tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-136002342024-03-13T07:08:28.630-07:00The Sand HillAdventures of a South Texas Girl in the Far WestMRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.comBlogger337125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-50504972020591468852015-08-19T10:37:00.003-07:002015-08-19T10:37:41.497-07:00Check out my new website!It's been a long time since I've posted, but I recently realized that people were still looking at The Sand Hill. Life has been beyond busy, recently having started a new job, finishing up an old job, and growing my leather goods business. You can see my recent work at <a href="http://www.morganbuckert.com./">www.morganbuckert.com.</a>MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-74761599140691668552015-02-23T07:47:00.003-08:002015-02-23T07:47:50.497-08:00Pumpkin Bread<h6 style="font-family: 'Futura Book', Futura, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em;">
YUM!: A blog about food</h6>
<h6 style="font-family: 'Futura Book', Futura, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em;">
Published in Sun Valley Magazine</h6>
<h1 style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0px;">
Pumpkin Bread Recipe</h1>
<h3 class="article-subtitle" style="color: #5f5f5f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0px;">
Everyone’s Fall Favorite</h3>
<div class="by-line" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 2px; margin: 15px 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">
BY MORGAN R. BUCKERT</div>
<div class="posted" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
Nov 3, 2014 - 09:44 AM</div>
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<a href="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Pumpkin-Bread-Recipe/shutterstock_171040688.jpg" style="color: #00879f; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Pumpkin Bread Recipe" border="0" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/images/cache/cache_8/cache_8/cache_5/shutterstock_171040688-c602d588.jpeg?ver=1415292413&aspectratio=1.5037593984962" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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Everyone loves the smell of fall. Nothing says autumn like aromatic pumpkin and spices, and pumpkin bread is the perfect way to celebrate the season, whether it’s toasted for breakfast or served warm under cinnamon ice cream for dessert. I’ve been making this recipe for most of my life, and it’s really great because there’s enough to share.<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img alt="" class="right-justify-pic" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Pumpkin-Bread-Recipe/DSCN2401.jpg" style="float: right; height: 200px; line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-top: 5px; width: 150px;" /></div>
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I love making pumpkin bread with our own local pumpkins or winter squash, rather than industrial pumpkin in a can. To make your own pumpkin puree, cut a winter squash in half and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about two hours, or until <span style="line-height: 1.7;">the</span><span style="line-height: 1.7;"> flesh is soft, then puree in a food processor.</span><span style="line-height: 1.7;">I store mine in 15-ounce increments in </span>Ziplocs<span style="line-height: 1.7;"> in the freezer. Use just 15 ounces or under two cups for this recipe.</span></div>
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Mix your dry ingredients in a bowl. I like to sift everything together so it’s extra light and fluffy. In your mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Mix in the rest of your wet ingredients. Add sifted dry ingredients. Mix in chopped nuts (I use pecans) and/or chocolate chips. I normally make one loaf plain and one loaf with nuts and chocolate chips. Make sure your loaf pans are greased and floured thoroughly. I use a decorative pan for pumpkin bread, and it’s really important to make sure you get into every nook and cranny so the baked bread will come out easily. Bake both pans together at 350 for 70 minutes. Check with a toothpick before removing from the oven.</div>
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Enjoy for breakfast, snack or dessert!</div>
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<img alt="" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Pumpkin-Bread-Recipe/DSCN2406.jpg" style="height: 181px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Pumpkin-Bread-Recipe/DSCN2408.jpg" style="height: 181px; width: 300px;" /></div>
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<h3 style="font-family: 'Futura Book', Futura, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em;">
Pumpkin Bread Recipe</h3>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
Ingredients</div>
<ul style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
<li>⅔ cup butter flavored shortening</li>
<li>2 ⅔ cup sugar</li>
<li>4 eggs</li>
<li>15 oz. pureed pumpkin or winter squash</li>
<li>⅓ cup water</li>
<li>3 ⅓ cup flour</li>
<li>2 teaspoons baking soda</li>
<li>½ teaspoon salt</li>
<li>½ teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li>2 teaspoons cinnamon</li>
</ul>
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Optional:</div>
<ul style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
<li>⅔ cup chopped nuts</li>
<li>⅔ cup chocolate chips</li>
</ul>
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Directions</div>
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Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Cream shortening and sugar in mixing bowl. Mix wet ingredients and add sifted dry ingredients. Add nuts and/or chocolate chips. Bake for 70 minutes until brown.</div>
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<img alt="" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Pumpkin-Bread-Recipe/DSCN2414.jpg" style="height: 417px; width: 600px;" /></div>
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MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-32530980866148164042015-02-23T07:46:00.000-08:002015-02-23T07:46:35.661-08:00How to Can Tomatoes<h6 style="font-family: 'Futura Book', Futura, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em;">
YUM: A blog about food</h6>
<h6 style="font-family: 'Futura Book', Futura, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em;">
Published in Sun Valley Magazine</h6>
<h1 style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0px;">
How to Can Tomatoes</h1>
<h3 class="article-subtitle" style="color: #5f5f5f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0px;">
Summer in a Jar</h3>
<div class="by-line" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 2px; margin: 15px 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">
BY MORGAN R. BUCKERT</div>
<div class="posted" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
Sep 23, 2014 - 11:14 AM</div>
<div class="image-container" id="article-image" style="display: inline; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-right: 15px; width: 200px;">
<a href="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/How-to-Can-Tomatoes/DSCN2196.jpg" style="color: #00879f; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="How to Can Tomatoes" border="0" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/images/cache/cache_9/cache_2/cache_e/DSCN2196-f2d01e29.jpeg?ver=1415307591&aspectratio=0.74906367041199" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
Four hundred tomato plants wreak a lot of havoc on my life. My husband owns <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CrazyGuyTomatoes" style="color: #00879f; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Crazy Guy Tomatoes</a>, an heirloom vegetable plant business, and we are constantly growing new varieties and breeding our own varieties of tomatoes.</div>
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We have hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of tomatoes at the end of the season. We share with our friends and neighbors, but we are left with a lot of tomatoes to process. Canning has been the easiest way to deal with all of the excess. It’s amazing to open a jar of summer in the dead of winter and cook a beautiful pasta sauce.</div>
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Canning generally scares people, but it’s really not difficult. You hear about botulism and other terrible canning results, but cleanliness and following canning instructions for your specific location make it pretty easy.</div>
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There are several methods to prepare your tomatoes for canning. In previous years, I have blanched and peeled tomatoes, but I am now using a food mill that I received as a wedding present. For milling, heat your tomatoes in a covered pot on medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes release their juices. Run the tomatoes through the mill—it will remove the skins, bad spots, and seeds, creating a beautiful, smooth puree.</div>
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In a canner on the stove, boil quart jars to sterilize. In a separate, small pot, heat new lids until there are fish eyes, but not until there’s a rolling boil. You can’t reuse lids, but you can reuse jar rings.</div>
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Remove the jars from the canner. Use a canning funnel on top of the jar. Add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice or citric acid, and then fill the jar with tomato puree. Measure ½ inch headspace, wipe off the rim, and add the lid and ring. Repeat. Fill the canner with full jars and boil according to USDA instructions for your altitude.</div>
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This sounds pretty easy, and it really is—however, it takes quite a long time. I carve out full days to can, but I usually get about 20 quarts in at a time.</div>
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Good luck, be safe, and enjoy the fruits of your labor all winter long!</div>
<h3 style="font-family: 'Futura Book', Futura, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em;">
</h3>
<h3 style="font-family: 'Futura Book', Futura, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em;">
CANNED TOMATOES</h3>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
<em>Ingredients</em><br />
At least 20 pounds of fresh, local tomatoes<br />
Lemon Juice<br />
Mason Jars (I use quarts for tomatoes), new lids, and jar rings<br />
Canner<br />
Canning Kit (jar lifter, funnel, head spacer, and lid magnet)</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
<em>Directions</em><br />
Remove tomato skins or mill tomatoes. Add to clean jar with two tablespoons of lemon juice. Leave ½ inch headspace. Wipe rim of jar clean. Add heated lid and and tighten ring on lid. Can according to USDA recommendations for your area.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dDHQ2jzyusk" width="600"></iframe></div>
MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-1670394003025953042014-10-21T11:09:00.003-07:002014-10-21T11:09:56.051-07:00Fertilizing Your VeggiesGrow Bigger and More Productive Plants
<br />
<div class="by-line">
By Morgan R. Buckert</div>
<div class="posted">
Jul 15, 2014 - 11:54 AM</div>
<div class="posted">
www.sunvalleymag.com </div>
<div class="image-container" id="article-image" style="width: 200px;">
<a href="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Fertilizing-Your-Veggies/DSCN1507.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Fertilizing Your Veggies" border="0" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/images/cache/cache_0/cache_9/cache_7/0977e3397291ee0e272b9fe30c969cf0.jpeg?ver=1405446561&aspectratio=1.3333333333333" /></a>
</div>
I’ve always heard a lot of complaining about vegetable gardening in the
Wood River Valley. Zone 4 doesn’t make for the easiest growing
conditions, but with a little sweat and elbow grease, you can grow more
food than you could ever eat. Starting in early July and throughout most
of the summer, regular fertilizing makes your vegetable plants grow big
and strong, and increase productivity. Throw away your traditional
fertilizer with a N-P-K that isn’t specific to our soil and use some
natural products to maximize your yield. All of the products I mention
are available at <a href="http://www.webbland.com/" target="_blank">Webb Landscape</a>.<br />
<br />
Here’s my recipe for maximum vegetable production:<br />
Early in the season you want to increase the Nitrogen in the soil to
accelerate growth. We mix a plastic tub (about 15-gallon) with full
strength Alaska Fish Fertilizer and <a href="http://mymontys.com/" target="_blank">Monty’s Joy Juice Growth Formula</a>
according to the instructions. Water your plants at the base with about
a cup of the fertilizer and repeat your mix until your entire garden
has been fertilized. A light watering before you fertilize helps the
plant “drink up” the fertilizer. Repeat this fertilizer mix every two
weeks until your plants have significant blooms.<br />
<img alt="" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Fertilizing-Your-Veggies/DSCN1508.jpg" style="height: 400px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Fertilizing-Your-Veggies/DSCN1509.jpg" style="height: 400px; width: 300px;" /><br />
After there are numerous blooms, change the fertilizer mix to increase
the Phosphorus and Potassium, which encourages fruit growth. If you
continue with the original mix, you will have bushy, green plants, but
little fruiting. Your second mix should be half-strength Alaska Fish
Fertilizer and full-strength Monty’s Root and Bloom. Fertilize like the
first mix and repeat every two weeks until the fall.<br />
<br />
These two mixes should take care of the majority of your garden for the
whole summer. Tomatoes, lettuce, melons, squash, beans, strawberries
and other veggies will show significant results almost immediately.<br />
<br />
For chiles, we have a little different method: <span style="font-size: 9pt;">I am from Texas and my husband is from New Mexico. Almost needless to say, we love <i>hot</i>
chiles, which we have struggled to grow over the years. It doesn’t get
hot enough in Idaho to produce a lot of the traditionally hot chiles,
but we have found the right varieties and the right fertilizer to keep
our freezer full over the winter.</span><br />
<img alt="" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Fertilizing-Your-Veggies/DSCN1510.jpg" style="height: 400px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Fertilizing-Your-Veggies/DSCN1513.jpg" style="height: 400px; width: 300px;" /><br />
The chile fertilizer requires foliar feeding (pouring over the top of the plant). Every two weeks, mix 1 teaspoon per liter of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_sulfate" target="_blank">Epsom Salt</a>
(yes, like the stuff you use in the bath), one teaspoon per liter of
liquid kelp, half-strength Monty’s Joy Juice Root and Bloom, and Yucca
extract, which is a surfactant. Foliar feed this fertilizer in the
evening for maximum intake (stoma will be open) and the plant won’t
sunburn. Repeat every two weeks.<br />
<br />
These two fertilizing recipes may seem exhausting, but they’re not
really time consuming and makes for a beautiful and productive garden.
You can like<a href="https://www.facebook.com/CrazyGuyTomatoes" target="_blank"> Crazy Guy Tomatoes</a> on Facebook and we’ll remind you when it’s time to fertilize. Happy Gardening!MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-84487466722711695852014-10-08T08:01:00.002-07:002014-10-08T08:02:27.944-07:004th of July Trifle<h6>
Yum! A blog about food</h6>
<h1>
4th of July Trifle</h1>
<h3 class="article-subtitle">
Easy & Delicious Goodness</h3>
<div class="by-line">
BY Morgan R. Buckert</div>
<div class="by-line">
www.sunvalleymag.com/blogs </div>
<div class="posted">
Jul 1, 2014 - 10:23 AM</div>
<div class="image-container" id="article-image" style="width: 200px;">
<a href="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/4th-of-July-Trifle/DSCN1490.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="4th of July Trifle" border="0" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/images/cache/cache_b/cache_6/cache_3/b63992c55480a1a50c8f439acf81aa00.jpeg?ver=1404231474&aspectratio=0.77821011673152" /></a>
</div>
I’ve always worked in the fly-fishing industry, so by the time
Independence Day rolls around, I am thoroughly exhausted and don’t want
to cook. I’m usually the person in charge of bringing dessert for any
party, and in the summer, I try to bring something cool and easy to
make. My 4th of July Trifle is about as easy as it gets (no baking!) and
is definitely a crowd-pleaser.<br />
Trifles are really easy desserts because you basically stack a lot of
delicious stuff in a fancy bowl and let it marinate. This version could
be varied in almost any way. I have made a yellow sponge cake instead of
buying the Sara Lee Pound Cake, but a homemade cake is not firm enough
to stay in the star shapes that make this trifle extra festive. Also,
not baking during my busiest time of the year keeps my house cool and is
a great time-saver.<br />
You can add or subtract to this recipe as needed (some cake and berries always mysteriously disappear in my mouth…).<br />
<h3>
4TH OF JULY TRIFLE</h3>
Trifle Bowl<br />
Small Star Cookie Cutter<br />
2 Sara Lee Frozen Pound Cakes<br />
1 pint Blueberries, washed<br />
1 pint Strawberries, washed and cut<br />
1 12oz. container of Cool Whip<br />
Cut one pound cake into one-inch cubes and set aside. Cut the other
pound cake into horizontal ½-inch layers. Cut out star shapes from the
horizontal layers and cut up the cake remnants into cubes to use in the
layers. Layer cake, ⅓ of Cool Whip, and ⅓ of mixed berries. Press the
star shaped cake pieces around the bowl. Repeat the layer of cake, Cool
Whip, and berries twice more. Refrigerate for at least one day to let
flavors meld, and enjoy. Serves 12 large servings or 24 small servings.<br />
<img alt="4th of July trifle dessert recipe | Sun Valley Magazine" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/4th-of-July-Trifle/DSCN1479.jpg" style="height: 603px; width: 600px;" /><img alt="" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/4th-of-July-Trifle/DSCN1483.jpg" style="height: 350px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="4th of July trifle dessert recipe | Sun Valley Magazine" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/4th-of-July-Trifle/DSCN1484.jpg" style="height: 350px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="4th of July trifle dessert recipe | Sun Valley Magazine" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/4th-of-July-Trifle/DSCN1485.jpg" style="height: 621px; width: 600px;" /><img alt="4th of July trifle dessert recipe | Sun Valley Magazine" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/4th-of-July-Trifle/DSCN1487.jpg" style="height: 800px; width: 600px;" /><img alt="4th of July trifle dessert recipe | Sun Valley Magazine" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/4th-of-July-Trifle/DSCN1491.jpg" style="height: 756px; width: 600px;" />MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-53582169426752852062014-09-14T09:50:00.003-07:002014-09-14T09:51:05.967-07:00Italian Cream Cake<h1 style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0px;">
Italian Cream Cake</h1>
<h3 class="article-subtitle" style="color: #5f5f5f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0px;">
A Southern Staple</h3>
<div class="by-line" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 2px; margin: 15px 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">
From Sunvalleymag.com</div>
<div class="image-container" id="article-image" style="display: inline; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-right: 15px; width: 200px;">
<a href="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Italian-Cream-Cake/image.jpg" style="color: #00879f; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Italian Cream Cake" border="0" src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/images/cache/cache_e/cache_9/cache_7/e9746dc3916c8cf8c2b86d918313f4c6.jpeg?ver=1403019450&aspectratio=1" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
A big birthday deserves a big cake.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
