Ultra Moist Blueberry Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

·      3 cup flour

·      1 tablespoon baking powder

·      ½ teaspoon salt

·      ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg

·      ½ cup butter

·      ½ cup white sugar

·      ½ cup brown sugar

·      2 eggs

·      ¾ cup sour cream

·      2 cups blueberries & mashed potatoes

·      Nuts options

Instructions:

·      Preheat oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit

·      Large bowl:

o   Flour

o   Baking powder

o   Nutmeg

o   Cinnamon salt

·      Small bowl:

o   Melted butter

o   Both sugars

o   Eggs

o   Vanilla extract

o   Sour cream

o   Bananas

Bake for 20 minutes (26 minutes is too long and the muffins will be too dry!)

Grapevines & Bourbon

Ahhh…. The grapevines.  

So in our quest to return back to the Plush legacy and return the ranch back to its original roots we decided to bring back the apple trees.  After months of research up and down the coast with commercial nurseries we decided on which apple varieties would best suit.  The education included commercial crops vs you pick crops, weather, seasons, altitudes, early frosts, and then the death phrase “Fire Blight”.  Having lots of history on the ranch written down plus Gary and Lois it came to light that Fire Blight wiped out the last orchard of apples the Plush Ranch grew.  Today’s science pointed to the Yellow Banana Apple that was planted by the Plush Ranch  as being highly susceptible to the Fire Blight so through much help with the nursery experts we rallied on how to pick the best crops that were not susceptible to the Fire Blight.  Some fun facts the “New” grocery store apple model are considered Sugar Bombs, sugary goodness on every shelf but many tended to be susceptible to the fire blight.  So the plan was made with the fire blight resistant Red Delicious apple planted as a fire wall on the outskirts of the orchard with the more susceptible varieties planted on the inside for protection.  The Arkansas Black Cider apples were extremely popular so we needed to place that order for 90 immediately which was all that was left.  The Fire Blight bacteria/fungus can stay in the soil for hundreds of years, in short it attacks the tree making the bark like an opened zipper that allows for all to get into the tree and destroy it as well as the orchard, it can travel with bees, wind, anything that touches the infected tree is contaminated.  But we were good we had figured it all out.  One week before the official order went in for 10 acres of trees, 5,000 trees, we were at the property next door and what we thought was a dead  un watered apple orchard was in fact Fire Blight, the nurseries immediately pulled the orders.

Off to wine grapes we go.  We pivoted to 5 acres of wine grapes because 10 acres we would have had to sell several kidneys.  We researched and found a nursery that specializes in high altitude, late frost root stock and we jumped in.  5 acres planted with 1,361 vines of Cabernet Sauvignon, 1,361 vines of Gewurztraminer, 1,361 vines of Pinot Noir Pommard, 1,361 vines of Sauvignon Blanc, and 1,361 vines of Syrah oh wait and 90 Arkansas Black Cider Apples.  The vineyard plan started 8-10 months ago the vines just went in yesterday we have three years before our first harvest, until then we need to keep them watered, be on patrol for gophers and deer, and prune and care for them as if they are our babies so that hopefully in three years we will have a harvest.   Oh wait  and because the farm gods are always on our side the news headlines if you can get past the political climate read “Across California, farmers are ripping out their vineyards en masse.  This uprooting is the result of a yearslong oversupply; with wine consumption in the US declining, wineries are decreasing production, which means they need fewer grapes.”

You can’t make this stuff up…. Cheers.

To get one through the tough times always invite the closest friends for a pre made batch of Old Fashioned’s.

Makes 17 servings can be made days ahead or just sitting ready in the fridge.

1 liter bourbon (best that you can find)

1 cup plus one tablespoon simple syrup

2 tsp Angostura bitters

2 cups water

Ice

Orange Slices for garnish

Maraschino cherries for garnish

Combine bourbon, simple syrup, bitters and water in a large pitcher and stir well to mix

Pour into a sealable container or bottle and refrigerate until serving time

To serve, gently agitate bourbon mixture container to ensure that it is well mixed, fill glass with ice and pour in 3 ½ ounces of the bourbon mixture. 

