The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

I moved to eastern Washington twelve years ago. At first I was doubtful I would be able to raise citrus in "Zone 4," but I gave it a try and was surprised to find that, with a little effort, I now harvest twenty pounds of citrus fruits each year from my patio plants.

I raise citrus on the patio where presumably the juice flows from fruit to kitchen. I have been successful raising chubby lemons and tight kaffir limes for Thai dishes in roll-a-way pots. In my earth-to-table style of cooking, citrus is an important food where a bit of tangy acidity brightens every bite In fact, citrus is so important to my cooking style that I hired a contractor to build a well-insulated shed just off the patio where in late fall I simply roll the citrus plants into the shed away from winters frost. One important thing about citrus: regularly feed using organic fertilizer.

Over Fathers Day, the whole family attended Dayton's All Wheels car show and after, headed home and prepared an out- door feast: a whole salmon on ice cut into filets, ten pounds of all-beef hamburger from local meat purveyor Tucannon Meats, and handpicked greens from the garden. We sat on hay bales, played guitar and sang, ate outside in the cool of the afternoon, drinking fresh raspberry punch and chilled bottles of Brett Isenhower 's 2012 White Paintbrush, a Roussanne-blended white wine; 83% Roussanne, 17% Viognier.

Cellar Talk: Brett and Denis Isenhower have been an intri- cate part of the Washington wine scene since 1999 and today have a statewide following, with tasting rooms in both Walla Walla and Woodinville, Wash. Brett is what I call an "intel- ligent" wine maker, chasing the elusive tongues of a million foodies with his eclectic styles of wine for today's palate. Here, Brett chose to create the White Paintbrush in a more gentle style of whole grape cluster press and daily stirs. This method assures a complex, well-balanced acidity, while encourag- ing the flavor molecules in both the Roussanne and Viognier grapes.

Tasting notes for the Isenhower 2012 White Paintbrush: a swirl of the stem, nose buried deep in the glass, bachelor but- ton honey, fresh cut verbena opens the senses. With first sip, a wallop of mango coats the inner cheeks, fresh squeezed tangelo paints an oak tongue, leaving a puddle of sassafras and clover in a spiny citron finish.

Readers, until next week, "Eat Art, Drink Imagination!"

Marinade Herbal Paste

1/4-cup each: crushed dried chamomile, sage, lemon ver- bena, basil, 1/8-teaspoon red pepper flakes, 2-minced garlic, juice of 1-lemon, 1-tablespoon white wine

Mix all ingredients into a paste, rub into salmon and burgers to marinade 20 minutes; grill to perfection, pair with chilled bottles of Isenhower 2012 White Paintbrush!

For more recipe ideas and color photos see Chef Judith's webpage at: www.chefjudithhenderson.com.