red gold

check out that red!
each time i closed my eyes the night we caught this biggie i saw hundreds of blue-gray fish streaming by in all directions. i think we caught 18 reds that evening, and night after night we kept going back to catch our limit. it has been a summer of abundance, indeed!

for years andy and i have wanted to build a smoker and try our hands at making "squaw candy" (salmon jerky) and canning kippered (smoked) salmon. after six years of talk, we finally did it! andy built the smoker this spring, then the july run of red salmon hit . . . and we've been fishing, smoking, canning, and chowing down ever since. it's a time-consuming process - but a beautiful one - and that red gold is so worth it in the end.

cut and tied salmon ready for the brine


the smoker at work


strips hanging


packed jars ready for the canner


it's funny, people say having a baby slows you down . . . and it does, for sure; but i think it slows us down in a really good way. it's no longer the rush of building projects and our hectic minds scrambling about, but teamwork as we share what we love with our son . . . slowing down and filling our lives with what we think is important. maybe that's the gushy romantic in me coming out, but as i sit here typing, my two "guys" upstairs sleeping, and our bellies full of beautiful salmon that will sustain us all winter long, it just seems right.



gotta love that guy. :)