Edible Monterey Bay - Spring 2022

edible MONTEREY BAY

Spring 2022 • Number 43

PANCAKES • NEW FOREST FEAST COOKBOOK • SPRING FORAGING • RHUBARB • FOGLINE FARM • BULK BUYING • CRABS VS. WHALES

Celebrating the Local Food and Drink of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties

SPRING 2022 • NO 43

PANCAKES • NEW FOREST FEAST COOKBOOK • SPRING FORAGING RHUBARB • FOGLINE FARM • BULK BUYING • CRABS VS. WHALES Member of Edible Communities

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edible MONTEREY BAY SPRING 2022

Enjoy the Area’s Finest Sustainable Seafood Savor our innovative and organic cuisine from local farmers and fishermen • Check out our new Hog Island Oyster Bar • Full bar with craft cocktails • Local wine list - Indoor dining and spacious outdoor heated dining – Voted “Best Parklet in Monterey County” • Live Jazz on Friday and Saturday Nights featuring the Lighthouse Jazz Quartet with Bob Phillips – 6:00 – 8:30pm

Wild Fish Restaurant

545 Lighthouse Avenue • Downtown Pacific Grove • An Award-Winning Dining Destination!

Lunch served from 11:30 am – 3:00 pm • Dinner Weekdays 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm Friday & Saturdays until 9:30 pm Check out our menu at Wild-Fish.com or, if you prefer, call us at 831-373-8523 Follow us on Instagram

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Contents 4 6

GRIST FOR THE MILL

WHAT’S IN SEASON

RHUBARB

Meet the farmer behind the happiest pastured-raised chickens around 41

CR ABS VS. WHALES

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Less waste, minimal packaging and more for your money, buying in bulk is soaring in popularity 56

SPRING FORAGING

WILD GREENS SPANAKOPITA A Mediterranean-inspired recipe to get you outdoors

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

GREEN LOVE STORY

EDIBLE ENVIRONMENT

BULKING UP

A complete guide for the Monterey Bay area 29

IN THE KITCHEN

PANCAKES

FOODSHED

SPRING FARMERS’ MARKETS

ON THE BAY

Fracas over pop-up crab traps dangles Dungeness season in the balance

Add some springtime sizzle to jams, pies and savory dishes 25

ON THE FARM

POULTRY PAR ADISE

EDIBLE NOTABLES

Non-profit Tera Farm is helping women-owned small farms survive the pandemic; Healing hands tend Indigenous lands at Pie Ranch; In the latest edition of her Forest Feast series, cookbook author and artist Erin Gleeson goes the extra mile, drawing inspiration from around The Golden State.

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An activist rediscovers the magic of spring

EDIBLE COMMUNITIES SIGNATURE SECTION

IN LABELS WE TRUST How food certification labels, seals and standards can help eaters make better choices

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DINE LOCAL GUIDE LAST CALL

WHISKY BUSINESS A collector of the world’s finest spirits prepares to share them with the public RECIPES IN THIS ISSUE

16 Carrots with Mint-Caper Tapenade 23 Rhubarb Upside Down Cake 38 Avgolemono Soup 49 White Cheddar and Jalapeño Pancakes 49 Buckwheat Buttermilk Flapjacks with Lemon Cream and Blueberries 50 Cardamom Pancakes with Bananas 58 Wild Greens Spanakopita 80 Whisky Club Manhattan COVER PHOTOGRAPH White Cheddar and Jalapeño Pancakes photographed by Patrick Tregenza, styling

by Diane Gsell CONTENTS PHOTOGRAPH Chicks at Fogline Farm by Doriana Hammond/West Cliff Creative

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GRIST FOR THE MILL I just picked the first daffodil of the season and should be writing about spring, but I’ve been thinking about shopping. That probably has something to do with the fancy dress I need to buy for my son’s upcoming wedding. Supply chain issues and two years of dressing down have combined to make shopping for formal wear a nearly impossible task—but that’s a happy problem to have.

I’ve also been searching for a box of plain white dinner candles, which seem to have disappeared from the shelves of local stores. A quick look online shows boxed taper candles are still available at that behemoth web retailer, the name of which we will not mention and where I refuse to shop.

We believe it is possible to change our world for the better, one shopping decision at a time. Edible is all about buying local and supporting small local businesses and farms, so that our money stays in our community. While we may sometimes need to go out of network for clothing or candles, we are so lucky to live in a place where almost all our food and drink can be grown, produced and purchased right here.

The easiest place to start buying local foods is at the farmers’ markets—where the produce can’t get any fresher and you have a chance to speak directly with the farmer or people who work on the farm. There are 20 weekly farmers’ markets in the Monterey Bay area listed on our map in this issue, and if you live somewhere else, chances are there is a local market near you.

Supermarkets featured in this magazine are an equally good bet for buying local— Cornucopia, Elroy’s, Jerome’s, New Leaf, Shopper’s Corner, Staff of Life, Star Market and Wild Roots—all love to stock delicious things to eat from nearby farms and food artisans.

When you are ready to take the next step, become a conscious consumer and check out the bulk food sections at many of these markets. As reporter Kathryn McKenzie writes in her story Bulking Up, buying products from the bulk bins not only eliminates excessive packaging and plastics, but it also allows the shopper to buy just what is needed and save money, while cutting down on food waste.

Also in this issue, Edible Communities—in partnership with Food Tank—aims to help readers vote their values with their forks by understanding what food labels in the supermarket really mean. Learn how to get to the bottom of certifications like those from Fairtrade International, Rainforest Alliance, A Greener World, Agricultural Justice Project and more, so we can all do our part to support more sustainable and just food production.

There is so much more to read, cook, learn and digest in this fresh Spring issue of Edible Monterey Bay. Our wonderful writers and photographers have been working hard to put it all together and our much-appreciated advertisers have allowed us to keep paying the bills. We’d all be delighted if you pour your local beverage of choice, sit back and enjoy it. Happy spring!

Deborah Luhrman Publisher

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edible

MONTEREY BAY EDITOR AND PUBLISHER

Deborah Luhrman deborah@ediblemontereybay.com 831.600.8281 FOUNDERS Sarah Wood and Rob Fisher CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Mark C. Anderson COPY EDITOR Doresa Banning LAYOUT & DESIGN Matthew Freeman and

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Emily Beggs • Jamie Collins • Robert Eliason Ellen Farmer • Daniela Gerson • Erin Gleeson Diane Gsell • Doriana Hammond/West Cliff Creative • David Hills • Alexandra Hudson Coline LeConte • Kathryn McKenzie • Laura Ness Zephyr Pfotenhauer • Patrick Tregenza • Jessica Tunis • Amber Turpin • Sophie Wood Brinker ADVERTISING SALES

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to savor the extraordinary.

In Monterey County, some experiences are best enjoyed at a slower pace. It’s easy to get lost in a stunning vista, the creativity of a dish, or a good conversation with great friends. So, come explore the flavor of this place. At your own speed.

SeeMonterey.com/Now

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EDIBLE NOTABLES

FARMWORKER TO FARM OWNER Non-profit Tera Farm is helping women-owned small farms survive the pandemic STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT ELIASON

Maria Ana Reyes began working in the fields when she was eight years old. Now, at 49, she cultivates 11 acres of her own in San Juan Bautista and Watsonville. She calls her farm Narci Organics, after her mother, and is one of the core contributors to Tera Farm—a produce box program with distribution points from Carmel to Menlo Park.

Her journey began in 2016 when she was given a half-

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acre to work, through the Organic Farm Incubator program offered by the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) in Salinas.

“I learned to manage a farm in the incubator program,” she says. “We can only be farming there for four years, but I learned how to grow different crops so I can have the foods customers are asking for.”

Maria Ana Reyes at her farm Narci Organics in San Juan Bautista.

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Founded in 2001, ALBA has graduated 500 students and helped create 200 small farms. The program begins with a year-long training course in the classroom and the field.

Those who complete the year get a half-acre of land to farm with subsidized rent, which they can expand to five acres by the end of the program.

ALBA director Nathan Harkleroad was impressed with Reyes’ determination and work ethic.

“What stuck out about her was her dedication,” he says. “She was always the first to ALBA and the last to leave—she worked sunup to sundown. She was very astute, investing time in getting additional education and taking advantage of all that we have to offer.”

Balancing the care of her family with learning the skills needed to run a farm, Reyes completed the program and was able to find land of her own, with help from Tania Zuñiga of the non-profit Kitchen Table Advisors (KTA).

KTA works with more than 40 farmers in

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San Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. While ALBA teaches people how to be farmers, KTA helps farmers become businesspeople.

“One of the challenges small farmers in this region face is that they are isolated, and nobody is looking out for them,” Zuñiga says. “We offer support, teach them bookkeeping and finances, and help them establish sales channels that are otherwise hard for them to find.”

Just as Reyes began establishing regular wholesale customers, COVID struck. Restaurants were forced to cut back or close and the demand for fresh produce dropped dramatically.

“When the pandemic hit, I felt like quitting,” Reyes says. “I had lost my best customer and there were so many closed doors that I thought about giving up and going back to farmworking.”

School teacher Sheena Vaidyanathan was familiar with KTA and had visited some of the farms they work with.

edible MONTEREY BAY SPRING 2022

“When everything shut down, I heard from Tania that Maria didn’t know where she would sell her crops,” says Vaidyanathan.

“I had been to Maria’s farm and got some nice freshly cut kale and I said, ‘I’m a friend, can I buy some?’”

Vaidyanathan bought two boxes of kale and texted about it to her friends. Within an hour, she had sold all of it and was still hearing from people who wanted to buy some.

Her friends raved about the quality of the kale—and it planted the idea for Tera Farm in her mind.

“I talked with my friends about how little the farmers get from a sale,” she says. “There are so many people in the middle. The farmer gets 30 cents on the dollar if they are lucky.

We wondered if we could distribute the produce directly and then pay all the money to the farmer.”

Set up as a non-profit organization, Tera Farm—“tera” means “your” in Hindi—relies on volunteers to reach its goal. Working primarily with Reyes and Bertha Magaña,

IgSur OVINe SPECIALIZED IN SELLING 1/4 BEEF OR LARGER www.bigsurbovine.com bigsurbovine@gmail.com 831.229.2821

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On opposite page are Tera Farm participants (l-to-r) Tania Zuñiga, Maria Ana Reyes, Maria’s daughter Yesenia Lopez and Sheena Vaidyanathan.

owner of Magaña Farms in Aromas, Tera Farm publishes weekly crop inventories on its website. Customers order what they would like and the food is delivered to the homes of volunteer hosts at 29 locations in Monterey County and the San Francisco Bay Area. There are no delivery fees, no pre-selected boxes and no required subscriptions. All produce is certified organic and the farmers keep 100% of the sales revenue.

For Reyes, it was a godsend.

“Tera Farm changed things completely for me,” she says. “During this pandemic, a lot of people wanted good produce. I sell in greater volume now and I can now start to grow my business. I am making enough money to feel like I am finally successful.”

Dionne Ybarra hosts pickup locations in Pacific Grove and Sand City, supplying a rotating group of about 45 customers.

“I get about 25 boxes a week and everybody loves how fresh the food is,” Ybarra says. “I think people are beginning to understand that farmwork is the hardest work out there and it is important to support women-owned businesses as well.”

For Zuñiga, Tera Farm represents a unique opportunity to directly support farmers in a way that benefits everyone.

“This is a way for the community to take action and change the lives of these small farmers,” she says. “All your money is going to the people who grow the food so they get paid what is right and at the same time, the customer gets fresh organic food at a fair price, too. To me, that is almost magical.”

HOURS: MON-WED 7AM-3PM, THUR-SUN 7AM-9PM

Tera Farm • terafarm.org Robert Eliason lives in San Juan Bautista and has worked as a photojournalist and rare book dealer. Two years ago, he was asked to cover for an absent reporter and since then has written more than 350 freelance articles for publications in three counties. And he still has time to take the occasional photograph or two.

81 fourth st, san juan bautista, ca (831)623-9533

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EDIBLE NOTABLES

CULTIVATING TRUST Healing hands tend Indigenous lands at Pie Ranch

BY LAURA NESS PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBORAH LUHRMAN This is a story of healing, of understanding, of love of the land, of developing trust and nurturing the common bonds of humanity. It is a story of respect for the one and only home we all share. Perhaps it is also a story of how divergent cultural priorities can be aligned to preserve this planet, or at least one small, beautiful slice of it.

On the grounds of Pie Ranch in Pescadero lies a garden of native plants with deep cultural significance. Designed and laid out by Amah Mutsun tribal member Matthew Lopez, the garden is a circle with four pie-shaped slices representing different important plant groups: crafting plants, healing plants, nuts and berries, and grassland foods. Its pathways include fascinating signage that explains the history of the Amah Mutsun people and ways the plants were traditionally used.

The purpose of the Amah Mutsun Native Garden is to help preserve the culture and traditional ecological knowledge of Indigenous peoples who once dwelled here on the windswept Pacific Coast among meadows, redwoods and chaparral. Creating and tending the garden has been life changing for all involved.

Nathan Vasquez, an Amah Mutsun tribal member, has been working on the garden since 2016—planting elderberry, rosehips, huckleberry and grasses used for food, basketry, medicine and ceremony.

“It’s been a learning experience for us, as we were regaining lost knowledge through archeologists and botanists,” he says. “We hiked and drew and wrote down the native and scientific names and uses.

We gathered seeds and plants and took them to UC Santa Cruz where we babied them until they were ready to transplant.”

Opposite page (clockwise from top Rick Flores helped the tribe left) Jered Lawson of Pie Ranch source plants for both Pie and Nathan Vasquez of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band; sticky monRanch and a similar garden in key flower, in the healing plants San Juan Bautista. He’s director quadrant; volunteers weeding in of horticulture and steward of the Amah Mutsun Native Garden; the Amah Mutsun Relearning one of the informational signs.

Program at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and says the gardens provide multiple benefits.

“Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) shaped ecosystems and plant communities here on the Central Coast prior to European arrival,” says Flores. “The Amah Mutsun are working to revitalize their culture through the relearning of TEK, while at the same time that knowledge is relevant and needed today to inform contemporary restoration and management practices.”

There are no known descendants of the tribes that once called this land home. Their fate was sealed by disease, forced work at Mission Santa Cruz and violence. On the other hand, the Amah Mutsun tribe was under the influence of Mission San Bautista.

“Our people survived by intermarrying with Mexicans,” says Vasquez. “We were given Spanish names at the missions and tried to blend in, because as Indians we had a price on our heads.”

He’s been involved with the tribe since fifth grade, but a camping trip to Pinnacles National Park with a UC Berkeley archeologist proved eye-opening.

