Heirloom Tomatoes & Two Rice Salad

photo from the Napa Register

On Sunday, August 24th at 3:20 am, a very large (6.0) earthquake struck the Napa Valley of California with most of the damage occurring in the old, historic part of town. I am heartbroken to see the images of some of my favorite buildings "red tagged" and literally shaken off their foundations with roofs collapsed, walls crumbled and windows blown out. My facebook feed is filled with photos of my friends' homes and businesses and wineries in shambles. Picture the interior of your house. Now imagine someone picking it up, shaking it like mad, and then setting it back down. Everything fallen off the walls, dropped out of cupboards, broken glass and plates and heirlooms everywhere. No power...gas off because of the potential for leaks, no running water. That was downtown Napa this weekend.  But Napans are strong and resilient. My heart was full hearing all the stories of neighbors helping neighbors. I am so happy to report that Napa Farmhouse 1885 is doing just fine...so, if you want to help, visit Napa...eat...drink some wine...shop. Enjoy. (and if you can't visit, shop a website from a Napa store or winery.) #Napa Strong!

Now, on to the food! It is Labor Day weekend. (Where did the summer go?) I love the combination of these two salads. Perfect in-season August tomatoes with garlic and a handful of fresh herbs paired with a tangy, lemony wild rice and sprouted brown rice salad full of edamame, cashews and more herbs. This dish is hearty enough to serve as a main course but is delicious with grilled chicken, steak or fish. Added bonus the salad stays fresh for a couple of days so the leftovers make a wonderful lunch.  Have a happy and restful Labor Day everyone..especially Napans!

Heirloom Tomatoes & Two Rice Salad
(serves 10)

Heirloom Tomato Salad
2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
coarse sea salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper
2 pints yellow and red cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup basil, torn
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped

Using the flat side of a chef's knife, smash the garlic. Add a large pinch of sea salt and continue smashing until a paste forms. Scrape the garlic paste into a medium sized bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, vinegar and mustard. Add a Tsp pepper. Stir in the tomatoes and allow to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Add the herbs and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Two Rice Salad
3 cups vegetable broth or water
(1 Tsp sea salt if using water)
1 cup wild rice
3 cups water
2 cups organic sprouted brown rice*
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 fresh Meyer lemon juice
1 Tbsp Meyer lemon zest1 Tbsp tamari soy sauce
3/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup edamame fresh or frozen. (if frozen, allow to thaw and follow package directions)
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/8 cup chopped dill
1/2 cup toasted whole seasoned cashews (I bought a
sea salt
black pepper

Wash uncooked wild rice. Place broth or water in a heavy saucepan and, if using water, add 1 Tsp kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Add wild rice and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 50-60 minutes or just until kernels puff open. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Replace the cover and set aside (off heat) until ready to use in the recipe.

Combine brown rice and water in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook 40 - 45 minutes until rice is tender and water has evaporated.  Fluff with fork and transfer to a large bowl.  Allow to cool. Set aside.

In the bottom of a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and soy sauce. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Stir in the wild and brown rice, green onions, edamame, all the herbs and stir to combine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld. Stir in the cashews right before serving.

Mound both salads side by side on a large platter. Garnish with additional herbs if desired.

* I found sprouted brown rice in the grains bins at my local gourmet/health food store.  If you can't find it locally there are many sources available online

It is "Labor Day Recipes" week at Food Network's #Summer Soiree roundup. Do you have a favorite Labor Day recipe?  Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. 

Feed Me Phoebe: Hot Crab Dip with Jalapenos and Scallions
The Heritage Cook: Four Sauces Designed for Grilled Foods (Gluten-Free)
Jeanette's Healthy Living: Grilled Brined Chicken with Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Dishing with Divya: Baked Vegetable Sacks
Virtually Homemade: Roasted Summer Vegetables with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Weelicious: Heirloom Tomato Salad
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Peach and Blueberry Baked Fruit Pizza
Devour: Cooking Channel's Ultimate Labor Day Party Menu
Dishin & Dishes: Grilled Chicken with Board Sauce
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Heirloom Tomatoes and Two Rice Salad
Domesticate Me: 10 Fabulous Summer Recipes for Labor Day
Taste With The Eyes: "End of Summer Rolls" Caprese-Style
FN Dish: Day-Off Desserts for Labor Day

best,
diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove!
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I have started sharing my "California Girl in Taos. Please visit and let me know what you think.

