Kaleberg Archive for Keyword: dungeness, Page: 3

Kaleberg Home Made Ricotta 06/05 - Our Own Ricotta Cheese

Now that we have our own local creamery to provide us with whole, raw Jersey cow milk how could we resist making our own cheese. We started simple, with a home brew ricotta, and the results were spectacular. Who says you need a six ton cooling unit and gigantic stainless steel tanks to make your own cheese? We cooked this one up on our stove top, and we tell you how in our Dungeness Valley Creamery web page.

Keywords: milk, dungeness

Dungeness Valley Creamery

05/23/06 - Dungeness Valley Creamery In Action

Last month we mentioned that Dungeness Valley Creamery is selling their raw Jersey milk, and that it is wonderful. Apparently, the milk is selling well. Country Aire was sold out, but Good To Go, a new organic food shop up on Lauridsen Boulevard which we should discuss in greater detail, had a quart. We drank most of it, but we saved enough to make our favorite pork chop recipe from Marcella Hazan's The Classic Italian Cook Book. After all, we had just gotten our half Berkshire pig from Nash Huber so it was time to pig out.

Pork Chops Cooked in Milk

OUR VERSION OF THE RECIPE

6 pork chops - use the best pork you can get
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
2 - 3 cups of milk - use the best milk you can get

Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Brown and cook both sides of all the pork chops, turning them now and then so they get caramelized nicely. Lower the heat if the butter starts to brown.
Add salt and pepper. Pour in the milk gently, sloshing it around.
Lower the heat to a simmer and cook with the lid closed for about 45 minutes. Turn the chops now and then so that they simmer in the liquid.

The chops will get incredibly tender, and the flavors will be incredibly rich. Serve with the cooking liquid, and try not to fight over the milk curds that will form.

The Milk

Keywords: milk, dungeness, food, nash huber, recipe, good to go

04/28/06 - Harbinger Winery Is Open for Business

This is actually a busy week out in Clallam County. First, we learn that Dungeness Valley Creamery is selling raw milk in the Dungeness Valley, and now we find that Harbinger Winery is selling their own wines in Port Angeles. We've been following this for a while, since Sara Gagnon had been making wine for Olympic Cellars for some time, and rumor had it she was striking out on her own. Well, we dropped by her winery, and the wines, all reds, are quite good, and we are looking forward to some good drinking. The winery itself might be in an industrial area, but it is warm, cozy and charming inside. We wanted to settle down on the couch, sip some wine and pass the time o day. You'll get the feeling too. Drop by 2358 Highway 101, Wednesday to Saturday 11AM-5:30PM, or call (360) 452 4262.

P.S. The official Harbinger Winery Opening Bash will be on Saturday, June 17th, running from 7PM-10PM.

Keywords: wine, dungeness, harbinger winery, milk, port angeles

04/26/06 - Dungeness Valley Creamery Is Open for Business

We just got word from Dungeness Valley Creamery (see their email below). They are open for business and selling raw milk. Apparently, they have taken the big jump and left the milk marketing co-op and are going it on their own. If you have never tasted raw, milk, drop by and try it. It is clearly the inspiration for ice cream, and it will make just about any other milk you have tasted seem washed out and watery.

Dear raw milk supporters,

Thank you so much for your patience! We know how
excited many of you are about finally getting access
to wholesome raw milk. We can now say we will open on
Wednesday, April 26th! Our hours are 7:30 am - 1:00
pm Monday through Saturday.

Dungeness Valley Creamery is now certified raw by the
state and the building has been checked off by the
county! This is a big step of faith for our family
and we invite you to be a part of it! Please come and
see our beautiful new Creamery and enjoy the view of
the Olympic Mountains from the front porch. Oh yeah,
and don't forget the fresh raw jersey milk on your way
out! We are offering quarts, half gallons, and
gallons ($2.25, $3.75, $6.75 respectively). Cash and
checks only. Other local products soon to come.

Look for our products soon in the Port Townsend Food
CO-OP, Sunny Farms, Good to Go, Country Aire, and
Marlenes in Tacoma and Federal Way. We have purchased
a refrigerated truck and are able to deliver.

Also, our milk is going to Mt. Townsend Creamery to be
made into wonderful cheese (which we have tasted and
love)! This too, will soon be availabe in our on farm
store.

Thanks again for all of your support!
Sarah Brown

Dungeness Valley Creamery
1915 Towne Rd.
Sequim, WA 98382
(360) 683-0716

For our earlier notes on Dungeness Valley Creamery,
click here.

For more farms and wineries in Clallam County,
click here.

Keywords: milk, dungeness, farms, food, port townsend, wine, maps, tacoma, good to go

04/10/06 - New Tide Tables for Hikers

We've updated the tide tables for Cape Alava, La Push (Mora and Third Beach) and for the Dungeness Spit. We're trying out a new display format with less irrelevant cruft, and the good hiking days marked out in green.

Keywords: tides, cape alava, la push, dungeness spit, dungeness

03/05/06 - Dungeness Spit: It's Spring and the Low Tides Are Back

We were back at the Dungeness Spit recently and we saw something we haven't been seeing much this winter. The beach is back. Low tides are happening during the daylight hours again, and they are real low tides, not the little winter dips.

There are some good tides coming up on March 21st and 22nd, and then from April 1st to April 4th, which is especially nice since that includes the weekend. In fact, the weekends of the 1st, 15th and 29th of April are all good Dungeness Spit hiking days. For more, check out the tide tables or, if you are a Mac user, our Dungeness good tides iCal calendar.

Keywords: dungeness spit, tides, software, dungeness, winter

01/21/06 - Raw Milk at Dungeness Valley Farm and Creamery

The Dungenesss Valley Farm & Creamery in Sequim is the first dairy in Washington State licensed to sell raw cow's milk to the public. We have been following their attempt to get the necessary license. The picture on the left is from the October 2005 open house Farm Tour, and the picture on the right is of a jar of fresh, raw milk.

We drank some of the raw milk, and we were impressed. It was almost like drinking ice cream, but without the sugar rush. This stuff is extremely rich since it has all the butter, heavy cream, light cream, milk and buttermilk all mixed in. (That's the recipe you'll have to use if you want to try making some raw milk for yourself using supermarket ingredients). The milk is not homogenized, and they keep it in a tank with a little rotor to keep the fractions from settling out. Needless to say, everything is amazingly clean.

If you want to buy some of this wonderful stuff for yourself, head over to 1915 Towne Road in Sequim, but come early. They are usually closed up by 10:00. Call them at (360) 683-0716 for more information.

Keywords: milk, dungeness, recipe

12/01/05 - Winter High Tide on the Dungeness Spit

Whenever we mention hiking the Dungeness Spit, we always mention checking the tides. The winter high tides can be a real problem since the sun, earth and moon are so aligned that low tides in daylight are often drowned out by the primary winter tidal components, and at best reveal little of the beach. While a summer low tide provides a broad stretch of sand for walking, the winter presents more obstacles.

The picture on the left was taken at the 1/2 mile stake that is the last point on the spit for jogging. We walked out, and we walked out carefully. There was not much beach, and what there was was covered with rocks, logs, kelp and gravel. It was not easy going, and we turned shortly after this picture was taken. Click on it for a better look at the obstacle course, though we have to admit, it is a pretty picture.

According to our tide calculations, we guess that the next good hiking will be in early February 2006, though the trail will be rocky. The sand gets washed out in the winter, so the trail will be rough going. As spring comes in, the sand returns, but it is still worth checking the tides.

Keywords: dungeness spit, winter, tides, dungeness, spring

11/14/05 - Fresh Alaskan King Crab Legs

This is one of those dishes that one reads about, but that one never sees served in restaurants. Most Alaska king crab is frozen when it is caught, or as soon as the ship arrives in port. The only people who get fresh king crab legs are people who catch them for themselves.

One of the advantages of living in Washington State is that Alaska is sort of the next state to the north, if you don't count British Columbia and the like. This means that the folks at Bella Italia were able to snarf a some fresh Alaskan king crab legs from their friends to the north. We were trying to figure out what to do for dinner when we got the call. Dave Senters was cooking, the crab was in, and we were ready.

The dish pictured above is a plate of fresh Alaskan king crab meat with fried bread crumbs, fried garlic, baby potatoes, and fresh scallions in brown butter sauce with balsamic vinegar on angel hair pasta. We were quite impressed. The crab meat was richer in flavor than our own local Dungeness crab meat, and had a meaty, almost chunky texture. It was as sweet as local crab, but the chunks were larger. If you've ever had Alaskan kind crab legs at an upmarket brunch, you probably remember them as a bit bland and watery, perhaps even a bit stringy. There was none of this here. This crab had legs, and it stood up to a powerfully flavored pasta dish quite nicely.

We aren't sure if your local restaurant provides this kind of service, but if you do get a call saying that the fresh Alaskan king crab legs are in, don't wait. Even at 3AM it is worth scrambling down for a taste of this king of the crabmeats.

Keywords: fish, food, dungeness, restaurants

10/23/05 - Coastal Panoramas from the Olympic Peninsula

We were browsing the web and came across the Washington State Department of Ecology's Shoreline Aerial Photos database, and we couldn't resist putting together a couple of composite images. The one linked to above is of the Dungeness Spit. The image above is just the image chip, click on it for the full 5910 x 448 image. The one linked to below is of Second Beach, the image is 3916 x 710. That California Coastal Records database gets all the attention, but the Washington State Coast has its charms as well.

