Life is flying by at light speed these days. I am already feeling spring rolling into summer. What is with this crazy weather? My head is chaotic swirl of work and kid schedules. I am trying to eek out some time to just chill. The heady smell of these Lily Of The Valley, one of my favorite flowers, remind me now and then to just breathe and to take a moment to pause and appreciate.
xx
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I feel a little silly posting this, as there is almost nothing to this recipe. In fact it is not much of a recipe at all.
I posted the above photos on instagram yesterday of the chive blossom vinegar I was making. We seem to always have an abundance of Chive Blossoms upstate; in fact most people who grow chives tend to get over run with them! My stepmother was an avid gardener and her herb garden was her pride and joy. This is where I first leaned about Summer Savory and Lovage and all those off beat herbs. At any given time in the summer she would be making up batches of herbed vinegars, which she sold in the winter at craft fairs or gave to friends during the holidays. I guess I take all this craftiness for granted having grown up with it. There was a moment in the eighties when artisan vinegars were all the rage. Chive blossom was no exception. It was always my favorite because of its beautiful pink color. So her is my non-recipe recipe.
; )
Clip Chive Blossoms from the chives just below the head of the chive.
Wash the chive blossoms in cold water and pat dry
Fill any jar approx 1/3 to 1/2 full of blossoms depending on how much vinegar you are making and set aside
You will want to use a glass lidded canning jar so the vinegar will not come in contact with any metal. If you are unable to find glass lidded jars place some doubled up cheesecloth or wax paper between the lid and the jar while screwing it shut.
Weck jars or Le Parfait Super jars work well. You can also order nice jars from Williams Sonoma Agrarian.
Heat the appropriate amount of white vinegar in a non-reactive pot to fill your jar. Keep the flame on med low.
Once the vinegar is heated pour it into the jar and over the chive blossoms.
Let the blossoms rest and infuse the vinegar for about a week in a cool dark pantry or cupboard.
The vinegar will turn a pretty pink over night but leave the blossoms in for about a week to a month.
We had a root cellar and a pantry in our old house and all vinegars and canned goods went in there for the duration, sometimes a month or so would pass before we got around to straining out the chives but all was well.
As long as it is cool and dark it should not be a problem if you forget about it for a bit.
After you strain your blossoms out your vinegar will have a lovely chive flavor.
Pull it out in the middle of winter and start dreaming of summer!
Discard the blossoms and Store your vinegar.
There you have it!
If you want you can experiment with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar or some Japanese vinegars; they will all work but the plain old distilled white vinegar will have the prettiest color.
xx
Here are a few links to other chive blossom vinegar posts.
http://food52.com/blog/3592-in-full-bloom-chive-blossom-vinegar
http://leitesculinaria.com/80938/recipes-chive-blossom-vinegar.html
http://www.foodinjars.com/2012/05/recipe-reminder-chive-blossom-vinegar/
Above photos iphone5
andrea gentl | Comments Off | Share Article
tagged artisan vinegars, chive blossom vinegar, summer in spring, summer
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This past weekend a group of friends and I went on a "wild walk" on our friend Carver's land in Bovina in upstate New York. Carver and his wife Sonya own The Pines restaurant in Gowanus and are interested in seasonal local foods both wild and otherwise. We were lucky to have local Marguerite Uhlmann-Bower as our guide. She is wealth of knowledge when it comes to wild plants. We set out on an incredibly cold and rainy morning after a super delicious brunch (we were more than a little sad to leave the roaring fire) and roamed both pasture and woods. Before we even got out of the yard proper, we had spotted garlic mustard. Garlic Mustard from what I have read was brought to the United States in the 1860's as a culinary herb but escaped into the wild and is now an invasive plant. You will see this early flowering wild plant along roadsides in the spring, it has delicate vibrant green leaves that are heart shaped and toothy with tiny white flowers. It does not have any poisonous look a likes. You will know this plant at once when you rub the leaves; it gives off a garlic odor. The leaves and the flowers are bitter but very delicious. Garlic mustard can be used in pesto or a salsa verde or raw in salads. All parts of the plant are edible and the roots apparently taste like horseradish.
When I got back home I searched our property for Garlic Mustard and found it literally two feet from my back door!
The next morning we decided to try it out for breakfast.
I blanched the greens and served a poached egg over them.
I have seen farmers selling Garlic Mustard at the Green Market in Union Square. However, if you can't find any just substitute any bitter green in this recipe. You can't go wrong with eggs and greens.
