Yards for Farms

Spring Chickens & Mama

2010-04-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

Meet Phyllis!

2009-12-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

Just rescued from the meat market. She's a little shy...

Pork Roast

2009-12-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

Dinner at La Mar

2009-11-27T19:23:00.001-08:00

From La Mar Cebicheria,SF, CA

Fresh Ginger

2009-11-27T19:07:00.001-08:00

We didn't grow this one (yet). I got one from Chue's at the farmers'
market on Tuesday. Stuck it in the dirt. I hope it takes off.

Clathrus ruber

2009-11-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

Also called a basket stinkhorn. I thought it was a chewed up dog toy
until I poked it with a stick. Also thought I stepped in poo, so I
checked my shoes a couple times. It was the stinkhorn. No wonder it
was covered in flies.

Pomegranate

2009-11-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

Rhubarb

2009-10-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

A little late I know, but it's our first substantial harvest. I'm
thinking cheesecake, or I hear it goes great with pork.

Orange Dahlia

2009-08-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

We will try to post many colors. Our garden is home to dozens of
varieties. This year we will capture them throughout the fall.

Tobacco Flowers

2009-08-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

We are not smokers but so many garden people are. We planted this
plant just as a example and to show others what tobacco plants look
like. If your gonna burn one you should know what it looks like.

This particular plant is a Native American strain used for rolled
cigarettes. The pink flowers are very pretty and the leaves can be
mixed with water to make bug spray for plants.....or smokes I guess.

Underworld

2009-08-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

Fox Theater
Oakland, Ca

Happy City Chickens

2009-08-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

The ladies really love their new hen house. Now their just a week away
from me getting off my bum and building the new coop around their
home. Right now they just get out to run during the day but they are
the happiest chickens in the city we think.

These are the eggs from almost 2 days. Notice the difference in colors
which represent what chicken they are from.

Albino Python and Smoking Dragon

2009-08-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

A nice firing of the earth oven today with a Hebrew Albino Python to
top things of.

Big Heirloom Tomatoes

2009-08-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

From the sunny side of the garden we just harvested some nice larger
heirlooms as well and some super sweet medium orange tomatoes.

This one small plot alone has produced many zucchini and lots of
tomatoes. Sunflowers are in full bloom and peppers are well on their
way.

City Squash

2009-08-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

Rejewvenator at Phish, Shoreline

2009-08-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

Rejewvenator Harvest to Harvest in the lot before the Phish show.
Photos and set list to come. Stay tuned...

7+ foot tomatoes and growing

2009-08-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

Monster size cherry tomatoes. We have 2 that stand nearly 8' tall.

Jerry Day!

2009-08-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

Melvin Seals and JGB
+ more
Jerry Garcia Ampitheater
McClaren Park, San Francisco
August 2, 2009

First Firing of our Earth Oven

2009-08-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

Ashleigh is doing a full post of our building the oven and photos. In
summary this is a %100 mud oven in the shape of a beehive grasped by a
dragon.

We built this in our community garden over the course of 2 days
building and 2 decorating.

Earth, Wind & Fire with Chicago

2009-08-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

Earth, Wind & Fire with Chicago
Greek Theater
Berkeley, Ca

The 2 flash back bands played together as well as seperate sets during the evening. They had a huge stage that lit and changed colors during the show.

Stone 13 Anniversary and Hops vines

2009-07-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hops vines in our community garden plot at Howard Langton Garden.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

2009-07-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

Little has changed since we passed through almost 8 years ago, except for the massive solar field covering the parking lot. In 2007, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company commissioned the largest privately owned solar array in the U.S. (pictured above, right). Not shown is the 250 kilowatt fuel cell power unit used to power and heat the brewery. The methane generated at their waste water treatment plant is used as a fuel source.

Also shown above is Sierra's experimental hop field located in the field next to the tap room. The Cascade, Centennial and Chinook varieties grown on site are used fresh in the Chico Estate Harvest Ale.

The restaurant is sustainable as well, using beef from their own locally raised herd fed on brewer's yeast with beer and spent grains from the brewery. Breads and pizzas are made from spent grains too.

And finally the beer... Sierra's most known for their Pale, distributed nation-wide. But their true gems are the seasonals, which rarely make it into bottles. I had the Brown Saison made with roasted malt, Belgian yeast, coriander, star anise, orange peel and juniper berries. Potent and refreshing at 7.8% ABV.

The new coop is here!

2009-07-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

The coop arrived over the weekend and now sits on the garden's back
porch. It was a wee wider than expected so the compost bin will have
to move, but soon the birdies will enjoy a fenced in yard with room to
do their chicken thing.