When my friend Diane sent out “Save-the-Dates” for her upcoming big birthday celebration, I offered to make her cake. She chose Italian Cream Cake, which is my personal favorite, and has been my birthday dessert of choice most of my life.</div>
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Before I moved to Idaho, I had no idea that Italian Cream Cake was more Southern than Italian, but it was always a staple growing up in Texas for birthdays, baptisms or really anything worth celebrating. It does supposedly have some Italian roots, but it’s pretty unclear where the cake really came from. It’s very dense, with coconut, pecans and bananas, keeping it moist, fairly similar to the far inferior Carrot Cake (who wants vegetables in their cake?!). Cream Cheese Icing puts “the icing on the cake” and makes this moist and heavy dessert even more decadent.</div>
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My version of the cake is based on the recipe in my grandmother's first cookbook, The Good Taste Collection. I have modernized some of the ingredients and found that incorporating overripe bananas (<em>very</em> black) improve the cake greatly.</div>
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<img alt="Italian Cream Cake recipe from Sun Valley Magazine." src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Italian-Cream-Cake/DSCN1276.jpg" style="height: 284px; width: 400px;" /><img alt="Southern Italian Cream Cake recipe from Sun Valley Magazine." src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Italian-Cream-Cake/DSCN1280.jpg" style="height: 284px; width: 200px;" /></div>
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I’ve developed a few baking tricks over the years. With this recipe, I always beat my egg whites first and put them in a separate bowl so I don’t have to wash my mixing bowl twice or use a second mixing bowl. Laziness is the key to invention. Instead of buying buttermilk, which I will never use, I add one teaspoon of white vinegar to one cup of milk and let sit for five minutes. The vinegar will curdle the milk into buttermilk.</div>
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When I made the cake last week for Diane’s birthday, it needed to serve about 25 people so I made two batches. I opted to make a tiered cake—those are always more spectacular. I baked the first recipe in three 9-inch pans to create the bottom layer. After cooling, I iced between the layers, stacked them on a platter and crumb iced.</div>
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<img alt="Southern Italian Cream Cake recipe from Sun Valley Magazine." src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Italian-Cream-Cake/DSCN1277.jpg" style="height: 400px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="Southern Italian Cream Cake recipe from Sun Valley Magazine." src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Italian-Cream-Cake/DSCN1283.jpg" style="height: 400px; width: 300px;" /></div>
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To create structure in this very moist cake, I cut drinking straws and placed them throughout the top of the cake to hold up the second layer. I baked the second layer in three 6-inch pans and made a few cupcakes with the leftover batter. After cooling, I placed the second layers on a 6-inch cardboard round (I purchased a Wilton cake cardboard, but you can make your own out of a shoebox or whatever), iced between the layers and crumb iced.</div>
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I also placed straws in the top tier for added stability. After crumb icing, it’s important to chill the cake. This hardens the icing and allows a second layer of icing to be applied with no crumbs showing through. For this specific cake, I made four batches of icing; for a one-tier cake, I normally make two batches of icing (never skimp on the icing). After the cakes were iced twice, I left them in the fridge until a couple of hours before the party.</div>
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<img alt="Southern Italian Cream Cake recipe from Sun Valley Magazine." src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Italian-Cream-Cake/DSCN1284.jpg" style="height: 450px; width: 600px;" /><img alt="Southern Italian Cream Cake recipe from Sun Valley Magazine." src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Italian-Cream-Cake/DSCN1288.jpg" style="height: 400px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="Southern Italian Cream Cake recipe from Sun Valley Magazine." src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Italian-Cream-Cake/DSCN1292.jpg" style="height: 400px; width: 300px;" /></div>
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With another batch of icing, I piped a layer on the top of the bottom layer to attach the top layer. I then piped beads between the tiers and around the bottom to hide any flaws. To pipe, you can use a traditional tip and bag, but for these purposes, a Ziploc with the corner cut out works great.</div>
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Fortunately, my 100-year old lilac was in full bloom. I picked a few fragrant blossoms and placed them on the cake. Truly, the most difficult part of the baking process was getting the cake to Ketchum, over the highway bumps, on my friend’s lap.</div>
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One batch of Italian Cream Cake will serve about 18 people. I don’t recommend making these into cupcakes because they fall and leave huge craters, but that can be a plus if you want to fill them with icing.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: 'Futura Book', Futura, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em;">
ITALIAN CREAM CAKE</h3>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
2 sticks butter, softened<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
5 egg yolks<br />
2 cups flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 cup buttermilk<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1 cup sweetened baker’s coconut<br />
1 cup chopped pecans<br />
2 overripe bananas<br />
5 egg whites stiffly beaten</div>
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Cream butter, then add sugar; beat until mixture is smooth. Add egg yolks and beat well. Combine flour and soda, sift, and add alternately with buttermilk. Stir in vanilla. Add coconut, nuts, and bananas. Fold in, by hand, stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour batter into three 9-inch or four 8-inch parchment paper lined cake pans.</div>
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Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cake tests done. After cooling, ice with Cream Cheese Icing.</div>
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CREAM CHEESE ICING</h3>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px;">
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened<br />
½ stick butter, softened<br />
4 cups powdered sugar<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla</div>
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Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth; add sugar and vanilla; mix well. Spread on cake.</div>
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<img alt="Southern Italian Cream Cake recipe from Sun Valley Magazine." src="http://www.sunvalleymag.com/Blogs/yum/Summer-2014/Italian-Cream-Cake/DSCN1293.jpg" style="height: 800px; width: 600px;" /></div>
MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-70474846801878171442014-06-03T17:11:00.001-07:002014-06-03T17:11:42.137-07:00Summer Garden Prep: From Sun Valley Magazine<h1>
Summer Garden Prep</h1>
<h3 class="article-subtitle">
Hard Work Now = Summer Fun Later</h3>
<h3 class="article-subtitle">
<a href="http://sunvalleymag.com/Sun-Valley-360/Summer-2014/Summer-Garden-Prep/" target="_blank">Sun Valley Magazine </a></h3>
<div class="by-line">
BY Morgan R. Buckert</div>
<div class="posted">
May 27, 2014 - 09:57 AM</div>
<div class="image-container" id="article-image" style="width: 200px;">
<a href="http://sunvalleymag.com/Sun-Valley-360/Summer-2014/Summer-Garden-Prep/DSCN1264.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="Summer Garden Prep" border="0" src="http://sunvalleymag.com/images/cache/cache_5/cache_4/cache_5/5454ec6bb30983a9f512c22d31a46598.jpeg?ver=1401205859&aspectratio=0.74906367041199" /></a>
</div>
Summer has definitely started in the Wood River Valley. My trees are
blooming, my perennials are budding and dandelions are blowing wildly
through the neighborhood. Sunny weekends are a great time to get your
yard and gardens in shape for months of enjoyment. Here are a few chores
to get your garden ready and make your yard beautiful.<br />
<h3>
1. FERTILIZE YOUR PERENNIALS</h3>
The smell of MiracleGro makes me think fondly of my childhood, but I
would never dare use anything blue on any plants at my house. For a
really long time I didn’t fertilize my flowers at all, because our
vegetable gardens are spaced around our house. A couple of years ago I
discovered <a href="http://www.drjimz.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?10/Bloom+Kaboom%E2%84%A2" target="_blank">Bloom Kaboom</a> (available at <a href="http://www.webbland.com/" target="_blank">Webb Nursery</a> and <a href="http://sunvalleygardencenter.com/" target="_blank">Sun Valley Garden Center</a>) and changed my tune. It’s basically a natural compost tea that you dilute and water your plants with.<br />
A two-week wild rose bloom turned into a three-month bloom; a two-bloom
peony turned into a 10-bloom peony. I normally do a round of
fertilizing in May and then again in June to ensure maximum blooms. It
is safe to fertilize your annuals again in July, August, and even a warm
September to keep things happy until fall.<br />
<h3>
2. MULCH-TIME</h3>
Small Western Bark (available at all local garden centers) is something
I always splurge on. As my flowerbeds have expanded over the last six
years in my house, it gets more expensive every year, but besides
aesthetics, mulch keeps the ground moist and the weeds down. Mulch will
slowly break down and add more nutrients to the soil. I always wait
