You are the source. What does this mean? It means that your knowledge, your emotions, your photos are what create the personality of the home you have lived in and are selling. Sharing these brings your home to life. So tell me your story. We have the time, and it does make a difference.

All homes have a story. Sometimes it is about the history of the people who have lived there, and many times it is just the story of why you bought this house and made it your home. I have heard some very funny stories from people who are just driving by a house and know that is the house they must live in. It may not be on the market right now, but they are going to live in it some day. Some even go up to the house and tell the owners if they ever sell that they want to be the 1st to know about it. Surprisingly this has worked many times, and they have ended up the owners of this home that called out to them.

Some people have raised their families in homes they sell, and I find the pencil marks on the door from the garage to the kitchen showing little Susie’s inch by inch growth over the years. It’s always hard to have those painted over. Out back might be an apple tree that you put in the ground the 1st year you were in your home, and today it means a fresh apple pie to those who visit in the fall.

Gardens are always full of stories, and just like the color you chose for your kitchen, the garden gives this home a certain personality which is a reflection of you.

I try to use these source stories when I sell your home, because otherwise it ends up just another house on the market with 3 bedrooms, a large kitchen and and a two car garage.

So when you sell your home, whether it be with me or someone else, tell the story. It will make you feel good, and it will be something special to pass on to those who love your home and buy it.

Watch this video about a home for sale on Plum Tree Lane on Whidbey Island in Clinton. This home is loved and cared for by Jill Johnson the long time owner. You can feel the history and emotions that come with this, and you know that soon someone is going to buy this home and love this home just like Jill.

Whidbey Island Farmers Markets

Starting at the south end we have the Bayview Farmers Market and the South Whidbey Tilth.

The Bayview Farmers Market is held on Saturday between 10 AM and 2 PM at Bayview Corner behind the Cash Store. This is one of the largest and most diverse. There are vendors serving hot food, plenty of music and entertainment, besides a glorious amount of fresh produce and flowers.

The South Whidbey Tilth is at Thompson Rd. and Hwy 525. There is music, handmade crafts, cooked foods and organic produce available; you can sign up and tour the experimental gardens and forest restoration projects; the WSU Master Gardeners will have plant clinics. There are often special activities for children.

Also on Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM.Greenbank Farm has a Sunday Farmers Market. Located at the historic Greenbank Farm, look for banners welcoming you to the market at the narrowest point of Whidbey Island. Organic produce, honey, art and crafts of all kinds. Hot food and coffee and a lovely setting. Walk your dog after you are done shopping on the trails and take in the beauty of the water from the east and west. The market is 10 AM until 3 through October.

Coupeville market is the quintessential small town market. Located at the heart of beautiful Whidbey Island, they offer a wide variety of local produce, plants, as well as tasty treats, such as homemade chocolates and fresh local honey. We also feature local artisans and crafters and hot food vendors. Saturdays, 10 am. to 2 pm, April thru October, then it closes with Harvest Fest. The market is held at Alexander and 8th Street (behind the library).

And if you miss the ones on the weekend you can still get fresh produce in Oak Harbor. Mid May and continue every Thursday through September 24, from 4 pm to 7 pm. It is located on State Route 20 next to the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information Center.

Maybe you know of another farmers market on the island? Are there some smaller farms you visit and buy produce and eggs at during week? What other specialty farm stores do we have on the island? I would love to hear more about your experiences.

The history and folklore of an area can be an interesting component of making a place your home. Here is a little bit of history about one of the special places on this island. South Whidbey is home to a profound 225 acre forest across the road from the So.Whidbey State Park.

The trail through this forest is call the Wilbert Trail in honor of Col. Harry Wilbert and his wife Myrl who led a four year struggle to stop the clear cut harvest of this land. There is a ridge in this woodland that the trail climbs that is approximately 450 feet high. Because of the shape and soils of both the ridge and the swamps below the growing conditions were good for the growth of several species of trees. In 1883 a great fire swept through this wooded area and only about 100 trees were left standing.

The fire permitted the trees to grow several years without competition, and along with great soil and plenty of water produced a small grove unlike any other in Washington. This is a truly wondrous area to hike through. There is a cedar there which is approximately 34 ft. in circumference. There have been bones found from woolly mammoths in this forest. These animals were known to be over 10 feet tall with a large head and tusks 7-10 foot long.

