We awake at what should be the crack of dawn and a sunny fall morning, but instead we are engulfed by darkness and heavy fog on the third day of a non-stop winter storm – constant buckets of rain and occasional mighty gust of wind that shakes the house, some up to 60 miles an…
Anyone who has ever had chickens knows the joys, and trials, of raising a flock of hens for eggs. People ask “Do you name them all?” No – they are not pets; they are chickens. “Are they free-range? Do you let them out in the vineyard?” No – if we did, they would all become…
We are always grateful for the tasty crop of grapes we raise, but this year, especially, we include the abundance of many “fruits of our labor” from our garden and orchard – a spectacular Padron pepper crop and when cooked quickly on a hot skillet and sprinkled with Baja sea salt only one in 10…
Every small town has their 4th of July traditions. The Napa Valley celebrates like many others; parties around the pool, BBQ with friends and family followed by a night of fireworks whether put on by one of the big local wineries and seen from afar or on the street in front of our house with…
On either side of our work day, the earlier sunrise and warmer evening temperatures have allowed us to work into a fairly regular summer schedule – walking with the dogs to the chicken pen at the end of the driveway each morning with a bowl of table scraps for the young hens, turning on separate…
Lamb’s Basil/Tarragon* Pesto ½ cup pine nuts 1 whole garlic head, cleaned into cloves (about 9-11) 3 cups fresh basil leaves 3 cups fresh tarragon leaves ½ tsp. kosher salt ½ tsp. cracked pepper 1 ½ cups good quality olive oil 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese In a Cuisinart/food processor with a…
Bocce Ball season in the Wine Country has started again, every court at the local park filled with dozens of teams each night for the next 12 weeks (basically until harvest). Bocce nights are social evenings with neighbors and friends, eating and drinking and sharing delightful picnic dishes before, during and after the games. (One…
Kori’s Salsa Verde Chicken Salad With capers, cannellini beans, Parmigiano Reggiano and arugula – serve with Two Old Dogs Sauvignon Blanc Salsa Verde: 1 Handful of Parsley – stemmed 1 T capers 1 clove garlic 1 lemon – zest and juice 1 tsp red chili pepper flakes Olive Oil Put all of the ingredients in…
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz. As former beekeepers, we rushed outside at dawn – was it a swarm of bees landing on the deck? But no, it was just the crew of vineyard workers with their noisy weed-eaters; another rite of passage in the vineyard in spring. A few days before, two vineyard workers had pushed huge…
It’s always easy to guess what time of year it is just by looking at the collection of irrigation parts, seed packets and clothing piles in our back porch, or “mud room”. Last Saturday there were 2 pair of muddy boots outside the back porch on a step stool, and 2 pair of flip-flops, (the…