Giving thanks every day helps get you through everyday or Happy Thanksgiving

Holidays are moving into my consciousness a bit lately. I guess being a caterer I probably need to be thinking in that direction to pay my mortgage but just the same I am really not a huge fan of this time of year. There I said it. I must get it from my mom as she absolutely hates Christmas and usually gets into a big funk around now. I can't blame her really. Growing up with six brothers and sisters was a challenge for us but must have been brutal for her. That right there is a whole lot of planning for Christmas morning with seven stockings to figure out and seven Santa gifts...it makes my eyelashes hurt thinking of it. No wander she hates it all even if we are all grown and no longer get anything but an exchange gift that we all participate in so everyone only has to get one thing for the whole family. I have a son and six nephews and they all only want the dough and I ain't talking about the edible kind. One of my nephews and his bride, my new niece whom I adore are expecting their first child. You would not be exaggerating to call this a HUGE event in our family. We have not had a baby around for several years. My youngest nephew is turning eight in December and we are ready for a baby. Just not mine. My parents will turn eighty, celebrate their sixtieth year of marriage and welcome their first great grandchild next spring. I am going to be busy for those parties being the only one that likes to cook out of the whole brood. It is my pleasure

Back to the holidays.....I have some ideas, opinions, hints whatever about all this bizarre eating and pressure drinking for the months of November and December heading all the way into January. Keep it simple all the time. Never forget to breathe, walk, exercise your mind and body. Get out into nature or take a yoga class and let the kundalini kick in.

Always take your own food to parties. When it is a potluck, take a big bowl or basket of satsuma mandarins or a great veggie tray with goods you procure from a farmers market. Make a nice salad with a little protein in it so you don't get stuck with the choice of going hungry over eating some ghastly store bought concoction. We all know that you need to drink a glass of water for every drink to minimize hang over and wrinkles but try two in between to keep the waistline a bit more in control.
Choose that dessert or cookies wisely. I can understand eating something that tastes shitty and makes you feel even worse if you're in a bad mood, having a tough day or something but if you are just taking them to take, be a little picky. You are going to have a million choices for about 45 days. Also if you make the good thing, you know you can use whole wheat flour and fresh fruit etc... to minimize trauma to your system.

Too preachy? Whatever, you're the one still reading this.

I also need to start a buzz around a Produce Pro calendar slated to make it's debut December 1st. It is a 15 month calendar with Dave Johnson's amazing original water colors of seasonal fruit along with my prose about said fruit for each month. It was astoundingly difficult to choose only one fruit per month but we did it and we are almost ready to distribute it. The cost will be in the 15 to 17 dollar range as it is expensive to produce but it will be a great piece of interactive, ever changing art work on your wall or whatever for 15 months. More on that in a week or two along with info on how to get it.

I am going to leave you for now with a few recipes for some veggie side things as well as a short list of food ideas in my battery if you ever decide to indulge yourself with a caterer!

Happy Thanksgiving...I know I have a whole lot to be thankful for and I do not only think about it on a Thursday in late November but every day my feet are able to hit the floor of my house and I can crawl walk into my son's room to wake him up again is a good day.

Peace and love, mush, mush etc...

This dip can be made with light cream cheese and it will not get wierd. It is an offering that will render you popular and a ask back guest to parties. Serve with good crackers or sliced baguette.
Shitake Pate
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ pound of shitake mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh thyme and savory, chopped
¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
½ pound chevre
½ pound cream cheese
Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil. When onion starts to soften, add the mushrooms and cook over low heat about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce, thyme, savory and nutmeg. Sauté for a minute longer. Put mushroom mixture into a food processor and add the cheeses. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Use this for your awesome veggies from the market.
Blue Cheese, Herb and Yogurt dip for Crudités
½ pound good blue cheese
2 cups plain yogurt
3 tablespoons assorted chopped fresh herbs
2 cloves fresh garlic
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Place all in food processor and pulse for a minute or 2. Adjust seasonings. Makes 3 cups.

Grilled chicken breast or shrimp are an exellent addition to this salad but it is also an amazing salad as aside as well.
Napa Cabbage Salad w/ Pea Tops, Fuyu, Feta and Lemon Oil
1 head of Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 Fuyu persimmon, quartered and sliced thin (substitute Satsuma Mandarins in winter)
1 bunch pea tops, washed, dried and sliced thin
4 scallions, thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of blond Balsamic
Sea salt and pepper
Toss everything together in a bowl.