if it's not one thing...oh and a recipe for potato salad?

how's that for a title? but it totally relates to this post. it is friday...the start of the memorial day holiday weekend....and i am frantically cancelling all of our plans. you see...we started a "three week, tops" landscaping remodel 4 weeks ago...stop!...those of you familiar with remodeling projects already know where this story is going...right? we have completed a lot of restoring/remodeling projects since we purchased our farmhouse 6 years ago...and we live by the mantra..."double the time/double the cost" of whatever we are quoted in a contractor's bid....but this time i really thought it was going to be different....and, since i thought i had a week to spare...planned a bunch of get-togethers for the three day weekend...when we purchased our home it came with a pool. surprisingly, because i am originally from southern california, i had never coveted a pool...i was always more of a beach girl...i mean, sure...a wonderful vacation at a posh resort lounging by the pool is one thing...but owning one? was never a goal. but, as i said..the pool was already here and after the first HOT napa summer i quickly appreciated the benefit of jumping in whenever i wanted...and swimming laps beats the gym any day! but the real pool lover in the family is mose, my golden retriever. he pretty much spends the summer sitting on the steps of the pool..and taking a few laps periodically throughout the day...the pool area design was not lovely...and it was always a goal to redo...but the priorities were the inside of the house...and the front and side yards...

mose and allie

fast forward to last summer...the white picket fencing surrounding the pool area was so old and rotted out that the fence started falling down...this is the fence that protects the pool area from the street...and is there for security and privacy. a couple of times when mose would jump on the fence sections actually fell down. we did some quick repairs but knew it would not last another year...so...this year became the "let's redo the pool fence and decking" project.

my husband peter and i collaborate really well regarding home and garden design...and our first set of ideas were presented to the contractor only to receive a bid that was higher than the net worth of some small countries!! o.k., so those plans were scrapped...not in the budget!! but my life keeps proving that problems really do lead to opportunities...because our revised plans ended up being simpler and more beautiful....eco-friendly...and better suited to our not-grand farmhouse.

so we started the project...and the first two weeks went amazingly well...so well that i continued with my plans for this weekend...pretty much a bunch of people coming over every day...swimming, drinking the limoncello, cooking, barbecuing, talking, laughing, dancing....you know, the perfect parties we always imagine hosting...but...delays, delays, delays....some unexpected like finding wood rot in some of the fencing that was staying....some, contractor's error in accurately project scoping...and some our fault because...like many projects...once you see the demo'd space you think of additional items to add. (contractors love this because it equals "materials and labor" costs above the estimate)...and then...once the pool was drained to do the decking, we realized it needed to be replastered....and on and on and on...my twitter friend the food geek (i am not being mean..that is his twitter name) sent me the following tweet when i was complaining about this yesterday "You've just run across Hofstadter's Law. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofstadter" ...pretty funny...

now...our "three week project" looks like it will take about 2 months to complete...ha! but i decided to look at all the positives...

1. when it is finished it will be amazing!

2. i am incredibly fortunate to be able to complete a remodel in the first place

3. i am grateful to all the construction workers who are doing a beautiful job..and working really hard.

4. my friend david... the furniture designer for my company...and i are collaborating on a collection of home and garden items...furniture and accessories, crafted from the old white picket fencing...reuse, recycle, repurpose, reimagine!!!

5. because i need to replant a portion of my herb garden, i have the opportunity to experiment with many new herbs...and..since our our bath and body collection is inspired from our farmhouse garden...this gives me an opportunity to expand our product offering while staying authentic to the brand...

o.k...so to ensure this post is not the longest story in history... i have told you many times that being "pithy" is not one of my strengths...i will end the remodel story for now...and provide updates during the balance of construction....but at least now you have the background...and for those of you who have emailed me asking why i haven't been writing much...now you know...even now the sound of the compressor is ringing in my ears...the non-stop buzzing noise it makes drives me batty...but, again i digress...

i decided to experiment with a new potato salad recipe last week (when i was still naive enough to think the holiday parties would occur). i was creating in my mind a recipe that would incorporate the ingredients in a salade niçoise...minus the tuna...and instead become a potato salad. but, in another instance of the "best laid plans" saga, when i was at the farmer's market i pointed at string beans only to find...once i got home...that they bagged up pea pods...so the theme of this post seems to be how problems lead to creative solutions...because i adapted and made an easy breezy potato and peas salad in a honey mustard vinaigrette that we fell in love with...

currently, my entire yard looks like a disaster zone...the pool, deck and back porch...torn up. all the furniture, pots, accessories, construction equipment and supplies are spread out in the side yard and on the front and side porch...the sawdust, concrete and plaster dust seems to permeate the house...no matter how often i dust and sweep...and so the parties have been postponed....keep your fingers crossed that 4th of july can be the new dates....but, until then we have to eat....so potato salad for two?napa farmhouse potato salad

4 medium red skinned potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1/2 lb fresh pea pods, washed

3 green onions, chopped

1/4 c diced red onion

18 kalamata olives, pitted

grey salt

freshly cracked black pepper

honey mustard vinaigrette

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp stone ground mustard

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

grey salt

freshly cracked black pepper

cut potatoes into 2 inch pieces. place in a med saucepan add add water to cover by about 2 inches. add a large pinch of salt and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer until fork tender...12-15 minutes....begin checking at 10 minutes and ensure you do not overcook. add pea pods to the potatoes after the first 10-12 minutes...fresh peas only need a minute or two in the simmering water to cook. i like them al dente...not mushy. when the potatoes are done, drain into a colander and set aside. remove the pea pods, shell and add to a large bowl. add the potatoes, green onions, red onions and olives.

make the vinaigrette by adding the vinegar, honey, mustard and olive oil to a mason jar. screw on lid and shake vigorously until thoroughly combined. add salt and pepper to taste.

add a couple of tablespoons of the dressing to the potato salad mixture while the potatoes are still warm and stir gently to combine (you will have extra dressing...delicious on green salads and coleslaw). taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed. you may need to add a bit more dressing because the potatoes will soak up some of the vinaigrette. add enough to ensure the salad is moist...but not so much that it becomes soggy....but , this part is totally your call...

serve warm, room temperature or cold...

hope your holiday weekend is restful, relaxing and a respite from the daily grind...and please take some time to honor those who gave their lives for our country....the true meaning of the holiday...

"...gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime....let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation's gratitude,--the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan." --General John Logan, General Order No. 11, 5 May 1868

and...if you have a moment...please share your remodeling horror stories...misery loves company...and just to keep the post theme going...your favorite potato salad recipe!

mose as a puppy

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885™

"live a green life of style"™

do you love asparagus? let's do a recipe roundup

it seems as if i have been eating asparagus non-stop for the past month. i have noticed ...now that i have the opportunity cook almost every day in my "post corporate" life...that seasonal eating just comes naturally. i eat mostly local in-season food and...because once the season is over i have to wait another year...i prepare my favorites over and over again. there appears to be the perfect nature based cut-off...because just as i am starting to get the tiniest bit tired of the fruit or vegetable...the season is over...and it is time for my next favorite!

asparagus is a perfect example. i adore this vegetable and can eat it constantly during the season...then i am perfectly content to wait until the next year because canned or frozen versions are just wrong...and the "flown in from around the world" options just do not taste good...but it is early may...and here in california asparagus are in season...so favorite asparagus recipes...here we come...

asparagus was first planted in california during the 1850's. i like to imagine the original owners of my farmhouse (which was built in 1885) eating the same foods that i enjoy today. did you know that asparagus is a member of the lily family? according to the california asparagus commission, california leads the nation in asparagus production with more than 50,000 metric tons harvested annually.....so we have a lot of asparagus available...and i think i personally put a dent in the 50,000 metric tons statistic...