King Sunny & His African Beats

2009-07-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

Rothbury, Mi
July 3, 2009

Old school African at it's best.

Rothbury

2009-07-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Rothbury, Mi
July 2-6
(more photos to follow)

Day 1 we saw:
Keller Williams w/ some cheese
Lyrics Born
Lotus
2020 Soundsystem
Disco Bisquits

Lotus and 2020 were the highlights by far.

Bell's Eccentric Café and Brewery

2009-06-30T17:33:00.002-07:00

Eccentric ahead of it's time-- especially for Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Bell's is the central coast mecca for beer nerds. Their most popular
brew, Oberon, an American wheat ale, marks the official start of
summer on the Central Coast. The orange sun/blue sky label is a common
sight through midwest summers, and a cult classic nation wide. Since
it's not distributed to the west coast, I feel the need to high five
the Bell's-hoodie-wearing-hippies at the Dead shows and other beer
nerd havens in the Bay Area. We also have a cat named Oberon.

We visited the Café on our way up to Rothbury. Lots of classics on
tap, including Oberon and Two-Hearted, but also some new ones like the
"experimental rye with wild yeast". An accident, probably, but
eccentric indeed.

For food, we got the peanut butter and pickle on grilled wheat, a
Tempeh sando, and a burger.

Mills Farm Co-op

2009-06-30T17:33:00.001-07:00

Growing up surrounded by Amish you seem to become ambivelent to what they do. I really still have little clue what there life is about but the roadsides are littered with nice homes and small farms and people who seem content with lifes struggles.
This small farm/community/co-op is located along M-66. They have a bakery and small farm and are in true amish tradition, electicity free. We stopped and purchased some wild black rasberries and carrots.
This may seem like a small accomplishment but in an area with nothing but factory farms it's amazing these people are still able to stay simple. Growing things other than corn and soybeans is a rare thing in southern Michigan.

(real life bent over Amish lady, not one of those wood cutouts)

Dark Horse Brewing Co.

2009-06-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

Located in Marshall, MI. One of my favorite breweries ever-- great
beers and an eclectic, ramshackle beer garden that puts Zeitgeist to
shame. 2 home-made stages, raised garden beds complete with topsy-
turvy tomatoes and a hop arbor.

Walker Farmers' Market

2009-06-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

Located in Cambridge, Michigan off US 12. We were lucky to catch the
last hour on our way to Sturgis. Ribs and polish sausage from Suchman
Swine Sausage. Chunky salsa and apple BBQ sauce from Brainerd Farms.
Sweet, perfectly ripe strawberries.

David Byrne

2009-06-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

David Byrne of Talking Heads
Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno
with guests: DeVotchka
Greek Theater
Berkeley, Ca

Video with Extra Action Marching Band who marched through the crowd to the stage for then encore.

One of the best shows ever. Everything from obscure Brian Eno works all the way to the Talking Head hits. The venue was on fire with energy by the end of Burning Down the House.

June 21, 2009 Harvest

2009-06-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Potato, onion, varegated land cress.
Howard Langon Garden in SOMA

Les Claypool

2009-06-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Warfield, SF
June 20, 2009

Terrible photo again.

Yard Dogs Road Show

2009-06-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

So we were real busy for a while and missed bunch of things we should
have posted. Back on track now...

Dodgy camera phone to be replaced soon. Much better concert photos in
the future.

Yards Dogs Roadshow & Black & Blue Burlesque
Warfield, SF
June 20, 2009

The Prodigy

2009-05-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

Goth, punk, raver, rocker. English, Russian, French, American. The Prodigy tour brought them all out of the woodwork. The shear power of the band is deafening let alone the volume at which they play.

May 28, 2009
The Warfield
San Francisco, Ca

Desert Garden

2009-05-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

This is a wide shot that sums up my travels across Arizona. Many many desert plants in bloom and looking healthy after a recent spring rain.
Its not very often you get to see so many very large cacti flower and many people do not even know cactus and desert plants produce flowers at all. Many of these cacti looked to be over 10 feet tall and finding a spot to take a picture along a deserted highway was tricky.
We have a very particular affection for the desert since we spend 2 weeks each year at Burning Man. Seeing a bare landscape with thriving vegetation is an inspiration and shows that every environment can be adapted to over time.

