http://www.tallcloverfarm.com Homeward bound on Puget Sound. Putting in a good day on Vashon Island time. Wed, 16 May 2012 17:03:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6160/pizza-pizza-helping-karen-kickstart-her-dream http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6160/pizza-pizza-helping-karen-kickstart-her-dream#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 16:37:56 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=6160 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Karen and some stylin’ chicks Dreams, like pizza, come in all shapes and sizes; some are spicy, others mild, some large, others bite-size. My dear friend Karen Biondo has a delicious dream, to go mobile with her pizza oven and bring pie to the people. And considering her wood-fired pizza oven weighs over two tons, [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6160/pizza-pizza-helping-karen-kickstart-her-dream/feed 2 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6129/dogwood-bough-under-a-big-dipper-sky http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6129/dogwood-bough-under-a-big-dipper-sky#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 17:15:18 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=6129 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } My front porch is for company, the back porch for me. It’s my take-five spot, a compact stoop just barely big enough for a big guy and two big bulldogs. The paint-deprived rail supports an arm’s reach and everything from a cup of coffee to a cordial to a tumbler of ice tea. In the [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6129/dogwood-bough-under-a-big-dipper-sky/feed 15 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6103/the-art-of-dogouflage http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6103/the-art-of-dogouflage#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 17:24:52 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=6103 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Prompted by the day’s drizzle and cool temps, Boz and Gracie practice the art of indoor dogouflage, becoming one with the sofa, pillows and throws, willingly changing fur tone and posture to blend indistinguishably from their comfy throne. If not for the snoring, I’d have thought they disappeared. Talented dogs, indeed.

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6103/the-art-of-dogouflage/feed 22 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6070/how-to-make-creamy-potato-leek-soup http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6070/how-to-make-creamy-potato-leek-soup#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 17:18:53 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=6070 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } A leek is an extra-special onion. I have crop envy. My pals at Island Meadow Farm grow leeks the size of lodge poles . Joe and Celina from Sun Island Farm offer up tender baseball-size turnips with the sheen of a polished pearl. On the east side, Greenman Farm does just about everything right, while [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6070/how-to-make-creamy-potato-leek-soup/feed 12 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6011/worthy-recipe-apple-berry-crumble-pie http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6011/worthy-recipe-apple-berry-crumble-pie#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:48:50 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=6011 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } If forced to choose one dessert for the rest of my life, chances are I would respond with pie, and if I sensed leniency and wiggle room for negotiation, I’d insist on pie and ice cream. Sure, each can stand on its own merits, but when paired on the plate, there’s no finer dessert to [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6011/worthy-recipe-apple-berry-crumble-pie/feed 24 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5975/spring-garden-tour-this-buds-for-you http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5975/spring-garden-tour-this-buds-for-you#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:48:39 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5975 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Vulcan Magnolia front and center, taking  its long-awaited bow The old place is draped in spring, and may I say it’s most becoming. Thanks to some unseasonably sunny days and my need to plant more spring bulbs each year, the garden has never looked more cheery in April.  And after five years of nurturing, coaxing, [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5975/spring-garden-tour-this-buds-for-you/feed 30 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5951/crowning-kale-the-king-of-greens http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5951/crowning-kale-the-king-of-greens#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 03:01:38 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5951 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Kale Caesar!* Trying on my crown of kale  for size. Wears well, tastes great! A nice surprise is one of life’s little pleasures, that startling little epiphany that has you reassessing your tired old ways and preconceived ideas. As a gardener venturing ever closer to the city limits of Geezer town, I have had to [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5951/crowning-kale-the-king-of-greens/feed 22 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5913/growing-tomatoes-tips-pics-toms-two-cents http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5913/growing-tomatoes-tips-pics-toms-two-cents#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:00:29 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5913 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Homegrown tomatoes, there’s nothing quite like them to wake up the palate and slap you with the taste of summer. I’ve compiled all of my favorite posts about this delectable nightshade. Just click on the link below each photo for tips, pics and insights (hopefully) about growing and enjoying tomatoes in your garden and on [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5913/growing-tomatoes-tips-pics-toms-two-cents/feed 12 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5886/how-to-prune-raspberries http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5886/how-to-prune-raspberries#comments Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:46:57 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5886 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Early spring before full bud break is the right time to prune raspberries, and there is a system–one that hopefully simplifies the process so you are dining on delectable homegrown little gems this summer (and toasting my tutorial). Raspberries are a fruit that rewards you if pruned regularly, or better yet, if pruned thoughtfully. My favorite [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5886/how-to-prune-raspberries/feed 17 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5866/there-she-goes-a-parable-of-perspective http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5866/there-she-goes-a-parable-of-perspective#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:25:08 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5866 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } “There she goes!”  Adventuress, Admiralty Inlet, Washington Years ago, while hiking the bluffs and trails of Ebey’s Landing’s , my friend Joan and I happened across a pioneer cemetery. Perched high above Puget Sound, fronted by miles of shoreline, meadows, and farmland, the well-placed site enjoyed sweeping views so beautiful and heavenly that I’d venture [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5866/there-she-goes-a-parable-of-perspective/feed 10 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5825/remembering-dad-it-was-a-wonderful-life http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5825/remembering-dad-it-was-a-wonderful-life#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:30:29 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5825 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Sadly, I must share that my father recently passed away. A broken heart tends to lose its voice, but I know my father would be the first to say “No silence, no tears, I have had a wonderful life.” With my mother, the love of his life by his side and with peace in his [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5825/remembering-dad-it-was-a-wonderful-life/feed 50 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5797/rocking-the-filson-vashon-style http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5797/rocking-the-filson-vashon-style#comments Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:06:40 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5797 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } My friend Greg returns to the Pacific Northwest (via stints in New York and LA) to embrace his sartorial roots and love of Filson. (No Greg, not a bit overdone.) Vashon Islanders enjoy a style all their own. Most Fashion Police have been voted off the island and everyone tends to wear exactly what they [...]

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