It's A Pickle Party In Puyallup

I'd have to say that honestly I am pretty content living in Iowa. There is a lot of cool stuff here. Incredible pork. The world famous state fair. All the corn you could ever want. One hundred wineries and growing, plus an impressive collection of breweries. Gourmet restaurants and foodie events. Templeton Rye. Apple orchards and pumpkin patches. Yes, I would say that this is my happy place. Recently I heard about a very unique business in Washington state that spoke to my heart and my love of home canning and quick pickling. How about a cucumber farm that not only sells cucumbers grown on the premises but offers pickling parties? I am sooo there !!! Well....I wish anyway.

So what is this farm called? Where is it? What is this all about? Tamara Harden, who lives in Puyallup, Washington, shared this story with me, about Duris Cucumber Farm, a very unique business that's part farm, part store and part pickle factory in Puyallup. I visited the company's website and learned all about the history of this business and how it all started back in the mid-50s when Hazel Duris asked her husband Al to help her get a garden started. She wanted to grow cucumbers for pickles, as well as other fresh vegetables. Like so many gardeners experience, Hazel soon had cucumbers in abundance and began selling her extra produce. Little by little their garden plot grew into a farm, now operated by their children. The farm's chief crop is pickling cukes and with that, everything you need to make pickles. The farm also features a shop where you can find everything you need to make fresh quick pickles- spices, jars, cookbooks, vinegars, and of course, the cucumbers. They even have cute labels and twine for your finished pickles, as well as pre-made canned and pickled foods and other cute canning-themed items for you to purchase.

Customers make their selections from different sizes and
varieties of farm fresh pickling cucumbers.

Every Saturday the farm's shop has a pickling demonstration. They teach customers the cold-pack method, what I call quick pickles or fridge pickles- fresh cucumbers, spices, pickling brine, and no heat processing. These are not shelf-stable pickles- they go into the fridge, and believe me, the best pickles are made this way- always crisp and crunchy. Their recipe is featured on the website and interestingly, they use two sizes of cucumbers in each jar. Just looking at all the pictures made me crave pickles!

The shop features pre-packaged spice mixtures for
different types of pickles- so easy!

Let's talk about this pickle party. Tamara tells me it's a ton of fun and very versatile- you can come just by yourself or bring friends (up to 23 people per party). You just schedule a time and when you get there, they have everything you need on a tray for each party-goer. You get the jars, a paring knife, one grape leaf per jar, sliced onion, sliced red pepper, fresh dill, garlic cloves, spices, and a label for your jar. 

What an awesome setup, all ready for the Pickle Partiers

The center of the table is piled with different sizes of pickling cucumbers. The first thing you do is choose your cukes and fill your jar, then you return to your tray, remove the cucumbers from the jar and get ready to pickle. 

Shaking those pickles!

The instructor walks you through each step, how to add ingredients to your jar and in what order, and you make your jars of pickles, topping with the pickling brine. The cost of the class is per jar- $8 for quarts and $6.50 for pints, and you can make one jar or many many jars- totally up to you. This sounds like so much fun!

They even sell commercial mixes for people who want to
make pickles with a minimum of fuss and measuring.

Luckily for those of us who don't live nearby, the Duris Farm shares their pickle recipe on their website. Let's make some Duris Cold Pack Refrigerator Dills. For each quart jar you will need:

(add in order)
1 grape leaf
1 stalk fresh dill wound in a small circle
3 peeled cloves of garlic
1/8 sliced white onion
3 teaspoons pickling salt
2 teaspoons mustard seed
15 whole black peppercorns
1/2 to 1 dried red chili pepper
1/4 teaspoon alum
1/4 fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced
1 slice sweet red bell pepper (place against the side of the jar)
5 medium cucumbers, blossom end removed
2-3 small cucumbers, blossom end removed
1/2 cup of 5% apple cider vinegar

Fill the jar to 1/2 inch headspace with tap water. Top with a lid and ring, tighten, and shake to dissolve the powders. Store in the refrigerator. Pickles will be ready to enjoy in 3-4 3 weeks. Enhanced flavor is achieved by allowing them to cure in the fridge longer.

Pickle jars in every size and color!

How easy is that? I am a huge fan of fridge pickles- no need to drag out the big bulky canning pots and I can make every jar a little different. The pickles are always so much crisper and fresher than heat processed pickles and they retain their color better too.

Tamara is a big supporter of local producers and frequents the produce stands all over her area. She tells me the Puyallup Valley has some of the most fertile soils anywhere as well the areas surrounding eastern Washington, which is a huge agricultural area. Tamara likes keeping in touch with local growers so she gets a heads up on great deals so she can preserve fresh foods for her family at home, and is an avid home canner. She really loved sharing the Pickle Party with her granddaughters. Maybe they will be the next generation of home food preservers!

