In a past column, I shared that I began dabbling in home vegetable gardening. “Dabbling” is the right word, because my thumb is not green. Maybe a shade of brown. But probably, it’s somewhere between black and blue from clumsy gardening mishaps. Still, I persist because I love sun gold tomatoes. It’s like eating candy. They must be easy to grow, because even I can grow them.
But then there’s the tomato that nearly broke me. I nurtured a plant, staked it, watered it, coaxed it, and, after all the time and expense, harvested…one tomato. That’s it. A single tomato. When I added up the plant, the soil, the drip irrigation, the stake, the water, and my questionable labor, it came out to about thirty bucks. Yes, I grew a $30 tomato. It was delicious, but at that price, I should’ve paired it with a fine wine and soft violin music.
Thankfully, summer gardens don’t stop at tomatoes. Corn, cucumbers, and eggplant all jockey for a place on my “favorites” list. Eggplant on the grill—now that tastes like summer itself. But corn? Corn is corn and a staple at our barbecues.
And then there are the fruits. Every summer I declare a new favorite. One week it’s strawberries. The next it’s blackberries. Then cherries, peaches, plums…basically, I live in a constant state of fruit infidelity driven by what’s the freshest item on our kitchen counter. But if I had to name a true champion, it might be the pluot—a happy marriage of plum and apricot.
The pluot is not a champion because it’s my favorite fruit. Not by a long shot. It’s my champion because as it turns out, it is a portmanteau You may be wondering: what on earth is a portmanteau? (I don’t recall ever learning about this in English class – but I liked math better anyway.) A portmanteau is a word created by blending two words together. You already use plenty in your everyday vocab: brunch (breakfast + lunch), motel (motor + hotel), and podcast (iPod + broadcast). “Bromance,” if that’s your thing.
And here’s the best part: the word portmanteau is itself a portmanteau. It comes from the French porter (to carry) and manteau (cloak). Its more literal meaning is “a suitcase,” which, if you think about it, is also something that carries things inside. It’s a word that describes itself—a linguistic overachiever. Lewis Carroll, who clearly had more time for wordplay than I do for gardening, popularized the idea in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I’d like to imagine sitting down with him over brunch to ask about it.
But enough grammar talk—back to the dirt. As summer winds down, we’ll soon trade heat-loving plants for cooler weather vegetables. Beets, broccoli, spinach, and Brussels sprouts will take center stage. I look forward to them with both excitement and dread. Excitement, because fresh vegetables from the garden are wonderful. Dread, because if my track record holds, I might end up with a $20 carrot or a $40 beet. And I don’t really like beets.
Still, the beauty of a home garden isn’t really in the math. It’s in the connection to the season, the satisfaction of eating something you coaxed from the soil, and the fun of telling your friends, “Yes, I grew that.” Even if “that” happens to be one very expensive tomato.
So here’s my advice: enjoy the season’s bounty, whether it comes from your backyard or the farmer’s market. Try a pluot, savor the last of the tomatoes, and maybe even invent your own portmanteau while you’re at it. Just don’t ask me to calculate the return on investment. I already know I’m gardening in the (tomato) red.
Just as gardens shift with the seasons, our local real estate markets in Folsom and El Dorado Hills have seen some changes too.
Looking at the numbers, a couple of things jump out. First, prices: El Dorado Hills managed a slight uptick in average sales price—from about $1.10M to $1.13M—while Folsom slipped from $834K to $803K. So, EDH homeowners can feel a little confident, while Folsom sellers may feel like they harvested their fruit a touch too early.
Inventory tells a bigger story. Both markets saw a surge, but Folsom’s jump was dramatic: 792 homes for sale last year versus 1,089 this year—a 37% increase. EDH also climbed, from 1,119 to 1,361, but its percentage increase is a bit more modest. More inventory usually means more choice for buyers. And buyers can be more selective to ensure the right fit.
Sales-to-list price ratios cooled slightly in both areas, dropping under 100%. Buyers aren’t quite as willing to pay above asking as they were in previous markets.
Overall, EDH looks a little steadier—prices held, sales increased, and inventory rose at a manageable pace. Folsom saw more volatility, with prices dipping but sales and new listings both climbing.
I love where I live. I’m excited to continue to help more families in 2025 with their real estate needs. With proper planning and a good Realtor (Luckily, I know a really good one….), you can smoothly get to your next stage in life. For more tips on how to successfully navigate the real estate purchase or sale, or suggestions on Folsom topics, please contact me at Coldwell Banker, 916.812.4341, pquan@cbnorcal.com, www.PatQuan.com. CA DRE #01918240
