Posts by Edible East Bay

  Get your hands in the dirt! Check out these in-depth in-person learning experiences offered at Gill Tract Farm in Albany this summer. Introduction to Urban Agroecology Learn about the farm’s agroecological practices, such as intercropping, composting, cover cropping, hedgerows, pollinator plants, and building seed banks. Multiple members of the farm community will give demonstrations,…

  Get your hands in the soil and reconnect with the land at this outdoors, masked, in-person event.  Help out with farm chores ranging from prepping beds to sifting compost. Lend a hand preparing healthy hot meals for delivery to those experiencing housing insecurity in Berkeley and Oakland, and please bring food staples to donate…

  Looking for a more meaningful career that brings people at risk in closer touch with nature? Check out the nonprofit Insight Garden Program, which is currently seeking Northern California team members passionate about providing trauma-informed programming in prisons, growing gardens, environmental education, “inner gardening,” and also able to navigate prison bureaucracies. The innovative 48-week…

  Charlie Cart, the handy kitchen on wheels used to teach school children about food and cooking, is making its way into public libraries. Currently in 38 libraries across the country, the carts are used online or in person to boost culinary skills and share recipes and nutritional information. “Libraries started taking notice early on,”…

  All are welcome to join in and decorate the streets of Berkeley at this year’s Chocolate & Chalk Art Festival, where the theme is “Art Sparks Joy.” Artists may work alone or in groups to create chalk art on the sidewalks along Shattuck Avenue and Cedar Street in North Berkeley. The first 25 to…

  Most people don’t realize that about 90% of the bugs in our gardens are actually beneficial. These critters help gardens by effectively reducing pests like aphids. This free gardening webinar focuses on identifying which insects are most beneficial and what you can do to attract them. The webinar is part of a series sponsored…

  “Urban agriculture can play an important role in food justice and equity,” says Gloria Montaño Greene, the Deputy Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “Such projects have the potential to educate, innovate, and unify communities to improve nutrition and food access and increase local food production…

  “We’re grateful to have Off the Grid to help mobilize and think ahead,” says May German, co-owner of alaMar Kitchen & Bar, whose Oakland restaurant was the first to join a program created by Off the Grid (OTG) to help feed first responders. Off the Grid now urges food providers in the East Bay…

    An exciting youth-driven project aims to convert the former Santa Fe Right of Way (SFROW) railroad site into a green space and community garden. Moving South Berkeley Forward is a collaboration that involves Berkeley High School, UC Berkeley, the City of Berkeley, and the Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative. According to coordinator Kayhill Verceles,…

  StopWaste and Bay Area Green Tours invite the community to a premiere of the short film “Food as Medicine: Community, Healing & Resilience.” Produced by Bay Area Green Tours with grant funding from StopWaste, the film looks at the parallel issues of food waste and food insecurity, and how these overlap with community members’…

  On May 22, 11am–12:30pm, Chef Alison Mountford of Ends and Stems leads Adventures in Pickling, a hands-on online pickling workshop. Learn to make your own pickles from seasonal fruits and vegetable scraps and how to jazz up your pickles with salt, sugar, and whole spices. Cost: $10–15. Info and registration: here On May 27,…

  What’s better than a homemade fruit pie? Making pie with Two Chicks in the Mix! Join this online workshop and learn to make an all-butter pie crust and seasonal pie filling. The chicks will demonstrate how to mix and roll out your crust and how to make a memorable filling with fruit as well…

  Meet Ruth Stroup the Insurance Lady at the Grand Lake Farmers’ Market on Saturday, May 8, 9am–2pm for the Great Big Bag Giveaway. These “Greetings from Oakland” shopping bags are seriously awesome! Large capacity. Super sturdy, fun, and colorful. Sporting Oakland Love! We asked Ruth what she’ll bring home in her own market bag…

  Looking for some of those famous Boichik Bagels, a slice of delight from Ono Bakehouse, vegan sweets from Tai Zhan Microbakery, or just a chance to stand in solidarity with our Asian community? Step into the online auction April 30–May 2 to bid on products, services, gift cards, and experiences, or the bake sale…

  The impact of the pandemic has been severe at Community Foods Market, the full-service grocery that opened in 2019 on San Pablo Avenue in West Oakland. In addition to providing fresh produce and other affordable foods, the store also served as a neighborhood hub with a café, seasonal gatherings, and community wellness events. But…

