Search results for: avocado
Avocado Chocolate Mousse
Plant an Avocado Tree!
Gardener’s Notebook by Joshua Burman Thayer Did you know you can grow productive avocado trees here in the San Francisco Bay Area? We are close to the northern edge of where avocados will thrive, but with some planning and care, you can achieve long-lasting avocado success. Years ago, I had a great opportunity to learn…
Read MoreBarbara’s Mandarin, Fennel, & Avocado Salad
6 mandarin oranges, peeled and sliced crosswise into ¼-inch rounds ½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced (reserve fronds for garnish) 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced 1 small shallot, peeled and thinly sliced ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar Salt and fresh ground black pepper Divide orange slices between 4 salad plates. Layer…
Read MoreAvocado Adventure Chetwyn Farm
Avocado Adventure in Zone 16 Living the green dream at Hayward’s Chetwyn Farm BY CHERYL ANGELINA KOEHLER | PHOTOS BY EMMA NAJARIAN The tumbledown 1890s-era farm tucked into a barely accessible fold in the hills above Hayward was one of those properties real estate agents feel reluctant to show. In spite of its proximity to…
Read MoreFor the Love of Avocados…Keep them Fresher, Longer
Did you know that July 31 is National Avocado Day? Show your love and appreciation of this tasty and nutritious treat by storing them properly. Unripe avocados should be left on the counter to ripen at room temperature. Place avocados in a paper bag with an apple to ripen more quickly. Once ripe, store avocados…
Read MoreAVOCADO HOMELANDS
BY JILLIAN STEINBERGER Crisantos Lopez works at East Bay Wilds, a native plant nursery in Oakland’s Fruitvale district, and he lives nearby with his wife and two sons, and a daughter. His family owns a rancho in the town of Ario de Rosales in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. There they have six horses, 20…
Read MoreAVOCADO GROWING GUIDE
BASIC INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW BY JILLIAN STEINBERGER There are three landraces of avocados. The Guatemalan types have the highest oil content and thick, pebbly skin. Their fruit may sit on the tree for up to a year and a half before maturation. The Mexican types are the most cold tolerant. They have thin skin,…
Read MoreAvocado Cacao Custard
From the East Bay Avocado This avocado-based cacao-carob custard is by Chef Lisa Books-Williams, who has been sharing the joys of plant-based eating since 2005. Serves 3–4 1⅓ cups unsweetened hemp, almond, or rice milk ⅔ cup agave or coconut nectar ½ cup cacao powder ½ cup carob powder 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon cinnamon…
Read MoreAvocado Lime Mousse
From the East Bay Avocado This appealing avocado-based lime mousse is by Chef Lisa Books-Williams, who has been sharing the joys of plant-based eating since 2005. Serves 2 1 large avocado Juice from 1 lime Zest from ½ lime 2½–3 tablespoons agave nectar 1 tablespoon coconut butter or coconut oil (melted) ½ teaspoon vanilla ⅛ teaspoon…
Read MoreThe East Bay Avocado
INVISIBLE NO LONGER Story and photos by Jillian Laurel Steinberger | Illustrations by Mary Brown The East Bay produces a cornucopia of tree fruits that we love to eat, such as apples, figs, and plums. But what about our beloved avocado (Persea americana)? Hearing reports of avocado trees growing quietly among us, I followed clues…
Read MoreCeviche with Avocado and Preserved Lemon
From the East Bay Avocado Back in 2013 when she gave us this inventive ceviche recipe, Caterina Rindi was busy turning excess backyard lemons from neighbors’ yards into preserved items, which she traded and sold at popup markets. Caterina is one of the founders of Shareable.net, an online magazine that covers the people and projects bringing…
Read MoreAvocado “Crème Fraîche”
From The East Bay Avocado by Jillian Steinberger This clever topping comes from Heather Haxo Phillips, an Iyengar yoga instructor and former owner of Raw Bay Area, through which she inspired and educated people about the power of raw food. Use this “crème fraîche” as a topping for tacos or enchiladas. She also suggests…
Read MoreHeather’s Cream of Zucchini and Avocado Soup
