Greens at the Golf Course

The local line-up. (Picture by Nic Romano)

It was a rainy Saturday morning, and as I drank my tea I remembered some chatter from the night before about an organic farm stand at the golf course.  Friends had come over for dinner and after a bottle of wine and talk of packing suitcases and getting on a train to Oregon, the benefits of raising goats, the odds of winning the lottery, how to blog on Wordpress and other topics of conversation throughout the evening, I couldn't be sure if the farm at the golf course was a dream or a real thing -- or as real as our plan to raise goats in Oregon. Maybe we had also planned to farm the golf course? So I decided to trek off to find the mystical organic farm stand somewhere in the fog of my memory and the San Clemente hills.

Turning off the street and down a lane with cypress trees on each side, whisking me to the front doors of the elegant Bella Collina club, I felt a bit self conscious with my put-puttering car whose ceiling is falling in on my head and whose dashboard is held together with silver duct tape. No matter -- I rather like pretending I belong when I obviously don't, so I held my head high as BMW's and Mustangs passed me on their way out the cypress-lined drive through the heavy oak gates. 

I spotted some green umbrella's on the hill side and sighed in relief at the sight of a miniature farmers market taking place. It was real after all. 

I marched up the stone steps and Farmer Nic greeted me, though I didn't know his name until later. Try some raisins, he said, pouring some plump and juicy dried grapes into my palm.

I sampled the fava beans, sucked on a honey stick and picked my own rainbow chard as Farmer Nic packed me a basket of seasonal produce, freshly baked bread and pizza doughs, with a packet of raisins thrown in for good measure.

He told me how his grandfather traveled from Italy to the mines of the Midwest in search of a future. How his grandmother refused to leave her hilly, goat-herding hometown to meet her husband in America, but eventually succumbed to his pleading when he threatened her with divorce. Once in America they grew their own vegetables fertilized with manure, raised their own goats, chickens and children, and baked bread on Tuesdays. 

And here he is now, farming a faux Tuscan hillside with organic procedures and a vibrant heritage. Maybe he came straight out of a book, or maybe the book is just waiting to be written. I thought for sure a farm stand in the golf course must have been a figment of my imagination, but it's as real as the goat-herder from Italy and his golf course greens-growing grandson Nic. 

Villa Romano Green Farms located at Bella Collina Towne and Golf Club

Open from 10-1 on Saturdays

To pre-order a Harvest Basket e-mail farmernic@vrgreenfarms.com

*Although not certified organic, Farmer Nic uses all natural, sustainable practices -just like his family before him. 

Visit my website at www.kirstenrenee.com 

A Hike in the Canyon, With Fudge

Hiking in the hills of Ortega Canyon

     I had been on Ortega Highway once, winding through the canyon from Lake Elsinore to the coast.  In spite of feeling carsick, I thought the scenery was very pretty. But until I kept hearing people talk about their weekend adventures, which seemed to always take place in Ortega Canyon, I didn't realize there was so much to discover off the road.

Ortega Oaks Candy Store and Goods, on Ortega Highway

     So the other day, when neither of us had work, I put my foot down for a trip to Ortega Canyon, which is part of the Cleveland National Forest. My husband was reluctant, as we had no idea where to go, where to park, if you needed a Park Pass to hike or how much that would cost, or how far we would have to drive before finding something - if anything.
     But I had heard about a good hiking trail behind the Candy Store on Ortega Highway. I figured that was enough information to go on, so I packed our lunch and waters, tossed Jordi the car keys and hopped in the front seat.  (Kind of like a dog holding his leash when it's time to go to the park....)
Being the good sport that he is, he followed suit and started driving us off to our adventure. The coastal fog receded as we drove into the Canyon, giving way to a beautiful sunny day. Houses became sparse, and eventually we found ourselves officially entering the National Forest.

Inside the candy shop

     We finally came across the Ortega Oaks Candy Store and Goods about 20 miles from the 5 Freeway and located on the South side of the Highway. Apparently this little store sells day use passes for $5 to park in the National Forest. You hang one in your car and it's good until 10 a.m. the next morning. We pulled into the little parking lot next to a simple blue building on the side of the road, with picnic tables and umbrellas outside. We walked through the screen door and into the shop, which felt more like the kitchen and living room of an old aunt with a bad sense of style, a welcoming heart and a talent for cooking fudge.
     With bins full of nostalgia-inducing candies (Andes mints and salt water taffy are my favs)
 and homemade chocolates, we couldn't simply walk off with our park pass, but picked out some dark chocolate almond bark as well.
     Trail heads go up from behind the candy shop, as well as from the parking lot across the street. Hiking and horseback riding are allowed on both sides, but mountain biking is only allowed on trails North of the highway.
     We opted for a trail that began behind the shop marked "Bear Canyon Trail". From that trail, we ended up doing a loop about five miles long. We stopped along the way to have our sack lunch - a typical meal of pb&j, carrots, fruit and BONUS: the almond chocolate bark we picked up at the candy store.

You can't see the bees, but they were there. The hive is
in the dark spot of the trunk.

     Walking back we heard a loud hum, and stopped to see a large swarm of bees who had taken over a tree trunk lying across the creek. I wished I could dip my hand into the fresh honey, but thought better of it and satisfied myself with a picture instead. I'm definitely going to buy some Ortega Canyon honey next chance I get, though!
     We finished the rest of the loop in no time, and were back at the car in a few hours, tired and content. Finding some homemade chocolate in the middle of nowhere, purchasing a pass for only $5, hiking in the woods with no one but the birds and bees, and a beautiful, relatively short drive to get there made a great success out of our uncertain outing!