Gasping For Breath

The sky continues to be as murky as an overcast January day and the breathing ain't easy. You can see why when you look at this satellite photo from Earth Observatory at the NASA website.

The site has several mailing lists you can subscribe to for weekly updates and photos, as well as a huge archive of satellite photos. I don't know about you, but I love looking at our Big Blue Marble from space.


As most readers know, we are located just north of San Francisco, and every day is a "Spare the Air Day" this week, even though the powers-that-be have not declared them as such.

Update: The 5 o'clock news on ABC 7 says that there are now 1000 fires burning in California and the levels of particulate matter in the air is higher than recorded in years.

Testing To Not Wheeze

One of the things you have to do in la dolce vita is make sure that your hobby's don't kill you. Whether it's using the proper bacteria to make cheese, using the proper salt content to prevent botulism in cured meats, or using sulfites in wine.

Unfortunately, testing of sulfites in wine is tricky. Many of the less expensive methods on the market are frankly useless. The home wine maker is left with essentially two options. One is to send wine samples out to a lab. The other is to purchase lab equipment that can do the test properly. Sending out samples is a hassle, expensive, and time consuming (and that's for someone who lives in wine country).

So guess what I finally did:


The above picture shows the Frankenstein's lab-type equipment that must be used to do a proper test.


To do the test, air is injected into a soup of wine and phosphoric acid (left, red solution) which releases sulfur dioxide into a diluted hydrogen peroxide/indicator solution (right, purple). After 15 minutes, you then drip sodium hydroxide into the purple solution until the color changes from purple to red. Whatever the amount dripped is then multipled by 16 to give the amount of "free sulfites".

During the wine making process, potassium metabisulfite is added to the wine to increase the amount of sulfites. The sulfites preserve the wine ... the color and flavor. It's very powerful stuff and easily misdosed. For example, a 1/4 teaspoon in 5 gallons will usually equal 50 parts per million. Usually. So why not just weigh it out and use the right amount? Because when you add sulfite, "some" is immediately "used up" doing it's job, killing bad guys and removing oxidation from the wine. So the bottom line is you never really know how much "free sulfite" (an amount available to do it's job later on) will be in the wine without a test.

Why else do I care about sulfites (and why should you)? Because I'm allergic to sulfur, as are many people. I want the absolute minimum amount of the stuff in my wine .... enough to do the job and not so much that I suffer from an asthma attack. Thirty parts per million is considered the ideal amount. At these levels, if you open a bottle of wine and let it sit open for a half hour or so, most of the remaining sulfites will "blow off" into the atmosphere, leaving pure wine (which is what you should do whenever you open wine .... the so-called "breathing of wine). However, if you have up to 200 parts per million the blow off time is much much longer. And if you go beyond 200 parts per million, your wine will have a definite yucky sulfur taste.

So I test. I just hope that my club hands can handle all that glass carefully everytime I have to set up shop. Otherwise the whole magilla might get expensive.

All Fired Up

Weather problems abound in the world these days, and we are getting our share in Northern California these days. Right now, it seems like half of NorCal is on fire following last week's heat wave and dry lightening strikes. And this on top of another dry spring with more lightning predicted for this weekend.

Oy vey.

The photo above is the view from our deck on Monday.

Here is our normal view, across the valley to the coastal range that separates us from the Pacific Ocean.

I took this picture because the sun was shining under a cloud layer and illuminating the valley floor in an unusual way.

The air is horrible and smells like fire and smoke at all times. The weather guessers say that a warm-up is coming over the weekend.

Oh boy, can't wait.

Gratuitious Yard Pics

Been really busy, not a lot of blogging time. More to come. In the meantime, a few pics:

Charcuterie

It's meat time again!

My first batch of cured coppa is finally ready. The pics below show the results (seriously, click to enlarge to get the full effect):


The casing has a very nice and very thick covering of mold. The mold has a quite mild, almost creamy milk-like taste (probably because it's a lactic bacteria). The meat was dry enough to cut, but probably could have used another couple of weeks. This particular cut is a pork butt taken from one of those pig!

Mmmmmmm!