until all of my plants are up before I lay mulch down so I don’t smother
them.<br />
<img alt="Summer garden prep tips from Morgan Buckert!" src="http://sunvalleymag.com/Sun-Valley-360/Summer-2014/Summer-Garden-Prep/DSCN1256.JPG" style="height: 400px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="Summer garden prep tips from Morgan Buckert!" src="http://sunvalleymag.com/Sun-Valley-360/Summer-2014/Summer-Garden-Prep/DSCN1257.JPG" style="height: 400px; width: 300px;" /><br />
<h3>
3. SET UP THE SPRINKLERS</h3>
When we set up our sprinklers for spring, we check for any leaks (there
are always new leaks) and replace any pipes or heads. Maintaining your
sprinkler system reduces water waste and keeps the water pressure up for
all those hard to reach corners of the yard. We set up our sprinklers
for 30 minutes at 10:00 p.m. every other day. Watering at night and for
long periods of time conserves water and reduces the frequency of
watering. We have been participants of <a href="http://www.troutfriendly.org/" target="_blank">Trout Friendly Lawns</a>
since it’s inception. They can provide you with more information on
water conservation and help you set up conservative watering.<br />
<h3>
4. PULL OUT & CLEAN THE PATIO FURNITURE</h3>
<img alt="Summer garden prep tips from Morgan Buckert!" class="right-justify-pic" src="http://sunvalleymag.com/Sun-Valley-360/Summer-2014/Summer-Garden-Prep/DSCN1265.jpg" style="height: 333px; width: 250px;" />Years
of summer sun and winter cold can really wear on your patio furniture. I
store my furniture in a shed over the winter. When I take it out in the
spring, I clean it all off with a hose, then I wax all of my metal
furniture. It sounds ridiculous, but the wax keeps the furniture clean
and protects the color. I just use Turtle Wax or any other car wax—it
reminds me of washing the car as a kid. I normally hit up my cruiser
bike while I’m at it (then I look good cruising to work or the store).<br />
<h3>
5. SPLIT, MOVE AND/OR ACQUIRE NEW PERENNIALS</h3>
Perennials are amazing. They are an investment, but over time they will
expand and can be split or moved. It’s great to trade your extra plants
or establish new beds with additional plants. Iris and daisies are some
of the most prolific perennials—they are great to fill-in some empty
spaces. Check with a local nursery for the correct time and method to
split your perennials. Last year I put in a new shady perennial bed with
Hosta, Lily of the Valley and Bleeding Heart, which is looking great
after a little Bloom Kaboom. This year, I’m going small and have just
bought some Astilbe to fill-in a few spots and add color to my front
flowerbed. It’s difficult to pass up a new peony, though.<br />
<h3>
5. PLAN AND PURCHASE NEW ANNUALS</h3>
The best part of spring gardening is planning, purchasing and planting
all of my annual containers. I make a list of all the containers I need
to fill, explore Pinterest for new ideas and start the shopping! An
important thing to consider when planning is any parties you might be
having throughout the summer and fall. A few years ago my house was on
the Hailey Garden Tour, so I wanted my flowers to be at their best in
July and planned accordingly. Last year I got married in September so I
planned some fall colored accent plants and replaced my summer flowers
with fall mums, pansies and kale. It saved some money planning in
advance and looked great. The world is your oyster when you’re planning
your annuals—go crazy!<br />
<img alt="Summer garden prep tips from Morgan Buckert!" src="http://sunvalleymag.com/Sun-Valley-360/Summer-2014/Summer-Garden-Prep/DSCN1266.JPG" style="height: 450px; width: 600px;" /><br />
<h3>
6. COMPLETE YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN </h3>
This is a whole different can of worms. Our vegetable gardens are
almost an acre, require a whole year of planning and provide us with
food for most of the year. The most important thing about planting
vegetable gardens in the Wood River Valley is that our last frost date
is May 28. We plant June 1, but in the last few years we have had frosts
until late June in Hailey. Watch the weather and your plants will
thrive.<br />
You can buy the heirloom vegetable plants straight from our garden at
all three Wood River Valley Webb Nursery locations! Look for vegetables
labled Crazy Guy Tomatoes or check out our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CrazyGuyTomatoes" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.<br />
Now it’s time to sit, have a cocktail, and enjoy all the hard work!MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-25885288350237135642013-07-17T19:19:00.001-07:002013-07-17T19:21:22.952-07:00Summer on Silver Creek<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/70084187" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/70084187">SALAD DAYS - Silver Creek</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bloodknots">BLOODKNOTS</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
This is a great little video fishing on Silver Creek--it gets it just right.MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-51717411063188990182013-07-03T20:03:00.001-07:002013-07-03T20:04:04.348-07:00Silver Creek Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5u-byD30z_g/UdTlpGQM66I/AAAAAAAABzY/1UGvaG_5AsI/s1600/E-+Morgan+Paddy46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5u-byD30z_g/UdTlpGQM66I/AAAAAAAABzY/1UGvaG_5AsI/s320/E-+Morgan+Paddy46.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Last week we went out with <a href="http://www.christineolsenphotography.com/2013/07/03/paddy-morgan-engaged-hailey-idaho-engagement-photographer/" target="_blank">Christine Olsen</a>, our photographer for the big day. It was a beautiful day on Silver Creek and she did a great job Photoshopping out my HUGE mosquito welts. Worth it. <a href="http://www.christineolsenphotography.com/2013/07/03/paddy-morgan-engaged-hailey-idaho-engagement-photographer/" target="_blank">Here</a> are some of our photos.<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bCVjGw04iUw/UdTlrucNHXI/AAAAAAAABzg/bf0X49kUY3w/s1600/E-+Morgan+Paddy45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bCVjGw04iUw/UdTlrucNHXI/AAAAAAAABzg/bf0X49kUY3w/s320/E-+Morgan+Paddy45.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x5Ao17Xa1bE/UdTlvskFm1I/AAAAAAAABzo/ZGyCRYt0Dm0/s1600/E-+Morgan+Paddy77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x5Ao17Xa1bE/UdTlvskFm1I/AAAAAAAABzo/ZGyCRYt0Dm0/s320/E-+Morgan+Paddy77.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dumb pic, but when we travel we always take an explorer shot in honor of our mutual favorite explorer, John C. Fremont. No, we're not nerds.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-81060256228798739062013-06-13T14:00:00.000-07:002013-06-13T14:00:04.442-07:00Yellowstone Angler Wader Shoot-Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7wsJ1jI8IUQ/UboxDb4xY6I/AAAAAAAABy0/gBVfeFV3hks/s1600/751.wader.shootout.P1080185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7wsJ1jI8IUQ/UboxDb4xY6I/AAAAAAAABy0/gBVfeFV3hks/s320/751.wader.shootout.P1080185.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The last few weeks have been IN-SANE! I am the new fly-fishing buyer for Sturtos Hailey, which Jeff Davis bought from Sturtevants. We are so excited for Jeff and expanding our fly-fishing and especially fly-tying materials. <br />
<br />
I'm shopping around getting ready for <a href="http://www.theflyfishingexpo.com/" target="_blank">IFTD</a> and found <a href="http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/" target="_blank">Yellowstone Angler</a>'s Wader Shootout. <a href="http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/" target="_blank">Yellowstone Angler</a>, definitely one of the best fly shops I've ever been to, provides some of the only honest gear reviews since Fish and Fly went out of print. These guys are extensive, and I'm glad to say that my wader was the top-ranked wader, Simm's G3 Guide Wader. Check out the full report <a href="http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/gear-review/2013-wader-shootout-best-waders-simms-g4-simms-g3-patagonia-rio-gallegos-orvis-silver-sonic-dan-bailey-guide-ultra-redington-aquaz-cabelas-bootfoots" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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<br />MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-37089157765341920772013-05-21T14:59:00.001-07:002013-05-21T14:59:43.038-07:00Casting for Recovery is Less than Two Weeks Away<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="294" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/42413917?autoplay=1" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="398"></iframe><br />
<br />
You all know about Casting for Recovery, but it really is an amazing organization. I never expected it to make such a big difference for the attendees, or for me.MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-70186916339188441022013-05-16T21:37:00.004-07:002013-05-16T21:37:53.875-07:00Cake as ArtThis is a great video I poached from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Etsy.</a> <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/62210449?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-53625840989025204992013-05-15T10:48:00.005-07:002013-05-15T10:49:14.212-07:00Anglers Spend $22 Million in Blaine County in 2011<b><span class="headline2">Fishing brings millions to county</span></b><br />
<b><span class="underride2">Report: Anglers spent $22 million in 2011</span></b><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;">By <b><a class="author" href="http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?auth_ID=73">KATHERINE WUTZ</a></b></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;"><b>Wednesday, May 15, 2013 </b><br />Express Staff Writer</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;">Idaho Mountain Express</span></i><br />
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<td><img border="1" src="http://www.mtexpress.com/images/2013/13-05-15-fly-fishing-020.jpg" width="200" />
<span class="caption">
A fly fisherman tests his skills on the Big Wood River south of Hailey.
