A Summer Tomato Salad That Is a Feast for Your Eyes – June
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A Summer Tomato Salad That Is a Feast for Your Eyes – June

We were invited to a summer house party in the foothills of California over the weekend. In addition to having a wonderful time, I was able to score some early tomatoes from this, much warmer, area. It won’t be tomato season on the coast until late August or even September.

I got the idea for the salad from the book Salad Freak, one of my favorite cookbooks. It’s by Jess Damuck, who used to work for Martha Stewart.

The garden is overrun with nasturtiums, and they are a lovely accent to red and yellow tomatoes.

Nasturtiums

 

Tomato, nasturtium, and arugula salad

Tomato, nasturtium, and arugula salad

I don’t have a real recipe.

Simply cut up a variety of tomatoes, several colors and varieties if you have them. Cut some into wedges, some sliced. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Arrange them on a platter or plate, top with some colorful nasturtiums and arugula. Then sprinkle with salt crystals, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and add a few drops of balsamic glaze.

That’s all there is to it. Tres simple.

Tomato and Nasturtium Salad

Tomato and Nasturtium Salad

I can think of several variations. What about adding watermelon, maybe some crumbled feta, pickled red onion?

 

 

In My Garden – June 2025
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In My Garden – June 2025

Summer is finally here. It means something else here on the north coast of California, though. While the inland areas are heating up and experiencing sunny weather, we have fog. Lots of fog. It’s not just sweater weather, it’s down jacket weather. What does that mean in the garden? It means that I can’t grow tomatoes or cucumbers without a greenhouse. Last autumn, I made green tomato chutney; it wasn’t a complete loss, although it was disappointing. This spring, we decided to invest in an inexpensive fabric greenhouse to see if it’s possible to get tomatoes to ripen.

2025 Greenhouse
Tomatoes

Stay tuned.

My vegetable garden has expanded to 11 raised beds. You may remember, if you are a regular reader, the battle I had with invasive redwood roots. When my beds were in the ground, the surrounding redwood trees would come through the weedcloth into the bottom of the beds. It was backbreaking work to dig them out a couple of times a year. We ended up putting the beds up on legs (stumps), they really are raised beds.

Raised beds – old
Raised beds – new
Vegetable Garden, now flowers too

Vegetable Garden, now flowers too

Because I was away most of May, I missed the rhododendron show. A few were still blooming but most were finished by early June.

Rhododendrons – early June

What’s growing in my garden this month? Here is a quick peek.

herbs
zucchini
artichokes
snap peas
potatoes

We are lucky to increasingly be able to eat out of the garden as summer progresses.

We’ve had a few already…

Roast Carrots

Roast Carrots

Grilled zucchini and baby leeks

Grilled zucchini and baby leeks

I grew leeks for the first time, sowing them from purchased transplants last fall. It wasn’t a win. They never grew very large in diameter and were somewhat tough. I need to do more research. Have any of you grown them successfully? Tips would be appreciated.

Apparently, in many places, leeks are grown as a perennial in a single bed/area. The leeks will form the “bud” on top, which then flowers (the flowers look like alliums and can range from white to lavender, and from what I have read, they are EXTREMELY good at attracting bees and butterflies). Once they have flowered, they form seed heads, with hundreds of little black seeds (a lot like chives) that self-sow very easily. Within a few weeks, you’ll have lots of little seedlings shooting up in and around the original leek. Where gardeners are growing them in this way, they thin out the seedlings so that they have space to grow to a good size and let them grow on.

Meanwhile, the original leek will die back for a couple of months. The bulb will split, much like a garlic bulb splitting into cloves, and from this, new leeks will shoot up. This is where the perennial bit comes in. The new shoots can be allowed to grow before being harvested as several leeks, or you can pull them up whilst young, separate them, and replant them in rows.

I’m loving this idea, and I think I might give it a go this fall to see how successful it is.

From: Rocket Gardens, a U.K. web site.