  Did you know that over 3 billion single-use cardboard pizza boxes end up in the waste stream each year? Well, you can be sure that plenty of ice cream cartons are piling up next to them, and that’s why MudLab, Oakland’s zero-waste café and grocery store, is fighting back with ways to buy two…

If you like heartwarming success stories, then you must meet Javier Zamora of JSM Organics. This is a man whose love for farming started in elementary school in Michoacan, Mexico. His path from growing carrots and radishes at age seven to landing at the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) at 38 in Salinas was a…

  Join Farms to Grow, Inc on Saturday, April 24, 3–4:30pm for a conversation with Black chefs celebrating African American foodways, cultural preservation of ancestral agriculture and recipes, contributions to America’s supply chain, and barriers. Panelists include Kevin Mitchell, Jason Wallace, Tia McDonald and the event is moderated by sixth-generation farmer, chef, and author Matthew…

  Are you a social entrepreneur, impact or angel investor, or a fund or foundation manager? Do you want to know how to move more money to social impact companies and organizations solving problems that benefit the East Bay community? If so, join the East Bay Community Foundation for its online Inclusive Economy Showcase highlighting…

  Registration is open for the popular Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, now in its 17th year. This award-winning annual tour of East Bay native plant gardens (running this year, like last, on Zoom) happens on four Sundays, April 25, May 2, May 16, and May 23, 10am–3pm. The tours feature 25 beautiful native plant…

  Herbicide Free Campus is calling all visual artists (and poets) to enter its April 21 art contest to help show how weeds can be beautiful and beneficial. The goal is to spread awareness of Herbicide Free Campus’s mission toward reducing use of herbicides and other chemicals that are harming our environment. The idea is…

  The Berkeley Historical Society has opened its Berkeley’s Fascination with Food exhibit through April, and to amp up the fun, the inimitable L. John Harris is spinning out tales (plus Q&A) of his “50-Year Obsession with Over-Roasted Coffee, Goaty Cheese, Baby Vegetables, Stinky Garlic, Fatty Pastrami, and More” at the virtual Berkeley City Club.…

  Tune in for this live hour-long fireside chat exploring what it means to build an ethical and climate-friendly supply chain for baking staples like chocolate and flour. The discussion comes through the lens of two Bay-Area brands: the beloved Guittard Chocolate and award-winning upcycled food company Renewal Mill. Amy Guittard and Renewal Mill founder…

As part of its TCHO Pro initiative, the Berkeley-based chocolate maker tapped into the creativity of Sam Butarbutar, founder of West Berkeley’s Third Culture Bakery. Best known for his wildly popular mochi muffins, Butarbutar came up with Chocolate Truffle Daifuku Mochis, a dessert inspired by renowned cookbook author and truffle maker Alice Medrich. Butarbutar, who…

  Are you a renter who wants to grow a garden but you have no yard? No problem! Most renters, especially if they’re not planning a long stay at their rental, prefer not to spend too much time or money fixing up someone else’s property. But the benefits of home gardening—lowering your grocery bills, making…

  A native of New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood, Oakland Chef Nelson German of alaMar Kitchen & Bar and Sobre Mesa Afro-Latin cocktail lounge learned about the rich culture and history of his Dominican roots from his mother. His live virtual cook-along event, hosted by The Global Food and Drink Initiative, includes stories of his…

  The Oakland Asian Cultural Center presents its first-ever virtual South and Southeast Asian New Year Celebration April 12–17 with a week full of events featuring new year’s traditions from Cambodia, Thailand, India, and more. Enjoy an array of engaging demonstrations and performances, shop for good food at the Virtual Community Night Market, and experience…

  Sustainability Concierge April Apeliski welcomes you into her kitchen on April 15, 6pm, for an interactive online event. She’ll share her favorite ideas for reducing waste and toxins and finding sustainable alternatives for a range of household items. April has worked on the policy level at the San Francisco Department of the Environment and…

  There’s no question that the meringue-based fruit- and cream-topped dessert called Pavlova originated Down Under, but Aussies and Kiwis will forever debate who came up with it first. They all agree, however, that the name was attached in the 1930s to honor the beloved Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. And we think it would be…

