After years of working together, Sachi has taken on a new adventure: she is a professional baker.
Category Archive: Food
Strawberry Yields Forever
Doe Bay Resort is on the other side of Orcas Island and may as well be on a different island. It takes over 45 minutes to drive there, so I rarely visit. That’s not to say it’s unworthy. The resort and grounds are beautiful, with seaside lodging (yurts, cabins, domes)...
Anatomy of a Speed Run
The longer we live on Orcas Island, and at the mercy of ferries, the more we learn to optimize. It’s normal to visit the mainland as a day trip. You take an hour-long ferry ride over, run errands, and come back on the ferry. The question becomes: what can you get done between ferries? If you plan poorly, you might waste hours waiting for the next ferry. This is where optimization matters most.
Filet of Sole
From the moment my line hit the bottom, a fish hit the bait. It was a smallish sand dab. The next time, I pulled up two fish at a time. We couldn’t believe how easy it was. It was like a carpet of flatfish were just waiting for something to float by them.
Adrift
Small and isolated places like Orcas Island need hardware stores and I’m so thankful that Island Hardware not only exists but does so in such a family-like style. More than just about any other place, it is Orcas Island and I hope it never changes.
We’ve Got Worms – How to Subpod
The idea is pretty simple: You put thousands of earthworms, like red wigglers, into an outdoor container with food waste. The worms eat the food and turn it into gold in the form of castings. That’s the beauty of this system. It converts waste into fertilizer for the next round of crops. Win-win!
Bringing Life Back to the Rocky Ground
The post below was sent as an issue of my newsletter, Ready for Rain. I clearly remember watching my father in his tunnel-shaped greenhouse on the hill behind our house in Kernersville, NC. On my frequent visits, I’d wander around in the humidity as I inspected his...
Catching Spot Prawns
It didn’t take long to hear about spot prawns after moving to Orcas Island. Like the fishers at Emerald Isle, islanders here are always aware of what’s in season and how to catch them.
I Can Recommend… Meat Thermometer Edition
I realize some may scoff at the use of a thermometer when a "real" chef can just feel when meat is up to temperature. I prefer data. I use meat thermometers near the end of the cooking process and place the probe into the meat and leave it there until it reaches...
SMASHBURGER!
Every once in a while, you come across a dish that seems to defy the laws of cuisine; something so simple that it has no right to be as good as it is. The dish I’m referring to now is SMASHBURGER! (Yes, I’m yelling, it’s required.)