Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1693 - 1717 of 3148
July 21 Dispatched to an address in the 100 block of Douglas Way for a domestic disturbance. Wallula, WA. July 24 A court order violation was reported at an address in the 700 block of Seventh Street, Waitsburg, WA. An illegal dumping incident was reported at an address in the 3000 block of Isaacs Ave., Walla Walla County. Officer was dispatched to State Route 12 for a vehicle prowl. Report taken. Deputies investigated a serious assault at the county jail by an inmate to jail staff. July 25 Driver arrested for DUI at an address on Coppei Ave....
Natsiree Puttavon isn't "put upon" by any means. Most who've met her during one of her gallery talks, might not ever imagine her mood as anything less than merry and light. As a docent who explains the finer details of fine art, her disposition is serene. Yet, bubbling under the surface is a bit of anguish and sorrow as Puttavon faces down the daily grief. If you're someone who has experienced loss, you know. And if you haven't, know that you will at some point, loss and grief are inevitable. Ha...
On my first trip to Waitsburg to officially meet with contractors to discuss my home renovation, (or tear down), I arrived early and fortuitously wandered in to Ten Ton Coffee. After some introductions, I owned up to the fact that, yes, I was the owner of the wreck of a house on Orchard. The information whirlwind began. I received an encyclopedia of unsolicited advice, which I rapidly turned into solicited advice. Everyone encouraged me to renovate the house, their suggestions and contacts gave...
As the summer of 2020 winds down, a generation of students casts wary eyes upon the dawn of a new school year. With it will come many familiar bugaboos—homework, early mornings, regular bedtimes —as well as any number of new challenges related to the present pandemic. More specifically, for many students from the sixth grade on up, at least some of the new school year will take place online. (And when I say “sixth grade on up,” I mean all the way on up – Whitman is moving wholly online th...
Next Stop – Hollywood Mrs. G and I have long believed that Cookie has that something extra that sets all celebrities apart from the rest of us. The “It Factor”—personality, pizzazz, and the natural ability to light up a room simply by entering it. It’s talent and good looks, a warm and welcoming demeanor, and knowing intuitively that when the spotlight hits you, it’s showtime! Cookie passes all these tests with flying colors. And yet... stardom has evaded her. Every day you see dogs in tv comme...
Ten Years Ago August 18, 2011 [Photo caption] Fire fighting trucks rush to the scene behind the Whetstone home of Steve and Joan McMunn, where a local farmer disked a larger buffer area to keep the flames at bay. The fire started half a mile to the west at the home of Dave and Joyce Koschmeder. Local fire fighting officials said several area farmers helped them keep the fire from damaging two homes. [Headline] “One of the Best Years” Despite numerous challenges, 2011 yields and prices lift crop prospects in Touchet Valley. During patrols in...
A harvest crew from Broughton Land Company kicks off their wheat harvest on Poulson Road....
I never really liked Swedish meatballs all that much, until a college buddy's German mom cooked them for dinner one night while I was visiting in Bellingham. (Does this mean they are actually German meatballs?) No matter. I was sold, and I have been making these savory little flavor bombs for at least 30 years. This is comfort food and is great for a crowd on a cold wintery evening. Not to worry, they are great in the summer as well. Mrs. Doppelganger's Swedish Meatballs To make the meatballs: 1 medium onion, finely minced and sautéed in butter...
“Waiting for harvest”, This month you can see more of Bill Rodgers’ stunning photography of the area he calls “The Wallouse”. The exhibit will open on Tuesday, July 28 at the Wenaha Gallery at 219 E. Main St in Dayton. Learn more about local barns on page 10....
Fair warning: I’m not going to be very funny this week. I’ll try, as appropriate, to give you a giggle or two, but there’re certain things you can’t and shouldn’t make a joke out of. I’m really sorry, but I can’t think of anything else to write – I’m having a hard time thinking of anything else, period. (Believe me, if I could, I would.) A relative is sick. It might be COVID. I’ll go ahead and answer some of your questions right now: Circumstances are such that I’m not worried about my own...
Ten Years Ago August 11, 2011 Mead is wine made from honey instead of grapes. A new winery, Mace Meadworks, featuring the buzzing bee’s nectar in its wine is opening on Main Street in Dayton soon. [Photo caption] Waitsburg resident Gary Hofer and a bronze statue of his great grandfather, Sen. George Norris, in McCook Nebraska. Norris, whose efforts were instrumental in pushing through the Rural Electrification Act 75 years ago, was born 150 years ago himself. Before William Shakespeare became a well-known playwright, he was an actor with P...
I have posted this one before and made it this weekend because I harvested my first zucchini. So many choices as to what to make with zucchini! I decided, going with the theme of Farm to Table, I took my zucchini from the plant to the kitchen for baking, making me kinda like a farmer. I used local honey and had bought a sack of Joseph’s Grainery, Soft White Wheat Pastry Flour. I used 2/3 all -purpose flour needed to 1/3 of the Soft White Wheat Pastry flour, making a 2/3, 1/3 combination. I...