Nimbus Brewing - Tuscon

2009-05-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

Nimbus Brewing is located in Tuscon, Arizona in an industrial area. I purchased a case of beer to go since I was on a road trip and collecting beer along the way. The house corned beef was delicious and the sample of Maiboch was right on par the the best.
The brewery is a large spacious place with some pool tables, lots of artwork and a casual atmosphere. They have bands and a loading dock/porch that is open some during the busy times and weekends.
The brewery uses a monkey as their mascot and their images on the taps, bottles, boxes and marketing information are great. A nimbus is halo around an angels head and the connection to the monkey I am not quite sure about. However, this is one if not the best beer mascot I have seen. Next to the Boonville Beer of course (half deer half bear).
They had a large selection of only house beers on tap. Locals and nearby workers seemed to have made this their home base as it is out of the way and not something you stumble upon without looking. A more thorough review can be found here. Too bad I could not spend much time there this time.

T.I. Garden Update

2009-05-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

After about a month, everything's up and thriving-- peas, potatoes,
carrots, multiple kinds of lettuce, chard, cilantro and radishes. Last
week's rain and our new close water source really got things up and
going. The photo shows the lettuce slice of the garden pie.

Anacapa Brewing

2009-05-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

Anacapa Brewing is located in Ventura, Ca located on their main street just a few block from the pier. I had a couple of IPA's that were very good and clean tasting. The brewery had a very nice system out behind the bar. Truly this is how every brewpub should be for purely show purposes but logistically the brewer and bartender have a hard time sharing space.

The brew kettles were in the center with the fermenters on the right side of the bar and bright tanks on the far left side. I sampled several other beers that were all right on style. The seafood enchiladas were beyond delicious and full of fresh fish and scallops.

When traveling through Ventura or working there, which I may be doing, I will be sure to visit again. A near perfect brewery that I could easily call my home bar if I was local.

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm

2009-05-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Many people have at some point come across ostrich on a menu before. I remember seeing ostrich eggs at the farmers market in Barcelona and eating ostrich recently in Cambodia. Ostrich is a red meat, not white meat as you may suspect. Most commonly I have seen ostrich served as burgers in several wild game areas of the US.

I came across Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm deep in Arizona on my way to Texas. It had the appearence of a tourist trap but I bet very few tourist pay the $5 to feed them. Hence my picture from a distance and over the fence.

Reality is that this farm had hundreds if not thousands of ostriches. It was a working farm situated right along the highway that offered monster truck tours. No telling how large it really was from my limited viewing but if I ever have time this would truly be an
experience to look into.

If you ever need ostrich egg shells or feather dusters then this is
your place!

Santa Barbara Brewing

2009-05-15T17:42:00.001-07:00

Made a quick stop at this brewery for dinner. It was actually located within the farmers market I just posted about. The brewery kept losing power due to the fire a few miles away but I was still able to have a great burger and salad before getting back on the road. The did not bottle any beer so I did not get a chance to sample many of them.

The Beer list is below.

Santa Barbara Farmers Market

2009-05-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

The day the fire started just above Santa Barbara last week I was driving a truck through on the way to Ventura. I had stopped for dinner and happened upon their weekly farmers market. The market was 2 city blocks long and in the closed street. Nearly all vendors were local farms with a few flower vendors spread through out. There were no prepared food vendors that I saw and a couple of "value added" booths with things like jams and sauces.

Since this market is in the warmer southern California there were many many varieties of avocados, blue berries, cherimoyas and other berries. Below are some of the berries that are in season . I was envious of the blueberries which have a season of about a month here in the SF Bay area.

Below is one of the many booths selling both large and smaller cherimoyas. If you have never one you search it out and give one a try. We fell in love with them in Costa Rica where we bought a bunch from someones yard and ate it for a week.

The Dead

2009-05-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

May 14th, 2009
Shoreline Amphitheater-- Mountain View, CA

(Set 1)
Jack Straw
U.S. Blues
Mason's Children
Ship Of Fools
Friend Of The Devil
Standing On The Moon
Lady With A Fan
Terrapin Station
Standing On The Moon

(Set 2)
Estimated Prophet
New Potato Caboose
Born Cross-Eyed
Dear Mr. Fantasy
Drums
Space
Morning Dew
China Cat Sunflower
I Know You Rider

(Encore)
Scarlet Begonias
Fire On The Mountain
Deal

The Big Eat SF

2009-05-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for lists, and an even bigger sucker for food challenges. So naturally I was all over 7x7's list of 100 Things to Eat and Drink Before You Die. I checked off 11 items right from the start, and made it to 18 in just a few days. Here's a few highlights:

#40 Cheeseburger from Taylor's (shown left): I've worked in the Ferry Building for over 3 years and this was my first time here. Delicious indeed, though I can think of many other burgers that deserve to be on the list. Oozing with cheese, nice squishy bun, crunchy pickles.

