The Interweb is for Horses

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Teresa

Have you heard of LOLcats or “I Can Haz Cheezeburger”.
I present you… “LOLHorses”? Or maybe “I Can Haz Hay”?
I don’t know, but I do know horses can be hilarious…

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Throwback Thursday – Fire 1983

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Teresa

Memorial Day, 1983, most of Red Mountain went up in flames.  

These were some serious grass fires and in those days you can see that we didn’t have much landscaping to protect us.  Houses were few and far between — the isolation we sought when moving out here had the potential to work against us when the fires came.  

When we saw smoke, we got busy:  Dad hitched the disk to the tractor, mom and us kids started laying out sprinklers and hoses to try to establish a perimeter.  All animals went on lock-down.  Once the sprinklers were going we grabbed shovels.  

Dad disked our property line and our neighbors’ lines, digging about a 30′ swath of dirt.  It didn’t always help, and I can remember times of him driving the tractor and disk right into and through the flames, trying to bury the fire and drag it away from us.  We don’t have any pictures of that, we were all busy.  

We had to pay attention to wind direction, sprinkler position, and keep an eye out for the fire spreading to where we weren’t looking — it happened sometimes.  

I always worried about the wildlife and how the coyotes, curlew, burrowing owls, and snakes survived.  

Here, for the Throwback Thursday, are some photos of Red Mountain from June of 1983 after the Memorial Day fire, and now, July of 2014.  

 

Looking NNW off our porch. (Excuse the family cruiser in the foreground.)

Looking NNW off our porch. (Excuse the family cruiser in the foreground.)

Same view, 31 years later. (We replaced the van with the aesthetically more pleasing chicken coop)

Same view, 31 years later. (We replaced the van with the aesthetically more pleasing chicken coop)

Looking due North off the back porch.

Looking due North off the back porch.

Looking due North off the porch. E&E Shaw vineyards, then Heart of the Hill, then Goedhart.

Looking due North off the porch. E&E Shaw vineyards, then Heart of the Hill, then Goedhart.

Looking NNE off the back porch.

Looking NNE off the back porch.

Never thought I'd see anything but cheatgrass and sage on that side of the hill.

Never thought I’d see anything but cheatgrass and sage on that side of the hill.

 And, as a little bonus Throwback Thursday material, today’s my birthday.  Here’s a picture of me when I was just little, with the pony that started it all.  

Grandma, me, Grandpa, and "Lady". Probably in '71

Grandma, me, Grandpa, and “Lady”. Probably in ’71

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Learning to Drive

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Teresa

Heaven help us, our team of wagon horses is patient and there isn’t a day that goes by I’m not grateful to them for their generosity.

Seriously.

They are so kind and tolerant as we learn to drive.  

The first time I harnessed them it took me about 2 hours.  I had to keep consulting Google on my phone to make sure I had everything in exactly the right place.  (We’ve since hired experts to help us of course!)  Wish and Sis stood patiently, probably wondering what was taking so dang long.

When we harness them we take them into a small corral and just let them wander freely.  Jeff and I dedicate quite a bit of time to harnessing each horse — grooming them completely, even their thick, comb-busting manes.  
Then, together, we bridle them and hoist their harnesses on them – it’s no small feat to lift 75 to 80 pounds of leather up over your head and try to do it gently.  
The entire time, Wish and Sis stand quietly.  You’d almost think they are enjoying themselves.  Actually, I believe they really do.  As we harness one, the other horse comes over to us and pretty much just waits for its turn.  

It says a lot about the team and their experience.  It tells us that they’ve been handled well and kindly, and that they enjoy their job.  It tells us that while we might be pretty clumsy at harnessing them, we’ve managed not to be too offensive to them.  It also tells us that the team is willing to overlook a lot of our shenanigans as we learn.  

Who could ask for better teachers?

Thanks Wishbone and Sis.

