TH E GAR D E N I S S U E
Celebrate
Spring Healthy Recipes Home Decor Hacks Inspiring Gardens
PL
US
!
OUTDOOR ESCAPES EASY BUNGALOW UPGRADES CACTUS CARE 101
Sunset Page Template.indd 1
2/22/21 10:16 AM
THE GARDEN ISSUE
THOMAS J. STORY
52
The path at the top of the hill at L.A.’s Flamingo Estate.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
1
CONTENTS THE GARDEN ISSUE Stephen Carter runs the farm program at Scribe. Here he checks in on the harvest.
Food & Drink
65
Spring Supper Gorgeous garden-totable dishes from
Santa Barbara author Valerie Rice.
70
Sonoma Rising Next-wave winery Scribe hosts an alfresco family
feast starring roast lamb and the
freshest vegetables in Sonoma.
84
The Pantry Sweet and savory
plant-based snacks.
Travel & Escapes
87
Hotel Happenings New and noteworthy hotels to dream of visiting soon.
Picture Perfect
96 Garden Photography 101 Shooting tips from our staff photographer.
Editor’s Letter The beauty of dirty hands.
9
Best of the West
Home & Garden
13
ern farm style, cool
planters, and more.
18
32
Plant Pretty
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
living in Marin.
44
new garden gear.
36
Garden Checklist What to do in your
English Accents A DIY remodel on a
busy city street yields
Gold shovels, chic
garden now.
2
Next level outdoor
a serene urban family retreat.
We’ve got the best
Lily Cameron shows plastic habit.
40 Patio Goals
aprons, mod clogs:
The Zero Waste Kitchen how to kick your
An exclusive peek at cactus collection.
Justina Blakeney’s interior design.
Cactus Maximus L.A.’s largest private
How to Jungalow tips for maximalist
Top nurseries, mod-
22
52
Garden Party A tour of Flamingo Estate’s gorgeous gar-
dens, topped off with
dinner and a cocktail.
ON THE COVER
Stephen Carter and Silvia Bagnacani watch the sunset at Scribe Winery. Photograph by TH O MAS J. STO RY
THOMAS J. STORY
6
Viewrail FLIGHT floating stairs say a lot about your love of openness and elegance. From design to installation, we make it easy to make your statement.
FREE Design Starter Kit Includes material samples and our Viewrail FLIGHT Buyer’s Guide to help you get started.
Order yours today by visiting www.viewrail.com/Sunset
Delivering the Future of Stairs & Railing
Sunset Page Template.indd 1
2/22/21 10:31 AM
EXPERIENCE THE AT GRAND CANYON WEST
$
59
GENERAL ADMISSION & SKYWALK EXPERIENCE
Visit GrandCanyonWest.com or call 888-868-WEST to Learn More! Visit our website to learn more about our COVID-19 safety protocols. (Skywalk Experience prices valid through 2021. Other restrictions may apply.)
Sunset Page Template.indd 1
2/22/21 10:10 AM
S PO N S O RE D C O N T E N T T RIP PLA NNER
GRAND CANYON WEST
The ultimate western destination can be an easy inspiring day trip or an epic immersion in nature and culture. Here are three ways to experience the accessible wonders of Grand Canyon West.
With jaw dropping views stretching to the horizon, the rich history and heritage of the Hualapai Tribe, and activities ranging from a superlative selfie moment to a multi-day rafting trip, Grand Canyon West is the best way to experience the West’s premiere natural wonder. Just six hours from Los Angeles, four hours from Phoenix, and two hours from Las Vegas, it’s a destination in it’s own right or an easy add-on to many classic Western road trips. Here are three trips for travelers of every taste. Pick one and go grand, grander, or grandest!
GRANDER: ADVENTURE IMMERSION THE PLAN: H I K I NG AN D RAFT IN G W IT H H UA L A PA I LO D GE AS HOME B ASE
If you have a little more time and want to go deeper into the Grand Canyon West experience, you should add at least an overnight stay in Peach Springs, Arizona. Two hours east of the West Rim on historic Route 66, the town is the capital of the Hualapai Nation and a handy home base for active travelers who want to stay a day or more. For travelers seeking a literal and figurative immersion into the Grand Canyon, there’s no deeper an experience than a whitewater river rafting tour of the Colorado River guided by the Hualapai River Runners. Yes you’ll get all the bone-chilling, goosebump inducing thrill of riding the rapids, but all you’ll also learn the past and present traditions of the Hualapai first hand from tribal members. GRANDEST: CULTURE MEETS NATURE THE PLAN: W E ST R I M TO P E AC H S P R I NG S D OU B LE DIP
GRAND: BUCKET LIST DAY TRIP THE PLAN: SELF IE O N TH E SK Y WA L K, B R AVE TH E Z I P L I NE, HELICOPTER BIRD ’S E Y E VIE W
To experience all the facets of Grand Canyon West, create an itinerary that checks all the boxes on the bucket list: Skywalk selfie? Check. Zip Line and helicopter tour. Check. Be sure to plan a visit to Eagle Point on the weekend to attend dances and musical performances by the Hualapai Tribe, take a self-guided tour of a historically correct Native American village, and support local artisans at the Native Hands Gift Shop. Round out your trip to the east at Peach Springs with a one-, two-, or five-day river rafting trip that includes an inspiring hike to Travertine Falls. Opt for a longer overnight trip in the canyon to fully connect with nature and reset your soul. For more information and tickets go to grandcanyonwest.com
You’re 4000 feet above the floor of the Grand canyon, nothing between you but glass, and you couldn’t be happier. That’s the thrill of the Skywalk, the horseshoe shaped glass bridge you’ve likely seen on your instagram feed, and just 2 hours from Vegas it’s a thrill that tops the bright lights of the Strip. Yes it’s about having your mind blown by an amazing view of the Grand Canyon with that life changing scale and unparalleled beauty. And yes it’s about taking a killer photo you’ll share on your socials. But consider getting closer to the action on the Zip Line that speeds 40 miles per hour over a side canyon on Hualapai Ranch or splurge on a helicopter tour crowned with a pontoon ride on the Colorado River.
Sunset Page Template.indd 1
2/22/21 10:09 AM
EDITOR’S NOTE
Western Dirt
CHAIRMAN & PUBLISHER
Michael A. Reinstein PUBLISHER
David Steinhafel
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Hugh Garvey CREATIVE DIRECTOR
“Most good gardeners don’t wear gloves.” That’s Sunset staff photographer Tom Story mak ing the case for a photograph to be included in this issue’s feature about L.A. urban farm fanta sia Flamingo Estate. In it, horticulturist Jeff Hutchison holds a backlit amber jar of essential oils extracted from the resinous leaves of black sage, his fingernails dirty in the way only someone who’s spent the day gardening can—and should—be. Tom would know what a gardener’s hands look like, seeing as he’s photographed every garden issue we’ve published since he joined the magazine 21 years ago. Typically you don’t show dirty nails in a lifestyle magazine. That is unless you’re Sunset, where gardens are in our DNA and dirt is under our fingernails if we’re doing our jobs right. Feeling the warmth of topsoil, the cool earth just below, knowing just how healthy that dirt is by touch and direct contact with the soil: those are the lovely messy tactile realities of gardening, which is what makes it such a satisfying pursuit in a world where a crystal clear glass screen on our smart phones increasingly mediates how we experience much of the world. And what that dirt yields is often very specific to the passion of the gardener: the swaths of native plants that paint the hillside of Fla mingo Estate and end up in their culinary and wellness products (Garden Party, page 52). The rare cacti at L.A.’s Cactus Store where the team obsessively celebrates our xeric plant brethren, spiky survivors and metaphors for us all (Cactus Maximus, page 22). The Pinot Noir and Sylvaner grapes at Scribe winery in Sonoma where they’re commited to making quaffable wines. But it was the chicories I ate there that blew my mind (Sonoma Spring, page 70). You see, Scribe’s head farmer Stephen Carter has a thing for chicories, endives, radicchio, and all manner of bitter salad greens (he’s the kind of guy who flys to Italy to attend chicory conferences). He runs the farm program that’s the botanical backbone of the tasting menu Scribe serves to guests. And it was a speckled leaf of chicory born of that Sonoma dirt and Stephen’s loving obsession that tops my list of most delicious things I’ve eaten all year. Bitter, yes, but also aromatically honeyed and sweet, crisp yet tender, with earthy flavors that can only come from love and attention and direct contact with the dirt, gloves off.
Michael Wilson PHOTO EDITOR
Christine Bobbish STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Thomas J. Story
SENIOR DIRECTOR, DIGITAL INITIATIVES
Matt Gross
DIGITAL DIRECTOR
Jasmin Perez
HOME & DESIGN EDITOR
Christine Lennon ASSISTANT EDITOR
Magdalena O’Neal DIGITAL PRODUCER
Nicole Clausing WRITER
J.D. Simkins
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Jamie Elliott
EDITORIAL INTERN
Teaghan Skulszki Sales SVP, MEDIA SOLUTIONS
Mort Greenberg VP, PARTNERSHIPS
Kathleen Craven HEAD OF TRAVEL
Pamela Coffey HEAD OF OUTDOOR
Kristi Rummel
VP, REVENUE OPERATIONS
Kelly Facer
DIRECTOR OF AD OPERATIONS
Kathleen Pratt
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
Isabel Lanaux Marketing
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Stephen Kamifuji
HEAD OF CUSTOM EVENTS
E D ITO R-I N - CH I E F
Tracy Seng
Sunset Publishing Corporation
JOIN THE SUNSET COMMUNITY SunsetMagazine
@sunsetmag
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
@Sunset
pinterest.com/SunsetMag
SUNSET PUBLISHING CORPORATION • P.O. BOX 15688, BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90209 • SUNSET.COM
Copyright ©2021 Sunset Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited submissions. Manuscripts, photographs, and other material submitted to P.O. Box 15688 Beverly Hills, CA 90209 can be acknowledged or returned only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. For assistance with your Sunset subscription, call 1-800-777-0117.
6
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
Tom Griffiths, Graydon Sheinberg
VP, AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & CIRCULATION
Shawn Byers
THMOAS J. STORY
—Hugh Garvey,
virginia robinson gardens we’ll be here when it’s safe and you’re ready to visit!
Come visit this legendary landmark house and garden in 90210! The very first estate in Beverly Hills, the Virginia Robinson Gardens is a public garden in the heart of the most glamorous city in California. In a remarkable public-private partnership, the former home & gardens of department store heirs Harry & Virginia Robinson is preserved, restored, & programmed for the benefit of the visiting public, open by appointment only for tours, lectures, and a rarified view of life at the turn of the last century as the new town of Beverly Hills was taking root as the entertainment capital of the world. Please check our website for reservation updates
Virginia Robinson Gardens 1008 Elden Way Beverly Hills, California 90210 www.robinsongardens.org
Sunset Page Template.indd 1 ROBINSON_GARDENS_SUNSET_AD_V3.indd 1
2/22/21 10:21 AM 1/18/21 10:40 PM
WT: XXX PF: XX ZO: XX
page
78
Three Distinct Idea Homes. Triple the Design Inspiration.
MALIBU
From the desert to the coast, Sunset presents the Idea Hub. The ultimate destination for design influence and creativity driven by the unique architecture and geographic beauty of Southern California. Find it all at Sunset.com/ideahub •Updates on our three Idea House projects
DESERT OASIS
•Ideas in architecture, home design, and living •Design trends •Smart homes •Appliances and fixtures •Expert advice from brilliant creative-design minds •DIY product reviews •Garden & landscape plans
SUNSET BEACH
Plus our new Idea House Workbook series will reveal tips, tricks, and hacks from home renovation experts. Sign up for the Idea Hub newsletter: sunset.com/idea-emails Sponsorship opportunities: sunsetsales@sunset.com
Sunset Page Template.indd 1
2/22/21 10:11 AM
BEST
OF T H E
WEST
Green Dreams
Our favorite pioneering nurseries around the West that set the high bar for plant perfection. Story by H U G H GARVE Y and CH RI STI N E LE N N O N
JESSE WALDMAN
Pistils Nursery in Portland. Turn to page 10 to read more.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
9
Plant Paradise
↙
PORTLAND, OR PISTILS NURSERY This Portland institution
VASHON, WA THE COUNTRY STORE AND FARM
necessities like staghorn
well-curated shop, plant
sells urban garden
For over 50 years this
ferns, stylish tools, and
nursery, and you-pick
even bantam chicks
from its “mothership”
location, pictured here
(a second location is in Slabtown).
PISTILSNURSERY.COM
FARMHOUSE STYLE Former Sunset senior home editor Daniel P. Gregory chronicles the world’s sleekest and most stunning rural architecture in this beautiful coffee table book. $45, PRINCETON
ARCHITECTURAL PRESS / PAPRESS.COM
10
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
↑
farm has served its
community of 10,000.
Here you can also pick up a Patagonia fleece and local coffee.
COUNTRYSTOREANDFARM.COM
↓
LOS ANGELES, CA PLANT MATERIAL California natives,
succulents, and cacti
abound at this gallerylike Eagle Rock nursery that also sells its own brand of garden
apparel, cool Japanese tools, and raw honey harvested nearby. PLANT-MATERIAL.COM
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF PISTILS NURSERY; LINDSAY FOSTER; CAITLIN ATKINSON (2); BRIAN WALKER LEE/ COURTESY OF FIELDWORK DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE, USED WITH PERMISSION OF PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS
We’ve always considered nurseries essential businesses. Here are three that nurture and inspire.
be
a sho
t
e
u
1 o ut t o t h
e s!
