Normally any home purchase is news and certainly worthy of celebration but this one feels especially sweet for our family (yes, we just bought a home!!).
When we arrived in the Silicon Valley almost a year ago now, little did we know that we would find ourselves in the middle of the most challenging real estate market in the US at the moment. A combination of very low inventory and a swelling population fueled by the booming tech sector (think: Google, Apple, Facebook, LinkedIn to name a few), set the stage for shamefully inflated housing prices, unprecedented bidding wars and the common phenom of all cash offers (along with a host of other miscellaneous shenanigans). We experienced free market enterprise at it’s worst, or best, depending on how you look at it.
So when the stars recently aligned and our family of six — dog and cat inclus — picked up the keys to our home last week, there were tears of joy from this mamma. Relieved, grateful and yes, deliriously happy to have our own patch of green.
All of our belongings from Canada are still sitting on a truck and we are working out of the original suitcases we came with last August. But here’s the funny part about that. You discover very quickly just how little you need to survive and to survive well. I’m not going to pretend that I don’t think about my stuff from time to time. I do. But frankly, a lot less than I would have ever imagined. The two things I miss the most? Our family photos and my books… sure, it will be nice to have my kitchen appliances back and an extra pair of shoes but all in all, if there’s anything this year has taught me is that we carry way more than we need. I’m overwhelmed at the prospect of fitting it all back into our lives. (And I’m not sure I want to).
Meanwhile, the aspect that I’m probably most excited about relating to our new home is the edible landscape. This subarctic gal is still shaking her head in disbelief at the beauty and utter wonder.
Care to see what’s growing in our backyard?
Let’s start here. You might recall this image from last week’s post…
A beautiful apricot tree!
My husband is a huge fan of apricots ~ he and the boys used to play a game of ‘catch the flying apricot with your mouth’ at breakfast time when the boys were young. This particular tree felt like it was meant for them.
Keeping our apricot tree company are two lemon trees…
One of them (pictured above) is doing quite well, with large, luscious lemons (we’ve taste tested them of course). The other lemon tree is rapidly producing miniatures — they’re very cute but we suspect the tree may need a little TLC and some pruning to focus it’s energy back to its natural growth pattern. How fun to think that we might have an impact on the growth of a lemon tree ♡.
Further along the path, there is a mandarin tree (we have yet to determine the variety). Mandarins typically bloom in the winter but when I visited the property to shoot some photos, wouldn’t you know it, there was one fruit on the tree; just waiting to pose. Handsome devil!
Here’s another shot of one that I rubbed off with my thumb — looking more familiar.
And what about this fellow. Any guesses?
We had no idea either. It’s a pineapple guava tree (!!?) — I keep calling it a grapefruit guava (I confuse pineapple and grapefruit linguistically though not conceptually. I do however confuse dinosaurs and dragons conceptually, which is more concerning).
The former owner tells us that for every one delicious pineapple guava fruit, there are twenty or so horribly sour, inedible ones. So it’s a bit of a game to see who can get the good guava! We can hardly wait to discover this fruit and so much more… every time we visit, we seem to uncover something new. We have never been so excited and motivated to learn!
We have a month or so of renovations ahead of us (currently underway) with a projected move-in date of late-July/early-August. The summer posting schedule will not doubt be hit-and-miss but, it is summer after all, so let’s all enjoy it!
I hope to be back to regular posting sometime in September.
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On to today’s recipe…
So simple and full of deliciousness! The plum sauce need not be reserved for dessert — though it’s mighty delicious enjoyed this way and seemed suitably festive. The first time I made this sauce in fact, my husband and I ate it with seared scallops (delish!). It also pairs beautifully with yogurt and mixed in with morning oatmeal or smoothies.
I hope you enjoyed the mini-tour of our backyard and stay tuned… if I’m feeling brave, I may post some interior reno photos. We’ll see how it goes!
Wish us luck ;-).
