August 14, 2020: Richard and Kim drive down from Oregon
Brother Richard and Kim started on a little road trip to visit me and then on to do some exploring in Nevada before return to their home in Eugene. On their way, they stopped in Roseburg to U-pick some cucumbers for the pickling project at my house.
August 15, 2020: Pickles
Today we started by washing the cucumbers and setting up an assembly line for the pickle making. Richard brought most of the supplies to can pickles: Jars, lids, rings, pickling salt and cucumbers!
Richard filled the empty jars with garlic cloves, fresh dill and pickling spices.
I added jalapeno pieces and/or chili flakes to the jar for heat. I won't know for several weeks if they are too hot or not.
Then he filled the jars with brine, put on the lids and rings.
We used 2 canning kettles to speed the process.
Processed jars on the left and jars ready for the hot water bath on the right.
Richard is an experienced pickle packer!
I brought out my copper kettle to process 3 tall jars. It was the first time I'd used it in the 30+ years that I have had it!!
More pickles!
Christmas, birthday, housewarming, friendship gifts in the making!
August 17, 2020: Road Trip
Richard and Kim took off from my house to drive east to Reno to explore the wild west of Nevada.
Heading east from Reno to Elko. Then north to Jawbidge. We had overcast skies and a little bit of rain, and a little bit of thunder. As we approach Winnamucka if is 91 degrees.
It was 106 through SAC and info the Sierra's but cooled down with the elevation. We did a little shopping and I found a like new Armani jacket for $5, found a Waterford water stem for $2. Give R our best wishes. .
We are now about 60-70 miles north of Elko at a lovely campground. We had soup for dinner after a G &T with one of your limes. On the way up here we passed a cell tower and a radio transmission tower so we listened to some of the convention.
Tonight at Wild Horse reservoir in North Central Nevada.
After a leisurely dinner, watching the sun go down, all hell broke loose. Lightening to the east and west plus high winds. I would guess 50 to 60 mph. It kept up for a couple hours. It rained quite a bit ( hopefully putting out any forest fires the lightening might have started). Ten minutes to midnight and the storm's moved on. A special shout out to REI for our four man tent which rode out the storm like a trouper.
Click on this link to see Richard and Kim experience a fierce thunder and lightning storm in Nevada.
E_MAIL: From: Tom Daniels Sent: Aug 20, 2020 To: redaniels100@earthlink.net
Subject: Secret Confession
I made 2 more jars of pickles. This was the Alton Brown recipe. No vinegar. You leave them on the counter and they ferment.
August 19-20, 2020: Richard and Kim return to their home
We got home late last night, Thursday August 20th. We began yesterday in Glenn Ferry, Idaho, the other side of Mountain Home. We drove south of MH and hooked up with the Owyhee backroad byway which is 90 miles on a gravel road that winds thru the Owyhee uplands high desert. We were headed to the Three Forks of the OWyhee where there is a wonderful hots spring.
The last three miles are switchbacks down a steep hill to a campground near the springs. We started down and the road was so rough with big rocks and ruts and such that about 400 feet down, I turned around in the roadway which was no mean feat trying to keep from plunging over the cliff the road was cut out of.
I was going to tell you that when I was looking at the jars of pickles I did here before heading to Oakland one of the jars didn't seal. I thought they all had. I put the jar in the fridge and with all the salt and vinegar there shouldn't be any bacteria to speak of so we tried them. There were quite good with a fair amount of crunch. You might not have to wait too long before eating yours.