Small is beautiful -- Bellewood Acres

Well, as you can see below, the homey Bellewood Acres expanded in the past few years.

But not so large, that its near-perfect pie dough still is produced in small batches and
stored in ordinary zip-lock bags

Fresh milk, in western Washington and in Italy

Cheese in brine

Cheese, air drying

In Italy, fresh cup of coffee, fresh milk from the machine

CSAs abound in Whatcom County (here, Inspiration Farm, with my agroecology class this summer)

Fresh milk -- In Italy -- first raw milk machine ever (in Italy) in the Garfagnana Valley

Here: One of the main organizers, a long-time raw-milk producer shows how to clean the facilities. And, loyal customers.

Pasta-making 101, all the equipment that Italy has to offer....and fresh tomato sauce and sweet backyard honey

Beginning with sweet honey, to be added some to the sauce

...our garden tomatoes

parboiling the tomatoes

juice extractor in the back, fresh tomato puree, foreground

Now sauce can be made, adding garlic and onions, herbs, and venison

pasta -- preparing the well for the fresh, backyard eggs

From the pasta machine

Trying three different pasta recipes

Drying the pasta

The winner: Almost all semolina

Making the fresh-whey ricotta

Gorgeous riccotta for lasagne

Glorious cheese

We've been experimenting with fresh milk cheeses -- cultures form France, cultures form the barn. Some, aged in the cooler, others in a converted refrigerator. Peeking around some of the cheeses are barely-dried plums.

Celebrate Local in Western Washington

This Saturday, September 14! Self-guided tour to small, artisan, and good.............Contact Sustainable Connections, Bellingham Community Food Co-op.....

...and throughout the U.S., it's harvest time, Google "[   ] County Farm tour"...and find yours!

Italy 2013!

Captions forthcoming, nevertheless, a good recounting of our course. Take a look at this next slide -- two Huxley people, who are buying an agritourismo  right outside Florence!