Express file photo </span>
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<span class="story"> A study
released by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game last week shows that
fishing brought the state more than $548 million in 2011—the most recent
data available.</span><br />
<span class="story"><br /> The agency’s summary states that the agency
conducted a mail survey, sending out 59,200 surveys to Idaho fishing
license holders in 2011. Nearly 26,000 anglers returned responses, which
the agency compiled into a study. </span><br />
<span class="story"><br /> The study separated out
counties as well as fishing spots, but State Fishery Manager Jeff Dillon
said in an email that more specific numbers—i.e., those for certain
fishing spots—might be “influenced” by small sample sizes. </span><br />
<span class="story"><br /> “For
example, the mean trip cost on Silver Creek was $426 in 2011, compared
to $246 in 2003,” he said. “This increase is probably related to one or
two anglers who told us they spent thousands of dollars to fish there,
skewing the average up more than expected.” </span><br />
<span class="story"><br /> Dillon also noted that 2011 was a “wet year,” with nearly-full reservoirs and high rivers. </span><br />
<span class="story"><br />
In Blaine County, anglers spent an average of $233 per trip, and the
average trip lasted 1.9 days. However, anglers took about 98,527 trips
in Blaine County in 2011, bringing total spending to just under $23
million—not including the cost of fishing licenses and permits, which
brought an additional $430,438 to the county.
</span><br />
<span class="story">
<br /> The report states that anglers spent the most money fishing the
Big Wood River, at $9.9 million in 2011. Though anglers made fewer trips
to the Big Wood River than they did to Magic Reservoir—25,539 trips as
opposed to 41,820—anglers visiting the Big Wood spent far more on
restaurants, groceries, fishing supplies, transportation, guides and
motels than those visiting Magic. Magic Reservoir anglers spent about
$4.5 million in 2011.</span><br />
<span class="story"><br /> Silver Creek brought an estimated $5.2
million to the Blaine County economy in 2011, while Little Wood
Reservoir and Gaver Lagoon, the fishing pond at the Hayspur Fish
Hatchery outside of Picabo, brought in $952,000 and $398,000
respectively.</span><br />
<span class="story"><br /> Spending by anglers in Blaine County ranked ninth
in the state. Statewide, anglers spent $548.4 million on fishing trips
and an additional $15 million on fishing licenses and permits. Anglers
made 2,772,547 trips in 2011 and spent an average of $197.78 per trip. </span><br />
<span class="story"><br />
Spending related to the Big Wood River averaged $391 per trip in 2011;
angler spending in Blaine County was an average of $233 per trip, well
above the state average.</span>MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-79809802248893396742013-05-13T19:25:00.001-07:002013-05-13T19:25:25.746-07:00I'd Probably Sew More Clothes if my Patterns did this<span class="permalink"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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</span><a href="http://gifmyass.tumblr.com/post/48993260089/dougie"><img alt="" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/635cf59c72979edd58d6b4b83c94b0ea/tumblr_mlwmqnqo3s1qlzc82o1_400.gif" /></a></div>
MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-50331921418293069582013-05-06T12:22:00.002-07:002013-05-06T12:23:26.615-07:00Scientific IllustrationDayna Gross, Silver Creek Watershed Manager for TNC, and the person responsible for bringing me to the Wood River Valley eight years ago next week wrote this post for <a href="http://blog.nature.org/science/2013/05/06/scientific-illustration-more-than-pretty-pictures/" target="_blank">Cool Green Science</a>, <a href="http://www.nature.org/" target="_blank">The Nature Conservancy</a>'s blog.<br />
<br />
<span class="comment_count"></span>
<br />
<div class="excerpt">
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_38077" style="width: 610px;">
<a href="http://blog.nature.org/science/?attachment_id=38077" rel="attachment wp-att-38077"><img alt="Silver Creek Preserve manager Dayna Gross used her love of painting to help convey complex stream restoration plans." class="size-full wp-image-38077" height="369" src="http://blog.nature.org/science/files/2013/05/Purdy-IllustrationPlan2.jpg" width="600" /></a><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text">
Silver Creek Preserve manager Dayna Gross used her love of painting to help convey complex stream restoration plans.</div>
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<b>Scientific illustration is more than just pretty pictures</b> — a point made quite clearly in my own work at the Conservancy’s <a href="http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/idaho/placesweprotect/silver-creek-preserve.xml">Silver Creek Preserv</a>e, as we tried to convey restoration plans to the general public.<br />
<br />
For as long as I can remember I have enjoyed painting flowers,
insects, and landscapes. There is something so enjoyable about
capturing colors and textures in paintings.<br />
<br />
In the last ten years <b>this hobby has expanded into my work</b>: illustration has become key in how I view the world, understand conservation and communicate ideas.<br />
<br />
Science has always <b>relied on visual representation</b> to convey
key concepts. While representation has varied from Audubon’s bird
paintings to high-tech GPS imagery, illustration has at is core always
been about conveying information.<br />
<br />
However, while we have inarguably made amazing advancements in information technology, <b>high-tech does not always mean “easy to understand.”</b></div>
<br />
<br />
You can check out the full piece <a href="http://blog.nature.org/science/2013/05/06/scientific-illustration-more-than-pretty-pictures/" target="_blank">here</a>.MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-82985642956924347582013-04-26T08:41:00.001-07:002013-04-26T08:44:13.754-07:00The Airflo Story<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BoiTWQi_X8I?list=UUN9Z6dg9OkuJG78tnNZlSHw" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
This has been in my inbox for a while, but I hadn't gotten around to watching it. This is a great video about Airflo and how fly lines are made. It's almost a good as Mr. Rodgers at the crayon factory, but that's the gold standard for educational videos.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/59e7WYd24gI" width="420"></iframe>MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-59729083726882238872013-04-23T15:06:00.000-07:002013-04-23T20:45:38.150-07:00I've Been Meaning to do this for a While<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AS_Rosvf2zA/UXdVMeufKyI/AAAAAAAABxI/1OeTraFj8Zc/s1600/IMG_1308_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AS_Rosvf2zA/UXdVMeufKyI/AAAAAAAABxI/1OeTraFj8Zc/s320/IMG_1308_2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having the time of my life at Mood NYC.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Over the last six months or so my blogging has been pretty lacking. The main reason is that I haven't been inspired by my fishing excursions and I spend a LOT of time doing other things these days. I have a business, <a href="http://www.thebrowndrake.etsy.com/" target="_blank">The Brown Drake</a>, and am helping grow Paddy's business, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/CrazyGuyTomatoes" target="_blank">Crazy Guy Tomatoes</a>. I spend a lot of time baking, gardening, sewing, doing stuff outside, and generally making a fool of myself.<br />
<br />
A couple of weeks ago, Christine, at <a href="http://www.flyfishchick.com/" target="_blank">Fly Fish Chick</a>, said there's not a New Coke. I'll agree with her in that I'm sticking to what I've always done, but there will be other stuff, too. It's more like MexiCoke--better than regular Coke. I think a new format will help me make a fresh start and there will be some tweaking over the next few months.<br />
<br />
I plan to write about the things I love and the things I do every day: fly-fishing, cooking and baking, gardening, sewing and crafting, making, building, destroying, liberal artisting, and my new venture into shoemaking. Yes, I did say shoemaking. There is also sure to be a few posts of epic crashes as I get back into mountain biking this year.<br />
<br />
I hope to keep you entertained, and to keep myself entertained as I explore to my heart's content.MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-34330897931716485812013-04-16T09:19:00.003-07:002013-04-23T20:46:34.551-07:00A Little Pond FishingA couple of weeks ago I was in Texas for Easter. I had a couple of saltwater trips planned with my sister, brother-in-law, and their guide in Corpus, but the wind was roaring so we had to cancel.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MthbTNFG-rE/UW15qW0sD6I/AAAAAAAABvk/mUbBho6B48k/s1600/DSCN0228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MthbTNFG-rE/UW15qW0sD6I/AAAAAAAABvk/mUbBho6B48k/s320/DSCN0228.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to beat the fight of a fat catfish.</td></tr>
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<br />
