The blossoms and the bees

Bee video
Originally uploaded by danielle512

California's almond groves turn white for a few weeks in early spring as the trees go into a blooming bonanza.

To ensure a nut harvest, California farmers hire up to half the nation's honeybees during this brief flowery flash. This afternoon I visited an orchard, near Merced, that hopes to reduce its dependence on hired honeybees. They recently planted a bee garden to attract and feed native bees throughout the year, see photos below.

A little lemon love

A couple of good lemon recipes
One of my favorite cakes to make, containing a few of my favorite things: zucchini, olive oil and lemons.
Zucchini Cake with Crunchy Lemon Glaze

With eggs, almonds, cream and lemons, this frittata-cum-tart is a knee-weakening swirl of flavors.
Cake, Tart, Frittata: Call It the New Baking 

I haven’t tried to make preserved lemons yet, but I’m dying to. This recipe is part of my plans for spring break.
Capturing Morocco in Its Sunny Pickle

And, remember, we must not live on sweet things alone.
Lemon Risotto from Epicurious.com

(Note: A reposting from our class blog A Tale of Ten Slugs.)