“It gave me the real true knowledge of who we were,” he says of the trip with the tribe’s Native Stewardship Corps. “We learned that some plants are used for basketry, while others are medicinal. Elderberry is popular in tinctures and teas, and the shoots were used for bow and arrows. It is beautiful to learn!”

He also found out about genocide. “We did not learn about this in school,” says Vasquez. “I learned through archeologists the truth about who we were. My grandfather’s mother was from Santa Cruz and his family had Navajo heritage. Growing up, I thought we were Mexican.” Proud of his heritage, he is passing it on to his children, who frequently camp with him at Pie Ranch, where he hopes to build a traditional tule hut.

As a non-federally recognized tribe, the Amah Mutsun have no formal landholdings. But their Land Trust provides a critical way for young adult tribal members to connect with their tribal homelands.

“We were given Spanish names at the missions and tried to blend in, because as Indians we had a price on our heads.”

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History of the garden and Native peoples who once lived in the area are explained with detailed signage.

Pie Ranch’s Nancy Vail and her partner Jered Lawson have been stewards of Pie Ranch since 2003. They knew of the Quiroste and Cotoni tribes that once inhabited the area, but had never met any of their descendants.

In 2013, Lawson and Chairman Valentin Lopez of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band connected while serving on an advisory committee of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Learning that Pie Ranch lies within present day Amah Mutsun territory, Lawson and Vail felt a responsibility to be in solidarity with the tribe and work together.

“Chairman Lopez came and walked the land with us multiple times,” says Vail. “We acknowledged that it could take a while to build trust when so much was historically broken, but we mutually agreed we wanted a partnership.” They created a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and on August 14, 2014 held a sunrise ceremony with food and prayer. Work on the garden began.

“We agreed that Pie Ranch would be a center for the history of the tribe to share with the thousands of people a year who visit us, and shine a light on the work the tribe is doing,” she says. “Every tour and conversation about food, farming and land begins in the garden. It is a physical representation of our collaborative work together.”

“Land rematriation is part of the heart of the conversation,” adds Vail. “Nationally, we need to reckon with the harms inflicted on Indigenous peoples and give land back to tribes when and where possible.”

Lawson hopes the project will encourage other coastal landowners to build bridges for cultural access, health and healing. “We are looking at codifying this MOU into a cultural easement like the Amah

Mutsun have with Mount Umunhum. The tribe should have access on a permanent basis,” he explains.

Vasquez agrees: “The younger generation is coming into tune with the way we need to live with the land. They have a real understanding of how the system works. If you have land, you can feed your children, and they can feed their children.”

May the healing, now begun, continue.

If you go: The public is invited to visit Pie Ranch and participate in volunteer workdays in the garden on the third Saturday of every month. Volunteer workdays at the San Juan Bautista garden take place on the second Saturday of every month. amahmutsunlandtrust.org/events, pieranch.org Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, Los Gatos Magazine and the Wine Industry Network, sharing stories of the intriguing characters who inhabit the world of wine and food.

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EDIBLE NOTABLES

ROAD TRIP In the latest edition of her Forest Feast series, cookbook author and artist Erin Gleeson goes the extra mile, drawing inspiration from around The Golden State STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIN GLEESON

My first cookbooks were created at home in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but then my husband and I got the travel bug and ventured farther afield to Europe, an extended trip that inspired my fourth cookbook, The Forest Feast Mediterranean. I’d almost taken for granted that I live in this Golden State and, after having three kids, I knew it was time to explore parts of it I had never seen or hadn’t experienced since I was little. So, in search of adventure and culinary inspiration, we piled our family into the car, downloaded a bunch of podcasts and set off to look for new inspiration. Over the past couple years, we have explored this state from San Diego to the massive sequoias of Humboldt County with one long 2,500-mile trip and several smaller side trips.

Cooking in our home surrounded by nature has brought me so much creative inspiration so with my most recent book, The Forest Feast Road Trip, I wanted to take that idea on the road. From our home on the Peninsula, we drove to L.A. and stayed in a yurt on an urban farm, we went swimming in the ocean on the Central Coast,

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we met date farmers and picked oranges for breakfast in Palm Springs. Along the way we explored more farmers’ markets than you can imagine!

As we all know, California’s agricultural diversity is stunning. The produce at my local Portola Valley farmers’ market may have only traveled a couple hours, but is grown in very different climates and terrain. Now after visiting farms throughout California I have a clearer sense of where my produce is coming from, and the people who grow and produce such a diverse and incredible seasonal bounty. We saw avocado groves in the hills behind Santa Barbara, fields of bright leafy kale in foggy Humboldt and endless rows of almond trees in the Central Valley.

We met farmers, picked fresh fruits in fields, explored local fare and filled our days with plenty of tasty discovery.

But some of my favorite moments were close to home. We picked strawberries with the women who run Fly Girl Farm in Pescadero, inspiring the Strawberry Caprese Salad recipe in the book. A drink on Highway 1 between Carmel and Big Sur inspired my Pacific Palo-

California poppies blooming at Russian Ridge Preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains. www.ediblemontereybay.com

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ma Cocktail. We picked mint in the Santa Cruz Mountains that prompted a recipe for Carrots with Mint-Caper Tapenade (see page 16) and saw Brussels sprouts being harvested on a farm in Half Moon Bay leading to my breakfast recipe for Brussels Hash.

We found the most stunning field of poppies at Russian Ridge Preserve, just a few miles from our house. A picnic on the beach in Pescadero with rosé from Fogarty Winery, Harley Farms cheese and a loaf of Arcangeli’s artichoke bread was perhaps my favorite meal. It was all produced a short drive from home, but I felt like I was on vacation! Our California road trip continues to give me recipe ideas inspired by markets, farm visits, friends’ homes and restaurants. I hope these recipes and

photos from my travels will give you approachable ideas to be creative in your kitchen with vegetables, wherever you might live or travel. Happy cooking!

Erin Gleeson is the New York Times bestselling cookbook author and artist behind the The Forest Feast series. Her five vegetarian cookbooks use a unique blend of photography overlaid with watercolors and hand lettering to illustrate simple, colorful recipes. She lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains with her husband Jon and their three kids.

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BOT TLESH O P 300+ BOTTLES & PAC K AG ES TO G O

BEER GARDEN FA M I LY & D O G F R I E N D LY

Recipe and photos reprinted with permission from The Forest Feast Road Trip by Erin Gleeson, copyright 2021. Published by Abrams, an imprint of ABRAMS The Art of Books.

LUNCH & DI NN ER S E R V E D D A I LY

4 5 AV I A T I O N W AY WAT S O N V I L L E , C A W W W. K I C K AS S B E E R . C O M

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WHAT’S IN SEASON

Rhubarb Add some springtime sizzle to jams, pies and savory dishes

BY JAMIE COLLINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIELA GERSON Once spring has sprung and strawberries are in season, farmers’ market customers start asking for rhubarb—an elusive, shortseason crop. Those who covet the bright red stalks know their tart flavor pairs well with the sweetness of seasonal fruits, and the color rhubarb adds to jam and compotes is unsurpassed.

But once they’ve made their pies and jams, customers tend not to buy it again. As a farmer who has grown rhubarb now and again over the past 20 years, it was never the niche crop or big seller I had hoped it might be. Sitting down to write this article had me going down the rabbit hole discovering and brainstorming alternative uses for this gorgeous spring stalk, and pondering how it could be used in savory dishes.

After all, it is like a tart version of celery. Could rhubarb be considered for much more than pastries? Is its potential being overlooked, when it could be the next big thing?

Kerri Williams, field merchandiser at Veritable Vegetable in San Francisco, says people start asking about rhubarb in February and get excited once it becomes available from late March to mid-May; however, sales typically fizzle after a week or two. Farmers who grow it are always trying to sell more rhubarb than people are willing to buy. In the Pacific Northwest, Washington tends to move a lot more rhubarb than other states because it is served there in fresh juices and strawberry rhubarb lemonade.

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Much of the commercially grown, organic rhubarb is farmed in greenhouses in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Rhubarb prefers cooler weather, however growing in the warmth of the greenhouse during the winter months brings out the gorgeous red in the stalks and makes them sweeter.

Locally, the only farm I am aware of that grows rhubarb is Sea to Sky Farm in Bonny Doon. Chris Laughlin grows a quarter-acre of rhubarb and sells it for about six weeks in the springtime at all the Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Markets. Her customers say they use it to make strawberry rhubarb pie or jam. The exception is Jennifer Ashby of Ashby Confections in Scotts Valley, who buys rhubarb from Sea to Sky to make her fabulous farm-to-candy strawberry rhubarb sour strips and pâte de fruits.

MEDICINAL ROOTS Rhubarb is a large plant with big leaves in the Polygonaceae family, which also includes many types of the most prolific weeds including knotweeds. Edible buckwheat and sorrel are part of the same family. However, before rhubarb stalks became a culinary delight in the 1700s, its roots were prized as a medicinal purgative due to the tannins and fiber they contain. It grew abundantly wild all over the mountains west of what is now Beijing and was traded in China and Mongolia. Explorer Marco Polo noted that the yellow root was purchased and distributed all over the world via Silk Road caravan routes east to Turkey and Russia. By the 1500s the root was worth much more than saffron or cinnamon because it came from so far away.

By the 1600s Russia sought to monopolize the rhubarb trade with Europe, and if other merchants tried to sell the root or the seeds, they would be punished by death.

Later in the United States rhubarb became a new food source. It wasn’t well known yet that the leaves are toxic due to high levels of oxalic acid—which can cause kidney stones and other organ failures.

President Thomas Jefferson enjoyed dining on rhubarb leaves so much that he planted them at his home and in his planting notes

touted them as just as delicious as spinach.

Jefferson died at age 83 from a kidney infection and other issues. One can wonder if rhubarb was the cause of his demise.

Nowadays only the bright red stalks are sold in grocery stores, so consumers will not unknowingly ingest the acidic leaves.

In many countries pieces of rhubarb stalk are washed, rolled in sugar and given to children as crunchy sweet-tart treats.

Rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals and only containing two ingredients, these seem like a much better alternative to the sweets kids eat today.

GROWING RHUBARB Technically a vegetable, rhubarb can easily be grown on the Central Coast either from seed or roots. If grown from seed, it will take three or more years before it can be harvested, so if you don’t want to wait that long, purchase and plant crown divisions instead. Rhubarb crowns will produce stalks the first year, but should be harvested only in the second season to give the plants a chance to establish. Make sure you have a large space for each plant, as it needs a 3-foot-square area to grow well.

Two of the desirable varieties that produce the brightest red stalks and the best flavor are cherry red and crimson red. One or two plants will yield plenty for one family to make many desserts with.

Gopher baskets are a good idea, not because they eat the roots but the varmints tend to move the plants around and move them out of the drip irrigation line. Plant rhubarb in full sun unless you are in a hotter zone, then plant them where they can get partial shade at the warmest part of the day.

I have two growing halfway under my fruit trees and they do very well there because we are south facing and the sun tends to bake during the summer months. But because the trees are deciduous they allow for all day sun in the winter and early spring, which benefits the rhubarb. Rhubarb needs a lot of water, but only thrives in well-drained soils.

Fertilize once a year in the late winter, either with composted manure or a nitrogen-rich organic pellet fertilizer, to promote growth of leaves and stalks.

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UNCONVENTIONAL USES Rhubarb stalks are typically only available in spring for a short time. If you find some, be sure to load up so you can experiment with them. If you find lighter pink or even green rhubarb stalks, don’t worry; they still have the same culinary components that the red varieties have, they just won’t provide the magnificent color. When buying, look for firm stalks that have ends that don’t appeared dried out, as this means the water has been lost in the stalk and it isn’t as fresh.

While large stalks are the norm at grocery stores, thinner stalks are actually more tender and sweeter, if you can find them.

Rhubarb shouldn’t be overlooked as it is high in vitamins C, A and K and fiber, which help to lower cholesterol. It also has antioxidants that have many anti-inflammatory benefits to protect your heart.

There are many different things you can make with rhubarb including savory dishes. The tartness and slight bitterness of rhubarb adds an extra dimension to sweet or salty dishes and helps create a balanced flavor. Rhubarb also freezes well, so think about chopping and freezing a bunch to try various preparations with throughout the year. Here are some outside-the-box ideas for using rhubarb: Make syrup that can be used in various preparations. Cook rhubarb down with some sugar, maple syrup or honey and water. Use a 1:1 ratio of water to sugar. Enjoy on pancakes, waffles or French toast. Mix the rhubarb syrup with some vanilla, cardamom and a splash of apple cider vinegar to make a shrub that can be mixed with bubbly water for a refreshing drink. Add gin or vodka if you desire. Or use the syrup as a base for a homemade barbecue sauce.

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Make a natural colored sweet and sour sauce by adding the syrup to pineapple juice, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Use with fresh spring rolls, egg rolls or for sweet and sour chicken or pork. Try mixing the saturated rhubarb left over after making syrup with chili oil and add to a stir fry.

Make rhubarb chutney and eat it with savory meats and vegetables inside pita bread.

Make a crunchy fruit salsa with rhubarb, mango, strawberries, cilantro, serrano peppers and lime juice.

Juice rhubarb with green apples, citrus fruits and ginger. Include in smoothies with yogurt and fruit like pineapples and strawberries.

Pickle it by combining with ½ cup sugar to 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Let mixture sit in refrigerator for 2 days before eating. Chop raw or pickled, or cook until soft in a little water and honey. Add to a green or grain salad.

Candy it. Start with a simple rhubarb syrup and dehydrate or cook down on low temperature until pliable to make fruit leather.

Jamie Collins is the owner of Serendipity Farms.

She hosts U-Picks and a Friday Farm Stand at 26500 Val Verde Drive in Carmel, and attends farmers’ markets in Carmel and Santa Cruz, where you can find her fresh organic fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. Find out what is being harvested @fabulous_serendipity_farm.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake Courtesy Daniela Gerson

Celebrate spring’s rhubarb bounty with this spiced yogurt upside down cake. Orange juice and zest add a touch of brightness and complement the warm hints of ginger and cardamom. When choosing rhubarb, look for firm and crisp stalks with deep shades of red near the base. To align the stalks, place the cake pan on top of them to see the length and trim so they fit snugly inside. If you don’t have a springform cake pan, an ovenproof skillet works as well. Run a knife around the edges of the cake and let cool slightly before inverting. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For the rhubarb topping 6 stalks rhubarb, about 1½ pounds ¼ cup unsalted butter ½ cup brown sugar 1 orange, zest and juice ¼ teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger ½ teaspoon cardamom 1 teaspoon kosher salt For the cake 1½ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon cardamom 1½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt ¾ cup pistachios, finely chopped 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature ½ cup white sugar ¼ cup brown sugar 2 eggs Remaining orange zest and juice 1 cup Greek yogurt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350° F. To make the topping, melt butter in a small saucepan and add the brown sugar, ½ the orange zest and juice, ½ teaspoon cardamom, ginger and salt. Heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble around the edges.

