When I was 10 years old, funerals became a huge part of my life. Our family was not large to begin with. My mom had one brother. He was the first to die prematurely, followed by my mom losing a baby at birth. My brother and sister and I were sent to live with other…
Schools Open!!!
September is when Florentines come back from their month’s vacation at the sea,the city fills with the “off-season” tourists, that have now made Florencewall-to-wall with tourists through October andfirst and foremost, school opens. Not to miss out on this experience I also am going to school, telecommuting!Several years ago took a online chocolate class through…
Volterra-Back to the Past
The best time to visit a Tuscan hill town is during one of their Medieval festivals.My own village Certaldo holds Mercantia in July , Monteriggioni has theirs in the beginning of July, but my favorite isVolterra A.D 1398, held in August yearly. This year August 19th and the 26th were the dates for the festival…
Free Figs!
our free figs One good thing about living in the countryside is that all our neighbors grow food.Some just for a hobby, others to survive. Our neighbors have a large garden and are never here.They live in the village and just come up to have dinner parties in the gardenor to harvest their olives. Yesterday…
Market to Table – Certaldo- Francesca’s Figs
Spending more time out in Certaldo, most of my best new recipes come from Francesca at the Certaldo weekly market. She only sells from her own farm and that of an aunt, so what you see is what you get. Today I saw the first figs! We picked up a whole tray of them when she…
Food: Off the Wall
One of my favorite images in Italy is when I see a car parked on the side of the road,often in the middle of nowhere.I squint my eyes and start to search for the hidden car owners. They know something I don’t; like where to get free food!Laden down with plastic bags or hand woven…
Slow Down!
America look out! Here comes Slow food Nation! Italy’s Slow Food Movement holds the Salone del Gusto in Torino. May 1-4 2008, San Francisco
Virgin gelato
ok.. you got to trust a sicilian when they talk about gelato.My friend Jasper, comes from a Sicilian family and his uncle has been making gelato for ever. I never make gelato as I live in the land of gelato….but this Extra Virgin Gelato sounds great! I think his version is from Mario Batali. here…