HONEY DO In addition to excelling at all things culinary and saline, Oregon’s Jacobsen Salt Co. also sells top flight (pun intended) collections of single-origin nectar harvested in Oregon, Washington, and the high desert. 5 VIAL HONEY
2
COLLECTION: $38;
JACOBSENSALT.COM
Pots & Circumstance
3
Three cool ways to level up your garden game indoors
1
2
3
Does your golden pothos
Growing bonsai from seed is
Online plant store Horti
with this delightful palo santo and
for counter space? Go vertical
payoff of having this miniature
right plants for their needs.
that boasts a 100 hour burn time and
funnel planter, which doubles
$58; SKEEMSHOP.COM
HOLISTICHABITATCLT.COM
↑
BUG OFF
HANG UP
Repel little critters in the yard naturally
habitat have you scrambling
citronella-scented candle from Skeem
with this terracotta hanging
comes with a protective wood top.
as a suspended sculpture. $128;
TRIM DOWN
KIT OUT
not for the impatient. But the
redwood forest on your desk or windowsill may be worth the effort. $50; UNCOMMONGOODS.COM
connects humans with the
Order a hard-to-kill single pot, a curated kit, or cutting vases, like these . $18; HEYHORTI.COM
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
11
WT: XXX PF: XX ZO: XX
page
78
The New Sunset Garden Collection
PHILLIPS Approx. top of flag
000000_PZ Garden Flag PZ Garden Flag approx. 12” x 17.625” The flags are PRESTITCHED by vendor and vary in size. Just the front will be sublimated. Template has 3/4” bleed on top, and the other sides have 3/8” bleed. Line 1 Font: 50 Sailor Font Size: 102pt Characters: 8 Justification: Centered Color: Navy Hex: 2a3851 CMYK c88,m76,y44,k37 CAPS CASE Sample: HARRISON
**PRINTING...IMPORTANT!... Per Jeanie...When printing, line up on BOTTOM with 3/8” bleed. Top will have extra graphics that will overhang the flag, and will not print. **DESIGNER: Keep in mind when designing, there is 3/4” bleed on top, and 3/8” bleed on sides and bottom. Image area (no bleed) guidelines: 1” in from side edges, and 3/4” in from top and bottom edges to allow for varience in size of the flag substrate (they vary horizontally from 11.25” to 12.5”.) It’s ok for background art to bleed off, but important items, and PZ should adhere to image area (no bleed) guidelines. See example.
HARRISON Sunset Garden Apron made from 100% organic hemp—a material that’s stronger than denim ($125).
Personalized 12” x 17” Garden Flag featuring vintage Sunset cover ($16.99). Garden Flag Stand ($14.99) . Sunset Fisher Blacksmithing Hand Trowel ($62.99).
Our new collection of garden tools and decor bring functionality, sturdiness, and a bit of beauty to your backyard. Visit our online shop to see the ever-expanding line of unique items. shop.sunset.com
Sunset Page Template.indd 1
2/22/21 10:06 AM
HOME
GARDEN
In Justina Blakeney’s third and most personal book, the designer and artist shares the stories and inspiration behind her multicultural, more-is-always-more style. Story by CH RI STI N E LE N N O N
PHOTOGRAPHY © 2021 DABITO
Extra, Extra
&
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
13
14
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
“I love starting
with a few amazing pillows and
throw blankets. It’s the perfect
way to get your feet wet. Everything from a
tablecloth to a colorful textile
over my head-
board. It’s lowcommitment,
and a great way to gauge how
different colors
and styles make you feel. Once
you get a toe in,
maybe you want to go deeper,”
says Blakeney.
journeys around the world. Her point of view and experiences seem even more valuable seen through the lens of 2020 and the important conversa tions about race and ethnicity society has grappled with over the last year. “As I was writing this [book], and with everything happening around the social justice movement, I was very sensitive to cultural appropria tion,” she says. “Think about what you’re buying, where you’re getting it from, and who is profiting from it. Bring it into your home with respect. As long as you’re doing that, I think it’s absolutely wonderful.”
PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR JUNGALOW: DECORATE WILD, INCLUDING ALL INTERIORS SEEN HERE, BY DABITO.
CLAUDIA LUCIA
been twelve years since Justina Blake ney started her design blog, Jungalow, the platform she used to spin her de votion to eclectic maximalism into a beloved brand. Today, her name and “New Bohemian” trademark are syn onymous with global boho style, and an outsize appreciation for house plants (she has over 50 in her own Los Angeles home). Blakeney has been generous about sharing what inspires her from the beginning, offering up countless ideas and how-to’s to her half-million social media followers. But it wasn’t until she started writing her third design book, Jungalow: Decorate Wild, that she started digging even deeper into the genesis of her aesthetic, the why that drives the what. Blakeney uses the book as an opportunity to unpack
her personal history, and her travel ogues, to explain the roots of her lay ered, exuberant perspective. “It all goes back to the story of my childhood home and my parents, and my style reflects the story of who they are,” says Blakeney, who grew up in Berkeley with academic parents who filled their home with a love of ideas, culture and travel. Blakeney’s father is Black and Native American, and her mother is Jewish of Eastern European descent. She understands better than anyone that two seemingly disparate cultures can come together and cre ate something wholly original and unique in its beauty. “It’s a healthy, beautiful way to ap proach the world, and it’s almost ca thartic for me to think about it this way. We’re all mixed. I often felt like an outsider coming from two differ ent cultures, but we’re all a mashup of so many different things,” she says. To illustrate the point, Blakeney chose a handful of disparate-seeming styles and combined them to create new looks that challenge conventional labels. All of which are explored with stunning photographs from her own
HOW TO MIX-ANDMATCH LIKE A NEW BOHEMIAN
NEW MEXI-COPENHAGEN
Once you get past the obvious
aesthetics aren’t as opposite as they
palette, the dusty red clay of the arid
architecture meshes nicely with that
differences in climate and natural
American Southwest compared to
the wet and wintry forest greens and icy whites of Scandinavia, the two
seem. The stark simplicity of adobe famous Danish modern point of
view, and the two styles embrace
down-to-earth, hand-woven textiles.
START SLEEK
ADD TEXTURE
To get the look,
Toss in a rustic
boxy Scandin-
locally spun
start with the
vian-inspired
Sven chair from Article.
$849 / ARTICLE.COM
pillow made of wool from
Chama, New Mexico. $145 /
HANDWEAVERS.COM
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
15
SIT TIGHT Blakeney sug-
gests anchoring the room with
rustic Equipale chairs from Mexico.
$950 ONEKINGSLANE.COM
GO BRIGHT Layer in vibrant hand-sewn
Suzani textiles such as this
throw pillow. $200 CHAIRISH.COM
TURK-ICAN
Turkey and Mexico, two countries on
Hand-stitched Turkish Suzanis and
surprisingly simpatico decorative
similar in style, featuring floral and
opposite sides of the globe, have
styles. Both are known for romantic,
hand-painted ceramics, rich colors,
detailed rugs, and rustic furnishings.
16
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
Mexican Otomi embroidery are very fruit motifs in hand-stitched
designs. Combine the styles for a colorful and cozy sitting room.
GO CAL Begin with
beachy wicker
accessories like this lamp from Serena & Lily.
$295 SERENAANDLILY.COM
PUNCH IN PATTERN Add a stool or bench
upholstered with hand-dyed
African mudcloth. $350 ETSY.COM
WEST AFRI-COASTAL
On Blakeney’s list of must-see
with in California.” Both styles cel-
want to explore the continent,”
and the color blue. “I wanted to
places, Africa is at the top. “I just she says. “My own heritage
comes from West Africa. And
coastal décor is what I grew up
ebrate found natural materials
figure out how to blend these two
design philosophies with artifacts and ideas that feel really fresh.”
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
17
The Zero Waste Kitchen
We can all get behind the idea of wast ing less and recycling more, but come garbage day our bins often overflow with trash, much of it destined for landfill. Like many of us, Lily Camer on wanted to do better and set off on a path of reducing waste in her life. She and her husband now run the pioneer How shop, cook, clean, ing low-waste housewares shop Wild Minimalist in San Rafael, California. and eat well, according to Oakland-based sustainability While we’ve all heard the stories of ex treme paring-down that yields a single expert Lily Cameron jar of waste in a year, that sort of sus tainability is, well, not very sustain able. In her new book, Simply Sustainable: Moving Toward Plastic-Free, Low-Waste Living (Ten Speed Press; $25), Cameron lays out an achievable plan for wasting less and living cleaner. The trick is to start small but with the big cul prit: plastic. Only 9 percent of plastic produced has ever been re cycled. The remaining 91 percent ends up in landfill or leaching into our water as microplastics, which make their way into our bodies, the oceans, seafood, and soil. While the book breaks down how to reduce waste throughout the home, here Cameron shares suggestions for how to set up a greener, cleaner kitchen. “The easiest way to reduce kitchen waste is to prevent it from even en tering your home,” she writes. That means nixing anything that can’t be reused in near-perpetuity: plastic and paper bags, food that comes in boxes, tubes, or tubs, as well as sponges, paper tow els, and plastic bottles of soap and detergent. Here are Cameron’s tips for reducing waste in your pantry, fridge, and at the sink.
18
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
REPRINTED FROM SIMPLY SUSTAINABLE. COPYRIGHT © 2020 BY LILY CAMERON. PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT © 2020 AUBRIE PICK. PUBLISHED BY TEN SPEED PRESS, AN IMPRINT OF RANDOM HOUSE. PORTRAIT OF LILY CAMERON BY NICOLE MORRISON
WHEN IN DOUBT, LABEL IT
Rice and pasta are easy to identify at a glance, but jars containing hard-to-identify items, like baking powder and flour, might benefit from a label.
DECANT IT
Zero-Waste Pantry
Buy dry goods in bulk using cloth bags, then transfer into jars at home. For messy-to-decant items, like sugar and flour, bring jars to the store to fill directly.
STOCK THE STAPLES
Having staples such as grains, legumes, and nuts is handy for lastminute meals and snacks during a busy week.
KEEP IT VISIBLE
Storing pantry essentials on open shelves in glass jars makes it a cinch to see what you’re running low on so you can add it to your grocery list.
PREVENT PESTS
Storing foods in airtight latch-top jars helps prevent spoiling and pest contamination.
SHOP YOUR PANTRY
Plan meals around the items in your pantry to free up storage space and minimize food waste.
ORGANIZE BY THEME
To keep your food tidy and accessible, organize sections by theme. The top shelf is mostly breakfast items, the middle is leftovers and snacks, and the bottom and crisper are for whole and partially used produce.
STICK IT IN WATER
Keep asparagus and carrots crisp by placing them in a jar of water.
MAKE A FRUIT BASKET
Zero-Waste Fridge
Place fruit in a basket or bowl at eye level so it is more likely to be seen and consumed.
KEEP IT CLEAR
HYDRATE GREENS
Store delicate greens and herbs, like lettuce, dill, and cilantro, in a cotton produce storage bag. The bag keeps produce hydrated and crisp while wicking away excess moisture.
Storing foods in transparent glass containers makes it easier to see what you have at a glance.
WRAP IT UP
Preserve half a melon or avocado with a beeswax cloth wrap instead of plastic wrap or a disposable bag.
LINE YOUR DRAWERS
Keep crisper drawers tidy by lining them with folded tea towels. Then add loose fruits and vegetables for plastic-free storage.
FIFO
Practicing the first-in, first-out rule, place older and perishable foods like yogurt and leftovers toward the front so they’re less likely to be forgotten.
RACK IT UP
Place a recyclable metal or wood dish rack on a cotton tea towel for drying dishes.
BRUSH UP
Zero-Waste Sink
KEEP IT CASTILE
Clean dishes with a wood dish brush instead of a plastic sponge.
Wash dishes and hands with Castile soap bought in bulk in a glass bottle.
CLEAN WITH COPPER
DECLUTTER
A minimal countertop makes it easier to cook and tidy.
Use a copper scrubber to loosen stubborn bits of food from castiron skillets and pans.
GRAB A RAG
Use a cloth rag to wipe counters after food prep and crumbs after meals.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
21
CACTUS MAXIMUS AN EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK AT ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST COLLECTIONS OF CACTI. PLUS, THE ULTIMATE CACTUS-GROWING GUIDE. Story by H U G H GARVE Y Photographs by TH O MAS J. STO RY
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
23
IN a world of Instagram plantfluencers and pandemic plant parenthood new bies and trending Monstera and fa mous florists, the Cactus Store in Los Angeles stands out for its lovingly ob sessive, time-tested engagement with all things hardy and spiked. While most folks know founders Carlos Morera and Max Martin and crew from their little shop in Echo Park, the majority of their time is spent at a semi-secret HQ studio in Atwater. Housed in an old brick warehouse with an adjacent 2,000-square-foot greenhouse, their private collection of cacti lives and is tended by, as Martin calls him, “resident plant whisperer” Billy Ramirez. This appointment-only space has never been photographed, and we’re thrilled to share an exclu sive peek inside this indoor garden of xeric wonders. Everywhere there are spikes; in some spots there is fuzz and fur, and needles, and draping leaves. It’s an alien garden of cudgels, spheres, ele phantine paddles and columns, fan ning starbursts, and 87 shades of green—and pink, blue, purple, and red. To walk inside is to be over whelmed by the sheer diversity of what reductively can look like a car toon cactus in one’s imagination— and to be hyper-aware of the delicacy of one’s skin. Cacti are so unlike us we can’t help but stare. Even to people who will never own anything beyond a $15 Home Depot ball cactus, the Cactus Store as a brand is many things: a shop selling cacti and beautiful cactus-propaga tion gear, a signifier of a kind of artadjacent cool, handsomely packaged cactus-care tools and soil, a lifestyle brand selling apparel and accessories (including an “International Opunti oid Society” sweatshirt, a “Honk if You Love Zygomporphic Flowers” sticker, and a $330 limited-edition
24
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
Clockwise from top left: Carlos Morera, Audrey Turner, Max Martin, C Cummings
gardening gi that sold out online in seconds). They also offer landscape design services, counting among their clients John Mayer. Yes, that John Mayer, who visited the store, got bit by the xeric bug, and hired the crew to design a cactus garden at his house. The deadpan stickers, shirts, and sweatshirts are as much an act of con servation as cool: “It’s a way to share our love of the plant without actually selling plants,” says Morera. Plus it’s practical. “People would come to the store on their way to the airport, and it’s just that much easier to buy a Tshirt than a cactus.”
Cactus time might be the biggest differentiator—and connector—of all. “Cacti operate on a completely differ ent time scale than people are used to,” says Morera, pointing out that many outlive their owners. “They’re the true survivors. The Atacama des ert in Chile is the driest place on Earth. It’s where the Mars rover was tested, and you see nothing else alive but cacti.” So maybe they’re not so alien after all. In a year where time stood still and survival was top of mind, our kin ship with cacti only deepened. Let’s take a tour of this spiky microcosm.
WHEN IT ALL BOILS DOWN, CARING FOR PLANTS IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE DO. – M AX MARTIN, CO-FOUNDER
“Lithops are a fascinating twoleaved diminutive succulent from southern Africa. Lithops are known for their ability to mimic the stones that they grow amongst. In the cultivation tray shown, we’re growing 12 different species of Lithops.” —M.M.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
25
CAC T U S CA R E BAS IC S By T HAD O RR
Many people profess that they could never keep plants alive until they started growing cacti and other succulents. These plants want to stay alive. With ample drainage, plenty of sun, and protection from freezing temperatures, they are generally easy to grow. They are also droughttolerant, pest- and disease-free, and evergreen, so they’re eye-catching in the garden yearround. Here are the essential tips for helping your cactus garden thrive.
Fill in around the plant
moisture levels. If
system twice a week.
because it can help
drains well. Tamp soil
you don’t need to water.
can be minimal. Then
and better flowering.
with amended soil that down lightly and water.
The best time to plant is
PROTECTION Whenever you are handling cactus that have spines, protect your
hands by wearing thick
spring or late summer
(if your climate experi-
Also, be sure your irrigation system stops
watering when it rains.
and cactus still need
adequate water every 3
POTTING
gloves inside rose
tainers that have holes
succulents, use con-
gloves—leather work
GIVE THEM SOME SPACE Those small cacti and succulents you buy at the nursery can turn
into large plants, so be
lents can be planted
similarly to any other
plant. Dig a hole that’s
sure you give them
plenty of space. Many
also produce offshoots or pups that turn into colony-like clumps.
about as deep as the
can sprinkle granulated
rot. In order to make
plant food into the hole and mix it with the
backfill soil if needed.
prevent the drainage hole from becoming
clogged. Be sure to use a cactus mix that has pumice when plant-
ing—the pumice helps with drainage. Cover
year. Once plants are
getting too much water, put a finger a few inches into the soil to check
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
is a commonly used liquid plant food that can be applied in spring
and fall. If you’re fertilizing regularly, it’s also fine to dilute the mix
before applying. Water the plants after fertilizing.
need to water as fre-
PROVIDE PROTECTION IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES
lents and cacti can
Many succulents and
taken off irrigation after
temperatures down to
quently. Many succueven be completely the first year or two.
They will survive, and
often perform better, on
rainfall alone. Avoid watering, especially during fall and winter.
cacti can handle cold around 25 to 30 de-
grees without damage. Plants such as Yucca
rostrata (big bend yucca) and Fouquieria
splendens (ocotillo), though, can handle
temperatures down to
zero degrees. If freezing
temperatures are com-
kill a cactus or cause
sure your cactus aren’t
Grow More Cactus Juice
tion is reaching the root.
established you don’t
large gravel to help
produce faster growth
make sure your irriga-
DRAINAGE Too much moisture can
succulent and cactus
water your plants or
es of broken pots or
in place.
glasses). Place your
plant in the hole. You
getting rain, be sure to
Water less after the first
the container with piec-
effect; it also keeps soil
from the container
to 5 days. If you’re not
age. Fill the bottom of
rock for a decorative
its width. Remove plants
gloves and safety
at the bottom for drain-
the soil with a layer of
root ball and 1.5 times
(wearing protective
months.
climates).
When potting cactus or
Cacti and other succu-
needed in hotter
tablished, succulents
fall (in warmer
wearing two pairs of
PLANT WISELY
hand water plants as
Until plant roots are es-
gardeners recommend
gloves.
The amount of water
ences freezes) or early
leather gloves. Some
26
there’s any moisture,
mon in your garden, be
FERTILIZING WATERING Give plants a baseline
of water through a drip
You don’t have to fertil-
ize succulents and cacti, but some people do
sure to select hardy varieties or grow plants in
pots that can be moved indoors during the winter.
“This plant was given to us by the daughter of a man who worked security at a glue factory and cultivated rare xeric plants in his spare time.”
CACTUS STORIES Every cactus tells us a story. Join us as Cactus Store co-founder Max Martin takes us on a guided tour of some of the rare cacti in their private collection.
1.M A MMILL A R I A
“We acquired this old grizzled Mammillaria from a collector in Italy, of all places. We’re everywhere.”
2 . EPITHEL A N TH A MICROMER IS
“Our counterpart in Japan used a two-foot-tall grafting stalk for growing this Epithelantha. When we asked him why, he said, ‘For more power.’ ”
3 . C L E I S T O C AC T US STR AUSII
“Not your grandmother’s Cleistocactus, this remarkable specimen boasts a super-fat stem with a shock of extra-long white fur.”
4. EU PHOR BI A OBESA
“Gosh, what’s not to love?”
5 . A L O E E R I N AC E A “This Namibian aloe is pollinated by sugar birds and insects, who seek it out for its sweet nectar.”
6. DORSTENI A L AV R A N I
“Named for our friend, the late Greek botanist John Jacob Lavranos, this little Dorstenia is quite lovely, but a bit more sensitive to rot than its similar counterpart, Dorstenia foetida.”
7. M Y R T I L L O C AC T US GEOMETR IZ A N S (C R E S T E D)
“ ‘Cresting’ is a mutation that occurs when the growing tip of a plant grows linearly instead of radially, giving the plant a coral-like appearance.”
8. ASTROPH Y T U M HYBRID
“What makes this Japanese Astrophytum hybrid unique is the chevron shapes growing vertically along the stem.”
The sun-yellow apex of Weberbauerocereus Johnsonii.
28
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
9. E N C E P H A L A R TOS A RENA RIUS
A species of cycad from South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Also known as the Alexandria or dune cycad.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
3 WAYS WITH CAC T U S GA R DE N S In addition to selling cacti and cactus paraphernalia, the team at the Cactus Store have designed xeric gardens throughout Southern California. Max Martin gives us a survey of three projects.
1 DESERT WAVE “Stayner Architects
commissioned us to design a garden for the
Miles C. Bates house, a
nearly lost 1955 masterpiece that Stayner had undertaken to lovingly
restore in Palm Desert.
The project was led by Marinna Wagner, our
head designer (frankly,
the best designer of botanical spaces we know of); 80 percent of the
plants Marinna selected were local species, half
of which were grown by
the amazing folks at the
Mojave Desert Land Trust, number of years working in conservation, restoration, and research.”
30
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
JED OCHMANEK
where Marinna spent a
2 JOHN MAYER GARDEN “The space he gave us to work with was an old
putting green built by the previous owner. We imagined a cartoonishly dense desert land-
scape rising up out of the turf, as if nature were
reclaiming her territory: a massive 20-foot Cardon cactus emerging from between two
4,000-pound boulders, a 12-foot Organ Pipe
cactus, a 15-foot Boojum tree, a 9-foot Cephalocereus senilis. Our head designer sprinkled
the garden with Mojave native wildflower seeds,
JOHN MAYER GARDEN: SAM MULLER; EL CENTRO: ANNA BEEKE
like a chef salting her creation to taste.”
3 EL CENTRO “Our concept for the El Centro Hollywood project was to
make botanical space a central priority of the architecture, and an amenity for its inhabitants, a departure from the
conventional use of landscape design, as a way to fill in unused edges. With one full city block in the heart of central
Hollywood, El Centro provided us with the space and microclimate conditions necessary to bring in a huge variety of plants native to habitats from around the world.”
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
31
GROW TH
Smart and stylish gear in metallics, raw leather, bold color, and poppy florals stand up to long, happy days filled with sun, soil, and seedlings. Story by CH RI STI N E LE N N O N
MINDSET Photographs by TH O MAS J. STO RY
1
2
3
1. GET A GRIP
Heirloom Garden Arm Saver Gloves by Woman’s Work offer a pop of color and protection from thorns and branches. $38 / SHOPTERRAIN.COM
2. HOUSE PROUD The sustainable and stylish Pitch Modern Birdhouse is made from recycled milk jugs. $125 / LOLLDESIGNS.COM
4
3. HIP SNIPS
These high-carbon-steel Ergonomic Snips in turquoise are easy to spot in the dirt. $28 / SHOPTERRAIN.COM
4. CAN DO
This handsome navy watering can is made in Sweden and sports a brass spout. $68 / NICKEYKEHOE.COM
5. FLORAL FINGERS
7
6
5
Every garden glove collection needs floral flair, and this pretty pair comes in a William Morris print from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection. $30 / AMAZON.COM
6. THE BEE’S KNEES
Extend your sessions in the yard with these thick, foam garden kneelers from legendary brand Smith & Hawken, now available at Target. $15 / TARGET.COM
7. CLOG DAYS
Water-resistant and easily washed polyurethane Super-Birki clogs boast a non-slip sole and come in a rainbow of 9 colors. $79.95 / BIRKENSTOCK.COM
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
33
1
4
2
3
6
5
1. SEED ROUND
Designed for smallspace gardeners, these vegetable and herb seed collections for Urban Leaf thrive in little pots. FROM $15 / GETURBANLEAF.COM
34
2. STRAPPED
This super-stylish vegetable-tanned leather belt made by Building Block can be customized with add-on “half” and “full” moon holsters designed to hold shears, pruners, knives, scissors, or folding saws. FROM $50 / PLANT-MATERIAL.COM
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
3. SMOCK AND AWE
Made from hemp, recycled polyester, and organic cotton, this roomy minimalist work shirt shields skin from sun and thorns. $110 / PLANT-MATERIAL.COM
4. SCISSOR ACT
These English snippers look right at home in a rose garden, and are more rugged than their dainty lines suggest. $14 / SHOPTERRAIN.COM
5. BUCKET LIST
Made from cotton duck with copper rivets and leather handles, this buy-it-once bucket tool bag improves with age. $140 / PLANT-M ATERIAL.COM
6. THE BALM
Fat & the Moon’s sunflower-oil-based cure-all salve is free of petrochemicals and heals scrapes, scratches, and overworked hands. $14 / OTHERWILD.COM
STRAW POLL
A straw hat with a wide brim is as essential to gardening as soil and sun. This Pinto Canyon Road Hat is by Communitie Marfa. $69 / PLANT-MATERIAL.COM
CHAMBRAY FOR DAYS
Kitchenwear company Hedley & Bennett makes this tie-free 100% cotton chambray smock, shown in Saffron Salt, with deep pockets for tools (or your phone). $80 / HEDLEYANDBENNETT.COM
SPRAY ANYTHING
A simple plastic-free Fanhao spray nozzle is rust-resistant and built-to-last. $21.80 / AMAZON.COM
KNIVES OUT
If you invest in one new tool, make it a Hori Hori knife, a garden polymath that breaks soil clumps, cuts out weeds, replaces a trowel for digging, and can cut all manner of stems and branches. $33, PLANT-MATERIAL.COM
GOLD DIGGER
Strong, sharp, and in it for the long haul, this Japanese-made steel spade is surprisingly light and easy to handle. $49, PLANT-MATERIAL.COM
LIQUID ASSET
Made in Oregon, feather-light, and built for taking long drinks on a summer day, this Water Right Hose is BPA- and lead-free. $65, PLANT-MATERIAL.COM
All Regions PLANT Place a big pot of basil right
outside the kitchen door for convenient picking.
Site heat-loving vegetables
carefully. All need full sun. Put tall
growers (pole beans, corn, tomatoes, etc.) on the north side of
shorter varieties (such as cucum-
finished product—castings—
a covered patio, for a week or two.
and squash) so they won’t shade
Learn more at calrecycle.ca.gov/
help them acclimate to the
ber, eggplants, melons, peppers, them out.
M A I N TA I N Before they set seed, till in any
cover crops you planted in your vegetable garden last fall.
Learn to vermicompost (worm-
box compost). Boxes are easy to make and maintain, and the
serves as fertilizer for your garden. organics/worms/wormfact
For easiest removal, hoe weeds
in early morning the day after watering.
PROTECT Harden off nursery plants that
Cover with an old sheet at night to outdoors.
Fill a glazed pot saucer at least
12 inches wide and 2 inches deep with water. Place it under a shrub or tree to protect birds from predators.
were grown indoors by placing
them in a protected area, such as
YOUR
SPRING
Peak gardening season is officially upon us. Here's what to plant, tend, grow, and maintain no matter where you are in the West. Contributors: K ATH LE E N B RE NZ E L , M I KE I RVI N E , JO HAN NA S I LVE R , NAN STE RMAN , AN D MARCIA TATRO E Compiled by N I CO LE CL AU S I N G
36
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
© CAITLIN ATKINSON FROM UNDER WESTERN SKIES
GARDEN
Carefully collect and destroy all
Use plastic baskets from cherry
foliage affected by peach leaf
tomatoes or strawberries to pro-
compost these leaves or use
from birds. By the time the seed-
curl or other maladies. Don’t
them as mulch, as this will spread disease.
Check for birds’ nests before
pruning shrubs and trees; leave them alone until eggs have
hatched and baby birds are out of the nest.
tect newly sprouted seedlings
lings have grown tall enough to reach through the tops of the
baskets, they are no longer as tender as the birds prefer.
Mountain PLANT Oriental and trumpet lilies
brighten the night with blooms
air, and attract pollinating moths.
Start seeds of Idaho fescue
White selections like ‘Black Drag-
(Festuca idahoensis), a tufted
and ‘Serene Angel’ stand out in
meadows and rock gardens.
on,’ ‘Casa Blanca,’ ‘Proud Bride,’ dim light. Place in pots or fertile
beds in full sun or partial shade. Attract pollinators to the yard by
planting a variety of perennial
flowers. Favorites include aster,
coreopsis, false indigo, Mexican
hat, penstemon, purple coneflower, rudbeckia, and yarrow.
bunchgrass that’s perfect for dry Available from seedstrust.com. Grow potatoes in Smart Pot fab-
ric containers (smartpots.com) one-third full of potting soil
amended with a balanced fertilizer. Cut seed potatoes into pieces (ensure each has two eyes) and bury 2 inches deep. As stems
that glow in the dark, perfume the
CHECKLIST
BOOK WE LOVE The new book Under Western Skies: Visionary Gardens From the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast
(Timber Press; $50) is one of the
most inspiring compendiums of
exquisitely landscaped gardens
we've come across in years. Written by Jennifer Jewell and photo-
graphed by Caitlin Atkinson, the
book is both poetic and practical
and celebrates the diversity of garden design throughout the West.
lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard. Sow seeds of carrots, peas, seed
potatoes, and radishes; give them weed-free, well-amended soil.
