The Wonder of Borrego Springs

We survived April's low desert windstorms.  My raised vegetable garden is going to seed (but not before producing some amazingly large beets... think softball size).  Bright, beautiful orioles made their visit and are planning their departure now.  The community is filled with excitement surrounding the June soft opening of La Casa Del Zorro.  Cactus are blooming.  The new Borrego Art Institute is an official success and there are other positive signs of growth within the community. 

The official low desert "season" has almost ended, but I haven't been able to rip my husband and two dogs away from Borrego Springs.  

With age, Yogi has become more flexible, kind of.



As neighbors leave to spend their summers in cooler locations, Borrego becomes more magical.  Hotter.  Quieter.  Slower and sleepier.  Off-season hours are adopted by many of the local business owners.  Some close altogether. 

Those remaining in Borrego Springs put on their rally caps and hunker down for the opposite of Chicago's cold winters.  This is hot weather at its finest!

Every day, the very happy Mr. W calls to fill me in on everything that's going on in Borrego.  Some days it's a very short conversation.  Recent reports:

• During their morning walk on de Anza Golf Course, Mr. W quietly watched a male and female roadrunner mating.  The male had a little lizard hanging out of its mouth the entire time.  After they finished, the male offered the lizard to his partner as a gift and she accepted.  A link to four Greater Roadrunner calls.

• There's a gas station in Borrego Springs where the attendant fills your car like in the good 'ol days.  That's why it's called a "service station", we were told.  While there earlier this week, another driver pulled in concerned about her tires.  Before anyone could begin checking it out, one of her tires exploded violently.  What?

• The dining room at de Anza was in the home stretch this week, and it finally closed Friday night.  So Mr. W and two buddies had dinner at the club Wednesday... chicken Marsala that was missing the usual Marsala and tasted a lot like teriyaki.  Oh Borrego!

• There's a rumor floating around town that the Borrego Springs Resort is being purchased by a San Diego investment group that plans to transform it into a Chinese Golf Academy.  Just here say.  Hey Doc, Borrego may end up with that Chinese restaurant you've been missing for the past 20 years!

Oh, and several good sized Koi magically appeared in the de Anza Golf Course lake. 

How about an "Orange Julius"? It's Orange Season in Borrego Springs!

 The icy cold, creamy orange drink we know as "Orange Julius" grew out of an orange juice stand that opened in Los Angeles, CA in 1926.  Julius Freed was the owner/ operator. 

The drink was so popular, people began lining up at the store shouting "Give me an Orange, Julius!"  Eventually the new drink was simply called the "Orange Julius". 

During the 1950s and 1960s, Orange Julius was sold at state and county fairs and freestanding Orange Julius stands (which also sold medicinal "tonics" and bible tracts).  And in 1964, Orange Julius was named the official drink of the New York World's Fair.

LOGO FROM THE 1970'S AND 1980'S

I remember loving these frothy cold drinks as a kid, but they were expensive so my mom and I experimented by blending orange juice, powdered milk, powdered sugar and ice. 



SELEY FARMS, BORREGO SPRINGS, CA

 Well, the oranges are ripe for the picking in Borrego Springs and are available by the bag from a couple of roadside fruit stands around town.   Grab some oranges and lets make our own Orange Julius!

Homemade Orange Julius

(two servings)

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/4 cups fresh squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup cold low fat milk

1/2 cup cold water

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/4 cup ice cubes

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all the ingredients except the ice cubes in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. Then add the ice cubes and blend to your desired consistency.  The authentic drink always included a few irregular nubs of ice. 

For a Strawberry/Orange drink, throw in a few fresh or frozen strawberries.

Want more "froth"?  Add an egg white or a little powdered egg white.

 

When are you going to visit Borrego Springs?

Roadrunner Tree Farm - Go visit Frank!

Almost two years ago, we had landscaping installed on the street side of our house with the help of a Borrego Springs gardener, his wife and their son.  They worked for several days in the scorching sun covered head to toe with long sleeves, long pants, hats, gloves and loose scarfs to keep the sun off their skin. You'd think dressing this way would make them hot, but not true.  Wearing loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide brim hats protects your skin and helps keep you cooler when working in the sun. 

It has been less than two years, but already two of my agave were so happy that they sent up the monster asparagus looking shoots, bloomed, and fell over.  Hundreds of baby Agave emerged from the bloom and were blown around, some taking hold.  Nature!

Agave plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once in its lifetime and then dies (semelparous - a species characterized by a single reproductive episode before death).  

So rather than look at the bare holes in our garden, what did we do?  We went to visit Frank, of course!


Frank is the high energy "motor" of the Roadrunner Tree Farm retail operations who helps us choose landscape plants.  Very knowledgeable.  Very helpful.  A really nice man. 

If you haven't met Frank or been to the Roadrunner nursery, stop by for a visit.  Cacti, trees, citrus, dates, honey, perennials, clay pots, some gift items.  Pure fun!

I believe the nursery is open during the season from 9:00 to 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but you may want to call before visiting.

