A5
OPINION/LOCAL
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Wallowa High School burns in subzero temps
IT’S ABOUT HEALTH
AND WELLNESS
Ann Bloom
ing heavy damage to the
vehicle, slight damage to
the trailer, and spilling 400
bales of hay across the high-
way, causing the roadway
to be blocked from 7 pm to
midnight.
OUT OF THE PAST
Compiled by Cheryl Jenkins
100 YEARS AGO
Jan. 19, 2022
Using herbs and
spices to add fresh
flavor to your dishes
F
resh (or dried) herbs and spices are an
often-overlooked way to add flavor to your
dishes without adding salt (if you are watching
your sodium intake) or extra calories (if you’re watch-
ing those, too).
During the early days of the pandemic, when peo-
ple were working at home more, cooking became a
creative outlet for many. People experimented with
recipes using combinations of herbs and spices to liven
up tried and true recipes, and to try new and different
ones.
Herbs are relatively easy to grow. In Wallowa
County, most herbs such as basil, chives and oregano
can be grown from seed. Though basil, a Mediter-
ranean herb requiring warm weather, will not win-
ter over, other herbs such as chives, oregano, thyme,
parsley and dill will either self-seed and return each
year, or simply die back and return in the spring. Many
types of mint, such as peppermint, also grow well in
our area. However, mint, if not contained, can become
invasive and take over wherever it’s planted, which is
OK if you like mint. Rosemary and tarragon seem to
do well as starts from a nursery.
A few herbs lend themselves well to kitchen win-
dowsill gardens or grown from seed on a kitchen
countertop. Basil, marjoram, oregano, savory and
chives can be successfully started from seed and gown
in pots even when it is cold and snowy outside, pro-
viding a fresh source for pizza toppings or inclusion in
a savory winter stew.
When cooking with herbs, dried herbs are used at a
ratio of 1 teaspoon dried to approximately 3 teaspoons
(approximately 1 tablespoon) of fresh herbs. If using
fresh herbs, depending on the herb, and the flavor you
are looking for (subtle vs. robust), determines when
you add the herb. With delicate herbs such as basil,
herbs should be added a minute or two before serving.
This will allow the flavor of the herb to come through
without diminishing it due to the heat of prolonged
cooking. Stronger herbs, such as rosemary, can be
added 20 minutes or so prior to the end of the cooking
time. Dried herbs are usually added at the beginning
of the recipe. The recipe will also indicate when to add
the herbs. An herb sachet called a bouquet garni allows
control of the time the herbs are in the dish, since you
can remove the sachet whenever you want, and it con-
tains all the herbs in one place, which saves time look-
ing for all those separate herbs to pull them out.
Herbs and spices can be used in savory dishes (i.e.,
soups, stews, egg dishes) or sweet dishes (i.e., mint in
cookies or cakes and lavender in cookies).
Dried herbs can be purchased in bulk. Buying a
small amount when you want to try something new is
a practical and economical approach. Bulk herbs tend
to be stronger in flavor than those in small bottles in
the spice section of the grocery store due to the higher
turnover in volume. When buying fresh herbs, look for
bright green leaves and stems. Avoid wilted, yellow
or brown leaves, which indicates the herbs are old and
past their prime.
Store dried herbs in a cool, dark location away
from direct heat or light, which will diminish the fla-
vor. Dried herbs will retain their flavor for one to three
years. Smell dried herbs which have been stored for a
length of time to help determine the potency of flavor.
Wash fresh herbs just before using. Remove leaves
from woody stems, such as rosemary and thyme, dis-
carding the stems. Chop the leaves before adding the
herbs to the dish.
Spices range from the common (cinnamon, nut-
meg, ginger and cloves) to the less common (carda-
mom, saffron and coriander) to name a few. Spices
also include pepper (red, black, white and pink), curry,
cumin, paprika and turmeric. Saffron comes from the
red stamens of an autumn flowering purple crocus. It
is native to Eurasia and because it requires an enor-
mous amount of the red Saffron threads to produce a
small amount of the spice, and it is harvested by hand,
it is considered the most expensive spice in the world,
according to Wikipedia.
