Great post Ruth. I can't believe that we are this far into the years already. I have a property in Escondido and we always drive by the flower fields and the strawberry patches and I guess don't even realize it anymore. Thanks for reminding me - I should get some berries 😘.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the post! We've lived less than two hours from these fields for many years and have never visited. It just goes to show the wonders you can find close to home when you just take the time.
Yes, exactly. We visited when we came to the area initially as it was a novel thing and while we knew tehy were there, it was a case of "been there, done that", but they really deserve to be visited at least once a year.
What a beautiful field of flowers! I had no idea that farm was open to the public at a certain time of year, I hope to have the opportunity to drive south and visit someday. Thank you for sharing your memories and descriptions, your post is wonderfully written.
Congratulations on four years, Ruth!! I love this post - and I admire you for being brave enough to write about ranunculuses! Such a difficult word to get right. 😂 Your photos are just beautiful, and I really appreciate your words about migrant laborers in the fruit fields. I lived for five years in California fruit country and the Napa Valley, and have a huge appreciation for the labor necessary to make the economies of those areas thrive. Thank you for drawing attention to it!
Thanks so very much for your kind words, Jodi! The name was enough to tempt me to write about ranunculi in the first place--no, truthfully, it's those colors and the joy of walking among them (the name is just a bonus!).
I do love the Napa Valley and have visited many times.
It really is much too easy to take the state's bountiful produce for granted, but we really shouldn't. Those who harvest it are really unsung heroes.
Ruth what a really wonderful article and surly I need to make a drive to Carlsbad. Congratulations on 4 years I feel guilty I’m a free fan and have no idea how long but I believe I started reading your great article’s from your husband Jeff and didn’t even realize you were on Substack until maybe when I started following Emily Nunn. Forgive me I need to rethink this!
No problem, Maggie! Whenever you started reading me, I'm so glad you're here now. Don't feel guilty for being a "free fan" as I haven't decided when or whether to "go paid." There is so much great writing here on Substack (including Jeff's and Emily Nunn!) that I'm just honored to be included among folks' reading matter and even more honored when they leave nice comments. Thanks very much!🤗
Happy 4 years, Ruth! I've enjoyed reading everything you write and living vicariously through your food and travels. Here's to many more years!
I lived in Carlsbad in the late 70s for a few years and I loved it. It has changed so much over the last 40+ years, but the flowers are still something that I love to visit when I'm in that area and they are blooming.
Thanks so much, Gayla! I can only imagine how much Carlsbad has changed in 40 years. It's still very charming and has a small town feel despite the growth. We've lived and Southern California for 40+ years now and had never visited the flower fields. It was quite a revelation.
Happy Anniversary! I love the ranunculus flower. The colors and densely packed petals are so lush. Thanks for bringing photos of bright blue skies to a very dreary spring here in NJ. I used to pick strawberries with my mom and we probably ate as many as went in the basket. Thanks, Ruth!
Thanks, Vicki! I actually longed for your painting skills as I soaked up the lucious colors in those ranunculus fields. I hope blue skies bless N.J. soon! I’m sure you’ll appreciate them all the more after the gray ones!🌞
Beautiful, Ruth! Happy 4th Substack Anniversary! I enjoy your storytelling. The photos are yummy with the vibrant pinks and oranges. The best! Keep going!
Happy anniversary Ruth - I love that I found you here! I picked strawberries for a day when I was a teenager, thinking it might be a good holiday job. It's backbreaking work and not being able to move the following day has given me a lasting appreciation of fruit pickers! And I love the runnuculi.
Thanks, Julia! I worked a lot of jobs I didn’t like when I was young, but I hardly lasted an hour in this one—and I had to pay to do it! I’d like to imagine if everyone had to pick strawberries for a day, maybe we’d be willing to pay more for them to make sure workers got a fair wage—but probably not. Everyone wants a deal.😏
That's so true Ruth. I like think on the whole if people knew what went into producing food, they might want to pay what it's actually worth - but as you say, probably not!
Great article on Carlsbad, it is a great place to live and play. Food Tours can be like a new lens to view the town with and learn about it's history, culture and art.
Thanks, Cherimarie! It was great to meet you. I have a whole new attitude about food tours after taking this one and learning so much about Carlsbad. Hope to come back soon and see and taste all that we missed. 🤗
I'm just about to plant out my ranunculus corms which I hope will bloom again even though they are a few years old. Our location here in Perth, Australia is very similar - we are only about 1 mile from the coast and we have plenty of sun (sadly, not much rain in this drying climate).
Thanks, Bev! I bought some gold and orange ranunculus corms at the garden store in the flower fields and hope to plant them in pots or beds next fall. We had years of drought, but now we've had records rains called atmospheric rivers. Crazy weather everywhere! Good luck with your ranunculus efforts. Hope you have some beautiful blooms--and some rain too!
What a boatload of beautiful pictures and detailed information. All inspiring. Enjoyed immensely.
Thank you both.
https://writerswrites.com/
Thanks, Sally!💕
Great post Ruth. I can't believe that we are this far into the years already. I have a property in Escondido and we always drive by the flower fields and the strawberry patches and I guess don't even realize it anymore. Thanks for reminding me - I should get some berries 😘.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the post! We've lived less than two hours from these fields for many years and have never visited. It just goes to show the wonders you can find close to home when you just take the time.
Yes, exactly. We visited when we came to the area initially as it was a novel thing and while we knew tehy were there, it was a case of "been there, done that", but they really deserve to be visited at least once a year.
I couldn't agree more! 💐
Happy 4th Substack-Anniversary, Ruth!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Your newsletter is among my all time favourites. Please keep it coming <3
Oh, Sinù, that's so wonderful to hear--and thank you for the good wishes! I will keep it coming--as I know you will yours, which I treasure.🥰
We are heading there to meet the kids at Legoland in a couple of weeks! Thanks to you and Jefferson, we are set! So excited!
