Back in Ottawa
Well, we have arrived back to Ottawa, along with the entire student population of Ottawa U and Carleton U combined at the airport, or so it seemed.
The weather has been gorgeous. I hear it has not been a great summer so perhaps I brought in some California sunshine?! I hope so, and I hope it will last for awhile so I can enjoy the weather here and make the transition back to Ottawa easily, and so that our local produce can continue to bloom and bloom.
I read recently that California produces like 80% of the tomatoes for all the US and they have the longest growing season anywhere for tomatoes, something ridiculous like 3-4 months I think. I ate so many wonderful heirloom tomatoes there and was delighted to see some in our farmer's market, though they said that the production is limited with all the rain and we'll have to see how it goes. I really hope it stays warm and sunny so we can continue to yield wonderful delicious local produce for us to all enjoy and for me to serve.
Farmers around here must be really hardworking, dedicated and really do it out of passion to grow local produce despite all the challenges of nature that we face and such a short growing season. Farmers in California can take it for granted that there will be lots of warm weather, sunshine and a long harvest of one vegetable and a continuous harvest of various vegetables and fruits. Nothing that we can take for granted. I think that's why we get so excited when a new fruit or vegetable that we haven't seen since last summer appears suddenly and for a short time. You feel like a kid at Christmas or in a candy shop and want to consume as much as you can before it disappears, or at least that's how I feel. Right now, I'm thinking of how many wild blueberries can I consume or store?! And the wonderful peaches and cream corn! And of course tomatoes!
It really stretches your mind to think what is perennial and annual in California vs. here. I was speaking to a landscaper who works in Santa Rosa, north of San Francisco, and first of all he said that there is no break for gardeners as there is a continuous season there and it's hard to take time off. He said perennial is something that continues to grow most of the time and annuals have a duration of time that they grow in. It's amazing seeing parks where they have these huge bushes of rosemary growing wild as it just continues to grow really well year after year and no body notices. Imagine that?!
I have uploaded my California photos on flickr and there's a link from the blog on the side bar and they are on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenkitchen/sets/72157606959976005/. Dave has been updating his wine blog, which covers most of the liquid part of our voyage and too many tastings to count, though he was the bean or wine counter for us.
I come back home and there was an arrival from Japan. No, not another cool tool but a cool young woman from Japan, Noriko, who will be staying with us until February to practice her English and is trying to find a place where she can work in Ottawa to practice her English. Any leads are appreciated. It's been great to see Ottawa and the Canadian lifestyle through her eyes and also have the chance to rediscover Ottawa, and I get to practice some of my Japanese.
Now back to ZenKitchen business and a full fall season. I will try to write a newsletter soon so I can share my ongoings and updates with interested ZenKitchen clients. There is a lot happening!
Enjoy every ounce of the summer that is remaining. In my books, it's not fall until the fall weather comes and it feel like fall. Caroline
The weather has been gorgeous. I hear it has not been a great summer so perhaps I brought in some California sunshine?! I hope so, and I hope it will last for awhile so I can enjoy the weather here and make the transition back to Ottawa easily, and so that our local produce can continue to bloom and bloom.
I read recently that California produces like 80% of the tomatoes for all the US and they have the longest growing season anywhere for tomatoes, something ridiculous like 3-4 months I think. I ate so many wonderful heirloom tomatoes there and was delighted to see some in our farmer's market, though they said that the production is limited with all the rain and we'll have to see how it goes. I really hope it stays warm and sunny so we can continue to yield wonderful delicious local produce for us to all enjoy and for me to serve.
Farmers around here must be really hardworking, dedicated and really do it out of passion to grow local produce despite all the challenges of nature that we face and such a short growing season. Farmers in California can take it for granted that there will be lots of warm weather, sunshine and a long harvest of one vegetable and a continuous harvest of various vegetables and fruits. Nothing that we can take for granted. I think that's why we get so excited when a new fruit or vegetable that we haven't seen since last summer appears suddenly and for a short time. You feel like a kid at Christmas or in a candy shop and want to consume as much as you can before it disappears, or at least that's how I feel. Right now, I'm thinking of how many wild blueberries can I consume or store?! And the wonderful peaches and cream corn! And of course tomatoes!
It really stretches your mind to think what is perennial and annual in California vs. here. I was speaking to a landscaper who works in Santa Rosa, north of San Francisco, and first of all he said that there is no break for gardeners as there is a continuous season there and it's hard to take time off. He said perennial is something that continues to grow most of the time and annuals have a duration of time that they grow in. It's amazing seeing parks where they have these huge bushes of rosemary growing wild as it just continues to grow really well year after year and no body notices. Imagine that?!
I have uploaded my California photos on flickr and there's a link from the blog on the side bar and they are on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenkitchen/sets/72157606959976005/. Dave has been updating his wine blog, which covers most of the liquid part of our voyage and too many tastings to count, though he was the bean or wine counter for us.
I come back home and there was an arrival from Japan. No, not another cool tool but a cool young woman from Japan, Noriko, who will be staying with us until February to practice her English and is trying to find a place where she can work in Ottawa to practice her English. Any leads are appreciated. It's been great to see Ottawa and the Canadian lifestyle through her eyes and also have the chance to rediscover Ottawa, and I get to practice some of my Japanese.
Now back to ZenKitchen business and a full fall season. I will try to write a newsletter soon so I can share my ongoings and updates with interested ZenKitchen clients. There is a lot happening!
Enjoy every ounce of the summer that is remaining. In my books, it's not fall until the fall weather comes and it feel like fall. Caroline
posted by Caroline at 7:15 PM
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