"It's Chic to be an Agro-Geek" (Week 29)

I confess ..... I am sort of an Agro-Geek. I secretly listen to the Ag report on KMJ (probably because only farmers get up that early in the morning and this is when my clock alarm goes off). I think irrigating is "cool" and I personally know the thrill of a gopher hunt! Why, you may ask? I grew up on 20 acres of Thompson seedless grapes..... On my 15th birthday, my parents kept me home from school to cruise the vineyard and pick up moldy grapes from our freshly soaked raisin trays. My first "paycheck" was for tying vines and my most memorable parental punishment was pulling puncture vines! Come on...... What kid wouldn't love running through an irrigated vineyard row on a hot valley day!

I realize that I am on this blogging quest (with my fresh and local crusade).....I even have a few followers (thank you for traveling with me on my gastro-journey) BUT "food" is chic these days. When I was growing up, food was food and there were no "foodies". I laugh when I read the San Francisco Chronicle and the stories of "city folk" finding the farmers market.....really? Where did. You folks think this stuff came from all these years? Farmers! Even more. Interesting is the legion of urban farmers with their chickens, fresh veggies and such. Hurrah!! It's high time that fertilizer and mealy bugs became acceptable topics at cocktail parties and other social gatherings. God knows that, prior to the food craze, there was plenty of fertilizer being spread around.....just not th e productive sort :-)

For me, today's blog is sort of a editorial as well as a confession. Embrace your Agro-Geek! Feed it plenty of fresh, local produce. Celebrate planting and harvest. Ponder the heavy stuff like integrated pest management and GMOs. But, for heavens sake, eat up!

...and so I confess....I sit here this beautiful sunny morning eating (straight from the bag) Brittany Gold Apricots from Mizuno Farms (thank you Kevin and Greg.....I missed you while I was away). No, I have no recipe to share today. I just sat down with my tea and ate them straight from the bag. Totally fresh and delicious. I am celebrating being Agro-Geek Chic!

Enjoy!

Thought to ponder: How did my Mom and Dad (well, probably my Mom) turn my Labrador, Bissou, in to a foodie? He is perhaps the only dog I know that will BEG (seriously....with crying noises and all) for fresh peaches and apricots! He was perfectly calm this morning while I was making my tea but once he saw me half an apricot he went completely nuts.


One summer with Baba and Nono and I can no longer enjoy my stone fruit in peace......... Thanks Mom!