Edible San Diego Recycle, Reuse, Reclaim, Rethink Issue 24 Spring 2014

Good food. Good drink. Good read. • No. 24 • Spring 2014

Recycle, reuse, reclaim, rethink

Greg Frey Jr. | Increasing biodiversity | Fixing food waste | Old Harbor Distillery Bioremediation | Chickens as recyclers | Point Loma Farm

FA

RM

ERS M

ET

LOCAL IS EXOTIC.

K R A

With a menu drawing influence from around the world, expertly crafted cocktails and a breathtaking Harbor view, the Glass Door Restaurant is the embodiment of San Diego.

find strawberries this spring at the

hillcrest farmers market / strawberry/ ; is a fruit widely appreciated for its characteristic aroma, bright red color, juicy texture, and sweetness. it is consumed in large quantities, either fresh or in prepared foods such as preserves, fruit juice, pies, shortcake, ice creams, and milkshakes!

CURRENTLY IN SEASON AT THE HILLCREST FARMERS MARKET

nourish your soul, nourish yourself

Your Sunday; Your Market Hillcrest Farmers Market SHARE YOUR SUNDAY STORIES ABOUT THE HILLCREST FARMERS MARKET WITH US:

HillcrestFarmersMarket.com

hAppy hOur 3pm TO 7pm LATE nIghT hAppy hOur 10pm TO mIdnIghT AT ThE TOp Of ThE pOrTO vISTA hOTEL 1835 COLumbIA STrEET In LITTLE ITALy 619.564.3755

gLASSdOOrSd.COm

{Two Cents}

Using it ALL.

This issue of recycling and making something usable and valuable from what might be thrown away got me thinking about all the ways we benefit when we make the effort to really get the most out of things. The amount of food and all kinds of stuff we throw away is appalling once you start looking at it. The cost to our pocketbooks and the environment is high. Some waste is lost opportunity—kitchen refuse that could have made a stock or enriched your garden as compost, for instance.

Photo: David Pattison

I was thinking about all this around Thanksgiving when there is often both food abundance and waste. We can’t always consume all the dinner leftovers before they just go bad. But this year was different. I was determined to make it all count, starting with my turkey. We bought our organically fed, pastured turkey from a young girl in Valley Center for $175 (!!!). Knowing that the true cost of raising a bird I actually want to eat is quite high compared to your typical grocery-store bird, I paid with no complaint. I admit to choking a little, but it was a big bird—24 pounds—and I reckoned it was helping an aspiring young farmer.

But I was bound and determined to get the maximum value out of that bird.

Riley Davenport and John Vawter

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

CONTRIBUTORS

COVER PHOTO

Katherine Belarmino Chris Rov Costa Chris Rov Costa CONTACT Aaron Epstein Edible San Diego Caron Golden P.O. Box 83549 Anastacia Grenda San Diego, CA 92138 Brandon Hernandez 619-222-8267 Brook Larios info@ediblesandiego.com Lauren Lastowka ediblesandiego.com Kay Ledger Vincent Rossi ADVERTISING Leah Singer For information about Matt Steiger rates and deadlines, Britta Turner contact Judy at Christina Wadsworth 619-820-1346 Lyudmilla Zotova jcwarfield1@gmail.com. or call 619-222-8267

PUBLISHERS

Riley Davenport John Vawter

EDITOR

First, we fed 15 people at Thanksgiving dinner. I don’t know how you value that, but if you figured $5 per person—which doesn’t seem too much for a high quality protein—it would amount to $75.

No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. © 2014 All rights reserved.

Riley Davenport, Executive Editor Every effort is made to Britta Turner, avoid errors, misspellings Managing Editor and omissions. If an error comes to your attention, COPY EDITORS please let us know Doug Adrianson and accept our sincere John Vawter apologies. Thank you.

Then we sent a lot of leftovers home with at least 10 people and enjoyed them ourselves.

I estimate that about 15 meals were made from leftovers. If you figured $3 per meal, that amounted to $45 worth.

DESIGNER

I boiled the living daylights out of that carcass for bone broth and stock and got nine quarts. A quart of chicken broth at the store costs about $4.50 so the broth was worth around $41.

Riley Davenport

SUBSCRIBE Get four issues a year of Edible San Diego delivered to your door.

I picked through the bones after straining the broth and came up with enough little bitty pieces to feed our dog four meals. I buy pretty good food for him so that was worth about $11 to me.

1 year $32, 2 years $56, 3 years $66

All that comes to $172. I could have bought a cheaper bird, but I’m satisfied I wasted nothing and got every bit of value from it. Now I’m looking at things a little differently before I discard them and considering my purchases more carefully too. As many of this issue’s articles reveal, “waste” can enrich our world in many ways.

Subscribe online at ediblesandiego.com or send your information (name, street address, city, state and zip code) and check made payable to Edible San Diego to

SAN D I LE

Good food. Good drink. Good read. • No. 21 • Summer 2013

th

VERSA

Good food. Good drink. Good read. • No. 23 • Winter 2013

The Beverage Issue

Keep it Local Chef Nick Brune of Local Habit Culinary Magic Carpet Rides The Foraged Meal Eating Locally on a Budget

2

edible San Diego

Jason Knibb | DIY Cocktails | Monkey Paw’s Brewer Fringe Fermentation | Solar Rain | Ballast Point Spirits Konyn Dairy | Wine on Tap

spring 2014

team

noun | A group on the same side

RY

AN

NI

O EG

EDI B

P.O. Box 83549, San Diego, CA 92138

Be a part of our team!

Edible San Diego is looking for sales representatives.

Grow with us.

Contact Judy: jcwarfield1@gmail.com

Leigh Castelli Photography

Award-winning restaurant and wine shop ❧ Romantic dining ❧ Private parties & meetings ❧ Wine storage locker rentals ❧ Ample free parking ❧

25 years of fine food and wine

Unique Central Location 9550 Waples St. #115 Sorrento Mesa The Casual Side Full bar & fun small plates

858-450-9557 • WineSellar.com/edible

Visit the NEW Dorcas E. Utter

Butterfly Pavilion at The Water Conservation Garden

The Brasserie ~ fine dining “Better than any onion soup I had in France.”

The Wine Shop Unique, rare & affordable wines

Home Organic Gardens . Assisted Living Gardens Restaurant Supported Agriculture . Corporate Gardens

Opens March 22

For a good garden call…

Native butterflies and the plants they love.

Feeding station and interpretive displays.

Ideas for creating your own butterfly garden.

Butterfly Festival April 5, 2014 9am to 3pm 12122 Cuyamaca College Drive West El Cajon, CA • 92019 • 619-660-0614 www.TheGarden.org • 9am to 4pm Daily

More Beauty. Less Water.

Contact us for a consultation: 619-563-5771 • UrbanPlantations.com

spring 2014

edible San Diego

3

DAranch LE

A

B

Locally Raised • Farm Fresh

C

In the nutrition program, we learn to take a whole foods approach to health.

Daniel Andras, MS (2013)

”

Create a Healthier World Pursue a career as a naturopathic doctor at the most respected school of natural health.

Always Delicious Grass-fed & Pastured Hormone & Steroid FREE

D

Da•Le•Ranch Da-Le Mixed Meat CSA Shares (chicken, beef, lamb and pork)

Fresh Eggs (year round chicken, seasonal duck & goose)

E

Learn more: Bastyr.is/Consider • 855-4-BASTYR Seattle • San Diego

RANCH

RANCH

Da-Le-Ranch.com • 951-657-3056 • 619-206-2691

Farmers’ Markets Sponsored by the San Diego County Farm Bureau

Thursdays 2-6 4

edible San Diego

spring 2014

Sundays 10-2

Saturdays 9-1

Locations listed on page 56.

Nurture • your • CalliNg “

DA Ranch LE DA-LE MEAT

Spring 2014

CONTENTS

Departments

TWO CENTS

2

JUST SPROUTING

6

LOCAL TALENT: GREG FREY JR. OF BLUEFIRE GRILL

10

LIQUID ASSETS: BARRELS OF FUN: LOCAL WHISKEY COMES OF AGE

AT OLD HARBOR DISTILLERY

14

EDIBLE READS: GARDENING, FORAGING AND COOKING UP A BEAUTIFUL LIFE

20

RESOURCES & ADVERTISERS

42

FARMERS’ MARKETS

49

FEATURES

LEARNING A LESSON FROM WASTE-FREE NATURE

16

TRASH TALKING: LOCAL EFFORTS HELPING TO TRIM FOOD WASTE

22

COMMUNITY FARMING AT PAUL ECKE RANCH

26

EAT IT TO SAVE IT

BACKYARD CHICKENS: NATURE'S LITTLE RECYCLE FACTORIES

32

FISH 101: RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME SAN DIEGO SEAFOOD

34

THE LITTLE FARM THAT COULD

37

29

Photo: Lyudmilla Zotova Photo: Chris Rov Costa Photo: Lyudmila Zotova

spring 2014

edible San Diego

5

{Just Sprouting} Backyard Produce Project: Volunteers Put Food on Neighbors’ Tables The Backyard Produce Project reached a milestone in November 2013: 100,000 pounds of fresh produce donated to families in need since 2009.

It began with the Backyard Produce Project, organized by Palomar Pomerado Health Center’s Community Action Council for Poway, Rancho Bernardo and Rancho Penasquitos. Volunteers collected excess produce from residential yards in response to reports about families struggling to put food on the table.

Early in 2010, the council began planting its own garden on a formerly vacant lot on the grounds of Sunshine Care Assisted Living in Poway.

Sunshine Care, which maintains four organic gardens, two orchards and a greenhouse for its own residents and staff, also offered volunteers access to its water supply and advice from its horticultural department.

Starting with a 25- by 50-foot garden, the project has now grown to 5,000 square feet embracing three gardens and a new stone-fruit orchard, all maintained by volunteers.

“It’s an amazing community effort,” said Jane Radatz, project chair for the Community Action Council.

Becky Palenske, family support director for Friends & Family Community Connection, which distributes the produce, said recipient families appreciated the donations.” Parents take pride in providing nutritious meals and have commented on the new vegetables they have never eaten before now,” she said.

Palenske also sees a growing demand: “The economy might be recovering for many, but it doesn’t appear that lower income families are enjoying a respite yet.”

For more information, visit Backyard-Produce-Project.wikispaces. com/The+Backyard+Produce+Project.

— Vincent Rossi

Sea & Smoke Restaurateur Matt Gordon is a stalwart of the San Diego sustainable food scene, with Urban Solace in North Park and Solace and the Moonlight Lounge in Encinitas. When he opened his third restaurant last summer, Gordon could have replicated his success with another Solace, “but we felt we had something else to say,” he says.

The result is Sea & Smoke at the Flower Hill Mall in Del Mar. It shares its Solace siblings’ focus on well-crafted, thoughtfully raised food, but has its own vibe.

“The idea was a modern brasserie,” Gordon says. “We went a little more upscale in the style and preparation of dishes.”

Wood-fired proteins such as wild Alaskan salmon and Niman Ranch rib eye pair with sides ranging from multigrain risotto to charred green beans in family-style dinners. Sea & Smoke also serves breakfast from 7:30am to 3:30pm where the signature dish is the cast-iron skillet benedict—pepper-spiked corn bread topped with poached eggs, hollandaise, spinach and a choice of protein.

With a large bar and 6,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor dining space, Sea & Smoke offers trivia nights, music and a Sunday morning cinnamon roll bar.

Photo: Backyard Produce Project

“It’s still playful,” Gordon says. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

6

2690 Via de la Valle, No. D210 Del Mar 858-925-8212 SeaAndSmoke.com —Anastacia Grenda edible San Diego

spring 2014

Berry Good Night: Exploring Local Food Activism and A New Breed of Networking It’s not business as usual in San Diego when the best of the sustainable food world gathers in one place. When they do, it’s sure to be a remarkable experience. This year will be the fourth annual Berry Good Night, a zero-profit, invitation-only event that takes place every summer in La Jolla, hosted by Bill and Michelle Lerach, who are major movers and shakers when it comes to the local food movement here in San Diego.

It’s an opportunity for toiling local farmers and ranchers to sit a spell, tasting dishes made by local chefs using what they’ve grown or raised. Being around all of this foodmindedness ignites conversations among them and others seated nearby: food activists, writers, vendors, educators, winemakers and many other food artisans that do it the right way­­—real food with few, if any, shortcuts.

It’s like speed dating, as guests rotate tables throughout the evening, except the relationships each person walks away with have the capacity to build a stronger, more cohesive food community. Greg Koch, owner of Stone Brewing Co., met some of his greatest admirers at the recent dinner: the men of fledgling Gold Coast Mead, with whom he now collaborates. In the local food world, it’s the place to find colleagues who share ideals and with whom waltzing the not-so-wayward foodie waltz feels natural.

Last year, while chefs presented their masterpieces forged from local bounty, agriculturally minded local kids, supported by rancher extraordinaire Jack Ford of TAJ Farms, brokered deals with a magazine publisher and chef who bought whole animals to help fund the kids’ higher education. Other guests watched, mesmerized by encountering heritage pigs in a backyard in La Jolla.

But this is what the Lerachs had in mind when they conceived it five years ago. That intention remains strong as they plan for this year’s dinner. And, each year, as new faces join the scene, more opportunities to collaborate and to progress the sustainable food movement will arise as people discover more about what it means to be a true locavore in heart, mind and spirit.

—Brook Larios

spring 2014

edible San Diego

7

{Just Sprouting} Feeding San Diego’s Hunger for Baja

Photo: by Katherine Belarmino

Baja California, just across the Mexican border, is quickly gaining a reputation for its cuisine—not only for the cheap eats of taco stands and street food but also for fancier sit-down restaurants. If you aren’t familiar with the Baja area, you might not know where to go to sample its authentic local fare. This is where Club Tengo Hambre comes in.

Photo: by Katherine Belarmino

Club Tengo Hambre, which translates as the “I’m Hungry Club,” is a roving supper club that hosts food and wine tours to Baja’s northern region. It was created by Bill Esparza, Jason Thomas Fritz and Antonio and Kristin Díaz de Sandi, food bloggers who share a love for Baja gastronomy. They decided to partner and extend their love of Baja’s culinary offerings by curating food and wine tours.

Whether you’re just not sure where to go or are nervous about exploring Baja on your own, a tour with Club Tengo Hambre is the perfect choice.

Husband and wife team Antonio and Kristin lead Antonio and Kristin Díaz de Sandi the tours, which start when they meet their guests stateside to cross the MexicanAmerican border as a group at San Ysidro. Groups are small, usually 10 or less. After crossing the border the group is met by Club Tengo Hambre’s regular driver in a van set up for comfort and conversation. Rather than seated rows, the van is designed with bench seating to encourage banter while guests enjoy their signature tequila service.

Tours feature small food stands, food trucks and restaurants owned by local vendors who love their food culture and wish to serve the freshest and best ingredients to their customers. A tour might start with a visit to the tiny fishing village of Popotla, where vendors display and sell the recent catch right on the beach.

Oysters or clams can be sampled, including the famed chocolate clams, all pulled from Baja waters. Tours have also included dishes at Mariscos El Pizón, a humble seafood cart on an Ensenada street corner featuring locally harvested sea urchin. A popular stop in Ensenada is the famous La Guerrerense, a food stand praised by the likes of Anthony Bourdain and Rick Bayless. Sabina Bandera prepares fresh seafood tostadas with toppings such as octopus, sea snails, pismo clams and sea cucumber. She also creates organic salsas that can be purchased. Another favorite is Tijuana’s Sonoran seafood truck Mariscos Ruben. Their specialty is marlin taquitos, which Ruben Rodriguez makes to order on a small mesquite grill.

Club Tengo Hambre also offers one-of-a-kind itineraries for private tours of various wineries throughout the Valle de Guadalupe, which is quickly becoming a popular destination for wine aficionados. They also organize trips to mainstream Baja events such as the Baja California Culinary Fest. If you want to experience the true food of Baja, be it at a sit-down eatery in Tijuana or a hidden gem of a food stand on a random corner in Ensenada, the Baja food experts of Club Tengo Hambre will lead you far from the touts on the tourist drag to the multitude of authentic food experiences Baja has to offer and will feed your hunger for Baja.

Club Tengo Hambre can be contacted through ClubTengoHambre. com or by email at clubtengohambre@gmail.com.

— ­­ Katherine Belarmino

Edible San Diego’s School Garden of the Year Contest

Your school garden could

WIN a cash prize!

Find out more: ediblesandiego.com/school-garden-of-the-year/ G e n e r o u S lY S p o n S o r e d bY:

8

edible San Diego

spring 2014

Enter by April 15, 2014 •

Application due on May 1, 2014

Where Local Businesses Meet Locavores!

