Orcas Island teaches you new things every day. I’ve been selling my recent book, Life on Orcas Island, at the Saturday Farmers’ Market this summer, which means I have fours hours to soak up all the beauty and local wonder downtown each time I’m there.
This past Saturday, I was next to the Girl Meets Dirt display. Girl Meets Dirt is featured in my book on page 87, and I love that what owner Audra Lawlor does is make beautiful, unique, edible products that come straight off the land here.
After sitting at my table for an hour or so, my eye kept being drawn to the colorful wine bottles on the Girl Meets Dirt table – products of hers that I hadn’t seen before.
I inquired from Cindy at the table, who is one of the people who makes these colorful eye-catchers, what the pricing was and what this wine was all about. I don’t drink, but this looks so interesting and different – a great gift for someone visiting Orcas Island. She gave me this:
I had to look up what a pét-nat is, as I am completely ignorant of every element in the world of alcohol, and this is what came up from a Bloomberg article:
Naturally sparkling wines have been made for centuries, and now one of the oldest methods of producing them has made a resurgence.
Pétillant-naturel (natural sparkling) is a catch-all term for practically any sparkling wine made in the méthode ancestrale, meaning the wine is bottled before primary fermentation is finished, without the addition of secondary yeasts or sugars. (This is in contrast to méthode champenoise, the method used to make Champagne and other more-common sparkling wines, in which a finished wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle with additional yeasts and sugars).
The ancient method produces a simpler, more rustic sparkler than Champagne, one that is traditionally cloudy, unfiltered, and often bottled with a crown cap (like a beer) rather than a cork. The end product is also unpredictable: Opening each bottle is a surprise, evocative of the time and place where it was bottled.
Colloquially shortened to “pét-nat,” the wines can be white, rosé, or red in color, making them super-versatile for pairing with a wide range of foods. They vary in carbonation from effusively effervescent to tiny, prickly bubbles. And thanks to those natural yeasts and sugars, most are a little funky but ultimately gulpable, clocking in at around 10 percent alcohol (several degrees lower than most still wines).
(Click here to keep reading the rest of the article if you want to know more.)
What I like about this is the embracing of rustic, unpredictable beauty and flavor – so reflective of the nature of Orcas Island! I tend to like just about anything that is unusual or different from the norm, and this wine stands out to me.
If you haven’t gone to the Girl Meets Dirt website and wine site, make sure you do. They are so visually appealing, you want to stay there awhile.
Another Farmers’ Market neighbor of mine has been Ashley Ryder, who makes jewelry for her business, Sea Starling. A few years ago my husband gave me a gift certificate to Orcas Island Artworks in Olga, and I’ve saved it for just the perfect thing. I waited for a long time, not knowing if I would find that perfect thing, and then I looked on at Ashley’s table several Saturdays, eyeing her rings. I’m a silver ring person. A few weeks ago, I chose my new ring at Artworks.
If you go to Ashley’s website, this is what she says about her work:
I create my work in my small garage studio on Orcas Island. Each piece is a process of inspiration, design, fabrication and offering. My primary tool is a fine bladed jeweler’s saw, which I use to cut each intricate shape by hand. All jewelry is fused with silver solder and an acetylene torch. Finish work is completed with small hand files and primarily hand sanding. Each piece is designed and fabricated in a labor of love and slightly compulsive perfectionism. I feel great satisfaction making metal look and feel soft. Soft round edges, soft satin finish. I want the wearer to feel like they’re putting on their favorite gauzy t shirt. I also create my jewelry to be strong, enduring, something that can be worn daily and passed down to accumulate the stories of generations. Finally, my metalwork embodies a deep sense of place and reverence for the beauty and bio-diversity of the Pacific Northwest. I am honored to share a small piece of my home with you.
I spend the dark northwest winters at work in my metal shop. Seasonally, I work as a captain and naturalist for Deer Harbor Charters, an ecotourism charter company. For the past seven years I have educated my passengers and myself about the ecology of the whales, wildlife, and waters of the Salish Sea. I studied for my marine naturalist certification through the Whale Museum on San Juan Island. I am a USCG certified captain and follow the Be Whale Wise guidelines when viewing wild whales. I also volunteer with our local Marine Mammal Stranding Network and Island Oil Spill Association.
(Click here to read more.)
This is Ashley, whom I happened to photograph back in April at a Lum Farm baby-goat-petting day.
There are always cute little sightings at the market, like professional violinist/violist and founder and artistic director of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Aloysia Friedmann, walking up to courageous young busker, Teddy Kennedy.
And musician and compassionate political humanitarian, Sharon Abreu (read all about her fascinating life here), taking a break from her ranked-choice voting table to jump in and play with multi-talented OIHS teacher, artist, coach, and musician, Corey Wiscomb (listen to his music here).
Watch Sharon Abreu and Michael Hurwicz’s music video for their song, Ranked Choice Voting (RCV):
How fun is that???!! If that isn’t Orcas in a nutshell, I don’t know what is.
While the days are hot and lake-worthy right now, fall is also very much in the air. I hope you’re enjoying all of this warmth, sunshine, and subtle change to the next season. Go pick them blackberries…
