Ever few months we’re lucky to spend a weekend at Lavender Hill Farm, the home of our friends Sims and Steve in the picturesque Upper Ojai Valley. Here are some pictures we took on April 16 and 17.

We picked vegetables from Steve’s extensive gardens and prepared them for lunch and dinner. Artichokes are in high season and we had them three different ways: with fava beans as an accompaniment to pork chops for dinner; with onions, lardons and egg as a pasta sauce for one lunch; and with tuna and cracked pepper on toast for another lunch. We also had the fava beans, straight from the pods, with cheese and bites of salami as an appetizer before dinner one evening.

The Valley was resplendent with springtime color and fragrance. My iPhone got the color fairly well; the scent you’ll have to imagine as you peruse the photos. Click on the thumbnails to see larger versions of any of them, and click again for a yet larger version.