Feeling Adventurous This Weekend?

By Dr. Marc Davis

Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to have a new experience (as an elementary student I loved fieldtrips…nothing has changed there) but 3:30am?

Some friends and I and some of our kids decided to spend Labor Day on the Oregon Coast crabbing. In 23 years of living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest I had never taken the opportunity to go crabbing.

We woke up at 3:30am, met our friends at 4:30am and were on the coast a couple hours later. We wanted to get there early to be there for high tide. Also, because it was a Labor Day, we wanted to beat the rush (both with traffic and renting our crab baskets and bait).

Some things to keep in mind from my perspective as an amateur crabber:

• You will need a license for anyone 14 and older (kids under 14 can crab for free).  You must get the license in Oregon such as at Bi-Mart or Sports Authority. It is $11.50 for a three day pass or $20.50 for an annual pass. You will need to know the Social Security number for anyone for which you want to get an annual pass, but not for the three day pass. I got an annual pass for myself; however I did not have my 15 year old son’s SS # on me and calling him did not provide the needed information so I settled for the three day for him.  One day passes are not available.  These are rates for Washington residents.  Oregon residents are presumably less.
• Garibaldi Marina in Garibaldi, Oregon is a popular spot to crab, and the people at the marina are professional and personable. You can rent a boat for about $60 (seats 6) for a few hours I am told. All the boats were reserved because of the holiday weekend and our spontaneity. Instead we went to a local pier and crabbed along with about 30 others.  Pier access was free.
• We rented our crabpots for $5 each and the bait (frozen fish) for $3.
• You will need a bucket filled halfway with the bay’s water for collecting your crabs. You may only keep male crabs over a certain size.  According to nwfish.com you can keep male crab larger than 5 3/4 inches across the back.  In Washington, the legal size limit must be at least 6 inches across the back.  Smaller than that, you must throw them back.  Check with the bait shop or the marina to be sure.  It seemed that we would catch 5 for every one that were “keepers.”  It is nice to buy the crab measuring tool available where you rent the crab nets for a under $3.
• Some of our group used frozen chicken legs which were well received by the crabs. Also you can buy smelly jelly that can make the lure even more attractive to crabs (the more pungent the better, apparently).
• Even tough it was early September, instead of sunglasses and sunscreen, we needed warm clothing. I was glad I’d brought a sweatshirt.
• Gloves such as the kind that are yellow used to clean the kitchen are helpful to not feel the pinch so hard (although I never got pinched, some in our group did without gloves and it hurt but usually did not seem to draw blood). Also the gloves are vital to prevent rope burn from quickly pulling in the crabpots.
• Bring a chair (and your patience and/or a good book or a friend to talk to)…it takes time. We were there on the pier from about 7am to 1pm (with a hot chocolate break somewhere in between). 
• The anticipation was fun.  One in our group caught 11 crab (the limit is 12 per license per day). My son and I caught five between the two crabpots that we had.
• Once we were home I realized that, being amateurs, we did not own the correct utensils to enjoy eating the crab. I had to make a last minute trip to Wal-Mart and for $2 bought nut/shellfish cracking tools and picks which I found in the sporting goods section.

FUN FACT:  To tell between Male & Female crabs look on their belly.

The female shape "looks like the US Capitol Building,"

while the male shape "looks like the Washington Monument."

Need to know how to prepare your crab?

Here's a YouTube video that is informative and will have you enjoying your crab quickly!

There's nothing like a crab feast!

Unless of course, you are allergic to shell fish.

Any adventures in store for you this weekend?

Best in health, naturally,

Dr. Marc Davis

First crab photo
Crab shell photos and information source.

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Mint: For Health & Enjoyment

By Cassie McCully

Growing mint is as easy as throwing seeds and watching them turn into wildflowers--my kind of gardening!

Did you forget to water...for a week?  No problem!  With a lot of sunlight, mint will continue to grow and grow, and if you're not careful, it may just grow outside of its pot, into the ground and up the porch. 

Mint can be highly invasive. 

