...At least this is how I'm feeling after a much-needed trip out to the sunny (and foggy) California coast.
You probably heard about the drought we experienced in the Midwest this summer. It was hot, scorching on most days and we went weeks on end with no rain. This weather was punctuated by a fierce pop-up storm at the end of June that knocked out our power for a week when temps exceeded 100 degrees. It's no surprise, then, that my my garden succumbed to it's miserable fate.
Was the grass really greener in California? The food fresher, tastier, and more beautiful?
While I'm sure that pests and extreme weather conditions are not unknown to farmers on the West coast, what we saw--the olives, grapes, tomatoes, eggplants, and peaches--looked perfectly magical compared to the drought-ravaged produce back home, and it made us think that just maybe, the grass was greener--at least this year--in sunny California.
You probably heard about the drought we experienced in the Midwest this summer. It was hot, scorching on most days and we went weeks on end with no rain. This weather was punctuated by a fierce pop-up storm at the end of June that knocked out our power for a week when temps exceeded 100 degrees. It's no surprise, then, that my my garden succumbed to it's miserable fate.
The zucchini and yellow squash were devoured by squash bugs (pictured left). The cucumber plant was ravaged by the cute yellow striped cucumber beetle. The green beans mildewed, and the tomatoes never ripened. This left me with lots and lots of basil.
I knew that my dreams for my garden were naive, but I never dreamt that my only successful crops (other than the basil) would have been mosquitos and squash bug infestations.
This takes me back to California. To celebrate our 10th anniversary, my husband and I drove down to Paso Robles and then over to the coast and up Highway 1 to San Francisco. On the way, we passed idyllic scenes of cows grazing in fields by the coast, farm stands piled high with gleaming produce, and green fields ripe with avocados and artichokes.
Was the grass really greener in California? The food fresher, tastier, and more beautiful?
While I'm sure that pests and extreme weather conditions are not unknown to farmers on the West coast, what we saw--the olives, grapes, tomatoes, eggplants, and peaches--looked perfectly magical compared to the drought-ravaged produce back home, and it made us think that just maybe, the grass was greener--at least this year--in sunny California.
