Posts by Edible East Bay
What to Pour at the Holiday Table
By Kirstin Jackson Trying to decide which wine to pair with typical holiday fare sends some to bed dreaming of sugarplums and late-harvest chenin blanc. Others, scared off by visions of the sweet flavors of the season or gingery spice taunting their favorite cabernet sauvignon, head straight for the hard liquor. Matching wines to foods…
Read MoreRoasted Butternut Squash Salad
Recipe by Kirstin Jackson Forgo the brown sugar and let the sweetness of winter squash speak for itself this holiday in a salad with fresh Greek manouri cheese, arugula and frisée, roasted pecans, and tarragon. The sweetness of the buttery and floral cheese and squash make a nice contrast to the lemony vinaigrette,…
Read MoreDaikon, Asian Pear, and Shiso Salad
Daikon is a member of the large brassica family and thus kin to cabbage. Red shiso adds a distinctive pink tint and a flavor reminiscent of cinnamon, anise, and basil. Serves 4–6 2 cups daikon, grated ½ teaspoon salt 1 clove garlic 2 Asian pears 2 tablespoons lemon juice 40 red shiso leaves, cut…
Read MoreSEASONAL RECIPES
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad Pear, Daikon, and Shiso Salad Pork Loin Stuffed with Turkey Sausage Duck Breast with Braised Cabbage
Read MoreWHAT’S IN SEASON?
the big brassica band BY BARBARA KOBSAR You can joke all you will about the lowly cabbage, but don’t be surprised when a few members of its family, the big brassica band, show up nicely dressed for your holiday feast. After the holidays, make way for them on your plate when you start that healthy…
Read MoreA CLEAN SLATE FOR GRAY WATER
story and photos BY MATTHEW GREEN Armed with little more than some piping, a few fittings, and a bit of creative plumbing knowledge, Oakland resident Laura Allen built a home plumbing system that bucks the sewer by reusing the water from her sinks, showers, and clothes washer to bucket flush the toilets and irrigate the…
Read MoreNew Thoughts on cooking with Herbs
By Derrick Schneider illustrations by zina deretsky Most home cooks would probably say they know how to use herbs. Chop basil and toss it with tomatoes. Mince rosemary and rub it on a leg of lamb. Gather thyme into a bundle to make a basting brush for roasted meats. But when I see the heaps…
Read MoreWinter Gardening Lessons at Fairyland
story and photos By Helen Krayenhoff If there’s a garden fairy at Children’s Fairyland in Oakland’s Lake Merritt Park, it has to be Robin North. The design, planting, and maintenance of the enchanted 10-acre plot, so beloved by East Bay children, is Robin’s domain. Among the things she tends is a vegetable patch that provides…
Read MoreHERITAGE TURKEYS
Back from the brink in time for the holidays BY NICHOLAS TAYLOR We pile out of our car after the two-hour drive from Oakland to the Capay Valley and have not walked more than 10 steps before the welcome party, a gaggle of about 20 tom turkeys, waddles up to greet us. They stop as…
Read MoreNews from the Farm
A flock of starlings nests in the big oak and eucalyptus trees on our farm. They are not easily seen up there, but as the birds call out to each other, that quick high-pitched squeaking sound from hundreds of little beaks reveals their presence to a trained ear. Like many species, starlings eat, sleep, and…
Read MoreSide Dish
A serving of favorite things from the East Bay for seasonal gift-giving Meal SpinningSome people say, “Finding local is too much trouble,” but it doesn’t have to be. The Local Foods Wheel, an ingenious tool created by East Bay local foods advocates Jessica Prentice, Sarah Klein, and Maggie Gosselin, was designed to help us identify…
Read MoreFall/Winter 2009
CONTENTS FALL/WINTER 2009 MEET OUR COVER ARTIST: Our cover art and What’s in Season illustrations this issue are by Rosalie Z Fanshel. As an illustrator, Fanshel specializes in intelligent and compelling works that demonstrate local living and engaged community. Her art is informed by ten years on—and in—the ground of the sustainable agriculture movement. You…
Read MoreContents Harvest 2009
EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL SIDE DISH Taking the Cupcake by Ben Wurgraft Gardening in the Ghetto by Eve Fox OUR FARMS —OUR SCHOOLS Bringing CSA Partnerships in and out of the Classroom By Kristina Sepetys TERRA BELLA FAMILY FARM Growing Community along with Crops By Patricia Hayse Haller WHAT’S IN SEASON Tomatoes By Barbara Kobsar SEASONAL…
Read MoreGardening in the Ghetto
I loved Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, but I found Novella Carpenter’s new book, Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer (Penguin, 2009) both grittier and funnier than Kingsolver’s book and even easier to read. Farm City chronicles Carpenter’s somewhat unintentional experience of creating a “squat garden” in the vacant lot next to her…
Read MoreChicken Alla Marengo
From the story Flavor Most Fowl by Mark Middlebrook Based on the recipe Pollo alla Marengo in Armando Gambera’s La cucina delle Langhe del Barolo: I menù della memoria, published in 2000 by the Cantina Comunale di La Morra.) Armando doesn’t give exact quantities for most ingredients. I’ve added the quantities that I used in…
Read MoreTAPEO BY THE BAY
TAPEO BY THE BAY: Quixotic Travels Through Small-Plate Terrain STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARK MIDDLEBROOK Once upon a time in a village east of San Francisco whose name I need not mention, there lived a fellow who had traveled in Spain and there absorbed the culture of the tapas bar. This Don Bigote…
Read MoreSEASONAL RECIPES Fall 2006
BY PETER CHASTAIN, EXECUTIVE CHEF, PRIMA RISTORANTE, 1522 N. MAIN, WALNUT CREEK I didn’t eat persimmons as a child except in the form of “pudding” or cake made from Hachiyas. When I met my wife in Japan and was introduced to her grandmother, that all changed. She had a small orchard on a hill the…
Read MoreFlavor Most Fowl
FLAVOR MOST FOWL: A Chicken Saga BY MARK MIDDLEBROOK PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLE TOPALIAN Michael Wild, executive chef and founder of the Bay Wolf, was on a roll. I’d expected him to wax poetical about duck, for which the restaurant is renowned. Instead, he was riffing on chicken: “People love chicken. I love chicken. I…
Read MoreFIVE STAR NIGHT STILL SHINING BRIGHT
BY CHRISSA VENTRELLE The East Bay food community is a generous bunch. Nowhere is this more apparent than at Five Star Night, the annual fundraiser for Alameda County Meals on Wheels. This event showcases our abundant local culinary talent as top chefs volunteer their time and skills to prepare a gourmet meal for about…
