Once upon a time there was a farm stand: Country Mercantile

August 7, 2015 by Beth Shepherd

Once upon a time, there was a little roadside produce stand in the Tri-Cities. The little stand grew and grew and grew, until one day it morphed into Country Mercantile. When you see everything (and I mean everything) the store has to offer, it’s hard to imagine owners Jay and Janece Wood’s humble beginning, selling seasonal fruits and vegetables, much of it grown their farm near Basin City some 30 miles north of Richland, Washington.

The 22,000-square-foot store I visited in Richland is on Ava Way off off I-82 and Dallas Road. This new location the Wood’s second brick and mortar. Their first store, situated in Pasco, opened in 1997.

Both stores feature Northwest gourmet foods along with mouth-watering chocolates, bread, ice cream, tamales, salsa and chips all made by hand. During my tour of the store with “Mercantile Max” ( store manager Max Uriostegui, who has been with Country Mercantile for well over a decade), I found out about the many ways the Mercantile really puts family into this mom and pop business.

Max told me how his mom makes all the tamales and all the salsas, with the help of nieces and nephews. He could trace each and every recipe to someone he knew. He also recounted his own story of how he was hired by the Wood family and, over time, helped grow the business into what it is today.

Max studied chocolate and ice cream making, perfecting his skills with chocolate covered nuts, handmade truffles, fudge and a myriad of chocolate confections, along with umpteen flavors of ice cream and gelato (now mostly made by staff he trained). All I can say is: I want to eat at his house!

Another thing I was really impressed with is that Max listens–truly listens–to his staff and customers. When one of the staff suggested piling truffles high and deep (rather than the traditional sparely staged look), he let her give it a try. Sure enough, instead of buying one truffle here and another truffle there, customers loaded their bags to full truffle capacity.

Max also finds creative ways to incorporate the talents and expertise of his staff, like the employee he pointed to while we were chatting whose photography is featured throughout the store. I feel certain the success of Country Mercantile is equal measure rock solid employee relations, great products, and exceptional customer service that keeps customers coming back again and again.

If you find yourself in the Tri-Cities, go fill up your shopping basket at Country Mercantile. And say hi to Max!

Country Mercantile Richland

5015 Ava Way, Richland, WA 99352

Store hours: 7:00am – 9:00pm PST/Open 7 days a week

Country Mercantile Pasco
232 Crestloch Rd., Pasco, WA 99301

Store hours: 7:00am – 8:00pm PST/Open 7 days a week

My visit was hosted by Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau, but all opinions expressed are my own.

And if you want to read more about all things Pampers, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or RSS/email.

Take the road less traveled, Beth

Armenian brandy

February 5, 2015 by Beth Shepherd

In my opinion, unless you’re a teetotaler, you can’t visit Armenia without bringing home a bottle of brandy. I’ve written posts about using our ArArAt brandy to make Brandied Cherries, and commented that it was our beverage of choice when we’ve celebrated adoption milestones (before we adopted and since).

On our last trip in 2012, I was so committed to bringing a bottle back that I frantically repacked our carry-on bag at Heathrow Airport so we could check through one more bag with our duty-free 20-year ArArAt brandy inside. Otherwise our precious cargo would have wound up in the in the dumpster rather than at our home. Who knew? Even duty free wasn’t safe (if it wasn’t EU).

But–until now–I haven’t written much about the brandy itself. Armenian brandy is made from white grapes and spring water according to a traditional method. Depending on how long it’s aged and where the grapes and spring water are sourced, every brandy has its own distinct color, aroma and flavor. When making Armenian brandy, only endemic grape varietals are used, such as Voskehat, Garan Dmak, and Kangun.

I also want to point out that while all cognac is brandy, all brandies are not cognac. Legally, a brandy cannot be called ‘cognac,’ unless it was produced in the Cognac region of France. However, in 1900 Armenian brandy won the legal right to be labeled cognac after it won the Grand-prix award at the Universal Expo of Paris. Although calling Armenian brandy cognac is no longer legal (and ceased to be the case after WWII), you will still hear hear Armenian brandy being referred to as cognac in Armenia, Russia and other former Soviet Union countries.

