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Tag Archives: steelhead

Homemade Caviar

Oh my gosh – what a thing to even consider. Ken has brought home steelhead with skeins of eggs in them before and we always admired their beauty and wondered about eating them. They are a feast for the eyes – that’s for sure. I had been looking for a recipe to make them into caviar and found this one at Hunter|Angler|Gardener|Cook. It was surprisingly easy and took little time. I find it to be a little too salty and maybe it’s an acquired taste; I certainly didn’t like anchovies when I first tried them but now a Casesar dressing is tasteless without them. And a little bit of the caviar goes a long ways. The texture is wonderful – firm and then pop, and you get a little bit of the briny essential flavor of fish. It’s certainly something I’ll try again if Ken brings home more steelhead roe.

 

 

I waited for better light but it wasn’t coming

 

The tiny little silver spoon could use some polish.

 

A delicacy

 

Abundance

This seems like an abundant time of year! So much food to harvest and store away for the cold months when the ground and rivers are frozen. We are lucky to live in a fertile place full of food to grow and gather and savor and we enjoy it all.

My friend Mary Ann sent me home with half a box of plums the other day!

I cooked them down and added honey and crystalized ginger

Of course, the minute I turned my back on the stove, this happened! I could almost count on it.

Ginger plum sauce for waffles and also it will be good with duck and venison.

My grandma used these kinds of jars for her jams and jellies. There was a layer of paraffin under the lid to preserve the sweets. Nowadays that is not considered a safe method for food preservation. I used this jar for the leftover sauce that didn’t go into the regular canning jars. We will eat it fresh.

Nasturtiams are savored for their beauty, especially at this time of year when not many flowers are blooming.

They are also good in salads and spring rolls

Did you know that their seeds can be pickled to make a substitute for capers?

Ken’s first steelhead of the season, caught yesterday in the first hours of the opening.

Bridging the Gap

Today was the first day I’ve seen the new pedestrian bridge at Winthrop open and it was a glorious day to try it out! After spending most of the morning at the MVSTA ski swap it was nice to get outside and be reminded about some of the things we like about living here. The clear blue skies, the cottonwoods, the fish in the rivers, the birds flying in the trees and over the rivers, the camraderie of the friendly people who live here.

This new suspension bridge joins the old part of Winthrop with the newer developments to the south. Also it makes it incredibly easier to WALK from downtown to the Town Trailhead and the Ice Rink and other destinations on the west side of the river. Not only walk, but bike or ski. It’s a great place to watch wildlife – birds, fish, deer, rubber ducks…….. I saw and heard American Dippers flying up and downstream. It’s a great place to see Bald Eagles.

The most amazing thing to me is that many people have been and continue to be opposed to it! It is the first and needed step to continuing the trail system down river. Congratulations Winthrop on a job well done.

The new bridge is located slightly downstream from the confluence of the Chewuch and the Methow Rivers

Mount Gardner

Ken enjoyed watching the fish and talking about them. He identified at least four different species – whitefish, steelhead, bull trout and coho salmon!

Coho returning to Spring Creek to spawn. We were able to see numerous redds, the places where the fish lay their eggs.

 

Looking up Spring Creek on the left

Bald Eagle and a Steelhead along the Methow River

Warning – Not for the squeamish!

On the way home, we spied a Bald Eagle eating a hatchery raised Steelhead on the bank of the Methow River. We wondered how the bird got it. Was it stolen from a fisherman who’d left a prize catch sitting in the snow? Was it a fish that had died after being caught and escaping from a line? The Bald Eagles around here are primarily scavengers, not killing their own food. However it was procured, this bird had a very good meal before flying off with the head.

Bald Eagle eating a hatchery Steelhead along the Methow River

Bald Eagle eating a hatchery Steelhead along the Methow River

Bald Eagle eating a hatchery Steelhead along the Methow River

Bald Eagle eating a hatchery Steelhead along the Methow River

Bald Eagle eating a hatchery Steelhead along the Methow River

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