This dish, in the right situation, if you are willing and able, will get you laid by almost anyone eating it.
Apple, Onion and Squash Gratin
2 apples of your choice, get sweet if you like sweet and tart if you like tart, cored and sliced thin
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 delicata squash, peeled, seeded and sliced thin
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 pint cream
Spray a large baking dish and layer apples, onions, garlic, squash and cheese in dish. Drizzle cream over and sprinkle fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Bake in a hot *400 oven covered for 30 minutes and remove foil and cook for 20 minutes more until browned on top. Serves 4.

This is ditto as above but can also be eaten from more than just a plate or...alright I'll behave...
Mashed Butternut Squash with Potatoes, Celery Root and Parsnips
This is an exceptional way to get more nutrition out of your mashers. Works well with cauliflower too. You can use chicken stock in place of the veggie stock if desired.
4 large yellow or red potatoes, cubed
1 medium sized butter nut squash, peeled and cubed
1 celery root, peeled and cubed
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
Water to cover
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup stock
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ cup grated aged Gouda cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Place veggies in a pot of salted water, cover and bring to a boil. Let simmer until soft. Drain most of the water, leaving some to mash with. Add stock to desired consistency. Stir in cheese and season with butter, salt and pepper and garnish with parsley. Serves 8.

The title speaks for itself....
Sautéed Assorted Winter Greens w/ Pancetta, Herbs and Garlic
3 pounds assorted braising greens, chopped
¼ pound pancetta, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons assorted chopped fresh herbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons chicken stock
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Sauté pancetta in olive oil for a minute and add the garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes and add greens. Sauté for 3 minutes and add the herbs and chicken stock. Cook for a few more minutes and season with salt and pepper.

Do not save this only for the holidays. It is amazing with or without the cream addition.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Orange Soup
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Zest and juice from 1 large orange
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup white wine
4 cups stock
1 cup ½ and ½
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
Sea salt and pepper
Heat oven to 425*. Toss squash, onion and garlic with olive oil roast for 20 minutes until caramelized. Remove from oven and place into a large soup pot. Add the white wine and turn heat to high. Reduce by half and add the stock and orange zest. Bring back to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Add the half and half and puree with a stick blender. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

A partial and just tickler list of things I can create for you for your party if you ever needed any help....

Hors d’oeuvres
Crab cakes w/ lemon verbena aioli
Brie Bites – mini puff bites w/ brie and homemade preserves inside
Pesto and chevre torte w/ croutons – cream cheese and chevre whipped together and layered w/ fresh pesto
Imported and domestic cheeses – interesting crackers
Sautéed assorted mushrooms over warm brie – sliced baguette
Grilled peaches and proscuitto w/ balsamic drizzle and arugala
Oven roasted tomato and proscuitto tarts w/ garlic jam and fresh thyme
Truffled potatoes stuffed w/ mushrooms and brie
Smoked salmon Crostini w/ curried deviled eggs
Grilled prawns marinated in lemon and oregano
Chicken sate w/ spicy peanut sauce
Foccacia bread w/ roasted butternut squash, pancetta and reggiano (seasonal)
Foccacia w/ toasted walnuts, caramelized onions, fresh figs and gorgonzola (seasonal)
Seasonal fruit
Roasted seasonal vegetables w/ balsamic drizzle
Salad Caprese (seasonal) organic heirloom tomatoes w/ fresh made mozzarella, assorted basil and balsamic drizzle
Grilled lamb or steak, with caramelized onions and peppers open faced pannini
Foccacia bread w/ caramelized onions, thyme, pancetta and fresh mozzarella
Crostini w/ orange tapenade, smoked salmon and crème fraiche
Toasted walnut, feta and fresh herb spread w/ croutons
Sliced prosciutto w/ shaved reggiano parmesana and lemon olive oil on a bed of spiced arugula
Smoked Turkey and Avocado Panini on herbed sourdough rounds

Entrée Stuff
Tossed market greens w/ Satsuma mandarins, feta and toasted almonds w/ lemon vinaigrette Summer time replace mandarins with pears or white nectarine or even some awesome apples
Caesar salad w/ home made croutons and dressing
Chinese chicken salad
Syrian Fatoush salad w/ cherry tomatoes, cukes, feta, olives, onions, pita chips and lemon-cumin vinaigrette
Grilled vegetables w/ balsamic drizzle
Roasted beets w/ orange can be a salad with arugula and toasted walnuts too

