Where in the world...?

(The above photo was taken by Alan Campbell at "Site 3", aka The Ruff Garlick Patch, of
Eastside Farm. Thank you, Alan!)

We haven't been on vacation, we haven't been sick, we HAVE been working our A***S OFF!!!

The farm is full to burstin' with corn, peppers, tomatoes, chiles, eggplant and more chiles! We have been picking, taking care of business at both the farm and at our restaurant, ZIN, have been selling at 3 farmers' markets AND catering 2-3 events a week!!!

In the last two weeks we have:
Had a visit from my German girl friend and former co-worker, Miz Julia, seen here with our other former co-worker, Muff.








The next day after this picture was taken, we catered a high end birthday party for 40 in the Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves. It was beautiful!






In addition to catering we have also been picking a lot of produce!!! We are even amazed at all that we have picked! The cherry tomatoes started coming in full force a couple of weeks ago and we are just now beginning to get our full sized tomatoes. The eggplants are starting to show up as are the peppers. The "Great Northern" pickling cucumbers are just flipping out with such a heavy production...we are picking something like 70 pounds every 3 days!!! Thankfully ZIN can take them.

We catered an event at Acorn Winery for their Eastside Bunch Summer Open House (99 degrees in the shade!) and made our fresh B.A.T.'s with Jeff's House-cured and smoked BACON, ZIN Garden at Eastside Farm Arugula, Tomatoes and home-made Focaccia. We also added a little home-grown Basil mayonnaise. YUMMY!!! It went PERFECTLY with their wines!

We were treated to a visit from faithful ZIN customers visiting from Utah for the afore mentioned open house. Apparently they come out every year to the Acorn event and eat at ZIN on their first night in town! Thank you!!! (So sorry, I can't find where I wrote down your names!!!)

The very next day we did another Farmers Market in Windsor and my girlfriend brought her totally darling son with her. He tasted his first raw sugar pearl corn on the cob and LOVED it!!!

I love to introduce kids to fresh produce. During market I give stuff to kids to munch on. It often freaks them out to be handed a strange raw food product, but their parents are amused by it and encourage the kids to at least try it. Every once in a while they will come back after their child realizes, Hey...this tastes good!

Not to be slackers, Jeff also taught a cooking class in our back yard on Friday night with Relish Culinary Adventures. It was an all tomato class, starting with Fried Green Tomatoes and ending with a Red Fig Tomato and Ricotta Cheese tart topped with Yellow Tomato sorbet. It was GOOD!!!

I guess I just wanted to show y'all that we haven't been slackers...although right now that sounds so appealing!!! Tomorrow we rest...right after a couple of meetings and Pilates class!!!

Happy Monday!

Roll out the Barrel!

It is a crazy time of year for us. Yes, smack dab in the middle of winter, it is Barrel Tasting Weekend.

In previous years this was just held on one weekend. Due to popular demand (and a recognition that even more money could be brought into the area) it is now being held on TWO consecutive weekends!

We (Zin Restaurant & Wine Bar) are lucky and proud to be selected to serve food at not one but two wineries.

I am manning the tables and stove at Acorn Winery, serving Italian style beef braised in Sangiovese with fresh rosemary served over creamy polenta. It was made with the fabulous Acorn Winery Sangiovese and, as you can imagine, pairs beautifully with it!



Farmer Chef Jeff is over at Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves. He is serving his famous Pulled Pork with Red Eye Gravy over Falls Mill Stone Ground Grits! It pairs perfectly with their Zinfandels!

Well...gotta run! This is such a fun event. You should really think about making a trip out here next year and taste incredible wines! Happy Sunday!

Busy Day!

Today Farmer Chef Jeff and I (and 10 helpers) catered a party for ...drum roll please...1,200 people. Yes, that is 12 with 2 zeros. As I write this, Farmer Jeff is snoring on the couch. He is TOTALLY exhausted. We worked until 11 pm last night, at which point we stopped to eat dinner and go to bed, and then he was so pumped up about the party he couldn't go to sleep until 2:30 am. At 4:30 am he popped up, wide awake, so he went ahead and went to work. We arrived on site at 9:30 and he got back to the restaurant at 5:30pm. He deserves his sleep and whatever else I can do for him.

This is when we need someone to come in and be our nanny. I want someone to draw my bath, warm my flannel jammies in the dryer, fix hot cocoa for me and read to me in bed. Sigh...

I don't have that, but I do have warm and fuzzy kitties (as well as the pups) and they are a great comfort. I came home to discover, for the first time I have ever seen, Ginger and Julian sleeping/snuggling together. I actually believe that Julian tried to hog Gingers spot on her perch and she was able to eek out a tiny space.

The event was held at the winery Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves, located in Dry Creek Valley/Healdsburg and, coincidentally, was featured on the same segment of Giada's Weekend Getaways Wine Country along with Zin Restaurant!

That is the segment in which our Zin "Gnarly Old Vine" Zinfandel Jelly made it's debut. By the way, it is now on sale at Zin Restaurant during business hours, at the Cheese Shop in Healdsburg and at Bella Vineyards! Before you even ask, yes, Farmer Jeff and I, along with his mom and brother helped us to pick the grapes, crush the grapes, press the grapes and then Farmer Chef Jeff and I made the jelly. Okay, Farmer Chef Jeff made most of it, but I was there for all of one day!

I leave you with pictures from the catering event. As you will see we had the most incredible view from our "kitchen" and that part of the event was held in a wine cave. VERY COOL.