Monday, August 1, 2022

Above the Clouds on Mount Evans Part One



One of our favorite places to visit in Colorado is Mount Evans. If you look at my blog sidebar you will see a label towards the middle that says Mt Evans with a 4--I've blogged about trips up this mountain 4 times before and if you click on that label --click here--you can read all four posts. Because of Covid-19 precautions, the road was closed for one year to cars, and the next year a reservation system was instituted to keep crowds at a controllable level. The reservation system worked so well that it is still in effect, so this summer my family made reservations for a day that turned out not to be the best weather, but it also gave us a view of the mountain that was unique!





Mount Evans has an elevation of 14,260 feet (4,346.5 M) and has North America's Highest Auto Road.  The Mount Evans Scenic Byway climbs over 7,000 feet in its 28-mile length, reaching an altitude of 14,130' feet. The drive offers visitors scenic views of the Continental Divide, mountain goat, and bighorn sheep herds, marmots, birds, and alpine wildflowers..... 






...as well as Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine trees.

I blogged about these ancient bristlecone pines trees once before--on this link. They are located on a part of the drive in an area called the Mount Goliath Natural Area which is managed in cooperation between Denver Botanic Gardens and the US Forest Service. Some of the trees are between 900 to 2,000 years old!  On this trip, we did not stop as usual to visit the nature center as the weather was very overcast and we were concerned that we would be driving through a thunderstorm.





As you can see from the photo above,  the clouds were heavy and some raindrops were falling. Usually, this view of the continental divide is very scenic 




 

But although the distant views were obscured the rising clouds were amazing to see.



It was like being in heaven and looking down at the earth from our own cloud!




As we continued to drive in some areas the skies were dark and the clouds began to bring pelting rain.





In other areas, we were above the clouds again!






Because of the inclement weather not many cars were on the scenic byway that day. You can see from all the rocks in the terrain the Rocky Mountains are aptly named.





The Mount Evans Scenic Byway is a narrow road with one lane in each direction and is always under repair due to the extreme weather conditions the mountain experiences every year. It has no side rails and at times nerves of steel are needed to drive around mountain curves that look like they head right off the mountain!




Although this was the last week in July, and Colorado has had high summer temperatures, there were still patches of snow in some areas.





The temperature does get lower the higher the road climbs and one year we actually drove through a snow storm during the last five miles on the first day of summer--click here-- to see that post!




We did stop at Summit Lake as we all had to use the restroom facility, but it was raining so we did not take a hike there as we usually like to do. Summit Lake is at 12,840 feet (3,913.632 M) which is well above the tree line, and there are always beautiful alpine flowers located there on the tundra--as you can see on this past post--click here.





We continued our drive to the summit and at this point, we were encased in fog at times!






We even followed a bicycle rider at one point as we were afraid to pass him!





If you look closely at the photo above you can see two people wearing turquoise walking up a trail.
The switchback trail leads from a parking lot that is close to the top of the Mount Evans Summit!  






In the past, we always parked and walked up the last 130 feet to the summit, but since at this high elevation it was cold at 40 degrees F (4.444C), and raining we decided we'd not chance it. We were also worried about possible lightning.






The ruins of the Crest House which was once a visitors center, restaurant, and gift shop that opened in 1941, but sadly burned in 1979 by a propane accident.  A smaller restroom facility was built in this area afterward.






In this area, there are some observation decks and telescopes. 




There are also usually many mountain goats and sheep in this area but they were all hiding this day -the photo above is from a past visit. If you look at this post--click here-- you can see that they walk around very close to all the visitors and are quite photogenic!





You can see a portion of the scenic byway we traveled in this photo and that we were above many clouds!




A warning sign at the parking lot with all good advice.  Altitude sickness is always a danger for someone not acclimated to this high elevation.  



We took quick photos by the sign and hopped back into our car for the ride down--a part two blog post of that drive will be on next week's post.  

Meanwhile, Happy Month of August!  

