Tiny Tomato Treats

In October, I shared how I picked my green Early Girl tomatoes and brought them into the house to ripen (see Saving Green Tomatoes). They were a big success. When it came time to pull out my cherry tomato plants, I tried the same thing. I removed and kept all of the undamaged green cherry tomatoes. What remained was chopped up for the compost pile. Nothing goes to waste.

I placed all of the little tomatoes on cookie sheets and placed them on a cool dark shelf in the downstairs guest room. They have been there for about a month now and are ripening nicely. When the larger tomatoes ripened, I didn't lose any. With these smaller one,s I have to throw away a few that rot or wither every few days.

When the tiny tomatoes start to turn pink I move them to the kitchen window sill to redden. Here they have a great view and a bit of warmth much like they had on the vine. They end up juicy and tasty in salads that bring back memories of long gone summer days. -- Margy

Powell River Books Showcased on Tiny House Blog

Last month I introduced a great blog called The Tiny House Blog. The author is Kent Griswold, a fan of small structures.

The goal of the tiny house blog is to discover the different options available for a person looking to down size into a tiny house or cabin.

After I posted a picture of our float cabin on the blog's forum, Kent ask me to write some feature articles. The first gave some basic information and pictures about our float cabin on Powell Lake in Coastal BC. The second was about some of the conveniences that make our cabin a comfortable home. So, head on over to the Tiny House Blog.

Since the blog's inception in May 2007, Kent has worked diligently towards his goal. Now, over a year later, there are lots of styles and information to choose from such as:

• Dome
• Earth/Cob
• Floating Home
• Log Construction
• Straw Bale
• Timber Frame
• Tree House
• Yurts

If you like to communicate with other people who like cabins and other small structures, stop by the Tiny House Forum. And thanks again Kent for all the great coverage for Powell River Books! -- Margy

Stick and Mom Together

Wayne and I have a cat named Stick Tail. When we moved north to Canada, my 92 year-young mom came to live near us.

When that happened, Stick flew from California to move in and start his new job to keep her company at her new home in Washington State.

Now Mom and Stick frequently drive north to visit us at our home in Powell River. They ride comfortably for seven hours including two ferry rides. When they get here, we all take a boat ride to the float cabin for some "together" time.

No matter where they are, Mom and Stick are together, morning, noon and night. I think it's been good for both of them, don't you? -- Margy

Woodstove Cooking: Pouch Potatoes

In September, I shared how to cure and store onions and in October, how to store potatoes for use throughout the winter. I went into my stash last night to make one of my favourite comfort food side dishes. I call it "Pouch Potatoes."

The ingredients can vary, but my staples are potatoes, onions, green peppers and herbs. Start with a large rectangle of aluminum foil. Using a paper towel, spread about one teaspoon of margarine up to about one inch of the edge. Slice potatoes (enough for two servings) and place them on the foil. Top with sliced onions and green peppers. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. I like Rosemary, Thyme, Basil and Sage, but you can use whatever you like. Pull the foil up and seal the edges by folding them over several times. This makes a cooking pouch that should not leak. I sometimes use a second piece of foil to double the pouch, especially when I am going to cook the potatoes in my wood stove. I don't want any grease to leak onto the bricks.

I cook my "Pouch Potatoes" in two ways. If we are barbecuing, I put them on the grill for about half an hour, turning them several times to brown on both sides. If I have my wood stove going, I cook them inside near the front after the wood burns down to coals. Either way, they make a tasty side dish for meat, fish or chicken. Give them a try. They're so easy they almost cook themselves. -- Margy

Nanton Lake Forest Campground

Powell River is well known for its Forest Canoe Route. This paddling route follows a beautiful chain of lakes with portages inbetween. Not everyone is a canoe enthusiast, but you can enjoy these same lakes by car, truck or ATV. Recently, Wayne and I rode our quads to Nanton Lake and its Forest Service Recreation Site.