789 West Harbor Drive, Suite 146 San Diego, Ca. 92101 Follow Us: Facebook.com/SimplyLocalSD

Fresh, there is no substitute.

Grand Opening March 23, 2014

C OME CELEBRATE W I TH US: MARC H 4TH - MARDI GRAS MARC H 17TH - ST. P ATRICK’S DAY A PRIL 15T H - TREFETHEN WIN E DIN NER AP RIL 20TH - EASTER B RUN CH MAY 11T H - MOTHER’S DAY B RUN CH (760) 930-8008

(760) 930-9100

@bistrowest.com

@weststeakandseafood.com

CERTIFIED

FARMERS’

MARKET Every Sunday 10am-2pm

UTC

™

• Raw dog food coming soon!

8280 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Ste. 117, San Diego 92111 WWW.COOKPIGS.COM

Farmers Market CSA $15 & $25 Shares Multi-Farm

POINT LOMA

Sundays 9:30am -2:30pm

Available at all 4 Markets

Rosecrans & Cañon Near San Diego Yacht Club Facebook.com/PointLomaFarmersMarket

Grand Opening Feb 13, 2014

More info and Online Sign Up: www.farmersmarketcsa.com

The Headquarters Sundays 10am-2:00pm

i

w

.com

• We offer cuts, whole pigs, and a monthly CSA.

At 28th and Bst East of Downtown Facebook.com/GoldenHillFarmersMarket

ts

Saturdays 9:30am-1:30pm

• We cater to resturaunts, craft butcher shops, and foodminded families.

Brian’srs’

Farme Markets

GOLDEN HILL

San Diego grown, USDA, pastured pork from our farm to your table.

w w. B r

on facebook & the website Facebook.com/UTCFarmersMarket

sFarm

sM arke

New Location Will be posted

an

er

thursdays 3pm-7pm

All Markets Accept

789 W. Harbor Drive Near The Grand Hyatt & Seaport Village Facebook.com/ TheHeadquartersCertifiedFarmersMarket

www.BriansFarmersMarkets.com spring 2014

edible San Diego

9

{Local Talent}

Lighting a Flame Under BlueFire Grill

By Britta Turner

G

Photos by Chris Rov Costa

reg Frey Jr. never set out to be a chef. Growing up in Spring Hill, Florida, he spent his childhood enjoying beaches and traveling with his family. Cooking, as a career, never appealed to him early on. Having spent three years pursuing aerospace engineering during his undergraduate studies at EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University, he began to question his career trajectory; he needed more social interaction and less number crunching. He had always gravitated towards the restaurant industry, and though intrigued at the prospect of being a chef, he was apprehensive at the thought of going through culinary school because of the outlook of actually having a successful career.

“I was fortunate to have a leisurely childhood—our family traveled frequently and I wanted that freedom, which I didn’t see having as a chef, let alone making money.”

Inspired after reading the book The Making of a Chef

by Michael Ruhlman, Frey plunged into the culinary program at Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, and it completely clicked. His relationship to food, and his ensuing career, quickly evolved from a pursuit to a passion when he began to explore the territory beyond technique and develop a keen understanding about ingredients. Frey says that the “best culinary education I ever received came from me and my three roommates foraging our garden in Charleston, cooking till 4 o’clock in the morning and testing everything.”

His curiosity, creativity and growing mastery of culinary technique, paired with his love for surfing, brought him to San Diego. In 2010, Frey took over as chef de cuisine at BlueFire Grill, the signature restaurant at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, and in four years has radically shifted the restaurant’s culture and commitment to sourcing and serving local ingredients. The menu is designed to

10

edible San Diego

spring 2014

showcase food indicative of Carlsbad’s unique microclimate and provide diners with nutritious, memorable meals.

Susan Sbicca, previous chef and owner of Sbicca Del Mar, has become a regular guest at BlueFire and a good friend of Frey, and remarks that when she first ate a BlueFire, “the food and the experience were mediocre at best.” When Frey came aboard, she noticed that much more attention was put into the design and health of each dish, instead of it being the afterthought. “Greg is so full of knowledge and passion—he’s inspired by the farms and their ingredients instead of just laying technique all over the place.”

“ The most inspiring aspect of San Diego’s food scene is that it is just now blossoming and not yet the envy of the nation.”

Salmon Gravlax with Be Wise Beta Mix and Fennel Granite Gravlax is a traditional Scandinavian preparation for preserving fatty fish­—during the Middle Ages, fishermen would salt the salmon and lightly ferment it by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line. The word gravlax comes from the Scandinavian word grav, which literally means “grave,” and lax (or laks), which means “salmon,” thus gravlax means “buried salmon.”

For Frey, food culture “is all about diners choosing better, healthier foods. In cities like San Francisco and Monterey, which are well known local food meccas, diners know what they’re after in terms of food quality and they’re more familiar with culinary technique. What I’ve found in San Diego so far is that we can’t just cook incredibly technical foods without people wanting to eat them.”

The San Diego mind-set has to match the capacity of chefs like Frey in order to evolve the community and to offer pristine cuisine. “We have to familiarize diners in this community with what they are eating rather than piling on layers of complicated sauces and fabricated textures to dazzle them. They’re just not ready for that type of cuisine, yet.”

However, there is authentic growth happening every day both in restaurants and in homes, which Frey says is what keeps him in the game. “The most inspiring aspect of San Diego’s food scene is that it is just now blossoming and not yet the envy of the nation.”

Today, salmon is instead “buried” in a dry marinade of salt, sugar and dill, and cured for several days, transforming the marinade into highly concentrated brine.

Gravlax Cure: (will cure up to 3 pounds of salmon)

Ask your fishmonger for a Pacific Coast-caught filet of salmon, preferably with the skin off. In a bowl mix all the ingredients well, and rub between the palms of your hands until the consistency is like wet sand. Lay out a long sheet of plastic wrap; place half the cure on the plastic wrap and spread to fit the salmon filet. Lay the filet on the cure and then top with the rest of the cure. Be sure to cover evenly. Wrap the plastic over the salmon as tight as possible leaving the ends open. Cure in the cooler, 6 hours for filets greater than 1 inch thick and 4 hours for filets less than 1 inch thick.

Fennel Granite: 1 cup fennel juice

½ pound raw sugar

1 tablespoon local honey

½ pound kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Zest from 1 lemon and 1 lime

Juice 2 bulbs of washed fennel, including bulb and green tops. Heat ½ cup of the juice over the stove on mediumlow and mix in honey until dissolved.

Add remaining fennel and lemon juice.

Freeze in a shallow container and scrape regularly with a fork, resulting in a flaky texture. Add to the top of the salmon and serve immediately.

2 tablespoons chopped chervil 1 teaspoon fennel pollen (optional) 3 ounces Pernod or similar anisette liquor

Frey connected with over 50 different small farms last year alone for his menu.

“The farmers I buy from care more about their dirt than their organic certification.

When I’m buying ingredients for the restaurant and/or myself, it’s not as important to me how well recognized a farm is within the community but what they pledge their food to be.”

BlueFire’s menu is designed each season to accommodate fluctuations due to weather or crop outcomes. By sourcing from smaller farms with more diversity, he has freedom to make major menu changes when necessary.

“You can’t block yourself in, but you have to develop an adaptive mentality to get away from corporate, mass produced food. We allow for more flexibility because we plan

spring 2014

edible San Diego

11

according to what our farmers are capable of taking on.”

BlueFire still uses bigger, well-known farms like Chino Farms, because small farms alone cannot sustain a 192-seat restaurant. They utilize smaller farms to take advantage of those specialty crops that blow all others out of the water.

“Food needs to have excellent ingredients to outshine the simplicity of the recipe,” says Frey.

“The integrity of a dish shows best through simple sauces and pure flavors.”

Dandelion Greens & Soft Poached Egg Tartine Frey has preferred sourcing on many of the ingredients he uses weekly at BlueFire grill, such as eggs from Schaner Farms, dandelion greens from Be Wise Ranch and Sorrento lemons from Rancho del Sol. Feel free to stop by your local farmers’ market for these specific ingredients or source using your own favorites. This recipe also calls for preserved Sorrento lemons, which can be purchased at local natural grocery stores or made in advance.

Tartine: 1 large garlic clove 1 bunch dandelion greens (younger is better) ½ cup mixed fresh garden herbs (parsley, tarragon, chive or similar) 4 slices fresh crusty bread 1 large shallot, finely diced 3 teaspoons sherry vinegar or 4 teaspoons aged red wine vinegar 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ½ cup shaved Pecorino-Romano or similar hard cheese Egg Marinade: 4 fresh eggs 1 tablespoon minced garlic 12

edible San Diego

spring 2014

1 tablespoon preserved Sorrento lemon ½ cup soy sauce 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar 5 tablespoons water Poach eggs in boiling water for 6 minutes then remove and let cool. Peel and place in marinade for up to 2 hours in the cooler. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Peel garlic clove and soak in the olive oil while preparing the rest of the ingredients. Sort and wash dandelion greens and herbs, trimming and discarding any long stems. Rough cut these into bite sizes. Heat a nonstick skillet and add 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Rub bread slices with garlic clove and then brown in the skillet over mediumhigh heat. Take the remainder of the garlic clove and smash it with the flat side of a large kitchen knife or in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt to make a paste. Heat the garlic, shallot, vinegar and remainder of olive oil in a saucepan till you hear it begin to simmer; then remove from the heat. Add dandelion greens and vinaigrette in a bowl and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Top the tartines with the greens, shaved cheese, poached egg and serve.

Frey has been pleasantly surprised to find all the crop varieties that San Diego does afford.

One of his favorite farms is Rancho del Sol in Jamul—they have the best citrus he’s ever found and he’s anxiously anticipating the Sorrento lemons to pop into the market. Nathan Bochler, the farmers’ market produce buyer for Specialty Produce, consistently collaborates with Frey on sourcing. “Greg is never content just reading about a farm. [He] has to visit the farm, touch the soil, ask hard questions and connect with the farmer and the land alike. By challenging everyone around him, Greg improves everyone around him and the overall culture.”

Although Frey is relatively new to San Diego, he is certainly confident and eager to share his knowledge of food and also the deep connections he has with the earth and his community. The essence of generosity and care, based on Frey’s upbringing in the South, is infused into every dish. “My job in this industry is plainly one of generosity. To share with guests something that I’ve created and to make that a genuine offering from the heart, that’s what creates a powerful dining experience.”

BlueFire is hosting a new monthly dinner series called “Land to Linen,” a closed-circle dinner, served family-style with farmers, beekeepers, ranchers and fishermen. Guests have the opportunity to get to know in person the people who are producing their food and experience an incredible offering of community, rich flavor and celebration.

For more information on BlueFire and Chef Greg, visit LaCosta.com/bluefire-grill.

D

Britta Turner knits together farmers, fishers, growers and eaters as she dives deeper into the sustainable food community. She currently serves as managing editor for Edible San Diego and is an active leader in yoga and the healing arts. Follow her at brittarael.com

Seasonal fruits & vegetables Free-range eggs Local honey Medjool dates • Prepared foods Baked goods Mediterranean foods Dried herbs • Retail merchants

Leucadia, ca

Come visit our winery in north San Diego County and enjoy our Spanish influenced tapas prepared with local produce and ethically sourced meats.

Come weekly for the freshest local foods.

Our full production winery sources grapes from Valle de Guadalupe, local vineyards, and northern California.

ntee a S

Farmers’ Market Wic, EBT, DEBiT & cREDiT caRDS accEPTED

Wednesday 3 to 6:30 p.m. winter and spring 9608 carlton Hills Blvd., Santee at Mast & carlton Hills Blvd.

www.solterrawinery.com | (760) 230-2970

santeefarmersmarket.com

spring 2014

edible San Diego

13

{Liquid Assets}

Barrels of Fun Local Whiskey Comes of Age at Old Harbor Distilling

L

ocal entrepreneur Michael Skubic is fond of the saying “Whiskey is what beer wants to be when it grows up.”

It would seem he’s mirroring the evolution of ambitious suds. Skubic spent the past few years helping to open local craft brewery Hess Brewing Co. before striking out on his own to build his soon-to-open Old Harbor Distilling Co. Scheduled to open this spring, the business is located in the East Village along San Diego Harbor. Discovered in 1592 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, it is California’s oldest harbor, hence the distillery’s name. But it’s also an area that holds a great deal of personal nostalgia for Skubic, who used to skateboard there a great deal during his college years. Back then, he wasn’t old enough to imbibe, but he’s able to accurately envision what it was like in the early ’90s when the craft beer boom was more like a whisper.

14

edible San Diego

spring 2014

“I imagine it was like what the craft distilling movement is today, with a handful of early adopters understanding there’s a demand for greatly, locally made products, and having the courage to offer them,” says Skubic. After traveling to places with rich distilling movements in place—Portland, Seattle, New York City—he sees a void in San Diego and aims to fill it with his craft gins, whiskies, rum and specialty liqueurs.

His early experience as a craftsman includes homebrewing, working on small batches with several professional distilling operations and crafting his own amateur concoctions. Add in business education gained at school and through his work with Hess, and Skubic feels uniquely prepared to excel in his new endeavor.

“My still is a 1,000-liter Kothe hybridcolumn pot with eight plates. Essentially,

Photo: Chris Rov Costa

By Brandon Hernández

each plate has holes or scalloped edges— some way for vapor to get up through the plate. When the vapor reaches the next plate, it condenses and falls back down on top of the plate below it. This is a form of ‘reflux’ that keeps the lower volatile compounds from rising in the column.

Eight plates is usually the minimum amount typically used to distill BlackStrap rum, while keeping it from becoming boring or flavorless,” explains Skubic.

That apparatus will be housed in a 7,500-square-foot warehouse a few blocks from the ocean. “That is the perfect location for aging whiskey, rum and bourbon, as our steel roof is warmed by the sun during the day and cooled by the marine air at night—creating the perfect storm in which to properly age spirits: The temperature fluxes will allow the alcohol to be pulled in and out of the oak at a faster rate, which

working on Smash, a single-malt, singlehop amaro he says is like sipping on a freshly hopped double IPA (India pale ale).

Skubic sees no shortage of venues in which to share his firewater.

26502 Hwy 78 | Ramona

EdwardsWinery.com

Petite Sirah | Syrah | Cab Sauv

100% Estate Grown Saturdays & Sundays 11-5

910 Gem Lane | Ramona

ChuparosaVineyards.com

Zinfandel | Sangiovese | Malbec

supplies the right balance of minerals & electrolytes, naturally - stay hydrated to stay healthy

“ Shoot, I would love to find a local farmer to grow me cane for some rum,” he adds. Farm to harbor distilling—it doesn’t get more San Diego than that.

A San Diego Native

www.solarrainwatery.com

When Old Harbor opens, its initial spirit lineup will include San Miguel Southwester Gin, an over-proof “navy strength” rum called Barrelman and a coffee liqueur called Ampersand collaboratively crafted with North Park’s Coffee & Tea Collective. Future concoctions will include a quartet of whiskies including a smoked rye variety called The Judge, a blue-corn bourbon called Tobin and a peated, single malt aptly dubbed A Bottle of Smoke. Skubic is also

Local Food Deser ves Local Wine!

helps speed up some of the reactions as well as incorporate some nice tannic, vanilla lactones and other barrel flavors quicker.”

“We seem to be on the tipping point in terms of having the right players. We have some really fantastic craft cocktail bars, plus more bars offering interesting craft spirits versus the typical stuff.”

Whenever possible, Skubic plans to utilize local produce, botanicals and herbs to give his liquors authentically local flavor profiles.

“Shoot, I would love to find a local farmer to grow me cane for some rum,” he adds.

Farm to harbor distilling—it doesn’t get more San Diego than that.

D

Brandon Hernández is a native San Diegan with a passion for the culinary arts and local dining scene.

He is a local editor for Zagat; has been featured many times on the Food Network; contributes to national and local magazines, newspapers and online outlets; has contributed to several cookbooks and is responsible for communications at Stone Brewing Co. Follow him on Twitter at @ offdutyfoodie or drop him a line at brandon@ thebrandonhernandez.com.

Ocean Sourced Made Locally for Freshness Find us at Harney Sushi, Brooklyn Girl Eatery, Market in Del Mar, Island Palms, Blazin Grille, Rubicon Deli, Toma Sol, Tuscany, Ki’s, Greenspot, Lodge at Torrey Pines, Humphreys at the Bay, and Jsix to name a few, and of course Whole Foods, Jimbos, and Cardiff Seaside Market

spring 2014

edible San Diego

15

Learning a Lesson from

BEFORE

By Christina Wadsworth

W

hen San Diego resident Peter Ash broke his shoulder in a motorcycle accident, he had no idea the accident would catalyze a chain of events that would change his life forever.