From the East Bay Avocado This creamy soup comes from Heather Haxo Phillips, an Iyengar yoga instructor and former owner of Raw Bay Area, through which she inspired and educated people about the power of raw food. This soup is delicious served chilled or at room temperature, but for a cold day, you can heat…
Read MoreAvocado Ranch Dressing
From the East Bay Avocado For many years, Chef Lacey Sher’s Encuentro Cafe and Wine Bar was a favorite hangout for those seeking elevated plant-based cuisine in Oakland. She used avocados to give this thick creamy stand-in for ranch dressing its body. She recommends it as a dipping sauce for asparagus or steamed artichoke leaves.…
Read MoreTacos with Grassfed Beef, Nopalitos, and Avocado
Beef and nopales are delicious together. In this recipe, the beef preparation should be on the drier side, making a nice balance for the mucilaginous and slightly tart nopalitos. For the nopalitos: 1 nopal cactus pad, de-spined and cut into ½-inch cubes Sea salt to taste Juice of ½ lime 2 teaspoons olive oil For…
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 MoreIn Season: Kohlrabi & Rhubarb
By Barbara Kobsar | Illustrations by Charmaine Koehler-Lodge Want to add some unique vegetables to the weekly meal lineup? Kohlrabi and rhubarb (yes, it’s botanically a vegetable) are at the top of my list. KOHLRABI looks like a root, but it’s not. A native of Northern Europe, this globe-shaped member of the cabbage family…
Read MoreTimeline of Highlights from 20 Years in Publishing
The Prequel: Edible Ojai Edible East Bay, reached its 20-year milestone with the publication of its Fall 2025 issue. To celebrate, we have created this 20-year timeline of highlights to look at what we have done and were we are going. The story has a prequel, so we’re taking you back to 2002 and the…
Read MoreNotes from an Alameda County Fair Barbecue Judge
By Cheryl Angelina Koehler, editor of Edible East Bay Each year, the Alameda County Cattlewomen hold two beef cook-offs at the Alameda County Fair. Professional chefs are sidelined for these contests as a group of backyard barbecue enthusiasts arrives early in the day to set up their outdoor kitchens and make a go at…
Read MoreThe Winter Table
a community of local makers Each year as winter approaches, Edible East Bay looks forward to the start of the California olive harvest. This is a celebratory time in traditional olive-growing regions, where growers, millers, and cooks alike share an intimate appreciation for how the vibrant flavors of newly milled extra virgin olive oils enhance…
Read MoreMad Vegan Gives the Panadería a Plant-Based Update
By Anna Mindess Taya Marroquin grew up in Bakersfield with a Mexican father and a Salvadoran mother. She fondly remembers trips to Los Angeles, where her grandmother would take her to the local panaderías. Enchanted by the cookies covered in a rainbow of sprinkles, she soon found her way to the kitchen. “I started…
Read MoreFall Harvest 2024 Contents
Departments Editor’s Mixing Bowl What’s in Season? Quince and Dates! East Bay Farmers’ Markets The Gardener’s Shed: Take down the fire ladder while you upgrade your garden Guide to Good Eats The Fall Table at Revival Bar + Kitchen Features Emerging Chefs Get a Boost at Public Market Emeryville The Moveable Feast: San Pablo…
Read MoreEditor’s Mixing Bowl
This issue opens with a BLABT—a bacon, lettuce, avocado, and Benevento tomato sandwich—and closes with much clatter and chatter: those sounds in the room as friends linger around the table at the end of a meal. When artist Laurie Caird contacted us in July to see if we might present “Digest,” her yearlong offering of…
Read MoreEmerging Chefs Get a Boost at Public Market Emeryville
Some highlights at Public Market Emeryville: (left) Nusa, where chef and co-owner Jennifer Huang serves savory Indonesian dishes along with the sweets; (center) a welcoming place for families, where everyone can pick favorites from among 16 different eateries; and (right) Public Bar by Blush (right), where adults can chill with inspired slushies. By Claire…
Read MoreOn the Burger Beat with the Moveable Feast
Story and photos by Meredith Pakier I LOVE A GOOD BURGER, and with a mind to wrap my hands around the East Bay’s best, I assembled a crew of discerning friends to help me put a bunch to the test. Paper-thin patty lovers will fall hard for The Burger Shop food truck’s halal smashburgers…