Abby and Tamara show us each step

**All the photos in this story were taken by Tamara on her recent visit to the farm.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Foodie Field Trip- Allspice in Des Moines' East Village

It's not like I don't already have enough spices. Really. You have all seen the entire bookcase of spices, right? Amazingly enough, there are a few I don't have, and there is one place to go to get them. Allspice. Allspice Culinarium in Des Moines. Located in Des Moines' historic and trendy East Village, it's a beacon to me, a nesting place, a place of comfort where I can indulge my deepest desire- to smell, to sample, to browse and most importantly, to possess all spices and herbs. Seriously.

In your run of the mill grocery store I can easily spend an hour standing in front of the spices. I'd guess the average supermarket in this city has maybe 100 or so spice and seasoning options, so just let this sink in for a minute- at Allspice they carry over 350 spices, herbs, oils and balsamic vinegars. Three hundred and fifty. There is no hope for me at this point. Anyone and everyone who knows me KNOWS this will spell my certain doom, sine I am utterly helpless when it comes to trying new spices and new flavors.

In all seriousness, the store was founded in 2010 by Alex and Jennifer Rhoads. The store has become the ultimate buy local success story with a dedicated customer base and a superior product, including full online shopping. It's taken me an unbelievable five years to make it here. I have no excuse really. Just that I lived in Guthrie County and rarely ventured downtown. I'm kicking myself. Let's check out the store.

Just to demonstrate my superior photography skills, you can
see the reflection of my car, and me, taking this picture. Sigh.

Now I made a couple attempted trips to Allspice over the winter months and was discouraged by the parking challenges- limited street parking and mounds of snow everywhere (for which the city is responsible, not the store), but on this sunny warm spring day I lucked out and got a spot right outside the front door. I wasn't planning on shopping, I really wasn't. I was driving home after a visit to Dad's house and had no plans to stop anywhere, but on my cruise through downtown I noticed that empty parking spot....... The warm temps had long melted the mounds of snow and I was able to park just steps from the door. The door was wide open and the lovely fragrance of many mixed spices wafted out to greet me. The store was bustling with several couples browsing, sniffing and sorting through the enormous selection of spices. I stuck to the front half of the store where all the herbs and spices are. The back half of the store holds rows and rows of olive oils, nut oils, vinegars and all sorts of delicious things and will be the focus of my next visit to Allspice so I can nab some goodies to sample. 

What's on my shopping list? Some unusual spices this time. Here is what I'm looking for and a little bit about them.

Ammaza suocera. Translates literally to "kill the mother in law" and is an intensely spicy blend containing garlic, cayenne, and other herbs.

Kaffir lime leaves. Used fresh, frozen and dried, common in Thai and Lao cuisines. Often used in chicken dishes is Vietnamese cuisine. The rest of the fruit is also often used in many Asian cuisines.

Hibiscus powder. Hibiscus blossoms are often used to make teas and this deep purple powder makes a vivid color component in many culinary uses. It's often used to color meringues and other sweets like buttercreams, fondants and sweet beverages. Since I have dried hibiscus flowers on the shelf already that I have not used, don't ask why I think I need this one too- but I do.

Cubeb berries. Also known as Java pepper, these pungent berries are a flavor mix of allspice and black pepper. It's sometimes used to flavor gin.

Amchur. This powdered spice is made from ground dried green mangoes and is a citrusy sweet spice with an aroma like honey. Sometimes the flavor is sweet and tart depending on the fruit. 

Grains of Paradise. Member of the ginger family. Alligator pepper. North African cuisine. Also used to flavor gins. 

Baharat spice. Turkish spice blend of paprika, dried chilies, allspice, cardamom, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Used to season lamb, fish and other meats. Used in Turkish, Iranian, Israeli, Kurdish cuisines

Shichimi. Japanese Seven Flavor Chili Pepper. Includes chilies, citrus peels, nori, sesame seeds. Used as a seasoning for soups and noodles and other Japanese dishes including rice.

Thai coconut green curry. Lovely Thai spice blend of dried coconut, shallots, green chilies, lime peel, garlic, cilantro, brown sugar and more.

