Edible Santa Barbara Summer 2009 by Edible Santa Barbara

edible

SANTA BARBARA

Celebrating the Food Culture of Santa Barbara County

The Hidden Promise of Suburbia Food from the Hearth

Heirloom Heaven Abalone Palmina Winery

For almost 30 years, we’ve sought out the best selection of local products from the communities where we do business. We work closely with local farmers and producers because buying locally helps to preserve our connection to food, reduces fossil fuel consumption, and supports the local economy. We’re thrilled to continue supporting local farmers and producers we’re happy to be coming to the neighborhood! fall 2009

santa barbara • state street & hope avenue wholefoodsmarket.com • 888.shop.wfm

ARBARA summer

In Season and Seasonal Recipes

Edible Garden: Easy Steps to Better Homegrown Tomatoes

Edible Books: Summer Reading List

From Cold and Slow to Hot and Fast: The Abalone Story

Italian Varietals Translated with Soul at Palmina

The Hidden Promise of Suburbia Food from the Hearth at Full of Life Flatbread

Making Ice Cream with Liquid Nitrogen—Cool!

What the Grownups Are Drinking

Edible Source Guide and Edible Events

Prosciutto-Wrapped Burrato Cheese with Wild Arugula

Field Greens Salad with Fennel, Roquefort and Grapes

Grilled Duck, Endives and Arugula Salad

Strawberry Meringues with Fresh Fruit

FOOD FOR THOUGHT D

Ican’t begin to tell you how thrilled we were with the incredibly positive feedback we got from our premiere issue of Edible Santa Barbara. It appears that people throughout Santa Barbara County love food and are interested in finding out more about it. We plan to continue our quest to tell the stories of our local food, and we are increasingly finding out that there is a lot to tell.

In this issue Jacqueline Church tells the story of our little local mollusk, the abalone. It’s a subject that has always been of interest to me. Back in the early ’60s (before I was born, I might add) my father worked on an abalone diving boat here in Santa Barbara. By the time I was growing up in the ’70s, when my dad was fishing swordfish commercially in San Diego, abalone had become a rare treat. But as the abalone shell ashtray on every coffee table began fading away, as well as the need for ashtrays, it felt like we were losing out on a culinary tradition. There could quite possibly be a whole new generation of people growing up who have never even tasted abalone. But farmed abalone gives us back the chance to experience this treat. Here in Santa Barbara County we are so fortunate to have The Cultured Abalone Farm, which supplies restaurants, chefs and markets with this incredible delicacy. Chef Michael Hutchings, who has long been a proponent of cooking with our local farmed abalone, has generously shared a couple of his recipes with us.

We also get to delve into the history of salad in Pascale Beale-Groom’s article, which is accompanied by four delicious salad recipes. Lisa Kring tells the story behind Palmina and tastes some amazing wines along the way. Owen Dell will give you a whole new perspective on living in suburbia. Nancy Oster doesn’t just write about Full of Life Flatbread, she experiences working there and comes back to tell the tale. And finally, Alan Irwin does something that most of us would never think to do: make ice cream with liquid nitrogen!

As in our last issue, there are seasonal recipes and departmental features as well as the Event Calendar and Source Guide. The Source Guide is a compact listing of all of our advertisers with the details of their businesses. I want to thank all of our advertisers for their commitment to our cause. This magazine would not be possible without them. They really understand what we are all about. The types of businesses that are advertising are exactly the types of companies and products that I am interested in, and that I think our readers will be interested in, too. Please seek them out and let them know that you appreciate their support of Edible Santa Barbara. My additional thanks go out to all the subscribers and readers of Edible Santa Barbara. Your interest and your feedback is what makes the whole endeavor so worthwhile.

Krista Harris, Editor

SANTA BAR BARA

Contributors

Pascale Beale-Groom

Joan S. Bolton

Fran Collin

Owen E. Dell

Maria Diaz

Gerri French

Michael Hutchings

Alan Irwin

Lisa Kring

Laura Lindsey

Diane Murphy

Nancy Oster

Carole Topalian

Cover Photograph

Staff

PUBLISHERS

Steven Brown & Krista Harris

EDITOR

Krista Harris

RECIPE EDITOR

Nancy Oster

COPY EDITOR

Doug Adrianson

DESIGNER

Steven Brown

Advertising Inquiries ads @ ediblesantabarbara.com

info @ ediblesantabarbara.com

Edible Santa Barbara is published quarterly and distributed throughout the Santa Barbara County. Subscription rate is $28 annually. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions.

If, however, an error comes to your attention please accept our sincere apologies and notify us.

Thank you.

Heirloom Heaven Abalone Palmina Winer y The Hidden Promise of Suburbia Food from the Hear th

MICHAEL POLLAN

Award-winning author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma

This year’s guest speaker at the Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences’ 5th Annual

‘A Taste of the Future’ Fundraiser

Gourmet ‘Central Coast’ fundraiser dinner at the beautiful Rancho Arroyo Grande Wednesday, October, 14th

Special Public Presentation at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center Thursday, October, 15th

For More InForMatIon, tIckets and sponsor opportun ItIes, Please contact the Sustainable Agriculture Resource Consortium (805) 756-5086 www.sarc.calpoly.edu

Support and celebrate our local food community!

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You can subscribe online at www.ediblesantabarbara.com or just photocopy this page, fill out the form, then mail it with your check to: edible Santa Barbara • 1710 Calle Cerro, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 For more information email us at info @ ediblesantabarbara.com

Name Address City State Zip Email CSA • Restaurants • Schools • At the Farmers Market At the Farm: Mon, Wed, Fri 1–5pm 6701 Casitas Pass Road, Carpinteria 805-729-4402 shepherdfarmscsa.com Bringing the healthiest, freshest, organic produce from the farm directly to your plate.

edible Notables

Enjoy Cupcakes

A Sweet Treat in Los Olivos

Cupcakes with wine, or rather they’re cupcakes made with wine. Try their Chocolate Blackberry Syrah Cupcake, which is a chocolate, Syrah-infused cake filled with dark chocolate Belgium fudge, topped with blackberry frosting and a wine-soaked blackberry that is rolled in sugar crystals. Equally delicious is the Tart Ginger Lime Chardonnay Cupcake, a Chardonnay cake layered with buttery ginger crust, filled with lime curd, topped with Chardonnay frosting and sugared lime zest. Wine-infused cupcakes are $4 each and the non-wine cupcakes are $3.25. Bite-sized mini cupcakes are $2–$2.25 each, with a tasting selection of four for $7.

And since they are located inside the Saarloos & Sons tasting room, you can even pair a glass of wine with your cupcake. Baker Amber Joy Vander Vliet and Chief Executive Taster Kevin Vander Vliet also cater events with their restored vintage Shasta trailer.

Enjoy Cupcakes is open Thursday through Sunday 11am–6:30pm and is located at 2971 Grand Ave., Los Olivos; 805 451-0284; enjoycupcakes.com

Buttonwood Sibling Revelry

Easy on the Budget

Looking for ways to save money? You don’t have to sacrifice quality or quantity when you buy this Buttonwood blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah from three different vintages. You can buy it by the case directly from Buttonwood for only $60 a case (plus tax). You’ll pay only a little more when you buy it by the bottle at various wine shops and stores around town. It’s a very drinkable and food-friendly wine. Open it up and let it breathe for 30–60 minutes before you serve it, and it will become your new favorite everyday wine.

It is available at the Saturday Santa Barbara Farmers Market and directly from Buttonwood Farm Winery at buttonwoodwinery.com

Tokens for Produce

An Easy Way To Pay at the Farmers Market

Have you ever run out of cash at the farmers market? Rather than leave and hunt down an ATM, you can simply go to the information booth and use your credit or debit card to purchase tokens that can be used to buy what you need at the market. Currently available at the Tuesday, Wednesday Solvang, Thursday Goleta, Saturday and Sunday Farmers Markets, the tokens are easy to use and come in denominations of $1, $5 and $10. There is no fee for purchasing the tokens. Use the tokens just as you would cash with the vendors, and often they will give you back your change in cash. Shopping at the market just got easier!

The Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market Association is a grower-owned association operating eight markets a week, rain or shine, all year round. sbfarmersmarket.org

Happy Tiffins

For Stylish Picnics

When you go on a picnic these days it’s nice to be both practical and earth-friendly. These stainless-steel food containers are sustainable, reusable, environment-friendly, dishwasher safe and free of harmful toxins. Oh, and they look pretty cool, too. The unique design features stackable containers with locking lids. They come in a stacked or pyramid design with a number of configurations and can be used for hot or cold food. The name tiffin comes from the Indian English word, which generally refers to a snack or packed lunch. These tiffins by Happy Tiffin range in price from $12.99 to $79.99, depending on the size and number of tiers.

Founded in 2008, Happy Tiffin is a privately held company located in Santa Barbara. For more information and to order, visit their website at happytiffin.com

Carr Winery

Late Nights in the Barrel Room

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights you can sip wine from 5 to 11 p.m. at Carr Winery’s stylish tasting room, a converted 1940s Quonset hut. Their wines are available by the glass, bottle or carafe. Try their “wine on tap” house wine for only $5 a glass. In addition, they feature live music on Thursday and Friday nights; check their website for band listing. Carr Vineyards & Winery has specialized in handcrafted wines sourced from Santa Barbara County vineyards since 1999. In addition to their focus on Pinot Noir, they produce Pinot Gris, Syrah, Grenache and Cabernet Franc. They are also open for tastings everyday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tastings are $10.

Carr Winery is located at N. Salsipuedes St., Santa Barbara; 805 965-7985; carrwinery.com

vertical TASTING

We asked Here’s the Scoop to help us select four flavors of their sorbet and gelato that would satisfy our craving for ice cream this summer. They make traditional Italian gelato and sorbet using seasonal ingredients (many from local farmers), and they are made daily on the premises, along with their tasty waffle cones and cups. And don’t stop with these four selections, they have at least 22 flavors at any given time, and with seasonal varieties, you’ll always find something new to try.

I Scream

Tom Shepherd

Strawberry

Italian: Sorbet Fragola

Source: Strawberries from Shepherd Farm

As with all their sorbets, the primary ingredient other than water is the fruit, with some added sugar and a special stabilizer imported from Italy. The taste is pure strawberry goodness.

You Scream

Peach

Italian: Sorbet Pesca

Source: Peaches from the farmers market

It’s hard to imagine that there’s no dairy in this soft, creamy yet intensely flavored sorbet. Every bite is the essence of summer.

We All Scream

Pistachio

Italian: Gelato Pistacchio

Source: Pistachios from Santa Barbara Pistachio Company

Gelato has two to three times less fat than American style ice cream and less air, too — so there’s just a lot more flavor. It is destined to become your new favorite.

For Ice Cream

Lavender Lemon

Italian: Sorbet Lavanda Limone

Source: Lavender and lemons from the farmers market

This exquisite sorbet has the freshness of just-picked lemons and just a hint of lavender from the summer garden.

Here’s the Scoop is located at 1187 Coast Village Rd., Montecito. Sunday–Thursday 1–9pm; Friday–Saturday 12–10pm; 805 969-7020

Recipes seasonal

Corn

Grilled Corn

Makes 4 servings

Grilling the corn in the husks infuses the corn with a smoky flavor and protects the corn from becoming dried out.

4 ears of corn

Butter or olive oil

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Peel away the outer layers of husk, leaving enough to cover the ears but exposing a few of the kernels. Soak for a few minutes and drain away excess water. Place on the grill over medium heat and turn the ears every few minutes to evenly char the husks. Depending on the level of heat, it will take 10 to 20 minutes. Once the husks are thoroughly charred, remove from the grill and peel back the husk and any bits of charred silk. Season with butter or olive oil and some salt and pepper and serve.

Cornish Game Hens

Grilled Cornish Game Hens

Makes 4 servings

Using soaked wood chips with a gas grill gives these game hens an unbelievably delicious, smoky flavor. This recipe was inspired by a grilled chicken recipe from Cook’s Illustrated, but game hen is quite different from chicken. Not only does it take less time to cook, but the flavor is richer. One game hen, split in half after cooking will serve two people as part of meal, but you can also serve one game per person if you would like to serve a large portion.

2 Cornish Game Hens (available from Healthy Family Farms at the Saturday Santa Barbara Farmers Market)

Zest of one lemon

A couple tablespoons of rosemary, thyme, oregano or sage

1 clove garlic

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups mesquite wood chips, soaked for 15 minutes

Rinse the game hens and pat dry. Combine the lemon zest, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper in a mortar and use pestle to grind to a paste. Add enough olive oil to make a spreadable paste. Rub the paste on the game hens and slip as much of the paste as you can under the skin and into the cavity.

Turn both burners of a gas grill to high and heat for 15 minutes or until it reaches 400°. Turn off the heat on one side and using tongs, lift the grate off of that side and push the coals to the other side. Place an aluminum pan on that side and replace the grate. With tongs, lift the grate off the other side and put half of the soaked chips on top of the hot coals. Place the game hens on the side above the drip pan, close the lid and grill/roast for 20 minutes.

Open the lid and add the remainder of the soaked chips. Close the lid and cook for another 15–20 minutes or until the game hens are browned and an instant read thermometer reads 165°. Remove and let sit for 10 minutes. Split each in half down the breastbone with a chef’s knife and serve.

Kale

Oven-Roasted Kale Chips

Makes 4 servings

Everyone always wonders what to do with kale. This recipe was inspired by a comment made by someone at the Fairview Gardens CSA. Even though kale doesn’t seem like a summer vegetable, it’s readily available all summer long, and turning it into chips to serve alongside a sandwich or burger is a great idea. Or try them on top of a salad as pictured below.

1 bunch of kale

1⁄ 8 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider or red wine vinegar

1⁄ 2 teaspoon of kosher or coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Put a large shallow roasting pan or sheet pan in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°.

Rinse the kale and dry completely. Remove the stems and cut into pieces approximately 3 inches wide. In a large bowl combine the kale with the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, toss to coat the kale evenly with the mixture.

When the oven is up to temperature, carefully put the kale into the hot pan, spreading it out into one layer. It will sizzle. Roast for 10 minutes and then gently stir or turn the leaves over and roast for another 5–7 minutes, until the kale is crisp and dry but not too brown. Serve immediately.

Watermelon

Watermelon Aguas Frescas

Makes 4 servings

Since watermelon is mostly water, it makes a perfectly refreshing summer drink. This is an excellent thing to make when you have half a watermelon left over and no room in the refrigerator, or double the recipe and use the whole watermelon. It’s a great alternative to soda for kids’ parties.

1⁄ 2 of a 6–7 pound watermelon

1 cup water

1 tablespoon of agave syrup or simple sugar syrup, to taste

Pinch of salt

Juice of half a lime, optional

Remove the rind and seeds from the watermelon and cut into rough chunks. Place in a blender with the water, syrup, salt and blend until liquefied. Taste and add additional syrup and/or lime to taste. Strain through a coarse strainer, chill and serve.

HEIRLOOM HEAVEN

by Carol Penn-Romine

The first time I ever heard of heirloom tomatoes, I cracked wise about finding wrinkly old dried-out veggies stashed in grandma’s attic—and my grandmother kept everything, so that was a distinct possibility. But with the first enticing bite, I knew they were something extraordinary with which I was destined to become good friends. They typically set me back about $7 or $8 a pound, so for reasons of both economics and sheer pleasure, I refuse to let one go bad.

