More Flowers by Aunt Anna

She's done it again! More beauties!

Aren't they pretty? My favorites are the pink garden roses next to the white hydrangeas.

Peach Rose Geranium Jam

Remember the peaches? This is what my mom and I turned them into:

We used this recipe, with a few modifications, as written below. The jam was delicious!


Perfectly Simple Peach Preserves
adapted from June Taylor via Married with Dinner

3 pounds pitted and peeled ripe peaches, rinsed, dried, and cut into bite-sized pieces
10 oz white sugar
2-1/2 T lemon juice
2 or 3 sprigs of rose geranium

4 8-oz canning jars and lids



Prepare canner, lids, and jars according to the usual method; keep jars hot until needed.


Toss together the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and let sit, covered, overnight to allow the peaches to soften and release their juices.


Remove the rose geranium sprigs. Transfer the macerated fruit and juices into a heavy, wide stainless-steel or copper pot, and bring to a boil, stirring as necessary. After the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer; stir frequently to distribute the mixture and prevent burning.


Actual cooking time will vary depending on the fruit’s moisture level and the speed of your simmer. Most batches are done at between 20 and 25 minutes; you don’t want to simmer longer than 30 minutes or the sugars will begin to caramelize.


As the mixture approaches a sauce-like consistency, stir constantly to prevent scorching. To test for proper gel, use the saucer test or watch for the liquid to sheet off the edge of a metal spoon.


When the preserves have reached the proper set, remove from the heat. Working quickly, ladle into hot prepared jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as needed. Wipe rims and center lids on jars; screw band to fingertip-tight.


Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely submerged. Bring to a boil and process jars for 10 minutes with the canner lid on. When time is complete, remove canner lid and turn off heat; wait 5 minutes, then remove jars. Cool, check for seals, and store in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
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60 California Adventures

So over the years, we've realized that we take poor California for granted. I have never been to Yosemite. Brandon has never seen the Hollywood sign. I know, we have it pretty rough. But ever since I moved away from California in 2004, I have seen the light and realized that amazing things were just a drive away in my home state.

We moved back to the Golden State (not to be confused with the Sunshine State - we are not Gators!) two years ago, but between deployment and a new baby, we haven't really tackled our travel goals. So, we have decided to attack this problem systematically. We will live in Ventura County for two and a half years. We plan two weekend/day trips a month - which gives us 60 weekends. We will probably alternate day trips with weekend trips.

Here's our initial California to do list - please feel free to add suggestions in the comments! All sports-related trips are Brandon's ideas, just in case that wasn't obvious to those who know me. With a few exceptions, I haven't been to any of these places. And to keep us moving - I will give a monthly update on our progress through this list. Some of these will be combined - obviously we won't drive to the Hollywood sign and then turn around.

1. Los Angeles Dodger game at Dodger Stadium

2. San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Park

3. Yosemite

4. Disney Concert Hall

5. Disneyland

6. Hollywood Sign

7. Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory

8. Camp in Big Sur - anywhere

9. Hearst Castle

10. Napa Wine Country (maybe in conjunction with a visit to Adair Valley?)

11. Channel Islands

12. Ojai

13. Palm Springs

14. Santa Barbara Biltmore Four Seasons

15. Lotusland in Santa Barbara

16. Catalina

17. Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve

18. Eat at Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles

19. Glamp at Treebones Resort in Big Sur - yurts

20. The Huntington Library and Gardens, San Marino

21. The Winchester Mystery House

22. The Monterey Bay Aquarium

23. The Dennis the Menace Park

24. LACMA. Admittedly inspired by this: http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail/la/9895

Booze-spiked milkshakes? Peach hand pies? Coffee? Yes please!

Adair Valley

Well, actually it was Sonoma, but to us, Sonoma is synonymous with visiting George and Laura Adair and their two sons. Of course we went wine tasting. Our first stop was Armida. Here we are in the tasting room, after happily drinking some nice wine and admiring the view of the Sonoma Valley. Isn't that view amazing?

Here's Paige, lounging in the tasting room, after some serious running outside with her new friend Austin. She was talking about him for days afterward. We went to Healdsburg after that and Brandon and I were talked into joining the La Crema wine club while at their tasting room. We do not regret it and have been drinking their delicious chardonnays and rose since. The La Crema people were also quite nice about Paige's shenanigans, so of course they get brownie points for that. Or at least wine sales.

We also did a little duck-feeding on the way to the Adairs, in a town that we were later told is the meth-capital of Northern California. That explained a few things about the other people at this park.