Read MoreSummer 2009
CONTENTS SUMMER 2009 EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL By Cheryl Angelina Koehler EDIBLE EVENTS By Serena Bartlett LOCAL HERO AWARDS ARTICHOKES FOUR WAYS By Kimber Simpkins EATING MY FRONT YARD By Deb Janes WHAT’S IN SEASON Stone Fruit By Barbara Kobsar STONE FRUIT COOKING with Hugh Groman Catering Ginger Peach…
Read MoreCherry Financier with Macerated Apricots and Almond Ice Cream
From Stone Fruit Cooking with Hugh Groman Catering For the Financier: 3 ounces cake flour 2 ounces almond flour 7 ounces powdered sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 7 ounces butter, cooked until brown and cooled slightly 2 tablespoons honey ¾ cup egg whites (not whipped) 2 teaspoons kirsch (optional) 8 ounces cherries, pitted Preheat oven…
Read MorePlum Clafoutis
From Stone Fruit Cooking with Hugh Groman Catering Serves 8 6 large eggs 7 tablespoons sugar 1¼ cups milk 1½ tablespoons vanilla ¾ cup flour 1 teaspoon cardamom, ground 3 cups sliced plums Powdered sugar for garnish Preheat oven to 350º. Butter a 10-inch round casserole pan (or similar size: larger pans make a…
Read MoreBaguette Sandwich of Roasted Apricots, Fresh Goat Cheese, Prosciutto, and Butterleaf Lettuce
From Stone Fruit Cooking with Hugh Groman Catering Serves 5, or makes 10 small sandwiches 6 apricots, cut in half and pits removed Salt, pepper, and olive oil for apricots 1 sweet baguette (about 18 inches long) 5 ounces fresh goat cheese 5 ounces Prosciutto di Parma, thinly sliced ⅓ head butterleaf lettuce, leaves…
Read MoreGrilled Pork Chops with Nectarine Avocado Salsa
From Stone Fruit Cooking with Hugh Groman Catering Serves 4 1 medium avocado, diced 1 nectarine, diced ¼ red onion, diced ⅓ bunch cilantro, leaves picked and chopped, stems discarded Juice of 2 limes, or to taste ½ jalapeño pepper, chopped fine Salt and pepper to taste 4 nine-ounce pork chops Salt, pepper, and…
Read MoreGinger Peach Martinis
From Stone Fruit Cooking with Hugh Groman Catering Serves 2 4 ounces vodka 1 ounce peach nectar 1 ounce ginger syrup (see below) 1 tablespoon water 2 slices of peach for a garnish Superfine sugar for sugar rim (granulated will work) Spread a small amount of sugar around on a flat plate. Wet the…
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Artichokes Four Ways
By Kimber Simpkins | Photos by Dan Bruggemeyer Last year, the two artichoke plants towering in our back yard produced so many artichokes I gave up and let them bloom. Of course, I didn’t admit this to my friends. What kind of lunatic lets perfectly good artichokes go to waste? Well, they weren’t wasted, exactly.…
Read MoreStone Fruit Cooking with Hugh Groman Catering
Bay Area party-givers with a concern for sustainability issues have been happy to discover Hugh Groman Catering and Greenleaf Platters, both for the low environmental impact Hugh insists on maintaining throughout his operations and for the great food. “We do simple, classic dishes with traditional flavors,” says Hugh, speaking for himself and his executive chefs,…
Read MoreWear Shoes to this Years Crush
You’re going Commercial By Kirstin Jackson-Ellis With 15 wineries alone listed as members of the East Bay Vintner’s Alliance and many more making wine away from the spotlight, the East Bay has proven a popular place to open a winery. Our winemakers are world-class, our juice can be found on restaurant lists across the…
Read MoreHives Alive!
BY KRISTIN COURTEMANCHE That buzzing sound you hear may be the economy finally getting under way, but more likely it is the collective cacophony of bees around the Bay as apiarists open their hives to see how they have fared through winter. Honeybees, winged…
Read MoreA SEED IS…
By: Helen Krayenhoff A seed is the amazing container that holds the promise of future abundant harvest. It never fails to amaze me that a small tomato seed can grow into a six-foot-tall plant covered with hundreds of bright bite-sized tomatoes in just a few months. In a more serious and global view, seeds are…
Read MoreManaging Your Backyard Fruit Trees
by: ann ralph When backyard gardeners plant fruit trees we have different motivations than farmers do. We want fruit to share with our friends and family and we want fruit that tastes like fruit. We’d like fruit grown without chemicals…
Read Moreseasonal recipes from Essanay cafe
Fremont’s historic Niles District might be a little out of the way for most of us East Bay urbanites, but that doesn’t mean we have to forgo its local, seasonal fare. Essanay Café (named for the pioneering movie studio that operated here in the ‘teens) sources as many products as possible from local and organic…
Read MoreSpring 2009
CONTENTS SPRING 2009 Our cover art is by “J. P.” Panter, an illustrator and painter, who describes herself, to a certain extent, as a part-time pirate of images, a part-time improviser of ideas, and a full-time surveyor of the culture. ThistleCreekStudio.com EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL By Cheryl Angelina Koehler SIDE DISH By Serena Bartlett NEWS FROM…
Read Morewhat’s in season
It’s a Green Spring Thing! By Barbara Kobsar Just as those flower bulbs, the daffodils and tulips, welcome the start of the new growing season, the first spring onions and green garlic at the farmers markets do the same. These once-a-year crops show up…
Read MoreBrookside Farm
HOLDING TIGHT TO TRADITIONS IN BRENTWOOD By: Matthew Green This is the story of receding farmland, encroaching suburbia, and a three-year-old boy who refused to sell his tree fort. Within a mile of Brookside Farm, in the Bay Area’s easternmost…
Read MoreEating in Times of Economic Uncertainty
By Sage Dilts I am straining just a bit to hear my grandpa Bob’s soft and gravelly voice. With his one working vocal cord he is striving to answer my question about what it was like growing up in Berkeley during the uncertain times…
Read MoreSeason’s Readings
By Cheryl Angelina Koehler As dwellers on the edge of a celebrated food-producing region, we have been witness to the diminution and degradation of farmlands and the dissolution of family farming. We know it’s happening throughout the world, but do we really see?…
Read Morenews from capay valley
The Frog Hole By Thaddeus Barsotti Several years ago, as I was completing my studies at Cal Poly in Agriculture Engineering, I undertook a project that was intended to determine the feasibility of capturing shallow groundwater for use in irrigating our organic fruits and…
Read MoreSide Dish
