Monthly Archives: August 2011

Aug 20 2011

Tiffany Family Reunion 2011

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Warm Lake Idaho

Well it was time for another Tiffany family reunion.  We decided to have it in our old stomping ground of Warm Lake Idaho.  My family used to have a cabin here and spent many summer days on this lake.  It really holds a special place in each of our hearts and was a perfect location for our reunion.  There are really too many pictures to post so I’ve selected a few and I will post the rest on facebook.

The reunion was pretty laid back with a few planned activities.  There was a lot of lounging, swimming, playing in the sand, and eating.  One night my dad set up his projector and played a video that he put together for us.  The video was a modge podge of videos and pictures of all of us growing up.  It was fun to see the crazy old hair styles of everyone.  My dad also made copies for all of us.  My copy will only be viewed in private and then kept in the vault.  Only a special few will see snip-its of it.

For the most part meals were up to each individual family to prepare themselves.  We had two meals that were all together.  One night we had steak, corn on the cob, watermelon, and salad.  It was probably the best meal we had up there.  Everyone did a great job working together to get it on the table.  We also had breakfast together.  We went and picked huckleberries the day before and were able to make huckleberry pancakes and sausage for breakfast.  We also had dutch oven peach cobbler one night that I had opted out of because of my sugar issues.  It looked so delicious and my kids had at least seconds.

We spent a couple of days swimming in the lake which was a bit chilly but when you got used to it it was quite refreshing.  Conveniently we left our camera back at camp for these trips.  Although I did see my sister with her camera so there might be a picture out there that you should stay clear away from.  My Idaho legs were like a beacon and if looked directly at them you might go blind.  Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.

We had a family game night that turned out really fun.  My dad prepared 7 minute to win it games.  He teamed family against family.  We had fun shooting rubber bands at playing cards, swing yo-yos from our backsides, unraveling toilet paper on our arms and that’s just  a few.  My sister Krystal won overall and her prize was a big jar of jelly beans but also, a surprise to everyone, she gets to plan the next reunion.

Our little family also took the opportunity to hike to one of the many hot springs up there.  There was a fire about 5 or 6 years ago and it burned most of the area.  The hike was hot and dusty.  As soon as we got back we took a nice refreshing swim in the lake.  My brother Cameron and his girlfriend Brittany came with us and it was funny on the way back Levi had to be in the front of the pack.  The problem with that is he liked to kick the dust up and who ever was behind him had a face full of dirt.  It happened to be Brittany behind him and a few times she would try and run in front of him only to find him running faster to keep ahead of her.  By the end we took a short cut and beat him to the car.  It was a fun little trip and I enjoyed getting to know Brittany a little better.

On the last day we all met at a park in Boise to have lunch before saying goodbye.  We were all able to see my grandma Wilkins (Tiffany).  We had a big photo with her and all of the great grandchildren.  Just in my family there are 15.  If you add my cousins my grandma has 18 great grandchildren.  It was really hard to say goodbye to everyone especially knowing that it’s going to be another two years before I get to see most of them.  I can’t wait for then next reunion which, according to Krystal, will probably be in California.

My Nephew Zachary had a birthday. This is all the grandchildren eating cake.

My family loves to play games. Here they are having a play nine tounament.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also liked sitting by the fire

Our hike to vulcan hot springs

 

 

 

 

 

 

fishing from the dock

Great Grandma with great grandkids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My siblings and I.

The whole clan

Aug 17 2011

Huckleberry Muffins

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Huckleberry Muffins

Here is an update on those huckleberries.  One of the things I decided to do was make huckleberry muffins.  I’m surprised that I’ve never had these before.  I like blueberry muffins but they aren’t my favorite.  So it seemed logical to substitute huckleberries instead of blueberries.  These turned out great and I now have a new favorite followed closely by lemon poppyseed.  One thing I don’t like about blueberry muffins is that they are often too sweet for my taste.  The huckleberries solved that problem.  The huckleberry has just the right amount of tartness to off set the sweetness of the muffin.  So if your looking to try something new just take your favorite blueberry muffin recipe and substitute huckleberries.

Doesn't this look so yummy?

....mmmm

 

 

Aug 15 2011

Huckleberries

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Huckleberries

Yummy, yummy it’s huckleberry time.  I don’t grow this in my garden but these tiny berries grow wild in the mountains not too far from our home.  Growing up we used to have a cabin at Warm Lake Idaho. Warm Lake is about 30 miles from Cascade Idaho.  We would spend much of our summers up there and when it was huckleberry season my mom would load us up in the van and we would spend a couple hours at our favorite huckleberry picking spot and pick.  Then we would  be rewarded the next morning with huckleberry pancakes.

We have lived in this area for seven years now and have known that there are huckleberries here but they have eluded us.  If you ask anyone where to pick they never give you a straight answer.  If they have a spot it’s a well guarded secret.  This year we happened upon a nice spot by accident.  Corey was camping with Levi in Kelly Canyon, that is as close as you will get to the location, and they went for a hike.  While on their hike they noticed the huckleberry patch and started picking.  When they came home we had enough for a batch of huckleberry pancakes.  Of course, I made Corey take me to the huckleberry patch and we picked a couple of quarts of them.  I froze them and now we can have huckleberry pancakes for a while.  I might even try some huckleberry muffins.