A master composter and organic farmer, Peter was in India learning biodynamic farming techniques when the accident happened. After the injury, he learned there would be a three-week wait until he could get a ticket home to San Diego, so he decided to stay at a nearby ashram.

A few days before he was to leave, Peter looked down from his high-rise building just in time to see ashram residents dumping a large amount of food waste into the ocean backwaters. It seemed contrary to the principles being taught at the ashram and Peter was appalled.

“We have this idea that we can just throw things away,” Peter explained. “But where is away? How far away is away? We see resources that become waste by default, because those who manage the system don’t have the knowledge of where it can 16

edible San Diego

spring 2014

be used. But nature does not create any waste. What we really have are resources that have been misplaced.”

From Peter’s point of view, the food scraps being dumped into the ocean didn’t present a waste management problem as much as a resource recovery opportunity.

Composting on an Institutional Scale Three months later, after his shoulder healed, Peter returned to the ashram and began a new undertaking. With the help of ashram visitors and volunteers, he implemented a comprehensive composting program that now prevents 1.25 tons of food waste per day from clogging the backwaters and converts that waste, plus an additional one to two tons of other organic matter, into fertilizer for surrounding gardens.

These efforts were so successful that when the ashram’s hospital started getting pressure from the state pollution control board, they asked for Peter’s help. This request thrust Peter headlong into the

world of bioremediation research.

Remediating a Toxic Open Dump—with Compost!

A waste audit revealed that the hospital generated about three tons of food waste per day and an additional three to four tons of landscape trimmings, wood shavings, sawdust, animal manure and soiled paper. This time Peter had the help of hospital employees and even engineering students to manufacture equipment, construct facilities and build the compost piles to remedy the situation.

There was, however, the added difficulty of hazardous waste. The site where they were going to be composting was a backwater island that had been an open dumping ground for the expanding hospital. For years all hospital waste had been boated out to this small island and burned or left in piles that slowly sank into the muddy ground.

In addition to the unsightly litter, soil tests revealed significant quantities of several heavy metals throughout the site.

Waste-Free Nature

AFTER

“ We see resources that become waste by default, because those who manage the system don’t have the knowledge of where it can be used. But nature does not create any waste. What we really have are resources that have been misplaced.”

Describing the area, Peter said, “It was when we went to dig holes to pour concrete for the footings to make a shelter that I saw the extent of the damage. You know, it’s a wetland, so any time you dig a hole, there is water. They were digging these holes and all this plastic—syringes, medical waste bags, catheter tubes, you name it—started floating up. The environmental footprint was horrendous.”

Unable to remove all the waste mixed into the mud, the crew removed what they could from the surface and got to work composting. Each day they transported approximately six to eight tons of compostable waste to the island and added it to an existing windrow, a long pile of compost-in-process. As one windrow was completed, another was begun, and when the

earliest compost was mature, it was spread on the old landfill site until the area was covered with 12 to 18 inches of compost.

Then, Peter says, “We saw grasses and other plants beginning to grow at the edges of the compost. Wildlife started to return. The plants were looking really lush, so we started bringing in clean soil and more plants.”

Vermicompost—the compost resulting from worms processing waste—was also introduced and the plants grew well. A year and a half after the restoration began, the appearance of the site was transformed. It was covered in lush vegetation, but Peter wondered if transformations were any deeper than surface level.

In order to test the heavy metals in the soil, Peter dug down below the mixture of

compost and new soil to reach the original toxic black mud. To his surprise he found earthworms there, even below the imported soil—a definite indicator of increased biological activity that extended beyond the areas of compost and new soil.

When the results came back from the lab, they showed that, within the original toxic soil, arsenic, mercury and nickel had been reduced to non-detectable levels. In addition, the results showed considerable reduction in copper, cobalt, lead and chromium.

The crew also tested the amount of heavy metals in crops grown on the island. “Well, I wouldn’t eat anything grown there,” Peter said, “at least not yet. However, nature is very forgiving. If we give her the opportunity and stop polluting and start working with nature with the bioremediation, we could restore a lot of habitat.”

How Does Compost Reduce Heavy Metals?

Researchers with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have had similar spring 2014

edible San Diego

17

“ Obviously we [human beings] have created a lot of terrible soil situations, but we can rehabilitate the soil by using compost and getting nature operating again. Over time, nature can take care of itself. That’s what I saw in India, and that’s what I see in my own garden.” work in India at industry conferences. But each time he returns to San Diego he holds composting workshops and networks with people throughout the county.

Photo: Chris Rov Costa

Local regulations are changing to make composting a better option than simple dumping, and a few San Diego landowners are working with Peter now to find ways to implement permaculture design principles and utilize their own “misplaced resources.”

Peter Ash

results with compost and lead, so I asked Peter if he could speculate as to the mechanism(s). How did the compost and the worms reduce heavy metals?

are chemical changes that happen.”

Earthworms, he says, may play a role too.

Their digestive process may bind up heavy metals, making them unavailable to plants.

This gets into a complex discussion of soil biology wherein Peter reminds me that Elaine Ingham, a noted soil biologist, has stated that in a single teaspoon of productive soil there are between 100 million and a billion bacteria. He adds, “We know that fungi play a role, we’re pretty certain that even though the composting is a biological process, there

Bringing Large Scale Composting Home to San Diego In addition to his adventures in India, Peter has been traveling elsewhere around the world, both to implement comprehensive permaculture designs at specific sites and to present the results of his continuing

Even though he has seen some horrendously depleted and polluted sites around the world, Peter is optimistic. He says, “Obviously we [human beings] have created a lot of terrible soil situations, but we can rehabilitate the soil by using compost and getting nature operating again. Over time, nature can take care of itself. That’s what I saw in India, and that’s what I see in my own garden.”

D

Learn more at StraightAsh.com Christina Wadsworth is a writer, mother and permaculture enthusiast with ties to California and the Midwest. She enjoys natural building, farmers markets, whole systems garden design and bike riding. One of her current projects is transforming a neglected section of alley into a garden refuge. See photo essays of her work-inprogress at www.sheplayswithmud.com/.

CHECK OUT OUR HEALTHY, SEASONAL RECIPE BLOG AT www.thrivewellness.com

Grass fed and grass finished free-range California beef

ACUPUNCTURE & CHINESE HERBS INDIVIDUALIZED NUTRITION & LIFESTYLE EDUCATION MASSAGE & THERAPEUTIC BODYWORK PERSONALIZED FITNESS TRAINING & POSTURAL ALIGNMENT

NO HORMONES • NO GRAIN • NO CORN • NO CONFINEMENT JUST GRASS & CALIFORNIA SUNSHINE Available by home delivery.

760-954-0353 • info@truepasturebeef.com • truepasturebeef.com 18

edible San Diego

spring 2014

4080 Centre Street, Suite 202 / San Diego, CA 92103 / 619.795.4422

SAN DIEGO’S LARGEST HEALTH & FITNESS EXPO

MAB K= :GGN:E

Media Sponsor:

MARCH 22-23 DEL MAR FAIRGROUNDS EXHIBIT HALL

Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am-5pm

FREE ADMISSION!

www.healthylivingfestival.com

• Choose from

200

30 Free Workshops, Seminars, & Cooking Demos

• Visit Exhibitors Offering the Latest Healthy Living Products & Services • Free Medical Testing from Sharp Health Care & Other Exhibitors • Join in Yoga, Zumba & Dance Classes • Enjoy Belly Dancing Shows

DINNER COCKTAILS LATE NIGHT EATS

SUNDAY BRUNCH 10:30-2:00PM FRESH LOCAL CUISINE A 21 & UP ESTABLISHMENT

HOURS MON-SAT 5PM-2AM SUN 6PM-2AM FOOD SERVED UNTIL MIDNIGHT 7 DAYS A WEEK 3175 INDIA STREET (AT SPRUCE) 619-358-9766 WWW.STARLITESANDIEGO.COM

spring 2014

edible San Diego

19

{Edible Reads}

Gardening, foraging and cooking up a delicious life

By Kay Ledger 66 Square Feet: A Delicious Life is the intriguing debut of Marie Viljoen, a garden designer who teaches the art of food foraging and dreams up innovative cocktails in New York City.

Viljoen contributes to Edible San Diego’s sister publications Edible Brooklyn and Edible Manhattan.

knowing look from a pair of wild parrots. October offers a glimpse of rose hips, frozen on a boardwalk. Most striking is a January photograph of Jamaica Bay: sere gold grasses, deep blue water, ice white sand under snow, the heart of winter.

Viljoen is also an accomplished and imaginative cook. She presents a supper menu for each month, accompanied by cocktails.

Most interesting are her Forager’s Special dishes: a soup prepared with Japanese knotweed, a Boeuf Bourguignon made with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms.

Sumac gathered out-of-doors stars in a vodka concoction; her Comptonia Cocktail is made with sweet fern-infused bourbon. She grills peaches, roasts lamb and chills a white gazpacho soup. Her recipes are savory, uncomplicated and often employ a grill.

Equal parts garden journal, supper cookbook and wanderer’s notebook, this collection tells the story, month by month, of a year living in the city as Viljoen gardens intensely on a tiny Brooklyn terrace and farms on the roof. She cooks in a tiny kitchen, forages in parks and chronicles her explorations in and around the city. Viljoen describes surprising pockets of urban wilderness and delights in the discovery of living, growing things: a mass of red roses climbing a shop front, a spray of blossoms pink against orange brick, brash kale flowers defying the cold on her rooftop.

Marie Viljoen’s 66 Square Feet: A Delicious Life ventures off the beaten track to the messy borders where city, nature and waterways meet. Her prose is thoughtful, her gardening pragmatic and her rambles enticing—inspiring readers to seek them out. This is an engaging, grounded and gorgeous book.

What the jaded Southern Californian ho-humming about our region’s unexciting climate may find most enjoyable about Viljoen’s book are the excellent photographs of the seasonal transitions of a northern cityscape and nearby rambles. It is refreshing to open her book and sink into its clear-eyed portraits of New York City’s large and pronounced seasonal shifts.

Kay Ledger is a Southern California–based food writer with a background in television news. Ledger studied writing at UCSD, and recently graduated from culinary school, where she interned in a jam kitchen. Her work has appeared in Kiwi Magazine, Asia: The Journal of Culture and Commerce and

Evoking April is a small cove across the water from the city, a shoreline of cold green moss on flat wet rocks. Towers are vague in the distance. May is clover and milkweed buds, while August strikes a

Edible San Diego.

Marie Viljoen

20

edible San Diego

spring 2014

Experience the Art of Fine Dining with breathtaking views of Torrey Pines Golf Course www.LodgeTorreyPines.com | 858.777.6635 11480 North Torrey Pines Road | La Jolla, California 92037

Eat Local, Drink Local for the Ultimate Farm-to-Belly Experience. Make it a Habit.

Now sErviNg LUNcH FroM 11aM-4:30pM TUEs. aLL Day Happy HoUr. $9 FLigHTs. $1 oFF DraFTs

3827 5th ave., san Diego 92103 619-795-4770 • mylocalhabit.com

spring 2014

edible San Diego

21

throwing out the equivalent of $165 billion in food each year, but that uneaten food winds up in landfills, where it accounts for a tremendous amount of methane emissions.

Trash Talking L ocal Efforts Helping to Trim Food Waste

By Caron Golden Photos by Chris Rov Costa

O

n a busy Wednesday night at the quirky Oceanside sushi restaurant Wrench & Rodent Basstropub, Chef Davin Waite is rapidly slicing a bluefin tuna filet into sashimi. For many sushi chefs, that filet is as far as it goes. For Waite, “My favorite is to get a whole fish and try to use as much of it as possible.”

So, soon a large platter of tuna collars, smoked and grilled to fatty perfection, turns up for our meal. Later, we’re served hagfish, a local, nasty-looking eel that Waite skins, guts, then grills over mesquite, transforming a bottom feeder into a sweet and crunchy—if unexpected—dish.

The skin and guts? They went into a compost bin to decompose into nutrients for his nearby vegetable garden. And what he doesn’t compost, including shells, can go to fishermen as bait, or to landscapers, or artists.

Like many chefs—and farmers and markets—around San Diego County, Waite is trying to lay waste to food waste.

And there’s a lot of it. According to a 2012 Natural Resources Defense Council report, 40% of food in the United States today goes uneaten. Not only are Americans 22

edible San Diego

spring 2014

The food waste chain begins with farms, then moves into markets and restaurants and ends with consumers. Often our eyes truly are bigger than our stomachs in our super-size-me culture. What we don’t overeat we toss. What we buy at the market, we forget about until we look in the fridge and see that it’s assumed a new life form and into the trash can it goes.

Fortunately, there are strategies being undertaken at all levels of the food chain to alleviate the impact of our wasteand not just for the halo of being good custodians of the Earth. Waste is costly to businesses and individuals. For example, on average a restaurant can produce 150,000 pounds of garbage a year, according to EndFoodWasteNow.org.

Think of how much money was spent just to create garbage.

Down at the Farm In the five years since Robin Taylor and Lucila de Alejandro launched Suzie’s Farm, the couple has learned a lot about reducing their waste. It starts with a basic understanding of how much to grow of each type of fruit and vegetable.

“There are times we grow too much or heat waves hit and we end up with too much,” says Taylor. “We have the advantage of being able to put excess into the soil to create nutrients, but we also have more outlets now for selling, like juice companies.”

Farms have the challenge of producing perfection. A beet can’t be too big, a carrot too curvy or potato too misshapen, thanks to retailer—and consumer—standards. It’s not as big an issue for the farmers’ markets, though, and Taylor points out that if what comes back unsold from the markets is still usable, they’ll sell it at another market.

“If not, it’s fed to the chickens,” he says.

“If our beets are too big, we can sell them to juice companies.”

And some restaurant clients don’t care about looks since it will be repurposed

for a dish. Taylor will also give a pickup call to Feeding America when he has excess produce.

In fact, California recently passed a bill, AB 152, allowing growers to receive a tax credit for donations of excess produce to state food banks. The San Diego Food Bank has been a local beneficiary.

“We received 7,164,494 pounds of produce last fiscal year,” says the Food Bank’s Chris Carter. “Of that, 972,411 was donated by local sources, 4,904,087 was purchased through the Farm to Family program and 1,287,996 came from the USDA. We also receive food from local brokers in Otay Mesa and Chula Vista, but it’s a small percentage.”

Jack Ford’s TAJ Farms in Valley Center raises livestock and poultry. Eggs can be a tricky thing for farmers who sell to markets. They have to be uniform in size to fit into cartons. Ford, who raises a variety of chickens that produce eggs of varying sizes, sells a flat of 20 that he says looks like an Easter basket. Size isn’t an issue for his direct customers. However, “You do get eggs that are cracked or have flaws of some kind, and they go to the pigs.”

Ford benefits from the waste of neighbors.

“Bates Nursery gives us leftover pumpkins, which go to pigs and cows. Our friends at Morningstar Farms will give us whatever leftover produce they don’t feed to their livestock.” And they get spent grain from Lightning Brewery.

To Market, To Market Back in 2008, approximately 43 billion pounds of food—about 10% of the total food supply at the retail level—was lost to waste, mostly in perishables. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the USDA estimates supermarkets lose $15 billion annually in unsold fruits and vegetables alone, thanks to overstocked product displays (“pile ’em high, watch ’em fly”), consumer expectations of cosmetic perfection, package sizes that are too large and overstocking or overproduction of prepared food to make sure they’re not out of anything—even at closing time.

We’re now seeing a movement to reclaim some produce. Grocery Outlet sells

Volunteer picks up food from Specialty Produce destined to orphanages in Tijuana.

closeouts and overruns. Trader Joe’s ex-president Doug Rauch is launching a new business called the Daily Table to repurpose edible produce that’s slightly past its sell-by date.

You would expect a proportionate amount of waste to occur at wholesaler Specialty Produce, with sales of more than $42 million annually, but owners Bob and Roger Harrington say their spoilage is less than two tenths of 1% a week.

“We developed an algorithm designed to forecast customer behavior so we have very little spoilage,” Bob Harrington says. What also helps is buying from first-tier vendors for everything, including both dairy and produce, he explains. It means they get food at its prime so it doesn’t get rejected by customers.

What overage they did wind up with, Roger adds, goes to Feeding America or to orphanages in Tijuana.

