El Pescadero as seen from the highway

Our little piece of paradise where we live is all we need on most days. Pescadero is a fishing and farming community with lots of ex-pats of the American and Canadian persuasion.

Most of us foreigners live closer to the beach, but the Mexicans have the right idea. They live inland where the pueblo action is, and they can walk to just about anywhere they need or want to go. We, on the other hand, have great views and proximity to the ocean, but the salt air is eating our house.

Who knew it would be so rusty around here. (Apparently I’m not the only thing that is getting rusty.) Daily I probably sweep more sand out of my house and from our cement walkways than most people see in a year. Okay, that’s hyperbole, but we do more cleaning and maintenance here than we ever did on Whidbey Island. Whew!  Retirement is not supposed to include so much manual labor, is it? But for the most part, it’s worth it.

We get most of our produce from Fidel, who has a roadside stand in Pescadero. He’s the one in the sunglasses and stripped shirt. Fidel is a very cool guy and he knows his produce. I can pick out a cantaloupe and he will tell me when it will be ripe. He’s always right.

Our pup, Isabela, loves the sweet potatoes.

The farmers grow a lot of chili peppers and onions, but it is the basil that graces us with its heavenly scent. Hmmm. I’m walking on the beach in the morning and it wafts in from the nearby fields.

Can you smell it too?

This is Danito, one of our neighborhood farmers. His cherry tomatoes are to die for. He lets us have them for free. We get our eggs from his sister Bianca’s chickens.

Another one of our friends, Pepe, brought me a basil start about 6 weeks ago. I had to harvest my plant this morning. It did so well I made enough pesto to last us two years.

I used almonds instead of pine nuts, as I don’t have any pine nuts. I added lots of garlic and parmesan cheese to the blender with the basil, olive oil and almonds–presto pesto!

Here’s a dollop!

I cut a large roll in half lengthwise and slathered a heap of pesto onto it. Then I added tomato slices, avocado slices, and crowned all of that with cheese. Then I put the creation into the oven at 425 degrees F for 12 minutes. Oh my! So tasty. You ought to try it.

I would suggest some toasted sunflower seeds after the pesto, but I didn’t have any, so we had to do without. I know how good it is with them though, as my son and his wife made me this sandwich with sunflower seeds when I was visiting them in San Diego recently.

Stay tuned. I’ll have more pictures around El Pescadero soon. Thanks for stopping by.