Peachy Keen

My brother-in-law dropped off a box full of peaches from his orchard the other day and it got me thinking about farms. SP and I grew up in a small farming town a little north of here. It is a big agricultural community and our families were a couple of the many families who farmed for a living. As a young person, I didn't really appreciate all of the fresh food that surrounded me. In my defense, fruit and farms equaled working. You can imagine my consternation when I had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to go out to the farm while my friends were enjoying their summer vacations swimming.

As I got older, so did my parents, and they began to pull away from farming themselves. I didn't miss it at the time since it meant that I wouldn't have to figure out ways to not go to the orchard or run parts for my dad. It wasn't until I left for Los Angeles to go to college that I realized how lucky I was to have the experience that I did. The majority of people I went to college with were from larger cities and were very disconnected from where food comes from. I remember during my freshman orientation that we had to share a little something about ourselves. When it was my turn, I mentioned that I grew up in a small town and that my parents owned orchards. This is a small sample of that conversation:

A Freshman Guy: What does that mean?
PP: They grow fruit. They primarily grow peaches and prunes. The peaches are sold to a cannery and we dry our own prunes and send them to a packer.
AFG: What?
PP: They have orchards, where they grow trees and on those trees are fruit. They harvest that fruit and then sell it.
AFG: They sell fruit? How can they compete with the grocery store?
PP: {Having been born under a bad couple of signs, my nature is usually to go from cordial to smart a-- in 2.2 seconds, hence my reply} Do you think that every grocery store has some trees, a barnyard and fisheries in the back of each store?
AFG: Well, um, no. I guess not.
Group Leader: Well, okay...thanks for sharing. Next person...PLEASE!

Suffice it to say, I wasn't the most popular gal in my group. In retrospect, no matter what my response was I don't think I could have beat out the gal whose father was in the movie business. Go figure.

These days, it is a very different story. It is very inspiring to find so many people interested in food, where it comes from and who grows it. The resurgence of farmers' markets and eating seasonally is making being in agriculture during this time quite exciting. My sister and I have taken over our family farm and replanted it with walnuts and are anxiously awaiting their production. In the meantime, I will continue to take full advantage of my brother-in-law's free fruit, my father-in-law's free rice and my local farmers' market to make the best of each season.

To help me put good use to these great fruits and vegetables, I have been referencing a lot of farmers' market inspired cook books. The one that I love the most is Jennie Schachts's Farmers' Market Desserts, not because it is all about my favorite meal of the day, but because she has a great mix of old fashioned and new recipes. I have included one below to give you a taste of the cookbook..and a reason to use one of my favorite fruits. If you like what you see...stop by the shop or your favorite local bookstore and check it out! In the meantime, I think I am going to take my peaches and make some ice cream. Yum.

{Photo Top Left: Chronicle Books | Photo Top Right: Unknown}

{Photo Bottom Left: CA Rice Commission | Photo Bottom Right: Stromer Realty}

Be Our Guest

If you haven't gathered already, I really love parties. My favorite memories from childhood are when our house was abuzz with adults talking and laughing... glasses clinking and food plates clanking. We had a dinner party at least once a month and I loved falling asleep to the sound of my parents talking to their friends, laughing about the old days and wondering aloud at what would come in the days ahead.

While my path to owning a stationery store was certainly not a straight one, it really isn't a surprise that I ended up in a business that centers on people gathering together to celebrate their lives. When I came upon the Rag & Bone Bindery booth at the New York Stationery Show this year, I knew that I was meeting a group of people that shared my love of events. Their new Guest Books for both Bridal and Baby Showers are so thoughtful and sweet and their new cover options are so delicious that I couldn't wait to place my order.

The books open to a title page where you can fill-in the details of the who, what, when and where of the shower. They even have a space for the host to write a message to the guest of honor and a place to write in the menu for the event. However, what sold me on these books are the way they designed the spaces for the guest to sign their name. They are not simply lines to indicate the attendance of a guest. These pages are titled with prompts such as, "when I found out you were engaged, my first thoughts were..." , "why I think you are going to be a great mom...", and more.

In my mind, there couldn't be a lovelier way to begin a life with your partner or begin a new life with your baby then with the words of your family and friends cheering you on, wishing you well and offering their gentle advice. I can imagine what it would feel like to reread your guest book in the years ahead. It must be reliving the party...glasses clinking, voices laughing and feeling the warmth one feels when you look around the room and see nothing but happiness and love just for you.

Cake Dance

I am a big fan of baking and a big fan of cakes. When I go to Rick's Dessert Diner - I don't share my slice of cake with anyone. I love cakes so much that when I was young, my mother used to come home to me baking up some sort of cake - coconut, chocolate marble, pineapple, vanilla. The typical picture she walked in on was me standing on a stool, covered in flour, every pan I could find out of the cupboard and the Betty Crocker cook book my mother was given when she first came to the United States opened to the baking section. To her credit, she never said anything but, "What are you making today?"

I still have that cook book. Every now and then I open it up and reread the sections on "Kitchen Know-How," which consists of how to plan ahead, organize your housework and combine jobs. My favorite piece of advice can be found in the paragraph on how to "refresh your spirits" by combing your hair, thinking pleasant thoughts and having a hobby. While things have changed quite a bit since the early 1960s, the recipes inside are timeless and always remind me of childhood.

Until Melissa Gray's All Cakes Considered, I had yet to find a cook book that inspired me with the same baking gusto as my mom's old Betty Crocker "New Picture" Cook Book. Annabelle Breakey's photographs of such confections as Brown Sugar Pound Cake, Lord and Lady Baltimore Cakes and Apricot Jam Cakes are enough to make you want to run to the store and stock up on baking powder, vanilla extract and confectioner's sugar. Moreover Melissa Gray's baking tips and techniques will make even the most anxious baker feel at home in their own kitchen.

If you have time, stop by the shop and flip through the cook book and see for yourself. I would bet that you will find yourself at home, fork in one hand, cake plate in the other and the aroma of sugar and vanilla in the air.