my favorite way to prepare asparagus is one of the simplest....roasting. roasted asparagus as a side dish is really good...but served on grilled bruschetta, with a wedge of parmigiano-reggiano cheese, a small salad and a glass of wine makes an amazing dinner on a hot day...my trick is salting the asparagus with coarse grey salt prior to roasting in olive oil. something about the crunchy salt, the excellent extra virgin olive oil and perfectly roasted asparagus just rocks...

i also love asparagus with eggs. last year i shared a recipe for poached eggs with asparagus and truffle oil which i make all the time during spring...or pasta with sauteed asparagus, pine nuts, spring onions and garlic..in extra virgin olive oil, white wine and seasonings is out of this world...

i have tried many different versions of asparagus soup throughout the years...but they always called for chicken or vegetable stock. i wanted a really "asparagusy" (totally made up word) soup so this year i developed one which calls for an asparagus stock...this recipe is fast, easy and really good. i named it asparagus, asparagus soup to emphasize the clean asparagus taste...this version is just thickened with a potato..so while it is thick and creamy...no cream...so a really healthy and low cal version...let me know what you think...

roasted asparagus

2 bunches fresh asparagus

extra virgin olive oil

coarse grey salt

preheat oven to 400 degrees. drizzle olive oil over bottom of baking sheet (with sides)...approx 3 tbsp. prepare asparagus by snapping off ends and peeling stalks. roll the asparagus in the oil to coat. sprinkle with grey salt. roast in oven 10-15 minutes (depends on how thick your stalks are) until asparagus has just begun to caramelize. serve immediately.

this soup can be served hot, warm or even cold...so a good versatile choice depending on the unpredictable spring weather...

asparagus, asparagus soup

2 lbs fresh asparagus

6 cups water

2 yellow onions, peeled and diced

2 green onions, diced, green and white parts separated

1 clove garlic peeled and minced

1 russet potato, diced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

peel the asparagus and snap off the ends. place the asparagus peel and ends, 1 tsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper in a large stockpot and add the water. cook over high heat until water reaches soft boil...boil for 20 minutes. strain asparagus broth into large bowl and discard solids. set aside.

roughly chop the asparagus reserving a few tips for garnish. meanwhile, add approx 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to stockpot and heat over medium flame. add yellow onions, white part of green onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, chopped asparagus and potatoes and saute until onions are just translucent (do not let brown).

pour asparagus broth into very large measuring cup and add water to ensure you have 6 cups. add broth/water mixture to stockpot and bring to soft boil. reduce heat to simmer and cook until potatoes and asparagus are very soft (20-30 minutes)

at this point you need to puree the soup. you can pour into a blender/food processor to accomplish but i have an aversion to pouring boiling hot liquids into a machine. years ago i bought an immersion blender...one of my favorite tools...and i use this to effortlessly, easily and...safely... puree my soup. i like my soup with a bit of texture so i just puree, but if you want a very smooth soup you can then pour it through a fine sieve into a bowl to strain out the remaining solids. pour back into stockpot and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. serve hot, warm or cold garnished with chopped green onion and asparagus tips.

what are your favorite asparagus recipes? let's do a roundup of terrific ways to prepare asparagus so we can all share...you can either list your recipe here...or link to your blog...please share in the comments section of this post....

happy may!

best,

diane

diane padoven

founder/president

napa farmhouse 1885™

"live a green life of style"™

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gardening or meditation?

today was a perfect day..one of those days where....right in the middle of the day..i realized how happy and grateful i am to be "retired." why the quotes? retired is a funny word to describe my life. remember in one of my first posts i told you that after 25 years in corporate life i decided to take early, early retirement? i smile because it is not as if i get retirement benefits..i was too young to qualify when i stopped working. but my husband and i invested, saved and realized that we had enough to live on..now we certainly are not rich..but we just did not require more "stuff" and would rather be together than keep working to climb the corporate ladder..we just could not see the pay-off for us..and for our life. the funny thing is i am now starting my own very small business..just cause i want to...but this is totally different. for one thing..i am the boss..can i tell you how cool it is to say that? no one but no one can tell me what i should be doing..what i should be thinking...how i should behave..etc. all the "coaching" and "performance reviews" corporate life brings..yuck! and i can set the vision and mission and product assortment exactly the way i see it in my mind.."my brand"...now, on the other hand..my company is based in my kitchen...i have not yet opened the on-line store so no revenue..and i have no "people" so i do it all myself..but i am having a ball. i plan to write about starting a small business in another post..wow! what an education. how many of you work from home..or have started your own small business? what works for you? what doesn't?

