Spring is in the air! Let Time Stand Still...

 

Time to visit the E.F. Gamble Historic Home & Garden in Palo Alto, Silicon Valley.  I didn't make it in Spring so far, but I was able to stop by for a visit in January and February.  And I was able to find lots of blooming shrubs, such as Azaleas, Camellias, Rhododendron, and amazing Magnolias. The property includes a rose garden, cutting garden, formal herb garden, demonstration bed, wisteria garden, and an allée. 
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Gamble has over 50 distinct camellia cultivars or species, including Camellia japonica ‘Kumasaka’, one of the oldest camellias in continuous culture. In fact, Gamble Garden is listed on the American Camellia Society's American Camellia Trail.  

The Gamble Garden Camellia Collection has a total number of camellia plants: 61.  Miss Gamble purchased many of her camellias and rhododendrons from Toichi Domoto, a Japanese-American pioneer camellia grower and world-class hybridizer whose family had a nursery in Hayward, California. The Domotos imported camellias and azaleas from Japan in the 1920s and 1930s under perilous conditions.  In 1939, Miss Gamble purchased a Camellia japonica ‘Kumasaka.’ It is one of the oldest camellias in continuous culture. Kumasaka was clearly recorded in Japan in 1695 and thrives in Gamble Garden today. 

The small botanical garden is a non-profit education center and garden, open to the public. 

The 2.5-acre garden includes formal and demonstration gardens. 

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The Gamble Garden's Spring program includes their famous Spring Tour, and classes to help you prepare your own garden for the coming year.  Don't miss this popular Bay Area celebration, now in an all-virtual format. 
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A ticket to ‘Preview Party at Home.'  The event includes the talk with Jennifer Jewell, (Garden Writer & Editor, Radio Host) and exclusive access to Over the Garden Fence (OTGF), Silent Auction, Vendor Marketplace, and Plant Sales, all online.
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The Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden the perfect setting for your wedding ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinner, bridal shower, baby shower, day-after-wedding brunch, anniversary event, etc.

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The garden is open to the public every day during daylight hours. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. The gardens are not receiving any financial support from the (wealthy) city of Palo Alto...
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Enjoy your visit

1431 Waverly Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301 - off HWY 82 or train station Stanford

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Gourmet Spring Fruit & Veggies - in Europe

Embrace the Spring season, enjoy these favorite European spring foods

Italy: Try New Veggies

In Italian spring markets, you’ll find many familiar and many unfamiliar vegetables.  There will still be Artichokes in spring, the spiny artichokes of Sicily and Sardinia - and they will be inexpensive.  "Carciofi Spinoso Sardo", looks distinctly different from other varieties.  Also called the “edible thistle”, they date back to the ancient Egyptians.  Find these delicious fresh Artichokes from January to April. 

Try Agretti, a marsh grass that you saute in a little oil and some garlic.   Season lightly - if at all because it has a saltiness inherent in its place of birth.  Agretti is just perfect for quiches (and frittata or pasta dishes).   Native to the Mediterranean area, it can be easily mistaken for chives, but with slightly thicker and longer leaves. 

There is also Lampascione, really a specific type of hyacinth bulb that was once Cucina Povera.  It means the cooking of the poor and now has become quite trendy.  Check out the recipes and soak them well, changing the water often.   This Muscari (Muscari comosum) has an absolutely gorgeous flower, and the price from a greengrocer is a lot cheaper than one would find in a garden center.  Amazing that gardeners can choose between enjoying lovely spring flowers or food.  Reminds me of the Dutch who ate tulip bulbs during the war - which was the Dutch version of Cucina Povera. 

French Food in Spring

60 percent of France’s strawberry production is grown in the Dordogne Valley and production lies in and around the village of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne.  These wild strawberries of France are a must! Even rarer, are the strawberries grown in the Aveyron are special and ripen earlier than garden strawberries.   Sensational delicious Strawberries can be bought and tasted at Farmer Markets in early May.   The "Gariguette" is the absolutely perfect, legendary French strawberry created by those who know everything about strawberries.


UK and Germany

Asparagus Festivals are taking place in the UK and in Germany in Spring.  Late April, early May is the start of a two-month asparagus festival in the Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire in the Cotswolds.  White asparagus season in Germany and the north of Europe starts in early May and lasts until late June.  The white asparagus is grown underground.  Therefore, the white asparagus is not exposed to sunlight and doesn't produce chlorophyll.   The verdant asparagus pokes through the dirt as it grows, soaking up the sun and producing chlorophyll, which is what turns the vegetable green.  White asparagus is often accompanied by thin slices of ham, new potatoes, and sauce hollandaise.

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Enjoy these delicious European Spring dishes! 

Or grow these veggies and fruits in your own garden!