2015 February

Mangalitsa on the Range 2015

Here are the eight Mangalitsa that we kept from the last litters, almost 5 months old at this point, enjoying another very sunny mild day at Stonebridge.  These guys are super hardy and have no problem with cold and wet, something they have not had to contend with much this year. 

Another ridge of high pressure has parked over the Northwest, leaving us dry, sunny and quite mild.  Great for getting things planted, but could spell trouble if we get some cold temps, rain and fruit flowers.

Chard

Swiss Chard, this big and nice looking this early, is almost unheard of.  We have been taking advantage of the weather and planting lots of greens, kale, mustards, mizuna, endive, spinach, favas, snap peas and radishes.  Even Raven's over winter sweet onions look great.  Tomatoes get started on March 3 rd, Town meeting day, old school timing that has worked well for us.

We look to reopen the restaurant by mid March, barring more delays with our on going refrigeration projects.

Shiro Plum Buds about to bloom

More Mangalitsa Piglets

'Herd' of young Mangalitsa pigs

On August 30 and September 1 st, Fauna & Flora each had a litter of piglets.  Flora had 7 and Fauna 8.  We allow them to free roam outside their pen for the first month or so, until they begin to get in trouble, this time it was trampling sungold tomatoes that had just been picked, not so awesome when you are a farmer with a very small picking crew.   It is quite a sight, as you can see by this image. So now they are locked into the pens with their mothers, but they all comingle and are let out during the day onto a large pasture with electric fence.
Eight of the pigs will stay with us to be fattened and two gilts and some feeder pigs will go to friends who are excited to raise Mangalitsas.

Please check out this article from Austria, it speaks about old style heritage pigs in Europe and even has a tasting featuring several types, including Mangalitsa and Iberico.  The results are not surprising for us, it simply validates our crazy idea to raise these pigs in the first place.

Check out the Translated article here: Austrian Pig Article

8 Month Old Purebred Mangalitsa Barrow

Flora & Faunas Piglets

One of Flora's Piglets

Our two purebred Swallow Belly Mangalitsas had piglets.  Fauna on Dec23 and Flora on Christmas.  They are super cute, very healthy, both the piglets and mothers are doing great.

Some of Fauna's Pigs

Flora

More Mangalitsa Pigs

Flora

Now that our newest Mangalitsa pigs have settled in, it is time to introduce them.  We have two unrelated Gilts, they are Flora and Fauna, born July 19 & 20, 2012.  We also have Tripp, the young boar, he is a bit older, May 22, 2012.  He is no longer small, likely weighing in at 225 lbs.  He is very affectionate for a pig, and acts more like a dog.  Although we shall see what happens when he gets to be full size, about 450 lbs.  In collaboration with our partners on Lopez hope to have a couple of purebred litters on the ground later in the year.

Tripp

These three are all unrelated, so they will be maintained as purebred Mangalitsa breeding stock.  There are really only likely a few thousand of these pigs in America and maybe 10,000 or so in the world.  We have been really happy with our Berkshire & Mangalitsa cross pigs, so we will pursue that as well.

Doing our best to try and get the restaurant open after two months of projects, we will open for the week of Valentines day and then be closed for three weeks after that, to try and get everything completed.

Another View of Orcas Island

One of Two Lakes Over Blakely Island

So A and I were invited to take a ride on the coolest biplane on Orcas, but really maybe the best on earth, given our surroundings.  Rod, has an amazing grace,  history and ease as a pilot, I envy him for that.  He called and said, looks like a perfect day, would you and A like to fly.  I said, are you kidding, of course, so I picked him up after school and we drove to Rod's hanger.

October, not July, mind you, it was still, clear and as close to perfect as possible.  Like not even cold, or perhaps even warmer than the ground.

Inn at Ship Bay From Above

Needless to say, I can highly recommend a trip with Rod, www.magicair.com,  you will not have any regrets, especially if you can pick a day of perfect Orcas Island weather.

2012 Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomatoes

We have officially crossed the 400 lbs. threshold in heirloom tomato production and we are far from being finished for the year.  The Japanese Black Trifele, Green Zebra and Orange Persimmon have been personal favorites this year.  Great fruit production and awesome favor.

July 2012

What does this mean?

Mt Entrance Fist Pump

Two power outages during dinner service, big views and trying to get Genny, our Mangalitsa gilt, pregnant.  We have been quite busy this July.

More Mangalitsa

Mangalitsa Coppa

This is the reason why we go through the trouble, expense and commitment of raising our own Mangalitsa Hogs.  Truely unmatched in flavor, nearly the color and richness of beef.  These are two very large and well developed coppas, napes or necks.  Each was almost 10 lbs.

Chervil, The Under Utilized Herb

Garden Chervil

Related to parsley, Chervil is a very delecate annual herb with a faint anise or almost licorice flavor.  Most often used in fish or egg dishes.  It likes the cool climate here on Orcas, especially if you can sow it in a spot where it has partial shade.  We often overlook our Chervil this time of year in favor of the fresh Basil and Tarragon, even though it is at it's prime.