but today's post is about taking the time to appreciate simply being at home..living life. i have been working hard the past month operating in "start up" mode for the business. ..but i am able to go to the gym in the middle of the day 3-4 times per week to ensure i take a break...i am able to cook dinner every night. now i love cooking so this is really cool..if you do not enjoy cooking this may not sound so wonderful...i can have a meeting with my business partner, (my husband, peter), in my pajamas drinking coffee, and i can take mose for walks throughout the day..he is the company's director of security so they are business walks :).. today i decided to take the afternoon and work in the garden. my roses needed pruning, it was 75 degrees and i said.."what the heck"..that was the whole point of retiring..finally being able to do what i wanted to do..when i wanted to do it. our farmhouse has a small rose garden in the front of the house and a few rose bushes spread around the side and back. there are 25 total..not a ton..but for a girl that lived in a san francisco flat for 15 years without a yard..it is enough. spring in napa can be tricky..there are always a few really warm days in january and february, so the roses are pretty well leafed out in march. march and april have a number of rainy days, a number of foggy days, some warm to hot days and cool..sometimes freezing nights. so the roses sometimes get really whacked out (love my gardening term?) they start blooming early..and frequently develop black spot and rust...o.k...if you do not garden i know i am probably losing you with this post..but hang with me for just a bit...back to the roses...
so, to avoid the rose diseases, it is important to keep them pruned enough to allow sunlight to hit all the leaves..at least this works for me. i noticed this morning that they were a bit overgrown and needed pruning and decided this afternoon was a perfect opportunity. i started pruning, mose sat next to me and moved each time i moved to a different bush..and before i realized it..4 hours had passed. you know what, i felt fantastic..relaxed, pleasantly tired, and really happy. i had been concentrating on the pruning..ensuring each cut was the correct cut..and just kinda zoned out. the roses looked great, i had come up with a number of ideas for the business, and i felt really good. i realized that this was one of the first times i had experienced gardening without a predetermined time frame. prior to retiring my life looked like this.... leave napa early monday morning and drive to my office in san francisco. stay in the city, away from my family, monday-wednesday night, work thursday until really late and then drive back to napa... work from napa on friday. this happened on the rare weeks that i did not fly out on monday morning on a business trip and return friday night. that meant that something like gardening had to be completed on the weekends..along with everything else..so i always was on a schedule..even on the weekends. i enjoyed gardening, but felt the pressure to "just get it done". today..no pressure.. i only finished half the roses but..no worries..i can finish tomorrow..or saturday..or whenever i want. i have never, ever been able to live this way. it just felt right to acknowledge how grateful i am for being able to enjoy everyday things like cooking, gardening, exercise, walking the dog..living a real life... and to commit even more to ensuring there is adequate time in my life to give back..and give thanks..for my life, my family, my friends, my faith...

what are you grateful for?

best,

napa farmhouse 1885™

"live a green life of style™"

oh..and if you have tips for organic rose care ..please share.....

what is "coopetition"?

no..this is not a misprint...the word is "coopetition"..what is it and where did it come from?..first..let's go back a bit... i wrote in earlier posts about my disillusionment with the corporate life. i loved leading/managing my team..and the actual work. but i grew so tired of all the politics, and one-up-man-ship..for those of you that have been there..you know those endless meetings planning future meetings?..the ones where you just know the individuals that will need to make a point..even if the point has already been made..because they just have to talk..hoping to make an impression on the senior most executive in the room. nothing is more frustrating than the time wasted in these meetings. ick..i just could not take it anymore. i also never could get used to the dishonest people..the ones that would steal ideas and not give the proper credit..the ones so insecure that they looked at everyone else as competition..and tried to eliminate that competition. people that could not help or support others because they were jealous and thought if others were successful it would somehow make them less so....i have seen this in major corporations..and in small local businesses. where does that come from?