A serving of favorite things from the East Bay community By Serena Bartlett Kitchen Vintage Its true—we all too often glorify the past, using the phrase “back in the day” to signify those times when things were simpler, more understandable. But really, the grass wasn’t always greener, was it? I find a consistent…
Read Morecaldo de peidra
CALDO DE PIEDRA By Francesca Preston I just came back from Mexico, where I got to eat stone soup. It is a pre-Hispanic dish, practically ancient, and in Oaxaca you can only find it in one roadside restaurant outside the city. In giant letters the sign says CALDO DE PIEDRA. The family who makes the…
Read MoreFall and Winter 2008
Cover art by Linda Pedersen EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL By Cheryl Koehler SIDE DISH By Cheryl Koehler BEYOND THE VICTORY GARDEN By Tim Kingston THE FERMENTERÍA By Jeremy Oldfield A FLAVORFUL TOUR OF FRUITVALE By Cheryl Koehler GLUTEN-FREE FORAGING By Kirsten Courtemanche TURNING SUMMER’S KERNELS INTO WINTER’S GOLD By Elizabeth Linhart Money WHAT’S IN SEASON:…
Read MoreHappy Forever Community Gardener Gets Educated
Story and Photos by Simona Carini Hello, I am Simona, founder and CEO of Slugs ’n’ Snails Xpress, Inc. Our company relocates personae non gratae (a.k.a. pests) from vegetable gardens to outworld destinations: hop on board this comfortable bag, sit down, relax, and enjoy your flight. That’s me, talking to a slug while getting rid…
Read MoreAn East Bay Winter Whiskey Ramble
By Serena Bartlett Several months ago, while checking out a new nightclub in Oakland with a fellow writer, I ordered a Maker’s Manhattan, a caramel-color mix of bourbon whiskey and sweet vermouth. The fiery-red maraschino cherry lighting up the bourbon in my glass seemed to ignite our converation about how whiskey had evolved in the…
Read MorePersian Chicken with Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce
From our story The Last Walnut Grove By Devany Vickery-Davidson Serves 6 4 tablespoons olive oil 3 pounds chicken thighs and breasts 2 large red onions, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped 2 tablespoons tomato sauce 2 cups walnuts, chopped 3 cups pomegranate juice 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon…
Read MoreRoasted Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Grapes
From our story The Last Walnut Grove By Devany Vickery-Davidson I created this recipe for a dinner with my friend and editor of Edible East Bay, Cheryl Koehler. Serves 4 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, cut in half ½ pound large red globe grapes 2/3 cup of walnut halves ¼ cup of maple sugar Drizzle…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season? Fennel
By Barbara Kobsar You can’t miss it. Fennel grows wild all over the East Bay, showing off its feathery plumes along roads and trails. The wild, or common green fennel, which perfumes the air with its sweet licorice-like scent, is a perennial herb of the carrot family. Like its cousins, parsley, dill, chervil and anise,…
Read MoreSeeds From Southeast Asia Sprout in Sunol’s Fertile Soil
Story and Photos by Matthew Green East Oakland resident Koy Saephan never went to school, but put her in a field of fertile ground and she’ll make food rise from the earth like a virtuoso. It’s a Saturday in October at the Mien Farming Collaborative, a large plot of arable land off Interstate 680 near…
Read MoreThe Last Walnut Grove
By Devany Vickery-Davidson In the early 20th century, when walnut groves stretched from Ignacio Valley to San Ramon Valley, it was said in autumn that anyone without black hands must be a tourist. Whole families worked walnut farms of 10 to 30 acres. Conditions in these fertile valleys were ideal here for dry farming of…
Read MoreMenu for a Wild Winter Day
By Kevin Feinstein Breakfast Acorn Pancakes with Quince Jam Yerba Buena/Rosehip Tea Lunch Wild Green Salad with Soaked Walnut and Feral Citrus Dressing Manzanita Cider Afternoon Snack Energy Bar Made with Dried Figs, Dried Persimmons, Powdered Nettles, and Powdered Bay Nuts Dinner Miso/Ginkgo Nut Soup with Fresh Nettles, Pickled Purslane Wild Sourdough Acorn Bread Unfiltered…
Read MoreChiles en Nogada
From our story The Last Walnut Grove Recipe and photo by Devany Vickery-Davidson I first learned how to make this signature Christmas holiday dish of Mexico’s Morelos region while attending a cooking school in Cuernavaca, Mexico. It serves a crowd and takes many hours to prepare, but it is well worth the effort. Several…
Read MoreScouring for Socarrat
Don Bigote’s epic quest for East Bay paella By Mark Middlebrook As we recounted in the Edible East Bay Fall 2006 issue, Don Bigote returned from his tapas and taco truck sallies both wiser and fuller. Alas, it cannot be said that his painstaking exploration into the possibilities of a true tapeo in the East…
Read MoreContents Winter 2008
EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL By Cheryl Koehler EDIBLE EVENTS By Serena Bartlett NOTABLE EDIBLES By Elinor Hutton and Cheryl Koehler SEEDS FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA SPROUT IN SUNOL’S FERTILE SOIL By Matthew Green MENU FOR A WILD WINTER DAY By Kevin Feinstein Recipe: Wild Green Saag WHAT’S IN SEASON: FENNEL By Barbara Kobsar with recipes from Bay…
Read MoreFennel-Crusted Stuffed Pork Rib Roast
From What’s in Season: Cooking with Fennel Bay Wolf Chef de Cuisine Louis Le Gassic used to work at a butcher shop where he became an expert in preparing meats, such as this rib-end pork roast. He frenched and butterflied the roast for us to photograph as he prepared this dish, but he suggests…
Read MoreShaved Fennel, Artichoke, and Mushroom Salad with Reggiano
From What’s in Season: Cooking with Fennel This recipe come from Oakland’s [now closed] Bay Wolf Restaurant, where monthly menus highlight the season’s prime ingredients, often following traditional uses from the regional cuisines of the Mediterranean. Michael Wild, founding owner and executive chef, confirms our accolades for fennel and dedicates a whole month to this versatile vegetable. Here…
Read MoreCitrus Braised Fennel
From What’s in Season: Cooking with Fennel This recipe come from Oakland’s [now closed] Bay Wolf Restaurant, where monthly menus highlight the season’s prime ingredients, often following traditional uses from the regional cuisines of the Mediterranean. Michael Wild, founding owner and executive chef, confirms our accolades for fennel and dedicates a whole month to this versatile…
Read MoreTian of Fennel and Kabocha
