Edible San Diego Common Ground Issue 73 Spring 2024

B r o u g h t t o y o u b y S a n D i e g o C o u n t y F a r m B u r e a u

M e e t y o u r l o c a l

f a r m e r s a n d

f r i e n d s ! G e t t h e i n s i d e s c o o p o n w h a t ' s g r o w n a n d

m a d e h e r e . T h e b e s t w a y t o s u p p o r t y o u r l o c a l f a r m e r s i s t o k n o w t h e m .

Thursday, May 2nd 6-8:30pm

Carlsbad Flower Fields

T a s t e t h e b o u n t y f r o m S a n D i e g o C o u n t y t h r o u g h

l o c a l l y g r o w n a n d c u r a t e d

b i t e s a n d

b e v e r a g e s a t t h e i c o n i c C a r l s b a d

F l o w e r F i e l d s .

Tickets $65 available at www.sdfarmbureau.org/graze-at-the-fields

n g o f a g r i c u l t u r e .

BEYOND THE BAGEL SMOKED SALMON ISN’T JUST FOR BREAKFAST ANYMORE!

Kvarøy Arctic Smoked Norwegian Salmon is the perfect way to add salmon to your dishes any day of the week. At Kvarøy Arctic, our smokehouse experts naturally smoke the salmon with extravagant care and technique, creating a luxurious mild flavor that will transport you to the great Norwegian outdoors.

CONTENTS

Make garden

with us this spring. We

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• In Season: Spring in San Diego

• The Perfect Spring Salad with Kumquats and Green Garlic Vinaigrette

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• Beet Carpaccio with Burrata and Pistachios

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

SEEING AND BEING

Hi Stardust! So glad you’re here as our patch of the planet angles closer to the sun a.k.a. springtime. One of my favorite books, The Life and Death of Planet Earth (2003), tells the story of our planet as a biography, which enables the authors to weave the very micro to the very macro scale into a summary of how fortunate we are to call this place home.

As Anais Nin put it, “We see the world not as it is, but as we are.” Our modern lifestyles can cause amnesia, so we again dedicate our spring issue to the land. Let’s get back to basics and remember how fresh, wholesome food comes from a magical dance between diverse life-forms— living soils, water, pollinators, and human hustle—happening all around us.

This spring issue brings you timely inspiration for the kitchen, garden, and rubbing elbows with other locally minded folks. For luscious seasonal meals, try chicories raw or cooked, and wander among our many spring recipes online (scan the QR code on page 6). Let your inner child play with edible flowers and any veggies at hand to decorate fragrant, versatile focaccia, recipe compliments of Solare Ristorante. Also, thank you to Myles Mellor for his crossword puzzle and to Barefoot Books and Edible Boston for spring’s Edible Kids section.

On the getting-our-hands-in-the-dirt theme, seed exchange programs around the world offer gardeners access, control, and community by sharing crops well-suited to local growing conditions. And California bumblebees get some much-deserved attention. Besides their amazing coevolution with native plant communities and their help pollinating food crops, they are just so gorgeous.

For springtime excursions, join us in applauding the Lodge at Torrey Pines’ 21st Celebrate the Craft food festival this April and their year-round celebration of local purveyors. Research at the San Diego Botanic Garden connects scientists, Indigenous advisors, and visitors in learning about all that plants offer us. When it’s cocktail time, we offer thoughtful and very botanical options from mixologists and creators.

Giving voice to the land this spring, we share a pledge of awareness and action relating to our region’s first peoples and focus our feature story on San Pasqual Valley, an example of how agriculture and biodiversity can shine together. Continuing our series on San Diego County winemakers, we explore regional AVAs because knowing more will make you want to try these wines.

Did you notice our new back page? It’s been redesigned to make room for a mailing label and eliminates wasteful paper envelopes previously used for subscriber mailed copies. Our partially recycled paper and soy-based ink are two other ways this magazine does business in a planetconscious way. We appreciate hearing about how you keep these seasonal issues like books. Please consider sharing them with a friend before recycling.

If I could wish for one takeaway from this edition, it would be that we each pause to notice our bodies, senses, cultures, and lifestyle choices in connection to the land we rely on for our well-being. May the earth’s miraculous life force inspire us every day.

Katie Stokes

Publisher and Editor in Chief Edible San Diego

For information about advertising options, rates, and deadlines please contact katie@ediblesandiego.com.

No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher. © 2024 All rights reserved.

Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions. If an error comes to your attention, please let us know and accept our sincere apologies.

This magazine is made possible thanks to Edible San Diego advertisers, members, and subscribers. Thank you for supporting San Diego’s local, independent, and woman-owned food media company.

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edible SAN DIEGO ISSUE 73 CONTRIBUTORS

Patrick Ballow is a San Diego native that has worked in the San Diego wine industry since 2005. He opened Vino Carta in 2016 and continues to manage both Little Italy and Solana Beach locations. He is one of the co-organizers of Nat Diego, San Diego’s yearly natural wine fair. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with his two sons, cooking for friends and family, snow skiing, and playing tennis.

Barefoot Books is an award-winning, independent, women-owned and run children’s book publisher based in Concord, MA. Founded by two mothers in England in 1992, they are committed to creating visually captivating books that celebrate global awareness and diversity, spark curiosity, and capture imaginations.

Lauren di Matteo is a San Diego-based storyteller capturing the beauty of heritage and hard work, celebrating the inherent dignity of her subjects. She is drawn to stories of craftsmanship, sustainability, regenerative agriculture, and ethical sourcing, and is passionate about bringing those topics to light. Whether photographing a Michelin-starred chef or farmer in foreign fields, it’s the commitment to craft and persistence through hardship that inspires Lauren’s work.

Haley Hazell is a San Diego-based art director, photographer, food stylist, and recipe developer. She attended culinary school at San Francisco Cooking School and now resides in San Diego with her husband and daughter. For Haley it is all about balance—balancing careers, tastes, and textures. She loves to cook and eat with the seasons, letting the amazing peak produce from her local farmers’ markets inspire her recipe writing.

Maria Hesse is the executive editor and designer of Edible San Diego. Her interest in functional arts led to a degree in interior design, which inspires her passion to be an advocate for sustainable living through food. She enjoys balcony gardening and designing crochet patterns in her downtime. Find her @mariafromediblesd and @waysidestudiowest on Instagram.

Paul Hormick is a horticulturist and environmentalist with a master’s degree in environmental science and policy. As a freelance writer, his interests are in the environment, current events, music, and the arts. He is the author of As We Believe: Conversations of Religion and Faith. Paul lives in San Diego with his wife, Bryna. Carly Lake creates vibrant watercolor and digital illustrations for books and print. Her debut picture book, Waa’aka The Bird Who Fell in Love With the Sun (Heyday Books), follows a Tongva creation story. She also creates with and teaches about natural dyes, exploring ethnobotanical histories and landscapes locally and around the world. Carly received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and minor in Native American Cultures from California State University at Long Beach. See more of her artwork at carlylake.com and @sea.lake on Instagram.

Martin S. Lindsay is the board chair for the Culinary Historians of San Diego, a nonprofit providing free public lectures on food and culture. Find events and info on chsandiego.org. He also curates the historical blog Classic San Diego at classicsandiego.com.

Liz Murphy is a local plant-based chef and sustainability warrior. Find her cookbook, Kitchen Contentment, at santoshanutrition.com or look for it at local San Diego shops.

Julie Pendray has experience working in the natural resources and environmental field as well as moonlighting in the food industry and traveling for stories. She is a certified master composter, an avid gardener, and loves to learn about nutrition. She has covered California as a journalist for over four decades.

