Posts by Edible East Bay

  California’s premier cheese festival, the California Artisan Cheese Festival, is returning on Saturday May 7, 2022, for a one-day in-person event! Cheese-lovers from across the Bay Area will be able to sample products from over 60 award-winning cheesemakers, winemakers, breweries, and crafters of other local artisan goods at this 16th annual festival for the senses. This…

  Are you curious about medicinal plants and where they grow? Join clinical herbalist and permaculturist Maria del Carmen Cortez (Carmen) for an hour of exploration in Oakland’s Dimond Park. Learn to identify medicinal plants like dandelion, plantain, yarrow, willow, blackberry, and mugwort as Carmen discusses they use by herbalists. The group will meet at…

  After two years of virtual programming, the Bay Area Book Festival returns to Downtown Berkeley on May 7 and 8 with some of the most perceptive, spellbinding, lauded authors and thinkers of today, writing in many genres and representing a wide diversity of backgrounds appearing on indoor and outdoor stages and via livestream. Literary exhibitors,…

  This is a big all-day literary arts festival, but for Edible East Bay, the highlight will be the 2:30–4pm panel: Word of Mouth: Writing about Food and Wine with poet Gabrielle Myers (Too Many Seeds), winemaker/writer Steven Kent Mirassou (Lineage), journalist Deborah Grossman, and Sarah Cain, liqueur-maker of Muddle Me This, as moderator. David…

  Covid delayed the community event celebrating the five-year anniversary of the Lamorinda Agricultural Viticulture Area (AVA), but we’re pleased as pinot to share the news of this celebration, which goes one year better on May 1, 2022, noon-6pm, at Wine Thieves in Lafayette. The May 1 ticketed public tasting event celebrates Lamorinda wines and…

  Spend a day in the beautiful Capay Valley north of Davis, California, learning from farmers Dru Rivers and Paul Muller about the myriad of ways their Full Belly Farm has morphed over 40 years to become a diverse vegetable, flower, fruit, grain, animal, value added, and educational center using simple tools and innovative techniques on…

  Join Herbicide Free Campus (HFC) and Professor Philip Stark on Wednesday, April 27, 6–8:30pm for a foraging walk in Berkeley, followed by an evening of community + cocktails—made with the plants you foraged!—at a cocktail party in a beautiful Berkeley home overlooking the Bay. A draw to the event is the chance to spend…

  Have you ever seen a food forest? Are you interested in growing your own food or want to replace your lawn with a more sustainable landscape? Tour several demonstration gardens filled with food-producing plants fed by secondary water (roof water and/or laundry-to-landscape greywater system) in Benicia and Vallejo. You’ll learn simple techniques that you…

  Spend the April 23 & 24 weekend with herbalist Alexandra Hudson learning how to nourish yourself with the vibrant variety of edible plants growing in the Bay Area. Saturday morning: During an informative herb walk in the East Bay hills, you’ll learn to identify the plants and how to harvest and process them as…

  In two new reports, the Alliance of Mission Based Recyclers (AMBR) firmly opposes “chemical recycling” policies and pending legislation in several states. Chemical recycling technologies use heat, chemical reactions, or both to break down used plastics into raw materials for new plastic, fuel, or other chemicals. Martin Bourque, AMBR founder and director of the…

  Roll up your sleeves and head over to the UC Berkeley campus as students involved in the Herbicide-Free Campus (HFC) movement welcome the community to two upcoming events featuring herbicide-free gardening. Help students create a space where bees and pollinators will thrive on the April 15 Pollinator Garden Planting Day hosted in collaboration with Haas Sustainability.…

  Our “What’s in Season” writer Barbara Kobsar made an early April trip out to Brentwood’s Hipolito family and their Berry Best Farm. She was checking in for jam-making ingredients when she spotted these beautiful spring onions, which the farmers’ grandson Logan was helping to pile up at the farm stand. Barbara plans to enjoy…

  Grow your own food while helping to feed others! You can help provide freshly made meals for Ukrainian refugees when you purchase heirloom tomato plants at Berkeley’s MariLark Farms. All proceeds will be donated to World Central Kitchen, which serves meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. #Tomatoes4Ukraine Saturday April 16, 11am–2pm…

    During this first week in April, pickers at Brentwood’s famed Frog Hollow Farm are choosing a small quantity of the farm’s organic Independence almonds to harvest at an immature stage when this drupe fruit looks like a small green apricot. The farm’s resident chef, Mario Hernandez, describes green almonds as “tart, crunchy, and juicy,”…