Polenta layered w/ grilled vegetables and fresh mozzarella w/ a fresh tomato sauce
Chicken breasts stuffed w/ mushrooms, chevre and herbs
Roasted salmon w/ rosemary, olive oil and sea salt
Marinated grilled tri tips w/ mushroom BBQ sauce
Pork loin stuffed w/ dried apricots and herbs
Turkey breast stuffed w/ dried figs, chevre and garlic
Braised short ribs w/ rich oregano and orange peel sauce

Desserts
Fresh apple cake w/ lemon glace
Rocky road brownies
Fresh fruit crisp w/ vanilla ice cream
Chocolate layer cake
Chocolate decadence cake
Assorted cookies
Fresh fruit short cake

as summer starts to give up the fight

Walking along the trail she can feel the air around her body taking on a thrilling thickness as it kisses her skin. Even the shadows are sexy and unpredictable these days. As the sun moves lower in the sky she thinks how summer is giving up the fight. We’ll be waking in darkness rewarded with amazing sunrises. Snuggle up around the old stove outside grilling crabs and fall vegetables lazily sipping that luscious vionger. Butternut squash time she thinks. Risotto with caramelized onions, roasted butternut and shaved Manchego or lentils dense with lovely chunks of orange Delicata and freshly ground curry spices.

Lovingly her gaze wonders to the garden where tomato plants are shriveling next to breathtaking hued lettuce and kales. Peppers shine proudly deep magenta on their cold worn branches, determined to last another week or two accumulating as much sugar as possible. Those bad boys are getting eaten raw first, stuffed with cheese and grilled and roasted next to the last tomatoes in the end. Beet tops push through loamy soil promising a bounty in a month or two, little tops as soon as a week will garnish astoundingly sweet, fresh lettuces.

Apples are in for the season, resting in boxes in the cold cellar, waiting.
So juicy this year, snapping, crunchy, juice running down her chin as she chomps into it. Oh yeah, this is right and good that food should be so fresh, tasting of earth and love while nourishing body and soul. Eyes closed she tries to tease out all the different flavors blasting in her mouth and brain. Honey, alfalfa, pineapple all sparking a different idea or thought of what to do with those apples, cooked or raw.

Sun is sinking into a purple and pink horizon and the fire is waning as the day starts dimming down, she gingerly stands up and stretches like a sleek cat, as tempting sounds unconsciously escape her mouth. Mmmm, time to start dinner she thinks, or is it.

Clean nuts, apples and my face on twee twee's stool

Walnuts, almonds and other large scale nut growers have a nasty secret that not too many consumers know about. Along with spraying the trees and ground with chemicals, the nut meats, after shelling, are also sprayed with fumigant to prevent moth worms and beetles from infesting their massive storage bins full of years worth of nuts. Raid is a fumigant just to get a picture of what I'm talking about here. I do not know about you, but that just does not work for me or my son or my clients that trust me to feed them real food. Alternatively you can get your nuts at a farmers' market and be sure after discussing growing techniques with the farmer what is going on with your nuts. Besides the fact that you aren't poisoning yourself, nuts bought in season from a local grower really taste awesome. Almonds actually taste like almond milk, sweet and creamy. You start to realize that marzipan made with almonds like these could actually be really tasty. Walnut have less of a furry tongue tannin coating leaving a less harsh acidic after taste and a downright full flavor after toasting in a nice hot oven for a few minutes. Pecans return to the place they belong as a seasonal nut addition to very special baked goods and treats. Do your own taste comparison and see what you think and remember that if you absolutely can not get to a farmers market to pick up your nutritionally packed super food nuts and have to get them at a grocery store, unless the nuts specifically state organic on the label they are probably sprayed with fumigant. Talk to your farmer and ask them how they treat their nuts and see if this is the way you would treat yours, if you grew them.


Catalan Tomato Sauce
This sauce is especially appropriate for this time of year as it uses the end of season tomatoes, fresh almonds and fresh dried grapes (raisins). These raisins can be found only at the farmers’ markets and are made from the current crop of grapes. The difference in flavor of fresh, current crop almonds and raisins is astounding. Do you own sample test and get in on this well kept secret. You will never buy almonds or raisins from the store again!