From What’s in Season: Cooking with Fennel This recipe come from Oakland’s [now closed] Bay Wolf Restaurant, where monthly menus highlight the season’s prime ingredients, often following traditional uses from the regional cuisines of the Mediterranean. Michael Wild, founding owner and executive chef, confirms our accolades for fennel and dedicates a whole month to this versatile vegetable. Here…
Read MoreWhat’s In Season: Apples
By Barbara Kobsar | Art by Margo Rivera-Weiss Apples abound, but heirlooms ascend, bringing us back to a world with apples worthy of biting into—apples with crunch and flavor. Storage apples are still available from last year’s harvest (or from half a world away), but they just can’t compare with the delectable fresh-harvest California apples…
Read MoreTarta de Manzana
From What’s In Season: Apples
Read MoreRoast Chicken and Apple Gyoza with Pecan Brown Butter
From What’s In Season: Apples
Read MorePink Lady Apple Mostardo
From What’s In Season: Apples
Read MoreBlack Forest Hash with Ham, Apples, and Potatoes
From What’s In Season: Apples
Read MoreThe Divers’Diet
Story and Photos by Matthew Green Close to 1 billion people in the world don’t have enough to eat, and more than 300,000 people in Alameda County alone are at risk of hunger. But while grocery bills skyrocket and charities strive to meet growing demand, a large number of East Bay dumpsters burst…
Read MoreHarvest 2008
Cover art by Margo Rivera-Weiss EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL By Cheryl Koehler WILL PLAY FOR VEGGIES By Mary Tilson SUMMER READING FARM NEWS FROM CAPAY VALLEY: CLEAN TOMATOES By Thaddeus Barsotti FOOD, MEET FLAME! By Anthony Tassinello WHAT’S IN SEASON? APPLES By Barbara Kobsar with recipes from Nibblers Eatery & Wine Bar VEGGIES ON THE…
Read MoreIntro
edible East Bay is a quarterly print magazine that promotes the abundance of local foods in the East Bay area. We celebrate the family farmers, fishermen, fishmongers, food artisans, chefs, and other food-related businesses for their dedication to using the highest quality, fresh, seasonal foods. edible East Bay is intended for those who are interested…
Read MoreSpring 2008
CONTENTS SPRING 2008 4 EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL By Cheryl Koehler 6 READERS’ CHOICE LOCAL HEROES AWARDS By Chad Arnold 9 EDIBLE EVENTS By Serena Bartlett 11 PLOUGHSHARES NURSERY By Derrick Schneider 13 A SIZZLIN’ SUMMER FOR KIDS IN THE KITCHEN By Matthew Green 14 TRY THIS AT HOME Roast your own coffee By Sarah Inez…
Read MoreCooking with Big Mind
or How I Survived Zen Cooking Boot Camp By Mary Tilson JUNE 15, 2007: It’s late in the afternoon and I have just driven 14 dusty, bumpy, pot-holed miles into a remote canyon in the Ventana Wilderness via Carmel Valley. I’m in the bosom of nature, by all accounts. Minus the backdrop of freeways,…
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Read MorePea Shoots Salad with Hobb’s Speck Prosciutto, Ricotta Salata, Dates, and Tarragon Dressing
From Pass the Peas, Please Serves 4 1 shallot, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ cup tarragon vinegar ¼ cup rice wine vinegar ¼ cup champagne vinegar 1 cup mayonnaise ½ cup buttermilk ½ cup crème fraîche 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon Sugar, salt, white pepper to taste ¼ pound pea shoots 12…
Read MoreSpring Rolls with Miso Seared Beef and Pea Shoots
From Pass the Peas, Please Serves 4 1 tablespoon red miso 2 tablespoons sugar Fresh ginger root, grated to make about 2 tablespoons 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 teaspoons tamari (wheat free soy sauce) 1 teaspoon mirin 6 oz. beef filet or flat iron steak Peanut or canola oil ¼ pound pea shoots Shizo…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season?
Pass the Peas, Please BY BARBARA KOBSAR It’s a riotous sea of green out there as peas flood the markets in spring. Farmers’ markets are prime spots to find the freshest peas—from the soft green tender pea shoots with blossoms attached, to plump, brilliant-green sugar snaps and their flat cousins, the snow…
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Read MoreContact Us
Please contact Cheryl Koehler, Publisher and Editor By email: info@edibleeastbay.com By mail: 1791 Solano Ave #D14 Berkeley CA 94707
Read MoreContents Winter 2007
FEATURES VINEYARDS IN BERKELEY? IN MEMORY OF LAURA JANE TRENT MY BEAUTIFUL GROCERY STORE A Grower’s Valentine to Monterey Market WALKING THE TALK An Interview with Brian Kenny A DAY IN A LIFE FULL OF CHOCOLATE Recipe: Chocolate Shortbread Cookies FLAVOR MOST FOWL A Chicken Saga with recipe DEPARTMENTS EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL CUISINE IN…
Read MoreEditor’s Mixing Bowl
Like the majority of people living in the United States today, I do not walk the path of need in my daily existence. I’m driven by motivations to achieve and prosper, which generally involve sifting through myriad options rather than grasping to fill basic requirements. And so on an afternoon when I was heading into…
Read MoreCafé Esin’s Grilled Salmon with Winter Citrus Salad
From Citrus Recipes by Curtis and Esin Decarion at Café Esin Serves 4-6 1 navel orange, zested, peeled, sectioned, juice reserved 1 blood orange, peeled and sectioned, juice reserved 1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned, juice reserved ½ Meyer lemon, zested, juice reserved 1 tablespoon shallot, finely minced 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped ¾…
Read MoreMonterey Market
MY BEAUTIFUL GROCERY STORE A Grower’s Valentine to Monterey Market By Lisa Brenneis I started paying attention to grocery stores when Jim and I started looking for customers for our Pixie tangerines. Since then, I can’t seem to stop thinking about grocery stores. Let me explain. Jim searched in LA, but prospective customers were either…
Read MoreCitrus Recipes from Café Esin
By Chefs Curtis and Esin Decarion of Café Esin Citrus is important to our cooking at Café Esin, perhaps because it is embedded in our backgrounds. Esin and I grew up in different countries—she is from Turkey and I am from Miami—but both of us had fruit trees at our homes as…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season?
Kiwifruit By Barbara Kobsar In other parts of the country, it can be an arduous task shopping for produce in the winter. Not so here in the East Bay, where farmers’ markets continue to showcase in-season produce from farms operating year-round. Choices may differ from what we find on our summer shopping sprees, but…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season?