Garnish each with a slice of orange and a cherry

Mushrooms Arrived

The mushroom container arrived with Gonzalo our mushroom leader.  Friends of ours knew of a mushroom container that was being moved from its electrical contractor friends yard.  Gonzalo an electrician and accomplished mushroom grower had created a mushroom farm that needed to be moved, and needed to be moved quickly because the electrical yard was moving.  We met Gonzalo at the farm and were instantly fans and believers, and what the heck who doesn’t move a 40 foot container into a barn on one weeks notice especially if it comes with a Gonzalo.

Gonzalo who works full time as a commercial electrician in downtown Los Angeles renovating low income hotels for one of the largest non profits, lives in Upland with his wife Liz and two small boys, spends 1-2 days at the ranch creating the most incredible delicious culinary delights. We have never seen such a hardworking human who loves his family more than anything with a passion for mushrooms in every fiber of his being. Everyone who has come to the ranch that has been lucky enough to share time with Gonzalo can’t get enough. Husband has now become his assistant and now we have Chris who comes up several days a week to help supervise and lead us into the mushroom kingdom.  They’re excited to have free time (what’s that) to go mushroom hunting in the forest, the ranch being at 5000 ft offers all kinds of mushroom hunting adventures that someday the dream will be to  offer to our clients.

Gonzalo, Chris and Husband have brought us blue and yellow oyster, lions mane, and trumpet mushrooms.  They are beautiful to look at and amazingly versatile from a culinary view.  The health benefits include minerals like selenium, phosphorous, potassium, calcium and zinc, working as antioxidants that help protect cells from damage, keeping bones and teeth healthy.  They bring fiber, vitamins, minerals and anti-inflammatory agents and studies are now starting to show they may help to reduce the risk of chronic disease like heart disease and diabetes while boosting immune systems.  In studies Lions Mane mushrooms contain special compounds that can stimulate the growth of brain cells: hericenones and erinacines that may help to protect against Alzheimer’s disease.

Gonzalo will show up at my door after a harvest with the most beautiful bowl of mushroom and say here you go; all I feel is fear just because I went to culinary school doesn’t give me any mushroom knowledge, I can’t even remember seeing a mushroom and even if I did nothing looked as beautiful as these, oh and did I mention even though husband loves helping growing them doesn’t mean he eats them.   By the second or third delivery I was ready to make mushrooms a part of our lives, I found that regardless how beautiful they were they still performed better in a daily diet chopped up.  THEY ADD DELIGHT TO ANY DISH, I’ve added them to scrambled eggs, sourdough bread, sauces, pastas, you name it they add the most amazing flavor and most of the time husband doesn’t even know he’s eating them, although he will look up and say there’s mushrooms in this aren’t there, whatever… In a sauce they look like ground beef when chopped up and they are so filling.  Our latest creation is Mushroom Coffee, try ordering a batch.  Feedback has been very positive some even make cold brew out of it. Use as you do regular grind, if you like your coffee strong add a bit more mushroom coffee to prep, but who knew coffee could only get healthier.  Keep a watch out for the upcoming mushroom packs where Gonzalo will set you up to grow your own..

Here's one of our favorite mushroom lasagna recipes.

Mushroom Lasagna

8 Servings

Salt

¾ (12 oz or 340 grams) dried lasagna noodles

1 large clove garlic, (minced) or 2 tsp granulated garlic

4 cups whole milk

¾ cup unsalted butter divided

½ cup all purpose flour

1 tsp pepper

½ tsp nutmeg

1 ½ pounds mushrooms

1 cup freshly grated parmesan

Boil noodles, add salt and 1 tsp olive oil.  Cook then drain noodles after noodles drained add 1 tsp olive oil and mix noodles carefully so that noodles are lightly coated.

In saucepan bring milk and garlic to simmer and set aside.  In large saucepan melt ½ butter add flour and cook for one minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden sppon.  Pour in hot milk a little at a time stirring until combined add salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes or until thick set aside.

Prepare mushrooms depending on mushroom type I dice all except very bottom of stem, stem can sometimes be tough hence the dicing, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoon butter over medium in the bottom of noodle saucepan, add half mushrooms and pinches of salt for about 5 min until they are tender, continue to add until mushrooms are all tender, keep tossing to make sure they cook evenly

Spread white sauce in the bottom of 8x12 or 9x13 baking dish, then layer with noodles, then more sauce, mushrooms, grated parmesan, then noodles, sauce, mushrooms, grated parm.  Choose how many layers you want, making sure grated parm is on the final layer.