Since I had forgotten my actual paper shopping list I tried to go from memory. I didn't exactly stick to my list. There were a couple on the list I wanted that I could not remember, and I decided to pass on the grains of paradise in favor of a couple others so darn it, looks like I'll have to go back in a few weeks. Somehow ancho chilies, Hawaiian black salt, dried porcini mushrooms, nonpareils, wasabi, tomato powder and red wine vinegar powder snuck into my shopping basket along with the Ammaza Suocera, kaffir lime leaves, baharat spice and hibiscus powder.  Now you need to check back and see what I do with all these amazing new flavors!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

My Night Out On The Town With My Grudge Monster

I can hear you all asking "Grudge Monster?.......what the heck is she talking about?" It's a long story. My daughter Laura, who you have heard about on the blog a couple times, is of mixed ethnicity. Being part Korean she likes to embrace her Asian heritage. When the movie The Grudge hit the theater Laura became a master at recreating that bizarre noise the Grudge "monster"makes, and there were times the monster looked oddly like her......so......nickname was created and the rest is history. What does that have to do with my story? Absolutely nothing. It's just who we are.

Surely you see the resemblance......

So anyway, a few days ago my phone ran. A quick glance showed Grudge Monster was calling me so I knew something fun was in the works. She invited me to attend the Des Moines CityView Best Of Awards and dinner before the show. Yay!!! Hanging out with Laurie is always a good time, getting to me interesting restaurant people and enjoying fun and exciting events. This was no exception.  

Grudge Monster, with Chef Tom McKern from Zombie Burger

Before the awards show we went to one of Des Moines' most popular and successful restaurants, Centro. Centro is also a George Formaro restaurant and, well, I already knew I'd love it even before the first bite. George knows his stuff. For an appetizer we had fried Brussels sprouts with truffle aioli. Holy buckets. If you haven't tried fried Brussels sprouts you are missing out! Some of the leaves come off and get super crispy like chips, while the halved sprouts stay crisp tender and don't have that stinky boiled smell. I want to make this at home!

Laurie chose the ricotta gnocchi for her entree. The little pasta pillows were airy and soft and one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted in my entire life. Tossed in a spicy red sauce they were such a fantastic and different pasta option. My dinner was the Chicken Francese. Two perfectly breaded and sauteed chicken breasts were stacked on top of perfectly cooked fettuccine and draped in a lemony sauce with fresh herbs. The chicken as tender and juicy, crispy on the edges, with the most delicious sauce. We finished dinner with an Italian hazelnut pudding that was so creamy, delicious and surprisingly light- the perfect finish to our dinner. In case you're wondering where the food pics are, I did not take pictures of our dishes. I was there to have some daughter/mom time and enjoy Laurie's company so pictures were not in the plan.

After dinner we headed over to Beer Can Alley (now there is something I never thought I'd actually say..... with BCA being a country bar) for the CityView Best Of Awards. CityView is a local magazine that has an annual survey of everything you ca think of- best burger, best spa, best dog groomer, best margarita, best plastic surgeon- seriously Best Everything Under The Sun. With all of George's businesses nominated in many many categories I knew there would be some celebrating going on. Laurie's restaurant, Malo, also owned by George, was nominated for several categories including Best Taco and Best Brunch. We arrive at the bar and join George and his wife Sheila Formaro, members of their family, and several other friends and colleagues from Gateway Market and Zombie Burger. 

Yes....we had the Proud Mama Needs A Photo Moment

Watching the crowd I got the who's who in the local restaurant scene. New restaurant owners like the two guys who own Lurra Cocina. Local chefs like Tom McKern from Zombie Burger. Local television personalities like Lou Sipolt and Cynthia Fodor. Lots and lots of local restaurant people.

Needless to say George cleaned up at the awards- many Best Of categories were awarded to George and his restaurants. Malo snagged Runner Up in several categories as well. 

FoodieLife- Iowa Taste of Elegance

One of my foodie resolutions for 2016 was to attend more foodie events this year, and thanks to the awesome people at Iowa Pork I am kicking the year off with a foodie event in January- the Iowa Taste of Elegance culinary competition. Every year the Iowa Pork Producers hold this competition where chefs from all over Iowa battle it out for prize money and bragging rights in this invite-only event focusing on pork and some of the most fantastic dishes imaginable. This event not only give the chefs a chance to show their culinary skills, but highlights the hard work and dedication of Iowa's pork farmers, and their commitment to safe, wholesome and budget-friendly fresh pork. Held on January 25, 2016 at the Downtown Des Moines Marriott, this is some serious competition with some serious recognition-

• Chef Par Excellance wins a trip to the National Pork Summit at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California and a $1,000 cash prize.
• Plaque and cash prizes for Top Three Chefs and Peoples' Choice
• Evening reception to celebrate the dishes, present awards and select the Peoples' Choice

This event is also a very important fundraiser for the Food Bank of Iowa's Back Pack Program. Matt Unger,  program manager for the Food Bank of Iowa shared the story of Iowa's hungry children and how important the Back Pack Program is. The statistics he shared about hunger in my home state were truly shocking, and the Back Pack Program helps fight childhood hunger by sending needy kids home over the weekends with a back pack filled with nutritious food. Listening to him talk about how some kids literally survive on the weekly school lunch program broke my heart.