  Celebrate the power of women with a community food box from the nation’s first women-led food hall. The Municipal Marketplace, created by San Francisco nonprofit kitchen incubator La Cocina, opens this spring for takeout/delivery. These community boxes preview some of the food that will available when the hall opens. Each box features a seven-course…

  This recipe for the Middle Eastern classic spread comes from Market Hall Executive Chef Scott Miller. It includes instructions for making your hummus come out perfectly creamy plus Chef Scott’s ideas for spiking it up with spice, zing, and heat. Preserved lemon adds a bright pucker of winter citrus. Harissa—the North African condiment of chiles,…

  Slow Food East Bay invites enthusiasts dedicated to good, clean, and fair food to join the organization in one of various leadership positions. The group is a volunteer-run nonprofit and a chapter of the Slow Food USA organization. It strives to tailor Slow Food USA’s national principles to serve the cultural and racial diversity…

    Like many businesses, Pleasanton software company Veeva sent its employees home to work during the pandemic. That was best for everyone, but not so much for the company’s executive chef, Jeremy Goldfarb, who had been running a daily family-style lunch program and wanted to keep cooking for Veeva’s 400–500 employees. Goldfarb’s previous experience…

  Join in to cook dumplings, share memories of the Lunar New Year, and raise funds for Good Good Eatz. The organization’s goal is to keep residents of Oakland Chinatown nourished and safe amidst two pandemics: Covid-19 and systemic racism. Good Good Eatz is working to create a bridge between Oakland’s Asian and Black communities…

  Celebrate Black History Month at this virtual screening of a trailer for Rhythms of the Land, a documentary film project spotlighting Black farmers and their struggles and survival against overwhelming odds. By cultural anthropologist Dr. Gail P. Myers, the film is scheduled to be completed in October.  You can help raise production funds by…

  Seeing piles of pea shoots? By all means, bring them home and make these Spring Rolls with Miso-Seared Beef and Pea Shoots or this Pea Shoots Salad with Hobbs Speck, Ricotta Salata, Dates, and Tarragon Dressing.

  By Juliana Uruburu, Market Hall Foods’s retail director and member of the Guilde des Fromagers   At Market Hall, cheese and chocolate are two of our favorite food groups. Both are comforting, craveable and delicious, so each Valentine’s Day, we bring the two together in new and irresistible ways. Here are some basic principles…

  “Have you eaten yet?” It’s a common question among acquaintances who meet on the street in Oakland Chinatown, a congenial neighborhood that’s especially beloved by people who have grown up there. During the pandemic lockdowns, pressures to develop these blocks have been growing due to Chinatown’s location near City Center. The threat has prompted…

  The ox symbolizes hard work, positivity, and honesty, and all are attributes needed for the year ahead. All are invited as the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) presents a week-long, virtual, family friendly Lunar New Year celebration with new year’s traditions from China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and more. You can enjoy performances, demos, interactive…

    Join in as Alameda chefs serve up a fundraising series and virtual cooking experience to benefit Alameda Family Services. Take part in one or more interactive cooking demos as the chefs share some favorite seasonal dishes and techniques. Later, you can make the dishes at home with the help of the full recipes…

  Here are three classic wings recipes, generously offered by The Kitchen at Rocky’s Brooklyn Basin for a memorable Super Bowl Sunday at home on Sunday, February 7. If game day won’t be the same without a big screen and a chance to watch other people having fun, you could try stopping by the expansive…

  A certain locally famous Berkeley bear has joined in with the #pantsdrunk campaign to raise funds for the James Beard Foundation, and you can, too. @jimmybearberkeley likes the foundation’s “Open for Good” charity to help bartenders and restaurants. Pantsdrunk (or kalsarikännit) is the art of relaxing at home in your underwear and enjoying a…

  In this free webinar produced by the Santa Cruz Master Recyclers, eight industry professionals examine the role plastics play in packaging. Regional waste management representatives from Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties discuss how plastics get recycled in their counties, consumer challenges, goals for sustainability, and how the public can help in transitioning…

  East Bay–based Koolfi Creamery honors Vice President-elect Kamala Harris with a new, velvety-smooth, rose-pink ice cream flavor. Made with lotus seeds, rose water, and a sprinkle of pistachio nuts, Kamala Blossom celebrates our first Black, first Indian-American, and first woman elected as vice president of the United States. The name “Kamala” means “pink lotus” in…