Plant hardy olive trees, such as
‘Arbequina’ and ‘Leccino,’ west of the Cascades. Give them good drainage and sunny south exposure.
Plant cool-season flowers early
in April and warm-season varieties later in the month. For intense color in a container, try the red Calibrachoa ‘Pomegranate
Punch’ or the white-and-yellow ‘Lemon Slice.’
Plant permanent landscape fa-
vorites, including cherries, cra-
bapples, dogwoods, lilacs, rhodogrow, gradually add more soil until the bag is full. Keep evenly
moist but not soggy, and spray
clover, sedum, and yarrow. These
flowers are also drought-tolerant.
NorCal
with liquid kelp every two weeks until flowers appear.
M A I N TA I N Aerate your lawn, leaving the
plugs in place to decompose.
Prune roses by cutting canes to
just above a fat green bud that faces outward.
Water and turn your compost
pile every time you add 2 to 3 inches of material.
Pull seedlings of Canada thistle,
a tenacious weed, before it gets established. Watch for rosettes with sharp spines that pop up
over winter. Dig them out, using care to get the entire taproot,
PLANT Start cosmos, sunflower, and
zinnia from seed. All are easy to
grow, make nice cut flowers, and attract beneficial insects.
Plant tomatoes outside once
daytime and nighttime temperatures stay above 55°.
Early in April, sow seeds of cool-
season veggies such as carrots,
M A I N TA I N Mow the lawn when it’s dry, set-
ting your mower at ¾ inch for Bermuda grass and 2 inches for fescues; leave clippings where they fall to fertilize the lawn.
Fertilize tomato plants weekly
with a diluted solution of organic fish emulsion.
Thin out clusters of marble-size
fruit on apple, apricot, nectarine, and peach trees. Gently twist
them off, leaving 4 to 6 inches. Collect seeds from annual flow-
radishes, spinach, and Swiss
ers that have finished blooming,
seeds of warm-season crops
omile, cosmos, love-in-a-mist,
chard. Late in the month, sow
such as beans, corn, and squash. Soften rock walls by planting
creeping thyme, nasturtium, and
velopes, and sow next fall.
of-the-way places to attract
H A RV E S T
shine’ yarrow, Russian sage
ter hibernation—before they build
vest schedule to keep herbs and
queens as they emerge from winnew nests.
If rabbits are eating your flow-
ers, try growing blooms they don’t like, including catmint, penste-
mon, prairie zinnia, purple prairie
38
Establish a twice-weekly har-
vegetables growing vigorously.
Pick pea pods as soon as they’re plump; pull radishes from the
Keep deer out of the garden by
as Erigeron karvinskianus, ‘Moon(Perovskia), santolina, and Spanish and English lavender.
Northwest
ground as they fatten up; and
PLANT
mint, and parsley.
bage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi,
regularly pinch leaves off basil,
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
and wisteria.
M A I N TA I N While soil is cool, give vegeta-
bles and flowers a quick
boost with organic liquid fertilizer, or apply bloodmeal—it has both quick- and slow-release properties.
Mow lawns often enough that
you never have to cut off more
than a third of the blade at once. As daffodils and other spring-
foliage in place until it’s com-
them to dry, stash in labeled en-
adding plants they ignore, such
Hang yellow jacket traps in out-
gea, honeysuckle, passion vine,
nasturtium, and sweet peas. Allow
each space, then tuck in plants.
PROTECT
bia, clematis, climbing hydran-
flowering bulbs finish blooming,
PROTECT
stones. Push a handful of soil into
climbers, check out fiveleaf ake-
such as bachelor’s button, cham-
sedum in spaces between the
which can regrow if broken off.
dendrons, and roses. Among
Plant seedlings of broccoli, cab-
prune out spent flowers. Leave the pletely brown, so it can send nutrients back down to the bulbs.
Raspberries spread by runners,
often far from mother plants. If
they’ve spread to unwanted areas, dig them out, including the underground runners that produced them.
PROTECT Aphid populations explode on
new growth. Blast them off with a jet of water every week or so.
Slugs do maximum damage in
spring by mowing down tender
M A I N TA I N
them or kill them as you see them
als such as arctotis, penstemon,
seedlings as they emerge. Bait for (they’re easy to spot in damp weather or after you water).
SoCal PLANT Coastal gardeners can contin-
ue planting quick-maturing coolseason crops, including chard,
leaf lettuces, radishes, and spin-
and salvia to prolong their bloom. Fertilize stone fruits, including
apricots, peaches, and plums,
with an organic low-nitrogen fertilizer, such as 3-12-12 with trace
elements. Follow directions on the label.
Prepare your irrigation system
ach. Inland, switch to warm-sea-
for summer watering: Flush drip-
cucumbers, eggplant, melons,
misaligned heads. Then adjust
son crops such as beans, corn, peppers, summer and winter squash, and tomatoes.
Create an herb meadow by
sprinkling seeds of cilantro, dill,
and parsley in sunny garden beds that are close to the kitchen for easy access. © CAITLIN ATKINSON FROM UNDER WESTERN SKIES
Clip spent flowers from perenni-
For a low-water alternative to
lines and check for any leaks or
watering times so irrigation fin-
ishes early in the morning, before
the demand for morning showers. Spread a 3-to-4-inch layer of
mulch to protect plants from drought, heat, and weeds.
PROTECT Combat powdery mildew by
Southwest
M A I N TA I N Replenish organic mulch on
PLANT Gardeners in the low deserts
can grow tasty blackberries. The
best selections for the low desert include ‘Brazos,’ ‘Brison,’
For instant impact, plant
Mexican fire barrel (Ferocactus pringlei) for red spines; for
yellow, go for the ever-popular golden barrel (Echinocactus
For long-lasting color, plant
low-growing native perennials such as Blackfoot daisy
(Melampodium leucanthum),
Put in summer-blooming bulbs,
such as cannas and irises, and tubers, including dahlias and tuberoses.
spoon baking soda plus 1 tablespoon canola oil to a gallon of water.
Control ants with sticky Tree
Tanglefoot Insect Barrier or traps containing boric acid.
Divide overcrowded clumps of
ornamental grasses by cutting
rootball into sections with a shovel. Transplant divisions immedi-
ately and water regularly until the grasses are reestablished.
PROTECT
trailing indigo bush (Dalea
with insecticidal soap. Spray the
prairie zinnia (Z. grandiflora),
Treat outbreaks of whiteflies
whole plant (including the under-
greggii), and verbena.
and tomatoes near the
lawn look.
frost-damaged branches.
Sierra gold dalea (D. capitata),
away fungus spores. Treat out-
a meadow, or mow for more of a
size or to remove any remaining
back their tops and slicing the
grusonii).
sedge (C. praegracilis). Leave the
breaks with a formula of 1 table-
not pile it around plant stems.
in May to control their shape and
durable barrel cactus. Try
In the low desert, plant seedlings
deep green blades unmowed for
mulch layer 2 to 4 inches deep. Do
mesquites and palo verdes, early
hosing off foliage in the morning several times a week to wash
ration of soil moisture, aim for a
Prune desert trees, including
‘Rosborough,’ and ‘Womack.’
traditional turf grass, try dune sedge (Carex pansa) or field
planting beds. To prevent evapo-
of artichokes, eggplant peppers,
sides of leaves) every three days until the flies are eradicated.
Stop flea beetles from eating
beginning of May.
tiny holes in the leaves of young
H A RV E S T
water in the middle of the day
veggies by spraying plants with
Collect the seeds of spring-
flowering wildflowers to spread next year, or leave them for the
birds and see what comes up in the next year.
(flea beetles prefer dry condi-
tions). Or use beneficial nema-
todes like those from Arbico Or-
ganics (arbico-organics.com) to dispatch them.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
39
THE
FLOW
Each room in the home has access to the outdoors, and every bedroom has a small patio, sheltered by overhanging branches and slatted wood privacy screens.
Poured concrete slabs, decreasing in size until they’re as small as paving stones, create a walkway from entertaining areas to quieter spaces.
OF
THINGS
A PLAYFUL GARDEN WITH UNCUT GRASSES AND ROUNDED EDGES SOFTENS AN ANGULAR MID-CENTURY HOME IN MARIN COUNTY. Story by C H RI STI N E LE N N O N
STEPHEN KENT JOHNSON/OTTO
A patch of fescue, a hardy nomow grass, is surrounded by planting areas. A tight edit of plants, like aeonium and agave, keep the yard feeling sleek, not busy.
A large patch of no-mow fescue grows long and windswept under a Giant Se quoia in the yard of this 1953 modern house, recently remodeled by the mod ernist masters at Marmol Radziner. It sig nals to anyone who wanders past that de spite its pristine lines and mid-century pedigree, this house wants to play it a little loose. “The owners’ wishes were to create a park-like environ ment that could accommodate a new guest house and am ple space for recreation,” says Ron Radziner, one of the principles of the Los Angeles–based design-build firm known for its show-stopping new construction and expert way of updating classic mid-century architecture. Their work has become so synonymous with sleek, chic Los Ange les style that few people realize that they have an office in the Bay Area. The team is clearly just as adept at carving out playful living spaces hidden in the forests of Marin County as they are creating minimalist sanctuaries in the blazing sun further south. “From inside the home, the view outward of the canopy of trees creates the feeling of being inside of a treehouse,” says Radziner. “It was important that the landscape honor the site and its existing character, while creating moments of focal interest where the family can gather and enjoy the property, spaces to run around, play, and entertain without being fussy or too formal.” The trick to creating a streamlined, contemporary gar den is to use fewer varieties of plants in larger mass. By sticking to a smaller range of finely edited textures and blocking out large areas devoted to just one type of plant, the vibe is minimal without feeling austere. Throughout the property, Japanese maples provide spots of seasonal color, like punctuation marks in a sea of green. A decades-old ap ple tree planted by the original owners remains untouched. Areas for larger gatherings and quiet conversation are tucked all around the garden, furnished with mushroomshaped side tables and Italian cork furniture that lean in to the quirky, organic-modern feel of the house and its surroundings. “This garden serves as a reminder that it’s best to work with what you have. Allow some of the quirkiness of an ex isting home and garden to help tell the story of the site,” Radziner adds. “Find ways to enhance the existing land scape. Don’t try to fight it.”
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
41
42
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
STEPHEN KENT JOHNSON/OTTO
Bay area design firm Chroma chose outdoor furniture with curvilinear shapes inspired by stones and mushrooms, like these Vondom stone lounge chairs. $875 / lumens.com
A grouping of six identical cork chairs and reclaimed wood stools, arranged around an open fire pit on a kidney-shaped patio, is a wholly unique approach to outdoor conversation seating.
TOP: STEPHEN KENT JOHNSON/OTTO; SITE PLAN: COURTESY OF MARMOL RADZINER
GET THE LOOK The garden design allows the owners, a busy family with young children, to experience nature: There’s a pool and entertaining zone, some woodland paths, a soft lawn to play in, and peaceful areas for quieter gatherings.
CHAIR
Gervasoni cork chairs designed by Paola Navone are a splurge worth considering ($1043, milanclick.com). But an armless wicker chair, like a curved Danish sidechair from Safavieh ($375 for 2, homethreads. com) has a similar S-curve appeal.
FIRE PIT
The Paloform fire bowl above has a rustic patina (price on request, paloform.com), which makes a new garden feel like it’s been there forever. Sunnydaze makes a cast-iron fire bowl with the same old feel (starting at $120, sunnydazedecor.com).
TABLE
The Australian outdoor-furniture maker Jardan carved these mushroom stools from reclaimed timber ($1,123, jardan.com.au). A cedar-root mushroom side table by Greenage ($90, overstock.com) is a more affordable alternative.
ENGLISH
ACCENTS A FAMILYFRIENDLY REMODEL OF A CENTURY-OLD CRAFTSMAN YIELDS A CALIFORNIABRITISH MASH-UP PERFECT FOR HUNKERING DOWN. Story by H U G H GARVE Y Photographs by TH O MAS J. STO RY
45
n a not unbusy street in Los Angeles on any given afternoon, if you listen carefully, beneath the thrum of traf fic you might hear the ping of a kick ball, the woosh of wheels on a skate board ramp, or kids laughing and bouncing on a trampoline. When Anna Lodder first walked through the doors of a recently flipped Craftsman, creating a haven big enough to contain all that life and ruckus and beautiful noise was front and center in her mind. She just didn’t know it would serve her so well in the future during the lockdown days of the pandemic. Situated on a cut-through street, the house had sat on the market for months, unloved, but with so much potential. It had the solid construction you can only find in a 100-year-old house, a turret in the converted attic with views of palm trees in the distance, and an ex panse of scraggly lawn in the back begging for something to make it come alive. Anna, her husband, Doug, and her children, Lucy and Winston, had been living in a tidy bungalow not far away that strained a bit at the seams when extended family, and the occasional rescue dog, came to stay. To
46
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
acccommodate her generous opendoor policy, Anna had converted the bungalow’s one-car garage into a multi-use guest house, but when calen dars clashed, guests (and dogs) would compete for a spot on the liv ing room couch. With dreams of scaling up this cozy commune, Anna and Doug bought the house and set about adding the elements that would make the Crafts man a more expansive retreat. Anna had been born in Eng land and would return every summer. Childhood memories of visiting relatives’ well-tend ed but relaxed gardens in the verdant south of England in formed her remodel. She add ed little details that channeled Britishness without being twee: a wooden laundry dry ing rack with pullies in the kids’ bathroom, a scaled-up version of a scullery, complete with her grandma’s old copper tea ket tle, and cabinetry with the look of be spoke Plain English built-ins, but with out the premium price. Anna’s inspiration wasn’t Instagram but rath er actual photographs of her family’s kitchens back in the U.K. It’s the backyard where nostalgia and balmy Los Angeles coalesce. They put in a pool and built a guest house, this time with a kitchen and sleeping loft to house more guests. Anna hired Nick Dean, an English-born landscape designer, and gave him a fantasy muse as inspiration: “I told him I want my aunt’s British garden who regularly visits the south of France.” She ringed the pool with benches for sitting and lavender to scent the breeze and at tract pollinators. And for two years, exchange students, parents, and friends filled those benches and swam in that pool. Then the pandemic ar rived, and they hunkered down, Doug and Anna taking turns working out back or up in the turret, a babbling fountain blending with the splash of the kids working off Zoom school in the pool. And if you listen very careful ly you’ll hear the thrum of the city un derneath the beautiful noise of life in the backyard.