I will post more on our walk soon.
xx
Poached Eggs with Garlic Mustard
2 farm fresh eggs
1/2 pound of Garlic Mustard with flowers or a similar bitter green (Dandelions would be just as good)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Cracked black pepper to taste
Sea salt to taste
Wash the garlic mustard and remove the leaves and flowers from the stems
Discard the Stems
Set the flowers aside
In pot of rapidly boiling water blanch the Garlic Mustard leaves for 10 seconds or so, just long enough for them to soften and turn a beautiful vibrant green.
Remove the Leaves from the water with a slotted spoon and divide between to plates.
Drizzle the greens with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.
In the remaining boiling water crack two eggs and poach.
When the eggs are one slide one each with a slotted spoon from the pot to the plates.
Drizzle with a bit more olive oil
Top with cracked black pepper and Sea Salt
Add the delicate Garlic Mustard flowers on top.
Serve with tow slices of toast. I used walnut raisin bread because that is what I had around. (Thank you Paola!)
I rubbed the toasts with garlic after toasting.
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It has been one of those weeks. I am really looking forward to chilling inside today on this rainy rainy Sunday.
My bed and a good book is calling me. Today is kind of perfect for this spicy Ramp Bloody Mary. You might want to brew up a batch of this ramp infused vodka while you can still get your hands on some ramps. It is super easy and great way to have ramps throughout the year, that is if you don’t get too addicted and drink it all too fast!
Take a fifth of good vodka.
Pour it into a large mason jar (I used a Le Parfait Super)
Trim and clean between fifteen and twenty ramps.
Remove the greens to use for something else.
Place the ramp bulbs and stems in the vodka and store in your fridge from 3 months to one year.
I left mine for a year but after three months they were fairly infused. It is up to you how long you leave them.
Mine started to break down after one year and I eventually strained them out.
Infusing can happen rather quickly but I tend to push it's limits. Check the vodka from time to time to see when you like the taste of it best.
This Bloody Mary is rather spicy and full of horseradish. I like it that way but you can obviously tweak the spices to your liking.
I add crushed juniper to mine as well to give it a woodsy piney taste.
Enjoy!!
Bloody Ramp
In a an extra large Mason Jar Mix:
3 ounces vodka ramp vodka
10 ounces tomato juice
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 drops Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon homemade celery salt
3 tablespoon fresh grated horseradish
Shake and Chill the bloody Mary mix
When The Bloody Mary mixture is good and cold; Rim the glass with homemade celery salt
Pour the mixture over crushed ice and serve
Serves two.
Garnish with pickled ramps or a crisp celery stalk.
See this post from last year for Juniper Pickled Ramps.
Celery Salt
10 fresh green celery leaves
1/4 cup sea salt. I like grey.
Combine the sea salt and the Celery leaves in a mortar and pestle and blend together until you have a fine green salt.
It may be a little wet.
You can set it out on a baking sheet to dry and then store it in airtight jar in a darkened place like a pantry or stick the jar in the freezer to store it.
The green color will slowly fade over time.
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I am extending the ramp season a bit with more with a few more posts. Sorry guys! On our side of the mountain the ramp is late compared to some lower zones.
I made pasta I wanted to share that is so simple. You can substitute the ramp butter for any other compound butter you feel like making. I imagine nettle or spring garlic or mixed herbs would be quite nice as well.
I used Hen Of The Woods mushrooms but you can substitute any other kind. Maitake or Shitakes would be just as good.
Bucatini With Hen Of The Woods And Ramp Butter.
Serves two
1/2-pound pasta
1/2 pound of Hen of The Woods
3 inch long piece of old stale baguette or other bread
Olive oil
Salt + Pepper
Pecorino Romano
Set your pasta water to boil. When boiling generously salt it.
Start your Bucatini. It will take roughly 11 minutes or so and in the meantime if you have everything prepped you can cook the mushrooms and the breadcrumbs.
In a cast iron skillet or low sauté pan. Cover the bottom with a good olive oil.
Heat the olive oil on low-medium heat.
When hot drop your cleaned dry Hen Of the Woods into the olive oil and cook until some are just crispy.
Remove them from the olive oil and set in a dish to the side.
Chop your stale bread into small breadcrumbs. Drop them into the olive oil and cook for a minute or two. They will begin to brown and absorb most of the olive oil.
Add a Pinch of salt to the breadcrumbs.
Add a good dollop of Ramp butter and just melt it into the breadcrumbs.