this is why i continue to be so impressed mary jane butters. i have talked about her before..she started a company called maryjanes farm which is a combination of organic food, gardening, farm living and giving back. please see my earlier post can you live in town and be a farmgirl? to get a bit more background on this amazing woman. today, i want to talk about her philosophy on supporting others in business. although she is working very hard to ensure her business is a success, she believes wholeheartedly in sharing and supporting other people in their businesses. there was a post to her online forum that articulates her philosophy really well.

this was written by brenda from spokane..aka past blessings:

"MaryJane has a wonderful philosophy on business. She encouraged me when I was dealing with someone not handling competition in a very kind way. She
said she fully believes in what she termed "coopetition" which is combining the words cooperation with competition . . . meaning we help each other even when we may be involved in similar things. For example she is very into organic farming, but rather than acting like she should be the "only organic farmer" she encourages others to come walk beside her in their endeavors.She has been a huge encourager to me with my endeavors in antiques and other creative venues. I think embracing one another in our talents and abilities is something she encourages and she truly likes seeing other women succeed.I think this thought process is what has helped us to be so endeared to her.If only the rest of the world operated like this . . . seems to me wars and famines could all be a thing of the past. I am honored to know someone of such high standards and example."

whoa..how often do you see this in business? mary jane butters exemplifies the best of a businessperson..and a human being..in all that she does. i really encourage you to check out her website http://www.maryjanesfarm.com/ ..read her books..buy her products and her magazines...you will be glad that you did!

one more thing to illustrate the character of mary jane..i emailed her to ask if i could quote her philosophy in my blog..now, she does not know me from adam..but she personally replied..no assistant here...and this is what she said:

"But of course you may use it and THANK YOU so much for asking first. Your blog is adorable. I love this blog trend. It gives so many unsung female heroes an outlet for their creativity. Write on! MaryJane"

need i say more?..i can not think of anyone in business i respect more than mary jane...

which business leaders do you admire..and why? please share your stories in the comments section..

best,

napa farmhouse 1885

"live a green life of style"

can you live in town and be a farmgirl?

i love reading magazines...all types really, but especially the ones geared towards food, cooking, home design and gardening. i have received gourmet and bon appetit for 25 years, am a charter martha stewart living subscriber, think food and wine is brilliant...and the laundry list continues with cottage living and organic gardening. i read these magazines and then either recycle or donate and decided last year that going forward i would only sign up for the on-line versions of any new magazines as a way to be a bit more green..will think about this option as my current subscriptions come due.

i am making one exception to this idea. two years ago i was in a bookstore and discovered a magazine totally different from anything i had ever seen. the magazine was printed on beautiful paper stock that just felt amazing..i know, kinda weird to say but if you felt it you would know what i mean....terrific photography and..best of all..NO advertisements! the magazine is called mary janes farm and the issue i bought is their special recipe issue. i had never heard of this magazine before but after thumbing through a couple of pages i was addicted. i learned that there is actually a mary jane..her name is mary jane butters, she lives on a farm in moscow idaho, she believes passionately in promoting an organic lifestyle, she has written books, sells organic products via a website and she has legions of fans..called farmgirls..that have formed farmgirl chapters all over the world.

deborah needleman, house & garden editor at large, says:"maryjanesfarm is charming and well done — hugely appealing. it is homey, and smart and interesting ... part martha stewart living, part oprah magazine, part organic style, part nation, part ladies home journal ... full of tips, ideas, and information."

the magazine i bought was filled with recipes using fresh, organic ingredients, loads of stories about living on a farm..or just dreaming about it...and listings of the food and other products she sells on her website. i was hooked from the start...ordered a bunch of products, read her website and even ordered her book. i am a big fan of this woman and her brand. now, my farmhouse is in the middle of town and i do not have a lot of property..yet i still feel connected to the simple, beautiful, organic farmlife she writes about. her definition of farmgirl? "farmgirl is a condition of the heart", mary jane butters .
i encourage you to check out her website at http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/. i intend to share many of her ideas, recipes and her organic philosophy on this blog. for other farmgirls reading my blog..please share your thoughts about what farmgirls are all about in the comments section of this post. for now, i want to share one recipe: mary janes farm organic bakeover

mary janes farm sells a product called budget mix..kinda like an organic, really good for you, really good tasting bisquick. ingredients: organic unbleached wheat flour, Barron Flour Mill Baking Powder (aluminum/gluten-free, made w/non-GMO organic rice starch), sea salt and baking soda. vegan