The roots of the Yerevan Brandy Company, where ArArAt brandy is made, go back to 1887 when Nerses Tairian, a merchant who built the first wine and brandy factory in Armenia. In 1899 the company was acquired by a Russian industrial company “Shustov and Sons.” At the beginning of the 20th century “Shustov and Sons” acquired the status of Armenian brandy supplier to the court of His Imperial Majesty Nicholas II.

The first bottle we brought home was ArArAt 15 year Prazdnichny made by the Yerevan Brandy Company. It was delicious. Unfortunately, it was so good that it is now gone, and I’m not sure they even make this particular brandy anymore because it isn’t listed on their website.

Next we brought home another ArArAt, also aged 15 years, but called Vaspurakan, which is Armenian for “noble country.” This brandy, as described on the company’s website: Intense amber color with a tinge of “old gold”. Bright, elegant and complex aroma with shades of spices, oak bark and dried fruit. At the end one can feel tinges of balm. Rich, complex, complete, astonishingly mild and rounded taste. Light sharpness at the end is smoothed by clearly expressed sweet notes. Long and noble aftertaste.

I heartily agree with their description. We have really enjoyed it but, as you can see, we have a only a few shots remaining. So sad.

Our sole remaining bottle is Ararat Nairi, aged 20 years. The Nairi people inhabited the Kingdom of Urartu that stretched along the shores of Lake Van, which is now the largest lake in Turkey. According to ArArAt, this brandy is: Beautiful deep dark amber color. Pleasing glow and spotless transparency. Harmonious, silky, complex and refined texture. Balsamic fragrance and transition to cedar tones. Rich and complex taste with a pleasant long-lasting aftertaste. Refined combination of fried bread and cloves is counterbalanced by tinges of cinnamon and honey.

Nairi sounds divine. I can’t wait to try it, except that it is our very last bottle of Armenian brandy.

One thing I’ve never done is take a tour of the Yerevan Brandy Company, and I’d really like to. I am also interested in broadening my Armenian brandy horizons by trying Amenian brandy made by other companies–Yerevan Brandy Company isn’t the only maker of brandy in Armenia.. With that in mind, and our supply dwindling, maybe it’s time to go back and get more.

Take the road less traveled, Beth

12th Man Brew

January 30, 2015 by Beth Shepherd

Most of my friends know: a) I don’t watch sports, b) I don’t drink beer. You might wonder why I’ve written a post about a beer dedicated to the fans of a football team?

Here’s why. The Seahawks are in the Superbowl–again. All of Seattle is decked out in blue and green. Everywhere you look there are 12th man flags. This is why I’ve been feeling a bit like Scrooge of the Emerald City. So when I saw Dick’s Brewing Company’s 12 Man Pale Ale, I had to buy a case. Plus it was $4.99 at the Grocery Outlet, for a case of 12 (naturally!). How could I go wrong?

Dick’s Brewing Company describes 12 Man Pale Ale as follows:

A mild and pleasant ale with a touch of residual sweetness. 12 Man Pale Ale is a solid, easy drinking beer that goes down smooth but doesn’t sacrifice on flavor. Caramel and Munich specialty malts are combined with premium northwest 2-row malted barley to create a light copper color. We add just enough hops for a delicate bitterness, subdued hop flavor and a nice aroma. Fermentation with our house yeast creates a fine English style ale approachable by the beer drinking Sports Fan.

Of course I also needed input from Big Papa, my resident beer afficianado. Tasting notes per Big Papa (without having read Dick’s notes first):

Light bitter aroma. Pleasantly hoppy. A hint of citrus. Light on the palate. Hoppy finish. A tad effervescent (as one might expect with a fermented beverage). Pleasantly refreshing.

So drink up Seahawks fans! Happy Superbowl–and GO HAWKS!

Take the road less traveled, Beth

Turkey Hugger

November 28, 2014 by Beth Shepherd

Some people are tree huggers.

My daughter is a turkey hugger.

