December in the garden has been rather quiet here in the Bay Area, Most of December we had rain and many days of cold and cloudy days, however the last week of December has been spectacular with sunny blue skies and daytime temperatures in the cool 60s.
Like beautiful paintings, a few nostalgic stories, and a lot of old fashioned recipes with proceeds from all sales going to benefit a children’s hospital? Then this book is for you. Tastes, Tales and Traditions presented by the Palo Alto Auxiliary For Children benefiting Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital is a wonderfully original and beautiful cookbook that. I picked up when visiting the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden in Palo Alto, California. for their Spring Garden Tour. Folks, this is one outstanding cookbook. Continue reading Tastes, Tales and Traditions by the Palo Alto Auxiliary For Children Benefiting Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital
I’ve never made a wreath before, that’s why when my friend Rose asked if I wanted to join her for a wreath-making class at the Guadalupe Park Garden Conservancy in San Jose I was excited to go. But what I had in mind is totally different than what I experienced. I assumed I would be making a typical wreath with the usual pine-tree leaves and just tie them around a pre-fabricated wire circle. Little did I know I would be in a nature-inspired wreath-making workshop like no other! Continue reading Wreath Making at Guadalupe Park Garden Conservancy. San Jose, California
I absolutely love, love, love Peanuts! Not the peanuts, but the cartoon strip Peanuts by Charles Schultz. The one with Charlie Brown, and Lucy, Lionel, Snoopy, and the gang. I don’t know what it is about this cartoon strip that has me smiling even thinking about it 😊😊. Maybe it’s the simple story lines that convey meaningful messages or maybe it’s because the stories are just that – simple life lessons conveyed humorously through the trials and tribulation of a bunch of young kids in their daily lives with their friends. Or maybe I like Peanuts because the comic brings a sense of nostalgia when kids played outside and worried more about which friend to invite to their birthday party, or what games to play. Continue reading Peanuts!
Anderson Valley Wine Trail is an undiscovered area of the massive California’s wine country that is our family’s all-time favorite wine trail. I say undiscovered because where else in California can one go for wine tasting where the only other customers are another couple? At Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. What makes Anderson Valley so special is that it is a treat for the entire family – kids and adults. Continue reading Grape Juice Tasting in Anderson Valley. Mendocino County, California
Last week I went persimmon picking with my friend Basanthi and my daughter Rani to a persimmon farm right here in the middle of Silicon Valley. Seriously, when I say this farm is smack in the middle of Silicon Valley, it really is! This persimmon farm has been here long before Silicon Valley got formed and tech companies started building all around the farm. Today it is the only farm in the middle of hundreds of tech companies right off Hwy 880 and Montague Expwy – which is a funny sight to see! I only know about this farm because for years my friend Basanthi has been dropping off the most luscious, crunchy, sweet giant Fuyu persimmons from this farm. Continue reading Persimmon Picking in Silicon Valley
November in the garden was an interesting one for us here in the Bay Area. We had days of warm weather, followed by chilly temperatures in the 30s, 40, 50s and 60s, followed by ten days of the worst air quality caused by the California wildfires, followed by rain and sunny clear skies. Despite our rollercoaster of a weather ride, the garden faired really well. Continue reading November in the Garden
Fall has begun in October! Leaves, leaves and more leaves are changing color and falling in slow motion in my garden.
September has been a beautiful month here in the Bay Area. Though we had a few days of high temps in the 80s, mostly in our little town of Los Gatos it has been pleasant and very fall-like with partly cloudy skies, cool temperatures, and chilly nights. The leaves have already started falling – this is going to go on especially with my cottonwood trees for the next 3 months! Three months of non-stop falling leaves – the garden is going to look messy for a while. I’ve started sweeping the yard every day and people just look at me perplexed – “Why do you bother?” they are wondering. Well, for one I get a little arm-exercise, two – I get some fresh air, and three – I just can’t stand a messy garden. So I sweep what little areas I have control over – my front balcony, kitchen patio and my courtyard. The rest of the garden is just too big to bother. On the plus side, flowers are still blooming and looking beautiful as ever. Continue reading September in the Garden
Our summer this year has been beautiful and my garden is loving it. I’ve been enjoying gardening this summer because surprisingly the weather has been pleasant where I live in our Bay Area microclimate – with temperatures in the 70s, 80, and sometimes in the low 90s. Flowers have been blooming nonstop and I have been getting a good supply of garden herbs, tomatoes, plums, and apples. Not as many as many other superstar veggie gardeners out there, but we are happy with our modest bounty. Here is a look at what we have been harvesting this summer and enjoying in pastas, pies, and salads. Continue reading August in the Garden & Summer Harvest Pics
