JourneyLeaf: Life a Page at a Time

Sonoma Lavender Festival

Last year I wanted to visit a lavender farm during our vacation in Santa Cruz, but day after day I kept missing my chance.  When I heard about the Sonoma Lavender Festival, I wasn't about to miss it.  So glad I didn't!

 

With the lovely backdrop of the California Wine Country, there was live music and lots of good food...

 

There were lavender crafts...

 

There was a marketplace with more herbal products than you knew existed...

 

There were unusual treats such as lavender lemonade...

 

And they even served mint lavender ice cream.  But the best part can be seen in the background of this photo of Eli savoring his icy treat -- an actual lavender farm. 

 

Festival goers were welcome to walk through the lavender.  The whole area smelled fresh and spicy.  Bees swam through the air.  Thousands of purple stalks rippled every time a breeze came through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As my dear cousin Norma would say, "It was really something!"  Wandering the lavender farm was sensual and memorable and fun, but also inspiring.  I used to always have an herb garden yet have let it slide in recent years.  As soon as we get to Georgia, I'm putting in some mint, chamomile, chives, salad burnet, thyme, oregano, basil...and, of course, lavender.  I'm looking forward to doing more gardening with Little Guy, but I've been wandering the web looking at herbal craft and cooking ideas too.

Everything Lavender

Easy Lavender Crafts

Herb Society of America -- Lavender Crafts 

 

V. Sattui Winery + Dean & Deluca, St. Helena

When I was new to California and just starting my third trimester of pregnancy with Eli, Brian's cousins came up from San Diego for a few days.  I'd been spending day after day unpacking, settling in, and working on my book project, so I let them coax me away for an afternoon in the wine country.  

By lunchtime I was getting hungry and hoped we'd stop soon, but they heard of a deli they wanted to try.  Just the word "deli" conjures up images of American cheese slices and dry bread crumbs.  Now that I've spent more time with our cousins, I realize I should have known better.  We soon rolled into the parking lot of V. Sattui Winery.

Oh.

Old stone buildings tucked between vineyards, the lines of grape vines spreading away into the distance.  Huge old oaks spreading branches over amazingly green lawn and flourishing flowerbeds.  Sturdy wood picnic tables dotted here and there.  And then we went inside.

This time "Deli" meant gourmet salads, still-warm loaves of crusty bread, cheeses from around the world, chunks of fresh fruit, rows of interesting crackers, and pastries that make your eyes pop.  After strolling the aisles with a shopping basket, soon we were settled in the shade, enjoying the breeze and tasting wonders to please any gourmand.  V. Sattui forever changed my definition of "picnic" and became a favorite spot to take out-of-town guests.  (The drive to get there through the wine country is lovely and pairs nicely with a late-day visit to the redwoods at Muir Woods.)

Here are some images from our last visit...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All this and then Dean & Deluca "Purveyors of Fine Food" is located across the street...

 

 

 

 

If you have a chance to get to the Wine Country north of San Francisco, don't miss the delights of St. Helena! 

(Click HERE for the V. Sattui website with address, directions, and more information.) 

Ferry Building Marketplace

One of my favorite places for a weekend stroll is the Ferry Building Marketplace on the Embarcadero in San Francisco.  It's upscale and thus expensive, yet it is full of small pleasures worth a splurge.  Most of the shops are heaven for foodies.  Organic, local, and sustainable are the key words and there are gourmet delights I never knew existed.  But there are also gift items from gardening hats to antique books.  It is a fun place to savor a treat and people-watch.  This used to be a favorite spot for Eli during his stroller days because there is so much to see.  He still loves it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pebbles, Play, and Inspiration

True confessions.  I had a happy week photographing and writing about beach stones and sea glass.  This blog series grew out of a spiraling process of beach gathering and gleaning over several months, realizing that at some point I'd passed the point of idly taking home pebbles.  I had a true collection.  Then there was play, poking at those objects and trying to figure out why I liked them, what I could do with them.  While talking on the phone or waiting for the pasta water to boil, I kept rearranging bits of tumbled quartz and agate.  Next, I took some photographs.  Then I stared at the photographs long enough to realize what I really needed to do, retaking the whole batch.  The ideas are still clicking along.

 

I loved that Eli was right there with me, collecting and playing by my side.  "Eli, can I take a picture of the beach stones in your hands?"  "YES!"  I got a kick out of seeing which objects he chose and how he played with them.

