A Weekend in Rio Linda

The entrance to the vegetable garden

Ornamental rose on the garden gate

Over the weekend I visited some family friends in a small town a few miles north of Sacramento.  They have a beautiful two acres spread, covered in flower and vegetable gardens, trees, twenty chickens, two dogs, and even a some swings, and a hammock.  It impressed upon me how much food you can produce on two acres, especially if you are thoughtful about space and cultivation.  Only a portion of the property was devoted to food production; most was used for a plant and gardening business.  I loved walking through the rows and rows of sprouts for sale– fantasizing about having a garden of my own one day. 

From their gardens they pull a variety of fruits and vegetables – ample amounts to eat, can, preserve, and share with friends and family.  This time of year, the sugar snap peas and fava beans were arriving, and the carrots and winter greens were on their way out.  The garden was humming though, and I could see the tiny fruits already forming on the apricot, peach, and plum trees.

Fava bean plants

These meyer lemons were so good I ate them like oranges.  Odd craving?

I swear – food just tastes better when it’s straight from the garden.  We made a delicious meal of fresh pasta with herbs, white beans and chard, and roasted carrots, fava beans, and snap peas.  Dessert was this divine caramelized upside down cake with the last of 2011’s frozen nectarines.  Really, does it get any better than that?  



I was so distracted by the good food at dinner, I forgot to photograph it.
This picture of leftovers does not do the meal justice.



Nectarine upside down cake - I rushed to call seconds.