So take a walk on this trail of history, right here on So. Whidbey and you will know why it is so important to many islanders to buy the Trillium property which is adjacent to the Wilbert Trail and contains many of old growth trees and undiscovered treasures of our island past.

The Whidbey Camano Land Trust is in the throes of raising the money to protect this important piece of land from development. Read more at their website and then help save this natural part of our Whidbey history. Enjoy this perspective on saving forests..

If it’s spring, it is the beginning of salmon season in the Pacific NW. Wild salmon is an iconic symbol of our region, and every spring we are reminded about how fortunate we are to be able to enjoy this wonderful fish. It is a symbol of the the natural beauty and bounty of the Pacific NW, and rekindles our desire to protect and preserve this precious gift.

To the native peoples of the NW, salmon was their primary food source, and their traditional method of cooking was on a stick over an open fire. If you want to have the flavor of the traditional cooking but lack an open firepit or the knowledge and skill to cook in the traditional manner, we can approximate the flavor by using the cedar plank cooking method.

Cedar planks are available at a number of retail locations, to include Whole Foods and Cost Plus. However they are expensive, and if you have access to cedar shingles, they will do as an inexpensive alternative. Shingles are also the best choice if you want to cook a large fillet. No matter what type of cedar plank you use, be sure to soak it in salted water for at least 2 hours before cooking the salmon. Some recipes call for adding wine to the soaking water, but in my opinion, this a waste of wine.

Preheat your grill to medium hot. You can either cook the fish directly over the burner/coals or indirectly. I prefer the indirect method as it reduces the chances of the plank flaming.

Be sure you have selected wild salmon, not farm raised, as wild salmon is both more flavorful and healthful. I prefer wild king salmon, but sockeye is suitable as well. The cooking time will be less for the sockeye. You can either cut the salmon into individual serving pieces or use a large fillet. The smaller pieces will cook faster, and are easier to move around on the grill if you need to speed up or slow down the cooking. Leave the skin on and debone. The skin is easily removed after cooking, and if you are using a rough piece of cedar like a shingle, with the skin on you don’t have to be concerned about splinters. Lightly coat the flesh side with olive oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place the fish skin side down on the plank and move it to the grill.

Cook the fish for about 10-12 minutes for medium rare on an indirect flame. If you are cooking on a direct flame, it will cook a bit faster, and tend the fire carefully to squirt the planks if they start to burn. When done, remove the plank from the fire, and slip a spatula between the skin and the flesh; the skin will slip off easily.

Enjoy the fish with that wine you didn’t waste on the plank!

What makes a good Windermere Realtor? It is a person who can cheerfully sort huge piles of miscellaneous clothing in different sizes, price them, and ready them for sale. He is a person who can work all day in rain or hot sun in a big garden without complaining. She is a person who can lift boxes, sort items, fill shelves, break down boxes, sweep the floor and all the time be having fun with other agents getting the work done.

Why does this make a good Realtor? Because Windermere believes in the importance of community. Because on Community Service Day you will find the Windermere team on Whidbey working hard at Good Cheer to get food and clothing ready and available for those on the island who are experiencing hard times. You will find Windermere busy in communities throughout the west making a difference. We all know that hard times are easy to come by lately, and that there are many less fortunate people than us. Every year since 1984, Windermere associates dedicate a day of work to complete neighborhood improvement projects as part of Windermere’s Community Service Day. This year the dates are June 18th and October 15th. This is a day we come together to work as a team, but let it be known that Windermere agents hear the call of community service throughout the year.

Another example from the Whidbey office is the association with Hearts and Hammers. Two agents are board members on Hearts & Hammers, and many are volunteers that helps people in need with repairs on their homes that these homeowners cannot do, or possibly afford. Many of the Windermere team pick up hammers, shovels, and tools that are not of their business trade, and make a difference for these folks in need.

There are many people who make a community. Some do it more than others; some do it as a lifetime commitment through government, hospitals and schools. What is important is that we all find a way to make our communities richer and rewarding for all its members. I for one, as a part of Windermere, am proud that this company takes this commitment seriously, and changes the lives of both the givers and the receivers. Take a look in your neighborhood and you will see Windermere there making difference.

No, I am not talking about grouchy people. Whidbey Island has many popular crabbing spots, but many crabbers like to keep their special spots secret. One of the best spots is off of Bells Beach, along Saratoga Passage, and the location of one of my great beachfront listings. Row your boat out to your crab trap, and bring home fresh crab for dinner. So keep reading, we are going to talk about how to clean and cook fresh, live crab.