A delicious day of thanks!

Take the road less traveled, Beth

Cider and the City

October 15, 2014 by Beth Shepherd

Give me your tired, your poorly shaped, your pock-marked, your huddled masses of unused apples, yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse from your teeming trees. And, with them, make apple cider!

This past weekend, I did just that when I attended ‘Cider and Apple Juice Basics,’ a free class at my favorite neighborhood garden store, City People’s. The class covered which apples to use, the basics of pressing juice, making apple juice and then moving on to hard cider. Among other facts, we learned it takes between 14 to 16 pounds of apples (about 36 apples, depending on size) to make one gallon of cider.

Although everyone has an opinion about which apples make the tastiest cider, in general, a blend is best. Just like other beverages (wine and beer come to mind) you want to find a balance of four key qualities: sugar, acid, tannin and flavor. A typical “recipe” includes 30-60% sweet, 10-40% tart/acidic, 5-20% bitter/tannic, and 10-20% aromatic. A few examples of sweet apples: Cortland, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty; tart apples: Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Pippin; tannic apples: Liberty, Northern Spy, crabapples; and, aromatic apples: McIntosh, Red Delicious. Together, they make beautiful music in the form of apple juice and cider!

After the class, we headed out to the nursery where City Fruit was hosting a Cider Press Event. They had a cider press set up, and volunteers to help cut, grind, and press the apples into juice. I brought a bag of not-so-perfect apples from our espaliered apple trees (purchased, by the way, at City People’s a few years ago) to donate to the cause. City Fruit helps urban folk understand that fruit trees in our midst are a valuable resource. Sadly, most urban fruit falls to the ground and is wasted. People don’t really know how (or have the time) to pick their trees, they’re not so keen on eating fruit that’s blemished or housing a pest or two. So City Fruit has taken up the mantle of harvesting, preserving and promoting the sharing of fruit, along with working to protect urban fruit trees.

Acquiring apples is the first step in juice or cider making. We had those thanks to generous donations and the hard work of City Fruit volunteers who help with residential harvests and Urban Orchard Stewards who harvest fruit from Seattle Parks. More than 30 Seattle parks have fruit trees, often the remnants of heritage orchards, and several parks and pea patches have planted mini-orchards as part of a community garden.

Step 2 is cleaning and cutting the apples for grinding. At the Cider Press Event, lots of hands (and knives) were used to cut out the bad spots and slice the apples into sections. Next, for Step 3, the apples were run through a fruit grinder. The end result looked like this: apple mash.

Then the apples are put inside a mesh bag and–Step 4–placed inside the press. I took my turn cranking the hand jack to press the apples through the mesh. It’s pretty easy at first and then puts up more of a fight.

And look! There it is, literally cold off the press. Delicious!

When you take a few (pounds) of less-than-pretty apples, and turn them into cider…

One bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch, girl.

~Osmonds

If you’re a cider aficionado, check out City Fruit’s upcoming events, such as the 4th Annual Cider Fest, the Seattle Tree Fruit Society 2014 Fall Fruit Show, or the 3rd Annual Cider Press and Food Drive.

And if you want to learn more about gardening, City People’s offers some awesome free workshops.

Take the road less traveled, Beth

If you can’t bring the girl to Armenia

September 17, 2014 by Beth Shepherd

…bring Armenian food to the girl.

Seattle is a long way from Armenia but, in early fall, my heart is there. I long for a warm evening, a sidewalk cafe, and a slice of lahmajun with a glass of tahn on the side. So on a warm night in late September, we laid out an assortment of small plates on our deck. I freely admit it’s not the real Armenian deal. Pita took the place of lavash, Loukanika (Thank you Olympic Provisions!) stood in for sujuk, and none of my favorites–like Spas (yogurt soup), kufteh (stuffed meat balls) or lahmajun (pizza)–graced our table.

But in the spirit of Armenia, we dined. I closed my eyes and–for a moment–tried to imagine we had just returned from an evening stroll, where we walked up the to the top of the Cascade, and gazed down upon all of Yerevan with Mt. Ararat looming on the horizon, instead of sitting beside the Cascade Mountains under the shadow of Mt. Rainier.