 

Tomato, nasturtium, and arugula salad

Tomato, nasturtium, and arugula salad (the tomatoes did not come from the garden)

And, there are flowers…

Roses
Lavender and Yarrow
Rock Rose
Columbine
Firest dahlia
Nasturtiums
Sweet peas
Mixed bouquet

Here is a picture of one of the island beds. The others just remind me that it’s time to go outside for early summer chores. It’s time to prune the early spring perennials, and weed. There is always lots of weeding. The spring annuals should also be pulled out, but I like them to sow their seeds throughout the garden. It’s such a lovely surprise to see where things want to grow.

Back garden island bed

Back garden island bed

That’s it for my garden this month. Thank you for visiting and please leave a comment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In My Kitchen – June 2025
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In My Kitchen – June 2025

I know it has been months since my last post. As an excuse, I’ve been away…a lot. And, I was thrown an emotional curveball since the election. My usual cheerfulness deserted me. Traveling helped, as did taking a break from the endless chaos of the news.

Where have I been? Since the beginning of this year, I have been to France twice, Scotland, and Florida. It’s been over six weeks of travel since January. I’m not going to chronicle any details in this post. But the trips have influenced my kitchen and cooking. As well, we were nursing a very sick dog back to health. She had what they call ‘old dog disease’ or vestibular disease. It’s been a long four months nursing her back to health. She still exhibits the characteristic head tilt and is unsteady on her feet. At fourteen, we feel lucky to still have her with us.

Quinn

Quinn

During both visits to Paris, I ate at the restaurant Des Pres.

They serve water in what they call ‘Grandmother Jugs’. We were told that they can be found at flea markets, however searching was unproductive. On researching them we found they are vintage Portuguese Majolica animal pitchers. Luckily we were able to find new ones in an online search.

vintage Portuguese Majolica

Vintage Portuguese Majolica Owl Pitcher

It now sits proudly on my open shelf in the kitchen.

Sitting next to it is an antique porcelain soup tureen, found in a flea market on my second trip to France.

During that same visit I found this lovely vintage tablecloth.

I was inspired to do more French cooking and purchased a couple of books once I was back home.

There have been a few memorable home cooked meals, but many more memorable restaurant meals during my travels.

Moroccan Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables

Moroccan Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables

Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad

Just to share one dish I had a Tabak in Paris.

Hummus with caramelized onions and leeks

Hummus with caramelized onions and leeks

The most delicious, richest, creamiest hummus I have ever tasted.

January – Avocado Tahini Dip
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January – Avocado Tahini Dip

I have issued myself a challenge to try one new recipe from one of my collection of cookbooks each week, at least the weeks I am home. This is not my idea, I’ve read of it in several other blogs. But, it is intended to keep my time  in the kitchen interesting and perhaps outside the usual rotation of meals.

This recipe came from Open Kitchen – Inspired Food for Casual Gatherings by Susan Spungen.

Open Kitchen - Inspired Food for Casual Gatherings by Susan Spungen.

Open Kitchen – Inspired Food for Casual Gatherings by Susan Spungen.

I had been asked to bring a starter for a dinner party and was looking for something different.

Avocado Tahini Dip

Ingredients (serves 6 to 8):

  • 2 avocados, quartered and cut into large chunks
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • Few dashes of green hot sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • small handful of fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds or dukah
  • 1 tablespoon of fruity olive oil
  • Sliced fresh seasonal vegetables to serve and/or crackers

Method:

  1. In a food processor, with the steel blade, shop the garlic finely.
  2. Add the avocado, tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, salt, hot sauce, cumin and pulse to combine. Then process until completely smooth.
  3. Add the cilantro and pulse until finely chopped.
  4. Transfer to a serving bowl and scatter the seeds over the top, drizzle with the oil.

You can make this several hours ahead. Store it in the fridge and cover with plastic wrap to prevent the surface from browning.

Open Kitchen - Inspired Food for Casual Gatherings by Susan Spungen.

Open Kitchen – Inspired Food for Casual Gatherings by Susan Spungen.

It was a hit. Unfortunately my pictures didn’t turn out.

This is an excellent cookbook with some different and inventive recipes.