Crab fishing is great fun, but be sure you understand and follow all of the rules from the Washington Dept of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW).  There is a good video they produced that helps understand the basics about crabbing regulations.

If you don’t have the opportunity to fish for fresh crab like we do, no worries, you can always head to your local market, most of whom have live crab available for sale.  Or there is always frozen crab, but be sure you buy US sourced Dungeness crab, not the cheaper Asian canned lump crab.  You should be able to find that at your local store as well, and Costco usually carries whole frozen Dungeness crab or unfrozen in a plastic container the size as the ones used for fresh salsa. It’s usually over with the salmon in the fish display case.

Regardless of how you obtained your crab, if it is live, you have to cook and clean it.  If you purchased cooked crab out of the shell, y0u can skip this section.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a vigorous boil and then put the crab into the pot.  Cook for about 12-15 minutes after it returns to the boil, cool the crab, then clean and remove the meat.  Here’s a video I found on You Tube that shows the full process from boiling through cleaning and extracting the crab meat.

I have two favorite crab recipes, crab cakes and crab fritters.  Here’s the crab cake recipe.  One good sized crab will make enough crab cakes to serve 4 people.  You do need to refrigerate the crab cakes for about an hour or so before cooking, so be sure you prepare the cakes far enough in advance of dinner.

• 1 pound cooked crab meat (4 lb live Dungeness Crab)
• 2 cups panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
• 1/2 red bell pepper diced small
• 1 small shallot diced
• 12-15 stems of Italian parsley chopped
• Juice from 1 large lemon
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Spanish sherry (Amontillado)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg
• pinch Kosher salt
• pinch ground white pepper
• dash Tabasco sauce
• pinch celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Spanish hot paprika (pimenton)

Mix Batter – Add 1 cup of the Panko (reserve rest for coating the cakes) along with the rest of the ingredients except the crab.  Mix thoroughly to make a batter.

Add crabmeat and mix well.

Divide mixture into 8 balls.  Form the crab patties and coat them with the remaining Panko.  Refrigerate for about an hour.

In a large skillet or pan, heat canola oil or clarified butter over medium high heat until it begins to smoke.  Reduce to medium and add crab cakes.  Sear until the cakes are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side.  Add more oil or butter as needed to keep the cakes from sticking to the pan.

Serve with a garlic butter, spicy Asian dipping sauce, or a simple lemon or curry mayonnaise.  My family prefers the lemon mayo.

I am a foodie. I love to cook, I love to eat, and I love to share that passion. Doesn’t it just make you feel welcome when you walk into a house and there are wonderful food aromas coming from the kitchen? One of the older “tricks of the trade” in real estate is to instruct the seller to bake a batch of cookies just before the potential buyers are supposed to arrive. We are all seduced by the primal, comforting feelings that are released by the smell of food.

I have decided to start a new practice for all of my property listings; I am going to select food that I think represents the house best, explain the reason why, and provide a recipe . So here’s the first one.

The custom waterfront home on Sunlight Beach is a perfect home for clam chowder. Besides the sugar sand beach setting, which by itself is enough to qualify as a perfect place to enjoy a bowl of steaming hot clam chowder, close by Double Bluff is a great clamming beach with a long sweep of flats at low tide. Here are a few tips:

1) Obtain the necessary Shellfish license, and follow the rules and limits.  You can do this online, or at numerous locations on Whidbey to include Ace Hardware in Freeland.

2) Check for the presence of marine biotoxins before you collect any shellfish.  This is absolutely critical.

3) Toss the clams in a bucket of seawater (out of the sun) for a few days, and they will clean themselves of sand and grit.

My eldest grandson, Garrett came to visit us a few years ago. He just loves clam chowder, so we decided to do a chowder tasting whenever we went out for lunch or dinner. For the next two weeks, we happily tasted clam chowder from Seattle to the San Juan Islands to include my own recipe made from clams from nearby Holmes Harbor.

And the winner was unanimous  – the chowder from Ray’s Boathouse, although mine came in a very close second. Here’s their recipe, courtesy of a wonderful cookbook entitled appropriately enough Ray’s Boathouse.