Sound Ideas
Clockwise from left: The backyard fountain does double duty: it’s a focal point you can see all the way from the front door and also intercepts the sound of the busy road out front; Anna, Doug, Lucy, and Winston on an outdoor sectional from West Elm (Anna bought the furniture first, then had the gazebo built around it to ensure a perfect fit); Small benches dot the yard and offer shady spots to sit no matter the time of day.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
47
“ The kitchen is a scaled-up scullery inspired by relatives’ homes back in England”
Think British
Opposite page: Butcher-block shelves and counters are echoed by a vintage butcher table bought for $700 at the Rose Bowl flea market. Base cabinets are painted in Dropcloth by Farrow & Ball, and the peninsula is painted in Lone Cypress by Portola Paints & Glazes. This page: Anna’s grandmother’s tea kettle and a Dualit toaster accessorize the space. The guest cottage and its bathroom echo the English aesthetic.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
49
Not Kidding
Anna customized an IKEA bunk with constellationthemed wallpaper from the Wall Garnish Company and had a photo of Lucy swimming printed on engineer paper by Parabo Press for just $30.
50
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
Indoor Outdoor
A doorless office was transformed into a reading nook/chillout room. The gazebo at the back is big enough for ten people to congregate— or the entire family to stretch out and nap on a lazy weekend day. It’s a true outdoor living room.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
51
GUTTER CREDIT
GA RDEN PA RT Y
GUTTER CREDIT
HIGH ABOVE LOS ANGELES ON SEVEN ACRES OVERGROWN WITH CITRUS, WILD HERBS, AND FLOWERS, A FANTASTICAL ESTATE PRODUCES SOAPS, CANDLES, JAMS, AND TINCTURES TO DELIGHT THE BODY AND FEED THE SOUL.
Story by H U G H GARVE Y
Photographs by TH O MAS J. STO RY GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
53
he gardener and the herbalist pack fresh masa around the seal of a vintage copper alembic still on the porch of the goatherd’s cabin. We’re at Flamingo Estate, high up in the hills of Eagle Rock on the east side of L.A., and, believe it or not, this is the first step to making a cocktail. The masa will keep the steam from escaping and the distillate pure. The still is loaded with the resiny leaves of black sage, a variation of common sage that is intensely peppery and lemony and earthy. As the steam passes through the aromatic thatch of leaves it will take with it the concentrated essence of the herb, ampli fying its power in oil that will trickle through the serpentine copper coil and into a jar, drip by drip. Later today the resulting tincture will add earth and backbone to a citrusy garden-to-glass tequila cocktail that will kick off a feast celebrating the spring harvest at L.A.’s coolest urban farm. Flamingo Estate is seven acres of botanical delights crowned by a 1940s hill top Spanish house that’s been been meticulously reimagined by French design firm Studio KO (they count Musée Yves Saint Laurent in Marrakech, Chiltern Firehouse in London, and the Chateau Marmont refresh among their high- design projects). And so at Flamingo Estate there are hand-painted ceilings, a monolith of a bathing pavilion with walls of blue stained glass, a dramatic office wrapped in green Moroccan tile, countless globally sourced one-of-a-kind
54
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
objets d’art, a David Hockney screen, stunning furnish ings. There has been well-deserved breathless coverage of the house in architecture magazines, but the gardens are the soul and the engine of the Flamingo Estate brand, which sells soaps, candles, jams, olive oil, chocolate, and other products inspired by the dozens of varieties of herbs, flowers, and fruit and nut trees growing on the property. The magic of the place cannot be overstated. First it’s hard to get to, at the end of a steep and narrow road. There’s an imposing steel gate that creaks open with a groan to reveal a path curving up and around to the house and pool, and a set of some 110 stairs cascading down the hill, steep as a pyramid, to the gardens below. A swath of native plantings paint the side of the hill, chickens cluck by the herb garden, macadamia trees sway in the breeze, and up to the left stacks of pink-painted beehives house the insects that produce the estate’s bio-intensive honey, the sweet con centrate of all the pollen of the hillside. Flamingo Estate owner Richard Christiansen was born in Australia to horticulturist parents, and his love for the land is palpable. While he also runs a thriving creative agency, he’s been known to till the earth himself and hand-write notes that he tucks into the farm boxes his estate started distributing during the pandemic. The goatherd’s cabin is decidely un derdesigned compared to the meticu lous house up the hill. It’s a witchy space festooned with drying herbs hanging from the ceiling and vintage garden tools strewn about on rough tables. Jars of distillates and tinctures and hydrosols line rustic shelves. Here is where the estate’s head horti culturist Jeff Hutchison collaborates with herbalist Ash Cornejo to extract the flavors and fragrances that per fume the beauty and culinary offer ings in the company’s product line. Hutchison’s introduction to the es tate was as organic as the garden it self. After working in New York as a private gardener and in the Ramble in Central Park, Hutchison moved to L.A., where he watched the slow build out of the estate from a hill across the
Opposite page: A basket of roses sits by the iron doors leading out to the gardens. Flamingo Estate sells a rotating collection of flowers in addition to its bath, body, and culinary products. This page (clockwise from top right): Herbalist Ash Cornejo
tends to the vintage copper alembic still on the porch of the goat keeper’s cabin; the powerful essential oils drip into a jar. Soon they will make their way into a celebratory seasonal cocktail. Black sage grown downslope from the bathing pavilion is irrigated with graywater.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
55
“The gardens are the soul of the estate and the inspiration for its culinary offerings” way. One day he wandered over out of curiosity and struck up a conversation with the crew installing the garden. They needed a hand, his résumé was perfect, and he was hired. Ash Cornejo is an herbalist and UC Berkeley Ph.D. candidate studying, as she puts it, “plants and capitalism,” and she tends to the still as it works its magic. After an hour or so, the dis tillate has dripped its last drop into the jar and is ready to add the finish ing grace note to the cocktail. Back up at the house, chefs are pre paring dishes that parallel the mashup of global influences that converge on the grounds. Food stylist and writ er Saehee Cho is making a vivid beet hummus that will provide a saturated
56
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
backrop for a platter of just-picked seasonal crudités, salmon onigiri into which slim coins of pink and purple radishes have been pressed, and a pretty fruit meringue studded with the first strawberries of the season. Josh Buckwald, co-owner of fresh pasta kit delivery company Orso, is cooking up handmade cavatelli sauced with mint pesto and enriched with a lobe of local burrata. He’s as sembling a counterpoint crudités platter: baby radishes and an herby butter topped with flaky salt. Mean while Hutchison plays both horticul turist and mixologist with his take on a tequila sunrise: the Flamingo Sun set, an herbaceous and floral drink of Meyer lemon juice, estate-made rose
The patio at the top of Flamingo Estate—once a neglected 1940s Spanish hillside bungalow and now the site one of L.A.’s most beautiful not-so-secret gardens.
syrup, and Champagne, finished with a spritz of black sage mist. The essen tial oils that were teased from the sage leaves earlier today are so power ful they need to be diluted with water. The piny fragrance commingles with the citrus and floral notes, and even before the first sip the aroma itself is intoxicating. The cocktail is a poetic reward for a successful spring harvest. As any gar dener knows, teasing deliciousness from the land is laborious, and the steep slopes add to the effort. At one party at the estate, Hutchison clocked ten miles. Now, for the first time this season, the horticulturist, the herbal ist, and the chefs sit down, toast the harvest, and drink from the garden.
Clockwise from top right: A collection of vintage Baccarat crystal decanters in the bar; chef Saehee Cho sets the table for the spring harvest lunch; edible flowers will adorn the table along with the roses.
“ As the sun sets, the gardener, the chefs, and the herbalist toast the harvest”
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
59
Beet Hummus With Seasonal Crudités SERVES 4
You can buy hummus at the store, but it will never be as vibrantly colored or silky smooth as this easy homemade version from chef Saehee Cho. Serve with seasonal market crudités (fava beans, snap peas, asparagus are all ideal for spring) and grilled pita or bread.
Spring Radishes With Herby Meyer Lemon Butter S E R VE S 4
Butter and radishes are a classic springtime combination. Josh Buckwald folds in copious amounts of chives and thyme to add freshness. Serve with flaky salt on the side to suit your taste at the table. 1 large bunch of spring radishes
lemons with a microplane or box
1 small bunch of chives, thinly sliced
much of the bitter white pith be-
8 oz. European-style salted butter
6 sprigs fresh oregano, stems removed 4 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed 2 Meyer lemons
1 large pinch kosher salt Black pepper to taste
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1. Wash the radishes and cut any large ones into bite-size pieces.
2. Cut the butter into small cubes and leave out at room temperature to soften, about 30 minutes.
3. Finely chop the thyme and oregano leaves and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, zest the
60
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
grater, being careful not to get too neath the yellow skin. Juice the lemons into the bowl and set aside.
5. When the butter is soft, add it to the
mixing bowl with the salt, herbs, and olive oil. Fold all of the ingredients
together using a rubber spatula or a
large wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.
6. Plate the butter on a serving dish
and top with some cranks of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Scatter the radishes in another bowl and serve.
2 red beets
4 cloves garlic ¼ cup tahini
8 oz. canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Juice of 2 lemons
1 Tbsp. kosher salt 1
3
cup extra virgin olive oil
1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. 2. Cut off beet tops( keep and stir fry or make a pesto later) and wash. No
need to peel the beets because you can slip off the skins once roasted.
3. Wrap beets tightly in foil with a generous amount of olive oil and a
Salmon Onigiri SERVES 4
Onigiri is the ideal celebratory springtime snack: It’s filling yet light, thanks to the vinegared sushi rice, and can be prepared in advance and served or eaten whenever the mood strikes. 1 cup short-grain sushi rice (uncooked) ¼ lb. salmon filet Pinch of salt
SUSHI RICE SEASONING: ¼ cup rice vinegar 2 Tbsp. sugar ½ tsp. salt
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 2. While the oven is heating, cook your sprinkling of salt.
4. Bake 35–45 minutes or until you can easily slip a fork straight
through the beets. Slip off the beet
rice by your preferred method,
whether it be a rice cooker or on the stove top.
3. In a small saucepan, heat the sushi-
skins easily with a paper towel.
rice seasoning ingredients until the
pletely, add beets, garlic, tahini,
aside to cool. This is more seasoning
a food processor. Turn on food
your fridge until you make your next
5. When beets have cooled com-
sugar and salt dissolve, then set
chickpeas, lemon juice, and salt to
than you will need but this will keep in
processor and drizzle olive oil in
batch of sushi rice.
gradually in a thin stream until the hummus is creamy and shiny but
4. Place the salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or alu-
still thick enough to scoop.
minum foil, then bake until the center
the refrigerator for up to five days.
pending on the thickness of your fish.
6. Serve with grilled pita, or store in
is opaque, about 10–15 minutes, deWhen the fish has fully cooked,
remove from oven and season with a pinch of salt.
5. When the rice is cooked, transfer to a
mixing bowl and quickly add 3 tablespoons of your prepared sushi seasoning
6. Fold the seasoning in without breaking up your rice grains. If you have an extra hand, have someone fan
the steaming rice for you while you stir—this makes the rice shiny and appetizing looking.
7. When the salmon is just slightly
cooled, break up with a fork and gently mix in with the rice.
8. Using either an onigiri press or your own hands, shape the rice into the
desired shape (traditionally either a
triangle or a ball), occasionally wetting your hands with water to make
the rice more manageable. The key
is to compress the rice enough so it won’t fall apart—but not so much that you’re smashing the kernels.
9. Garnish with pickles or edible flowers and serve with ponzu or soy sauce.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
61
Fresh Pasta With Mint Pesto and Burrata S E R VE S 4
Chef Josh Buckwald of Orso Pasta in Los Angeles created this verdant dish enriched by creamy burrata. “At Orso,” he says, “we love campanelle, cavatelli, or corzetti for this one—but no wrong answers here.” 1 large bunch mint, stems removed
1 large bunch basil, stems removed 1/4 lb. fresh spinach
2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 shallot, chopped 1
3
cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little
more to finish
1 large pinch kosher salt 2 ice cubes
1 ball of burrata
1 Meyer lemon, juiced
1 handful of your favorite nuts: Walnuts, pecans, pistachios, or pine nuts all work really well here
Black pepper to taste
1 lb. fresh pasta such as cavatelli
1. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Place
nuts on a sheet pan and bake 5–10 minutes. The timing will be a little
different for each, but as a rule of
thumb, when the smell of toasted
nuts starts to take over the kitchen,
pesto to blend, add a little more ol-
to cool.
aside.
they’re done. Remove and set aside
2. Roughly chop the mint, basil, and
spinach, and add to a food processor or blender.
3. Add the garlic, shallot, olive oil, nuts, lemon juice, ice cubes, and salt to
the processor and blend on high until everything is incorporated. If
you’re having trouble getting the
62
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
ive oil and a splash of cold water. Set
4. Set a large pot of water to boil and salt like the ocean. Cook the pasta until al dente. If you’re using fresh
pasta, this will happen fast, about 2–3 minutes.
5. In a large mixing bowl, off heat, mix the pasta with the pesto. Add a
splash of the starchy pasta water
and some olive oil to make the sauce creamy and delicious.
6. Plate the pasta into bowls and top
with any extra bits of sauce, as well
as a scoop of burrata, a few cranks
of black pepper pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Flamingo Sunset Make rose syrup by simmering rose petals in simple syrup. Making sage mist requires a still, but purchased sage bitters work well, too. 2 oz. tequila blanco
1 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice, Meyer if available
½ oz. rose syrup Champagne
1 spray black sage mist or 2 drops Wild Mountain Sage bitters from Dram Apothecary
• Add the tequila, lemon, and rose syrup to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a highball glass and add ice. Top with
Champagne. Spray cocktail with
black sage mist or add sage bitters.