The Chefs- photo courtesy of Jenny Unternahrer
from In the Kitchen With Jenny

This is not the first time I have sat in the comfort of the Marriott's elegant banquet hall, enjoying food the likes of which some people will never experience. The story of the Food Bank of Iowa's program reminded me of the previous year's Culinary Fight Night, which benefited Des Moines' homeless and also brought a lot of awareness to the suffering around us.

For this 30th year of the event, the folks at Iowa Pork invited a group of Iowa bloggers to attend. Many of us were invited to attend the Iowa Pork Tour last July- you might remember the two day event that featured a tour of a modern pork producing farm, an exclusive multi-course pork dinner with wine pairing, and a day of cooking and food styling classes. I made some great new friends over those two days, and I am so looking forward to seeing them again at this event! I asked my very good friend Vivian to go along. She and I went to the Cooking With George class a year ago and had a wonderful time, and we share so many things in common, not the least of which is our appreciation for good food, good conversation and good wine and beer. We had a great time sampling all the goods and chatting with Shawnee, from the Iowa Pork Board, other Iowa bloggers Jenny Unternahrer, Cristen Clark, Jenni Ward and Erin Brenneman from Brenneman Pork.

Who is competing? Let's run down the chefs for 2016-

Brian Pomerenk from the Iowa Machine Shed restaurant prepared his pork dish, Country Harvest, a tender juicy roast pork with a homestyle sage stuffing and two sauces. 

Chad Myers, Dubuque Golf and Country Club's dish was Wickham Farms Red Wattle Pork Shoulder with Sausage and Pork Tenderloin Roulade. This dish was stunningly beautiful and surprisingly, served cold. It made me think of a a French style picnic.

Daniel Dennis, from Lion Bridge Brewing Company also used Red Wattle pork in his Red Wattle Torchon in Four Seasons. The torchon was a headcheese type sausage, thickly sliced and garnished to celebrate each season, with flavors ranging from bring green arugula puree to pickled Hubbard squash. Another beautifully prepared dish, but one that just didn't do it for me.

The Wood Fire Grille in the Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood, Iowa sent Chef Jon Nelson to share his Ad Porc de Trois. This was one of my favorites. Handcrafted pork sausage, grilled and sliced, along with a hunk of roasted pork and a jerky-like thick cut cured pork served on a white bean puree with greens, presented in a paper thin wooden canoe.

Chef Carina Fleetwood from the Calypso Isle Casino prepared a beautiful Latin dish- Citrus Barbacoa Sopa with Smoky Tomatillo Salsa and Pickled Relish. Served on a thick masa cracker the pork was spicy and tender, the spiralized veggies made a gorgeous accompaniment. This was a favorite too.

Barry Greenwood, Executive Chef at the University of Iowa had MY vote, and my friend Vivian's vote too! His skewer of smoked pork shoulder, handmade chorizo, and hominy fritter draped with green chile sauce was my absolute favorite dish of all. The hominy fritter nailed it for me- creamy, crunchy, spicy and sweet all in one perfect bite. The pork was tender and perfectly smoked and the chorizo was so delicious. The sprinkle of pepitas brought some salty crunch. Perfection!

Anthony Valvoda of Bata's Restaurant in Cedar Rapids crafted the Duo of Pork Shoulder. Roasted pork shoulder and handmade mortadella spiked with pistachios and aronia berry reduction was an interesting and creative combination.

Des Moines' chef Aaron Holt, of RoCA, brought his Root Beer Braised Pork Shoulder Sliders with Crispy Sriracha Onions and Aioli in a root beer reduction is the restaurant's top selling pork entree, and I could see why. Homey, delicious, just the right amount of "messy" this sandwich would be equally at home in a trendy restaurant and a Super Bowl party. Definitely a crowd favorite.

The West Des Moines Marriott's Donald Garrett had another one of my very favorites. It was hard to decide who to vote for....... and when the chef offers up Mulled Apple Butter Bacon Wrapped Barbeque Pork with a crunchy slaw and corn muffin on the side, the stakes get raised significantly. This was comfort food hands down but a LOT more upscale than grandma's country kitchen.