A bresaola and the salami's were all ready as well. I got out the handy slicer and went to work, cutting it all up into thin deli slices, vacuum packed and put in the deep freeze for later consumption. The bresaola is very prosciutto-like, but nearly void of any fat because it's made from a well trimmed beef eye-of-round.

Since I now have room in the curing chamber, it's time for more. I've started two more pork butts to be made into coppa's. One is the usual dry rub cure, the other is a dry rub made from the same spices used to make Gallo Salami, which is a "San Francisco" style salami. I've also made another batch of salami using the gallo recipe. Still waiting for the delivery of a pork belly, pork loin and another pork butt from my friends at Black Sheep Farms.

More to come!

It Must Be Something in the Water

The young ones left the nest a week ago, so we have an empty nest once again.....but not for long!

I was watering my Meyer lemon tree (next to the Eureka lemon that was home to nest #2) and out flies a parental unit from a brand new nest with four more eggs!

This is our 3rd nest of the season, all in the area of our deck that is protected from dog invasion. As ever, the mama or papa bird was giving me six kinds of hell from afar. You'd think they would know by now that I'm more of a guardian than a danger. The best part about this nest is that I can take pictures without disturbing any of the plants that surround the nest, so I may do a day-by-day journal.

At left, you can see parental bird on top of ornamental bird.

More later......

Something To Crow About

As promised, we went to the California Gold country to see Sheryl Crow. She was appearing at the Ironstone Winery amphitheater, a venue we had never seen before. Here's the best image I could find to give you a sense of the set up:

Ironstone is located in the middle of nowhere in a town (Murphys) with a population much less than the number of folks that fit in the amphitheater (6500). It was hot during the day, but the night cooled nicely and the venue was spaciously laid out, and quite well managed.

We arrived early, having purchased the "platinum" package that included dinner. We were introduced to the winery tasting room for wine and hors d'eouvres. The wines were pretty good, particularly if you like the more fruit forward type of wine. At dinnertime, we entered a large banquet area where we were fed salad, shrimp appetizers, filet mignon and desert. The food was "ok", and the company was terrific. We met quite a few folks from the Sacramento area who were fun concert goers of every strip.

At showtime, we were ushered out to our seats ... fourth row (thanks MsJan!). The opening act was Los Lonely Boys who were quite good.

Their feature musician, guitarist Henry Garza, was awesome. I would describe his style as something that merges Stevie Ray Vaughn with Carlos Santana. The "Boys" as they are known, kicked butt and would get a look-see from me again any ole' time.

Right at the time the sun went down, Sheryl et. al. came on stage and began their show. I'll not give a blow by blow, but it was awesome. MsJan and I both stood and danced through most of the show. I was hoarse the next day from singing. I took some pics. Pictures were not supposed to be taken, but the picture police ultimately gave up because everyone had a camera of some sort and was shooting. I was courteous enough to not use flash, thus the pictures are not all that hot. Here are a few of the best (as usual, click to enlarge):

My hero, Peter Stroud on lead guitar ....

Our vantage point. Left to right Ken Button (in back on bass) Peter Stroud (guitar), , back up singers, Sheryl Crow (guitar), Tim Smith (guitar) and Mike Rowe (keyboards) ...

Artsy fartsy shot of Peter Stroud in a typical facial expression ...

Another shot from our view ....

Henry Garza of Los Lonely Boys ....

We ran into one of our dinner mates on the way out of the concert. I asked her how she liked the concert. She said it was great, but she thought Sheryl would sing "slow songs".

Ahhhh.

No.

You go to see Sheryl Crow because you want rock n' roll played beautifully and flawlessly. They put on the best, most professional, show I've ever seen. We're considering seeing her August where she'll be at the South Lake Tahoe Harvey's amphitheater.

MsJan adds: To get a sense of what we experienced, get the "C'mon America Tour" on DVD from Netflix. This is the concert we saw in 2003. Close the windows and turn up the volume.
It was the best birthday present I've ever had the pleasure of receiving.

Killer Tomatoes

Speaking of which, here's ours mounting an attack on this under ripe lemon (or is it disguising itself to avoid attack)?

Ooops

Last night, I was in the kitchen cutting up meat (a later post). MsJan was upstairs, getting ready to come down for the night with her computer when I heard a crash.

A big crash.