#27 Papaya salad with salty crab from Sai Jai Thai (left): Nearly burned my face off. The salad was worth the venture into the 'Loin, except for the gray mealy tomatoes and massive hunks of cabbage rind on the side. What was that about?

#36 Dry-fried chicken wings from San Tung (not shown): The place was packed when I showed up around 1:30 on a Thursday. Everyone was eating the wings! I got my order to go and went straight to the N Judah. They smelled so good I got off the bus 3 stops to eat them on the sidewalk. Fried in batter with garlic, ginger and roasted red peppers.

#8 Morning bun from Tartine Bakery (not shown): The bun was good, but the gougère was better. I'm just not that into sweet breakfast. Here's the recipe if you'd like to make them at home.

#50 Giant pretzel with mustard and and beer cheese at Monk's Kettle (left): Giant is an understatement. I came in for a snack and ended up with a meal. Served piping hot with stone ground mustard and house-made cheddar ale sauce. I couldn't resist a glass of the bourbon barrel aged ten FIDY from Oskar Blues.

#91 Albondigas soup at Mijita (not shown): I had this for lunch on Cinco de Mayo. Perfect for the cold rainy afternoon it was. A tomato based soup with beef and pork meatballs and LOTS of veggies. Served with tortilla strips (think fritos).

I'll keep working down the list, even though it has a few flaws. For example, the coffee-rubbed pork shoulder (#2) hasn't been on the menu at Range for quite some time. But, if you're up for the challenge you can track your progress with the Big Eat facebook application. Check back soon for progress reports...

Spiritual Salad

2009-05-03T13:55:00.001-07:00

Amazing how you can start with an empty bowl and end with a feast. Unfortunately our annual garden party was postponed due to yesterday's rain, but luckily the few gardeners and guests that came anyways weren't deterred. With a little creativity we put together a spiritual salad (in the tradition of stone soup) made with veggies from the garden and offerings from our guests. The romaine, butterhead and red leaf lettuce went first, followed by grated carrots, baby red onions, peas, tomato, celery and cucumber.

It's comforting to know that, with all the challenges we face as urban gardeners, we can still come together and nourish both body and soul. Many thanks to everyone at the table yesterday for your contributions to the pot.

Magic Curry Kart and Amuse Bouche Stand

2009-05-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

So we finally made it out to the Magic Curry Kart. We have meant to for a long time but always get sidetracked or never make it out of our little SOMA area. The green curry was great though we were probably the last ones of the evening. It's been some time since we have actually seen decent street food in the US. Street food is a key to all of our trips around the world. Eating food off the street not only supports individuals but also brings you back to the roots of your food supply. Recognizing that eating is a human necessity and not just a fancy private event in a restaurant is very important. Eating food in public and supporting food stalls bring a sense of community that is hard to reach in a large restaurants.

To occupy the time we snacked at the Amuse Bouche Stand below and played some reggae music for the visitors. Murat had some excellent onion tarts as well as a small quiche. He also had some delicious Evening Glory Muffins that were nice little treat while we waited for the curry list to shorten.

First Strawberries

2009-04-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

The first strawberries of the year. All the kinds are producing ripe
fruit now. We have Albion, aroma and chandler.

Della Fattoria Bakery

2009-04-28T09:18:00.001-07:00

Shaping loaves by hand

Della Fatttoria Bakery Tour:

Meaning "from the farm" in Italian, there's no better phrase to describe this small bakery in Petaluma. The bakery was founded in 1995 by Kathleen Weber, and has since grown into a family operation. Most of the ingredients in Della Fattoria's breads are organic and sourced locally, many coming from the Weber's farm and close neighbors. Each loaf of bread is shaped by hand, leavened with a natural starter, salted with course grey sea salt from Brittany and cooked in a wood-fired oven.

Dough resting in antique french bread baskets

Assorted tools

Wood fired ovens

Cowgirl Creamery Tour

2009-04-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

Cowgirl Creamery Tour:

Founded by cowgirls Sue Conley (pictured) and Peggy Smith in 1997, the artisan cheese company has come a long way since first opening in 1997. After much success in their small barn in Point Reyes Station, Cowgirl Creamery has expended to a new location in Petaluma's Foundry Wharf. Cowgirl makes a small selection of organic aged and fresh cheeses using milk from neighbor Straus Family Creamery.

