Food Links Whidbey Island starts with a post from We Are Never Full. It is entitled “Carbonnade a la Flamande, or Beer: the New Hangover Cure.” Meats braised in ales of all kinds can be found throughout northern Europe, but nowhere else, perhaps, has the concept been raised to such a culinary pinnacle as in Flanders.  You can click here to read the post.

The Proud Italian Cook has a new recipe for Braised Artichokes. “I know spring is here because I see artichokes popping up all over in the stores. Artichokes happen to be one of my top 5 vegetables that I couldn’t live without! So with that being said, whenever I see them cooked a different way or a new recipe I haven’t tried, I’m all over it”!

This one just begs to be made. Italian Foodies gives us lasagna napoletana; with great instructions as usual.

The Whidbey Island Winery began as a dream and a chance for career changes for Gregory and Elizabeth Osenbach. The two lived in Monroe and were making homemade wine. Producing wine in Monroe was a bit of a problem because the climate was too wet.

The biggest part of that dream was moving to Whidbey Island and starting a winery from scratch. As many of you know, Whidbey Island lies in the rain shadow from the Olympic Mountain Range. This makes Whidbey somewhat drier than much of the Puget Sound.

In 1984 Greg and Elizabeth moved to Whidbey Island. They found a 10-acre site that would be perfect for their winery; it was very close to Langley and would be a good location for retailing their wines.

They built a home and started growing grapes. With a maturing crop of grapes it was time to expand. In 1990 they built the winery building and proceeded to get all the licenses that would be required to sell their wines.

1991 was their first production year and by the summer of 1992 they had sold 400 cases of wine. Today that number is between 3000 and 3500 cases of wine.

Currently about one third of the grapes that are used in producing their wines comes from the Whidbey Island vineyard; the rest of the grapes come from the Yakima Valley.

Greg and Elizabeth have developed a strong relationship with the growers in Yakima. They have input on how the grapes are grown. It used to be that the growers were paid by the pound for their grapes. This tended to reduce the quality of the grapes grown since the emphasis was on quantity.

Now grapes are sold by the acre; there is less of a focus on quantity and more on the quality.of the grape. If the crop level is lower you have better quality and the flavors are more intense.

If you click on the wine label above you can view a short video about the winery.

Elizabeth does the important book work that is needed for the enterprise’s success. Leah Waaramaki is the other half of the wine making team, with Greg, and she is also involved in the wineries marketing efforts. Leah comes from the wine growing area of California and has provided a lot of energy and love to the business and it’s wine making.

If you click on the above label there is a video interview with Leah Waaramaki talking about Seattle’s 2009 Wine Awards. The Whidbey Island Winery won a Gold Medal for their White Rh0ne Style  2007 Roussanne.

The Whidbey Island Winery produces both white and red wines. Three of the whites are produced at the vineyard; Madeline Angevine, Island White and Siegerrebe.

To find out more about the winery you can visit their website by clicking here.

The Winery is located on 5237 Langley Road in Langley, Washington, 98260.

You can call them at 360-221-2040

Here is a nice article on the Good Cheer Food Bank. Growing green gardens and helping to feed those in need.

I’m sure that most of you are aware of the Good Cheer Food Garden. The point that strikes me is the depth of what is being done and the variety of the volunteers that we find working at the garden site. This last month we saw the first harvest of the year and the planting of some of the first seeds for later harvesting.

The starts were donated by Molly Peterson and they were planted in the greenhouse in mid-February; they’ve been growing and should be moved outside under protection around mid-March.

Here is a photo of our volunteers harvesting the kale and collards. You can read more about the harvesting and the planting of starts by clicking here.

Molly Zeiger, as you may know, is our Americorp volunteer. She began her tour with Good Cheer and the garden last September and we are lucky to have her around through this July.

“While I am here, I hope to help implement a sustainable and efficient system to turn healthy harvest from the garden into appreciated meals on the table. So far it has been a humbling learning experience.” Molly is a great role model for our younger volunteers and adds an energy that is certainly welcome at Good Cheer.

For the full article click here.

Here is a great post from the Good Cheer Food Bank Blog; all about people helping people and preserving this planet Earth.

