"Outstanding in the Field"

This week I had the good fortune to discover this book in our state's library system. "Outstanding in the Field," is a cross between a cookbook and travelogue. 

"Jim Denevan's traveling open-air dinners treat guests to an unforgettable experience: a meal cooked with farm-fresh ingredients served right where they were grown--in fields, ranches, vineyards, and community gardens across the country. In 'Outstanding in the Field' he brings his philosophy to readers everywhere, sharing the experience of what it's like to walk the land before each dinner to touch, smell, and taste what's growing and to plan a menu based around what's ripest.

"He profiles regional American farmers as well as seasonal ingredients, offering 100 original recipes culled from these spectacular yet uncomplicated feasts. From a simple chilled broth of tomatoes at the peak of their season to squash blossoms filled with lavender ricotta, all of these dishes offer opportunities to use the freshest, most flavorful local produce, meats, and cheeses.

"Both a cookbook and a guide to supporting farms in your region, 'Outstanding in the Field' is a celebration of farmers, the natural world, and the sensory pleasures of creating and eating good food."

Denevan also has an incredibly beautiful and informative blog at http://www.outstandingontour.blogspot.com

His book dovetails nicely with Barbara Kingsolver's book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life," which seems to have launched the "Eat Local" movement.

The sweetest days of summer

Earlier this evening, while enjoying the maneuvers of several hummingbirds flying around us as we sat in the garden, we realized it's already the middle of August and wondered where another summer has gone while we were busy working, gardening, and beekeeping. 

Here is a lovely photo of our old "Queen Bee" enjoying another beautiful summer's day. The deck is going to be painted this week and we'll have to work quickly so Dallas can resume her outdoor routine as soon as possible. She is, after all, an ancient cat and the summer is waning...

Our August extraction

On Friday our friend Emily wrote to me:

How are you?  Is there honey and jars all over the place at your house this weekend?

There certainly will be this week as you can see from this photo!

We gathered another 150 pounds from five of the six hives. It will probably be our final extraction of this season because we want to leave enough honey, the approximately 70 pounds per hive that bees in this area can require to survive the winter.

When I consider that each bee produces an infinitesimal amount of honey--something like 1/12 of a teaspoon--I am even more grateful for all we receive from them!