Driving Wish

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Perfect Pork Tenderloin – “7-6-5”

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Teresa

What’s Playing in the Kitchen:

What’s Cooking:

This summer we’ve been serving a lot of pork tenderloin on our dinner rides.  For years I overcooked pork.  I mean, I went medieval on that stuff, almost as aggressive with it as that final scene in Terminator when the gas truck explodes… and for the same reasons.  I wanted that stuff done, and everything along with it done.  I had a neurotic fear of under-cooked pork.  

You’d think that a person would just decide NOT to eat pork, right?  It’s just that I’d had it cooked correctly, and it was wonderful, and not near as black as the stuff I’d cooked.  Instead of a puck-like, tooth-breaking “texture” it was tender, juicy.  If my pork tenderloin seemed juicy it was probably leftover water from dousing it after I’d torched it.  

So, here’s how I’ve been grilling perfect (not black) pork tenderloin.  It’s called the “7-6-5” method.

  1. Turn your grill on high and get it hot — about 10 minutes.
  2. Put your tenderloin on the grill and close the lid.  Leave for 7 minutes.
  3. After 7 minutes, flip the tenderloin to the other side, close the lid. Let cook for 6 minutes.
  4. After 6 minutes, turn off the heat, leave covered for 5 minutes.  

That’s all there is to it.  Then just take it off the grill and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

I serve it with some mango chutney, Riesling, herbed spuds, and salad.  

Enjoy!

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Veraison! (and other fun)

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Teresa

It’s here on Red Mountain!  

Véraison is a viticulture (grape-growing) term meaning “the onset of ripening”. It is originally French, but has been adopted into Englishuse. The official definition of veraison is “change of color of the grape berries.” Veraison represents the transition from berry growth to berry ripening, and many changes in berry development occur at veraison.

Veraison!

Meanwhile in the Media…

I wish I were half the marketing guru that the horses are.  No kidding.  People ask if we have called this or that news station or writer, because we get some really fun interviews and articles.  Nope, we’ve never approached anyone to write about us.  

The horses, on the other hand…

By virtue of standing out at the hitching rails, they’ve managed to make a number of friends “in the biz”.  Here are some new ones!

Touring and Tasting Magazine — “Ten Great Things to do in Washington Wine Country”

The Oregonian — “Red Mountain wine area in Yakima Valley offers horseback tours past gorgeous vineyards (photos)”

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Wishbone and Sis

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Teresa

We added a new couple of horses to our string in March.  They are a pair of Belgian draft horses named Wishbone and Sis.  They’re huge.  By huge I mean: if you’ve ever wanted to own a pet dinosaur, this is the closest you’d get.  

We’ve been spending our summer getting them outfitted for wagon rides.  

It takes a lot to do this — getting the pieces and parts of the harness and bridles to be sized correctly, to fit correctly.  And then there’s the wagon — having that all set up and ready takes a fair amount of time.  Of course, Jeff and I are learning to drive the team which is a team effort and takes time to really become proficient and safe.  In fact, the one piece of the whole equation that I think is really ready and knows the job inside and out is the team of Sis and Wish.  

We love it.

When we first got them, I have to say, their size was pretty darn intimidating.  But all you have to do is walk near their field and they come up to say hi, lowering those enormous heads down so you can scratch their foreheads.  

Wishbone and Sis love the following things, in the following order:  

  • Food
  • People
  • Work

A friend from the Drink and Draw club sent me this picture of Wishbone and Sis.  Wishbone is the big guy, Sis is the shorter mare.  Do those faces beg to be kissed or what?  

Keep an eye out on our Facebook page or on here for updates on these two!

WishNSis

 

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Hot Summer Days

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Teresa

From our house we have a good view of the horses.  I could pop a bowl of popcorn and watch them all day.  That is, if I wasn’t down hanging out with them.

We keep our horses in two small herds.  I call them “herdlets.”  One herd is “Team Wishbone” — named after the herdlet’s leader, a Belgian draft horse named Wishbone.  He’s giant, kind, but very opinionated.  Sort of like a benevolent dictator.