Catalina Offshore Produce also deals with highly perishable items—seafood—but according to Tommy Gomes, they’ve long been working down the waste numbers through a variety of strategies. Big sellers of sea urchin, they sell fishermen “unibutter” and “unigoop,” which come from sea urchin waste. Black cod livers used to be trash; now they’re a delicacy prized by chefs, as are yellowtail eggs.

“Collars are now swimming out the door,” says Gomes. “And, we give out a great deal of bones for stock.”

Cooking Smart Some 4% to 10% of food purchased by restaurants becomes kitchen loss even before it gets to the table. Locally, a number of restaurants are finding ways to cut those losses.

“In my kitchen, I always bring in produce that I know I can totally utilize—or at least 90% utilize,” says Chef Karrie Hills of The Red Door and The Wellington. “I try to break down foods or packages in the most productive way. When it comes to meat, if it will yield a lot of waste, I’d rather pay to have it come already cut in portions to avoid having a lot of trim we aren’t going to utilize.

“We also use produce scraps,” she adds.

“If the root is edible, we eat it; if the top is edible we find a way to utilize it by turning it into juices, stock or sauces. Carrot tops can go into pesto or oil, for instance. The same with vegetable peels. They can be a bed for braising or go into stock. And what we don’t use can go to our garden for compost.”

Katherine Humphus of BO-BEAU turns to pickling scraps like watermelon rinds and Swiss chard stems. “Or we use the core or stems of certain vegetables for purées.

When you really can’t figure out what to do with the ‘scraps,’ they go into veggie stock, of course.”

At Davanti Enoteca, Chef de Cuisine Christopher Vera-Trudela has developed a number of ways to utilize foods. Leftovers can be made into family-style staff meals.

Usable scraps, like mushroom buttons, can go onto pizza or bruschetta. Small but highspring 2014

edible San Diego

23

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

AR T I S AN S A USA G E S A N D S A L A M I FOR R E S TA UR A N T A N D H O M E G ET YOUR MEAT AT T HE F AR MER ’ S MAR K ET S WEDNESDAYS, CARLSBAD, 3-7 WEDNESDAYS, OCEAN BEACH, 4-8 FRIDAYS, LA MESA, 2-6 SATURDAYS, LITTLE ITALY, 8-2 SATURDAYS, POWAY, 8-1 SUNDAYS, HILLCREST, 9-2 SUNDAYS, LEUCADIA, 10-2 G E T Y OU R ME A T ONL I NE :

MEATMENSTORE.COM

Mangalitsa pigs at Point Loma Farm in Valley Center are fed surplus greens from Tender Greens.

quality pieces of meat can be turned into happy hour meatballs. Cheese rinds can flavor olive oil. Pork and beef fat can be added to meat that’s too lean to give added flavor and texture. And pork belly skins can be dried and turned into chicharrones for the staff.

Then there are the donations. Olivewood Gardens Head Gardener Martha Prusinkas sings the praises of Kevin Templeton of downtown restaurant Barleymash, who took it upon himself to deliver food scraps to the nonprofit. His twice-monthly deliveries of five 33-gallon trash cans filled with fruit and vegetable scraps go into Prusinkas’ compost heap.

“Because of Kevin’s time and energy, we were able to incorporate a compost-building lesson into our fourth grade curriculum,” says educator Kati Butler.

A number of restaurants have also signed on with a business called Closing the Loop, run by Suzie’s Farm employee Christopher Young.

Young collects waste from about 15 restaurants, including Burger Lounge, Benihana’s, Tiger! Tiger!, Blind Lady Alehouse, Stone Brewing and Alchemy.

“The waste goes to Suzie’s Farm and local farmers in Lakeside right now,” explains Young. “That, in turn, is mostly used as animal feed. At least 300 tons of compostable green waste has been diverted from landfills.”

And small businesses donate overage. Robin Ross, owner of Cupcakes Squared, donates leftover cupcakes to San Diego Rescue Mission and local schools will come by for leftovers to serve when they have meetings or events.

Finally, it’s up to consumers to make better choices, like choosing flavor over visual perfection, being more circumspect about how much they buy or order, composting scraps or freezing usable scraps to make into stock or jams. Planning more and impulse buying less.

If American families are, indeed, tossing a quarter of the food they buy, they, too, need to take their rightful place in the food chain that is striving to alleviate waste.

D

Award-winning freelance writer Caron Golden is the author of the blog San Diego Foodstuff. She writes the Local Bounty blog for San Diego Magazine, appears frequently on radio, and has contributed to Saveur, Sunset, Culinate, Riviera, the San Diego U-T, the Los Angeles Times and many other publications.

24

edible San Diego

spring 2014

Organic chicken feed Free animal nutrition seminars Open 7 days a week 619-445-6044 • www.jennifersfeed.com 2101 Alpine Blvd., Alpine, cA 91901

FOODIES

MEET FARMERS

IC BEAC CIF H PA

TUESDAY

farmers’ market

EVERY TUESDAY 2:00PM - 7:00PM Bayard St. between Garnet Ave. & Grand Ave.

EVERY THURSDAY 3:00PM - 7:00PM Herman St. between University St. & North Park Wy.

EVERY SATURDAY 8:00AM - 2:00PM W. Date St. between Kettner Cul-de-Sac & Front St.

619.233.3901 | SANDIEGOMARKETS.COM

Ready to follow your dream?

VENDOR-101.COM

spring 2014

edible San Diego

25

Community Farming at Paul Ecke Ranch

Boosting North County’s Economy and Food Justice Education By Leah Singer

In the heart of San Diego North County lies the Paul Ecke Ranch, a 67-acre property that grew the majority of poinsettia plants that adorned the region during the holiday season. The site became less about Christmas flowers and more about sustainable living when the Leichtag Foundation purchased the property in 2012.

The Leichtag Foundation is a private independent foundation that focuses its philanthropy on combating poverty and increasing self-sufficiency for residents of coastal North County, as well as supporting and inspiring the vibrant Jewish community and strengthening education in the region. Under the Leichtag’s direction, the Ranch quickly transformed into a new face of farming for the San Diego region.

“The Ranch [is] an engine for social justice and sustainable community building through farming, food, education and fun,” said Charlene Seidle, executive vice president of the Leichtag Foundation. Multiple generations of diverse community members see the Ranch as an important cultural and social platform for food justice and urban farming.

One of the main ways this is being accomplished is through the Jewish Food Justice Fellowship ( JFJF), a professional development program designed to cultivate leadership and awareness about food justice, poverty and sustainability. Seven fellows from throughout North America and Israel were selected to participate in a 15-month pilot cohort. Each fellow pursues professional positions in local nonprofit organizations in the areas of food access, urban agriculture, poverty alleviation and advocacy.

The fellows come to the JFJF from different backgrounds and career paths—from working in the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens to managing the student-operated farm at the Yale Sustainable Farm.

All of the fellows see working at the Ranch as a unique opportunity to further their own growth while also helping teach San Diegans about food justice.

“San Diego is very health conscious,” said Matthew Karlin, a JFJ Fellow. “People are into yoga and healthy living. Yet food justice is not part of that equation. This ranch and its environment are the perfect place to make the connection between healthy lifestyle and food justice for people.”

Leichtag Foundation staff and fellows have already begun to bridge

26

edible San Diego

spring 2014

that gap. In September 2013, 900 community members attended Sukkot at the Ranch, a harvest festival that celebrated the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

The Ranch itself has become a community hub for agricultural and sustainable nonprofit organizations to base their efforts.

One of the barns on the property was converted to a modern and technologically advanced co-working space. Go Green Agriculture, a hydroponic organic farm producing green and red butter leaf lettuce, spinach, kale and arugula, became the first food grower to occupy space at the Ranch. Hazon, an international Jewish environmental organization, also occupies shared workspace at the Ranch.

There are also plans for an educational farm on site that will provide fresh produce to support local food systems and create educational opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds, as well as develop a volunteer workforce.

Included in the farm design is a public trail and food forest, an edible landscape that can serve as a supplemental food source for the farm, as well as a recreational resource for the community.

Since this is planned for the perimeter of the property, the design serves to advance the Jewish precept of reserving the corners of the field with food for strangers and the poor.

The benefits of the Ranch extend beyond the North County Jewish community. Eric Larson, executive director of the Farm Bureau of San Diego County, believes that urban farming is critical for Encinitas to maintain its agricultural legacy. He credits the Leichtag Foundation for helping to overcome the challenges in making this happen.

“The Leichtag [Foundation] wants to bring collaborative people together,” Larson said. “In those collaborations we have the opportunity to find ways to continue to be an urban agricultural community. There is also the potential to be an incubator and serve as a model for additional urban farms to develop through their example.”

D

Leah R. Singer is a freelance writer who is passionate about cooking, healthy living and supporting San Diego’s small businesses and entrepreneurs. She writes regularly for The Huffington Post, Red Tricycle and numerous other national blogs and websites. Follow Leah on Twitter at @leahs_thoughts or drop her a line at leahsthoughts@gmail.com.

Local organic produce, meat & seafood Authentic Italian cuisine Food, wine & spirits pairing events A JUST CALL US VOLUNTEERS FUNDRAISER

Live Jazz Thursdays Patio dining Dog friendly

TM

4.27.2014 5PM-9PM SILO IN MAKERS' QUARTER CHEFS TASTING MASALA MARKET BOLLYWOOD DANCE PARTY GET TICKETS TODAY: JUSTCALLUSVOLUNTEERS.ORG THANK YOU EDIBLE SAN DIEGO, POW WOW, SPECIALTY PRODUCE, SAN DIEGO MARKETS & CMG DESIGNS SPONSORSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE: INFO@JUSTCALLUSVOLUNTEERS.ORG 2820 Roosevelt Road • Liberty Station, Point Loma • (619) 270-9670 • solarelounge.com

Berry Good Night It’s all about connections and community.

Are you a local sustainable farmer, rancher, fisherman, brewer, distiller, vintner, chef, restaurateur, purveyor of artisanal food and drink or food activist?

You will want to join us for this extraordinary evening of mixing, mingling and dining.

Contact: ciccarellij@icloud.com

Butter Lettuce Gem Lettuce Spinach Kale

Always in Season Harvested Daily

Organic • Local • Sustainable info@gogreenagriculture.com GoGreenAgriculture.com

Find us in local natural Food grocers, Farm to table restaurants, and distributors

spring 2014

edible San Diego

27

% 20 OFF

Any one plant!

28

edible San Diego

spring 2014

Eat It to Save It Ark of Taste Seeks to Rescue Foods from Flood of Indifference

By Lauren Lastowka

“A

cow is not a cow and a carrot is not a carrot,” Megan Larmer tells me.

Megan is the manager of biodiversity programs for Slow Food USA, and is chatting with me over Skype one afternoon about the benefits of a diverse food system.

One of the key biodiversity programs Megan helps run is the Slow Food Ark of Taste, an initiative that aims to catalog and promote thousands of plants, animals and processed products around the globe that are at risk of becoming extinct. The Ark, Megan explains, is “a living catalog of foods at risk of disappearing in a generation or two” if action isn’t taken.

The idea behind the Ark is to raise awareness of these foods and facilitate the cultivating, preparing, sharing and enjoyment of them.

Many of the foods are—or were—only available regionally, or from a handful of producers—foods like the O’odham pink bean or the Louisiana Mirlton potato. The idea is that by growing and cooking them, we will “save” them from extinction—producers will raise or grow them if they are in demand; chefs and suppliers will demand them if customers come asking for them; customers will come asking for them once they discover and taste them.

The foods on this list, in return, offer a rich diversity of flavors and textures, as well as a link to local culture that can’t be found in standard grocery stores. The Ark is “an alternative to the homogenization of the industrial food system,” Megan explains.

Just how homogenized is our industrial food system? In the Conservation of Taste, a publication put out by Slow Food USA that examines 13 foods that have made a resurgence since being added to the Ark of Taste, author and food scholar Gary Nabhan explains that in the past, nearly 7,000 plant species and 200 animal species were cultivated or raised for food. ”Now,” Nabhan says, “just 103 crop plants and seven livestock species feed the world today in terms of providing the majority of calories and protein consumed in the globalized economy.” In other words, most of the planet is eating just 1.5% of the total cultivable plant species we once ate, and 3.5% of the livestock species.

The terrifying thing about these statistics is the lack of food security they represent: Without diversity, it is much more likely that a disease, drought or weather pattern could wipe out a large percentage of our food supply (just think of the Irish potato famine). The more diverse our food supply, the more resilient: Should one crop strain be wiped out, several others can still feed the population.

But food insecurity is just one potential consequence. As Nabhan explains, the reasons for promoting biodiversity range from the large scale of public health to the individual scale of good nutrition. And while we know some of the potential consequences of losing biodiversity, there

spring 2014

edible San Diego

29

Photo: Erin Maher

Photo: 123RF

Navajo-Churro Sheep (on the Ark of Taste) were the first domestic livestock breed developed in North America. They are being bred and raised at Valley Center Middle School by Camille Martineau. Feed is being underwritten by Jack Ford.

are still many unknowns. Megan explains, “The analogy we like to use is to think of each of these foods as a string in a very beautiful tapestry.

Pull one string and maybe nothing happens—or maybe the whole thing comes apart. We don’t know.”

But the Ark of Taste isn’t just about avoiding a public health or environmental crisis. It is “also about preserving cultures and traditions.”

But the Ark of Taste isn’t just about avoiding a public health or environmental crisis. It is “also about preserving cultures and traditions.”

“These foods and the stories they represent,” Megan says of the foods on the Ark, “are part of our cultural heritage. If we lose these flavors and their stories, we put ourselves in a less imaginative and less wonderful place.” The Ark of Taste is just as much about saving local customs—a particular way of making bread, a style of cheese, a regional candy—as it is about saving a plant species. In addition to everything else that it aims to achieve, the Ark of Taste strives to preserve the wonder and imagination that is part of how we feed ourselves.

The easiest way to get involved is to just start being aware of different varieties of foods. The Slow Food USA website lists all of the foods on the Ark, and the website Local Harvest notes which farmers grow specific Ark of Taste products in every region. Linda Elbert, who chairs the California Ark of Taste committee, urges people to explore products on the Ark with wonder and curiosity: “Eat them, talk about them, grow them! Talk to farmers at farmers’ markets—request these items so farmers see there is a demand.”

Another way to get involved is to nominate a product to be added to the Ark of Taste.

“If you are aware of something—a vegetable, a fruit, some kind of historical family recipe—you should contact your local Slow Food chapter,” Linda says. You can also fill out a nomination form on the 30

edible San Diego

spring 2014

Red Wattle Pigs (on the Ark of Taste) are being raised at TAJ Farms and

by Evan and Caden Maher of Valley Center. This breed of domestic pig originated in the United States. It is on the critically endangered list of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC).

Slow Food USA website. ’

Linda explains that the committee reviews nominated products to determine whether they will be added.

First they evaluate taste. “We’re not going to put anything on the Ark of Taste that doesn’t taste good,” she explains. Next, they look at an item’s history: whether it is connected to a particular area, culture, tribe, immigration wave, or time period. Then, they determine its method of harvest or production, specifically whether it is sustainable or whether it can be made to be. Finally, the committee looks at whether the item is endangered or under-appreciated or at risk of becoming either.

To become aware of lesser-known products, Megan suggests collecting oral histories from older family members or community members, to learn which foods and food traditions have played an important role in their lives, or in their parents’ or grandparents’ lives. She also suggests visiting local farms to learn more about lesser-known products, or to experiment in the garden. (You can order seeds for many of the products on the Ark of Taste through Seed Savers Exchange.)

Farmers and chefs can also take steps to promote biodiversity. Farmers, of course, can grow the vegetables and raise the animals on the Ark of Taste so that consumers and chefs can purchase them to prepare and eat. Chefs, Megan says, can give people “a pleasurable, interesting moment to discover these foods, a moment that is engaging and fun.”

Here in San Diego, biodiversity is thriving, if you look. Farms like JR Organics, Sage Mountain Farm and Morning Song Farm all grow products that are listed on the Ark of Taste. Some you may have heard of, like the Fuerte avocado and Meyer lemon; others may be curiously unfamiliar—the Mariposa plum, Aunt Ruby’s German green tomato, the Christmas lima bean, Amish

Photo: Chris Rov Costa

Dominick Fiume of Slow Food Urban San Diego is growing Puebla avocados. Originally from Mexico and brought to San Diego in 1911, they were prized for their heartiness and full-bodied, succculent flavor. Their thin skin made them less than ideal for commercial shipping.

deer tongue lettuce or the Rio Oso Gem peach. Several breeds of animals are also included on the list, some of which are being bred here in San Diego. The Red Wattle pig is being raised at TAJ in Valley Center and the Navajo-Churro sheep makes its home at Valley Center Middle School with Camille Marineau. Suzie’s Farm used to grow several crops from Ark until lack of consumer interest made it economically unviable to continue, which proves exactly the importance that this mission holds.