9" bakeover recipe
preheat oven to 425 degrees. cut 3T. butter (i actually use extra virgin olive oil..your choice) into scant 1 1/2 cups budget mix. Add 1/2 cup water or milk. form a ball and roll out a 9" crust (for an 11" bakeover, double the recipe) place on top of 4 cups sliced fresh vegetables (preferably organic) sauteed briefly (3 min) in 1 T. butter or extra virgin olive oil in 9" non-stick oven-proof skillet. bake 20 minutes. turn contents of skillet upside down on plate and serve.

i have made this recipe hundreds of times with whatever vegetable i have on hand..sometimes add cheese..sometimes beans.. and it is always a hit. even easier..mary janes farm also sells different kinds of bread mixes that can be used in place of the budget mix


• Organic Black Bean Corn Bread

• Organic Buttermilk Biscuits

• Organic Chili Batter Bread

• Organic Corn Bread

• Organic Focaccia Bread

• Organic Garlic Pesto Fry Bread

• Organic Shepherd's Pan Bread



all for now..but much more on mary janes farm in future posts.

best,
napafarmhouse1885

Why Mose??

so i told you in an earlier post that i lived with my husband and massive dog. the husband's name is peter..the dog's name is mose. (or mo, mosey,posey etc.)..how come people make up weird nicknames for their pets?? mose is a 115 pound golden retriever..who knew they could get that big..he is not fat just massive!!

anyway, we live on a corner lot across the street from the napa river in napa, ca.. there are a number of bed and breakfasts in my neighborhood and everyone has a dog. our street is well traveled with people walking, biking, jogging and many have their dogs with them. our house has a front and side yard and is completely fenced with the obligatory white picket fence...i told you it was an victorian farmhouse right? mose is the mayor of the neighborhood. he is the happiest dog who ever lived and loves people more than anything..even more than treats which is saying something. strangers are always petting him through the fence and..because they look at his tags..all know his name. he is way more popular than peter or myself. all day long i hear people exclaiming "MOSE!!!" as he leaps through the air with joy. because of this i am constantly asked how he got the name mose..which of course as you start to get to know me..leads to a story..here goes..



peter and i have been married for 25 years... freaks me out everytime i say that..not because of the marriage..very happy thank you very much...but because i am actually old enough to be married that long. anyway, we got a cat..her name was lucky... the month we got married..she was terrific..more on that in another post... and lived to age 20. when she died my husband and i mourned for months and we decided we could not get another cat..felt too disloyal. i had always wanted a dog but our lifestyle..my constant travel, peter's work hours and the fact that at the time we lived in a flat in san francisco...made it impossible. when lucky died we decided to give it a try..peter was consulting and working from home so we thought we could make it work. who knew that 6 months later we would buy our napa farmhouse..we didn't...... we researched dogs that would be best suited for our environment..the only non-negotiable was that we both loved big dogs. all the research showed that goldens were best suited for us..and they were already my favorite breed. we wanted a puppy (one time only) and found a number of breeders in the bay area. i phoned one guy who said he had 6 week old puppies..3 females and one male. we had decided to get a female thinking they would be smaller and calmer..better for a flat with a small shared yard. we both love music..especially the blues..and decided to name our puppy lucinda... after the musician lucinda williams..and call her lucy for short. we decided to drive out to visit this breeder just to check it out as we completed our research...now if you knew my husband you would know that he is not the lecturer type..but in this case the1 hour drive to the breeder was interminable. peter lectured me the entire time saying over and over that we were just looking..not to fall in love with the first puppy i saw...we needed to set up our house first..etc..over and over and over. i truly was still in research mode so the constant chattering took it's toll. we pulled up in front of the breeder's home where he had a big open air pen in the doorway. three adorable goldens were standing up looking at us..the cutest thing i had ever seen..or so i thought. we parked and started walking up the driveway. all of a sudden..over the backs of the three female puppies..appeared another golden..this one with a massive head and massive paws. this was the male..his body was about the size of his 3 sisters..but oh that head..those paws... peter took one look, glanced at me and said. "let's take that one"..all remnants of lecture gone. i must admit..this truly was the cutest thing i had seen and i, too..fell instantly in love.



