Taiwan Travel Gallery 2018

大家好! Last week my family and I returned home after 8 awesome days in Taiwan. This was my sixth time visiting my favorite island. We had fun eating, shopping, swimming, hiking, drinking tea and exploring in Taipei (台北), Yeliu (野柳), Pinglin (坪林), Jiufen (九份), and Guguan (谷關). Here are a few photos from our trip!

Produce shopping in Taipei

Walking the lanes near our apartment

A visit to Taipei 101

Looking down from up high!

A view of the Danshui River from the window of friend's apartment

Awesome pool that we had all to ourselves

Walking the streets of Taipei

Tea with Amin in Pinglin!

The Guanyin in Pinglin

On the trail with our buddy "Golden"

Dez finds a friend

Cora at the Tea Farm

Cool suspension bridge near Pinglin

A stormy and fun day at Yeliu

A pretty cafe in Jiufen

Walking the alleys of Guguan

Cora chillin' with her ocarina

7-11 selfie in Guguan

Lunch Time!

Massive grasshopper on the Shao Lai Trail (捎來步道)

Guguan post office

Dez plays his ocarina in Guguan

Dinner at the hotel

Kiss Fish! Eating the dry skin cells on our feet.

A view of our Hotspring Pool

Mango Jelly, Boba, & Passionfruit Shaved Ice!

Busy Old Street of Jiufen

Ready for some Lishan High Mountain Oolong!

Walking to the elementary school in Guguan

Red Miso is Done!

After 3 whole years fermenting in my basement I am excited to announce that my homemade Red Miso is finally ready! Yesterday I packaged up the entire batch into 3 quart sized mason jars. That's a lot of Miso. I'll definitely be sharing with local friends and family.

For more information on how I made this Miso please check out my post from last January called Red Miso's Second Birthday. 

It turned out great! I tasted it side by side with an all natural, no preservative, store bought Red Miso that I had in my fridge. Mine is bolder, smokier, saltier, and less sweet, but still a little sweet, very rich and delicious.

Miso Selfie!

Red Miso's Second Birthday!

On January 26, 2014, I started my first batch of red miso using the recipe in Sandor Ellix Katz's book Wild Fermentation. I'm sharing the process here for anyone who is also a fan of home fermenting!

First I cooked 4 cups of dried soybeans until they were very soft. I also boiled a clean stone to use as a weight.

This is the koji (rice with Aspergillus oryzae) that I purchased from a local Japanese supermarket.

After the cooked soybeans cooled, I mixed them and mashed them with the Koji and a brine made with 2 cups of the beans' cooking liquid and 1 cup of salt.

I'm fermenting it in my Rumtopf crock. I cleaned and dried the crock, salted the bottom, and then pressed the miso inside (taking care to eliminate any air pockets). Then I sprinkled more salt on the top.

I used a ceramic plate and a heavy rock as a weight.

Then I covered the crock with a thick tea towel, labeled it with the date, and stored it in a dark cabinet in my basement.

Exactly one year later (January 26, 2015), I checked on my miso for the first time. It had a tiny spot of fuzzy mold on top and looked a little bit redder than it had when it started. I scraped off the mold and tasted the miso. It was great but not as mellow as I would like. I sprinkled some new salt on top, replaced the weight and cover, and put it back in the cabinet. (Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures that day.)

Now it's time for my miso's two year check-up. Let's take a look!

Looks great. A wee halo of mold grew around the edge. Quick and easy to scrape that off and toss it in the compost.

Definitely looks redder than last year. Smells good too. My wife and I each took a little taste. Very nice flavor with a delicate caramel note. Mellower than last year too!

I'd say it's getting there! I cleaned it up, sprinkled in some fresh salt and put it back to bed. Sandor's book hinted that the third year (or maybe even later) is when the real magic happens. He teased that some 9 year old Red Miso he tasted was "sublime." Not sure I can wait that long but I will update you all again in 366 days! 

Tasty!

Broccoli

Yesterday I harvested a head of Broccoli that had over-wintered in a garden bed. It, and all its pretty yellow flowers, were so delicious and beautiful baked on a vegan pizza with white bean sauce for dinner.

Hippy Chou Doufu

Each time I travel to Taiwan I try stinky tofu (chou doufu) (臭豆腐) at least once. It's usually pretty tasty but I can't say that I love it. I do love tofu though and I eat it often in many different preparations. A couple weeks ago I came up with this recipe at home and declared it an instant winner. In my opinion it is easy, healthy and delicious, with a taste that hints at real chou doufu while smelling great too. Prepare it as a quick snack or as one dish for a larger Taiwanese themed meal.

Ingredients:
• 1 block of firm tofu (~14 ounce) (press it for an hour or two if it is water-packed)
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1/2 cup of natural raw sauerkraut (homemade if you have it)
• 5 or 6 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Chop the tofu in to thin slices and pan fry in oil until both sides are golden brown and crispy (a non-stick skillet will help a lot here). Turn off the burner then immediately toss in the garlic, sauerkraut, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Stir and sizzle for about a minute. Serve immediately.

Fermenting Sauerkraut

Pan Frying the Tofu

Ready to eat! 很好吃!

Garden Tour Spring 2011

Our house is a very very very fine house...
with two raised beds in the yard...


...and two kids too!


Here's our newest garden (still under construction).
It's home to the blueberries and the tea.

Welcome to Potatoville.

Here is our back deck, apple tree and two Rainier cherry trees.


And this is the new strawberry patch!


How about a little peek under our umbrella-shaped birch tree...

...where you'll find a little stump table and a fiery red rhododendron in bloom.

On the left we have peas, nasturtiums, cilantro and green beans.
On the right we have lettuce, kale, beets, onions and carrots.

Yum Yum.

The sun is shining and the lilacs are blooming.
Spring is officially here.

And let's not forget my two tea plants.
They had a pretty rough winter and I don't plan to make any tea this season.
I'm sure they'll be fine...

... and here is my proof!