Our property is situated on the side of a hill with a long row of pines and redwoods along the property line. Cooper's hawks inhabit these trees where they sit and watch, just waiting for their next meal. I don't want their next meal to be one of my ...
From Russia with Love
The Pavlovskaja chicken is one of the oldest Russian breeds. The ancestors of Pavlovskaja hens came to the territory of Russia supposedly from Persia more than 300 years ago. In 1895 it was mentioned in the literature as "an extreme rarity." In the ...
Farm Focus Friday – July 4th!
My son and his family are visiting from southern California so it has been a busy few days. I did manage to get around and take some photos of our holiday decor. I love patriotic holidays and I usually have the bunting hanging on our old wagon but ...
It’s the little things these days.
As I age, I find that it doesn't take as much to make my day. Have you noticed this too? I used to live for the big moments; marriage, children, grandchildren, a house, a new car, a big vacation, saving a life. But divorce, remarriage, disability, ...
Farm Focus Friday 6-27-2014
I tried to get out to take some photographs this morning before risking my camera melting in the heat. We have been blessed with a few mild days, but today Mother Nature promises to turn on the blast furnace and let it go for a few days. I did a ...
Post #888!
This is post #888 over the course of five and a half years of blogging. That amounts to a post every other day. That's a lot of recipes and farm stories! Instead of a recipe or farm story today I am going to share some of the miscellaneous pictures ...
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream- Redux
The chocolate mint in my raised herb bed is going crazy! From one tiny plant last season, I now have about 16 square feet of mint. I don't mind because it perfumes the air and gives me an excuse to make Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. I still love ...
A little getaway to beat the heat…
We accepted the kind offer of a friend to pet-sit and we headed out of the sweltering heat of the central valley to the cool California coast. We arrived at Half Moon Bay on Sunday and will be leaving tomorrow. I wanted to post daily but the ...
Farm Focus Friday 6-6-2014
The weather is heating up fast. We were fortunate to find a field mower who could clear the grass from the pastures. If we had waited a little longer, it would have been too late. The guys won't mow when there is a chance of a spark igniting a fire. ...
The Old Egg Swap Trick
We have a Black Copper Marans hen who has been broody for several weeks. If you are here for the recipes and don't know chickens, being broody means sitting on eggs for the purpose of hatching baby chicks. This hen lives in a coop without a rooster ...
Freaky Farm Friday
This being Friday, I would normally post a bunch of pictures under the title Farm Focus Friday. Normally. This Friday morning I went out to do my chores with my camera around my neck. I imagined cute animal pictures, pretty ...
Antique Street Fair
The Auburn Antiques Street Fair was held today. I almost didn't go for fear of the parking nightmare I knew would await me. The vendors start setting up at 3:00 a.m. and shoppers are allowed to come join them, flashlights in hand, to score the best ...
Artichoke with Brie Cheese and Almond Sauce
I was looking for something beautiful to make and photograph for my food photography class. I had a beautiful artichoke in the pantry and an online search led me to a recipe for Artichoke with Brie de Meaux Sauce. Unfortunately the brie sold in the ...
Farm Focus Friday 5-9-2014 at the Egg Farm
I am a bit tardy in posting my Farm Focus Friday photos because it became Food Focus Friday instead. Friday was the last day of the first week of my food photography class, Food Photography Au Naturel, taught by guest instructor and food photographer ...
Purina Days at Tractor Supply! #PurinaDays
Since becoming a hobby farmer, I've heard stories of Tractor Supply stores and all the wonders inside. Without a store within reasonable driving distance, I would just have to imagine. But that was about to change. When this sign went up in ...
Hen House Bullies
Girls in the hen-house don't always get along. There are things that go on in there that you never know about unless you happen by with your video camera in hand. I heard some commotion in the layer coop as I walked by this morning and decided to ...
Farm Focus Friday 5-2-2014
This is an exciting Friday for me. I am starting another food photography class, this time with guest instructor George Crudo. Today is the first day of the class. I am always excited when a new class starts then I obsess over the assignments and ...
Gettin’ trendy at the Egg Farm!
I am not trendy. I am very bad at keeping up with what's hot and what's not. For instance: -I was still patching torn jeans when everyone else was wearing them with just waistbands and pockets. -By the time I found out about the cupcake craze, ...
Farm Focus Friday 4-25-2014
There is danger in procrastination when it comes to Farm Focus Friday. You may find yourself with a driving rain all day and an expensive new camera. The only picture I took yesterday was this shot of a patio chair being eaten by a wisteria bush. ...
Eggs Benedict and a Give-a-Way!
Last week I received my pre-ordered copy of Egg, A Culinary Exploration of the World's Most Versatile Ingredient by Michael Ruhlman. This book is much more than a cookbook, it is the epitome of all things egg. I have read it like a novel, taking ...