Recently, however, I allowed several heirlooms go seriously soft. I decided to try making sorbet with those too-soft-for-anything-else specimens of culinary indulgence. I made the simple syrup, and while it cooled I peeled the tomatoes, which handle beautifully when they’re extra ripe, and put them through the food mill.

I’m convinced that this was one of the factors in the sorbet turning out so well. The mill doesn’t thrash everything to death the way a blender or food processor does, and it expresses maximum pulp and juice without letting the bitter seeds pass through. I also strained every last bit of juice that remained after the peeling and seeding, and even squeegeed the juice from the cutting board—I wanted it all.

Then I chopped the fresh basil finely, so there would be no strands catching on the mixing arm of the ice cream maker. To the mixture I added a high-quality balsamic vinegar. Not the extra vecchio traditionale I’d spent a mortgage payment on in Modena, but something almost as exceptional. It was sweet, smooth and complex, without the tonsil-seizing aggressiveness of the cheap (and fake) stuff. And I added the barest pinch of salt. It’s a great flavor balancer, so I figured, why not give it a try?

The results had a wonderfully complex flavor, the most sophisticated thing I’ve ever conjured up on my own. Complex but not kitchensink busy. The natural sweetness of those overripe tomatoes, along with that of the balsamic, reined in the one-dimensionality of the sugar. In spite of all that sweetness, it wasn’t cloying. And in spite of there being both tomatoes and balsamic vinegar in the sorbet, it wasn’t terribly acidic. The flavors were well balanced, and the sorbet had a nice harmony on the tongue.

Plenty of tomato sorbet recipes call for basil and perhaps balsamic, but I think four things helped me produce a really flavorful sorbet: using heirloom tomatoes, including a primo balsamic, adding that hint of salt and gently milling the tomatoes.

get the hang of playing in the Southern California soil. She is editor of Edible Los Angeles and a contributor to a number of magazines within Edible Communities.

Tomato Basil Balsamic Sorbet

Makes about one quart

2⁄ 3 cup sugar

2⁄ 3 cup water

2 pounds softly ripe heirloom tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks (or other good-quality tomatoes—never hothouse or out-of-season)

1⁄ 4 cup finely minced fresh basil leaves (use red basil if you don’t want freckled sorbet)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (a good balsamic—taste it first to be sure it isn’t too vinegary for the mix. Resist the urge to use a reduction, as it will overpower the tomatoes.)

A slight pinch of salt

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small pan, give them a stir to combine, and pull the mixture off the heat once the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Purée tomatoes and press through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. (If you use a food mill the purée will not require straining.)

Combine syrup, purée, basil, vinegar and salt, then cover and chill for an hour. Freeze in ice cream maker following manufacturer’s instructions. Serve soft or freeze in an airtight container until firm, at least 3 hours.

Chef and food writer Carol Penn-Romine is a Tennessee farm girl who is still trying to

Markets, 6 Days a Week

Sundays

Camino Real Marketplace In Goleta at Storke & Hollister 10:00am – 2:00pm

Tuesdays

Old Town Santa Barbara

500 & 600 Blocks of State Street 4:00pm – 7:30pm

Wednesdays

La Cumbre Plaza

Inside the shopping center

1:00pm – 5:00pm Solvang Village

Copenhagen Drive & 1st Street 2:30pm – 6:30pm

Harding School

Beginning in late July

Thursdays

Goleta Calle Real Center – 5700 Calle Real 3:00pm – 6:00pm

Carpinteria 800 Block of Linden Avenue 3:00pm – 6:30pm

Fridays

Montecito 1100 & 1200 Block of Coast Village Road 8:00am – 11:15am

Saturdays

Downtown Santa Barbara Corner of Santa Barbara & Cota Streets 8:30am – 12:30pm

EDIBLE GARDEN EASY STEPS TO BETTER HOMEGROWN TOMATOES

by Joan S. Bolton

My favorite place in the summer garden is smack in the middle of the tomatoes—their crinkled, green leaves heavy with scent—where I can snack on sweet, bite-sized, sun-ripened cherries and pungent miniature yellow pears.

Nothing beats the fresh, intense flavor of a homegrown tomato, whatever its size. If you grow only one summer vegetable, please let it be an heirloom pink Brandywine, a perfect, plump Better Boy, an exotic Black Zebra or any other of the literally hundreds of tomato varieties available from garden centers, catalogs and the internet.

With summer upon us, your tomatoes are likely already in the ground. However, there’s a little-known second season in the offing. Come August and September, you can plant a round of cool-season varieties that should ripen by the holidays.

In the meantime, there are steps you can take to tease out the most intense, vine-ripened flavor from your current crop.

Care and Feeding

A number of years ago I attended a tomato taste-off at Burpee’s famed Fordhook Farm. What a disappointment. Instead of delectable delights, the slices ranged from mushy to watery to bland. The culprit? Summer rain. Tomatoes build intensity by going dry between waterings. Those poor plants didn’t have a chance.

But here on the South Coast, our dry, sun-drenched summers are perfect for wresting the most spectacular, concentrated flavors from our tomatoes. All it takes is control at the faucet. Right after planting, keep the soil damp. You may have to water daily until the lower leaves fill out and shade the soil. An inch-thick layer of loose mulch will help hold the moisture.

As the plants gain size, gradually lengthen the time between waterings. But still give the plants a good soak each time. Don’t splash water on the leaves: overhead spray can promote disease. Instead, use drip irrigation or soaker hose, or shape furrows or basins beneath the plants.

When blossoms appear and the tiny tomatoes begin to swell, taper off watering even more. Avoid any abrupt changes. Inconsistent watering interferes with the plants’ ability to extract calcium in the soil, which can lead to blossom end rot. Not only ugly, the disease damages the fruit.

By the time your tomato plants are in full glory, let the top inch of soil dry out between waterings. Depending on the weather, I irrigate once a week to 10 days, and sometimes even less frequently. If my leaves look too healthy, I know I’m applying too much water. If they wilt, it’s not enough.

As for fertilizer: The best time to boost your tomatoes is at planting time, by tossing a slow-release, general-purpose fertilizer into the bottom of each hole. Go easy on nitrogen: It encourages lush, healthy-looking leaves at the expense of formation of fruit.

The only other chore is to ensure your plants get plenty of air circulation. Trim off the first few sets of bottom leaves now, and keep any errant branches off the ground. Regardless of the size of your plants, cages or stakes are the best way to keep them from flopping or sprawling, which can lead to the fruit rotting.

Cool-Season Tomatoes

These latecomers may not grow as big or produce as prolifically as traditional summertime tomatoes. But they’re your best bet for tomatoes late in the year, as they are able to set, carry and ripen their fruit during cooler weather.

Also unlike summer tomatoes, which are often indeterminate varieties that vine on and keep bearing until they’re nipped by frost or sheer exhaustion, most cool-season tomatoes are determinate, meaning they are bush-like and produce the bulk of their crop within a couple of weeks. Look for plants that mature in less than 70 days and hail from places like Siberia, Alaska and Czechoslovakia. Their names are often giveaways, such as Manitoba, Northern Delight, Oregon Spring, Scotia and Stupice. Most are heirloom varieties. They’re true to seed, with the offspring mimicking their parents.

Despite their comfort with cooler temperatures, cool-season tomatoes still need at least six hours a day of full sun. Containers are a good way to go as you can move them about, to chase the dwindling sunlight. Consider using black plastic 15-gallon pots. While not particularly attractive, the soil will dry out and heat up faster than in the ground, which will encourage growth and hasten ripening.

Slow-release fertilizers may not be effective during cold temperatures, so apply a liquid fertilizer every few weeks instead, still going easy on the nitrogen. Also, don’t expect your cool-season plants to look picture-perfect. The leaves and branches may appear ragged by December. But who cares, when you can harvest and enjoy your own vine-ripened, succulent tomatoes that late in the year?

Joan S. Bolton is a freelance writer, garden coach and garden designer who confesses to a lifelong love affair with plants. She and her husband, Tom, have filled their four-acre property in western Goleta with natives and other colorful, water-conserving plants. They also maintain avocado, citrus and fruit trees and grow vegetables and herbs year-round. www.SantaBarbaraGardens.com.

Summer edible books

Reading List

I f you read cookbooks more often than novels, you’ll love this summer reading list. We rounded up four books from local authors that will satisfy your summer reading inclination and provide you with a few recipes, too.

A Menu for All Seasons: Summer

(Olive Tree)

By Pascale Beale-Groom

Foreword by Michel Richard

72 pages, hardback: $29.95

Number of recipes: 37; 8 menus

The second in Pascale Beale-Groom’s seasonal series, A Menu for All Seasons: Summer continues her theme of fresh, seasonal and local cuisine with a French/Mediterranean/California influence. The book is filled with beautiful photographs and is arranged by menu. Each three-course menu is accompanied by a very handy cooking schedule. Recipes range from simple to fairly elaborate but always with detailed instructions and interesting background information. This is an excellent book for someone who loves to cook and entertain.

Chef MD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine

A Food Lover’s Road Map to Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, and Getting Really Healthy (Crown)

By John La Puma, MD, and Rebecca Powell Marx

300 pages, hardback: $24.95

Number of recipes: 50

Dr. La Puma is a specialist in internal medicine as well as a trained cook, who is a big proponent of food as medicine through his best-selling books and television shows. His latest book focuses equally on losing weight and getting healthy. It is packed with useful information about the nutritional aspects of food and has an eight-week program to help you make healthy changes to your diet and lifestyle. The recipes are intended to encourage you to cook for yourself and to easily incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. These recipes will really help someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time cooking but wants to eat healthy foods.

Friday Evening: Creating La Dolce Vita, One Bite at a Time (Pentola Press)

By Michele Carbone

Foreword by Doug Margerum

256 pages, hardback: $49.95

Number of recipes: 5; 40 menus

Michele Carbone has created a beautiful book with the heart and soul of an Italian family gathering. Though filled with gorgeous food photography and detailed menus, it is not a cookbook. Instead of recipes she provides the suggestions and inspiration to create your own recipes or use recipes from the many sources available to us these days. She promotes the concept of shopping at farmers markets and offers specific tips on how to incorporate this way of shopping and cooking into your life. This is the perfect book for someone who needs inspiration more than recipes, and her comfortable and casual style will make you feel that you are sitting at her table.

The Gourmet Garden: An Organic Gardening Book (Barron’s)

By Virginia Hayes

128 pages, paperback: $19.99

Number of recipes: 9, plus numerous cooking tips

This extremely useful book by Lotusland curator Virginia Hayes is a fusion of gardening and cooking tips. Every page is filled with photographs, illustrations and detailed information on how to organically grow edible plants. There are also sections on composting, container gardening, irrigation and pest management. It is a wonderful resource, whether you have a huge vegetable garden or just a couple pots of herbs, and it may just inspire you to plant a few more things that will end up on your plate.

FOR OVER 30 YEARS THEKLA AND RICHARD SANFORD HAVE CREATED CELEBRATED WINES IN THE WORLD FAMOUS SANTA RITA HILLS.

FROM COLD AND SLOW TO HOT AND FAST THE ABALONE STORY FROM OCEAN TO PLATE

by Jacqueline Church

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRAN COLLIN

In the debate about which fish should be on your dish, you’ve considered whether it’s sustainable, whether it’s free of mercury and whether to buy local or imported. You’ve probably also weighed wild versus farmed. Will you contemplate one more option?

Consider the poor abalone. Precious, misunderstood and hunted to near extinction. It’s one of the oldest known creatures in existence. It’s been a part of California’s culinary and coastal heritage for thousands of years. Once plentiful all along the central and southern coast of California, its popularity here and abroad has threatened its very survival.

Just as aquaculture has begun to restore depleted stocks, our lack of information about the abalone, from how it’s farmed to how it’s harvested and prepared, present additional challenges. Those are pretty big hurdles for a little creature with a single foot!

Coastal Californians of a certain age remember the days when harvesting abalone meant walking out at low tide and simply grabbing your dinner. A delicious barbecue on the beach of fresh abalone is fading from our culinary memory. For a whole new generation, the experience of dining on abalone may be completely unknown. Much of the commercially available abalone is shipped overseas where the delicacy is prized, but it is also farmed and available right here in Santa Barbara.

From Cold and Slow...

Abalones grow in cold, coastal waters of the Pacific. Both commercial and recreational abalone fishing have been intertwined with California’s history since the earliest times. About five of the 80 or so species of abalone grow along the Central Coast.

Ever-growing demand and divers with increasingly efficient equipment threaten the wild abalones’ survival. In addition to overfishing, predation by otters has had negative impact on the wild abalone population. Otters are a significant natural predator and their population is increasing. Disease and poaching eventually caused California to enact a moratorium on commercial harvesting in 1993 in a drastic attempt to save the species from extinction.

By about the mid-’80s scientists and entrepreneurs with some foresight and more patience began to farm abalone. Imagine waiting at your farm stand four years for a tomato. How about eight?

Abalones grow fastest in the first four to six years of their lives. A typical 3 1 4 -ounce abalone might take three years to achieve that size. Curiously, they have highly variable growth rates after that, with the majority slowing down considerably after the first few years. Most farmed abalone is sold after about three years when it is just over 3 inches.

Back in the day, when people caught their 8-inch abalones for those beach barbecues, we simply did not know how excruciatingly long it took them to grow that large.

Farmers must hand-select the fast growers and separate them to grow them out for customers who want larger abalones, like those you would use for abalone steaks. And they must be very, very patient.

...to Hot and Fast

So, now we’ve waited patiently for our dinner. Our friendly abalone farmers have induced spawning, carefully fed and cared for our abalone. Finally, the farmers have abalone big enough for dinner, something like four years later.

Did you know?

• Abalone have no clotting agent in their blood. Inexperienced divers can easily kill an abalone by injuring it.

• Abalone are gastropods. They have a single shell and a foot that attaches to its growing surface.

• If an abalone is touched by a sea star, it twists its shell violently to dislodge the intruder and then gallops off—abalone style.

• In the United States, commercial fishing for abalone has ceased.

• Abalone farming, unlike fin-fish farming, does not release waste and toxins into the ocean environment. In fact, abalone are considered an “indicating species”— a species used to monitor the health of the ocean environment.

What will it taste like and how will it be prepared? What will it cost?

At prices ranging from $56-$90 a pound (depending on size), this is what many consider a luxury item. Compare it to a dry-aged steak at a premium steakhouse. Neither is out of reach, but both are likely to be luxuries we’ll enjoy when we can. Select abalone chefs and preparations much in the same way you’d choose where to enjoy a premium steak.

How abalone is harvested is critical to the end result. If it’s tenderized immediately, there is nothing more enjoyable, tasting sweetly of the sea. It can be prepared in a number of ways, from sashimi or ceviche to panfried or grilled. If not harvested properly, the best of chefs would find it difficult to create a good meal. Poorly handled, inexpertly prepared abalone leads some to a negative experience. What a shame after so much time and care in the growing of it.

Hot and fast is the preferred way to cook abalone. A good hot pan and quick hand will be just about all you need to enjoy the delicacy.

