to the day before. Also purchased a few chocolate bars to take homelike their Toasted Coconut and Dark Chocolate Mint.

 

Next up was WoodBlock Chocolate. Can I mention that there are samples everywhere? Yes. If you are in the mood to taste chocolate, this is your kind of place. This place sold chocolate covered hazelnuts, 70% dark chocolate bunnies, gianduja which has a hazelnut flavor, a 60% dark milk chocolate made with Peruvian cacao that tastes like caramel, and much, much more.

#Guittard #Woodblock Callebaut #Creo #chocolate sampling at Garden Club Party

 

It was here that I got inspired to have a chocolate tasting party for my garden club. After all, WoodBlock offers effleurage. (The process that uses solid fats to capture fragrance exuded by flowers, exotic spices and botanicals) The tasting involves chocolate that has been flavored with coffee beans, herbs, teas and flowers like hibiscus. This party was held last Wednesday and everyone that attended had a good time. We tasted chocolate with hops, hibiscus tea, masala chai tea, peppermint and coffee. It was so much fun. I was hoping more garden club members would have sampled the Petrus Cherry and Chocolate Stout Beer and Boatswain Chocolate Stout Beer with the dark chocolate samples together, but only one of the ladies imbibed. It was a warm evening and we sat outside on the patio, the perfect place for a cold beer and chocolate  tasting. A few years ago I hosted an edible flower class with cocktails.  That was fun too.

Decidedly my favorite chocolate bar ever made by Creo Chocolate

I was introduced to a beer called Gigantic which is a chocolate IPA made with Wood Block Chocolate. They call it “The Weapon of Mass Seduction” and It’s a chocolate oatmeal oyster stout. What will they think of next? They offer Stumptown Coffee called Hair Bender, or the direct trade House Blend which would be my go to if I hadn’t already sampled and sipped more chocolate than I needed to.

I tried Woodblock’s chocolate caramel with sea salt which was chewy and mouth watering and walked away from the coffee milk chocolate truffle with cacao nibs. The most interesting part of my day here was meeting their pastry chef. I learned she was incorporating chocolate into their biscuits. They had already run out f them or I would have ordered one. This sounded intriguing since I had just been to Pine State Biscuits a few hours earlier for a hot biscuit with whipped butter and Marion berry spread. They also have apple butter, strawberry jam, Bee Local Honey and house pimento. We need a place like this where I live, that’s for sure. Here is my blog and recipe for apricot jam.

#PineStateBiscuits

 

My last stop, but not the least was venturing over to Cloud Forest Chocolate. I got to hear the scoop about Sebastian Cisneros the owner and his story behind the Ecuadorian cacao and his obsession with chocolate. I sampled the Bee Chocolate Bar made with bee pollen from Oregon’s Bee Local and Jacobsen Salt also located in Portland. It’s made with organic cacao butter, organic milk solids, organic cane sugar, bee pollen, organic cacao beans, vanilla seeds and sea salt. The look is this bright yellow color with dark brown stripes running through it. Very cool looking and super tasty. Unlike any other chocolate you have had before.

 

I was intrigued by their Holy Wood Bar made with a dark chocolate from the Bolivian Amazon and infused with an aromatic Palo Santo wood found in Ecuador.

Google says ” Palo Santo is a mystical tree that grows on the coast of South America and is related to Frankincense, Myrrh and Copal. In Spanish, the name literally means “Holy Wood”. It is part of the citrus family and has sweet notes of pine, mint and lemon. I had to try the sample of course and take one home for later. There were several other bars to choose from including one made with sesame seeds and matcha.

 

Cloud Forest serves a maple drinking chocolate, a classic hot chocolate with Ecuadorian cacao (see a theme here?), a seasonal magnolia and pistachio marshmallow hot chocolate, aqua de cacao (a water based unsweetened chocolate drink served with Old Blue Honey), Snow Honey Chrysanthemum tea from China, Mulberry tea from Thailand, plus more and all the coffee lattes a girl could want. I think they were coming up with bigger ideas in the coming months to offer classes to the public.

 

“Craque” is Cloud Forest’s candied cacao and used to sprinkle on desserts and ice cream. I might try to duplicate this treat since I bought cacao nibs from WoodBlock.  I purchased the vanilla seeds instead and a few chocolate bars for family. Their chewy caramel with cacao nibs was unforgettable, something I will consider making at home as well.

Did you know that Google gives a thumbs up to bloggers who have subscribers who read all the way to the very end of the post? It’s true. So thank you for being a loyal reader and following me. It means a lot.

Do you have a favorite chocolate company? Have you been on any tours or taken any chocolate classes? Well, after my trip to Portland, I’m even more obsessed with chocolate. It’s my go to snack when I need a pick me up in the middle of the day. Good thing I have a chocolate stash which I consume on a daily basis. And I’m not embarrassed to admit that I never leave the house with out some chocolate in my purse.

Thanks again for supporting me and my love for food blogging. Hope to see you next time when I explore Cannabis and how Blue Star Donuts is taking the plain breakfast treat the next level.