Citrus By Barbara Kobsar The citrus scene in the East Bay seems to be ever-expanding. When I was growing up, there were two choices in the orange department: Navels most of the time and Mandarins during the Christmas season. Both remain favorites, but there’s so much more to enjoy these days. Climatic…
Read MoreChocolate Shortbread Cookies
From A Day in a Life Full of Chocolate Recipe courtesy of Caroline Romanski Makes about 60 cookies 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons Valrhona cocoa powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1 pinch ground cinnamon 1¼ cups soft unsalted butter ½ cup granulated sugar ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 2 egg yolks for egg wash Turbinado…
Read MoreBittersweet Chocolate Cafe
A Day in a Life Full of Chocolate Story and photos by Anita Chu It’s five-thirty in the morning and the storefronts on College Avenue in Rockridge are dark and quiet, but the kitchen in the back of Bittersweet Chocolate Café is glowing with life. For the next three hours, all the pastries that will…
Read MoreLemon Meringue Tart with Gingersnap Crust from Café Esin
From Citrus Recipes by Curtis and Esin Decarion, Café Esin Makes 1 9-inch tart Crust 6-7 gingersnap cookies 2 tablespoons melted butter Crush cookies in a food processor until fine. Stir in melted butter. Press mixture into bottom and sides of 9-inch tart pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 to 12…
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Edible East Bay is published four times a year: Spring (Feb 15), Summer (May 15), Fall/Harvest (August 15), Winter/Holidays (November 15). Subscriptions are $28 annually (4 issues) or $46 for two years (8 issues). Click the ADD TO CART Button below to Subscribe On-Line using a credit card. This takes you to PayPal, but…
Read MoreCURRIES, TAJEENS, AND MOLES
Exploring Culture and Conversion Through Food BY ANISA ABEYTIA Exploring other cultures always implies a culinary exchange to me. When I meet someone from an unfamiliar culture the first thing I ask is, “So, what do you eat?” I ask this because food holds our history and can reveal a story with each bite. It…
Read MoreNourishing Talent at Creative Growth
By Cheryl Angelina Koehler With a very sure hand, artist Cedric Johnson traces the complex contours of a partly shucked ear of corn onto the paper in front of him. His felt-tipped pen then follows the ruffled frills of a lettuce head, the spiny geometry of a pineapple, and the smooth swells and…
Read MoreSt. George Spirits
Jump to recipes Alchemy and Innovation on Alameda Island Story and Photos by David Szanto Many years ago, seeking to escape persecution for their distinctive practices and break free from the traditions that bound their way of life, a hardy group of travelers sought a new home on a distant shore. They traveled…
Read MoreCalifornia Grasses And Cattle Ranching: Parallel Changes in Our East Bay Universe
Story and photos by Paul Supkoff As a native Californian, I have always admired the state’s grassy hills: spotted with oak, freshly green in spring, soft-rolling gold in summer. I remember craving the dry season, when my friends and I would build cardboard sleds and slide down the grass-slick slopes. The grass was thick…
Read MoreWill Sunbathe for Food
Jump to Recipes By Sarah Inez Levy It’s one of those perfect summer afternoons in Orinda when there’s not a cloud in the sky and you can’t hear the groaning motors of Highway 24 above the birdsong. I’m sitting on Wendy Helms’s back porch eating lunch. She’s served a lovely garden salad with avocados and…
Read MoreOur Golden-Green Harvest
Story and Photos by Cheryl Koehler Like many avid cooks with a penchant for the cuisines of the Mediterranean, I use buckets of olive oil in my kitchen. Being a thrifty sort of gal, I’m invariably swayed toward that bargain bucket among the extra-virgin olive oils on the grocery store shelf. (Of course, I…
Read MoreDebbe Holeman’s Chard Tart
From Things are a’buzzin’, a’bleatin’, and a’gobblin’ in Knightsen Recipe by Debbe Holeman 1 pound Swiss chard leaves (about two bunches) 3 large eggs Salt/pepper to taste 1 cup grated Parmesan or crumbled goat milk cheese 1 cup unbleached flour A pinch of salt ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup chard water Wash the chard…
Read MoreSimple Roast Chicken
From Oh Give Me a Home Where the Araucanas Roam Set oven to 375º. Cut off feet at knee joint as well as head, if applicable. Trim and discard any extra fat from around cavity entrance and neck. Rinse and pat chicken dry. Season well inside and out with salt and…
Read MoreOh Give Me a Home Where the Araucanas Roam
It’s called Soul Food Farm By Bonnie Azab Powell | Photos by Bart Nagel Only 10 years ago, Alexis Koefoed was living in Vallejo with her husband, Eric, and their three young children, working for a winery in Yountville, and dreaming of someday having a farm. A bit later, when 55 acres of prime pasture…
Read MoreThings are a’buzzin’, a’bleatin’, and a’gobblin’ in Knightsen
An East Bay woman’s passion for nature’s bounty raises the bar on fresh and local. Story and Photos by Wanda Hennig If you think the idea of the pioneer woman is at odds with that of the 21st-century inventive, adaptive, independent superwoman, you haven’t met Debbe Holeman. To visit her down-home spread in…
Read MorePear, Blue Cheese & Endive Nibbles
From Where Have All the Pear Trees Gone? By Devany Vickery Davidson, Dinner Party Cooking School 8 ounces mascarpone cheese 8 ounces Point Reyes Blue Cheese (or Maytag Blue) 2 tablespoons butter, softened 3 green onions cut into one-inch pieces 2 tablespoons rough-cut peppercorns (I like to use a blend of red, green and black)…
Read MoreGran’ma Lillie Simple Sweet Potato Pie Filling
From Pie to Die For by Wanda Hennig Recipe by Beverly Jefferson’Dasté Beverly Jefferson-Dasté, who worked for the postal service for 33 years, started baking sweet potato pies commercially—and the old fashioned way. “I always had my dream of going into business for myself,” she says. One day she woke up to the fact…
Read MorePie to Die For
By Wanda Hennig “When you come to my house, you come straight to the kitchen,” says Brentwood’s sweet potato pie queen, Beverly Jefferson-Dasté. “It’s where we gather—where the love is—and I always have something prepared for unexpected guests. That’s the Southern way—to feed your guests to let them know you appreciate that they’ve taken the…
Read MoreGrilled Pear, Ham and Cheese Sandwich
From Where Have All the Pear Trees Gone? By Devany Vickery Davidson, Dinner Party Cooking School 8 slices good sourdough bread Butter Honey mustard ½ pound medium sliced Gruyére ½ pound Brie, chilled and sliced ¾ lb. thinly sliced ham (rosemary ham or Black Forest ham) 2 Barlett pears, cored and sliced 2 medium onions,…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season: Peppers
By Barbara Kobsar Photos by Helen Krayenhoff In California, peppers are the quintessential fall fare. Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers mirror the colorful hillsides while mildly spicy to blazing-hot chili peppers warm the soul. Peppers slowly ease us into the cooler months, but shout out loud that fall is here. Peppers are…
Read MoreRoasted Pears with Almonds and Wine
From Where Have All the Pear Trees Gone? Recipe by Devany Vickery-Davidson, Dinner Party Cooking School 6 Bartlett pears, cut in quarters and cored (use a melon baller) ¼ cup local honey ¼ cup light brown sugar ¼ cup dry red wine 1 teaspoon freshly grated cinnamon ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Place pears in…
Read MorePear Quesadilla
From Where Have All the Pear Trees Gone? Recipe by The Peasant & the Pear Pear chutney: ¼ cup dry white wine ½-inch wedge of red onion, sliced thin 2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 1 Bartlett pear, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks 2 tablespoons of water, or…
Read MoreWhere Have All the Pear Trees Gone?
