Are Those Wild Grapes?

On our way to Dave's Brewfarm yesterday, we discovered wild grapes along the rustic #4 country road in St. Croix county....we've never driven that road.  Along the way, we stopped at Glen Lake reservoir and that's where we spotted the grapes.  Wild grapevines were everywhere.  We weren't in any big hurry, so we spent an hour picking grapes along the road.

After waking up this morning and spending some lazy time drinking coffee and relaxing, we decided it was time to get to work.  Our first chore of the day was to go into our garden and pick basil, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes.  I'll blog more about that tomorrow.  Then came the wild grapes.  We didn't realize how many grapes we had picked until we brought them into the house for a good washing with water.  Wholly smokes, they took up one entire kitchen sink.  Nice!

We decided to de-stem the grapes because of cooking space.  I know you can cook them with the stems on, but we decided to make it a less messy job, however, it was still messy regardless.  It was well worth the time picking off the grapes as Bike man and I chatted about all the worlds problems while listening to Russian techno music!  Last weekend we listened to Hawaiian rap music while making our tomato salsa.  I didn't even know rap music existed in Hawaii.

So, we finally got all the grapes in the big stock pot to cook.  While the grapes were heating up, Bike man roasted a batch of fresh coffee beans.  I love that smell of roasted coffee beans.  I guess if you're going to make a workday, you may as well multitask tasks.  

Here's the grape juice.  After a second straining to collect all the seeds and skins, we bottled about a gallon of juice.  I guess it's enough juice to make about 5-6 bottles of wine.  I called the Son and he volunteered to make wine for us.  For now, the juice will go in the freezer.

Ok, it was now time to makeG black bean vegetable lasagna with zucchinis, onions, garlic, red & yellow peppers, mushrooms, kale, tomatoes and fresh basil.  We discovered our ricotta cheese had spoiled in the container, so we ended up just using mozzarella cheese.  Bike man always uses the no-cook lasagna noodles, which is super easy.  Just remember to use a little extra sauce and cover with tin foil.  Sorry, no picture......we were hungry after five hours of working so we eagerly cut into our lasagna and gobbled it up like two starving adults....HA.

As for the eight cups of fresh basil we picked from our garden?  I'll fill you in tomorrow.........

Off To The Farm

Off to the farm today, I'm talkin Dave's Brewfarm

 near Wilson, Wisconsin.

 

Dave and his wife live a simple life and make a sustainable living brewing beer from hops, yeast, botanicals, herbs and vegetables!  As you can see, they also use a wind turbine for their brewing operation.

 

I found their living space above the brewhouse quite interesting and so convenient.  Very rustic.

 

Bike man and I tasted all eight of their featured brews.  Out of the eight, there was only one that I did not like....too bitter for me.  The most unique beer (SOB) was made with orange and basil.  I also enjoyed the Columbus Sasion.....French for pale ale. We ended up bringing home a growler of Roggen Lager. 

 

Before leaving the Brewfarm, Bike man and I walked around outside to look at the gardens.  Dave is now growing his own hops, and his wife takes care of the botanical and vegetable gardens.  I did over hear her say she will begin a CSA next summer.  We really admire this couple for making a modest living, doing what they love......brewing micro beer and gardening.  It was nice to just relax this afternoon and have fun.  Tomorrow, I'll tell you about our adventure on our way to the Brewfarm and picking wild.........

Buzzed Up

Little black kitty was all buzzed up on happiness......someone came to visit her and that someone was me!  I think you can tell by her eyes and ears pulled back that she was in playful mode.  Bike man and I are kitty and house sitting for a friend.  I'm trying to go over to our friend's house every day or every other day.  Unfortunately, I can't remember kitty's name, so I just call her black kitty!  She doesn't care, she just wants someone to play with her.  Yesterday, she attacked my ankle with excitement, so today I took over a long piece of fleece (see on the table) and played with her for about 30 minutes.  She was in kitty heaven.

One funny note, every time I go over to check on her, she finds her little pretend mouse and places it in her food bowl for me.....how sweet.  Today, she placed her squishy little ball in her water bowl!  I wonder what I'll find tomorrow?