  On Tuesday, January 19, in cities across the country, essential restaurant workers, and restaurant owners are holding celebratory pre-inauguration events to welcome the incoming Biden-Harris Administration and support President-elect Biden’s #BuildBackBetter plan to provide one fair wage to all workers. Khalid Kaldi of One Fair Wage describes Oakland’s local event as an opportunity to…

With the recent rains, ForageSF founder Iso Rabins says they are now seeing tons of delicious mushrooms as they lead their safe, socially distanced foraging walks through the Santa Cruz Mountains, Sonoma, and Mendocino. “With so many people cooped up in their houses, and everything in cities closed, there’s never been a better time to get…

    Join “Compost Gal” Lori Caldwell for a jump start on the edible garden you’ll enjoy this spring and summer. Learn about seeds vs. starts, crop rotation, building healthy soil, watering and irrigation, best spring crops, and how to transition from your fall garden. Instructor Lori Caldwell is an Alameda County Master Composter, a…

Join Sustainable Contra Costa and Drive Clean Bay Area to learn about EV (electric vehicles) and e-bike models, incentives, and how to charge at home and on the road. Chat with EV and e-bike owners and ask questions in breakout rooms. According to the California Air Resource Board, driving electric and plugging into clean energy…

Our long-running Farm Direct Food and CSA Guide has become a hot spot on the internet as people seek out the safest ways to get farm-fresh food and simultaneously support our local farmers during the pandemic. The options below emphasize social equity, so check them out first, and then head to our full, updated guide.…

  Kristina’s Bookshelf   Looking for a new adventure in your pandemic kitchen? Author and Edible East Bay contributor Kaori Becker is offering free copies of her book, Mochi Magic: 50 Traditional and Modern Recipes for the Japanese Treat (Storey, 2020) to the first four readers who contact us. Send an email to info@edibleeastbay.com, or get in touch on Facebook.…

  The home cooking movement continues to gain steam as counties throughout the state begin to set up systems to allow home cooks to sell their food. According to the COOK Alliance, the City of Berkeley passed their MEHKO (Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation) ordinance and hopes to begin issuing permits in early 2021. In Alameda…

  Grand Lake Farmers’ Market fan Megan Hertzler’s Instagram gallery of greats (excerpts above) shows how a farmer’s market gift certificate or Bounty Box could be your perfect last-minute pick for your precious family, friends, and self. Did you know that most farmers’ markets sell gift cards? Some have truly giftable options like the Bounty…

  Recipe by Corinne Kinczel of Two Local Girls Catering and Rocky’s Market “This recipe is super simple and so yummy with ham or as a dessert. My mom used to serve this with ham, and I remember sneaking bites out of the pan after dinner when I was a kid… oh wait, that was…

When our market sleuth Barbara Kobsar found Hollister’s Royal Green Farms selling artichokes at the Orinda Farmers’ Market, we pulled out this salad of shaved fennel, artichoke, and mushrooms from our Winter 2008 issue. Give it a try!

  . . . we have at least that many good seafood recipes collected here. Read our story from 2013 on the origins of the revered Italian-American Christmas Eve tradition.      

The need for pedestrian-friendly gathering spots predates the pandemic, but efforts to rescue our restaurants make the need for parklets hyper-apparent. You can pitch in with your time and/or dollars to help create more parklets for small businesses in Oakland as outdoor space for dining and other purposes will help keep these businesses going during…

  You’ll want to frame and hang these seasonal posters made by architects and graphic designers Meghan Dorrian and Brian Friel. The duo, who run the architectural firm Young America Creative, started making posters in 2012 following a good-natured argument about when citrus was in season. They realized that even though they’d both grown up…

  This year, artist and farmer Ruby Blume’s traditional winter open house and sale goes outdoors. Wear warm clothes and your silliest mask while shopping for hand-crafted items like mustard, shrubs, salves, tinctures, CBD on the cheap, soap, ceramic tiles, sachets, pickles, lip balms, hand-spun yarns, and lots more. Ruby also offers short workshops on…

