last week-end we went up to santa rosa to harvest grapes. our first time. i always thought i would do this with friends in italy...but no, we were just across the golden gate bridge. with people we went to grammar school with.
it was so peaceful walking down the rows of vines, cutting perfect little clusters of grapes. just us and the bees. afterwards we had a perfect dinner with homemade pesto, chard just picked from the garden. and of course some of that local red. i love evenings like that...when i find a "kindred spirit" who feels the same way i do about food. who actually THINKS where it all comes from.

i was looking back over my earlier posts...mostly so i don't repeat myself. i was very surprised to find comments. people actually READ my blathering on about nothing! thanks very much and i promise to be more interesting in the future.

baking. this doesn't happen often enough in my kitchen. i do bake bread and focaccia fairly often, but hardly ever anything sweet. i have been, lately, fairly horrified by the junk my husband brings home from trader joes and walgreens. so i have vowed to try to bake for him weekly. and i've been slowly cleaning out the freezer so i can finally get that ice-cream maker. he'll still be getting all that good sugar and fat...just organic and minus all the other junk.
let's see how long this lasts.........

my first attempt at apple cider vinegar. starting to smell pretty vinegary. so simple...apple cores and water. i'm finding this fascinating, so i've ordered the book "wild fermentation" because what i really need is another book. and some more science projects.

made some concord grape and walnut conserve. the whole house smelled like welchs grape juice. wonderful. the recipe is from "well-preserved" and if it tastes as good as it smells...it's a keeper.

i was so disappointed that my pumpkin seeds fizzled this summer. no luck at all. so i was pleasantly surprised when i got back from the lake and eccola. my zucchini is a mini pumpkin. and he has a brother. cool. remember to remind me to actually MARK the seedlings so i know what i'm getting come october. i have a load of peppers out front that i have absolutely no idea about. no worries. we'll have a taste test and then the roasting can begin. sometimes the surprises are the best part.