Organic Seed Savers Workshop for Enthusiastic San Juan County Farmers

Island Authors Works Make Thoughtful Gifts

Readers and island lovers might enjoy a gift that brings both together – a book from a San Juan Island author.

Chocolate Rum Truffles

Makes 24 Servings

This recipe is quick and easy, and since the truffles will keep for at least three weeks (if you don’t eat them before), they are nice make-ahead treats.

Harrison House Suites Granola

We get so many requests for our house-made granola recipe, I thought it was time to post it again. We make buckets of this yummy treat each week, not only offering it at our breakfast table to guests, but also sending it out to our local San Juan Food Coop, and to previous guests who prefer to order it rather than taking time to make it. The procedure is simple, but it does take a bit of time and attention.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies

So many gluten-free baked goods are overly sweet.  These cookies are just lightly sweetened, and the delicate sweetness of the golden raisins really shines through. We usually under-bake our cookies just a tad, so the centers stay chewy.

Salted Caramel Mousse

Yield: 6 servings

At the inns, we occasionally host luncheon meetings or garden parties for community groups or guests. This ethereal dessert is an intriguing gustatory surprise that is becoming an oft requested favorite.

Innkeeper Plays with Abbey Road

Eleanor Rigby has special significance for Sally Browne.  The classic Beatles tune features a cello solo, and our summer-time innkeeper, Sally, was thrilled to play the solo in her first appearance with a rock/pop band last Saturday evening at the San Juan Community Theatre.

The Band was Abbey Road, a Beatles tribute band.  For their repeat appearance in Friday Harbor, they employed six islanders to sit in with them on stage.  Their drummer was flanked by locals playing sax, trumpet and flute, and on the opposite side, what the band director dubbed “the lonely heart strings” – two violins and Sally’s cello.

With barely more than an hour’s rehearsal, the ensemble plunged into the familiar tunes of that famous album, while audience members, dressed in tie-dyed ‘60’s garb and groovy glasses, jumped out of their seats and boogied all night.

Sally quips she’s been playing cello “since it was bigger than me,” which puts it about 4^th grade.  Her professional music career spans decades of performing chamber music and in string quartets in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as teaching private music instruction. Since moving on island, she founded the local Performing Arts Society and has been teaching cello to private students as a sideline.

But even with written charts, going from the intimate environment of chamber music to the electronic blast of pop was quite an adjustment for Sally.  It was disconcerting for her not to be able to hear the other musicians – and even herself, since she discovered after-the-fact that her monitor was not properly adjusted.  She noted the band members were very gracious and patient, and enjoyed the evening immensely, but “chamber music is my heart and soul.”

We hope we have the opportunity to hear Sally perform her to heart’s content soon.

Washington Cherries For Breakfast Desserts

From the keyboard of Stephanie Prima-Sarantopulos:

The first of the Washington cherry crops arrived last week – to the delight of Anna Maria and me.  We both sat with bowls of cherries in front of us, gorging like black bears on the glossy, merlot-colored fruit.  From our local co-op we obtained boxes of Tieton Cherries, a variety that is extraordinarily large in size, quite firm, and intriguingly sweet – not too much, not too little, but J-U-S-T right.

While I’ve been content simply eating them “straight” for dessert after dinner, Anna Maria has been busily transforming them into breakfast desserts for our guests.  Cherry Trifle,  Cherry Frangipane Tart (cherry with a creamy almond filling), Angel Food cake with a Brandied Cherry Sauce, Cherry Torte (a sweet pastry crust base topped with cherries and a rich browned butter filling with a touch of lemon zest), or a simple bowl full of berries have all made an appearance at the breakfast table.

At the restaurant, Chef Alphonsine simmers a Balsamic Cherry Compote for our house-smoked duck entrée, and Chef Paul will be making some desserts for the restaurant as well.  Maybe I can talk him into making a batch of cherry sorbet for me……or cherry amaretto ice cream……or chocolate cherry gelato…or our killer knock off of Cherry Garcia?….hummm….