    Come to the old West Oakland train station to find unique handmade gifts. Choose among lots of plants including organic veggies, herbs, and ornamentals to fill your fall garden. Peruse botanical aprons, cotton bags, notecards, calendars, naturally hand-dyed knit hats, wreaths, granola, salsa, pickled goods, and more—all made by local artists, growers, bakers,…

  You’ve heard of FOMO (fear of missing out). Well, you’ll be feeling some ROMO (regret over missing out) when you see what was in this great box that’s already sold out! So why are we showing it to you? Because you can buy from each of those local businesses separately on your own, and…

  Gifts For the Season is our new e-book made from an article we first published in 2012. It includes recipes for culinary spice mixes and handmade dog biscuits, plus artistic labels you can print. Also from our archives are numerous fun DIY gifts from Anna Beauchemin of East Bay Herbals, who shows how to make…

  Take part in a virtual community sharing as the Ecology Center celebrates 50 years of creating a more sustainable, healthy, and just community. This event is free and features key figures from the Ecology Center’s past and present. In addition, guests have the option of enjoying a meal sourced from the Berkeley Farmers’ Market…

  Making your own olive oil is not a simple DIY, but if you have a tree loaded with olives, you might want to check out Community Milling Day at Il Fiorello in Fairfield. Healthy olives of all sizes and types are welcome, and no amount is too small. Once your olives are weighed and…

  Enjoy a sneak peek at how the Yocha Dehe people produce premium olive oil in California’s Capay Valley by combining ecological knowledge with modern science. This free screening of the episode “Reclaiming Agriculture with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation” is part of KCET’s documentary series Tending Nature. Join in for the 30-minute screening and other events…

  Calling all farmers, cooks, butchers, millers, and others working in the food chain to the virtual Young Farmers and Cooks Conference titled Transforming the Future of Food. Take part in workshops, panels, and talks that address the complex relationships that get food from field to plate and the intersections of farmer and cook, processor…

  Sprouts Cooking Club invites young people ages 6–15 to boost their cooking skills in this series of live, interactive Zoom sessions with award-winning chefs. Start with any of the sessions below: SEASONAL FALL SWEETS: Sunday November 8, 10:30am–12:30pm Get your hands dirty with pastry chef Avery Ruzicka, partner and head baker of Manresa Bread,…

  When Cabrillo Farms’ Brussels sprouts on the stalk showed up at the Walnut Creek Farmers’ Market this week, it reminded us that Julia Cost’s little bears like to make this recipe from Chef Colleen Patrick-Goudreau as part of their Vegan Holiday Feast. The bears also adorn the artist’s line of hand-printed, handmade aprons, pillows,…

  Live music and a cooking demo are highlights as City Slicker celebrates past work and future plans for creating food justice. Come learn about the food justice work happening at City Slicker Farms and the exciting vision for its future. Guests at this fundraising event receive a special treat from the Farm Park, a…

The Berkeley Food Institute (BFI) has joined forces with TakeoutTheVote.org to share essential voter registration info. BFI is tapping its network of restaurateurs and restaurant workers and encouraging restaurants to print free posters, share social media graphics, and register takeout customers and delivery drivers to vote. Using the mobile-friendly TakeoutTheVote.org, users can easily check their…

  Restaurants all over the world are hanging on by a thread by upping their takeout and delivery through the pandemic shutdowns. That also goes for Niles Pie as they celebrate their 10th anniversary while offering their many great options for takeout and delivery all over the Bay Area. “We officially began at the end of…

  The Home Herbalist A four-part online lecture series with follow-along herbal product–making tutorials Join Clinical Herbalist Anna Marie Beauchemin of East Bay Herbals for a four-week course on how to  incorporate everyday herbalism into your life. The series covers the basics of herbal medicine, natural remedies for common ailments, and ways to use herbs in your…

Click the picture to read our recipe e-book! Bookmark this page to return to the recipes.