Nanton Lake offers wilderness camping with 25 sites that have picnic tables and fire rings along the lake's shore. Each one takes advantage of natural trees and bushes for privacy. It's primitive camping with pit toilets. Bring your own drinking water and enough supplies for the length of your stay. I've seen trailers and small RVs here, but I would recommend getting road advice if you aren't familiar with the area. Each year the Powell River ATV Club heads to Nanton Lake for a weekend of comraderee and off-road trail riding.

A small boat launch with floats into deeper water makes it a good spot for small boats, kayaks and, of course, canoes. Native Cutthroat Trout and Kokanee Salmon give anglers lots of sporting action. If you have a watercraft, you can even enter adjacent Horseshoe Lake without a portage.

To reach Nanton Lake take Highway 101 south from Powell River for 16 kilometres (1o miles) to Dixon Road in the Lang Bay area. Turn left onto Dixon Road. In about a kilometre it will turn into a dirt logging road. Just before you come to Lois Lake, take the Goat Lake Main one-way access road to the left. Stay on Goat Lake Main for about 20 kilometres (12.4 miles). There's a small vertical marker on the right at the entrance road to the Nanton Lake campground. If you are not familiar with the are,a it's a good idea to watch your mileage.

For more information, and to check road access restrictions, you can contact the Ministry of Forests at (604) 485-0700 or visit their office at 7077 Duncan Street in Powell River. Because there is active logging in the area during the week, access is limited to after 6:00 in the evening (this works in summer) or on weekends. Even then, be on the lookout for logging trucks.

The dirt road is usually in good shape (go slow for potholes) during the summer and fall months. Snow in the winter and mucky mud in the spring can limit access for vehicles without four-wheel drive and sometimes chains.

So if you are looking for some wilderness camping, fishing, canoeing, kayaking or just relaxing in natural surroundings put Powell River and Nanton Lake on your list of places to visit.

If you want more information about exploring Powell River's backcountry I recommend reading Wayne's books Up the Main or Up the Winter Trail. They are both available online at www.PowellRiverBooks.com

Call Me Mr. Blue

We have a "new to us" kayak we call Mr. Blue.

Our good friend John found Mr. Blue abandoned on the shore while boating at the head of Jervis Inlet. After a year sitting at John's cabin, we made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Now Mr. Blue rides along our transition float ready to go into action at a moment's notice.

Mr. Blue is a double Ocean Kayak built in Ferndale, Washington. It's a Malibu Two and it is what I call a "sit on" model. It is perfectly suited for paddling as a single or double. Wayne heads out with his fishing pole to troll for lake trout. I love to explore the shoreline to see if there area any treasures or useful items.

Are you interested in what living in a float cabin is like? Click here. -- Margy

"Woodsmen of the West" by M. Allerdale Grainger

Coastal British Columbia is one of the few places that has a smaller population now than it did early in the 20th Century. All up and down the coast you could find remote logging camps, solitary hand-loggers, fishermen, canneries and settlers eking out a living in remote inlets. Then the canneries closed, support towns disappeared, logging practices changed and higher speed transportation altered the location of population centers.

I love my new home in Coastal BC and enjoy reading about what life was like in the early days. Woodsmen of the West, written by M. Allerdale Grainger in 1908, is such a book. Grainger worked in the forestry industry as a chief of records, secretary of a royal commission on logging practices and chief forester. His book is fiction, but it's a realistic account about life in remote forests and camps.

The main character is Marty, an immigrant from England who has come to Canada to make his way. You follow him through the hotels, bars and hiring halls on Cordova Street in Vancouver, up the coast on the steamship Cassiar and to the Carter's remote logging camp in Coola Inlet. The book then switches to follow Carter's life and how he became a "Boss logger" and the owner of his own logging camp. It's a hard life for logger and boss alike. You get glimpses of the the pleasures and dangers of working in the forest, evenings around the wood stove in the bunkhouse, and annual trips to the city to drink and spend hard earned dollars.

If you are looking for a historical novel that is authentic, I highly recommend Woodsmen of the West. It can be purchased online at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca or Chapters.ca.

When I'm at the cabin, reading is one of my favourite pastimes. Do you have any suggestions for me? -- Margy