A serious case of jonesing for apples

Washington has been absolutely blessed with amazing weather this year, and this fall is no exception. I set out towards to our neighbors up north in the Skagit valley searching for heirloom apples, and roadside corn stands (which is another subject altogether). After stopping by a few nice farms with gorgeous stands of apple trees my family and I came upon Jones Creek Farms. As we pulled the car into the parking area, by the barn two handsome dogs and a very polite young lady holding hot apple cider seemed to almost be in a race to greet us. After almost eating the cup that the cider came in we met one of the owners, Talia, who welcomed us as though we were returning home after a long trip. Over a hundred varieties of heirloom apples were listed alongside a number of different pears as well.
With Talia as our guide we grabbed the wheelbarrow named “Hanna” and set out to track down the best ones. Two explicit rules of the farm were described to us; one, you have to taste each variety before you decide to pick it so you know what your getting and two, you were ordered to come back to the house covered in sticky apple juice (which was checked when we got done). Although smaller in size than the apple trees I had growing up their bounty was no smaller. Apples with vibrant shades of red, green, yellow and orange covered every branch. I could not contain myself and probably should have been weighed after leaving. Apples with flavors I have never tasted before ripe honey, hearty herbal tones, subtle earth, stone like a good Riesling, and that classic balance of tart and sweet that fools your palate every single bite. Then you find the Cortland’s and you know where their legend comes from. The firm texture lets you know they can stand up to some cooking, but the almost starchy tartness hides no secrets about how that flavor transforms when cooked.
We ventured back to the house with an overflowing wheelbarrow of fall’s bounty and continued to soak in the beautiful afternoon. With the car a few inches closer to the ground we headed back home to attempt every apple recipe we could find. First things being first I grabbed a large number of the best tasting ones I found, the Tsugara. Their fate was simple fresh pressed cider. After assessing the time restraints apple butter was next. Good apple butter can take upwards of two days to make properly and I had just such time and patience. Apple fritters were among the favorite of all the items made. The list was long; apple sauce with three different flavors, apple curry, apple sausage, apple stuffed pork chop, apple mushroom chowder, apple crepes, apple pancakes, baked stuffed apples, apple chutney, apple butter and plain old apple slices with peanut butter – the perfect control subject for the many different apple flavors.
A far cry from normal apples Jones creek had an incredible variety of apples grown with amazing care. With Less and Talia producing such an amazing product I can only look forward to many more years of absolute perfection in apples. As for the new recipe attempts my votes have been counted but only time will tell as the many friends of the Virginia Inn let us know what they think.

Lazy River Blues

Every summer since I can remember I have picked berries, whether wild or at our favorite u pick farm. This summer’s new find provided me with the best of the best, the Lazy River Farm. In our constant search for new picking grounds my wife stumbled across a blog that boasted about a quiet farm, close to Seattle, with amazing products. We decided to venture out on a lazy Monday with my daughter and see what they had to offer. Set only a few miles from Emerald Downs racetrack and right on the Green River, Lazy River Farms soared past all expectations. They offered a large variety of produce most of which is set aside for their CSA accounts. The u pick berries are not only the best tasting I have found but the farm itself made you want to cry with pristine rows of berries, and obvious signs of sustainable agriculture.
As I made my way through the rows of berries Larry one of the farm owners/farmers greeted me. He generously showed me his farm and the meticulous techniques he uses to shape each and every plant. Larry gave me a rundown of the many different types of berries they grow and educated me on what varieties are best for what. The early blues were great for pies because of a nice balance of tart and sweet. The Cascade raspberries were immensely sweeter and slightly smaller. The thornless blackberries were a gem to pick. But the berry that took the cake was a blueberry variety named the Chandler. From the first time I went there in late spring Larry teased me with the notion that the best berries were yet to come. I originally thought, “ya right, how do they get better,” but they did. I had become nervous since I had a two-week vacation planned (my wedding) and I had not heard from Larry but as luck would have it a call came and all I needed to hear was, “The Chandlers are ready”. The Chandlers were as good as advertised with every other berry the size of a quarter. Complete with a great flavor balance, their unusually large size made for a meaty bite of berry and a great yield for any recipe.
Throughout the summer my family and I had many chances to u pick close to home in a nearly fairy tale like setting. After soaking up my excitement for weeks the staff at the Virginia Inn got their chance to make the trip to Lazy River for some bounty. Our group arrived at the farm armed with some of the toughest line dogs Seattle has to offer, a cold case of beer (no cook goes more than 5 miles away from home without it), and empty buckets. We were set to clean them out. Larry and Linda graciously opened the farm on a day they were normally closed and the harvest began. We picked nearly all morning long only to return to a busy night where the bounty of the day was truly paired on the plate. For a solid week we had blueberry everything on the menu as well as preserving many delicious berries. As a result of our efforts the Virginia Inn now serves a staff picked Lazy blue trifle that has been a great success thus far. This trip was an great chance to allow the people I depend on day to day to experience the amount of skill, effort and energy it takes to produce a product of such a high caliber. This is the value and promise of a product driven menu. Now I just have to convince everyone that it’s time to go slaughter chickens.

