Daydreams... or Freedom.

"We outnumber them.."

"Ha Ha, I laugh at your fence!"

"If you cut me... I'll find another way."

"where am I?"

Justin's photography never ceases to amaze..

Earthday 2010

Today was boundless beauty . The family got together and brewed a batch of beer over coffee and toast outdoors to start out our Earth Day. It was early and there was a touch of cloud cover but overall the sky was brilliantly blue and immersed in heavenly light. Such rapture!

We even spotted the woody nest of a chickadee in an original fence post near the crush pad. Can you see the little hole that they laid their eggs in? I might need to work on my wildlife photography some more...

Three cheers for tomatoes! After the long wait, we finally tucked the first few plants snugly into their beds. All of them were started from heirloom seeds from rareseeds.com and we've got about twenty different varieties of seedlings this year! Talk about variety! Hopefully, this season will give us a better idea of what grows best round these parts and which ones we find the tastiest before and after "putting up"... I've already discussed the possibility of canning parties this summer with several of my girl friends. Looks like this will be one productive year!

Snug as a bug

Getting down with hip urban farm culture ;)

Sushi!

We tried something a little different for dinner and in honor of the beautiful tomato bed, decided that sushi was the perfect way to end an already amazing day. I have always been a fan of the Nigiri style of sushi and it was really easy to make. Little balls of sushi rice with something on top and a strip of Nori Seaweed to hold it together and voila! So good!!!

Home made, home grown delicacy

First batch made with Homegrown peas and veggies

Second was homegrown egg nigiri

Very Hungry Bento Box!

Justin also decided to document his bento box adventures :)

Workshop

The workshop held at Le Bilig French Kitchen was a hit! A small group of very interested and

passionate people attended Winemaker Charlie's first Gardener's Exchange presentation last

weekend. We've decided that this is a wonderful way to share knowledge about small scale

farming and winemaking and are looking forward to do the next one! Thank you to everyone

who came out and enjoyed the food, wine, and farming fellowship !!!

Next month's event will be hosted at the Green Family Winery on Mother's day. There will be an assortment of hand-made truffles including my famous port truffles! Come on out and enjoy the fine wines we have available and say hello to the Winemaker himself! This is the perfect way for Mothers to relax and just have fun for the day.

It rained.

But we did manage to get the last of the raised beds up in front of the back fence a few days ago! Now just add dirt, trees, plants, water and let nature do the rest. It's nice crossing things off the "To Do" list! Here are a few after the rain photos I took during a break in the weather...

A baby Pine Tree that sprouted last spring. Look how big he is now!

Fennel fronds and sunlight

Onions

Kale makes excellent green shakes for breakfast :)

Snow peas go into just about everything right now.

We are SO ready, let us out!

Leek wanted to bloom as well, Yay!

even stragglers tend to flourish if given half a chance.

arugula at last.

Sorrel sprouting, and, of course, more peas

Green and happy :)

Tulips are edible, I looked it up ;)

GOOD NEWS! It's time to plant tomatoes finally! By the looks of it, I'm not the only one who's excited. Every time I go out nowadays I see people snapping up tomato plants sold in stores. I think the lure of fresh salsa right from your own garden is getting too much to handle for most folks! It's makes me happy to see so much delight on people's faces over such a simple and perfect thing as planting a tomato plant of their own.

Bento!

My Mio Bento Lunch Box!

Delish!

This weekend I was out of town visiting the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco for school and it was an amazing experience! I carpooled with another student and we stayed in a hotel near Japan Town so we'd have plenty of time to meet up with our class. The entire trip turned into a roller coaster of intense Japan culture and fun. We sang karaoke (My first time ever!), went to the Cherry Blossom Festival (Sakura Matsuri) and saw the parade, and toured the museum with Professor Chirapravati who used to curate the Southeast Asian art there!

After the museum, we decided to peruse the end of the Cherry Blossom Festival and I bought an authentic Japanese bento box! (I got Justin one with the hungry hungry caterpillar on it too) I have been experimenting with traditional "Bento" type lunches for a few weeks now and to get my hands on this adorable lunch container made me super happy. Not only is it the cutest lil design with cats on the lid, it has made bringing lunch to class with me so much easier! I packed some noodles in the lower compartment, an assortment of snacks and a salad in the top, and tucked it into my bag before leaving for class. It fits perfectly in the front part of my backpack (you can see how tiny it is in the photo) and is awesome for covert munching in the computer lab. Goodbye wasteful spending, crappy school food, and throwaway wrappers! I will not miss you.

