American Author and journalist Ernest Hemingway, responsible for such classics as For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea, spent summers and the last years of his life in beautiful, Ketchum, Idaho. He first came to Idaho as a guest of the newly-formed Sun Valley Company in 1939. That first year he and Martha Gellhorn stayed in room 206 at the Sun Valley Lodge, nicknaming it "The Glamour Room." His time spent in the area left an impressive legacy for the Ketchum/Sun Valley area.

1. Hemingway Memorial: The memorial is located just northeast of Sun Valley on Trail Creek Road south of the bike path. Here you will see a bust of Hemingway and an epitaph written for a friend who died in a hunting accident, though it is most fitting for Hemingway himself. The Memorial is accessible year round and there is no fee to visit the site. 

2. Hemingway Collection at The Community Library: The Library has one of the most extensive collections of information on Ernest M. Hemingway in the nation. It contains books, oral history interviews with his personal friends or family members and rare photos. A Royal typewriter that traveled with Hemingway on an Italian liner from Genoa to Havana, Cuba is on loan to the department.  Perhaps the same typewriter on which The Old Man and the Sea was written?

3. Hemingway Exhibit: The Ketchum/Sun Valley Heritage & Ski Museum in Ketchum has an exhibit which features photos and memorabilia from the author's years in Idaho. This exhibit gives a glimpse of Hemingway's life in Idaho from the time he first arrived at the Sun Valley Lodge with Martha Gellhorn in September of 1939 to his tragic suicide in 1961. 

4. Silver Creek Preserve: Silver Creek began drawing visitors in the 1930’s when celebrities who hunted and fished along the creek gave the area a boost of publicity. It was the hunting and fishing at Silver Creek (on a property known as Sun Valley Ranch) that attracted Hemingway, Gary Cooper and others to the resort. Hemingway's home, which is owned by the Nature Conservancy, is just 25 miles from the Preserve but unfortunately, is not open to the public.

5. Hemingway Symposium Oct. 20-22, 2011: This year the Hemingway Symposium will focus on Hemingway and Women, how the women in his life influenced Hemingway and his work and how his writing and his public persona influenced how women were, and are perceived.

The Year of Idaho Food is a grass-roots, year-long, statewide look at the surprising variety of foods grown in Idaho — and not simply focusing on the foods themselves, but also on the social, economic and environmental significance of those foods.

Idaho is famous for its potatoes, but did you know a lot more is grown here? Idaho farmers and ranchers produce over 185 different agricultural products. Asparagus grows in the spring. Strawberries, Bing cherries, apricots, and raspberries grow in the summer. Peaches, plums, pears and corn are available in the fall, and apples, onions and potatoes can be found just about year-round. But that’s not everything! Idaho processors also specialize in breads, dairy, meat, wine, nursery plants and specialty foods like jams, jellies, pickled vegetables and more. A recipe featuring an Idaho food is included below.  Additionally, two upcoming events will have a focus on Idaho foods:   Idaho Green Expo in May, Savor Idaho in June and Sun Valley Harvest Festival in September.

Since we all eat, we are therefore experts on food in our own unique ways. Anyone who eats, cooks, or grows food in Idaho is welcome to contribute stories or information to the Year of Idaho Foods web page hosted by Northwest Food News .  As you travel in Idaho, ask about the many restaurants with menus featuring local foods, enjoy the variety and share your experience with others.  Follow the Year of Idaho Foods on Facebook.

Apple Honey Crisp
6 cups thinly sliced Idaho apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup Idaho honey
¾ cup butter
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup flour

Wash and peel apples (about 6 large apples). Toss with lemon juice. Place apples in 9X13” baking pan. Drizzle honey over apple mixture. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, rolled oats and flour. Blend in butter until fine crumbs are formed. Sprinkle topping over apples and honey. Bake in 375° oven for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve warm with ice cream.  (Recipe reproduced from Idaho Preferred.)

Shore Lodge has partnered with Brundage Mountain to offer a variety of ski vacation packages. Located just five miles from Brundage in beautiful downtown McCall, Idaho , Shore Lodge makes the ideal home base. One-night and two-night packages are available and include lodging in a Lake View Suite for two people and ski lift tickets for Brundage Mountain. The Lodge provides shuttle service to the mountain so relax, enjoy the views and prepare for great skiing and great fun in McCall. Rates start at $199 for two people/one night, and are available through March 31, 2011.