Parking Pass Now Required for Lime Kiln State Park

Travel Alert: As of July 1, visitors wishing to park a vehicle in WA state parks and recreations lands will need to purchase a Discover Pass.  The fee is $10 for a one-day pass, or $30 annually.

Photo Courtesy of Lighthouse Friends.com

You will need this vehicle pass in order to visit Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island.  Be forewarned, failure to display the pass as required will result in a $99 penalty.

The passes can be purchased

Down South Eggs Benedict

Makes 4 Servings

Our chef Paul la Valley likes to get creative in the mornings. One day he came up with a Southern-style Eggs Benedict which he served with roasted new potatoes. It was really different, and guests enjoyed his new twist on an old favorite.

Keep Up the Great Island Cleanup

Now that we’re all spending more time outdoors with this glorious weather, let’s remember to keep up the momentum of the Great Island Clean-up. If you see litter along the road, it only takes a moment to pick it up. Pack your picnic meal in reusable containers. Bring your reusable shopping bags. Once you put your mind to it, you’ll find it’s easy to reduce, reuse, and recycle. And while we’re on the “R” words, let’s add “Respect” and a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T for our environment, our fellow islanders, and our visitors.

What to Do with Jerusalem Artichokes

They’re known as Jerusalem Artichokes, though some people call them sunroots or sunchokes or earth apples or (as in France) topinambur.  Most of us don’t call them anything because we can’t figure out what the heck to do with those gnarly-looking things, so why bother?

New Chef at Harrison House Suites

Paul la Valley Joins Harrison House Suites / Tucker House Inn / Coho Restaurant

People come and people go, and our inn is no exception to the movement of personalities. 

Innkeeper Moves On

Innkeeper John Hamilton has left us to further his career with the newly formed Cask and Schooner in Friday Harbor.  Acting as the Head Chef and Kitchen Manager of the restaurant portion of the tavern, John will apply his love of locally grown foods to the menu he’s creating for the new venture.  Focusing primarily on pub-style food, John hopes to incorporate lots of vegetarian and gluten-free options, including gluten-free beer.  For more information on this latest addition to the Friday Harbor scene, visit our blog on Experience San Juan Island.com.

Onward Winter Projects!

A lot of inns on San Juan Island close for the winter months, but that’s the only time we find to work on our “Winter Projects” lists.  After collecting suggestions from all the staff members, Anna Maria set up prioritized lists for everyone.  We’ve been slowly whittling away, crossing off, lining out.  So far, Erin gets the prize for the most accomplished on her list.  She’s cleaned carpets, painted rooms, sanded and painted cabinets, and more.  Bravo, Erin!

Here are some photos of work in progress:

Classic Doggie Loves

Our four-legged friends give us so much love, they deserve to have special treats on Valentine’s day too.

We bake cookies every day for our two-legged guests, and developed these wholesome treats for our many canine guests.  They are delivered to the guest rooms along with people-cookies, and the heart shape makes them perfect for this special remembrance of love, though you can be sure your four-legged friend will love them in ANY shape.

Holiday Greetings from the Harrison House Suites

Friday Harbor Inn Drowning in Eggnog

From the Keyboard of Stephanie Prima-Sarantopulos: We ordered 2 quarts.  We received 2 cases!  There they were, stacked like soldiers in tidy rows on the bottom shelf of the reach-in refrigerator.  Whaddaya do with 24 bottles of eggnog?  Short of bathing in it, we had to figure out creative ways to use it up before the two-week expiration date.  We’re talking rich, full fat, very lightly homogenized, perfectly seasoned, old-fashioned eggnog in glass bottles; the kind you only need a tiny glass of to satisfy.

Custom Tours for Winter San Juan Island Visitors

Just because the temperature has dropped some and there may be a bit more precipitation or wind, doesn’t mean the island has shut down for tourism.