Growing up, my dad always took us fishing on Good Friday, which was always more than enough fishing for the year--ha ha. My dad and I went fishing on the ranch on Good Friday and I caught a catfish (only my second ever) and he caught a nice bass. There wasn't a lot going on, but it's so fun to catch something different.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-34Bo9EZ-IcM/UW15tHHyooI/AAAAAAAABvs/liEJ2H5EaoM/s1600/IMG_1330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-34Bo9EZ-IcM/UW15tHHyooI/AAAAAAAABvs/liEJ2H5EaoM/s320/IMG_1330.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A delicious bass. Pop did eat both fish for dinner. I like my fish in the form of raw tuna on rice--ha ha.</td></tr>
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<br />MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-41178608545734189002013-03-11T15:36:00.001-07:002013-03-11T15:36:11.595-07:00Fly Fishers Disagree on Silver Creek Restoration Proposal<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A3OIIrblA3M/UT5cO1DaOrI/AAAAAAAABug/UyGCLEl7NLk/s1600/IMG_0576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A3OIIrblA3M/UT5cO1DaOrI/AAAAAAAABug/UyGCLEl7NLk/s320/IMG_0576.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These anglers agree with the restoration project--join them!</td></tr>
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<br />
<a href="http://magicvalley.com/lifestyles/recreation/fly-fishers-disagree-on-silver-creek-restoration-proposal/article_24f662d9-3579-5a6c-91a0-473d7e5be61f.html#.UT5b366aFsE.blogger">Fly Fishers Disagree on Silver Creek Restoration Proposal</a><br />
<br />
Please support the project by writing a letter to:<br />
<br />
Send them to the Blaine County land use office by mail, by email (pzcounter@co.blaine.id.us) or by fax (208-788-5576). Bergin expects the written comments already received to be posted on Blaine County’s website soon. MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-66394314355107917122013-01-25T10:19:00.002-08:002013-01-25T10:19:15.126-08:00Casting for Recovery Seeking 2013 Applications<div class="MsoNormal">
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--></style><span style="color: black;">(Ketchum, Idaho) January 25,
2013-Are you or someone you know currently undergoing breast cancer treatment
or are a breast cancer survivor?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If so, Casting for Recovery invites you to apply for their 7<sup>th</sup>
Annual Southern Idaho retreat May 31-June 2, 2013. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Casting for Recovery is a national
support and educational program for breast cancer survivors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Casting for Recovery provides free
three-day fly-fishing retreats to women affected by breast cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only do the participants learn to
fly-fish and the physical and emotional wellness it can provide, the retreat
provides a forum to broaden the understanding of breast cancer treatment and
enable sharing among participants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>An all-female staff of medical and fly-fishing professionals guide you through
the weekend held at the beautiful Living Waters Ranch in Challis, Idaho.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">To apply for the 7<sup>th</sup>
Annual Southern Idaho Casting for Recovery Retreat, visit
www.castingforrecovery.org and click on ID-1, or call (888) 553-3500.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The application deadline is March 15,
2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Applicants are randomly
chosen to attend and will be notified by the Casting for Recovery national
office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For more information about
Casting for Recover or to make a donation to the Southern Idaho Casting for
Recovery Program, please visit the ID-1 page at www.castingforrecovery.org.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><br />
</span><span style="color: black;">Casting for Recovery is a non-profit
organization providing educational, recreational, and emotional support
programs to breast cancer survivors for 17 years.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">###</span></div>
MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-32375001530515708652012-12-20T18:26:00.002-08:002012-12-20T18:26:12.057-08:00Please Support Casting for Recovery in Idaho<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="templateContainer" style="width: 100%px;"><tbody>
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<span style="color: lavenderblush;">Dear Friend of So. Idaho's<br />
Casting for Recovery Program,</span></h1>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Our program is headed into its seventh year, 2013!</span><br />
<a href="http://www.castingforrecovery.org/" style="color: white; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Casting for Recovery</a><span style="font-size: medium;"> here in Southern Idaho </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">enables local Idaho women dealing with</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"> breast cancer to enjoy a free fly-fishing retreat every June.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This holistic and healthy retreat held at Living Waters Ranch in </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Challis is supported solely by donations from folks like you!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This holiday, please consider a meaningful,<br />
philanthropic </span><span style="font-size: medium;">gift to support & sustain CFR in So. Idaho!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">You can made a tax-deductible donation on-line </span><a href="https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=6a3e3a" style="color: white; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">HERE</a><span style="font-size: medium;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and note So. Idaho retreat in "Specific Retreat Name" field. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"> If you donate in someone else's honor she will be notified of </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">your generosity on her behalf! No gift is ever too small!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">You can also mail in your donation. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Please make a check out to </span><span style="color: lavenderblush; font-size: 18px;"><em>Casting for Recovery</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and on the memo line write "ID-1 program"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"> Mail to:</span><br />
<span style="color: honeydew; font-size: 18px;">Ceci Bennett, CFR So. Idaho<br />
5363 E. Quartersawn Ct.<br />
Boise ID 83716<br />
(208-412-2507)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">(</span><a href="mailto:ceciliabennett1960@gmail.com" style="color: white; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">ceciliabennett1960@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: medium;">) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you for your support of this powerful and life-changing program<br />
that focuses on hope, recovery and wellness rather than illness.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: plum;">Best wishes for a wonderful and safe holiday season!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: paleturquoise;">Your Southern Idaho CFR Volunteer Staff, Planning Committee & Program Participants!</span></span></div>
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MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-42963922356211338102012-11-30T13:01:00.002-08:002012-11-30T13:01:46.710-08:00Last Day Rain-Out<img alt="Graph of " border="0" height="384" src="http://137.227.252.10/nwisweb/data/img/USGS.13139510.01.00060..20121123.20121130.log.0.p50.gif" width="576" /><br />
<br />
Today is the last day that The Nature Conservancy portion of Silver Creek is open for the season. I had permission to fish on Stalker Creek--the private access on the creek, so, of course, I got rained out. We are getting a HUGE Pacific storm and are expecting four feet of snow on Sunday, but today it's just raining cats and dogs. I'm definitely not a fair weather fly-fisher, but I refuse to fish in the rain when it's in the 30s. Unless I'm steelheading. The graph above if of the Wood--the water is going up and up. My street in Hailey is quickly turning into a tributary of the Wood--I hope I can make it out, though I guess I can always get the canoe out.<br />
<br />
Tonight I set up for the Papoose Club Holiday Bazaar. It's the second year for <a href="http://www.thebrowndrake.etsy.com/" target="_blank">The Brown Drake</a> and I'm hoping people have their wallets open. As a little treat for those of you not in Idaho, I'm offering free shipping at my <a href="http://www.thebrowndrake.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Etsy</a> store through the weekend. Add FREESHIPPING as your code during checkout. Get yourself some notecards, a trout tote, or an organizer for your tablet. MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-82796435673059032022012-11-26T20:18:00.001-08:002012-11-26T20:22:07.013-08:00The extraordinary effort to save sockeye salmonI cheated and bummed this from <a href="http://www.chiwulff.com/" target="_blank">Chi Wulff. </a><br />
<br />
<b>The extraordinary effort to save sockeye salmon</b><br />
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<b>After 20 years and more than $40 million
