What does fall require?

well, it certainly requires some tomato recipes! Tomatoes, to. mate. o's. We wait for months....we deprive ourselves of supermarket red balls of mushy goo....that ain't no tomato.  Here's a mess o' pics of my tomatoes...... I only planted 2 varieties this year.... weird I know. the Heirloom Russian Krim, and the simple old-fashioned tried and true, Cherry tomato.

Just a sample of the first tomatoes this year.... splitting because we had a big rainstorm as the biggest toms were ripening, so they soaked up a lot of water very quickly. I have in the past, covered the whole tomato patch with a makeshift cover of a wood frame and plastic. This is unslightly but it does work!
I didn't do it this year because I was busy being on vacation and swimming, and generally enjoying summer.... a very short season.

I've been growing heirlooms all my life...my parents were gardeners, and the vets that lived at my dad's hotel also had big gardens. Most often, they were planted with seeds that had been saved from last season! Take that Monsanto!
If you can do nothing else.....I implore you to never ever buy a Monsanto seed. Here's a list of companies that are independent and believe food is too precious to make it a corporate property.  Garden of Eatin' blog is a wonderful and detailed resource for quality seeds.

I have bought a lot of heirloom seeds in the 80s and on, from these companies... Totally Tomato, Tomato Growers Supply, Seymour’s Selected Seeds, R.H. Shumway, Park Seed, Territorial Seed, Shepherd's Seeds, and lots of seeds from European companies.
My mom used Burpee seeds a lot. So, I'm naturally drawn to them, and they are very sentimental.

One of my favorite cookbooks is The World In Your Kitchen, by Troth Wells, pub. 1993. It's all vegetarian.  It's a delightful book with lots of pics of people from all over the world cooking the food they and their families and tribes have eaten for centuries.
That is kickin' it Old School! If you want good food, go back to basics and learn what the classics are....then venture out to Thomas Keller....et al.
;-)

from the Middle East, stuffed tomatoes, Mahasha. this is really great because you probably have all the ingredients right in your cupboards.

Cut your 4 big tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Turn on the oven to 325 degrees. Heat up oil in a frying pan and add 2 tbs of cilantro or coriander leaves, and crisp them. Add 1 tsp. of curry powder, 1/2 - 1 tsp of chili powder, 2 tsps of cumin seeds, 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 clove of crushed garlic to the cilantro and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat, and add salt.
Add 1/2 pound of mashed potatoes, or the same amount cooked bulghur, 1/3 cup of peas, to the reserved tomato pulp.
Stir it together, and fill the tomato halves and place in an ovenproof dish. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

A simple relish from Africa.  A peanut and tomato relish.  We substitute walnuts, or cashews for the peanuts, because we are allergic! Again, simple ingredients you have on hand.

a favorite picture from the book......look at those tomatoes!!

and........when you just wanna eat some of those many many many green tomatoes....
I took this picture and the rising steam fogged my camera lens!

You can just slice and fry in oil, or coat them with flour..... and there are a lot of variations.... do a search on TEH InterWebs!

Jumping in the lake

the moon was crescent....and it had a small nose... so we packed the Winnie and drove to the lake.

The first evening meal cooked over a fire outside.....was an organic mess of spinach, and kale, an organic avocado, a cherry tomato from our garden,  and a simple oil and rice vinegar, a hippie vegetarian burger, and olive bread....requisite martini.....

some fried potatoes and sweet potatoes to eat for breakfast.....
cast iron pan......good all the time.

time for some relaxation.....plug in the computer and work on some pictures for this weeks listings on etsy..... yep. that's my penguin and beach ball towel, and the swim shorts drying in the sun.......

kick off your shoes.........you're camping!

take a walk with the dog in the tall doug firs.....

the Winnie in the woods......

Washington Parks & Recreation brass marker.....GPS?

Ahhhh....the lake. old tree roots. real old log..... I waded in....and swam. It was one of the things that I must do in the summer...so on a day of 92 degrees, we chose well.....and were at the lake.....perfect for a summer afternoon dip........

it's a 1930s New Deal CCC camp so there is a lot of natural log buildings and signs....and, quite a few stone steps to the lake from the picnic areas........Warmth and comfort that is missing from todays city parks with their cheezy "Water spray features" and corporate Subway "food" concessions.....

more pics to come......it was a gorgeous trip......warm, delicious and my goodness, the neighbors......

 and what was listed when we returned?

