Winter 2012
LAST BITE
I still remember the day when I first was struck by winter’s poetry in the sublime beauty of the persimmon tree. The leaves had fallen from the tree, revealing the dark orange orbs of ripe fruit still hanging on the bare branches. Soon after, I planted a Hachiya persimmon tree in my office garden in…
Read MoreCalifornia Rare Fruit
TANGENTIAL JOURNEY On a spiral with the California Rare Fruit Growers By Jillian Steinberger Illustrations by Elizabeth Hubbell “The yield of a system is theoretically unlimited, or limited only by the information and imagination of the designer.” —Bill Mollison Unaided by scientists, the universe has bequeathed upon humans a tremendous diversity of fruits, many more…
Read MoreSeven Stars of Winter
BY JESSICA PRENTICE Jessica Prentice, Maggie Gosselin, and Sarah Klein created the Local Foods Wheel to help us all enjoy the freshest, tastiest, and most ecologically sound food choices month by month. Here are seven of Jessica’s winter favorites. You can learn more about the Local Foods Wheel and the group’s other ventures at localfoodswheel.com.…
Read MoreCURDS
Cheese, Interrupted By Kirstin Jackson Try my curds, they’re fresh and squeaky,” said Dunbarton Blue’s cheese maker Chris Roelli with a smile as sweet as the chocolate-coated Udderfinger toffees sold at every Wisconsin gas station. If the acres of corn fields, the cows loitering in front of red barns, or the limburger bricks on grocery…
Read MoreOur Advertisers
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Read MoreSeven Stars of Winter
Seven Stars of Winter by jessica prentice Jessica Prentice, Maggie Gosselin, and Sarah Klein created the Local Foods Wheel to help us all enjoy the freshest, tastiest, and most ecologically sound food choices month by month. Here are seven of Jessica’s winter favorites. You can learn more about the Local Foods Wheel and the…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season
Winter Greens By Barbara Kobsar | Illustrations by Helen Krayenhoff Cool winter months bring out a hardy group of green-leafed vegetables that are stars in the nutrition department, and their robust bite-you-back flavors are just what we need to liven up soups, stews, and sautéed dishes. Some of these greens, such as kale and collards, are…
Read MoreEditors Mixing Bowl
Editor’s Mixing Bowl In case you have not yet noticed, you have in your hands one totally fruity issue of Edible East Bay. Persimmons, cacao, olives, and a host of rare fruits make appearances on these pages. And since there’s never enough of a good thing during the celebratory season, I’ve added one more: the little apple-like…
Read MoreThe Making of a California Olive Oil Culture
THE MAKING OF A CALIFORNIA OLIVE OIL CULTURE BY CHERYL ANGELINA KOEHLER WITH KAREN YENCICH “Here in California, we are at the beginning of a serious olive oil culture.” —Pablo Voitzuk, olive miller and expert olive oil taster There’s a new devotion growing in many local restaurant kitchens these days. The inamorata is the golden-green…
Read MoreAmy Murray’s Olive Oil Crackers
From our Winter 2012 article, The Making of an Olive Oil Culture In 2009, Chef Amy Murray hosted an all-olive-oil dinner at her Venus Restaurant in Berkeley for her Slow Food chapter. The crowd of more than 50 sat down to a first course of olive oil crackers with fresh cheese marinated in olive…
Read MoreChampurrado
From Rediscovering Hot Chocolate
Read MoreGifts for the Season
Story by Helen Krayenhoff Illustrations and Lettering by Elizabeth Hubbell Just walking into Oaktown Spice Shop and breathing in is apt to trigger some memory from your past. The cacophony of scents and the pleasing decor will slowly reveal themselves as you return to a very pleasant present. Although only a year old, the…
Read MoreContents: Winter 2012
EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL WHAT’S IN SEASON Winter Greens BATE, BATE, CHOCOLATE! Rediscovering Hot Chocolate GIFTS FOR THE SEASON Ideas for Keeping it Local TANGENTIAL JOURNEY On a Spiral with the California Rare Fruit Growers CURDS Cheese Interrupted SEVEN STARS OF THE WINTER HARVEST Favorite foods and recipes from Jessica Prentice THE MAKING OF A…
Read MoreRediscovering Hot Chocolate
¡Bate, Bate, Chocolate! Rediscovering Hot Chocolate STORY AND PHOTOS BY KRISTINA SEPETYS Pronounced: báh-teh, báh-teh, chó-co-lá-te, the headline comes from a Mexican children’s song ¡Bate, bate, chocolate! Stir, stir, chocolate, tu nariz de cacahuate. your nose is…
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