Pam Oldes, from Eat on the Green in Oskaloosa created an Asian Pulled Pork Taco with Kimchi Slaw and spicy mayo. Yum yum YUM!!! The wonton shell was super crispy,light and not greasy AT ALL, the filling had the perfect kick of spicy heat. This one almost had my vote.....if not for that hominy fritter.

The chefs are judged on their entree recipe, but not the sides and accompaniments. Points are awarded on taste, appearance and originality with a total of 100 points possible. After the judging each chef will have a booth so they can meet the guests, share info about their restaurant and offer samples of their dishes. Guests vote on the samples and select the Peoples' Choice at the end of the reception. The evening's entries were judged by Chef Brad Scott, culinary instructor and head chef of Scott Community College; Chef Jonathan Cook, Executive Sous Chef of the Iowa Events Center, and Matt Unger. And the evening's results were.......

Peoples' Choice- Aaron Holt from RoCA

Premier Chef- Daniel Dennis from Lion Bridge Brewing Company

with the 2015 Iowa Pork Queen Christy Calderwood

Superior Chef- Anthony Valvoda from Bata's Restaurant

with 2015 Iowa Pork Princess Emily Cook

Chef Par Excellence- Jon Nelson from Wood Fire Grille

Several Iowa wineries and breweries were represented at the event as well..........which meant lots of fantastic beers and wines, from many new wineries I have never visited. I have several new favorites to hunt down, so look for some Happy Hour features in the future!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received passes to attend the event with no expectation of providing a written post- my post is entirely voluntary. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Date Night- Jethro's

When you share your life with a professional chef you don't often get to enjoy a lot of weekend nights out for dinner like everyone else. Sunday nights are the closest thing to Saturday we have- it's his first day off and my last day off. This Sunday we decided to take advantage of a gift card I received as a thank you for participating in a special promotion hosted by the Iowa Pork Producers Association and head to Jethro's for some delicious grub.

If you are a fan of Man vs. Food, Jethro's might sound familiar to you! Adam Richman and crew were visiting the Des Moines area back in 2010 and he attempted (and failed!) the Adam Emmenecker Challenge (more on that later) at Jethro's Forest Avenue location in Des Moines. Locally owned, Jethro's now has five locations around Des Moines and some of the best barbeque around. Jethro's was also a sponsoring partner in the IPPA pork promotion and provided awesome gift packages for the bloggers who participated to give away to lucky readers.

We decided to visit the Jethro's in the suburb of Waukee, Jethro's Jambalaya- a barbeque powerhouse with a Cajun twist. The menu is impressive, appetizers, barbeque specialties, sandwiches, burgers, chicken- and a whole menu of Cajun dishes. We are big menu researching people, and always like to check out a restaurant online before we even head out the door, so we knew before we got there what we wanted- the famous tenderloin.

Waiting for our food to come out, which took just a few minutes, we were able to browse the fun wall displays- the Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame...... the results of the many attempts to defeat the Adam Emmenecker Challenge. The challenge was created to honor former Drake University basketball player Adam Emmenecker, who was a regular at the original Forest Avenue location, and includes all of his favorite foods on one plate: cheeseburger, bacon, smoked brisket, fried cheese curds, white cheddar cheese sauce, buffalo chicken tenders, pork tenderloin, a bun, spicy pickle AND a pound of waffle fries. You have 15 minutes to eat it.......

Only 3 have defeated the Challenge at this location

but has three walls of those who failed.

The restaurant has been featured in many magazines and newspapers including being one of the Top Ten Manliest Restaurants on Mens Health Magazine. Articles and covers are proudly displayed. It's fun and exciting to see a local business have such an impact.

Our tenderloins arrived and all I can say is- wow. Just wow. They are HUGE! I couldn't even see the plate! The Chef got down to business right away but I knew mine was going to be a two-meal event. Every table at Jethro's has all of their sauces on the table, so there is no way I am going to go with ketchup and mustard. I set the bun aside for now and just did the fork and knife thing, trying all the sauces. Each one was very different and unique. I found myself going back to the Traditional and the Thick and Sweet sauce. 

I could only manage the outer "rim" of my tenderloin and a handful of the yummy waffle fries before I had to give up. Not a bad thing- just means I have another meal tomorrow!

The Chef however.......he wasn't messing around. Empty plate club lifetime achievement member!

Though we didn't actually try any of the barbeque, we left full and happy, and we know we will be back. Lots of seating inside and out means a short wait if at all, and the Cajun menu bring a whole new dining option for us in the future. We can't wait to try it everything! Now that we're back in the city we have all the Jethro's locations to check out, including the soon-to-open Italian-theme Jethro's in nearby Altoona. I can't wait!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." A free giftcard was given to me as thank you for participation with the IPPA.