Best Picnic!

 

Looks like the perfect makings for a picnic!  

Love to picnic and I seem to collect picnic gear when I travel.

Our best picnics:

1. Sneaking into the vineyard and having a picnic in between the vines in Napa.

2. Picnic Dinner on the Siene at sunset while watching the Tour Eiffel light up.

What's yours?

Shop: The Nest San Luis Obispo, Ca

This past weekend I was able to get away for a short girls trip to the Central Coast of California.  I had a chance to do a little shopping.  The Nest is one of my favorite stores to visit when I am in the Central Coast.  They have a fun mix of Vintage and new items.  I can always find a wonderful gift for my hostess!  Next time you are in town you will have to pay them a visit.  The store is in a fabulous old building that was built in 1874.

The Nest

800 Palm Street

San Luis Obispo, Ca 93401

805 594 1942

images by Christina for My Sparrow

The Farmer's Market and Heirloom tomato and Cucumber salad..

Sorry for the lack of posting here this week.. it has been really busy

around here! So on my last visit to Nipomo we had a chance to visit the San Luis Obispo Saturday morning farmer's market and oh did they have some great veggies! This is a great Farmer's market with amazing fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and baked goods. I highly recommend it.

These are the coolest beans I have ever seen- not sure of the name but so pretty! This farmer had the best salad fixings, he will put together a grouping of fresh greens for you that is to die for. Just tell him what you like and he will make you a bag that will last many meals for just $5.00.

Amazing flowers!




The biggest artichokes I have ever seen!

Cool pumpkins- I bought a bunch of the cutest little white pumpkins from her with all of the cute little curly cues on them.

Now for the good stuff- the Heirloom tomatoes..

My Aunt Carol made the best Heirloom tomato and cucumber salad I have ever had. I loved it (that is saying a lot because I am not typically a fan of the tomato!)

So I thought I would share the recipe with you...


Aunt Carol's Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber salad

2 oz. Garlic Red wine vinegar
3 oz. Good olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
fresh pepper (to taste)
fresh basil cut thin (to taste)
fresh cucumber peeled and sliced thin


Use a variety of tomatoes
We used:
yellow pear tomatoes
zebra green tomatoes
and orange and red heirloom tomatoes
Clean and cut bite size

Stir Cucumber and Tomato with dressing and serve

Find out about all of the Central Coast farmers markets here..

My Sparrow - stylish responsibility

Rutiz farm stand, raspberries and engraved pumpkins..

One of my new favorites in the Central coast is Rutiz Family Farms! This is an amazing little stand on the side of The Pike in Arroyo Grande. They have fresh fruits and vegetables grown pesticide free for sale, they also offer harvest boxes, U-pick raspberries and strawberries. U-pick is my favorite activity when we visit... fresh berries that you choose yourself to make the best salads, jams and spreads. Yumm! Rutiz farms also offers a fun treat for the family, you can go out into the pumpkin patch and engrave on your own pumpkin! You engrave on the pumpkin while it is still on the vine and give it time to "heal" then come back and take it home. So cool.

We had the opportunity to talk with Carol from Rutiz and Old Willow farm who makes oodles of hand engraved pumpkins each year that she sells at the Remnants of the Past Show. She was super sweet and nice enough to let us take a bunch of pictures. So like I said if you are in the area you should definitely stop by the farm and the show to enjoy the bounty of goodies that they have! Don't forget to stop by the Remnants of the Past show this coming Saturday!

My Sparrow - stylish responsibility

Making our way to the Central Coast with a stop at The Cheese Shop in Santa Barbara..

So I said I would tell you all about my trip to the Central Coast this fall... well this is just the beginning!!

On our way up we made a pit stop of sorts... We hit The Cheese Shop in Santa Barbara, it is in the out door mall area on State Street... Umm yummy!! We got a cheese plate with a baguette and a bottle of wine- one of my favorite snacks or meals depending on the day. They have my most favorite cheese there- Midnight Moon and we had a fabulous bottle of wine, Ojai Sauvignon Blanc with it. They have a wonderful selection of wines and cheeses. The Cheese shop offers a cheese of the month club, wine tasting and you can sit and enjoy on the patio just outside the store. You simply must stop by the next time you are there!! I know I will...

The cheese shop is located at

The Cheese Shop~Santa Barbara

811-G State St. Unit T7 & 8

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

My Sparrow - stylish responsibility

Avila Valley Barn- Central Coast

One of my favorite stops when I visit the central coast is The Avila Valley Barn. They have the best of what the central coast of California has to offer (I think). They have berry and fruit picking, fresh baked goods, home made jams, fresh fruits and veggies, home goods, an ice cream shop, farm animals, with free food for the kids to feed to them, and seasonally-pumpkins and fresh made grilled corn on the cob. Every time we visit we have to take a trip to the barn. I buy a couple (yes at least two) of their home made pumpkin bread loaves, one to eat while we are there and one to take home because it is the best I have ever tasted!!! We always feed the animals which is a highlight for the kids, and stop for an ice cream at the little ice cream and sweet shop. Can you tell I love this place!!








Avila has grown from a little roadside fruit stand into a fantastic property experience and destination. Their "... vision was to present an authentic farming experience with a farm stand offering fresh, home-grown fruits and vegetables. Over time, as our popularity increased, we added a second barn to display fresh produce, gourmet foods, and gift items."

I highly recommend that you stop by if you are in the area and give yourself a little time to enjoy all that they have to offer! We will be there to see their pumpkins again this year! And don't forget to try the fresh raspberry jam too!

Photos from Avila Valley Barn and me

My Sparrow - stylish responsibility

Wine anyone

I have been keeping this one to myself but I finally decided that I can share... I am in love with a winery... Kenneth Volk! On my recent visit to the Central Coast in California I had a chance to visit this little winery back in the hills. It was beautiful and quiet and the wine is just divine!

Check out their website here..

I suggest the 2006 Chardonnay, Santa Maria Cuvee, Santa Maria Valley - Yummy!

The wine tasting room is small but the view from the porch is fantastic. Also when you join their wine club you actually get to choose your wines for each shipment if you want to. Nice!

Blueberries....

I have just returned from the Central coast where I was supposed to be relaxing and getting recharged- not sure if that actually happened. Beyond that- we spent some time this weekend picking our own fresh berries and making home made blueberry and blackberry jam. More to come in another post on our other adventures.

These are literally the fruits of our labor. We picked these beauties at Santa Barbara Blueberries at Restoration Oaks Ranch in Gaviota. They are on hwy 101 (1980 Hwy 101).

We had more than we knew what to do with and it was very fun and rewarding! I have decided that we have to grow some in our yard as the third major fruit in our little backyard garden! The challenge is finding one that will be happy here in Southern California.

Our simple jam recipe is...

This makes 3 jars of jam- it can be divided or multiplied depending on how many berries you have.

Cook together in a large, heavy bottom pan:

•6 cups ripe berries
•3 cups sugar

Cook over medium high heat for 35-40 minutes.

When jam is ready (it reaches 220° and sheets off the side of the spoon) add 1/4 c. lemon juice and cook a few more minutes. The jam will re thicken. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

You can leave the lemon juice and orange peel out for pure berry flavor.

We did not seal our jam jars- it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months- mine never lasts that long.


Happy picking!!