  You appreciate wine, right? And you’re interested in learning more about regenerative agriculture? How about cute animal videos? Watch Molly Frey talk about how her family’s playful grazing goats benefit their biodynamic gardens and vineyards in Mendocino. Here’s the link to Frey’s YouTube video. And if you want more valuable information about how the goats…

April 2 Seed Swap The Bay Area Seed Interchange Library (BASIL) resumes its popular Seed Swap at the Saturday Downtown Berkeley Farmers’ Market. You’ll find free educational resources for sustainable gardening and seed saving, as well as a space to connect and learn with other local gardeners. Come share your seeds with BASIL and community…

  Pysanky, a Ukrainian tradition, are empty eggshells covered with elaborate, colorful decorations inscribed in wax. The beautiful shells remind us about the fragility of life. For nearly 20 years, Oakland architect Marcie Gutierrez has hosted an annual spring pysanky-making gathering at her home. This year, her longtime friends Michelle Hlubinka and Casondra Sobieralski suggested…

  Join Chef Maria Capdevielle for a beginner’s baking class where you’ll learn professional but easy techniques as you make an apple galette and spinach-ricotta turnovers. A week before the class, you will receive a shopping and equipment list, prep instructions, and a link to the virtual classroom. During the class, you will cook along…

  Experience a rare opportunity to taste experimental wines with industry experts and graduate researcher James Campbell, who produced two wines that illustrate naturally occurring pigments’ effect on tannins. The event opens as Campbell discusses the research with Dr. Andrew Waterhouse, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, and is followed…

  Concerned about water use and pests? Learn how you can successfully grow an abundance of food the eco-friendly way, using water most efficiently and managing pest problems using alternatives that are healthier for your family and better for the environment. This webinar, offered by the Clean Water Program Alameda County in collaboration with Our Water Our World, is ideal for any level of…

  Berkeley’s ACCI Gallery presents “A Place at the Table,” a unique exhibit that interprets the idea of “place” and the visual connection between food and ceramics in works by regional ceramic artists. The juried show is curated by Bay Area artist and writer Maria Porges, who describes her selection process as follows: “I considered both the idea…

  Want to cook something yummy without going to the store? Chef Alison Mountford of Ends & Stems shows how to cook frittata and pizza, two of her favorite “from the fridge” recipes. She talks about how easy it can be to reduce your food waste by keeping track of what’s in your refrigerator and…

  Tune in April 11 at noon for a fascinating online lecture offered by the UC Botanical Garden. “Finding Solace in the Soil: The Archaeology of Gardens and Gardeners at Colorado’s Japanese American Incarceration Camp,” is an online lunchtime lecture by Dr. Bonnie J. Clark (University of Denver). During World War II, Americans of Japanese…

  Masumoto Family Farm welcomes the public for a blossom bathing experience amid the peach, apricot, and nectarine trees at their farm in Del Ray. The fruit tree blossoms are especially magnificent during the coming two-to-three-week period  as the trees, certified organic peaches, nectarines, and apricots (plus grapes for raisins), undergo fertilization. Blossom Bathing is…

  According to our Tri-Valley–based friends, there’s one place to go if you want the sine qua naan (best naan ever). It’s Livermore’s Sansar Indian Cuisine. “We also really like the food at Ashoka in Pleasanton, a little hole in the wall place. When we’re jonesing for high-end Chinese, it’s going to be Andy and…

In her documentary, Breaking Bread, (showing at the Albany Twin Theater through Tuesday, February 22), director Beth Elise Hawk tells the story of the A-Sham Festival, a three-day annual food celebration in Haifa, Israel. Hawk set out to show how food can build bridges between communities and remind the people of the region that they…

  Join Chef Alison Mountford of Ends & Stems for an online class on how to maximize the life of our greens and cook them in appealing ways. When we purchase leafy greens fresh and store them correctly, there’s more time to enjoy them and less chance that we’ll have to throw them away. This…

  If you need some seeds to get your garden started or have some to share, stop by this lovely home-based farm in the Berkeley hills on February 26. MariLark Farms owner Charlie Costello says he’s using the concept of “It takes a village” as he brings people together to support one another in many…

  All gardeners rely on healthy soil for beautiful, pest-free gardens. Learn to build and maintain nutrient-rich soil and find out why healthy soil supports plant growth, reduction of pests, and more efficient use of water. This free webinar, presented by the Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program, is for gardeners of all levels. The Clean Water Program is…