And a lot of cuss words and proclamations.

I looked up in time to see MsJan's laptop computer bouncing, yes bouncing, end over end down our fourteen stairs.

All the way to the bottom.

I was expecting to see this:


Well, it didn't look like that. Upon close examination, the hard drive enclosure was slightly out of whack and a few other screws were loose. I put the hard drive back in place, tightened things down and asked MsJan to try and boot it up.

The whole time I'm thinking .... absolutely no way.

It booted. It's working just fine.

If you're in the market for a laptop. And if you are wondering about durability. Might I suggest Compaq?

Look Out!

I know I shouldn't make fun but I can't help it.

Be scared, be very scared, and don't eat those tomatoes. Or the Floridian tomatoes at any rate. After seeing the pictures of the not-even-ripe fruits on the news tonight, I was ready to give up tomatoes for good. Then I remembered the hothouse tomatoes that we get from Fulton, an intersection in the road about five miles from my house.

We have a platter of them in the kitchen and have been eating them all week and will continue to do so until the folks from Winters, CA (just over the hill in the upper Sacramento Valley) appear at the Farmers' Market just after the Fourth of July.

Yep, we eat them raw in salads, sandwiches and Insalata Caprese, and we love them.

Luckily, we live in a place where we can be mainly locavores, primarily with the exception of the wheat alternatives we use for Greyhair's breads. We are incredibly lucky to have a year-round Farmers' Market where we can get local eggs, vegetables, pork, lamb and seafood and often chickens.

Because we try to avoid imported produce, we sometimes get tired of whatever is in season at any given time, but it also makes us so happy when something comes in season.

Recommended reading:
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

Buon Apetito!

Gratuitous Dog Pictures

Or, the real rulers of the roost at La Dolce Vita. I present:

Annabel Lee Andrews also more commonly known as Gator, Gate, or the Gate.

How did such a sweet dog with such a sweet name get such a moniker? Long ago, in 1999 when she was a new arrival on the scene, our dear son Scott came over and announced that it was his job to teach her how to jump on the furniture. He then pulled a cushion off the chair for her to use as a step-stool and commenced the lessons. She learned willingly, but got in a few licks of her own (more on that later). Teething as she was, Scott got used as a chewbone during the lessons and he started calling her "The Annigator" (think Terminator) and Annabel Lector (Silence of the Lambs). Well it stuck and she was Annabel and Annie no more. The Gate is now 9 years old and still spry and still the boss. She is our 2nd million-dollar-dog having had 3 surgeries for bladder stones in addition to the usual spaying. Let's don't forget the great pancreatitis attack of '06 either. Oh, and the licking thing. Just ask any family member or friend who has overnighted at our house--she's at the ready to lick your teeth as soon as you wake up! Yummy!

Ace Andrews also known as Pally (think film noir) or Pee Pi Pally (lifts his leg anywhere).

Pally entered our lives in 2000 when Gator was 18 months old and she was not pleased with our choice. She chased poor Pally into hiding between the two cement yard schnauzers in the patio! She was so mad that she didn't speak to us for days!! Ace is the consummate lover, but we also call him our little pet slut. He will flop down for a good pet anywhere, anytime and will hound us until we submit. When Ace first went leash-walking, we had to literally drag him around the block, because he was bucking like a bronco. Now he could drag us up the hill in front of the house! No wonder the poor guy has a bum knee. Ace also has a reputation for being a bit "nervous in the service" and has had attacks of flinching and panic when the smoke alarms chirp with low batteries. Nevertheless, he is fearless in his pursuit of phantoms that appear outside at night--things like mosquitoes, flies and other things that go bump in the night in our semi-rural backyard. Did I mention that he's a bit barky?

They may not be large, but they are in charge!

Greyhair chimes in: MsJan took these pictures which perfectly capture each of their personalities.

Jammin'

Bright and early this morning, I got out Greyhair's 30 year old French canner and cooked up the huge bag of apricots we got at the Farmers' Market on Saturday. The fruit was nicer in quality that the batch I made 2 weeks ago and the result is 7 half pints of luscious apricot jam. Pure apricot jam.