My vegetable epiphany happened after I purchased a bag of Hayshaker Farms Wild & Fancy salad mix from The Market by Andy's in Walla Walla. I have been trying to eat a mostly vegetable-based diet for a year now, and these veggies exploded my tastebuds. Wild & Fancy is a veritable festival of green, each bite tastes unique, with some surprising, zesty flavors. Maybe some fennel, certainly some spicier greens, some kale, and spinach, too? The bright flavors shamed those supermarket salad mixes I ha...
The farm-to-table movement has been sweeping across the nation in recent years. From farmers’ markets to roadside produce stands, fresh ingredients are becoming readily available and affordable. The farm-to-table movement’s roots go as far back as the 1960s. In 1971, chef Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., one of the first farm-to-table restaurants. Waters wanted to use fresh, local produce because the flavor was better, which meant tastier dishes. The restaurant was very suc...
The Touchet Valley is home to a handful of farm to table operations, like the Breathe Easy Farm, and Crooked Fences. Nestled on the edges of Dayton, farms like these provide fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods, and more to residents. The Breathe Easy Farm owner/operator Mindy Holmberg has big plans for her little slice of heaven, including a retail front and eventual farm-to-table suppers. Holmberg sells baked goods, like chocolate zucchini bread, preserves, various pickled vegetables, fresh...
DAYTON-Step inside the cool interior of an old barn on a warm summer day, and as your eyes adjust to the dark interior, and your senses are assailed by the locked-in aroma of hay, livestock, and old timber, present-day focus can easily transport you to the past. According to County Extension Agent Paul Carter, there could be fifty, or more, barns, of all ages, styles, and conditions, in Columbia County. Two of the county's older barns are standing taller, and two more will be, soon, thanks to...
Farmers feed the world, but with the high demands they face, they usually need a little help from companies like The McGregor Company, who supply crop nutrients and crop protectants, machine rentals, crop insurance, and more. The McGregor Company started as a sheep farming operation more than 100 years ago in the tiny town of Hooper, WA. In 1948, after Washington State College agronomist Harley Jacquot spent years researching and experimenting, the McGregor Company stepped into the fertilizer...
The image of a red barn in a golden field of wheat is a favorite sight in eastern Washington. There are many stories about the origins of this American tradition. One tale claims that barns are red so the cows can find their way home, definitely a myth as cows are color blind. According to the National Park Service, barns weren't originally red. Since early farmers in New England didn't have extra money for paint, their barns remained unpainted. In the late 1700s, farmers began looking for ways...
Seth Small of Small's Family Farm took some time during a busy harvest season to talk about his family's approach to farming, and his marketing efforts to bring his single variety flour to restaurants and bakeries throughout the Northwest. The restaurants and bakeries in the Walla Walla area have also embraced the local flour, and Small says "we work with almost all the restaurants locally in Walla Walla." Although for a time, savvy grocery shoppers could find bags of Small's flour on the...
When Mark Brucks and Susan Monahan were getting ready to retire after living and working in Austin, TX for twenty years, they carefully developed a list of criteria for their new home town. The list included walkability, a place with a college or university, and room to garden. For years they spent summer and Christmas vacations on the road, visiting towns "Colorado and west, "looking for just the right spot. A friend in Centralia asked, "Have you ever heard of Walla Walla?" So of course, they...
Harvesting carrots took longer than I expected as a first-time grower, even when it says "easy to pull" right on the seed packet! You pull up the root vegetable to find it inundated with dirt and, well, roots. Far from the clean, peeled, consistently shaped and sized carrots you see bagged and ready at the grocery store or produce market. It occurs to me now that all the carrots I've been buying have been glamorized. Even more plentiful than the orange (or purple or white) "meat" is the carrot...
Greetings from the garden! Salutations from the places 'twixt the thickets where the deep-rooted weeds grow. I've been busy. The store-bought tomato and pepper "starts" we sowed in May started up alright, and they took off. Though current harvest totals are low, jalapeno, anaheim, lunchbox, banana, and red bell peppers are swelling. There are a fair few baby peppers, yes, but there are even more flowers. More are coming. Pretty soon we'll be back in that special time when you've got to lock...
When I moved to Walla Walla just over two years ago, I knew little of wine. Family and friends assured me that would change. "Next thing you know, you'll have a cellar going," they said. Sure. At the time, I had an art major's experience with the everyday chardonnays and merlots that accompany gallery openings, most of which can be described as brassy and abrasive. Beyond that, I once tasted what I still consider to be the greatest wine ever, a 2000 Leonetti merlot aged fifteen years. Perfectly...
Although Mr. B will always be Number One among all of Cookie’s (surprisingly numerous) possessions, there is another favorite pastime, not involving the ball, which is tug-of-war. Our discovery of this was a late-breaking development. For many years Cookie showed zero interest in playing with anything other than Mr. B. Other types of balls were tried, to no avail. Small soft frisbees were tried – size appropriate – and Cookie, who can run, leap, twist and catch the ball on the fly, refus...
I would bet money that even Alan Turing couldn't solve the mystery of my Waitsburg garden. To say the least, this year has been an interesting experience trying to decode what grows, and why and where it grows. It will probably always remain an enigma to me. I planted eggplant from seed in a separate planter this year. I had three sprouts spring up and over the course of a week, one just wasn't making it, so I pulled it and let the other two flourish. We now have 2 very full and prolific zucchin...
