Goodbye Farmer's Market...

...until next year

Click on photos to enlarge © 2009 jim otterstrom

Yesterday was the final Tuesday for our Farmer's Market this season and the vendors won't be back up here until next Spring. We'll miss having this weekly produce market just a block and a half from our front door.

Our garden is done for the year too...
...goodbye sweet summer.

C'est la vie!

Our Saturday Lunch

~Veggie Sandwich~ Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

Lunch yesterday was a veggie sandwich consisting of healthy-sauteéd' (in vegetable broth) Portobello Mushrooms with Japanese Eggplant & onions, on a bed of Romaine Lettuce & fresh cucumber slabs, under sliced tomato & Mung Bean sprouts, all stacked between two slices of Food For Life 100% Whole Grain Ezekiel 4:9 Flourless Bread, lathered on one side with home-made hummus, and on the other, with Follow Your Heart Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise.

We create variations on this theme several days a week, sometimes with avocado and a slice of cheddar, but always making a superb tasting sandwich!

By my best reckoning, this absolutely cholesterol free sandwich, including the hummus and Vegenaise, provides about 290 calories, maybe 75 of them from fat (derived mostly from healthful essential fatty acids). But that's not the reason to eat this thing, the reason is because it tastes so danged good!!!

While I'm on the subject of food, I should, once again, recommend our bible on healthy eating, 'The World's Healthiest Foods', by George Mateljan.

880 pages of comprehensive and invaluable information on the world's hundred most healthful (commonly available) foods, including nutrient richness charts (based on nutrient density per calorie), exhaustive nutritional analysis charts, detailed explanations of why each of the foods is good for you, and, the most healthful ways to store, prepare, and cook them.

~Includes 500 delicious recipes~

(Incidently, the sandwich above is not one of the recipes, but the ingredients are among the Hundred Healthiest Foods, and the method of healthy sauteéing the eggplant, mushrooms, and onions is right out of the book.)

This huge book is the product of 10 years of research by Mateljan and a team of nutritional scientists, and it's a virtual steal at around $25.

If you're interested in this book you can order it directly from http://www.whfoods.com/ or buy new & used copies through our Amazon.com book link in the sidebar to the right.

Today Is The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life...

...How Did You Begin Yours?

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

Peggy and I have been sleeping on the deck, outside, under the stars, for the past few weeks. We wake up about 5 A.M. and have been alternating between long morning walks and bike rides around the lake.

This morning we left the house on our bikes, at 5:45, and found another beautiful sky waiting for us. We could see rain in the distance ahead of us so I stopped at Von's deli and asked for a plastic bag to put my camera in, just in case.

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

In the enlarged picture you can see rain falling over to the west of us, and, as we got over near Boulder Bay, the roads were wet but the rain had moved out ahead of us.

You may also notice a rainbow coming down through the clouds in the right side of the photo. It appears to be touching down near the Serrano Campground on the north shore, near the solar observatory, and sure enough, when we got over to the bike path that runs through the campground the ground was still wet.

Boulder Bay

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

As we rolled west the clouds moved to the horizon and blues skies opened above us.

Near The Dam, Looking Southeast
Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

Shortly after crossing the dam, and heading back eastward toward home, we stopped for a water break at this overlook.

A Couple Of Hours Later...
Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom
Tuesday is the day our local little Farmer's Market sets up shop, just 2 blocks from our house, so after our ride we leashed up Dallas and headed over to pick up some fresh produce.




Click on photos to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

All this fun and we were home before 9 A.M. looking forward to working in our own gardens.

~We Hope You Are Enjoying Your Day~

Peace & Love
Jim & Peg

Greenhouse...

~TOMATOES~

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

Tomatoes on the vine in the greenhouse yesterday morning.

Our first tomato ripened last weekend and several more are about ready for picking.

Our train trip post is still coming but today is food co-op delivery day, so we'll be a bit busy for the next several hours. The truck just arrived!

The Postman Always Rings Twice...

Jimmy The Postman

September, 1971

Click on photo to enlarge - © 1971 & 2008 jim otterstrom

I made this self-portrait 6 months into my 30 year postal career. If the patch on my left shoulder was more visible you'd see that it's not the stylized Postal Service eagle, but the old Post Office Department design with the maroon & blue embroidered Pony Express rider.

Been a lot o' water under the bridge since them days...

Still Delivering The Goods Though!

March, 26th, 2008

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

An ancient photo from the dregs, and one from yesterday's United Natural Foods co-op order arrival, tie 37 years of my life together with the delivery of goods.

I haven't been a very responsive blogger of late, and my only excuse is that it's a busy time around here and the computer isn't getting much attention.

Now we're out of town for 4 days, to the Eastern Sierra again for another visit with Brad, Amy, Claire & Hannah.

We'll catch a David Lindley performance in Bishop, do some hiking for sure, and I'm hoping to get some more photos of the lovely Alabama Hills!

See you Sunday evening, and maybe I can catch up on some of the comments then.

Both photos were taken by Jim using a tripod. Some things don't change much!

Dinner...

ONE DELECTABLE GARDEN SALAD

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2007 jim otterstrom

Peggy put together a delicious salad this evening with fresh home-grown greens, chives & chive flowers from our garden, and organic tomatoes, avocados and carrots from the store.

The salad was so colorful it begged to have its picture taken.

She served this with wild caught Alaska Salmon, seeds & nuts, and her own French Mustard Dressing.

Simple and delicious!

January Food Co-op Delivery

Click on photo to enlarge

Jose, a driver for our food Co-op distributor, looks on as Peggy inventories this month's delivery.

My friend Charlie was delayed for an extra day in Las Vegas but he should be rolling in here this afternoon, and it's a good thing because I already drank three of the beers I bought for us. ;~)

I doubt if I'll get any basketry stuff posted today because I'll be busy with the co-op members as they come to pick up their goods.

Organic Food Delivery

Peggy checking in this months food co-op order.

Sol Food Market

307 steps from our front gate (we counted) is Sol Food Market.
A car-free couple's dream came true when our friend Susie opened this health food store a block from our house last year. Susie caters to her customers with attentiveness & care, it's people like this who make a community.

Susie & The Apple

Susie tempting us with one of her organic apples like Eve in The Garden of Eden, look out Adam! If you don't find what your looking for at Sol Food Market Susie will order it for you.
And, by the way, I must say in an act of shameless self promotion, that you'll find my Native Plant Notecards (see photos & descriptions at Feb. 26th post) for sale here too! See the little green box on the shelf at the far left side of the picture?

Organic Food Co-op

One of the things that has been so helpful in our efforts at car-free living is belonging to an organic food co-op. We have about 15 regular members who participate in our monthly order. A shipment like this one today is delivered to our house by refrigerated truck and the other members come by to pick up their goods.
We have a large pantry and order organic foods in bulk, things we can store, like cases of cranberry juice or soymilk, and 25lb sacks of oatmeal, rice or beans. We have airtight containers to keep the grains and beans in.
We've belonged to the group for over 10 years and took over the responsibilty for the deliveries 3 1/2 years ago when I (Jim) retired.
It's great for us because we used to have to bicycle over and pick up our food with the bike trailer (sometimes two trips) but now it comes right to our door.