Pour sugar mixture into a 9-inch springform cake pan, swirling or brushing to coat the pan evenly.

To prepare the cake, trim the rhubarb stalks to snugly fit into pan and arrange on top of brown sugar to cover the base.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir together the yogurt and remaining orange juice and zest.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until fully incorporated.

Beat in the vanilla extract.

Fold the flour mixture and the yogurt mixture into the butter mixture in 3 additions

alternating back and forth, beginning and ending with the flour.

Pour the resulting batter into the pan, on top of rhubarb stalks, and smooth the top.

Bake in oven for 1¼ hours. The top should be browned and the edges bubbly. A cake tester inserted in the center will be clean.

Cool the cake for 5 minutes then run a small sharp knife around edges. Place a plate on top of the cake pan and invert. Slowly lift the cake pan away.

Cake is best served warm with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Daniela Gerson is a food photographer, stylist and recipe developer based in Venice, Calif. She loves capturing the rich colors and textures of foods, like vibrantly pink rhubarb.

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LOCAL FOODS IN SEASON MARCH, APRIL AND MAY FRUITS Apricots* • Avocados • Blackberries* • Cactus Pears* • Grapefruit** • Kumquats** • Lemons • Limes** Mandarins** • Oranges • Pomelos** • Rhubarb** • Strawberries

VEGETABLES Artichokes • Arugula • Asparagus • Beets • Bok Choy • Broccoli• Broccoli Raab • Brussels Sprouts • Burdock Cabbage • Cardoons • Carrots • Cauliflower • Celeriac*** • Celery*** • Chard • Chicory • Collards • Cress Dandelion • Endive • Fava Beans and Greens • Fennel • Garlic • Horseradish • Kale • Kohlrabi • Leeks • Mushrooms Mustard Greens • Nettles • Onions • Orach • Parsnips • Peas** • Pea Shoots • Potatoes • Radishes • Rutabagas** Shallots • Spinach • Sprouts • Squash • Sunchokes • Turnips

SEAFOOD Abalone • Crab, Dungeness • Grenadier, Pacific • Halibut, California* • Lingcod, Pacific • Rock Cod, aka Snapper or Rockfish • Sablefish, aka Black Cod • Salmon, King • Sanddabs, Pacific • Seabass, White • Sole (Dover and Petrale) Spot Prawns • Squid * May only ** March and April only ***April and May only All fish listed are rated “Best Choice” or “Good Alternative” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

GREEN LOVE STORY An activist rediscovers the magic of spring

BY ELLEN FARMER Last year I woke up from fearful lockdown dreams into a full-blown love affair with spring. I was intoxicated, enchanted…and couldn’t look away from this beautiful green leaf multiplying in size in a silent fractal dance right outside my window.

Perhaps because of COVID rules, I slowed my roll enough to finally notice the vine that had been growing there for several springs.

Usually I’d be rushing past, impatient for a product—hops.

After all, before COVID I had important things to attend to— meetings, appointments, family gatherings with people. Plants had been mere set decorations, a blur in the background. Sound like the familiar story of a relationship taken for granted?

From personal experience, it seems to me that humankind needs marriage counseling so we can renew our vows with our beloved partner—Nature. And who better to be our “marriage counselor” than Dr. Suzanne SiThe hop plant above inspired this author’s mard, author of Finding the Mother Tree? tribute to spring.

Her enthusiasm is contagious (in a good

way) and she says she’s super hopeful.

“If humans get it and start working collaboratively with plants, we can change global warming really fast,” she tells Fantastic Fungi filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg.

This is a marriage we’ve come close to abandoning in our instant gratification society of stress and competition. By producing megastorms and destructive wildfires, Nature seems desperate to attract our attention. Should we worry? Are our lives at stake? Well, we do have to think about food.

From chickens to pomegranates, everything we eat begins its life dependent on the green emergence of plant life through photosynthesis.

I’m not kidding.

Sure, I have a garden and know a lot about growing tomatoes and cucumbers and corn. But as a pragmatic foodie and basic eater, I’ve been missing the green magic.

I spend an inordinate amount of time searching for recipes on the internet, tracking down exotic ingredients, focusing on presentation and

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nutritional balance and admiring the photos of master chefs’ creations in magazines like this one without considering the source of what I’m cooking.

So what do we call the crucial invisible force that gives us food? Where were the poets and preachers and marketing experts when the term “photosynthesis” was coined?

No word could be less inspiring! We’ve got to come up with something better.

Because we’re talking about alchemy here! Green Magic! New life forms from invisible air and a little moisture when green cells use the sun as a catalyst and create more life!

If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that our bodies ARE part of Nature. And together with Nature, we have a reciprocal relationship and, potentially, it’s beautiful.

All plants take CO2 (carbon dioxide) and separate the carbon in this molecule, combined with a little water, to grow a green leaf or pine needle using chlorophyll that absorbs sun energy as a catalyst.

Plants use carbon and exhale oxygen, which we are required to inhale to stay alive.

What could be more symbiotic than that?

But it’s about more than oxygen. Everything we eat is created this way when plants feed sugars (carbohydrates) to soil microbes through their roots. Our very lives depend on the work green plants are doing in healthy fungi-dominant soils.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, only about 3% of the earth’s habitable surface is cities. Another 12% is forests and about 40–50% is agriculture, with the rest being deserts and other wildlands. So, it’s logical to assume that the way we do agriculture has a big impact on our biosphere and affects global warming. In fact, it’s been proven.

“Over the last 12,000 years, we have lost billions of tons of carbon from our soils as humans converted grasslands and forests into agricultural fields and rangelands, building roads and cities,” says ecologist Dr. T. Jane Zelikova. “One of the major drivers of that loss was the plow. With each pass of the plow, those plant roots and soil aggregates, that we know are really important, are broken apart…” releasing greenhouse gases into

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the air that contribute mightily to global warming. That degradation of soils, in which they lose their health-giving nutrient density, is something we’re quickly learning to measure.

And finally, healthy soils—well managed and left untilled—sequester carbon. Bingo.

So, I believe we need to give all our grocery money to farmers who practice regenerative agriculture. We need to ensure them a living wage while they keep carbon in the ground. There are no-till farmers and ranchers in our region just waiting for us to popularize this demand. An organization has formed in the Pajaro Valley called CORA—the Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture—hosting educational events and getting us organized.

Area farmers like 2019 Organic Farmer of the Year Israel Morales, Sr. are developing ways to manage soils that prioritize living roots and moisture retention over industrial convenience.

“About one third of what plants make via photosynthesis is put into the soil as carbon, so the plant with living roots in the ground is a carbon sink. Growers that utilize cover cropping during winter in conjunction with conservation/reduced tillage with enhanced residue management help keep moisture in the soil for longer and slow release of CO2 to the atmosphere,” says one of his advisors, Gina Colfer of Wilbur Ellis in Salinas.

Besides changing our shopping habits, what can regular folks do? We can declare ourselves stewards of the land, trees, green plants and waterways right where we already live. Our motto: No bare soil and no bystanders!

Wonder why this movement hasn’t gained more traction yet? Because we’re all driven to eat whenever we are hungry and policy changes that disrupt our food supply scare us. We blink. We look away. We reach for a bag of chips.

If, like me, you were thrilled by watching Watsonville’s hillsides turn green after the first rain, you’ll join me in looking for ways to regenerate the life-giving green magic in plain sight all around us.

Ellen Farmer is a freelance writer and organizer living in Santa Cruz.

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ON THE FARM

POULTRY PARADISE Meet the farmer behind the happiest pasture-raised chickens around

BY EMILY BEGGS PHOTOGRAPHY BY DORIANA HAMMOND / WEST CLIFF CREATIVE

Demand for Fogline Farm chicken is brisk. Fogline’s Cornish Cross broilers, a breed developed for perfect fit in a standard oven, can be found on menus of fine dining establishments from San Francisco to Big Sur, and they’re popular with shoppers at seven Central Coast farmers’ markets. Restaurant chefs and home cooks alike can taste the idyllic upbringing of Fogline’s flocks, raised at the edge of the Pacific Ocean on a ranch near Año Nuevo State Park.

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The chilly morning I visited, sparrows twittered in the clutches of a spindly apple tree in front of a row of dark green shipping containers that are used as brooders. Inside one of the repurposed containers, hundreds of week-old chicks huddled around poultry feeders, warmed by overhead gas heaters and a cozy layer of peat moss underfoot. Beyond the brooders, an emerald sea of tangled pastures extends out to the horizon, eventually meeting sand dunes that undulate to the Pacific.

Fogline Farm was started in 2009 by a trio of graduates from the Center for Agroecology at UC Santa Cruz and is named for the place it began in the Soquel hills. Today, the operation is led exclusively by Caleb Barron and is staffed by five full- and 10 part-time crew members, who tend the flocks, butcher and pack meat, organize the warehouse and travel to weekly farmers’ markets from Oakland to Monterey. On a calm day, Barron can hear elephant seals while working at his open-air

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picnic table desk. He is chicken guardian in chief; president of operations and brood manager charged with feeding, observing and caring for his flock at every stage of their sixweek life cycle.

With a sturdy build and broad smile, he wears a trucker’s hat, flannel shirt and a five o’clock shadow. His light Minnesotan accent emanates the kind of warmth and fortitude necessary to survive a Midwestern winter.

Fond of jam bands, free of pretension, Barron isn’t the sort of guy you’d imagine obsessively checking his phone and pacing when he’s away from the farm, but that’s how he describes his dedication.

His affinity for working in the sunshine with hands in the dirt developed at an early age.

Barron recounts being raised by “suburban hippies” in Minneapolis where he “grew up outside in the garden or in the backpack,” absorbing a back-to-the-land ethos from his parents.

Now 41, Barron is father to a toddler,

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husband to a local elementary school teacher and more than a decade younger than the average U.S. poultry farmer. He is a self-proclaimed “liberal arts kid” with a background in geology and a palpable yet pragmatic passion for healing our broken relationship with the earth through holistic livestock management.

Barron’s journey to farmerhood was shaped by two facets of the concept of sustainability: self-reliance and soil conservation. As a high school senior, the chance discovery of an article torn from Outside magazine led him to defer college and head to Denali National Park in Alaska. There, he made a perilous pilgrimage to Fairbanks Bus 142, in which storied adventurer Chris McCandless of the film Into the Wild left his diaries and ultimately his body in 1992. “We had to cross Farmer Caleb Barron tends his Cornish Cross chickens with help from his son Staale on a scenic North Coast ranch.

a river where somebody had died earlier that year,” Barron recalls. “It was a journey.” While in Alaska, Barron pored over memoirs of survivalists whose wilderness rites of passage had taken them to remote reaches of the continent to explore the lost art of self-sustenance.

After finishing a bachelor’s degree in geology at the University of Puget Sound, he was eventually drawn to the farm apprentice program at UC Santa Cruz. He credits the poetry of Gary Snyder with nudging him “back to the land” and toward the California Coastline.

Reflecting on his apprenticeship, he readily admits that he “didn’t really care about the nitrogen cycle,” but he loved “the community and just being outside and working with my hands.” A second apprenticeship with animals at scenic Pie Ranch, just a quick jaunt up the road from Fogline’s current location, sold Barron on livestock management.

www.ediblemontereybay.com

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Pastured chickens work in rotation with cattle from TomKat Ranch to gradually restore depleted soils.

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edible MONTEREY BAY SPRING 2022

He credits the poetry of Gary Snyder with nudging him “back to the land” and toward the California Coastline.

For the first three years of Fogline, the three founding friends could not pay themselves. Then their land lease expired and the property sold to a new owner. Partners Johnny Wilson (“the veggie guy”) and Jeffrey Caspary (“the fruit guy”) left to pursue other opportunities, Fogline abandoned row crops and Barron relocated the operation from Soquel to a property near Wilder Ranch, and then to Año Nuevo.

In the present location, pastured chickens work in rotation with cattle from TomKat Ranch to gradually restore depleted, compacted soils that once supported a pesticide and fertilizer-laden commercial flower operation. Fogline currently operates under a precarious one-year lease. “I’m taking a huge risk in being here,” Barron says, adding that he is also unable to raise pigs, as he once did, due to terms of the lease. “Nobody wants pigs on their land.” But he is quick to point out that despite the challenges, he has the most beautiful commute in the world. The natural tranquility of Fogline’s North Coast surroundings impose an artificial ease on the epic hustle that defines a modern, earth-centric poultry operation.

At the onset of the pandemic, Barron assumed his business would have to shut down. Instead, direct-to-consumer sales boomed, spurring the creation of an online store. As restaurants shuttered their doors, demand from consumers, buyer’s clubs and grocery delivery services such as Locale and EatLocal.Farm swelled.

He is keenly aware of the high price his customers pay for Fogline’s chickens and cautious about passing along the rising costs of his operation to consumers. “Feed prices have skyrocketed during the pandemic, especially organic,” he says, standing at the mouth of a mobile chicken house attached to a tractor. In addition to maintaining exceptionally clean and comfortable accommodations for the

farm’s infant broods, elder poults (a mere four weeks old) are released into king-sized, airy, hoop houses on skids. Protected from predators, they hunt and peck before being scooted along to a fresh patch of weeds and insects. The mats of organic manure they leave behind are later broken up and pressed into the soil by four-legged grazers.

Barron manages every sale and nearly every meal and movement of his animals, 52 weeks a year.

When asked about the move towards plant-based diets as a way to reduce one’s carbon footprint, Barron replies that he “firmly believes that animal agriculture is a necessary part of healing and maintaining land.”

His beliefs are supported by recent research quantifying the high carbon sequestration capacity of multi-species pasture rotation systems like Fogline’s. Due to these positive findings, combined with the bad press on carbon emissions from the livestock industry, the meat market is now awash in meaningless labels, such as pastured, natural, climate friendly and thoughtfully raised. (See story on labeling on page 60) He distances himself from hollow monikers not backed by thirdparty certification, even the term regenerative, which he sees as a mere marketing ploy in many cases. How can consumers avoid these red herrings when shopping for truly sustainable protein that has enjoyed a good life in the sunshine while giving back to the land on which it grazed? In Barron’s words: “It sounds stupid, but know your farmer.”

Emily Beggs is founder and lead chef of Kin & Kitchen, which specializes in ecologically-minded private chef services for clients throughout California.

