Citrus Nursery Visit and Citrus Tasting
February 10, 2007

Join Slow Food Yolo on a private tour and tasting at Four Winds Growers, a wholesale citrus nursery tucked in the hills behind Winters. Mary Helen Seeger, co-owner, and great granddaughter of the founder of Four Winds Nursery, based in Fremont, will be leading the
tour. You will visit the citrus orchards, with their full-grown trees, the extensive green houses, and outdoor growing areas, while Mary Helen explains about nursery production, and the characteristics of the different citrus.

The tour will be followed by a tasting of the many citrus that are in season, including the Indigo kumquat and mandarin cross, a pale pink lemon, and blood oranges.

Please bring a clipboard for the information sheet Mary Helen will give you, including where to buy the trees locally, and to take notes on the trees and the tasting.

The group will be meeting at a designated spot near the nursery at 9:30 AM to carpool up the hill, leaving at 9:45 AM.

It is a wholesale nursery, so unfortunately, you will not be able to purchase trees directly from Four Winds Growers.

After the tour, you might want to sample some of downtown Winters restaurants for lunch, such as Ficelle's, Putah Creek Cafe, Steady Eddy's, Cody's Deli, Chuy's Taqueria, or El Pueblo Tacqueria.

Cost: $10.00 for Slow Food Members, $15.00 for non-members.

To reserve, please mail checks to: Slow Food Yolo c/o 1436 Pinnacles Street Davis, CA 95616 or visit their Web site for more information.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Two weeks ago, Garrett, of Vanilla Garlic fame, posted a challenge to come up with a new cupcake. He and many other people these days are cuckoo for cupcakes. As someone who had cupcakes at my wedding instead of a big cake, I completely understand. They're perfect single servings, you can really be clever with flavor combinations, and you can try lots of different toppings with just one batch of cakes. Plus, they remind most of us of childhood birthday parties and bake sales. Just look at all the bakeries that sell them now (Phillipp's is a good example here).

So with my recent Hawaiian getaway, I got inspired to make a cupcake with tropical flavors. For some reason, I got fixated on passionfruit. It's certainly not local to this area, but you can buy purees and nectars of passionfruit sometimes. I found the nectar at Safeway (in the "natural foods" aisle), where they have the Ceres brand of juices in many other tropical flavors. I simply substituted passionfruit juice for the milk in my favorite 1-2-3-4 cake recipe from Susan Purdy's classic cookbook A Piece of Cake. (Unbelievably, you can buy this incredible book through amazon for as little as $2.73. I think it's out of print, so don't miss out. I use the book all the time.)

I used coconut milk (unsweetened) and a bit of coconut milk powder, which I had left from my last tropical trip to Sri Lanka, in the icing. But even the canned milk gave it plenty of flavor with the addition of toasted coconut on top. If I make this again, I'd try to source passionfruit puree for a stronger flavor, or else brush the warm cupcakes with a syrup made of reduced passionfruit juice. But even with just a hint of that floral flavor, these are yummy!

Passionfruit-Coconut Cupcakes
Makes 24

Cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup passionfruit nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound powdered sugar
1/4 to 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 to 3 tablespoons coconut milk powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the juice and vanilla into a measuring cup.

In a mixer, beat the butter until soft and smooth. Add the sugar and beat until light and smooth. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl several times.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and juice, beginning and ending with the flour.

In another bowl, with a clean whip, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir about 1/3 of them into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners (they will be almost full). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops are golden and springy and a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Meanwhile, make the icing: Spread the coconut in a cake or pie pan and put into the oven to toast until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Beat the butter in a mixer until smooth, then gradually begin adding the sugar. After about half of the sugar is added, pour in 1/4 cup coconut milk, beat until smooth, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining sugar, the coconut powder (if using), the salt (which you want to balance the sweetness of the coconut), and any additional milk needed to get the texture you like. Ice the cupcakes and sprinkle each one with a bit of toasted coconut.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Apologies to Hawaiians for whom I may have mangled their language above (it should roughly translate to: Good Kauai Food)! But I just returned from a week on Kauai and am infected with tropical fever. I realize that this is far from Sacramento, but I really can't resist sharing some of my delicious discoveries. There is a payoff for you in the form of a recipe, so don't be too jealous!

The image above is of a 1964 cookbook that we bought in a vintage store. The title means "quick food." The cover is a good representation of the mixture of cultures in Hawaii--native Hawaiians (generally Polynesian ancestry), Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Filipino, and even some Germans and Norwegians. It's quite a melting pot and lots of tasty food has resulted, although much of what we saw listed as "native" cuisines are definitely more Polynesian mixed with Japanese and Chinese (the three main cultural influences).

But some of the most fantastic food on Hawaii is the fruit. We went to a farmer's market (available every day on Kauai) and bought perfectly ripe pineapples (albeit $5 each), macadamia nuts in the shell, a coconut with a straw for drinking the flavorful "milk," juicy tangerines, seedless grapefruit (Hawaii used to be a big citrus exporter), two kinds of small bananas, and star fruit. The red fuzzy things in the photo above are rambutans. When you peel off the skin, they have a translucent fruit similar to a litchi. There were also mangos, papayas, and the floral lilikoi (passionfruit).

Additionally fantastic is the seafood. I haven't had fresher tuna or mahi before. The first night there, we ate tuna poke (po-kay), a traditional dish like ceviche. It consists of sliced or cubed raw fish, onions, seaweed, chile peppers, sea salt, and soy sauce. The seaweed tasted like crunchy ocean--like chewing a mouthful of the sea (in a good way!). We also had a fish called monchong, which is a bottom feeder with tender white flesh.

Now, Kauai is known for its feral chickens, which went wild after the big hurricane in 1992. You find them everywhere and they crow at all hours of the night and day. They've got beautiful feathers and a variety of colors, but we didn't see a lot of chicken on the menus! I'd imagine these guys are pretty stringy.

Of course, the pork is renowned in Hawaii as well, and we had to try several variations of it. One of the favorites is kalua (not the liqueur) pork, which is a lot like shredded pork barbecue. It's traditionally made from pork cooked in an underground oven until it shreds off the bone, then mixed with a barbecue-like sauce and served on a bun.

For snacks (which were plentiful!), we had freshly fried taro and Japanese sweet potato chips (above), passionfruit chiffon pie, cranberry crackseed (a category of Chinese snack make of dried fruits and seeds, with seasonings), malasadas (incredible Portuguese doughnuts filled with custard), coconut bread, and Filipino garlic corn nuts. Oh--and there was great goat cheese made on the north shore of Kauai, which we ate with Hawaiian soda crackers and in an omelet.

There was more, but I'm starting to be embarrassed at the amount of food we ate! Fortunately, we also made time for snorkeling, hiking, and walking some of the beautiful beaches.

So if you're inspired to try a flavor from the islands, here's a simple recipe for poke from Hawaiian chef Sam Choy's Island Flavors cookbook.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This is a bit untraditional in that the fish is briefly seared. You could leave it raw if you prefer, but you need the highest-quality fish available.

Serves 4

1 pound marlin fillets, cut into 1/4- to 3/4-inch cubes [note: you could try ahi or skipjack tuna as substitutes]
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 cup chopped onion
4 teaspoons chopped green onions
1 cup chopped ogo seaweed (optional)
4 teaspoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for searing

Garnishes:
Bean sprouts
Chopped cabbage
Salad greens
Ogo seaweed

Place fish cubes in a mixing bowl with the soy sauce, onions, seaweed, and sesame oil. Mix well.

In a wok, heat the vegetable oil on high heat. Sear the fish mixture while tossing. Don't cook for more than a minute or two, as you want the center raw.

Serve with the garnishes.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

For the first time, the annual PlacerGROWN Farm Conference will offer workshops of interest to the general community. The workshop strand titled “Eat Local! Connecting with Your Local Food System” will offer four sessions that will inform and inspire eaters to get to know their local producers and get connected with the bounty of fabulous food grown in Placer County and the surrounding region. The presentations will offer information on the nutritional benefits of a local seasonal diet, cooking tips and sources of fresh, local, in-season produce, meat, wine and value-added products.

Jessica Prentice, professional chef, food activist, speaker and author will present “Food and the Hunger Connection”. In this workshop she will discuss her book Full Moon Feast and the themes it focuses on namely bringing food back into the context of relationship: to the earth, to place, to each other, and to our history and ancestors. Signed copies of her book will be available for sale during the conference.

Jessica is also a cofounder of Locavores and the Eat Local Challenge, groups of local food activists groups that have challenged people from the San Francisco Bay area and all over the world to eat within a 100 mile radius of their home for the month of August. In 2006 the challenge was extended to the month of May.

