Swiss eating habits are changing.

Swissinfo article about the change in Swiss eating habits.

A special pie

Our Swiss friend, Christine, loves Darrell's apple pies. She was over tonight helping us clean our apartment and Darrell made this for her, complete with the Swiss cross... Christine pretty much rocks and deserves lots of these pies.

The Hills Are Alive...

In a previous post, I mentioned that I was surprised to find my friends at work did not know anything about "The Sound of Music". Shortly after that post, a care package arrived from Darrell's sister in the US with a DVD of the movie (thanks Marnie!). We quickly scheduled a movie night with "the girls" complete with a tapas style pot-luck. Being with the girls was as much fun as sharing the movie with them... RMS

Tasty Brake: Frauenfeld Brewery

Some of the best beer we have had in Schweiz.  Too bad, we still had a bike ride to finish.  

Where it all happens - Gruyere Cheese-crafting

Umm Gruyere Cheese: Copper kettles are used to heat up fresh milk (delivered two times a day). Paddles mix the milk into curds and whey. Then, pumps suck the mixture into the stainless steel forms on the right side of the picture. The plastic lids apply pressure separating the whey and making a round of cheese. After 40 hours the fresh round of pressed curds is taken out of the press and put into a brine and then aged. 4 months later, I can add it to my pot for a fondue. - Thank Cherry for the info.

Note from Ruth - Cherry is the cow who talks to you at the demonstration cheese factory to tell you all about how cheese is made. Her owner named her Cherry because she was born under a Cherry tree - or at least that is what she told us!

A True American Tradition

The weather has been nice here - very nice - and we have been quickly included in the Swiss and German traditions of grilling outside at a public area. For some reason, marshmallows have not caught on here. Too sweet we are told. So you Americans. . . . Have a hot dog and roast some marshmallows for us.

Ruth's note: I introduced some friends from work to S'mores at a lakeside grill. Everyone gave them a try - and I think they liked them. There is only one brand in the stores (pictured here)... Rocky Mountain Marshmallows straight from Elk Grove Village, IL - not quite the Rocky Mountains... but I digress, the instructions on the back are as much fun as eating the marshmallows!

How to BBQ perfect Marshmallows?

1) Stick 1-2 marshmallows on a long-handled stick or barbeque fork.
2) Hold the stick about 20 cm ABOVE the heat source. Do NOT hold the marshmallows IN the flame. (I like the conversion into metric for the European market).
3) Rotate your utensil until all sides are golden brown.
4) Let the marshmallow cool off.
5) Eat and Enjoy!

Do you want S'More? A s'more ("some more") is a traditional campfire treat very popular in the United States and Canada, consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham crackers (biscuits). Try some more!

Finally, there is the choking warning... do the Europeans really need this?
Eat one at a time. For children under 6, cut marshmallow into bite sized pieces.

Cheap Stars

I admit, I just don't like seeing the most tasteless bread in Switzerland, packaged like it came from America. White bread, instant rice, marshmallows, and stick pretzels all get the Red, White and Blue treatment. Hope the Swiss realize we produce real food too.

Good Bread

One of the things the surprised me about Switzerland is how good the bread is. Here are four our ten favorites. Butterzopf, Jura Baurenbrot, Fonduebrot, and Krustenkranz (Crusty Wreath).

Kitchen Work.

Cooking in our kitchen - after 8 months we have gotten used to an electric range. 

The salad spinner, cheese grater, electric water boiler and compost bin are all well used. 

We use more nutmeg, pepper, and herbs de Provence than we did in Bellingham.

What to drink with a Swiss cheese fondue

Funny and Important!

Swiss Hot Dog Stand

FYI: You can buy a hot dog (American style wurst) in Switzerland. However, you are likely to get it inserted into a 1/3 of a baguette. You may also need to use an udder-like device to apply condiments to it. Most locals seem to prefer a wurst slipped into a paper sack and included separately is a roll or piece of crusty bread. Note: A friend pointed out that the warm wurst sans bun, doubles as a hand warmer on a cold day.

Schwiezer Chicken!

Thursday 28.10.10: Schwiezer Chicken! (imagine the sound track to wonder-woman playing in the background). Watch out KFC, you are being upstaged by one Swiss entrepreneur.  www.natura-gueggeli.ch (natural chicken in schwiezer-deutsche) is selling franchises and has a nifty on-line crime novel-iggi. The teaser for the novel translates to, “Immerse yourself in an exciting adventure with Grill Rooster ™ Agent James and his charming assistant Poulette Rotissario ™. Chicken stock is a continuing crime story. It's about power, money, manipulation, chicken mafia and trying the best quality Swiss chicken.” What else can I say? About the vehicle in the picture... it is a Mercedes-Benz mobile Chicken Roaster with a large Swiss-flag chicken mounted to the top. No translation needed.