Last night we served Sockeye Salmon as a first course with a garnish of Chervil, Radish, Castelvetrano Olives and Lemon, tasty light and fresh.

Sockeye & Chervil, Radish, Olive Salad

Sugar Snap Peas

With truely glorious weather and warmer temperatures recently, we have seen a massive burst of garden growth.  The Snap Peas are mature, basil looks great, lots of herbs, Garlic, favas, and the list goes on.

First batch of Tomatoes in the ground yesterday.  

This year we have; Heirloom black, Brandy Wine, Green Zebra, Persimmon, Lopez Red(Our given Name), Sungold, Golden Nugget, Pineapple Stripe(not sure of the real name) and Japanese Black Trifele (collected seed from a gift plant last year).  They are all trellised and ready to grow.

Young Heirloom Tomatoes

We have moved our three hogs out onto nice pasture land at Stonebridge, in an area where John at Maple Rock Farm is developing, only 1.2 miles from the Inn.  It looks great and the pigs love it, they are grazing on the grass and digging up the whole area.  The idea is that we move the pen every couple of weeks, cultivate the area and plant a cover crop.  So far so good, no breakouts and very happy pigs.

Happy Pigs

Muddy Pig with a View

Genny, our half Mangalitsa - half Berkshire contemplating the view.  She will be bred this fall or early winter, hopefully to pure Mangalitsa.

Classic Orcas Island

Just Another Day

Springtime ? On Orcas Island

Springtime on Orcas Island

Balmy 78 degrees this morning, Not!  

April Fools.

Classic spring weather for Orcas Island.  Cool and rainy with the overnight snow on Mount Constitution.  All the while the daffodils and cherry trees are blooming with some plums starting as well.  Hoping for some warmth, we need the bees to fly for decent pollination.

Fish Station Prep

Contemplating the large array of different products that we prep, grow & keep in each station at the Inn this morning.  

Last night for the fish station alone the list includes; 

shaved fennel, blood orange, frisee, herbs(parsley, chive, bronze fennel, tarragon), leeks, roasted onion, lemon aioli, ramps (wild leeks), mushrooms; oyster, mountain hedgehog & yellow foot chanterelles, citrus dressing, sherry dressing, red wine dressing, poached garlic butter, saffron butter, caramelized shallot butter, reggiano, carnaroli rice, fresh pasta sheets, chevre, lemon juice, leek puree, mustard greens puree, french sorrel, Jerusalem artichoke, sweet potato, shaved  cabbage, purple & green frilly mustard greens, Parmesan broth, saffron broth, mushroom broth, rice water, smoked salmon, rendered bacon, asparagus, extra virgin olive oil, fennel fronds and mizuna flowers to garnish.  Mussels, manilla clams, halibut, weather vane scallops, prawns & octopus.

Many items with varying degrees of production difficulty, all to come together to produce the eight or so dishes that come from the fish station.  Pretty much all in a days work, always striving to maintain freshness, keep work spaces clean and be organized.

Spring on Orcas Island

Big Sky

Spring is trying hard to show itself.  The weather has been extremely variable, windy, rainy, snowy, sunny, hail, rain again.  All the fruit tree pruning is finally done, the buds were really beginning to start pushing, but then the temperatures dropped.  We are hoping for some days at least in the 50's, bees for pollination would be nice.  I do not think that is asking too much.

In the greenhouse everything is on track, tomatoes are planted inside and now are starting to sprout.

We reopened the restaurant this week and we have been pleasantly surprised with the local turnout.

Some very tasty Buck Bay and Judd Cove oysters on the menu, we are lucky to have some of the finest shellfish in the world right here on Orcas island.

Steele Wine Dinner March 22

Please come join us for an up-coming special Wine Dinner with the legendary Jed Steele.
It has been several years since we have had the pleasure of seeing Jed at the Inn.
Few in the industry can blend a dedication to quality wine production with personalized consumer attention and merchant appreciation, like Jed Steele.

 

Our dinner will be featuring wines from Jed's Shooting Star label and Steele Wines. 
Chef 'G' is pairing these wines with a seasonal Ship Bay tasting menu.
The wine line up looks like: Shooting Star Aligote, Steele Durell Chardonnay, Steele Carneros Pinot Noir,
Stymie Syrah and, finally with Dessert, Black Bubbles Sparkling Syrah.
(We have been happily sampling these wines while developing the menu!)

Only a dozen spots are still available as of March 2.

So give a call and reserve your place before they are all gone!

(We are offering special accommodation rates for those whose wish to stay the night too....)

shipbay@rockisland.com

360.376.5886

M.A.'s favorite cup choice; she has one for home & one at the Inn too.

Orcas Island January Ravioli

Ravioli

The best thing for me about not having the restaurant open is being able to cook and eat at home with my family.  We tend to make a lot of simple meals, this January night we made ravioli, one was filled with roast squash (adults) and the other with a mixture of parsley, mozzarella and reggiano (kids).  No trickery here.