Also offered will be a workshop titled “Celebrating the Abundance of Local Foods, Season by Season” presented by the editors and publishers of Edible Sacramento, Jennifer and Darren Cliff.
Edible Sacramento is a quarterly publication that promotes the abundance of local foods in Yolo, Sacramento and Placer counties and surrounding communities. They celebrate the family farmers, farmers’ market vendors, food artisans, chefs and other food-related businesses for their dedication to using the highest quality, fresh, seasonal, locally grown foods. The publication builds ties between farmers, winemakers, food artisans and the local consumers that support them, and help to define a regional cuisine and community based on healthy foods and a healthy environment.

The “Cooking Out of the Box” workshop will be lead by Janis Wikoff and Carol Arnold of Auburn. Both presenters shop and eat locally and seasonally and are on a continual quest for new delights to feed their families and friends. They will introduce the ultimate simplicity of eating locally. Boxes featuring samples of fruits and vegetable that are available from season to season will be presented along with preparation techniques. Recipes and cookbooks will be available to browse through and attendees will have every opportunity to ask questions and introduce ideas for discussion. Bring your enthusiasm and join their discussion of simple steps for day-to-day seasonal cooking and plan to have a few laughs.

The PlacerGROWN Farm Conference will be held Saturday, February 3 from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at Lincoln High School. Conference registration is $55 with a $5 discount to PlacerGROWN members. This includes the full conference, trade show, continental breakfast and a local, seasonal lunch. For more information contact Molly Johnson at (530) 887-5473 or visit

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Davis Food-Coop is hosting a wine tasting to benefit the Good Humus Farm Preservation Project this Friday January 19th from 6pm-8pm.

They will be tasting through the Zins of California

Cline Zinfandel
Jewel Zinfandel
Perry Creek Zin Man
Kunde Estate Zinfandel
Sobon Estate "Fiddletown" Zinfandel
Rosenblum Paso Robles Zinfandel
Rosenblum Aparicio Zinfandel
Rosenblum Zinfandel Port

$1.00 per taste - all proceeds benefit the Equity Trust for the Good Humus Farm Preservation Project

I really hope to see you all there!
Davis Food Co-op is located at 620 G Street - Downtown Davis
530.258.2667
www.davisfood.coop

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was recently forwarded this letter regarding Front Yard Gardens, and the fact that the city council is moving forward on their "reworking" of the current code. Now truth me told I do not live down town but I do have quite a few friends who do, and actually a few of these friends actually do benefit from their neighbors front yard gardens. Anyhow, I promised them that I would put the word out to see if there were any interested persons who would like to get involved in this cause. IN general I think that we have to remember that a beautiful landscape isn't alway a manicured-grass front yard and there are some HUGE benefits to having an edible yard. The letter that follows contains all the information you will need to get involved if you desire to do so!

Dear Sacramento residents,

Sacramento’s front yard landscape code 17.68.010 is being revised by the City. The existing code specifies that the landscape setback area of the front yard consist of “primarily low groundcover or turf”. Code Enforcement has proposed that the new code language include annuals, perennials, grass and other diverse landscaping, however it restricts the growing of fruits and vegetables to 30% of the landscaped setback area, and limits the height to four feet (with the exception of fruit trees).

There has been much interest in the community and there are many residents concerned about having options for what they can grow in their front yards.

This issue was first brought to the public’s attention in 2004, when a Sacramento gardener was fined over $800 for growing annuals and perennials in her front yard, including vegetables. Currently, according to Code Enforcement, 75% of Sacramento City’s front yards are out of compliance with the existing code.

Sacramento has committed to making the city more sustainable. Valuable city resources are currently being directed towards programs for water conservation, water quality (toxic lawn chemical contamination of our rivers and streams), and green waste management. Adopting new code language that supports diverse urban landscapes in Sacramento’s front yards will not only help address crucial environmental issues, but will help Sacramento meet its sustainability goals.

Food security and hunger are also factors that can be addressed through home gardens. As many backyards are unsuitable for growing food, the option of front yard gardening is critical. Any limitations on growing edible landscapes restricts a family’s access to needed food.

Your support on this issue would be greatly appreciated. The next step in the code revision process is a review by the Sacramento City Planning Commission on Thursday, January 11, 2007, at 5:30pm in the “old” City Hall (915 I Street) on the second floor.

Your attendance at this meeting and show of support would be very valuable. Please share this information with your friends and neighbors and consider writing a letter to your City Councilmember before the upcoming City Council meeting on this issue (in Feb./March). Sacramento Citizens for Sustainable Landscapes would be available to make a presentation at your next Neighborhood Association meeting.