Local Abalone

Hot and fast is how Cafe del Sol’s kitchen prepares their abalone, too. 1–2 minutes on each side is all the abalone steaks get at Jack Sears’ Santa Barbara spot. Sears is in his 43rd year of serving abalone and remembers when it was $1.50 a pound. “Come into the restaurant, you’ll see a menu on the wall from 1967 when our abalone dish was $5.50,” he says. He remembers the days when abalone were plentiful and it was easy to go for a dive and bring them home. Today, his abalone entree is $49.95 and costs about $85 a pound for farmed abalone the size his customers prefer. He likens it to another luxury item, uni or sea urchin, which is gaining popularity. Sears vows to keep abalone on the menu in a nod to tradition.

Abalone Today

Nearly all of the aquacultured abalone in California is red abalone. White abalone is officially listed as endangered. It’s unlikely black abalone will return to healthy enough populations to allow farming again. Small pink and green abalone populations are farmed in Hawaii.

The biggest threats to the wild abalone population include poaching and, to some extent, disease, primarily caused by environmental stress. While individuals are permitted to harvest abalone (with size restrictions, daily limits and substantial penalties for violating these) the prices abalone commands encourages some to illegally poach the precious commodity. It’s estimated that thousands of wild abalone are poached each year, despite roadside checks, stiff penalties and confiscation of equipment and boats. The wild abalone population is monitored extensively in hopes that the population will show clear signs of increasing.

Abalone farms harvest kelp, and environmental conservation groups previously believed this threatened kelp ecosystems. But kelp grows phenomenally fast (up to 1 inch per hour), and restrictions keep harvesting well within limits that would have negative impacts.

Commercial abalone farming is highly regulated. With barriers to entry and such long growing cycles, this is not a product that lends itself to irresponsible farmers looking for fast profits. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program ranks farmed abalone as a “Best Choice” because of minimal environmental impact and the wellmonitored, highly regulated nature of the industry.

In Santa Barbara County we are extremely fortunate to have a local source for farmed abalone. The Cultured Abalone, located in northern Goleta, has been raising abalone since 1987, and as long as the demand is there, they will continue to supply area restaurants, caterers and seafood markets with their delectable product.

The tiny, slow-growing abalone is a giant coastal culinary treasure. Eat it to save it!

Jacqueline Church began “Teach a Man to Fish” the sustainable seafood event. Currently, she is working on Pig Tales: a Love Story a book about heritage breed pigs, the farmers and chefs bringing them farm to fork.

The author and editor would like to thank our neighbor in Cayucos, Brad Buckley of the the Abalone Farm, and here locally Benjamin Beede of The Cultured Abalone for their assistance in researching this article.

Benjamin Beede of The Cultured Abalone farm.

A close up of the abalone foot.

Michael Hutchings Recipes

Basic Pan-Fried Abalone O

Cultured Abalone with a Butter Sauce

Basic Pan-Fried Abalone

Makes 6 servings

12 baby abalone, 3-inch size

(available at the Santa Barbara Fish Market and through Plow to Porch)

3 large eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Wondra or all purpose flour for dipping

Oil for frying

6 lemon halves, seeded

If you are using live abalone in the shell, prepare them by cleaning them. Using a flat bladed knife, like a scallop knife or the tip of a butter knife, slide under the abalone and lift it from the shell. Using a small sharp knife, trim the red mouth of the abalone and remove the intestines.

Lay out a damp kitchen towel and arrange the abalone in rows. Tap each abalone once with a tenderizing mallet. Cover with a second towel, and give a gentle bash with a smooth hammer to relax the muscle.

When you are ready to cook the abalone, prepare the egg wash by beating the whole eggs, salt, pepper and oil. Dip the prepared abalone in the flour, turning to coat both sides. Tap off excess flour and place the abalones in the egg wash and let them sit a few minutes. Remove the abalone and put them on a plate to drain a bit.

Note: Prepare your serving plates and garnish ahead, as the cooking time is extremely short.

Heat a small quantity of your cooking oil in a flat-bottomed pan. When the oil is smoking hot, carefully lay each abalone into the hot oil. They cook quickly, so limit yourself to four at a time. By the time the fourth one is in the pan, turn over the first. When the fourth is turned, the first should be cooked. Lay them on the serving plates and serve immediately. Serve with lemons on the side.

Cultured Abalone with a Butter Sauce

Makes 6 servings

18 baby abalone, 3-inch size

(available at the Santa Barbara Fish Market and through Plow to Porch)

Beurre Blanc Sauce

6 shallots, peeled and chopped

2 cups dry white wine

1⁄ 2 cup whipping cream

10 ounces unsalted butter

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

4 ounces trimmed enoki daki mushrooms

4 ounces tomato, peeled, seeded and diced

4 tablespoons freshly chopped dill or tarragon

3 eggs

4 ounces vegetable oil or butter

6 dill sprigs for garnish

6 tomatoes for roses

6 teaspoons golden caviar (optional)

Prepare the abalone by running a small knife or blunt spatula between the meat and the shell. Remove the intestines by pulling them back and cut off the red mouth parts, located to the front. Split large abalone in half horizontally. Place the foot (remaining muscle meat) between two moist tea towels and lightly pound with a meat tenderizing mallet to even them out and to tenderize the meat.

Reduce wine and shallots until almost dry in a heavy-bottomed sauce pot (stainless or anodized aluminum is preferred). Add cream and reduce by one half its volume. Cut butter into small pieces and whisk into the reduction over medium heat. DO NOT BOIL. Adjust seasonings, add lemon juice and strain through a fine-meshed strainer, retaining the butter sauce. Keep the butter sauce warm. When ready to serve, add the mushrooms, tomatoes and fresh herbs to the sauce, mixing well. Heat gently over a low flame, do not boil. Reserve in a warm place while the abalone is cooked.

Season the abalone with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and dip into wellbeaten egg. Sauté the abalone quickly, 5–10 seconds per side in hot oil. Spoon sauce onto plate, top with abalone. Garnish with a tomato rose and dill sprig. The abalone shells may be filled with golden caviar and used as an additional garnish. A reserve California Chardonnay goes well with this dish.

Chef Michael Hutchings is one of Santa Barbara’s best known chefs. He started his career at Disneyland’s fabled Club 33 and in Los Angeles, working under several chefs including James Sly at La Serre (now the owner of Sly’s in Carpinteria). He was sous chef at the Roux Brother’s Le Gavroche (two-star Michelin) and apprenticed in France at Gaston Lenotre’s Les Pres Catalan (two-star Michelin), restaurant Troisgros (three-star Michelin) and with Alain Chapel (three-star Michelin). Michael then came to Santa Barbara, and from 1983–1993 his restaurant Michael’s Waterside was recognized for its outstanding California-French fusion cuisine. Today Chef Michael Hutchings oversees a food consulting and catering business. He also has a line of frozen gourmet vegetarian soups called SB Souper Naturals. Visit his website at michaelscateringsb.com and his blog at chefmichaelhutchings.typepad.com.

To learn more about farmed abalone attend the American Institute of Wine and Food Annual Abalone Farm Tour and Luncheon on Saturday, July 18, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Cultured Abalone farm in Goleta. The tour will reveal the fascinating methods that this onshore farm employs to breed, grow and process cultured abalone. Chef Michael Hutchings will give a cooking demonstration of abalone preparation, which will be followed by a three-course luncheon paired with local wines. Members $65, guests $75. aiwf.org.

David Myers, Sona

SALAD DAYS

by Pascale Beale-Groom

The French gourmet and politician turned gastronomical raconteur Anthalem Brillat-Savarin recounts, in his excellent treatise The Physiology of Taste, the story of a young nobleman, the Chevalier d’Albignac, who, having escaped the ravages of the French Revolution, found himself in London and in need of earning a living.

One evening while dining with friends at an inn, a gentleman approached the Chevalier. The gentleman, who had heard that he was French, asked if he could make a salad “in the French fashion.” Appreciative of the solicitous manner in which the request was made, the Chevalier obliged and created a salad that was greatly admired. So much so that he was asked to perform the same task the following week. There again he created a delicious salad. His reputation was quickly established, and he spent the next few years traveling around the English capital in a private barouche with cabinets designed to carry his special condiments, including truffles, caviar, anchovies, scented oils and specialized vinegars.

There are some who credit the young entrepreneur with bringing this type of fresh green salad to England, and indeed his creations became all the rage. However a century prior to this, in 1799, John Evelyn published the first English-language cookbook dedicated solely to salads, Acetaria: A Discourse on Sallets. He championed eating greens of all sorts, despite the 17th century English preference for grains and meats. He directed his readers to “dress their salads with oil of a pallid olive… such as native Lucca olives”; encouraged the use of the best available vinegar; suggested adding fine crystals of salt and recommended mixing salad greens with mache, spinach, arugula, endive, fennel, radish and nasturtiums. In short, a salad that I would make for lunch today.

The current fashion for salads with a multitude of ingredients—a blending of savory and sweet—is not, as we can see, some hot new trend. Indeed, Evelyn’s work is pre-dated by millennia to the time of ancient Rome. In Columella’s epic work De Re Rustica, he describes a salad of fresh mint, cilantro, leeks and parsley, thyme, fresh cheese dressed with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. What could be more apropos?

In the 1,600 years (or so) that have passed since the fall of Rome, culinary trends have ebbed and flowed, a mirror of their epoch. The influence of the church, both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, had profound effects on how, when and what food was consumed. The humble salad, however, seems to have escaped the dietary restrictions imposed by the various religious and political orders of the ages and weathered the centuries seemingly intact. Despite the fact that the English went through phases of distrusting raw vegetables, and according to William Harrison in his 1577 work on the 15th century dietary habits of his countrymen, who considered this “food as more meet for hogs and savage beasts to feed upon than mankind,” the salad that graced the tables in Shakespeare’s time would not be out of place today. The bard’s plays are sprinkled with herbal references and gests on salads, from All’s Well That Ends Well, “She was the sweet-marjoram of the sallat, or rather, the herb of grace” and from Henry VI, Part 2, “pick a sallat another while, which is not amiss to cool a man’s stomach this hot weather.”

Pascale Beale-Groom.

This second quote reflects a belief that holds true to this day (that salads are cooling) and influenced at what point in a meal salads were and are eaten. Since the time of Aristotle and Galen’s theory of the “four bodily humors,” all foods were attributed certain properties that affected a person’s health and digestion. They were to varying degrees hot or cold, moist or dry. Different foods had to be consumed in a particular order to open the appetite and aid digestion. Lighter foods, it was said, should be served first (hence the salad at the beginning of the meal) and heavier meats and dishes would follow. This practice is still followed in the United States.

There are those who argue that the vinegar in most salads will destroy the taste of any wine served with it and should therefore be served at the end of the meal. Others reason that the digestive effect of salad is more effective when served after the main course—a tradition adhered to in France. Whatever one’s preference, this dish has now evolved to the point that it has become a meal in and of itself.

With the notable exception of the horrors of molded Jell-O salads foisted upon the masses in the 1950s—a wiggling mass of lime green, filled with suspended olives and tomatoes and decorated with mayonnaise—salads have thankfully emerged into the creative and delicious amalgams reflective of the 21st century. Now the new blend of cross-cultures draws dishes from around the world and influences everyday cooking.

Tabouleh, the Middle Eastern herb and bulgur salad, is now ubiquitous, as is Salade Nicoise, the tuna, green bean, tomato and egg specialty from Nice. Asian and African spices have become readily available—chermoula, za’atar, ras al hanout, curry leaves, kokum, Sichuan pepper, wasabi and tamarind, to name a few.

Our global marketplace has not only influenced what we put into these dishes but also what we grow. Our local farmers markets are now filled with daikon, mung beans, bok choy, Chinese cabbage and more. Local farmers who immigrated from Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia have brought vegetables native to their cultures and these in turn have become part of our new, seasonal culinary heritage. This is a trend that will continue to grow as the migration of people around the world continues.

It is refreshing to know that the fundamentals of salad making depend on a few simple things: excellent (preferably local) fresh ingredients and, as Oscar Wilde once said, “To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomat—the problem is entirely the same in both cases. To know how much oil one must put with one’s vinegar.” Evidently the Chevalier d’Albignac knew precisely what proportions to use for he returned to his native France, his fortune made from making salad, with élan.

Pascale Beale-Groom grew up in England and France surrounded by a family that has always been passionate about food, wine and the arts. She was taught to cook by her French mother and grandmother. In 1999 she opened Montecito Country Kitchen, a Mediterranean cooking school in Santa Barbara. Her first cookbook A Menu for All Seasons—Spring, was published in 2004, and her cookbook Summer was released in early 2008. She is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and lives in Santa Barbara with her family.

Pascale’s Salad Recipes

Field Greens Salad with Fennel, Roquefort and Grapes with a Candied Shallot Vinaigrette

O Grilled Duck, Endives and Arugula Salad

O Late Summer Peach and Feta Salad

O Wild Salmon Salad

Field greens salad with fennel, Roquefort and grapes with a candied shallot vinaigrette.

Late summer peach and feta salad.

Lettuce

HAS BEEN AROUND FOR thousands of years

The name lettuce means milk and is derived from its Latin name lactuca as the plant, when cut, seeps a milky-looking substance. There are hundreds of varieties available today and generally speaking they fall into four groups:

Butterhead: Produces a loosely structured head of lettuce with delicate leaves. They are normally round and light green. Bibb and Butter lettuces are the most common variety.

Romaine (or Cos): This lettuce is immortalized in the great carvings at the temple of Senusret 1 at Karnac in Egypt, where he is shown offering lettuce to the god, Min. The ancient Egyptians believed lettuce to be an aphrodisiac. This variety is distinctive in that it is fairly heat resistant, forms long, straight, upright leaves and has a firm central rib running down each one. This is the lettuce of choice for Caesar salad.

Loose-leaf: These types of lettuce do not form a head but rather create a loose, open rosette. They are rich in vitamin A and come in many colors, ranging from dark purple to emerald green, often with frilly edges, soft leaves and ruffles. Red Oak Leaf, Batavia and Lollo Rosso are all examples of this type of lettuce.

Crisphead: Round and cabbage-like in appearance, these lettuces are the palest in color and have the least nutritional value. Iceberg is the most common type.

There are many other varieties, which are readily available from our local markets:

Mache or Lamb’s Lettuce: This small, sweet lettuce grows in rosettes of four to five leaves. Its delicate taste pairs well with goat cheese.

Arugula: Peppery tasting with small, flat leaves, this plant belongs to the Cruciferae family, which is closely related to mustards. Leaves are best eaten when they are small and young; the larger, older leaves are quite strong.

Chicory family: A number of salad greens fall under this general heading. Endive, Belgian endive, Curley Endive and Radicchio are examples. They all have a tendency toward bitter leaves and are generally mixed with other greens.

Field Greens Salad with Fennel, Roquefort and Grapes with a Candied Shallot Vinaigrette

Makes 8 servings

FOR THE SHALLOTS

8 whole shallots, peeled and cut in half or quarters, if very large

1 teaspoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons sugar

Salt and pepper

Pour the oil and add the butter to a small saucepan or skillet placed over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add in the shallots and cook for 10 minutes, turning the shallots occasionally. Reduce the heat to low after 10 minutes and add in the sugar, some salt and pepper and toss the shallots well. Continue cooking the shallots for another 30–40 minutes until they become golden brown. Keep warm until ready to serve.

