Spokane Traditions -Dishman Hills

 

My father-in-law Bill is a little bit of a rebel.  A rebel for the sake of his doggy sons, Harley and Max.  He likes to wake up extra early in the morning so that he can get to his favorite hiking trails in Dishman Hills and let his dogs roam off- lease, before all the other dogs are there to distract the “boys”, and before all the other doggy parents are there to catch him. This particular morning, we got a bit of a late start, so to still circumvent the crowds we hiked up the steep back end of the trail.  The kids (and I) all loved the grand adventure.  Chad wore flip flops.  I wore Carina in the sling (that is my view of her down below, showing off a flower that Grandma picked for her).  I loved getting my heart pumping early in the morning.  Hiking in the west is the hiking I grew up – lots of uphill, blue skies, dry air, beautiful vistas.  AHHHHHHHH.

Spokane Traditions -Strawberry Picking

We tried a new U-Pick farm this year – Siemer’s Farm.  They had a nice little tractor ride over to the field. 

Chad’s brother Mike and his wife Lesli were in town with their cuties Ethan and Emi.  I was so happy we got to spend some time with them – they are always up for fun and so good at keeping all the kids entertained. 

Ollie was a real sweetie and good at picking.

At one point Carina wondered off and we kinda forgot to keep track of her until we all looked up and saw her a good 100 feet away and bounding back to us with a big smile on her face.  As soon as we noticed her she turned around and headed away again.  She was a happy happy girl there, but not too respectful of the neat rows.

Our niece Hailey helped take care of her after that.  I think Hailey might not trust our parenting skills (justified?)  I love 12 year old nieces, I am telling you.

Gabe was our serious serious picker.  He couldn’t stop.  I know just how he feels.  As we were leaving the field we both kept stopping to pick one last perfect strawberry.

Did I mention it was in the high 70’s and just perfect?

We didn’t make our traditional pies this year, because we were still adhering to our dietary ideals at this point (it was only our first full day there), but we did chow down on the fresh strawberries and I made a delicious strawberry and avocado salad with poppyseed dressing. 

Spokane Traditions- Strawberry Picking at Knapp’s

 

                                     

Not far out of Spokane is the Green Bluff Growers – “as association of small family farms and fruit stands.”  Three years ago, we drove over to see if we could pick our own strawberries, and we came across Knapp’s Farm.  We were so happy with our experience there that we have gone back every year.  They are easy to find, have plenty of parking, drive you into the field in golf carts (this year a 10 year old drove our’s quite expertly), and only charge $1 a lb.  If you have never had a warm, tender, strawberry straight from the field, you don’t know how delicious strawberries can be.  They are so much more delicious than the ones you get at the grocery store. 

My mother and father-in-law joined the fun this year.  When we got home, we carried out another tradition we created three years ago: we made four of these delicious Two Tier Strawberry Pies. and delivered them to Chad’s grandmas, his cousin, and his brother’s family.  I think we are bound by his family members keep that tradition well and alive every year we come. 

Here is the recipe, if you want to make it.  We have altered it slightly from the one on Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup heavy cream

1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust

1/3 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup grenadine syrup (if you can’t find this, look in the liquor section)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth and creamy. Stir in vanilla and almond extract. In a separate bowl, whip cream until peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Spread over bottom of baked pie shell. Chill.

2. In a saucepan, mix together sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water until smooth. Add grenadine and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, or until thickened. Allow to cool, then chill.

3.  Just before serving, stir together strawberries and cooled cornstarch mixture until evenly coated. Spread over cream cheese layer.

2010 trip here (Colin is wearing the shirt Gabe wore this year..awwww) and a picture from 2010 and 2009 here.