We’re happy to introduce Suzie and Hawk Pingree at Westcott Bay Cider Company, who have offered customs tours for our inn guests.  The Pingrees bought into the company in August, and are in the process of ramping up the business to include distilled products.  The cider works is way back at the end of a gravel road that winds along Westcott Bay – a treat in itself to experience the island from a vantage point that most visitors never see.  The simple structure is being revamped to include a tasting bar, gift center, picnic area, and a windowed room to view the distilling process; but right now, it’s fun just to chat with them and have them show you the equipment and explain the cider-making process.  Currently they produce traditional English-style cider (which means no malolactic fermentation) in Very Dry, Dry and Medium Sweet.  In the works: Eau de Vie, Pommeau, Gin, and Calvados. (See our Coho Restaurant blog for more information on this interesting process).  They only produced 400 cases this year, most of which is sold through distributors to high end stores in West Seattle.  We carry it here at our inns and restaurant, but you’ll definitely want to buy it at the source – it just “tastes” so much better when you buy direct from the producer whom you’ve visited.

Naknek Charters, our local dive company will take visitors out on their boat to see the Steller Sea Lions. They have comfortable indoor seating on their boat, and provide hot beverages and cookies during the three-hour tour – that big cooking stove they have heats up the cabin marvelously.  Co-owner and Captain Peggy is a naturalist certified by the local Whale Museum, and she points out eagles and other fowl and sea critters you might see along the way.  It takes about 45 minutes to get to the site where the sea lions hang out, and they spend about a half hour there watching the antics of these testosterone-charged males.  Yes, males – no females.  The females are all at the breeding grounds raising the kids, and the males only show up there when it’s time to do their thing; from about October to April, they hang here around the Cattle Pass area on San Juan Island.  Steller Sea Lions, the largest of the eared seals, are now on the Endangered Species list do to their declining numbers.  The cost of the tour is $65 for adults, $35 for children 12 and under – all they ask is a two-person minimum. 

San Juan Outfitters still has kayak guides on-island, and continues to offer their three-hour tour throughout the winter as long as the weather is reasonable – they don’t want to be on the water if the wind and waves are high.  Their tours may be at different locations around the island rather than just on the west side, and the focus is on wildlife viewing.  Reservations are a must – if there’s no one booked, those guides just might head off island to go skiing or vacationing elsewhere.

The Zip San Juan tour has finally been completed, though winter tours are a bit sketchy – it’s definitely something you can only do when there’s no wind or rain.  Hanging from cables strung through the forest canopy from platform to platform, you traverse over wetlands, a lake, and stunning scenery.  The tour is designed for people who are relatively physically fit, with average mobility and strength, and in reasonably good health.  Children under 17 must be accompanied by an adult.  For safety reasons, there are weight restrictions of 60 to 300 pounds.  The 2 ½-hour tour runs $75 for adults, and $65 for children age 14 and under.

Ryan Browne, our local wild forager, is still on island, offering custom tours of the islands’ forests and fields.  He is well versed in the historical uses of the plants and trees, whether they were used for food, medicine, soaps, cosmetics, tools or shelter, as well as modern-day purposes.  Guests always come back enthusiastic and amazed at Ryan’s breadth of knowledge.  On this tour you’ll need to be prepared to tromp through puddles and mud – but that’s part of the fun.  Also, it’s another rare treat to be guided through areas where most visitors never have opportunity to go.  Private tours require a minimum of two people and run $60 plus tax and gratuity if you choose.

We still have concierge services at the inn, and we’re happy to set up any activities you’d like – just give us a call, ask for Stephanie.

Friday Harbor Farmers Market Moves Indoors

Susan & Peter Corning - Synergy Farms

Even though the temperatures are dropping, our hard-working farmers are still at it.  The crops may not be as prolific as in the warmer months, but we islanders still have locally-grown produce available to us, including carrots, cabbage, potatoes, other root vegetables and more.  The farmer’s market moves indoors to the Friday Harbor High School Commons on the first Saturday of each month, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.  (The late morning starting time allows off-island growers to catch the early ferry to San Juan Island.)

One nice thing about this location is that it offers more space for craft booths and ready-made food vendors.  They all add to the fun of socializing at the market!