Read MoreA Cookbook for Your Journey
On Chími Nu’am by Sara Calvosa Olson Review by Cheryl Angelina Koehler “This is a very inconvenient cookbook, admittedly. But I am hoping that it will meet you wherever you’re at in your journey,” writes Sara Calvosa Olson in the “How to Use this Book” introduction to her just-published cookbook: Chími Nu’am: Native California Foodways…
Read MoreThe Virtue of Planting on Hill Mounds
Gardener’s Notebook by Joshua Burman Thayer Some plants have evolved to live on hillsides. They do not generally like to be in constantly wet soils and prefer that storm water pass them by and drain down to the flats below. This can be difficult in clay soils that tend to pool water in winter.…
Read MoreChef Helga Cooks at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, July 8 & 11
Did you know that 35 percent of all edible food is wasted in the United States and that 25 percent of the food we bring home winds up in our garbage bins? You could save time and up to $1,500 a year for a family of four by making the most of your food…
Read More‘Flavors of Mi México Querido’
Chef Enrique Soriano enjoys the aroma of a smoky chile morita before adding it to his salsa. My mother’s guisados By Chef Enrique Soriano | Photos By Scott Peterson My mother made many guisados (stews): chicharron en salsa roja, fluffy fried whisked eggs in red salsa, fried chicken drumsticks simmered in red salsa, seared…
Read MoreGood Food and Frank Exchanges at the Saturday Berkeley Farmers’ Market
By Nora Becker Photo by Carole Topalian On most any Saturday, throngs of people gather by 10am at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market: families with young children pushing carts, elderly folks in masks and light down jackets, groups of friends standing in circles huddled over warm crêpes and espresso drinks. Weekenders move casually, taking many laps…
Read MoreReem Assil’s Arab Hospitality
The Oakland baker, restaurateur, and author grows her Bay Area community By Kristina Sepetys Reem Assil’s delicious food honors her Palestinian-Syrian heritage as well as her Bay Area present. Fiercely passionate about promoting Arab hospitality, Assil brings equal focus to her pursuits in community building, social justice, and sustainability. With a background…
Read MoreHow to Design Microclimates into your Bay Area Garden
Gardener’s Notebook by Joshua Burman Thayer In 2003, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, reported that a simple brick wall can shift the air temperature adjacent to the wall by over 13°F compared to the surrounding area. Walls, berms, pergolas, and other human designs can significantly increase or decrease temperature in various parts of…
Read MoreVegetable Lovers Will Rejoice for this New Cookbook!
Groundbakers cookbook offers new twists on favorite dishes plus thoughts and analysis about our food system Review by Rachel Trachten GROUNDBAKERS 60 + Plant-Based Comfort Food Recipes and 16 Leaders Changing the Food System by Mackenzie and Kathy Feldman (Kulani Publishing, 2022) Vegetable lovers can rejoice in Groundbakers, a new cookbook that…
Read MoreAn Early-Autumn Visit to the Berkeley Farmers’ Market
Story and photos by Nora Becker On the first day of October, people flocked to the Saturday Berkeley Farmers’ Market. Despite the grey sky and the chilly autumn air, here they were: families with young children pushing carts, elderly folks in masks and light down jackets, groups of friends standing in circles huddled over warm…
Read MoreDesign your Garden in Harmony with Nature
Gardener’s Notebook by Joshua Burman Thayer Out in wild areas, nature supports a wide variety of plants living in close relation to each other. Look up in a forest and you’ll see a canopy of tall trees and a sub-canopy of smaller trees. At eye level, there are bushes and shrubs, and if you crouch…
Read MoreFamily, 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…
Read MoreGuide 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…
Read MoreReem Assil’s Arab Hospitality