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

1⁄ 4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon apple bouquet vinegar (available at gourmet stores)

1 teaspoon fig balsamic vinegar

A pinch of coarse salt

In a small bowl combine all the ingredients and whisk together. Pour the vinaigrette into the pan with the shallots, whisking it together with any of the pan juices.

FOR THE SALAD

3⁄ 4 pound field greens, washed

1 fennel bulb, sliced and then cut into thin pieces

4 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled

1⁄ 2 pound grapes, each grape cut in half if they are very big

Place all the ingredients into a large salad bowl. Pour the warmed vinaigrette, along with the shallots, into the salad bowl and toss well to combine, making sure that when you serve the salad, everyone gets a least 2 pieces of the shallots.

Grilled Duck, Endives and Arugula Salad

Makes 8 servings

8 duck breasts, skin side scored lightly with a sharp knife

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

Olive oil

1 tablespoon apple bouquet vinegar (available at gourmet stores)

1 teaspoon fig balsamic vinegar

3 or 4 twists of freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch coarse sea salt

FOR THE SALAD

1⁄ 2 pound arugula

1⁄ 4 pound mixed salad greens

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter

4 endives, sliced crosswise into thin strips

Chives, finely chopped

Preheat a barbecue or oven broiler. Place the duck skin side down in the case of the barbecue (or skin side up in the case of an oven broiler) and cook for 5 minutes (or 7 minutes in the oven). Please note that on a barbecue the duck will quite possibly flame. After 5 minutes turn and cook a further 3 minutes. Remove from the barbecue (or oven) and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly. Set aside.

Make the vinaigrette in the bottom of a large salad bowl by whisking together all the ingredients until they form a smooth emulsion. Place serving utensils over the vinaigrette. Set aside.

Place the salad greens and arugula on top of the serving spoons.

When you are ready to serve the salad, add the butter to a large skillet placed over mediumhigh heat. Once the butter has melted, add in the brown sugar and cook until the sugar is bubbling. Add in the sliced endives and cook for 1 minute, tossing the endives continuously in the sugar. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly and then add to the salad bowl.

Toss the salad immediately and divide evenly amongst the salad plates. Place the duck slices on top of the salad and sprinkle with a little of the chives. Serve at once.

Late Summer Peach and Feta Salad

Makes 8 servings

4 peaches, sliced

2 apples, cored and sliced

1 bunch radishes, cut into thin slices

8 ounces feta, cut into small pieces

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1 bunch chives, finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

4 ounces black olives, sliced

Lemon olive oil

A large pinch coarse sea salt

Coarsely ground black peppercorns

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and then drizzle the lemon olive oil over the top. Add in the salt and pepper and toss carefully.

Serve with warm pita bread.

Wild Salmon Salad

Makes 8 servings

FOR THE BEETS

Note: these need to be prepared ahead of the salmon if you only have one oven.

8 medium-large golden beets, peeled and cut into eighths

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

6 shallots, peeled and quartered

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon apple bouquet vinegar (sometimes called apple cider balsamic vinegar or French balsamic apple vinegar) or substitute balsamic vinegar

Coarse sea salt

Pepper

1 bunch chives, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 400°.

FOR THE SALMON

2 pounds wild salmon

1⁄ 2 cup shallots, finely diced

1⁄ 4 cup dill, finely chopped

1⁄ 4 cup parsley, finely chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon olive oil

Coarse moist sea salt

Black pepper

Lower the oven temperature to 250°. Place a shallow pan of water in the lower part of the oven.

Place the salmon on a baking sheet. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Spread half of the mixture all over the salmon. Turn the filet over and cover the other side with the remaining herb mix.

Place in the middle of the oven and cook for 25 minutes. The center should be medium rare with the center looking slightly translucent. Set aside.

FOR THE SALAD

1 tablespoon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Coarse salt

Pepper

8 ounces arugula

1 bunch lemon basil, finely chopped

½ bunch cilantro, finely chopped

4 hardboiled eggs, shelled and cut into eighths

Pink flake salt, optional

Combine the mustard, olive oil and vinegar in the bottom of a large salad bowl and whisk together well. Add in a good pinch of salt and some pepper. Place serving utensils over the vinaigrette.

Place the cooked beets and onions, arugula, lemon basil and cilantro on top of the utensils. When you are ready to serve the salad, remove the utensils and toss gently so that all the ingredients are lightly coated with the vinaigrette. Divide the salad evenly amongst eight salad plates.

Break the cooked salmon apart and evenly distribute salmon pieces over the plated salad. Add thee or four of the egg slices to each plate as well. Sprinkle with a little flake salt if you wish. It adds a little extra touch to the dish, which is delicious.

This is excellent with a slightly chilled white wine or, for a special occasion, a glass of Champagne.

Place the beets, onion slices and shallots into a large ovenproof dish or Dutch oven. Pour some olive oil over the vegetables and add the vinegar. Add in some sea salt and pepper and toss to combine all the ingredients well. Cover with a lid and bake for 45–50 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the fresh chives. Set aside in the pan.

BENVENUTO AL TAVOLA—

ITALIAN VARIETALS TRANSLATED WITH SOUL AT PALMINA

by Lisa Kring

Iam an Italian American, born and raised in the United States, a second-generation descendent of Italian immigrants. Growing up in suburban Southern California, amid the endless tract houses, subdivisions and shopping malls, you would think I might have lost much in translation. But there is no denying the deep connection I feel to my ancestral home.

The first time I set foot on Italian soil as a young adult, I felt whole for the first time. Sharing a communal meal in Italy, I came home. My Italian soul naturally springs from my DNA, right?

In the case of Palmina winemakers/owners Steve and Chrystal Clifton, their life stories are proof positive that an Old World Italian soul is not limited by blood.

“This old soul was in both of us,” Chrystal says, as she pours wine into my glass. Sitting together around the rustic dark wood tavola in their Lompoc tasting room, I know I am home, almost immediately. Steve adds, “People come here to taste our wine from all over, they sit at this table together—complete strangers—and before you know it, they are exchanging phone numbers.”

At Palmina, the belief is that true Italian spirit is most tangible at the table, sharing regional wine and food in the company of others. This experience can be tasted with each of their 21 (yes, count them) fine wines, all traditionally crafted from Italian varietals grown in the Central Coast, largely planted and managed by them in collaboration with local growers. The mission is to give Italian varietals grown in California as much serious attention and respect as the French varietals grown here.

As any wine collector knows, some of the world’s finest wines come from Italy. But their New World siblings have yet to gain the respect they deserve. At Palmina a joyful education takes place at this humble yet lively table. No passport is needed; simply get in your car and head up to Lompoc.

Situated in the “wine ghetto,” a collection of low-lying, prefab gray and blue warehouses just off Highway 1, the Palmina tasting room defies expectations. Turning onto the nondescript driveway leading up to the space, I found myself double checking my directions not once, but twice. Could this really be it, I say to myself, shaking my head.

DAVE ROBINSON

Steve and Chrystal Clifton.

“People park out front, and they just sit in their car for awhile,” Steve says, laughing. “They don’t come in right away because it is not what they expected.” However, this industrial-looking cluster houses some of the finest small-production boutique wine producers in the Central Coast. What money is saved on appearances goes directly into the bottle. Furthermore, once you enter, you instantly forget that you are in an industrial park. The tasting room has been lovingly fashioned into a warm, intimate space decorated with personal photos and Italian memorabilia, with the tavola taking center stage. “If we can get them inside, we’ve got them captured,” Steve says proudly.

As Steve and Chrystal prepare the table for our tasting, I get to the pulsing heart of Palmina: the story. Steve started the winery in 1995, but the initial inspiration began on his first trip to Europe in his early 20s while visiting his sister and her new Italian husband. At the time, he was singing in a rock band and waiting tables in Orange County, where he was raised. But the experience of sitting around a table with family and friends in the Italian countryside for two-hour lunches completely changed his life.

“I was encouraged to have an opinion, and everyone debated and argued, but by the end of the meal, all remained friends,” he recalls. The delicious wine and food seemed to be the glue that held it all together. He was hooked.

“From then on, I worked only in Italian restaurants.” He became a passionate student of Italian wines and found himself exploring young Central Coast wineries on his days off, later offering to help out whenever possible. In 1991 he devoted his time to making wine full time, taking a job as a “cellar rat” at Rancho Sisquoc Winery, before quickly working his way up to assistant wine-maker.

Palmina was a hands-on enterprise in every way. Steve stamped the labels by hand and sold the wine by driving it around in a pickup. “This is not a rich man’s folly,” he laughs. Around the same time, Steve started Brewer-Clifton winery with his partner, Greg Brewer, aiming to produce the best single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Santa Rita Hills area. The Brewer-Clifton wines garnered praise and became highly prized among wine aficionados. However, his passion for Italian varietals never abated. Befriending Joe Bastianich of the Batali-Bastianich restaurant empire at a wine event in Italy, Steve continued his education of Italian wines while accompanying his friend on numerous tasting trips in the Friuli region, even helping him in his decision of where to buy vineyard property there.

Commuting between a job waiting tables at Downey’s restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara and his winemaking duties at Rancho Sisquoc, Steve found great support and camaraderie while renting a Santa Barbara apartment from an Italian landlady who became a dear, close friend. The Italian aunt of his dreams, Paula personally watched over him and shared his passion for all things Italian. Later, when she was dying of cancer, Steve became her primary caregiver and stumbled upon her birth certificate, which listed her given name as Palmina. He knew instantly that he would name his winery in her honor.

“Palmina actually means ‘little palm,’ so I thought it was a fitting for the Santa Barbara area.” The symbol of the twins on the label is also a nod to Paula, who was born under the sign of Gemini.

Beginning with a Sangiovese and Merlot blend from locally sourced grapes, Steve made his first vintage of Palmina in 1995 in the basement of a Santa Barbara Victorian he was living in at the time. “The owner of the house was Italian and he completed supported me, as his relatives made wine, of course.”

He tasted so many great wines that were not imported yet to America, Steve pursued an importing license, soon realizing that he needed someone who spoke the language. Chrystal, who spoke Italian and had been an art history student at the University of Bologna, came on as an assistant at the recommendation of a friend.

“I wanted to go back to Italy,” she says. “In my mind, this was just an interim job that would give me the skills in the wine business I needed to return.” Like Steve, Chrystal was obsessed with Italian food and wine. Upon her return to the States, she had also found work at fine Italian restaurants before coming to Palmina. Sparks did not fly immediately. “He was my boss!” Chrystal states emphatically.

Dreams of importing Italian wine faded as both realized that Palmina was an amazing opportunity to plant the best of Italy in Southern California. Given the transverse mountain range in the Santa Barbara area, cool-climate Italian varietals could thrive. Running east to west, funneling the cooling oceanic influence into the valleys, the range provided the perfect geographic anomaly. Unique microclimates within its many folds produce results similar to what happens in the northern Italian wine regions of Piemonte and Friuli. Because the goal at Palmina is to produce balanced wines that go best with food, these cool night temperatures are essential to maintaining the grape’s natural acidity levels, ensuring balance in the glass.

“At a certain point I realized that it wasn’t about me going back to Italy, but that Palmina was the way to bring people to the table here in Santa Barbara county,” Chrystal says. Eventually, their shared passion and vision could no longer be denied, and Steve and Chrystal found themselves as a couple, eventually marrying in 2004 in Friuli, the Italian region that produces some of their favorite wines. Sitting across from them as we talk and taste, I see them as the consummate winemaking team of their generation. Steve, in shorts, a T-shirt and rubber boots, and Chrystal, make-up free in cargo pants and a hand-knit sweater, are completely without pretense. “We are farmers, basically,” Steve offers.

To treat Italian varietals seriously, Steve’s first obstacle was the lack of enthusiasm he got from local farmers. “I was asking the question, ‘Why not take Italian varietals and treat them with the same respect as French varietals?’” Learning from Italians growers and winemakers on his frequent trips abroad, Steve had to educate local farmers. The process was slow and full of trial and error. “You can’t always plant what you want to plant; you have to plant what the land requires.”

Eventually, Steve found a perfect partner in the Honea Family, whose 20 acres are now wholly dedicated to growing Italian varietals for Palmina. At the Honea vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley, Steve and Chrystal meticulously manage every aspect of the growing themselves. All of the grapes were carefully chosen and imported from Italy. This partnership gave Palmina the kind of roots it needed to realize their vision: growing Italian varietals with deep respect to Italian tradition. “The idea is to respectfully translate these Italian wines, not to imitate,” Chrystal emphasizes.

Tasting the Wines

I am thoroughly intrigued and ready to taste. Italian wines evolved carefully over centuries to be enjoyed at the table in perfect harmony with the local fare. So, in Italy wine is treated like a food. In California, all too often, wine is regarded as a cocktail. “At Palmina, the food leads the way,” Steve says, pouring the first of the many Palmina wines we taste that day. The wines are separated into two levels—white-label “core” wines that are more approachable and wines with a black stripe on the label, which are their small-lot, artisanal counterparts. In this manner, most of the varietals are given two different bottlings, providing both an education and an evolution for the palate.

We begin with the 2007 Arneis, Honea Vineyard (no black-label offering here). Found in Italy’s Piemonte region, Arneis is typically delicate and floral. The Palmina Arneis is quite aromatic on the nose, and full of rich texture, yet balanced by fresh acidity on the palate. Hints of pear, lime, apple, marzipan and wild herbs mingle nicely. At $20 a bottle, this is a great value. Chrystal describes the wine as “Chardonnay meets Pinot Grigio,” and Steve volunteers that he loves this wine with his butternut squash risotto.

Next we move to white and black bottlings of Tocai Friulano. Two glasses are set out before me, and first the white-label 2008 Tocai Friulano, Honea Vineyard is tasted. Released in spring, often around Easter, the Tocai is a seasonal favorite. Steve and Chrystal are especially passionate about this delicate varietal, which is native to the Friuli region in northeastern Italy. Crisp, yet richly textured, the wine boasts tropical fruit and a hint of saline on the finish. At $22, this packs lots of character and nuance for the price.

However, when the black-label 2008 Subida, Honea Vineyard is poured into a large round Pinot Noir glass, I sense that we are onto something very special. The color is deep and golden and the

Visit us at our tasting room outside of Solvang or at the Farmer’s Market at Santa Barbara and Cota on Saturdays from 8:30am to 12:30pm

wine is opaque and clearly unfiltered. “I treat this wine like I do red wine” Steve explains. Starting with the same grapes as the white-label Tocai, Steve let the grapes ferment with skins on for 32 days, and then pressed with lees into neutral oak barrels, where it aged for an additional nine months. The wine is just fantastic, full of character, complexity and nuanced flavors. The texture is creamy, yet there is a vein of minerality that lingers long after the fruit flavors of melon, pear and lime fade. At $30, this is a wine to save and serve with friends. Tasting these two wines side by side, it is a marvel that the grapes come from the same vineyard and vintage.

We move on to the red wines, all varietals native to Piemonte in northwestern Italy: Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo. Each has been made into both white- and black-stripe bottlings. The white-label 2007 Dolcetto, Santa Barbara County is the perfect every day or picnic wine. Light, fresh and easygoing, this $20 Dolcetto tastes of sour cherries, cocoa and baker’s box spices.

