Peach Harvest

Early giant white peaches have started dropping from one of our fruit trees. We knew we needed to pick them before the beetles got to them. This afternoon Mark hung precariously from the ladder, while I stood and held onto him and the ladder from below. That is one job he has to do when I am here. Most will need to ripen a bit more before we eat them, freshly sliced for breakfast, in a cobbler or homemade icecream. Will I try to make jam?

Sweet corn and sunflowers

Our neighbours called to let us know that their sweet corn was ready to be picked - this is the type you can eat on the cob. We didn't waste any time in getting over there. Nearby the field of sunflowers had bloomed overnight. I now have a vase full.

Missouri Weekend Part Two

After a delicious breakfast of Challah French Toast with Al and Diane, we headed off antiquing. Perused several stores between Augusta and Washington. It was extremely hot with temperatures at 100F. Spent $60 and scored a small lamp, a rack to hang my copper pots on and a bowl. Not bad!

On to Steve and Barb's at Webster Grove for a swim and Pizza. It was good to catch up with our friend Angela - although recent Skyping made it feel as if I had just seen her, rather than over 6 months ago. Her beautiful Pizza, was one of 6 we enjoyed that night, interspersed with a swim and lovely cold wines.

A Missouri Weekend

Friday afternoon we drove over to Defiance, Missouri to visit Al and Diane Handler and Chris and Donna Kampmeier. Sisters Diane and Donna are Mark's cousins several times removed. Al and Diane visited Sydney early this year and Chris and Donna met there some years ago - we were witness to that. That's another story. Defiance (love that name) is about an hour west of St Louis. It was named Defiance in the late 1800's when the Katy Railroad arrived because of the town's success in defying another nearby town to secure railway services. It is located in the Missouri Wine region and also has several good Antiques stores close by. Perfect for both of us. Mark gets to see vines and I can browse and shop. We had a great dinner -bbq ribs, 2 versions of baked beans, a jicama coleslaw and potato salad. Diane's blackberry pie and maple sugar icecream was fantastic.

The Next Day

Steve has been Mark's mentor and co-builder of our wood fired oven. They were up very early (considering our late night and wine consumption) to start the stucco (render). This is the final decorative stage of the whole WFO adventure. I oversaw the placement of my 4 italian ceramic tiles. They worked very hard all morning in 90+F. Barb and I had a drive around our county and a long walk in the woods.

Tuesday night

On Tuesday our friends Steve and Barb Adams from Webster Groves, St Louis joined us for dinner. Barb has been my inspiration to start this blog. Both also enjoy good food and wine. Steve has taken many of the wonderful photos we have of the farm - it is great to have a professional photographer in our midst.

I had to serve the zucchini blossoms and other fried herbs and vegetables. Mark and his wood-fired oven had their turn - rib eyes, grilled to perfection, then dipped in Colli Etruschi EVOO and rosemary, thinly sliced and served on a bed of peppery rocket from our garden. Side dishes of our peas, in mint and feta, and our green beans. I did a blackberry crostata, which we served with dewberry icecream we had made and served on Sunday. We need another post to list the wines we drank, although a highlight was the Clos Ste Magdeleine 2007 from Cassis FR. This brought back memories for us all - both couples having spent some time in that area in the last twelve months. After 7 hours of non stop talking and catching up, we headed to bed.

A Busy Weekend Part Two

Sunday morning early, before the heat took hold, we headed off for a walk near Carlyle. This path takes us through dense woods. Within a couple of minutes I spotted some chanterelles which we picked and put into Mark's cap. Felt very proud of myself. Further into the walk, at the secret mushroom spot, Mark found a larger crop peeking out from under a mound of damp leaves. Two full baseball caps later we walked out of the woods, planning a forager's feast for Monday night.

Sunday late afternoon our good friends Stan and Nanci and their boys Marcus and Matthew joined us with some of their friends for Pizza. A great evening, the pizzas were made by the "kids" and cooked perfectly by Mark. Stan brought chanterelles from his yard, which were delicious on one of the pizzas.

A Busy Weekend

It was great to wake up after a good sleep and feel no effects of jet lag. Late morning we had news that Mark's father David had to be transferred to hospital with what appeared to be a major stroke. After a battery of tests, we still are not sure what happened. He has bounced back - again. He is a strong man, but it is a hard road for him now as his Parkinson's takes its toll. Mark's brother Keith was already on his way down from Chicago to see him, so we diverted him to the hospital. He dropped by afterwards and we had a good catch up. The two handsome Meyer brothers graciously let me take a photo for the blog.

A feast from our garden.

A beautiful first day back on the farm yesterday. The constant rain of the past few weeks had stopped on my arrival, it was a balmy night and we were able to plan a meal outdoors. The previously mentioned fried zucchini blossoms were on the menu along with sage leaves, dill, basil and peas from our garden. I stuffed the blossoms with a creamy goats cheese and basil slivers, dipped them in my very light batter and fried them up. Also dipped sage and basil leaves, dill sprigs and sugar snap and snow peas. With a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of maldon salt, accompanied by a very pale Rose from Provence, we were in food heaven. Followed by some grilled salmon with dill sour cream , our peas and baby new potatoes from the Carlyle Farmer's Market which opened today. Sydney's wet winter is a distant memory.