We made some changes in the garden this year, intentionally planting flowers for hummingbirds. Early in the spring we planted lots of flowering plants that attract hummingbirds and now have a variety of different colored birds that visit the yard. We try to provide natural food for them instead of using a hummingbird feeder.
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Buying Direct from Growers
Growing your own sprouts
So easy to grow sprouts at home. They add a gourmet look to some dishes and provide a really big nutritional punch. We found this to be an easy and healthy swap for the usual salad ingredients. And since this is an example of eco friendly eating, it also makes a good project for kids.
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True farm to table – artichokes with aioli
This was definately “farm to table”, since we actually went to the farm. Artichokes are grown around Santa Cruz, and these were from the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. The aioli was made with rosemary and garlic olive oil. Garlic olive oil is a great thing to have on hand. We make it by slowly cooking garlic in oil on the stovetop at the lowest temperature possible, for about an hour, and then keeping it in the refrigerator for safe keeping
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Everett Family Farm – Farmstand and Event Venue
Photos we took at Everett Family Farm – a little known event venue near Santa Cruz. The farm is so beautiful in when the persimmon trees have turned orange – a small family wedding would be incredible here in the fall.
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Santa Cruz Abalone Farm
One of the special things about living in the Santa Cruz area is the local seafood. Just past the town of Davenport, there is an abalone farm, American Abalone, that is open to the public on Saturday. It doesn’t get any fresher than picking out your own live abalone.
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Ashby Confections
Ashby Confections creates custom chocolates for special occasions. They can tailor colors, designs and flavors to compliment the style of an event, and can even monogram the chocolates or do wine pairing. They are located in the Santa Cruz area, and work with other local producers such as Driscoll’s Berries and Beauregard Winery. We think the globes are especially elegant – pictured in this post is a banana ganache globe.
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Making homemade wine vinegar
I know it sounds unbelievable, but we often have wine leftover. We also have a difficult time finding a decent wine vinegar, so I had the idea of making it out of the leftover wine. After all, how hard can it be?
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