6 to 7 large tomatoes of your choice
5 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons good olive oil
½ cup fresh almonds, toasted and then chopped
2 tablespoons capers
¼ cup fresh raisins
juice and rind of 2 oranges
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Core the tomatoes and drop into the boiling water for about 10 seconds each. Remove from the water and peel tomatoes when you can comfortably touch them. Cut peeled tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds. Chop tomatoes and pulp. Set aside.
In a sauce pan heat the olive oil. Sauté garlic and onions in oil until opaque and slightly caramelized.
Add tomatoes, capers, almonds, raisins and orange juice and rind and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.
This sauce can be used for pasta but tastes great on grilled chicken or grilled salmon.
Makes about 2 cups.


Walnut and Basil Tapenade
Tapenade is a Mediterranean relish that can be used for chicken or fish and this particular tapenade is very good on pasta as well. I always use the rind of the lemons before I juice them no matter what I am making. Toasting the walnuts first will leech out some of the tannic acid so prevalent in walnuts and give them a nice golden hue. You can toast your bag of walnuts all at once and store the unused portion in an air tight container in the freezer.

2 cups fresh basil leaves, in season
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
½ cup toasted walnuts
1 6 ½ oz. jar pitted Greek olives (found at Trader Joe's)
3 cloves peeled fresh garlic
juice and rind of 2 lemons
¼ cup good olive oil
I tomato of your choice, chopped
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, place the olive oil, lemon rind and lemon juice.
Add the herb leaves a little at a time, pulsing after each addition.
Add the olive and pulse more to fully incorporate.
Season with salt and pepper and remove from processor to a bowl.
Stir in tomato.
Makes about 2 cups.

Apple season is here again filled with an amazing array of apple varieties to choose from. We had an apple festival at the Diablo Valley Farmers market last weekend and it was a blast. Apple comparison tasting and apple cooking demo along with Rainbow Farms hot, spiced apple juice. The clown formerly known as Twee Twee, now Cesare Menedez, balloon man extroedinare, was there and I found out that I have the dubious honor, along with Oprah, Brittany, Liberace and more, of my face on one of his kiddie stools. I actually got to sit on my own face! You can too! Yippee and thank you Cesare.

Apple Sauce
This will make about 4 to 5 cups depending on your apple choice. Also if you use a sweet variety you may want to use water instead of juice and adjust the lemon juice. The lemon juice has the added effect of keeping everything a nice color as well. You can store unused sauce in a jar with a tight fitting lid in the reefer and use within the week. Be sure to make it up and down the aisle at your farmers market to sample your perfect tasting apple or combination of apples!

6 large apples, peeled, cored, rough chop
¼ cup white grape juice or apple juice
ground cinnamon
a couple drops good vanilla
Juice and rind from a lemon
Place apples, juices and lemon peel in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Cover and cook until apple are soft enough to mash. Serve warm with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Apple, Onion and Squash Gratin
This is a perfect Thanksgiving side dish that I created because I am not overly fond of marshmallow sweet potatoes and needed to fill that void for fear of getting in trouble with my Dad. It has been a family and friend favorite since that first time!

2 apples of your choice, get sweet if you like sweet and tart if you like tart, cored and sliced thin
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 Delicata squash, peeled, seeded and sliced thin
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 pint cream
Spray a large baking dish and layer apples, onions, garlic, squash and cheese in dish. Drizzle cream over and sprinkle fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Bake in a hot *400 oven covered for 30 minutes and remove foil and cook for 20 minutes more until browned on top. Serves 4.

Autumn Greens w/ Apples, Walnuts and Citrus Dressing
Autumn is a great time for greens of all kinds as they love the cooler weather and thrive in it. Crisp, sweet and full of flavor they are good in any combination anytime! This is especially good as apples and walnut are in season and abundant at the farmers’ markets. Blue cheese is a great addition too.
½ head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn
½ head of red leaf lettuce, washed and torn
2 cups of arugula, cleaned
1 apple of choice, sliced
½ cup fresh toasted walnuts, chopped
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons lemon oil
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix greens together in a salad bowl. Toss in apples and walnuts. Sprinkle on oil and vinegar, salt and pepper and toss. Garnish with cheese. Serves 4 to 6.