Colin H. Richard is an educator and storyteller active in environmental, sustainability, and community development issues in Southern California and internationally. He is a graduate student in social innovation at the University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies. Colin brings 20+ years of experience in regenerative agriculture, conservation, and tourism with a regional focus on East Africa. Learn more at colinhrichard.net.

Cindy Saylor is an herbalist and nutritionist with over 1,000 hours of training in herbalism and vitalism. She’s lived in San Diego most of her life and loves to spend time in nature, garden, cook, travel, explore art, and hang out with her human, animal, and plant families. Find her on Instagram @everydayplantmagic.

Luke Schmuecker is a creative director, photographer, and the founder of Farnam West Creative, a brand strategy and creative collective based in San Diego. He has worked on projects for everyone from Food & Wine to the Tennis Channel. In his free time you can find him wandering the aisles of grocery stores, analyzing branding, seeing what’s new, and trying to predict the future.

Katie Stokes is the publisher and editor in chief of Edible San Diego. Winner of the 2020 San Diego Press Club Rising Star Award, she brings a love of family, nature, gardening, cooking, animals, reading, and travel to her leadership of a small team unified around the biggest of missions—raising awareness of regenerative living.

IN MEMORIAM

Two springs ago, we had the pleasure of working with Richard Bugbee on a very special edition about climate change. Richard, Payómkawichum (Juaneño/Luiseño) culture keeper and ethnobotany instructor, gifted us with his time, wisdom, and knowledge. I will always treasure the moments of his storytelling with the sights, sounds, and scents of chaparral all around us. May we honor his memory well.

Katie Stokes Publisher and Editor in Chief, Edible San Diego

CHICORIES

BY LIZ MURPHY

You’ve likely seen, and have probably even eaten or purchased, a chicory of some kind. There are different types of chicories, but the more commonly known cultivars include radicchio, endive, frisée, and escarole. Early to mid-spring is the peak season for chicories when crisp weather helps lock in their signature crunch and flavor.

Although often used raw in salads, many chicory varieties like endive and radicchio are delightful when cooked. Braising and grilling these bitter vegetables helps to bring out a contrasting sweetness and texture. Creamy, rich flavors from ingredients like white beans, butter, and cheese (plant-based or dairy) pair perfectly with cooked chicories. Chopped up escarole is an exceptionally satisfying leafy green to try in a slow-simmered soup, while brightness from other seasonal stars like kumquats will add beautiful citrus flavors in salads.

Expert advice

Avoid cutting chicories with a knife, as they tend to oxidize quickly. Instead, use your hands to tear the leaves when needed.

Fun fact

Common chicory root became a popular substitute for coffee during the 18th and 19th centuries due to increased coffee bean scarcity and prices. It remains a common substitute for or addition to coffee in many areas of the world, most popularly in New Orleans.

Garden planners

San Diego Master Gardeners say the best planting dates are September to May for coastal growers and September to April for inland zones.

» mastergardenersd.org/endive-and-chicory

To grow, try starting from seed with a packet of regionally adapted Gourmet Blend Chicory Seeds from San Diego Seed Company for a mix of green, purple, red, and white Italian heirloom chicories. Community seed banks and swaps are also great places to share different varieties and growing tips (read more about seeds on page 40).

» sandiegoseedcompany.com

3 seasonal recipes featuring chicories

• Endive and Frisée Salad with Citrus and Balsamic

• Grilled Radicchio with Nectarines and Parmesan

• Escarole Salad with Tomato Dressing

Scan the QR code for online recipes. 

5 chichory varieties

Belgian endive

Escarole

Frisée

Radicchio

Chicory root

A CASE FOR LIVING ON GARDEN FOCACCIA

BY MARIA HESSE • RECIPE COURTESY OF SOLARE RISTORANTE • PHOTOGRAPHY BY HALEY HAZELL

Whenwe decided to put garden focaccia on the cover, the big question that had to be answered was: Who has one of the best focaccia recipes in San Diego? Whether it’s a focaccia with a crispy bottom or one with a chewy top crust, we’ve never met a focaccia we didn’t like. This wasn’t a contest about who does it better or which version is more authentic. It was a matter of doing good public service to make this focaccia recipe available for anyone to try at home.

Solare Ristorante serves their signature rosemary focaccia to every table. If you’ve been, you know the pillowy and flavorful bread here makes a lasting impression. Owner Randy Smerik says they were even selling garden focaccia for takeout during the pandemic when 100% of food service was to-go and menu offerings had to get creative.

Focaccia is known to be an easy bread for home bakers to master—and it’s multipurpose. This dough can even be rolled out to make a thin pizza crust, according to Maria Crivello, Solare’s morning prep cook. Affectionately known as the kitchen nonna, Crivello has worked at Solare for 11 years and has been making focaccia since a time in Palermo, Sicily, when neighbors would gather to bake seasonal focaccia like these in community ovens. We trust her when she says this focaccia bread recipe “is beautiful.”

Solare’s executive chef Denice Grande and bread chef Brian Smerik prepare batches of this easy and fluffy dough starting with Caputo 00 flour from Italy, plenty of olive oil, salt, and freshly chopped rosemary.

This base focaccia is a bread that one could live on, but if you want to add more to it, the possibilities are endless.

Decorating garden focaccia is a great all-ages group dinner activity. To make garden focaccia, adorn dough of different shapes and sizes with nearly any edible topping. Leave some decorative ingredients whole, pull others apart, or slice them down into different shapes. Microgreens, edible flowers, and mini crudités grown by Fresh Origins—a San Diego farm known by chefs and restaurants for stunning specialty ingredients—make the decorating easy. Specialty Produce has a large selection from the catalog of Fresh Origins products available to purchase where we grabbed other veggies like leeks (perfect for making delicate rings).

When dressing the dough, consider how both appearance and flavors will combine with a sense of adventure. The baked result might surprise you both visually and in taste.

Focaccia is delicious served with a simple salad, a plate of your favorite pasta, and a glass of wine if you’d like. Or make garden focaccia for yourself and devour it with a plate of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. No matter how you eat or who you eat it with, this is a bread to break with appreciation for the simple pleasures that food brings us and the beauty that grows from the land we stand on. D

» solarelounge.com

» freshorigins.com

Solare Ristorante’s Rosemary Focaccia

Try this recipe to make Italian focaccia in your own home. When it’s made fresh at the restaurant with imported Italian 00 flour, it’s super fluffy and tasty.

Enjoy!

Denice Grande, executive chef

Suggested Equipment

Oven

Kitchen mixer with dough hook

Rolling pin

9x13-inch sheet pan

Kitchen scale

Knife and cutting board

All measurements provided in metric for most accurate baking results. Conversion calculators are available online if US standard measurements are preferred, but outcomes may vary.

SERVES 6–10

20 grams fresh yeast

300 milliliters filtered water (room temp, 70°–80°)

20 grams extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking

600 grams Italian 00 flour

15 grams fine sea salt

10 grams sugar

2–3 sprigs fresh rosemary, about 10 grams

Coarse sea salt, to finish

Vegetables and flowers for decorating (optional)

Measure out all ingredients, finely chop fresh rosemary, and set aside.

Add yeast, water, and olive oil to a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Set to mix on low–medium speed for 5 minutes. Add flour, salt, sugar, and rosemary to the dough and continue mixing at low–medium speed until the dough is cleaned away from the walls of the mixing bowl and the internal temperature reads between 70°–80°, about 10 to 15 minutes. Letting it mix longer is usually best.

Remove the dough from the mixer and place on a floured surface; form the dough into a ball with smooth edges.

Cover the dough ball with a tea towel (or plastic film) and let it rest on the floured surface until it is approximately double in size, 20 to 30 minutes.

Once the dough finishes rising, use your fingertips to poke

(de-gas) and press the dough open into the shape and size of your pan. Finish with a rolling pin to bring the dough to the right measurements.

Add a heavy glug of olive oil to grease the sheet pan, transfer the dough, and spread it out evenly with finger tips to fill in the corners of the pan. Add more oil and rub over the top of the dough. Decorate as you like by pressing fresh flowers or vegetables into the top of the dough and lightly sprinkle with coarse sea salt to finish.

Cover the dough again with a tea towel (or reusable sheet of plastic film) and let rest in the refrigerator if you plan to use it in the next 36 hours, or let it rest near a warm oven for 1 to 2 hours until well risen, about doubled in height.

When it’s ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°. If using a convection oven, it will take about 15 minutes to bake and between 25 to 35 minutes in a conventional oven. It’s done once the top of the focaccia is golden and the internal temperature is above 190°.

Find more seasonal cooking inspiration with spring recipes on ediblesandiego.com and tag #ediblesdiscooking in your pics. 

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COMING OF AGE

CELEBRATE THE CRAFT FOOD FESTIVAL TURNS 21

BY MARTIN S. LINDSAY, AIGA

What began 20 years ago as a small seated dinner at the then newly opened Lodge at Torrey Pines has since grown into one of the area’s premier culinary events. Celebrate the Craft is held on the Lodge’s outdoor Arroyo Terrace, overlooking Torrey Pines golf course and the Pacific Ocean beyond. San Diego chefs and food artisans are partnered with farms, winemakers, craft breweries, and distillers to showcase their creativity with local products. It allows us to meet the people who grow our food and feed the community.

The Venue

The Lodge at Torrey Pines looks like a century-old historic inn but was designed and painstakingly crafted a mere 20 years ago in the Greene & Greene Craftsman style. A proposed Torrey Pines Lodge was initially designed in 1958 by Richard George Wheeler to be developed on land leased from the city next to the La Jolla Municipal Golf Course. The following year, the City of San Diego terminated the lease, as few councilmen approved of Wheeler’s Japanese-inspired design.

In 1962, the Torrey Pines Inn was built in its place. San Francisco architect Takashi Enomoto designed the 74-room hotel and pro center in the sukiya-zukuri style. The Bill Evans family, owners of the Bahia Resort and Catamaran Hotel, purchased the hotel in 1995 and completely transformed it into a 170-room luxury resort, the Lodge at Torrey Pines.

The Event

Chef Jeff Jackson came to the Lodge from a 10-year stint at Shutters restaurant in Santa Monica. He started Celebrate the Craft in 2000 to showcase San Diego’s growing farm-to-table movement, collaborating with like-minded chefs and farms. “The ethos of my cooking and Bill Evans’s vision for the Lodge, the architecture, its naturalness,” Jackson explains, “just all fit hand in hand.” At the time, Jackson maintained relationships with many of his suppliers from the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market. “Celebrate the Craft came about to bring these farmers to San Diego and introduce them to the local culinary community,” Jackson says. And we’re so lucky he did. Jackson is now the corporate culinary advisor for Evans Hotels.

Executive chef Kelli Crosson coordinates the event. “It’s a big job scheduling the event and pairing chefs with farms and local artisans,” Crosson says. But it’s a gathering she looks forward to every year. Crosson has been with Evans Hotels for 14 years and heads up the Lodge’s restaurants. Chef Crosson’s menus change daily, depending on the seasonal ingredients available. “It‘s ingrained in my whole being,” she says. Her upbringing on a 40-acre citrus ranch in Central California informed Crosson’s philosophy of using local produce and provisions. And that hard-work farming ethic carries through to Celebrate the Craft and all its participants.

Chefs can become well-known, but what about their suppliers?

Crosson aims to make the event a celebration of the farmers. “It’s an inspiring opportunity for younger chefs to meet and cook with their purveyors. It’s what farm-to-table is all about,” says Crosson. “We want to ensure they understand the importance of using the freshest ingredients possible.”

Although he was classically trained and awarded the Bocuse d’Or USA gold cup for his French cooking, Jackson muses, “It’s much more difficult to cook simply—because there’s nothing to hide behind.” As he says proudly, Celebrate the Craft introduces us to that simple, fresh food “that touches your soul.”

WHAT WHERE

21st Annual

The Lodge at Torrey Pines

Celebrate the Craft 11480 North Torrey Pines Rd. April 14, 2024 La Jolla, CA 92037

11:30am–3pm

» lodgetorreypines.com

This year’s festival benefits The Ecology Center, a Regenerative Organic Certified farm and education center in San Juan Capistrano.

» theecologycenter.org

FOOD

LODGE AT TORREY PINES

edible SAN DIEGO LOCAL MARKETS GUIDE

Regional farmers’ and fishermen’s market listings for San Diego County

MONDAY

Escondido—Welk Resort √† 8860 Lawrence Welk Dr. 3–7pm

TUESDAY

Coronado √

Ferry Landing

Near 1st St. & B Ave. 2:30–6pm

Escondido √*

South Bay √

Across from Chula Vista Golf Course 4475 Bonita Rd. 3–7pm

THURSDAY

Linda Vista √*† 6939 Linda Vista Rd. 2–7pm

North Park √*†

262 E. Grand Ave.

Btwn Juniper & Kalmia 2:30pm–6pm (Oct–May)

Mira Mesa √*

Mira Mesa High School 10510 Reagan Rd. 2:30–7pm (Feb–Oct)

Otay Ranch—Chula Vista √

Otay Ranch Town Center 2015 Birch Rd. & Eastlake Blvd. 4–7pm

Pacific Beach Tuesday √† 901 Hornblend St. 3–7pm

San Marcos √*

251 North City Dr. 3–6pm

WEDNESDAY

Carlsbad√

State St. & Carlsbad Village Dr. 2:30–7pm (Mar–Oct)

Little Italy Mercato √*†

Date St. from Kettner Blvd. to Front St. 9:30am–1:30pm

Ocean Beach √

Newport Ave.

Btwn Cable & Bacon 4–8pm

People’s Produce Mobile

Farmers’ Market Mt. Hope Community Garden

4269 Market St. 11am–1pm

People’s Produce Mobile

Farmers’ Market Morse High School

6905 Skyline Dr. 3–5pm

Santee *†

Pathway Center

Carlton Hills Blvd. & Mast Blvd. 3–7pm

3000 North Park Way at 30th Thursday, 3–7:30pm

Oceanside Morning √*

401 Pier View Way & Hwy. 101 9am–1pm

People’s Produce Mobile Farmers’ Market ECC Campus 4343 Ocean View Blvd. 9–11am

People’s Produce Mobile Farmers’ Market Lemon Grove 3200 Main St. 4–6pm

Scripps Ranch

Newtopia Cider 10045 Carroll Canyon Rd. 3:30–7:30pm

FRIDAY

Del Mar √

Del Mar Civic Center 1050 Camino Del Mar Noon–4pm

Fallbrook Main Street √*

Main Ave.

Btwn Hawthorne & Fig 9am–1:30pm

Imperial Beach √*†

SunCoast Market

1075 8th St.

Third Saturday, 8am–2pm

Little Italy Mercato √*†

Date St. from Kettner Blvd. to Front St. 8am–2pm

Mission Valley à Civita Park 7960 Civita Blvd.

Borrego Springs √ Christmas Circle

Community Park

700 Palm Canyon Dr. 8am-noon (Nov–Apr

La Mesa Village √* Allison Avenue, Btwn Palm & 4th St. 3–7pm

People’s Produce Mobile

Farmers’ Market Four Corners of Life

Imperial Ave. & Euclid Ave. 11am–1pm

Rancho Bernardo √

SW corner Bernardo Winery 13330 Paseo del Verano Norte 9am–1pm

SATURDAY

Cardiff à

Miracosta College San Elijo Campus

3333 Manchester Ave. 10am–2pm

People’s Produce Mobile Farmers’ Market

Second Chance Youth Garden 6145 Imperial Ave.

Fourth Saturday

14134 Midland Rd. √

21887 Washington St. Hwy. 78 & Hwy. 79

Saturday & Sunday 11am–4pm

Tuna Harbor Dockside Market 598 Harbor Ln. 8am–2pm

Vista √*†

325 S. Melrose Dr. 8am–noon

SUNDAY

Chula Vista √*

300 Park Way & Third Ave. 10am–2pm

Hillcrest √*

4002 Normal St. 9am–2pm

La Jolla Open Aire √

7335 Girard Ave. & Genter St. 9am–1pm

Leucadia √*

Paul Ecke Elementary

185 Union St. & Vulcan St. 10am–2pm

Point Loma √

Point Loma HS Parking Lot 2335 Chatsworth Blvd. 9am–2pm

Rancho Santa Fe √

Del Rayo Village

16079 San Dieguito Rd. 9:30am–2pm

Santa Ysabel √

21887 Washington St. Hwy. 78 & Hwy. 79

Saturday & Sunday 11am–4pm

Solana Beach √† 444 S. Cedros Ave., #295 Noon–4pm

LEGEND

* Market vendors accept WIC (Women, Infants, Children) Farmers’ Market checks.

† Market vendors accept EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer).

! Market vendors accept WIC Fruit and Vegetable checks.

√ Markets certified by the San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner, ensuring that the produce is grown by the seller or another certified farmer in California, and meets all state quality standards.

All listings are subject to change. Please contact markets directly or check social media to confirm hours of operation and locations.

Scan the QR code to visit ediblesandiego.com for more complete information and links to market websites.

ZERO PROOF

The buzz on low- to no-alcohol drinking trends

BY LIZ MURPHY

RECIPE AND PHOTO COURTESY OF HIGHER VIBRATION TONICS

There’s a sort of evolution happening in the beverage world— and mixologists and creators in San Diego are joining the movement. Drinkers are choosing to avoid alcohol, or to simply enjoy it more mindfully. It’s undeniable that more people are looking for conscious alternatives to the traditional drinking culture.

Good News is a bar coming to San Diego in 2024, and it seeks to create an inclusive place for everyone to enjoy an alcoholfree experience. The goal is simple: foster a safe space that serves delicious drinks and encourages conscious connections for all. Crystal and Kaylee Clark, the couple behind Good News, encountered their own toxic interactions with alcohol while working in the industry and this inspired them to work toward moving drinking culture in a different direction. “Our society glamorizes alcohol, but everyone has their own relationship with it, so it is important to provide an alternative and showcase social opportunities where alcohol is not the central theme,” Crystal Clark says. “This will impact and benefit our communities in profound ways.”

Higher Vibration Tonics, a local shrub brand, offers alcohol-free mixology at events around San Diego. Lauren Lucek and Angelina Keselburg prepare shrub- and tea-based beverages that focus on local ingredients and seasonal flavors. Their unique and delicious approach to zero-proof cocktail creation is a delightful departure from traditional mocktail options. (Try out their spring recipe included below.)

The Beverage Botanist, Brianna Wilkerson, is curating something special to bring people together for mindful drinking and mingling. Wilkerson specializes in making both alcohol-based and zero-proof garden-to-glass cocktails inspired by functional botanicals and recently organized the Enlightened Social Club. Happening twice a month, the venue-hopping event offers a supportive atmosphere where alcohol-conscious drinkers can gather. While alcohol is present, making social connections is the focus. “The trend is clear,” Wilkerson says, “people are choosing more intentionality. They want to drink in a different way— moving in a more positive direction for their personal and social health.”

If you are looking to change your relationship with alcohol, whether to enjoy it mindfully or not at all, there are more options than ever before. Many San Diego breweries are brewing nonalcoholic craft beers, distilleries are creating zero-proof

alternatives to your favorite spirits, and alcohol-free wine is popping up on the shelves. Beverages using adaptogens and functional botanicals can even cultivate a healthy social buzz. And many bartenders in San Diego are getting innovative with their zero-proof cocktail creations.

Visit zeroproofnation.com for an up-to-date listing of global nonalcoholic alternatives, bars, and events. <

» goodnewssd.com

» thebeveragebotanistsd.com

» highervibrationtonics.com

Metabolism Makeover

SERVES 1

2 ounces organic coconut water

1 ounce Higher Vibration Tonics Blueberry Lavender Shrub

½ ounce Higher Vibration Tonics Lemon Lime Shrub

½ ounce honey syrup

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with lemon peel and blueberries.

THE APPELLATIONS OF SAN DIEGO WINE COUNTRY

MORE AVA CERTIFICATIONS ARE COMING TO CALIFORNIA’S OLDEST WINE REGION

BY PATRICK BALLOW • PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUKE SCHMUECKER

Asa flourish of viticultural activity excites grape growers and wine consumers throughout San Diego County, 2024 marks the 150th anniversary of wine production in our often-overlooked corner of the wine world. California wine and viticulture began with the establishment of the Mission San Diego de Alcalá in 1769 and reflects a complex history. It quickly spread north to Carmel, Sonoma, and beyond, but also locally to the picturesque valleys of inland San Diego County. Like many microclimates in the Golden State, San Diego’s diverse valleys and hills offer superlative conditions for growing high-quality wine grapes. San Diego’s viticultural development has not had the type of parabolic rise seen in other more famous California grapegrowing regions. From disease to Prohibition to war to wildfires, at best it can be characterized in starts and stops.It appears we stand at the doorstep of significant change, however.

Today, over 150 local vintners are organizing to put local terroir on the global map. As of August 2023, four American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)are proposed to join the San Pasqual Valley AVA and Ramona Valley AVA as San Diego County’s established viticulture regions. The San Luis Rey River Valley, Highland Valley, Rancho Santa Fe, and Rancho Guejito growing regions are all currently in the arduous process of becoming certified AVAs. This exciting turn of events may be surprising to some, but one could argue it has been headed this way for generations. After all, the San Pasqual Valley AVA was only the third California appellation at the time it was established in 1981.

But why so many and why now?

To answer why so many, let’s first take a closer look at what it means to be an AVA. According to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), “an AVA is a delimited grapegrowing region with specific geographic or climatic features that distinguish it from the surrounding regions and affect how grapes are grown.” AVAs are also known as appellations, which are specific grape-growing areas. Key to explaining why so many new San Diego AVAs are on the horizon is how the TTB establishes the requirement that “specific geographic or climatic features” are distinguishable from surrounding regions.

While many on the outside of our home region categorize San Diego as a homogenous climate, we locals know the diverse multitude of microclimates that permeate the region’s landscape. At just over 4,200 square miles, San Diego County is a massive land space with innumerable undulations. The coastal ridgelines and inland valleys that comprise the proposed AVAs are all influenced by the Pacific Ocean and surrounding mountains but each in its own way. The marine layer breezes across coastal ridges to blanket valley floors, and the steeply sloped walls of inland valleys augment wind velocity. Cool night air sinks to lower elevations where it is preserved by long shadows of surrounding high elevations. Creeks and rivers snake lazily across sandy soils. Rocky subsoils commingle with ancient seabed. Each of the four proposed AVAs retains an exclusive combination of these elements.

Water resources, changing consumer habits, and the quality of existing San Diego wine production are driving forces behind why this is all happening now. In the past three decades, drought and shrinking water resources forced farmers to rethink the return on investment of previously profitable crops. Vineyards consume a fraction of the water of citrus and avocado crops, and where these orchards once stood, vineyards are now increasingly common. In the past two decades, wine consumption in the US has gone up 33%, and premium wine consumption is up even more. San Diego vineyards are naturally limited to small, often artisanal production. Our local landscape simply does not have the type of vast valleys needed for high-volume wine production, therefore the majority of San Diego wine falls into the premium category. Most importantly, existing wineries in San Diego County continue to find praise well outside the local marketplace, leading to increased interest from skilled grape growers and winemakers near and far.

Yet it still may be years before these San Diego AVAs are official. Like many bureaucratic filings, hoops must be jumped through, hundreds of hours of paperwork must be filed, and ultimately, snails may be faster paced than the final approval. The Rancho Guejito application was first filed in 2021. It remains in the works.

Quality grapes have already been growing for decades, though, so why is it important to achieve this AVA status? Official AVAs for San Diego County and elsewhere offer benefits to consumers, producers, and the regions themselves. Consumers can learn

about the diversity and characteristics of the appellations, and producers will have the added benefit of telling their winery’s individual story through the unique aspects clearly defined by an AVA. Furthermore, producers gain market value through consumer confidence in the quality designation created by an AVA. Finally, establishing an AVA fosters increased vineyard and winemaking development within the appellation by increasing the aforementioned market value. The new AVAs are likely to attract new grape growers and wine producers because they offer certification that is valuable in the marketplace.

The proposed San Diego AVAs are all deserving of distinction. Rancho Guejito is likely to be the first approved. Part of one of the last remaining intact Spanish land grants, its vineyards are primarily located along and above San Pasqual Valley, but it ranges many thousands of acres into high-elevation backcountry. Widely regarded as one of the best wineries in San Diego, it also provides fruit for many other high-quality wineries in the area and grows a wide range of grapes including sauvignon blanc, syrah, and lesser-known ones such as grenache blanc and picardan.

Rancho Santa Fe may be one of the most surprising regions on this list, but it is no less deserving. Originating from Kumeyaay lands occupied by Spanish, Mexican, and American settlers, its name was derived from the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, which purchased all the lands of the former Mexican land grant. Established as a eucalyptus orchard before the realization that eucalyptus is a terrible wood for

*San Diego County’s existing and proposed AVAs are sub-appellations in the South Coast AVA, which spans five Southern California counties.

DRINK

use in construction, Rancho Santa Fe’s very modest potential acreage is defined by its proximity to the Pacific Ocean (just five miles) and a distinct menthol note common among many places similarly populated by eucalyptus (think Marin County). Bordeaux varieties are mostly commonly planted, but its cooler zone also accommodates exceptional pinot noir and syrah.

Highland Valley sits above and to the west of the Ramona Valley AVA, and it enjoys the cooler temperatures of its elevation and being closer to the coast. This area also boasts a nearly century-old tradition of growing grapes, a factor known to influence the approval of new AVAs. Its growers continue to debate the best grapes for the region, but Rhône and Iberian varieties seem to have a high ceiling for quality.

With a long history stemming from when Spanish missionaries at the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia cultivated olives and wine grapes, the San Luis Rey River growing region currently includes 24 wineries and is the most expansive. Its delimited borders encompass almost 100,000 acres and follows the watershed of the lower San Luis Rey River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean just north of Oceanside. Cool coastal air flows upstream and covers the vineyard land surrounding the river’s edges. Many existing producers lean into Bordeaux varieties, but it seems likely that diversification will happen based on the location and preferences of future growers.

San Diego wine production is certainly at a crossroads. By highlighting its history, topography, and microclimates, and connecting with aficionados interested in authentic, climate-conscious beverages, San Diego’s wine culture seems poised to achieve new heights. With the approval of these four AVAs within San Diego County just around the corner, we all stand to benefit from this next chapter and future vintages of San Diego wine. <

Land Acknowledgement

Edible San Diego recognizes the Kumeyaay, Luiseño/Payómkawichum, Cahuilla, and Cupeño/Kuupangaxwichem people who have lived in relationship with the earth, flora, fauna, and sky in this region for thousands of years as the original stewards of this land. This publication commits to building greater awareness of and appreciation for the traditional ecological knowledge, wisdom, and experiences of San Diego County’s first peoples as essential to a more just, regenerative, and joyful local food system.

CARLY LAKE

Saturdays 9:30 am – 1:30 pm

7960 CIVITA BLVD San Diego, CA

days 9:00-1:30 pm

Downtown Main Avenue between Hawthorne & Fig

www.fallbrookchamberofcommerce.org

A LIVING LANDSCAPE

PRESERVING SPACE FOR AGRICULTURE AND MORE IN THE SAN PASQUAL VALLEY

BY KATIE STOKES, MARIA HESSE, AND JULIE PENDRAY PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUKE SCHMUEKER

Cresting a hill east of

Escondido, it’s common to see large birds flying high above the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in the distance. Stretching their wings, circling in the air, they are a metaphor for freedom in the beautiful San Pasqual Valley that lies south of the park. Six minutes from Escondido and 25 miles northeast of downtown San Diego, the valley is a gateway to the backcountry, a step back in time, and a living landscape that offers hope for the future of our region’s food system.

WHEN THE PAST IS PRESENT

Two tributary streams, the Santa Ysabel Creek with headwaters near Julian and the Santa Maria Creek with headwaters in Ramona, join together in San Pasqual Valley to form the San Dieguito River. Eons of rain and snow carved a path to the ocean, eroding through ancient rock to create this floodplain composed of rich alluvial soils. Today steep, rocky slopes surround the valley, where chaparral vegetation hosts an abundance of wildlife. After passing through the preserve, the San Dieguito River meanders further west to where an early-20th-century dam contained its flow to create Hodges Reservoir for drinking water and eventually hydroelectric power. Then, it flows into the Pacific Ocean at

Del Mar where the San Dieguito Lagoon offers rare coastal estuary habitat and opportunities for people to learn about migratory birds and healthy oceans.

For more than 10,000 years, the Kumeyaay people lived— hunting, cultivating, and gathering—in kinship and harmony with the diverse and plentiful flora and fauna that characterized what we now know as San Diego County. When the Spanish established Mission San Diego de Alcalá in 1769, many Kumeyaay left or were forced out of their ancestral homes in the San Pasqual Valley. After Mexico won its independence from Spain, the pueblo of San Pasqual was established in 1835 with Kumeyaay from the former San Diego mission. In 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico, and California and most of the American West became part of the United States in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Although some efforts were made to formalize Kumeyaay rights to the valley given by the Mexican government, American settlers wanted the land for farming and ranching, and in 1878, San Diego County authorities evicted the Kumeyaay from San Pasqual, again forcing them to leave and disperse throughout the region.

In 1892, the US government established a reservation for the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, but it was located several miles to the north in Valley Center, rather far from San Pasqual. Most of the San Pasqual band couldn’t relocate to the reservation because the land was not suitable to support them, and most had

work elsewhere. Over time, more families established homes on the reservation, and a tribal hall was built. Today, governed by a democratically elected tribal council, the tribe owns and operates Valley View Casino & Hotel and restaurants within it, as well as Native Oaks Golf Club. The San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians is currently working with the State of California to incorporate Kumeyaay history, culture, and traditional ecological knowledge into exhibits, trails, and programs at the San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park.

AGRICULTURAL RELEVANCE

The City of San Diego purchased a large portion of the San Pasqual Valley in the late 1950s for water supply purposes. The first city plan to establish the area as a preserve was adopted in 1964, designating the valley for agricultural and open space use. A 1995 plan updated the city’s vision for the approximately 14,000-acre space. This action marks a significant milestone in the region’s history, creating opportunities for farmers to cultivate the land, protecting water resources, securing habitat for wildlife, and encouraging recreation and learning about this valley’s original peoples and their ongoing relationship with this place.