Summer is flying by!


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Monday, July 25, 2022

Zucchini Mushroom Risotto



 


Summertime often means having a plethora of zucchini growing in one's garden! If one does not have a garden, zucchini is usually low in price when they are in season. Zucchini is a very versatile vegetable that can be prepared in many different ways.  Did you know that its blossoms are also edible and also quite delicious?




 I plant zucchini seeds in large flower pots in my backyard when the danger of frost is over because I love utilizing zucchini blossoms in my recipes.  They are a true summer delicacy!




Once the zucchini from my plants are medium in size I pick them, and one of my favorite preparations is using them in risotto. This time I also added some chopped zucchini blossoms, a cup of sliced and sauteed baby bell mushrooms, and fresh herbs from my garden.  You can add or delete ingredients to suit your taste. Recipe to follow.





Zucchini Mushroom Risotto

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

7 cups chicken broth--vegetable broth can also be used
2 cups Arborio rice, uncooked
3 scallions chopped
One stalk of celery chopped
3 garlic cloves crushed and chopped fine
3 tablespoons butter
One cup of white wine
2 medium zucchini, peeled and grated 
One cup of sauteed sliced mushrooms
Ground black pepper
One cup of chopped zucchini blossoms--optional
Fresh basil and thyme if available, or dried.

Direction:

Chop vegetables and grate the zucchini on a box grater.

Slice and saute the mushrooms in a bit of butter.

Pour chicken broth into a pot and bring to a simmer.

Saute the chopped celery and scallions until tender in a deep skillet with the 3 tablespoons of butter. 

Add the garlic and rice and stir constantly until all is coated and the rice is lightly toasted.

Slowly pour in one cup of white wine and stir well over medium heat for two minutes

Slowly ladle in a cup of chicken broth to the rice mix and keep stirring well

Add the grated zucchini and sauteed mushrooms

Keep adding one cup of the hot chicken broth a little at a time as the liquid is absorbed, all the while stirring the rice.

Add the chopped zucchini blossoms, about 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, and 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves if available. 

If using dried herbs, use one tablespoon of basil and one teaspoon of dried thyme.  Grate in black peppercorns to the mixture as desired 

Continue to gradually ladle in simmering chicken stock, stirring continuously until all is used. The risotto will become "creamy" and slightly sticky, yet still firm in the center, or al dente.

I added a splash of black truffle oil to the risotto before serving it as it adds a nice umami taste, but that is optional.  I also serve it with grated Parmesan cheese on top.






As you can see I have been collecting many zucchini blossoms!  I pick the male blossoms that have a long thin stem early in the morning when they are open.  If the blossom stem is thick it is a female and I leave that to grow as it will become a zucchini.  I pinch out the blossom's inner stamens and remove the pointy green ends of the stem. I then store them in my refrigerator on a layer of paper towels in a plastic container.  I try to use them within a day or two. 



Another favorite way to eat the blossoms is to stuff them with a bit of mozzarella cheese and either a bit of anchovy or a piece of prosciutto and then dip them in a tempura-style batter and fry them until crisp.  Everyone has a favorite batter. I favor Rosetta Consentino's recipe--click here.--with the exception that I use bottled sparkling water in the batter as I feel it adds more crispness to the final result.



I've also incorporated them into a breakfast frittata.  I always think of frittatas as a vessel for using up leftover vegetables or pasta as they are cooked in a frying pan along with beaten eggs, cheese, and herbs. My husband is skilled at flipping frittatas so that both sides get crisp, but this frittata I finished by baking in a hot oven for a few minutes, as I had decorated the top with fresh basil leaves and zucchini blossoms.



 

I hope my zucchini plants will keep the blossoms flowering for a long time this summer as we really enjoy them!




For Skywatch Saturday: We had some good rain storms this month, which is a blessing after months of drought. The storms create beautiful rainbows including this unusual double rainbow we saw as we were driving to the airport recently.  Double good luck to all!


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