  Lucky You Orchards has opened its orchards to the public for the first time, inviting cooped-up folks to come out and pick Pink Lady apples and pumpkins. Managed by the fourth generation Chinchiolo Family Farms, the Lucky You orchard site is located in the Central Valley just off the typical East Bay driving route…

Here are two workshops featuring seasonal fun and exploration with apples. On October 17, the whole family can learn about the botanical side of apples and then use them to make crafts. It’s recommended to have one or two apples per child and some finger paints on hand for the crafts. Cost: $10. Info and…

  Kitchen incubator La Cocina hosts its 10th multisensory storytelling event, Voices from the Kitchen, on its YouTube channel. Join in to hear a lineup of writers, activists, artists, and La Cocina entrepreneurs reflect on the theme of  “choices” through the lens of food. Participants include Fernay McPherson of Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement, Aileen Suzara of…

  Learn the basics of starting a food business through the Food Entrepreneurial Training Academy. This series of 10 online classes offered by the Alameda County Small Business Development Center is free of charge. Info and registration here.   Food Entrepreneurial Training Academy Mondays & Wednesdays, October 19-November 18, 5:30–7:30pm

    Don’t miss this lively day of speaker panels, workshops, live music, and social spaces for learning and sharing. Featuring both established and emerging local “makers,” the family-friendly East Bay Mini Maker Faire features rockets and robots, digital fabrication, DIY science and technology, urban farming and sustainability, alternative energy, bicycles, handmade crafts, and educational…

  Mix a cocktail with Chef Tanya Holland of Brown Sugar Kitchen as you settle in on October 2, 5:30pm. for this Dine for Democracy and City Arts & Lectures virtual conversation about voter engagement and the critical tools for empowering people to overcome historic voter disenfranchisement. LaTosha Brown, jazz singer and co-founder of Black Voters…

  Art has power, even when virtual as Emeryville’s annual arts exhibition is this year. Start with the live-streamed opening night celebration with a slide show of the 2020 Exhibition artwork, music by The doRiaN Mode: Vintage Jazz & Blues, and introductions by Mayor Christian Patz with the announcement of the City Purchase Award recipient.…

  Thanks to Barbara Kobsar for this shot of Inzana Farm’s early Fuji crop apples at the San Ramon Market and her 2008 article on fall apples just uncovered from our 2008 magazine archives. It includes four fantastic recipes for using those apples!    

  Plastic is ubiquitous in modern agriculture, found in use on both small organic farms and  large conventional ones. Billions of pounds are used worldwide each year, with much of it destined for just one season’s use. Farmers and others in the agricultural community recognize the need for environmentally responsible ways to dispose of these…

  Based on the 1975 blockbuster utopian novel Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach, Ecotopia 2050 is a five-episode speaker series with the first episode serving as an introduction. The zoom series is paired with corresponding book club meetings that give participants a chance to to discuss the book’s themes. Thought leaders including Michael Pollan and Annie…

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research collaborates with esteemed chefs, restaurateurs, cookbook authors, scholars, and writers for a seven-week educational course, A Seat at the Table: A Journey Into Jewish Food. Join in on your own schedule, and hear from cultural visionaries including Joan Nathan (Jewish Cooking In America), Michael W. Twitty (The Cooking Gene), Michael…

    Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are times of celebration and reflection, bringing families, friends, and communities together. For many, the 2020 High Holy Day gatherings will be different—smaller, outside, perhaps virtual—but will still feature traditional favorites and many symbolic foods like Challah, apples, and honey, that celebrate hope in the new year. We dug into our archives for three…

  At this Botanical Garden Zoom workshop, you’ll paint with shades created from ordinary spices and tea. Turmeric, saffron, and black tea are among the natural colors you’ll work with. No artistic background is needed to enjoy this playful, creative process. Take part in the workshop as it happens or watch the session and then…

  First, we just want to say that shopping at Oakland’s Re-Up Refill Shop is a great way to reduce waste from single-use plastics by switching to cooking, kitchen, body, and cleaning products in refillable containers. You can have your items delivered by bike or pick them up at the shop (curbside available).   But here’s…

  Zucchini is plentiful at local markets. We made this vegan lasagna from the Better Food Foundation and Stone Pier Press.

  You can Eat Real in spite of the pandemic! Eat Real Fest vendors have put together a box of good stuff for you to enjoy at home while you wait for the full festival to return in 2021. Here’s what’s inside the Eat Real At Home Box: Chicharon Fried Pork Rinds with Chili Lime…

Don’t yell at the birds and squirrels raiding your fig tree! Support your local fig growers and cook up some fig jam or a pork tenderloin with fresh fig sauce.

    Join DIY enthusiast Elizabeth Vecchiarelli, shop owner of Oakland’s Preserved, for an online workshop on making a flavorful, long-fermented sourdough bread loaf. What typically takes three days of fermentation will be expedited and demonstrated virtually so students can see each step in the fermentation process first hand. You’ll tend your dough after class…

  What do you want to slather on that sourdough bread you’ve been making? Enough said. In this September 20 workshop at Preserved, you’ll capture the great flavors of the season’s best berries into jars of refrigerator jam. Jam Making with Rachel Saunders of Blue Chair Jam Co. September 20, 5–7pm Online.  Register: here Rachel Saunders…

  Spend your September 4 Friday happy hour (5pm) enjoying an East Brother Beer Company Black is Beautiful Imperial Stout as the Richmond-based brewer hosts a community zoom forum on reforming the criminal justice system and how communities can foster forgiveness and support success for people transitioning back into community life. Dewanda Joseph, community activist…

  Festivities kick off with a screening of the not-to-be-missed documentary Town Spirit: A Tribute to Oakland’s Enduring Bar Spirit, and there’s plenty more fun with virtual events like a challenge to reinterpret the classic Mai Tai and a commemorative cocktail glass design competition. As bars and restaurants struggle to stay afloat during the pandemic,…

The late summer edition of Oakland Restaurant Week—September 1–13—is a chance to check out Oakland restaurants on these lists of favorite Black-owned and Vegan, plus hundreds offering takeout and delivery, and more than 70 set up for outdoor dining. Many spots are offering special prices for the occasion as a reminder that every dollar spent in…

  Recent fires in several nearby agricultural areas are causing extensive damage to small family farms and vineyards. Some farmers are losing everything, including their homes, and others have not been able to access their property to determine the extent of the damage. There are plenty of ways to help, not the least of which…

  At Oakland’s Counter Culture Labs, food-themed community science projects are currently happening online. Cheese enthusiasts can investigate the Real Vegan Cheese project for a chance to learn how scientists are making real cheese without any animal involvement. The process engineers baker’s yeast to become milk-protein factories. These proteins are combined with water and vegan oil…

In these hands-on Zoom classes, Edible East Bay writer Annelies Zijderveld prepares a variety of Mexican dishes. You’ll make Calabacitas, a classic Mexican dish that uses in-season produce as well as a cauliflower taco with a zippy tahini glaze. These are great choices for vegetarians, vegans, or those wanting more meatless meals. The second class…

  Do you rely on buying seeds for your vegetable garden? In the first months of the pandemic shutdowns there was a rush on seeds and many people hoping to grow food struggled to get what they needed. Why not make seed saving part of your gardening practice? You’ll be helping to create a more…

Corinne Kinzcel and Brady Bellis recently opened Rocky’s Market at Brooklyn Basin, bringing new purpose to the Port of Oakland’s 1920s 9th Avenue Terminal, which was built on the estuary in 1925.     Opening a new grocery store and eatery during a pandemic could try the nerves of the best of us, but Oakland…

  Learn to prepare Vietnamese dishes in your own kitchen with Chef Tu David Phu. In the first of his online cooking demos, held this Sunday, you’ll prepare Bún Nem Nu’o’ng (Rice Noodles with Vietnamese Sausage). Invite up to five friends or family members to take part. Fifty percent of proceeds will be donated to…

Farmers, chefs, and winemakers are in the spotlight at this virtual celebration in Solano County. Each week begins with a cooking demo that highlights a chef, farmer, and winemaker: The chef prepares a featured dish, the farmer talks about the seasonal specialty crops in use, and the winemaker provides pairings. Each participating restaurant offers a…

  Corinne Kinczel, co-owner of Rocky’s Market (see story here), offers this recipe from her Two Local Girls catering company, which makes a full array of dishes for her market’s eat-in/take-out menu. Kinzcel says, “I love the juicy sweetness of the peaches from Full Belly Farm and the creaminess of the burrata against the saltiness…

      Learn to track and reduce food waste as you cook with ingredients otherwise tossed out. Find out how smart menu planning, conscious shopping, proper storing, and resourceful cooking can prevent and minimize food waste. In this online class, students will measure their progress using food journals and tracking sheets. The goal will be…