Blossom's Blog

Dear Blossom,
As you know since our Affogoato invention, I have wanted to see for myself the home place of the Ponce Livornese. It is in the seaside village of Livorno, Italy where everybody buys their fish. Bar Civili is far off the tourist path, but the Italians know of the traditional drink made by the generous and strong people of Livorno to make a coffee that will blow your socks off! It is one part coffee, lemon peel, that tops a scalding hot shot of this maroonishblack syrup called ponce (punch) that is essentially rum and cognac loaded with sugar. To drink this you must keep one hand on the bar and have both feet braced firmly on terra madre. Of course, I tasted my first during coffee hours and probably because I’m not a sailor, it took a more pronounced effect. Thankfully, the fisherman’s morning air salted my senses and I emerged from bar Civili a stronger regazza worthy of a mariner’s parting wink.

Love, Laloo

Posted by at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear Blossom,

From the hillside of Chianti I write to say how much you would love Italy. As you know, our chocolate cabernet is a best seller and I wouldn't trade our Sonoma wine for anything, but as they say "When in Rome…" I've dedicated myself to an exploration of the local Bottegia. It seems that in this moment, it is the Southern Italian wines (from Sicily and Sardinia) that are capturing the hearts and minds of the Italian table. I have imbibed Nero D 'Avola that is so georgeous it brought tears from the sheer beauty of it. To open a Cannonau from Sardinia is like to drink an ephiphany. I could describe elements like birch, granite, linen and blood - things I never would have subscribed to a grape . Even the locavores in Pistoia rave about what is happening on the little island south of the Tuscan coast. Blossom, can you imagine how the sun can do so many beautiflul things to our beloved planet?

Wish you were here.

Love, Laloo

Posted by Laloo at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The truck left the farm full of little party sized Laloo’s and came back Sunday night empty! It was the 19th Annual B.R. Cohn Charity Fall Music Festival and featured: The Doobie Brothers, Little Feat, The Turtles, Lisa Loeb, Joe Satriani, and Loggins and Messina and Creedence Clearwater Revisited! The Laloolians worked hard and raised money for Hurricane Katrina victims by selling ice cream to the crowd. It was a perfect Sonoma county weekend with blue skies and the hills sparkling gold and red across the field of vines.

The concert really rocked, you could hear it across the valley. I know some of that music because TJ (our delivery guy) blasts “Takin’ it to the streets” from the truck to get him motivated each day at dawn. But I know more about Lisa Loeb because “Stay” is one of my favorite songs of all time. She is so cool. And, she loves PUMPKIN SPICE! She said she took some Laloo’s goat’s milk ice cream to a dinner party and everyone loved it. I can’t wait for her to bring her guitar to the farm someday… maybe she’ll write a song about me!

– Blossom

p.s. check out http://www.myspace.com/lisaloebmusic
p.s.s. look it’s Lisa !

Posted by Darryl Gill at 8:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)