Co-founder Sue Conley shares the story of Cowgirl's beginnings.

Here you can see the pasteurization tanks in the Petaluma facility. The stacked forms on the left are cheese molds.

Cheeses soaked in brine for several hours

Stacks of cheese during the aging process

Eric Patterson, who manages the aging of the cheese, allows us to taste cheese at various ages, as well as Cowgirl's different vatieties.

Guerrilla Garden #1 - Sprouts Ahoy

2009-04-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

So in under one week our first large guerrilla garden has taken shape. The dirt is pretty sandy and rocky so we have taken a lot of time to pull up rocks and remove old roots masses. We have been stirring up the dirt in hopes we can keep it soft enough for some root crops. Currently planted is chard, cilantro, radishes, mesclun salad mix, green leaf lettuce, potatoes, snap peas and carrots. In the picture you can see the mesclun salad mix has sprouted and taken off very quickly.

There have been no vandals and we have found a water supply that is very close. Treasure Island itself can be miserable. Yesterday the wind was so strong we could barely stand it. However, our location is completely shielded from the wind and once you reach the garden it is 10 degrees warmer inside.

I am kind of curious how long it will be till someone notices us. Carrying 4-5 gallons of water from a faucet in front of a convenience store to the back of an abandoned building has to look kinda fishy.

Gordan Ale

2009-04-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

Gordon Ale
Oskar Blues Brewery
Lyons, Co

"If you knew Gordon Knight, this ale needs no explanation. If you
didn't, we're sorry."

Big, Red, Sticky

Stevenson Alley, April 25, 2009

2009-04-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

So its been just over a month since we posted the last picture of our stoop garden. In this picture you will see that the snap peas have take off from several places. There are 2 kinds of nasturtiums starting to slower as well as some purple wave petunias. Scarlett runner beans and jasmine have just started to climb the gate from the bottom and purple passion flowers are just a week away from starting to flower. Our mint still lives a sad existence under the buildings dryer vent but at least it lives there. Our herb garden is lower in the center inside the porch. The dill, oregano, rosemary and chives are doing great but the cilantro and basil seem to have gone on strike. Recently I was given some blackberries starts from and invasive spot. They hopefully with grow from the empty bottom right corner, we'll see. There is also some broccoli that has begun to take off in the very top planter.

The most challenging thing for this poor garden has been the extreme weather. It was very very hot in SF this week and the peas all got very angry and droopy in the sun. After it cooled down the wind picked up and it loves to do a number on the vines. Every day we have to help train the vines towards the fence or the wind will rip them right off eventually.

Lady Bugs Go!

2009-04-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

So our community garden has bugs. Our poor center planter has thrips
on the artichokes and our roses have aphids. To help prevent future
aphids we just released 1500 ladybugs. They will eat the aphids,
thrips and other insects and let the plants live. For one week these
guys will spread out throughout the garden and procreate. Hopefully
our ladybug population stays steady, we need all the help we can get
to fight these bugs.

Orange Irises

2009-04-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

Life Learning Academy Garden

2009-04-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

This beautiful food garden is located in the middle of treasure island. It is used as a learning resource for local youth and is a great example of how gardens can be incorporated into any curriculum. There is a great article about the garden here. To learn more about the life learning academy and how it helps at risk youth in the SF area you can check their site out.

Each one of these plots in their garden is planted with one crop. There are some great cabbages, beans, lettuces and many other herbs growing. One section of the garden is dedicated to native plants and is left to appear overgrown as a native plant garden should since it is a symbiotic relationship.

Guerrilla Garden #1 - Treasure Island

2009-04-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

Abandoned naval dorm on Treasure Island. Cleared of trash, clover, weeds and dead plants all in a couple of hours. Re-planted with potato, chard and mixed greens. Mostly shaded or diffused light but we plan to add carrots and a few other shade tolerant plants on our next visit.

The site had no disgusting debri but a very strange collection of plastic bottle squirt lids was collected. Upwards of 100 bottle tops were found in the center area.

So we tried to begin collection of green debri in a compost pile and trash pile. Since we bike and bus to the spot the trash will need to be removed little by little. Hopefully we can sweep and rake the area on next visit. There are benches and an arbor that have been abandoned for years that surround the plot. This space is wide open for public use. Though the island can be wind
swept in places, and it's all landfill, there is some good dirt in the empty planter boxes. It is sandy but you just need to plan and work with what you have.

Well, this final shot shows the border pieces we dug out of the undergrowth as well as our sign. The wood for the sign was trash found on-site.