How this remarkable Oakland baker, restaurateur, and (now) author has grown her Bay Area community By Kristina Sepetys Reem Assil is committed to producing delicious food that honors her Palestinian-Syrian heritage as well as her Bay Area present. Fiercely passionate about promoting Arab hospitality, she brings equal focus to her pursuits in community building, social justice,…
Read MoreFlight of the Salsas, May 15 online class
Here’s a salsa double header: First, join Chef Alison Mountford on Sunday, May 15 as she takes on the challenge of creating four kinds of salsa without fresh tomatoes. In this online class, she’ll demo making roasted chipotle, salsa verde with avocado, pico de gallo, and pineapple habanero salsas. Next, taste these salsas and more good…
Read MorePerk Up Your Plants with Coffee Grounds
Gardener’s Notebook By Joshua Burman Thayer | Illustration by Charmaine Koehler-lodge As of January 1, 2022, Senate Bill 1383 requires that all California residents separate organic waste from other garbage. You may already have been doing the right thing by putting food scraps in your green barrel, but when you separate your used coffee…
Read MoreGuide to Good Eats Spring 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…
Read MoreSimple Recipes for Complex Times
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…
Read MoreEvergreen Your Garden in November
Gardener’s Notebook by Joshua Burman Thayer As the first rains dapple the landscape, there’s new opportunity to expand your home garden with productive food plants. Here in Northern California you get the advantage of continued growth throughout our wet-cool season with the following evergreen plants, which can continue to develop all winter long. Citrus…
Read MoreGuide to Good Eats Winter 2021
All Around the Bay Venga Paella 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 510.550.5974 | purposeandhope.com Handcrafted, locally sourced, nutrient-rich soups that…
Read MoreTip-Top Popups
Story and photos by Meredith Pakier The East Bay is exploding with popups whose followers appreciate the high levels of craft and creativity. As the nature of popups is inherently nomadic, locations, menus, and ordering systems change often and quickly, so I’ve found that the best way to keep tabs is to follow…
Read MoreGuide to Good Eats Fall 2021
All Around the Bay Venga Paella 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. Alameda C’era Una Volta Virtual Restaurant & Catering 800 West Tower Ave (on…
Read MoreThe Great Outdoors
Where to Eat and Drink Alfresco Story and photos by Meredith Pakier It’s hard to imagine a time when parklets and bistro table–dotted sidewalks were not an integral part of East Bay street life. Here are some outdoor spots I hope will stay as restaurants return to full capacity. In September 2020, a devastating fire…
Read MoreHarvest from Your Own Subtropical Paradise
By Joshua Burman Thayer | Illustrations by Helen Krayenhoff If you enjoy the pleasure of picking a lemon at home, you know the sense that we live close to paradise. Growing subtropical—and even some tropical—perennials around the Bay Area is possible because of our “warm-winter Mediterranean” climate. Microclimates in certain parts of the Bay…
Read MoreWhat’s at Your Farmers’ Market this Week
Our market sleuth Barbara Kobsar found Fuerte avocados from Sunrise Farm at the Walnut Creek Farmers’ Market. Here’s a bundle of inventive avocado recipes from our archive: Ceviche with Avocado and Preserved Lemons, Preserved Lemon Guacamole, Avocado Lime Mousse, Avocado Cacao Custard
Read MoreFood Blogger Michelle Smith Offers Easy Recipes with Healthy Ingredients
Kristina’s Bookshelf The Whole Smiths Real Food Every Day: Healthy Recipes to Keep Your Family Happy Throughout the Week By Michelle Smith (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021) With two young children, Livermore food blogger Michelle Smith knows the challenges of finding tasty, balanced dishes she can prepare quickly on busy weeknights. In her second…
Read MorePlanting Perennials in the Fall
Gardener’s Notebook by Joshua Burman Thayer Each year in February, I sprout out a bunch of summer crops like corn, squash, cucumber, tomato, and peppers. In about 10 weeks, they are large enough to sell to my home garden clients who are planning their summer gardens. In 2020, instead of selling my sprouts, I decided…
Read MoreGot Bay Nuts?