She has a background in the anthropology of food and nutrition, and the menus she develops meld wellness-promoting ancestral recipes with local ingredients to create intimate and nourishing feasts.

www.ediblemontereybay.com

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Avgolemono Soup

Courtesy Emily Beggs, owner of Kin & Kitchen

This lemony Greek variant of a classic comfort dish (chicken soup) incorporates both Fogline’s chicken and eggs—raised at the farm by Antonio Reyes. A Fogline chicken creates a rich and lively stock that elevates even the simplest soups. Gently simmered meat, stripped from the bones midway through cooking, adds a smooth and tender protein to this avgolemono. It is rich in health-supporting omega-3s, which are more abundant in pastured poultry than the factory farmed alternative. The dark marigold yolks of pasture-raised eggs give the soup a pleasant spring color and a hearty dose of nourishing vitamin D, B-12 and choline—attuning mind and body to the freshness of the season. Lightly caramelized leeks, blended with preserved lemon, lemon juice, and some of the rice, give body and depth to the soup’s flavor and texture.

1 whole Fogline Farm chicken 10 cups water 1 medium-sized yellow onion 1 whole celery stalk 1 whole carrot 1 bay leaf (we use locally harvested California bay laurel) 1 leek, green top reserved for the stock, white section cut lengthwise then into generous 1-inch rainbows 2 cups cooked white rice (we use Koda Farms Kokuho Rose medium grain) 2 medium-sized lemons, juiced and zested 4 eggs Salt Pepper 1 bunch fresh dill 1 handful mildly bitter greens, cut into ribbons (we use puntarella and escarole) Optional but highly recommended: ¼ of a preserved lemon, pulp and pith removed

the refrigerator, then return the carcass to the pot. Simmer covered for another 1½–2 hours. When finished, strain the broth, wash out the soup pot and return it to the stove.

Add a few glugs of olive oil and sauté the leek carefully, just long enough to see a hint of brown on some of the pieces but not long enough to burn and dry them out. Remove leeks from the pot and set aside to cool. At this point, the finished stock can be returned to the pot.

When the leeks are cool, place them in a highspeed blender along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, preserved lemon, and 2/3 cup of the cooked rice. Add enough water to cover the mixture and purée until completely smooth.

Salt to taste.

While stock cooks, prepare the rice and set aside.

Warm the broth. Whisk eggs in a medium-sized, heat-proof bowl until frothy and light yellow.

Use the warm, but not boiling, broth to temper the eggs, adding small quantities of broth to the eggs while stirring vigorously to avoid scrambling. Once the eggs have been warmed by the broth, add them to the soup pot while stirring to maintain a uniform texture. Add the puréed leek-rice mixture, the chicken and the rest of the rice to the pot. Heat until the soup is simmering, but avoid a bubbling boil, which can cause the eggs to separate. Toss in the greens and cook for 5–10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the chicken is cool, remove meat from the breasts and legs. Rubber gloves can help protect your hands from any remaining heat. Tear or cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside in

Top soup with fresh dill, torn or chopped. We toss our dill into the blender with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and blanched chard for a silky green spring pistou. Serves 6–8.

Place the chicken, water, onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf and green leek top in a large pot over low heat. Skim foam and any proteins that rise to the surface as the stock cooks. After 1–1½ hours, carefully check the chicken for doneness.

If no undercooked pink meat remains, remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a cutting board where it can rest until cool. Turn off the heat, but leave stock on the stove.

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edible MONTEREY BAY SPRING 2022

ON THE BAY

CRABS vs.

WHALES Fracas over pop-up crab traps dangles Dungeness season in the balance

BY MARK C. ANDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID HILLS

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For many foodies, there are few simple pleasures that rival fresh local Dungeness crab. Now that simple pleasure has become increasingly complicated to bring to the table.

It has gotten so tangled, in fact, that one fishery expert—as he surveys a maw of threats, lawsuits, unprecedented environmental shifts and interesting new crab trap technology—calls the current uproar around crab fishing the most controversial oceans story he’s ever encountered.

The biggest reason for that, in a literal and figurative sense, is humpback whales. In the mid-2010s, warming oceans killed off humpback whales’ preferred menu item in historic numbers—namely, krill—so they swam closer to shore in pursuit of alternative prey like anchovies.

When they ventured toward land, they encountered ropes that connect crab fishermen’s buoys to crab traps on the ocean floor.

It just so happened there was an atypically large number of traps in the water at that point in 2016 crab season because of another climate-related challenge. Domoic acid was present in the California crab populations that season, so its opening was delayed. When fishermen did get the green light, they were that much more desperate to plop in more pots than they normally would that late in the season.

Along the West Coast in 2016, 71 humpback, blue whale and leatherback turtle entanglements were reported, 22 attributed to crabbers.

Californians love them some crab. But they don’t have an appetite for being implicated in whale maiming.

Suddenly the situation went from tense to intense.

SCARE TACTICS On multiple occasions sources for this story referenced being intimidated, scared and even worried about “getting shot” for their role in seeking a solution to California’s crab gear challenges. And it isn’t limited to one side. People take their livelihoods and their whales seriously.

But amid the fear there is hope. Geoff Shester leads the parade on that front. He works with conservationist outfit Oceana as its senior scientist, and he’s very enthusiastic about how innovative new crab trap designs will make it possible to keep fishing the crustacean when whales are present, rather than shutting down crab fishing completely, as has happened the past few years.

“There’s a shared goal of having continued fisheries and safe whale populations off our coast,” he says. “Closures have been hard on fishermen and their families. Gear innovation provides new options for those who choose to use it.”

He adds that the pace of innovation is brisk, with upwards of a dozen companies working on versions of “pop-up” traps that don’t require a vertical line in the water column.

Neptune Marine Products, for instance, does a galvanic timed release with a corrosive metal design that degrades and frees the trap to rise to the surface after a predictable interval. Sub Sea Sonics has introduced what’s called an acoustic release that works via electrolytic ero-

On previous page fisherman Calder Deyerle gets ready to try out one of the new pop-up crab traps as Geoff Shester looks on (photo courtesy Oceana).

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ter 2021

“They just want to chop us down. They’re saying we’re murderers and we’re not doing our job right and not having a conversation.” sion. Desert Star Systems designed a broadcast “flip-a-switch” release with virtual gear marking that identifies where the crab pot is, using a smartphone app.

They just need the people who would use it to test it out. As Shester says, “We want to build it up working with local fishermen.”

And that’s the catch to this particular catch: Most fishermen refuse to try it.

MAKING PROGRESS? When environmental factors fomented the spike in marine creature entanglements, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) sued the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for allowing endangered species to be harmed on its watch (or more accurately, with its permits).

At the time, the state had already formed the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group, composed of commercial and recreational fishermen, environmental organization reps, members of the whale entanglement response network, and state and federal agencies.

That group, in turn, launched a Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program to aggressively identify and prevent run-ins with gear.

The Center for Biological Diversity was happy to give the working group added motivation, but felt it was far from enough to sufficiently protect whales. In the subsequent years its representatives 1) ditched the group because they were convinced the voluntary measures on which it was based wouldn’t work; 2) co-sponsored the Whale Entanglement Prevention Act (aka AB 534), which would have mandated the conversion of California’s trap fisheries to ropeless gear by the end of 2025; and 3) petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service after

AB 534 was pulled when author Rob Bonta was appointed California’s attorney general.

If the petition is successful, it will mandate all ropeless traps in a lot of places. They would be required in marine sanctuaries within three years and in select state waters within five.

That has fishermen, already an excitable sub-population, steamed.

For the vast majority of them their message is plain: no way they’re switching to the new technology.

The simple success of the working group in addressing things like excess lines presents one big reason fishermen don’t want to switch (though there are other reasons).

Longtime fisherman Dick Ogg, 69, sits on the group, representing Bodega Bay. “We’ve minimized interaction,” he says. “We’re on the right track, we’re doing the right things and those things are working really well.

We’ve already solved the issue. How is this fair?”

Ryan Bartley leads the working group and is a scientist with the Department of Fish and Wildlife. He verifies the progress, noting a total of two whale entanglements attributed to crabbers in 2020 and 2021.

“There’s a combination of factors at play—risk assessment, the cooperation of the fleet, best fishing practices and improved ocean conditions,” he says, “but we are trending way down.”

Fishermen also point to the cost of new pop-up traps and the expensive and time-consuming challenges of retrieving gear that doesn’t function properly. “We’ve minimized our interaction but [they] still want us to go to a situation where it’s not practical for us to make a living,” Ogg says.

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Innovative new crab trap designs will make it possible to keep fishing the crustacean when whales are present.

Along with his fellow fishermen, he bristles at being demonized by the Center for Biological Diversity, whose messaging has lacked climate change context and cast fishermen as bad actors, he says.

“We’re being looked at as people trying to destroy the ocean when we’re the conservationists and that’s our living,” he says. “Why would we damage it? We’re very conscious of what we’re doing. We’re trying to make things better, and we’ve truly done a good job.”

TESTING STANDOFF Prunedale’s David Toriumi fishes out of Santa Cruz and also serves on the working group, representing Monterey Bay. He’s even conducted tests of ropeless gear in hopes of saving more of a shrinking crab season. That alienates some fishermen who flinch at the attempt to have the gear forced on them, and Toriumi reports feeling scared of vigilante retribution when he enters various ports. But he reserves his biggest frustration for the CBD and its decision to stop engaging with the working group.

“It’s frustrating because they don’t crab, they’re not on the boat,” he says. “They haven’t come out to talk to us fishermen and see our struggles. They just want to chop us down. They’re saying we’re murderers and we’re not doing our job right and not having a conversation.”

He wishes CBD would focus more on container boat collisions with whales. “It’s mind boggling they’re picking on small guys when big corporations are literally mowing over whales,” he says. But the good news is they are; the Center for Biological Diversity filed a legal petition with the Biden Administration requesting speed limits for vessels off California, to accomplish precisely that.

CBD senior attorney Kristen Monsell sounds well-acquainted with pushback from fishermen. “We recognize change is hard and people don’t like it,” she says, “but that doesn’t mean change shouldn’t happen.”

She believes requiring ropeless traps by law is the path forward.

“Ropeless fishing is the only way to eliminate entanglement while allowing fishing to continue,” she says. “That future isn’t going to be realized unless that is mandated. The rules on the books aren’t cutting it. We need to do more to save all these amazing critters.”

That leads to a final plot twist that, in turn, leads to a place of hope.

Back before the CBD introduced the Whale Entanglement Prevention Act to mandate ropeless compliance in California, crab fishermen were voluntarily participating in at least three different ropeless technology testing projects along the state’s coast. When the idea of non-

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optional acquiescence was introduced, many of them promptly backed out—if they weren’t getting a say in their sentence, they weren’t participating in the trial.

Oceana’s Shester gets that. “I don’t think it’s productive to mandate something we don’t know will work,” he says. “It has made the collaboration more difficult.”

Kim Sawicki does too. Through the company Sustainable Seas Technology, she works with fishermen around the world—ropeless traps are also seeing deployment on the East Coast, in Australia and in Canada—to develop gear without long ropes and with constant collaboration.

“I work with these fishermen day in and day out, and they’re a big part of the process in providing tips and tweaks so we can adapt different devices to the way they fish,” she says. “To make something mandatory when we’re trying to get fishermen interested and involved is counterproductive.”

A funny thing happens when they do try out the gear, she adds.

“When fishermen start getting their hands on the gear, they come up with better ways to use it,” she says. “As soon as they start playing around with it, their negative attitudes, reluctance and fear go away.”

Fishermen, Shester, Sawicki and the Center for Biological Diversity do agree on something: Government, nonprofit funders, market factors and trap innovators are all relevant to making new crab technologies affordable.

They just disagree on how to get there, and aren’t currently dialoguing on how to do it.

Hopefully, in coming months, more collaboration—and a longer crab season—are on the menu.

Mark C. Anderson is a roving writer, explorer and photographer based in Monterey County. Follow and/or reach him on Twitter and Instagram @ MontereyMCA.

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IN THE KITCHEN

PANCAKES

BY JESSICA TUNIS AND AMBER TURPIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK TREGENZA, JESSICA TUNIS AND AMBER TURPIN

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We think not. Folks have been enjoying pancakes in some form or another for centuries, across cultures. The earliest pancakes were likely cooked on a hot stone, unleavened and toothsome, way back in the Stone Age, but we’ve come a long way since then in terms of refined ingredients and cooking technology. Here are just a few of our favorite pancakes, but the genre is ripe for exploration and customization, along with some considerations to keep in mind, especially when substituting ingredients.

Flour choices: Pancakes can be made with an almost infinite variety of flours, but often wheat flour is added to enhance the texture and rising capabilities of the pancake.

When substituting gluten-free (GF) flours in place of wheat flour, be sure to use a GF flour mix that does not contain xanthan or guar gum, which can inhibit rising and make the pancake gluey rather than light and fluffy. GF flours tend to absorb moisture differently than wheat flour, so you may need to add more liquid until the batter is thin enough to spread slowly on the griddle. Coconut flour and added starches tend to make a heavier pancake. Some flours, like buckwheat, can make a lovely pancake all by themselves, without the addition of wheat flour, but it will still be denser and heavier than a pancake containing wheat flour.

Oil vs. butter: Melted butter adds a lovely, rich flavor to pancakes, but can be replaced by a neutral cooking oil in

most cases, if a vegan option is preferred. While butter is often used as the cooking fat, a neutral, high-heat oil like avocado oil can make for more even cooking. Highheat oils will also last longer on the pan and will not burn between pancakes as butter might.

Eggs and dairy: For those substituting ingredients, use of ¼ cup applesauce in place of an egg will give similar results in terms of moisture and tenderness. Non-dairy milk can be substituted in place of whole milk, if desired. This is a good place to use up buttermilk or sour milk, if you have any that has gone bad in the fridge. The slight acidity makes for a flavorful pancake.

Wait: Resting the batter for 15 minutes after mixing will allow the baking powder time to permeate the batter, making for a fluffier pancake. In the case of the cornmeal pancakes, it will also soften the cornmeal.

Mixing: Mix the dry and liquid ingredients only as much as required to blend them together; a little lumpy is okay, even preferable to an over-mixed batter. Excessive mixing makes for rubbery rather than fluffy pancakes.

Contributors Amber Turpin and Jessica Tunis live in the Santa Cruz Mountains and have been friends for a long time. They share a love of food and writing, adventure and good company.

www.ediblemontereybay.com

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White Cheddar and Jalapeño Pancakes

Buckwheat Buttermilk Flapjacks with Lemon Cream and Blueberries (GF)

These lovely pancakes are perfect for those who enjoy a marriage of sweet and savory, with a little twist of spicy jalapeño thrown in. While they get a hint of sweetness from the cornmeal, they can still be eaten with the usual syrupy toppings and even honey. They are also wonderful paired with breakfast chili, herbed sour cream, and soft eggs.