Next, the black-stripe 2007 Dolcetto, Honea Vineyard is a marvel. Wine geek alert! Whole clusters were placed in 1.5 open-top fermenters, cold soaked for a few days, fermented with stems and aged for 11 months in French oak. Is this Dolcetto masquerading as a Pinot Noir? “A yin-yang of youthfulness and experience,” this wine is complex and captivating—at once earthy yet lively, silky yet chewy. At $24 per bottle, it’s a steal.

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Come visit us in the east end of the Ojai Valley. Walk among 130 year old Spanish olive trees, see our olive press and taste three extra virgin oils, four flavored oils and five balsamic vinegars.

Next, the white and black stripe Barbera’s are poured side by side. Steve obviously loves the call and response that only this kind of comparative experience can provide. While the white-label 2007 Barbera, Santa Barbara County is a great value at $22 and the perfect pizza wine, the black-label 2006 Barbera, Honea Vineyard is worth the splurge at $40. Full of spice, fine tannins and lively acidity, this Barbera is exotic, yet smooth.

But it is while tasting the Nebbiolo that the Palmina vision comes into sharp focus. Considered the noble grape of Italy, Nebbiolo is the grape behind Barolo, considered by many to be the finest red wine in the world. The varietal is incredibly demanding and delicate at every stage of its production. Given its aggressive tannins, it needs ample oxidation during fermentation as well as long aging periods both in barrel and in bottle. Just beyond the tasting room walls, various vintages of Nebbiolo lie in wait, aging for years in oak barrels until ready. Steve and Chrystal joke that Palmina is a winery in which 12 of its other wines support the production of its precious Nebbiolo. It is a huge investment in time and capital. Does it pay off?

We taste the black-label 2005 Nebbiolo, Honea Vineyard. It is a stellar achievement. Delicately aromatic and feminine on the nose yet dark, rich and brooding on the palate, the wine miraculously straddles elegance and brawn in a way that only Nebbiolo can.

DAVE ROBINSON

Handcrafted ales that reflect the unique character of Santa Barbara

416 North Salsipuedes Street 805 963-5018 • TelegraphBrewing.com

“Gorgeous,” is all I can utter. This wonderful wine cries out for food. At $70, it is worthy of a special occasion and can be cellared for up to 10 years.

For those without the pocketbook or the patience, there is the 2005 Nebbiolo, Santa Barbara County at $32 per bottle, a result of four separate vineyards blended together for optimum pleasure now. While lacking in the complexity, structure and depth of its pedigree sibling, this white-label offering provides an entry-level ticket for those just beginning their journey with this exciting wine.

I look up, surrounded by a crowd of wine glasses, utterly impressed. Almost single-handedly, the Cliftons have lovingly translated the soul of the finest traditional Italian wines to the New World. While we may all know and love our French wine varietals, Italy has come home in Southern California. So jump in your car, drive up the coast and come to the table at Palmina, where an integration of handcrafted local Italian wine, food and communal discourse bring you home to all that Italians hold sacred—right here in Santa Barbara County

Lisa Kring lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two children, dog and biodynamically farmed home vineyard. She is a sommelier certified with the Master Court of Sommeliers, the International Sommelier Guild and the UCLA Vintage Program, but her passion for honest wines that taste of place is experienced most happily at a table with friends and good food.

THE HIDDEN PROMISE OF SUBURBIA

by Owen E. Dell

Rachel Oatis in a backyard with chickens and a prolific grape arbor.

“ The American suburb was the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world. Why? Because it has no future; because we’re not going to be able to run it. We don’t have the resource base to run it… The suburban project is over. We’re done with that.”

—James Howard Kunstle

Once upon a time there was a glum and peevish fellow by the name of James Howard Kunstler. Kunstler hated the suburbs. He made a career for himself attacking them, and was famously featured in the 2004 film The End of Suburbia (endofsuburbia.com). Kunstler made some good points, and many people listened and learned about how bad the suburbs were. Many of them got very depressed and felt guilty because they were suburbanites.

It was hard to listen to, but the fact is Kunstler was right. The suburbs are a catastrophe that has been glossed over for too long.

Low population density in the suburbs means large distances between people and their work, shopping, schools and other necessities of life. This results in over-dependence on cars and fossil fuels, a system of roads that’s hostile to pedestrians, and long, wearying commutes that steal time from loved ones and pleasant activities.

Clearly it’s time for a retrofit. But how accurate is Kunstler’s hopeless diagnosis? What if the outlook is not nearly as bleak as he purports? What if the suburbs are actually the greatest untapped opportunity in the world for sustainable living? What might we uncover if we were to ask, “Just how good could the suburbs get?” What if “the suburban project” is just beginning?

Heaven Waiting To Happen

Looking back into the history of suburbia reveals the remnants of a lost dream, a dream of city dwellers longing for fresh air, open space and a little land to grow a garden. That old dream, far from being dead, is coming to life in a remarkable upwelling of enthusiasm for home food growing that could transform suburban communities into the utopia they once promised to be.

Ponder the unique resources offered by suburban living. Unlike highdensity urban areas that are entirely dependent on outside resources for everything, suburban homes are surrounded by land, often some of the world’s best agricultural land. Having a land base makes many things possible. It offers us built-in potential for fossil-free food production, with zero food miles plus all the health and social benefits

that result from growing one’s own food: utterly fresh, pesticide-free produce, bursting with flavor, not to mention the pride that comes from pulling off a great crop of real tomatoes and the hearty exercise it takes to make it happen.

Yet we squander this potential on ornamental landscaping and the overuse of turf, the bad boy of the American landscape. Aside from being relatively pointless and unproductive, this approach sucks resources like crazy. For instance, the 270 billion gallons of potable water used each week to irrigate America’s 31 million acres of lawns could be used to grow 81 million acres of organic produce instead. Which would you rather have?

Today, all around the world people are reclaiming their right to grow their own food. It’s a right that big corporations have done their best to take away from us by patenting ancient crops, creating terminator seeds that can’t be saved, suing farmers for saving their own seed, and spreading the plague of genetically modified crops around the globe. Home food growing is one bright spot in this picture, one thriving example of how ordinary people can improve their own personal security, take charge of their food supply and build community at the same time.

The productive front yard of Mesa resident Lynn Seigel-Boettner.

But can you actually feed yourself off your land? Jeff Vail, writing in the Oil Drum (theoildrum.com/node/4774) says, “[organic gardening expert] John Jeavons… concludes that 4,000 square feet is roughly enough to feed one person a complete, nutritious diet, while simultaneously improving soil quality. His method involves 60 percent (by area) focus on growing soil-improving crops (high carbon content food crops for eventual compost), 30 percent mixed highcalorie root crops and 10 percent mixed vegetables.”

But that may underestimate the potential for backyard productivity. If you want to see just how good it can get, visit pathtofreedom.com to learn how one Southern California family uses their 3,900-squarefoot growing space (that’s less than a tenth of an acre) to grow 350 varieties of food crops producing 6,000 pounds of produce each year, of which 40 percent is sold for income. They also raise bees and various other kinds of animals, live on solar power and have a composting toilet, among other ecological features. They feed their family and others, make money on the leftovers and have been an inspiration to people all over the world. All this is accomplished on their tiny piece of land. If they can do it, so can you. And of course, our 365-day growing season and mild climate make Santa Barbara one of the best—and easiest—places on earth to grow food of many kinds.

Neighborhood Foodsheds: Sharing the Bounty

As if that weren’t enough, there’s the new world of sharing food. Turns out, the Santa Barbara area is a nexus of progressive change in the new world of community food distribution. A couple of years ago, seeking to make use of the abundance of food their gardens generated, a handful of Mesa residents began gathering to share backyard produce. Neighbors would walk their bounty to a central location, usually someone’s garden, and swap arugula, guavas, oranges, broccoli and toothsome oddities such as yacon, pitahaya and nopales, not to mention seeds, cuttings, honey, eggs and other delicacies. They swapped stories about growing food, shared homemade baked goods, brought their kids along and became friends. Suddenly the neighborhood felt better and people enjoyed living there more. Over time, the neighborhood exchanges, as they came to be called, split into two, and then four groups, dividing the Mesa into more manageable chunks easily traversable on foot. Others in the larger community got the bug and today there are over a dozen exchanges from Carpinteria to Goleta, working informally under the aegis of the recently formed Santa Barbara Food Not Lawns (sbfoodnotlawns.org).

Where We Go from Here

Santa Barbara Food Not Lawns and all the local residents who have developed neighborhood exchanges have done a superb job of turning a dream into a reality. If you haven’t been to an exchange yet, you owe it to yourself to pop in, even empty handed, and enjoy the welcoming spirit and inspiring energy of what folks are doing. If there’s no exchange in your immediate neighborhood, why not start one?

It’s easy to do. The Santa Barbara Food Not Lawns website offers step-by-step instructions for getting started.

But there are some “next steps” that would move Santa Barbara’s food security to a deeper level. Given our perennial scarcity of water, it would be wise to harvest rainwater from our roofs to aid in the production of food. This is not all that hard to do, and the details can be found at a couple of excellent resources: harvestingrainwater.com, the website of water harvesting guru Brad Lancaster, and oasisdesign.net, home of Oasis Design and world-class local water expert Art Ludwig. The other water-wise strategy is to tap the ever-present supply of graywater, which is the water from your sinks, tubs and washing machine. Graywater is best used to irrigate fruit trees and other perennial crops, not annual veggies that could become contaminated by contact with the potentially risky cooties that sometimes live in graywater. Check out oasisdesign.net to learn more.

Animals are an overlooked element in the food chain, and homeowners can benefit from the ageless relationship between animal and vegetable by incorporating chickens, ducks and other domesticated small critters into the system. These provide nutrition for you, and their so-called waste products are just what your food forest likes best with it comes to organic nutrients. You can even raise tilapia and other edible fish in simple backyard ponds.

Another potential resource is vacant public and semi-public spaces, such as parkways, empty lots and median strips. The Guerilla Gardening movement has transformed such places worldwide, turning weed-infested lands into productive ones (have a look at guerillagardening.org). Successful gardening guerillas make sure they choose plants that are truly compatible with their environment so that they’ll survive on available water and other resources. And they’re careful not to step back into traffic to admire their work!

Don’t forget the value of using existing community garden plots in Santa Barbara and Isla Vista. And continue to support local farmers, farmers’ markets and CSAs; they’re an essential part of a healthy local food system.

Permaculture is emerging as one of the powerhouses of worldwide community activism, applying good science and a savvy affection for a truly functional future to the task of making a more sustainable world. Locally, Permaculture is in full vigor with many practitioners, classes and even a couple of world-class Permaculture centers. Learn more at sbpermaculture.org

Then there’s the rapidly emerging Transition Town movement. Begun in Great Britain in 2005 as a constructive grassroots response to the challenges of peak oil and climate change, “Transition Culture” has spread worldwide in a heartbeat. Santa Barbara has been no slacker, and we have a very active group working to reinvent our community along sustainable lines. Want to know more? Start with transitionculture.org, the website of transition pioneer Rob Hopkins. The U.S. site for the transition movement is at transitionus.org, and our local folks have a great site at transitiontownsb.org. Check it out.

Right: Neighbors share their backyard produce at one of the many neighborhood exchanges.

Inset photo: Nicola Gordon, organizer of the Westside neighborhood exchange, is showned here with her arms full of produce.

To find a neighborhood exchange near you or to find out how to start one, go to the website of the Santa Barbara chapter of Food Not Lawns at sbfoodnotlawns.org.

Tuning the ’Hood

One of the key elements in developing true food security is what I call “tuning the neighborhood for a balanced diet.” Evaluate what foods are missing from your neighborhood foodshed now, and find a place to introduce them. This could be in your own yard or those of neighbors who are already involved in your local exchange. But you might also consider offering to plant some fruit trees in yards belonging to those who are unable or unwilling to garden. They provide the land, you plant and care for the trees and the bounty is shared among all. Suddenly you have a wider spectrum of foods to enjoy and new friends to share them with.

But there’s still more. Share excess harvests with the poor by donating the food to the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County (foodbanksbc.org) or contacting Backyard Harvest of Santa Barbara (backyardharvest. org/sbhome.html), a local group that gleans surplus fruit and other crops and distributes it to the needy. While you’re at it, why not plant a row for the hungry when you put in your garden?

The last element in the chain is to share meals as well as ingredients. Plan neighborhood mealtimes on a regular basis. Schedule block parties, closing down the street (with permission of the authorities, of course) and filling it with tables and happy people eating and drinking from the local soil. Check out slowfoodsantabarbara.org for a rundown on the local manifestation of the marvelous Slow Food movement.

Food with Attitude

Remember that developing a suburban foodshed is not about survivalist-style barricaded private gardens protected by barbed wire and locked gates. It’s about developing community by generously sharing resources, knowledge and pleasure. Consider your foodshed the basis for the healthy, fun neighborhood you’ve always dreamed of.

Look at the whole picture: Create a sustainable system providing as many resources as possible. Growing food in our backyards doesn’t solve all the problems of suburbia, or address all its potential. It’s one element in a broad set of strategies that can make a real difference, both in the present and in the event that the future will be as challenging as many believe it will be.

In order to move gracefully into a stable, happy future, it’s essential that we transform our suburbs into functional communities. This is much more easily done than trying to make dense cities work right, and it’s being accomplished at this very moment all over the world, as bland landscapes are brought to life through the wisdom, work and community spirit of millions of people. Isn’t it time we all joined them? A better world is as close as our own back (and front) yards. And maybe, just maybe, we can all live happily ever after, after all.

Owen Dell is an internationally respected Santa Barbara landscape architect, educator and the author of the recently released Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies and other titles. He is also the co-star of the popular Santa Barbara television series Garden Wise Guys. Owen can be reached at owendell.com or 805 962-3253.

FOOD FROM THE HEARTH AT FULL OF LIFE FLATBREAD

by Nancy Oster

The first time my husband, Dave, and I drove to Full of Life Flatbread for a Saturday night dinner, we sailed right past the Los Alamos exit and ended up in Arroyo Grande before we realized we’d missed it. Fortunately the friends we were meeting had cell phones. They told us to get off the US 101 South at the first Los Alamos exit, then look quickly to the left and we’d see a well-lit saloonstyle building with lots of cars parked around it. They were sitting on the porch at a table near the chalkboard that lists the evening’s special menu items.

We were lucky that our friends had arrived early because the restaurant doesn’t take reservations, and the place was packed. However, once you find a place to stand or sit, there is a wide range of local wines, beer and sodas to order while you wait, and it was a lovely night to visit on the porch. The difficult part was choosing which of the almost 100 local wines or beers to try. Even the sodas are made from local wine grapes or local citrus such as Meyer lemons or Valencia oranges.

And where do all these diners come from? Los Alamos has a population of about 1,000 potential diners, but they probably wouldn’t need to drive to the restaurant since most residents live close enough to walk. However, people do drive from Los Angeles and even San Francisco to eat here—and they bring friends. About 80 percent of the diners are locals, from Santa Barbara County and neighboring counties. The other 20 percent come much farther. On a recent Sunday night the owner welcomed guests from as far away as Florida, New York, Brazil and Germany. Some guests even come to eat twice in one weekend. Dinner choices on Sunday are different from those on the Friday/Saturday menu.

