weeds + water: artichoke adventures

{valentina ramos}

ah, the strange and lovely artichoke.

i have no memory of ever eating one during my childhood years in ohio.

when i moved to sunny california, i was introduced to this odd vegetable.

over the last decade of west coast living, i have consumed this green globe in a multitude of ways: steamed and dipped in olive oil, hollandaise, aioli, or butter, pickled and served as antipasti, stuffed and baked, roasted on pizza, tossed in pasta, chopped in salads, whirled into dip, and pureed into soup.

for many years, i only saw the market-ready version of artichokes, which look like this...

although i consumed artichokes regularly during this time, i never knew exactly what they were or how they grew.

after five years of southern california living, i moved to san francisco, met kevwrex, visited the reid ranch, and was finally introduced to the perennial artichoke patch.

as i watched the fascinating plants grow throughout the year i realized that they evolve from this...

into this...

after some very basic research, i discovered that artichokes are essentially big mediterranean thistles.

when they blossom, they turn into fluffy purple explosions...

amazing, right?

a few things about artichokes...they:

* have incredibly sharp thorns - yowza!

* make me think of eeyore, who loves to eat thistles.

* are "carciofo" in italian, "alcachofa" in spanish, and "artichaut" in french.

* have one of the highest reported antioxidant capacities of vegetables.
* usually grow from four to six feet tall.

* are really quite delicious.

garden slumber party

one of the great joys of my weekend was camping in the vineyard garden at the reid ranch...

i adored sleeping amidst growing plants, misty dew, redwood trees, and softly singing birds.

walk with me through a few magical moments...

{zucchini blossom}

{artichoke blossom}

{zazen}

{beans + barn}

{sunlight + sunflower}

{full foliage grapevines}

{onward + upward}

{vine + sky}

{tendrils + tiny web}

{sunset glow}

{grapes growing}

{glowing gnome caves + dancing blue flames}

{reid ranch} blues + greens

yesterday was spent at the reid ranch celebrating the birthday of my beau-père.

(joyeux anniversaire au fromage grand!)

strolling through my pictures this morning, i noticed many shades of beautiful blues and greens...

{end of may vineyard}

{tiny merlot grapes}

{i'm taking a lichen to you via grandpa great}

{artichoke}

{hayloft door}

spring @ the reid ranch

a warm spring morning walk around the reid ranch on sunday revealed a multitude of blooming and growing delights...

{a row of onions + a newly green vineyard}

{a sweet onion nestled in the dirt}

{the bright foliage of brussels sprouts}

{a trio of baby pears}

{delicate cherry blossoms}

{an antique bathtub overflowing with flowers}

{clusters of wisteria}

foodstuff: meyer lemon pots de crème

pots de crème are one of my favorite desserts. if you are unfamiliar with this deliciousness, it is a creamy baked custard. in even simpler terms, it is french pudding.

when i worked at zuni cafe in san francisco, we had pots de crème on the dessert menu almost every night. bittersweet chocolate, dulce de leche, espresso. sometimes, at the beginning of the evening, i would stare into the dessert cooler at all of the beautiful pots lined up and ready to be scooped out by lucky patrons.

thus, i was filled with joy yesterday when we had meyer lemon pots de crème with raspberry sauce as brunch dessert at the reid ranch...

my beau-père and belle-mère made these delights using meyer lemons from my favorite tree on the ranch...

the crème was sweet, rich, fragrant citrus - a perfect late winter/early spring dessert.

i have made these before using this recipe.  initially i was scared of baking something that required a bain-marie (water bath), but it was actually easy and the results were completely worth the effort.

salut to spring baking!

{camp cozy} day eleven: holiday moments

it has been a flurry of activity here at {camp cozy}.

the week of christmas was filled with:

a trip to see cavalia in san francisco...

{horses + humans -> poetry + performance}

snuggly evenings at the treehouse...

{starry night}

beaucoup baking...

{slicing cinnamon rolls}

{whipping up marshmallows}

a journey to pop's house for his ninety-seventh christmas eve...

{pop's handmade sign + classic game}

a beautiful christmas day at the reid ranch in napa...

 

{my christmas quiche * since 1989 * via madame shiptenko}

{daria by the reid ranch tree}

{preparing for the feast}

{musical crackers}

{hannah's horse by the hearth}

{s'mores platter with my homemade marshmallows}

mucho merrymaking + happy exhaustion...

{sleepy pup}

we spent the day after christmas in our pajamas by the fireplace eating popcorn and hanging out together in true {camp cozy} style.

i am very thankful to have spent this time celebrating with those i adore and love.

autumn @ the reid ranch

we spent yesterday in napa with my belle-mere + beau-pere at their home which is affectionately called the reid ranch.

have i mentioned that the reid ranch is one of my favorite places on earth?

because it truly is.

we wandered around the property after lunch and i captured a few scenes from a warm fall day...

{wine press}

{vineyard}

{grape leaves changing}

{summer squash}

{pumpkin tendrils}

{pear}

{green man}

p.s. did you spot my pup, daria?