Time to make truffles! Story, recipe, and photo by Alexandra Hudson In the height of midsummer’s plump heat, little green orbs begin their biennial-ish sprout from the branches of the California bay laurel. Over the following months, these baby nuts mature into their avocado-green-and-maroon–fleshed fullness. Come fall, they drop in prolific bounty throughout…
Read MoreNew Products from Renewal Mill
Oakland’s Renewal Mill spins out new upcycled foods By Rachel Trachten Claire Schlemme collects okara from the Hodo Soy waste stream and turns it into baking flour. Photos courtesy of Renewal Mill and Alice Medrich. The process of upcycling works its magic in two ways: first, it makes use of something that would…
Read MoreEditors Mixing Bowl
It’s been five long months since we last met on this page. During the early weeks of the pandemic shutdowns, it was hard to see how to continue making a magazine. Would our stories be relevant? Would our advertisers—who provide 99% of our operating funds—remain in business? How would readers find their free copies?…
Read MorePort Perks Pop-up Market
No Grocery Store? No Problem! Port Costa’s Port Perks pop-up market fills the bill … at least for now Parker (left) and Kramer Collins get the pop-up market ready for customers. By any description, the tiny town of Port Costa, California, (pop. 186) is a unique spot in the largely urban East Bay.…
Read MoreMonifa Dayo and Sur Place
From Food Service to Food Justice, Monifa Dayo Makes It Work Story and photos by Annelies Zijderveld Monifa Dayo is not new to pivoting. In 2016, the chef realized she had grown weary of the steep physical demands and endless manual labor of commercial restaurant work. Stepping away, she opened Sur Place, a…
Read MoreFavorite Food Boxes
Pre-packed food boxes for contactless pickup/delivery are trending all over—even with the USDA! Nearly every restaurant with takeout is looking to add a pantry that includes a box of produce assembled to help support their farmer-vendors as well as to keep their own workers busy. We’re also seeing plenty of ways to add…
Read MoreMore Favorite Food Boxes
Pre-packed food boxes for contactless pickup/delivery are trending all over—even with the USDA! Nearly every restaurant with takeout is looking into adding a pantry that includes a box of produce assembled to help support their farmer-vendors as well as to keep their own workers busy. We’re also seeing plenty of ways to add a donation…
Read MoreFrom Food Service to Food Justice, Monifa Dayo Makes It Work
Story and photos by Annelies Zijderveld Monifa Dayo is not new to pivoting. In 2016, the chef realized she had grown weary of the steep physical demands and endless manual labor of commercial restaurant work. Stepping away, she opened Sur Place, a work space inside a private residence, where she could host events like…
Read MoreA Swale Idea!
Strategies for growing food in an episodic drought environment By Joshua Burman Thayer Gardener’s Notebook, April 2020: I recently finished work on a large hillside landscaping project in Danville, California. Designing this orchard and herb garden “food forest” (and others I’ve done recently for East Bay homeowners) gave me a chance to apply some strategies…
Read MoreFarm-Direct Food & CSA Guide
Get Uber-Fresh Food Directly From the Farm! For decades, CSA (community-supported agriculture) has been a way for local farms to get better return for their work by marketing directly to consumers. CSA shares typically include a mix of vegetables and fruits grown on the farm with add-ons like eggs, olive oil, nuts, flour, honey, flowers,…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season?
Story and recipe by Barbara Kobsar Illustration by Charmaine Koehler-Lodge Produce harvested at its peak is your sure bet for flavor and freshness. February Your secret for turning drab to delicious this month is the tangy juice, zest, and pulp of winter’s lemons and limes. Choose a common Eureka or Lisbon lemon if you want…
Read MoreBig Trees at Home
By Joshua Berman Thayer Here in the East Bay, many of us live within the confines of an urban grid. If we have space to landscape, it’s likely to be a quarter acre at most. How can we make these small urban lots produce abundant organic produce? The answer might be to fill…
Read MoreTreats to Please Every Palate