Add the mushrooms and turn off the heat.
By this time your pasta should be done.
Before draining it reserve a cup or so of the pasta water. Set it to the side.
Drain you pasta and toss it into the mushroom ramp butter and bread crumb mixture.
Turn the heat on low and add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the mixture.
You will want to toss the pasta until all the ingredients are combined and everything is hot.
Add the rest of the pasta water if you need it.
Season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper and generously grate
xx
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http://www.hungryghostfoodandtravel.com/new/2012/4/5/where-the-wild-things-are-no-14-nettle-and-ramp-butter.html
Since the season is in full swing I thought I would share my recipe with you. I know some of you are probably so sick of ramp but I love it. Ramp has such a fleeting season. Every year I find there is more I wish I had done with it than the year before but I seem to feel that way about all the fleeting veg, wild or otherwise.
I noticed at the farmers market this past week that some of the farmers selling ramps were offering up some ramp butter. Most of the ramp butter at the market was a compound butter, which is a mixture of butter and added ingredients, like ramps, herbs or lemon. You may have had maître d’hotel butter on your steak frites? This is a compound butter.
The ramp butter I have been making is essentially a compound butter but I make it in a different way and it is a lot stronger than the ramp butter at the market. It is more complex and deep.
If you want to take the fast route, you can make a compound butter by adding chopped herbs or ramps to a stick of room temperature butter. You will want to mash the ingredients into the butter and fully incorporate them into the butter almost folding it over on itself again and again with a paddle or a wooden spoon.
Here is a nice tutorial on making compound butter from Serious Eats.
I make my ramp butter by whipping up fresh cream in the food processor along with chopped ramps or nettles and herbs, depending on what kind I am making.
I mix the cream and herbs at a high speed in my food processor until the butter starts to separate from the buttermilk. In a bout a minute’s time they will have formed a soft whipped cream cheese like spread. You could stop there if you would like and use it like a whipped butter but without separating the liquids from the butterfat it will not keep as long. I prefer to take it all the way to butter.
I pulse the cream and herbs until there are two bands visible through the sides of the processor. One will be a vibrant green liquid and the other will be the paler heavier fat of the butter as it separates. I keep pulsing the processor until the butter starts to slap the sides of the food processor.
The butter will appear grainy and clumpy at this stage and it will be sitting in a pool of liquid. This liquid is technically the buttermilk, but it is not like the commercial buttermilk that you buy in the store. It is much thinner. Commercial buttermilk is generally cultured and thicker.
You will want to drain off the liquid. If you are feeling adventurous you can reserve it for a later use. I made ramp buttermilk biscuits with mine.
Scrape all the butter into a large piece of cheesecloth and give it good twist. The buttermilk will spurt out onto the bowl below. Drain it off into your buttermilk reserve.
You will know you have drained most of the buttermilk once the butter starts to come through the cheesecloth.
At this point stop and proceed to the ice bath.
Take a large mixing bowl and fill it with ice cubes and cold water. Spoon the butter into the ice water and gently scoop it together with your hands until you form a ball.
Let it sit in the ice bathe until it firms up for a minute or so.
Rinse the butterball under cold water and set it in a shallow bowl.
With a wooden paddle or a large wooden spoon start to fold the butter over itself pressing down as you do so. You will be forcing any excess buttermilk out of the butter by this repeated action. You are also "working" the butter. This was essentially what a butter paddle was for. Keep doing this and draining off any excess buttermilk into your reserve.
Eventually the butter will be free of all buttermilk and you are ready to store it.
You can either form it into a log or wrap it in plastic wrap and parchment to freeze for later use or you can store it in an airtight container in your fridge, I like to use glass.
It will keep indefinitely either way. If you freeze a big batch you will have it all year to throw into pastas or on steak. It is so delicious and so very different from the standard ramp butter I have seen floating around. You might have to be careful to not eat it straight! It is that good!
I hope you don't find this daunting. It is really very simple and once you do it you will find yourself making all kinds of flavored butters or maybe just fresh spring and summer yellow butter.
Ramp Butter
1 pint of fresh cream
10 ramp greens
10 ramp bulbs
1/2-teaspoon salt
Chop the ramps and bulbs coarsely
Add the chopped ramps and the cream and salt together in the food processor.
Start your butter on high speed.
It will combine to a spread like texture within a minute or so. You can stop here if you want to use it like this.
At this point the buttermilk has not yet been separated from the solids.