January – A Weekend of Wine Tasting in the Anderson Valley
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January – A Weekend of Wine Tasting in the Anderson Valley

The Anderson Valley wine region of California is not as well known as Sonoma or Napa. However, unlike those regions, it is less crowded and has a more rural and relaxed feel. The weather is cooler in the evening because of the surrounding hills and the proximity to the coast, however day time temperatures can reach into the 90’s F during the summer. Because of this contrast of cool night and hot daytime temperatures, Anderson Valley specializes in different grape varieties than Napa and Sonoma. Pinot Noir and Alsatian grapes are king.

We frequently travel through the valley to and from the Bay Area but, we don’t stop to taste. The 50 mile road from the valley to the coast, through the Navarro River redwoods, is beautiful but very curvy. It’s not safe to drive after a glass or two of wine.

We decided to have a late anniversary weekend in the valley. It’s not crowded in the winter, but reservations for most tastings and restaurants are recommended.

It’s been a dry January after a very wet December. We saw signs of spring everywhere and the brown hills of summer were all green.

Our first stop was to Toulouse Vineyards. Their tasting room is at the top of the hill with a gorgeous view of the valley floor. We recommend their rose, it’s our favorite.

Toulouse Vineyards

Toulouse Vineyards

We made a quick (unannounced but they let us in to taste) visit to the Baxter tasting room in Philo. Their Pinot Noir is a favorite of a good friend and we had not been there before.

Toulouse Vineyards

Baxter Vineyards

It’s a small world because the gentleman pouring the wines was an actor we had seen before in productions of the Mendocino Theater Company. We had a nice chat along with their excellent Pinot Noir. We also liked their chardonnay which we hadn’t tasted before.

From there we proceeded to our hotel in Philo, The Madrones.

 

Our room was called The Perch and felt like a tree house high in the branches of the redwoods surrounding the property. We did have to climb the spiral staircase to the top, but it was worth it.

Dinner that night was at a new place in Philo, Jumbo’s Win Win, which recently opened. It was similar to an old fashioned diner and hopping on a Friday night.

The restaurant at The Madrones was closed during January, so we ended up at the Boonville General Store  in nearby Boonville the next morning for breakfast..

My husband opted for a hand pie while I had something more traditional.

After breakfast hiking at nearby Hendy Woods was on the scheddule. We hadn’t been there before and they have a number of original redwoods.

Although logging was (and is) big business in the Redwoods, in 1853 Joshua Hendy (who owned the forest) chose to leave some areas untouched. By 1938, local people, particularly the Unity Club, were working with Save the Redwoods League to keep the big trees safe. Then in 1958, the State of California bought the groves from a timber company and created the park which opened in 1963. There are areas for camping and some small cabins to rent.

I think the burls look like a creature attempting to emerge from the tree. Lord of the Rings stuff.

Redwood Burls

Handley Vineyards was the first tasting of the day.

Their tasting room is one of the nicest in the valley, full of items the owners had collected during their world travels. I am partial to their Petite Sirah and discovered they have a wonderful sparkling wine and some Rhone style reds.

Lichen Vineyards

Lichen Estate

Lichen was next, they specialize in French style sparkling wines and lighter whites. This is a very small vineyard where a reservation is a necessity. Reporters from the San Francisco Chronicle were there at the same time, I look forward to reading their story in the paper.

Dinner was at The Boonville Hotel, a five course prix fixe meal.

Thomas Keller of the French Laundry got his start at this restaurant, and his grandson was the chef that evening. It was delicious!

Sunday we were driving back to Fort Bragg, so no more wine tasting. We had breakfast at the Mosswood Market in Boonville, sharing a breakfast wrap and coffee.

Mosswood Market

Mosswood Market

On our way home we stopped at two of our favorites to purchase some wine.

Pennyroyal raises goats and sheep, selling cheese in addition to wine. We were greeted by one of the retired mama goats looking for a handout.

Their sister property is Navarro, just down to road a bit.

It was a delightful weekend, only an hour and a half away from our house in Fort Bragg.