The name buckwheat is something of a misnomer; this pseudo cereal is more closely related to quinoa or amaranth than to wheat. It’s naturally gluten free and makes for a lovely, tender crumb in pancakes and baked goods. The addition of gluten-free flour here makes the pancake fluffier, but the recipe can also be made without added flours for a denser, moister pancake. The lemon cream that tops this breakfast is worth dolloping on everything from pancakes to pie, berries to bananas; make extra and dollop freely, as needed.

1 cup all-purpose white flour ½ cup coarse cornmeal ½ cup masa or corn flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup grated white Cheddar 3 tablespoons jalapeño, minced 1 cup milk 2 eggs 3 tablespoons butter, melted About 2 tablespoons neutral oil for the griddle In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients, then add the grated cheese and minced jalapeño, tossing lightly to coat the additions. In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs, followed by the melted butter.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and fold with a rubber spatula just until combined.

If you have time, let the mixture rest for 15 minutes, to fully hydrate the cornmeal.

1 cup buckwheat flour 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon kosher salt 2 cups buttermilk 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons butter, melted About 2 tablespoons neutral oil for the griddle In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla, followed by the melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and fold with a rubber spatula just until combined.

Preheat a nonstick griddle, frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Grease the pan with a small amount of the neutral oil, swirling to coat.

When the pan is hot, spoon or ladle a small amount of batter onto the griddle and cook until golden brown and set on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes, or until bubbles appear. Then flip and cook on the second side for 2 minutes more, until browned on the second side.

Adjust the heat on the griddle, then cook the remaining pancakes in batches until all the batter has been used. Serve with lemon cream and fresh blueberries. Makes about 16 pancakes.

Preheat a nonstick griddle, frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Grease the pan with a small amount of the neutral oil, swirling to coat.

Lemon Cream

When the pan is hot, spoon or ladle a small amount of batter onto the griddle and cook until golden brown and set on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes, or until bubbles appear. Then flip and cook on the second side for 2 minutes more, until browned on the second side.

Pour cream into a mixing bowl and add the lemon zest. Let sit a few minutes, then add the honey and whip until soft peaks form, using a whisk or electric mixer.

If you prefer a silkier cream without the texture of the lemon zest, strain before whipping.

1 1 2

cup heavy whipping cream teaspoon lemon zest teaspoons honey

Adjust the heat on the griddle, then cook the remaining pancakes in batches until all the batter has been used. Makes about 8 pancakes.

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Cardamom Pancakes with Bananas What to do with a spotted banana? This, this! The delicate flavor of cardamom brings out the floral notes of the fruit and the result is a lovely, moist treat of a pancake, almost a dessert rather than breakfast. If the banana is quite spotted, it can be smashed and folded into the batter, rather than sliced, although it won’t result in the pretty, caramelized pattern that sliced bananas will create.

1½ cups all-purpose white flour 1½ tablespoons baking powder 1 tablespoon brown sugar ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 1 to 1¼ cups milk 1 large egg ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons butter, melted 1 large banana, sliced into thin rounds About 2 tablespoons neutral oil for the griddle In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cardamom. In a measuring cup, whisk together 1 cup of milk with the egg and vanilla,

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followed by the melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and fold with a rubber spatula just until combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy; if it seems too thick, add the additional milk by the tablespoon until batter is pourable.

Preheat a nonstick griddle, frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Grease the pan with a small amount of the neutral oil, swirling to coat.

When the pan is hot, spoon or ladle a small amount of batter onto the griddle and use the bottom of a spoon to gently spread the batter into a circle (the batter is thick so it won’t spread easily on its own). Top each

edible MONTEREY BAY SPRING 2022

round with a few slices of banana (if using).

Cook until golden brown and set on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook on the second side for 2 minutes more, until browned on the second side and the bananas are caramelized.

Adjust the heat on the griddle as needed, then cook the remaining pancakes in batches until all the batter has been used.

Serve with butter and warm maple syrup.

Note: For a larger crowd, you can double this recipe, but use only 2 tablespoons baking powder. Up to half of the all-purpose flour can be replaced with whole grain flour, if desired.

Variation: Instead of using bananas, cook the pancakes without them, then top with fresh slices of apricots or apricot jam, compote or syrup. Makes about 12 pancakes.

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EDIBLE ENVIRONMENT

Less waste, minimal packaging and more for your money, bulk buying is soaring in popularity

BY KATHRYN MCKENZIE PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK TREGENZA One of the more unusual side effects of the COVID pandemic shelterin-place was a mass stampede toward the baking aisle. Not only were people learning how to make their own bread as a way to keep busy and stay sane, they also dipped into making fun desserts.

And because many home bakers were buying large quantities of flour, sugar and yeast, they discovered bulk foods in a big way. It was tough to keep bulk organic flour in stock last year, according to Eli White, bulk foods manager at the Staff of Life grocery store in Watsonville.

But another side effect of the pandemic was the closure of many bulk food sections at local stores, due to the risk of virus transmission that was thought to be heightened by different shoppers touching the gravity bin levers, lids and scoops, the typical conveyers of retail bulk foods.

For some grocery stores, this was a temporary precaution. Other stores, however, still have not reopened their bulk sections. But a few persisted during the height of the pandemic lockdown, and have taken unique measures to avoid virus spread.

The Watsonville Staff of Life store, when it opened in March 2021, kept its bulk section dark and roped off in the beginning, waiting for infection rates to decline in Santa Cruz County. When the section finally did open, the store had an attendant on hand to fill people’s containers, leading to long lines.

Now, though, the section is fully open and available for customers to self-serve, with more than 500 items in stock and new protocols to ensure everyone’s safety. “We’re constantly cleaning the scoops,” says White, and some of the scoops and bins have been replaced with gravity bins, which involve less touch to operate. The same goes for the legendary bulk foods section at the original Staff of Life in Santa Cruz, which has upwards of 700 items available, including lotions, dish soap and tinctures.

At Elroy’s Fine Foods in Monterey, which also had its opening during the pandemic, concierge service in the bulk foods section was planned from the get-go, according to operations manager Camrin Dannelly.

Customers simply walk in, tell an employee which items they’d like, and their jar or container will be filled, weighed and handed back for checkout.

Bulk buying is nothing new, although in recent years, it’s taken on new meaning and popularity as a way to achieve a less wasteful lifestyle. Monterey County has several grocery stores and at least one ecolifestyle store that offer bulk products. In Santa Cruz County, there are a plethora of bulk buying options—no doubt due to the county’s history as a co-op stronghold in the 1960s and ’70s. Then, as now, bulk foods were touted as a way to eliminate wasteful packaging and save money. In the 20-plus years that White has worked for Staff of Life, he says he’s seen a three- to four-fold increase in the number of people who buy in bulk.

Typical bulk items include beans, nuts, herbs, teas, spices, whole grains, flour and rice; in recent years, stores have added items like honey, oils, sugars and a wide variety of snack items. There are also unusual items, like the xantham gum you’ll find at Staff of Life—a helpful item for those who bake gluten free—and maple syrup and hemp seeds at Elroy’s. The lineup constantly changes, yet the most popular bulk items tend to be staples such as rolled oats, granola and basmati rice, as well as nut butters that are freshly ground at the stores.

Buying bulk items is not necessarily about buying pantry staples in large quantities. It’s also about buying exactly what you require in the right quantity. As Dannelly recalls, she first fell in love with bulk spices when she found she could buy two ounces of dill for 50 cents—exactly what she needed, and not have to spend $7.99 for a container of dill that would languish in her pantry, unused and forgotten.

Other bulk products are also available if you look beyond food items.

Eco Carmel, for example, offers a wide variety of cleansing products that include environment-conscious shampoo, laundry soap and skin care products.

To adopt that zero-waste mindset, shoppers do have to remember to bring in a jar, bottle or other container or buy a reusable container at the store. Glass is what is typically recommended to avoid any chemicals from plastic leaching into the product, and glass is also easy to sterilize and reuse. Some people prefer lightweight cloth bags for items such as dried beans and grains. www.ediblemontereybay.com

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Once at the store, you’ll need to get a tare, or weight, for your container, so it can be subtracted at the checkstand. It’s best to tare the jar at the store that you intend to use the jar at, so that there is no confusion for store employees or awkward conversions when different stores use different measures (grams vs. ounces, for instance). You can take an empty container to a register and ask to have it weighed (or some stores will have a scale set up in the bulk department for this purpose). Make note of the tare on the lid with a Sharpie, or on a piece of tape affixed to the container, so you only have to do this once.

Buy bulk a few times, and it will become a habit.

“It turns into a lifestyle,” says Dannelly, and it’s something she sees her customers taking to heart. “There’s one family that comes in with their kids, and they all have their containers.

They’re teaching their kids that’s what they need to do.”

Staff of Life went all in on a huge bulk section at its new Watsonville store (left) and Camrin Dannelly measures out flaxseed at Elroy’s Fine Foods in Monterey.

With reporting by Jessica Tunis

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WHERE TO BUY IN BULK Monterey County Alma Del Mar 398 Shasta St., Sand City; shampoos, bubble bath and more. almadelmar398.com Eco Carmel 2 S.W. San Carlos St. between 7th and 8th, Carmel; cleaning products, personal care. 831.624.1222 or ecocarmel.com Elroy’s Fine Foods 15 Soledad Drive, Monterey; food items, oils, herbs and more. 831.373.3737 or elroysfinefoods.com Whole Foods 800 Del Monte Center, Monterey; food items. 831.333.1600 or wholefoods.com Santa Cruz County Ethos 101 Capitola Ave., Capitola; cleaning products, body care. 831.854.2490 or ethossantacruz.com New Leaf Community Markets locations in Aptos, Capitola, downtown and Westside Santa Cruz; food items and more. 831.685.8500 or newleaf.com

Staff of Life 1266 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz; food items, spices, cleaning products and more. 831.423.8632 or staffoflifemarket.com Staff of Life 906 E. Lake Avenue, Watsonville; food items, spices, teas and more.

831.726.0240 or staffoflifemarket.com The Food Bin & Herb Room 1130 Mission St., Santa Cruz: food items, teas, Chinese herbs, body care.

831.423.5526 (Food Bin), 831.429.8108 (Herb Room) or foodbinherbroom.com

831.476.2263 231 Esplanade, Capitola margaritavillecapitola.com

Whole Foods 1710 41st Ave., Capitola; food items. 831.464.2900 or wholefoods.com Whole Foods 911 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz; food items. 831.426.9901 or wholefoods.com Wild Roots Market 13159 Central Ave., Boulder Creek; food items and more.

831.338.7211 or wildrootsmarket.com Wild Roots Market 6240 Hwy. 9, Felton; food items and more. 831.335.7322 or wildrootsmarket.com

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SPRING FORAGING

Wild Greens Spanakopita A Mediterranean-inspired recipe to get you outdoors

BY ALEXANDRA HUDSON ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIE WOOD BRINKER Winter rains bring the vigorous spring greens that fill this rich, locally foraged spanakopita. It’s a California-specific version of the classic savory Greek pie that includes a medley of miner’s lettuce, chickweed, spring onions and nettles. Any number of edible spring greens can be substituted and proportions can vary depending on what’s available. The act of harvesting greens from neighborhood open spaces can be nourishing in its own right, as it helps foster a deep sense of belonging to a place. So get out there and give it a try! The plants in this recipe tend to grow abundantly all over the state, so sourcing is unlikely to be too big an issue.

To find the foraged ingredients in this recipe, start looking around a few weeks after the first seasonal rains. Once you discover your local patches of these delicious powerhouses, a delightful anticipation for their ripeness will likely set in and you might just find yourself returning frequently to check on them.

Miner’s Lettuce

Claytonia perfoliata, or winter purslane, grows commonly throughout much of California. Over its maturation cycle, leaves develop from spears into spades, then hearts and lastly, discs from which flower stalks eventually sprout. The gently flavored plant is best harvested pre-seeding when the stems are still crunchy and not highly fibrous.

Leaves and stems of this watery annual make an excellent substitute for spinach, which is classically used in the pie.

Chickweed

Stellaria media is similarly mild in flavor and tends to grow alongside miner’s lettuce. This annual plant is best harvested when the patch has matured into a dense mat, its leaves are grown to roughly the size of a fingernail and flowering is in its early stage. Once the plant goes to seed, its stalks become woody and unpalatable. All aerial parts are edible. Be sure to identify this properly and not confuse it with dangerous lookalike, scarlet pimpernel.

Spring Onion

Allium triquetrum, or three-sided leek, is both beloved to foragers and chefs and despised by ecologists. This invasive onion easily outcompetes other more delicate low-lying plants and often takes over hillsides, making for easy forage in late winter and early springtime.

Potential lookalikes include soaproot and camas lily; identify spring onion by making sure the spade leaf has three sides and that the crosssection looks a bit like a malformed triangle. Edible parts of the onion include the young bulb, shoots and flower. Once it goes to seed, the flower becomes undesirable and the bulb develops a thick skin around it, making it sub-par for most dishes.

Nettles

Urtica dioica is a perennial that sends out new sprouts in winter for a harvest that typically lasts into summer. While some opt to wear leather gloves to avoid the stingers, proper handling of the stem during harvest will minimize the stingers entering the skin. Nettles’ stingers grow upward and outwards from the stalk; at your own discretion, gently stroke upwards on the stalk to grasp the body of the stem, avoiding pressing downwards to ensure stingers do not enter the skin. With scissors or a knife, slice the nettle right above the leaf node, directly into your collection basket. Potential lookalikes include hedgenettle; one light touch of the leaves with the back of your hand will tell you which of the two it is, as nettle will bite back.

Alexandra Hudson is a California-born clinical herbalist, wild foods chef and holistic educator. She lives with her family out in the Day Valley redwoods, where she tends to her land and offers classes and sessions to clients. For more information on Hudson’s practice and classes, visit alchemistress.world.

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Wild Greens Spanakopita 2

pounds or 1 well-stuffed gallon container of miner’s lettuce (leaves and stems), chickweed (leaves and stems) and nettle (leaves only); in lieu of these, 30 ounces of frozen spinach can be used.

6–9 large spring onions, both green and white parts, cleaned and with bulbs attached if plant is young enough. Substitute the white parts of 2 medium leeks if no spring onions are available locally.

A few dashes salt ¼ cup butter, ghee or olive oil 7 eggs 12 ounces crumbled feta cheese 2 ounces shredded Parmesan 4 ounces shredded Romano 1 cup assorted herbs, like rosemary, marjoram, thyme, oregano, dill, wild chervil. In lieu of a diverse selection of herbs, parsley can be used.