Special treat today for little Blackie.  I gave her soft canned food and she gobbled it right up.  Could be another week or two before our friend returns, so for now, it will be short little visits to check on black kitty.  I wonder how she would do with our four monster cats......just a thought.

Summer Kitchen

Awwwh, the summer kitchen.  Spent eight hours last Sunday with Bike man working in our outdoor kitchen.  We decided to devote the entire day to preparing sweet corn & green beans to freeze, and also spent the rest of the day preparing salsa.

 

We French-cut the green beans, then blanched them, followed by an a ice water bath..... then packed the beans into ziplock bags.

 

Next, we blanched the corn, also followed by the ice water bath.  We then cut the cobs of corn and packed the corn in ziplock bags.

 

Now came time to begin the tomato processing.  Dipped the tomatoes in hot water, followed by another ice water bath to remove the skins and seeds.  By this time, it was nearing 90 degrees outdoors and we began to sweat.

 

Ok, time for a cold beer while Bike man and I prepared the tomatoes.  We worked and we worked till early evening.

 

Ended up with three batches of salsa (16 pints) and one batch of hot-packed tomato quarters.. We finished up when the sun was setting and we were exhausted, tired and hungry.  Thanks to my friend Joan for giving us all the tomatoes and green beans.  Wouldn't trade my summer kitchen for anything.  We love working outdoors, heat and all....

Do You Have Any Gas?

Returning from our bicycle trip, I've had time this week to reflect on the 10 days we were actually on the road cycling.  As I've returned to work this week, I've had a lot of people ask me about our bicycle trip.  I really didn't stop to think about it until now, or nine days after being home.  I thought it would be fun to share some interesting stories about our adventure.  Beware, I'm very candidate and open about my thoughts.....something I learned from Aunt Krissy.

So what are the most common questions we get from people who see us traveling by bicycle?

Where are you going?
Where did you come from?
So how do you like pulling that trailer?  What's in it???
How far are you riding today?

I'd have to say 99% of the people that actually stop to talked with us are genuinely friendly people. During our first week of riding, I thought of it as our "cancer" ride.  We met at least three people that had struggled with cancer.  One older woman, who happened to look very much like a Mennonite-type, talked our leg off for 30 minutes at the campground about her cancer and her husband's cancer.....wow, made me feel lucky to be healthy.

We met another gentleman as we rode along on this long wooden bridge, who asked us if we had any matches to share.  Long story short, he happened to serve in the Navy about the same time Bike man served in the Marine Corp and they both had been in Vietnam about the same time.  He made a comment about his smoking and that he decided he wouldn't quit smoking since he had just been diagnosed with stomach cancer and it had already metastasized and he was given three years tops to live.  Cigarettes were his last luxury to enjoy he said.  That was probably one of our longer breaks we took to stop and talk to someone.  Most times we limited our talks to people about 10-15 minutes since we needed to be on our way.  I couldn't help feeling that our meeting him was just meant to be, and he really did enjoy talking with us.  It was at that point I mentioned to Bike man that we were meeting all these people with cancer, so I coined it our cancer week of riding!

Coming back on the return trip home, our first two days of riding through the hills of Southwest Wisconsin  was beautiful, but tiring.  I think it was at that point in the trip that my body was finally starting to  reach that max output of my body's stored energy.  Remember, I've never gone beyond one week for a cycling trip.  Now I understand how cyclists build and build and build until their bodies start burning stored fat and build their oxygen output.  I was pushing my body like never before.  Southwest Wisconsin was were I felt a little bitchy!

We made it to La Farge no problem, but the next leg of the trip from La Farge to West Salem, a 50+ mile day, through awesome hill climbs in the Kickapoo Valley area.  The hill climbs physically hit me.  I didn't notice at first because I was so focused on the beautiful hills and natural landscape.....kind of my home turf since I grew up near there as a little girl.  But, the hills and carrying saddle bags filled with food and STUFF, mentally and physcially got to me.  I struggled to reach West Salem since my butt and every other muscle in my body hurt.  I stopped talking to Bike man and just concentrated on the hurting parts.  We did finally make it to West Salem, but we immediately looked for the local Kwik Trip to stop and buy some cold beers and one large fresh veggie salad to share for dinner.  It was that night that I felt bitchy, sore and tired.....thank heavens for some cold brews to perk me up.  I think it was later that night or the next day that Bike man admitted to me that he had struggled himself that day, but of course a man doesn't say anything.   Later that night Bike man and I sat and watched the hundreds of bats that came out to feed near the river next to our campsite.  My negativity suddenly  turned to an calming feeling of watching one of God's beautiful little creatures.....bats still scare me, but I do love watching them feed at night. So, I would have to say that was my only real bad day out of the whole trip.  Hey, not shabby!

