Food: From Grapes to Wine

The grapes are coming along nicely . Our county is awash in grapes and much as I like vineyards and wine, I do think that we are losing our crop diversity. Orchards and farm fields that aren't being developed are being turned into vineyards. Sonoma County's 18 wine regions are home to 425 wineries, ranging from small, family run operations to internationally acclaimed wine houses. Gravenstein apples used to be a major crop here but orchards are being turned into vineyards. There is heavy pressure to remove dairy operations from the bucolic West county. I'm inclined to agree that pollution from cows does not belong in a national seashore, but I doubt if there will be any changes in this industry which has existed where it is for a century. The Petaluma area used to be known as the chicken capital of the world and the town still holds a 'Butter and Egg' festival every year, despite the fact that the ranks of chicken coops in the hills around Petaluma have mostly disappeared. Judging from the number  of  family farms represented at the farmers' market, the area hasn't been entirely taken over by agribusiness yet.

At the top of the list of major employers in Santa Rosa is Kaiser Permanente which has several big hospitals in the area.

I spent a long time at the computer tracking down some specific fabrics I want for a quilt I'm going to make for us. I have gone full circle from wanting to make something from all the fabric I have on hand, to ordering almost everything from a list that accompanies the pattern. I usually enjoy figuring out my own fabric combinations, but working out how to put all the fabrics together is my least favorite part. Shopping is certainly not a major activity, at least not in Santa Rosa

We have had an invasion of yellowjackets on our porch. The traps that John put out are filling rapidly, but it doesn't seem to be having much effect on the number of them hanging around, making sitting out there impossible. John reckons there is a nest somewhere, but I discouraged him from crawling under the porch to look for it. That couldn't possibly end well....

My dream of eating outside here should be much more possible given the fact that we have ample outdoor seating places and very little fog (the bane of al fresco dining in Berkeley). Tonight we're making carne asada (very thinly sliced, grilled flank steak) from meat and fresh tortillas we got at the farmer's market. The plan was for John to grill it on the barbecue but the yellowjackets might necessitate activation of Plan B.  As Dana once said, 'it's just better to eat indoors. Outside is always too hot or too cold, too windy or too many bugs'.  It's always something...