Fete de la Chataigne Fully

Sonnabend 15.10.10 : Fete de la Chataigne Fully: Lots of harvest fairs this month. This week Ruth, Bill Rose, Fiona and I took the trail to Fully, Valais for a chestnut festival. With 250 food, drink, and craft stalls lining 8 blocks of the tiny town, it was hard not feel the celebration. Chataigne or Chestnuts were the excuse to gather but all the fresh local specialties were available to try. Brisolee, a dish we ordered, came with: roasted chestnuts with local grapes, apples, two hearty breads, 5 types of Alpkase (cheese), and ham. Wow! We washed that down with some local Gamay red wine. 

What I loved about this was the selections for the cheese plate. In the US a cheese plate would include 5 different looking cheeses; blue, soft, log etc. Here there were 5 different 3-4 month old, rind-washed ‘alpkase’ cheeses that looked the same, yet they were all unique tasting.

September Daily Pics

In September, I started posting pictures on Facebook to share. Eventually, I figured out how to make and post to a blog. Here are the posts I made to Facebook. En Guete!

Welcome: This photo is out of sequence. But it is so cool. Rain and clouds in the Southern Alps could not ruin this sunny day in der Val de Unterschachen, Uri and the light on the waterfall in the midground.

Friday 17.9.10: Brooken Haus. Ruth and I made quick friends with the local 'used store' (think Goodwill) we have an apartment to furnish and the rental car to move items. I used our camera and Ruth's hand signs to remember the sofa options and their price. Fondue Set .. .. Check!

Sunday 9.19.10: Farm Stand. Sunday I went for a road bike ride on one of the national bike routes. Well signed, the routes are popular with bikers and keep to bike paths and quiet backroads. Along the route, farmers have set up stands. This one sold eggs, jams, and fruit syrups. Note to self: bring a bag to carry home the fresh good I find while biking!

Monday 20.9.10: Ruth’s First Trip to work. Fiona and I walk Ruth to the Bahnhof (9 minutes). Fiona was willing to wait right there for Ruth to return. Zurich's commuter rail system is great. 20-25 minutes to Zurich, Ruti, Winterthur. Trains leave every half-hour from our town.

Tuesday 21.9.10: Tuesday Night Ride. I found out about a Tuesday night ride starting 5 minutes from home. Lead by Mac, we had a great ride in the hills west of home, Fehraltorf. Not much single track here.

Wednesday 22.9.10: Local Viewpoint, Scheidegg. With foul weather on the way, I took off for a bike ride. I fed my obsession for climbing hills with this doozy. Roads are steep here in Switzerland 450 meters in 3.8 kms . . ouch. I learned not many people cycle up to the nearby high points. However, you are likely to find a restaurant with plenty of people enjoying the view even on a Wednesday. There were a group of Para-gliders as well. Enjoy the view toward Zurichsee and the Alps.

Thursday 23.9.10: Local Farm. Our new friend Iris, told us about her friend who has a orchard and make great bread. It didn’t take long for us to find it. Yummy Williamsbiren (pears), Rubinolo Apfelds (new type of apple), and Italian plums.

Friday 24.9.10: Functional Sculpture. Plenty of creative people making a living.

Tuesday 28.9.10: Fountains. I just realized there are bunch of Fountains in Fehraltorf (more than most towns).

Saturday: 25.9.10: Southern Escape. With the advice of a new friend Tara, we took the train south to Ticano, Swiss’s Italian speaking Canton on the south side of the alps, to escape some pretty heavy rain on the north side of the Alps. Lots of firsts for Fiona; first train station, escalator, bus, tram, Swiss goats, and mountain hut. It was hard to pick just one picture from this day. But I had to pick this plate of Risotto and Wurst, Malaise style. The wine I hiked/ tramed up from the town Monte Carasso.

Sunday 26.9.10 Mountain Light: Strong winds last night due to the low pressure north of the Alps spilling in to the Southern Alps. I am glad we were in this mountain hut.

Monday 27.9.10 Family Vineyards: The tram provided a unique view of these family wine plots. Bellizona, the city, is in the distance. In this region, middle class families come to these vineyards to relax and enjoy the land. This weekend was harvest time and the whole family seemed to be involved.

Tuesday 28.9.10 Photo from the top of Griggo, 2100 m.

Wednesday 29.9.10 Well maintained yard for everyone to enjoy. Thanks. - Oberholz, Wald, ZH.

Thursday 30.9.10: Urnasher VechSchau. The three us got up early and took a wonderful 2-hour train to Apenzeller with the intent of seeing a cow show. Apenzeller is a region with a strong tie to tradition and we were not let down by the day's festivities. We were in Urnasch, a small town below the the Santis Massif. Everyone was getting ready for the event when we arrived. There was lots of activity in the town when we arrived, wetting the street (cow poop is easier to clean off wet streets), and setting up booths for food and crafts to sell. The town's center was set up with corrals and plenty of fresh hay. Within the hour, the parade began from different farms east and west, all headed to town.

Men and boys, wore traditional knickers,vests, and hats. Girls, handmade dresses. Each participating farm had only small variations to a customary procession that included: 1) a young boy leading the way followed by a herdlet of goats; 2) well dress young men singing and leading the 8-15 best cows; 3) The train ended with an older man (and often his dog) to keep the cows on course.