Judith Henderson’s Wine & Country Living

The weekend brought a surprise; my gardening neighbor and a bag full of Dutch bulbs from her garden. She and I trade seeds and bulbs -- a sustainable practice for gardeners.

I have a prolific sunflower and sugar pumpkin patch each year. I move the patch, rotating from one end of the yard to the other, giving the earth a good mulching before each long winter's nap.

Last year, my neighbor admired my rows of baby sunflower plants and asked where I had purchased such hardy fall starters. Starters? I had no starters, these plants germinated from seeds collected from sunflow- ers I'd planted the year before, dried and held until the following spring.

The unbelievable truth is, if you've tried drying seeds and had no luck in germinating, it could be that your earth has not recently been fed or rotated. In the musical, "Hello Dolly," Dolly Levi says, "Money is like manure, spread it around and watch it grow!" Be sure to give your earth a good mulching before winter.

Looking for great buys in wine for fall and the com- ing holidays, I stopped at Patit Creek Winery for a taste of winemaker Joe Forest's, 2010 Chardonnay. Patit Creek, known for its red wines, has produced a won- derful rich chardonnay, rolling in new oak complexity, packed in buttery toasted pecans. For diehard chardon- nay lovers, the 2010 chardonnay is reminiscent of a French Pouilly Fusse, a white burgundy of exceptional quality. In the Patit Creek tasting room, this regional chardonnay is reasonably priced at just $19 a bottle and a magnificent sip with fall foods.

Readers, until next week, "Eat Art, Drink Imagina- tion!"

Sauté of Shredded Brussels Sprouts,Bacon and Onions

Serves 4

1 pound bacon cut into 1-inch pieces

1 yellow onion chopped fine

2 cloves minced garlic

1 pound Brussels sprouts shredded

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Method:

In a large cast-iron skillet, cook off bacon to crispy; remove to paper towel, hold warm. Sauté onion until caramelized. Add shredded sprouts and sauté to tooth- some. Mix bacon back into sprout and onion mixture, toss well. Serve with fish or fowl paired with a bottle of Patit Creek chardonnay.

Hear Judith's food and wine commentary at: www.chefjudithhenderson.com