Most of my Christmas presents this year were bottles of limoncello, a delicious lemony liqueur that originated on the Italian island of Capri. One surmises that they have bumper crops of lemons each winter, much as we do here in Southern California. Aside from being an incredibly tasty quaff (particularly once the hot weather hits), this is a fabulously thrifty gift: I reused lemonade and vinegar bottles with resealable caps, and since the liqueur is made only with peels, you still have all that lovely juice to make into lemon curd (as my mom did for her gifts), or to freeze in small blocks to be used once citrus season wanes.

I made my limoncello 100% organic by using Rain vodka (which is only 80 proof, but has a wallet-friendly pricepoint and notable smoothness) and organic sugar (which gave it that mellow earthy color, as opposed to the almost neon yellow that processed sugar allows). And of course, organic lemons from my dad’s bounteous tree.

It’s a perfect warm-weather aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) or digestivo (after-dinner drink); due to its sweetness, I would emphasize the latter. But mixed with soda water, this makes a refreshing grown-up soda, very much akin to San Pellegrino Limonata–with a kick. Read on… »

Mountain Bounty Farm, my local CSA, has an abundance of tomatoes this year; more fruit than can be included in the weekly distribution, sold at the Saturday’s Farmer’s Market, or to individuals focused on canning sauces and salsas.

With the threat of global economic collapse on the front burner, my partner Steve and I have decided to invest in tomato futures by freezing, drying, canning, and gorging daily on this sublime fruit.

Today is mostly cloudy and cool, a break from the blistering temperatures of summer. It’s a good thing that I’ve already dried 150 pounds of tomatoes in the last three weeks, when daytime temperatures stayed in the 90s with little humidity. Read on… »