For a bit more info on these composite pictures, you can see our coastal composite page.

Keywords: panoramas, beaches, dungeness, dungeness spit, second beach

08/05/05 - TideCal - Tides for iCal

We often like to hike out the lighthouse at Dungeness Spit or take the Cape Alava - Sandy Point hike out near the northwest corner. These hikes take you a long way along the water in the Strait of San Juan de Fuca or along the Pacific, and while they are always wonderful hikes, they are best done when the tide is low and the sun is in the sky. Sometimes we check the tide tables to figure out when to go hiking, but sometimes we forget to check the tide tables, and we don't get to some of our favorite beaches.

Now, Kaleberg Symbionts has a new software solution to this problem. It's a simple program called TideCal for Macintosh users that lets you generate an iCal calendar file with just the tides you want. We want low tides, between noon and 3PM, so we can hike and get back in time for dinner. In general, tides under 3 feet are best, so we've put those tides on our calendar. Maybe we won't take advantage of one particular tide, but now we won't miss out just because we forgot to check the tide tables.

Keywords: software, tides, beaches, cape alava, dungeness

07/02/05 - Mountain Goat at Klahane Ridge

The Switchback Trail to Klahane Ridge is one of our favorite high country hikes. If nothing else, the trailhead is right off Hurricane Ridge Road a bit shy of the ranger station on Hurricane Ridge, so it is an easy drive. We got an early start today to avoid the Fourth of July crowds, and we fairly tore up the 1450' from the Switchback Trail trailhead to the ridge, but just as we got to the overlook, where one can see Port Angeles, Sequim, Dungeness, the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island spread out below, we stopped short. There, by the sign post, was a mountain goat, chowing down on the foliage.

There are mountain goats, actually a type of sheep, in Olympic National Park, but they are rarely seen in this part of the park. This one was shaggy, still shedding its winter coat, but more than willing to cooperate with a photographer.

Keywords: klahane ridge, animals, high country, dungeness, hurricane ridge, port angeles, winter

06/18/05 - Ivory King Seafood

We were out at Nash Huber's stand in Dungeness and since it was Saturday between 1 PM and 5 PM, we ran into Ivory King Seafood. The lady right ahead of us bought the last halibut, an awfully good looking fish. We went for one of the salmon, which was caught locally, by line.

We'll have to make our way out to Dungeness on Saturday or Sunday afternoons more often.

Keywords: fish, dungeness, nash huber, salmon

06/01/05 - Tide Finder for Finding Good Tides

While there are many programs for producing tide tables, there do not seem to be any programs for finding a suitable tide. For example, if you want a low tide during the day for exploring Cape Alava or walking the Dungeness Spit, you have to wade through listings of high and low tides. Tide Finder program is based on FlaterCo's XTide 2.6 package, and provides a Mac OS X friendly user interface for specifying a tide search. You specify a tide reporting station, a range of dates, a desired range of times and the desired tides, high or low. It gives you a hit list, a calendar and a tide graph.

Keywords: software, tides, beaches, science, cape alava, dungeness spit, second beach, dungeness

08/09/04 - To The Lighthouse

Last week we took a walk on the Dungeness Spit which is an unusual sand formation jutting out from the North Olympic Peninsula into the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. It is basically a sandbar shaped by the prevailing current from the west meeting the silty flow of the Dungeness River. The hike is about five miles each way, from the parking lot to the lighthouse and back, 4.5 miles of which are along the sand bar. You often see seals, cormorants, loons, and other wildlife, along with the sea traffic along the strait. There are excellent views of the Olympic Mountains and Vancouver Island, and a great sense of isolation being both so close to short and so cut off from it and surrounded almost completely by water.

On a cloudy day, the driftwood forest and the sky seem to be the same color. We tend to try and walk close to the water, so we can smell the sea and watch for washed up kelp and shells. The footing is also better closer to the see, since the wet sand holds one's weight better, and sand is easier to walk on than the lumpy, polished rocks that are deposited by the tide. The less determined hikers drop out by the one mile marker, which is next to the remains of a beached dinghy perched with the driftwood well above the sea. The bluffs vanish behind one as the spit curves between mile posts two and three. Then come the sandy tide pools stranded by the sand bars. By mile four, you often find a pod of seals who seem to hang around out towards the lighthouse.

It rained on our last trip, but the real challenges are the rocks and sand. You can wear a raincoat and broad brimmed hat, but the trick is to find the right low tide. Since our last trip, we've put together a little driver for finding tides using the XTide program. It is a really dinky little program, and in retrospect it seems kind of obvious. You might want to check it out before your next littoral adventure.

Keywords: dungeness spit, trails, dungeness, tides

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