 

And I loved that in between coaxing my child into washing his hands with soap, trying to figure out what to cook for supper, and driving to the store for more milk, I daydreamed about colors and textures.  I puzzled out why I love pebbles, thinking of my geologist father now gone two decades but also mulling over my strong reactions to the nature art of Andy Goldsworthy.  I thought about the fact that beach combing can be a meditative act.  I am now poring over everything from mail order catalogs to art blogs to figure out ways to use my camera as a tool to reveal what I see in a humble, lumpy pebble.

Not very practical you say?

I'll admit that at present all my efforts have only added up to some pebbles arranged by color, a double handful of photographs, and a scant week's worth of blog entries.  But such endeavors have a juicy, colorful mystery to them.  Goofy or no, I was inspired.  What a wondrous gift that is.

 

"A Habit of Seeing" from The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket (NY:  STC Craft/Abrams, 2007):

       "I used to assume inspiration was the province of artists and poets, architects and designers, scientists and inventors.  Inspiration could surely visit only those with a higher purpose in life, with a greater sensitivity than the rest of us, with a more refined awareness than the average mortal.
       "I was wrong.  Inspiration is inspiration, whether the end result is a painted masterpiece, a soul-searching sonnet, a richly colored homemade quilt or a batch of freshly baked scones.  We shouldn't diminish our creativity by despising the results of our inspiration, but instead celebrate and exploit the wonderful feeling of elevated energy and enthusiasm we experience when we feel inspired."

 

(Click HERE to see the first blog entry about beach combing.)

Sea Glass

 

In the three plus years we've lived in California, I've loved getting to know the Pacific shoreline.  A beachcomber at heart, I find it peaceful to walk the beach to see the last tide's deposits.  The shells here are fewer but also different than back home.  The crab shells and bits of seaweed aren't the same shapes or colors either.  

 

 

One thing I've come to love about this stretch of the Pacific coast -- sea glass!  My first home was a small island off the Atlantic coast, and the sand there is so soft and powdery that you never find pebbles, china, or glass that have been tumbled smooth.  These little frosted bits that catch the light are a wonder.

With Eli's help, I've been collecting tiny bits of sea glass.  I know they are pieces of discarded junk, but I'm right there with Eli when he discovers a glimmering piece and breathes, "Ohhhhh.  Mama!  Look!"  Junk or no, they look like mermaid jewels.

 

The spring before we moved here, I found a book called Pure Sea Glass:  Discovering Nature's Vanishing Gems by Richard LaMotte.  I learned that sea glass is becoming rare.  Drinking containers aren't made from glass as often anymore and, thankfully, we're more careful now about dumping offshore.  

 

Sea glass can come in all colors of the rainbow, but the most common pieces are naturally in the same shades as beverage bottles -- clear, medium green, and brown.  Rare colors include lavender, pink, amber, lime, yellow, deep blue, and black.  The hardest to find are red and bright orange.

 

I love digging through the pebbles with Eli, finding a few bits of sea glass along the way.  I often sit cross-legged on the warm, pebbly sand and Eli will plunk himself in my lap.  While the waves roar nearby, we rake the pebbles with our fingers to see what we'll turn up.  Peaceful.

There is a beach up near Ft. Bragg that has huge amounts of sea glass.  I keep daydreaming about going to see it in person, but I know it is a long drive.  Maybe someday....

Kinfolk

Sometimes during a busy day, you just need a lull.  
Quiet is good.  Quiet and beautiful and inspiring is even better.  

I recently discovered a quarterly magazine called Kinfolk.  The odd thing is that it really doesn't seem like a magazine.  There is no advertising.  It is printed on matte paper almost thick enough to be cardstock, so it looks and feels more like a catalog for an art exhibition.  When my fingers are used to flimsy junk mail and slick magazine pages, the very texture of Kinfolk is pleasing.  

The subtitle is "A Guide to Small Gatherings," yet Kinfolk doesn't read like a guide.  There are few suggestions or how-tos.  It is simply a compilation of short essays paired with photographs, a few paintings sprinkled in.  The common denominator is food and the way we gather with others around food.

 

I'm reading Kinfolk later now, not so much a lull as a "dessert" at the end of the day.  I find myself savoring each issue, doling out one written piece each night so it can last as long as possible.  Even after I was done with the first issue, Kinfolk stayed on my night stand and I reread bits until the newest volume arrived.  When evening comes, I find myself looking forward to settling into bed with the covers to my chin and time to "sip" a little more.  The next day I mull over what I've read and think about the photographs.  I find myself inspired...

 

Here is what Kinfolk has to say about itself:

"Kinfolk is a growing community of artists with a shared interest in small gatherings.  We recognize that there is something about a table shared with friends, not just a wedding or once-a-year extravaganza, that anchors our relationships and energizes us.  We have come together to create Kinfolk as our collaborative way of advocating the natural approach to entertaining that we love.

"Every element of Kinfolk -- the features, photography, and general aesthetics -- are consistent with the way we feel entertaining should be:  simple, uncomplicated, and less contrived.  Kinfolk is the marriage of our appreciation for art and design and our love for spending time with family and friends."  --Kinfolk, back cover flap

Click HERE for Kinfolk's website.

Related articles

1930s Advice for Women

How to Watch a Sunset

From The Art of Doing Nothing
Veronique Vienne (NY:  Clarkson Potter, 1998.)

"Doers that we are, we can't help but feel that the sun is like us -- a busy celestial body running circles around the Earth.  This false impression is a tenacious one, but we can resist it.  The next time you watch a sunset, sit tight.  Experience the Earth's majestic rotation.  Here is how to do it.

1.  Before dusk, face the sun as it nears the horizon.  Notice how you assume that it is sinking.  Remind yourself that this downward motion is an optical illusion.

2.  Drive an imaginary stake through the sun and pin it to the sky.  Make sure it doesn't budge.

3.  Now watch the horizon climb gradually toward the sun.  Imagine the ground shifting under your feet.

4.  Give in to the feeling that the Earth is tilting backward in slow motion.

5.  As the sun disappears, visualize your side of the planet rolling quietly into the twilight.

6.  Congratulations.  In the last ten minutes, you've done a ten-thousand-miles-per-hour backward somersault into the night."

 

 

 

Rain Watching

I have happy memories of sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the big picture window with my father on rainy days.  He always made popcorn on the stove and we'd sit there side by side watching the puddles form.  My dad was always peaceful, easy company.  

Autumn brought the rains back to Northern California.  Not long ago there was an afternoon with rain blurring the windowpanes.  So I made a batch of popcorn and sat down with Eli at our picture window.  Bliss.

 

 

 

Kaffee und Kuchen und Ici

A little while back I was reading Confections of a Closet Master Baker:  One Woman's Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado (Sandra Bullock's little sister).  One of the mini essays in the book is about "Kaffee und Kuchen," the traditional German break every afternoon for coffee and cake.  Bullock-Prado wrote about how different it is in Europe where almost everyone puts work aside each day to chat with friends and enjoy a few peaceful moments.  The idea is to eat healthy all day but splurge regularly for something homemade and genuinely wonderful so you never feel deprived.  I think about how different that is from vowing to be "good" and then breaking down to grab a diet soda and a semi-stale "treat" from a vending machine.  

In the spirit of Kaffee und Kuchen....  One of my favorite local spots is Ici gourmet ice cream shop and confectionary.  You walk in the door and Ici is noticably different.  Peaceful.  Aesthetically pleasing.  Memorable treats made on site from fresh ingredients.  Just thinking about it calls to mind such creations as lavender-lemon ice cream, mint marshmallows, basil meringues, and strawberry-rhubarb macaroons.  "Ici" means "here" in French, and I think the place is aptly named.  When you are at Ici, it is easy to feel present, enjoying the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip for Little Guy and Pluot Raspberry Sorbet for me. 

  

  

  

 

 

Once his own scoop was gone, that small boy was buzzing around my cup like a bee... 

  

 

Taking home a treat for Papa... 

 

Just looking at the photos again felt like a mini-vacation.  And the images also remind me of Willene, the person I know who best embraces the spirit of Kaffee und Kuchen.  Willene, here's wishing we both had a piece of your Edna Cake and a quiet moment to catch up....

Crazy Lady Mumbling in the Blackberry Patch

As many of you know, I've been working not months but years on a book project for the University of Georgia Press.  The original book deadline was just two days before Eli's due date, if that tells you anything.  My tendency to be longwinded and inexperience in the publishing industry slowed me down.  I was also so distracted by motherhood that I didn't push the project as I could have.  But most of the slowdown has been due to the economic downturn triggering huge shifts in the publishing industry and resulting staff changeover at the Press.  Last week I got an email telling me that yet again my editor is leaving and I'll be assigned someone new -- someone with new opinions about the length and breadth of the manuscript, new opinions about what the focus of the work should be.  

