Red Berry Coffee Bar, I Think I Love You

Who cares if I'm down to my last few dollars until payday, I had to try the latest (and greatest) coffee place in town.  I heard about Red Berry from the people at Veggielution who sang their praises.  Apparently Red Berry donates all their coffee grounds to the grateful people at Veggielution for their worm bin.  But this is not about worm bins, it is about the best latte in San Jose.  I ordered a latte made with Barefoot beans and it was a cup of sheer bliss.  The milk was perfectly heated and foamed, giving the latte a mellow sweetness and it was rich and smooth.  The only downside (and this is more about me than Red Berry) is that it is impossible for me to wait until 9 a.m. (Red Berry's opening time on weekends) for my first cup of coffee. While I was there a gentleman ordered the Belgium waffles with fresh fruit and real maple syrup (weekends only) and so I had to wait around to see how they looked.  They looked scrumptious and smelled even better. The interior of Red Berry is luxurious but small and intimate with beautiful finishes everywhere and striking artwork on the walls. I love that Red Berry looks out onto my favorite public building, San Jose City Hall, and I love that it brings the nearest coffee place just a few blocks closer to home.

A Winter's Day at the Farm

Certainly there was plenty I could have been doing at home for the good of the cause (in terms of care and maintenance) but I wanted to be out on the Veggielution Farm today. It is wonderful to witness this enterprise, which is flourishing. It is amazing how many winter vegetables are thriving right now.  Here is a list of todays harvest.

Saturday from 10 to 12:30 is the weekend workday that is open to the public now and it consists of work like weeding, mulching, planting, thinning, cooking, and digging and harvesting.  Here is a picture of Chloe, the rescued rooster, "helping" prepare vegetable bean soup (to be eaten at the end of the work session).

The resident peacock has quite an attitude.

One night he got into the greenhouse and leveled the trays of seedlings.  Everything had to be replanted thus delaying the planting in the fields.

One of the biggest projects of the day was shoveling the compost into wheelbarrows and then onto the grounds. Check out the steam coming off the pile.

This is Stella, who gets into plenty of mischief of her own and keeps a very close eye on the rooster.