You will love it! And so much to do with kids!❤️
What a beautiful field of flowers! I had no idea that farm was open to the public at a certain time of year, I hope to have the opportunity to drive south and visit someday. Thank you for sharing your memories and descriptions, your post is wonderfully written.
Thanks so much, Lorraine! The flower fields are really worth it, but go early and mid-week if you possibly can. 🤗
Congratulations on four years, Ruth!! I love this post - and I admire you for being brave enough to write about ranunculuses! Such a difficult word to get right. 😂 Your photos are just beautiful, and I really appreciate your words about migrant laborers in the fruit fields. I lived for five years in California fruit country and the Napa Valley, and have a huge appreciation for the labor necessary to make the economies of those areas thrive. Thank you for drawing attention to it!
Thanks so very much for your kind words, Jodi! The name was enough to tempt me to write about ranunculi in the first place--no, truthfully, it's those colors and the joy of walking among them (the name is just a bonus!).
I do love the Napa Valley and have visited many times.
It really is much too easy to take the state's bountiful produce for granted, but we really shouldn't. Those who harvest it are really unsung heroes.
Ruth what a really wonderful article and surly I need to make a drive to Carlsbad. Congratulations on 4 years I feel guilty I’m a free fan and have no idea how long but I believe I started reading your great article’s from your husband Jeff and didn’t even realize you were on Substack until maybe when I started following Emily Nunn. Forgive me I need to rethink this!
No problem, Maggie! Whenever you started reading me, I'm so glad you're here now. Don't feel guilty for being a "free fan" as I haven't decided when or whether to "go paid." There is so much great writing here on Substack (including Jeff's and Emily Nunn!) that I'm just honored to be included among folks' reading matter and even more honored when they leave nice comments. Thanks very much!🤗
Who needs microdosing when we’ve got your bountiful photos? You’re giving Jeff a run for his money 😂
Thanks, Amie! This post is definitely a bit of a photographic macrodose, but I couldn't help myself--those ranunculuses were just too photogenic!💐
Happy 4 years, Ruth! I've enjoyed reading everything you write and living vicariously through your food and travels. Here's to many more years!
I lived in Carlsbad in the late 70s for a few years and I loved it. It has changed so much over the last 40+ years, but the flowers are still something that I love to visit when I'm in that area and they are blooming.
Thanks so much, Gayla! I can only imagine how much Carlsbad has changed in 40 years. It's still very charming and has a small town feel despite the growth. We've lived and Southern California for 40+ years now and had never visited the flower fields. It was quite a revelation.
Cheers, Ruth ~ thanks for the virtual tour of Carlsbad flowers 🌸 and happy Substackiversary ❤️
Thanks so much for your good wishes, Domenica! It means a lot.💕
Happy Anniversary! I love the ranunculus flower. The colors and densely packed petals are so lush. Thanks for bringing photos of bright blue skies to a very dreary spring here in NJ. I used to pick strawberries with my mom and we probably ate as many as went in the basket. Thanks, Ruth!
Thanks, Vicki! I actually longed for your painting skills as I soaked up the lucious colors in those ranunculus fields. I hope blue skies bless N.J. soon! I’m sure you’ll appreciate them all the more after the gray ones!🌞
Beautiful, Ruth! Happy 4th Substack Anniversary! I enjoy your storytelling. The photos are yummy with the vibrant pinks and oranges. The best! Keep going!
Thanks a million😘 So appreciate your comment. The “keep going” part is hardest sometimes but essential.
KEEP WALKING
Keep walking, though there’s no place to get to.
Don’t try to see through the distances.
That’s not for human beings.
Move within, but don’t move the way fear makes you move.
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty & frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
Rumi
I love this so very much! It's just what I needed! I think I'll go play the piano for a while. Clearly I need to read more Rumi too. Thank you!
I’m glad! Go play more often. Of course!
Happy anniversary Ruth - I love that I found you here! I picked strawberries for a day when I was a teenager, thinking it might be a good holiday job. It's backbreaking work and not being able to move the following day has given me a lasting appreciation of fruit pickers! And I love the runnuculi.
Thanks, Julia! I worked a lot of jobs I didn’t like when I was young, but I hardly lasted an hour in this one—and I had to pay to do it! I’d like to imagine if everyone had to pick strawberries for a day, maybe we’d be willing to pay more for them to make sure workers got a fair wage—but probably not. Everyone wants a deal.😏
That's so true Ruth. I like think on the whole if people knew what went into producing food, they might want to pay what it's actually worth - but as you say, probably not!
Great article on Carlsbad, it is a great place to live and play. Food Tours can be like a new lens to view the town with and learn about it's history, culture and art.
Thanks, Cherimarie! It was great to meet you. I have a whole new attitude about food tours after taking this one and learning so much about Carlsbad. Hope to come back soon and see and taste all that we missed. 🤗
Really wonderful piece! Your descriptions are always so vivid...I could almost taste the berries.
Thanks so much, Leslie! The berries were pretty darn good. Ready for more! Hope all is well with you.
I'm just about to plant out my ranunculus corms which I hope will bloom again even though they are a few years old. Our location here in Perth, Australia is very similar - we are only about 1 mile from the coast and we have plenty of sun (sadly, not much rain in this drying climate).
Thanks, Bev! I bought some gold and orange ranunculus corms at the garden store in the flower fields and hope to plant them in pots or beds next fall. We had years of drought, but now we've had records rains called atmospheric rivers. Crazy weather everywhere! Good luck with your ranunculus efforts. Hope you have some beautiful blooms--and some rain too!