After my return from the Positano Italy trip during October 2019, moving from Placerville became the priority, as planned. We need a more manageable home and yard. Luckily our realtor, Scott Derkson, projected our path quickly to find a 55+ community and lovely home in El Dorado Hills. ...[Read More]
Valentina, Ida, son Luigi, Papa Vigliano. Valentina runs the hotel affairs and makes ceramics, Mama Ida cooks, makes mozzarella each morning, Papa supervises everyone, including the 2 pigs, and 2 cows that make this an authentic agritourismo farm stay. This, like so many Italian families in business, members glean continued perseverance and success from ancestorial efforts, requisitioning only the...[Read More]
Each season, the overwhelming harvest of figs makes me frantic. They are at the farmers’ market, the orphaned neighbor’s tree, and in my own yard, bursting forth on a daily basis in tantalizing shades of greens and purples. Plump and juicy they are too delicious and voluminous to be left untended....[Read More]
That’s it deer. Feast upon the summer bounty of delectable flowers, tasty shrubs and tempting trees. This year, the resident deer in the neighborhood are more than tame, coming as close as my outstretched hand, but yet to nibble from it. Several seasons ago, mama dropped her newborn in the corner of our front porch. Now, they come right to the door, and I swear, if it was open, they would walk...[Read More]
That Ubiquitous Zucchini It’s the season, they are everywhere and can be used in sautés, cakes, muffins, ragouts, stews, soups and now……..PIZZA!...[Read More]
Bill Kitagawa of Sacramento’s “Toichi Domato” bloom took third place as well as peoples’ choice in the Murer House show. Second place went to Folsom’s Jim Raines’ “Haru NoUtena.” Sonyia Noonan of Folsom took first place with her “Mathotiana Supreme” bloom. Best of show was again Jim Raines with his “Swadas Dream,” a 20-year old plant according to Raines. Last year at Murer...[Read More]
“Just days ago on Feb.16 the California almond industry celebrated National Almond Day with a big campaign to get the entire nation eating one of California’s top crops.
“Don’t limit yourself to just one nut, however. California Assembly Bill 1067 approved by the governor on July 10, 2017 made the almond, pistachio, pecan and walnut all the State Nut....[Read More]
Every winter, my boredom with the dreary weather and its indoor regimen force me into the most evil tasks. While the wind howls and the last of fall gets blown away, cabinets get scrubbed, linens get rearranged, and loads of extra wash and dry create snuggle spots for the cats. The snow begins its steady drifts and the driveway is a sheet of ice. Going out is out of the question. My spirits begin...[Read More]
The new compost bin was long in contemplation and even longer to begin. The small version of a composter–a catalog-order tumbler– had been in use for three seasons now and had to be rejected since, come each spring, it produced slightly more than a couple of buckets of compost tea. It really wasn’t made for the long haul, as they say, due to being too heavy to turn by hand once full, and...[Read More]
“Nothing is more rewarding or more practical than taking care of what gives you life.” On this premise, in 2008, Ben and Mary started farming on a small lot. They acquired a bunch of chicks, a bunch of compost they could add to, two boys, Yarrow and Alder, and began planting perennials, trees and plants. In 2012, they found “a very nice acre” to rent close by with good water, full sun and...[Read More]
Betty is a California-based writer whose work explores local history, travel, food, and the people who shape community life. Her storytelling is rooted in curiosity, culture, and real-world experience.
Stories of place, people, and culture - told with curiosity and heart - telling stories that bring places and people to life.
Betty is a Gold Country-based writer covering regional history, travel, food, and human-interest stories, with a focus on the people and traditions that define a place.