We planted 3 things today and will return for more. There is plenty of water nearby so we will need to return somewhat often to water.

No telling if this will make it for long but it seems to be an abandoned area that just needs someone to use it. Hopes are our sign will detour vandals and the mysterious water top bandit.

Atmosphere

2009-04-21T00:16:00.000-07:00

Atmosphere at Warfield, SF.
April 2oth, 2009

Sless' Oatmeal Stout

2009-04-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

2008 World Beer Cup Gold Medal
Best oatmeal stout in the world
Brewed in honor of Barry Sless; one of the finest peddled steel
players around

Iron Springs Brewery
Fairfax, Ca
7% ABV

Beet Down

2009-04-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Harvested for dinner salad yesterday this perfect beet was red on the
outside and white inside. The only beet that survived one of our
periodic rat swarms.

Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A

2009-04-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Schmaltz Brewing Company - SF / NYC
Tribute to Jewish Stars #1
Leonard Alfred Schneider "Bruce"

Double IPA with Rye Malt
10% ABV

Green Day

2009-04-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

Green Day
21st Century Breakdown Tour
Fox Theater - Oakland, Ca

The complete setlist:

21st century breakdown
Know your enemy
Viva la Gloria!
Before the lobotomy
Side note: title came from the headline of a San Francisco Chronicle article
Christian's inferno
Last night on earth (with a disco ball made of skulls as the background visuals)
East Jesus Nowhere
Peacemaker
Last of the American Girls
Murder City
Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)
Horseshoes & Handgrenades
The Static Age
21 Guns
American Eulogy pt 1: Mass Hysteria
Pt 2: Modern World
See the Light
Very short break.... American Idiot
Jesus of Suburbia( with a shout out to Gilman St)
St. Jimmy
"I'm gonna play all night long. I don't give a f*ckk!"
Longview
Welcome to Paradise
Going to Pasalacqua
King for a day/Shout
Minority
Homecoming

Pre Green Day

2009-04-14T18:30:00.001-07:00

Just after sound check. Show is being filmed for release and first
time the upcoming tour stage set is released. Amazing stage to follow.

Russett Tater Starts

2009-04-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Another potato tower is in the future. These delicious local organic
russett potatoes should produce a fine fall garlic mash potatoes. You
only want to use organic potato starts since many conventionals are
treated not to spout and can be disease haborers.

Sacrilicious Bunny

2009-04-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

Rabbit sausage, ham steak, BBQ rabbit, salad, carrott top sauce and
beans. Served with Firestone Walker Little Opal Saison beer.

Easter dinner by Fatted Calf Meats and Ryan Farr at Bloodhound SF.

Bacon Brownie & Peeps

2009-04-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

w/ peanut butter

Today's Harvest

2009-04-12T16:23:00.000-07:00

The last of our winter carrots and a dozen eggs

Bees!

2009-04-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

Yonder Mountain String Band

2009-04-11T23:13:00.000-07:00

Yonder Mountain String Band

04/11/09 The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
Darol Anger on fiddle for entire show

Set I: Casualty, At the End of the Day, Pockets1, Red Rocking Chair, Wildewood drive> Lord Only Knows (Part One)> All Your Dreams, Only A Northern Song, On the Run> Crow Black Chicken> On the Run

Set II: Whipping Post> Keep on Going> Out Of The Blue> Sisters and Brothers1> Keep on Going, Rain Still Falls, Mental Breakdown, Must've Had Your Reasons, Old Plank Road, Too Late Now, Sideshow Blues> I'd Like Off> Ten
Encore: Brown Mountain Light, Sharecropper's Son, Boatman

1 First time played

Potato Rainbow

2009-04-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

Red, White and Blue. Ready to plant.

April 10 Harvest

2009-04-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

A few simple carrots and some rosemary for tonights dinner. We tend to
harvest as needed rather than all at once.

Hot Rocks

2009-04-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

Port Brewing

Steve's Orchid

2009-04-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

In full bloom now!

Hidden Bird of Paradise

2009-04-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

Another beauty from our community garden

Yellow Iris in Bloom

2009-04-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

Today's new blooms are up. 2 years in the works our iris's smell so
great.

Trainwreck and Gnarlywine

2009-04-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Impromptu shrine built during sunset over Morro Bay.

Inspiration brought to you by...

Santa Maria Brewery

2009-04-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

More to follow.......A++

Firestone Walker Brewery

2009-04-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

Full report later......