Springtime in Ramona

Against a backdrop of rain-washed hills, farmers are walking the vineyards. Bright green buds appear on well-rested vines. The soil is refreshed and the grapes are coming soon. Special grapes. Ramona grapes, that, in the hands of talented winemakers, year after year, make award-winning wines. Come out to Ramona in the spring and you can experience this magic at over 45 wineries. The Lilacs and the Lupins are blooming and like the buds on the vines, bottles are open. Can we pour you a taste?

www.rvva.org

Woof ’n Rose Winery

RAMONA VALLEY

RVVA_edible

Creating the preserve “was very, very farsighted,” says Frank J. Konyn. “There was really nothing like it at the time.” Konyn’s family has operated a dairy farm in the preserve on Old Milky Way for decades and now also owns related soil, trucking, and eucalyptus businesses that encompass a 700-acre operation, all under Frank Konyn Dairy, Inc. Konyn’s father, Frank N. Konyn, an emigrant from Holland, started the farm in 1962, which now provides compost for organic businesses and landscapers throughout the county. The dairy also brings in food waste, such as spent grains, to add to the herd’s feed. Diversifying into these other operations has helped them survive, according to Konyn. His may be one of the last remaining dairies in the county, where at least 100 existed years ago. Konyn says the longevity of the valley’s businesses is an asset for the city.

Including Konyn, some of the region’s most experienced and valued farmers grow food in the valley. Bill Brammer of Be Wise Ranch was an early adopter of organic farming and was later elected state president of the California Certified Organic Farmers and founded the Organic Farming Research Foundation to help increase organics research funding. Be Wise Ranch has been in operation for decades, selling tomatoes, strawberries, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, peppers, basil, chard, and more directly to consumers in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and at local grocers like Jimbo’s.

The late Bill Witman, owner of Witman Ranch, was named Farmer of the Year in 2009 by the San Diego County Farm Bureau for his “true stewardship.” Witman Ranch leases 800 acres within the preserve from the city to operate within their 1,100-acre farm. Matt Witman, Bill’s son who now runs the ranch, is proud of the contributions the preserve offers urban residents. “Our 40,000 trees sequester carbon all day, so we like to think we’re helping the city reach its goals in its Climate Action Plan. We’re also protecting the land,” Witman says. “It’s better to have us here than leave it vacant. It’s rare that this hasn’t gone into housing or greenhouses. During the Covid pandemic, people realized the value of local food. We have an educational platform. Thousands of people drive through here; many have no idea where their food comes from or how it’s grown, and they stop and take pictures of themselves by the citrus trees.”

Native species in and around San Pasqual Valley

PLANTS

Wild buckwheat

Chaparral yucca

Laurel sumac

Oak trees

Nopal (prickly pear cactus)

Sagebrush

White sage

WILDLIFE

Arroyo toad

Belding’s savannah sparrow

Black-tailed jackrabbits

Bobcats

Cactus wren

California gnatcatcher

California quail

Coyotes

Least Bell’s vireo

Mule deer

Owls

Pollinators

Rabbits

Rattlesnakes

Red hawks

Western snowy plover

A

Witman’s family has been farming in the valley since 1966. He says many farmers have moved out of San Diego County because of the high costs, and some have moved out of California because of what they see as an excessive regulatory environment.

Konyn says, “Keeping farming alive and well is part of a nation’s food security. A lot of people take for granted that they’re always going to be able to go to the store and find what they want, but that’s not necessarily going to be the case. Shopping locally helps local businesses.”

According to Witman, San Pasqual Valley’s place in the watershed is what makes it sustainable for farmers. It also has a unique microclimate that supports a long growing season suitable for a wide variety of produce.

NEIGHBORS OF THE PRESERVE

The preserve is significant in its own right, but the history of this area, agricultural enterprises, hospitality destinations, hiking trails, and a global attraction like the San Diego Zoo Safari Park surrounding the preserve on every side make this extended area particularly important in San Diego County.

Visitors approaching the valley from San Diego can exit I-15 at Via Rancho Parkway and enter the preserve by first stopping at one of the county’s longeststanding wineries, Orfila Vineyards and Winery, established in 1994. Longtime former winemaker Leon Santoro is credited with promoting local terroir and its similarities to the Mediterranean region. Wine lovers can sample award-winning Italian and French varietals on Orfila’s patio overlooking rows of grapevines destined for their estate wines. Orfila offers multiple event venues, diverse monthly programs, a gift shop, a wine club, and a second tasting room in Oceanside.

To the north of the valley is Rancho Guejito, a sprawling 22,359-acre cattle ranch and vineyard. Including the 13,299 acres that were granted to José María Orozco in 1845 by Don Pío Pico, the last governor of Alta California under the Mexican

government, it’s the last of the California ranchos established between 1769 and 1846 to remain intact and operating as a cattle ranch. It currently produces grass-fed beef, citrus, avocados, and grapes, while the winery is a popular wine-tasting destination and event venue with bucolic views in every direction.

South of the preserve is Bandy Canyon Ranch, a rural boutique hotel property with a history that reflects the valley’s changes through time. John D. Bandy staked a claim on an 80-acre homestead in 1870, and at one point the ranch grew to 4,500 acres. The Spanish-style main lodge is the first original Weir Brothers structure built in San Diego County. Constructed in the 1930s, it features original tile flooring, adobe bricks that were formed on the ranch, and wood beams salvaged from a historic San Diego pier. The ranch has become a popular destination wedding and events venue. With cozy cottages, glamping tents coming soon, poolside cabanas, hiking trails, and tours of Canyon Farm, the Ranch’s animal sanctuary, guests can enjoy a range of both overnight and single-day accommodations and activities.

This fertile swath of San Diego County embodies many stories of the land, weather, water, plants, animals, and people. When considered in combination with the preserve’s neighboring properties, the net effect is remarkable: an extensive landscape alive with many inhabitants and uses that protect, advance, and benefit from its purpose. Preserving the San Pasqual Valley for farming, water resources, open space, recreation, and education created a turning point and a ripple effect—an opportunity for diverse people and entities to share and steward this place. The valley’s beauty and abundance are our guides. D

Resources

» sanpasqualbandofmissionindians.org

» parks.ca.gov/?page_id=655

» sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/legacy//planning/community/ profiles/pdf/sanpasqual/spvpfv.pdf

» dudek.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SPVRMG-cityofSD-05-192022-updated.pdf

Enjoy San Pasqual Valley

FARM STANDS

Fran’s Original Farm Stand

1980 Summit Dr.

Open 10am to 5pm every day

Hernandez Family Produce

14191 San Pasqual Valley Rd.

Open 8am to 6pm every day

WINE TASTING

» sandiegowineries.org

» ramonavalleyvineyards.com

TRAIL INFO

For hiking, equestrian use, or mountain biking

» sdrp.org

SAN DIEGO ZOO SAFARI PARK

» sdzsafaripark.org

Follow @ediblesdmag on Instagram and tag us on your adventures.

Illustration adapted from I’ll See You in Ijebu (Barefoot Books), written by Bunmi Emenanjo and illustrated by Diana Ejaita

LET’S EAT!

Bunmi’s Famous Puff Puff

Sweet fried dough is known by many names around the world: bofrot in Ghana, vetkoek in South Africa, beignets in New Orleans. Today, let’s make Nigerian puff puff!

Makes: about 20 puff puff balls

Preparation:

Time: 6 hours preparation 1 hour frying

1. In the first mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg, then set aside.

2. In the second mixing bowl, mix the yeast and warm water until thoroughly combined. Mix in the sugar until it has fully dissolved with the yeast and warm water.

3. Add the liquid mixture (second mixing bowl) to the dry mixture (first mixing bowl).

4. Mix really well for about 4 – 5 minutes (use an electric mixer if you have one) until batter is a smooth, thick consistency.

You’ll Need:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

• 2 Tbsp active dry yeast

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 ¼ cups warm water

• At least 4 cups of vegetable oil for frying

• powdered sugar (optional)

• 2 extra large mixing bowls

• 2 mixing spoons

• electric mixer (optional)

• plastic food wrap

• large pot

• ice cream scoop or tablespoon for scooping

• slotted spoon

• paper towels

Adult helper needed

Check for allergens!

5. Cover the bowl of batter with plastic food wrap and set it in a warm place, such as an oven that is turned off.

6. Let the batter rise for 4 – 5 hours until it triples in size.

7. When your batter has finished rising, heat the oil in a large pot on the stove using medium heat. Test to make sure your oil is hot enough by dropping a bit of dough in the pot. If the dough floats, it’s ready. If it sinks, wait a bit longer for it to heat up.

8. Scoop the batter into the hot oil using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon for perfectly sized puff puff balls. You can occasionally dip your scoop in water to allow easy release from the scoop.

9. Fry puff puffs on one side for 1 – 2 minutes or until golden brown, then flip over and fry the other side for approximately the same time. Use a slotted spoon to pull them out of the oil to cool on a paper towel.

10. Once cooled, you can eat them plain or sprinkle granulated or powered sugar on top. Enjoy!

Illustration and text adapted from I’ll See You in Ijebu (Barefoot Books), written by Bunmi Emenanjo and illustrated by Diana Ejaita

You’ll Need:

ACTIVITY

Shake, Rattle, and Rock!

Create a Nigerian percussion instrument called a shekere

• clean, empty plastic bottle with a handle • string

• beads or buttons • scissors • tape • ruler

A real shekere looks like this!

1 Measure out and cut a piece of string long enough to wrap around the bottle. Tie it around the middle of the plastic bottle. Secure it in place with tape.

Turn It Up! Get help searching on the internet for West African music to shake along to, like “Ja Funmi” by King Sunny Ade.

2 Measure and cut four more pieces of string about a foot long.

barefootbooks.com/ global-kids-deck

3 Tie each of the four pieces of string to the string tied around your bottle. Make sure the knots are big enough to keep the beads or buttons from coming off.

4

Thread your beads or buttons onto the first string, filling it about halfway. Tie a knot at the end of the string so the beads stay put. Then thread your beads onto the piece of string that is opposite this one on your bottle, again filling it halfway. Tie a knot at the end. Now tie the two strings together at the bottom of the bottle. Cut off the excess string.

Learn about crafts, food, games, festivals, and ways of helping others around the world with 50+ hands-on activities.

5

Repeat Step 4 for the other two strings to make your shekere. You can add more strands of beads for even more sound. Now shake, rattle, and rock!

Are you passionate about children’s books that prioritize diversity, encourage critical thinking, and teach kids to protect the planet? Learn more about becoming a Barefoot Books Community Bookseller! Visit barefootbooks.com/cb.

Illustration and text adapted from Global Kids (Barefoot Books), written by Homa Sabet Tavangar and illustrated by Sophie Fatus

ACTIVITY

Special Celebrations

Learn about the days that are meaningful to others

Mariana Ruiz Johnson

You , ll Need:

• small pieces of paper

• pencil or pen

• basket

• calendar

1. With a group, write or draw questions about celebrations on your pieces of paper. For example:

• What clothing do you wear?

• Do you decorate your home?

• Do you eat special foods?

• When is this special day?

2. Fold your questions and place them in a basket.

3. Sit in a circle and let someone pick a question. First they name a special day they celebrate, then they share the question and answer it for their celebration. If anyone else wants to answer the question for a different celebration, you can go around the circle.

barefootbooks.com/kind-kids

4. When everyone who wants to share has had a chance to speak, the next person picks a new question.

5. Mark all the special days people shared on a group calendar and add the names of the friends who celebrate each one. When each date approaches, you can make cards for those who celebrate!

Illustration

COLLABORATIVE CONSERVATION

SAN DIEGO BOTANIC GARDEN, MEDICINAL PLANTS, AND THE SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY

BY COLIN H. RICHARD • PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAUREN DI MATTEO

Since 1970, the verdant San Diego Botanic Garden has inspired and educated plant lovers, from casual enthusiasts to seasoned horticulturists alike. Located at the Encinitas-Leucadia border, the landscape offers visitors an interdisciplinary and international journey among gardens, nurseries and greenhouses, restoration habitats, research facilities, and more. Four miles of accessible paved and earthen trails meander through 29 gardens, representing 15 regions of the world and 5,300 plant species and varieties. Many of these are types on which humanity greatly depends: medicinal plants.

San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG) acknowledges and invests in research and project development in both Western scientific and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) ways of knowing, stewarding, and using plants. This includes medicinal plants across many human cultures and contexts. By one definition per the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the World Wildlife Fund, there are between 50,000 and 80,000 species of medicinal plants worldwide. Medicinal plants can be taken in a variety of ways, including in solid form by eating whole or in a preparation; in liquid form as a beverage such as a tea or extract; applied topically in balms, salves, and poultices; or in vapor form as an inhaled or ambient steam or smoke. Some continue to be used in these fundamental forms, while many others have taken the shape of common pharmaceuticals that support our health and well-being in Western medicine.

Linking departmental staff, project design, funders, key partners, and stakeholders, SDBG’s Science and Conservation Department and its projects are guided by three main pillars: medicinal plants, native and rare plants, and food and agricultural plants. Indeed, as many plants provide multiple ecological and cultural services, they often are categorized as serving several functions.

Two key staff members in the Science and Conservation Department are Colin Khoury, PhD, senior director of science and conservation, and C. Benjamin (Ben) Naman, PhD, director of medicinal plants research. They each bring international experience and a deep appreciation for the Garden’s opportunities to practice research, collaborative conservation, and community outreach. An exciting departmental project, per SDBG’s website, is the “creation of a national medicinal plants collection and research consortium to catalyze drug discovery in San Diego and beyond.” Part of this project includes “creating a medicinal plant demonstration garden and implementing educational programming to teach visitors and community members about medicinal plants used in traditional medicine, plant-derived Western medicines, and related medical innovation.”

Early written records of medicinal plants include those found in an ancient Sumerian (c. 3000 BCE) description of Papaver genus poppies, the predecessor to today’s opioid pain relief drugs

(Merck’s morphine, 1826), and Salix genus willow’s salicylic acid for skin care and acetylsalicylic acid, also for pain relief (Bayer’s aspirin, 1899). Our contemporary lives are filled with plant derivatives that have become products in Western medicine, health, and wellness markets. Oral histories from Indigenous traditions predate written traditions since time immemorial.

Referencing expansive statistics and counting the world’s medicinal plants, including many worthy local candidates, SDBG is taking an investigative approach with depth rather than breadth. Focusing research on relatively few important species, including those pertinent to San Diego County’s First Nations (Cahuilla, Cupeño, Kumeyaay, and Luiseño) and many others, two stand out in terms of cultural significance and investment of research:

YERBA SANTA (Eriodictyon spp.)

• Preparations include teas and poultices for cold and pain symptoms, among others

• Kumeyaay names include variations on samalh

CALIFORNIA SAGEBRUSH (Artemisia californica)

• A variety of preparations include external and internal applications for everything from wounds to illnesses and digestive issues

• Kumeyaay names include variations on chimpilh

Working collaboratively, SDBG accomplishes both rigorous science and extensive and meaningful outreach. “We’re really just community building,” says Dr. Naman, referring to not only community-based restoration work at schools and on public lands, but also work with the 15-plus consortium member organizations including large institutions and start-up companies (Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Ionis Pharmaceuticals), higher educational institutions (University of California San Diego, Cal State University San Marcos), and tribal and affiliated entities. Special acknowledgments are also due to Dr. Stan Rodriguez, EdD, board director and professor at Kumeyaay Community College, and Lisa Cumper, tribal historic preservation officer at Jamul Indian Village.