The other herdlet is “Team Wrigley”.  My saddle horse Wrigley is that herdlet’s leader.  She’s bossy, particular, and protective.  She’s a vocal leader, barking out orders via squeals and foot-stomping.  No one ever gets too far out of line on Team Wrigley.  Eating happens in shifts.  Wrigley and her lieutenant (USA) will eat when they good and well want to eat.  Axel and Suzzie are not allowed near the feeder until Wrigley and USA are finished. they won’t even try.  Nevermind that the feeder can easily accommodate 6 horses. This is a new experience for Axel as he used to be on Team Wishbone, and was even a high-ranking horse in that herd – second only to Wish.

Wishbone’s leadership style is more of an “influencing” style.  He lumbers along quietly, and when he wants a horse to move out of his way, he just shoves them out of his way.  He doesn’t make a lot of mean faces or threats.  He just rolls right on through.  

It’s interesting to me that there isn’t really a specific trait to being a leader.  When we first got Wrigley she was the bottom horse in a good-sized herd.  Now she’s a pretty demanding alpha.  Axel is one of our smaller horses, but he was the leader of Team Wishbone before Wishbone arrived.  Wishbone “overthrew” Axel mostly by virtue of just ignoring Axel’s attempts to show him who was boss.  When we first put Wish in the same herd as Axel, Axel would harass Wishbone — rearing up on his hind, pawing at him, biting him, just non-stop harassment.  Wishbone practically yawned and just shoved Axel away.  One time I saw Axel rear up on his hind legs to start in on Wish, and Wishbone just stepped ever-so-slightly into Axel, knocking him clear over on his back.  

Sometimes I’ve had to just look away — horses play and bicker pretty rough.  Yet, they are so tough.  Axel scrambled right back up and started in again on Wish like nothing happened.  

Even now, the times Axel is on Team Wishbone, he makes playful attempts to assert himself — chewing on Wishbone’s legs, biting him on the butt, trying to rear up and paw at him.  It’s quite funny and Wishbone is a very tolerant leader.  He mostly just yawns and lets Axel play himself out, then Wishbone will knock him back or over and Axel will decide to take a break.  

AxelnWishbone

 

Axel never ever approaches Wrigley that way.  Axel and Wrigs have been pasture-mates since Axel was weaned.  They were very attached for a long time.  He will challenge any other horse, but he’s never tried Wrigley.  I’ve seen him too close to whatever arbitrary line she’s drawn in the sand and she sends him packing.  She is more aggressive and intolerant of him.  

Fun to see their different “styles” of establishing leadership.  Glad I’m the boss though!  😉

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Well, Hello there!

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Teresa

It is no coincidence that I’ve basically stopped posting to this blog since the beginning of May.  Things got busy, and as much as I love to write, I’m pretty happy to have my days filled with trail-rides!

But gosh darn, we have so many horse tales to share with you.  I even went on a vineyard trail ride in Sonoma County!  

I’ll keep this short for now and leave you with two things:

  • We are offering a 20% discount on trail ride reservations over the next two weekends (Saturday – 7/26/14, Sunday – 7/27/14, Friday – 8/1/2014, Saturday – 8/2/14, and Sunday – 8/3/14).  You just have to make your reservation for those dates 12 hours in advance for the trail rides and 24 hours in advance for dinner rides.  
    To reserve, contact us at:  1-888-414-1619 or email at: info@redmountaintrails.com
  • The second thing is: this photo.  It was taken from the top of Red Mountain in May of 1980.  It looks down on what is now Goedhart in the foreground, Heart of the Hill (a Kiona vineyard) past that, and the little orchard used to be my family orchard but is now E&E Shaw vineyards (of Portrait Cellars).  My how things have changed.  Check out our Facebook page for Throwback Thursdays when I’ll be posting more images from “back in the day.”  Have a great weekend!
Looking south from the top of Red Mountain.

Looking south from the top of Red Mountain.

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We’re In The News!

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Teresa

Wrigley, ever the ham, spent most of the interview trying to eat the camera, microphone, and reporter.  