Again, the humble bake sale comes to the rescue when we are feeling powerless. Join Annelies Zijderveld in a tasty way to donate to the International Rescue Committee with their focus on helping Ukrainians survive and rebuild their lives by enjoying some handmade conchas and conchinitos here at home. Preorder here by March 7 for…

  Toast National Absinthe Day on March 5 with a Verte. It’s made by combining equal parts Absinthia Absinthe Verte, Campari, and vermouth. Stir and strain over a large ice cube and garnish with an orange slice. This cocktail was created by Absinthia Vermut, an Oakland gal who acquired that storybook name as she was…

  The Good Food Awards represent both superior taste and responsible practices, recognizing the value of craftsmanship and flavor as well as social and environmental responsibility. Nearly 200 winners are selected annually in a blind tasting from over 2,000 entries submitted from all 50 states. Congratulations to these East Bay winners of the 2022 Good…

  Attend a free webinar on January 20, 4–5pm, to learn about StopWaste grants to Alameda County businesses and nonprofits, including many for food-category projects. Applications are due by February 25. This new cycle of grant funding in five categories is related to innovation in waste prevention. A total of $700,000 is available to Alameda…

Oliveto—1986–2021—An appreciation by L. John Harris   It’s Never Over Till It’s Over: Oliveto Restaurant and Café closed its doors for good on New Year’s Eve, 2021 after 35 years in business in Rockridge. But for me it’s just the beginning of a new chapter in a very long relationship with the restaurant, and with…

Our gardens are loving the recent rains—but so do the weeds! If you’re seeing dandelion, crabgrass, annual bluegrass, and other weeds sprouting up, learn what steps to take now to ensure fewer weeds all year long. Why reach for toxic herbicides when you can use organic, eco-friendly techniques for safe and effective weed management? Alameda…

  Ends & Stems founder Chef Alison Mountford returns for her first Ecology Center class of 2022 with more great ideas on how you can reduce your food waste! Using seasonal vegetables, you’ll learn how to make homemade soup stocks (vegetable and chicken), and turn them into hearty minestrone and creamy vegetable soups. The “Stock…

  Perhaps you’ve been to Soba Ichi Restaurant to enjoy a bowl of Chef Koichi Ishii’s soba noodles. If so, you’ve experienced some of the remarkable artistry that goes on at the site of an old oxygen factory in West Oakland. Master wood joiner Paul Discos bought the property in 2000 and turned it into…

  Imagine a dense, multilayered garden hosting a wide diversity of food-producing plants. The permaculture practitioners who like to create such gardens model them after healthy natural forest environments. That’s where they go looking for clues on how to establish and maintain a healthy plant community. A food forest can provide a long-lasting food system…

  With winter solstice upon us, we decided we needed to spike up our Winter Wassail recipe, so we wandered over to Wine on Piedmont at 4183 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland and asked Adriana Fabbro what she would pour into such a drink. “It would be Home Base Bourbon Batch 22, one of our local favorites,”…

The East Bay has some of the most diverse and advanced urban ag projects in the country, and on this bus tour, you’ll get to visit and experience hands-on activities at six notable projects (plus enjoy a plant-based lunch with seasonal ingredients). You’ll see how urban agriculture goes far beyond backyard gardens and community plots…

  A member of Edible East Bay’s editorial team for many years, artist Helen Krayenhoff has a fall tradition of creating an illustrated book each year. This time, it’s a small, colorful cookbook with 12 simple vegetarian recipes that she’s illustrated with watercolors. The recipes were created with Sandy Sonnenfelt, an expert olive oil taster…

  By Nicole Riggs “I got into fresh-infused foods when a friend of mine sent a recipe for making bhang tea with fresh ganja,” recalls Sunshine Cereceda, a well-known small-farm cannabis cultivator in Humboldt County. “Well, shoot!” I thought, “I have fresh ganja in my backyard, I’m going to make it.” She ground up the…

  This exciting multicultural market in Oakland’s Temescal district, which features produce from Black and other under-served farmers, has now gone year round. Come on the second Saturday each month for delicious, affordable, chemical-free fruits and veggies grown in California. Stay for activities like a sweet potato pie tasting, live music, chess championship, trash fashion…

  Taste some of California’s best new olive oils at Market Hall Foods, Oakland, Saturday December 11, noon–2pm. Meet the makers, producers (including Samir from the Olive Truck), and olive oil experts, discuss harvest news, milling innovations, and the differences in varieties. Taste and enjoy a 10% discount on these new oils from Bondolio, CaliVirgin,…

