Stumped.
Before last Thursday around 7pm, I’d never cooked an eggplant. Never. Somehow, I’ve consistently “ducked and dived” the bulbous purple vegetable all my life. Bare truth is I’ve got nothing against ’em; I just don’t know how to use ’em.
Which typically doesn’t stop me, considering lately I’ve been eating something called a Dinosaur Gourd, and liking it, before learning it’s mostly used as decorations around Thanksgiving. But, something about people always saying you need to salt eggplant to bring out the bitterness screeched me to a stop. This rule somehow made it seem like you have to know what you’re doing to do it right.
Beautiful things.
- At September 19, 2011
- By Molly Chester
-
8
Today, we invited all of our old neighbors and all of our new neighbors to Apricot Lane Farms for a day of swimming, BBQ and general barnyard shenanigans. We had a great time, and though I planned on talking to you tonight about an incredible trip we took to Benziger Biodynamic Vineyard in Sonoma with our Biodyanmic consultant Alan York, I am too beat and will be heading to bed for a long autumn slumber. However before I do, I wanted to share with you a few pictures of the most beautiful flowering cactus I’ve ever seen. Our gardener, Maria, found this one day and encouraged us to check it out first thing in the AM, before the daylight makes the flowers close. It is magnificent. The latest gift the farm has given to us. Enjoy…
Channeling Abundance
Trying to lay the foundation for abundance at Apricot Lane Farms is most definitely a full-time job. In each area: orchard, pasture, garden – our decisions are based upon building things smart & strong to eventually enable farm-wide fertility and responsible production. At the 3 year mark, we’d like our farmer’s market operation to be in place and building. Therefore, lots of what we’re doing right now is practice, practice, practice. We’re learning how to put things to good use, in order for the good ideas that bubble up to become things like product lines for the farmer’s markets or food for our animals. Closing the loops, so waste is minimized; learning from our mistakes and getting smarter through experience.
Wriggled right in.
- At September 4, 2011
- By Molly Chester
-
13
Too early, John shook my shoulder on a Saturday morning, two weeks ago, and used the pawn of little white fluffy packages to lure me out of my deep slumber. If I braved the Saturday afternoon LA traffic for long enough, two Great Pyrenees puppies were to be my prize. Didn’t take me long to clean up, pack up and park myself in the front seat, tea in hand, Todd in tow. Although whether I’d like to pick up puppies is a question for which I will always reply yes, my heart knew that these little ladies aren’t Todd, and I’d probably not feel the same way about them. These dogs will be large, outdoor and therefore extremely dirty guard dogs for the Dorper sheep. Working dogs, which Todd likes to think he is, as he spends his afternoons making every bunny at Apricot Lane Farms aware of his self-appointed title – The Official Rabbit Chaser. We give him a pat-pat for his very hard work.