Annual Apple Harvest and Cider Pressing

"I love the sound that the apples make when the fall to the ground!" Miss Tu

Late September marked the annual apple harvest and cider pressing party at my family orchard. We missed the Gravenstein and Johnathan apples this year, but Golden Delicious, Rome, and Mare were all still in abundance!

We shook the trees relentlessly and watched as the ripe fruit fell to the ground. Then we swooped them up, gave them a rinse, and it was on to the cider press.

First the apples were crushed in the grinder and the pulp was captured in the mesh-lined hardwood basket. Next, we pressed the apple mush into the sweetest and most flavorful juice you've ever tasted!

It's important not to drink too much apple juice straight off of the press or you will get a belly ache. Instead, the juice should be allowed to sit for 24 hours.

We made off like bandits after pressing the whole day through. Each bottle was labeled so we knew what apple blends we had and that way we can later decide whether we want to make the same blends in future years.

My dad caught a bunch of lingcod over the past month so Martijn, Nicholas, and I beer battered and fried it up to serve alongside the carnitas my mom made. The surf n' turf taco spread was so awesome that I forgot to even snap a photo... finger lickin' good!

My mom also made three apple cakes with apples I picked in the southeast corner of the orchard.

The next morning my mom made her famous biscuits and my dad fried up some bacon and eggs. We were all smiles!

Oh yeah! I totally forgot! The night before the apple harvest I took Diane on her first kayak adventure. We paddled into the darkness to see the bioluminescence in the bay and enjoyed some outstanding shooting stars by boat before pitching a tent on the seashore!

It was a pretty fantastic weekend!

Well, gotta go salmon fishing!

Keep the old ways alive!

Bioluminescence by Boat, Kayaks, Freediving, Scallops, Camping, and Grilling!

" I don't know if I'll ever eat better camping again...or eat better in general, for that matter!" Eric Huynh

Photos: Eric, Karen, Linh and me.

I got a call from my brother the other day asking of I could make our buddy Lee's annual Maritime Campout. At first I thought that I might not be able to make it as I was preparing for a new archaeological excavation taking place the following week. But when I realized I could, I was on the horn immediately getting the details.

We met at the launch point and Justin had his homemade canoe all set up and ready to go. Once my gear was loaded up and Eric had the rest of the supplies on his inflatable, we paddled a mile across open water to our remote pirate cove.

Eric had speared a couple of nice halibut in southern California the day before and brought the fresh fillets for the grill.

I headed out to a secret spot to seek out rock scallops. Their bright orange lips glowed, even in the murky visibility.

I chose not to take a full limit (10) as we only needed a few for appetizers and a couple to bring home. However I was quite happy with my six!

Eric and I tried a new method of opening the scallops (to get the filleting knife in) using a blade of grass to tickle them. It worked! Well, about half the time. My brother says that to get it to work all the time you must also sing to them during the process.

I got to cleaning scallops...

While Lee brought me some awesome Taiwanese corn!

And while Justin prepared kindling and got a bow drill friction fire going (after I failed). What can I say? I am more of a hand drill guy lol!

While Lee grilled amazing Yakitori and Linh shucked oysters, I served the scallop sashimi appetizer.  A fresh course for our five star beach bum beast feast!

When night fell my brother prepared stew in my Dutch Oven from a deer he just got. He also made some incredible rosemary-raisin bushcraft bannock near the coals.

As the night progressed and the sweets came out, Lee grilled one of his world famous spear tip marshmallows!

The bioluminescence was phenomenal! I wish I could have taken some photos to share with you!

A few trash pandas (aka raccoons) tried to take some food, but were unfortunately dealing with experienced folks who keep a clean camp, but their prints were all around when we woke.

Well this turned out to be one of the best camping trips I have been on in a long time! The incredible food was second only to the company!

Quite a handsome rabble huh?

Well I here apples falling and the cider press is ready... gotta go!

Keep the old ways alive!

Freediving for Abalone, Spearfishing, Huckleberries, and More Figs!

"Man it ain't my fault, I just live the way I talk!" - Morgan Wallen

Years ago our buddy John Banks was watching spearfishing videos that my brother, my friends Kirby, Sam and I had put on Youtube. He saw our dive floats (modified body boards with bungees and net bags to carry our catches). He liked the idea so much that John designed the "Banks board" pictured above! They come equipped with bungees for carrying spearguns and pole spears, a dry hatch, a loop at the bow to attach a floatline, and a huge mesh bag that has plenty of room for abalone gauges, irons, tags, and way more room left over even when it's loaded up with a catch as pictured above! 

Check them out! http://www.banksboard.com/

Well, as you can see from the image above, we had a nice and productive time freediving and spearfishing the California North Coast the other day! I got abalone, blue rockfish, a black rockfish, a greenling, a black and yellow rockfish , and my brother speared that fine cabezon!

When I lived seaside I would have only taken half of this catch knowing that I could return soon for more. Now that I am landlocked in the central valley however, I decided to do my best to stock the freezer back home and feed my extended family with a fish fry back at camp! That being said, I was selecting that black and those blues from schools numbering well over one hundred! The abalone were a days limit taken from an area where I counted around 25 on a single breath of air. Freedive spearfishing is the single most selective and sustainable method of bringing seafood to the table!

 Mom made Spanish rice and beans while I battered and fried the fish. All 15 of us ate like royalty! 

Just as exciting as the clear waters we encountered while diving was the abundance of perfectly ripe huckleberries growing around camp!

Red huckleberry (left) and blue huckleberry (right) plants (blue is way sweeter!)

I couldn't stop picking them...and neither could my cousin's daughter! Though I think only a third of her harvest made it into the bag because they were so darn good!

My cousin's little ones wanted to see some tide pools and try a little fishing the next day so we took them to a secret cove. We watched harbor seals play in the surf about ten feet away while we fished. 

My brother and I had not planned on hook and line fishing so we used hand lines and hobo fishing rigs.

Justin rigging up a hobo fishing rig with a sprite bottle for a reel

I can't believe I landed such a nice fish on such a simple hand-line rig!

That afternoon I pounded my dad's abalone and we fried up another feast that night!

Mom made some awesome blackberry cobbler which we cooked in the Dutch Oven.

The next morning we had a great campfire breakfast complete with mom's Dutch Oven biscuits!

It was a great weekend to say the least! 

On the way home I stopped at the family orchard to see the Gravenstein apples in full swing and the blackberries just starting to mature!

When I returned to the central valley, it was tough to get out foraging in the 100 degree heat...

...but I did anyways! The figs are perfect right now! And the fig preserves are absolutely fantastic!

I am gonna be cooking up the rest of the abalone tonight for a party so that should be a heck of a good time!

Well, I hear tell the salmon are running in the delta and making their way up the rivers...I sure hope to be there to greet them!

Keep the old ways alive!