A mind-boggling amount of options were available at Roadrunner!  We ended up choosing three Shark Skin Agave  (Agave ferdinandi-regis x scabra) in five gallon containers.  Beautiful, reasonably priced and delivered to our house for a very reasonable delivery fee. 


SHARK SKIN AGAVE

A NEW BEGINNING FOR LA CASA DEL ZORRO AND BORREGO SPRINGS!



WAITING IN THE ARID DESERT AREA OF BORREGO SPRINGS, CA... A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.

My husband and I bought our Borrego Springs home in December 2010.  By that time, Borrego Ranch (formerly La Casa Del Zorro) was closed.  For the last two years, we've heard over and over from Borrego residents what a huge loss the resort's closing has been.  It wasn't until we took a strole through the property this week and we fully understood what has been lost.

Its closing has impacted the community and so many locals - dozens of jobs were lost that have not been replaced and tourism continues to suffer.  

Excuse my language, but HOLY COW!  The quality and beauty of the resort is breathtaking, even in its current state.  We parked on a back road and walked past the casitas with their private swimming pools, past the huge checker board, archery range and then to the climbing rock.  Heading toward the main area of the resort, our mouths dropped open. 



Here's the good news...

LA CASA DEL ZORRO RETURNS!

A January 31 newspaper article states:

La Casa del Zorro, a luxury Borrego Springs resort that's been shuttered for the last three years, has sold for $2.4 million.

The new ownership, led by three San Diegans, closed escrow Thursday on the 42-acre resort and hopes to reopen it by May 1.

Casa del Zorro, which includes 44 hotel rooms and 19 stand-alone casitas, last changed hands in 2007 when then owner Greg Pearlman purchased it for $2.5 million and subsequently invested an additional $7 million in renovations. Just 14 months later, the resort, which he had renamed renamed Borrego Springs Ranch, closed.

"Anyone who’s been around San Diego for a while has been there, and this has always been a colorful and historic resort," said former San Diego City Manager Jack McGrory, one of the new Casa del Zorro owners. "Borrego has gone through some very tough years but it’s coming back. They were trying to sell this during a very bad real estate market, and I think the market is coming back."

In the past, business at the resort likely suffered because of its high room rates, said McGrory, CEO of La Jolla Management LLC, a real estate and investment company. "That should change with the new owners, who plan to bring the rates down below $200 a night, he added."

Joining McGrory in the Casa del Zorro purchase are Casey Brown, a San Diego developer, and Jack Giacomino, chairman of San Diego-based Hotel Managers Group, which will operate the resort.

Giacomino's plan, McGrory said, is to partner with one of the major hotel chains to brand the property and take advantage of its central reservations system. The owners expect to spend about $1 million to fix up the property in advance of reopening it.

"We also want to redevelop the fitness club and tennis for the community as a whole," McGrory said. "When Greg (Pearlman) had it, he discouraged the community from coming to the restaurant or bar."

We heard today that locals have already been hired and have begun cleaning the resort, which was basically shuttered three years ago leaving all of the furniture and decor intact. 

Can't wait to experience what all the locals have been talking about! 

Lemons

We planted a little Meyer Improved lemon tree 2 years ago in our Borrego Springs yard.  An inexpensive Home Depot purchase, it is LOADED with big, juicy lemons this year! 

Leaves:  Lush and glossy

Flowers:  Small, white and intensely fragrant

Fruit:  Thin-skinned, slightly orange in color

Flesh:  Light orange-yellow and sweeter than most other lemons (e.g. Eureka or Lisbon that you probably find in your grocery store)

The Meyer Lemon Tree was named for Frank Meyer, who worked for the USDA and brought the tree to the US from China in 1908.

I've been thinking about ways to use all of our lemons. 

There was a time in my life when I used lemons to lighten my hair while sunbathing.  



 Now I'm more inclined to use them to make limonchello (lemon zest, vodka and simple sugar syrup), lemon curd, lemon bars, lemon meringue pie, lemon drops...  You get the idea.

I'm including a yummy lemon pound cake recipe in this blog that you will like from my favorite cookbook author... the Barefoot Contessa.  It's from her 2001 first cookbook - PARTIES!

The Barefoot Contessa's most recent book is   "FOOLPROOF" and includes a selection of great recipes that you'll find yourself making over and over. 

Like her other cookbooks, FOOLPROOF recipes aren't for fancy food, just tasty, homemade appetizers, salads, main dishes and deserts perfect for company but easy enough to make on weeknights.  Ina Garten's main take-away is to use the highest quality, freshest ingredients you can afford.

 

 

Lemon Cake (makes two 8-inch loaves)

Hands-On Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

For the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans.
• Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon zest.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves and makes a syrup. When the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a rack set over a tray. Turn the cakes right-side up and spoon the lemon syrup generously over the mounded tops, allowing the syrup to dribble down the sides. Let the cakes sit to cool completely.

For the glaze:

•  Combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the top of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

These little pound cakes are equally good using fresh orange juice and orange zest in place of the lemon juice and zest.