Purchase this book Book review by Kristina Sepetys Sweet Vegan Treats: 90 Recipes for Cookies, Brownies, Cakes, and Tarts By Hannah Kaminsky Skyhorse, 2019 If the words “vegan desserts” make you think of hard-to-prepare, overly sweet recipes, Hannah Kaminsky’s new cookbook with 90 recipes for plant-based confections may change your mind. Desserts like the Chocolate…
Read MoreTacos in the Alley
By Kai Wada Roath | Photos by Austin Goldin Pleasing aromas drift through the open air down a little alley between storefronts on 40th Street in Oakland, where brightly painted pink, yellow, and turquoise walls lure in hungry customers, much like a newly opened stargazer lily would entice a hummingbird. It’s Tacos Oscar. Open…
Read MoreCreate a Home Ecosystem of Perennial Edibles
Gardeners Notebook By Joshua Burman Thayer | Illustrations by Cheryl Angelina Koehler Have you ever imagined an orchard in your yard? Or perhaps you already have one but sense that your space is underutilized? Try composing your plantings into guilds. These are groups of plants that operate together to enhance each other’s health…
Read MoreNoodle Like a Pro
Louis Kao and Other East Bay Chefs Show How to Stir the Pot East Bay Cooks: Signature Recipes from the Best Restaurants, Bars, and Bakeries By Carolyn Jung Figure 1 Publishing, September 2019 Wondering what East Bay chefs and food entrepreneurs are up to? Here’s a helpful guide along with a nice collection of dishes…
Read MoreFrom Love Potions to PMS-Busting Brownies
Kristina’s Bookshelf Well + Good: 100 Healthy Recipes + Expert Advice for Better Living By Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula (Clarkson Potter, 2019) A new cookbook by authors of the popular Well+Good website invites readers to try 100 recipes contributed by wellness advocates from various professions. Each entry is labeled with eating…
Read MoreGuide to Good Eats
Join our Guide to Good Eats! info(at)edibleeastbay.com All Around the Bay Venga Paella 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. Alameda C’era Una Volta…
Read MoreGroundbakers
A Mother-Daughter Cookbook Collaboration By Rachel Trachten When Mackenzie Feldman started at Cal in 2014, she was planning to major in business and play beach volleyball. In need of an afternoon class to fit with her practice schedule, she signed up for Edible Education 101, the course on the future of food and food…
Read MoreMeet JP Seafood
A Fishmonger You’ll Want to Hug Fresh fish and a friendly vibe keep locals coming to JP Seafood By Kai Wada Roath Photos by Austin Goldin Joey Pucci chats with customers outside his Alameda seafood stand. At 5:45 on a rainy winter’s morning, I’m in a truck with Joey Pucci and Samuel Anderson, headed…
Read MoreWinter Holidays 2018
FEATURES Editor’s Mixing Bowl What’s in Season? DIY Beeswax Food Wrap Good Reads for Kids I Am Your Food Cooking with Gratitude Ready, Set, Reuse the GO Box New Opportunities for Home Cooks Edible Hedgerow in the City DIY Herbal Gifts Top Cap Mushrooms Recipes for an East Bay Lunar New Year Anaviv’s Table Opens…
Read MoreCooking with Gratitude
Cherishing What We Have and Wasting Less Around the world, feasts of gratitude for a good harvest are among the oldest traditions, marked by a rest from working the fields and plentiful meals. An abundance of food is at the center of our Thanksgiving celebrations as well, yet few of us have a deep connection…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season?
Produce harvested at its peak is your sure bet for flavor and freshness. By Barbara Kobsar | Illustration by Charmaine Koehler-Lodge November Root vegetables like beets, parsnips, turnips, horseradish, daikon, radishes, and potatoes are the market stars this month. So are sweet potatoes, which come in two main types: The golden-skinned, pale-fleshed varieties tend to…
Read MoreFall Planting Guide
Gardener’s Notebook by Joshua Burman Thayer As the days shorten and the stress of the sun lessens, we’re in a prime window for planting perennial evergreen species that can provide your household with edible abundance. That window stays open from early October until the third or fourth day of our first big storm, when the…
Read MoreEditor’s Mixing Bowl
T he slightly gritty feel of the paring knife cutting through the skin of a perfectly ripe avocado … the oily-smooth resistance while twisting the halves apart … two buttery-green surfaces revealed … a drizzle of peppery extra-virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of fleur de sel, and you have a great-but-simple moment to celebrate. It comes…
