San Francisco Goodies

Recently, I went to San Francisco for the weekend with my dog Brody and dear friend Antonia. We left at noon and 6 hours of hot, dusty highway 5, 2 pee brakes and a roadside fruit stand later we were paying our toll and pushing through cars to get the green light on the Bay Bridge. It seems no matter how I plan my travel to SF I always end up delayed or rushed until I'm in perfect sync with the setting of the sun as I roll across that bridge. The deep shadows of the skyline and the haze and the fog and the silver gold sunlight on the water always make me doubt my reasons for leaving my old city.

I should have a post card or photo for that nostalgic hiccup but I don't so I'll share this Still Life With Produce moment from Niki and Tony's house where we arrived moments later.


My sister and Tony's home was cozy and inviting. More than ever their little abode was busting at the seems with life, beauty and many projects. The little guys production station....only my sister can make such a pretty mess.

Tony's strawberries. Check out the awesome container garden in the back of the house.

Saturday night we (they) had a dinner party made especially sweet by the effortless pairing of lovely people and good food. Smartly organized as a potluck Tony made mashed yams and potatoes then baked with parmesan and bread crumbs, a garden salad from his actual garden and rubarb juice for mixed drinks. He also made, more delicious bread, of course, and peppered the table with pickled condiments from his summer stock. His sister (my sister, we are family) Bridget, my cancer cohort, made collard greens (yes also from the gard... you get it) stewed with onions. I made nothing. Niki made the place warm with candles and set things right. Dusty and Brody made things hairy and extremely charming.

The table was expanded all evening by the chef's and foodies that attendended, every bite a starchy delight thankfully, and we completed the feast with Mission Pies and ice cream around a pit fire in the garden.

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And oh, you don't even know the heaven I'm in. Tony has been canning~!
I have bread and butter pickles, white vinegar pickles, cherries, strawberry lemon jam (yes, sooooo good), strawberry rubarb jam, pickled onions and more and more. You wish you you knew. Really.

The bread and butter pickles have a flavor like cornichons and they are excellent chopped up into an egg salad.

Tony lamented that he's not sure what one does with pickled onions and I'll admit right here mostly I just eat them out of the jar with my fingers but I also topped my carrot soup with them, layered them into a quesadilla with smoked tomato salsa and added them to my beet and corn salad last night.