Sometimes it is hard to keep my enthusiasm up for the project.  I've combed through it and cut so many words that it is hard to remember what I envisioned when I wrote the proposal.  The book will be called Teacakes and Squirrel Mulligan:  Preserving Family Recipes.  It is a how-to guide with some recipes and stories added for good measure.  Thankfully, in the last couple of weeks I was reminded how much I love this topic...

Cousin Buddy had a heart attack in the beginning of August and was in the hospital for a long time.  It's hard to know what to do from afar to support the people you love.  A few weeks ago I realized a little care package was in order.  Eli helped me out and we used his great great great grandmother's teacake recipe that has a "starring" role in my book.  We rolled out the dough, cut hearts, and then put Eli's handprint onto each one, mailing them to Buddy's family (with a few to Eli's faraway grandparents too).

 

 

 

September 7th, we lost Buddy.  On the day of the funeral home visitation for Buddy, it felt odd to be so far away when I wanted to be there.  This emotional day was coming at the end of a crazy time for our immediate family -- Brian's teaching year started back with lots of overtime and late nights, Eli transitioned from the nanny share to preschool, I'm trying to get back into regular writing, and the summer drawing to a close meant a change in our usual activities.  In some ways it felt like life was swirling too much for me to really take in Buddy's death.

I dropped Eli off at preschool then got back into the car and just sat there for a moment.  Going home meant facing chores and a desk full of work that just didn't seem right for the day.  I wanted someplace quiet.  Then suddenly I knew what I wanted to do.  I steered the car in the opposite direction from home and headed for the blackberry patch.

With my child happy and safe elsewhere, I had time to catch my breath.  I borrowed Eli's red sand bucket from the trunk and started picking.  Plump berries fairly glowing in the morning light.  September spider webs dotted with dew.  The rumble of trains going by in the distance now and again.  Occasionally folks out walking their dogs would pass me, but mostly it was just me and the brambles and the blue sky.  So I started talking to Buddy a little.  Maybe he was still hanging around, drifting here and there before heading up and out.  I told him all the things I like about him and how much I'll miss him on visits to Arkansas.  I gave him a couple of messages to pass on to my parents and grandparents.  I told him I love him.  And by the time my bucket was full, my heart felt full too.

Later that day, after his nap, Eli helped me bake a small Blackberry Crisp.  By then I was working in gorgeous afternoon light rather than gorgeous morning light.  But it was still peaceful and now I was ready to share time with Little Guy.  Afterwards, I thought about how food is such a comfort --  both in making it and in sharing it.  I'm ready to get back to my book project now.  I believe in it wholeheartedly again.  Thanks, Buddy.

 

Blackberry stained fingers...

 

Eight cups of blackberries tucked into freezer bags for happy eating over the winter...

 

Working on the crisp, the late afternoon sun coming through the kitchen window...

 

My beloved fellow pastry chef...

 

 

That's how it starts.  That's how a recipe becomes a family favorite, the sort of food that one bite can take us back to a time and place, reminding us of dear people both here and gone.  I think a bite of yummy Blackberry Crisp will always remind me of our last summer in California, of our berry-picking friends, and of gently telling Buddy goodbye.

 

Little Blackberry Crisp

This oatmeal cookie-like recipe balances out tart or bitter wild berries.  Serve warm or cold, with ice cream or on it’s own.  The small size (four servings) makes it easy to make for family dessert with just a cup of wild berries or a half pint from the grocery store.

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter the bottom of a glass loaf pan (8 x 4 x 2 ½ or 1.5 quart).  

1 cup fresh blackberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup and 3 tablespoons old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup real butter (about 6 tablespoons)

In a small bowl, sprinkle sugar across berries and toss gently.  Set aside.  In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Cut butter into pats and then blend into the flour/oat/spice mixture until crumbly and well-blended. (I find a pastry blender works best, but a pair of forks will do as well.)  Press half of mixture in the bottom of the pan.  Cover with berries.  Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the berries.  Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until juices bubble and topping is golden brown at edges.

(Developed from a recipe for Triple Berry Crisp from Allrecipes.com.)

 

Here's young Buddy.  Doesn't he look like a chap who would know a thing or two about picking wild berries?