Aug 13 2011

Raspberries

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Raspberries

Raspberries weren’t something we planned on growing.  Our neighbors behind us have a huge raspberry patch and the birds have spread the seeds into our yard.  So when we moved here instead of pulling them all up we have decided to let them grow in a certain area.  I had never made raspberry jam before and that same year our neighbor let us go over and pick a bunch.  I made raspberry jam and it is now my favorite type of jam.  I can’t go without it.

Our neighbor has now remarried and they pick and sell the raspberries instead of letting us pick them.  So this year we bought some bare root plants and planted our own raspberry patch.  Something you should know about raspberries is it takes a year before you get any raspberries.  They shoot up a cane the first spring and the next year is when they start to produce raspberries.  So this year we didn’t really have enough for jam but luckily I have a wonderful friend who had more than enough and she gave me enough to do three batches of jam.  Thanks Amy.

I have some kind of pest problem not sure what it is.  It’s a bug that likes to make a lot of holes in the leaves.  It hasn’t hurt the production of raspberries but I’m afraid that it might affect the plant. I’ve done a little bit of research and it could be earwigs, Japanese beetles, or some kid of fungus.  I’ve never seen anything actually chomping away at the plant but I have seen earwigs in that area before.  What do you think?

Aug 11 2011

Green Beans

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Green Beans

Green beans are a requirement for my garden.  I can green beans every year.  I do the normal canned green beans and I also do dill pickled green beans.  My kids love both.  I’ve noticed that I need to plant at least twice as many as I have. There are so many different varieties that you can plant.  You can get bush or pole.  I prefer the bush over the pole.  I just don’t like to steak anything up.  My parents like the Kentucky blue bush (also comes in pole).  That was really difficult to find in my area so when we had our own garden we asked people for their opinions.  We were looking in the local garden store and lady told me she really liked the Slenderette variety.  I had never heard of it.  One thing I don’t like about certain varieties of beans is that they have a tough and fuzzy skin.  The Kentucky variety doesn’t and so that was one of the requirements for my beans.  The lady told me that the Slenderette is tender and high yielding. It also has the soft skin.  So I bought some and haven’t gone back.  They are wonderful and produce what I like every year.  I just need to plant more.

Aug 9 2011

Strawberries

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Strawberry plants

Strawberries for me have been difficult.  We planted these a few years ago and it has really done a good job of covering the area that was designed for them.  The problem I have is I’ve planted the wrong variety.  We got the variety that is supposed to produce all season long.  That means we get one or two strawberries at a time.  That’s okay if you only want to put it in your cereal once in a while.  I like to make strawberry jam so I think that the variety I should have gotten was the one that produces all at once.  There is also another variety that is just a ground cover and doesn’t produce strawberries at all.  Another problem we have is birds.  We wait and watch for the the strawberries to ripen.  Then one day we wake up to find that all of our waiting was in vain because the birds ate the strawberry before we even had a chance.  This year my husband built a cage to go over the strawberries.  It has windows on the top so we can still pick and we have had some success with it.  I also think we might have a slug issue with the strawberries.  So here is my dilemma do I pull up all the strawberries and start over with the right variety or do I just leave it the way it is looking nice?

The cage that Corey built

Aug 7 2011

Parsley

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Italian Parsley

Parsley is a great herb to have around.  It’s pretty easy to grow too.  Like most herbs you will want to plant it in a pot because it has a tendency to spread and take over.  I have another spot on the side of the house that really nothing grew in because it is too shady.  We planted some parsley there and it loves it and is now starting to take over.  I planted parsley in this pot because I wanted something that was a perennial.  We have planted rosemary, mint, and basil in this same pot but because of our harsh winters they always die out.  This pot doesn’t have a bottom it really is just a cylinder and I think is actually part of the chimney  that I just recycled.  If it was a normal pot I might consider bringing it in during the winter to make the herbs last.  Parsley is great in soups and stews.  It’s really easy to dry and store so you can potentially have parsley all year round.  Parsley is also nice as a garnish.  I just used it this week to garnish my beef stroganoff.

 

Aug 5 2011

Onions

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Red onions

I know it’s been a while since I have posted anything.  That is one thing about gardening that is really tough.  After all of your spring harvests like peas, radishes, spinach, and lettuce it’s just a waiting game.  We planted some red onions this spring.  My onions have already fallen over (that’s how you know they are ready to pick).  They weren’t very big but then again mine never are.  I grew up in Ontario Oregon, the onion capital of the northwest, and they always have these huge onions.  I remember getting in the car, and if there was an onion truck in front of us and it drops a few onions, my mom would stop the car and make me get out and pick them up so we could take them home.  I don’t remember my parents ever growing onions.  I don’t think we had to because we could just go and pick them up off the road.

The best way to grow onions is to purchase the onion starts and not plant them from seed, unless you have some kind of green house which I don’t.  You know they are ready to be harvested when the green tops fall over.  Then you take them out and let them dry for a few days.  I’ve already used some of mine in a salad.  Onions are pretty resilient and don’t have a lot of pest problems.  This is the first year we’ve planted the red onion.  In years past we have planted a yellow onion.  If don’t like onions but don’t mind having green onions you can plant the starts closer together and harvest the green tops.