There are many pasta recipes, using flours of many types,  oo flour, bread flour, a.p. flour etc...  I like to use straight semolina, I like the density that it gives and once you get used to it, it is quite easy to work with.  It absorbs  moisture more slowly than almost any other flour, so you need to compensate when initially mixing the dough.  For hand cut noodles, it dries and holds very well.

I take 2 cups (approximately) semolina, three fresh local eggs, a short glug of extra virgin olive oil and a touch of water to help make the right consistency, remember that the semolina will take 20 minutes or more to absorb all the liquid, so you want it to start out just a bit loose.  I find that when I cook the pasta in salted water and have seasoned the filling, salt is not needed in the dough (not sure what Mario or the Cool Guy says).  You can mix with a paddle in a Kitchen Aid or by hand.  Even if you use a mixer, turn it out on a wood table to work with your hands a bit, just to feel the dough with your hands.  Let it rest and relax before rolling.

I just use a hand roller, and work the Ravioli sheets to number five (for our machine, they do differ) , if it is too sticky, dust everything with some semolina.  Place the filling into a pastry bag with a large straight tip and carefully lay down the filling, I can go three wide if I am careful.  The next sheet goes over the top, make sure that the sides are stretched to fit the bottom sheet, a helper at this point can be advantageous.  Start at one end and work down the middle, taking care to remove all the air surrounding the filling, then do the same to the sides and crimp with a pastry cutter of fork.  You can make larger ravioli if you are having a hard time with three across (this is not a contest, the only hero is the one who cleans up).

You can fill pasta with anything, just make sure that it, a) tastes great, b) is sealed well and has some structure when hot, no explosions.  For tonight, a super easy saute of mushroom, caramelized onion, chicken stock with chopped parsley with reggiano landed on the ravioli when they finished cooking, which really only take several minutes when this fresh.

Mangalitsa - Berkshire Piglets

Three Little Pigs

Three of Link's piglets came over to Orcas from Horsedrawn Farm on Lopez Island yesterday.  Two barrows and one gilt.  They are almost two months old to the day.  Very frisky and quite cute.  Link seemed ready to move on from her litter, as they had all been weaned and were investigating the farm.  Catherine really likes to give the piglets 8 weeks with the sow, which can be hard on the sow, but Link really looked great.  Typically factory farms wean piglets at 3 weeks and start them on antibiotics, as they tend to get sick when pulled from their mother too quickly.  The other four piglets will remain on Lopez, with two different families who wanted to raise pigs with Mangalitsa genetics.

Because they are half Berkshire and half Mangalitsa, we may breed the gilt back to a pure Mangalitsa, which would yield 3/4 Mangalitsa, providing most of the characteristics of pure Mangalitsa with faster growth.  After a snack of Mangalitsa Coppa, Salami and Speck, we headed back to Orcas Island on the ferry.
Anyone who wants to drop by the Inn to see them is welcome.

Back on Orcas Island

          We have just returned from a trip to the east coast, where we witnessed weather from 5 below zero in Vermont to 55 F in New York City.  Coming home we were greeted with mild weather and rain.

Kale

            Basically unblemished Chidori Kale, Swiss Chard, Lacinato and Arugula in the garden.  Hard to believe it is January 4, 2012, the temperatures have been in the 40's F both day and night.  The winds have been strong and consistent, whipping everything, but very little frost damage.

Winter Lettuces

           In the greenhouse, everything is looking great as well, normally winter crops just sit through this period, until daylight time lengthens and it warms in February.  This year, the relative warmth has everything growing slowly.  I can't help but think that we will slip into a deep freeze very soon, but I will keep my fingers crossed in hopes that does not happen.  In the meantime, we will enjoy slug free fresh greens.

Mizuna

          Off to Lopez Island on Sunday to pick up three Mangalitsa cross piglets from Horsedrawn Farm.

Pictures to follow.

         

Our Beloved Link... and the Linkettes

The post that everyone has been waiting for.  Our sweet Link and her piglets, count them, seven, not bad for a Mangalitsa sow's first litter.  They are one month, almost to the day old.  Link looks great, very happy to see us again, and very attentive to the little ones.  The litter is three little girls and four boys.  We will bring three back to Ship Bay and Catherine will keep two gilts, because Link has been such a great mother.  Two of the other piglets will also stay on Lopez with another fan of the heirloom Mangalitsa genetics.

This is the beginning of the next generation.  

Thanks to Heath Putnam. 

Epic Sunset

Really cool cloud formation in front of the Inn today.  Looks like winter is on it's way. 

Link our Mangalitsa Sow has given birth to seven piglets.  She is at Horsedrawn farm on Lopez Island.  We will post pictures as soon as we have them.

Scenic View From Mt. Constitution

View over Mt. Pickett to Cypress, Guemes and Sinclair Islands, among others

A quick trip and hike to Mt. Constitution gives us a reminder of how truely scenic Orcas Island really is.  Still too early for any quantities of mushrooms, but with some rain in the forecast, that should change soon.  Hard to believe that the park only 3.5 miles from the Inn.