Herbs and spices have been used for medici-
nal and healing purposes for millennia. For exam-
ple, the spice, ginger, has been used successfully to
relieve the nausea that accompanies motion and morn-
ing sickness. Sage, an herb common to the Mediterra-
nean and known since the Middle Ages, contains Vita-
min K which is important for bone health. Oregano,
often called the “pizza” herb, contains vitamins A, C
and E and minerals zinc, magnesium, iron, calcium,
copper, potassium, manganese and niacin. Some peo-
ple also find lavender is helpful as a sleep aid and for
relaxation.
Each herb and spice combination seems to claim a
piece of the world’s culinary turf. For example, Asian
cooking often uses combinations of basil, lemongrass
and cinnamon. Indian dishes rely on curry, paprika,
cardamom and cumin. Italian cooking uses herbs such
as oregano, basil and rosemary. In Mexican cooking
you’ll find cooks using cumin, chili peppers, Mexi-
can oregano and cilantro. And in Greece, cooks rely on
allspice, cloves, mint, dill and oregano to flavor their
food.
Did you know you can make your own recipes of
some common seasoning blends? For example, if you
are out of pumpkin pie spice blend you can combine
2 tablespoons of cinnamon, one tablespoon of ginger,
1½ teaspoons of nutmeg and 1½ teaspoons of cloves.
Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight
container. Use the amount called for in a pumpkin pie
recipe. This recipe makes four tablespoons of spice
blend. This recipe and others can be found on the food
hero website.
For more recipes and information on using herbs
and spices go to www.foodhero.org.
———
Ann Bloom lives in Enterprise and has worked for
the OSU Extension Service for 15 years as a nutri-
tion educator. She studied journalism and education at
Washington State University.
The seven banks of Wal-
lowa county did an unprec-
edented thing at their annual
meetings — the former
directors and officers were
reelected with not a single
change, giving an air of sta-
bility and permanence to
the financial structure of the
county. The banks are: Wal-
lowa National Bank, Enter-
prise State Bank, First Bank
of Joseph, Stockgrowers
and Farmers National Bank
of Wallowa, Lostine State
Bank, First National Bank of
Joseph, and Flora State Bank.
With the thermometer 24
below zero, the brick high
school building at Wallowa
was discovered in flames at
about 1 o-clock this morn-
ing. At daylight nothing but
the bare brick walls were left
standing. The interior and all
contents were a total loss.
School will be resumed in a
few days. Classes will meet
in churches and halls.
75 YEARS AGO
Jan. 23, 1947
The Auto Body and Paint
25 YEARS AGO
Jan. 16, 1997
Wallowa County Chieftain, File
Floodwaters in 1978 ravaged the Imnaha area.
shop located on the east side
of the court house was gutted
by fire and three cars were
burned. The fire apparently
started when some paint thin-
ner caught fire. Cars belong-
ing to I. S. Surber and Mrs.
Isel Knodell were burned and
a new 1946 Dodge pickup,
owned by Ray Harris, was
charred.
A large crowd attended
the annual pot luck dinner of
the Joseph chamber of com-
merce. The financial report
showed that the Chief Joseph
days celebration was a huge
success. Plans for this year’s
celebration call for a rodeo
theme.
Max Wilson bears the
honor of being Joseph’s out-
standing citizen of 1946.
The state highway com-
mission has notified the
Enterprise chamber of com-
merce that guard rails will be
put up on Minam hill.
50 YEARS AGO
Jan. 20, 1972
Following the six-day
storm which hit last week,
the county and state road
crews continue to clear the
rural road situation. County
road supervisor Vern Russell
said that they’ve encountered
drifts up to 10 feet in depth
for several miles. Of the
1300 miles of county roads
in Wallowa County, 630
miles are normally main-
tained during the winter.
A semi truck loaded with
hay and heading for the 4-0
Cattle Company feed lots
upset on Buford grade, caus-
The front door of Shell
Mercantile in Wallowa was
smashed in and the store was
burglarized for the second
time in six weeks. A large
assortment of merchandise,
including cigarettes, wine,
gum, candy and liquor was
taken.
