Part II - August
If June and July were about festivals and merriment, August was about food - hunting, vegetables, canning and fair food.
The first week of August Jeremy and Tom went caribou hunting. They got their caribou the first day out!
This is Tom with his caribou.
It snowed the day they hiked out. After a couple of days of rain and being wet, they were more than ready to head out when the snow came.
Although fire season usually ends the beginning of August, we had a couple of the worst days of smoke I've experienced since being in Alaska.
This picture was taken in the middle of the day looking down our driveway.
Something I'd never seen, an air quality warning on television.
But the rains eventually came, of course, because what would fair week be without rain? The Tanana Valley State Fair is held the 2nd week of August each year and it always rains. This year was no different, never mind a week before the entire state was on fire. We checked out the livestock, vegetables, rides, and booths, but mostly spent time looking for the perfect fair food. This is what we found:
If June and July were about festivals and merriment, August was about food - hunting, vegetables, canning and fair food.
The first week of August Jeremy and Tom went caribou hunting. They got their caribou the first day out!
This is Tom with his caribou.
It snowed the day they hiked out. After a couple of days of rain and being wet, they were more than ready to head out when the snow came.Although fire season usually ends the beginning of August, we had a couple of the worst days of smoke I've experienced since being in Alaska.
This picture was taken in the middle of the day looking down our driveway.
Something I'd never seen, an air quality warning on television.But the rains eventually came, of course, because what would fair week be without rain? The Tanana Valley State Fair is held the 2nd week of August each year and it always rains. This year was no different, never mind a week before the entire state was on fire. We checked out the livestock, vegetables, rides, and booths, but mostly spent time looking for the perfect fair food. This is what we found:
Funnel Cake . . .
and a Block of Fries with cheese.We found out later that we missed the fried cheese curds! Dang. Next year.
We didn't just eat, though. We took some time to check out the animals. Below I am posing with a reindeer.
I prefer to be photographed with the animals while they're still living.The last week of August Jeremy and Tom went sheep hunting. Jeremy was very lucky in that he drew a tag for a Dall sheep in the Tok Management Area. There is a 2 1/2 percent chance at getting drawn for a TMA Dall sheep tag.
Eastern Alaska RangeThey hiked in about 7 miles with an elevation gain of about 2500'.
Here is Jeremy with his sheep, which he got the first day out!
Towards the river just out of the hills Jeremy and I have a piece of property. Two years ago we were selected in a lottery and were allowed to stake a parcel of land. We staked 10 acres. Someday we hope to build a cabin on it. In the background you can see the Robertson River which flows out of the Alaska Range into the Tanana River.While Jeremy was hunting I was managing the vegetables we received from our cooperative share. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the pounds and pounds of fresh veggies we got, but I did get a couple pictures of it cooked and preserved.
This is what 8 cups of beet greens looks like once stir fried. They were delicious, but I would not recommend eating 8 cups of greens in one sitting.
This is a picture of our canning. I canned the pickled beets and spicy green beans. Jeremy made and canned the sauerkraut and brewed and bottled the beer. It's his Oktoberfest beer which he is saving for the 1st Annual Sauerkraut Throwdown. Nothing like a little sauerkraut competition between friends. We'll also be serving up caribou brats. We'll keep you posted on the results.Well, that's August.
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