2 60s mod dresses..... a couple of 70s dresses......

and a pair of vintage riding boots.......by 9West, size 7.

moon and stars

crescent moon and stars are in the sky right now.......and the late summer light is lazy.

my summer hats and the flowers that make them happy......
random views....
It's the light!

right now, Orion and Sirius are putting on a show......and the moon is Crescent at 33% of full......and Venus...oh so much more here at EarthSky.org  ........ " In September 2013, you’ll find the constellation Orion, who three Belt stars make a short, straight row in the southeast before dawn. Orion’s Belt points to Sirius, the brightest star of the nighttime sky."

all my pics are taken with a Canon cheapo camera....120 bucks including shipping...and they have no photoshop, and they are, humbly she says, quite good...

 Here are 2 things we have just completed and listed in our etsy shop.......
we love making things from random salvaged  midcentury pieces and parts

a Lamp with an Edison bulb and a shoe form iron foot.......we put all the random pieces together, and  added a new cord and plug, but it's in the very vintage style.......

and the rustic industrial jadeite green metal box......now a coffee table......we added hairpin legs.....
so....store stuff inside, and no worries!

vintage red velvet chrysanthemum.......

the couch is covered in old grain sacks with nice repairs....
simple.
humble.

see.........

It's time to change the bedroom from this...........Thank you Vera! you inspired me to go all blues and greens for Summer 2013, and it was delightful.

Now I'm thinking more tawny tones and branches.....a constant theme.
The white fur headboard, the stacks of books...the rag rugs.....the aqua glass and aluminum lamp shall stay.....

here's a bedroom with my fave color, Truffle, from Ace Hardware paint selection, and birch branches.

and another........ rustic and oh so gray and white ......

and a random image from tumblr....where is it from ? who the hell knows.

Sweater Weather is on the way, but SUMMER.

There's never enough summer for me... birthday parties, outdoor bar-b-q's, weddings, vacation, camping, swimming in the lake, making backyard fires, planting tomatoes, corn and squash. Seeing all the stars in the sky with the clearest skies in a black summer night.

A packed vintage suitcase with my summer favorites --- Converse shoes, and a lot of stripe shirts!


Apples in your backyard? Apples from granny's orchard? here's a collection of neat easy recipes for Apple Butter. Cook down some tasty apples, and add spices and some sugar, and ladle into jelly jars for a jam to spread on morning toast. 

These are stuffed apples made from vintage fabrics and they are in my that yountville girl shop on etsy.


The cool weather needs some cute skirts and sweaters..... Here's a 50s reversible pleated plaid skirt in shades of blue and cream.
yes, there are 2 zippers, 2 buttons at the waist....you can wear it either way!
Read the history of reversible pleated skirts....The Turnabout from Pendleton(r) has a short history lesson here.

Skirts in my funkomavintage etsy shop......

Vintage 1986 Susan Bristol apple harvest wool sweater.....is there anything more autumn than the apple harvest with the crisp bite of  ripe apples, fun apple squeeze festivals and ....um ...applejack!

Sweaters in my funkomavintage etsy shop...

Cream and gray wool skirt with a single inverted pleat on the center front.... this adorable vintage skirt wraps and buttons closed with 2 tiny marbled buttons. The wool blend plaid is pale heather ivory, soft gray and pale tan. The front seams have hidden pockets....I love that !

Soft brown and camel stripes in a slim pencil skirt, is a breeze to wear. It has a neat cowgirl thing going on....with its pockets on the front....always  a fan  of pockets!

2 delightful vintage sweaters..... the top one is a V neck confetti pullover... and the cardigan below is a lightweight cable knit wool sweater with an Irish knit thing... going on.

 Who wears Aran Fisherman sweaters? Cool people with style, that's who!

aran sweaters


Classic snowflake pattern vintage pullover sweater,  with Scandia designs.... the modified turtleneck will keep you cozy!

When the cold breezes blow, a wool plaid pleated skirt is the perfect thing to pair with tall leather boots, wooly tights and a warm sweater! This vintage plaid skirt has full box pleats and a gray color scheme.

Fun vintage Indian Blanket sweater in desert shades of brown, sand and turquoise. It is a cool chick's wardrobe basic, perfectly swell with faded denim jeans, or with a pencil skirt and boots.

and all together now...... denim jacket, plaid skirt, and aviators! hey, this girl looks like she shops funkomavintage!

fleur here


Sometimes a vintage denim jacket adds a fun touch for a lightweight sweater and a skirt combo, for the first transitional days of summer into fall.  Here's  a Levis 70s light blue denim jacket some crafty boho chick decorated with a big piece of patchwork on the back.

Rain, thunder, and 74 degree days? yup, just carry a jacket and you can toss it on when the first rain falls, and doff it when the sun comes back out and spreads the warmth.

No need for your sweater to be boring, right?
Teddy Bear to the rescue! Vintage 80s oversize pullover in black and white bears, bows and hearts. Awwwww!