Farm Fresh Diary: October 9, 2010

I'm a little late on my farmers' market post this week. But I have a good reason...kinda. Well, not really; the weekend just got away from me. Evan and I had a wedding to go to on Sunday, which meant that I spent all weekend shopping for something that would appropriate for a dubstep wedding. The wedding was really nice and we looked pretty good if I do say so myself (sorry, no pictures).

The market was lovely as well. I went early, picked up some new veggies, and splurged for some goodies (like the flowers pictured above!).

Let's take a peak into my grocery bag.

Lettuce from Happy Boy Farms (my custom mix of sweet lettuce greens, bitter greens, baby spinach, and baby arugula).

A purple cauliflower--I discovered this variety of cauliflower last fall when I stopped into Andronicos in search of Melba toast. As I had never been in Andronico's before I took a few minutes to tour the store and I spied a row of orange, purple, and white cauliflower. I had never seen purple or orange cauliflower before--and I was veerry tempted to pick one up--but I opted for a couple of sugar pie pumpkins instead. One can't be too daring in one day, after all.

Potato rosemary bread from Panorama (of course) and summer squash, strawberries, rosemary, and thyme.

Brand New Buddies!

I woke up this morning to a symphony of chirps filtering through my bedroom window. As this was highly unusual, I went outside to check it out. And here is what I found: three charming little birdies. Aren't they cute? I sure think so.

I'll be adding these catnip buddies to my Etsy shop over the next week.

P.S. I have a feeling that more buddies might be arriving sometime in the near future, so stay tuned!

Farm Fresh Diary: October 2, 2010

I went to the farmers' market this morning with a shopping list--a bonafide shopping list where every item was needed for a specific purpose. And although I did my shopping a little later than usual, I found everything that I needed and got some good deals.

First on the list: tomatoes, parsley, and basil. My brother is living on his own for the first time and is in his first semester at college to boot. I made him pasta sauce and bought him various Asian snacks when he first moved into his apartment a month and a half ago. He's finally run out and texted me with a request for more. I've got some tomato sauce made and ready to go but I want to make sure he has some variety. So this time I decided to make him some pesto as well. (Plus he's getting some leftover, homemade chicken and rice soup and creamy acorn squash soup.)

I had originally planned on making bruschetta from the booty that I brought back from the market last Saturday, but that didn't happen. Instead made my semi-traditional basil pesto* and a fresh and sun-dried tomato pesto. They worked out quite well and I figured they would fit the bill. And so I picked up some Early Girl tomatoes and a ton of basil. Three bunches or a whole bowl-full of the stuff (only $5!).

I whipped up a batch of each and divided them into generous 1/3 cup portions that I put in freezer proof containers so that he doesn't have to worry about planning too far ahead for dinner.

*I like to use slightly cooked garlic rather than raw and almonds instead of pine nuts (for budgetary reasons).

I also picked up a lovely bunch of carrots from Happy Boy Farms and a very dirty bunch of celery. ("The dirt means its farm fresh!") I trimmed the tops and cleaned them up--respectively--and set them aside for making chicken broth, a process that I will elaborate on at a later date.

And, of course, I got some pastries as well. This time I branched out and tried a nutty sticky bun from a vendor that I've never tried before. The bun was very alluring but I couldn't help but feel like I was betraying Panorama. I feel a sense of loyalty to them...I love their breads and have recently discovered their pastries. This time I stuck with the blueberry danish and decided to try the almond danish. The pastries were all quite tasty (especially the almond danish). I think I've developed a new Saturday morning tradition...or addiction. Either way, all I can say is "yum."

Farm Fresh Diary: September 25, 2010

I took a break from posting last week because I was completely swamped at work. Our annual fundraiser was last Sunday, which meant that I had little time for anything other than running around like a crazy person and burning the midnight oil to get all the little details done.

At any rate, I'm back and I brought some pretty pictures of my trip to the farmers' market today. (I wasn't able to go last Saturday because I had to be in Richmond to receive deliveries for the fundraiser.)

I got some mini heirloom tomatoes, some striped zucchini, a big bunch of basil, and a country baguette. I'm thinking bruschetta is in the works...



And then I splurged a little on strawberries and pastries: a blueberry and raspberry danishes and a chocolate croissant. Totally worth it.

Farm Fresh Diary: September 11, 2010

I've been thinking about writing posts about my trips to the Farmers' Market for quite a while. I really love my weekly outing to my local farmers' market; I've always loved going to farmers' markets, ever since I was a kid. Some of my fondest memories of growing up in Sacramento are of going to the farmers' market. My parents didn't shop there on a regular basis--and with exception of the 10-15 minute drive and the horrendous parking/traffic issues--I always enjoyed checking out all the great produce, freshly baked goodies, and gorgeous flowers.

