I’ve downloaded the #FreshSummit app and am marking off booths I wish to visit. Some stops of interest (and I’m adding many more):

Hurst Berry Farm – HBF International LLC, booth #1048 – A big thank you to them for inviting me to the Fresh Summit. They grow delicious berries (U.S. & International) and produce those fun little Kiwi Berries that I recently wrote about.

LotPath  – They are tweeting about giving away free Refractometers. Why would a blogger need a refractometer? And, what the heck is a Refractometer? A refractometer is an instrument for measuring a refractive index. What? Ok, let’s delve further. Without a refractometer, your beer and wine would taste pretty bad. A refractometer is an essential piece of test equipment used to determine the sugar content in a liquid, for example beer wort. You’ll often see vintners out in the field with a refractometer. Winemakers know there is a direct correlation between the amount of sugar present and the ability to make wine. This portable instrument (it’ll fit in your pocket) allows the winemaker to assess the ripeness of fruit by measuring Brix in the field or vineyard so he or she can decide the proper harvest time depending upon the readings taken.  So, again – why does a blogger need one? My husband brews beer and it would be useful. Secondly, next time I go wine tasting at one of the many wonderful wineries in California, I want to run out to the vineyard, whip this puppy out and do a Brix reading. It will most certainly freak everyone out.

LotPath creates software for capturing fresh produce inspections. My inner tech geek is dancing around my foodie persona right now. So, let’s say you are out in the field and want to track some real time data about the crops. Their app shares product quality data and photos as it goes from packing thru shipping.

Frieda’s Produce, booth #2830 – They will have some of the weird fruits I adore. I remember being on Rarotonga in the Cook Islands and throwing my shoe at a Jack Fruit tree trying to knock one down. I’m so happy I don’t have to throw a shoe this time – I can just go sample some of my tropical favs. They will also have some weird ones I haven’t yet tried! #fearnofruit

Cal Poly SLO Ag Dept – Finally, they won’t have a booth, but the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science (CAFES)team  will be circulating and I hope to run into them as my husband and I are both Alumni. I received my B.S. in Dietetics ‘92 at Poly and it’s so exciting to see how much they have grown since then. For starters, they make wine now. I think of all those times when we drank cheap light beer and now these fancy pants Poly kids are now making wine. Clearly this is where my daughter will (also) be going to school. She has no choice.

If you have something creative-special-weird for me to see at the Fresh Summit, please hit me up so I may add your booth to my visit list.    info@boredmom.com

Can’t wait! #FreshSummit   

@HurstsBerryFarm @LotPath #CalPoly #FreshSummit

My daughter sat in her room reading, but mostly sulking and bummed out. I felt so bad for her. Some mild goofing off for a few seconds had just turned into a long boring haul for her.

I thought about getting her a little gift or token to help cheer her up, but I do feel that kids appreciate experiences more than stuff, so I decided with give her a formal afternoon tea. She had recently shown interest in fancy tea, so this could be a fun experience.

As she was still her in room reading, it was really easy to set up everything and surprise her.

Pretty tea cups are easy to come by in thrift shops. If you can’t find a matching set of at least 4, then go for mismatched ones. I also like to grab old fashioned ‘bridge plates’. They are often square or oval with separated sections within the plate.

• We had Earl Grey tea with milk and sugar.
• Scones with lemon curd – I regret not getting clotted cream. Scones just need that extra bit of cool creamy fat with the tangy lemon.
• Crustless tuna sandwiches. PB&J would have been okay as well, but I was trying to get some protein in her to heal that darn foot. Yeah, I’m neurotic.
• Fresh sliced strawberries
• Mini Broccoli & Cheese Quiches – they were store bought. Normally I would make my own, but this was a spur of the moment gig. I did add a slice of tomato and basil on top before baking to make it ‘appear’ like I put more effort into it. Shhh.

I set a table up outside with fresh flowers and then called her out to ‘lunch’. She hobbled out on crutches and boom – there was that big smile again!

Lunch was served and after four cups of tea, we were all highly caffeinated, full and in a great mood.