Roger Decker, who served
as Wallowa County Sher-
iff for the past 12-plus years,
officially retired at a stroke
before midnight, just missing
Imnaha’s worst-ever flood on
New Year’s Day. The sher-
iff’s badge was passed on to
Ron Jett, who was officially
appointed to start as sheriff
on midnight New Year’s Day.
The calculated damages to
USFS roads from the Imnaha
floods has been set at $7 mil-
lion. The biggest expense on
the system will be to the Wal-
lowa Mountain Loop Road,
where a 10-mile stretch of
roadway near Pine Creek was
lost.
Weed Board solicits new members
County residents
urged to help fight
noxious weeds
Chieftain staff
WALLOWA COUNTY
— The Wallowa County
Weed Board is currently
seeking new members to
help provide insight, identify
priority species and manage-
ment direction to deal with
noxious weeds in the county,
according to board Chair-
woman Teresa Smergut.
The board consists of
seven to 11 volunteers who
come from a variety of back-
grounds and geographic
areas within the county. Cur-
rently the board has seven
members and is looking for
several more folks. Mem-
bers include ranchers, small
landowners, business own-
ers, agencies and other folks
interested in preventing and
managing invasive species.
The board’s mission is
to develop program prior-
ities and serve as a techni-
cal adviser to the Wallowa
County Vegetation Depart-
ment headed by Andy Mar-
cum, of which all county res-
idents help support through
their county taxes.
Some of the funds
obtained by the county assists
landowners in weed treat-
ment and is through grants
that are applied for through
Marcum as weed supervi-
sor, the U.S. Forest Service,
Wallowa Resources, the Tri-
County Weed District, the
Nez Perce Tribe, the Oregon
Department of Agriculture
and other entities. It is con-
sidered a partnership effort.
The weed board supports
these efforts by helping to
prioritize and provide input
to the importance of these
activities, although the board
doesn’t directly deal with the
funds, Smergut said.
One of the main goals is to
provide outreach and educa-
tion in support of managing
noxious weeds. Pamphlets
on the various noxious and
invasive weeds are available
through Marcum, the Forest
Service and the Weed Board.
The board meets once a
month for nine months each
year with our partners and
other interested members of
the public. The board does
not meet in July. Septem-
ber and December. July and
September are heavy with
field work and too many peo-
ple are away for the holidays
in December, Smergut said.
The board meets the third
Tuesdays of the scheduled
months.
“Wallowa County is an
incredible place to live with
an amazing landscape,”
Smergut said. “It is imper-
ative that we participate in
the management of inva-
sive species in order to pre-
serve and maintain ecosys-
tem health and resilience
within this landscape, which
affect economic and esthetic
returns from our rangelands,
farmlands, forests, water-
ways, wilderness and urban
settings.”
For more information on
the weed department or to
join the board, contact Smer-
gut at 541-263-2283.
$16,500 offered for info on illegal wolf kill
Chieftain staff
WALLOWA COUNTY
— Conservation groups
announced Thursday, Jan.
13, that they are offering a
$16,500 reward for informa-
tion that leads to an arrest and
conviction in an illegal wolf
killing last week in Wallowa
County.
A 2-year-old collared
female wolf was found dead
southeast of Wallowa and
reported just after 10:30 a.m.
on Jan. 8. Oregon State
Police reported the killing
on Jan. 11. The wolf, des-
ignated OR-106, was found
on Parsnip Creek Road in
the Sled Springs game man-
agement unit. OSP said the
wolf had dispersed from the
Chesnimnus Pack in north-
ECX:
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“It’s kind of good for
the dogs, too,” he said. “It’s
good for the dogs to see
other dogs and pass other
dogs.”
As the younger Ander-
son got more involved, so
did Craig. In fact, four of the
sled dogs he owns are sib-
lings to Morgan’s lead dog
and the one she owns, Gale.
“I moved away to col-
Warnock:
Continued from Page A1
Dean Oregon Ranches cat-
tle; the others were owned
by neighboring ranches.”
Fish said Jan. 14 he still
doesn’t know the num-
ber or rescued or lost cat-
ern Wallowa County.