Being away at school makes it really hard to eat healthfully and inexpensively and be considerate to the world at the same time. The "brown bag" lunches I pack usually don't fit well into my bag and end up getting smooshed. I think coming across the idea of the Bento lunch has saved my life. They are amazingly beautiful creations, compact, eco-friendly and can be made with healthy foods. Justbento.com is a great resource for anyone who wants to explore the wonderful world of Japanese Bento lunches and there are loads of amazing photos of beautiful bento creations online.

Bento recipe ideas will commence!

The Garden Exchange @ Le Bilig Kitchen

Exciting news! Sorry for posting this so late but things have been crazy busy lately!

Winemaker Charles Green of Green Family Vineyards and Winery will be presenting a workshop at the Gardener's Exchange THIS SATURDAY, April 17th 2010 -(12:30-3:00pm), at Le Bilig Kitchen!

In the spirit of promoting the benefits of growing your own food and drink the topic he will be presenting will be "Planting a Successful Home Vineyard". He will sketch out the initial details and answer questions about making wine and planting vines in your own backyard. This $25 workshop includes lunch, lecture, materials and wine tasting!

Le Bilig Kitchen is located on 11750 Atwood Road, Auburn, CA 95603

Le Bilig has been our favorite restaurant in town for a long time now and it is a pleasure to be working with them in promoting the wonders of good food, wine and life. This enchanting family owned and operated restaurant captures the essence of provincial French cuisine and will set the perfect mood for a lively conversation about all aspects of planting your own home-vineyard! Don't miss it!

Also good news! As of 3/20/2010 we have bud-break in the vineyard signaling the start of the growing season. Ready, Set, OKAY Grow!

Fresh Fotos

I've been on vacation. Can you tell? ;)

Here's a little update on what's happened over the past few weeks...

more and more..

Garden looking bountiful :)

Always experimenting.

Seed saving (princess pumpkin)

Things in the garden have been changing rapidly since the beginning of spring and everything is blooming, budding, and flourishing. Between new garden beds and other hardscaping projects we worked on during the colder months, things are looking up! Last week we got a head start by adding a row of raised beds to the back fence which helps to secure the area for our feathered friends from any neighborhood animals who might be willing to dig for a chicken dinner! The container patio is finished and ready for pots filled with herbs all the way to the front doorstep.

Another rain cloud made it's way across the sky this weekend. Rainy weather has been on and off all month and I think we're just now seeing the last few showers before it shuts down for the rest of the summer months. I'm torn between loving the rain for giving us all this amazing water and missing the sunshine when it's wet and cold grey outside. Right now I'd gladly wait out a couple more "storms" knowing that another few inches makes all the difference. Here in sunny California, things tend to get a bit crispy.

Moving along, I have other news to share. After blogging for about a year now, I realize that there are many other interests I'd like to explore in greater depth. Urban farming has made me realize that there are different ways that a person can care for themselves and learning to be more self sufficient is one of the best things I ever did. Even better, sharing it all has kept me in touch with my community. I love our little city gardens and all the creatures that live here, but there's so much more to talk about! Perhaps I will share them here or make another bloggety blog, I haven't decided yet!

Hopefully, I will have news to share about our rainwater harvesting system soon!

Ruth Stout's Garden

This woman is amazing!

Good Move: The Journey of the Fool

Today is April Fool's Day and Justin's Birthday all in one!

Happy Birthday to our April Fool's baby!

The very first Tarot card in the Major Arcana happens to start with the Fool card. The Fool represents new journeys and beginnings. Also shown as a sign of child-like wonder of the world, he is often shown with a flower in his hand. The Fool is like the joker or the wild card and is not numbered but presents a paradigm of everything and nothing all at once. Mysterious, unknown, it is an omen of great meaning to life's pathways and destinations. The fool card is a signal of change.

It is interesting that, in addition, Justin is also born under the sign of Aries, the first astrological sign of the Zodiac. Also known as the pioneer of the Zodiac, Aries people like to be the first to strike out on a path of their own. This is very much like Justin who is never concerned by what others might think and is always the one to remind me of this important fact. I have learned how to stay true to myself and my values from this amazing friend. He is, for the record, the one who helped me start this blog and continues to be supportive all the while!

I hope that everyone can learn from these daring "fools" and pioneers in life and remember to appreciate the wonderment at what surrounds us everyday. Smell the roses, take long walks, and always, always pick up spare change when you are lucky enough to see it!

(As luck would have it, Justin is also born under the auspicious sign of the rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac)