The 20lb Bird - An Amazing Roasted Turkey, Part 2

Part 1

The Brine!

Making a brine is really easy and brings a ton of flavor and moisture to the 'ol bird.  I brine my turkeys overnight and take them out around 7:00am the next morning.  Here we go:

Ingredients:

1 cup Honey Ginger White Balsamic
4 cups water
4 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves

6 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 cups sea salt

3 tablespoons tellicherry peppercorns, whole

4 whole bay leaves

5 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

4 tablespoons green onion, chopped

2 limes, peeled and juiced

2 oranges, peeled and juiced

Place everything into a pot large enough to hold everything and set it over high heat.  As soon as it comes to a boil, shut off the heat and let it cool.  That was easy!

Once the liquid is cool, place a small layer of ice in an ice chest or something else able to hold water with a lid.  Place the bird on top of the ice and pour the brine onto the bird.  Add additional water, around 2 gallons, until the bird is covered fully with liquid.  At this point, I toss in another 1/2 cup of salt.  Now, add more ice.  Be sure to add enough ice to fully cover the bird.  Close the lid and let it rest.  Double check it before you go to bed and add more ice if necessary.

The next morning, fill a sink or other container with fresh water.  Carefully remove the bird from the brine, let it drain and then place it in the fresh water.  Allow the bird to soak for about 15 minutes, then drain and pat dry.  Place it in your roasting pan and allow it to rest for another 10-15 minutes.

Next, Part 3 - putting it all together and roasting it up....

Go dtí an chéad uair eile ("until next time" - in Irish),

Jason

The 20lb Bird - An Amazing Roasted Turkey, Part 1

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but the Christmas holidays are now in full swing.  So, you might still need to cook an amazing turkey for the holidays.  Well, we've got you covered.  This year I created a new recipe for our Thanksgiving bird.  It weighed 20lbs and I wanted to make sure that it did not become dry and tough, so that required a new recipe.  I have brined turkeys many times, I have basted turkeys, I have stuffed turkeys with aromatics and I have made compound butter for turkeys in the past.  So, I wanted to do something different this year.  Therefore, I did all four.

Now, because I do not always plan ahead when it comes to photographs, I do not have photos of everything.  However, I do have step by step instructions that you can follow, and they are very easy.  I am basing all of my measurements on the average 12lb - 14lb pound turkey. You can easily adjust  up or down, depending on the size of your bird.

Step One - the clarified butter spread

Do not be intimidated by the name, clarified butter is super easy to make.  However, if you do not want to make it, you can probably find Indian Ghee at your local grocery store in the butter section and it works just as well and you can skip the clarifying steps below.  Also, if you want to use butter and not clarify it, you can do that as well, just skip the clarifying steps below.

Ingredients:
2 sticks (8 oz.) butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons garam masala
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons salt  - a quality sea salt is great
1 tablespoon pepper (ground) - Tellicherry Peppercorns are awesome

1. Place 8 ounces of unsalted butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  As the butter melts, it will start to separate.  Monitor it closely, we do not want it to burn or darken too fast.  If it is, lower the heat.  Once the butter is fully melted, skim away the white foam on the surface.  This is the milk solids.  Save them, we will use them later.  The clear, yellowy liquid is the fat we want to use.  Do not worry if you are not able to get 100% of the white solids, it is fine.  Now, gently pour the skimmed yellowy liquid into another sauce pan.  You will notice that there are some solids in the bottom of your sauce pan, try and not pour them into your new pan.  Once this is done, add your milk solids back to the original pan and place it over low - medium heat and let it slowly darken.  Once it is a nice brown color, turn of the heat and place the liquid in a container to cool, before putting it in the refrigerator.

2. The yellowy, skimmed liquid we placed in the other pan, is the butterfat, minus the milk solids.  This is what we are going to flavor. Place the pan over low-medium heat and add the following; garlic, garam masala, ginger, green onion, salt and pepper.  Allow the mixture to heat for 10 minutes and then remove it from the heat. Pour it into a container and allow it to cool before placing it in the refrigerator.  

This butter can be made 2-3 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator until it is needed.

Up next, Part 2 - how to make the brine and how to brine the turkey....

Ciao,
Jason

TSTC Culinary Institute Restaurant

I promised that I would provide information on our dinner at the TSTC Culinary Institute Restaurant over two weeks ago and have failed to fulfill my promise.  You too can enjoy this experience while it last, it is over next Wednesday, by going to this link and making a reservation.  It is a great time with great food and it gives the students invaluable experience.  

Our Dinner: 

[Not pictured is the Moroccan Chicken sauteed with Apricots and Olives, served on a bed of Pearled Couscous with Green Beans and Carrots.  I think we ate it too fast to take a photo. :-)]  

Corn Chowder with Smokey Bacon & Red 

Potatoes, topped with Chipotle Crusted Tobacco Onions.

Avocado, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Red Onion 

and Butter Bibb Lettuce, topped with  

Poppy Seed Vinaigrette.

Filet Mignon au Poivre with Brandy Pan Sauce,
Rosemary Mashed Potatoes and Haricot Verts.

Ginger Creme Brulee.

Chocolate Pot de Creme.

A little bit of chicken fried...

The other night we had a little chicken fried venison.  We also had rosemary potatoes, glazed carrots, caramelized onions, pan gravy and tomato and avocado salad.  For this post, I am going to focus on the chicken fried venison.  In later posts, I will address the sides.  

What is chicken fried?  Amazing goodness, that's what it is!  Take a meat, bread it, fry it and enjoy.  It is most associated with chicken, but you can bread and fry anything.  Trust me, have you been to the State Fair lately.  

The great thing about chicken fried "insert meat here" is that it is not fussy.  Just plain good.  So, how do I make chicken fried venison you ask.  Here's how:

Ingredients

1.5lbs venison cube steak - cut into equal portions 

3 cups flour

2 eggs

4Tb roasted garlic pieces

2Tb salt

2Tb fresh cracked pepper

2Tb smoked paprika

1Tb dried thyme

1 cup buttermilk

Olive Oil

Place the steaks in a shallow container and cover with the buttermilk. Allow the steaks to soak for 10 - 15 minutes.  While the steaks are soaking, place 2 cups of the flour in a shallow container and mix in the roasted garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and thyme.  You can use a fork to stir it all together and make sure it is evenly distributed throughout the flour.  In another dish, crack both eggs and whisk them together.  In one more dish, place the remaining cup of flour.  

Get ready to have some fun.  

Pour the olive oil into a skillet to a depth of around 1/4".  Place the skillet on a medium high burner and heat the oil.  Once the oil is hot enough to fry, it is time to begin the process.  Remove the steak from the buttermilk and remove the excess buttermilk from the steak.  You may have to work in batches depending on the size of your steaks.  Place the steak in the unseasoned flour and coat all sides.  Make sure to knock off any excess flour and then place it in the egg.  Coat all the sides with egg.  Remove the excess egg and place the steak in the seasoned flour. Coat all sides.  Remove the excess flour and place the steak in the heated olive oil.  Allow the first side to brown and then flip the steak to brown the other side.  When both sides are done, remove the steak to a paper towel covered plate to drain.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the still hot steak.  Repeat the previous steps until all of the steak has been fried.

You can make your own roasted garlic or you can buy roasted garlic at cordell's.  If you do not want to use roasted garlic, you can use garlic powder.  However, I prefer the roasted garlic.  

You may find that you need to add additional olive oil to the skillet if you have quite a few pieces to fry.  This is okay, just add more and allow it to heat up and keep frying away.

If you do not have venison or do not want to eat venison, feel free to substitute beef, pork or chicken.  Just follow the same steps and have fun.  

Once your are finished frying, reduce the heat to low and do not throw out the oil.  We will use it to make a really awesome gravy.  That is a later post though.

"And a little bit of chicken fried
A cold beer on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up"

 - Zac Brown Band

Road Trip: Brennan Vineyards

A couple of weeks ago, after we closed on a Saturday, we headed down to Comanche to visit Brennan Vineyards.  We were meeting up with some friends who have been there before and they were serving as our unofficial tour guide.

The trip was well worth it. Dr. and Mrs. Brennan were extremely nice and a ton of fun.  They are very laid back and extremely funny.  The wines were great and their Viognier is amazing.  They allow you to taste six wines, plus the wine of the month. 

We had a great time and we encourage everyone to head down to Comanche to see them.  Just not on Mondays, they are closed.  Smart people. :-)  

Until next time....   

1st Annual Abilene Beer Summit

We are excited to announce that we are one of the sponsors for the 1st Annual Abilene Beer Summit.  It will be held on Saturday, September 22nd, 2012 at Frontier Texas from 2:00pm - 6:00pm. Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased at cordell's starting tomorrow morning (Friday, August 24th).  

Your ticket provides you access to the event, live music by the Callahan Divide Band and eight (8) sample cups for tasting the specialty beers on hand.  There will be more than 20 specialty beer brewers represented and you can buy additional tastings for $1.00 each.  You can also enjoy live brewing presentations at 2:45pm and 4:45pm provided by the Big Country Homebrewers Association.

The Summit benefits New Horizons.  "New Horizons is committed to taking kids who have experienced the highest level of trauma due to abuse and neglect and offering hope and healing in great expectation of a better future."  

So, come out on Saturday, September 22nd and enjoy a great event and help a very worthy organization.  It should be a great time.

Come by and get your tickets soon!  We have a feeling they are going to go fast.

Bonterra Blu Closing - But Not Gone

As many of you have probably already read, Bonterra Blu is closing its restaurant to the public.  They will continue to cater, host parties, teach cooking classes and operate the Gypsy Blu food truck, but they will no longer operate the restaurant.  Joel and Trish created a wonderful bistro in Clyde and it will be missed.  However, luckily for us, they will still be around, just in more private settings.

Be sure to wish them good luck and let them know that they will be missed.  But most importantly, be sure to let them know that you admire their decision to put family above everything else.  We greatly respect their decision and know that it must have been hard.  We wish Bella the best and hope that she and her family will continue to be successful and enjoy what they do.    

 

It has been a while...

Well, it has been a while since our last post....sorry. :-(

Never fear though, we have plenty of new content on the way.  We have some road trips planned, some new recipes, new products and businesses to discuss, so you may be tired of us soon. :-)

We took some time off the last few weeks from the blog, just to recharge our batteries.  However, during that time, we kept creating new recipes and trying new things.  Those will be showing up soon.

As summer winds down and school begins to start, we are getting wound back up.  See you soon!!

Ciao.

July 12, 1997 - 15 Years and Counting!!

Today is a really special day at cordell’s.  We are celebrating fifteen (15) years.  Not the store, but Joy and I.  Fifteen years ago today, we said “I do.”  I know what you are thinking, “I did not know that 10 year olds were allowed to marry?”  Well, we were very mature for our age and plus we knew a guy. 

You see, way back in the summer of ’94 (kind of like the Summer of ’69, but without the sweet Bryan Adams soundtrack); we came from different sides of the tracks.  She was sophisticated and I was, well….a guy.  She was a Cooper Cougar and I was a Wylie Bulldog.  But love knew no boundaries and we were destined to be together.  Mix Cooper’s red and blue and you make Wylie’s purple.  Sixties pop music was the soundtrack to our lives. 

Okay, that is a little too Nora Ephron. 

The truth is, I was a soon to be Senior at Wylie and she was a soon to be Junior at Cooper and we met at church.  I called her on my break from work one day to ask her out, but she had to babysit.  BURN!!!  At least it wasn’t; “I have to wash my hair”.  However, she quickly offered a different day and said yes.  Our first date was a double date to see the Lion King and eat at Chili’s on August 26, 1994.  Yes, the first time Lion King was in the theaters, not the most recent re-release or the musical, the original.  Also, vampires were mean; they attacked people and did not keep diaries.  But I digress.  We dated through high school and into college.    

Fast forward to July 12, 1997 at 2:00 in the afternoon; she walked down the aisle and said “I do”.  By the way, she really did say “I do”, we have witnesses.  That day began a 15 year journey.  We have had ups and downs, but mainly ups and have been blessed beyond what we deserve.  Despite my amazing charisma and charm, she has stood by my side and as she says; “we make a pretty good team.”   

A little over 14 months ago, we embarked on a new phase of our life and I am excited to see where it leads.  If it is anything like the past 15 years, it will be one great ride.    

      

Today we celebrate 15 years.  Feel free to stop by and congratulate Joy or offer your condolences, whichever seems more appropriate. 

Until next time….  

4th of July!

We would like to wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July tomorrow.  We hope you enjoy spending it with your friends and family.  

Happy 4th of July!!!

Pizza sauce...made easy!!

We are often asked if we use pizza sauce on our homemade pizzas. Yes.  What do you use for pizza sauce?  Well, we mainly make our own. How do you make yours?  Funny you should ask, here are a couple of very simple recipes we use:

Tomato Puree (Passata) Base

Ingredients:

One jar of Tomato Puree (Passata) 

Sliced Garlic

Fresh Basil

Fresh Oregano

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

In a large sauce pan or skillet over medium heat, heat up some olive oil and toss in the sliced garlic.  Cook the garlic until it starts to turn golden.  Now pour in the puree (Passata).  Be careful, the water in the puree may pop when it comes in contact with the hot oil.  Stir to combine and let cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Toss in the fresh basil and oregano.  You can use dried if you do not have fresh.  Stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Check the flavor and add more basil and oregano if you like.  Also, you can add some red pepper flakes or dried chiles to add some heat.  Cook the sauce for another 5-10 minutes.  Once ready, add it to your pizza or allow it to cool and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.  

Whole Peeled San Marzano Tomato Base

The ingredients are the same as the puree recipe, just replace the puree with Whole Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes.  You can leave the tomatoes whole when adding the whole can to the olive oil and garlic and break them with your spoon as they cook.  You can crush them with your hand while they are still in the can and then add them to the sauce pan.  You can pour the can into your blender and blend them into puree and then add the puree to the olive oil and garlic.  However you prefer to do it, the San Marzano tomatoes bring amazing flavor to the sauce.

Very Quick and Easy Pizza Sauce

Simply pour some tomato puree (Passata) onto your prepared pizza dough and spread it out.  Throw on some chopped garlic, salt, pepper, fresh basil and then top with you other toppings and bake.  Simple, but delicious.

Hopefully these three quick recipes give you a starting point to create your own pizza sauce.  Remember, making pizza is fun and very creative.  So, keep your sauce simple, full of flavor and get creative. Have fun.

Come by and get almost everything you need for pizza in one stop. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, cheese, pizza dough, San Marzano Tomatoes, tomato puree (Passata), red pepper flakes, dried chiles, bruschetta, artichokes, mushrooms and so much more.  Have some fun this weekend and for the 4th!!

Ciao.

Rancho Loma

This trip was not necessarily a road trip, because we had a 7:00pm reservation, but it did involve us driving about an hour, so a road trip it is!

On Saturday, we headed to Rancho Loma for the first time.  We have heard so many wonderful things about it and were extremely excited to try it out.  Let me simply state, they did not disappoint.  It was fantastic.  We had a wonderful and relaxing evening.  The grounds of the property are beautiful, the restoration of the old farm house is meticulous and excellently done.  Robert and Laurie have done an amazing job.  

We were greeted by Robert upon our arrival, and he poured us a glass of wine that we enjoyed next to the pool.  He explained the night's menu and told us to take our time and enjoy our surroundings.  When we were ready, we simply went inside, were seated at our table and dinner began.  Dinner consisted of five courses.

The first course was fresh Burrata cheese with fresh cherry tomatoes, micro greens, pine nuts, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  It was outstanding.  The Burrata was lovely and the fresh tomatoes were perfectly ripened.  The second course was a spicy grilled quail with a pomegranate reduction.  This is where our wine really began to shine.  It paired perfectly with the spicy quail.  The third course was a ricotta gnocchi with sweet corn and mushrooms.  The gnocchi was pillowy soft and extremely flavorful.  The fourth course was Akaushi New York Strip. It was phenomenal, cooked to perfection and almost melted in your mouth.  The handmade potato chips were excellent and the bed of whipped potatoes and the compound butter took it to the next level.  Our final course was to be milk chocolate Pots de Creme.  However, we were informed that we were receiving a special dessert.  Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised.  I wish I had written the name of the dessert down, because I cannot remember it now.  However, it was amazing!  It was made with chocolate and olive oil and had an espresso mousse and chocolate drizzle on the side.  They also served us illy coffee.  It was tremendous.  Laurie's menu and execution were outstanding.  We were stuffed, but extremely happy!  Joy commented that I was smiling a lot!


After dessert, we continued to enjoy our coffee at our table and then went for one last walk around the grounds.  It was dark, but very peaceful.  Their new guestrooms are wonderful, and we hope to be able to stay in one in the near future.  We enjoyed their vegetable garden and their barn.     


We were there about 3.5 hours and could have stayed longer, but we needed to drive back to Abilene.  When you make your reservation, your table is yours for the whole evening.  This allows you to simply relax and enjoy the evening.  The staff is very friendly and attentive to your needs.  


Rancho Loma is a wonderful experience all the way around.  If you have not had a chance to try it, we highly recommend you do.  You will not be disappointed.  Tell them cordell's sent you.  


Until next time...
___________________________________________________________




  




Rancho Loma
2969 CR 422
Talpa, TX 76882
325-636-4556

       

AbileneCrave.com

We are excited that our first recipe has appeared on AbileneCrave.com. Be sure and check it out.   

Hot Dogs, Pizza and Farmers...

Last night after we closed the store, we moseyed on down South 14th to visit the guys at Beastro Pizza and Shortbus Hotdogs.  We have been wanting to try them for a while now, but because it is hard for us to get away at lunch, we've been missing out.  However, they are now parked at their Abilene Food Truck Court on South 14th (across from Subway) in the evenings starting at 6:00pm.  

Beastro Pizza

Shortbus Hotdogs

We ordered the Buffalo Chicken Pizza from Beastro and the Lunch Lady and the Substitute Teacher from the Short Bus.  All of our food smelled wonderful and the guys were extremely nice.  We took ours to go, but they have tables outside and a few inside, if you would like to stay and eat.

All I can say, is great job guys!!  We enjoyed our pizza and dogs and we will be back to try other offerings from their menus.  If you have not had a chance to check them out, we encourage you to do so.  You can check out their Facebook pages (Shortbus, Beastro) daily to find where they will be for lunch.  If you can't do lunch, do like we did and go see them at dinner.  

We are definitely going back!   

Farm Fresh

Have you been to the Farmer's Market the last couple of weeks? Unfortunately, we have been unable to make it yet, but we are really looking forward to going soon.  The market is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays during the summer at sunrise.  It is located in the parking lot across the street from Frontier Texas.  You will need to arrive early, because they sell out by 9:30am most mornings.

Each week will bring more and more variety as more fruits and vegetables begin to ripen.  If you need a weekly reminder, we can help you get signed up for a weekly email from Joy Hedges at Slowpoke Farms.  She and her husband (Kerry) are mainstays at the market and send out a weekly email of what's happening at their farm and what they are bringing to the market on Saturdays.  

If you would like to begin receiving a copy of their email, send us an email and we will forward you the information.  Plus, you can reserve or order in advance from them via email.  

We hope you get a chance to explore the market and eat at the food trucks.

Until next time...

Some gave all...

And I'm proud to be an American

where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the ones who died

who gave that right to me,

And I gladly stand up next to you

and defend her still today,

'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land

God Bless the U.S.A.

- Lee Greenwood

This weekend is the official start of summer for most of America.  We will celebrate on the lake, at the pool, floating the river or at home with friends and family.  We will enjoy hotdogs, hamburgers, barbecue, potato salad, cole slaw, beer, soda and a host of other foods and drinks.  We will laugh, brag, cry, argue and play.  We will sleep until noon, eat often, and go to bed way too late.  Hopefully it will be a great holiday weekend, celebrating a little piece of who we are and why we love our country.  The freedom to be ourselves, eat what we want, go where we wish, and enjoy life how we desire. 