Read MoreHow Marykate McGoldrick Found Her Baking Groove
Baking Up a Sweet Career From Scratch Pastry chef Marykate McGoldrick’s path to Camino and beyond By Samantha Nobles-Block Photos by Cayce Clifford One spring evening in 2010, a 37-year-old public school teacher named Marykate McGoldrick welcomed three San Francisco restaurateurs into her tiny Oakland apartment. The Lee brothers, owners of Namu Gaji and Namu…
Read MoreHooked on Cult Crackers
Crunchy, Seedy, and a Little Bit Cult-y Swedish cracker culture comes to Berkeley Story and photos by Anna Mindess As a kid growing up in Malmö, Sweden, Birgitta Durell took knäckebröd (crispbread) for granted. These mostly rye-based crackers are eaten there daily, paired with everything from pickled herring to lingonberry jam. Many Swedes still make…
Read MoreKids in the Kitchen
Kristina’s Bookshelf New Favorites for New Cooks: 50 Delicious Recipes for Kids to Make By Carolyn Federman (Ten Speed Press, 2018) A new cookbook by Berkeley native Carolyn Federman might provide just the support you need to get your children busy in the kitchen. Federman has had a long tenure in food education, consulting on…
Read MoreAllison Arevalo’s Pasta Friday
‘It’s Pasta Friday, it’s Pasta Friday!’ By Allison Arevalo | Photos by Denise Woodward It’s also 7am But my boys don’t look at the clock. They jump on the bed, rousing me and Alejandro in the not-so-gentle way of three- and five-year-old boys. Friday is their favorite day of the week. They know tonight…
Read MoreBite by Bite
With a memorable tasting menu, Sabio turns Pleasanton into a dining destination By Alix Wall Four small bites come out on a wooden plate that looks like it was cut straight from a tree: a deviled egg with a bit of Dungeness crab, paddlefish caviar, and a sprinkling of chives mounded atop the yolk; a…
Read MoreLittle Gem Salad with Herbs and Lemon Vinaigrette
From ‘It’s Pasta Friday, it’s Pasta Friday!’ By Allison Arevalo | Photos by Denise Woodward For salad 1 pound green or red little gems, torn into bite-size pieces 1 bunch mint, stemmed and roughly chopped 1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and roughly chopped 1 bunch parsley, stemmed and roughly chopped 1 avocado, cut into cubes ½…
Read MoreCreating Layers in Your Food Garden
Good things from the lower layers of your food forest By Joshua Burman Thayer | Illustration by Cheryl Angelina Koehler Permaculture seeks to build harmony between people and nature. It calls upon us to care for the earth while producing food for our nourishment. Planting a food forest is one way to realize these goals.…
Read MoreMarket Hall’s Grilled Citrus Honey Tri-Tip
Recipe courtesy of executive chef Scott Miller, Market Hall Foods. Serves 6–8 (4 ounce portions) “Everybody in my family loves tri-tip,” says Market Hall’s executive chef Scott Miller. “This is my go-to recipe for a succulent, juicy, flavorful, and versatile meal. I love it hot out of the oven with roasted baby Yukon Gold potatoes…
Read MoreSaha Comes to Berkeley
Saha Finds a New Home in Berkeley Step into Mohamed Aboghanem’s Arabic-Inspired Restaurant By Sarah Henry | Photos by Kala Minko For a dozen years, Mohamed Aboghanem ran Saha, a self-styled “Arabic fusion” restaurant, out of the back of Hotel Carlton, a boutique lower Nob Hill hotel in the Joie de Vivre chain. The restaurant…
Read MoreKristina’s Bookshelf
Eat Your Way to Good Health I’ve read many books in which someone evangelizes about their experience sliding into a terrible health crisis and turning around all their problems by radically changing their diet to remove sugar, carbs, gluten, and any number of other products. Accordingly, I was a little ho-hum when I received yet…
Read MorePerk Up Your Plants with Coffee Grounds
Perk Up Your Plants with a Free and Easy Amendment: Coffee Grounds Your used coffee grounds can provide a natural and beneficial soil amendment. Add this natural food source to your soil by following these easy steps. Capture the gold Don’t just dump coffee grounds in your compost. Separate them into their own bucket, and…
Read MoreCrumbly, Baked Goodness
When doesn’t a baked, bread-y offering—sweet or savory—seem appealing? We’re all spoiled by those really well-made and tasty items found at coffee and tea houses around town. Some shops bake their own, but many get them from local artisan bakers like Berkeley-based Third Culture Bakery, where the creative Taiwanese and Indonesian duo of Wenter…
Read MoreFire Up the Grill!