Linda explains Slow Food’s vision of success. She’d like to see “an understanding that it’s not just because purple carrots and purple cauliflower are fun, but [because] there is resilience in biodiversity and it is critical to our long-term survival in terms of diseases and pests.” Her ideal vision for the Ark of Taste is to “to have this become more mainstream … to see these products in grocery stores and restaurants and markets.”

thewellingtonsd.com • 729 w. washington st. sd 92103 • 619-295-6001

A Seafood Oasis in North Pacific Beach

Megan takes a more serious outlook. “For the first time in millennia, it is our fault. It is the fault of human beings,” she says of the environmental damage brought on by human behavior. “The Ark of Taste is our chance to take responsibility for that.”

But my favorite call to action is from Gary Nabhan: “When we conserve food diversity, we are not just saving genes, breeds or species, but we are saving taste, culture and livelihoods.”

Whether your aim is to save the planet or to savor a little bit of tradition, seeking out the diverse array of products on the Ark of Taste may be an adventure worth exploring.

D

Lauren Duffy Lastowka is a writer and editor interested in sustainability and preventive health. She formerly served as the managing editor of Edible San Diego and has had her writing appear in the San Diego Uptown News, SeriousEats.com and Inc.com. Contact her at LaurenLastowka.com.

THE FISHERY MARKET & RESTAURANT

Open Daily • Lunch & Dinner Sunday Brunch

5040 Cass Street • North Pacific Beach 858.272.9985 • www.thefishery.com spring 2014

edible San Diego

31

Photo: Matt Steiger

Backyard Chickens: Nature’s Little Recycle Factories

By Matt Steiger

32

edible San Diego

spring 2014

S

everal years ago we published a piece on keeping backyard chickens. At the time my first flock was five months old and I was consumed by visions of free eggs and had been sold on the idea of “gardener’s best friends” who would scrub my garden of weeds and bugs.

Four years into the experiment, I can tell you those notions were as naïve as they were stupid. Don’t get me wrong: I do want you to get chickens—but do it for the right reasons. Don’t do it for the eggs or the pest control; do it for the poop.

While it’s true that chickens will produce lots of fantastic eggs, raising them healthfully and organically is not cheap. Housing them securely is not free either.

Their production slows significantly beyond age two. And many people don’t seem to know that hens mostly stop laying in winter, even in San Diego. What you’re left with is typically eight months of way too many eggs, followed by four months of hardly any.

As for little helpers, no more blatant lie has ever been perpetrated against gardeners.

Some magazine articles would have you believe your hens will tread carefully through the veggie patch, delicately picking off bugs here and eating weeds. In truth, my birds do eat bugs and weeds, but only as they devour the entire garden and usually dig it up afterwards. This requires me to surround all my veggie patches with oh-so-lovely green plastic mesh.

But don’t despair! Whereas your eggs might be overly expensive and your gardens torn apart, keeping chickens taps you into an abundant “back-end” resource that they provide all day every day. When I first began, I was vaguely aware of the benefits of chicken manure (and the vast quantity I was about to receive). It wasn’t until someone asked, “Are you using the poop?” that I really began to understand. Chickens are nature’s cornerstone recyclers. They fill an essential niche in the garden and even, I daresay, the backyard ecosystem.

“ I had created a mini-ecosystem in my yard. Kitchen scraps, garden trimmings and spent brewing grain are fed to the birds, who convert these ‘waste’ products into delicious eggs and potent fertilizer.”

You see, before chickens I applied Miracle-Gro to my garden and threw kitchen scraps in the compost bin. I had a boom-andbust garden and my compost was a stinky, soupy mess. When my first birds came home, the food scraps started going to them.

Rather suddenly I had an abundance of chicken poop to deal with, which went to the compost in place of the scraps. That got my compost churning and burning and soon converted my garden to fully organic.

Without necessarily meaning to, I had created a mini-ecosystem in my yard. Kitchen scraps, garden trimmings and spent brewing grain are fed to the birds, who convert these “waste” products into delicious eggs and potent fertilizer. The compost fertilizes the garden, which grows more food, which feeds the birds; the cycle continues and I am able to enjoy omelets for breakfast.

I have also learned to mitigate feed costs and chickens’ appetite for destruction. It is simply a matter of focusing their abundant energy. I let my hens into the gardens in between seasons and ungrudgingly they eat the remaining plants, dig up all the grubs and till my soil.

For weed control, I built a chicken “tractor”—a simple frame of two-by-twos with a corrugated plastic roof and plastic mesh sides.

By confining the birds in this three- by eight-foot pen, I can focus their grazing to one area at a time. My five birds can gnaw and claw down a 12-inch-high clover patch in a matter of hours— eating for free and back-fertilizing in the process.

Between grazing my birds and feeding them scraps and trimmings, it only costs about $50 every two months to feed them organically.

In that same time I average six dozen eggs, which would mean I’m spending over $8 a dozen. However, I also produce about 15 cubic feet of organic compost in that same time—a street value of over $100. So while the organic eggs don’t repay the feed costs, the organic fertilizer more than makes up for it.

I’m a huge proponent of keeping chickens and I have no intention of ever stopping. They are natural little recyclers that will turn your hobby garden into a miniature (or even larger scale) organic farm.

They will provide constructive pest control, if used intelligently, and they will produce their weight in potent fertilizer at least once a month. And despite the cost, fresh pastured eggs can’t be beat. I might even argue it’s worth keeping chickens just for their quirky personalities—but that’s another story. D Matt Steiger is a physicist, fisherman, home brewer, urban farmer, forager and wannabe chef. He is always on the lookout for the best produce, fresh fish, great brews and the perfect cup of coffee. Follow him at thefoodlunatic.com, on Twitter @foodlunatic, or contact him directly at steigey@gmail.com.

spring 2014

edible San Diego

33

Fish 101: Ridiculously Awesome San Diego Seafood

By Matt Steiger

Photos by Lyudmilla Zotova John Park

L

iving so close to the ocean, you might expect it’d be easy to find a good fish place. A variety of migratory and resident species can be found just off our shores, and most are delicious and sustainably harvested.

Yet people still eat fish shipped from halfway around the globe, fish markets are thin on the ground and most restaurants give seafood a mere nod, with the obligatory fish taco.

I’ve spent over a decade looking for that perfect little fish shack, like you find in other coastal cities. Something unique and delicious that plays old standards, but also sticks out in your mind. I’m happy to report that I’ve finally found it in Fish 101.

Fish 101 is off the Coast Highway in Leucadia. It is founded and run by chefs John and Jessica Park, who met at culinary school in the Bay Area. They ran a restaurant up there, but John says they

34

edible San Diego

spring 2014

were drawn to San Diego.

“There’s such a great diversity of seafood here. There’s awesome fish to be had year round. We also saw there was an evolving food culture in San Diego, and we wanted to be a part of it.”

For John Park, the sea is a way of life. He loves surfing, diving and fishing and spent 15 years working as a sushi chef. He loves seafood, but felt pulled away from the sushi bar. “I just realized sushi was going the wrong way. When you go to a sushi joint all you see is farmed salmon and overfished tuna. The only real seafood they get, sometimes, is uni. I wanted to get into sustainability and start thinking local.”

Local it is. Fish 101 has some of the most local fish and produce around. “I get all my fish from local suppliers like Catalina Offshore. But I also buy regularly from local fisherman. They fish all night and call me at 6am to tell me what they’ve caught. We get

lots of yellowtail, halibut and [white] sea bass from right off our coast; those are our mainstays. Our produce comes from Farmer Leo’s, literally half a block away.”

At Fish 101, the Parks have created a quintessential and delectable West Coast fish shack. Their dishes seamlessly combine our local ingredients with influences from all our neighboring seafood cultures: Asia, Hawaii, Mexico and the Pacific Coast.

“Sometimes we’ll do a whole fried rockfish, topped with mojo de ajo, or steam it Asian-style with ginger and soy.”

I’ve sampled about 75% of the menu at Fish 101 and determined it’s impossible to order anything bad. The ahi poke is spicy and vinegary, slightly salty and alternating crunchy and melt-inmouthy. The ahi crudo is garnished with a Yuzukoshō (a paste of yuzu, chili and salt); it is gorgeous to behold and a revelation on the tongue. The clam chowder is creamy and delicious.

While the fish tacos are merely perfect, the crispy shrimp taco is

the best I’ve ever had. The veggie sides are also magnificent: tangy soy-glazed bok choy, healthy mushroomed quinoa and decadent caramelized Brussels sprouts with smoky bacon and pickled caramelized onions.

Everything at Fish 101 is made with impeccably fresh ingredients, prepared creatively and ridiculously delicious. Chef John’s guiding principle is simplicity.

“All our fish gets is a little EVOO and some finishing salt. I just buy the freshest ingredients, prepare them simply and let them shine. I’m proud of our raw preparations and our sides; those really highlight the quality of the ingredients.” I’ve found my new favorite fish place in Fish 101, and I’m going to make a point of stopping in whenever I can.

D

Matt Steiger is a physicist, fisherman, home brewer, urban farmer, forager and wannabe chef. He is always on the lookout for the best produce, fresh fish, great brews and the perfect cup of coffee. Follow him at thefoodlunatic.com, on Twitter @ foodlunatic, or contact him directly at steigey@gmail.com.

spring 2014

edible San Diego

35

Eat me!

I’m local.

Over 7 inspiring acres of fruit and shade trees, roses, shrubs, annuals, perennials, drought tolerant natives, succulents, vegetables, herbs and more.

Dine at the docks on the freshest fish in San Diego and support local fishermen.

Fresh Local Fish from Local Fishermen Sustainably Caught For daily specials, follow us on facebook

OMRI organic soils, mulches, fertilizers and pest control also available.

Come out and see us. We’re sure you’ll enjoy your visit!

Family owned and operated for 28 years.

1403 Scott Street, San Diego www.mitchsseafood.com

Mention this ad for 10% discount on your next purchase.

Cafe Merlot invites you on a culinary adventure!

We’re nestled on 11 acres of historic ranch and vineyard. Dine from our very own micro farm.

We plant, grow and cook to order every meal.

•

Cooking Classes speCialty events Culinary MeDiCine

26334 Mesa Rock Rd Escondido, CA 92026 (Frontage road on west side of Interstate 15, exit Deer Springs Rd) (760) 741-2144 Hours: Mon-Sat 8:30 – 4:30 Sun 9:00 – 4:30 plantworldescondido.com 36

edible San Diego

spring 2014

13330 paseo del verano norte san Diego, Ca 92128 858.592.7785 • www.cafemerlot.com

The Little Farm That Could Point Loma Farms Expands to Valley Center

By Caron Golden

I

t’s been an interesting road for Paul and Steve Reeb, owners of Point Loma Farms. When I first met the father-and-son team in 2009, they were just hitting the farm-to-table scene, gardening for Tender Greens at Liberty Station. The land they farmed was literally across the street in a hilltop one-acre Point Loma property Paul’s mom owns. In that suburban setting the Reebs worked around the backyard lawn and swimming pool, building a greenhouse and planting a canyon vineyard, as well as producing some 25 heirloom varieties of tomatoes, along with zucchini, radishes, artichokes and greens— basically whatever Pete Balistreri, chef/ owner of Tender Greens wanted.

Now, not only do they provide produce for Tender Greens, but they’ve added Local Habit, Bali Hai and BO-Beau Kitchen + Bar to their customer base. At some point something had to give and the Reebs needed to expand. In December 2012, they bought a 10-acre, certified organic orchard in Valley Center. If you’re into farming in San Diego, this neighborhood is where all the cool kids live. Driving up to the farm with Balistreri, we overshot a turn—ending up at Stehly Farms. In that neighborhood is also Bella Vado avocado farm, TAJ Farms, Polito Family Farms, Triple B Ranches and Schaner Farms. When we got back on track, we passed Chino Farms.

Nice ’hood.

Photos by Chris Rov Costa Paul Reeb and his wife, Kathy, now live in the small house on the property. Steve, a 2009 graduate of UC Santa Cruz with a degree in sustainable agriculture, still lives in Ocean Beach, making deliveries and caring for the Point Loma greenhouse when he’s not working with his dad in Valley Center. The new property is filled with mature Star Ruby and pink grapefruit, orange, avocado and Fuyu persimmon trees. In between the trees, the Reebs are laying out row after row of crops—Swiss chard and broccoli are shooting up in one spot. Yellow crookneck squash and carrots are popping up nearby.

There’s Red Russian kale, radishes, cauliflower, arugula and Brussels sprouts.

Above: Steve and Paul Reeb

spring 2014

edible San Diego

37

oak trees, persimmons, produce, alfalfa and organic grains. The Reebs also are raising rabbits and their three black Americana chickens enjoy a movable feast of food, thanks to the mobile chicken coop they built. The aim is to expand the flock to 50, with the eggs to go to Balistreri.

“This is the year of building,” Paul says with a grin. “Next year is for maximizing.

We’ve tried a lot of things; some worked, some didn’t.”

Heritage, heirloom Mangalitsa piglets dining on lettuce trimmings.

Intercropping within the orchard makes perfect sense to Paul Reeb. “The trees create shade for summer crops and simplifies irrigation,” he explains. “Plus, we’re trying to maximize space.”

In the fall, when I visited, the greenhouse was filled not with plants, but black trays of salt they’ve extracted from ocean water from Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

The Reebs sell the salt in eight-ounce jars to chefs. As the seasons change, the salt will be replaced with trays of tomato seedlings and other crops.

At least the greenhouse is complete. The men are still building their barn, a structure

38

edible San Diego

spring 2014

that will house a walk-in fridge to hold vegetables and goat milk (yes, they have the cutest little Nigerian dwarf goats, Lucy and Ethel, who each gave birth to twin girls in September). A second part of the barn will house hay and seed while the third will hold tools and be a workshop/art studio for Paul, who had a career in graphic design before farming—and is now painting.

The Reebs are also raising furry Mangalitsa pigs. Macon Bacon is the lucky sire. His mate Honey gave birth last November.

Their offspring will provide pork for Balistreri’s sausage-making venture. The pigs dine on acorns from the property’s

What is working is the quality of the produce. The Reebs, of course, have a devoted fan and friend in Balistreri, who is essentially a collaborator when it comes to the selection of crops to grow. “We always think of what Pete wants first,” says Paul.

“If it works, then we expand.”

For Balistreri, it’s an essential relationship.

He works with some other farmers and vendors to fill in the gaps—Point Loma Farms still can’t meet all the demand of the expanding Tender Greens restaurants— but he considers the Reebs partners. “I appreciate the care they put into how they raise their crops,” says Balistreri. “They’re so smart in how they’ve chosen to grow and I’m so glad to be a part of what they do.”

Katherine Humphus, BO-Beau’s executive chef, is another fan.

“They are the sweetest family with an amazing product,” she gushes. They met when the Reebs came in for dinner and mentioned they had a farm in Point continued on page 40

CERTIFIED AND NON-PROFIT

Saturdays 1-4pm

City Hall Parking Lot

10th & 11th delmarfarmers market.org Streets

An Urban Oasis 4 miles of trails on 37 acres, and the West Coast’s largest interactive Children’s Garden www.leucadiafarmersmarket.com

SAVE THE DATE

Herb Festival, Spring Plant Sale,Tomatomania!®, and Bromeliad Bonanza • March 15 – 16 Chocolate Festival •

May 10

230 Quail Gardens Drive Encinitas, CA 760/ 436-3036

SDBGarden.org

www.suziesfarm.com

in

spring 2014

edible San Diego

39

Discover San Diego Local Wineries

Family owned and operated for three generations, making artisan wines from local grapes since 1928.

Wine tasting daily.

Village shops and café.

Farmer’s Market Fridays 9-1.

13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte San Diego • 858.487.1866 bernardowinery.com

Row crops are grown between persimmon and Star Ruby grapefruit trees.

Loma. Then the restaurant started its “farmers’ market Wednesdays” to showcase local farms by creating specials with their products. “We used them for our first night,” recalls Humphus, “and they brought their entire family and a bunch of friends to come try it and celebrate.”

Handcrafted red, rosé and white wines, showcasing the Ramona Valley AVA. Bring a picnic and enjoy the views at our sustainable ranch. Dog friendly.

Open Sat/Sun 12 to Sunset.

23578 Highway 78, Ramona 760-789-1622 ramonaranch.net

Roadrunner Ridge Winery Taste our award-winning wines!

