Fabulous Saucer Magnolias

Besides the ocean of unwanted oxalis blooming in my yard, there are plenty of signs around town that winter is ending.  On a short bike ride around the neighborhood I discovered these beautiful magnolia trees.  I figured I better capture them today before the rains move in on Friday and beat the blossoms down.

The Farm Stand is Now Open

Today and every Saturday until the end of the growing season, the Veggielution Farm Stand will be open from 2:30 to 5:30.  Right now they are selling  green garlic, beets, cilantro, rosemary, green onions, lettuce, choi sum, collards, kale, broccoli, arugula, chard, and pak choi. They sell on a sliding scale with 3 levels: 1. I can't afford to pay anything right now. 2. I can pay about what I'd pay in a supermarket and 3. I can afford to pay a little extra to support Veggielution.  I bought some fine looking arugula which I plan to use in a grilled Swiss and arugula panini. The stand is set up right in front of the Emma Prusch farm house.  

Here is some calendula growing right in front of the farm stand.  Calendula's greatest virtue is that it blooms in every month of the year. 

Keeping San Jose Beautiful

As part of the "Keep San Jose Beautiful" program, the city of San Jose has been distributing bulbs to community groups to plant every fall for the last fourteen years. Our neighborhood association requested and received bulbs this fall and they are beginning to bloom.  Here are are some my neighbor planted.

Here are some daffodils  in another neighbors yard.

And here are some paperwhites that have been blooming for weeks now.

Even with all the gloomy gray skies and rain, I can't help but feel lucky when I see my neighborhood blooming like this and read about the mid-Atlantic being pounded by snow storms.

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.

Always Something Interesting Along the River

Enjoyed a nice long walk along the Guadelupe River today and saw these colorful little flags again.  Does anyone know why they are there?

And then when we took a little side trip to check out Henry's Hi Life we peeked into a hole in the wall and saw this dazzling sight.

And then this.  Always something new to see, just around the corner.

Trade Rite Market - The Commercial Heart of Little Portugal*

Little Portugal (an area roughly bordered by King, 28th Street and Alum Rock) sits just a few blocks from where I live and yet I had never eaten traditional Portuguese food until last week when someone brought food catered by Rosa of Trade Rite Market to a meeting. We talked about Trade Rite and he recommended their breakfast burrito claiming: "You have one of Rosa's breakfast burritos and you're good for the day."  Well this morning at 8:30 I had one.  The delicious, chewy, warm tortilla was filled with tender scrambled eggs, grilled onions, and red and green peppers. I topped it with tiny, pickled red pimentos enjoyed every bite. It is now 2 o'clock and I am still not hungry.

I was really tempted to sample the Porto Lagrima which sat on the counter with tiny cups and a Santa who seemed to be encouraging me to try it, but with an alcohol content of 20% and the time of day being early morning, I decided to take a pass.

The bakery and the connected grocery store have a big selection of sardines, imported wines, religious trinkets  and Portuguese pastries. 

I don't know what those pastries on the left side of the tray are, but I know that before vacation is over I am going back for one and a cup of Rosa's espresso.

*The spiritual heart of Little Portugal is Five Wounds Church.