Wild Grapes on the Ranch

Wild Grapes on the Ranch
Wild Grapes on the Ranch

Thursday, June 23, 2011

The Joys of Eating in Season Series


Blueberries!

As 6AM rolled around I was excited to hop out of bed this morning! I jumped in my car and drove the 11 miles to the town of Corning, CA, my hometown, to do something totally new to me…pick Blueberries! A few days ago a sign appeared on the corner of Houghton and South Avenue that boldly announced, “u-pick Blueberries”.  I was elated to see such a novel proposition in Corning. When my sister called last night to invite me to go with her this AM I was thrilled! We arrived at the site not having any idea what was in store for us except for a few helpful hints from some relatives who had been going daily to pick there. One, go EARLY! Less people and the berries are firmer as is the case with most harvesting. Two, pick from underneath the plants where the berries are bigger, juicier and firmer.

We grabbed ourselves a bucket, which we informed we should fill up for $5. They are easy to pick with no thorns unlike our other summer favorite, Blackberries! My sister and I have made a yearly ritual of picking blackberries from my property here in Vina for which we make an incredible blackberry apricot jam. YUM!

After we heaped out buckets we paid up to the very nice lady in charge and headed home with our blueberry bounty in hand. I was able to layer 4 cookie sheets for freezing, fill up a normal sized clamshell and make smoothies for my family for $5! That’s amazing!

I probably don’t need to mention the benefits of eating fresh blueberries but I will anyways just for giggles. The antioxidant content is VERY high, and even more so from a right-off-the-bush berry! They are great from curbing those “sweet” craving and wont fill your blood with all those nasty sugars like high fructose corn syrup ( the Bain of our existence, buts that a whole other article!) and refined white sugar.

As I sit here drinking my smoothie I am elated to know I am supporting farmers in their pursuit of supplying the community with healthy and delicious food. It is becoming increasingly harder for small family owned farms such as this one to survive. With the government under pressure to subsidize soybeans, rice, wheat and cotton, these small fruit and veggie farmers get no support. Jack Hedin in an article in the New York Times weaves an interesting story about the woes of these farmers in this article http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/opinion/01hedin.html.

Fresh Blueberry Smoothies

The following is the recipe I used this morning to create these delicious smoothies I am drinking as I write this.

Fresh Blueberry Smoothies
Make a whole pitcher.
1-2 cups blueberries
½ cup Frozen blackberries (optional)
1 cup of yogurt, any flavor, but I chose Tillamook’s Blackberry Pomegranate.
Ice to top of pitcher and fill with milk

Blend until smooth and enjoy! It makes a very subtle beverage with a beautiful color!

Eating in season is easy here in Northern California with something ripe for the picking 365 days of the year! Please let me know if you find any other great u-pick places! I’m hooked!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

The art of listening (and reading)



A friend of mine just submitted a post to her blog http://mealsandsteals.blogspot.com  that made me think. actually, it made me listen and think. So in response to her prose, I write this….LISTEN. It really does go a long way. My husband tells me I don’t listen sometimes and he is SO right. There are so many beautiful sounds in this world that get muffled with the high paced life we live. I many have, from time to time, given the impression that living it the country on this farm is all peaches and cream. Which would be wonderful, but, it is incorrect. However, if I listen to Lindsey, the above mentioned blog author, I could change some of that chaos in to calm if I practiced listening in the moment.

In my garden I have found that there is a peace that exists. I get a sense of calm and relaxation from simply visiting it. I find a bed and observe what is happening there whether it be the tips of potato vines just peeking through the soil, or new baby plants and flowers emerging where the water is plentiful and I did not dead head the prior season.  I hear the birds and the lizards move and chirp and watch me watch them. These things are reminders that life goes on. Always moving and changing, life is an adventure that can so easily be taken for granted. No matter what your religious beliefs, the garden speaks of so many tiny miracles in every second of it’s existence.

I often tell people how I am surprised every single time my seedlings emerge. I have been growing from seed for years and the wonder of a plant emerging from that tiny DNA laden speck is amazing.  It is that resurrection of wonder that drives life. Babies see it. They are awed at the most mundane sight to us adults. They see and hear so much that we have forgotten to appreciate. My little guy reminds my not to lose touch with the little things we see and hear each day.

Today is a good day to remember that, as I am getting ready to head out to shoot a wedding. There is so much that could be missed if you don’t keep in touch with what is around you at every moment. Weddings are beautiful and amazing examples of the full circle of life and the value of really listening to the universe that surrounds you. 

Don't Worry BEE happy, Part 3, The Aftermath


Part 3: The Aftermath
The bee keeper was very careful to assure the bees were moved safely from their happy home to a new nice white box, their new happy home. He commented that they were the most docile he had ever encountered. This may not have been such a good thing, as during subsequent check ups they weren’t found up to much of anything productive. They had let their brood (baby bees) die, weren’t doing much comb building and he didn’t see sign of the queen at all!

In attempts to rectify the situation he brought out another hive to do a combine. He attempted to combine them together so that the bees from the house would have a queen and get to stepping!

Another week pasted as we watched and waited to see if the combine took. When he examined them he found that there was in a queen in the box from the house bees after all and separated them again.  

They have been sucking down the sugar water that I have been filling up for them every few days and one hive seems to be much more active than the other. I’m not sure what this means at this point but they are still eating the syrup so there’s still hope in my mind.