hops, potatoes, romaine...

Our very own garden is soaking up the summer rays and rains and indeed flourishing!


(above): The hops has almost reached the top of the building it's climbing, always reaching for the sky.


(above): The potato plants have started to flower, which means the plants are starting to produce potatoes!

All in all, our garden is doing great. So far, most of our tomato plants have produced green tomatoes, the rest of which have numerous flowers. Our Romaine lettuce is ready to turned into ceasar salads. And the rest of the beds are still going strong: onions, beans, pumpkins, and peppers of all sorts.

July's Buck Moon

Summer is officially upon us. The next full moon is referred to as the Full Buck Moon, the time when buck deer sprout velvety new antlers.

This full moon is also known as the Full Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms are more frequent during the month at hand. It has also been called the Full Blood Moon, for sometimes as the moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze.

It symbolizes a time of harvesting and enjoyment of crops of the season. To some this is the Blessing Moon. It is known as the Hay Moon or the Meadow Moon because the meadows are at their greatest point of growth in this month, and it is time for hay cutting. Some call it the Grass Cutter Moon.

It seems as though this is the month of many moon names, since it's also known as: Ripe Corn Moon, Raspberry Moon, Herb Moon, Grain Moon and Red Berries Moon.

It's definitely a plentiful time of year!

What Makes Scratch Scratch?

The ultimate goal is to make everything from scratch and by hand. Right now this includes the breads, pastries,.... and almost everything. We are striving to push this further, by making our own cheeses, beverages, and cured meats.

Also, we try to source as many ingredients from our modest garden. Last dinner, this included all of the herbs and spinach.

"What is exciting to me, in creating a final product, is the process that goes into it. To fully exploit this process, I feel I must start with the most basic ingredients I can." – Nick

June's Strawberry Full Moon Menu

JUNE'S FULL MOON NAMES:
Full Strawberry Moon
Full Honey Moon
Full Hot Moon
Full Rose Moon
Full Mead Moon

Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres:
Strawberry Rhubarb Sangria
Fava Bean Crostini

First Course:
Farro Spinach Salad
with Strawberries and Feta

Second Course:
Rustic Vichyssoise
with Chive Blossoms

Main Course:
Quail and Baby Carrots
with a Honey Dijon Sauce

Dessert:
Strawberry Shortcake
with Buttermilk Biscuits

June's Full Moon

June's Full Moon is most commonly named the Strawberry Moon. May flowers have begun producing fruit, the first of which is the wonderfully sweet strawberry.

These flowers have also brought fresh honey; giving this moon the names Honey Moon and Mead Moon. The sun rises higher as summer approaches signifying the Hot Moon.

Mozzarella!

This was our first attempt at making homemade mozzarella. We used whole milk from Golden Glen Creamery. (pictured is Nick stretching the mozzarella in its final stages) The final product topped our pizza, along with fresh basil from our garden. For the pizza dough, we incorporated the leftover whey from the mozzarella. Soon we'll be producing homemade cheeses for the dinners.

It was delicious!