We’ve been making a whole lot of applesauce around here lately, and by far my favorite is the roasted applesauce. When you roast the apples, rather than boil them, the sugars caramelize and the flavor intensifies, without adding any sugar. Think roasted apples in a jar! I like to use a variety of apples to […]
A few weeks ago, I ran into Mario Albo at the post office, and asked him about his apple trees. I shared with him that I was helping friends learn how to make applesauce, and he told me he had the perfect tree, completely loaded, all I had to do was come pick! A few […]
It was still dark when we brewed the coffee, chomped down breakfast burritos and hurried the kids out the door. For the 6th year in a row, we were invited to help our friends with their harvest and crush at the Moore Family Winery. I’ve know the Moore’s (aunts, uncles, cousins, Grammy, Ya-Ya’s) for just […]
Its a beautiful fall day, the pine needles and fallen leaves smell spicy from the recent rain, and the Giants are playing in the NLCS! I’m having friends over for the game, and craving something warm, comforting, easy and orange for dinner. It’s mid-October, so of course pumpkins are my mind! Pumpkin Chile with White Beans […]
This is the last class of my Fall Canning Series! I decided to move the applesauce class to Friday, October 17th, which happens to be the 1 year anniversary of The Patchy Lawn. Making applesauce is quintessential fall canning, and I’ve got loads of ripe, organic apples from old, dry-farmed Cobb Mountain trees. We’ll also be drawing […]
Wow, I’ve been doing The Patchy Lawn for a whole year! Next Friday will by my big anniversary for putting up my first blog posts, and I feel like celebrating! I am so incredibly thankful for the love and support of all my family and friends, that I put together a little care package of […]
We got the call on Friday, “the grapes are ready!” The hot, dry summer has everything ripening early, and the zinfandel are no exception. Wineries all across the region are picking much earlier than usual, the heat and recent rains have complicated the already bizarre harvest season. We scurried around to clean and prepare our […]
The summer squash are still abundant, but what do you do with that zucchini that accidentally got giant? Zucchini soup with basil is the perfect answer to too-big squash and a cool autumn evening. This soup can be made vegan with vegetable stock and without the parmesan cheese garnish. This “creamy” soup was a staple […]