My Version of a Waldorf Salad
I do not like the taste of mayo and mini marshmallows messing up the flavors of amazingly crisp, sweet, juicy autumn apples so I use yogurt and a drop of vanilla instead. Current crop carrots, raisins (dried grapes) as well as fresh almond and walnuts make this a great salad on the merit of the ingredients alone! When they are in season in early autumn you can also add fresh grapes into the mix for an amazingly sweet, crunchy addition.
3 crisp, sweet apples of your choice, cored and sliced thin
½ cup toasted almonds, chopped
½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and grated
2 ribs celery, sliced
½ cup dried grapes of your choice
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons local honey
1 lemon, juice and peel
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Lettuce leaves
In large salad bowl, mix together yogurt, peel and juice from lemon, honey, vanilla and salt. Add in apples, nuts, raisins, carrots and celery. Serve on a lettuce leaf. Serves 4 or 5.


Fresh Fruit Crisp
6 cups fruit
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar or turbinado sugar
½ cup butter, melted
2 T vanilla
1 t cinnamon
½ c oats
1 T salt
Preheat oven 350*. Butter baking dish. Place fruit in dish. Mix flour, sugar butter, vanilla, cinnamon, oats and salt in bowl. Crumble onto fruit. Bake 1 hour until fruit bubbles and top is crunchy and lightly browned. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or cold the next day for a very decadent but sensuous and utterly fulfilling breakfast. Serves 6.

King Size Apple Cake
This cake is best served the day after it is made to let the flavors mellow. It is moist and dense and is great for in the morning with coffee or tea or dressed up with a Lemon Glaze
1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons good quality unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ cup hot water
3 cups grated fresh apple (about 2 ½ medium sized apples)
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1) Preheat oven to 350*F. Heavily butter and flour a 10 inch bundt pan.
2) Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, until pale yellow and light. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy.
3) Sift the cocoa, flour, salt, cinnamon and allspice together onto a piece of waxed paper.
4) Add the baking soda to the hot water and mix until it is dissolved. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the soda and water mixture beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
5) Stir in the apples, raisins and nuts. Spoon the batter (which will be very thick) into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is deep brown and springs back when lightly touched, about an hour and 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then unmold from the pan and allow to cool thoroughly before serving.
1 10 inch cake (10 to 12 servings)

a ripe Brown Turkey fig

She stood looking at the tree, eyes squinting against the blazing sun; hand over them, shielding the glare so she could see the luscious purplish black, sack like orbs, stem bent just at a perfect angle for twisting off the tree. Late summer heat waves radiating off the ground as well as from an impossibly blue sky and every other angle were quickly coaxing the figs to perfect ripeness. White milk gushes from the stem as it is separated from the tree, sticky nectar on her willing fingers. Gently splitting open the fig with her thumbs always steals her breath momentarily at the sight of the shades of deep magenta, illegal reds and soft green, a flower unfurling in her hands. With quickening heart and racing pulse she moves the fig closer to her mouth, imperceptibly, shaking with anticipation of the smooth, slippery texture that will move through her lips and onto her tongue, willing the assault of sugar, chocolate and berry onto her taste buds. Trembling slightly she closes her eyes and with a will of their own her hands bring the fig into her warm, waiting mouth and once again she is shocked, dazed as bliss over takes her and she slowly releases a held, exotically perfumed breath, her first taste of Burt’s amazing, ripe, Brown Turkey fig, of a long Brown turkey fig season filled with every concoction she can imagine in her fig wild head.

Honey thickened and rosemary scented balsamic syrup drizzled over a fig half, gently, lovingly stuffed with a pinch of fresh goat cheese. Placed on a fig wood fired grill just long enough to let the cheese believe it is melting. Pushed into a thin, soft layer of hard wheat dough, showered with prosciutto, Manchego and caramelized onions, breathing in intoxicating smells as the pizza bakes only to be dusted with fresh picked thyme and sea salt out of the raging oven.
Another one out of hand, she is still profoundly, physically affected by the texture, smell and taste of that Brown Turkey.