I keep it going for another five minutes or so. You will at some point see the solids separate out from the darker green liquid (ramp buttermilk) in two bands along your processors edge.
I keep it going past this point until the butter starts to clump in small chunks and grains along the processors walls.
Continue following the instructions above.
Nettle Butter
1 pound of fresh stinging nettles
1 pint of heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon of salt
You can make nettle butter following the same basic instructions with a few exceptions.. Start with a pound of fresh nettles. Use gloves when washing.
Blanch the nettles until bright green. (30 seconds or so)
Remove with a slotted spoon and squeeze the excess water from the nettles until the form a ball of what looks like frozen spinach.
Coarsely chop the blanched nettles and add to 1 pint of cream and 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Follow the same steps as above.
Here is a much less long-winded post on how to make cultured butter from food 52
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quail egg © 2013 Andrea Gentl
llustration Fiona Strickland
Egg In The Middle
From How To Boil an Egg
Rose Carrarini
2 slices of bread, preferably whole wheat
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs
First stamp a circle from the center of each slice of bread with a 2-inch cookie cutter and reserve.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat, add the bread and reserved rounds ('hats') and fry until the undersides are lightly golden.
Turn the bread over, adding more oil if necessary.
Carefully break the eggs and ease them into the holes. (Sometimes I drain off a little of the white, but this is not a rule.)
Reduce the heat and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are beginning to set, but are still soft.
Using a spatula, transfer the slices of bread and eggs to a plate, with their hats over the yolks, and serve.
Now saute up some of that ramp, pea shoots or wild mustard you have kicking around and serve it on the side!
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For me the seasons have always been marked by the comings and goings of botanicals. It is a little harder to notice these changes in New York unless you have a back yard or a country escape. To get your fix, you can visit the Green Market or make time to visit the Botanical Garden, which is just spectacular in the early spring and summer. You can also set out to explore one of New York's beautiful tree lines streets like many in the West Village or Brooklyn.
Recently, I needed salted cherry blossoms for a shoot and when the Internet came up empty (you can order them fro Japan but it would have taken too long) I have to admit I had never heard of them! I turned to Heidi Johansen from Bellocq Tea Atelier. I knew that if any one had a stash of salted blossoms it would be her!! Heidi is kind of magical and she produced these mysterious salty pink flowers of nowhere!
Now that the season is upon us, I have decided to create my own stash.
Sakura tea, or salted cherry blossom tea is often served at weddings or other auspicious events in Japan. It has a delicate salty and sweet flavor. It is fragrant and woody. The saltiness obviously comes from the salt but the sweetness is imparted through the flowers natural flavor and additional soaking in Plum vinegar.
Salted Cherry Blossoms
2 cups of fresh cherry blossoms.
IF you have a cherry tree in your yard you can pick from there or you may be able to pick up some branches from your local farmers market but be sure to ask if they are natural and pesticide free. You will want to pick them before they are full bloom when they are buds to a little more than half bloom.
6 tablespoons of Japanese pickling salt
6 tablespoons of Plum vinegar
Wash the blossoms and set on a paper towel or kitchen cloth to dry. Gently pat until all the water is removed from the blossoms.
Place in a pickling croc or a shallow terra cotta croc.
Place a plate or a lid on top of the flowers. You will want this lid to fit nicely in your vessel. (I used a plate) Then weigh it down with a weight of some sort. I used a river stone. You can buy a fermentation croc or you can use a vessel that you already have and weigh it down with a homemade weight.
Leave it in the fridge for two days. The salt and the pressure of the weight will force any liquid from the blossoms.
After two days remove them from the fridge and drain off any excess liquid. My blossoms did not express much liquid.
After draining any excess liquid. Place the blossoms in a glass bowl and add the Plum vinegar.
Cover and Refrigerate for another three days.
After three days strain the flowers through a sieve to remove any vinegar. Spread them out on a baking sheet covered in parchment.
Sprinkle thoroughly with pickling salt and set on your counter in the sun to dry or outside in a protected spot.
Allow drying for two or three days.
When the flowers are completely dry they are done. they will discolor a bit.
Store in a glass jar and cover tightly. They are preserved will last indefinitely.
Finally you can enjoy a cup of Sakura tea!
Boil some water and drop three or four petals in your teapot.
Don't be shocked! It is salty! It is an acquired taste!
Sakura Rice.
Rinse a handful of blossoms to remove excess salt.
Add to your rice in a rice cooker or on the stove. The blossoms will impart a lovely pink color to your rice.
