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Seasonal Pantry at your fingertips

Fresh From Our Farmers: Farm Sinclair

Wednesday, at 9:50 by

“I want to recreate the experience of having a home garden for customers who don’t have one,” Lee Higbeeof the new Farm Sinclair  says. Such freshness, he believes, is what makes customers choose a famers market over a grocery store. Currently, Higbee attends two farmers markets with rainbow chard and heirloom variety lettuces, including Red Romaine, Ruby Red and Buttercrunch. He also has Bacon avocados, named for James Bacon, a farmer who developed the thin-skinned variety in the early 1950s,… Read More »

One’s Too Many, A Hundred Ain’t Enough: Some things are just too good

Tuesday, at 12:53 by

A few days ago, I was chatting with a friend who is also a fellow chef and teacher. Between us was an enormous bowl of lemons, the leftovers of a bushel that friends had given me. As we chatted about what we like to do when we have a lot of lemons, we both mentioned lemon curd and how we rarely make it. “Too dangerous,” I said and my friend laughed. I could tell she understood. When I made this… Read More »

Fresh From Our Farmers: Strawberry Stand in West Santa Rosa

Wednesday, at 3:28 by

I didn’t expect the aroma of onions as I stepped out of my car at Lao Saetern’s strawberry stand on Highway 12 between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol but that is just what enveloped me as I breathed in the cool spring air. At that moment, there were nothing but bright red strawberries on the stand’s counter but within a minute or two, a young woman began piling bunches of glistening red onions, peeled and trimmed, on one side of the… Read More »

More Favorite Mexican Dishes

Thursday, at 12:40 by

As promised in yesterday’s Seasonal Pantry, here are links to some of my favorite Mexican dishes. In that column, which featured recipes for snapper ceviche, Drunken Chicken, orange, onion and jicama salad and strawberry-hibiscus agua fresca, I also promised a recipe for one of the best appetizers ever. It’s true–Queso Fundido, which is simply melted cheese with a few delicious embellishments, is so good that you risk ruining everyone’s appetite. You may even want to make it the centerpiece of… Read More »

Fresh From Our Farmers: Middleton Farm

Thursday, at 12:22 by

Nancy Skall of Middleton Farm  grows what may be the best asparagus I’ve ever tasted. Stalks range from about the diameter of a chopstick to that of your big thumb and shoppers in the know reach for the fattest ones. The thinnest stalks are not, as many restaurant menus imply, baby asparagus. They are actually the shoots of older plants. For the best-tasting most-tender asparagus, get fat stalks and either roast them in a hot oven or grill them over hot… Read More »

Fresh From Our Farmers: Sam Kim’s Mushrooms

Thursday, at 12:12 by

Sam Kim of Bohemian Well Being Farm is a familiar face to farmers market shoppers throughout Sonoma County. At the peak of the season, when all our markets are in full swing, you’ll find him at several each week with his cultivated and wild mushrooms, some not much bigger than a toothpick, others larger than dinner plates. At his 136-acre farm in Occidental, he grows shiitakes, oyster mushrooms and reishi, a species that is highly valued for its medicinal properties. The… Read More »

Fresh From Our Farmers: Healdsburg Market Opens

Thursday, at 9:18 by

At 9 a.m. Saturday morning, the legendary cowbell will ring in the first Healdsburg farmers market of 2013. The opening of this market heralds the beginning of the abundant season, when we’re no longer gasping with delight at those first precious radishes and instead are racing to keep up with everything from fresh favas and green garlic to strawberries and zucchini. This year, the market opens with a new de-facto partner, SHED, located across the street from the market’s north… Read More »

Beer in Brown Bottles? Si. Beer in Green or Clear Bottles? Non.

Thursday, at 8:56 by

At the end of a sweltering day, few things other than a dip in cool water are more refreshing than an ice-cold beer, good chips and a spicy salsa. When there’s been a choice, I’ve always reached for a Bohemia, my favorite Mexican beer. If you love a brew with lots of hops you may not care this beer, which can seem wimpy alongside, say, an IPA. But if you prefer the volume of your hops turned down, you might… Read More »

A Beloved Ritual: Lamb for Easter

Wednesday, at 7:00 by

Leg of lamb is hugely popular for Easter. Here are several favorite recipes from the Seasonal Pantry archives, including the first recipe I ever published, Oven-Roasted Leg of Lamb with Sausage Stuffing & Mustard Glaze… Read More »

French Lamb Loaf, Sicilian Frittata & Other Delicious Options for Easter Brunch

Wednesday, at 7:00 by

In the April 4, 2012 Seasonal Pantry, which you can read here, I offer two delicious recipes–Savory Bread Pudding with Leeks, Asparagus & Sausage and Spring Frittata with Mustard & Herbs–that are ideal for Easter brunch that work well if you must cook them at home and transport them to another location. In that column, I promised links to other good options for Easter, whether you’ll be hosting a festive meal yourself or heading out to join family and friends somewhere… Read More »