Fresh Fruit Meringue Subtle and ethereal meringue is an ideal way to feature seasonal fresh fruit. Chef Saehee Cho tops hers with lemon curd, edible flowers, and the first straw berries of the season, but any ripe seasonal fruit will do. 5 egg whites
sugar a tiny bit at a time. Continue
Pinch of salt
beating until stiff peaks form. Using a
1½ tsp. cornstarch
vinegar, salt, and vanilla. Continue
1¼ cups superfine sugar 1 tsp. white-wine vinegar ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 200°F. 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment
paper. Use the bottom of a cake pan to trace a circle on the parchment
paper. This will help you shape your meringue.
3. In a stand mixer, use a whisk attachment to beat the egg whites on low
until they start to foam. Increase the speed to medium until the egg
whites become opaque and form soft peaks. Very slowly, add your
rubber spatula, fold in cornstarch, folding until the meringue is shiny and moldable.
4. Pour mixture out onto the parchment paper, trying to keep it inside your
traced circle. Shape the meringue
with the round side of a large spoon. Alternately, use a pastry bag fitted
with a large plain tip and pipe meringue in dollops within the circle.
5. Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes
then turn off your oven and leave the door ajar, leaving the meringue to cool completely in the oven.
6. Top with fresh fruit, nuts, whipped
cream, curd, jam, or a combination.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
63
Fashion+function. Our stylish, best-selling ’Nora‘ tote bag.
Our Carry-All Comes with Matching Personalized Crossbody Purse in the Newest Fashion Colors! • Expandable 11½x13" vegan cowhide leather tote • Inner pockets • Matching RFID-protected crossbody purse with removable strap, 6x10½".
Beautiful vegan leather construction
Pink 816881 New! Slate Blue 818371 New! Celery 818370 New! Taupe 818369 Gray 816651 Black 816650 Lavender 817545
When you need a little more room, just unzip, and the bag expands for more storage space
$69.99 each Your choice of 7 trending colors!
SPECIAL SUNSET OFFER OF JUST
$69.99! FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $50. LILLIANVERNON.COM/SUNSET. PROMO CODE: SUNSET51
The Personalization Experts Since 1951 Offer expires 6/30/21. Only one promo code per order. Offers cannot be combined. Offer applies to standard shipping only. All orders are assessed a care and packaging fee.
Sunset Page Template.indd 1
2/22/21 10:15 AM
FOOD
&
DRINK
A Spring Garden Feast
Santa Barbara author Valerie Rice shares celebratory seasonal recipes inspired by her idyllic seaside garden. Photographs by G E M MA AN D AN D REW I N GALLS
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
65
alerie Rice has long celebrated the graceful pleasures of the garden and the table from her beautiful Spanish Revival house in Santa Barbara. The Uni versity of California–educated master gardener and prolific cook has chronicled her botanical and culinary evolution in an extremely photoge nic but always approachable fashion, first on a popular blog (remember those!), then on Instagram (for a serious case of raised-bed envy, go to @ eatdrinkgarden), and now in her cookbook, Lush Life: Food & Drinks From the Garden (Prospect Park Books; $35). Here she’s gathered a collection of recipes, arranged by season, with notes on what to plant now to better harvest your dinner just around the corner. So when you’re cooking, say, the blistered asparagus in this story, there’s a chart in the spring chapter that includes what tomatoes to plant now to set you for success with the tomato and stone fruit salad in the next chapter. All the recipes have a casual seasonal appeal, most coming to gether in well under an hour—often with the bonus of smart wine pairings from Raj Parr, James Beard Award winning sommelier turned winemaker. While the pretty dishes, wine suggestions, and tasty cocktails are perfect for entertaining, they’re simple enough to pull off at an intimate gathering with your near est and dearest on a weeknight. As Valerie puts it: “My goal as a home cook is to cook the cleanest, most flavorful food, tied to the rhythms of the earth and the seasons, in the sim plest way and with the least amount of dishes. Words to live by, right?” We couldn’t agree more.
Rice supplements her farmers’ market haul with produce from her garden.
66
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM LUSH LIFE: FOOD & DRINKS FROM THE GARDEN BY VALERIE RICE, PROSPECT PARK BOOKS 2021.
f r o m pa ge 65
Oven-Baked Ribs With Nasturtium Gremolata 4 T O 6 S E RV I N G S
“Crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside, these ribs are so simple to make. I take any opportunity to use nasturtiums when they hit the scene in spring. Their rigorous growth of lush foliage and bright orange flowers blanket the garden like no other. They are delicious in the gremolata, but if you don’t have them on hand, substitute with arugula. Or skip the gremolata altogether and just serve the ribs with a side of barbecue sauce.” FOR THE NASTURTIUM GREMOLATA
½ cup (packed) nasturtium leaves and flowers, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tsp. grated orange zest (from 1 small orange)
“ My goal is to cook the cleanest, most flavorful food tied to the rhythms of the seasons.”
1 tsp. grated lemon zest (from 1 small lemon)
1 large garlic clove, grated FOR THE RIBS
2 racks pork baby back ribs
1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1 Tbsp. whole cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 Tbsp. dried Aleppo pepper or other ground chilies
1 Tbsp. sumac
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp. smoked paprika
1. FOR GREMOLATA: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
2. FOR RIBS: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the ribs on a large rimmed
baking sheet. Pat the ribs dry with clean towels (paper or cloth) and
season both sides of the meat with
1 tablespoon salt. Mix cumin, Aleppo pepper, sumac, black pepper, and paprika in a small bowl. Rub the
spice mixture all over the ribs. Cook
for 45 minutes. The result will be tender meat and crispy skin.
3. Sprinkle ribs with gremolata and serve.
WINE PAIRING:
• Raj tells me: A medium-bodied red wine like a Grenache will carry the
spices. Consider Comando G Gar-
nacha “La Bruja de Rozas” from Madrid or “Tribute to Grace” Grenache, Santa Barbara County.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
67
Blistered Asparagus With Pistachios, Green Garlic, and Chives 6 SE RVI NGS
“I have tried numerous times to grow asparagus in our garden, but after de voting a good deal of space, lots of water, and tons of time only to get a few thin and measly stalks, I decided to scrap our crop and shop for it at the farmers’ market. Garlic, on the other hand, is easy to grow in our Santa Barbara climate and is a very rewarding crop, as it de livers products in so many ways. #1: Pick it early for delicious and lovely green garlic. #2: Pull it from the earth once the leaves have browned for a full head. #3: Take a clove from the fully dried head and plant it for the process to repeat. It’s the simplest “Lather. Rinse. Repeat.” of gardening. To pick the best asparagus wherev er you shop, look for stalks that are thick and flower tops that are tight like a ball—not sprouting or stringy.” Kitchen Tips: Try this recipe with sugar snap peas instead of asparagus and
get a similarly tasty result. Feel free to play around with different spring
herbs, such as thyme, savory, or mint. Go easy with the lemon—just a touch
of it brightens the flavors in this simple dish, but too much will quickly overwhelm the gentle green garlic.
5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¼ cup thinly sliced green garlic (from
1 to 2 green garlic heads with about an inch of the green stem)
1 tsp. grated lemon zest (from 1 small lemon)
½ cup toasted salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
2 bunches asparagus, ends trimmed,
stalks cut on bias into 2-inch pieces
½ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (from ½ lemon) Flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
Lemon wedges
Chive blossoms (optional)
68
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
1. Preheat the broiler, positioning the oven rack about 5 inches from the heat source.
2. Stir 3 tablespoons olive oil, green garlic, and lemon zest in a small
saucepan over medium heat until
fragrant and warm, about 3 minutes. Mix in pistachios and set aside.
3. Place the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with
2 tablespoons oil and ½ teaspoon
salt; toss to coat. Broil for 2 minutes.
Pull out the baking sheet to check on how things are going (be careful not to burn the asparagus) and shake
the pan. Continue broiling the
asparagus until the tips begin to
turn golden brown, about 8 more minutes, shaking the asparagus every 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the pistachio mixture, chives,
and lemon juice to the asparagus and toss to coat. Place the
asparagus on a platter and pour
any residual sauce from the sheet pan over the top. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve warm or at room
temperature and garnish with chive blossoms, if available.
Gin Salty Dog With Fresh Mint M A K E S 2 C O C K TA I L S
“Bright, sweet, and bold (no, I’m not talking about myself), Ruby Red grapefruits are lip-smackingly deli cious. No need to add any sweetener to this type of God-made perfection. In California, grapefruit season gener ally lasts from January through Au gust. If you can’t find Ruby Red, try other varieties like Oro Blanco, Pink, or Star Ruby. Whatever you do, don’t use pasteurized store-bought juice. The flavor is not even close to being as delicious. The longer the grapefruit sits in a bowl on your counter, the sweeter it will become. Sometimes if the flavor is too sweet, I’ll add a squeeze of lime. I love the freshness of the mint in this cocktail—it draws on all of the delectable botanical notes found in gin. If you’re an anti-gin per son (I know, I know, you had a bad gin experience in college), you can substi tute vodka. But gin is more tradition al. Give it a go—you might be a convert.” 2 Tbsp. flaky sea salt
10 oz. (1¼ cups) fresh grapefruit juice (from 1 to 2 grapefruits)
4 oz. (½ cup) gin, such as Ford’s, Caorunn, or Old Raj
2 thin grapefruit wedges and 2 fresh mint sprigs (garnish)
• Pour sea salt onto a small saucer. Dip
the rims of two double Old Fashioned glasses in the juice, then dip them in salt (if you want to be fancy, just dip
half of the glass in the salt). Fill glasses with ice. Stir the juice and gin in a small pitcher (or mixing glass) and
pour into salt-rimmed glasses. Garnish with grapefruit and mint.
Be sure to pick up a copy of Lush Life for more inspired recipes from Valerie Rice. $35, amazon.com
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
69
SONO
70
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
M A SPRING IN A RARE QUIET SEASON AT SCRIBE WINERY, THE MARIANI FAMILY GATHERS TO TOAST NEW BABIES, NEW WINE, AND NEW BEGINNINGS. Story by H U G H GARVE Y
Photographs by TH O MAS J. STO RY
Floral design b y EU G E N IA BALLVÉ
Blue sky peeks through the morning fog in Carneros and the kids are getting their hands dirty in the very best way. Una, age 4, and her cousin Oliver, age 2, pick rad ishes and strawberries from the culi nary garden at Scribe, the Sonoma winery that has made a name for itself as the standard bearer of next-wave wine country vibes. Those vegetables plucked from the same soil that pro duces crisp Sylvaner and earthy Pinot Noir will play supporting roles in a langorous lunch in the vineyard—that is, if the kids don’t eat them first. Over the years the children’s fa thers, Andrew and Adam, the vint ners, along with their sister, Kelly, the chef, have transformed a neglected turkey farm into a thriving winery that’s now a must-stop for southern Sonoma daytrippers looking for a vi nous respite from city. With its wind ing palm-tree-lined drive, tumbling gardens designed by red-hot Los An geles landscape design firm Terremo to, and a 1920s hacienda restored just so, Scribe is the sort of place begging to be socialized by young visitors. It also helps that the wine is exceedingly quaffable: that crisp Sylvaner, earthy Pinot Noir, and other single-vineyard bottlings draw folks to freewheeling tastings, inevitably capped off by a hang session on the lawn to watch the sun dip below the vines. It was the perfect spot to while away the day in wine country. Or at least it was before the pandemic. Not to be deterred, the Mariani family have taken advantage of the dormant days of the shifting lock down to build new outdoor spaces and make new wines that embody the lawn parties put on hold: an
72
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
effervescent pink pét-nat available in magnum, a white Pinot Noir, and a zippy and fresh rosé that has the nose of a Provençal classic. Today the fam ily is making the most of their quar antine pod with a family lunch on a deck originally designed to accommo date Covid-safe outdoor dining. The latest lockdown prevented them from ever using it, so they removed the tent, and voilà, a perfect alfresco din ing room for the family to gather on this late spring day and toast their blessings. “We’ve spent the past year making wine and having babies,” says An drew, the oldest of the siblings. He and his wife, singer-songwriter Lia Ices, welcomed a new baby in the pan demic, 4-month-old Alice, while Adam and his wife, Kezia, have 4-week-old Innes in tow as well as Oli ver. The growing families are here to eat a feast prepared by Kelly, a former cook at Chez Panisse. On the menu today: trout poetically wrapped in pickled grape leaves; sesame flat bread; salad from the garden; eggs from their chickens; and lamb ribs roasted in the wood-burning oven. Or, as Kelly puts it: “So. Much. Food.” The vegetables that show up across
the dishes come from the on-site farm, overseen by Stephen Carter whose gorgeous chicories, tender greens, fresh strawberries, and more are the foundation for the garden snacks served to guests when lock down isn’t in effect. Today music is on the menu, too. Lia has just released Family Album, her fourth record. It’s an exploration of motherhood, con necting with nature, and family bonds. They’ve dusted off the piano they use for events and rolled it out onto a deck up the hill should the mood strike. The kids head into the chicken coop with their dads and gather eggs while Kelly gets to work in the win ery’s new low-slung outdoor kitchen. It’s nestled into the hillside, all poured concrete, stacked stone, with an Argentine grill fueled by oak trees felled on the property. The same wood crackles and blazes in the out door pizza oven. Oliver drops an egg he pulled from the chicken coop, ac cidentally cracks it, but his quick thinking dad pours it straight onto the oven’s hot stone floor and cooks it through, sprinkles it with flaky salt, and serves it to Oliver straight off the pizza peel. Kelly wraps the
Opposite page: Oliver and Una Mariani help their aunt Kelly pick produce for the family lunch. Above: Scribe farmer Stephen Carter runs the winery’s robust garden program.
trout in grape leaves, stuffs them with herbs, and cooks them until they pick up the char of the leaves and the perfume of the herbs. In the wood oven, the lamb ribs sizzle and brown and the white beans simmer in cast-iron pans. Adam takes a tray of dough balls and cooks them one by one in the 800-degree oven. And, of course, there’s wine. “We decided to put the pét-nat in mag nums,” says Andrew. “It was our first time bottling in large format. Even if people can’t visit us they can bring the Scribe party home.” Until the guests can come back, the family keeps that party going, albeit in a more mellow fashion than in days past. “When we first started, we’d look at our guests and didn’t realize we were seeing ourselves,” says An drew. “First it was young couples, then it was couples with dogs, and then it was couples with kids.” As evening arrives, everybody heads up the hill to dance as the sun sets while Lia plays the title track from her new record, which pretty much sums up the day. “It’s immedi ate how immediate fades away,” the song goes. “Oh, there we are, wherev er we are, family album.”
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
73
This page: Landscape design firm Terremoto mixed native northern Californian plant species with regionally appropriate friends to wash the Hacienda in a garden that exudes the romance of Old California. Opposite page: Pét-nat by the magnum; Una paints the flatbread with Lia and Kezia; the family dances while Lia plays.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
75
Garden Beet and Walnut Dip Nutty and sweet, tangy and earthy, this gorgeous dip can be a decadent vegetarian appetizer when served with flatbread, chips, or crudités, but also hearty and flavorful enough to work equally well as a vegetable side dish to meat or fish. Serves 6 5 to 6 medium red beets Salt
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1 lemon, juiced and zested 2 Tbsp. chopped dill
¼ cup Greek yogurt or labneh
1. Peel the beets and cut them into
quarters. Place the beets in a pot
Soft-Boiled Farm Eggs with Asparagus Salsa and Toasted Breadcrumbs Just as satisfying as deviled eggs, but with the added appeal of luscious aspara gus salsa brightened with lemon juice and fennel fronds and crunchy bread crumbs. Make a double batch and redeploy the leftovers for lunch the next day.
with a big pinch of salt and cover
with cool water. Bring the pot to a
boil and cook until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife. Re-
move the beets from the water and leave to cool.
2. In a food processor, combine the
beets, 1 clove of garlic, vinegar, olive oil, ½ cup of walnuts, and 2 tea-
Serves 6
to the same pot and simmer for
spoons of salt, and blend until
Salt
minutes for medium. Shock the eggs
soning, adding more salt and vine-
cooking. We’re going for fully set egg
3. In a small bowl, combine the rest of
½ bunch of asparagus, bottoms snapped off
6 eggs
½ shallot, diced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more if needed ¼ cup toasted bread crumbs 3 fennel fronds, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper Flaky salt
1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil on the stove and salt well.
2. Slice the asparagus across the stalk
into small rounds, about ½-cm. thick. Blanch the asparagus in the boiling, salted water for about 45 seconds
so they are just cooked, but still have a crunch. Use a spider or slotted
spoon to scoop out the asparagus and set them on a plate to cool.
3. Gently use a spoon to add the eggs
76
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
about 7½ minutes for large eggs or 7 in ice water once cooked to stop the
smooth. Taste and adjust for seagar or lemon juice.
whites with custardy yolks. Peel the
the toasted walnuts with the lemon
them on your serving platter.
ed clove of garlic, a pinch of salt,
eggs, cut them in half, and arrange
4. Meanwhile, place the diced shallot
into a ramekin and cover with lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Leave it to
zest, chopped dill, 1 pounded or gratand a generous drizzle of olive oil. Mix and taste for seasoning.
4. Spoon the dip onto a plate followed
macerate for about 10 minutes.
by a few dollops of yogurt and use a
bine the blanched asparagus with
with the remaining walnuts.
5. To make the asparagus salsa, comthe parsley, macerated shallots, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl, and cover with olive oil.
6. In another small bowl, combine the toasted breadcrumbs with the
chopped fennel fronds and set aside.
7. To plate, season the eggs with salt
and pepper, spoon over the asparagus salsa, and generously sprinkle
on the herby breadcrumbs. Top with flaky salt before serving.
spoon to swirl them together. Top
Homemade Sesame Flatbread Sure, you could just griddle or grill purchased pita, but these pillowy-soft flatbreads are worth the lovely labor. MAKES 4 LARGE OR 6 SMALL F L AT B R E A D S
¾ cup warm water 2 tsp. yeast
½ tsp. sugar
¼ cup whole wheat flour
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup full-fat plain yogurt 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. sea salt
FOR FINISHING: Olive oil
Flaky salt
Toasted sesame seeds
1. In a large bowl, whisk together water, yeast, sugar, whole wheat flour, and
¼ cup of the all-purpose flour. Let the
mixture rest for 15 minutes. Mix with a spoon, then add yogurt and stir to combine.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead
the dough for 2 minutes, then let it rest for 10 minutes covered with
plastic. Knead it again for another
minute and put into an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic and
leave to rise on the counter for 2
hours. (If you’re making this a day in
advance, put the dough in the fridge before the 2-hour rise, and refrigerate overnight. Pull the dough from
the refrigerator 2 hours before you plan to cook the flatbreads.)
3. Roll out the dough into 4 to 6 balls
and dust with flour. Cover and leave to rise for 1 hour.
4. Use your hands or a rolling pin to stretch or roll the dough until it’s
about ¼-inch thick. Heat a pan on
medium high, add a nub of butter,
and cook flatbreads on both sides
until golden brown, about 5 minutes
total. Alternatively, you can place the dough right onto an oiled grill, or
onto the floor of a pizza oven. Flip the flatbreads half way through cooking to finish cooking on the other side.
5. While the flatbreads are still warm, brush them with fresh olive oil and
sprinkle with flaky salt and toasted sesame seeds.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
77
Marinated Cheese Our kind of easy cheese course: briny, tangy feta spiked with two kinds of pepper and lifted with fresh herbs and citrus. Smash onto homemade flatbread or just eat straight from the serving platter. Serves 6 8 oz. feta, preferably Valbreso sheep’s-milk feta
½ tsp. Aleppo pepper Black pepper
5 sprigs dill, roughly chopped 3 sprigs mint, picked 1 lemon, zested
About ½ cup olive oil
• Dice the feta into 1-inch cubes and arrange on a plate. Sprinkle with
Aleppo pepper, black pepper, herbs, and lemon zest. Drizzle generously with olive oil so it’s sitting in a little
pool. The extra olive oil is delicious sopped up with fresh flatbread.
Lamb Riblets With OvenRoasted Butter Beans Rich lamb meets rich legumes in a seasonal, hearty, and life-affirming meat dish that can anchor any celebration. Serves 6 FOR THE BUTTER BEANS
1 pound dried butter beans
Bouquet garni: small bundle of thyme and a bay leaf, tied together with kitchen twine
Half of a yellow onion 3 Tbsp. olive oil Salt
• Soak the beans overnight in water. The next day, simmer them in 10
cups water with the bouquet garni, onion, and olive oil until the beans
are soft, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Season with salt to taste. The beans can be cooked up to two days in advance and stored in their cooking liquid. FOR THE LAMB RIBLETS
2 pounds Denver lamb ribs Salt and pepper 1 whole lemon
1 clove of garlic, pounded
3 sprigs rosemary, chopped Olive oil
Flaky salt
1. Season the lamb generously with
salt and black pepper. Use a peeler to remove the peel of one lemon
and lay the peel on the lamb along with the pounded garlic and
chopped rosemary. Drizzle the lamb
with olive oil and massage the lamb with your hands to distribute the
seasoning and lemon oil. Let the
meat marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or better yet overnight.
2. Grill the lamb ribs over medium heat for about 30 minutes, flipping them
over halfway through cooking. Alternatively, roast them in a 375-degree oven for 45 minutes. Turn on the
broiler for the last few minutes if they need more color.
3. To plate, heat the beans in a wood
oven, on a grill, or on your stove top
in a cast-iron pan. Cut the grilled ribs
and serve atop the beans. Finish with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and flaky salt.
78
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
Grilled Artichokes with Mint and Pecorino Umami-rich artichokes are the mainstays of so many springy Italian dishes, but admit tedly a pain to prep. Reframe it as a seasonal ritual: Paired with briny pecorino and sweet and bracing mint, this dish is spring on plate. Serves 6 2 pounds medium artichokes 2 lemons Salt
Olive oil
1 bay leaf
¼ cup white wine
4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and smashed
1 bunch mint, 5 sprigs whole, pick the rest of the leaves
Flaky salt
Pecorino Romano
1. To clean the artichokes, fill a medium bowl
with water and add the juice of one lemon. Remove the outer layers of the artichokes’ leaves until you reach the tender ones in
the middle. Cut off the leaves of the artichoke about halfway down to the heart.
Working quickly to prevent oxidation, trim
off the bottom of the stem end and, with a peeler or paring knife, peel the outside of
the stem until you get to the tender middle.
2. Cut the artichokes in half and with a small spoon scoop out the choke. Put the artichoke in the acidulated water while you complete the rest.
3. Meanwhile, prepare your artichoke blanch-
ing liquid. Fill a medium saucepan with water, along with a small handful of salt, a big glug of olive oil, the bay leaf, white wine,
garlic, and 5 sprigs of mint. Let this liquid
simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste and ad-
just the seasoning. Add the halved, cleaned artichokes and poach for 10 to 15 minutes, until the artichokes are tender but not
breaking down. Spoon the artichokes out onto a sheet tray to cool. The artichokes can be prepared a day ahead and kept cold in the refrigerator.
4. Once you’re ready to grill, drizzle the artichokes with olive oil, and place them cut
side down onto an oiled grill or onto a hot cast iron pan. Cook the artichokes until
they’re charred and hot and transfer them to a serving platter. Top with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, a
handful of the picked mint leaves, black
pepper, flaky salt, and shaved pecorino.
80
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
Quick Pickled Spring Vegetables Serves 6 BRINE
1 cup water
1 cup distilled or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. coriander seed
½ tsp. fennel seed Pinch of chili flakes
VEGETABLES
1 bunch French breakfast radishes
2 shallots, cut in wedges
4 carrots, peeled
• To make the
brine, combine all the ingredients in a small pot and bring
to a boil on the stove. Pour hot
brine over vegetables and
Garden Lettuces With Shaved Fennel, Sunflower Seeds, and Scribe Verjus Vinaigrette The chicories grown by Stephen Carter are stunningly pink and purple, sweet and crisp, with the slightest pleasant bitterness. Mixing them with tender and mild butter lettuce makes for a pretty and tasty presentation.
allow to cool.
Serves 6
eaten right
FOR THE VERJUS VINAIGRETTE
last for up to a
1
They can be away or will
½ shallot, diced 3
cup verjus
week stored in
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
refrigerator.
½ cup olive oil
the brine in the
Healthy pinch of sea salt
FOR THE SALAD
2 to 3 heads of lettuces
1 head of fennel, thinly sliced Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. toasted sunflower seeds tossed with olive oil and salt
1. Place the shallot in a small bowl. Pour over the verjus, vinegar,
and salt, and let macerate for 10 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil,
and adjust seasoning to taste.
2. Place the lettuce and fennel in a
bowl, season with a pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Add a few tablespoons of
vinaigrette and toss the salad,
being sure to coat all the leaves evenly. Taste a piece of lettuce and adjust the seasoning. Top the salad with the seasoned sunflower seeds.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
81
Grilled Whole Trout Wrapped in Pickled Grape Leaves Pickled grape leaves keep the fish moist as it chars and steams on the grill, while fennel and lemon flavor it from the inside. A foolproof tech nique for cook ing whole fish on the grill.
Serves 6
fish with the fennel fronds and
3 whole rainbow trout
fish and slide a halved lemon round
(about 1 pound each; scaled, gutted, cleaned)
Sea salt Pepper
2 Meyer lemons, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds removed
Fennel fronds
6 to 8 pickled grape leaves Kitchen twine Olive oil
1. Rinse the fish under cold water and pat try with a paper towel. Deeply score the outside of the fish three
times on each side. Season the inside and out with salt and pepper.
Cut three of the lemon slices in half
and set aside. Stuff the cavity of the
remaining lemon rounds. Close the into each of the score slits.
2. To wrap the fish in the grape leaves, lay it on one side and shingle the
leaves over the side of the fish facing you, leaving some overhanging over the top. Delicately flip the fish, so
now it’s leaf side down, and repeat
shingling on the other side of the fish until it’s fully wrapped. (It’s okay if
some fish skin is still exposed.) Use 3
or 4 pieces of kitchen twine, depending on the length of the fish, to wrap around the fish and tie a knot. Tuck the leaves under the string as best
as you can to create a little wrapped package. This will help keep the fish together while grilling. Fish can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead of
time and kept in the refrigerator. Al-
low the fish to temper for 30 minutes to 1 hour before grilling.
3. Prepare your grill to medium heat. 4. Drizzle olive oil over the grape leaves, using your hands to rub it around.
Lay the fish perpendicular to the grill gates and cook for 8 to 10 minutes
on each side, depending on the size
of your fish. The grape leaves help to keep the moisture in and steam the
fish, so you have some wiggle room.
Once the first side is charred and the fish has released itself from the grill,
use two metal spatulas to delicately flip the fish over to finish cooking on the other side. Use a paring knife to check the meat along the spine of the fish for doneness.
5. Cut the string and squeeze over fresh lemon juice to serve.
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
83
PLANT- POWERED POP BITTIES
Sorghum, chia, quinoa, and brown rice come together in crunchy-puffy crackers that are non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, and sturdy enough for a sprouted hummus dip. Plain is perfect, and vegan sour “cream” and onion is very good. $3.69 / MARKSMINDFULMUNCHIES.COM
KRAVE JERKY
Going meatless doesn’t mean you need to forgo jerky. Krave’s pea- and fava-beanbased jerkies are a salty-sweet, high-in-protein indulgence. $5.99 / KRAVEJERKY.COM
84
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
S NA C K S TOAST-IT AREPAS
Frozen arepas are the toasty, crunchy foundation for a quick lunch or midday snack: Thaw in the toaster, top with beans, cheese, pickled jalapeños, toast again, and you’re done. $7.99 / JUSTTOASTIT.COM
WHETHER YOU’RE GLUTEN-FREE, GOING MEATLESS, OR DIALING DOWN THE CARBS, THERE’S A SALTY, SMOKY, CHEESY, CRUNCHY SNACK FOR YOU. Photograph by TH O MAS J. STO RY
TOP SEEDZ
We’re suckers for a protein-rich, omega3-packed seedy cracker, and Top Seedz sunflower and flaxloaded crackers are a delicious standalone snack that only gets better with dip. Cumin and hummus is double trouble, but we also love the rosemary as a cheeseboard supporting player. $7.99 / TOPSEEDZ.COM
POPPED ARTISAN POPCORN
Tucson-based Popped’s range of popcorns features boldly Southwestern flavors. The mesquite-smoked varieties stand out, whether you’re swinging savory (mesquite smoked cheddar) or sweet (mesquite smoked mezcal caramel). $37.95 FOR FOUR / POPPEDARTISAN.COM
Our breathtaking Murano glass bead necklace from Italy Indulge in the luxury of Italian jewelry with our vibrant necklace! Skillfully handcrafted by master artisans, Murano glass beads beam in a multitude of shapes and shimmering colors, adding a lively look and a cheerful feel to any outfit.