1 teaspoon ground black pepper 15 sheets phyllo dough, purchased Grated zest of 1 lemon ½ cup melted butter, ghee or olive oil Take phyllo dough out of the freezer, remove dough from box and set aside to thaw.

In batches, sauté miner’s lettuce, chickweed and nettles in a large dry pan, stirring constantly. When greens are fully wilted yet still verdant (approx 3–4 minutes of cooking), remove pan from heat. Place sieve into a bowl and place clump of greens into sieve. When they are cool enough to handle, press the greens mixture in a sieve to remove excess liquid, then roll it in a clean paper or cloth towel to dry further. Set mixture aside. Liquid can be drunk, saved for adding to soup or discarded.

Finely chop the onions. Dry cook them over medium heat with a few dashes of salt for about 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly. During this time, onions will weep and liquid will cook off. When the pan is dry, add ¼ cup oil and sauté for 2–5 or so minutes till lightly browned. The flavor deepens as the onions cook, so taste as you go and stop when they are to your liking. If using leeks, sauté for up to 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.

Mince herbs and stir into bowl with onions. Stir eggs, cheeses, pepper, lemon zest and mix until well combined. Chop the wilted greens and mix them thoroughly with the egg mixture. Set bowl aside.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Melt the butter in a little saucepan on the stove and set aside.

Carefully unroll phyllo dough onto a dry surface. Count out 15 sheets.

Roll up the rest and put them back in the box. Return box to the freezer.

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Thoroughly butter sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (or 9-by-13-inch glass pan) using a pastry brush. Brush a light layer of butter onto the top of the first sheet of phyllo. Carefully lift the sheet and drape it into the pan, making sure to tuck it into the bottom edge and drape it over the top lip. The sheet may rip a bit; this is okay. Do the same with the second sheet of dough, draping it slightly unevenly with the first so that the corners do not overlap perfectly. As you continue to layer more sheets, position each so it overhangs the lip by 2 inches or so on one side, changing the angle a bit as you place each consecutive sheet. By the time all 15 sheets are placed, everywhere along the lip should be covered by at least a few sheets.

Press the wild greens filling into the bottom of the pan and smooth out the surface. Gently fold the phyllo back onto the pie until it is all draped over the filling. Ruffle it up a bit for a disheveled look, or lay it down nice and orderly. Place the pan onto a baking sheet to catch melting butter, and bake for 60 minutes until the top is nicely golden. Makes 1 9-inch pie.

Enjoy warm!

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G N ASPRING T U R E 2022 S E C T ION 60edible Communities edible MONTEREY | S I BAY

The trademarks and certification marks displayed are the property of their respective owners and are displayed herein for demonstration and informational purposes. Edible Communities and these entities are not affiliated.

IN LABELS WE TRUST

How food certification labels, seals and standards can help eaters make better choices

STO RY

BY

E L E N A

S E E L E Y,

FO O D

TA N K

CO N T E N T

D I R E C TO R

Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank president, contributed to this article.

Even before the pandemic, choosing what to eat was difficult.

PROT E CT ING WO RK E RS

What’s healthy? What’s not? Do workers get a fair wage? What’s

In 2020, the World Economic Forum/Ipsos found that 86

better for the planet? For eaters looking to purchase products that

percent of people want a significant change towards a more equi-

are fairly traded or BIPOC owned, it can feel exhausting to find

table and sustainable world post-pandemic.

delicious foods from producers they believe in.

Standards from the food sector are working to eliminate

Certification labels and standards can be useful and neces-

forced and child labor, improve workers’ conditions, promote

sary ways to help consumers, but they’re often confusing. “Un-

gender equity and ensure better pay. Many fair-trade companies

fortunately, the burden is always on the consumer in terms of

are helping growers shift to environmentally sustainable practices.

evaluating the veracity of the label, doing the research to see

“While not a silver bullet, the Rainforest Alliance certification

whether the information on these labels is properly supported

is designed to provide methods and a shared standard for creat-

and accurate,” Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Con-

ing a more transparent, data-driven, risk-based supply chain…to

sumer Reports, says.

make responsible business the new normal,” says Alex Morgan

Focusing on one issue helps, says Jerusha Klemperer of FoodPrint, an organization that educates consumers about food production practices. Decide which issue you’re most passionate

from the Rainforest Alliance.

For foods from the United States, it’s more difficult to find companies upholding fair working conditions.

about and look for a label that upholds those standards. Labels

“Farm employees are still not equally protected under the Fair

can help increase transparency and provide insight into how food

Labor Standards Act and do not have a federally protected right

was produced. They can help eaters vote with their wallets for

to a weekly day of rest, overtime pay, sick time, collective bar-

food choices that support the environment, climate solutions,

gaining rights or even the right to a federal minimum wage on

animal welfare, workers’ rights, and healthy and sustainable diets.

small farms,” says Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm, an Afro-

But even conscientious eaters can get overwhelmed by the num-

Indigenous centered community farm in New York.

ber of choices they face.

Rosalinda Guillen, founder of Community to Community,

Choosing certified labels is a way to avoid empty claims, Klem-

says the Food Justice Certified label by the Agricultural Justice

perer says. But not all certification processes are created equal.

Project (AJP) is the most comprehensive label for protecting

Klemperer advises consumers to “do the research before you get

workers. “We call it the gold standard,” says Guillen, who has

to the store.”

provided input on AJP’s certification since 2000. Her BIPOC-

www.ediblemontereybay.com ediblecommunities.com61

led organization fights for better farm working conditions. She trusts the

mals suffer unnecessarily,” says Ben Goldsmith of Farm Forward, a non-

label because farm workers were deeply involved in setting the standards

profit striving to improve farm animal welfare. It can be easy for us to

from the beginning.

imagine ideal scenarios—healthy animals that are free to roam in open

Soul Fire is one of just six farms using Food Justice Certified. And it's advocating for the Fairness for Farm Workers Act. “The exploitation of farm labor is so deeply entrenched in the DNA of this nation that it can feel daunting to confront it, and yet we must,” says Penniman.

pastures—but unfortunately, Goldsmith explains, few animals are raised this way.

According to the nongovernmental organization, Food and Water Watch, 1.6 billion farm animals live on 25,000 factory farms, or concentrated animal feeding operations, in the U.S. These animals face over-

IS AL L N AT URA L ME ANI N GL E SS? One of the most familiar labels is all natural. It sounds good—even healthy—but it’s an empty marketing tool.

crowded and stressful conditions and are regularly subject to physical alterations like tail docking and beak clipping.

To avoid meats from animals subject to inhumane practices, look for

Klemperer says, “Ignore it.” Look for labels like USDA Certified

the Certified Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) label. Farmers and ranch-

Organic, which is two decades old. According to the Economic Re-

ers qualifying for certification cannot use cages, must provide access to

search Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, organic foods can

pastures and must ensure animals are treated humanely when they are

be found in almost three out of every four conventional supermarkets.

bred, transported and slaughtered. Producers may also add a Certified

To meet USDA standards, foods must be grown in soils that have

Grass-fed label to this certification, meaning animals were fed a 100 per-

not been treated with artificial fertilizers and pesticides for at least three

cent grass and forage diet. Goldsmith says he appreciates the AWA label

years. And organic farmers cannot plant genetically modified organisms

because it helps to “support and encourage small producers.”

(GMOs).

Another label is Certified Humane from Humane Farm Animal Care.

Newer labels, like the Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) label,

Minimum space allowances and environmental enrichment must be pro-

encourage farmers to further improve animal welfare, fairness for farm

vided for animals raised under Certified Humane standards. That encom-

workers and soil health. The label’s three-tiered system allows producers

passes the treatment of breeding animals, animals during transport and

to earn bronze, silver or gold certification to incentivize action.

animals at slaughter.

This label is also designed to be adaptable. “As science and culture

These labels are better for animals—and farmers can find them more

morph and change, we can incorporate that into a flexible or dynamic stan-

rewarding. “You get to see animals exhibit natural behaviors,” says Ron

dard that can adjust at that level,” explains Jeff Moyer, CEO of the Rodale

Mardesen, a livestock farmer for Niman Ranch, a beef, pork and lamb

Institute, a nonprofit group dedicated to growing the organic movement.

company with Certified Humane products.

For products like eggs, terms like humane raised, free range and hor-

NON- G M O L A BEL S DE MYST I F I E D Many growers avoid GMOs without using USDA Certified Organic practices. GMO products are derived from plants and animals, the genetic makeup of which has been altered, often to create resistance to pesticides, herbicides and pests.

Consumers can look for the Non-GMO Project Verified label, which indicates that produce or products containing fruits and vegetables are not

mone free sound good, but lack a clear definition. The U.S. prohibits the use of hormones in all poultry, veal, eggs, bison and pork production, so claims of hormone free don’t mean much.

AWA, Certified Humane and USDA Certified Organic labeling standards prohibit the use of antibiotics and synthetic hormones in animal production. Consumers looking to buy meat products raised without these inputs should buy certified labels.

produced with GMOs. For meat and dairy products, this label means that animals were fed a non-GMO diet.

In 2022, products containing GMOs must use a new Bio-Engineered

S O ME T H ING FIS H Y The seafood sector is rife with labor exploitation, overfishing, eco-

label from the USDA. But some non-GMO advocates argue this label

system damage, fraud and intentional mislabeling. Mark Kaplan, of the

doesn’t go far enough. Many products derived from new modification

company Envisible, calls the challenges in the industry “appalling.”

techniques, including those having undergone CRISPR gene editing and crops meant for animal feed, will be exempt from the label.

Envisible works to make supply chains more transparent and equitable. Using blockchain, the company can trace a product from a fishing vessel all the way to the supermarket. Data entered at every point along

H UMA N E L A BEL I N G “I think everybody cares about animals and nobody wants to see ani-

the supply chain cannot be changed, helping eliminate fraud.

Kaplan recommends consumers look for the Global Seafood continued

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Communities

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Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices label, a third-party certification that

Numi prefers this approach. She believes that allowing companies to la-

addresses environmental health, social wellbeing, food safety and animal

bel individual products as carbon neutral “can give a green halo to that

welfare along the aquaculture supply chain.

company without necessarily committing to or investing in enterprise

The Fair-Trade Certified seal, a label given to various species of fish

level change.”

that meet certification requirements, is also helpful. Certification focuses

Numi plans to print on each tea box the precise estimate of green-

on supporting economies, improving working conditions and protecting

house gas emissions associated with it—something Oatly and Quorn are

ecosystems.

currently also doing with their packaging.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch is a tool to help guide more sustainable choices on a case-by-case basis. Its website allows users

U NWRAPPING LAB E LS

to search by species to understand the best options and alternatives, and

Emily Moose, executive director of the nonprofit A Greener World,

which species to avoid.

argues that it’s important for consumers to continually ask for sustainable

C AR BON L A BEL I N G

whelming, it might not matter.’ But that’s really not true,” says Moose.

products. “It can be easy to just say, ‘Oh, there’s too much, it’s too overAccording to Nature Food, more than one-third of greenhouse gas emissions can be traced to the food system. Many eaters are seeing this

“That only benefits an opaque food system and practices that will never improve.”

connection between global agriculture and the climate crisis, and they

If you care about workers, speak with store managers about carrying

want to purchase more climate-friendly food. Some businesses are seeing

products with AJP’s label. For environmental concerns, email store buy-

labels as part of the solution.

ers to let them know you’re happy they purchase organic or local products

Numi Organic Tea has Climate Neutral Certification. It helps com-

but wish they had more.

panies measure, offset and reduce their carbon emissions to reach carbon

And eaters don’t always need labels to do the right thing. BIPOC

neutrality—a balance between the amount of carbon emitted into and

and women-owned businesses have been disproportionately impacted by

absorbed by the atmosphere. Climate Neutral also tries to account for the

the pandemic. Consumers can look to local farmers’ markets or Yelp and

entirety of the supply chain—emissions caused by on-site facilities, pur-

Google for businesses with a Black-owned or women-led badge.

chased electricity, employee transit, shipping and transporting materials.

Ultimately, labels and certifications are helpful tools, but don’t tell us

Instead of specific products, Climate Neutral certifies entire brands

everything about how food is produced. As eaters, though, we have the op-

once they achieve zero net carbon emissions for one year and requires

portunity, every time we pick up a fork, chopsticks or a spoon, to choose

them to commit to emission reduction targets annually. Jane Franch of

more economically, socially and environmentally just food systems.

Closing Thoughts From Our Founder Thank you for joining us on these pages, the fourth in a series of thought leadership pieces from Edible Communities. We would like to send a special thanks to our partners for this issue, Elena Seeley, Danielle Nierenberg and the team at Food Tank, who made this story possible.

Exploring, investigating and changing our food system have been guiding principles of Edible Communities since we first began. And while I know our work has impact and is valued, there is still a lot more to do! In the case of labeling, for instance, it would be so easy if there were one label, one certification, one set of guidelines, one choice to make when it comes to our food, but alas, only one option would allow a broken food system to stay broken. Therefore, we hope you find this thought-provoking and thorough coverage on the topic informative and useful.

As you are reading this, Edible Communities is fully into our 20th anniversary year as a media company. We are approaching 100 titles throughout North America and reach over 20 million readers each year. Those are statistics we don’t take lightly. We are grateful for you, dear readers, who help guide and sustain us. And if you’re an Edible reader, we feel you will enjoy being a Food Tank reader as well. Part of its mission statement says: “We aim to educate, inspire, advocate and create change,” and it certainly does that. I encourage you to visit foodtank.com, to listen, learn, join and be part of the conversation.

Tracey Ryder, Co-Founder & CEO Edible Communities

edible Communities | S I G N A T U R E S E C T I O N

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Family Traditions START AT

SHOPPER’S CORNER

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edible MONTEREY BAY SPRING 2022

Photo by Coline LeConte

Dine Local GUIDE

All of these restaurants emphasize local ingredients and they also advertise in Edible Monterey Bay! Opening information is subject to change, so please check online before you go and tell them we sent you.

Seasonal harvest salad, oven roasted turkey sandwich and ocean views at The Picnic Basket in Santa Cruz.

APTOS

CAPITOLA

Persephone 7945 Soquel Drive 831.612.6511 • persephonerestaurant.com With a namesake like the mythic Persephone, this restaurant in Aptos proclaims its deep reverence for seasonal cooking. Themes central to harvest, winter and spring are core to Persephone’s story, and are reflected in the changing menu at this fine dining destination, where chef Cori Goudge-Ayer presents inventive, ingredientdriven creations. The restaurant is a family-run passion project, bringing together parents, siblings and a long history of culinary arts in a beautifully redesigned space overlooking Aptos Creek. Open Th–Sa noon–3pm and 5–9pm, Su noon–3pm.

