In the Central Valley of California we love Indian food and we often go out to eat at lunch time and get served a silver tray full of Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice, Tandoori Chicken, Saag Paneer (homemade cheese with Spinach) and a pile of Naan (flat bread). I also love the spicy, tangy pickles and chutneys.
Seasons are changing and here in Italy fall is in the air. The mornings have that cool crisp feeling and we are starting our day a little later as even the sun wants to stay in bed longer. This slight change is bridging that gap between two seasons: the waning of Summer and the start of Autumn.
The other day a friend knocked on my door, when I opened it, there he stood with a big smile on his face holding a white bucket full of the blackest berries you have ever seen. He had just picked the wild blackberries that morning and picked a bucket for us and for himself.
I love waking up in the cool of the morning before the heat of the summer bares down, sapping me of precious energy. I brew a cup of coffee and step out of my front door while still in my pajamas. My front door leads into my moms beautiful back yard that is more like a garden oasis with little cobblestone pathways meandering around fruit trees and koi ponds. In the morning at first light everything is fresh and dewy and beckons me to stroll along the garden, inspecting every rose and cascading petunia. I nip off the spent flower heads by snapping it off between my thumb and forefinger.
Even though my “Homestead” side of the family is squarely rooted in farming (read: my moms side from Kansas) it is my “Traveler” side (read: Italian Father) that fuels and inspires my love of gardening.
So first let’s talk about WHY you should roast your own coffee: Buying high grade, single origin coffee from your choice of countries costs the same as buying mid-range pre-roasted coffee from Costco. The benefits are you get to choose the beans and country of origin, control the depth of the roast and most importantly control your freshness.
Wow! It’s a bumper crop this year, what to do with ALL those cherries? How about Homemade Cherry Pie? It’s fun and relaxing to have a Cherry Pitting Party, just sit around outside in that beautiful May Day pitting and laughing with friends and family.
I love when the cherries ripen and summers bounty begins with a flurry, the first fruits of the season! My parents planted this cherry tree in their back yared 50 years ago when their dreams were just beginning and their lives together were new. Now my dad is gone and my mom holds down the Homestead. Like the tree they produced beautiful fruit in the form a family that continues to grow to this day.