Recently, KXJZ’s “Insight” program featured the urban garden issue on the second half of their hour-long program. The link to listen to the program online is:
http://www.capradio.org/programs/insight/default.aspx?showid=2764&programid=10
(After the introduction, you can move the bar forward to the halfway point to hear the entire segment on front yard gardens.)

We welcome your support. For more information please contact:
Sue Jennings (455-9474 or sbeartracks-esacgardens@yahoo.com)
or Kim Glazzard (455-8415 or kimg@organicsacramento.org)

Thank you, Sacramento Citizens for Sustainable Landscapes

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Inevitably we all are going to travel somewhere and some point in our lives, trasping through the airports well before our scheduled flights just to make sure we get through security in time. Usually that leaves us with a couple of the stand buy culinary options to choose from (I am thinking Starbucks, CPK, or the jenky sports bar) while we wait and wait and wait. Well someone by the name of Doug Tomlinson had an idea that would save us all from the doldrums of normal airport cuisine, his idea was Vino Volo and I was invited the other evening to their grand opening at the Sacramento Airport. Vino Volo is indeed a wine bar, but beyond that it is an oasis in the airport where you can find such delights as locally-produced artisan cheeses, dry cured meats, and smoked salmon rolls wrapped around crab meat and crème fraiche. You may choose to enjoy your selections in the store or you may carry them on the plane as everything has been properly screened. So we no longer have to dread the in-flight meal selection process. Every wine is at Vino Volo is available by the glass, by the bottle, as well as part of a tasting flight, with prices ranging form $6-$14, with the exception of the high-end splurge flight “Sommelier Series”. So the next trip that you have scheduled you may want to pencil in a bit more time to go and enjoy a glass of wine and some appetizers

Location: Terminal A, next to Gate A1
Hours: 9am-10pm daily
Tel. 916-929-VINO

Wine Flights:
Sierra Reds
California Kings
Shades of White
Sommelier Series
Winter Whites
North Coast Pinot Noirs
Napa Cabernets
Celebration of Sparklers

Cuisine:
Smoked Salmon Rolls
Tuscan Chicken Sandwich
Californian Artisan Cheeses
Duck Confit and Lentil Salad
NY Strip Steak Skewers
Olives with Lemon and Harissa
Marcona Almonds with Rosemary

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

At its Jan. 2, 2007, meeting, the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op Board of Directors voted to assign the lease for the Co-op's Elk Grove store to Grocery Outlet, pending final negotiations of transfer. This will result in the closing of the Co-op's Elk Grove store at the end of January.

This beautiful 20,000-foot store designed to be energy efficient and use sustainable building materials, has unfortunately not been able to draw the amount of business they need to stay open. They have 13 years left on their lease, though, so they have looked for a business to take over the full lease so that the Sacramento Co-op can continue to survive.

In a rapidly growing area, with what seems to be an increased concern in the source and healthiness of our food supply, why did the Elk Grove store not succeed? Perhaps people thought that they had to be members to shop there? I'm embarrassed to admit that I never went there because I'm closer to the Sacramento location (where I am, in fact, a member). So I feel especially sad that this beautiful and well-thought-out business is not going to make it. I missed my chance--did you too?

Co-op owners and shoppers are invited to attend two meetings in the Co-op's Community Learning Centers to learn more about this decision and its impact on the Co-op. The meetings will be held on:

Tuesday, Jan. 9, 6:30-8:30 pm, Elk Grove
Wednesday, Jan. 10, 6:30-8:30 pm, Sacramento
Saturday, Jan. 13, 1:30-3:30 pm, Elk Grove

Paul Cultrera, General Manager, wrote in his announcement:
We opened the Elk Grove store with great hopes and enthusiasm, having built a beautiful space whose green design features incorporated our commitment to environmental responsibility. Since its opening, the store provided employment for nearly 100 people, and brought nourishing foods to thousands of area residents. Our Community Learning Center classes and weekly Music in The Market events gave people a great place to socialize and learn. The list of community groups, schools, churches, health care providers and events that our Marketing Team made contact with or participated in runs on for pages and pages. We trust that the work we did in the Elk Grove community will carry over for a long time among the many folks there who got our message. The store’s closing is a sad event and a cause for regrets for what it could have been. Fortunately though, we have been given an opportunity to move on from this venture, to regain our footing and to continue to offer from our Sacramento store the variety of locally grown, organic and natural foods that people have always looked to us for over the
years.

Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op
8517 Bond Rd.
Elk Grove

Store Hours:
Open Daily to Everyone
Elk Grove: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
916-714-7100

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What a deal! If you've been wanting to try some of the great restaurants in downtown, make plans now to join the Dine Downtown Restaurant Week. From this Saturday, the 13th, through next Friday, the 19th, participating restaurants will be offering three-course prix fixe menus for $30 a person.

Mason's offering includes Baby Valley Greens with a red wine vinaigrette, Wild Tazamian Salmon with wilted spinach and brown butter, and Valrhona Molten Chocolate Cake. Yum! Gaylord India will offer vegetarian and non-vegetarian menus, including first courses of either soup, tandoori chicken, seekh kabab, and chicken tikka masala OR tomato soup, mixed vegetable pakora, and pappadum (plus entrees and dessert).

Participating restaurants are:
4th Street Grille
58º & Holding
Brew it Up!
Chanterelle
Chops
Dawson's at the Hyatt
Esquire Grill
Gaylord India
Kru
Mason's
Michelangelo's
Morgan's at the Sheraton
Restaurant 55º
Rio City Cafe
Sakura
Sofia Restaurant
Spataro

Visit the Downtown Sacramento Partnership page to download sample menus, get a map of participating restaurants, and possibly win a gift certificate for the dining event.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

What: Bella Bru's perfect-for-the-new-year's-resolution bowl of "beautiful fruit" (bella frutta).

Why: It's a hearty serving of fresh and dried fruits, with a lightly sweetened yogurt, and really crunchy granola. A good way to start the day, and it will make you feel virtuous after the holiday season of rich food.

Where: locally owned Bella Bru Cafes in Carmichael (Fair Oaks & Arden), Natomas (Natomas & Del Paso), Folsom (E. Bidwell & Blue Ravine), and El Dorado Hills (Hwy. 50 & El Dorado Hills)

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Have you heard of Hands On Sacramento? It's a great online organization that lists volunteer opportunities all around our area. You can search by type of activity, type of beneficiary (kids, animals, homeless), and area of activity (downtown, north Sac, etc.).

On Tuesday, I volunteered to teach a kids' cooking class at Skylab on the old McClellan Air Force Base. Skylab is part of Cottage Housing Industries, which helps formerly homeless families gain skills and stability to move forward in their lives. They run a great program for the children there with all kinds of activities and events. Once a month, they have Let's Cook, a class for about 12 kids, where they get to help with the cooking and learn some new skills. Then they get to eat what they saw made (or a premade version of it!). It was a fun way to expose eager children to the fun of cooking and they got an immediate reward--tasty food and copies of the recipes.

You can also sign up for other food-related events like serving lunch at Loaves & Fishes, making brown bag lunches for the Sacramento Food Bank, or even teaching people how to use a solar cooker! It's a great way to sign up to help in the community and really match your interests and skills to people who need them. Of course, there are lots of non-food activities too, so find your niche and get your hands on some projects.

Hands On Sacramento

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Ahhh, I am back. I have literally been traveling for the holidays for two weeks straight and I can not convey how happy I am to be home! Of course I have mounds of laundry and even more mounds of work to catch up on but first thing is first in my house and that is heading out to the market to stock the fridge. I have been waiting a year for Quarry Pond to open in Granite Bay as it is just a few miles down Hazel from my home and huge part of this new development is their food hall, with a green grocer, fish monger, butcher shop, wine shop etc... And I literally have been calling once a week to see which shop has opened. Well the truth is most of them will be open late this month or early next but lucky for me Regionale produce market is open now so after stopping by my favorite Italian Market Foscos I headed over. Regionale Produce Market specializes in local organic produce. They work closely with neighboring farms to find the very best produce in season. Because these farms are small, they are able to personally select the most flavorful fruits and vegetables, and to have them delivered absolutely fresh to their shelves. So I loaded up on baby sweet potatoes, mandarins and apples as well as getting a bag of Lundberg’s Arborio rice which I can never find around here and some corn tortillas named Abuelita’s tortillas produced by MSFT Inc. out of Sacramento of which I will need to do more research on because they are fantastic. I am beyond excited to have this type of market so close to my home. Hell, even if it was twenty-minutes away it would be worth the drive. Go check it out and let me know what you think.

5550 Douglas Boulevard, Granite Bay
916-786-5511
Hours of Operation:
Monday through Sunday 9am-7pm

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)