aahhh......butternut squash

Butternut squash has always been a pivotal vegetable for me. The presence of this squash in the garden and at the market indicates a rising level of excitement in the air. My heart starts to race and I always get a little dizzy and out of body when I think about the risottos and lentils to be concocted out of this smooth amber, elongated treasure. It is hard to imagine that it was almost a year ago that I made butternut squash and orange soup and the pristinely cubed and roasted squash that my son refers to as butternut candy. Just cut the ends off and peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. Slice lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut into small cubes and toss with good olive oil and kosher salt and roast at 400* for about 20 minutes. The sugars all get released and start to caramelize and it is a fine little addition to any salad, sauté or just eaten by itself it will give you goose bumps.
It never ceases to amaze me that as soon as my eyes come in contact with the butternut squash, the weather starts to become a ruling factor in my life. All of the sudden we go from the take it for granted hot, to a daily weather event. I find myself saying over and over again how much I adore this time of year around here. The shadows at any given time of day are amazingly different than they were last week. The garden is perking up and losing the washed out look of late summer heat. The air is crisper and I find myself sighing with a smile when the slightest breeze touches my skin. It makes me feel celebratory and I usually throw a party this time of year.
The cooler season vegetables are saying the same thing. The lettuces are sweeter and perkier. The colors and hues are brighter and more pronounced. One can start to imagine the salads that can be created with the baby arugala and frisee, the red leaf Lola Rosa and romaines. The thought of current crop olive oil and new cheeses make me want to sing out loud. Add some fresh walnuts or almonds and pears or apples and well let’s just say it is something that is to be shared with a special one or twenty.

When I am hiking in Briones or the Laffayette hills the colors that come out at you are astounding. On the top of a high ridge I sat down to have a luscious snack of some Alhambra Valley Bartlett pears and blue cheese and after I had taken a few bites and I was able to focus, I looked around and I was sitting in the middle of the orb weaver spider’s commune. There were literally hundreds of these tiger eye colored, huge spiders, one to each web just hanging out probably wondering which one had invited me to their party. The sight of it and the realization of their numbers actually stopped me from eating for a minute.

Pomegranates are in the markets and the fuyu persimmons are already here. I always love to see the scarlet orbs of the pomegranates hanging in a tree next to a persimmon tree. Such contrasts are special to me and never fail to keep me looking in people’s back yards when I am out walking in the neighborhood. What....you don't look in peoples back yards...liar!

Starting to be a nice time of year....my favorite!

the eat in and other school food related stuff

The Slow Food Eat In, Delta Diablo Chapter style was a success by our standards meaning that there were not hundreds of people but the ones that did show signed up to join our Slow Food chapter and become involved in some action! Yay! We had a nice crowd and some delectable offerings and the big shade trees at Las Lomas provided awesome lazing about on a hot day atmosphere. I will say that I am disappointed that Las Lomas felt that they had to charge us a rental fee to use such a small area of a public school for a school related cause. Andy at C and M party Rentals gave us the use of tables and chairs for our event FREE! Whole Foods and Frog Hollow Farms donated some amazing Frog Hollow peaches and Kristie Knoll from Knoll Organic Farm donated the biggest treasure of all, her incredibly sought after figs. So why the school felt the need to force us to dip into our meager funds and pay them almost 400 bucks that would have otherwise been spent on our Diablo Community Day School Garden. This is the school in the area where the students attend that have been expelled from all other schools. Sort of a last ditch effort and we have built, with the students help as well as funding from Kaiser, Slow Food and Orchard Nursery, an amazing garden! That money should be there instead of in the coffers of the school district. After all we had our own insurance....http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch-detail/slow_food_delta_diablo_eat_in/

Anyway we got a whole of signatures for the Child Nutrition Act petition http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/

Gail Wadsworth is the muscle behind our chapter and maintains the blog and without her and her husband Peter as well as head tabler Lucy, this event would not have been possible. Thank you!!!

Slow Food helps with school lunches

Join us for a community pot-luck picnic at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek.This event is free!We are gathering in support of healthy school lunches. This is one of over 200 eat-ins being staged across the US on September 7 this year to send a message to Congress. As a national day of action, Slow Food is hoping to persuade our members of Congress to increase funding to school lunches and make a commitment to improving the quality of food served to our children every day.Bring your friends and family! For the month of September only,new donations to Slow Food at any level will provide a one-year membership in Slow Food USA. This is a wonderful time to join Slow Food and support good, clean and fair food.So gather with neighbors and others who share your views on feeding our children and have fun at Las Lomas on September 7.