Update

I realize I have not written anything for months.

Summer and fall were filled with work and many challenges.

 We, Husband Master Food Preserver Eric Tworivers and myself, taught 20 on location food preservation classes from jelly and jam to jerky. 

Pinot Noir Jelly at Woven Wineworks

Green beans at the Homestead Supply Store

Our first year garden grew well and we managed to save seeds from heirloom tomatoes, Glass Gem corn and Anasazi Beans. 

Corn patch

Anasazi Beans

Glass Gem Corn

Heirloom tomato

Sunflower

I did battle with a tribe of raccoons – the same family that made a gaping hole in our roof in 2013 – saved our dog from injury and acquired a colorful set of bruises.

As to the roof, it is replaced. An estimated 3 day job became 8 days. The yard looked like a war zone but we entered a very windy fall and winter with a snug roof and repaired chimney. 

During

After

Our day jobs, we are both musicians and music teachers, have kept us busy as well. Combined we teach over 50 private students every week, host 2 open mics weekly and play out as often as we can. You can find some of our music at http://www.amazon.com/Tworivers-Music-1/dp/B003X6L8E0/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1420319949&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=tworivers+music    

In December I fell at work – at the day job – and broke my right knee cap and shoulder. Seems to be healing well but am reduced to left hand only typing for several more weeks.

The seed catalogs are beginning to arrive and seed swap time is approaching. Time for inventory and planning.

The Battle Ground Village Outdoor Market is beginning to stir (husband is the Market Manager) and we are associated with a new farm store. Spring holds many promises and new adventures.

Happy 2015.

Why do I knit?

I knit for several reasons, more than when I stop to think about it. It is a great pleasure to make something useful with two sticks and some string, it can be a very peaceful practice, once having learned the basics and we will have warm things to wear and sleep under in the coming years.

This week I have started a new project that will take about twelve weeks. This is a Cabled Afghan. I am using all cotton yarn as that washes nicely and is readily available in our area at a good price. The free instructions are at  http://www.redheart.com/blog/bias-garter-stitch-square-cabled-afghan-knit-along      

The idea of a free "knit along" project with on going instruction is great. My knitting is very elementary and I have been a bit afraid of cables. The opportunity to learn so many different stitches and make a useful blanket was one I could not resist.So far the instructions are easy to understand and everything is looking right. The only problem I am having is accessing the knit along video. I can not get it to work for square number two and that is a little frustrating but I found the directions at the site listed above.

Happy knitting! 

Time Flies...

when you are having fun and when you are busy. I am not sure where the days have gone.

Portland Homestead Supply co.

Our home based business, TwoRivers Food has been at the Portland Homestead Supply Co,,  8012 SE 13th Ave, Portland, OR 97202, teaching  jam making classes. Husband Eric Tworivers is a Ball brand Master Canner and a WSU Master Food Preserver. It has been fun to go along as his "magicians assistant" and videographer. Yes, videographer. I have a little used degree in Television Production ( that is whole other story). I am working on educational videos of our classes. I hope to have the first done after July 4th. Anyway, back to the classes. There will be two classes in pressure canning this month and more to follow. Check the Homestead Supply Co, at http://www.homesteadsupplyco.com/ for more information and to register. 



Yoda Tworivers

July 4th is almost upon us. For the past week we have lived in a barrage of fireworks. Our dog is not fond of the noise but not terrified either. He looks to see how we react and goes from there.



Covey Ridge Vineyard

The morning of the 4th we are taking our show on the road to Covey Ridge Vineyard, 41940 NW Covey Ln, Banks, OR 97106.  Known for their lush Pinots, Covey Ridge is set in Oregon's lovely wine country. We will be teaching another jam class at a private event and debuting our Pinot Noir Jelly for tasting. 

At home we had a happy surprise. The ancient cherry tree in our backyard, perhaps 60 or more years old and almost that tall, is a sweet cherry! I was watching our dog wandering about in the yard and noticed him eating something with great pleasure. It was a cherry. Using my deductive reasoning I came to the conclusion that he would not eat something sour and tasted one myself. Delicious! Now our plans for the big tree are changing. Rather than remove it we will try to rehabilitate it. This will take at least three years but should be worth the effort. We picked the low hanging fruit and canned a couple of jars of juice for kombucha this winter.

More fruit picking: enough black currants to make and freeze syrup for festive fizzy drinks, blueberries which go direct to the freezer for pancakes, frozen yogurt and other treats, green chili peppers roasted, peeled and frozen, and lots of lettuce.

Most of the tomatoes are setting on fruit. Tomatoes,,, we have lots of tomatoes.

Tomato,basil, nasturtium, onions

We have saved seeds from a few years. This fall when we moved the seeds got scrambled and we have a "mixed assortment" of heirloom tomatoes. Over 40, actually. Many of these will be headed for the Battleground Outdoor Market Saturday, July 5th for a free Plant and Seed Swap we are holding. The market is located at 802 SE 14th Ave #109, Battle Ground, WA 98604 and is open from 10am to 3pm, rain or shine. Husband Eric is the Market Manager. If you see a tall fellow with a pony tail and tie dyed shirt stop and say "Hi!".



Eric Tworivers

What else? We acquired a wood chipper. We need it as there is a lot of pruning done and to do in the next few years. I am knitting socks for winter and am starting a knit along cable afghan class today. I am a little afraid of cables but the class is 12 weeks and will proceed slowly, I hope. You can find this free class at http://www.creativebug.com/workshop/cabled-afghan-knit-along?tm_source=cb+prime&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1216&c_aid=114&c_crid=704.

Plus we keep doing our regular jobs: teaching music, running open mics, performing, photo shoots and trying to whip the house and garden into shape.

Hope your summer is beautiful and productive.



Redesigning the garden Part 3

Warmer weather keeps drawing me outdoors. Hven't knitted in a month because everytime I have a moment I have a gardening book/catalog in my hands or my hands are in the dirt.

We, husband mostly, have been hauling recycled concrete tiles for walk ways, garbage recycling station, bed edging and 3 loads of rabbit poo which we have spread around the beds.

Rabbit manure is a great fertilizer. It is not “hot” like chicken, cow or horse manure and can go directly into the garden area. Over the years we have noticed more earthworms and much higher production in the beds where we have applied rabbit manure. This is only one of the reasons that we plan to have a couple of fiber bunnies in a year or two. I knit a bit and hope to learn to spin in 2014. (actually have 2 bags of wool fleece in the garage that I hope to learn on)

Last week we planted the hazelnut bushes and a mini sweet cherry bush. They seem to have adapted well and are leafed out and looking well. Three apple trees – 2 out of three are blooming - and one autumn olive to go.

Shade

A section of our backyard is partial or very shady. One area next to the patio that we did not realize was there - hidden under years or moss and debris is very shady so it is becoming a woodland garden. Friends have given us hostas, bleeding heart, violets, rose campion, ladies mantle, and asian poppies. We carefully planted them far apart to take speading into account. Soon we will mulch around them. Still working on getting the moss off the patio but hope to borrow a pressure washer in a week and get the area clean. I am looking forward to morning coffee and afternoon games of cribbage with my hard working husband.



Bleeding Heart

In the front yard we are again fortunate to have plant sharing friends. Hollyhocks, peony, snapdragons and parsley have come to their new home.

Yesterday I discovered 3 organic sweet potatoes have sprouted with great enthusiasum. More starts for the garden. It seems likely that they will grow under the blueberries. Hopefully they will make a living mulch and produce a few to eat.

Sweet potato starts

In the greenhouse we have cucumbers, calendula, basil, and chives. A flat of just seeded giant sunflowers, dill, turks turban squash and bunching onions have joined them. The nights are still often in the low to mid 40 degree range though next week is promising to be warmer.

Greenhouse sprouts

Two potato grow bags have plants growing. New potatoes with fresh chives and butter for dinner very soon I hope!

Traditionaly, in this area, we do not plant out until Mother's Day, May 11^th this year. Some old timers wait until the snow is gone off Silver Star – a low rounded peak to our North east. We have only two weeks to complete bed preparation and get ready. We may wait another week in case of late frost. It seems our climate, like all others, is changing. First and last frost dates are no longer “the usual” and we must be flexible with our timing.

What and when are you planting this year?

Dairy Kefir

Two weeks ago we responded to an ad on Craigslist (I am sure you see a pattern here) for dairy kefir grains. We have been adding *fermented foods to our diet and found them tasty, affordable, easy to use once we figure them out and seem to help with our general health. The offer for free Kefir grains was too good to resist.

We journied across the Columbia river to the south to the suburbs and after a bit of wandering had our Kefir to begin the experiment.

There is a lot of information on line as to how to grow, consume and keep your dairy kefir.  Kitchen Stewardship at http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2013/02/01/whats-the-easiest-fermented-food-to-make/ is a very good place to start.

Dairy Kefir http://chriskresser.com/kefir-the-not-quite-paleo-superfood

We chose pasteurized, whole milk, put the kefir in a quart canning jar, poured in the milk and waited. The next day we made banana kefir smoothies with a drop of vanilla. Very tasty and no ill digestive results. Other flavors have not been so successful though peach is very nice. The grains multiply rapidly. We have shared with one person and have been adding the excess to our compost.

I am looking forward to making kefir ranch salad dressing for our salad greens which are just about ready to harvest.

I have Kefir grains to share locally!

* Commonly made fermented foods at the Tworivers house: Kombucha, soft cheese, sourdough bread, cookies, cake, etc, dill pickles, yogurt

Community Seed and Plant Swap

We are happy to announce that we will host a Community Seed and Plant Swap, Saturday July 5th.
Please feel free to comment on send a private message via email deanna@tworiversfood.com or private message on facebook https://www.facebook.com/thenorthbanklife

Redesigning the garden. Part 2

Following a week of rain and showers today has been warm and partly sunny.

After a several days of hacking away at the giant sticker bush (unidentified rose bush with HUGE thorns), my husband popped it out of the soil and we got the last blueberry bushes in the ground. They are blooming and looking well and we are hoping for berries this year.

Rose Roots
 

 

Blue Berries
 

 

Tulips are blooming in the area where we will plant our peppers. When the time is right we will move them to a new spot, possibly by the currant plants.

Tulip Surprise

 

Speaking of currants, they have produced many, tiny flower buds. That is pretty exciting as we do not know what kind of currant they are. They were another free find on Craigslist

Currant buds
 

We are still debating the placement of our Filbert bushes. From what I have read, they prefer dappled sun and a slightly acidic soil. Dappled sun we have plenty of. I was concerned that they have not bloomed yet but now I know that it will take another year or two before they are ready to do that. After 4 years in pots they should be happy to meet the soil.

Oregon State University has a good publication available at the following link.

Fruit Trees and Nuts in the Home Orchard

We still have to build flower beds in the front which will be a mix of perennials and annuals to attract pollinators and finish building the tomato bed. Then we can start the big project. The back yard and patio that have gone unloved for at least a decade before our arrival.