It's filbert season here in the Willamette Valley

This time of year is always a fun one here in Oregon.  From the harvesting of the pumpkins from the many farms, to the filbert picking that takes place all around us.  Filberts, also known as hazelnuts to a lot of people, are a very popular crop in the Willamette Valley, with about five farms harvesting them for the season.  Recently we visited one of these filbert farms just to see how the process of the filbert collection takes place.  

It's always interesting to look out across a field and see many orange, dots throughout the landscape.

You can purchase your own bag of filberts from Hazelnut Hill in Corvallis, Oregon.  You can view their entire line of filbert nut products on their site, here.

Five on Friday: Spark of Loves this Week

I have joined in on the fun over at Carolina Charm with her Five on Friday linkup.  I adore linkups and this one is a lot of fun.  It's similar to the Spark of Loves this Week post that I have been doing already, but this time it will be five things I am loving.  In the process, I get to do the Friday loves with a whole slew of ladies that love to blog too.  So without further ado, here are my Five on Friday loves.

1.  These Bob Marley Flip-Flops for Skylar.

Because even though the winter is coming, we still like to slip on some flip-flops from time to time and these are perfect for my hipster kid's personality.

2.  This Strawberry Jam.

Because we love Shari's Restaurant and we love strawberry jam even more!

3.  This Malibu Rum mixer pack.

Because they are tasty and go great with anything really.

4.  These Mustache Clips.

Because I just love them!  Aren't they adorable!

5.  These president PEZ dispensors.

Because they are totally hilarious and actually work great in educating Skylar on the presidents.

6.  This Sauce.

Because I've been saving it until my own asparagus crop comes in.  Can't wait!

7.  Vivint.

Because I love their "Let's Neighbor" campaign and blog.

8.  These shoes.

Because when I bought mine, Skylar and Jeff followed suit and got their own pairs of running shoes.  Now we are the Nike shoe family. 

9.  This rain.

Because it was only a matter of time before the season change brought the rain.  Bummer!

10.  This Rose.

Because it looked too lovely not to share.

Eco-Tip:  "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."  -Leo Tolstoy

For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me:  Go Green.

For further tips on making your life a bit more informative on the "green" front, visit my Examiner Green Pages:

1.  Little Rock Green Living Examiner

2.  Portland Green Living Examiner

What's Cooking? Wednesdays: Super simple chocolate-covered Strawberries

It's Wednesday again and that means another link up with Jenn over at Going the Distance Blog.  This week I am posting my easy chocolate-covered strawberries.  This recipe has been up on my blog for about a year now under the Recipes section at the top of the page, but I just love it, so I thought I would share it again. Even though strawberries aren't in season, this easy-to-do snack is always a hit in my house even if it's 15 degrees outside.

Super simple chocolate-covered Strawberries

This quick and easy recipe is above and beyond the simplest thing you do this summer.  These are great for quick, prompt to get-together or even just a night of movies at your own house.  They take all of 15 minutes from start to finish and can be done anytime.  

You want to start out with some pretty good sized strawberries.  The bigger the better!

Now, I like to remove the stem on some and leave the stem on others.  For this I like to use the small end of my melon ball'er and it takes away less of the meaty part of the strawberry. 

  

Or you can use the straw method I have seen throughout the "pins" on Pinterest and Twitter.  I still feel that this approach takes too much of the strawberry away, but it's your call.

Line a plate or serving platter with parchment or wax paper.  I like to place the plate or serving platter upside down on the paper and draw the outline then cut it out so that it's uniform with the platter.

 

I use rich/pure chocolate candy bars with semi-sweet chocolate chips for a taste that is more pleasing to the taste buds than just straight chocolate.  I've found that it pairs nicely with the sweet taste of the strawberries too.

The reason the method is so quick and easy is because of the mixing of the chocolate.  Make sure your strawberries are at room temperature, that is key here.

Tip:  Placing your spatula upside down in a glass help keep the mess and splatters on your counter under control too.

Melt your chocolate, little bits at a time.  I like to use the microwave at 30 second intervals so that I don't "burn" the chocolate.  You house is going to small like Willy Wonka during the phase and it almost makes you want to eat the air.  Ha!

Keep heating and stirring and mixing the chocolate for an even consistency and to combine the chocolate candy bar with the chips.

Now comes the fun part!

DIPPING THE BERRIES!

     

          And make sure you don't have little thieves!  :)

Once you get all your strawberries coated, let them sit in room temperature to harden.  Placing them in the refrigerator only allows moisture to cover the chocolate and the berries and your chocolate won't harden correctly.  Once they are hardened you can place them in the refrigerator in a covered container so that moisture can't touch them.  Or serve them immediately!  

Enjoy!

Eco-Tip:  Purchase a paper shredder to shred non-recyclable papers in.  You can use the shredded paper for packing material and for gift bags instead of throwing in the landfill.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me:  Go Green.

For further tips on making your life a bit more informative on the "green" front, visit my Examiner Green Pages:

1.  Little Rock Green Living Examiner

2.  Portland Green Living Examiner