You say tomaahtoe, I say....

Well, we have sweetness on the vine. These little buggers are just sugar-pops for the soul. Their vines don't look like much, but they have produced some very tasty fruit.



The larger yellow guys below are Miss Lillian's and I have lower expectations of them due to the fruit setting very late and the trunk of the plant having some funk. Not the good kind. We have been getting very good tomatoes at the farmer's market to supplement our intake quota for the summer.



Tomorrow we are hosting book club brunch and hoping to utilize some of the sugar-pops in crepes! Poached chicken with a mushroom cream sauce is also going to be made for the crepes, but that is not as thrilling as using our own home grown food! Maybe next year at this time we will host brunch and use our own home grown chicken for the sauce!

Simple is Sublime

I know this picture is out of focus, but the family photographer is out for sushi. I am at home having this amazing dish! I have discovered the magic of salsa verde. You see, I have many foodie blogs I follow, but my favorite is Orangette. You may have heard of her. You may not have. No matter. Just do this and your life will change.

It is simple really; a salsa made of capers, garlic, parsley, chili flakes, salt and olive oil. But oh my goodness. Tossed with freshly, hot roasted baby yukon potatoes, it is utterly sublime. I topped it with a sunny side up egg this evening. We had the same with smoked salmon on Sunday night. (yes Mom, I smoked and ate salmon!) Really, I think I could have it three times a day and end up in heaven a day late with a smile on my face. Really. Make it. Soon. You won't regret it.

Chickens are closing in on us...

Each weekend we get closer and closer to finishing the coop. It is taking much longer than I thought. But I hope the peeps feel well loved in their home when they get here. I took a 3 hours Backyard Chickens class last Sunday to learn all I have not read on the interweb about chicken raising. I am feeling confident. We shall start off with three, so they can have a pecking order. Mike's Feed in San Leandro sells chicks. Many kinds. I realized I cannot in good conscience order chicks via the mail. So we shall pick them up by driving South on 880.



More planting happened over the last week: arugula, beets, collards and kale. I should mention the romaine, but since it is near death, I think I ought not mention it by name. Too much sun = death to lettuce. Even Oakland sun. Also the Jurassic impatiens I planted in one of the tire beds has kicked the bucket, but for the life of me I don't know why....We ate some cherry tomatoes with supper guests last weekend (grilled butterflied leg-o-lamb), and they were delicious.

No more typing, my hand hurts from my running-in-the-hills-tumble this morning. Ouch.

Oh, Geoff, I finished the irrigation project in the back. Works great. Thank you again for getting that one off the ground. PVC cement works like magic!