East End Gastropub 1501 41st Avenue 831.475.8010 • eastendpub.com East End Gastropub is a sister eatery to the popular West End Tap & Kitchen, but aside from sharing owners and chefs, East End’s beautiful, modern interior is entirely different and offers its own robust, sophisticated, beer-friendly menu. Chef Geoffrey Hargrave has created dishes that are familiar yet innovative, such as crispy Brussels sprouts with maple miso glaze and fresh fish en papillote. Shared plates, pizzas and salads come in generous portions for a familystyle meal. The restaurant also offers a rotating selection of local beer and a strong wine list. Open M–Th 4–9pm, F noon–9pm, Sa-Su 11am–3pm for brunch, and 4–9pm.

New Leaf Community Markets 161 Aptos Village Way 831.685.8500 • newleaf.com This latest branch of the beloved local market group occupies the remodeled Hihn Apple Barn, built in 1891.

In addition to local groceries and organic produce, New Leaf Aptos has made-to-order sandwiches, pizza, freshly rolled sushi, soup and hand-prepped salads, as well as a coffee bar, juice and smoothie bar and organic Straus soft serve ice cream. Open daily 8am–9pm.

Margaritaville Capitola 231 Esplanade 831.476.2263 • margaritavillecapitola.com For more than 30 years, Margaritaville has been welcoming guests to Capitola Village. An ownership change and complete remodel in 2015 made the restaurant better than ever, dedicated to serving Mexican cuisine made from scratch with an emphasis on fresh seafood. The dog-friendly patio overlooking Capitola beach is a great place to enjoy a margarita and a Baja fish taco, or raw oysters on the half shell. Other menu favorites are chile verde and chicken mole enchiladas. Online ordering is now available. Happy hour M–F 3–5pm. Open M–F 11:30am–9pm, Sa–Su 11am–9pm.

The Penny Ice Creamery 141 Aptos Village Way, Suite 2 831.204.2523 • thepennyicecreamery.com Open Su–Th noon–9pm, F–Sa noon–10pm. See The Penny description under Santa Cruz for more.

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New Leaf Community Markets 1210 41st Avenue 831.479.7987 • newleaf.com The café at the entrance offers great alternatives to fast food, serving economical daily specials, wraps, pizza and homemade soup and espresso drinks—with free wi-fi in the outdoor dining area. Inside the market, a full deli has made-to-order sandwiches, healthy takeout salads and entrée items. Open daily 8am–9pm.

The Penny Ice Creamery 820 41st Avenue 831.204.2523 • thepennyicecreamery.com Open Su–Th noon–10pm, F–Sa noon–11pm. See The Penny description under Santa Cruz for more.

Shadowbrook 1750 Wharf Road 831.475.1511 • shadowbrook-capitola.com A Santa Cruz County landmark since 1947, the worldfamous Shadowbrook continues to be an overwhelming favorite with locals and visitors alike. Its fine food, extensive wine list and unparalleled setting and ambiance have earned it numerous awards, including Northern California’s “Most Romantic Restaurant” and “Best Date Night Restaurant.” Rock Room Lounge and Patio open daily noon–10pm, dining rooms open M–F 4–8:30pm, Sa 2–9:30pm, Su 2–8:30pm.

CARMEL Alvarado Street Brewery & Bistro Carmel Plaza, Suite 112 831.293.8621 • asb.beer From the team behind award-winning Alvarado Street Brewery, the Carmel bistro offers a full menu of ASB brews, along with hard cider, local wines and inventive craft cocktails. The menu goes beyond pub food to include oysters with mignonette or chili oil, Moroccan spiced fried chicken, crispy tempura-battered cauliflower and its popular burgers with truffle or garlic fries. Open Su–Th 11:30am–9pm, F–Sa 11:30am–10pm.

Covey Grill 8205 Valley Greens Drive 831.620.8860 • quaillodge.com/dining/coveygrill Covey Grill features USDA steaks and sustainably sourced seafood flavor enhanced by house-made spice rubs and sauces, in addition to seasonal American cuisine. Located inside the Quail Lodge lobby, Covey Grill offers casually elegant indoor and outdoor dining options against the stunning backdrop of Quail’s sparkling Mallard Pond and lush garden landscapes. Open for full dinner service Th–Su 5–9pm, with bar opening at 4pm, and M–W 4–8pm with weekday menu.

tion a t S ' s l a c The Lo nterey Bay for the Mo noon for Edible’s s

sure und ridays aro Friday Found Trea Tune in F ide and his g worldw nderson Mark C. A .7 FM and streamin om! on 94 at KRML.c

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Earthbound Farm’s Farm Stand 7250 Carmel Valley Road 831.625.6219 • earthboundfarm.com At its newly renovated Carmel Valley Farm Stand, Earthbound Farm’s 100% certified organic kitchen delights with housemade soups, sandwiches, salads, baked goods and fresh juices and smoothies. Food is available to be enjoyed on our beautiful grounds or for takeaway. Stroll through the gardens and learn about Earthbound’s commitment to organic integrity. Open daily 8am–6pm.

Grasing’s 6th Avenue and Mission 831.624.6562 • grasings.com Chef-proprietor Kurt Grasing’s namesake restaurant has expanded since opening in 1998 to include two large dining rooms, multiple outdoor dining areas and the ever-popular bar/lounge. A Carmel classic located in the heart of the village, Grasing’s serves California cuisine, with an award-winning wine list and twists on traditional cocktails. Open daily M–F noon–3pm and 5–9pm, Sa–Su 10:30am–3pm and 5–9pm.

Rio Grill 101 Crossroads Boulevard 831.625.5436 • riogrill.com Deeply flavorful Southwestern cuisine is the specialty that executive chef Luis Osorio brings to the table for lunch and dinner. Go exotic with a corn truffle and wild mushroom tamale, go local with the fire-roasted Castroville artichoke or go wild west with an order of almond wood smoked BBQ pork back ribs. Open Su–Th 11:30am–8pm, F–Sa 11:30am–9pm.

LOCAL

NATURAL FOOD

PIONEERS

Sea Harvest Fish Market & Restaurant 100 Crossroads Boulevard, Suite A 831.626.3626 • seaharvestfishmarketandrestaurant.com The Deyerle family that owns this local gem has its own fishing boats for the freshest catch on the Monterey Peninsula.

Sea Harvest doubles as a fish market and casual restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. The oysters and clam chowder are customer favorites, but don’t miss the fried combo platter, grilled fillets and fish tacos. Open daily 8am–8pm.

Stationaery San Carlos Square, Between 5th and 6th avenues 831.250.7183 • thestationaery.com A neighborhood restaurant offering daily brunch and dinner, Stationaery is owned by your hospitable hosts Anthony and Alissa Carnazzo. The kitchen team, led by chef Amalia Scatena, specializes in comforting flavors and local ingredients, with elegant presentations. Open Th–M 8am–2pm, 4–8pm. Closed Tu–W.

Staff of Life remains what it has been for over 50 years: Locally and family owned. Locally sourced.

Committed to our community.

CARMEL VALLEY Jerome’s Carmel Valley Market 2 Chambers Lane 831.659.2472 • jeromescarmelvalleymarket.com A chef-owned, friendly neighborhood market, Jerome’s offers local and organic produce, natural meats and seafood, and a great selection of domestic and imported wine, beer and microbrews. French-trained chef and owner Jerome Viel prepares delicious hot foods, sandwiches and salads for eating at outdoor seating or take-away. The offerings start with breakfast burritos, croissants and other French pastries in the morning, followed by favorites such as coq au vin, spaghetti carbonara and chicken enchiladas for lunch and dinner. Open M–Sa 7am–7pm, Su 7am–6pm.

Lucia Restaurant & Bar Bernardus Lodge & Spa • 415 W. Carmel Valley Road 831.658.3400 • bernarduslodge.com Indulge in artisanal California country cuisine, awardwinning wines and an expansive heated outdoor terrace with the finest restaurant view in Carmel Valley. Named for the Santa Lucia mountain range and wine appellation that beckons to the south, executive chef Christian Ojeda offers both a signature tasting menu and dishes à la carte. Wine list is equally notable. A private chef ’s table and wine cellar table are also available for special occasions. Open daily 7am–10pm.

• Fewer Calories and Less Fat • Higher in Protein per Ounce • Naturally lean and tender and rivals prime-grade beef products • More protein and less fat compared to chicken thighs • Combination of leanness and tenderness result in consistently healthy & delicious dining

TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU SANTA CRUZ • 1266 Soquel Avenue • 831-423-8632 WATSONVILLE • 906 E. Lake Avenue • 831-726-0240

www.staffoflifemarket.com www.ediblemontereybay.com

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FELTON Wild Roots Market 6240 Highway 9 • 831.335.7322 (Felton) 13159 Highway 9 • 831.338.7211 (Boulder Creek) wildrootsmarket.com Wild Roots’ 100% organic produce, natural groceries, organic meats and FishWise-certified seafood all go into the prepared foods offered by the store’s full-service deli, salad and soup bar and juice bar. Enjoy on the patio out in front or take home. Open daily 9am–9pm.

MONTEREY Elroy’s Fine Foods 15 Soledad Drive 831.373.3737 • elroysfinefoods.com The dream market of owners Jay and Chloe Dolata, Elroy’s has an extensive range of gourmet groceries, local seafood, natural meats and fresh organic produce.

It also boasts a kitchen with a wood-fired grill and prepared foods to go or to eat in. The Bar @ Elroy’s serves coffee, smoothies and a savvy selection of natural wines. Open M–Sa 8am–8pm, Su 9am–7pm.

831.264.8775

500 Hartnell, Monterey

stokesadobe.com

Open Wednesday - sunday at 5pm take Out available lapOstaRestauRant.cOm • 831-457-2782 n eighbORhOOd n ight eveRy W ednesday !

sOif Wine baR & meRchants Open tuesday - satuRday 1pm - 8pm sOifWine.cOm • 831-423-2020 Wines by the glass • bOttle • case small plates & Retail sales

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Estéban Restaurant 700 Munras Avenue 831.375.0176 • estebanrestaurant.com At the heart of the downtown Monterey dining scene, Estéban Restaurant serves Spanish influenced cuisine made from fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. The menu features a selection of long-time Estéban favorites, as well as fresh, new dishes created by executive chef Mario Garcia, who spins out wonderful dishes like Crispy Pulpo, served with remoulade, Yukon potato, chorizo, rosemary chili oil and grilled radicchio. Open for dinner nightly 4–8pm. Tapas hour from 4–6pm nightly.

Jacks Monterey 2 Portola Plaza 831.649.7830 • jacksatportola.com Jacks Monterey provides a refreshing culinary experience in downtown Monterey, inside the Portola Hotel & Spa. Emphasizing local ingredients, high-quality seafood, and an award-winning wine and cocktail program, Jacks philosophy derives from globally-inspired traditions of California Cultural Cuisine. The atmosphere at Jacks is sophisticated—never pretentious.

Open for breakfast W-Su 6:30–10:30am, dinner W-Su 4–10pm, and bar only F-Sa 10–11pm.

Montrio 414 Calle Principal 831.648.8880 • montrio.com After an interior refresh, Montrio was slated to open in mid-February with dining upstairs and downstairs in the 100-year-old former firehouse. Executive chef Sascha Lyon brings a lifetime of experiencee in some of the country’s top fine dining restaurants to the reimagined Montrio—which specializes in local seafood dishes, along with steak and housemade pastas. Check website for days and hours.

Peter B’s Brewpub 2 Portola Plaza 831.649.2699 • peterbsbrewpub.com Peter B’s Brewpub combines award-winning craft beer and sports on 18 high-definition televisions in a relaxed brewpub environment. Monterey’s original craft brew-

ery is distinguished for its variety of beer on tap, innovative pub menu, happy hour, sports bar atmosphere, and outdoor dining on the pet-friendly heated patio with fire pits. Peter B’s is open Wednesday-Sunday with nightly happy hour from 4–6pm, as well as late night happy hour 9–10pm. Open W-Su 4–10pm. Sunday breakfast and football 9:30–11am from September to January.

Fresh Ales

Sea Harvest Restaurant & Fish Market 598 Foam Street 831.626.0547 • seaharvestmonterey.com This fresh and casual seafood spot near Cannery Row is perfect after a day exploring the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There are grilled entrées and lots of fried options with chips, including calamari, clams, prawns, scallops and oysters. Try Sea Harvest’s popular clam chowder or a basket of crispy artichoke hearts. Open daily 9am–7pm.

Stokes Adobe 500 Hartnell Street 831.264.8775 • stokesadobe.com Located in one of Old Monterey’s historic adobe homes, now beautifully restored, Stokes Adobe offers fresh pastas made in house, truffle chicken and shareable appetizer plates. The bar and cozy outdoor fire pits feature seasonally inspired classic cocktails, and a selection of quality wines by the glass and local beer. Friendly, welcoming staff make sure your visit feels like coming home. Open Th–Sa 5–9pm. Check online for expanded days, hours, lunch and brunch service.

Tarpy’s Roadhouse 2999 Monterey-Salinas Highway 831.647.1444 • tarpys.com An award-winning steakhouse serving generous portions of California comfort food, Tarpy’s Roadhouse occupies a sprawling 3½-acre property and stone building that used to be part of the Ryan Ranch homestead. In addition to expertly prepared steak, enjoy wood-fired salmon, chile-crusted chicken, braised lamb shank, classic meatloaf and smoked baby back ribs. Open Su–Th 11:30am– 8pm, F–Sa 11:30am–9pm.

Wild Plum Café & Bakery 731 Munras Avenue 831.646.3109 • thewildplumcafe.com Located in Old Monterey in a vibrant and diverse neighborhood, Wild Plum draws people from all walks of life with sustainable bistro fare that uses organic, locally sourced produce, hormone-free Diestel turkeys roasted on site, grass-fed beef and house-baked bread and pastries. Breakfasts include scrambles, omelets, and breakfast tacos and burritos, and for lunch, choose among soups, salads, sandwiches and paninis, burgers and house specialties. Food to go and catering available. Open W–M 7:30am–3:30pm, Tu closed.

MOSS LANDING Sea Harvest 2420 Highway 1 831.728.7081 • @seaharvestmosslanding Outdoor tables on a wooden deck overlooking Elkhorn Slough are the perfect place to enjoy fresh seafood hauled in by a fisherman who is part of the Deyerle family that runs the restaurant. Choose from grilled catch of the day, shrimp Louie, fish and chips or some of the best Bajastyle battered fish tacos around. Open daily 11am–7pm.

