like a ghost thru the fog...

"and to those that i love, like a ghost thru a fog, like a charmed hour, and a haunted song..." - s. nicks

susan and kristi came to visit. it was so good seeing friends. catching up. sipping wine. being happy. jason made wonderful meals, fresh bread and wild berry cobbler. we bought antique hats, made an entrance at an art show, invaded a local winery, ate rita's chili, toasted a 67 yr old survivor, sent dinky dog off to her new home, and watched the sun set while the fog rolled in.

now they are gone. the bottles are empty. the sink is full of dishes. the dogs are sleeping. and the fog lingers as it has and always will. old timers say that for every day of fog in late summer, a day of snow that winter. it's been foggy for 30 days. i'm afraid.

me, kristi, emily (a 67 yr old survivor we picked up at the 12 west martini bar), and susan

kristi & me

amber adopts dinkerbell

mmm... bread!

spanish pickles.

yesterday, i was honored to learn the art of making spanish pickles. "what are spanish pickles?" you ask. some folks say it is something made up by my grandmother in law, dorothy. if you look up "spanish pickles" on the internet you might find a recipe or two. but not much else. i first heard about them from my mother in law, rita. she says they are good with beans. and so every time we have beans, i get to hear how rita could "sure use a jar of spanish pickles" and that there's "nothing like 'em" and that "it's been years" since she had a jar. well, i like beans. i like pickles. my curiosity was sparked.

and since i moved to the farm and began to garden, i decided i should also learn how to can & jar. i thought it would be a good idea to figure out what to do with all my tomatoes. and up to two weeks ago, i had an abundance. i was making spaghetti sauce, using 10 tomatoes at a time. and guess what is a major ingredient in "spanish pickles"???? tomatoes. green tomatoes to be exact. so i talked to rita, and rita talked to dorothy, and we agreed we should schedule a time to make a batch spanish pickles while dorothy still remembers how. but then disaster struck. we had a big storm last week and my garden was plagued by a second invasion of hornworms. oh the revisited horror! overnight, a newer bigger uglier batch of hornworms emerged and devoured about 80% of my garden. not only did they eat the leaves, they ate my green tomatoes. next year, it won't be like this. i will be prepared. i will have an arsenal of deterrents up my sleeve. and i will start my first plan of defense this fall by properly turning the soil and composting. but i digress....

getting back to pickles... rita scheduled a "spanish pickle making night" with me, dorothy, rita and her sister, glenda. the ever resourceful dorothy got her hands on some fresh green tomatoes. and we gathered to record this family tradition. here is what i learned....

spanish pickles are made of equal parts of green tomatoes & cabbage. they are chopped in a food processor. and placed into a big pot. white vinegar, canning salt, and red pepper flakes are added for taste. then the pot is placed on stove and boiled just until the mixture starts to turn a darker color. then contents are lightly drained of juice and placed into mason jars. jars were not boiled, but securely fastened by my father in law, glenn. the mixture inside is still hot and you can hear it "popping" the seals shut as they sit. then, jars sit for at least a week, and... voila, spanish pickles! serve with beans, or crackers, or whatever you like.

i still don't exactly know what spanish pickles are. you can add green peppers to the mix. you can add onions. you can make them extra hot or not so hot. you can add more of the juice or less. some folks like 'em. some folks don't. me, i can't wait to try them. 6 more days!

chopped green tomatoes

food processorized

add pepper, salt & vinegar

cook, can & voila!

down the mississippi...

this past weekend, jason, amber, rita and i headed down the mississippi to new orleans. i'd never been there before. and i have to say, i absolutely fell in love with the city. we stayed in the french quarter. we wined and dined on bourbon street. did some shopping and ate the best mexican food on magazine street. and had oysters and champagne at oceana in the french quarter. i can't wait to go back.

on sunday we drove down and stayed the night on the gulf shore. the amount of destruction we witnessed from katrina was beyond words. almost the entire coast was demolished. there are only signs and concrete slabs where souvenier shops, restaurants and hotels once stood. we walked the beach. instead of seashells and seaweed, the shore was draped in pillows, pieces of remote controls, and two by fours. there were tables and chairs floating in the waves. it was like being the only survivors in some post-apocalyptic world. despite the devastation. the ocean is still so beautiful. there are signs of life. half way down the beach, we found two horseshoe crabs that were stranded on their backs. helpless. we flipped them over and guided them back to sea. and a few seagulls sang and laced the sky.

i encourage people to visit louisiana and mississippi. they are trying to rebuild. and need tourism more now then ever. you won't regret it. the people and the land are beautiful.