 
NBC Right Now/KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA |

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Happy Trails and the Reproduction of Asparagus

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Teresa

If you don’t read the rest of this post, at least enjoy this video.  How awesome is that?

What a nice weekend.   It was Spring Barrel Tasting in the valley, which means tons of buses and partying.  We left the horses at home, they just don’t party that much.

My good friend came from Montana and we spent Friday as tourists — tasting wine of course, here on Red Mountain.  

We started out with a pizza at Cafe Orsa (in the tasting room at Terra Blanca).  Marta tried to get me to try a fig pizza and I’m all like, “Look, I’m adventurous.  I like food.  But nothing about “fig pizza” is really resonating with me.”  Because it’s figs.  Which remind me of Fig Newtons.  Instead we had a to-die-for veggie pizza.  

We tasted at Frichette, I think my favorite is their Red table wine blend.  I love the landscaping around the winery, and they have classes and events happening ALL.  THE.  TIME!  

Of course we went to Kiona!  We were there about 5 minutes before Rob says from behind the bar, “Oh!  Hey, I didn’t recognize you without a cowboy hat and a magnum of wine under your arm!”  So I fixed that immediately and grabbed some wine.  I always buy a magnum of Vivacious Vicky white.  It is probably one of the best deals on the hill.  Also grabbed some Lemberger.  Oddly, whenever I’ve worked in the tasting room, Lemberger was always well-received.  Yet you really just don’t see a lot of it around.  

We ended our day with my dear friends and neighbors at Portrait Cellars.  I don’t know if you could call it wine tasting or just visiting with friends.  I’m a huge fan of all of their red wines and bought a couple bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon there.  

So yeah, that was a fun day. 

pickledasparagus

Then Jeff bought us some asparagus.  Sixty pounds.  I had a recipe that called for 30 pounds and said it would yield around 15 pints of pickled asparagus. …23 pints later and I was scrambling to find enough rings for my jars.  And, when I picked up all of the ends I’d snapped off, I swear the stuff was reproducing because I think I ended up with 23 pints of pickled pieces PLUS 30 pounds of scraps.  

I’m freezing the next 30 pounds but after the massive pickling production, I need a break.

If you’re into pickled asparagus (I only know one person who isn’t), here’s a great recipe courtesy of my friend Julie at Hootenanny Ranch.  Enjoy!

Julie's Pickled Asparagus
Yields 15
Slightly spicy, totally awesome pickled asparagus. These are great in salads, relish trays, and as a Bloody Mary garnish. Or, if you're us, they are great straight out of the jar for dinner.
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Ingredients
  1. 30 lbs asparagus
  2. Wide-mouth pint or quart jars. Wide-mouth jars are easier to pack.
Brine
  1. 3 quarts water
  2. 3 quarts apple cider vinegar (5% acidity, no substitutes)
  3. 2/3 cup pickling salt (don't use table salt)
  4. For the Pack (measurements are PER PINT)
  5. 2 cloves garlic
  6. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  7. 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  8. 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
  9. 1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
Instructions
  1. Clean, blanch, and drain asparagus.
  2. Prepare brine by putting all brine ingredients in large pot and bring to simmer. Keep hot for remaining steps.
  3. Place garlic cloves in bottom of each jar.
  4. Trim and pack asparagus spears. (quart jars would be easier with less trimming, but since there's just Jeff and I, I used pints.) KEEP TRIMMED PIECES - we process these the same as the rest, but keep for our personal stash and gift the jars that have full spears.
  5. Add peppers and mustard seeds to jars. (You might want more pepper, or other peppers or onions. I'm kind of a "less is more" girl.)
  6. Add brine to jars. Run knife along sides of jars to remove air pockets.
  7. Wipe rims of jars, put lids and rings on. Process in hot water bath for 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
https://www.redmountaintrails.com/
 If you have questions or need more information about canning and preserving, I highly recommend the Ball Blue Book of Preserving and the Fresh Preserving website.  

 

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