  Visit the Freedom Farmers’ Market at 4521 Telegraph Ave, Oakland on Saturday, December 11, 10am–noon, to sample four sweet potato pies. Vote, shop, mingle, and stay to see which baker will be crowned at noon (and win a cash prize) as the creator of 2021’s best tasting SWEET POTATO PIE! Read our Fall 2021…

Join Karen and Malcolm Bond, owners of Bondolio Olive Farm near Winters, to celebrate the holiday season and the treasure of this harvest’s fresh olio nuovo (the fresh new olive oil). In addition to the prized and extremely limited 2021 Olio Nuovo, the Bondolio 2021 Extra Virgin Olive Oil and their Mandarin Orange Olive Oil will…

  Join K. Ruby Blume and the Institute of Urban Homesteading on December 11 and 12 for a year-end celebration of the bounty with tasting, shopping, serendipitous encounters with urban farming friends, and micro-workshops. A seminal instigator of the Bay Area’s urban homesteading movement, Ruby now handcrafts a plethora of beautiful, tasty, and useful items…

  The Good Food Foundation has announced its finalists for the 2022 Good Food Awards and created this opportunity to shop from 150 of these celebrated makers. Through November 14, the Good Food Awards Finalists Pop-up Shop is live, with an outstanding selection of food and drink items. Shipping costs are included and revenues from…

  A traditional herbal remedy, fire cider has become a staple in the herbal health world. It’s a go-to elixir for supporting the immune system throughout the winter months. This easy-to-make recipe can be crafted using simple kitchen ingredients and can be taken by the whole family. Join East Bay Herbals on December 6 for…

  Join the folks at Sol Root Farm to learn about caring for plant allies, farming according to the lunar cycles, and working with plants for health and wellness. Herbal products at the outdoor botanica include simple tea blends, Rosemary herb wands, herbal balms to nourish your skin, and more. Sol Root Farm Pop-up Saturday…

  Yolanda Burrell of Pollinate and Helena Sylvester of Happy Acre Farm invite you to the Happy Acre olive orchard to make your own gorgeous natural holiday wreath. The two have foraged a load of local natural materials perfect for wreath making, and they will tell you all about these plants as they speak about the…

  Celebrate with The Local Butcher Shop as the business arrives at a milestone anniversary and transitions shop ownership to the employee team. The shop’s philosophies about sourcing environmentally responsible meat and fostering a transparent, respectful workplace will continue as strong as ever. Take part in the fun and enjoy beef sliders, samples, live music, and a…

  Join food writer and cook Annelies Zijderveld for a class that will make your kitchen smell like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Bake scrumptious, scary Spiderweb Cupcakes, mix up some Matcha Peanut Butter Cups, and top things off with spooky Fig Spiders and Ghosts. Young kids are welcome to participate with an adult; teens can come…

  Celebrated food activists Rowen White and Jocelyn Jackson join Real Foods Real Stories (RFRS) for a conversation on decolonizing mainstream food culture. Rowen is a Mohawk seed keeper, farmer, and activist, and Jocelyn is a Black cook-activist, artist, and cofounder of the People’s Kitchen Collective. The two will explore food culture and the way…

  East Brother Beer Company and Book Passage present a conversation between Jeff Alworth, author of The Beer Bible: Second Edition and Paul Liszewski, head brewer at East Brother Beer Company. First, enjoy a guided tasting of four of East Brother Beer’s classic styles, followed by an audience Q&A. Ticket holders will receive a signed…

  Biofuel Oasis is offering three pop-up classes open to the public: In Botanical Drawing, you’ll learn how to draw seed pods and flowers with artist Susan Lorraine. Bring a pad, pencil, eraser, and pen. A gardening class with Biofuel’s intern, Ellie, focuses on growing sprouts and microgreens. The third class is a double header:…

  Spend an afternoon at the UC Davis Olive Center celebrating the fall olive harvest with an olio nuovo tasting, an olive oil food pairings demo, a self-guided garden tour, and a gardening workshop. The centerpiece of the event is a special olive oil made in collaboration with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the…

  At this time each year, Séka Hills celebrates the transformation of their estate olives into a seasonal treasure, olio nuovo. This special olive oil, with its bold, bright, and distinct flavor, is a reward of the harvest that represents the work and dedication of the past and the promise of a bountiful future. At…

  Join Chef Alison Mountford for ideas on creating an earth-friendly, sustainable Thanksgiving. Get great tips on shopping lists, portion planning, table settings, zero-waste cooking, food storage, and using up leftovers. Learn the details of roasting a turkey and preparing delicious alternatives to turkey. This class should help you enjoy a holiday with less stress and more…