The good news is that growing mint can be purposeful and enjoyed in various ways.

The use of herbs and essential oils are becoming more popular with health care professionals, and even Dr. Davis.  Especially since we live in a day and age where our grocery store shelves are filled with processed foods that lose their essential nutrients through their processing.  Essential oils are the concentrated and complex heart of the plant.  The heart of mint, is in fact its leaves. 

MINT FOR HEALTH: 

• Digestive Process: The menthol in peppermint aids the digestive process by creating bile, an essential digestive fluid, to soothe the digestive lining.
• Nasal, Sinus and Chest Congestion: Menthol vapors are widely used for relieving nasal, sinus and chest congestion.  Just as Vick's Vapor Rub is marketed to give soothing effects, a cup of mint tea can do the same.
• Cough: Drinking cold peppermint tea has been known to help with coughs. 
• Colic: Peppermint tea has been used to soothe colic.  Talk with your pediatrician about soothing colic with peppermint.
• Nausea, Gas and Tension Headaches:  Mint can ease nausea and excess gas when taken orally, and soothe tension headaches by rubbing peppermint oil on the temples.
• Anti-inflammatory, Pain-Reducer, Counterirritant: Mint, in its essential oil form helps create white cells
• Mental Fatigue: Mint has been used to re-energize the mind, and lift the mood.
• Mint contains Vitamin C and Vitamin A.

Using mint for the above mentioned remedies call for mint in either the concentrated essential oil form or in its natural-grown form.  You can find the essential oil of mint at your local health section in your grocery store or at your health food store.  Ask your health foods expert how to incorporate mint as a remedy for your health.

MINT IN THE KITCHEN:

• Mint Tea
• Moroccan Mint Tea  "It's so popular, it is served all day long..."
• Lemon Mint Cucumber Water
• Mint Smoothie
• Tropical Fruit Salad With a Hint of Mint
• Mint Rice
• Fried Eggplant With Walnut and Mint Sauce
• Salad With Lime-Mint Dressing
• Ina Garten's Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad

I could keep linking, but you get the picture. 

Mint can also be dried and stored for later usage. 

Perhaps now you are looking at those mint plants a little differently? 

I know I am.

Health references and more information: mintrubbing.org/themintplant.pdf 

Photos by Cassie McCully

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Blackberry Heaven

By Cassie McCully

The blackberries are ripe and ready to pick!  The kids and I have been on a couple berry picking outings already, and have gathered ourselves quite a few bowlfuls. 

Last week, while up in the more mountainous region of Camas, Washington, my husband and his friends found some Huckleberries.  He always does a nice job of thinking of me while away, even on a guys outing, and returned home with said berries in hand.

So what did I do with my berries, you ask?

I made one decadent pan of Blackberry & Huckleberry Crumble Bars!

  Not only did they taste divine, my house smelled just as nice.

Blackberry Crumb Bars

Adapted from Martha

"Delight picnic-goers with a portable version of summer berry crumble:

a perfect marriage of tart fruit and tender cake, capped with a slightly crunchy topping."

Ingredients

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter melted, and 1/2 C. (1 stick), room temperature, plus more for pan

1 3/4 C. flour

1/2 C. packed light-brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 C. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

2 containers (5 oz. each) blackberries--or whichever berries you have on hand

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8 inch square baking pan, or double the recipe like I did, and use a 9 x 13 pan.  Line bottom of pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two sides to use as handles when you remove the entire pan of treats after they've baked and cooled.

2. Make topping: in a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt; add 1 cup flour and mix with a fork until large moist crumbs form.  Refrigerate topping until ready to use.

3.  In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt; set aside.  In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat room temperature butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture.  Spread batter evenly in pan and sprinkle with berries, then chilled topping.

4. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs attached, 40-45 minutes.  Cool completely in pan.  Using foil overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into squares.

Note: These are even more delicious on the second day.

In case you missed it, you could also throw some berries into

 these low-fat treats.

What berries have you picked lately and what plans do you have for them?

-Cassie

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