Sunday night’s menu features two Market Plates (entrees), in addition to a few flatbread specials. Salads, appetizers and desserts also change, based on the ingredients that inspire the chefs that week. One Sunday evening I chose a Wild-Nettle Cannelloni with Caramelized Cauliflower, Ricotta and Braised Fennel entree. On another visit I tried a Fava Bean Risotto with Raw-Milk Feta, Spring Onions and Garden Savory.

At this restaurant “Special” means you’d better try it tonight because it will probably never be made exactly the same way again. It’s easy to feel the passion and creative spirit that go into preparing this food, but I wanted to see it first hand and learn more about how this restaurant came to be in Los Alamos, a mile-long town with one main street and no stoplights.

Owner Clark Staub, Chef de Cuisine Brian Collins (formerly at Chez Panisse) and Sous Chef Evan Klein (formerly at Bouchon) comb the local farmers markets and talk with local farmers and fishermen during the week to develop their weekend menus. Each menu item is made from scratch from ingredients delivered fresh from local farms. Most ingredients come from within a 300-mile radius. And most of the food is cooked on the hearth or in the coals of the wood-burning oven located in the main dining room.

The Friday/Saturday night menu features their regular flatbread pizzas, along with two weekly flatbread specials such as a Spring Garlic Flatbread with Prosciutto and Burrata Cheese or a Goat Cheese and Walnut Flatbread.

Full of Life Foods began as the West Coast arm of American Flatbread, baking frozen flatbread pizzas for sale in upscale grocery stores. In spring of 2008, Full of Life Foods launched their own line of organic, locally sourced frozen pizzas. On Monday through Thursday, the restaurant is a production bakery, wood-oven par-baking over 2,000 Full of Life flatbreads per day to ship nationwide.

To get an inside look, I offered to spend a day working alongside the production staff. When I arrived at 8 a.m. on Monday, Production Manager Gary Clark got me started in packaging. He explained that employees rotate through each job during the day. Soon I was rounding weighed portions of organic vita-grain dough. The dough then goes through a 36-hour slow rise to bring out the natural wheat flavors and give the crust a chewy texture.

Above: Owner Clark Staub

Next step is stretching the dough. General Manager Cindy Cripe showed me how to stretch a stack of rounds. Cripe has been working for Full of Life Foods since Staub opened in Los Alamos five years ago. She helped me spread toppings on the flatbreads and drop them into the hearth oven… now that was a challenge! I eventually moved to the kitchen to roast, peel and chop red peppers. There is no can opener in this kitchen—even sauces are made from scratch.

By 10 a.m. the dining room area was “full of life.” A group of about eight workers from the Vocational Training Center for people with disabilities were assembling boxes for the next round of packaging. More employees arrived. Most live in Los Alamos and some work in the restaurant as well. Altogether about 35 people are on staff.

Cripe took me on a field trip to the garden behind the restaurant where they grow fresh herbs and vegetables for the restaurant. I also saw the woodpile. It takes about 30 cords of red and white oak per year to feed the hearth oven. They split the wood themselves. She also showed me their mobile hearth oven, built on a trailer and decorated with colorful tiles designed by local school children.

By that time, Staub had broken away from his morning administrative tasks. He explained that he takes the traveling oven to festivals and fund-raisers. He uses it to raise awareness about the value of local farms and artisan food producers. “Local foods are not only fresher, and more flavorful,” he told me, “they are also safer and more nutritious when they travel shorter distances to your plate.” Staub believes food should nurture community as well as nourish the individual.

Staub invited me to join them at the Paso Robles Fairgrounds that Friday for a Hospice du Rhône event they were catering. This was my chance to look behind the scenes and see his catering team in action.

Even well-planned catering events have their challenges. Our first challenge that night was getting the oven up an incline onto the sidewalk by the door. We did it with a forklift and help from several strong men. The bigger challenge was preparing pizzas in the pouring rain.

Fortunately Neal Maloney was there from the Morro Bay Oyster Company to shuck the oysters he had pulled from the water for us that morning. We seasoned his freshly shucked oysters with a wine and shallot butter sauce and topped them with a parsley-breadcrumb mixture. After baking briefly, we garnished them with a fresh finely diced cucumber salsa verde. The oysters kept our diners occupied while we worked on the pizzas.

Our pizzas and salads featured buffalo milk Mozzarella from Bubalis Bubalus in Gardena and raw milk cheeses from Three Sisters Farmstead in Tulare and Rinconada Dairy in Santa Margarita. At the buffet table Marketing Assistant Kara VanCorbach and Neal Maloney told the guests about the local sources of the foods we were serving.

Meanwhile out at the oven, Clark Staub, Brandon Tankersley and Gary Clark were problem-solving the pizza dough situation. Watching the three of them work on this problem together, I understand how Staub’s restaurant can produce consistent high-quality meals with an everchanging menu. Everyone on the staff takes responsibility and pride in the food they prepare.

My final day in the Full of Life kitchen was the following Sunday. I helped prep for the Sunday dinner. When I got there, Cristina Santos and Maria Lopez were rounding dough for production on Monday morning.

Cristina’s mom, Irma, and brother, Manuel, have worked for Full of Life Foods since the business opened. Irma arrives each production morning at 5 a.m. to build the fire in the hearth oven so that it reaches about 900 degrees by the time the first flatbreads are ready to bake. Manuel originally worked splitting wood for the oven with an ax. Now that they have purchased a wood splitter, he works in production mixing the batches of flatbread dough.

My first job that night was to clean and carefully tear the kale greens from their stems… two boxes of kale. Brian Collins was cleaning scallops and mincing garden savory, prepping the main courses and appetizers. Evan Klein was preparing the pizza station and Gary Clark was setting up the salad station.

Laura Birshan arrived in time to clean strawberries. Staub had a new idea for a dessert. He was making a meringue with a soft interior (like a Pavlova) from a recipe he’d scribbled onto a scrap of paper. Before baking the meringues, he splashed them with strawberry syrup. Laura quartered her strawberries and soaked them in a hibiscus syrup to serve alongside the baked meringues.

Just before opening, Staub held a meeting at the front of the restaurant. He encouraged the staff to remember that dining is not just about the food, it’s also about enjoying the experience. He told them to take time with each customer to answer questions about the food and the restaurant.

Each night before the doors open the chefs taste everything to be sure that the flavors work together, then they finalize the plating. They rearrange their tools and wipe surfaces in anticipation of the first orders. As orders begin to flow in, movement becomes more efficient. One chef moves to help another, Staub and his chefs carry food to the tables when the wait staff is busy taking orders. Wait staff come in for more information for diners; diners come to see the oven and watch the cooking process.

I watch it all, feeling nourished—knowing that my food has been handled with respect from farm to plate by people who share my passion for food and the life it brings us.

When asked why he chose Los Alamos for his restaurant, Staub says, “While some people see Los Alamos as the middle of nowhere, I see it as living in the midst of plenty.” It’s true. Here, Staub is surrounded by farms, vineyards, ranches and the Pacific Ocean. In five years, he has built a network of reliable sources for fresh wild, organic, sustainable and humanely raised foods. Staub says, “Preparing food here is an act of community, not commodity.” He and his staff want to keep it that way

Nancy Oster is a writer/baker who appreciates really good meals shared with friends. She occasionally blogs about food events and food-related experience at starlightbakery.blogspot.com. For a little whimsy, you can check out her Starlight Mouse Tales at starlightmice.blogspot.com.

Full of Life Flatbread Recipes

Strawberry Meringues with Fresh Fruit

Prosciutto-Wrapped Burrata Cheese with Wild Arugula

Strawberry Meringues with Fresh Fruit

Makes 12 to 15 servings

STRAWBERRY SYRUP

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons organic sugar

1 teaspoon dried hibiscus

1⁄ 2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

10 organic strawberries, cleaned and crushed

In a small heavy pan heat the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves.

Add in hibiscus and pepper and remove from heat.

Steep for 10 minutes (while you separate the eggs for the meringues).

Strain the hibiscus syrup over the strawberries and let macerate while you make the meringues. When meringues are formed, purée the macerated strawberries. Pass the juice through a fine-mesh strainer and put into a small squirt bottle.

MERINGUES

1 pound, 5 ounces organic sugar

6 ounces free-range farm egg whites

2 teaspoons rose water

Preheat oven to 400º.

Put the sugar in a food processor with a metal blade and process 5 minutes to make superfine sugar.

Scrape the sugar onto a sheet pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Heat sugar in oven until it turns just off-white and the edges begin to turn golden.

Meanwhile, mix the egg whites with the whisk attachment until they begin to froth. When the sugar is ready, carefully remove it from the oven and lift the edges of the parchment to form a fold and carefully pour the sugar into the whipping egg whites.

Turn the oven down to 230º.

Add rose water while whisking and whisk on high speed for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes turn off the mixer and take the bowl to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Using two large spoons, ladle a large spoonful of meringue onto the parchment paper. Use the second spoon to release it onto the sheet pan.

With your thumb on the end of the syrup squeeze bottle, squeeze and splatter the strawberry juice over the meringues to color them.

Bake for 2 hours at 230º—checking them after 1 hour 30 minutes. The meringues should be hard on the outside, pure white where there is no strawberry juice, and still soft on the inside.

Serve with any fresh fruit. Full of Life Flatbread likes to macerate the fruit in a little simple syrup (1 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup hot water, then cooled). Whipped cream is a nice accompaniment as well.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Burrata Cheese with Wild Arugula

Makes 4 servings

1 Meyer lemon, juiced

1 shallot, finely diced

1 clove garlic, finely diced

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salt, to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil (twice lemon juice)

4 burrata cheese balls

8–12 prosciutto slices

4 cups wild arugula

Freshly cracked pepper garnish

Preheat oven to 450º.

To make lemon dressing, mix together lemon juice, shallot and garlic in a small bowl. Grind some pepper into it and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Whisk in an amount olive oil twice the lemon juice, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the burrata cheese balls and wrap each in 3 to 4 slices of prosciutto so that no cheese is showing. Put onto a parchment-lined pan and bake in oven until browned.

Toss arugula in lemon dressing and place each burrata on a bed of arugula. Grind black pepper over top and serve.

225 Bell St. Los Alamos, CA 93440

805-344-4400

fulloflifefoods.com Friday and Saturday 5–10 p.m. Sunday 4–8 p.m.

To receive a weekly newsletter announcement of special weekend menus contact Kara VanCorbach kara@fulloflifefoods.com

“White clouds pour over my kitchen counter like a scene from a mad scientist movie.”

MAKING ICE CREAM WITH LIQUID NITROGEN—COOL!

by Alan Irwin

White clouds poured out over my kitchen counter like a scene from a mad scientist movie as a group of friends donning safety goggles gathered around to witness me make ice cream from scratch in less than half an hour. The critical ingredient: liquid nitrogen. Here’s how it all came about.

Despite the fact that my partner owns hundreds of cookbooks, she rarely follows a recipe and stubbornly refuses to use a measuring spoon. In contrast, as a bio-chemist by education and software engineer dealing with precision instrumentation by vocation, my kitchen exploits tend more toward science than art. Due to our often conflicting culinary methodologies, we rarely spend time together in the kitchen; that is, until the airing of an episode of Top Chef in which a contestant used liquid nitrogen to make ice cream in a matter of minutes. I decided there was no better way to celebrate our mashup of styles and at the same time demystify the process than to host a good old-fashioned—or rather, new -fashioned—ice cream social featuring the use of liquid nitrogen.

Why Use Liquid Nitrogen To Make Ice Cream?

If time is of the essence or if you’re competing in a Top Chef quick-fire challenge, the use of liquid nitrogen completely eliminates the need to chill the ingredients or equipment, and there’s no need to wait 20 to 30 minutes while your ice cream maker noisily churns away. You don’t need an ice cream maker at all, although you will need a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. But the bottom line is that it’s fun, it’s educational and it is literally and figuratively the coolest thing you can do in your lab... or kitchen.

What Is Liquid Nitrogen?

Liquid nitrogen (LN2 ) is made up of the same nitrogen found in the air we breathe, only colder. Much colder. To turn this gas into a liquid, it must be chilled to minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit (-320° F). By comparison, a home deep freezer is typically set to a relatively balmy zero degrees Fahrenheit (0° F). This means that LN2 cannot be stored in your average domestic freezer without actually boiling away. Liquid nitrogen is used either as a preservative or as a way to reduce unwanted heat. Applications include preserving blood, reproductive cells and other biological/medical supplies; and for certain electronics, LN2 is used to maintain low operating temperatures and high efficiency. From a culinary standpoint, the food industry depends on

the odorless and tasteless liquid nitrogen for fast- and deep-freezing of foods.

Available from industrial or medical gas suppliers, liquid nitrogen may be costly depending on the volume purchased and whether the supplier will loan or rent a container for transporting and storing it. For the party, I purchased five liters of LN2 for about $18 from Praxair in Santa Barbara. Looking something like a Thermos on steroids, a Dewar Flask, or dewar, is a container heavily insulated to maintain the temperature of the LN2 and to protect against contact with the dangerously cold liquid. Dewars can be expensive—I paid $125 for my 5-liter size on eBay—so unless you are planning to work with liquid nitrogen on a regular basis, renting or borrowing is a better alternative.

Safety First

I gathered my guests around the KitchenAid mixer for the allimportant basic safety talk. Working with cryogenic liquid is a lot like working with boiling water or hot oil. The same dangers and safety measures hold true with cryogenic liquids like liquid nitrogen, but to a much greater degree. For example, while you’re probably comfortable grabbing something directly from the kitchen freezer with your bare hands, you should absolutely never handle LN2 without proper protection. The temperature in even a deep freezer is relatively hot compared to that of liquid nitrogen.

I provided my guests with protection from any inadvertent splashes or contact with the LN2 . We used extra-thick oven mitts and leather work gloves for insulation and further minimized skin exposure by wearing long-sleeve shirts, long pants and closed-toed shoes. Of utmost importance, I required eye protection for every guest. I happened to have a full-face shield in my workshop, so anyone handling the dewar of liquid nitrogen was given that to wear while I supplied pairs of safety goggles and safety glasses to everyone else. If liquid nitrogen contacts your skin or eyes, you should flood or soak the area with tepid water (105–115°F)— do not use hot water. And, of course, see a physician if you get any burns that result in blistering or deeper tissue freezing.

There was one other note of caution: Nitrogen composes over 75 percent of the air we breathe and isn’t toxic under normal circumstances. However, if you are in a small closed room as the liquid boils away, it’s possible that the percentage of nitrogen could increase to a dangerous level. Although we were in a relatively large open space and there was very little risk, we were careful to have some open windows for adequate airflow

Making Ice Cream

For the party, we prepared two ice creams. The first was a simple chocolate recipe that I’ve used many times at home. The second was a tiramisu ice cream from David Lebowitz’s The Perfect Scoop. We followed both recipes up until the point where the final mixture would normally need to be chilled for several hours in the refrigerator and subsequently be churned in the pre-frozen work bowl of an electric or hand-crank ice cream machine. Instead we left the slightly tepid mixture in the stainless steel bowl of my KitchenAid mixer fitted with the flat beater. Then it was time to introduce the liquid nitrogen.

