Today was a good day. It started off with a trip to a local farmer's market at our very own Bernardo Winery. The winery's claim to fame is that it is the oldest continuously working winery in Southern California. Every Friday morning the winery hosts a Farmer's Market in addition to it's already perfect sampling of shops and cafes.
I desperately needed tomatoes (our plants just can't keep up with our demand)! We eat tomatoes at our house every single day. They are good for you in all shapes, forms, sizes, and colors. The one thing I hate, though, is grocery store tomatoes. You never know how long they've been out of the fields and on a big truck. Sure, they are beautiful in the grocery store displays, but take one bite and you have no idea what you are really eating. It sure doesn't taste like a locally grown, juicy tomato.
I thought I would share some pictures I took today. My morning was much more than just a stop at the local market. It was a leisurely stroll with a cup of tea (from Sweet Pea's Coffee Cottage) in hand, up and down the dirt trodden pathways of the winery. Not a lot of wine is really produced on site any longer. You can tell by the age and condition of some of the equipment in the photos. But there is a small amount of work being done to bottle some very delicious local varietals. But the setting is idyllic and there are shops of all sizes and shapes that appeal to the varied interests of all who visit.
Enjoy the pictures and let me know if you have any questions about the winery itself. It is a hidden gem here in our neck of the woods.
Here is a shot of the vineyard just behind the Chocolate Shop. I cannot wait to take my husband back for his beloved dark chocolate!
Here are two pictures of the edible treasures I found. As you can see I came home with a lot more than tomatoes. My newest discovery is the small sampling of sunchokes I found. (They are also knows as Jerusalem Artichokes.) Please let me know of you have ever prepared them in any of your yummy dishes.
Tonight's Dinner:
Heirloom Tomato Pizza
(Homemade crust for sure!)
The market was wonderful, as was my morning. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have had my hubby there with me........