Team Earth and Harrison Ford are teaming up and bringing awareness to sustainable living on our planet.

Every living organism on this planet is an energy of light in the universe. With enough energy we can bring a new light of hope to this planet. This is all about getting involved and being aware that the actions of a few can start that process moving forward.

This is not about politics it is about having a common purpose that works for everyone.

About Team Earth:

Ensuring the sustainability of Earth’s essential resources while maintaining economic growth is the defining challenge of the 21st century. How we manage the gifts of nature – a stable climate, fresh water and abundant oceans, fertile soils for food, the right conditions for healthy lives and the ability to sustainably balance human needs – will determine the long-term health and prosperity of all people, everywhere.

You can click on the photo below ro view the video. This is a You Tube video and you may want to click on full screen to get a better visual impact when you get to the video.

Are You In?

To read the full article you can click here.

Whidbey Island Food Links starts this week with another recipe from italian foodies. This week Lorraine shares a vegetarian item; spinach and beans with garlic and chilli; looks pretty nice! Lorraine uses her photos well and the recipes are easy to follow. It’s really good on bruschetta too or with some crusty bread, you decide!

Looking for some last minute Super Bowl snacks? These pizzettes should do the trick! The Proud Italian Cook gives us a simple look and if you are looking to do more here is a link to making a grilled pizza; it is a little larger and just as unique as you are.

The Smitten Kitchen has a “labor of love” in her ricotta muffins. She takes you through the steps to making a very fine muffin for you and your family.

Here is a nice piece from Kathy McLaughlin and the Good Cheer Food Bank and Thrift Stores. Kathy is the Executive Director at Good Cheer; people helping people is what it is all about.  No better way to spread happiness and compassion:

It’s Back! Good Cheer’s Biggest, Baddest Bag Sale Of Them All!

This is a reminder, a doorbuster sale, that takes place the first Tuesday of the Month between 10:00 a.m. and 5 p.m at the Langley store and from 9:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. at the Clothing Rack in Clinton. Mark your calendar for February 2nd and pile up some real bargains!

Ever wanted a real grab bag? Here’s your chance.

Come shop the Good Cheer Thrift Stores we’ll supply the bag, normal grocery store bag, and you do the choosing, grabbing and stuffing of any clothing item under $10.

Whatever clothing you can fit into one bag, you pay only $5! Now that’s a bargain!

Questions? Call 221-6454 or email kathy@goodcheer.org.

Find a treasure at either of the two Thrift Stores; Langley or Clinton. The bag sale is for clothing only.

Why buy new when used will do… and you can help end hunger at the same time?

Thrift Store (Langley)
114 Anthes / P.O. Box 144
Langley, WA 98260

Good Cheer Two Thrift Store (Clinton)

4777 Commercial, Clinton, WA (Near Clinton Food Mart & Jim’s Hardware)
Now Open 7 days A Week! • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Kids clothes too!

Good Cheer Two, Clinton Thrift Store, now sells clothing in an adjacent suite dubbed “Good Cheer Clothing Rack”.
The store sells gently used clothing for the entire family, everything from sleepwear to winter coats, plus shoes and accessories for $7 or less.

Proceeds help fund Good Cheer, which operates the community food bank.

While not clothing the fluffy toys are fun and make a good play thing for Fido.

Good Cheer’s Clothing Rack is open weekdays from noon to 5 p.m. and from noon. to 5 p.m. Sundays thru Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The bag sale is an exception to the normal operating hours; remember the Good Cheer Clothing Rack will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on the day of the sale.

The photos are from the Langley store, I’ll make a point of getting some from the Clinton store in the future.

Good Shopping!

Here is the link to her Good Cheer Blogsite.

The Langley Village Bakery makes for a wonderful local story. Misty Moore, the current owner, worked at the bakery from 1993-1999 as a baker/counterperson. She and her husband Johnnie (an aircraft mechanic) left Whidbey Island and spent a year in Arizona before they moved back to Stanwood in 2000.

They were thinking about starting a bakery in Stanwood, but karma took over. They found out that the bakery in Langley was up for sale. With a loan from the bank they were able to purchase the bakery that they named The Langley Village Bakery.