One of the things we had to adjust when Greyhair was diagnosed with damn near every food allergy known to humankind was jams and jellies. Why, you say? Jams are just fruit and sugar, right? Not exactly. Most contain added pectin (contains dextrose, made from cornstarch) and many use our old friend high fructose corn syrup as the mode of sweetening.

Back in the day, I used to make jam and jelly, especially for my Dad who loved spiced peach jam and pomegranate jelly, but I hadn't for years. I got a new Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving and a rack for the canner and away I went. In February, I took the Meyer lemon crop and made Meyer Lemon Marmalade with vanilla bean and it was delish. Last month, I made two different batches of strawberry jam because it is Greyhair's favorite, so we should be set until next year when the Meyer lemons are ready again. Of course, I could be tempted by the blueberries and boysenberries that are just coming in.....

So, as my former sister-in-law, who taught me how to make preserves once said, "Just like the old days, a cup of fruit to a cup of sugar and cook it all day." Not quite, but close. Fresh fruit and pure cane sugar (C & H of course) and a few hours over the stove.

Now to make some toast!

Gas O' Lean

Appropriate for the times, and for our upcoming concert at Ironstone Winery:

Bra Salami!

Well, the big day arrived.

The salami feels "done". It's been hanging about one month at 60'F and ~70% humidity. I took the smallest one and cut into it (as usual, click to enlarge):


By the way, that cheese is "Santa Rosa Jack Cheese" made by yours truly (more on that another time). The salami's a bit wet still, probably needs another week or two. But boy is it good. The first sensation on your palate is spicy, cinnamon sweetness that is then followed with a slight amount of heat. It's one of the best spiced salami's I've had:


A little story about the name. MsJan and I recently took a class on charcuterie provided by a local cooking school, Viva!
Viva was started as a collaborative exchange with an Italian cooking school. The result is that in little ole' Sebastopol, we get classes put on by world class Italian chefs!

Our particular class was taught by two chefs from Santi, a really good Italian restaurant in Geyserville. Chefs Dino and Franco make all their own cured meats that are used in the restaurant, as well as distributing to various wineries and other restaurants. Needless to say, their stuff is fabulous.

(Dino hanging meat)

During the class, Franco told a story of "bra spice". Turns out there was an old Italian guy in Geyserville who made the most wonderful salami. Franco would visit and pester the guy for the recipe, but the old Italian would refuse to give it up. Finally after quite long number of requests the old Italian's wife said, "he's an American and he'll pester you until you give it to him .... so give it to him!" Franco was good enough to share it with us in the class and I used it in this salami. I can see why the old Italian didn't want to share. He could have made a gazillion bucks on it!

Pics Of The Day

Wine grapes are growing. Last year's wine is aging. Meat for charcuterie is curing. Gardens are growing. Kind of a slow time for stuff.

So here's another pic:

One of our other ladolcevita residents. I thought this was really cool, getting the illusion of a fish flying over the deck. Here's the larger context:

MsJan and I were sitting out with a glass of the pharmaceutical the other day playing camera. These last few pics are the results. I have a few more to put up and will do so interspersed with posts of more substance (hopefully).

Windy

It's been a bit windy in la dolce vita (click to enlarge):

We All Love Volunteers

And this one is a doozy!

I kept my beautiful pumpkins in the house until after Christmas because I loved them so. One was green, one white and one was a beautiful reddish orange. Once I composted them in January, I thought done was done.

Apparently, one of the seeds found its way into the side of the compost pile that is quietly working without being disturbed, and because it has the most fertile soil in the yard, just went crazy. This plant has tripled in size during the last week and has many blooms. Since we won't turn over the pile until early fall, we've decided to let it go and see what happens.

This picture of my container garden was taken from the same spot as the compost picture, the upper deck of the house looking down and across the Santa Rosa Valley. The pots contain: Back row L-R: tomatoes & lettuce, snap peas, lettuce, and cherry tomatoes. Front row, L-R: lettuce & spinach, Kentucky wonder green beans, eggplant & red bell peppers and cucumbers. The boxes at the bottom of the frame have elephant garlic and lettuce leaf basil.

Yummy times ahead!


"...this is the chosen spot of all this earth as far as Nature is concerned."

~ Luther Burbank, horticulturist, about his new home of Santa Rosa, California