Project Pick

Sharing Backyard Fruit and Community Spirit Got a fruit tree in your backyard? Then you’ll know how plentiful the harvest can be! It’s not a surprise that fruit often goes uneaten as many owners are too busy or physically unable to harvest. Others simply have more than they can possibly eat or give away. That’s…

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What’s Cooking at the East Bay School for Boys?

By Anna Mindess | Photos by Shannon Kelli     What can you accomplish in one tiny kitchen with nine 13-year-old boys overflowing with energy in just 50 minutes? “Plenty,” says Andi Kotrozo, who teaches a weekly elective cooking class at Berkeley’s East Bay School for Boys (EBSB). “It’s a power-packed hour. It has to…

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‘Rhythms of the Land’

Dr. Gail Myers honors Black farmers in a new documentary film Photos by Dr. Gail Myers     In the summer of 2012, cultural anthropologist Dr. Gail Myers drove through 10 Southern states on a mission to document the life stories of elderly Black farmers. During this tour, she interviewed 27 farmers, gardeners, dairy ranchers,…

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A Southern Farmer’s Summer Supper

Recipes by Chef Wanda Blake | Photos by Dana Plucinski   Many in the set of mostly elderly Southern Black farmers that Dr. Gail Myers interviewed for Rhythms of the Land mentioned growing greens, peas, okra, and cabbage. If they raised poultry, it was often guinea fowl, an ancient species that originated in Sub-Saharan Africa. In order to…

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Orchard Feast

A Farmer’s New Restaurant, Pomet, Opens on Piedmont Avenue By Bonnie Powell | Photos by Bart Nagel     When high-end chefs start their own farms, it’s to grow the exact peak-flavor produce they want for their menus. But why, two years into a business-battering pandemic, would a successful farmer—who already sells to Michelin-starred restaurants…

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Family, Love, and Vegetables

Vegan chef Edgar Castrejón nurtures the heart of his Mexican food traditions By Kristina Sepetys   Edgar Castrejón can count himself among a huge constellation of bloggers and media personalities who have parlayed popularity into a book contract. But while there’s no question that Castrejón’s posts @edgarraw are immensely popular, the pathway this 30-year-old followed…

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What’s in Season? Melons, Peaches, and Cucumbers

What’s in Season? Melons, Peaches, and Cucumbers By Barbara Kobsar | Illustration by Charmaine Koehler-Lodge Melons Fresh-picked, vine-ripened melons roll into the market in large crates, ready to offer a quintessential taste of summer. But how do you pick out the best? The heaviest melons are the juiciest! If it’s a cantaloupe or Persian melon,…

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No Immigrants No Spice

By Natalya Suttmiller     “Food is our common denominator and serves as a profound vehicle to inspire curiosity about another culture. We can learn so much about each other through the foods we eat if we do so mindfully.” The words above come from Vibha Gupta, an emergency room physician, mother, and founder of…

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Food with a View

Good grub on the water’s edge Story and photos by Meredith Pakier     Do you think (as I do) that food tastes better when you’re gazing out over the water? Here’s my list of East Bay spots with waterfront views where you can test out this theory:     For a laid-back, New England–style…

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Guide to Good Eats Summer 2022

  All Around the Bay Venga Paella Catering around the Bay Area | 510.628.0018 | vengapaella.com Do something different! A delicious paella arriving at your doorstep is always a treat! Voted best paella catering company. Serving the entire Bay Area since 2003. For small fiestas to large corporate events.     Purpose & Hope Delivery around the…

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Editor’s Mixing Bowl

April 25, 2022 I’m writing this from a little Airbnb cabin about five miles away from the spot in the Sierra Nevada foothills where the infamous Caldor Fire began its rampage toward South Lake Tahoe on August 14, 2021. Here, bluebirds, oak titmice, house finches, and at least one hairy woodpecker keep company with bears…

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An Oyster Mushroom Bed For Your Garden

Gardener’s Notebook By Joshua Burman Thayer | Illustration by Charmaine Koehler-lodge     I first got turned on to growing oyster mushrooms years ago when I was installing raised beds at several community gardens. I realized that mushrooms could thrive in dappled shade near trees and other shrubbery, where full-sun lovers like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant…

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