“Illegally killing Oregon’s
few wolves out of hatred or
spite must stop,” Kelly Peter-
son, Oregon senior state
director at the Humane Soci-
ety of the United States, said
in a press release. “The death
of OR-106 at the hands of a
poacher is heartbreaking and
infuriating, especially after
eight of Oregon’s wolves
were illegally poisoned and
killed just last year. While
this reward cannot bring back
these iconic animals, we hope
it brings these cruel actors to
justice and helps to put an end
to the illegal slaughter of our
wolves once and for all.”
In addition to the Humane
Society, the Center for Bio-
logical Diversity, Predator
Defense, Western Watersheds
Project, Cascadia Wildlands,
Oregon Wild, Speak for
Wolves and Northeast Ore-
gon Ecosystems are pledging
funding to the reward.
The killing is among more
than 30 poaching incidents
in Oregon since wolves were
reintroduced, according to
Stephanie Taylor, president of
Speak for Wolves.
“When poachers get
away with breaking the law,
it only leads to more poach-
ing and lawlessness,” Dan-
ielle Moser, of Oregon Wild,
said in the release. “This is a
result of wolves losing their
endangered species protec-
tions coupled with a culture
of poaching permissiveness.
For far too long, poachers
have been emboldened by
those who excuse and cele-
brate their criminal acts with-
out fear of consequences.”
The shooting comes on
the heels of the poisoning of
wolves in Northeastern Ore-
gon in 2021, the release noted.
In addition to the amount
offered by the conservation
groups, The Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wild-
life’s Turn in Poachers divi-
sion is offering a potential
$300 reward for informa-
tion regarding illegal wolf
killings.
Those with information
may contact Oregon State
Police Sgt. Isaac Cyr through
ODFW’s Turn in Poach-
ers (TIP) hotline at 800-452-
7888, *OSP via mobile, or
via email to TIP@state.or.us
between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Monday to Friday.
lege, so my dad no lon-
ger had me to look after,
so I think I got replaced by
dogs,” she quipped.
Running sled dogs has
resulted in Morgan and
Craig getting several oppor-
tunities to run together
through the Eagle Cap Wil-
derness, which for both is a
highlight.
“Just a lot of good memo-
ries. My dad and I are pretty
good at going out and having
fun,” Morgan said. “The first
time I ever got my dad on a
sled, I think it was Jan. 1 (a
few years ago) and it was a
super moon. It was so light
out you didn’t have to have
a lamp. It’s created more fun
times with him.”
“It’s fun to be out there
and not have headlamps
on,” Craig said. “Visibility
is high. That’s a pretty neat
deal. It’s fun to run with her.”
Given the two are run-
ning different races, they
actually won’t be racing the
trails together. Indeed, Mor-
gan said, she likely won’t
see her dad until she com-
pletes the 200-mile race
sometime Jan. 22.
But she is hopeful he’ll
be there at the finish line to
greet her.
And as for Craig, he said
getting to watch his daugh-
ter compete in the Eagle Cap
Extreme is special.
“It’s a pretty neat thing.
It’s fun to watch her. She
does quite well with it,” he
said. “To know the kind of
conditions they are going
through and the lack of sleep
it’s a neat thing. … It’s prob-
ably one of our favorite
events of the whole year.”
tle involved in the situation.
He said the new manager is
Katie Romero, but he hadn’t
yet met her nor did he know
anything about her.
In a statement received
by email Jan. 17, Warnock
said, “We put in our two-
week notice on Jan. 12.
The gathering crew will be
done the end of the month,
as well. We wish the Deans
and any future employ-
ees the best of luck going
forward.”
He said he would have
no further statements on the
issue.
Fish said in his investi-
gation he has spoken with
Karen Dean, wife of Bob
Dean, who is ailing.
“The cattle are still under
Dean Oregon Ranches,”
Fish said.
Dean attorney Christo-
pher Gramiccioni, of South
Carolina, said Joseph Law
Firm in La Grande is repre-
senting Dean locally. There
was no response to email
and telephone requests for
comment from the firm.