Take the road less traveled, Beth

By jove, there goes our stove

August 15, 2014 by Beth Shepherd

I think every woman should have a blowtorch

~Julia Child

Today–ironically–on what-would-have-been Julia Child’s 102nd birthday, I am writing an ode to our old stove. Because, yesterday, we bid adieu. The stove predated Big Papa’s purchase of the Urban Cabin, and was at least 11 years old, probably closer to 15.

Its time had come. How many times had I rotated our intended meal to ensure each side was thoroughly cooked? How frequently did large pans tip over on a burner that was too small?

Our new, swanky range arrived mid-morning. Okay, so it’s not an AGA,Viking, or Wolf, but rather humble GE (my father, a former GE employee, would approve). But it’s new, ours, and has a convection oven and a cook-top griddle. As Little Bird says: My excited.

Big Papa and I reminisced about ye old stove before the installation guys took it away (and the color of our old kitchen, revealed when the stove disappeared). Nine ‘Shepherd’s Pies’ set off fire alarms from this stove. Hundreds of meals were prepared, and a lot of water had boiled on its burners.

And then…there it was. In all its shiny new glory. I may not have a blowtorch, but I do have a new stove.

Happy Birthday, Julia!

Take the road less traveled, Beth

Sippin’ on the dock of the bay: Kitsap Wine Festival

August 13, 2014 by Beth Shepherd

Wine, food, music, sun, and salt-water breeze. What’s not to like? Six years running, the Kitsap Wine Festival has proffered sips and nibbles alongside the Bremerton waterfront at the Harborside Fountain Park, literally a stone’s throw away from the Bremerton ferry dock.

Copper fountains, modeled after submarines, spouted water amidst lovely gardens overlooking Puget Sound. Festival-goers sampled wine and beer from over forty northwest wineries and breweries, along with tastes of food from local restaurants and purveyors.

We savored iridescent Bella Bella macaroons, beet salad, tapas, and a lovely array of cheeses. All tasty partners for belle of the ball –wine.

A few wineries we’ve been to, and enjoyed, were at the festival: Chandler Reach, Terra Blanca, and Forgeron Cellars (though sad to hear the news that Salsa, our favorite wine dog, had recently passed away). And we discovered new favorites like Laurelhurst Cellars, and Maryhill Winery, winner of the 2014 Winery of the Year at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

Our own prize, for the most innovative grape varietal, goes to the Black Moosecat (okay, really Black Muscat) used in Stina’s Cellars Rebus Red. Our cat Maggie goes by the nickname ‘Moose’ and, on occasion, we call her Moosecat.

We drank. We ate. We looked and listened. And then we purchased. A few choice bottles, selected at the wine and retail shop on site, accompanied us as we made our way back across Puget Sound.

Hanging out at the Kitsap Wine Festival was a delicious way to while away an afternoon, but the best part–all proceeds went to a good cause: Harrison Medical Center Foundation. I’ll drink to that.

Take the road less traveled, Beth

Tea party alfresco!

July 2, 2014 by Beth Shepherd

Tea party alfresco!

“Tea for two, plus me and you,” says Little Bird

Big Papa and Maggie agree, “Let’s get this party started!”‘

Maggie is intrigued, “Are we having catnip teacakes to go with?”

Little Bird is off to take care of her remaining guests.

Pouring tea. Now we’re getting down to business.

Drinking tea with Bunny (Mr. Fluffles, the heron, is stage right)

A Loving Recipe for a Perfect Cup of Tea
1 Willing friend who loves to sit and share
1 Grateful heart to have a friend that cares
1 Beautiful garden to show us God is near
Many wonderful memories of times shared throughout the years
Lots of smiles and laughter to brighten up our days
Many prayers that we prayed for each other along the way

I’m so blessed to have a friend like you to share in everything I do. For one special friend sharing a special cup of tea truly makes this a perfect recipe.

~Anonymous

Happy Summertime!

Take the road less traveled, Beth