And now that I live by my own farmers' market--one that is a lot closer (quite literally around the corner) and allows me to sleep in a bit--I look forward to visiting it every Saturday. I even have favorite booths and vendors that I visit every week. I particularly enjoy strolling through the outdoor market (before it gets too crowded), surveying the goods, and checking out the seasonal produce; making note of unusual or new varieties (heirloom or otherwise) makes me very happy, as does witnessing the change in season and finding a great deal.

I try to limit my spending, but most of the time I part with a little more money than I had intended. But I tell myself that the freshly baked loaf of rosemary bread or some delicious samosas for breakfast or the first strawberries of the season are worth it...and they always are. These past two trips to the farmers' market have made considerable dents in my pocketbook--especially last week. I came home with what felt like the whole market, which is to be expected considering the fact that my work schedule deprived me of any trips to the farmers' market for six weeks. Here's what I got:

An eggplant, a loaf of batard, some san marzano tomatoes (for pomodoro sauce), a bunch of broccolini, a variety of heirloom tomatoes, basil, thyme, cayenne peppers (just because), fingerling tomatoes, and samosas (not pictured).

I've also been photographically documenting my spoils; partly because the produce is so darn beautiful and partly for this exact purpose. The only problem is that I haven't been nearly as diligent about blogging as I would like. So here are some shots from some from my past strips and most recent visit:

June 2010

Purple dragon carrots, tomatoes, peaches (first of the season), basil, and broccolini.

July 3, 2010


Lemon cucumbers (something new), carrots and celery (for making chicken broth), green beans, peaches, tomatoes, and cherries!







Which brings us to the present...

September 11, 2010


A whole flat of san marzano tomatoes from Happy Boy Farms (one of my favorites). For tomato sauce, of course.


More heirloom tomatoes, basil, curly kale, and two heirloom carrot varieties...


...just pulled from the earth.

I'm so looking forward to making dinner this week!

Spring Cleaning in September

I finally bit the bullet and cleaned out my yarn stash this week...or at least that's what I tried to do. I sat down and went through my collection of yarn with an editor's eye, but found that I couldn't part with much. In the end I ended up re-winding some balls of yarn and letting go of a handful of skeins, including some baby alpaca yarn that I posted on my Etsy store.

Although I wasn't able to downsize my yarn stash, my spring cleaning impulses lead me to looking through my modest collection of crafting books. I gathered them up and went though each and every one. I looked at every pattern and bookmarked each project that caught my eye. However, I limited myself to tagging 2 or 3 patterns per book--a challenging, yet necessary rule given my propensity to collect patterns.










Any book that didn't contain patterns that I desperately needed to make were swiftly moved in to the "toss" pile. I'm planning on trying to sell these to Walden Pond Books, a local independent bookstore, but if need be I'll donate them to the Oakland Public Library.

Another victory from this cleaning session came in the form of (yet another) project list. Nearly every skein of yarn is mentally reserved for a specific project. I even wrote some down and devised a priority-based system: unfinished, on-going and knitted pieces that need to be reworked or re-appropriated must be worked on first. I have some pieces that I started over a year ago, and I can't stand the fact that I haven't completed them. So my goal is to work my way through each project and hopefully do one a week...or at least work on these projects on a consistent basis so that I don't wind up in the same situation a year from now.

So I wasn't able to get rid of much yarn, but now I have a plan for projects, a (soon to be) reduced reference library and GOALS. Wish me luck.

Earrings Mod: A Basic How-To

My amateur--and successful(!)--adventure in jewelry modification.

A little while ago I picked up these great earring from the Laney Flea Market. These elaborate, dangly clip-ons caught my eye while I was riffling through a bin of jewelry. I absolutely loved the cut-out design and the round bit on the post--a little mod and a little flirty.

There's just one problem: the clip-ons HURT! I could barely wear them for more than a few hours without my earlobes screaming for relief. But I couldn't stand to stash them away so I decided to take matters into my own hands and put my very, very basic jewelry-making skills to use. So I bought a pair of jewelry pliers, unearthed a package of fish hook findings, and got to work.

Here's how I did it:

You will need: a pair of earrings in need of some modification, a pair of jewelry pliers and two fish hook findings.

Access the situation, clear your workspace, and get in your crafty zone.


Take one earring and grasp the jump ring with the tip of your jewelry pliers.

Grab the other end of the jump ring with another pair or pliers (or in my case my fingers) and gently, but firmly, twist so that the ring ends separate slightly.

Switch out the original clip-on finding with the fish hook finding...

...and close the jump ring by pinching it closed. I like to sandwich the twisted jump finding between the two tweezer bits of the jewelry pliers.

Then use the jewelry pliers to close the gap by gently squeezing the jump ring from the sides. Try to bring the ends as close together as possible without bending the ring out of shape.

Repeat, marvel at your handiwork,
and wear them with pride.