14 years ago, we thought the world was ready for a cookbook based on what’s growing in the garden, the wild, or locally available. We published this book — which turned out to be ahead of its time. Now we’re happy to have it back in print. It’s a great cookbook “…for people who want to learn more about how to use healthy ingredients to whip up delicious meals without too much fuss.” Suzy and Charlie Restino moved from New England to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, in 1971, built a house, planted a huge garden, large greenhouse, root cellar, had chickens, cows, goats — a real homestead. Suzy’s a real writer, witty and insightful, and did all her own drawings. A few people have told me it’s their favorite cookbook. This is the style of cooking we practice. As local as possible. As home-grown (or gathered) as possible. “Country cooks have to do a lot of improvising, experimenting, and inventing in the kitchen. You have to, since the store may be far away.…” Interspersed with homesteading experiences of two people who left city for country in the ’60s (and super relevant today).

Available here: https://shelterpub.com/_mrck/mrck_book.html

City footwork: My competitive running days are over, but all those years of training have given me the ability to move deftly through busy city streets. A lot of it is footwork. Also being able to shift your weight and spring left or right, ahead or backwards. Don’t obey traffic signals, but watch the traffic. Often I’ll do a quick speedwalk to get across in front of a lone car. I pretend like I’m a hunter out on the streets, shooting photos instead of game.

Architecture: The Seagram’s building (Mies van der Rohe, 1958), at Park and 52nd, still looks great

Map: Found this tiny map, fits easily in pocket, does the job for Manhattan: New Yorker’s Manhattan MiniMap

Sustenance:…”Guinness is good for you.”…Pescatore Italian seafood restaurant, 955 2nd (50th-51st) is my dream restaurant. Pasta is as good as it gets, reasonable prices..…Buttercup Bake Shop, 973 2nd, good latte, great cake…Le Pain Quotidien, a number of locations in NYC, recycled lumber community tables, artisan bread, best French toast I’ve ever had, hip workers, good vibes…Blue Ribbon Sushi, 119 Sullivan at Prince, had standing room only at 11:30 Tuesday night, v. hip looking.

Books: Stopped in at the Strand, 828 Broadway, venerable old bookstore, it was mobbed with book buyers (who haven’t heard that books are dead).

Wild food last week: puffball mushroom sauteed with roadkill venison, and miner’s lettuce in the salad. Today (Sunday) was a drop-dead gorgeous California blue-sky day. We were here totally alone, no one came by, the office closed, not even a phone call. Lesley worked in the garden all day. I started getting the chicken coop ready for the 30 baby chicks that will arrive from Murray McMurray in the mail on May 10th (all bantams — Auracanas and Gold and Silver Sebrings). I worked on a bunch of things in my shop: fixing the radial arm saw bench, sorting out the lumber piles, getting ready to go eeling tomorrow.  Last week Lesley engineered anther instant gopher-proof raised planting bed. So simple. Lay out 1/4″ mesh on ground, stack two layers of concrete blcoks on mesh, fill with soil. Fill blocks also, inside of which can be grown strawberries, parsley. We’ve got our 1/2-acre homestead functioning pretty well; it’s only taken us 35 years.

Jesse Ventura was a guest on the Bill Maher show on Friday. He said the Catholic church should be arraigned in the US, just the same as the Mafia, for organized crime. They have been responsible for felonies (molestation) and have not only covered them up, but kept the offending criminals in their organization. By the way, why should churches get a tax exemption? It was a great episode, the 3 guests were all on the same page. There was no Republican asshole to “balance” things out.

Mt.Tamalpais is stylin’ right now. The creeks are full and rushing, wildflowers are out, the hills are green, the plants are happy with the rains, and there’s even more rain predicted in the next few days. With the lakes full and the creeks bursting with life, I feel rich. Like money in the bank. No, better.

Went running in the rain yesterday afternoon, man was it cold! (us Californios are wimps in cold weather). Storm blowing in from the south across the ocean, wind and rain pelting the hills. Chanterelles are in hiding, but I found these under pines. Cannot identify in any of my 5 mushroom books. Anyone know what they are? Sure pretty. There’s just always something out there (away from the computer!) that makes me glad to be alive.

Margy and Wayne Lutz have a floating cabin and garden on a lake in British Columbia, Canada. On their blog, Margy writes:

How Does Your Garden Grow? — With purple sage, red potatoes, and green lettuce all in a row. The heart of my garden is my float. It was designed and built by my good friend John. Cedar logs provide the buoyancy needed to keep four 3 X 10 raised beds above the waterline. On the bottom of the beds is a heavy cloth called mill felt. It is porous, but very strong. Frequent watering is needed in the warm summer months, so John installed a solar powered water pump and hose for me.”

–https://powellriverbooks.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-does-your-garden-grow.html