The Big Red Barn

Over the weekend we decided to take a trip to Southridge Farm, not too far from our home. It is something we have always wanted to do, but for some reason we have never made the trek before. On this particular day we were lured in by the ice cream. You see, the Rowleys-- who own the family farm-- are also alumni of Utah State, where Bryson & I graduated. Utah State is located in the middle of dairy country, and as such, produces some of the best ice cream you have ever tasted. The Rowleys sell this "Aggie Ice Cream" at their farm. The fact that you can also pick a pumpkin from their pumpkin patch, enjoy the local apple harvest, and go on a hayride... Well, on this day it was all just an additional perk. :)
But enjoy it we did! After some fantastic rocky road ice cream we let Taylor grab a wagon and discovered the offerings to be had on the farm! (Taylor believes fun is exponentially increased if a wagon is involved.) Reilly enjoyed being transported around like a princess along with the goodies we found along the way. We picked out the perfect pumpkin for Reilly's replacement jack-o-lantern (more on that story in a following post). We sampled & purchased to-die-for apple cider that is made fresh on site. (Which, coincidentally is transported throughout Utah, and my parents purchase up in Cache Valley, where Utah State is located. Ah, trade. :) ) Then we found the motherlode.

In the gigantic crisper we found boxes upon boxes of apples for sale. One of the perks of living in a semi-rural area is that we are surrounded by local orchards. Typically we get apples from Bryson's parents, but this year a cold snap devastated the apple harvest. Luckily for us Southridge Farms is doing just fine. Bryson is a huge fan of the Jonathan apple. Not the Jonagold. (Believe me, I've made that mistake previously.) Jonathans are the key to this man's heart. Unfortunately, they are difficult to find at market-- they aren't particularly good storage apples and possess other quirks that make merchants overlook them, or charge an arm & a leg per pound when they are to be found. But in the Rowley crisper...

JONATHANS! Beautiful, red, sweet-tart Jonathans. Honestly, these are some truly yummy apples. We bought a 38 lb. box for $22. Like I said, the man likes his Jonathans. ;)

Overall, it was just a fantastic way to spend the early evening hours on a seasonally Autumnal Saturday. To support the local farmers and enjoy time-honored tradition... it just doesn't get much better than this.

Week of the Tomato

After bottling several batches of peaches and jam earlier this summer, I thought I was done with canning... at least for awhile. Rewind to last week. Indian Summer in our area has been very long and warm-- as if the tomato gods smiled down on us this year. I had no intention of putting up any tomatoes for long term storage, until Bryson and I drove over to his parents' farm to harvest the potatoes and acorn squash we raised in an obliging part of their field. The first freeze of autumn was expected in a couple days, along with stormy weather. And no one likes to dig potatoes in the freezing rain.

It was there in that field I saw them: Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes! My mother-in-law had repeatedly offered their excess tomatoes to us, but being worn out and ready for a little breather in life, I had repeatedly declined. However, seeing the enormity of produce the conservationist in me took over. I simply could not let the tomatoes go to waste.


And so for the past week I have been the resident Salsa Queen. :) I have made batch after batch of Mexican Garden Salsa, Salsa Verde (an excellent use for green tomatoes!), and the remainder have been lovingly dehydrated for use through the winter months as sun-dried tomatoes. Que bueno!


I know I'll appreciate the unparalleled flavor of homemade salsa from fresh vine-ripened tomatoes during the harsh Rocky Mountain winter... Just give me some time to recuperate from Tomato Week. :)

West to Pine Nuts

In the spirit of spontaneity, our little family took a day trip into the West Desert to go 4-wheeling with Bryson's parents and harvest some wild pine nuts. This road trip took us about 50 miles west of Milford-- pretty much the middle of nowhere. Once out of Milford, the only sign of life we spotted were some pelicans surrounding a little oasis, and a few antelope dashing through the brush.

Bryson: Look, Taylor! Out the window! What do you see?
Taylor: Oh! Cantaloupe!!!

We literally drove through two valleys with a whole lot of NOTHING before we reached our desired location. Seriously. As we drove though one of the valleys I counted one tree. ONE. I was beginning to question the sanity of the trip planners taking us to forage pine nuts in a land with no trees, but we kept following the directions on Bryson's GPS unit, which continued to instruct us to go "west to pine nuts!" And sure enough, eventually we came upon a pretty stretch of land full of cedars and the desired pinyon pines. Huzzah! : )

We spent the greater part of the day on our ATVs, cruising on trails through desert scenery one could paradoxically only describe as lush. Soon our trip became a treasure hunt of sorts as we began searching the pinyons for obliging cones. Due to environmental factors, the pine nut harvest was quite spotty this year. A couple promising looking areas turned up with nothing... quite. Taylor did discover an old, sun-bleached animal bone that he thought was extremely cool. He probably would have brought it home with him, if his mom hadn't intervened. : )


Bryson: Wow, Taylor, that's a neat bone. What are you going to do with it?
Taylor: I'm going to build a cow!

A while later we hit the jackpot, and found a tree with several cones ready for harvest. Later in the day we found another location with a good supply.

4-wheeling in the West Desert was a fantastic experience. Being surrounded by such stark beauty and having the wind fly past as you ride... It makes you so grateful to God for the glorious creations found in nature. I drove out into the desert expecting to find pine nuts. I didn't expect to find God. But I guess it shouldn't be such a big surprise...

"All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion... do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." - Alma 30:44