spent, the new direction for Snake River sockeye focuses on rebuilding
population rather than just preventing extinction. But will it work?</b></div>
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By <a href="http://search.nwsource.com/search?searchtype=cq&sort=date&from=ST&byline=Lynda%20V%2E%20Mapes">Lynda V. Mapes</a></div>
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Seattle Times staff reporter</div>
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<a class="popup_enlarge" href="http://seattletimes.com/ABPub/zoom/html/2019705988.html" target="popup_enlarge"><img alt="A Snake River sockeye is captured for its genes after swimming more than 900 miles to reach its spawning grounds. " class="pic" height="218" src="http://seattletimes.com/ABPub/2012/11/14/2019684174.jpg" title="A Snake River sockeye is captured for its genes after swimming more than 900 miles to reach its spawning grounds. " width="296" /></a><br />
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STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES</div>
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A Snake River sockeye is captured for its genes after swimming more than 900 miles to reach its spawning grounds.</div>
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REDFISH LAKE CREEK, Idaho —<br />
A vermilion slash in clear, cold water, the Snake River sockeye in
this mountain stream is one of nature's long-distance athletes,
traveling at least 900 miles to get here.<br />
<br />
That this fish can make such a journey — the longest of any sockeye
in the world — is remarkable. But it's more incredible that this fish is
still around at all.<br />
<br />
Down to just one known fish — dubbed Lonesome Larry — in 1992, state,
tribal and federal fish managers have painstakingly preserved the
species in captivity ever since.<br />
<br />
Twenty years and $40 million later, they have a new goal. Not just
mere survival for Snake River sockeye, but rebuilding the run to at
least 2,500 wild fish, free of any hatchery influence, making the epic
journey all the way from the Pacific across a time zone to the high
mountain lakes of Idaho.<br />
<br />
To appreciate how big a step that is, consider this: It's taken fish
managers in six federal, state and tribal agencies to get this far. They
oversee the lives of these fish, plotting their genetics on
spreadsheets, mixing their gametes in plastic bags, and whisking them in
various life stages around the Pacific Northwest in plastic shipping
tubes, barges, trucks and planes, using five different facilities in
three states to hatch, incubate and rear them, in both fresh water and
salt.<br />
<br />
By now, Bonneville Power Administration ratepayers have spent nearly
$9,000 for every sockeye that's made it back to Idaho since this all
started in 1991.<br />
<br />
The sockeye rescue is part of a much larger Columbia River Basin Fish
and Wildlife program — believed to be the largest of its kind in the
world — that has cost Bonneville ratepayers more than $12 billion since
1978, depending on how you count it.<br />
<br />
While Elwha Dam removal cost U.S. taxpayers $325 million, BPA
ratepayers spend more than $200 million each year — including $311
million budgeted this year alone — on programs intended to restore fish,
wildlife and habitat harmed by the Columbia and Lower Snake River dams.
It adds up: The program's cost accounts for one-third of the wholesale
rate Bonneville charges utilities that use its power, including Seattle
City Light, which buys 41 percent of its power from BPA.<br />
<br />
A recent jump in sockeye returns, including more than 1,000 fish in
both 2010 and 2011, encouraged managers to expand the program and break
ground on a new, $14 million hatchery this year. The goal now is way
beyond just saving sockeye from extinction, and on to building a wild,
self-sustaining population.<br />
<br />
It's quite a comeback. The captive brood program was nearly canceled
in 2006, because so few sockeye were making it back to Idaho. "We
thought it was a little bit of a moonshot," said Rick Williams, a member
of a scientific panel that recommended against continuing to fund the
program.<br />
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council, appointed by governors
from four Western states, voted to keep it going anyway, after Idaho's
governor asked members to vote with their hearts, not their heads. Then
came a couple of good years of sockeye returns. Last summer, the council
doubled down, voting to expand the program and build the hatchery.<br />
<br />
Lorri Bodi, BPA's vice president for environment, fish and wildlife,
said she was glad nobody pulled the plug on Snake River sockeye. She has
a photo in her office of herself releasing one of the fish back to
Redfish Lake to spawn a few years ago, a feel-good moment that still
gives her hope. "We went from zero to four fish coming back every year.
They were functionally extinct. Now, in good years, we have more than
1,000. We are going to take it to the next level. ... This is a
testament to optimism.<br />
<br />
"Our goal is to have a few thousand sockeye again, just as we did in
the 1950s, before human impacts were so severe. It's a pretty cool thing
to do."<br />
<br />
<strong>The issue of dams</strong><br />
<br />
But where some see cause for optimism, others see denial. Idaho,
Oregon and Washington are replete with hatcheries, but 16 runs of salmon
and steelhead in the Columbia Basin are still listed for protection
under the Endangered Species Act. And despite a few good years of
returns, Snake River sockeye remain endangered. Just 243 sockeye made it
back to Idaho this year.<br />
<br />
With eight dams between their spawning grounds and the Pacific,
hatchery production alone won't be enough to rebuild healthy, naturally
spawning populations of Snake River sockeye and other Columbia Basin
salmon and steelhead, said Joseph Bogaard, outreach director in the
Seattle office of the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition, a nonprofit that
advocates for dam removal on the Lower Snake River.<br />
<br />
"There was a lot of opposition to this emergency-room life support
and a sense that it would not work, and that if it did, it would become a
replacement for dealing with the deeper, more difficult issues,"
Bogaard said. "We were thankfully wrong on the first issue; it has
provided a new opportunity for sockeye. But it has also been so
politically easier to find the money to do this than deal with the real
issues.<br />
<br />
"It's more of the same, kicking the can down the road, and it's
certainly not working for us," Bogaard said of the new sockeye hatchery.<br />
<br />
Jim Lichatowich, author of "Salmon Without Rivers," sees agencies
protecting their comfort zone, instead of salmon. "Building a large
hatchery infrastructure to try to compensate for the dams is the status
quo; it is the comfort zone for the management agencies," Lichatowich
said. "Agencies get big budgets to run them, and politicians get credit
for solving the problem. But the fact is ... hatcheries haven't been
measuring up, otherwise we wouldn't have so many salmon in the Columbia
Snake Basin that are listed."<br />
<br />
Jeff Heindel, deputy director of hatchery programs for Idaho, says he
knows he faces skepticism, as Northwest ratepayers pour even more money
into Snake River sockeye.<br />
<br />
"Even my own mother thinks it's crazy," Heindel said. "If I can't
sell it to her, I'm not sure I can sell it to the average Joe."<br />
<br />
<strong>Larry's descendants</strong><br />
<br />
The extraordinary effort that has gone into preserving Snake River
sockeye is not unusual. There are dozens of publicly funded efforts,
most of them run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, under way around
the country to bank the genes of devastated populations of animals,
from red wolves to black-footed ferrets. By definition, the programs
require extreme measures to sustain small populations of animals in
totally artificial settings.<br />
<br />
In a building outside Boise, sockeye kept in the captive brood
program circle in fiberglass pools. Fed on the hour, they are grown to
adult size, graduating to ever-larger tubs. Exercise is provided by a
jet of water sputtering in the tubs, against which the fish steadily
swim.<br />
<br />
They live somewhere between captive rearing and extinction; no longer wild animals, but not gone from the Earth, either.<br />
<br />
"Slimy little suckers," says a technician as a fish he lifts to check
for weight and length slides from his hands and hits the deck. Quickly
picking it up and blotting its abundant slime with a paper towel, he
measures the fish and puts it back, unharmed, in its tank. Fish techs
dubbed the food that fattens these fish "beefcake." But while they will
bulk up, captive-reared sockeye are slimier, dimmer in color and less
fecund than the wild fish from which they descend.<br />
<br />
Go back to the beginning, and you'll meet Lonesome Larry, so-called
because he was the only sockeye to return to Redfish Lake in 1992. With
no mate with which to spawn, Larry was injected with hormones to pump up
his milt production; stripped of his gametes, killed, stuffed and
mounted in a nearby nature center. His milt was stored in liquid
nitrogen, to dribble out year by year.<br />
<br />
Descended from Lonesome Larry and other founders of the captive
brood, some of these fish in the baby pools every year are allowed