Here are some more ideas on what to do with salted cherry blossoms.
Below is a recipe from T Magazine
Salted Cherry Blossoms Adapted From Uni Sashimi Bar
2 cups rice vinegar ¼ cup sugar ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1-inch piece fresh ginger, smashed 1 umeboshi plum (available at Japanese markets or health-food stores) ½ teaspoon grenadine syrup 8 ounces cherry blossoms, or other edible blossoms.
1. Combine all ingredients except the cherry blossoms in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Put the cherry blossoms in a heat-resistant container and pour the just-boiled liquid over them; stir gently to submerge the flowers completely in the liquid. Cool, cover tightly and keep in the refrigerator for at least three days before serving. The pickled blossoms will keep several weeks in the refrigerator. Makes about 1 cup.
Some other ideas..
Chop afew of the blossoms up extra finely and use as a special salt.
I am also thinking Salted Cherry Blossom shortbread?
Need to experiment with this one.
This beautiful tea pot and cups from Jessica Niello at The Perish Trust
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It is no secret that I have been obsessed with Juniper Ridge products for the last few years. I always include them in my end of year gift guide. I am crazy about their large sage smudge sticks. We do a lot of smudging in this house! Recently, I brought their Big Sur Trail Soap with me on my trip out West. It smells like a thick pine forest. I have been using it obsessively since coming back. I love how a fragrance can tie you to a particular place and time. Scents have such strong ties to memory. If you are not familiar with their products you should check them out. You can pick up the Trail Crew soap at Warm at 181 Mott Street in NYC or online at Juniper Ridge. It comes in a variety of scents and in both a liquid and a solid.
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We are back in New York after our week out West and spring is definitely in the air. The light has shifted and changed and it is a little brighter and crisper. The shadows seem suddenly stronger. I am hopeful that my winter coat will soon be put away for good and the days will lend themselves to dresses and flip-flops.
Our mother daughter trip was really nice. It has been ages since I could get Lula all to myself. She really loved California. Everywhere we went she imagined herself living. She felt a strong connection to the desert.
I wanted to share a few places to stay and eat and thrift while it was fresh in my mind. We started our trip at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. It has its charm but is not with out a very hipster scene. We spotted the depressed brother from Little Miss Sunshine checking out as we arrived. It happened to be a super busy spring break/Easter week and the hotel and pool was filled with families and kids. The Ace was originally a Howard Johnson's built in the 1960's. It has a funky vibe. The staff is super friendly and the rooms are no nonsense. Make sure to check out the vending machines in the lobby stocked with cool items from Opening Ceremony and don't miss the photo booth! The restaurant attached to the Ace is called The Kings Highway, a former Denny's, it totally serves its purpose, dishing up gigantic pancakes, burgers and fries. Local and organic ingredients are used whenever possible. The atmosphere is great but the service in the restuarnt is a little spotty. If the pool gets to be too much of a scene head to the totally hidden Commune pool at the back of the hotel or rent a scooter and head into town which is only minutes away.
The town of Palm Springs has some decent restaurants but we were pretty holed up in the Ace with the exception of our visit to Natures Health Food Cafe recommended to us by our friends at The Wild Unknown. It is a great health food store and cafe with an awesome juice bar. There is little thrift store next to it called Palm Springs High School Thrift, we didn't find very much but one man's junk is another's treasure, so. you never know! Palm Springs can be full of hidden treasures and Mid Century Modern finds if that is your jam.
We stopped by a kind of wacky crystal store called Crystal Fantasy where you can get palm readings or tarot card readings.
After the Ace, we stayed at Hope Springs Resort in Desert Hot Spring's. Hope Springs is a little ten-room boutique hotel on the top of a mountain with a view of Palm Springs. Hope Springs has three natural mineral pools to soak in day or night. The hottest one being 105 degrees, perfect for cooler desert nights and star gazing. This place is seriously mellow, we kind of felt like we had it all to ourselves. they don't have a restaurant, but you are close enough to drive into Palm Springs or Joshua Tree for dinner. We ate a little family run Mexican restaurant right in the town of Desert Hot Springs and it was perfect. Hope springs has a communal kitchen and serves a light breakfast. When we were there they were serving fresh fruit and a frittata. They have a full list of Spa treatments.