However, these freedoms did not come without sacrifice.  Some of you are sacrificing right now.  Some of you are men and women of our Armed Forces on active duty and reserve.  You are stationed around the world, or you are lucky to be at home, but always one phone call away from harm’s way.  Some of you are wives and husbands of these brave men and women, and you hold down the fort while they are gone.  Some of you are parents and children, and you pray every day for their safe return.  Some of you have served your country in the past, some of you retired from the military, and some of you were wounded.  To all of you, we say thank you.  Thank you for your service, thank you for your sacrifice, thank you for being willing to go when called.

"All gave some and some gave all
And some stood through for the red, white and blue

And some had to fall

And if you ever think of me

Think of all your liberties and recall

Some gave all"

- Billy Ray Cyrus

Many have made the ultimate sacrifice.  Many have given their life so that we can be free.  To those men and women, we wish we could say thank you.  We wish we could let them know how grateful we are and how humbled we are at their sacrifice, but we cannot.  However, we can say thank you to their families.  To the wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and parents of those who have given their life, thank you.  Your father, mother, husband, wife, brother, sister, son or daughter were willing to go when called and made the ultimate sacrifice and they will not be forgotten. 

So, on this Memorial Day 2012, celebrate the best way you know how.  Enjoy the weekend and have fun.  Just take a minute to remember those who have sacrificed and those who continue to sacrifice.  And if you meet one of our brave men and women or their families, be sure to tell them thank you.  They deserve it.

Happy Memorial Day!  Stay safe!!  

What's New!

It's a great day for cordell's today.  We have two new vinegars and one new olive oil.  

Our new Alfoos Mango White Balsamic is sweet and delicate, but brings the mango.  If you like mango and heat, try our new Alfoos Mango White Balsamic with our Harissa Olive Oil.  The Serrano Honey Vinegar is made with 100% honey and adds a great kick to all your dishes.  Try it in cole slaw or salsa to make them a little more special.  Our new Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil is begging to be used on pizza, roasted vegetables or drizzled over slow roasted or braised meats.  The herbs and citrus zest blend beautifully with this oil.  

Just in time for summer, these new vinegars and oil will help you take your barbecues, picnics, cookouts or family dinner to the next level. Come in and check them out.

Alfoos Mango White Balsamic

Condimento  

  

Our Alfoos Mango White Balsamic Condimento pairs exquisitely with our Persian Lime Olive oil.

Also fantastic with shrimp, scallops,

salad and in salsas for a tropical,

sweet-tart twist! 

The Alfoos mango cultivar is considered

by many to be one of the best in terms

of sweetness, richness and flavor.

Handcrafted Artisanal Serrano Honey Vinegar

Our 2008 Sofi™ Silver award-winning, artisan Serrano Honey Vinegar is sweet, tart, spicy and made from 100% honey.

Amazingly complex, makes a great addition

to salsa, Ceviche, Bloody Marys & shrimp. Delicious drizzled over sliced tomatoes and

fresh mozzarella cheese.

Add to dressings for leafy green,

potato, pasta and rice salads. Toss with sliced strawberries and a grinding of black pepper

for a delicious dessert.

Can be used in place of traditional

grape-based vinegar. Sulfite-free!

Country Of Origin: USA

Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil

Gremolata is a traditional Italian herb

condiment consisting of fresh lemon zest, minced garlic, Italian flat leaf parsley & a hint of mint.

The herbs and citrus zest are typically crushed together in a mortar to release their pungent essential oils.

Try finishing your fish with this exciting flavor combination. 

It is also traditionally served with, osso buco, veal & other slow braised dishes to add a zip of flavor. We also recommend our Gremolata for marinating poultry, in dressings, and paired beautifully with our Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Condimento, Jalapeno White Balsamic Condimento,  or Traditional

Style Condimento.

Garden Time...follow-up.

As promised, here are some photos of our garden (two weeks ago).  It is slowly taking shape this Spring and we are very excited and hopeful of what is to come.  Last year's drought, high temperatures and Easter Sunday hail storm did a number on our garden.  It needs a fresh coat of paint and some more weeding, but it is coming along.  

We have really enjoyed your questions and feedback about our garden and we welcome more.  Do not hesitate to ask any questions or provide any tips.  Have fun!

Looking south in the garden.

Looking north.

Winter vegetables.

We have two apple trees, a nectarine and a plum.