With the mixer set to the slowest speed, I slowly poured a steady inch-wide stream of liquid nitrogen directly from the dewar into the bowl. White clouds instantly billowed out from the mixing bowl, the result of condensed water vapor that is heavier than the rest of the atmosphere so it hugs the table and floor below, similar to fog. The LN2 evaporated as soon as it hit the relatively “hot” ice cream mixture, immediately chilling the bowl and beginning to freeze the liquid mixture.

I poured for about 5 seconds and then listened for about 10 to 15 seconds as the KitchenAid beater churned the mixture. If there was little or no change in sound, I continued to run the mixer and add liquid nitrogen in 5-second pours. When the sound changed to a deeper, almost chunky rhythm, I stopped the mixer, cleared the LN2 “fog,” scraped down the sides of the bowl and checked the texture. After one or two more additions of LN2 , the mixture reached the consistency of soft-serve ice cream and we all agreed that it was ready for consumption. We devoured almost all of this first batch and the tiny bit that remained was placed in a freezer container.

The tiramisu ice cream recipe for our second batch called for an exquisite sauce of espresso, rum, Kahlua, sugar and chocolate, in addition to the cream base. Ordinarily, the sauce mixture would need to be refrigerated before being spread between two layers of the ice cream. The alcohol in the sauce also tends to increase the necessary

chilling time. However, by whisking a few ounces of LN2 into the sauce, we were able to chill it in about a minute. With everyone’s confidence now bolstered, the party guests took turns adding the liquid nitrogen to the cream base, repeating the process we used for our first batch of ice cream, and proceeded to churn the warm tiramisu mixture to perfection in less than 5 minutes!

If you’d like to throw your own new-fashioned ice cream social, five liters of liquid nitrogen will make one half to one gallon of ice cream with enough LN2 left over for a little experimentation. We froze and crumbled some vegetable chunks, basil leaves and olives; and created tiny raspberry vodka pops by dropping small splashes of the alcohol in a stainless steel bowl filled with a cup of liquid nitrogen.

In all, it was one very cool party

Alan Irwin is a professional software engineer who enjoys food science and measurement-intense culinary endeavors. His partner, Harriet Eckstein, is a graphic designer, writer and improvisational cook who couldn’t resist adding a pinch of her own to this article.

Although this recipe is regarded as low hazard, author and publisher expressly disclaim all liability for any occurrence which might arise as consequences of the use of this recipe. Therefore, you assume all the liability and use this recipe at your own risk.

SOURCES:

Praxair

305A E. Haley St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101

805-966-0829

Open Monday–Friday 7:30am–4:30pm

916 W. Betteravia Rd. Santa Maria, CA 93455

805-928-3622

Open Monday–Friday 7am–5pm

Visit praxair.com for other locations outside Santa Barbara County.

Ice Cream Recipes

Alan’s Chocolate Ice Cream

Tiramisu Ice Cream

Alan’s Chocolate Ice Cream

3 1⁄2 ounces dark chocolate, approximately 70 percent (preferably Vahlrona)

2 cups half and half

2 eggs

3⁄4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

Break chocolate bar into pieces and melt in a microwave on medium to high for 30 seconds. Mix and continue to microwave in 10-second increments until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Whisk 1 cup of the half and half into the melted chocolate a little at a time.

Beat 2 eggs in electric mixer with whisk attachment for 2 minutes.

While continuing to whisk, slowly add the sugar into the eggs. Add the remaining cup of half and half to the eggs and mix. Add the chocolate mixture, vanilla, and salt and mix.

At this point, switch to the paddle attachment and begin adding the liquid nitrogen as described in the article, or chill the mixture for at least 1 hour and then freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve soft or freeze in an airtight container until firm.

Tiramisu Ice Cream

From The Perfect Scoop by David Lebowitz (Ten Speed Press)

2 cups mascarpone

1 cup half and half

2⁄3 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1⁄4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Kahlua

3 tablespoons brandy or dark rum

Mocha Ripple (see below for recipe)

Puree the mascarpone, half and half, sugar, salt, liqueur, and brandy together in a blender or food processor until smooth and the sugar is dissolved. Chill thorougly in the refrigerator.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As you remove it from the machine, alternate layers of Mocha Ripple with the frozen ice cream in the storage container.

MOCHA RIPPLE

1⁄2 cup sugar

1⁄3 cup light corn syrup

1⁄2 cup strongly brewed espresso (or use 1/2 cup water and stir in 1 tablespoon best-quality instant coffee granules after you boil the mixture)

6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, water, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges.

Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator before using.

WHAT THE KIDS ARE EATING

by Maria Diaz

One thing I have learned from working in the kitchen with children is that they love texture. Anything considered “slimy and cold” creates instant hands-on gratification. Cooked and cooled pasta is no exception. At the beginning of the school year, I introduced soba noodles as an alternative to pasta. Initially, I received lukewarm reviews. However, in the months that followed, I found myself making more and more as the students grew to accept and finally adore this darker distant cousin to spaghetti.

Soba is a Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour and can be used a nutritious replacement for flour-based pasta. Those who have wheat sensitivities can usually tolerate soba, but be sure to read the ingredients to verify that the noodles are indeed made from 100 percent buckwheat flour.

I normally serve the noodles warm, coated with sesame oil as a side dish, but here’s a new colorful cold salad recipe that would be perfect this summer. Kids will love the fact that it’s a bit slimy and cold!

Soba Noodle Salad

Makes 8–10 servings

1 pound soba noodles

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced into thin strips

1 large red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 large yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

2–3 bunches scallions, sliced into thin strips

2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

1-inch piece ginger, peeled and diced

Juice of 2 limes

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

1 heaping tablespoon honey

1⁄ 4 cup toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1 large handful cilantro leaves

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Cook soba noodles according to package instructions, run under cool water and drain well. Transfer to a large bowl and coat noodles with a few dashes of sesame oil to prevent sticking.

Add sliced cucumber, bell peppers and scallions to cooled soba noodles. Toss to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, ginger, lime juice, rice vinegar, tamari, honey and sesame oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add dressing to noodles and toss gently to combine. Stir in cilantro leaves and sesame seeds. Best served chilled for a few hours or overnight.

Maria Diaz is head chef and instructor at the Santa Barbara Montessori School. She received her culinary certification from the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City and holds a Nutrition Consultant certification from the Global College of Natural Medicine.

WHAT THE GROWNUPS ARE DRINKING

by Diane Murphy & Laura Lindsey

As the firefighters struggled to contain the massive Jesusita fire, our intrepid group of wine tasters gathered to complete our mission. Our hearts went out to the many people who were displaced or lost their homes, and our thanks went out to all the firefighters and law enforcement who went above and beyond the call of duty. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor raging wildfire will keep us from our appointed duty—to seek out new wines and boldly go where no one has gone before (yes, this week also saw the opening of the latest in the Star Trek movie franchise). Our devoted group of five women and three men soothed smoke-ravaged palates with the fruits of Arcadian Winery

Joseph Davis has been making Burgundian-style Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah for Aracadian Winery since 1996. He chooses to harvest the fruit when it has much higher natural acidity and more modest sugar levels than many other vintners because he believes that the wines will continue to evolve in the bottle and that this continued evolution will result in a more interesting wine. Using the traditional French artisan methods of winemaking, Joe endeavors to make wines that “fully express the uniqueness of the vineyard and the region while capturing the voluptuous flavor of the grape and the kiss of cool California breezes and warm sunshine.” So, let the tasting begin!

2005 Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard

With a bouquet of citrus and pear, this is a smooth wine that is not over-oaked. In fact, it is so unlike a traditional Chardonnay that some of our tasters found it to be more like a Roussanne. An excellent summer wine, it paired well with cheese, strawberries and salad, and, though we didn’t have any seafood at our tasting party, we felt confident that would be a winning match as well.

2005 Pinot Noir Dierberg Vineyard

An “elegant, well-crafted wine, with a lot of finesse,” according to our taster who drinks Pinot every day. Smooth but slightly bitter and peppery, the wine was mellowed by pairing with homemade Camembert (a taster with too much time on his hands is experimenting with cheese making). This wine sits in between the Burgundian Pinots that are all about terroir and the new Californiastyle fruit-forward Pinots.

2004 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard

A beautiful color, this wine had smoky aromas of cherries, plum and bacon—or Burgundian pork butt, as one taster effused. In musical terms, this Pinot is hard rock whereas the Dierberg Pinot is classical. A huge wine, it needs a huge meal, something hearty to stand up to its 15.8 percent alcohol. A complex, multiflavored, traditional Burgundy, this rich, full, deep wine was the hands-down winner of the night.

2005 Syrah Stolpman Vineyard

With an almost Port-like bouquet on this wine, we detected smoky raisins and cocoa. This is definitely a wine for food as its flavors really began to emerge in contrast to its edible partners. Surprisingly, it paired equally well with pesto and chocolate.

2004 Syrah Westerly Vineyard

The biggest nose of the night went to this Syrah: hazelnut, vanilla, green pepper and burnt coffee. Delicious mid-palate flavors of chipotle, green olive and pepper, it’s a chewy wine with a great finish. Another favorite of the group, this wine went well with spicy nuts and Mexican mole salami, but a thick steak would really do it justice. So, as the smoke clears, we set off in search of our next wine to taste. To paraphrase our favorite Vulcan: “Drink well and prosper.” Until next time, cheers!

The Arcadian Wines we tasted range in price from $30–$65. You can taste their wines at Tastes of the Valleys in Solvang, and their wines are available from their website and at Los Olivos Wine Merchant Café, Los Olivos Grocery, East Beach Wine, Lazy Acres and other local restaurants and wine shops.

Diane Murphy and Laura Lindsey are the co-owners of Classic Vines, specializing in distribution and online sales of small production wines, the best of the boutiques! Visit their website at classicvines.com to discover the hidden gems.

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edible Source Guide

BREWERIES

Telegraph Brewing Company

Telegraph Brewing Company handcrafts unique American ales that embrace the heritage of California’s early brewing pioneers and uses as many locally grown ingredients as possible. Visit the tasting room on Thursdays and Fridays from 4–6pm, Saturdays from 1–4pm. Telegraph beer is available at many restaurants and grocery stores in Santa Barbara County and throughout California. telegraphbrewing.com

CATERERS AND CHEFS

Fresh Foods

Private chef, cooking classes and catering by Kim Schiffer. 805 455-9713.

New West Catering

Uniting the artistry of fine restaurant dining with the versatility of full-service catering, New West Catering is your unparalleled choice for special events in the Santa Barbara County wine country and beyond. 805 688-0991; newwestcatering.com

World Cuisine Express

World Cuisine Express provides healthy gourmet food delivered to you. Their entrees are fresh-cooked to order, never frozen. They also specialize in personalized dietary preferences for diabetic, low-carb and low-fat regimes. Chef Harold J. Welch. Cell: 805 403-7100 and Fax/Telephone: 805 969-5270; worldcuisineexpress.com

FARMERS MARKETS

Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market

Eight markets, six days a week. See schedule on page 15. 805 962-5354; sbfarmersmarket.org

FARMS AND CSA

Shepherd Farms

Organic since 1973, Shepherd Farms brings the healthiest, freshest produce from the farm directly to your plate. Join the new CSA (community-supported agriculture) program, or visit them at the farmers market or at the farm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday 1–5pm. 6701 Casitas Pass Rd. Carpinteria; shepherdfarmscsa.com

FISH MARKETS

Santa Barbara Fish Market

Focusing on providing the community with the local fishermen’s fresh, daily harvest. Member of the Santa Barbara Sustainable Seafood Program. Located right at the harbor at 117 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara. 805 965-9564; sbfish.com

FOOD PRODUCTS

Full of Life Flatbread All Natural Pizza

Each of our our frozen line of artisan flatbread pizzas is handmade by our bakers in small batches. Almost all of our ingredients are sourced local to us from growers and artisans, which reduces food-miles, helps the environment and ensures high quality. Available at grocery and natural food stores throughout the country. fulloflifefoods.com

Ojai Olive Oil

Family owned and operated, Ojai Olive Oil, Inc. has a full line of olive oils, flavored oils, balsamic vinegars and olive oil cosmetic products. Visit the ranch for a tour of the olive groves and taste the fresh olive oil. Open Wednesday 1–3pm, Saturday 10am–2pm and by appointment. 1811 Ladera Rd., Ojai. 805 646-5964; info@ojaioliveoil.com

GROCERY STORES

Isla Vista Food Co-op

A community-owned food co-op highly regarded for its sustainable business practices and high-quality foods. Highlighting local, organic, fair-trade, shade-grown, farmerowned, vegan, vegetarian, kosher, raw, gluten-free all-around sustainable ways of being. Summer hours 8am–10pm daily through September 14. 6575 Seville Rd., Isla Vista. 805 968-1401; www.islavistafoodcoop.blogspot.com

Los Olivos Grocery

A small country store that offers the best gourmet and specialty foods as well as the basics of everyday life. Stop in for European style hearth breads, artisan cheeses from around the world, charcuterie, local and rare wines and the freshest locally grown and organic produce. 2621 W Highway 154, Santa Ynez. 805 688-5115; losolivosgrocery.com

Whole Foods

Selling the highest quality natural and organic products. Santa Barbara store at State Street and Hitchcock coming soon. wholefoodsmarket.com

HOTELS AND SPAS

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

The orchards, ranches and farms of the Ojai Valley yield the finest seasonal food the earth has to offer. Inspired by this rich, regional harvest, our chefs have mastered locally derived cuisine. 905 Country Club Rd. Ojai. 805 646-1111; ojairesort.com

LOCAL ORGANIC PRODUCE DELIVERY

Plow to Porch Organics, Inc.