We had a fantastic time with the Adairs, who are awesome hosts and good friends. I wish we lived closer. But we'll always have Adair Valley.

And yes, I am taking over a month to chronicle a week's road trip. Have I mentioned I work full time and have two kids? :) Here's where we started.

Southern Oregon

After Buena Vista, we hit the road to start the journey towards Southern California. Not that we were rushing. We planned to overnight in Ashland at Callahan's Mountain Lodge, a ridiculous log cabin inspired hotel in the Siskiyous. But first we had a few stops to make.

I read on Yelp that the David and Harry factory store in Medford was impressive, but to be honest, it wasn't that fantastic. It was nice, but it was essentially a high end grocery store with lots of imported produce. I was expecting more fruit from Oregon. Maybe we missed something. Nonetheless, we bought some nice peach bread and then continued on to our next stop, which was the Rogue Creamery.

And it was glorious. And there was a wine tasting room next door. And a chocolate shop. The cheese wine chocolate trifecta. I was in heaven. The Rogue Creamery specializes in blue cheese and wins international awards. Brandon and I bought cheese, wine and chocolate to munch on in her hotel room. I also bought a ton of chocolates to give as gifts (chocolate covered lavender caramels, chocolate covered dried pears, etc).

McGrath CSA and Ventura County Tidbits of Info

Yum! This is the contents of our weekly CSA box from McGrath Family Organic Farm.

Flowers by Aunt Anna

All my favorite flowers (hydrangeas, sweet peas, tuberose, peonies, and roses) in one place, courtesy of my Aunt Anna and her wonderful florist skills!

Buena Vista

This post is mostly pictures, as my aunt's home and yard are so beautiful.  She lives on five acres in Buena Vista, Oregon.  She is a teacher, but in her spare time, she tends her flower business, Buena Vista Flowers.   And by spare time, I mean the 16 hours that she isn't working as a teacher.  Seriously, she was out until ten o'clock one night working in the yard. Brandon and I felt lazy, as we watched her from our bedroom window, ready for bed.

The sign above is outside her shop.  My aunt specializes in cut flowers and sells her flowers from her shop on the honor system or through special order.  I find it amazing that she prepares beautiful bouquets, places them in her shop, and leaves them unattended for customers.  Here's my aunt cutting peonies from the many rows:

Here's some beautiful yarrow:

Paige loved wandering the flower beds.  See the delphiniums in the back?  Can you imagine having that many beautiful flowers at your disposal?

Here's Paige and my Aunt back in the peonies:

It was hard to get pictures that didn't involve my Aunt working:

But I eventually succeeded.  This is my favorite.  At Paige's baby shower, which my Aunt Michelle hosted, the favors were little pink tins filled with dianthus seeds.  I still have several of them - I know I should have planted them, but I wanted to save the favor.  And it would have made me sad to plant them and then leave, as I would eventually do since we move so much.  A few people at the shower admitted they didn't have green thumbs and gave their seeds to my Aunt Mary.  She started flats and flats of them and then planted them around her shop.  She and Paige are in front of them.  They are the low-growing pink and white flowers.   I had never seen so many at once.  I love that those favors went from a fabulous shower in Orange County three years ago to their current state of prolific bloom at my Aunt's house in Oregon.

Jam Country

Once we left Portland, shakes in hand, we headed south to my aunt Mary's house in Buena Vista. We realized about twenty minutes into our forty minute drive that both girls were asleep and that if we took the direct route, the girls would only have a twenty minute nap. So, we decided to take the scenic route through some wine country via Carlton. I'd read about a jam shop in Carlton called Republic of Jam and figured I could buy some Oregon jams as hostess gifts, since we'd be seeing friends and family on our drive.

We passed through McMinnville and wound into the country, seeing filbert orchards, vineyards, big hills of evergreens, and damp pastures. The Hotel Vintage Plaza , where we stayed in Portland, included a nightly wine reception and rooms named after Oregon wineries. So we were excited to drive past Monks Gate Vineyard which was the name of our room. If we didn't have sleeping children with us, I'm sure we would have stopped for a taste or three.

In Carlton, I jumped out of the truck and walked into a little main street shop for the jam. The store was lined with seemingly all varieties of jam. The owner came over and explained her jam philosophy - less sugar, more fruit for a jam that is more of a spread. I picked marion berry, raspberry rhubarb, rhubarb rosemary, and pickled limes. All were very Oregonian in nature, except the limes. But the limes were interesting and I though maybe someday I'd make my own using limes from our tree in San Diego.

We then continued on to Buena Vista to see my aunt.