Medicinal plants bring healing to our bodies, minds, and communities, and ecosystems have always been a significant factor in our well-being. SDBG’s efforts and their collaborators help to ensure this reality endures. Blending a deliberate and thoughtful balance of research, community, and donor development results in innovative programming, and San Diego Botanic Garden cultivates an environment of both plant and cultural diversity, all dedicated to environmental and human flourishing. D

» sdbg.org

Disclaimer

The information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Opposite page: Ben Naman and Alli Adams work with medicinal plant species in greenhouses at the San Diego Botanic Garden. Above from left: Yerba Santa and California sagebrush (also known as cowboy cologne).

GROW

CREATE SPACE FOR CALIFORNIA BUMBLEBEES

Not to be confused with honeybees, these essential pollinators need us to grow more native plants

BY PAUL HORMICK

Buzzing among lilacs or the tomatoes in our vegetable gardens, big, fuzzy bumblebees are a welcome sight. San Diego counts four species of bumblebee native to the county, among them one that bears the name of the Golden State: the California bumblebee.

This large, hairy insect ranges from Central America through western North America. Leif Richardson, a conservation biologist who coordinates the California Bumble Bee Atlas project for the Xerces Society, says that the bee thrives in multiple habitats and can be found from sea level to the tops of many of California’s highest mountains. Bee experts debate whether the California bumblebee is a subspecies of the golden northern bumblebee, yet many San Diego naturalists consider it distinct.

Able to forage at cooler temperatures than most other bees, native bumblebees are important pollinators for our local ecology. A number of agricultural plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, apples, and avocados, depend on bumblebee “buzz pollination,” a phenomenon in which a bee dislodges extra pollen by grabbing a portion of the flower in her jaws while vibrating her wing musculature.

Unlike most other native bees, California bumblebees are social. Their colonies have a queen and worker bees. Colonies die out in the fall, with new queens overwintering underground and starting new colonies in the spring of the following year.

If you’re interested in spotting a California bumblebee, Mission Trails Regional Park is something of a hot spot. I see bumblebees often at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve throughout the year, although summer is when they are the most active. Bumblebees are

difficult to distinguish from one another, but a telltale characteristic of the California bumblebee is its black face.

Once the most common bumblebee in the Golden State, the numbers of California bumblebees have declined since the 1990s. Richardson says, “Bumblebees in general are challenged by a range of stressors, including habitat loss, pathogen spread from agriculture, and competition with invasive honeybees.”

As individuals, we can nonetheless help the California bumblebee and other pollinators. “We stress that planting of native plant species can make a big difference for native insects,” Richardson says. And he emphasizes the importance of reducing or eliminating pesticide use on pollinator plants. Finally, climate change is affecting the range and physiology of bumblebees: “I think people who want to help bees should be aware of this, and consider it one reason to address the causes of climate change.” D

» cabumblebeeatlas.org

Do more to support native pollinators by leaving small, shallow plates of fresh water in your yard and scan the QR code to read

In Touch: Bumblebees by Paul Hormick on ediblesandiego.com.

100% Estate Grown, Produced and Bottled

100% Estate Grown, Produced and Bottled

SAN DIEGO COUNTY WINES

RAMONA VALLEY WINES

Zinfandel | Sangiovese | Malbec Cabernet Franc | Dry Rosé

Zinfandel | Sangiovese | Malbec Cabernet Franc | Albarino

Open for Tasting and Sales Saturdays & Sundays 11-5

Open for tasting and sales Saturdays & Sundays 11–5

910 Gem Lane, Ramona, CA chuparosavineyards.com

910 Gem Lane, Ramona, CA chuparosavineyards.com

community of home gardeners, farmers, and growers.

Saving seeds benefits all of us by increasing the biodiversity of the plants we rely on for food and more. With the advent of GMOs, our food landscape has changed dramatically. Plants grown from GMO seeds are typically bred to withstand high levels of pesticides.

cilantro (coriander) seeds

heirloom beans

lettuce flowers

BASICS OF SEED SAVING

Understand the plant and when to harvest seed from it. Tip: As a general rule, larger seeds will produce the healthiest and most robust plants.

Easy plants to get started

Dry the seeds. Seeds can dry in the garden as the plant naturally dies back, or in paper bags or on a screen. Collect the seeds and allow them to dry for a day or so in a cool, dry space.

Store the seeds and label the containers. Once you have collected the seeds, place them in a paper envelope or small glass container. Label and date the containers. Store your seeds in a safe place where they will stay cool and dry until planting time.

Seed saving brings you closer to the plants you enjoy and increases biodiversity. As you learn about seed saving, your understanding of how plants grow and evolve will expand. One good seed is all it takes to promote resilient plants, pollinators, and people. D

Resources

City of San Diego Seed Libraries » sandiego.gov/sdplseedlibraries

County of San Diego Seed Libraries » sdcl.org/seeds

Expert gardening advice » mastergardenersd.org

Regionally adapted heirloom seeds for San Diego County and a great gardening blog » sandiegoseedcompany.com

San Diego Seed Swap

» sandiegoseedswap.org

Seed farmer training

» plantspeoplecommunity.org/the-milpa-initiative

As you explore seed saving, you will naturally want to understand the lifecycle of the plants you are growing. Take time each season to learn more skills and understanding will build quickly. Gardening groups, Master Gardeners of San Diego, or seed libraries all have abundant resources and are excited to share their knowledge.

Lettuces

Allow a selection of your lettuce plants to grow flower stalks toward the end of the season. A few of these flowers will produce enough seeds for the following season. Read up on the particular lettuce you have to understand the optimal conditions for seed saving.

Tomatoes

Messy fun! Pick fully ripe tomatoes and allow to sit until soft and mushy (a little rot is OK). Squeeze the seeds out of the tomatoes and discard the pulp. Spread the seeds on a paper towel or screen to dry, then save the seeds.

Peppers

Pick a few peppers and remove the seeds. Air-dry and save the seeds. Note: Peppers hybridize easily, so if you grow different types of peppers close together they may take on the characteristics of their neighbors.

Melons

Seeds are ready when the fruits are ready to eat. Save the seeds, rinse in water, and dry.

Flowers

Sunflowers, nasturtiums, poppies, borage, and zinnias are all easy to collect and save. For sunflowers, once the seeds have developed and begun to dry, cut the stalk and hang up to finish drying. Rub the seeds out with your hands or shake into a bag. Nasturtium seeds are large—they look like small dry chickpeas. You can run your hand under the leaves after the flowers have died back and find many seeds. Poppy seeds look like the seeds on your poppy seed bagel! Borage seeds are tiny and black. Zinnia seeds cling to the bottom of the flower petals as the flowers dry.

Herbs

Cilantro, fennel, parsley, and dill all develop beautiful umbrella-shaped flowers. Collect the flower heads as they begin to dry and turn brown but before the seed pods shatter open. Allow the flower heads to dry down and then collect the seeds by rubbing or shaking the seeds loose in a paper bag or towel.

dill seeds

basil seeds

sunflower seeds

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Edible San Diego is a locally owned magazine published in print and online four times a year. Our original, awardwinning coverage about the region’s food and beverage growers, makers, and eaters stewards a conversation worth having. Each keepsake issue provides conscientious food lovers with unique stories, recipes, and guides. The contents of these velvety pages offer trusted, enduring value in today’s local and global marketplaces and lifestyles. Thank you for reading. Let’s regenerate together.