Delivering a weekly box of delicious organic produce picked fresh from local farms. Local organic extras include honey, eggs, olive oils, pies and quiches, meals, as well as local sustainable seafood, organic fair trade coffees... and more. Delivered to your doorstep, school, business or designated drop-off spot. Joyfully serving Ventura, Carpinteria, Montecito, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Santa Ynez, Solvang and Buellton. plowtoporch.com

NURSERIES AND FARM SUPPLIES

Island Seed & Feed

South coast’s organic headquarters has been serving the finest selection of natural pet, garden and farm supplies since 1988. Located at 29 S. Fairview Ave., Goleta. Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 9am–5pm. 805 967-5262; islandseed.com

RESTAURANTS

Backyard Bowls

Santa Barbara’s newest breakfast and lunch spot featuring Acai Bowls—bowls of a thick smoothie made from acai, an antioxidant berry, topped with fresh fruit, granola and other toppings. They also offer oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies and more. 331 Motor Way (next to the city lot on State and Gutierrez streets), Mon–Fri 7am–6pm, Sat–Sun 8am–6pm. 805 845-5379; backyardbowls.com

Full of Life Flatbread Restaurant

On weekends we convert our production bakery space into a restaurant and offer a menu based almost entirely on what is grown locally and in season. Open Friday and Saturday 5–10pm and Sunday 4–8pm. 225 West Bell St., Los Alamos, California. 805 344-4400; fulloflifefoods.com

Sojourner Cafe

Serving unique dishes created with wholesome natural ingredients for over 30 years. We purchase organic produce from local growers, and we carry local wines and beers. Open 11am–11pm., Sunday 11am–10pm. Lunch, dinner, weekend brunch. 134 E. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara. 805 965-7922; sojournercafe.com

SPECIALTY RETAILERS

C’est Cheese

C’est Cheese is your local source for the finest cheeses and artisanal foods from Europe, California and the Central Coast. In addition to cheese, they offer a host of gourmet foods such as salamis, fine cured hams, olive oils and vinegars, wines, handmade chocolates, catering services, gift baskets and picnic coolers. Monday through Friday 10am–6pm. Saturday 8am–6pm. Closed Sundays. 825 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara. 805 965-0318; cestcheese.com

Montecito Country Kitchen

Montecito Country Kitchen is Santa Barbara’s unique Mediterranean-flavored cooking school and online culinary boutique. From delicious classes showcasing the seasonal produce of local farmers markets to an enticing line of cookbooks, herbs, spices, exotic salts, olive oils and more, Montecito Country Kitchen brings you the essence of cooking in California. montecitocountrykitchen.com

OstrichLand USA

A unique ostrich and emu gift shop with fresh ostrich and emu eggs and frozen ostrich meat. You can also visit and feed the ostriches and emus. 610 East Highway 246 in Buellton. Daily 10am–5pm. 805 686-9696; ostrichlandusa.com

This Little Piggy Wears Cotton

Piggy is organic! The very best in high-quality merchandise for newborns to age fourteen, including specialty children’s clothing, accessories, toys and books. Located in Santa Barbara at Paseo Nuevo, in Montecito at 1470 East Valley Rd. Also located in Berkeley, Phoenix, Newport Beach and Santa Monica. littlepiggy.com

TOURS AND TRAVEL

Spanish Cooking Adventure with Chef Kim Schiffer

Learn to cook and fall in love with Spanish cuisine and experience Granada and the hilltowns of Andalucia. October 13–22. Visit casa-ana.com or email kimschiffer09@gmail. com for more information.

Sustainable Vine Wine Tours

One of a kind wine-tasting tours that highlight the sustainable aspects of some of today’s best wine producers, such as Alma Rosa, Ampelos, Beckmen, Demetria, Sunstone and Presidio. Tours include door-to-door transportation, tastings at 3 locations and a gourmet organic picnic lunch. 805 698-3911; sustainablevine.com

WINERIES AND WINE RETAILERS

Alma Rosa

With over 100 acres of certified organic vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills, Alma Rosa focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir-Vin Gris. All wines are food friendly and display the high acid and extraordinary balance for which Richard Sanford’s wines have been known since 1976. The tasting room is open 11am–4:30pm daily. 7250 Santa Rosa Rd., Buellton. 805 688-9090; almarosawinery.com

Buttonwood Farm

Winery

In 1968 Betty Williams came to Buttonwood with the intention of creating a life that found expression through a connection with the land. The 39-acre vineyard, started in 1983, now has 33,000 vines with a mix of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Marsanne, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. Visit the tasting room at 1500 Alamo Pintado Rd. daily 11am–5pm. 805 688-3032; buttonwoodwinery.com

Roblar Winery & Cooking School

At Roblar, we understand that food and wine are inseparable. Come by our beautiful tasting room for a sampling of current releases, a delicious lunch on our shaded patio or join us for our lavish Sunday brunch, and don’t forget to ask about our calendar of cooking classes. Open for Tasting Sat–Sun 10am–5pm, Mon–Fri 11am–5pm. 3010 Roblar Ave., Santa Ynez. 805 686-2603; roblarwinery.com

edible Events

ONGOING TASTINGS

Chocolate Maya

Thursdays

6:30pm; 15 W. Gutierrez St., Santa Barbara

Tasting and explanation of the process of cocoa farming and processing $10. Sign up required. Contact maya@chocolatemaya.com for details and reservations. chocolatemaya.com

Chocolats du Cali Bressan Chocolate Tour and Tasting

2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month

6–6:30pm; 4193 Carpinteria Ave., Suite 4

Taste and tour the chocolaterie of Jean-Michel Carre, a true French chocolatier who has earned world-wide accolades. $20. RSVP by the Monday prior to event. 805 684-6900; chococalibressan.com

Costa de Oro Friday Night Wine Downs

Fridays; 4:30–7:30pm, 1331 S. Nicholson Ave., Santa Maria

Come enjoy live music, wine tasting and cheese plates. 805 922-1468; cdowinery.com

East Beach Wine Company

Friday Hosted Wine Tasting

Fridays; 4–7pm, no arrivals after 6:45; 201 S. Milpas St., Santa Barbara

This wine tasting gives you the rare opportunity to meet and talk with renowned wine makers in a small venue. $8 ($10 for Champagne tastings). This summer’s line up includes: Red, White, & Pink All-American Independence Weekend, Tercero Wines, Bastille Day Wines from France, Mionetto Prosecco, McPrice Myers, Herman Storey, & Barrel 27 Wines, Viva La Fiesta, Wines from Spain, Windward Vertical Pinot, Fiddlehead Cellars. Call or e-mail for a current listing. 805 899-1535; david@eastbeachwine.com

Los Olivos Wine Merchant Cafe

Wednesday Special Tastings

Wednesdays; 5–6:00pm; 2879 Grand Ave., Los Olivos Rub elbows with Central Coast winemakers as they present 5 selected wines every Wednesday with Chef Nat Ely’s tempting hors d’oeuvres. No reservations required. $15. Wine club members $10. santabarbarawine.com

Telegraph Brewery

Thursdays: 4–6pm, Fridays: 4–8pm, Saturdays: 1–4pm 416 N. Salsipuedes St., Santa Barbara

Beer tasting as well as pints, growler and keg sales. Groups should call or email to schedule a group tour or tasting. 805-963-5018; info@telegraphbrewing.com. telegraphbrewing.com

Wandering Dog Wine Bar

Blind Tasting Thursdays

Thursdays; 11am–8pm; 1539 Mission Dr. ‘C’, Solvang

Blind Tasting Thursdays feature different varietals and regions. $15, no reservations required. wanderingdogwinebar.com

FRIDAY, JULY 3

“Support Your Independent” Day Sale

8am–10pm; Isla Vista Food Co-op 6575 Seville Rd., Isla Vista

Offering 10% off to all customers for the whole day. 805 968-1401; www.islavistafoodcoop.blogspot.com

SATURDAY, JULY 11

Santa Maria Valley Vineyard Walk Series 10am; Riverbench, 6020 Foxen Canyon Rd., Santa Maria

Free walking tour of the vineyard with host Jim Stollberg. 866 480-5194; santamariavalleywinecountry.com

LotusFest

2–5pm; Lotusland, Montecito

July is peak blooming season, and guests will have the opportunity to view these uniquely beautiful flowers while enjoying a relaxing afternoon with wine tasting, jazz, and hors d’oeuvres. $65 for Lotusland members and $75 for nonmembers. 805 969-9990; lotusland.org

Cooking Class: Italian with Leonardo Curti

5–8pm; Roblar Winery and Cooking School

Join us for an exquisite evening at the Roblar Winery Cooking School for classes full of wonderful food and excellent wine. Cost per person is $145 per person all inclusive. Seating is Limited to 24 per class. Call 805 686-2603 to reserve a seat. 3010 Roblar Ave., Santa Ynez. roblarwinery.com

THURSDAY–SATURDAY, JULY 16–18

Santa Barbara’s California Wine Festival

Santa Barbara’s 6th Annual California Wine Festival is a mid-summer tradition where thousands of wine and food lovers gather to sip and savor unlimited premium wines and sample gourmet food. californiawinefestival.com

FRIDAY, JULY 17

Gainey Vineyard Farmers Market

5:30–7:30pm; 3950 East Highway 246, Santa Ynez

Enjoy a farmers market at the vineyard with music! Light food sold by a local nonprofit and Gainey wines will be sold by the glass. 805 688-0558; gaineyvineyard.com

SATURDAY, JULY 18

Abalone Farm Tour, Cooking Demonstration and Luncheon

11am–2pm; The Cultured Abalone, Goleta

The American Institute of Wine and Food holds its fifth annual Tour and Tasting at The Cultured Abalone farm in Goleta. Ben Beede will reveal the fascinating methods that are brought to bear in this onshore sea farm. Chef Michael Hutchings of Michael’s Catering will conduct a practical cooking demonstration of abalone preparation, followed by a three-course luncheon. Local wines will be featured for lunch with white wine matched to the abalone. Members of AIWF $65, Guests $75. aiwf.org

Cooking Class: Innovative Eating with Roberto Cortez

5–8pm; Roblar Winery and Cooking School

Join us for an exquisite evening at the Roblar Winery Cooking School for classes full of wonderful food and excellent wine. Cost is $145 per person all-inclusive. Seating is limited to 24 per class. Call 805 686-2603 to reserve a seat. 3010 Roblar Ave., Santa Ynez. roblarwinery.com

WEDNESDAY–SUNDAY, AUGUST 5–9

Old Spanish Days Fiesta

A celebration of Santa Barbara’s heritage, through music, dancing and family events. This five day festival showcases one of the largest equestrian parades in the country, Spanish dancing at the Old Mission Santa Barbara, a children’s parade as well as many other events. Serious foodies frequent the mercado at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. oldspanishdays-fiesta.org

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8

Santa Maria Valley Vineyard Walk Series 10am; Costa de Oro, 1331 S. Nicholson Ave., Santa Maria Free walking tour of the vineyard with host Gary Burk. 866 480-5194; santamariavalleywinecountry.com

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8

All Buttonwood Farm Dinner

6:30pm; 1500 Alamo Pintado Rd., Solvang

Join the Buttonwood “family” for a convivial experience celebrating the bounty of Buttonwood Farm. This twilight dinner served in the vineyard will feature farm-raised pork and lamb, goat cheese, farm-grown vegetables, our famous peaches, and award-winning Buttonwood wines. $100. Please RSVP at 805 688-3032; buttonwoodwinery.com

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21

Gainey Vineyard Farmers Market

5:30–7:30pm; 3950 East Highway 246, Santa Ynez

Enjoy a farmers market at the vineyard with music! Light food sold by a local nonprofit and Gainey wines will be sold by the glass. 805 688-0558; gaineyvineyard.com

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

Santa Maria Valley Vineyard Walk Series 10am; Rancho Ontiveros, 6525 Dominion Rd., Santa Maria

Free walking tour of the vineyard with host James Ontiveros. 866 480-5194; santamariavalleywinecountry.com

American Institute of Wine and Food Annual Picnic and Membership Drive

4:30pm–dusk; Hope Ranch Picnic Area, Las Olas Street, off of Las Palmas

Dinner will highlight recipe classics from Julia Child’s cookbooks. You are encouraged to bring your favorite bottle of wine to share. There will an auction to benefit the Santa Barbara City College Culinary Scholarship. Members and guests $60. aiwf.org

SAVE THE DATES

OCTOBER 1–31

Epicure.SB: A Month to Savor Santa Barbara Coming this October, Santa Barbara will debut a monthlong foodie festival featuring diverse epicurean offerings sure to sate your appetite! This epicurean adventure will showcase regional cuisine, libations and culture. Festivals include the Harbor & Seafood Festival, California Lemon Festival, California Avocado Festival and Celebration of Harvest. Special midweek menus, educational seminars, mixology demos, farmers market tours, cooking classes, microbrew tastings, winemaker dinners and opportunities to sip and savor the uniquely local flavors of Santa Barbara County. For more information: info@sbdo.org

WEDNESDAY–THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14–15

‘A Taste of the Future’ Fundraiser with Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan, award winning author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma is this year’s guest speaker at the Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences’ 5th annual fundraiser. 805 756-5086; sarc.calpoly.edu

THE LAST BITE

Tom Shepherd of Shepherd Farms

Since 1987, the name Shepherd has meant salad mix in Santa Barbara, specifically a lively and ever-changing with the seasons mix of lettuces and herbs that Tom Shepherd had the foresight to bring to the farmers market. His mesclun or mixed greens have been popular on restaurant menus and in homes ever since. But Tom has actually been farming organically since 1973, and he is a fifth-generation Santa Barbara resident. Though he can be seen on a tractor, he is also a believer in doing things by hand and using solar power to spin dry his salad greens. He is also one of the earliest and most permanent fixtures at the Santa Barbara Farmers Market. These days he offers a

community-supported agriculture produce subscription program (CSA), and his tables at the Saturday and Tuesday markets are filled with more than just bagged greens. In addition to his famous salad greens, he grows strawberries and a wide variety of vegetables on his Carpinteria farm. He also leases land at the Sedgwick Ranch in Santa Ynez Valley, where he has an orchard of stone fruits and table grapes. But there is something about his gourmet mix of greens that ensures that the name Shepherd will always mean salad in Santa Barbara.

Edible Santa Barbara Summer 2009

edible

SANTA BARBARA

ARBARA summer

CONTENTS

FOOD FOR THOUGHT D

SANTA BAR BARA

MICHAEL POLLAN

‘A Taste of the Future’ Fundraiser

edible Notables

Enjoy Cupcakes

Buttonwood Sibling Revelry

Tokens for Produce

Happy Tiffins

For Stylish Picnics

Carr Winery

Late Nights in the Barrel Room

vertical TASTING

I Scream

Tom Shepherd

You Scream

We All Scream

For Ice Cream

Recipes seasonal

Corn

Grilled Corn

Cornish Game Hens

Grilled Cornish Game Hens

Kale

Oven-Roasted Kale Chips

Watermelon

Watermelon Aguas Frescas

HEIRLOOM HEAVEN

Tomato Basil Balsamic Sorbet

Markets, 6 Days a Week

EDIBLE GARDEN EASY STEPS TO BETTER HOMEGROWN TOMATOES

Care and Feeding

Cool-Season Tomatoes

Summer edible books

Reading List

A Menu for All Seasons: Summer

Chef MD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine

The Gourmet Garden: An Organic Gardening Book (Barron’s)

FROM COLD AND SLOW TO HOT AND FAST THE ABALONE STORY FROM OCEAN TO PLATE

From Cold and Slow...

...to Hot and Fast

Did you know?

Local Abalone

Abalone Today

Michael Hutchings Recipes

Basic Pan-Fried Abalone

Cultured Abalone with a Butter Sauce

SALAD DAYS

Pascale’s Salad Recipes

Lettuce

HAS BEEN AROUND FOR thousands of years

Field Greens Salad with Fennel, Roquefort and Grapes with a Candied Shallot Vinaigrette

FOR THE SHALLOTS

Grilled Duck, Endives and Arugula Salad

FOR THE SALAD

Late Summer Peach and Feta Salad

Wild Salmon Salad

FOR THE BEETS

FOR THE SALMON

FOR THE SALAD

BENVENUTO AL TAVOLA—

ITALIAN VARIETALS TRANSLATED WITH SOUL AT PALMINA

Tasting the Wines

FREE TOURS & TASTING*

THE HIDDEN PROMISE OF SUBURBIA

Heaven Waiting To Happen

Neighborhood Foodsheds: Sharing the Bounty

Where We Go from Here

Tuning the ’Hood

Food with Attitude

FOOD FROM THE HEARTH AT FULL OF LIFE FLATBREAD

Full of Life Flatbread Recipes

Strawberry Meringues with Fresh Fruit

Prosciutto-Wrapped Burrata Cheese with Wild Arugula

MAKING ICE CREAM WITH LIQUID NITROGEN—COOL!