Chuy’s Taco Truck ALL DAY Tue – Sun

Dog-Friendly

Rene’s Kitchen Wed – Sun 12 – 5PM

Also enjoy: Banh Mi Various Pop-ups

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PACIFIC GROVE

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Julia’s Vegetarian 1180 Forest Avenue, Suite F 831.656.9533 • juliasveg.com Voted the best vegetarian restaurant on the Monterey Peninsula for more that 10 years running. Julia’s is known for its wild and exotic mushrooms and house-brewed kombuchas on tap. The menu features a creative twist on vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free food. Try some of the most popular dishes like the fried “egg & bacon” sandwich, exotic mushroom sampler and buffalo cauliflower wings.

Open Su–Th 10am–8pm, F–Sa 10am–9pm.

Mezzaluna 1188 Forest Avenue 831.372.5325 • mezzalunapasteria.com Owners Chef Soerke Peters and Amy Stouffer keep their restaurant simple and amazing—and chef Peters is a leader in sustainability on the Monterey Peninsula.

Pasta, mozzarella and gelato are made fresh daily. Starters include clam chowder with torched bone marrow, duck liver pâté and grilled octopus, and there are five dishes starring locally crafted mozzarella. Pasta choices are imaginative and include options such as pappardelle with wine braised rabbit, Dungeness crab ravioli and potato gnocchi with gorgonzola and black truffle oil. Open W–Su 5–9pm. Closed M–Tu. Wild Fish 545 Lighthouse Avenue 831.373.8523 • wild-fish.com Owners Liz and Kelvin Jacobs welcome you to feast on the bounty of nearby waters and farms at their 100% local and organic seafood house, enjoying exquisite dishes like crispy sablefish, halibut and petrale sole, accompanied by local vegetables. Chef Elsah Payne also prepares fresh oysters, innovative salads, house-baked bread and sides like fingerling potatoes with poppyseed crème fraîche or baby carrots with wild nettle pesto, make this a dining destination. Did we mention English sticky toffee pudding for dessert? Open Su–Th 11:30am–3pm and 5–8:30pm, F– Sa 11:30am–3pm and 5–9:15pm.

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA Vertigo Coffee Roasters 81 Fourth Street 831.623.9533 • vertigocoffee.com Artisanal coffee roasted on site as well as fresh pastries baked in-house, brunch items, local craft beers and wines, plus wood-fired pizzas with naturally leavened, twice fermented sourdough crust have made Vertigo a locals’ favorite as well as a great find for visitors en route to the San Juan Mission, Pinnacles or other area attractions. Open T–Su 8am–6pm.

SANTA CRUZ Barceloneta 1541 Pacific Avenue, Suite B 831.900.5222 • eatbarceloneta.com With its cheerful beach stripes, wicker light fixtures and whimsical details, dinner at Barceloneta can feel like a holiday. Owned by chef Brett Emerson and his wife Elan, who ensures service is superb, Barceloneta offers Spanish tapas made with seasonal, farmers’ market produce and several types of authentic paella, along with Spanish wines, beers and cocktails. Open Tu–Sa 5–8:30pm. Closed Su–M.

Chocolate 1522 Pacific Avenue 831.427.9900 • chocolatesantacruz.com As its name suggests, there are all kinds of decadent chocolate desserts at Chocolate the restaurant, but this farm-to-fork local favorite is much more than a dessert spot. Everything is prepared simply and with local and organic ingredients whenever possible. Open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner, options include three kinds of chicken mole, roast pork with chocolate barbecue sauce, and their signature Pasta Rosettes! Cocktails feature Santa Cruz-based distilleries, including Venus Spirits. Check out their extensive hot chocolate menu. A party room for your special celebration is available, with seating and menu options to suit the occasion. Open Tu– Th and Su 4–8pm, F–Sa 4–9pm. Closed M. Crow’s Nest 2218 E. Cliff Drive 831.476.4560 • crowsnest-santacruz.com A perfect spot to enjoy breakfast and lunch or catch a dinnertime sunset over the harbor, the nautical-themed Crow’s Nest is a Santa Cruz institution that never goes out of style. There’s always something happening, from live music to comedy nights and happy hours. Famous for its salads, house-smoked salmon and seafood entrées, the Crow’s Nest is a member of Seafood Watch and is a certified green business. Open M–F 9am–8:30pm, Sa– Su 8am–8:30pm.

Laílí 101B Cooper Street 831.423.4545 • lailirestaurant.com Exotic flavors of The Silk Road are served in a stylish dining room decorated in eggplant and pistachio colors and on a hidden candlelit patio. Locals rave about Laílí’s homemade naan served warm from the oven with a selection of Mediterranean dips. There is a wide variety of deliciously spiced vegetable dishes, and all meats are hormone free and free range. Check website for opening information.

La Posta 538 Seabright Avenue 831.457.2782 • lapostarestaurant.com A cozy neighborhood bistro not far from the Santa Cruz yacht harbor, La Posta chef Rodrigo Serna prepares traditional rustic Italian cuisine using local ingredients. The emphasis is on simple, seasonal selections, with the balance of the menu reflecting whatever produce is freshest right now. A sister restaurant of Soif Restaurant and Wine Bar, La Posta also offers a great selection of wines.

Open W–Su 5–8pm, closed M–Tu. New Leaf Community Markets 1134 Pacific Avenue 831.425.1793 • newleaf.com New Leaf ’s headquarters in a former bank building on Pacific Avenue is a worthwhile stop for all foodies.

Crowded with gourmet natural foods, it also has a deli with sandwiches, salads and hot entrées. A dining area out front is great for people watching and listening to street musicians. Open daily 8am–9pm.

New Leaf Community Markets 1101 Fair Avenue 831.426.1306 • newleaf.com The Westside New Leaf has a large deli counter and coffee bar, with a big selection of sandwiches, salads, bakery items, soups and other hot foods. You can eat at an instore counter or at tables outside. Open daily 7am–9pm.

Tasting Room @ The Old Sash Mill Open 12-5 pm Thursday-Saturday (831) 458-5030

Winery @ The Quarry in Corralitos

storrswine.com

Open 12-5 pm Friday-Sunday (831) 724-5030

– Lifting Spirits Since 1969 –

A PERFECT PLACE FOR MEMORIES, FOOD, FRIENDS. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Daily from 8am ON THE BEACH ~ Where the view never stops!

Reservations Welcome: 831-476-4560

crowsnest-santacruz.com VISIT OUR BEACH MARKET RIGHT NEXT DOOR AT SANTA CRUZ HARBOR

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The Penny Ice Creamery 913 Cedar Street 831.204.2523 • thepennyicecreamery.com Lines out the front door of its converted Spanish bungalow are evidence of Penny’s popularity. All ice cream, including bases, is made from scratch on the premises using local organic ingredients when possible. Dozens of exotic flavors rotate seasonally, but two favorites are chocolate caramel sea salt and strawberry pink peppercorn. Open daily noon–11pm.

The Picnic Basket 125 Beach Street 831.427.9946 • thepicnicbasketsc.com Across the street from the main beach, owners of The Penny Ice Creamery have opened an alternative to boardwalk fast food. Sandwiches, organic salads, coffee and beer, all from local food artisans, and of course Penny’s popular ice cream, are all on offer to eat in or outside with your feet in the sand. Open daily 7am–4pm.

DISTILLERy

KITCHEN

200 high road, Santa Cruz 95060

TASTING ROOm VENUSSPIRITS.COM

Snap Taco 1108 Pacific Avenue 831.824.6100 • eatsnaptaco.com This festive taco spot draws its inspiration from food traditions around the world, with imaginative tacos created using the best fresh, local and sustainable ingredients.

Great for a quick bite or gathering with friends and family. Choose from snacks, tacos, bowls and sandwiches on the menu, as well as draft beers, the Snap Rita and specialty cocktails. Open Su–Tu and Th 11:30am–9pm, F–Sa 11:30am–10pm, closed W. Soif Restaurant and Wine Bar 105 Walnut Avenue 831.423.2020 • soifwine.com Soif lives on as a bottle shop offering more than 400 hard-to-find European and local wines, along with a wine bar serving wines by the glass. Pull up a barstool and let Soif ’s experts introduce you to something new and amazing, while you nibble on wine-friendly small bites. Soif also offers educational wine tastings and its popular Teroiriste Wine Club. Open Tu–Sa 1–8pm.

Staff of Life 1266 Soquel Avenue 831.423.8632 • staffoflifemarket.com A Santa Cruz landmark, Staff of Life started in 1969 as a small natural foods bakery and has grown over the years into a full service natural foods supermarket known for its local organic produce, seafood and natural meats as well as an extensive bulk department. Deli items and foods from the hot bar can be enjoyed at the Café del Sol. Open daily 8am–9pm.

Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen 200 High Road 831.600.7376 • venusspirits.com Craft distiller Sean Venus has his new facility fully operational. It includes a lively restaurant bar, the distillery itself and a tasting room. If you want to sample his award-winning gin and other spirits, try the tasting room. For cocktails and hearty plates from chef James Manss, head for the kitchen part of the building and enjoy dishes like crispy Brussels sprouts, mole baby back ribs and elote chile relleno.

Open W–F 4–9pm, Sa noon–9pm, Su noon–8pm.

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JULIA’S

VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

Serving the best variety of wild mushrooms on the peninsula

Foraged Wild Mushroom Available Now

mushrooms tasting menus local wines for local mushrooms Upcoming mushroom events, West End Tap & Kitchen 334D Ingalls Street 831.471.8115 • westendtap.com Perfect for any parent looking for a happy hour to satisfy the whole family, adults and kids alike can’t get enough of the duck fat popcorn, fried calamari and flatbread pizzas. A diverse, season-driven menu with offerings like New York strip steak panzanella, seared oyster mushroom “scallops,” a Southern-style seafood boil and a long list of craft beers, ciders and wine options make West End a Westside staple. The outdoor patio is perfect for people watching amidst the bustling Swift Street Courtyard. Open daily noon–9pm.

WATSONVILLE

follow us on Instagram or join our mailing list for details

PACIFIC GROVE • W W W.JULIASVEG.COM JULIASVEGETARIANRESTAURANT

Beer Mule Bottle Shop + Pour House 45 Aviation Way 831.254.9789 • kickassbeer.com The Beer Mule has 40 brews on tap and hundreds more in the fridge, with an emphasis on local and NorCal beer. Food—courtesy of Butchers & The Mule—includes dishes like four-cheese mac and cheese, barbacoa short rib tacos, grilled tri-tip cheesesteak, hot or not fried chicken sando and Butchers’ jambalaya. Open daily 11am–10pm.

Gizdich Ranch 55 Peckham Road 831.722.1056 • gizdich-ranch.com Visitors from all over love this fourth-generation, familyrun farm business that popularized the “pik-yor-self ” experience just east of Watsonville’s Interlaken neighborhood. Tour the farm, pick fresh apples or berries or watch the action inside the juice-pressing barn. No one leaves hungry if they spend time at the bakery-deli that pleases with its fresh pies, shortcakes and pastries, along with hearty sandwiches and box lunches. This family friendly experience is also a treat for kids, who will enjoy the wide-open spaces and the homemade popsicles.

Open daily 9am–5pm.

Staff of Life 906 E. Lake Avenue 831.726.0240 • staffoflifemarket.com Opened last spring, Staff of Life’s second store in Watsonville is its first and only branch. The store is sustainable down to its bones and includes all the natural groceries, organic produce and baked goods you’d find at the Santa Cruz store, along with a juice and smoothie bar, freshly made sushi, a gelato bar, a full deli and a hot bar. Open daily 8am–8pm. www.ediblemontereybay.com

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LAST CALL

WHISKY BUSINESS A collector of the world’s finest spirits prepares to share them with the public STORY AND PHOTO BY MARK C. ANDERSON

Mitchel Sawhney experienced a personal awakening pre-COVID. After decades studying, sampling and collecting whisky, he realized he had the means and the motivation to take his long-held passion—and its accompanying collection and connections—and transform it into a business. (Yes, whisky, no “e,” as it’s spelled in Scotland, where Sawhney finds his favorite brands.)

“I want to provide access and education unique to this area,” he says.

So he retired from a career in tech and barreled into a new endeavor. So one of his favorite quarantine endeavors became tinkering with cocktails. Ultimately he discovered that he could enjoy whisky and Scotch in myriad ways beyond his preferred approach (neat)— and those same taste buds that make him a high-end whisky connoisseur help him craft some tasty cocktails.

“I know most of the possible ingredients and I stick to the ones I know well,” he says. “I have a fairly good palate. LisAnne and I experiment a lot.”

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That led Edible Monterey Bay to a tasting at 425 Alvarado St. in Monterey. That’s where, over the course of months and months, Mitchel and his wife LisAnne have overseen a gradual transformation of the former Guitar Center, with Mitchel doing much of the work himself.

“It’s been a labor of love,” he says, “and patience.”

The shiny and soaring shelves he stained await an opening date this spring before they’ll be filled. When the debut does come they’ll be populated with hundreds of expressions of whisky, whiskey and bourbon from the likes of Garrison Brothers, Macallan, High West and Woodford Reserve.

Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky will be a star, which makes sense because Sawhney can claim one of the world’s largest collections of 40-year-old Laphroaig. He also enjoys relationships with the owners and/or distillers of many of his favorite brands.

The bottle shop that sits in the adjoining chamber will offer hundreds more bottles, and

edible MONTEREY BAY SPRING 2022

is already home to rare specialty liqueurs and a lending library stocked with spirits literature.

Out front The Whisky Club will feature a range of batch cocktails on tap to help streamline service. That will be complemented by limited snacks, draft beer, local wine and a brisk slate of seminars, tasting flights and field trips.

For our tasting, Sawhney prepped two of his go-to drinks, both built around one of his favorite bourbons, Russell’s Reserve 10 Year.

One cocktail hails from TWC’s selection of whisky sours, a house specialty. An additional revelation arrives with the namesake Whisky Club Manhattan—one of three Manhattans on the menu. The Russell’s gives it a sublime foundational smoothness, the interplay of two bitters lends complexity and classic Carpano vermouth rounds out commendable balance.

It’s a team victory, sealed by a fancy Luxardo maraschino cherry wrapped in the same lemon peel with which he rubs the rim, but the blood orange bitters is what stands out.

“It’s an easy call for me,” Sawhney says. “I really like the taste, and the blood orange bitters is a nod to all the Italian heritage in the area.”

Whisky Club Manhattan 2 1 1 2 1 1

dashes Angostura Bitters dash Stirrings Blood Orange Bitters ounce Carpano Antica Formula vermouth ounces Russell’s Reserve bourbon citrus peel maraschino cherry

Combine ingredients with ice in a mixing cup. Stir for 25 seconds. Pour into a stemmed glass. Rub orange or lemon peel on rim, wrap peel around maraschino cherry and spear with a toothpick. Makes 1 cocktail.

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