When I buy butter at New Season's no one asks me to feel their bicep, yet that's just what Lisa Jacob's of Jacob's Creamery invited me to do when I appeared incredulous that she personally hand churns her butter for sale. And who knew that a great pyrenees is protecting the free range chickens at Champoeg's Organic Egg farm from death by hawk? When I asked the owner how his chickens could survive free range without the protection of a net, he simply pointed to his photo album and a picture of his dog.
For me, having my camera, some great conversations, and having the luxury of buying some of the best food available (dare I say in the world?) is fabulous entertainment. The next morning, a huge bouquet of local peonies looking like something out of a Dutch painting set the stage for a simple, delectable breakfast. Fresh eggs, with vivid orange yolks- Pearl Bakery toast slathered with Lisa's fresh salted butter and topped off with pale delicate honey, courtesy of my food writer friend, K. When you have the best and freshest ingredients, the simple becomes sublime. And Lisa's bicep? Impressive! More lovely food pictures.