Shopping in Sacramento

On Sunday J and I went to San Francisco for a graduation party. On the way home we stopped in Berkeley so that I could wander around Berkeley Hort for a little while and then went to Berkeley Bowl, so that J could fondle fruits and vegetables that we never see in Sacramento. (I have noted before the sorry state of the shopping here.) We wandered through the aisles. I must admit that I was the one who found the baby artichokes. When we lived in Oakland, we ate baby artichokes often during the season. (The trick is finding the tiny ones that haven't yet developed much of a choke and then removing the tough outer leaves.) In Sacramento we can't find decent artichokes at all. Sacramentans get the huge, tough ones left over after the coastal regions have taken all the good stuff. Tonight he steamed them and then stirred them into a sauce made of butter, parsley, grated garlic, and salt and pepper. Yummy.

We also purchased raspberries and blueberries. Last night I made berry shortcake, and then I finished off the rest of the berries today. The berries were better and cheaper than anything we would find here.