fruits of labor : farm fresh

its spring in california and produce is amazing at the moment. such a treat after a very long winter of dark greens, lots of dark leafy greens. 


i pretty much pulled all of my favorites together for this dish. pea tendrils, asparagus, mint & citrus. 


serves 2 or 4 if used as a starter salad. 


shaved asparagus salad. 


1 bunch of asparagus, shaved. ** see note. 
1 lemon, juiced. use about 3/4 of the juice and add more if needed.  
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp corse ground salt
1 tbsp evoo
8 or so mint leaves,sliced into ribbons.  
a few needles of rosemary very finely minced 


combine all ingredients in a bowl and let stand. stirring occasionally 


soft boil eggs 1 -2 per person depending upon desire. 
place eggs in a sauce pan and cover with water. turn on high heat. when water just comes to a boil, turn off heat and cover immediately. let stand 5 minutes exactly. rinse under cold water and peel. it should be just soft boiled. 


wilted pea tendrils. 
1 bunch of pea tendrils, washed and chopped aprox 1.5" to remove the woody ends. 
1 head and stalk of green garlic. 


in a large saute pan over low heat sweat green garlic. aprox 5 minutes then add prepared pea tendrils. turning constantly until just wilted. 3-4 mins. turn off pan and let stand until ready to serve. 
i suggest turning on the eggs and starting pea tendrils wilting at the same moment. 


to plate, place wilted pea tendrils down in a shallow bed, top with asparagus salad and halves of soft boiled eggs. 


serve with crusty baguette, fresh goat cheese and a crisp white wine. 




** 
with a veggie peeler. start about mid way down the stalk and shave                   around the stalk until it just falls off. this creates a nice variance of texture. repeat closer to the tip. saving just the tips for added contrast. 

simple sundays

happy easter. 

renegade weekend

well renegade craft fair was amazing- everyone has such beautiful handmade items, the atmosphere was light and fun, the colors were bright and everyone generally seemed to be enjoying themselves! i know i did and im so excited about my purchases:a kidney "T", a gorgeous creamy brown wool vest, and a lovely and dark wolf print -

i am so excited about the print i bought - it is a dancing wolf - dancing of course because his belly is full of chickens! this work was done by the fabulous nora aoyagi. check her out - she is very prolific and i love her twist on the fairly tail found in delightful little books. The image is printed with a matte black ink on 100% cotton rag paper and each print is signed and numbered.

i also scored an amazing vest - which i am sure to put to good use as the fall is quickly arriving and as you well know the san francisco weather requires creative layering. check out joycelyn nguyen's design work at nous savons for these vests and great dainty jewelry!

below are some other items that i fell in love with but was forced to restrain myself - ie i brought my boyfriend along to control my purchasing (or i would have ended up with one of everything)

wheel thrown bottle ware by sara paloma - super simple and clean lines an nice urban update to traditional practice and color - love.

lovely hand painted wooden eggs by miss natalie - in goose or hen sized. i love her display- wouldn't it look great along a mantel - would also love these on my kitchen table corralled together in a wire egg basket. a chic update on a time honored folk art practice, she also had super cute growth charts to keep track of your little ones over the year - miss natalie is having a studio sale on sat. aug 10th from 1-4. 456 rich street, oakland. if you are in the area be sure to check her out.