The next three days my body seemed to finally understand what I was doing and I was starting to feel stronger.....the butt still hurt, but I felt good.  I also realized my focus wasn't on food any longer, and I think that's because my body adapted to the expending of energy.  As long as I feed myself every two hours, I did fine.  I think I ate more food on the second week, but that's because Bike man encouraged me to eat every time we stopped at a rest area, even if I didn't think I was hungry.  It's amazing what you learn about yourself and your body.  This trip mentally gave me the thumbs up to try a longer trip, like three months or longer.  Bike man and I have talked about the possibility of long rode trips out west or around Lake Superior, or heck, even south to New Orleans!  Of course, this will be when I stop working at the public library.

Just some things to remember......if it rains, you won't melt.  If it's really hot that day, you just ride less miles.  If you're hungry or graving some particular food, just stop and treat yourself.  If you don't like the traffic, just find an alternative country route.   If you feel grouchy or bitchy that day, the silence can sometimes be a good thing.  If someone wants to talk to you and ask questions along the way, just stop and talk to them.....I believe it's not a coincidence, as people cross our paths for a reason in life. Want to lessen the cost of your bicycle trip, then find campgrounds that have warm showers where you can clean up.  If you really want to see the country we live in, try seeing it by bicycle, where you will notice every bug, bird, animal, smell, building, person or uniqueness about the place you are riding through.  It's just like hiking or canoeing as you become one with the natural environment and you learn to appreciate the outdoors.

What you don't like the outdoors?  Well, then I think you are missing out on life my friends.   You are never too old either!

PS.  Every time we stopped at Kwik Trip for a rest and a snack, the person at the counter asked us if we had any gas to pay for along with our food.  Really?  Do you see our cycling clothes!  Come on people.  Our reply......no, our gas doesn't cost us anything cuz we don't use gas, we use pedal power.......hee, hee    

A Visitor @ Night

Came home late tonight after a Board meeting and was instantly hit with this wall of heat, humidity and lake smell.  On a good note, the sunset was a beautiful red & pink color. 

So for the last two nights, a bat has found it's way into our house.  This means two nights of no sleep for me.  Bike man can sleep through anything, but me, no way.  I instantly wake up to the whooshing sound of the bat flying around the house and hearing four cats running after the poor bat.  Can you envision four cats running and jumping after a bat?  If only I could take a video of this event, I think I'd be famous!  You know, this is the time of the year when bats are looking for places to hibernate for the winter months.  I just wish they wouldn't consider our house.  We haven't found the bat or bats in our house.  Guess I'll just have to deal with dark circles under my eyes until I can get a full-nights sleep.    

The Yuck

The day we got home from our bicycle trip, we smelled the lake.  It about knocked me over.  The blue green algae really grew while we were gone.  Look at the colors combinations.   

Bike man and I decided to take the boat out and try and break up the globs of algae to help reduce the terrible stench.  We also brought a rake along to move this yuck.  Honestly, it was like raking chocolate thick pudding, but with a gut wrenching rotten smell.   We went up and down the bank shore raking and moving the yuck.  I think we were out there for about 2 hours.

We set up a pump at the end of our dock, with a heavy-duty hose that recycles the lake water and gets everything circulating.  The algae has moved out some, but now with 90 degree weather moving in this week, it will only get worse again.  And just so you know, this is the reason Bike man takes an interest in lake and stream monitoring.  Maybe some day our grandchildren will see the quality of our waters improve......maybe.  

What causes the blue green algae?   Lots of phosphorous in the streams north of here that feed into our lake.  If we all do our part, agriculture, municipal treatment plants, and homeowner's, I hope we can see clean water for our future. We all need to work together.