A very Methow Mongolia

This article originally appeared in the Methow Valley News on 22 August 2018

Three wild horsewomen would like to share their recent Mongolian experience by bringing their Mongolian guide to the Methow Valley.

Robin Baire, Lorah Super, and Jil Wickander recently completed a two-week guided horseback tour through the UNESCO world heritage sites and national parks of Mongolia. Impressed with the experience, they asked their guide, Dagva Jambatseren, to come to the Methow Valley to share the experience with the community. Dagva enthusiastically accepted the invitation, and is hoping to visit sometime in September or October and give a cultural presentation to people here in the Methow Valley.

Robin learned about the horseback guided tour through a page on Facebook titled, “Wild Women Expeditions:  Orkhon Valley Horseback Adventure – Mongolia.”

“Every one of those words appealed to me,” Robin thought, and she began inquiring if other horse women would like to join. Lorah was the first to pony up. “I read the trip descriptions of riding all day through these sites and then ending the day by soaking in hot springs. I’m a busy mom, hot springs after a day of riding sounded good!” Jil soon joined the trio and the Methow Valley horsewomen planned their early summer expedition.

The trip was for sixteen days in the beginning of June. “It was a short time to be there, but a long time to be away from here,” Robin related. Preparation for the trip included long hours in the garden – as any Methow Valley gardener can empathize during the beginning of garden season.

Their expedition started in Ulannbaatar, the capital of Mongolia in the Tuul River valley. The women toured the National History Museum with their guide, Dagva, who provided knowledgeable insights into the rich history of the region from prehistory to Genghis Khan to the Soviet period. In the evening, the women enjoyed traditional performances including folk dances and singing.

The second day started with a 2-hour ride into Khustai National Park. The park is home to the world’s only wild herd of Przewalski’s horse, an ancient breed that was saved from extinction by the Mongolian horse people.

The next morning the women began their seven-day ride through the Orkhon Valley, a UNESCO world heritage site that reflects thousands of years of nomadic pastoralism, and significant events in human history as the center of the Mongolian Empire. The riders found the scenery to be much like the Methow Valley. They rode along the river through basalt fields and gradually ascended into larch forests full of wild peonies, the full robust blossoms taking everyone’s breath away. Daily, the women rode through large herds of yaks, sheep, goats, and horses, passing by nomadic camps. “It was amazing how calm the animals were,” Robin noted, “and everyone was so friendly. We’d ride around the camps to give them privacy, and people would wave.”

At the end of the first week, the women arrived at the Tovkhon Monastery built into a cliff rising 2312 meters above sea level, affording them a view of the whole Khangai mountain range. The women would visit many monasteries on their trip, home to cultural artifacts hidden away during the Stalinist purges in the late 1930s.  “No photos were allowed inside,” Lorah explained how they drank it all in, taking, “just what you can carry with you,” in memories.

The second week of the expedition was spent exploring Naiman Nuur National Park, followed by the Mini-Gobi. The lakes within Naiman Nuur are accessible only by foot or hoof. Rolling hills, waterfalls, and extensive larch forests led the horsewomen over mountain passes and to quiet mountain lakes.

Evenings were spent with nomadic families, sleeping in Gers (yurts) or teepees. “It felt like ‘glamping’”, Robin exclaimed, noting the luxury level of some of the Gers. The visitors were welcomed with food, warm salted milk, which was, “surprisingly refreshing”, and slices of sweet butter made from yak’s milk.

The travelers found themselves connecting with the guides, finding a commonality in gardening, living off the land, and in their relationships with their horses.

Wanting to share this incredible experience with others, Robin is working to bring Dagva to the Methow Valley to present Mongolia’s rich past and ongoing culture. Dagva is a guide with Horseback Adventure Company, an enterprise that works with nomadic families to give them a source of income. Dagva is very knowledgeable in Mongolia’s history, culture, and natural landscape. Dagva needs assistance with travel expenses. If you would like to help, please email Robin Baire at  3baires@gmail.com.

A love affair with Fennel

This article originally appeared in the Methow Valley News on 8 August 2018

Most of our dinners are planned around what is available this time of year. Last night, our dinner consisted of a roasted vegetable sauce smothered over potatoes and scrambled eggs. A side salad of cucumbers and fresh picked tomatoes still warm from the sun rounded out the meal. The sauce is a favorite of ours, made of eggplant, garlic, onion, and tomato – chopped into rough chunks, tossed with olive oil and salt, and roasted at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. After roasting, I blend the vegetables in a food processor with more olive oil, basil, and oregano until a hearty sauce emerges. This sauce is great with pasta, or as a dipping sauce for pita chips.

This year, we planted fennel for the first time. I love how the entire fennel bulb bursts out of the soil, the layers looking like a fashionable wrap, the feathery fronds waving in the breeze - like a confident model strutting down the runway. Big hair, don’t care!

Last year around Thanksgiving, I nestled two fennel bulbs in my grocery cart at Hank’s. As I strolled through the aisles, the fennel fronds bounced and waved. Three different people stopped me and motioned to the fennel in my shopping basket, wondering what I planned to do with it. For fennel lovers, the variety of recipes are endless, and we’re always curious to share new ways to enjoy fennel.

Fennel has a fabulous licorice flavor that is excellent in almost every dish – savory or sweet. Roasted with meat and root vegetables, the fennel remains firm to the bite and adds flavor. Paired with cold fruit, the crisp fennel adds a satisfying crunch with a burst of flavor. A bouquet of fennel fronds, chive blossoms, and chamomile flowers in a vase of water fills the kitchen with the smells of summer.

Fennel is an excellent source of dietary fiber, calcium, vitamin c, and is a natural source of estrogen. All of the nutrients in fennel support bone health, boost the immune system, and reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Instead of cans of soggy spinach, Popeye could have been popping crunchy stalks of licorice-tasting fennel - reduces waste and keeps you regular!

To make roasted chicken with fennel, you will need boneless chicken thighs, one large fennel bulb with fronds, one large carrot, one large potato, and one onion. Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop fennel bulb and stalks, carrot, potato, and onion into equal-sized pieces. Toss vegetables with olive oil, fresh thyme, and Hannah’s Popcorn seasoning. Spread vegetables across bottom of roasting dish, cover with white wine. Coat chicken thighs with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Hannah’s popcorn seasoning (that stuff should be included in your to-go bag during fire season, it makes everything delicious). Layer the chicken on top of the vegetables and roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Top with chopped fennel fronds before serving.

To make a fennel and nectarine salad with honey-orange dressing, layer thinly sliced nectarines and fennel bulb. Whisk together a quarter cup of orange juice with a tablespoon of honey until well combined. Pour over the sliced nectarines and fennel. Top with chopped almonds and fennel fronds.

Libby Creek herbalist and author, Rosalee de la Forêt, shares several creative and delicious fennel recipes through Learning Herbs.  Visit https://learningherbs.com, and select the ‘Remedies’ category from the upper right corner of the home page. Enter ‘fennel’ into the search bar. There are a wide range of informational pages on fennel and recipes, like fig and fennel soda bread, fennel and candied ginger, and many more.

If you haven’t tried fresh fennel, give it a taste – you may be pleasantly surprised.