By Devany Vickery-Davidson As long as I can remember, I have had a love affair with pears. Their supple juiciness, sweet buttery flesh, voluptuous shape, tender fragrance, and long season all contribute to keeping the affair steamy. Also fanning the flame is the way they work with my favorite cheeses and how brightly they shine…
Read MoreInvoltini di Pepperoni (rolled, roasted yellow sweet peppers)
From What’s in Season: Peppers by Barbara Kobsar with photos by Helen Krayenhoff Executive Chef Peter Chastain from Prima Ristorante in Walnut Creek uses this recipe in several ways. It is meant to be an antipasto and comes from Puglia originally, but it can also be “deconstructed” for use over pasta. Toast the breadcrumbs…
Read MoreFall 2007
Features Editor’s Mixing Bowl California Grasses and Cattle Ranching: parallel changes in our East Bay universe Lessons in Mindfullness on a Lafayette Ranch Nourishing Talent at Creative Growth What’s in Season: Peppers To Raise a Child in Richmond, it Takes a Farm things are a’buzzin’, a’bleatin’, and a’gobblin’ in Knightsen More Dirt on the Happy…
Read MoreSpiced Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
From What’s in Season: Summer Squash & Squash Blossoms Makes 20 cupcakes 12 tablespoons (1½ stick or ¾ cup) butter 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 tablespoon grated orange zest 2 cups grated raw zucchini 2¾ cups all purpose flour ½ cup unsweetened cocoa 2½ teaspoons baking powder 1½ teaspoons baking…
Read MoreSquash Blossom Poppers
From What’s in Season: Summer Squash & Squash Blossoms Stuffed Squash Blossom Poppers (credit: Edible East Bay) Recipe courtesy of Barbara Llewellyn Catering & Event Planning Makes 12 poppers For the stuffed blossoms 12 unopened squash blossoms ½ cup cream cheese, room temperature ½ cup goat cheese, room temperature 2 tablespoons heavy cream…
Read MoreSquash Blossom Risotto
From What’s in Season: Summer Squash & Squash Blossoms Serves 4 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup chopped yellow onion 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 pound risotto 1 pound assorted summer squash: ½ pound grated, ½ pound diced 5 cups chicken stock ½ cup white…
Read MoreSummer 2007
EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL By Cheryl KoehlerDOES SUSTAINABILITY MEAN MORE THAN AGRICULTURE? By Derrick SchneiderTHREE NEW EDIBLE READS By Cheryl KoehlerICE CREAM SUBLIME By Wende Williams MiccoCURRIES, TAJEENS, AND MOLES: Exploring Culture and Conversion Through Food By Anisa AbeytiaKELP WANTED By Sally Bryson A GREEN PICNIC By Serena Bartlett and Cheryl Koehler THE HAPPY FOREVER COMMUNITY GARDEN…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season: Squash & Squash Blossoms
By Barbara Kobsar Summer is the time to sing praises to the great cucurbit family. These vine-y annual plants, indigenous to the Americas, all produce large white or yellow flowers, which, when left on the plant to mature, grow into an amazing array of squashes, gourds, cucumbers, and melons. Anyone with a zucchini vine in…
Read MoreThe Saga of Burning Lamb
By Cheryl Angelina Koehler Did you mean to say “Burning Man?” I’m often asked. “No, “Burning Lamb,” I reply as I explain that the dinner I put on each summer in a Sierra Nevada wilderness area is a much smaller gathering than Burning Man, and thus far, all attendees have kept their clothes on for…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season? Asparagus & Strawberries!
By Barbara Kobsar Sturdy bundles of fresh local asparagus standing tall on a farmers’ market table are the quintessence of spring. The local “grass” season begins in March and lingers into June if weather conditions cooperate. Barbara Cecchini from Cecchini and Cecchini Farms in Brentwood runs a hands-on operation. “All of our asparagus is…
Read MoreCelebrate the Farm in Your Backyard
Twenty Years of the Berkeley Farmers’ Market By Kimber Simpkins A clear, brisk Tuesday in early spring, at half past noon—a few nondescript trucks and vans rumble up and slowly begin to unload along Derby Street in south Berkeley. The sun stretches over umbrellas and tents rising up in the middle of the asphalt.…
Read MoreThe Happy Forever Community Garden
Story and Photos by Simona Carini Once upon a time there was a traffic diverter. It was a sad handkerchief of dirt hemmed in by red concrete, its only decoration a “Do Not Enter” sign addressed to drivers, with the promise of a $75 minimum fine for violators. There lived in the same neighborhood in…
Read MoreA Morning Tour of Chinatown
By Derrick Schneider | Photos by Melissa Schneider Most friends consider me a fearless eater and crazy cook. I order offal when it appears on a menu; I render my own lard. So why have I avoided Oakland’s Chinatown for so long, when it lies a 10-minute walk from my home? Maybe I didn’t…
Read MoreMorels
Treasures that Spring from Scorched Earth Story and Photos by Anthony Tassinnello The gunshots rarely alarm me anymore, nor do the falling timber, speeding 4-wheelers, brown bears, giant masticating machines, icy creeks, relentless sun, or rattlesnakes, though I tend to take them all seriously. Ironically, I’ll need to stay close to these things…
Read MoreBee Ambassadors
By Sarah Inez Levy There are dog people and cat people, fish people and people people. We all look to other creatures for companionship, choosing those that can offer just the right combination of personality, looks, maintenance, and love. However, most of us wouldn’t go for a pal that is too small to cuddle…
Read MoreEditor’s Mixing Bowl
Twenty-three years ago I came to California for a visit, fully expecting to return east to resume life in a land with summer rains, early autumn frost, winter snows, and a springtime that waits until May to happen. But life’s design was for an extended stay in Oakland. It was remarkable to be living, so…
Read MoreA Conversation with the Market Hall Cheese Guru: Juliana Uruburu
The feast of East Bay artisanal food products is a grand one indeed. But if there is one guest at this table who might have reason to complain, it would be the cheese lover. The East Bay is not a dairy region, and although there are rumors of a few small-scale cheese artisans, their…
Read MoreIn Memory of Laura Jane Trent
Our farming community suffered a terrible loss with the recent passing of Laura Jane Trent, an extraordinary and humble farmer who died suddenly on September 28, 2006. Laura’s 23-acre Tip Top Farm in the Vacaville region supplied exceptional produce to the Berkeley and Oakland farmers’ markets, and graced the tables of Chez Panisse, Oliveto and…
Read MoreContents Winter 2006
Letter From the Editor Is Fresh Always Best? Rosenblum Cellars and Its Descendants the Legacy of Generosity Chanterelles! Growing Interest Keeps Tradition Alive Not Home, Gone Fishin’ Part II: Blade, Blood, and the Amp What’s in Season A Roaming Gourmet Discovers East Bay Treasures Reveling for a Cause Winter at Frog Hollow Farm Compassionate…
Read MoreChanterelles!