Roasted Summer Plum Sauce with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Roasted Summer Plum Sauce with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
For the Plum Sauce
- 10-12 juicy, ripe plums, skin-on, pitted and roughly cut in half
- 4 Tbsp (60 mL) orange juice
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) (or to taste) honey or pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp (10 mL) balsamic vinegar
- Sweet, juicy and nutritive, plums are low on the glycemic index and offer a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and fibre. Plums also contain calcium, magnesium and plant-based iron. These dark-skinned lovelies are rich in phenols that offer a protective effect against oxidative damage (they operate as antioxidants) helping to reduce the risk of disease.
- Ripe plums are the way to go here — tart, hard plums will not render the same results. The plums should have some comfortable give when you gently press on them.
- This plum sauce need not be reserved for dessert (though it’s mighty delicious used this way) — the first time I made this sauce in fact, my husband and I ate it with seared scallops (delish!). It also pairs beautifully with yogurt and mixed in with oatmeal or smoothies.
Directions:
Heat oven to 400 F.
- In a spacious bowl, combine orange juice, honey or maple syrup and balsamic, whisking to combine.
- Add plum segments to the juice mixture and gently toss to combine. Allow plums to sit in the juices (mixing on occasion) for at least 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You could also use an unlined baking dish if your prefer, provided there is sufficient room for the plum segments to roast without touching each other.
- Remove plum segments, one by one, from the juice bowl and place on the baking sheet such that they are not touching. (if you need to, simply use two sheets or work in batches). Drizzle any remaining juice over the plums.
- Roast the plums in the oven for approximately 12-18 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven) until the plums have started to break down with juices flowing.
- Carefully remove tray from oven and allow it to cool before transferring the plum segments (and any transferable juices) to the blender or food processor.
- You can remove the skins from the plum segments at this point (you will be able to roll them off easily) but I don’t recommend it. The skin is where all the flavor is and once blended you won’t be aware of it in the sauce (it leaves only the tiniest bits of chewy deliciousness).
- Blend the roasted plum segments until the plum is well broken down and integrated into a nice smooth and consistent sauce.
- Carefully transfer the sauce into a serving dish and enjoy with food of choice, for example: ice cream; frozen yogurt; regular yogurt; on cereal; with a smoothie or with fish/seafood. Any leftover sauce can be kept in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- I have a number of ice cream recipes on the blog if you wish to make your own but this particular recipe is all about the plum!
give it a try… you may be surprised by just how good it tastes AND how much you enjoy it! :O) you make a good point about the aging factor too – even massaged kale is delicious the next day (compared to regular salad with vinaigrette which is a total wash…).
O.M.G. that looks like a 5-star resturant meal. I’ve never had scallops or fish with a fruit-based sauce. I must try this as soon as possible!!
PS I have just scrolled the page and seen some of your Pinterest images in the right column… I’m “bouche bée” (do you know this French expression? very imaginative and very real if you saw me now with my mouth and eyes wide open ;-) ). I cannot believe these are on your pinterest! Thank you so much for pinning so many of my photographs. I’m so proud and flattered…
Congratulations, Kelly! It’s such wonderful news! I cannot imagine how joyful this moment must have been… I am completely blown away by our trees (or rather their edible babies). Having your own apricots, plums but most of all, lemons (!!!). I have never heard of pineapple guava tree or fruit. Please show us the fruits one day!
The dessert looks so amazing… but the most amazing part is the fruit in your hand… so fresh, it still has this natural opaque “powder” that disappears with washing, handling, etc.. I am sure you will enjoy immensely living in your new house…. How can one be in a bad mood when one sees lemons growing in the garden… It sounds like a dream.
thanks Sally!
Thank you for your thoughtful note Kristy and for all your support this year… pulling up roots is not easy but there is always something to be learned… if we’re going to get older let’s at least get a little wiser too, am I right? ;-). We’ll be pulling up the dump truck on move day and doing an initial purge — we’ll see how long it takes, as you say, for things to fill up again :).
Thank you for all your kind words Clare. We are really excited about it and since it’s a fairly major life event with a happy ending, I thought I would share it with my readers. Glad you enjoyed the pics – we can’t wait to actually live there :) More landscape inspired recipes on the way no doubt.