Misty and Johnnie have put their own style into this charming bakery. They did have some help from Wanda, one of the previous owners, who was able to pass along some old recipes to Misty.  So, with old recipes in hand, some paint and a little cleaning up they opened up shop. Her husband, an electrician in the aircraft business, starts his day in the wee hours of the morning baking goodies for you and the tourists. Perhaps the aircraft business might be a little easier; at least the hours?

Most days you’ll find Misty at the counter or relieving Johnnie. Misty has a warm smile for everyone.  She seems to know everyone by name; this is a real hometown bakery. I suggest it’s the people who own it that give it that atmosphere. Her daughter Taylor (10) and son Monty (14) help out around the bakery; it is definitely a family business!

The bakery is nestled in the part of town known as the Langley Village. There a quaint shops to browse and plenty of quiet spots to enjoy a pastry and a cup of coffee.

Thanks Misty; the cookies were GREAT!

The Langley Village Baker is located at 211 2nd St, Langley, Whidbey Island, WA 98260. You can reach the bakery at 360-221-3525; I’m sure that they can take care of your special needs.

Beneath the Salish Sea can be seen this weekend at the Clyde Theatre in Langley. We get a chance to witness the undersea odyssey of Florian Graner. Florian is a marine biologist who specializes in cinematography and photography. He has worked on a number of film projects for the BBC (The Blue Planet) and National Geographic.

His new film takes place right in our own backyard. Beneath the Salish Sea will give you a chance to see the wide   variety of fish life in the Puget Sound. He will takes us to Holmes Harbor and the area just off of Beverly Beach. This should be a real education on the rich ecosystems that are prevalant in the area. Florian will be at the Clyde after the show to answer your questions.

Beneath the Salish Sea
Sunday, January 17, 2010
2:00 to 3:30 at The Clyde

The SEA’s (Service, Education and Adventure Organization) 65-foot teaching vessel Indigo will also be at the Langley Marina. There will be free tours both before (11:00am – 2:00pm) and after (4:00 – 7:00pm) the film. This should be fun for everyone; you may have a budding oceanographer in your family.

This past year I wrote a few posts about the oceans while I was blogging in Nevada; perhaps longing for a return to the Pacific Northwest. The three posts were Green Oceans and Plastic, Sustainable Fisheries and Green Oceans Las Vegas. Just click on the titles to get to the posts.

Have a great weekend!

The Move Your Money Movement got started over the dinner table with a few friends. Those present were wondering what they could do personally that would help limit the the power of the big banks while creating a more equitable and stable financial system.

Risk and greed have have always been present in in our society, however, ever since the Glass-Steagall act was repealed in 1999 the impact on our financial markets has been more broadly felt. The repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act allowed banks to get involved in the investment business. If your interested you can click here to find out how this all developed; not surprisingly you will find the money boys at their worst or best depending on your perspective.

Getting back to the Move Your Money Movement. The financier at the table recommended “that everyone could move their money out of the Wall Street banks and into community banks. Community banks are typically more conservative about how they manage their money, they’re more closely connected to the people and businesses who live near them, and they’re more inclined to make loans they know will get paid back. In other words, they have the values that more people would want banks to have.”

The filmmaker at the table reminded the others of the story told in the classic film It’s A Wonderful Life — a tale about a small banker, played by Jimmy Stewart, who almost gets crushed by a big banker. In the end, though, the community rallies around the small bank and helps save it. You can click on the above photo and view the short video; I guess greed will always be with us. The point is whether we can change things.

In America money talks, just ask our politicians.

I think that if we look long and hard at are political system; it would be hard to deny that things need to be changed. The question is always how? When people think about changing the system we think in terms of electing a new President. The problem is that the party that is shut out of office then begins its fight to get re-elected. They surely don’t want to help the new President look good and hurt their chances of taking back the Presidency. We did not elect these politicians to spend their time on getting re-elected; we expected them to do their jobs and to be the voice of their constituents.

This cartoon is symbolic of the situation we face; not a knock on any particular party. They are both at fault!