Open daily but call ahead.

Hours vary.

4233 Rosa Rancho Lane Rainbow, CA 92028 760-731-7349 RoadrunnerRidgeWinery.com

Now they’re regular customers, working with Paul on crop selections that include Swiss chard, arugula, persimmons, winter squash, French lettuces, beets and Brussels sprouts. And, Humphus loves the sea salt.

The Reebs have big plans for their expanded farm. Steve worked for Catt White of SD Weekly Markets for two years as an on-site market manager and intends to sell the family produce at a couple of farmers markets within a year.

They’re constantly experimenting with new crops and new farming methods. Forget sprinklers, they use tape to irrigate with the water drawn from their wells. “It reduces the cost of water enormously compared to sprinklers,” says Reeb.

“We’re always about finding the efficiencies of things.”

It has been an interesting transition. Forget planting seeds by making holes with a stick. Now they need a seeder.

And a tractor. And other big farm equipment.

®

Stehleon Vineyards Producing and Serving Local San Diego County Wines Check website for hours.

We specialize in award-winning red wines made only from Ramona Valley grapes. Located in the Ramona Valley AVA. Open by appointment.

298 Enterprise St. Suite D Escondido • 760-741-1246 StehleonVineyards.com

17073 Garjan Lane • Ramona steve@woofnrose.com 760-788-4818 • Woofnrose.com

40

edible San Diego

spring 2014

“We were urban farmers; now we’re figuring out how to do what we do on a larger scale,” laughs Reeb. “But we’re so lucky. I do what I love to do with my son. Pete and Tender Greens gave us a base to expand. We’ve been lucky to have a steady group of customers who have given us the ability to plan and grow without taking too many risks.”

D

Award-winning freelance writer Caron Golden is the author of the blog San Diego Foodstuff. She writes the Local Bounty blog for San Diego Magazine, appears frequently on radio, and has contributed to Saveur, Sunset, Culinate, Riviera, the San Diego U-T and the Los Angeles Times.

spring 2014

edible San Diego

41

{Local Marketplace}

{Resources & Advertisers} EVENTS BOMBAY BAAZAR A fundraiser to benefit Just Call Us Volunteers—a nonprofit that feeds those in need. April 27, 2014, 5–9pm at SILO in Makers Quarter. Enjoy local chefs' tasting menu, Masala Market and Bollywood Dance Party. Tickets at justcallusvolunteers.org

Cultural Fare & Cocktails served nightly Brunch on Weekends

1503 30th Street in South Park 619.255.0616 www.alchemysandiego.com

COLLABORATION KITCHEN Bring your own beer or wine and get ready for fun, great food and to learn about seafood from top San Diego chefs. These monthly events held on the warehouse floor always sell out and benefit San Diego children in need. Produced by Catalina Offshore Products and Specialty Produce. • facebook.com/ collaborationkitchen 3RD ANNUAL HEALTHY LIVING FESTIVAL 30 free workshops, seminars and cooking demos. 200 exhibitors with the latest healthy living products. Medical testing, belly dancing shows, massage, kickboxing and karate demos, yoga, Zumba and dance classes. Free admission! March 22-23, Del Mar Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall, Sat, 10-6; Sun, 10-5. • healthylivingfestival.com SUZIE’S FARM EVENTS Bread Making Workshop with Prager Brothers Artisan Breads at the farm, Sun, March 9, 9am to 2pm. Saturday Farm Tours depart 10am and 12:30pm, $10/person, $10/ bag. Also, U-pick, private tours and educational field trips available. More information: suziesfarm.com

New Location!

1929 Arnold Way, Alpine Tuesday 2:30–7pm alpinefarmersmarket.com 619-743-4263

Local, Seasonal, Organic Fare Serving you at the following farmers’ markets: Leucadia, Oceanside Sunset and State Street (State St. & Grand Ave. in Carlsbad Village) Catering • Cooking Classes • HolistiC HealtH CoaCHing

858-210-5094 • anneldrewskitchen.com 42

edible San Diego

spring 2014

SAN DIEGO BOTANIC GARDEN Herb Festival, Spring Plant Sale, Tomatomania!® and Bromeliad Bonanza, March 15-16. Lady Bug Day, April 5. ArtFest, Including Fine Art and Asian Art, April 12-13.

Spring Party with Bunny, April 19. Chocolate Festival, May 10. Palm, Cycad, Bamboo and Tropical Plant Sale, May 24. And Thursday Family Fun Nights return on May 29 and run through August 28! Check website event page for details.sdbgarden.org/events.htm BUTTERFLY FESTIVAL The Butterfly Festival at the Water Conservation Garden on April 5, 9am to 3pm celebrates the opening of the Dorcas E. Utter Butterfly Pavilion and the important role that butterflies play in our ecosystem. Workshops on making your own butterfly garden, activities for kids, education and entertainment. $5 for adults, $1 for kids 3 to 17.

12122 Cuyamaca College Dr. West, El Cajon, CA 92019 • (619) 660-0614 • thegarden.org

FARMS, FARMERS’ MARKETS & PRODUCE DISTRIBUTION SERVICES

BRIAN’S FARMERS’ MARKETS Weekly certified farmers’ markets: UTC, La Jolla Village Dr. and Genesee Ave. (Thur, 3-7); Golden Hill (Sat, 9:30-1:30); Point Loma (Sun, 9:30-2:30); and OPENING SOON, The Headquarters, 789 West Harbor Dr., (Sun, 10-2). Unique farmers’ market CSA. EBT Market Bucks accepted. • 619-795-3363 • briansfarmersmarkets.com DEL MAR FARMERS’ MARKET In the Del Mar City Hall parking lot. Vendors offer fresh, local produce from the communities of Vista, Carlsbad, Riverside, Valley Center, Bonsall, Fallbrook and stonefruit from the San Joaquin Valley. Open 1-4 pm on Saturdays year round. 1050 Camino Del Mar • 858-342-5865 • delmarfarmersmarket.org ENCINITAS STATION FARMERS’ MARKET At the corner of E Street & Vulcan every Wednesday, 5-8 May-Sept, 4-7 Oct-April. 40+ vendors sell local farm fresh produce, specialty meats and cheeses, flowers and artisan foods. Remember to bring your own reusable bags: no single-use plastic bags provided. • 760-651-3630 • encinitas101.com FARM TO OFFICE Local farmers Jeff and Nicolina Alves bring you farm fresh fruits and snack packs of nuts and dried fruits delivered to your office weekly. Gift options for office or personal use provide beautifully packaged baskets and shipping boxes filled with delicious California grown produce and hand made specialty artisan items. • info@farmtooffice. com • 209-712-2870 • farmtooffice.com GO GREEN AGRICULTURE Beautiful, tasty and tender produce (lettuce, spinach and kale currently) hydroponically farmed in San Diego County. Harvested and packaged with the roots attached, which continue to provide the plants nutrients and keep them fresh longer. Delivered within hours of harvest. • colin@GoGreenAgriculture.com • 760-634-2506 • gogreenagriculture.com HILLCREST FARMERS’ MARKET Sunday, 9-2 at the DMV on Normal St, with over 175 vendors. Locally grown fruits and veggies, beef, poultry, eggs, fish, artisan foods, gifts, arts, crafts, flowers, hot prepared foods, music---you name it! 3960 Normal Street • 619 299-3330 • hillcrestfarmersmarket.com NORTH SAN DIEGO FARMERS’ MARKETS Sundays 10:30-3:30 at the Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead. Fresh, locally grown fruits, veggies and herbs, eggs, honey, artisan foods, hot food and entertainment.

Always a traditional farmers’ market experience. I-15 at Via Rancho Pkwy, Escondido • northsdfarmersmarket.com

ALPINE FARMERS’ MARKET NOW on Tuesday, 2:30 - 7 at 1929 Arnold Way. Locally grown produce, meat, fresh fish, bread, eggs, nuts, cheese, artisan foods, gifts, arts & crafts, flowers, plants, succulents and hot prepared food items, picnic tables, shade and live music. 619-743-4263 • alpinefarmersmarket.com

RANCHO SANTA FE FARMERS’ MARKET Under NEW MANAGEMENT! Sundays, 9am – 1:30pm rain or shine. About 22 local farmers, 16 food artisans, artisan dog treats and accessories, tea, local meats and seafood and more. Sponsored by the Helen Woodward Animal Center. 16079 San Dieguito Rd. Rancho Santa Fe 92067 • 619-743-4263 • RanchoSantaFeFarmersMarket.com

BLUE TURTLE PRODUCTIONS FARMERS’ MARKETS Mira Mesa (Tue, 2:30-7; 2:30-6 winter-spring); State Street Farmers’ Market in Carlsbad Village (Wed, 3-6 winter); Kearny Mesa (Fri, 10:30-1:30), and Leucadia (Paul Ecke Central School) (Sun, 10-2). Local, farmfresh produce, seafood, meat, bread, flowers, specialty & artisan foods, hot prepared foods, arts & crafts and entertainment! 858-272-7054 • leucadia101.com

SD COUNTY FARM BUREAU FARMERS’ MARKETS San Diego County Farm Bureau sponsors weekly farmers’ markets: Linda Vista, 6900 Linda Vista Rd. (Thur, 2-7, and 2-6 in winter); City Heights, Wightman St. between Fairmount & 43rd (Sat, 9-1) and San Marcos on Restaurant Row, San Marcos Blvd. & Via Vera Cruz (Sun, 10-2). WIC and EBT Market Bucks accepted. • 760-580-0116 • sdfarmbureau.org

Thank these advertisers for their local and sustainable ethic by supporting them with your business.

SANTEE FARMERS’ MARKET Wednesdays from 3-6:30 pm at the Pathway Center, corner of Carlton Hills Blvd and Mast Blvd. Fresh fruits and veggies from local growers, prepared foods ready to eat or take home, honey, olives, bread, dates, herbs & spices, crafts, gifts and more! WIC, EBT & CCs • 619-449-8427 • santeefarmersmarket.com

(Thur, 5-9) and Leucadia Farmers’ Market (Sun, 10-2) • 858-210-5094 • anneldrewskitchen.com BEE GREEN VEGAN CATERING AND MEAL DELIVERY Fresh, organic, nutrient dense meals and smoothies prepared with local ingredients by expert chefs and a Nutrition Coordinator for maximum benefits, flavor and variety. Events Catering, Individual Home Delivery, Office Lunch Delivery and Family Plans available. BeeGreenMeals@gmail.com • 858-243-1409 • beegreenworld.com

SEABREEZE ORGANIC FARM CSA A traditional CSA offering to shareholders a wide assortment of sizes and types of deliveries of vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruit to accommodate almost any preference. Delivered to your doorstep or office each week or every other week. 3909 Arroyo Sorrento Rd. San Diego, 92130 • 858-481-0209 • seabreezeorganicfarm.org

{Local Marketplace} Gelato, Coffee & Panini

BELLAMY’S RESTAURANT Bellamy’s offers California Modern Cuisine with French influences. Chefs Patrick Ponsaty and Mike Reidy bring revolutionized French cuisine with a unique flourish to every dish. 417 West Grand Avenue, Escondido, CA 92025 • 760-747-5000 • bellamysdining.com

SD WEEKLY MARKETS Pacific Beach (Tue, 2-7), Fishermen’s Farmers’ Market, (on hiatus), North Park (Thu, 3-7), and Little Italy (Sat, 9-2). Cheese, bread, pastured meats, local seafood, honey, fruit, vegetables, flowers, wine, salt, chocolate, soups, sauces and oils, prepared foods, crafts and entertainment! • 619-233-3901 • sdweeklymarkets.com

BIER GARDEN OF ENCINITAS Casual open air environment. 32 Southern California microbrews. The best Bloody Marys in North County!

From scratch, local and sustainable California coastal cuisine. Gluten-free and vegan menu options. Happy hour Mon-Fri, 4-6pm & all day Wed. Brunch Sat & Sun, 10-2. 641 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, 92024 • 760-632-2437 • biergardenencinitas.com

SPECIALTY PRODUCE Freshly picked, organic and sustainably sourced produce, much of it local, from over a dozen farms each week. Great app for iPhone and Android with easy-to-use database of over 1200 produce items. Wholesale and retail. Farmers’ Market Bag & Box options. 1929 Hancock Street #150, San Diego • 619-295-3172 • specialtyproduce.com

BISTRO WEST Contemporary comfort food using the highest quality and freshest ingredients, much from their own 3-acre organic farm. Ask about the West Room for a party or meeting. 4960 Avenida Encinas, Carlsbad • 760-9308008 • bistrowest.com

STATE STREET FARMERS’ MARKET IN CARLSBAD VILLAGE Every Wednesday from 3 to 7pm, with over 50 vendors selling fresh, local and organic produce, meat, seafood, cheese, bread, prepared foods and handmade artwork right in the heart of Carlsbad Village, east of the railroad tracks. State St. and Carlsbad Village Dr., Carlsbad 92008 • 858-272-7054 • statestreetmarket.com

BLIND LADY ALE HOUSE A certified purveyor of honest pints. Local & craft brews, Neapolitan style pizza topped with fresh made mozzarella, local veggies and charcuterie housemade from sustainably produced meat. 3416 Adams Avenue, San Diego • 619-255-2491 • blindladyalehouse.com

SUZIE’S FARM Organic farm and CSA grows, sells and delivers USDA certified organic produce and micro greens to chefs 5 days a week, and to the public at many local farmers’ markets and through their CSA. Seasonal Tours with Lucila, and Second Saturday farm tours. Farm Stand open Tues, 3-7 & Sat, 10-2. 619-662-1780 • suziesfarm. com • 800-995-7776 • sungrownorganics.com

BURGER LOUNGE Great tasting hamburgers made from healthy ingredients and sustainably raised, grassfed beef. Menu appeals to health and environmentally conscious diners, vegetarians and salad lovers. Eight locations in SD County: Kensington, Coronado, Little Italy, Hillcrest, Gaslamp, La Jolla, Del Mar and Carlsbad! • burgerlounge.com CAFÉ MERLOT Dine from the bounty of their micro farm at the Rancho Bernardo Winery. They plant, grow and cook every meal to order. Cooking classes, specialty events, culinary medicine! 13330 Paseo del Verano Norte, Rancho Bernardo • 858-592-7785 • cafemerlot.com

RESTAURANTS, FOODIE DESTINATIONS & CATERING A.R. VALENTIEN Experience the art of fine dining in an elegant timbered room overlooking the Torrey Pines Golf Course. Chef Jeff Jackson’s cooking is market driven and sesaonal. For something special, reserve a seat at the Artisan Table (each Thursday night).11480 N. Torrey Pines Rd. • 858-453-4420 • lodgetorreypines.com

GLASS DOOR Casually sophisticated atmosphere atop Porto Vista Hotel with panoramic view of San Diego Bay. Seafood based menu (much locally sourced) prepared using techniques from Eastern Europe, Spain, Italy, France, Asia and Middle East. Craft cocktails & local microbrews. 1835 Columbia St. San Diego 92101 • glassdoorsd.com • 619-564-3755

ALCHEMY Light, healthy, sophisticated cultural fare, craft beer and cocktails. High-quality ingredients and local produce. 1503 30th Street, San Diego • 619-255-0616 • alchemysandiego.com

HARNEY SUSHI The most aggressive sustainability program of all Southern California restaurants. San Diegans’ perennial “best sushi” pick. Sushi made with sustainably harvested fish. 3964 Harney Street, San Diego • 619-295-3272, and 301 Mission Avenue, Oceanside • 760-967-1820 • harneysushi.com

ANNEL & DREW’S KITCHEN Mobile catering service featuring locally grown, organic produce. Specializing in events, farmers markets and private parties. At Oceanside Sunset

Downtown Escondido escogelato.com - 760.745.6500

CSA

delivered weekly to your home or offiCe

858-481-0209

SeAbreezeorgAniCfArm . org Visit…Explore…Experience We’re more than a nursery – we’re a destination! Nestled among mature oaks in the heart of Alpine, this community marketplace offers: • Unique artisan and re-purposed gift items • Handmade jewelry • Stone sculptures • Antiques and primatives • Birdhouses and willow furniture • Featuring organic coffee and tea

2442 Alpine Boulevard, Alpine • 619.452.3535 Tues-Sat, 9 am–5 pm | Sun, 10 am–4 pm spring 2014

edible San Diego

43

{Local Marketplace} Cleanses

Home Delivery

Food So Healthy It’s Sexy!