well we did get that one..the breeder told us he would be big..probably 90 pounds. at 4 1/2 years of age he is 115 lbs without an ounce of fat so who knows how big he will get?

so.. at long last.. the name thing. lucinda was obviously out so we needed something new..something male. the breeder would not let us take him home for another week so we went home, looked through our cd collection and tried to find a blondish blues singer that we liked. settled on mose allison which seemed appropriate. and mose it is....



much more on mose in future posts.

best,

napafarmhouse1885

why napafarmhouse1885?

2.16.08

ok..the obvious first question is why napafarmhouse1885? the easy, simple and obvious answer is that i live in napa, california in an old victorian farmhouse. the more detailed answer has more to do with living my dream life than anything else. i grew up in southern california in a perfectly nice brand new "rancher" in the suburbs. looking back, i had a really good childhood..two parents..dad worked, mom stay-at-home mom who loved being a wife/mom more than anything else. the kind of mom who baked fresh cookies/cakes for after school and cooked a home cooked dinner every night...led the campfire girl troops, p.t.a...you get it..that kind of mom. the kind of dad who worked really hard, but was always there nights, weekends, father-daughter teas, help with home work...made us chocolate milk at night as a treat and suffered through family vacations with my mom, me, 2 sisters and, since each of us could invite a friend, 3 additional girls in a station wagon driving to beach towns throughout california for camping trips. who does that...6 girls and my mom in the car with my best friend and i in the very back blasting led zeppelin on a portable tape deck???

whoa...where did all of that come from? back to napafarmhouse1885.... anyway, my entire family lived in a 30 mile radius of our house so we constantly got together for every family event possible..we celebrated every birthday, holiday, school event..you name it....my grandparents lived in a wonderful spanish style home built in the 1920's. lots of arches, spanish tile, rooms at different levels..and my favorite part was a room my grandmother called the sunroom in the center of the house. the room had a ceiling made out of large stained glass tiles and was open on 2 sides to the rest of the house. the sun through the stained glass would throw off the coolest colors/light throughout the house. i loved that house. when my grandparents passed away a few years ago my mom and her siblings sold the house. a horribly sad time.

my grandparents house was the catalyst for my life long love of old homes. when my husband and i moved to san francisco 15 years ago for business we bought an old victorian flat in the city. the flat was very cool but needed a lot of work. i quickly learned that the maintenance on an old home is verrrrry different than on a brand new house but i really loved the idea of restoring and protecting beautiful old homes. 4 years ago my husband and i discovered the town of napa. we had visited the napa valley loads of times but, like most people, zipped up hwy 29 and sailed past napa the town. by accident we met a real estate agent who showed us some of the old victorians for sale. we did not see anything we loved but a week later he sent us some additional listings
on line. i opened the email and the first house i saw was my dream house...the house i had imagined since i was a little girl...you know..the house all kids draw..the square with a triangle on top for the roof? this house looked like that with a wrap around porch..picket fence..gazebo. now this is not a big house, but perfect for 2 adults and a big dog. enough room for friends/family. my husband and i had never even talked about buying property in napa..but we loved this house so much we bought it with the premise we would use it as a weekend/vacation house but also rent it out to vacationers looking to experience wine county. hah..that never happened. not only could i never bear the thought of someone else in "my" house..we decided that we needed to chuck it all..sell our san francisco home and move here full time. after 15 years of living in the city this has been a major..but amazing...change.

our farmhouse has been the key to all the recent changes in our life. i look forward to continuing to share my stories with you...

best,
napafarmhouse1885
live a green life of style

now that you are starting to get to know me i should warn you..these posts may sometimes be really long if i get on a roll...as a former boss used to tell me "you will never be accused of being pithy!!"