  Learn creative ways to enhance classic holiday dishes, simply by utilizing healing herbs and spices. This online session will go over the medicinal value of classic holiday herbs and spices and teach students how to use them intentionally in their holiday cooking. Students receive a holiday e-recipe book and take part in a tea…

      Alameda Point Collaborative Farm welcomes the public to a Fall Festival to enjoy apple tasting, pumpkin painting and carving, a petting zoo, and many fall treats. Members of the Food Shift team will be there to showcase their newest product, dog treats made with human-grade ingredients, including brewery spent grains. This is…

  Nick’s Cove hosts its second annual Javelins & Jack-o-Lanterns at Tomales Bay. Come carve pumpkins and watch the sun set as the jack-o-lanterns come to life atop javelins set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of Tomales Bay. A spooky good time is guaranteed for all at this free, community event. Javelins & Jack-o-Lanterns Sunday…

    The introduction of the Justice for Black Farmers Act in 2020 and the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act of 2021 was the first time many Americans learned about the historical and ongoing discrimination against farmers of African descent by local farm service agencies and private entities like banks. Yet, it was…

Join Italian chef Maria Teresa Capdevielle online on October 23, 11am, and learn how to make this popular Italian flatbread using a variety of seasonal ingredients. You’ll make two flatbreads: sage with parmigiano and pesto with artichoke. This is an online class via zoom. A week before the class, you will receive a shopping and…

    Tune in for this discussion about social justice and food justice issues with effective solutions presented by a group of BIPOC community leaders. Bay Area nonprofit Acterra talks with Nikia Durgin and Jeneba Kilgore from Mandela Grocery Cooperative, who will highlight local solutions they’ve implemented in Oakland. Topics covered include grocery cooperatives, access…

  Learn to make this Italian fall classic and three other dishes at “An Italian Fall Farmer’s Table,” an online class offered by Chef Maria Capdevielle. Bring the flavors of the Italian countryside to your kitchen with this online class offered by East Bay chef Maria Capdevielle. You will learn how to make pasta from…

  September 25 is Tomato Day at Smith Family Farm in Brentwood. It’s also the official opening to the farm’s Pumpkin Patch, which runs through October 31. “We invite guest chefs—often ones that have used our tomatoes for many years in their restaurants—to sample some of their favorite dishes, and we have an heirloom sampling…

Directed by Emily Cohen Ibañez, Fruits of Labor is the story of an American teen in an agricultural town on California’s central coast. ICE raids in her community threaten to separate her family, and she must become the breadwinner. Her dreams of graduating from high school are disrupted by long days of work in the…

  View over 200 pieces of artwork by 85 Emeryville artists at the 35th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition, which begins October 1 with its opening reception and continues through October 31, Thursday through Sunday. The East Bay enclave of Emeryville is well known for its active and diverse arts community, and this juried exhibition serves…

  The call is out for a poster design to represent the Mycological Society of San Francisco’s 50th Golden Jubilee Revival Fungus Fair. Art submissions are due by September 22, and the winner will be announced in late October. The contest winner will be awarded $250. After a three-year hiatus due to Covid and other…

    Real Food Real Stories serves up this intriguing question: How can we meet this moment of unprecedented upheaval in our food system with long-term visions of abundance, equity, justice, and care? Join three food changemakers to hear their personal stories and ideas about a future of plenty. Speakers include Afrofuturist writer, food scholar,…

  By Rachel Trachten It’s a little circuitous, but here’s a story of how the Golden State Warriors became part of a team of volunteers helping Yolanda Burrell of Pollinate Farm find new footing during the challenging summer of 2020. It was during the chaotic month of July, 2020 that Burrell, co-founder of East Oakland’s Pollinate…

Learn to make useful, planet-friendly gifts and gift wrap. A great alternative to plastic cling wrap and plastic bags, beeswax wrap is washable and reusable and offers an easy way to reduce plastic pollution and help others do the same. Gather the ingredients yourself from the list you’ll receive when you register, or pre-pay and…

  In this free webinar, local IPM expert Suzanne Bontempo talks about why fall is the best time to plant. You’ll also learn out how to keep pests like ants, rats, and mice away from your home and garden.  This webinar is part of a series sponsored by the Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program, working…

  Got extra honey? Traditional meads need a year or more to age, but it’s possible to speed up the process and have mead that is drinkable in one month. Learn how at this Biofuel Oasis class with Jim Vetch, a Berkeley beekeeper who has been making fast mead for years and experimenting with different ingredients…

