A look at the new backyard smokehouse that i built out of tongue n'groove pine just before Christmas to handle 50 Lake Superior Cisco. The big Chief wasn't going to hack it and my usual Christmas fish smoking accomplice had moved to Newfoundland. So i was left with few options. This option turned out amazing.

Smoked cisco after 8hrs in the house.

I'll say it once.  It's been a cold winter so far.  Just the way we like it of course.

A nice buck that i came across late in December

Jigging rainbows

 Back to logging some good winter miles, mostly via the daily commute.  Nothing like the feeling of  -35C to make you want to pedal hard.

Drippin some wax.  As a friend said today.  "Those trails aren't going to ski themselves Eric".

Add caption

Get out and enjoy winter friends.

peace
e

photo's by
eric berglund

Some shots from the fall. 

Get outside.

peace
e

photo's by. e

Took a day off from hunting with a gun and went to a fun local spot (not a zoo or wildlife preserve) with O. to shoot some deer with the camera instead.  Came across this king of bucks who was certainly a willing model.

What a creature!

 

 Hmmm and some tasty pizza from the other night.

So i started this b-log back in the fall of 2007 as some place to throw some photo's out there for others to enjoy, occasionally ramble a bit and just generally keep a log of life & all of the fun & amazing sh!t that goes down it.  It started out very surf & fish oriented and has morphed into a bit of everything.  If you haven't figured out by now, i keep very busy being a dad, loving husband and chief putterer, not to mention having a kickass day job as a fisheries biologist on Lake Superior and a boat load of hobbies.  Some folks like b-logs that are updated with daily content....this one is not.  There was a time when it was, but come on.  I plan to keep making and posting 'art' whether anyone stops by here or not, it's just fun. Anyways, i guess i'm writing this as a way to ring in the sixth year of the fresh aspect. happy buck fever and peace out.

e

Crafting with birch bark on labour day. John Zasada the bark master, giving an impromptu lesson.  Look at those sausages on the grill!

                                                                    Star, fish, bird

Garden harvest

 Heavy

 Fall is here.

peace

e

photo's by e

 

mmmmm yeah. Happy New Years all. Into the fifth year here at the fresh aspect and back at er after a christmas hiatus. Here are a some snaps from the last couple of weeks.

Lynx canadensis.

Pulled into our blueberry haunt for a pit stop on the way back to Winnipeg and came across this critter, who didn't seem to be too concerned with our abrupt arrival. Here he or she is slinking off after we had a chance to get a good look.



The new sled.

More on this later. But i will say it's hand crafted by Tom Neilson down in Cocoa Beach, Florida. 6'8'' 23&1/4''wide and 3'' thick, with multiple fin possibilities. Should be a dealdy slider for the lake.



A rack of freshly smoke Lake Superior herring.

As good as it gets.



peace
e


photo's by eric berglund

e's kanelbullar magic.


Unbelievable morning light while out in the woods saturday...and the camera...sitting by the door. Some moments are not meant to be stolen i guess.

peace
e


phot's by eric berglund

All in a days work. Nothing like turnin out a bunch of loaves on a Sunday.

A little rip through the neighborhood.

Evening light



keep well

peace
e


photo's by eric berglund

We've been going a little nuts the last two weeks, harvesting some bounty and cashing in on some good deals on cases of fruit and then canning the living daylights out of it. It's a bit of work, but knowing the cellar will be good and full come the winter and that we won't have to buy tomatoes from say, Mexico is a small price to pay.

Some garden treats.

These were some of the best peaches i have ever had in my life. I shit you not.



So far this week:
- 1.75 bushel's of local apples to apple sauce
- 70 peaches into cans and a about 30 eaten fresh
- 1 bushel of Norfolk Ontario Roma Tomatoes slow roasted in the oven and frozen. These were topped with fresh basil and local garlic.
- 8 liters of Andrews awesome dill pickle recipe (passed down through generations) (cukes from sleepy g farm).
- 1 bushel of the same tomatoes and a pile of peppers into tomato sauce.

photo's by
eric

peace
e

Foragetastic. Another weekend of blueberry picking yielded a nice haul. Not the number of berries we were seeing last year, but at the same time, nothing to complain about either. A scoop of blueberries on our cereal for everyday of the year.
We like berries!

Some strawberries we picked at the u-pick back in July. Not foraging perse, but foody goodness for the winter non the less.

Stemmed and ready for the freezer.


A lot with the food and plants these days, but that's just how we roll.

be well
peace
e


photos by eric berglund

Flash back to March, when everything was still cold and covered in ice around here. A buddy and i finally order up a couple kits from Northern Brewer. This would be my first 'serious' attempt at making beer. I say serious, because many years ago some friends and i tried to make a batch of beer and it came out gawdawful, mostly cause it was a crappy kit and b/c we had no idea what we were doing.
Anyways, this one was perfection.

The hoppy goodness, formerly known as 'Three Hearted Ale', now called 'Dead Ringer IPA'.



It's a rainy day today and to go along with smoking whitefish and baking bread, i'll brew up a strong but pale Trappist-style ale, lighter in color than a Dubbel but with a higher gravity and alcohol content...also from the good folks at Northern Brewer. Should be fun.

peace
e

photo by eric berglund

Our little apple tree spat out a lot of blossoms this spring. If it produces half as many apples, we'll still be talkin.


n's homemade bagels...yum.


Cruisin' out on Nipigon Bay to do some night work on the lake.


Sampling some coaster brook trout at 02:30 in the morning. Fun times.



peace
e


photo's by eric berglund

Been a while. But also been on the go.

Fresh fiddleheads on the menu.



peace.
e

photo by eric berglund

Big Chief Smoker take 1.

I received a smoker for christmas and finally got around to filling it with a load of whitefish. 12 hours later and i know what i'm taking for lunch tomorrow. Today's temperature ranged from -20C at 7A.M. to -5C. I'm guessing probably the temperature limit for this smoker, even with the insulating blanket....but maybe not.


peace
e


photo by eric berglund

Tonight's post comes amidst cups of minty-ginger-lemon tea and resting, as we have been bound to home by a week long midwinter head-cold of gross proportions. I'll spare you the details.

Lake Superior whitefish baked skin on.


Beauty batch of homemade granola...apple sauce from this past summer to sweeten. This along with a scoop of blueberries and a couple dollops of N's home yogurt, get me started in the morning. Pretty simple stuff, that tastes great.



peace
e

photo's by eric berglund

Monster bucks

Snowy Mornings


Winter out there. Finished loading down one of the two freezers last night with nearly 100lbs of moose meat and still have some venison to deal with. Seems like a lot of meat, but when Oskar polished off the same amount of tenderloin that i ate at dinner last night, all of sudden i'm not too concerned...and imagine what's to come?!

Winds cranking out there 37 knots ESE...someone should get some waves tomorrow morning amongst the snow and rain.

be well
peace
e


photo's by
eric berglund

Fun with backlighting

Salsa making


peace
e

photos by eric berglund

Changing seasons...mushroom picking, mushroom observing. Walks in the woods with the family; sit around the fire. Cold nights, shortening days. Wool sweaters. Pack away quality local foods in jars and freezer for times ahead. Hunter gatherer mentality sets in.

Not sure what this guys is; but it's rad looking.

Ahhh...pip pip....'british soldiers' as they're called.

Gathering

Surf? Yes please.




live well. be well.
peace
e


photo's by e.

Lookin to to dance? Swing it down and across.

Sure sign of spring.


Short on words these days for whatever reason. Let the photo's do the talkin for the time being.

peace
e

photo's by eric berglund