Catering

Weight Loss

Vegan Meals Delivered by Bee Green 858-243-1409

BeeGreenWorld.com

Dominick Fiume Real Estate Broker 909 W. University Ave. San Diego, CA 92103

619-543-9500 CalBRE No. 01017892

Available at: at: Available 11 66 11 66 NN AA TT II OO NN AA LL AA VV EE .. SS AA NN DD II EE GG OO M EE RR SS M M AA RR KK EE TT LL II TT TT LL EE II TT AA LLYY FF AA RR M 44

edible San Diego

spring 2014

JSIX Newly remodeled! Chef Christian Graves consistently delights and surprises with his farm-to-table and boatto-pan cooking using locally sourced ingredients and made-from-scratch methods. Great cocktails too! 616 J Street, San Diego • 619-531-8744 • jsixrestaurant.com

STARLITE Dinner. Cocktails. Late night dining. Cuisine that uses year-round local produce. Menu changes frequently to offer San Diego’s seasonal bounty. Wonderful Sunday Brunch! Great cocktails! 21 and up. 3175 India Street, San Diego • 619-358-9766 • starlitesandiego.com

LA VILLA Experience wholesome, beautiful food and an enchanting dining experience in the heart of Little Italy featuring rustic Italian flavors made with ingredients from local farmers and fishermen. Chef Josh Mount caters to those craving a local relationship with their food. 1646 India Street, San Diego • 619-255-5221 • lavillasd.com

TENDER GREENS Organic classics and daily specials using the best of seasonal ingredients, local farms and artisan foods. Easy on the wallet. San Diego locations: 2400 Historic Decatur Road • 619-226-6254; 4545 La Jolla Village Dr. at UTC • 858-455-9395; and 120 West Broadway, Downtown San Diego • 619-795-2353 • tendergreensfood.com

LOCAL HABIT Organic foods made from scratch using seasonally available local produce, house cured meats and homemade breads. Neopolitan style pizzas, small plates, fresh salads and sides, bruschetta and desserts all change seasonally. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options available. 3827 5th Avenue, San Diego • 619-795-4770 • mylocalhabit.com

THE FISHERY Seafood market at the center of the restaurant. Chef Paul Arias’ menu is market driven and changes seasonally.

Sustainably raised and wild caught fish and fresh, local produce. Try the 3-course Tuesday Tastings menu. 5040 Cass Street, San Diego • 858-272-9985 • thefishery.com

MITCH’S SEAFOOD Casual waterfront dining in the historic fishing neighborhood of Point Loma, serving up locally caught seafood with a view of the bay and the San Diego Sportfishing Fleet. 1403 Scott Street, San Diego • 619-222-8787 • mitchsseafood.com

THE RED DOOR RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR A casually elegant neighborhood hangout serving classic American comfort food. Organic produce sourced from their own ½-acre garden. If they can’t grow it themselves or buy it locally, humanely treated and sustainably raised, they don’t serve it. 741 W. Washington Street, San Diego • 619-295-6000 • thereddoorsd.com

RITUAL TAVERN Humanely raised natural Niman meat, Jidori chicken, sustainable seafood, and locally grown organic vegetables in simple, delicious dishes. Great wine and craft beer menu. Many vegetables and herbs grown in the patio seating area. 4095 30th Street, San Diego • 619-283-1720 • ritualtavern.com

THE WELLINGTON STEAK AND MARTINI LOUNGE Sultry, special and seductive, The Wellington is an intimate supper club in San Diego’s historic Mission Hills where the heritage of food is celebrated through fresh, responsibly grown and raised ingredients. Organic produce is sourced from their own ½-acre garden. Local seafood, humanely raised meat. 729 W. Washington Street, San Diego • 619-295-6001• thewellingtonsd.com

SEA AND SMOKE Chef Matt Gordon’s third restaurant explores fresh interpretations of American dishes celebrating simplicity and wholesome integrity, made with responsibly sourced meats, seafood and vegetables, served in a light and airy brasserie-style dining room, sprawling patio space and warmly lit, low ceiling bar. 2690 Via de la Valle, No. D210 at Flower Hill • 858-925-8212 • SeaAndSmoke.com

THE WINESELLAR & BRASSERIE 25 years of award winning fine food and wine. Romantic dining at The Brasserie, full bar and small plates at The Casual Side, great wine selection at the Wine Shop. Wine storage and locker rentals, ample free parking. Great for private parties and meetings. Centrally located on Sorrento Mesa. 9550 Waples St. #115. • 858-450-9557 • winesellar.com

SOLACE AND THE MOONLIGHT LOUNGE Though Chef Matt Gordon (Urban Solace, Sea and Smoke) serves comfort food like pork belly and beef cheeks, the focus here is on seafood, salads and smaller, sharable offerings. In Pacific Station, a LEED silver certified mixed use project just off Hwy 101. 25 East E St, Encinitas 92024 • 760-753-2433 • eatatsolace.com

TIGER! TIGER! Casual and comfortable. House baked breads, lots of excellent draught beer, salads, sandwiches, sausages and other hearty fare. Lunch served Fri– Sun. Back and front patios. Mondays are movie nights all summer long. 3025 El Cajon Blvd. • 619-987-0401 • tigertigertavern.com

SOLARE RISTORANTE & LOUNGE Authentic Italian cuisine with focus on fresh and locally sourced ingredients: fresh made pasta, organic produce, wild-caught fish and hormone free meat.

Large selection of wines, beers and craft cocktails. Happy hour Tuesday-Sunday, Tuesday wine specials, live jazz Thursdays. 2820 Roosevelt Rd., Liberty Station, Point Loma. • 619-270-9670 • solarelounge.com

URBAN SOLACE Modern American food with fantastic selection of sustainable organic and biodynamic West Coast wines wines, hand made cocktails and craft beers.

Committed to using naturally produced, hormone and antibiotic free meats, sustainably harvested seafood, local produce and eggs. Rotating vegetarian menu changes every Thursday night. 3823 30th St. San Diego 92104 • 619-295-6464 • urbansolace.net

SOLTERRA WINERY The kitchen serves predominantly Mediterranean tapas paired with the wines they produce using grapes sourced from local vineyards, Valle de Guadalupe and all over California, Currently they have 14 red varietals, three whites, rosé, port and late harvest wines. Ideal space for events and corporate meetings up to 160 people. 934 N. Coast Hwy 101, Leucadia 92024 • 760230-2970 • solterrawinery.com

WEST STEAK AND SEAFOOD Intimate and distinctive fine dining restaurant fused with creative culinary team and a “farm to table” approach based on the 3+ acre farm in Carlsbad they share with Bistro West. Prime steaks, chops and seafood. Ask about the West Room for a party or meeting. 4980 Avenida Encinas, Carlsbad • 760-9309100 • weststeakandseafood.com

GARDEN RESOURCES

HOME & GARDEN LIVING

GARDNER & BLOOME Helping create beautiful gardens for over 87 years, find Gardner & Bloome premium organic garden soil, potting soil, mulch and fertilizer products at Plant World Nursery (Escondido), El Plantio Nursery (Escondido), Joe’s Hardware (Fallbrook & Lake Elsinore), L&M Fertilizer (Temecula & Fallbrook) and Anderson La Costa Nursery.

MARKETPLACE AT ALPINE More than a nursery – a destination! Nestled among mature oaks in Alpine, this community marketplace has something for every shopper and is a great place to relax. Find local produce, food, live music, plants, soil amendments & unique items from local artists & crafters. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 9-5, and Sunday, 10-4. 2442 Alpine Blvd. (next to Janet’s) • 619-452-3535

GREEN THUMB SUPER GARDEN CENTER Coupon on page 28! Excellent selection of organic and natural solutions for your edible garden, as well as trees and shrubs, flowers, succulents and everything you need to take care of them.

Knowledgeable staff. Complete selection of home canning supplies. 1019 San Marcos Blvd. off the 79 fwy near Via Vera Cruz • (760) 744-3822 • supergarden.com

PROGRESS Conscientious products for the home and garden, sourced from small design studios. Highest quality and accessible pricing. Open Mon-Thur, 10-7; FriSat, 10-8; Sun, 12-5. 2225 30th Street, San Diego • 619-280-5501 • progresssouthpark.com SIMPLY LOCAL At The Headquarters in downtown San Diego find high quality, unique and handcrafted items from 57 local businesses all under one roof and beautifully arranged such as LoveTatum Jewelry, Verge Home, Grounded, Pubcakes, Caxao, Bella Vado, Jackie’s Jams and many more. 85 to 90% of the items sold there are actually made in San Diego County. 789 West Harbor Dr., San Diego 92101 • 619-338-0001 • SimplyLocalSanDiego.com

PLANT WORLD NURSERY ESCONDIDO Five acres of retail area offering a vast selection of shade and fruit trees, succulents and cactus, bedding, native and drought-tolerant plant materials, most grown on site. Knowledgeable, reliable staff. Easy access from Interstate 15 at Deer Springs Rd. exit. 26344 Mesa Rock Rd. Escondido, CA 92026 • 760-741-2144 • plantworldescondido.com REVOLUTION LANDSCAPE Specializing in the design, installation and maintenance of edible gardens and eco-friendly, water wise landscapes for businesses and private residences. • 858-337-6944 • revolutionlandscape.com

{Local Marketplace}

Making a Difference in This World ONE CUP and ONE KIDDO at a time!

All Natural • Gluten Free • Non-GMO • No Artificial Ingredients • No Sugar Added

Available at Tea Gallerie 7283 Engineer Rd. Ste. G

MEAT COOK PIGS RANCH A boutique ranch in Julian focusing on heritage pig breeds living in large, outdoor pens. No hormones or non-natural supplements are used. Whole-hogs, primal cuts, and individual cuts of pork, wholesale and retail. 8280 Clairmont Mesa Blvd., Suite 117, San Diego 92111 • cookpigs.com • cookpigs@gmail.com

SAN DIEGO BOTANIC GARDEN Four miles of garden trails on 37 acres, flowering trees, majestic palms, and the nation’s largest bamboo collection. Plants from all over the world thrive in a variety of microclimates. 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas • 760-436-3036 • sdbgarden.org

DA-LE RANCH Sustainably raised beef, lamb, pork, rabbit, chicken, turkey and other fowl at farmers’ markets. Custom order beef, pork and lamb by the side, half or quarter.

Find Da-Le at Escondido (Tue), Palm Desert (Wed), North Park (Thur), Anza-Borrego (Fri), Little Italy, (Sat), Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach, (Sun) farmers’ markets • da-le-ranch.com • dave@da-le-ranch.com

URBAN PLANTATIONS Design, installation and care of edible landscaping for your home and for corporate and assisted living gardens and Restaurant Supported Agriculture.

Over 25 years experience providing home orchard care, garden coaching and permaculture solutions. karen@UrbanPlantations.com • (619) 563-5771 • urbanplantations.com

Invite us to your next celebration!

THE MEATMEN Artisan dry sausages made using an old world, cold fermentation process. Find MeatMen at Ocean Beach (Wed), La Mesa (Fri), Poway (Sat), Leucadia (Sun) and both Oceanside farmers’ markets (Thur) • 619-708-9849 • meatmenstore.com

WATER CONSERVATION GARDEN Nearly five acres of displays showcasing water conservation through a series of beautiful themed gardens (native plant, vegetable, cactus, container and others), and how-to displays about mulch, irrigation, compost and more. Free admission for both guided and self-guided tours. Open daily, 9am4pm, 12122 Cuyamaca College Dr. West, El Cajon, CA 92019 • (619) 660-0614 • thegarden.org

TRUE PASTURE BEEF Grass fed beef CSA bred, born and raised by one family on two ranches in Southern and Central California. Treated humanely, never given grain or hormones, fed strict grass diet. 3 and 6 month contracts with auto-renew option.

Go to truepasturebeef.com/how-it-works/ • truepasturebeef.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY THRIVE WELLNESS Provides restorative acupuncture, holistic massage therapy, individualized fitness and postural alignment training, prevention-based health education, clinical psychology, and wellness products. They work with you to discover your balance in health, stress-reduction and activity.

4080 Centre Street, Suite 202, San Diego • 619- 795-4422 • thrivewellness.com

ORGANIZATIONS FEEDING AMERICA SAN DIEGO Serving 73,000 children, families, and seniors a week, Feeding America San Diego is leading our community in the fight against hunger. 460,000 San Diegans don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Feeding America San Diego distributes fresh, nutritious food throughout our community. 97% of

spring 2014

edible San Diego

45

{Local Marketplace}

Throw an exciting themed dinner party!

Our DIY (do-it-yourself) adventure dinner party kits make it easy to take your guests on a culinary journey to Morocco, Spain, India and more …

Our kits provide all the information, organic spices and organic dry ingredients you need to throw an adventure dinner party.

PassportDinners.com | Passportdinnersblog.com

you donation directly funds hunger-relief programs in San Diego County. • 858-452-3663 • feedingamericasd.org

available through Suzie’s Farm. Call to order : 800-9957776 • fax 619-662-1779 • sungrownorganics.com

JUST CALL US VOLUNTEERS JCUV serves healthy meals to those in need and gives cooking classes using fresh ingredients. Made up of chefs, food writers, nutritionists, farmers, market vendors, restaurant owners, teachers, engineers, bankers and people who love our community, this 501(c)3 corporation operates solely on tax deductible donations. 4445 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego 92117 • 619-631-5288 • justcallusvolunteers.org

SCHOOLS

SAN DIEGO COUNTY FARM BUREAU Leading advocate for the farm community. Promotes economic viability of agriculture balanced with good stewardship of natural resources. Membership open to all, helps your local farmers and has many benefits.

SDCFB sponsors three farmers’ markets: Linda Vista, Thur , 2-7; City Heights, Sat, 9-1; and San Marcos, Sun, 10-2. • 760-745-3023 • sdfarmsbureau.org SLOW FOOD Supporting good food in San Diego and Riverside counties since 2001. Be a part of the growing national movement to reclaim and preserve good food and food traditions. Three chapters: Slow Food San Diego, Slow Food Urban San Diego and Temecula Valley Slow Food. • slowfoodsandiego.net • slowfoodurbansandiego.org • temeculavalleyslowfood.org

PET CARE and LIVESTOCK SUPPLIES DEXTER’S DELI Suppliers of all natural diet and supplements for dogs and cats, including fresh raw foods and selected natural dry and canned foods. All are human-grade and chemical free. Two locations, 2508 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, 760-720-7507; and 1229 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, 858-792-3707 • dextersdeli.com JENNIFER’S FEED & SUPPLY Everything for goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks, horses, cows, pigs, sheep, dogs, cats, birds and small animals.

Private label wild bird mixes. Free animal nutrition seminars. Animal Ambassador Program. Organic chicken feed, Deliveries available. Check Facebook & website for live animal availability. 2101 Alpine Blvd, #B. 619-445-6044 • jennifersfeed.com

REAL ESTATE

New ownership!

URBAN DWELLINGS REAL ESTATE Dominick Fiume, Real Estate Broker, provides exceptional customer service with specialized knowledge of urban San Diego. CalBRE No. 01017892 909 W. University Ave. San Diego, 92103. • 619-543-9500

RESTAURANT SUPPLIES

Del Rayo Village Center 16079 San Dieguito Rd. Rancho Santa Fe • 619-743-4263 Sundays, 9am –1:30pm www.ranchosantafefarmersmarket.com 46

edible San Diego

spring 2014

SPECIALTY PRODUCE Freshly picked, organic and sustainably sourced produce, much of it local, from over a dozen farms each week. Great app for iPhone and Android with easy-to-use database of over 1200 produce items.

Wholesale and retail. Farmers’ Market Bag & Box options. 1929 Hancock Street #150, San Diego • 619295-3172 • specialtyproduce.co SUN GROWN Sungrown cultivates six categories of quality produce: micro-greens, micro-herbs, sprouts, micro-mixes, edible blossoms and specialty greens and shoots. Also

A CHILD’S GARDEN OF THYME Provides ideal early childhood experience for children from newborn to five years. Unique, garden-based programs founded on Waldorf Education principles and curriculum taught by highly experienced, Waldorf/ LifeWays trained teachers. Programs feature a natural, home-based environment. 710 Eucalyptus St. Oceanside, CA 92054 • 760-820-2248, and 4771 Maple St. San Diego, CA 92105 • 858-356-2248 • achildsgardenofthyme.com BASTYR UNIVERSITY California’s only fully accredited naturopathic medical school currently offers Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (ND) program and will add a masters program in nutrition and wellness this year.

Childbirth education and doula training offered through the Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations.

