So far this year, I haven’t been able to have that experience. The plant at my house has a small collection of blossoms. The plants at the farm through which I have my CSA have more blossoms, but no fruit. It’s almost August, and I ain’t got no tomato satisfaction.

Such is the way of the world of produce. Some years, the bounty overflows. Others, your garden yields up your first harvest at the very end of the season. Our house is at 3600 feet, so the garden’s timeline for growth is already shorter, and during a year like this, it’s even less.

Thank goodness for the wonders of modern invention, like porch green houses. I wouldn’t even be able to harvest a handful of fruit this year if it wasn’t for that glorious creation. Isn’t it amazing the good that can come from a few metal pipes, shelves, and plastic? (My fresh herbs like it too.)

And thank goodness for local farmers that are just down the hill. Because of those wonderful farmers with their steadier, slightly warmer weather, we just got heirloom tomatoes in the store. While nothing can completely replace a fresh tomato plucked from the plant and still warm from the sun, these come a close second.

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Last year there were 159 tasty little berries !  yep, I counted.

Checking the three happy plants on my patio is the highlight of my morning. They live in pots because they are transient … chasing the patches of sunlight that reach the ground through the oak trees.

Like most of my garden plants, flowers and veggies alike, the berries and I spend a lot of time scooting around to catch the best warm sun.

I’ll keep a running tally as the berry harvest continues.  That should keep you’all glued to this blog!  “Exciting, breaking berry news … ”

But, even with this season’s potential bumper crop, I know that until I have my own blueberry farm ….  I will be snatching up all of the berries I can find to satisfy my blue-habit.  I’m lamenting the rumors of hardships on local berry farms, due to the late season frost.  I count on, and am sometimes fooled by, the rumors of blueberry-sitings at BriarPatch Co-op and the farmers markets.  The elusive Lazy Valley Ranch bulk blueberry shipments come in and go out – by the bag-full, so fast that even the produce department staff aren’t sure they’ve really been there.

Fresh, frozen, cooked .. in pies, on icecream, with my oatmeal, in a salad …  by the handful !  In July, blue is my favorite color !

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Me with the calf I rescued from a ditch

By the time I came into the picture, my paternal grandparents had shifted from dairy cows to beef, Polled Herefords to be exact, and moved to Montana. My brother, sister, and I spent many a summer day up at their ranch, getting into our own scrapes, helping where we could, and learning the all-important lesson of farm to table.

I was really lucky to get these experiences. To look at me, you’d think I’m all town mouse. In fact, whenever playing, “To Tell the Truth,” my story about herding cattle always gets chosen because, well, no one looks at me and thinks, “Well golly, of COURSE she’s herded cattle.” Part of my luck, I feel, is that I was exposed to the whole circle of life and have a pretty priceless understanding of how a calf that I rescued from a ditch would someday end up as hamburger, and I was okay with that.

Understanding breeds acceptance. When I became a vegetarian, my beef-raising family accepted that change with nary a blink. When I returned to eating meat a few years later because of my health, that too was accepted. While I never came back to the place where I ate as much meat as I had before going veggie, I gotta say, a good grass-fed, grass-finished steak or hamburger is a lovely thing to experience.

Locally, we’re gifted with a wonderful beef rancher by the name of Jim Gates. His beef tastes as good as it gets – lean, juicy, and chock full of flavor. Jim is something of a rock star around these parts, and if you’ve ever had some Nevada County Free Range Beef or talked to Mister Salt-of-the-Earth himself, you know why.

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I know this. There just have to be. Every summer afternoon spent up in my grandma’s cherry tree was a little bit of Heaven. The still, dusty, oppressive heat of the Sacramento Valley would retreat under the shade of the old, wizened tree. I’d scramble up the trunk and sit on my favorite branch, kicking my legs with their perpetually skinned knees as I gathered a bucket’s worth of cherries and consumed another bucket’s worth.

That first taste of a summer-ripe cherry brings me back to those long-gone June afternoons. For the moments that I’m savoring that sweet, plump fruit, I’m a kid again – sitting high in a tree and having pit-spitting contests with my brother and sister. Cherries are one of the reasons that I love June. Though the month may blindside you with a few triple digit days, it always makes up for it in the sweetness of its fruit.

My brother in the cherry tree.>

Pork Chops with Brandied Cherry Sauce

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 15ounces of Mountain Sweet cherries
• 2 rounded spoonfuls sugar
• 4 large, boneless center-cut Llano Seco pork chops
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons Calolea extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• Splash of brandy
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons regional butter
• 3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Put cherries in a small bowl with the sugar.

Heat a skillet with an oven safe handle over medium high to high heat.

Season chops with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to a hot skillet. Place chops in skillet and sear meat on both sides to caramelize the chops. Place a loose tin foil tent over the pan and transfer the chops to oven to finish off, 7 or 8 minutes, until meat is firm to touch, but not tough.

Remove meat from oven and transfer to dinner plates. Cover chops with foil to keep warm. Place chop skillet back on stove over medium heat. Add a tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add shallots and sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add cherries and warm through. Add brandy, then add stock. Reduce stock a minute, then add butter in small pieces. Toss sauce to combine and sprinkle in mint. Pour sauce down over chops.

Adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe

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So I did. I don’t have a food processor, (someday, oh one beautiful someday, I shall!) but I do own a blender. The blender worked okay, but I ended up needing to put in about a tablespoon more olive oil to get it to mix together properly.

I tossed the pesto with some al dente fettuccine, sprinkled some extra Parmesan on top, and WHAMO! Talk about a taste sensation – the intense flavors of garlic and greenness danced upon my taste buds in a very pleasing samba.  We paired it with a Viognier from Pilot Peak Vineyard and Winery which was an extremely good call. The garlic amazingness brought out pear flavors in the wine that were lovely counterpoints.

Thank goodness for the adventure of trying new, local foods and getting some terrific meals out of it.

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My sympathy goes out to the farmers and gardeners who planted on time this spring, and were surprised when the weather didn’t seem to be following the same calendar. If I hadn’t been so far behind with my own garden, I might be writing a very different tale – but this time my procrastination was a good thing! No seedlings lost or time wasted here. While early-planted tomatoes and squashes are struggling through chilly nights and unseasonably cold storms, … I’m selfishly enjoying the extended strawberry season.

I realized all of this as I found myself smiling with my mouth full of juicy English peas and tasty mixed lettuces, from a salad that was simply bursting with the flavors of spring. I didn’t miss it! I felt like Ebenezer Scrooge when he found out it was Christmas day – giddy with my guilty pleasure.

So many of our local farmers are recovering from the setbacks brought on by the late-season low temps. But, farmers are tough, resilient, and determined – thank goodness! Markets are open and the sun – finally – is shining. Look for asparagus and apricots, cherries, strawberries and peas. And thank those farmers while you’re there, for staying motivated through this challenging spring weather. I’d like to send a special thanks to Country Rubes’ Farm and Living Lands Agrarian Network/Harmony Valley Farm for my inspiring salad! And to BriarPatch Co-op Market for always featuring seasonal produce from our local growers!

Farmers/Growers Market Schedules:

Tuesday Afternoon: Nevada County Certified Growers’ Market
3pm – 6pm   Sierra Presbyterian Church, Nevada City

Thursday Afternoon: Nevada County Certified Growers’ Market
2pm – 5:30pm   Seventh Day Adventist Church, Penn Valley

Thursday Evening: Mill Street Certified Farmers Market
5:30pm – 8pm   Downtown Grass Valley

Saturday Morning: Nevada City Farmers Market
8:30am – 12:30pm   Downtown Nevada City

Saturday Morning: Nevada County Certified Growers’ Market
8am – Noon   North Star House, Old Auburn Rd, Grass Valley

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BriarPatch was one of the sponsors this year, so Charles and I got to wear badges with the Co-op’s name and look all official. This also meant that we got to answer questions from folks about the store wherever we went, which was a great opportunity. Since the Trail hosts people from out of town as well as locals, getting to introduce people to our cool Co-op concepts was awesome. And since Charles is the Wine Buyer (as well as the Grocery Manager), we got some great VIP treatment.

Our first stop was Montoliva Vineyard & Winery. Mark Henry’s wines, as always, were a treat. Our visit was super-special. We got a tour of the grounds, AND we got to barrel sample Mark’s 2008 Teroldego. I can’t wait until this beauty, with its nose of wild roses and vanilla bean, is bottled. Plus, we got to try the Barbera. Yum, yum, yum! Look for it on our shelves soon.

Then it was off to Naggiar Vineyards & Winery. Naggiar’s wines are fantastic, so we tasted every one that was offered during the Trail. We had their WOW! factor Petite Sirah with our lunch of pulled pork sandwiches, fresh veggies, and fresh fruit. If you haven’t been to their new tasting room, you really need to go. Like this weekend. You won’t be disappointed. In fact, you may not want to leave.

We finished our wonderful day at Pilot Peak Vineyard & Winery. Again, we tried everything that they were pouring because, well, they’re great wines. We fell completely in love with their LiVedo. We were already in love with their Cabernet Franc, which we enjoyed with Pilot Peak’s famous coleslaw and their tri-tip sandwich.

It was a perfect day. Driving in the foothills, admiring the different terrain, and enjoying the different wines our region has to offer made for the best Saturday I have had in a long time. Of course, there’s no reason not have have such enjoyable weekends as often as I’d like, as most of the local wineries are open on the weekend. Their schedules are just a click away, and there are 12 more wineries that I didn’t get to…

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2009 SAUVIGNON BLANC
Tasting Notes: Our 2009 Sauvignon Blanc has vibrant aromas of mellow gold grapefruit, Meyer lemon, and passion fruit that layer with a hint of jalapeño. The palate is refreshing with citrus flavors and balanced acidity through to the long finish.

2007 CHARDONNAY
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of citrus and ripe stone fruit layer with toasted hazelnuts. The palate is rich and softly textured with persistent flavors of Meyer Lemon and vanilla cream.

2006 MASQUE
Our 2006 Masque is fruit forward with aromas of ripe blackberries melding with spice and toasted notes. The palate is bursting with fruit flavors and supple tannins that carry through to the long finish.

2007 ZINFANDEL
Dark purple in color, ripe fruit with super spicy aromas lead to the juicy palate, flavors of black fruits, dark chocolate, and vanilla layer with soft acidity, velvety tannins through to the black cherry finish.

2008 PINOT GRIGIO
I couldn’t find any tasting notes for this vintage, but here are the notes for the newest vintage to give you an idea:
Aromas of fragrant white peaches mingle with floral notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom. Fresh fruit flavors include apricot and pear, the palate is long with persistent minerality.

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Hosking, a wildlife filmmaker, came home to Devon, England to take up the work on the family farm. During the last fuel crisis when costs skyrocketed, she realized that the only way she knew how to farm was not sustainable. Oil isn’t something that farmers are going to be able to rely upon for much longer, but how do you farm to feed the world without tractors, tillers, semi trucks, and jets? Oil is in every part of what we eat, be it in the farm equipment to plant and process to the transportation to the grocery store. When it comes to that fossil fuel dependence, the future of our food looks pretty bleak.

That bleak horizon sent Hosking on a journey of sustainability, and the things that she learned were fascinating. How about having a diverse pasture for your cows and sheep? One family, through a lot of attention to detail and hard work, discovered the diversity of grasses they needed to be able to pasture their livestock year-round without the supplement of alfalfa in the winter. Plus, that diversity created a root structure that was so strong, the pasture wasn’t destroyed by the traffic of livestock. Even more, their discovery of what made their pastures strong and healthy lead to one of the most revolutionary ideas in farming – no tilling! They likened it to taking the skin off of a human being, and their logic was as strong as the land on which they farmed.

The fascinating discoveries continued as she explored Permaculture farms. The biodiversity made the land healthier and lead to high food yields. Plus, it aided in thinking outside the box, such as in using trees as a fodder crop for livestock. Maybe even better, Permaculture farming is low maintenance and low on energy use, and you maintain a healthy, symbiotic relationship with the land. The one drawback to Permaculture is that you can’t grow cereal crops. However, nut crops can grow in this manner and can supply what humans get from cereals. With all of that wild land, though, how can you farm for more than just your family? Actually, and I thought this was wonderfully astounding, Permaculture can yield enough food for 10 people for every acre.

So while the way we do farming now can in no way, shape, or form be how we continue to farm – even in the near future – there are options. Our reliance on oil is a major issue, a scary one at that. But thanks to pioneers like Hosking, we may just have successful farms in the future. Let’s hope so, for all our sakes.

“A Farm for the Future” will be shown in BriarPatch’s Community Room on Friday, March 19, at 6:30 p.m.

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