With a product driven menu six hour old Salmon makes it too easy.

Here at the Virginia Inn I have put together a Northwest product driven menu. Items featured on this menu come from local farms like Full Circle Farm, Baird Orchards, Willie’s Greens, and even staff picked produce from Lazy River Farms. Our seafood comes from local waters and local farms like Westcott Bay Shellfish Farm, however the Northwest’s favorite salmon comes direct from the fishermen.
Through a program called Sound Catch we have the ability to buy direct from the fishermen, and in our case fisherman, and offer salmon that has not been out of the water more then 12 hours. The state regulated releases are varied for about a month and tend to be every three days or so. Throughout the night the Salmon are caught, processed and delivered that morning. My supplier, Art Peterson, has been a very successful fisherman throughout his whole life and is applying his art to this profession. His dedication to his skill is the reason why I value his fish so highly. He has seen the ugly side of commercial fisheries and like me feels that the quality of the salmon is in direct correlation to how it is handled. Art takes extraordinary care with each individual fish not allowing the animal to touch the deck, bleeding it right away to help avoid stress, slacking the fish in an ice bath and delivering each fish in pristine condition. For myself it is about care with which the fish is butchered, held, cooked and presented. Flavor, texture and quality are first and foremost in my mind. Here at the Virginia Inn we take as much care of the fish with our skills as Art does with hi.
This wonderful product has quickly inspired a handful of great dishes. We feature a salmon tartare that showcases the fresh fish by serving it the its best and most elemental state. The fish is diced small and seasoned with sweet onions, fresh thyme, and a sauce of fresh horseradish that almost steals the show from the pristine fresh local salmon. As an entrée this great salmon is served grilled with a Northwest succotash composed of fresh organic corn, squash, beans, tomatoes and sweet onions in a rich corn cream. Summer in Washington offers a very diverse selection of produce and the possibilities to marry those flavors with this salmon are immense. Tomatillos and fresh beets are already in route and being picked for tomorrow’s menu with the salmon waiting to see how it well be paired up.

Grilled King Salmon with Northwest succotash and a sweet corn cream
serves 2

King Salmon filets 2-9oz portions
(preferably caught by Art Peterson)
Yellow sweet corn 2 large ears
Organic green beans 2oz
Organic yellow wax beans 2 oz
Organic Sunburst Squash 4 each
Organic baby green squash 2 each
Organic sweet salad onion 1 small
Organic heirloom cherry tomatoes ¼ pint
Heavy cream 1 C
Extra virgin olive oil 2T
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley (coarse chopped) 2 T

Have your local fishmonger butcher the salmon into two 9 oz portions and keep it refrigerated until ready to grill. Gather the produce and make sure to clean and wash all products well in cold running water. Cut the corn off the cob reserving the cobs to make a sauce. Slice the beans on a ¼ inch bias, and ¼ inch dice the squash and onions. Unless the tomatoes are large cut in half and reserve separate form the other vegetables. Cut the cobs into quarters and allow to steep in the cream with an additional 1 C water for approx. 10 minutes, strain and save to finish the dish. Preheat your favorite outdoor grill on high heat and clean and season the grill. Pre-heat a large sauté pan and place one tablespoon on the oil in the pan. Add all the vegetable reserving the tomatoes and sauté until onions are translucent and the corn has started to jump approx 3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and corn cream and allow to cook approx 5 minutes longer. Season with S/P and add the coarse chopped parsley. Season the fish with S/P and brush on the remaining tablespoon of oil. The fish should not take more than 3 minutes a side and unless a four alarm fire starts do not move the fish. Place the fish directly on the succotash and enjoy.