Yosemite

      Close to the end of October I took a day trip to possibly one of the most beautiful places in the US- Yosemite National Park.

     It was sadly a solo trip but was absolutely stunning. I hope to return next summer for a few days backpacking with a friend. (But first I need gear and maybe an easy weekend trip to warm up to it first!)

     Looking through these photos has me missing California. It's hardly been half a month since I left to return to Washington but I miss it.

     SO far the plan has been to find a job, apartment (check!), and small space to farm. That;s right, I'm starting a farm! It's still a major work in progress, but my plan is to grow mostly medicinal herbs to sell bulk and as teas, salves and the like at one of the local farmers markets as well as online. One step at a time though- I'm still on the hunt for land low-key as it is (regular job is more important at the moment. Also it's December, there's not much I can do anyways. Another lesson in patience). So keep your eye out, there will be more changes to the blog as this develops.

Little Meals

      First allow me to start with the disclaimer that I am not a food blog. My photography skills leave something to be desired but golly gee I really need to share this before we run out of awesome tomato time here.

Herb salt! Crucial ingredient. I make my own with sea salt, white pepper, dried chives, onion, celery and whatever else I feel like getting from the bulk section. A cups worth only ran me ~$3 too.

      Cheesy tomato egg toasts. Oh man, what wonderful little packages of goodness. Crunchy bread, soft stewed tomatoes, farm-fresh eggs (with yolk the color of pumpkins), soft melty cheese... Regretting my salad lunch decision already.

      This easy meal is incredibly simple, and easy to adjust for one or more people; just add one or two more eggs and a tomato for every one.

      Good for every meal, you can even make it heartier by adding some ground sausage and browning it before sautéing the alliums.

Cheesy Tomato Egg Toasts

Ingredients (one serving):

- 2 slices of sturdy bread (kalamata olive sourdough has a special spot in my heart for this)

- one large or a few smaller heirloom tomatoes, diced

- 1 or 2 eggs

- seasonings of choice

- yummy cheese; mozzarella or a good sharp cheddar are both wonderful

- one small red or yellow onion, chopped

- garlic cloves of choice, minced

- butter or olive oil

 

Pop the toast in the toaster for desired amount of time. Heat up a pan on the stove and melt your oil of choice. As soon as its hot, add the onions and garlic and sautee until translucent. Add the tomato chunks and mix. I like my tomatoes pretty soft, so I let them stew for a little bit, but experiment to see how well done you like them. Make little nests for the eggs in the tomato mix and crack them into place. Sprinkle with seasonings and cover until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Take the toast and place the cheese on top before covering with the tomato- egg nests. Eat with your hands or a fork, and enjoy!

Farm in Fall

My camera lens got a bit dirty, so this was the best photo I could get of our rooster who is, to say the least, peculiar.

      As I sit here lightly editing the post and making plans for the rest of my day I realize I only photographed our livestock! As the days get shorter again and there is a cutting cold in the early mornings before work we still have many, many vegetables in the ground that are doing wonderfully and deserve some acknowledgement, but it appears that may be for another post...

      Fall, as much as I adore it (Layers! And changing leaves! And time to read and knit and cuddle!), has turned into a stressful time of year for me. A time for choices, moving and letting go. As much as I love California and especially here in the northern foothills, the Salish Sea is calling. Not to mention on a more practical note- I've been organizing my finances and creating a budget (really rather functional for a 23 year old)- I realized I don't have the funds for the very necessary irrigation system or water here. I also realized I won't have money to do even a quick road trip this winter to the desert which I desperately wanted to do this winter, but alas,  if it means I get to have my own farm this winter I'm forcing myself to be content with that.

      Speaking of letting things go, four of our six pigs are enjoying their last few days on the farm. I have mixed emotions about this, as I have grown rather fond of them. Having never raised or butchered my own animals, only hunted them which is a totally different dynamic, I am sad, but happy to know that these hogs never had to endure the discomforts of a conventional pig farm, had a large area to rut around in, plenty of mud for wallowing, and all the fresh, organic produce to gorge themselves on every morning. They had a happy, carefree life; a life I wish more livestock had.

      But the sheep are all staying with us; we've even taken on a male called R17 (affectionately called "R") who will hopefully help our herd grow. He's more comfortable with us and loves a good back scratch some mornings when I cut through their area to let the chickens out.

      Some days I wonder how, or if the animals mark the passing of the seasons; or if it is merely instinct that causes their changes in behavior. What do you think?

      Before it gets too hot out today I'll be off hunting mushrooms in the woods, celebrating the recent rains and scouring the ground for the huge acorns that have started to drop.

Coming up: tarot spreads, paintings, delicious noms for the end of season tomatoes and miscellaneous adventures!

Some Adventuring

I may not be a huge fan of living in California, but gotta say, I am planning on abusing the gorgeous privilege of living here until mid-November. My goal for the rest of this season is to go someplace new at least twice a month (preferably more though). This last weekend I hikes the Loch Levens trail in the Lake Tahoe basin, and two weeks ago did some exploring around the American River from the Auburn Recreation Area.
Pretty fantastic stuff right there. (Also a neat announcement at the bottom of the post!)

And awesome announcement time: a paper I co-authored is getting publishing this month in Herpetological Review, woot!!

Fabric bundle and farm beasts

Beasts may be a stretch of a term...
Linen dyed with onion skins, wrapped around walnut leaves and rusty tools.

Some photos from Northern California

     Just found these on my camera from mid-March, figure I'd share.

California is magical.