Hop Stoopid

2009-04-03T17:20:00.001-07:00

Pliny the Elder over " The City"

2009-03-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, Ca. 8% abv

San Francisco skyline just before lights off for "Earth Hour"

Axis of Justice: The Nightwatchman

2009-03-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

One of the best shows I have seen in years. I will try to do a review later but for now here are some pictures and guest appearances. They played everything from an MIA cover to "This Land is Our Land" by Woody Guthrie.

This show was a benefit by Axis of Justice for Project Open Hand in San Francisco. A full on political extravaganza with tickets costing only $15.

Tom Morello: Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, Nightwatchman
Below are a slew of guest appearances. The others that may not be pictured are Wayne Kramer of mc5, Spider Stacy of The Pogues, Damian Kulash of OK Go and the guitarist from Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party.

Steve Earle: Americana ManCorey Taylor of SlipknotSammy Hagar of Van HalenJoe Satriani
All Together now!

Conservatory of Flowers

2009-03-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

Golden Gate Park

Pearl's Deluxe Burgers

2009-03-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

After a colorful stumble up Jones Street, we found ourselves inside Pearl's Deluxe Burgers on Post. As soon as we stepped inside, I was instantly reminded of the Coney Island hot dog joints I grew up with in Detroit. The interior was small and brightly lit with a few tables and a window counter.

They serve typical coney fare. Chili dogs, chicken sandwiches, salads, shakes were all on the menu, but this place is best known for their burgers-- beef (certified humane), buffalo, turkey and even veggie.

We ordered off the list of specialty burgers. I had the Prized Pearl-- bacon, sauteed onions, bleu cheese and mayo. Jim had the King, a quarter pounder topped with american and cheddar cheese, thousand island dressing and, get this, a hot dog! Sinfully delicious. We also had a side of sweet potato fries.

It took a few moments for our food to arrive, but it felt like forever since I was starving and already a few beers in. By the time it finally came I was ready to inhale it, and I almost would've had I not stopped to take a few photos. Have a look...

Little Star Pizza

2009-03-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

After our Mission Street Food plans were foiled by a lengthy session at Zeitgeist on Thursday, we unexpectedly found ourselves at Little Star's Valencia Street location.

The truth is-- we're not that into pizza. A slice from the corner shop after midnight is about as far as we go, so when I claim Little Star's pizza is my favorite pizza ever-- take if for what it's worth.

We started with garlic bread-- a full head of roasted garlic with bread, still warm from the oven, and soft butter on the side.

Little Star makes a good thin crust, but we're all about the deep dish. We ordered the Mediterranean Chicken, our personal favorite, half without olives per the boy's request. The olives are my favorite part, along with the crumbly corn meal crust. Jim's was the perfect sauce to cheese ratio. Dessert was a pint of Abbey from New Belgium.

Since the large was too much for one seating, we had enough left over for breakfast. The last few pieces even survived a few falls out of my bike basket on the way home.

Potato Tower #1

2009-03-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

We finally planted one of our potato towers. This one is done via the lasagna method where we have created 4 layers of potatoes in hopes they will grow out the side of our the chicken wire. Since potatoes love green compost we have layered this with compostable products from around the garden and home.

For this tower we have used coffee grounds, spent yerbe matte tea, newspapers, wood shavings from the chicken coop, a pile of dried leaves and green waste from some ripped up nasturtiums. This is all mixed in layers with some dirt to make a sort of "lasagna". No high tech strategy was used. We just kind of piled on different layers of material between each layer of potatoes. To top it off we put a cherry tomato plant on the top. Now that is un-researched and we have no idea what is going happen. Experiments galore this season.

Iron Springs Brewing

2009-03-23T10:57:00.001-07:00

Iron Springs Brewing is located in Fairax, Ca. Fairfax is a little hippie enclave that serves as the gate to Point Reyes when coming from San Francisco. We stopped by on our return from attempting to see whales migrate in extremely high winds. No whales on our day but 23 seen the day before.

"Casey Jones’ Imperial IPA Big, bold, and beautiful, this double IPA will knock your socks off. 9.3% ABV."

"Sless’ Stimultating Stout Sless is back baby!! This creamy Oatmeal Stout is our newest medal winner!
2008 Gold Medal winner World Beer Cup- 6.0% ABV"

Gestalt Haus

2009-03-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

Taps of the Evening

Verticle Garden

2009-03-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

Located at 555 Mission is this sculpture yard with a large verticle
garden wall. Looks pretty promising but still new and starting out.

Tamale Lady

2009-03-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

Zeitgeist is the spot to catch the Tamale Lady. You can find her in
"Our Lady of Tamale".