169
$
Plus Free Shipping
Multicolored Murano Glass Bead Necklace in 18kt Gold Over Sterling Silver from Italy 4-18mm Murano glass beads. 18" with a 2" extender. Lobster clasp. Murano glass beads are unique and may vary. Also available in 20" $189
Ross-Simons Item #936976
To receive this special offer, use offer code: BRILLIANT43 1.800.556.7376 or visit ross-simons.com/brilliant
THE EXTRAORDINARY
ITALIAN JEWELRY
Sunset Page Template.indd 1
In collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Confindustria - Federorafi
2/22/21 10:22 AM
T R AV E L
&
ESCAPES
Natural Wonders
New and noteworthy hotels throughout the West that offer easy access to the outdoors for when it’s safe to travel.
ASHLEY SCOTT PHOTOGRAPHY
Story by H U G H GARVE Y
KETCHIKAN, ALASKA
SALMON FALLS RESORT
Just a 90-minute flight from Seattle, Salmon Falls Resort is an unpretentious rustic luxe all-inclusive
fishing lodge nestled between the forest and the ocean. It boasts cozy rooms, a vaulted timber-clad
dining room with views of the bay, and access to stunning scenery and abundant wildlife. World-class
fishing is a boat ride away, and ethical bear watching is available for the brave. salmonfallsresort.com
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
87
NEW CUYAMA, CALIFORNIA
CUYAMA BUCKHORN On the east side of Santa Barbara
County, this revitalized 1952 inn is a
stylish Western-themed retreat for city dwellers looking for stargazing, wildflower-spotting, and hiking in the
nearby parks. With a new pool, bocce
court, and tri-tip on site, you’ll want to stay awhile. cuyamabuckhorn.com
RBY NATURE NEA
COURTESY OF CUYAMA BUCKHORN
The Carrizo Plain National Monument is the largest native grassland in California, a superbloom destination, and only one hour away.
88
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
LOS CABOS, MEXICO
FOUR SEASONS RESORT The serene waters of the Sea of Cortez, swaying palms, and luxurious accommodations are a can’t-fail formula for a full reset by sea, particularly when you have two miles of wide open
beach just off your private patio. Dine
in-room on impeccable seafood from
the Baja outpost of renowned seafood specialist Estiatorio Milos.
FROM TOP: CHRISTIAN HORAN PHOTOGRAPHY/FOUR SEASONS (3); COURTESY OF PALIHOUSE SANTA BARBARA
fourseasons.com/loscabos
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA
PALIHOUSE SANTA BARBARA Palisociety continues to expand its chic updates of classic West Coast properties with a graceful Mediterranean revival in Santa Barbara’s historic Presidio Neighborhood. The throwback retreat boasts a pool and cabanas, rooms with fireplaces, balconies, saltillo tile floors, and a vintage preppy vibe. palisociety.com/hotels/santa-barbara
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
89
RBY NATURE NEA The 155-acre Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve offers an easy three-mile hike with views of the Russian River.
HEALDSBURG, CALIFORNIA
MONTAGE HEALDSBURG The biggest resort opening in
Sonoma County in recent years sets the bar for wine-country lodging.
Situated on 258 acres of vineyards and oak forests, the low-slung
modernist hotel smartly embraces
outdoor living, with open-air dining throughout the property, guest
bungalows with private patios and firepits, and outdoor showers. class safety protocols.
montagehotels.com/healdsburg
90
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
CHRISTIAN HORAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Bonus: Montage practices best-in-
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
PROPER DOWNTOWN L.A.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: THE INGALLS; AJ MEEKER; COURTESY OF THE HOXTON (2)
Interior design star Kelly Wearstler’s reimagining of a 1920s California Renaissance Revival building in the historic Broadway Corridor incorporates vintage Moroccan and Mexico City influences in a way that feels fully at home in modern DTLA. The forthcoming restaurants from Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne will echo the mindful international mashup. properhotel.com/downtown-la
PORTLAND, OREGON
THE HOXTON PORTLAND Portland is at its prettiest in spring, and the Hoxton offers a
handsome home base loaded with mid-century furnishings and local art in the city’s historic Old Chinatown. Explore the
city’s many verdant open spaces, including nearby Hoyt Arboretum or Forest Park, with its 5,200 acres of woodlands. Head up to the rooftop restaurant Tope for dinner with a view. thehoxton.com/portland
GARDEN ISSUE 2021 • SUNSET
91
ADVERTISEMENT
West Essentials { OUR PICKS FOR WHAT’S ESSENTIAL IN THE WEST }
Go West For Your Grand Canyon Adventure Experience Grand Canyon West. Get an aerial view of the Canyon on the Skywalk, go whitewater rafting with the Hualapai River Runners, enjoy a helicopter & boat tour, & even zip line. GrandCanyonWest.com
At Terra Outdoor, We Strive To Live Outside Like this Lisbon Lounge Chair, we deftly mix eye-catching design with weather-friendly materials for style and comfort that endure – season after season. Explore all our collections at: TerraOutdoorLiving.com
Experience Alaska, Visit Anchorage Alaska is known for glaciers, wildlife, and enrapturing open spaces. Experience it all with a visit to Anchorage. Urban and wild, it offers both city comforts and natural Alaska allure. Plan a trip with your free Official Guide to Anchorage. VisitAnchorage.net
Redding, CA: Your Outdoor Paradise With mountains all around, miles of trails, a river running through it, and national parks nearby, Redding is an outdoor paradise for young and old alike. Let Redding be the place you create memories to last a lifetime! VisitRedding.com
Enhance Your Indoor Outdoor Living Space LaCantina’s folding, sliding and swing door systems are beautifully designed to create Open Spaces® for effortless indoor outdoor living. Delivering unmatched quality and value, LaCantina™ helps bring your vision to life. Ready to live the LaCantina life? lacantinadoors.com
Progressive RV Insurance Take the road more protected with a leader in RV insurance, offering great discounts and savings. Get a quote in under four minutes at progressive.com to see how much you could save.
Sunset SUNSET_WE_AprMay21.indd Page Template.indd 1 1
Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. & affiliates. Discounts not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy.
progressive.com/rv
2/22/21 2/19/21 10:32 1:16 AM PM
Special Advertising Section
Getaways
FOR FREE N INFORMATIO SCAN
and other good s tuff
the QR code site or visit the web ow bel
To receive information on a state or category, go to the website below, or scan the QR Code below with your smartphone.
TRAVEL ARIZONA 101 Grand Canyon West 102 Tempe Tourism CALIFORNIA 103 Redding
Request free advertiser information by going to sunset.com/tell-me-more-garden21/ Marketplace Square Initial 814910
Antique Brass Arch Hand Towel Holder So smart. Metal holder measures 4¾x8¾”. BID60 $16.99 Sets of 100 Letterpress Foil-Stamped Guest Hand Towels Our most elegant foil-stamped hand towels are 50% cotton, 50% paper. 4½x8½" folded and monogrammed with your initial in 5 color choices. $49.99/set 2+ $44.99/set
Wreath Initial 814912
Script Initial 816182
Welcome Circle Initial 816997
FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $50. LILLIANVERNON.COM/SUNSET. PROMO CODE: SUNSETA1
Offer expires 6/30/21. Only one promo code per order. Offers cannot be combined. Offer applies to standard shipping only. All orders are assessed a care and packaging fee.
Subscribe to Sunset Magazine at sunset.com/subscribe
Sunset AprMay_2021_RRPage Page Template.indd (half 1 pg).indd 89
GARDEN ISSUE 2021
S U N S E T 9 3 --
2/22/21 2/22/21 10:38 10:34 AM AM
WT: XXX PF: XX ZO: XX
page
78
Discover the Best of the West Subscribe to SUNSET Get 1 year for just $24.95 sunset.com/subscribe W ELLNE SS
Included with Your Subscription, You’ll Also Receive: WINT
• Access to EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
E R GA R DENIN G • C OZ Y
• FREE Digital Edition of the Sunset
COUN T RY H O L I DA
Western Garden Book—a —a $34.95 value!
Y • G IFT GUID
• Vintage issues from
E
L 2/9/21 $8.99
E T. C O M
• Exclusive Idea House event access
DISPLAY UNTI
SUNS
Sunset’s vast archives
visit us
at Suns
et.com
• FREE Sunset App access WELLN ESS
• BONUS 20% OFF at shop.sunset.com
• And so much more! WINTE D R GA R ENING Y • COZ COUN O L I DA T RY H
DISPL AY UNTIL
$8.99
2/9/2 1
SUNS E T. C O M
Sunset Page Template.indd 1 SUNSET_HOUSE_AD_SUBS_FULL PAGE.indd 78
IDE IFT GU Y • G
BONUS! SUNSET DIGITAL EDITION WESTERN GARDEN BOOK
visit us
at Sunse
t.com
2/22/21 12/17/20 10:24 4:25 AM PM
WT: Directory PF: 02 ZO: AZ
age
94
page
95
Travel Planner ARIZONA
Tempe Tourism Office VisitTempe.com 480.305.1370
Scottsdale Phoenix PHX
Tempe
CALIFORNIA
Small Crowds,
Big Fun The picturesque city of Redding is home to the internationally acclaimed Sundial Bridge, world-class fishing, 200 miles of hiking and biking trails for all abilities, and has easy access to the natural splendor of the Shasta Cascade region. Add in Redding’s many restaurants, theaters, museums, galleries, and shopping, and you’ll see why Redding is your new favorite vaction destination!
VisitRedding.com To receive free ad information, go to sunset.com/tell-me-more-garden21/
Sunset AprMay_2021_Travel_Planner_95.indd Page Template.indd 1 95
GARDEN ISSUE 2021
S U N S E T 9 5 --
2/22/21 2/22/21 11:12 11:05 AM AM
Picture Perfect
How to Gram Your Garden Like a Pro If you’re taking pictures of your garden to share on Instagram (or refining your artistic DSLR skills) you could learn a thing or two from Tom Story, Sunset’s longtime staff photographer. Tom has probably shot more gardens than anyone in the business—including most of the ones in this issue. Here he shares the secrets of how to perfect your pictures of plants. For more Insta-worthy shots by Tom, set aside time to scroll @sunsetphoto. Story and Photographs by TH O MAS J. STO RY
3. BACKLIGHT IS BEAUTIFUL . The difference between an
image looking snapshot-like versus professional can come down to the proper use of backlight, which can add dra-
matic lens flare or let your highlights blow out. Experiment
with shooting directly into the sun and placing the plant or flower in the composition to block the sun. Then adjust the exposure so you can see the subject while allowing the background to go bright. 1. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LIGHT. You can have a great composition, but if the light
4. SCRIM IS IN. A soft pop-up scrim can knock the sun down
is bad it will ruin the shot. Prepare to photograph in the very early morning or
when you have to shoot in the middle of the day and works
be tricky. If you wait until the end of a hot day the plants can wind up looking
to the subject. It will make a big difference in the quality of
very late afternoon. Some flowers do not open until they’re in full sun, so that can tired. Overcast days allow the full saturated colors to come through and there’s less reflective glare on shiny leaves.
best for tight closeups. Experiment with how close you hold it the light. A small stand or tripod with an arm that can hold the scrim will allow you to work alone.
2 . EXPOSE LIKE A
5. COMPOSE
a phone camera,
years it was stan-
PRO. If you’re using
CREATIVELY. For
try to expose for the
dard to have a
highlights. Most
close-up lens for
phones have an ex-
flowers, generally
posure lock so you
a longer focal
can lock your expo-
length that would
sure on the bright-
help isolate the
est part of the sub-
subject from the
ject and recompose
background and
without the expo-
allow it to fill the
sure changing. It’s
frame more ef-
much easier to
open up shadows
fectively. But
there’s nothing
of a slightly dark
stopping you from getting up close with a wide angle lens.
try and recover
with getting up close and personal, change your perspec-
image than it is to highlight detail lost
from overexposure.
Most smart phones have 2-3 lenses now, so play around
tive, get down low or up high. Images don’t always have to be taken from the same vantage point!
SUNSET (ISSN 0039-5404) publishes 6 issues per year in regional and special editions by Sunset Publishing Corporation, P.O. Box 15688 Beverly Hills, CA 90209. Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, CA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2.) Nonpostal and military facilities: Send address corrections to Sunset Magazine, P.O. Box 3228, Harlan, IA 51593-0408. Vol. 244, No. 2, Issue: AprMay 2021. Printed in U.S.A. Copyright © 2021 Sunset Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. Member Alliance for Audited Media. Sunset, The Magazine of Western Living, The Pacific Monthly, Sunset’s Kitchen Cabinet, The Changing Western Home, and Chefs of the West are registered trademarks of Sunset Publishing Corporation. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited s ubmissions. Manuscripts, photographs, and other material submitted to P.O. Box 15688 Beverly Hills, CA 90209 can be acknowledged or returned only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. For 24/7 service, visit sunset.com/customerservice. You can also call 1-800-777-0117 or write to Sunset Magazine, P.O. Box 3228, Harlan, IA 51593-0408. U.S. subscriptions: $28 for one year.
96
SUNSET • GARDEN ISSUE 2021
Sunset Page Template.indd 1
2/22/21 10:08 AM
LIVE LIFE OUTSIDE C REATE
A WELL DESIGNED SPACE AND CHANGE
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUTDOOR LIVING .
TERRAOUTDOOR.COM
Sunset Page Template.indd 1
888.449.8325
NATIONWIDE SHIPPING
2/22/21 10:29 AM