Wanna meet Local Organic Farmers? Sure you do! I only have one really local that I want to talk about today ….He’s organic with beautiful flowers and produce.
Meet Farmer Leo
Standing in the sunshine one fine summer day, my daughter introduced me to this ‘organic farmer’ she’d been talking about for months….
What a guy! So passionate about his beautiful plot of land that he has developed into a wonderful organic garden.
He’s in Leucadia…. and really…. the place is called ‘Farmer Leo’s’! lol
I mean, this is right on the property…. he takes tremendous pride in ‘presentation’ and that includes the quality of the veggies he creates.
Yeeeaaah. It’s goood!
And you were probably looking for some pix of the produce right?
Well….?
How did I do? lol
Are you hungry yet?
I have been eating his produce for months now. None better. None better.
And the nice thing is that as his garden develops and veggies become ready, the baskets available change. Well of course they do! lol You can actually farm with Farmer Leo. Stop by to ask about it, and tell him Chef Marian sent you!
Much like other farms, he has his own bees! Local Organic Farmers rock!
Wait!! Did I say Beeezzzzzzz? That brings me right to my Julian farmer, Wynola at Wynola Flats!
NICE SEGWAY CHEF! HARDLY NOTICEABLE!
Why thank you!
Talk about a smart, willing to experiment farmer and chef! Meet Wynola!
So she bottles, pickles, blends and makes all kinds of wonderful food products in addition to her veggies and honey…. And we had a lengthy conversation about what she does with produce and ingredients as come towards the end of their shelf life. She comes up with new recipes to make those items fly off the shelves! And it’s fun for her…. much like it’s fun for me to take arbitrary ingredients and create! We’re like two kids in a Sandbox! lol And she bought a copy of one of my books! How cool is that? lol
So we’ve got honey…. HONEY! All kinds of honey, with Avocado Alfalfa Blossom, Purple Sage (wasn’t that a group? New Riders of the Purple Sage)? lol
Grapeola (is that like Rockola? Our local band, but with grapes)?….Manzanita and Mountain Clover…. Crimson and Clover, over and over…. I’m into a musical head space right now. Can ya feel me? lol
And ya know, when someone says their honey is organic? It just can’t be. Think about it. Wynola tells us you can’t control where the bees fly. Right? But there’s good news too. She says that because the countryside is totally organic in Costa Rico, Argentina and in New Zealand, those are the only places you can really count on for organic honey. Makes sense?
YES CHEF MARIAN!
If I talk about organic apricot jam? Will that make your mouth water?
Oh… oh…. sorry. I’ll think of you as I spread it on my Gluten Free Toast tomorrow morning. lol
Getting back to our last couple of thoughts on honey…. and Wynola Flats…
She doesn’t just sell honey. She tells you everything you need to know about its’ medicinal purposes, how it has been used for 2,000 years as an antiseptic for dressing wounds, explaining that because it contains potassium, that’s what kills the bacteria. It promotes healing and prevents scarring.
So she’s not just selling. She’s educating!
I’ve got one more bit of brilliance for you….
Next time you go to buy a jar of honey? Turn it upside down. You will notice a bubble rising to the top?
Wynola tells me how slow it rises indicates if it has been tampered with (I think she said sulphured) or if it is just pure honey in its natural form.
Good to know! Thanks Wynola for all your good information that you so readily share!
One last comment… if you look at her postcard, it’s says: “family owned and operated 3 generations”.
How nice is that? It’s the real deal!
My thanks to both my happy farmers, for spending time with me. Wynola in Julian and Farmer Leo in Leucadia! Bravo on your accomplishments!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian