First, a quiet morning by the crackling wood stove, sipping hand harvested lemon verbena tea. Next, an invigorating soak in the dead sea salt hot tub.
After a healthy breakfast of "green eggs," ample garden kale and collards with softly scrambled fresh eggs laid that very morning, I decided to harvest and preserve the Japanese kumquats that were at their peak juiciness. A simple syrup lightly enhanced with some coriander seed, fresh ginger, and Meyer lemon zest from our trees, provided the preserving goodness that will allow us to enjoy these little gems for the upcoming months, when everyone else has forgotten them...
Mid afternoon, and it was time to let the sheep out to pasture. Perched in our chairs, we are always amused at their antics. The four little lambs tease one another, and jump around jovially. Precociously, they venture into whatever areas their minds fancy; they are no different than little human children, and we never tire of watching them play in the sunshine. Murano glasses contain Negronis, accented with the kumquats, of course~perfect for the show.
A bit later, time for a snack. While he lit the fire by the pool, I assembled the edible accoutrements. A jar of salmon rillettes I made a few weeks ago, with fresh brioche, toasted on the top of the wood stove. And a bottle of Jacquelynn Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend from our buddy at Chateau Boswell rounded things off in a most rich and satisfying way.
All the day, in the well worn dutch oven given to me years ago by a close chef friend, the leg of lamb we smoked last weekend simmered with a jar of last year's preserved tomatoes, generous garlic and chilis, homemade lamb stock, and a montage of Rancho Gordo beans. It became dinner, served with our last bottle of our buddy Dave's Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, with a garden salad of mixed chicories.
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