Photos courtesy of Laura’s Apples “Gravensteins are amazing apples,” says Laura Cheever, who has a bumper crop of them headed to Oakland from her organic orchard in Sonoma County.  “They’re sweet, tart, crispy, and juicy,” she adds. “A bite fills your whole palate with flavor. They make excellent pies, juice, sauce, dried apples, and hard cider.”…

  Biofuel Oasis Cooperative hosts leading local horticultural expert John Valenzuela on Saturday, August 28, 1–4pm at the Bancroft Community Garden in Berkeley for a hands-on best-practices class on fruit tree pruning. Winter-only pruning encourages trees to respond with excessive growth, while summer pruning and training maintains an accessible height, and better fruiting, with less…

  Summer veggies rely on nutrient-rich, healthy soil and good growing conditions to stay vigorous and produce high yields. Learn techniques that help prevent pests and disease instead of relying on harmful chemicals, and grow an abundance of food for a season-long harvest. This webinar is part of a series sponsored by the Alameda Countywide…

    A New Bill Bans Plastic Utensils with Food Delivery Except Upon Request By Rachel Trachten Ever opened a bag of takeout food to find plastic utensils, paper napkins, and tiny packets of ketchup and mustard you don’t need and didn’t ask for? That will be happening a lot less once California enacts legislation…

  Berkeley’s Biofuel Oasis hosts this three-hour outdoor workshop where you’ll learn a Japanese technique of visible mending and patching aimed at repairing and reusing ripped clothes rather than throwing them away. Mending is a meditative and slow-paced activity that can serve to soothe us in our often-busy lives. This workshop will allow mending beginners…

  Indie tomato breeder Fred Hempel discusses his newest tomato varieties, Blush and Green Bee, at a talk and tasting called Blush and Green Bee: Unconventional Tomatoes Bred by Traditional Partnerships. “These are unconventional tomatoes bred by traditional partnerships,” says Hempel, who developed the new varieties in partnerships with his two kids. Alex helped with…

  Join this multicultural celebration of community building each Saturday, 9am–2pm at the corner of Shattuck Ave and 46th Street in the Temescal Business District. Now in its 8th year, the Freedom Farmers’ Marketplace is a multi-cultural market bringing Black farmers and other socially disadvantaged farmers to the Bay Area for a direct-to-consumer selling experience. On market…

  The pandemic led to a spike in single-use plastics, with the plastics industry stirring up fear about the safety of reusables. While their efforts succeeded in rolling back progress toward reducing disposable goods, it’s time to push back. To celebrate Plastic-free July, the Berkeley Ecology Center is offering a variety of events to teach…

Singer-songwriter Holly Tzeigon-Whitaker of Kalinders performed from the roof over Akshay Prabhu’s Bao House for the home-cooked-food restaurant’s soft opening on July 1.   Imagine strolling around a corner in your own residential neighborhood and ducking through a hidden gate to arrive at a tiny and distinctive restaurant venue. A folk-rock musician sings soulful originals…

  We recently found ourselves tossed back 10 years in time while driving among the apartment complexes and business parks near the Fremont BART station. Suddenly there was this soothing green growing island: lush rows of corn, thriving pepper, tomatillo, and tomato plants, and thick beds of sunflowers and cosmos. Was this heaven? Had we…

  We first got to know the Re-Up Refill Shop as one of several residents at O2 Artisans Aggregate (O2AA), a former industrial site in West Oakland run by artisans with interests in environmental activism, who also looked for ways to reduce, reuse, and repurpose their on-site generated waste. The Re-Up Refill Shop was a…

  Longtime readers of Edible East Bay may remember Willow Summer, founder of West Oakland’s City Slicker Farm and a leader with many other Bay Area urban farming projects. She grew up gardening with her dad in West Sonoma County, and returned there to farm with her husband Lew at their Three Springs Community Farm,…

  When drought conditions persist for long periods of time, it can significantly impact plant health in a number of ways. Lack of water limits a plant’s ability to produce food, and stressed plants are more prone to attract pests. Excessive heat can also accelerate the reproduction time of pests. But there are simple garden management…

  Join Chef Alison Mountford, founder of Ends + Stems, to learn about fermentation tools and techniques for making sauerkraut and kimchi from food scraps. Participants will leave class with a basic understanding of safe fermentation practices, a jar or two of sauerkraut and kimchi to let ferment, and a plan for creating a zero-waste…