Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Yesterday morning there was another great event at Earthbound Farm: Jake, the 13-year-old beekeeper and owner of Carmel Honey Company , was talking about bees, honey, and beekeeping. Since my Precise Kitchen Elf is interested in having bees here at our new house, I figured it was a great way to keep him interested.  I had met Jake when I interviewed him a couple of years ago. It's wonderful to see how much his business has progressed! He's quite impressive and a font of knowledge about bees. He spoke about the plight of bees, explained the politics of the hive, extolled the benefits of honey, and - the best part - let us taste his honeys. So awesome. After the talk, we wandered through the garden and looked for bees. They were everwhere, but there were tons buzzing around the flowering oregano. I'm not sure I was completely successful. While R was excited about the bees, he was actually more intimidated about beekeeping after hearing Jake...

Following the Afternoon Tea Party at Earthbound Farm , the boys and I decided to wander through the gardens on the grounds of the farmstand. And while anyone who knows me knows that I have a black thumb, it was inspiring nonetheless. To see what they are growing here locally - successfully - well, it gave me garden-goals. I love this shot of busy bees. I can watch bees all afternoon; they're mesmerizing! I had never seen quinoa growing. This plant was in the Children's Garden, in the 'Q' planter box. D yelled, "Mommy, we can grow quinoa." You can grow quinoa!  But, I would love that. We eat quinoa quite a bit. I need to read up on how it goes from plant to plate. Do I have to dry it? Can I use it straight off the bush? "Mom, look at the wheat!" D hollered when he reached the 'W' planter. "Too bad Dad is gluten-free. We could grow wheat." This odd red flower puzzled me. Without hesitation, R declared,...

When I saw 'Afternoon Tea Party' on the blackboard at Earthbound Farm's Farm Stand, I knew that the boys would have a great time there. My boys and I are huge tea-lovers. Huge. We love  Tea Tasting in Chinatown . My little one doesn't leave for school without a stainless mug full of tea. And my husband brews his own kombucha . We adore tea, tisanes, and any food that involves tea. We've  poached pears in Earl Grey , folded  mint tea into shortbread , made  Matcha Ice Cream , used  Earl Grey in brownies ,  marbled eggs in black tea , and  poached cod in green tea ...just to name a few.  Lapsang Souchong adds smokiness  to dishes without using, say, bacon! And since EBF is just down the street from my office, I had the boys dropped off at the farmstand and when I finished my day, I joined them. What stunning tablescapes they had set up in the outdoor pavillion! They had a Farm Stand Blend of herbs with bachelor butt...