By Leonie Sherman There’s more than one reason to love the winter rains that turn the East Bay hills luscious and green every year. They bring a refreshing scent, transform a season’s worth of brittle grasses to soft meadows, and fill tiny creeks to tumbling streams. The drippy weather also encourages many of us to…
Read MoreRosenblum Cellars and Its Descendants
The Legacy of Generosity By Derrick Schneider | Photos by Melissa Schneider Rosenblum Cellars is an important force in California’s wine industry. It’s one of the famous “Three R’s,” the leaders of the Zinfandel pack (the others are Ridge and Ravenswood). Rosenblum looms above smaller Zin producers the way its facility, a former airplane hangar,…
Read MoreIs Fresh Always Best?
By Cheryl Angelina Koehler My kitchen is the haunt of two creative cooks who shop each day for fresh ingredients—a common enough scenario, here in the fabulously food-rich Bay Area. But recently, a house guest came through and found something amiss. “There’s nothing in your freezer to heat and eat,” he said with some…
Read MoreLetter From the Editor
Dear Readers, Quite a lot has happened since we brought you the first ever Edible East Bay in October, not the least of which is that the seasons have turned from sunny and warm to moist and cool to downright wet and chilly. It seems only a few weeks ago that we were still slicing…
Read MoreGardens to Grow On
By Romney Steele | Photo by Carole Topalian The Edible Schoolyard at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley is a thriving one-acre garden next to a sprawling asphalt playground. Olive trees, rosemary bushes, and flowering sage frame the entrance to this spectacular space. On a fall visit, it smelled of thyme and…
Read MoreWinter at Frog Hollow Farm
By Cheryl Koehler Life is full of vicissitudes, and no one knows this more than the small family farmer. Every year he literally bets the farm against the whims of the weather and the marketplace. And every year he goes up against the wiles of an infinitely clever army of creatures great and small that…
Read MoreNot Home, Gone Fishin’
Part II: Blade, Blood, and the Amp By David G. Brown If you happened to read “Get Your Line in the Water” in the Autumn 2005 issue of Edible East Bay, you know I endeared myself to a Mr. Manoog Epstein, after catching a 51-pound leopard shark off the Bay Farm Bridge—and gifting it…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season?
By Romney Steele | Photos by Carole Topalian Winter in California brings more than just colder weather. Among the glad tidings are the promise of spring on the way and an abundance of locally grown winter produce at our grocery stores and farmers’ markets. Alongside the chard, kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are freshly sprouted…
Read MoreThe Unknown Vineyards of Contra Costa County
The Unknown Vineyards of Contra Costa County Story by Derrick Schneider | Photos by Melissa Schneider Imagine an upstart winemaker fleeing Contra Costa County’s prestigious but high-priced vineyards for the dirt-cheap farmland in the unknown Napa Valley. In the early twentieth century, Martinez and Oakley, not Rutherford and St. Helena, were darlings of the wine world.…
Read MoreTortillas
Mexico’s Daily Bread Story by Romney Steele | Photos by Gwendolyn Meyer Named by the Spanish, this flat, unleavened corn bread is used for many of the dishes we’ve come to know and love as Mexican food: tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and many other antojitos (snack foods). Not unlike unleavened breads from other cultures, in Mexico,…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season
Persimmons & Pomegranates By Barbara Kobsar I look forward to the Fall months as much for the seasonal produce as for the radiant colors. As I give a final sigh for the last harvest of California stone fruits, a fresh crop of picture-perfect persimmons comes along to fill the void. On my daily travels around…
Read MoreContents Fall 2006
On the Cover: “Backyard Pears” by Cheryl Koehler EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL AFTERTASTES Letters to the Editor FOOD FOR THOUGHT Life, Death & Bialys Ripe For Change ON GLEANING TORTILLAS Mexico’s Daily Bread OH NUTS! WHAT’S IN SEASON Persimmons & Pomegrantaes SEASONAL RECIPES By Peter Chastain, Executive Chef at…
Read MoreOn Gleaning
Story and Photos by Cheryl Koehler glean (glēn), v.t & v.i. [ M.E. glenen; OFr. glener; LL. glennare < Celt.; cf. OIr. dīgleinn, he gleans] 1. to collect (grain left by reapers). 2. to collect the remaining grain (from a field). 3. to collect (facts etc.) gradually or bit by bit. (Webster’s New World Dictionary)…
Read MoreRipe for Change
Plenty of books on sustainable agriculture have come out in recent years, but if you’ve been waiting for the movie, it’s here. Acclaimed Bay Area documentary filmmakers Jed Riffe and Emiko Omori have produced Ripe for Change, an insightful look at efforts to change the culture of farming in California to a more sustainable model.…
Read MoreFood for Thought
Life, Death & Bialys Review of a book and a lecture series that ask us to ask why “taste matters” On September 7, 2006, the Judah L. Magnes Museum of Berkeley inaugurated a year-long lecture series exploring the role of food and drink in Jewish culture. Ron Hendel, a UC Berkeley professor of Jewish Studies,…
Read MoreAfter Tastes
Letters to the Editor: “Berkeley’s food revolution began on the roof of a police car in Sproul Plaza on October 1, 1964” is a catchy introduction to Derrick Schneider’s article “Nowhere Else But Here” in your last issue. Unfortunately, he fails to capture the complex local histories of either politics or food. Schneider’s thesis appears…
Read MoreEditors Mixing Bowl
The first book of seasons at Edible East Bay is complete. One year ago, Edible Communities Inc. commissioned us to create a magazine that “celebrates the abundance of local foods, season by season.” We have not been slack in our duty, and after a whole year of celebrating, it almost feels reductive to honor a…
Read Moreoh nuts!
Story and Photos by Cheryl Angelina Koehler It’s worse than a bad hair day… you know…mega-disaster: Your food isn’t arriving from the other hemisphere the way it’s supposed to. Everyone’s getting hungry. What are you going to do? If you live in California, you will have done well to keep a supply of locally grown…
Read MorePEOPLE’S GROCERY
Bringing Health and Education Home Story and photo by Paul Supkoff It was not so long ago, as some folks remember, that ice cream, candy, and doughnut trucks roamed the neighborhoods, chiming their bells to beckon the kids, Pied Piper fashion, to follow the sweets. Today in West Oakland, there’s a rolling market that…
Read MoreNOWHERE ELSE BUT HERE
The Context of Berkeley’s Food Revolution BY DERRICK SCHNEIDER Berkeley’s food revolution began on the roof of a police car in Sproul Plaza on October 1, 1964. Three thousand students spontaneously trapped the cruiser that held fellow student Jack Weinberg after he deliberately violated new and capricious campus rules. The impromptu crowd listened as Mario…
Read MoreSummer 2006 Contents
HANDS-ON SALUMI FROM FRA’MANI NOWHERE ELSE BUT HERE PEOPLE’S GROCERY Recipe: Thai Curry Salad with Brown Jasmine Rice DIGITAL EDITION
Read MoreHome Wine Makers
By Derrick Schneider The 2002 California Toscano Falso from Berkeley’s Subterranean Cellars has won awards in prestigious wine competitions, but you’ll never find it at a store or restaurant. You’ll only taste it if you know Tim Patterson, who makes this wine and others at his Berkeley home. Patterson, a thoughtful, soft-spoken wine writer, is…
Read MoreTomatoes by the Bay
Baia Nicchia breeds new flavors By Romney Steele As the soil warms and gardeners don their gloves, tomato seedlings are often the first things to go into the ground. Give them lots of sunshine, and in a few months’ time, they will grace your garden, or a large pot, with their shiny globes. By…
Read MoreClafoutis
From Farmers’ Markets in Full Spring Swing Recipe by Barbara Kobsar This classic French recipe for clafoutis uses sweet cherries, but you can use plums, peaches, pears, or a combination of fruits. Serves 4 1 pound cherries ¼ cup sugar ⅓ cup flour Pinch of salt 3 eggs 1 cup cold milk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract…
Read MoreFarmers’ Markets in Full Spring Swing
By Barbara Kobsar I’m passionate about what goes into my shopping bag, and so I’m a regular at the East Bay’s year round farmers’ markets—even in winter. Every week, rain or shine, I bundle up, grab a sturdy shopping basket, and go to rub shoulders with the other regulars perusing the produce aisles and…
Read MoreMonterey Fish Company
Then and Now By Melissa Swanson It’s 5:45am on a Wednesday morning, and the folks at Monterey Fish Company, headquartered at San Francisco’s Pier 33, are just beginning to close the workday. Shovels transferring ice from barrel to barrel create a soft rhythmic roar, and the smell of the sea—fresh and faintly salty—permeates the air.…
Read MoreSalad of Tuna and Shellfish with Bottarga
From a 2006 story on Monterey Fish Company This recipe comes courtesy of Jon Smulewitz, chef/owner of Dopo in Oakland, California, who says to adjust quantities of seafood, lemon, and salt according to personal preference. Serves 6 1 pound fingerling potatoes 3 medium-size fennel bulbs, julienned Salt 2 pounds PEI mussels 3 pounds…
Read MoreContents Spring 2006
ON THE COVER “Tomato Seedling” By Carole Topalian LETTER FROM THE EDITOR NOTABLE EDIBLES A Roaming Gourmet Discovers East Bay Food Treasures THREE CHEFS ON LOCAL SOURCING SIX DELICIOUS DECADES IN THE BAY AREA AND ITALY An Interview with Doris Muscatine TURNING TOWARD TEA TOMATOES BY THE BAY NETTLES Nature’s Original Superfood FARMERS’ MARKETS IN…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season
Relishing Fall and Early Winter Foods By Meggin Thwing Eastman Photos by Carloe Topalian Living in the East Bay, we are so lucky to have luscious heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs, eggplant, and other summer goodies available well into the fall. But as the winter rains start falling and temperatures drop, the new season offers…
Read MoreBackyard to Bountiful
Temescal Amity Works: Telling a Community’s Story By Romney Steele Fruit trees, berry bushes, and gardens abound in North Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood. Originally planned as an orchard suburb in the 1920’s, and once a major center for Italian immigrant life, the neighborhood has an abundance of older fruit trees that continue to produce. In some…
Read MoreGet Your Line in the Water
By David G. Brown I am a fisherman of the first order. Just pick up the phone and I’m ready to go-to any fishery, anywhere, anytime. Early on, my sport was baseball. Then hockey. Later I became a golfing fanatic. As a kid back in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, I dabbled in fishing, occasionally hooking…
Read MoreEast Bay Charcuterie
By Derrick Schneider | Photos by Melissa Schneider Look around a neighborhood grocery store, or even a national supermarket chain, and you could believe that the business of curing meat is alive and well. Salami and ham are easy to find in the lunchmeat section or behind the sandwich counter. But these commercial forms…
Read MoreAround the Table at Zocalo Coffeehouse
By Cheryl Koehler It’s often said that half the pleasure of good food and drink is the company with which we enjoy it, and so with that in mind, Edible East Bay presents “Around the Table,” offering news of selected East Bay places and projects where the spirit of camaraderie is as important…
Read MoreLetter from the Editor Fall 2005
Edible East Bay—it’s such a naturally appealing idea, one so good that it makes us wonder why it didn’t come along years ago. But now Edible East Bay is here, thanks to Edible Communities, a growing, award-winning, nationwide series of community-based food publications with a laudable mission: “to transform the way communities shop for,…
Read MoreContents Fall 2005
Sweet Success at Bakesale Betty East Bay Charcuterie Get Your Line in the Water What’s in Season Fall 2005 Notable Edibles Backyard to Bountiful Livermore Valley Wine Afoot in a Brentwood Garden of Eden A Taste of Golden-Green Around the Table at Zocalo Coffeehouse
Read MoreAfoot in a Brentwood Garden of Eden
A visit to Knoll Farms By Cheryl Koehler As a casual Westerner, I always feel an odd sense of awe when visiting a home where the convention is to take off one’s shoes at the door. The custom implies a certain honoring of the space within the home. It was a similar feeling…
Read MoreSweet Success at Bakesale Betty
By Romney Steele | Photos by Carole Topalian Alison Barakat (aka Betty) wears a bright blue wig and has an infectious smile. She exudes warmth and has seemingly boundless energy to match—greeting customers like they were old friends, affectionately calling them “my love” and tending to their needs in between our conversation. Mind you,…
Read MoreMediterranean Spring Vegetable Stew
From the story Farmers’ Markets in Full Spring Swing By Barbara Kobsar This classic recipe comes to Edible East Bay from Sandy Sonnenfelt, Prepared Foods Manager at Market Hall in Oakland. Serve it as a side dish or as a light meal accompanied by a loaf of crusty bread. To make a more substantial dish, toss…
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