Simple Things Make Me Happy

 

 I've been getting eggs from a local lady here in Topanga recently.  I love how un-uniform they are.  They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors.  I really can't wait to have my own chickens.  It's incredible the difference in fresh eggs from healthy, happy chickens, eating a proper, pastured diet.  The yolks are bigger, thicker, darker, and the whole egg just tastes better.  Not to mention how pretty it is to open up my box of eggs to find blue, green, pink, white, brown eggs, some tiny, some big.  I love it.   I've never liked eggs that much, but I've been eating them a lot more these days.  They are an easy source of protein and once I get my own chickens, will put me that much closer to being self-sustaining.

Fennel!

I love fennel.  I've been so happy to start seeing it show up in my CSA box and at the farmer's market.  Last week I grabbed several small fennel bulbs at the farmer's market, with no real plan of what I wanted to do with them.  I also started my fennel seeds for the garden.  I can't wait till I'm growing my own fennel!

I've eaten a lot of fennel this past week.  First I tossed together a super simple, fresh and tasty salad.  I used my mandolin to thinly slice one fennel bulb and then I tossed in a strainer and thoroughly washed it (the fennel was dirty!).  I julienned some raw celeriac I also found at the farmer's market and tossed that together.  To add some color I chopped some cilantro and the fennel fronds to go in the salad.  I simply dressed the salad with some hazelnut oil, the juice and zest of a very small lemon, a touch of local honey, salt and fresh ground pepper.  Not my prettiest salad, but it was so good and so easy.