One of my Food Gods, Fabio Picchi of Cibrèo, is on my web site with his Yellow Bell Pepper Soup as well as my recipe for Pappa al Pomodoro. Yes, it's soup weather! It's fall! I understand why our founding fathers and mothers chose this time of year to be thankful for the earth's bounty! For food and eating, it is one of the best times to visit Italy. Porcini mushrooms grow on a hot day, after the rain, under chestnut and oak trees. Lately, it has been warm here during the days and damp at night; that is perfect for porcini. Try them grilled with nepitella, a wild mint, and garlic, or fried. If you cannot be in Italy, do your best with dried porcini and my recipe for porcini pasta sauce. The grape harvest has begun. You can almost get drunk breathing the air as you drive through the wine country and take a deep breath, it is so heavy with the profumo of the crushed grapes. Don't breathe and drive? They are predicting a low production of high quality this year, so keep your eyes. The distilleries are already making the grappa with the skins and seeds from the wine making. Once the wine harvest is over, the olive harvest begins. Here they hand pick the olives and crush within 24 hours to preserve all the fragrance of the oil. As if this is not enough to entice you to Italy, October and November are filled with sagre, or food festivals. *** Eurochocolate in Perugia (October 20-28). If you cannot attend the event, there is a great web site to let you know what is hot! *** White Truffles in San Miniato (November 10/11, 17/18, 24/25) and San Giovanni. *** San Giovanni D'Asso outside Siena (November 11-18) There is a special train package leaving from Siena for the festival that includes lunch. Trenonatura Tel: 0577-28-05-51. They will be going to San Quirico for the oil festival on December 8. And, San Giovanni also offers a truffle hunt for $70 for an all-day adventure. *** Slow Food! (November 29/30 & December 1/2) is having a food festival in all of Tuscany. Stop by the site and click on the logo on the right side of the page. That will take you the brochure for the event, there is a link at the bottom of the brochure page for the English version. For those of you who cannot come to Italy this year, it will give you a little bit of Tuscany in your home! NEWSLETTERS Life's Too Short [fall 2005] Pasqua [march 2005] Estate [summer 2004] Primavera [spring 2004] Tuscan Chocolate Valley [winter 2003] I Scream, U Scream, We All Scream for...Gelato! [summer 2003] Slow Food, Slow Travel [spring 2003] Sagre, Sagre, Sagre! [spring 2003] Tuscan Virgins [fall 2002] Fall Festivals [fall 2002] La Notte di San Lorenzo [summer 2002] Fireflies & Fireworks [summer 2002] I Love EWE! [spring 2002] Andrea's Christmas Dinner [winter 2001] Addio Bistecca alla Fiorentina! [summer 2001] Guelfa e Ghibellini [late summer 2001] Tartufi, Feste & Sagre [fall 2000] Piatti del Buon Ricordo [summer 2000] COMING SOON! Carrara: Marble & White Prosciutto