Featured here is the tasty pork tamale fresh from her cart.

Tulips & Fava Beans

2009-03-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

Fava beans have been a popular cover crop in the garden this winter. Here you will see some of the first tulips and last fava beans growing together. There have been no beans produced so far from the favas which is most likely due to lack of bee activity with all the rains the past month.

Garden Plot - March 19, 2009

2009-03-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

This is a view of our community garden plot at Howard Langton Garden. It looks pretty tidy now but things are starting to grow much fast now as the light increases. In the direct front is a small start greenhouse and a few tomato starts. Flowers line the front of the box and on the left are 2 rows of carrots ready to harvest and little gem lettuce. On the right is some celery, kohlrabi and some starts. In the back is the start of a potato tower and a trellis where peas, beans and hops grow. In the hanging planters we grow lettuce above where the mice and rats can get them.

Stevenson Alley, March 18, 2009

2009-03-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

This is our back stoop. It gets mostly blocked sunlight courtesy of the 9th Circuit Federal Court. Last year we grew lots of peas & a great passion flower vine. However, vandals ripped out all our vines and they have taken all winter to regain life.

This year we have added more planters & all kinds of new plants. A herb planter with oregeno, parsley, basil, cilantro & chives for the kitchen is lowest to the ground. The hanging planters have peas and radishes in them. The passion flower vine container now has some jasmine and pole beans emerging as well to take over the back gate.

Up top we have mostly flowers. Daisies, wave petunias, nasturtium and rosemary. There are some iris bulbs that may come up this year as well. This planter will have pole beans in it in hopes of growing above the heads sewing shop ladies who love to eat my peas. I have a ladder so I can reach them. We also have some orange mint that grows under the dryer vent. You can't kill mint so I let it get abused by the non-stop dryer lint air.

Broken Record & American Single Malts

2009-03-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

A great dive bar out on Geneva. Offering house smoke meats, homemade buns and amazing bbq. The Sausages are not house made but they do offer several wild game selections that are hard to come by here in the city.

Their other amazing offering is a list of over 200 whiskeys and bourbons. Pictured are several American single malts we chose to sample, the best chicken wings ever and the menu. No pictures of main courses because we ravaged through those after several drinks.

Corned Beef from Marin Sun

2009-03-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

We acquired a nice chunk of corned beef from Marin Sun this weekend at the market. This spiced slab of meat was simply put in our crock pot and filled with water.

The slow cooker was left on high for 3 hours then low for 7 hours. 2 hours before we ate the delicious meat I tossed in some potatoes and cabbage to cook in the juices.

Served with kohlrabi cole slaw on St. Patrick Eve

Old Godfather, Double Daddy & The Cardoon

2009-03-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Beers from Speakeasy in San Francisco

Cardoon (artichoke like) brought back from Slow Food Convivium in
Italy. "Best tasting variety from small market grower"

G Love & Special Sauce

2009-03-14T00:19:00.000-07:00

Warfield in San Francisco
March 13, 2009

Egret Snackbreak

2009-03-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

Egret stops by the garden to enjoy our koi.

Ruben & The Jets

2009-03-12T18:03:00.001-07:00

Ruben & The Jets from Lagunitas in Petaluma 8.6% abv

A Mothers of Invention dedicated ale

Old Guardian

2009-03-11T20:50:00.001-07:00

Old Guardian Barley Wine from Stone Brewing in San Diego 11% abv

Compost tower

2009-03-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

First layers of compost in the potato tower

Goat Stew

2009-03-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here's my recipe below of a locally sourced cheap meal.
It cost about $15 and serves 4.

Goat Stew

1 lb. goat stew meat (Marin Sun Farms $8.00)
1 lb potatoes (Little Organic Farm $2.00)
1 yellow onion (Chue's Farm $.50)
3 ribs celery (Jacopi Farm $.50)
4 medium carrots (McGinnis Ranch $1.00)
2 cloves garlic (Chue's Farm $.25)
1-2 dried tomatoes, ground ( Peach Farm last year. home dried)
3 cups stock
1 cup Arrogant Bastard Ale (gift from a friend)
Sprig of rosemary (from garden)
Salt and Pepper

Brown the goat in a pan. I used some bacon grease from Prather bacon.
Fry the onions and garlic in the leftover grease. Put everything in
the crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours. Garnish with parsley.

Served with a small green salad and a hearty chunk of bread.

Hop Head Red & Eggs

2009-03-10T19:10:00.001-07:00

Hop Head Red from Green Flash in San Diego 6% abv

Today's eggs from the community garden