Bake for 45 minutes until top is browned and sauce is bubbly .  Let sit at room temperature before serving.  You can freeze after dish completely cools…

Mushroom lasagna is very filling…. Try adding different cheeses and seasonings to spice up, change up make it your own…. ENJOY THE JOURNEY

Buying the Ranch

When we all bought the Lee Ranch we had no understanding of how lucky we were to inherit the Lee’s with the Ranch.  Escrow took forever to close and during the exhausting transition we found ourselves friends, the Lee’s may have a different definition of what we have become   The Lee Ranch became the North Fork Ranch and very early we all had decided the 103 year legacy had to live on wherever we could honor it.  From the very beginning we realized we did not have the luxury of just moving into the ranch we had to create an income or the ranch would slowly eat us alive.  A bag of seed to plant the field $1,000.00 and that’s if it takes and you don’t plant it to deep or to shallow or to much water not enough water.  There’s equipment that daily calls out (change my oil, start me, did you see the dust has clogged my filters) There’s a three mile water pipe that during the dead of cold winter water pressure pops holes in the pipes just to say hi with huge sprays of water. Not to mention plumbing, weather and daily chores.  Our first winter was a 20 year winter storm.  It started out as a beautiful snow day with pictures being sent to everyone look how beautiful until about mid day when Ah oh crossed our minds.  But here’s the best part no matter what has come our way WE HAVE FIGURED IT OUT AND WE HAVEN’T KILLED EACH OTHER… we only have one life line being Gary and Lois Lee, most of the challenges nobody on the other line is going to help they’re pretty much hanging up after the first sentence.  We’re thankful for our regular texts from Lois hey it’s time to change this or do this or look out for this, we’re even more thankful that they still pick up the phone… I know they hang up and still have the best laugh ever, and probably even mumble the word idiots regularly, but they still answer that phone and take the time to help us in our time of need…

So we’ve made it year one and now year two we have come up with a plan, only time will tell if it’s a good one but it’s time to put our big boy pants on and pretend we know what we’re doing…  God Help Us

Where it all began…

Once upon a time Lewis and Ella Plush began their dream on a 160 acre ranch in Lockwood Valley that Lewis had homesteaded in 1919.   They had two daughters Louella Lee and Lola.   Originally, they raised Golden Banana Apples but because of the weather they were only getting a crop about every three years so they switched to raising turkeys to supplement their income.  A trip to town was an all day trip they raised most their own produce, canned fruit and vegetables for winter, butchered their own meat and milked a cow, with only dirt roads there were times that they couldn’t get out for at least a month. The original post office was at the Plush Ranch where they boxed up the apples and sent them on their way, (they were the first Harry & David )Summer weather was usually cool with temps in the 70’s although sometimes it reached 80 degrees.  Friends and family often came for the weekend-especially the 4th of July when beds and sleeping bags would be spread under the pinon pine trees.  The Plush’s once recorded getting 25 pounds of pine nuts from under one tree, valued at 40 cents a pound.  One of Lewis Plush greatest accomplishments was the construction of a pipeline from North Fork Falls three miles to the Plush Ranch.  They dug a ditch and filled it with the 8” concrete pipe he hand cast on site. From 1919 to 2022 The Plush/Lee family have been the stewards of this grand legacy.  Grandson Gary continued to be involved with the ranch while generously sharing his time and knowledge with the community, especially with the Boy Scouts and their camp next door.  Lois, Gary’s wife generously shared her time and knowledge through teaching and becoming the principal at the Frazier Park Mountain School, the lives they both touched, changed and guided to becoming great adults continue to reach out to tell stories of Gary and Lois Lee.  Jenny Lee daughter of Gary and Lois married Joe Barton of Grey Wolf Cellars and Barton Family Estate in Paso Robles.  103 years later Gary and Lois decided to sell the Lee Ranch so they could join Jenny and her family in Paso Robles at the Barton Family Estate. 

103 years later on a drive looking at property way to far away we found the Lee Ranch. A retired B/C from the LA City Fire Department on a pension, an old wife, a daughter a engineer on the LA City Fire Department and a son in-law in law enforcement buy the Lee Ranch, two senior citizens, two kids starting a family 60 miles from work, Yep definitely not normal, surely most think we’re crazy, but we’re doing this

HERE WE GO………………