Desert Hot Springs has a plethora of thrift stores as does the town of Joshua Tree which is quite close. From Desert Hot springs you can drive to Joshua Tree and enter the Western most entrance of the park. The distance from Joshua Tree to 29 palms is only about 30 miles but it can take you all day if you stop occasionally and hike in. There is no where to get food or water so bring your own and be prepared! The drive through the park to the Town of 29 Palms is really quite beautiful, it is very different in the morning and evening. Yucca trees line the landscape and you will pass the giant boulders if you take this route. Be sure to make time to stop at Keys view for Sunset. You can see the entire Coachella Valley all the way to The Salton Sea from there. It is really stunning. Bring something warm to wear because it gets quite chilly and windy towards evening.
A highlight of our trip was our crystal sound bath at the Integratron. A Dome structure in the desert in lander's California, not far from the town of Joshua Tree. The Integratron was built in 1954. You can read more about it here. Call to make an appointment in advance, they can be full months ahead of time!
From the Integratron website..
" The Sound Bath is a 60-minute sonic healing session that you can experience while resting comfortably in the deeply resonant, multi-wave sound chamber. A sequence of quartz crystal singing bowls are played for you, each one keyed to the energy centers or chakras of the body, where sound is nutrition for the nervous system. Imagine lying on comfy mats in the center of this relaxing and resonant high-energy field, while having your body bathed in exquisite sound for 25 minutes. You have the balance of the hour to relax. The results are waves of peace, heightened awareness, and relaxation of the mind and body. "
I have to say it was pretty cool and like no sound we had ever heard before. The pitch of the sound waves rising and falling completely transports you to another place.
We headed to Pioneer town after our visit at The Integratron, blissed out and mellow. Pioneer Town on first glance was a little hokey but it gives you an idea of what Wild West town would have looked like a hundred years ago.. It's fun for photos at any rate. The real draw in the town is Pappy and Harriets Pioneer Palace. They have decent barbeque and are known for their open mike night and the bands that they pull in from LA. This whole Northern High Desert area is kind of funky and trippy; there is definitely a more hippie vibe than in Palm Springs. The desertvibe is kind of electric out here.
On our way back to Desert Hot Springs we stopped at The Natural Sisters Café in Joshua Tree. We ate a sandwich LOADED with sprouts (very California) and had a Rock Climbers Revenge smoothie. (Weird name for sure but a really delicious combo of bananas, cashews and dates.) This cafe is right at the Western Entrance to Joshua Tree so it is actually a great place to stop and get supplies before heading into the park.
On our last afternoon we hit Gypsy Land Thrift and Angel Thrift in Desert Hot springs, before heading to the elegant Le Parker Meriden for a late lunch and stroll through the 13 acre grounds. At The Parker you can play baci ball, croquet, swim in the pool or play a giant chess game amidst beautiful roses and bouganvilla, it kind of feels very Alice In Wonderland here.
We didn't get to all the things we wanted to do in and around the area, we really needed a couple more days. We are saving the Salton Sea and Bombay Beach and Salvation Mountain for next time.
Here is little list of Things to do in Palm Springs and surrounding area:
Swim/ Stay at The Ace Hotel
Visit Joshua Tree National Park
Visit the Town of 29 Palms
Stay at 29 Palms Inn or just stop by for a drink and a dip in the pool.
(They have a fairly decent restaurant and super cute Adobe cabins with fireplaces)
Stay at Hope Springs Resort. Super relaxing. Chill vibe. Great Spa Services. Overlooks the mountains.
Visit Indian Canyons just five minutes from Palm Springs and take a hike through the oasis where the Agua Callente Indians lived.
Visit the Waterfall at Tahquitz Canyon located about twenty minutes from Palm Springs. Hike in. Take a dip.
Visit The Integratron in Landers California and then make your way over to Pioneer Town to Pappy and Harriet's.
Listen to some great music at Pappy and Harriet's. Try the barbeque.
Thrift in the towns of Desert Hot Springs and Joshua Tree.
You can pick up a guide to thrifts in the area from the Ace Hotel.
Take ride in the Tramway. The gondola going from palm springs desert up into the mountains!
Visit this very funky Botanical Garden.
I have heard great things about Two Bunch Palms Spa but have not stayed there, maybe next time!
Stay at the very modern and secluded The Hotel Lautner in Desert Hot springs.
Visit Salvation Mountain.
Visit the Salton Sea and Bombay Beach.
Movie to watch before going:
Pick juniper and Sage Brush from the roadside to make your own smudgesticks.
Get lost in all the desert wierdness.
xx
Some good reference material for the area:
This article in Travel and Leisure
This article in the Huffington Post
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