All programs combine multidisciplinary curriculum with emphasis on research and clinical training. 4106 Sorrento Valley Blvd. San Diego, CA 92121 • 858-2469700 • http://www.bastyr.edu/california

SEAFOOD CATALINA OFFSHORE PRODUCTS Recently remodeled wholesale and retail seafood market in a working warehouse open to public, with fresh sushi grade and other local fish and shellfish. Friday and Saturday cooking demos. Open M-F, 8-3; Sat, 8-2. 5202 Lovelock Street, San Diego • 619-297-9797 • catalinaop.com PACIFIC SHELLFISH Locally owned and operated for over 30 years. Fish, shrimp and lobster are wild caught unless specified otherwise. Seasonal and subject to availability. Inside The Fishery restaurant at 5040 Cass St. Pacific Beach • 858-272-9940 • fax 858- 272-9615 • thefishery.com

SPECIALTY RETAILERS CAFÉ VIRTUOSO Café Virtuoso strives to procure, roast and deliver the best quality 100% Organic, Fair Trade and otherwise sustainably produced and purchased coffee and tea to their wholesale and retail customers. 1616 National Avenue, San Diego 92113 • 619-550-1830 • cafevirtuoso.com CURDS AND WINE Home winemaking and cheese-making supplies.

Large selection of wine kits. Make wine at the shop! Cheese-making cultures and equipment available and cheese-making demonstrations. 7194 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego •858-384-6566 • curdsandwine.com ESCOGELATO Just off Grand Ave. in Escondido, EscoGelato’s luscious, super creamy gelato is full of intense flavor and made fresh daily with the highest quality ingredients including fruit sourced from local farmers at the Escondido Farmers Market. 122 South Kalmia, Escondido, 92025 • 760-745-6500 • escogelato.com PASSPORT DINNERS Unique adventure dinner party kits make it easy for you to taste the world, one country at a time.

Starting at under $12, these DIY kits provide all the information, organic spices and organic dry ingredients you need to take you and your guests on

a culinary journey to Morocco, Spain, India and more! • PassportDinners.com • Passportdinnersblog.com SOLAR RAIN A pure, great-tasting premium drinking water sourced from the ocean off San Diego, purified locally using a clean, renewable energy resource, and packaged in a biodegradable bottle. The only local bottled water packaged in biodegradable bottles. 760-751-8867 • solarrainwatery.com TEA GALLERIE Tea retailer and wholesaler sourcing the world’s finest organic teas and botanicals from the classic to the rare and exotic. Over 75 teas to choose from to spice up your life and stimulate your senses. 7283 Engineer Rd. in Kearny Mesa. 619-550-7423 • teagallerie.com

WINE & SPIRITS BERNARDO WINERY Oldest family owned and operated winery in So Cal (since 1927). Tasting Room open Mon-Fri, 9-5, Sat & Sun, 9-6. Village shops & studios open Tues-Sun, 10-5.

Café Merlot open Tues-Thur, 10-3, Fri-Sun, 8:30-3.

Farmers’ mkt Fridays, 9-12. Live music on the patio, Sundays 2-5. 13330 Paseo del Verano Norte, San Diego 92128 • 858-487-1866 • bernardowinery.com CHUPAROSA VINEYARDS 100% estate grown zinfandel, sangiovese, cabernet franc and malbec wines. Picnics on the patio overlooking the vines are welcome. Warm up by the fireplace this winter—inside the new tasting room! Open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 to 5pm. 910 Gem Lane, Ramona, CA 92065 • 760-788-0059 • chuparosavineyards.com EDWARDS VINEYARD & CELLARS Full bodied red wines served from a small, family-run outdoor tasting patio overlooking the vineyard. Their estate grown syrah, petite sirah, cabernet sauvignon and blends showcase the quality of the Ramona Valley American Vitacultural Area. Look for ‘Ramona Valley’ on their labels. 26502 Hwy 78, Ramona (toward Julian) • 760-788-6800• edwardswinery.com

Sauvignon Blanc, and Gold and Silver medals at 2013 Winemaker Challenge. 18750 Littlepage Road, Ramona • 760-787-0738 • milagrofarmvineyards.com RAMONA RANCH WINERY A boutique winery in the heart of the Ramona Valley with fine, handcrafted wines made from their own grapes and grapes from the Ramona AVA in small lots and sold exclusively at the winery. Open from noon to sunset on Saturdays and most Sundays, but please call to confirm. Picnics welcome. 23578 Hwy 78, Ramona, CA 92065 • 760-789-1622 • ramonaranch.net ROADRUNNER RIDGE WINERY A small winery in North San Diego County where all wine is made from their estate grown grapes. Featuring fruit forward Rhone style wines. No wimpy wines here, they aim to make San Diego County the next great grape growing region in California! Proud of their 35 years of award winning wine making experience. • 760731-7349 • roadrunnerridgewinery.com SOLTERRA WINERY Making the best wine possible using grapes sourced from local vineyards, Valle de Guadalupe and all over California, all red wines are aged in predominantly French oak barrels for 14-24 months. Currently they have 14 red varietals, three whites, rosé, port and late harvest wines. The kitchen serves predominantly Mediterranean tapas paired with the wines they produce. Ideal space for events and corporate meetings up to 160 people. 934 N. Coast Hwy 101, Leucadia 92024 • 760-230-2970 • solterrawinery.com STEHLEON VINEYARDS From the grapes to the winemaker, Stehleon Vineyards is San Diego grown. Stehleon wines blend four generations of agricultural heritage with local product and talent. • 760-741-1246 • StehleonVineyards.com THE WINESELLAR & BRASSERIE Great wine selection at the Wine Shop. Wine storage and locker rentals. Romantic dining at The Brasserie, full bar and small plate at The Casual Side. Ample free parking. Great for private parties and meetings. Centrally located on Sorrento Mesa. 9550 Waples St. #115. • 858-450-9557 • winesellar.com

MILAGRO FARM VINEYARDS & WINERY Milagro Farm Vineyards & Winery’s award winning, estate grown wines are complex, aromatic and world class. Recent winner of Best of Show Rose, Best of Class

TRIPLE B RANCHES A family business dedicated to producing San Diego’s finest wine grapes and premier estate wines. The wines embody the unique qualities of our region. • 760-7491200 • triplebranches.com VESPER VINEYARDS Brand new tasting room & winery NOW OPEN! Vesper Vineyards aims to expose wine drinkers to the diverse microclimates San Diego has to offer. They support local grapes and wine as well as all local agriculture and cuisine. 298 Enterprise St., Suite D, Escondido • 760-7491300 • vespervineyards.com VILLAGE VINO Accessible wine inventory reflecting a balance of old world favorites, esoteric hard-to-find producers and varietals reflecting tradition and typicity. The food is simple with emphasis on wine pairings. They work with local purveyors to secure fresh, organic ingredients whenever possible, and the menu changes seasonally.

Wine tastings 2-3 times a month. 4095 Adams Ave. San Diego 92116 • 619-546-8466 • villagevino.com VINAVANTI URBAN WINERY & TASTING ROOM A certified organic, urban winery focused on minimalintervention winemaking using locally sourced grapes. No added sulfites. Unfiltered. Unoaked. Native fermentation.

Naturally beautiful. 9550 Waples St. #115A, San Diego, CA 92121 • 877-484-6282 • Vinavanti.com WOOF’N ROSE WINERY Featuring award winning red wines made from 100% Ramona Valley American Vitacultural Area (AVA) grapes, mostly estate grown. Their flagship wine is the Estate Cabernet Franc. Open by appointment most days. Call to allow them to give you good directions and to confirm availability. • 760-788-4818 • woofnrose.com

MEDIA KSDS JAZZ 88.3 FM JazzWeek Magazine’s Large Market Station of the Year in 2011. Full-time mainstream/traditional jazz radio station licensed to the San Diego Community College District. Non-commercial and non-profit, community supported real jazz radio! • jazz88.org

Celebrating Sustainable Food Building Healthy Communities Promoting Food Justice GOOD, CLEAN & FAIR! Slow Food is committed to preserving food traditions and reviving the table as a center of family and community.

Join Slow Food and make a real difference.

Slow Food San Diego • slowfoodsandiego.net Slow Food Temecula Valley • temeculavalleyslowfood.org Slow Food Urban San Diego • slowfoodurbansandiego.org

spring 2014

edible San Diego

47

48

edible San Diego

spring 2014

FARMERS’ MARKETS MONDAY

Barona Open Air Market

3 – 6:30 pm winter 619-449-8427

Reopens March 24 1054 Barona Rd. Lakeside, CA 92040 3 – 7 pm 619-347-3465

State St. in Carlsbad Village

Escondido—Welk Resort #

40820 Winchester Rd. by Macy’s 9 am – 1 pm 760-728-7343

8860 Lawrence Welk Dr. off Old Hwy 395 3 – 7 pm, year round 760-651-3630

TUESDAY Alpine NEW DAY, TIME & PLACE! 1929 Arnold Way 2:30 – 7 pm 619-743-4263

Coronado

1st St. & B Ave., Ferry Landing 2:30 – 6 pm 760-741-3763

Escondido *

Grand Ave. btw Juniper & Kalmia 2:30 – 6 pm year round 760-740-0602

Mira Mesa *

Mira Mesa High School 10510 Reagan Rd. 2:30 – 6 pm (3 – 7 pm summer) 858-272-7054

Otay Ranch—Chula Vista

2015 Birch Rd. and Eastlake Blvd.

4 – 8 pm (4 – 7 pm winter) 619-279-0032

State St. & Carlsbad Village Dr. 3 – 6 pm (3 – 7 summer) 858-272-7054

Temecula*

Vista Main Street

On hiatus.

271 Main St. & Indiana Ave. 4 pm – 8 pm 760-224-9616

THURSDAY Carmel Valley

Canyon Crest Academy 5951 Village Center Loop Rd. 2:30 – sunset 858-945-5560

Chula Vista

Center St. off Third Ave. 3 – 7 pm (3 – 6 pm fall/winter) 619-422-1982

El Cajon #

Prescott Promenade on East Main Btw Magnolia & Claydelle Aves.

3 – 7 pm, year round 619-641-7510, x-277

Horton Square San Diego

225 Broadway & Broadway Circle 11 am – 3 pm, March thru October 760-741-3763

Linda Vista *#

Pacific Beach Tuesday Bayard & Garnet 2 – 7 pm 619-233-3901

6900 Linda Vista Rd. btw Comstock & Ulric 2 – 7 pm (2–6 winter hours) 760-580-0116

UCSD/La Jolla

North Park

UCSD Campus, Town Square at Gilman/Meyers 10 am –2 pm (Sept to June) 858-534-4248

WEDNESDAY Encinitas Station

Corner of E St. & Vulcan 5 – 8 pm, May-Sept 4 – 7 pm, Oct-Apr 760-651-3630

Fishermen’s Farmers’ Mkt. On hiatus.

4900 North Harbor Dr. 3 – 7 pm 619-233-3901

Ocean Beach

4900 block of Newport Ave. 4–7 pm (summer 4–8 pm) 619-279-0032

Santee *#

Carlton Hills Blvd. & Mast Blvd.

Pathway Center

CVS Pharmacy 3151 University & 32nd St. 3 – 7 pm year round 619-233-3901

Oceanside Market & Faire * Pier View Way & Coast Hwy. 101 9 am –1 pm 619-440-5027

Oceanside Sunset

Tremont & Pier View Way 5 – 9 pm 760-754-4512

SDSU

Campanile Walkway btw Hepner Hall & Love Library 10 am – 3 pm (Sept to June) www.clube3.org

Seeds @ City Urban Farm

14th & C Sts. San Diego City College 9:30 – 11:30 am (Sept to June) erempala@sdccd.edu

University Town Center #

Pacific Beach

Warner Springs

Poway *

La Jolla Village Dr. & Genesee Ave. 3 – 7 pm 619-795-3363 30951 Hwy 79 Warner Springs, CA 92086 3 pm – 6 pm (Sept – June) 760-782-3517

FRIDAY Borrego Springs

Christmas Circle Comm. Park 7 am – noon (October–May) 760-767-5555

Fallbrook

102 S. Main, at Alvarado 10 am – 2 pm 760-390-9726

Imperial Beach *#

Seacoast Dr. at Pier Plaza Oct-Mar, 2 – 6 pm, Apr-Sep, 2 – 7:30 pm info@ imperialbeachfarmersmarket.org

Kearny Mesa

North Island Credit Union pkg lot 5898 Copley 10:30 am – 1:30 pm 858-272-7054

La Mesa Village *

La Jolla Open Aire

4150 Mission Blvd.

8 am – noon 760-741-3763

La Jolla Elem. School Girard Ave. & Genter 9 am – 1 pm 858-454-1699

Old Poway Park 14134 Midland Rd. at Temple 8 am – 1 pm 619-440-5027

Ramona *

1855 Main St. (K-Mart pkg lot) 9 am–1 pm 760-788-1924

Rancho San Diego

900 Rancho San Diego Pkwy.

Cuyamaca College 9 am – 2 pm 619-977-2011

Rincon’s Outdoor Market

FIRST Saturday of each month 34323 Valley Center Rd. 9 am – 1 pm facebook.com/ RinconsOutdoorMarket

Scripps Ranch

10380 Spring Canyon Rd. & Scripps Poway Parkway 9 am – 1 pm 858-586-7933

Seaside

Corner of Spring St. & University 2 – 6 pm 619-440-5027

2475 Grand Ave. Mission Bay High School 10 am – 2 pm 619-890-5666

Rancho Bernardo

Southeast San Diego #

Bernardo Winery parking lot 13330 Paseo del Verano Norte 9 am – noon 760-500-1709

SATURDAY City Heights *!#

On Wightman St. btw Fairmount & 43rd St. 9 am – 1 pm 760-580-0116

Del Mar

1050 Camino Del Mar 1 – 4 pm 858-342-5865

Golden Hill #

4981 Market St. (west of Euclid Ave. Trolley stop) 3 – 6 pm 619-262-2022

Temecula *

University Heights Open Aire 4100 Normal St., corner of Park Blvd & El Cajon Blvd 9 am – 1 pm 760-500-7583

Vista *#

La Costa Canyon

SUNDAY

Date St. (Kettner to Union) 8 am – 2 pm 619-233-3769

Murrieta *

Village Walk Plaza I-15, exit west on Calif. Oaks/ Kalmia 9 am – 1 pm 760-728-7343

North San Diego #

Sikes Adobe Farmstead 12655 Sunset Dr. Escondido 10:30 am – 3:30 pm year round 858-735-5311

Point Loma #

Corner of Cañon & Rosecrans 9:30 am – 2:30 pm 619-795-3363

Rancho Santa Fe Del Rayo Village 16079 San Dieguito Rd. 9 am – 1:30 pm 10 am – 2 pm fall/winter 619-743-4263

Restaurant Row, San Marcos Blvd. & Via Vera Cruz 10 am – 2 pm 760-580-0116

Solana Beach

410 to 444 South Cedros Ave. 1 – 5 pm 858-755-0444

The Headquarters Opens Mid-March!

Old Town Temecula Sixth & Front St. 8 am – 12:30 pm 760-728-7343

County Courthouse 325 Melrose Dr. South of Hwy 78 8 am – 1 pm 760-945-7425

Little Italy Mercato

Paul Ecke Central Elem. School 185 Union St. & Vulcan St. 10 am – 2 pm 858-272-7054

San Marcos *#

B St. btw 27th & 28th Sts. 9:30 am – 1:30 pm 619-795-3363 On hiatus.

One Maverick Way, Carlsbad 10 am – 2 pm 760-580-0116

Leucadia *

Gaslamp San Diego 400 block of Third Ave. 9 am – 1 pm 619-279-0032

Hillcrest

DMV parking lot 3960 Normal & Lincoln Sts. 9 am – 2 pm 619-237-1632 spring 2014

789 West Harbor Dr. 10 am – 2 pm 619-795-3363

*M arket vendors accept WIC (Women, Infants, Children Farmers’ Market checks) # Market vendors accept EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) ! Currently only City Heights accepts WIC Farmers’ Market Checks and the WIC Fruit and Vegetable Checks.

All San Diego County markets listed except Barona, Rincon, SDSU and Seeds @ City are certified by the County Agricultural Commissioner. Visit ediblesandiego.com and click on “Resources” for more complete information and links to farmers’ market websites.

edible San Diego

49

M E M B E R-S U PPORTE D, COM M E RCIAL-FR E E, COM M U N ITY RADIO

Giving young musicians a start is music to our ears.

Jazz 88.3’s Music Matters program provides instruments to San Diego school kids who might not otherwise be able to play music. This is just one of many ways Jazz 88.3 strives to be a contributing member of our community.

Your membership helps support this and other community programs.

Become a member now. Jazz88.org

MOR E THAN A RADIO STATION