La Dolce Vita

Colder temperatures have descended upon Colorado and with their arrival, Fall has disguised herself under a veil of white. We don't claim to be caught unaware. She has teased us a few nights of late.

Because of an abundant supply of hungry and destructive deer, gardening has been somewhat frustrating in years' past. At the end of June, Greg solved our problem by making barriers that have proven to be deer proof! Despite a late start planting and a July hailstorm, we actually harvested some produce this year. Early Saturday, we gathered what remained. Deer do not like herbs, so they have always been a winner. In our memory, a few strawberry rhubarb crisps, in our freezer 20 quarts of sour cherries and still on our taste buds juicy and sweet grapes! I am already looking ahead to next year!

The aroma of Tuscan Stew, made with elk and parsley, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, sage, and mint from the garden filled our home today.
We served the stew with polenta made in my Uncle Amelio's automated copper polenta pot and a glass of chianti. La Dolce Vita

(PS) My nonna's task as a young girl was to make the daily polenta. Her duty was to stand and stir the mixture of cornmeal and water until done. Polenta has a tendency to bubble up in the initial phase of cooking. I think Nona's trademark spot, (my definition) just below the collar bone resulted from a burn that occurred while stirring this traditional Northern Italian staple.