Ah Sandra, just wish you and your two adorable boys could come for a picnic. How much fun would we have together foraging and exploring the outdoors… it will be a busy summer for sure, but well worth it me thinks! xx
Who said anything about affordable? Lol. Thank you Amy! and thanks also for your companionship along the journey…always more fun to share these things with others. Yes, I will try to snap some before and afters; they’re always fun. I know I’m enjoying your reno adventures too! xx
Haahah, so glad you can appreciate my issues Elizabeth…I’m not sure my boys found it as funny growing up with a mom who confused dinos and dragons — yikes! Yes, I suspect that a good part of our living will be enjoyed in the beautiful outdoors as it should be here! What a blessed climate. Thanks so much for your nice note and good cheer; always appreciated.
Thank you so much Angie — we are delighted and I can’t wait to see my golden enjoying some green space!! :)
You’re right!! The feijoa fruit looks just like the grapefruit/pineapple ;-) guava!! How cool is that… now I have to go back and revisit your posts…I’m telling you, the plum sauce is something else. The skin comes out of the oven full of juicy flavors – plum, orange, balsamic… it dances on your tongue and works with so many different combinations of food. We especially love it with fish & seafood.
The yard is definitely a highlight. We are so invigorated by it and although none of us have ever been ‘naturals’ (by any stretch) in the garden, I can’t think of a more perfect excuse to start.
Kelly! I’m so happy to hear this good news! What a lovely way to end my night. And I loved getting a tour of your garden! I can’t wait to see all the goodness that comes out of this new space. So many blessings to you and yours!
Oh, Kelly…I am absolutely ecstatic for you. Just sooo happy! I didn’t know your living situation was a bit unsettled, and I definitely know how that feels after this year. And what an amazing landscape you get to live on. Those TREES!!!!! Oooh, I can’t wait to see what else you will make from your harvests.
Did you know that the pineapple guava is pretty much the same as the feijoa fruit that I have been droning on about here in NZ! I do hope you get a beautiful one to try and not just sour ones….as they are sooo wonderful! I just found a recipe for a feijoa crumble that I want to put a spin on!
This plum recipe is beautiful. Who knew about that waxy layer- crazy! A homemade sauce for simplistic vanilla ice cream just screams Summer to me. The only thing to make it better is using hand-picked fruit. You lucky gal!! I hope the move and renovations go smoothly for you! xx
CONGRATULATIONS, Kelly! I am so happy for you :-))
Isn’t it wonderful to have a plum tree in your backyard? The plum sauce looks terrific and I look forward to more plum recipes in future.
Oh Kelly, I am so happy for you! And you definitely found a home with the most amazing backyard I have ever seen. I can’t wait to see all the yummy things you will make with your backyard bounty. I’ve never even heard of a pineapple guava. I can’t wait to see what they look like. Best of luck with all the renovations! I’m sure you will feel sooooo goood once everything is done and all moved in. XOXO
Oh Kelly… Congratulations to you and your family on this amazing news!! I am equally dazzled by the beautiful edible landscape… Oh my. I can just imagine your joy particularly given the journey. I know exactly what you mean about carrying more than we need… it is so very true how attached we are to our possessions and these times in life allow us to reassess. Still, I find you so brave (and always wise!). This gorgeous plum sauce is singing to me right now… So simple and I bet it’s positively delicious – love the touch of balsamic too. Thank you for sharing your news and all of these beautiful photos. I have a feeling I’ll be returning to this gallery throughout the day :). I’d never heard of a pineapple (grapefruit ;-) guava before!!
Welcome home Kelly! I’m so excited for you. It’s such wonderful news and it seems as though you found the house just right for you. The fruit looks divine and how much fun is it that it’s all right in your backyard!!! Too cool. I know it’s been a long year…but I have no doubt you have made the most of it. And I too can relate to how little we really need. Our stuff was locked away for 18 months after our move and like you, I didn’t really “need” any of it. I did end up getting rid of lots of it before we moved in as a result. That said, the house has seemingly filled back up again. Funny how that happens. I often say how funny it is how many bags we carry in the house and how few seem to come out. ;) Congratulations dear friend! I am really just so happy for you. And your dessert – the perfect way to celebrate!
I am THRILLED. THRILLED FOR YOU and your family, cannot even write anything else, it’s incredibly nice when wonderful things happen to wonderful people…. ENJOY EACH STEP OF YOUR BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY!