TAKE NOTE: CHESTNUTS, ALONG WITH CHANTERELLES AND QUINCE, WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE SANTA ROSA ORIGINAL CERTIFIED FARMERS MARKET, THIS WEDNESDAY FROM 8:30 A.M. TO NOON. “The chestnuts were a little late this year,” Jim McCrumb of Sonoma Coast Organic Produce says, explaining that the burs--those nearly-impossible-to-crack cupules, each of [...]
Picture this: Baskets full of purple, chocolate, red and golden sweet peppers, tiny yellow onions, pert red shallots, leeks, garlic, chard, tomatoes and purple and white eggplant. There’s a small basket holding an array of hot peppers, Padrons are piled high in little bucket and herbs snuggle together in a [...]
When you bite into a carrot grown by Paul Wirtz , it is almost impossible not to smile. His carrots have snap-- a pristine clarity on the palate--along with an earthy sweetness that is not as easy to find as it should be. These are carrots I can easily munch for [...]
Lou and Susan Preston have been making wine in Dry Creek Valley since the early 1970s but their gorgeous estate, nestled near the northwest corner of Dry Creek Valley, is much more than a vineyard and winery. It is a farm, a ranch, an orchard, a farm store, a bakery [...]
Ma and Pa’s Garden of Sebastopol has been a fixture at local farmers markets for more than two decades. Cliff Silva, with his big smile and impish eyes, is the face of the farm, as he’s the one who hauls the harvest to market and sings the praises of his [...]
Hector Alvarez of Hector’s Honey Farm just may be the James Brown of local agriculture. Granted, he doesn’t sport a satin cape or fall to his knees in faux heartbreak. But when you look at his schedule--nine farmers markets a week at the height of the season--it’s hard to argue [...]
For eight years, Jeff Russell has farmed in east Santa Rosa, on Rincon Valley land purchased decades ago by his great aunt. Today, fruit trees--including French prune plums--planted more than a hundred years ago and likely purchased directly from Luther Burbank are still productive. Russell chose Redwood Empire Farm as [...]
Call it Bloomfield 2.0, Bloomfield Reborn or the Return of Bloomfield: Bloomfield Farms is back. For fifteen years, the farm--eighty acres hidden in plain view near the intersection of Roblar and Valley Ford Roads in Bloomfield--thrived. Under the direction of Mike Collins, one of the world’s leading permaculture authorities, the [...]
Although you wouldn’t realize it by looking at the wooden boxes and bins filled with colorful chiles, cucumbers and eggplant, Tierra Vegetables hasn’t yet hit its 2012 stride. The peak of its harvest is still about three weeks away. “This is due to colder than normal night temperatures about a [...]
In today's Seasonal Pantry, which you can read here, I ask for your favorite ways to enjoy summer's bounty. What do you do with Gravenstein apples, other than eat them? Do you make pesto at home? What is your favorite way to enjoy summer tomatoes? Got a trick [...]
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Have trouble remembering what’s in season when? Looking for a favorite recipe from the Seasonal Pantry or Pairing archives? Michele Anna Jordan, Press Democrat columnist, chef, teacher and author of almost 20 books, draws from 17 years of columns and articles for seasonal suggestions, recipes and menus and tips on exactly where to get the finest local foods at their peak moment. And, yes, she takes requests. Just name the dish or even a few of the ingredients and, like magic, you’ll find the recipe here in no time. Any questions related to ingredients, cooking, nutrition and eating are welcome.