Nectar Flow 2012

The days are getting longer and spring is getting closer.  The bees have been multiplying like crazy.  There is plenty for them to forage on.  All the lavender is in bloom, the citrus trees are beginning to blossom and the scent of orange blossoms fills the air.  The timing is perfect...the bee's, the bloom the nectar flow and the pollination. It's like watching a flawless choreographed dance.

Garden Update November 30th, 2011

Melissa and I were in Santa Barbara at a nursery and we found these little starts call Cheddar Cauliflower.  We planted them and sure enough, a couple of months later, cheddar orange cauliflowers emerged.

Not much is happening this fall and winter at least compared to the spring and summer but the Green Cabbages are really beatiful and very tastey right out of the garden.  No sprays or chemical.  Kept a lot of pests away just by using netting over the tops of the plants.

Apples and Honey - Sweet New Year

Summer Into Fall - Breathing In and Breathing Out!!



Brown Turkey Fig




Seedless Kadota Fig


























The figs have been a pleasant surprise.  We now have six fig trees, different varieties and all have their own unique taste, texture and colors.  All beautiful.  Along with our thin skinned Osborn Prolific fig, we have a fig called a "Bordeaux". A small fuit with an exraordinary sweet and slightly tart flavor.  A couple peeked out earlier in the season just long enough to give us a taste of things to come. Very promising!

Melissa lightly baked some figs in a little butter and our first honey of the season and used it as a topping on a hot milk sponge cake. Delicious beyond words!!

The Bounty 8/8/2011...Beets, Carrots, Tomatoes and Sunflowers

We harvested our first carrots this week.  Now I understand the phrase "Having the patience to sit and watch a carrot grow".  They really do take a long time!!  Made up a roasted beet, carrot and tomato salad with arugala and a salty french feta.  Crazy good...dressed with a fruity olive oil.

I like photographing Sunflowers.  They are yellow, happy, bright and positive.

The Bounty - Heirloom Tomatoes 8/3/2011

The hot weather hit and all fifteen or so varieties of heirloom tomatoes have come into their full ripeness.  The colors in the photo are very true too what’s on the vines.  There are red, green and yellow pears.  Red, yellow and yellow cluster cherries, large slicing tomatoes, a variety of blacks, and Italians including  San Marzano’s.  I think there are as many recipes for tomatoes as there are for preparing chicken.  We have canned a batch of sauce with more to come.  Made fresh salsas, gazpachos, roasted, sliced, eaten them with artisanal cheeses on the greatest breads and sun dried a batch for future recipes.  Nothing tastes quite like the fresh off the vine tomatoes.  They really define the summer victory garden.  It’s not over and I am already missing them!!

Garden Update 7/18/2011

Here's a garden update. The first two 4" X 8" boxes have about 15 varieties of heirloom tomatoes.  There has been an abundance of fruit all with that "umami" tomato goodness.  We have small  yellow "Sun Golds" that are out of this world, red pear, Italian plum a variety of blacks that are really deep purple and a range of large slicing tomatoes.  We've been making some interesting salads with most ingredients from the garden.  Here's one that has been particularly good so it made the table a couple nights in a row.
Tomato Medley Salad:
All varieties from the garden, sliced or whole (small tomatoes) arranged on a serving platter.   Dress with a fruity extra virgin olive oil kosher salt and fresh cracked peeper.
Top with arugula salad dressed with same as above but with a dash of balsamic, fig or pomegranate vinegar. 
From the herb garden do a rough chop of Italian Parsley, Basil leaves and young bunching onions.  Drizzle with EVOO.  Adjust salt and pepper.  Finish with bits or slices of your favorite chèvre or blue cheese...and enjoy!

Road Trip - Jackson, WY to Pt. Reyes, CA

Just back from our road trip to Jackson, WY.  What a great break.  We hiked, road bikes, kayaked, golfed, ate, drank and lounged around...you know, the things you're supposed to do on vacation.  We had at least three cameras going at all times so between everyone, there are a zillion images of the magnificent Grand Tetons in every lighting situation at all times of day, with clouds, without clouds...all beautiful and aw inspiring!!

See what I mean!!  Aahh!

The trip across Northern California was great.  Over the Sierras, east across the state, through Napa and after hooking up with friends over to Pt. Reyes.  It was a beautiful 78degree day, slight breeze and just naturally intoxicating. We visited a couple of creameries, Cow Girl and Nicasio Valley Cheese Co.  Here is a link to an article that says it all about the cheeses from this area. http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_15725747?source=email   Pt. Reyes is also known for its aquaculture.  Some of the best muscles and oysters are farmed in Tomales Bay.  So put together the food, landscape weather and location and you have a little slice of heaven on earth!!  Worth the visit.

The Garden Update 06/20/2011

Simple update.  You can see the progression if you've been following the blog.  You can look back to the older posts to see holes in the ground ready to be filled with soil.  I see this as the first phase.  More to come!!

The Bounty Part 1 – Apple Juice and Apple Sauce

We have three mature apple trees on the property that we planted well over ten year ago.  We have an Anna, Dorsett Golden and a late producing Fuji.  The first two trees, the Anna and Dorsett Golden produced heavily this year.  The challenge is figuring out what to do with a load of apples that come in all at once.  So “necessity being the mother of invention” you learn how to can, juice, dry, preserve, cook, eat and give away as many apples as you can as fast as you can.  What we did first was to press the juice and put up some apple sauce.  Whatever we have beyond the first gallon will go in the freezer and we will use it through the year for as long as it lasts.  The juice is probably the most perishable next to the actual fruit.