Sometimes I wonder who our elected officials really listen to. It seems as though they follow the money. They seem to respond more to the lobbyists and political action groups than their real constituents. Party loyalty becomes shameful when actions and policies that are for the good of the country are not truly debated in a manner that you would expect of statesmen.

Thinking term limits?

A Constitutional Amendment would be needed for term limits to be put into law and that would need a two thirds vote to pass; not very likely based on past experience.

The system has handcuffed the public’s ability to seek true change. There is another recourse laid out in Article V of the Constitution. Two thirds of the states could demand a constitutional convention for an amendment to limit terms. Some would say that there is some danger in this since it could lead to other changes in the Constitution.

The Move Your Money movement is a simple idea that doesn’t need a constitutional amendment to make it work.

Keith Olbermann has an overview of the movement in a video you can access by clicking on the photo below.

The Move Your Money Movement is a grassroots effort to shift the power in the financial system away from Wall Street and to Main Street. Wall Street has done nothing to warrant our trust; they need to earn it back. Maybe this movement will stir a new beginning; we need to bring this country back to its roots!

Whidbey Island Bank is one of the community banks that is listed on the Move Your Money website. You can go the the website and explore the other community banks or credit unions that are named. They have identified the banks and credit unions that have a sound financial base; those that were not involved in the practices that took down some of the biggest banks.

This food bank on South Whidbey Island is all about good cheer. The Good Cheer Food Bank and its Thrift Stores have turned into quite a success story. Good Cheer had originally bought some property near the current location where they were going to build their new facility. Turns out the Masons were looking to sell their site and Good Cheer made the decision to buy the property and structures that now make up the facilities at the Good Cheer Food Bank.

I dropped by the food bank last week to find out a little bit more about the bank and the people that operate it. Most of the work that is done at the food bank and thrift store is done by volunteers. These special people take time out of their lives to help other people and there is no better work than people helping people.

The Good Cheer Food Bank is open six days a week to South Whidbey Residents in need of food. So, how does one access the food bank? Just show up; the staff will ask you some simple questions and you will need to have proof of South Whidbey residency. They trust people when they say they need food. This spirit of trust is reflection of the good people who work hard to make this a better community.

Clients are given a base of 70 points, plus ten extra points for every member of the household. For instance, a family of four would receive 100 points a month to spend on selection of food in the Food Bank.

Foods receive points ranging from one to fifteen for items that include cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, soup, pasta, flour, beans, rice, eggs, milk, bread, lunch meat, peanut butter, jam, noodles, sauces, potatoes, oatmeal, juice, chili, meat, chicken, and fish as available. Fresh fruit and vegetables are also available.

Good Cheer has an on-site garden that provides fresh produce to those in need. I intend to write another post on the garden in the near future. There is so much good coming out of this organization that I don’t have the space to show it all in one post.  The two photos are from the garden blog site; looks to be harvest time!

Good Cheer has a great program for kids in their WIN Program. Whidbey Island Nourishes is sponsored by Good Cheer. This is a volunteer effort that provides free, nutritious sack lunches to people in need (especially children).

The lunches are available for pickup at the Good Cheer Food Bank, Island Coffehouse & Books in Langley and the Good Cheer Two Thrift Store in Clinton.

Here is the link to the Good Cheer website. The website is very informative whether your in need help or you’re just wanting to help out; the website will get you moving in the right direction.

In this economic environment it is clear that people do need help. I know that many of us could use these services, however, we let our egos get in the way. Remember, these programs were set up for people needing help during the tough times that life sometimes hands us.

There are other ways to gain assistance in these tough times. Basic food aid (Food Stamps) sign-ups are now available at Helping Hand on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

A client services coordinator from the Opportunity Council is now available by appointment the first and third Tuesdays of each month at Helping Hand offices in Langley at 816 Camano Ave. opposite the Island County Fairgrounds.

The coordinator will help people determine if they are eligible to receive Basic Food Aid and can also provide help with energy assistance and rental assistance if needed. The representative will be available by appointment between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Appointments should be scheduled in advance by calling Helping Hand at (360) 221-7777 weekday mornings.  The savings that food stamps provide might allow you to treat your kids or just have some extra money available for emergencies.

It is comforting to know that people care. If you find that you need a little help; they are there for you.