• 1/2 cup butter
  1 pound red potatoes, cubed, skin on
  1 stalk celery diced
  1/2 white onion, diced
  1 small carrot, diced
  2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  2 cups of fish stock or clam broth
  3 cups heavy cream
  2 cups half and half
  1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  1/4 te4aspoon Tabasco sauce
  1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  1 tablespoon kosher salt
  1 teaspoon dried thyme
  1 bay leaf
  14 ounces steamed clams, chopped, with juice.

Garnish:
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Melt butter in a 5 quart stockpot over medium high heat. Add potatoes, celery, onion and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Add flour and stir to make a roux. Add stock, cream, half-and-half, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, pepper, salt, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in clams. Garnish with chopped chives.

Serve with lots of fresh sourdough bread.

The 21st annual Penn Cove Coupeville Mussel Festival is being held over the weekend of March 5-7 2010  on the waterfront. Come enjoy briny mussels fresh from the sea in chowder and off the grill. This is a fitting place to hold an event like this, as the famous Penn Cove mussels are farmed here. Cruise aboard the Mystic Sea and visit the Penn Cove Shellfish farm just a short distance from the historic Coupeville Wharf. The vessel is equipped with an underwater camera and two large screens for viewing. Tours will be led by Penn Cove Shellfish staff and will leave the wharf every hour on the hour 11 AM to 4PM Saturday and Sunday. This is a fun way for adults and children to enjoy the day.

Surviving off the gifts of the sea was essential to the everyday lives of the natives and early settlers of the northwest islands. Enjoying this natural bounty is a practice of many islanders today. From algae to salmon, a balanced diet can be achieved from the sea. Mussels can be pulled from rocks, or harvested from a chain on a dock. Their formal name is black bivalve mollusk and there are over 70 types.

If you buy your mussels fresh, make sure they’re alive, and that the shells are closed. Fresh Penn Cove mussels are widely available throughout Western Washington. They can easily be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in a container covered with a damp cloth. They can be frozen, but should be used within 3 months. This recipe is one of the simplest and most delectable recipes I have tried. You will find yourself making this recipe again and again.

Mussels in Wine – Serves 4 as a meal — 6 to 8 as an appetizer

* 4 lbs live mussels
* 2 cups dry white wine
* 4 large shallots, finely chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup mixed fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley

Simple Directions

* Rinse and scrub the mussels under cold water.
* Using your fingers or paring knife, remove beards (strings that hang from the mussel shells), and discard.
* In a large stockpot set over medium heat, combine wine, shallots, garlic, and salt.
* Simmer 5 minutes.
* Add mussels Cover, and increase heat to high.
* Cook until all mussels are open, about 2-4 minutes.
* Stir in herbs
* Remove from heat.
* Divide mussels and broth among four warmed bowls.
* Serve immediately with crusty French bread Yummm!

Enjoy the festival

Try to sneak a quick trip to an island grocery store without meeting someone you know.  No way.

You are stranded, and out of gas on the road. Not for long.  Someone will stop and help you in a matter of minutes. Guaranteed.

There is a certain familiarity that comes with island life that is comforting, but also may take some getting accustomed to, especially if you move here from a large city.  There are times when there are lots of visitors or tourists on the island and you don’t see friends and neighbors quite as often nor perhaps recognize them in the store quite as quickly, but in the islands you always know that your friends will be there for you should you need them.

A great example of this sense of sharing and community is Good Cheer, the local food bank on Whidbey Island.  With the poor economy, more and more families are in need of help with basics like food, clothing and shelter.  This year they added a garden to insure that people were receiving fresh, wholesome vegetables.   More than 4,000 pounds of fresh, healthy produce were harvested and delivered steps away to the food bank, all in the very first year of their on-site garden!  This takes many, many volunteers, and thankfully island communities have many committed and energetic volunteers.

On San Juan Island there is the Community Home Trust. The mission of The San Juan Community Home Trust is to make home ownership possible for working people on San Juan Island. In recent years the gap between earned wages and housing prices has increased so much that it is now almost impossible for wage-earning residents to purchase a home on San Juan Island.  They have been able to help many families purchase affordable homes over the past few years, and recently influenced the annexation of 46 acres to the town of Friday Harbor by insuring that a significant part of the land would be set aside for permanently affordable homes.

So now you have the essence of Island life. Move here, make friends, do good for others and get more in return.

See you at the grocery store.