conjugal visits to Redfish Lake to reproduce on their own, along with
some fish returned to the lake after capture.<br />
<br />
Amazingly, Heindel says, the fish reared in captivity still
understand their primal task, and head to the southeast end of Redfish
Lake, as their wild forebears did, to successfully spawn.<br />
<br />
Today, every sockeye returning to the Stanley Basin of Idaho is
trapped by the state's department of fish and game at its Sawtooth
Hatchery and at Redfish Lake Creek. From there, they are driven two and a
half hours to a hatchery complex outside Boise, where the captive brood
program is located.<br />
<br />
Driving six sockeye to Eagle one day last August, Dan Baker, manager
of the Eagle hatchery, kept an eye on a dashboard light glowing green to
assure him oxygen was still bubbling in the chilled water in the box in
the back of the pickup.<br />
<br />
He stopped at a gas station mid-journey, and popped the top to check
on the fish, as a fluffy dog came tail-wagging over. One fish tipped its
nose out of the water, making for the edge, but Baker was too quick for
it, and thunked down the lid. "Haven't lost one yet," he said, climbing
back into the truck.<br />
A battery of technicians was waiting when he arrived, to work up the
new fish. In less time than it takes to make a sandwich, they cataloged
each fish, then scanned it for tags, measured it, weighed it, yanked off
a scale with forceps to confirm the sockeye's age, clipped off a hunk
of fin for DNA analysis, crunched a hole in its dorsal fin with a hole
punch to snug on a zip-tie tag, and injected the fish with a hypodermic
full of antibiotics plunged in its side.<br />
<br />
A technician dropped the last, limp fish in a holding tank full of
water dosed with disinfectant. From here, some of the fish would be
trucked back to Stanley, and returned to spawn in Redfish Lake.<br />
But for the rest, this was the end of the road: new genes for the captive brood.<br />
<br />
<em>Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or <a href="mailto:lmapes@seattletimes.com">lmapes@seattletimes.com</a>. On Twitter @lyndavmapes.</em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019705443_captivefish18m.html#.ULQ--hLtolw.blogger">The extraordinary effort to save sockeye salmon | Local News | The Seattle Times</a>MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-32848520036481035872012-10-27T14:04:00.001-07:002012-10-27T14:04:40.244-07:00Marfalicious<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fDjga0t2Bfs/UIxI6zgMlEI/AAAAAAAABl8/gkZsGvp8imc/s1600/IMG_1073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fDjga0t2Bfs/UIxI6zgMlEI/AAAAAAAABl8/gkZsGvp8imc/s320/IMG_1073.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sisters on the Fly was at the Petticoats on the Prairie Vintage show in Colorado City, Texas.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the past two weeks I've been in Texas. Some time in and around Midland (where Jesus died on a glitter cross, as Paddy says) and in West Texas, one of my favorite places in the world. I've been hiking with Paddy and seen some wonderful places and Today I explored a little in Marfa, an art community. Tomorrow I'll be going back to Marfa for a Dia de los Muertos celebration and craft making at the Chinati Foundation. I'll be going camping on the ranch and hiking a little more before something completely different--a trip to New York next week. A hurricane is barreling towards the Big Apple, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will make landfall a little to the south.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g0t8NPjEd4s/UIxJpuQd53I/AAAAAAAABmE/KGOvd0P43lo/s1600/IMG_0533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g0t8NPjEd4s/UIxJpuQd53I/AAAAAAAABmE/KGOvd0P43lo/s320/IMG_0533.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful water carved stream bed in West Texas.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-72DS-IApEoQ/UIxKJTjEz3I/AAAAAAAABmM/BK50Nh2Cza4/s1600/IMG_0538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-72DS-IApEoQ/UIxKJTjEz3I/AAAAAAAABmM/BK50Nh2Cza4/s320/IMG_0538.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A huge juniper in the desert.</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mtJjL_Hn2g8/UIxKgbApZkI/AAAAAAAABmY/k2-HWGPkDgY/s1600/IMG_0548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mtJjL_Hn2g8/UIxKgbApZkI/AAAAAAAABmY/k2-HWGPkDgY/s320/IMG_0548.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love western and neon--wow!</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ix5_8GV_25c/UIxLQUiLV6I/AAAAAAAABmg/bcHu68A3MFM/s1600/IMG_0549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ix5_8GV_25c/UIxLQUiLV6I/AAAAAAAABmg/bcHu68A3MFM/s320/IMG_0549.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this store in Marfa.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g2btPWRQsl8/UIxLuLICBvI/AAAAAAAABmo/0NUQ7YksRG0/s1600/IMG_0551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g2btPWRQsl8/UIxLuLICBvI/AAAAAAAABmo/0NUQ7YksRG0/s320/IMG_0551.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The artist makes Narco art--always love it!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13600234.post-18337903059842100952012-10-09T09:40:00.000-07:002012-10-09T09:40:29.887-07:00Cooking and Canning Like it's 1920It's the best time of the year to fish (more on that later in the week),
but I've been spending a LOT of time in the kitchen. We have canned
about 60 quarts of tomatoes, made 40 pounds of ketchup, and I've been
experimenting in bread making. We laugh at ourselves--ten years ago neither of us would have ever thought that gardening and canning would be such an important part of our lives. We wonder what year it is sometimes, but ten we turn on our cooking music (rap) to remind ourselves. <br />
<br />
We made ketchup twice this year. It's a two-day, dirty, hot process, but the results are spectacular. My sister and some of my friends have been begging for more ketchup since we gave some out at Christmas last year. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsiYcMEpZ3M/UHROnteOjKI/AAAAAAAABkM/PMmubvhszVM/s1600/photo(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsiYcMEpZ3M/UHROnteOjKI/AAAAAAAABkM/PMmubvhszVM/s320/photo(9).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ketchup mise en place still life.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hylD002vL2Q/UHRN3GaxV9I/AAAAAAAABjI/Ekk3sANs6gk/s1600/photo(12).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hylD002vL2Q/UHRN3GaxV9I/AAAAAAAABjI/Ekk3sANs6gk/s320/photo(12).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the two-day ketchup process.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5AfOWEVr94/UHROizb9d5I/AAAAAAAABkE/YWnVMVcEu2M/s1600/photo(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5AfOWEVr94/UHROizb9d5I/AAAAAAAABkE/YWnVMVcEu2M/s320/photo(8).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lithium Sunset tomatoes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egwXetmXN3Q/UHROctA13CI/AAAAAAAABj8/n64hrn_8ayA/s1600/photo%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egwXetmXN3Q/UHROctA13CI/AAAAAAAABj8/n64hrn_8ayA/s320/photo%25287%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing out my new ketchup spoon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Paddy, of Crazy Guy Tomatoes, had a great garden this year. We think we had about 1500 pounds of food, which in Idaho, in a yard, is pretty impressive. His watermelon crop was definitely the most impressive crop--our living room is exploding with watermelon right now! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0T_ZR4sRKaA/UHROWQUbqlI/AAAAAAAABj0/v-_1cXOEzTc/s1600/photo%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0T_ZR4sRKaA/UHROWQUbqlI/AAAAAAAABj0/v-_1cXOEzTc/s320/photo%25286%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">500 pounds of delicious watermelon!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iszODoXp6wU/UHRNxMehjbI/AAAAAAAABjA/ex07s7r76Fk/s1600/photo(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iszODoXp6wU/UHRNxMehjbI/AAAAAAAABjA/ex07s7r76Fk/s320/photo(11).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paddy's 41 pound watermelon!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My experiments in bread making have varied quite a bit, but the sourdough I made yesterday was restaurant quality--I'm making some progress. Of course, this means, unfortunately, that I'm eating more bread. I may have to stop this new hobby.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HyyNjndq3e4/UHRNs7wmIsI/AAAAAAAABi4/e8MCZo_w4w8/s1600/photo(10).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HyyNjndq3e4/UHRNs7wmIsI/AAAAAAAABi4/e8MCZo_w4w8/s320/photo(10).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heirloom cherry tomato, roasted garlic, rosemary, and sea salt foccacia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cmJ6_QQr5Fo/UHRN9zOnF8I/AAAAAAAABjQ/oWpx1o8zKMc/s1600/photo(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cmJ6_QQr5Fo/UHRN9zOnF8I/AAAAAAAABjQ/oWpx1o8zKMc/s320/photo(2).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosemary sourdough boule.<br />
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The cooking is over for now. We are heading to West Texas (unfortunately no redfishing this fall) this weekend and are ready to soak up some sun a desert. Nothing clears my head and my soul like exploring in the desert.MRBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09860164487340476660noreply@blogger.com1