Try these crowd-pleasing recipes from fourth-generation family business Mi Rancho, known for its organic tortillas made from non-GMO California corn. The Berber family runs the San Leandro–based business, which started as a small Oakland bodega. Today, Mi Rancho tortillas are a favorite with local restaurants as well as grocers across the state. Mi Rancho’s corn…
Read MoreKristina’s Bookshelf
Sweet, Cold Cream Local favorite I-Scream on Upper Solano in Berkeley scoops flavors that taste like the farm-fresh ingredients they’re made from. Popular flavors include creamy, buttery rich Salted Caramel (or even better, the Burnt Caramel, when it’s available). Daily offerings change and might include Strawberry (always made with ripe berries), Honey Lavender, or Wild…
Read MoreAnything on a Taco
Kristina’s Bookshelf I love tacos. I’m a fan of all the traditional versions, especially when prepared by experts. I would go out of my way for al pastor (a flavorful pork slow-cooked in adobo and pineapple) at Berkeley’s Casa Latina; de pescado (freshly caught fish with mayonnaise made from just-laid eggs) from a beach vendor in the…
Read MoreGrow the Food Forest
Help create the Mother Orchard, a five-acre food forest in El Sobrante. Planting Justice is hosting volunteer days this winter and spring for individuals and groups to join in. Planting Justice is known in the Bay Area for converting backyards and lawns into edible gardens and providing living-wage jobs for men who were formerly incarcerated.…
Read MoreEast Bay Bookshelf
In 2012, Luz Calvo noticed some students at a fundraiser selling donuts with the claim that the fried cakes were “healthy” because they didn’t contain trans fats. A professor of ethnic studies at Cal State East Bay, Calvo was studying how rates of diabetes, cancer, and other chronic and life-threatening illness have been rising among…
Read MoreKelp Wanted
By Sally Bryson With her long fronds of hair, weathered face, and long, green dress, Moon looks like she was born to do her job—she is a seaweed wild-crafter. As the sole proprietor of Sea Breeze Sea Vegetables, she makes her living by harvesting, cleaning, sorting, drying, bagging and selling seaweed. “I’m my own boss…
Read MoreBowls of Deliciousness
Book review by Kristina Sepetys There’s something very satisfying about food in a bowl, whether it is a soup, stew, salad, grain mixture, or other dish. Maybe it’s that the contents of a bowl can be consumed as easily on a couch as at a table, or that a bowl is capable of holding a…
Read MoreEating Clean and Green
Reviews by Kristina Sepetys Eating clean means avoiding processed and refined foods in favor of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. Skipping foods made with refined sugars and additives, and/or overly processed foods, can help to control disease, encourage weight loss, and just make for better tasting food. If you struggle to lose weight…
Read MoreA surprising Livermore food tour
When Jill Keiken found herself “marooned” in Livermore, courtesy of her husband’s government job, she thought, “We’ll just have to go to San Francisco when we want some decent food!” Then she realized an opportunity had fallen into her lap: She could explore her new town just the way she had when she…
Read MoreBuckwheat, Sorghum, and Teff
ANCIENT FLOURS RISE AGAIN Growing interest in traditional grains —buckwheat, sorghum, and teff— goes far beyond their gluten-free credentials Story and photos by Anna Mindess T he enticing aromas of warm honey, cinnamon, and butter waft through Emeryville’s Bacano Bakery one early morning as workers carefully remove hot pans of banana muffins and pinwheel Danish from…
Read MoreBuckwheat Apricot Bread
From the story ANCIENT FLOURS RISE AGAIN by Anna Mindess This dairy-free, wheat-free bread, a creation of Laverne Matias, is so versatile you can enjoy it for breakfast or dinner. Earthy, moist, and nutty, with just a hint of sweetness, it’s great toasted and topped with apricot preserves or avocado. 1 cup buckwheat flour 1 cup…
Read MoreGood Food Awards
WHAT MAKES GOOD FOOD GOOD? At the start of each new year since 2011, food producers all over the country have waited expectantly to learn how their entries have fared in the Good Food Awards. San Francisco–based Seedlings Projects says the awards “celebrate the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic, and…
Read MorePixie People
An Ojai orchard and its coveted citrus find a following in Berkeley By Sarah Henry Photos and art by Lisa Brenneis The first in a series about the backstory behind East Bay farmers’ market vendors and their sought-after, seasonal bounty. Nothing says the start of a new year quite like citrus season. Meyer lemons, Cara…
Read MoreSuper Foods for Super Health
Book reviews by Kristina Sepetys In his preface to The Anti-Inflammation Cookbook, Dr. Bradly Jacobs, an integrative medicine physician based in Sausalito, reflects that “Although we have long recognized the importance of food in promoting good health, only in the past ten years have we come to appreciate how food can damage our health.” Increased…
Read MoreOnline Only
Dana Velden Profile Video Photographer and filmmaker Scott Peterson shot this short video in the humble kitchen of Dana Velden, a Zen priest and author of Finding Yourself in the Kitchen: Kitchen Meditations and Inspired Recipes from a Mindful Cook. In the film, Velden shows how she prepares a simple salad and gives viewers…
Read MoreEditor’s Mixing Bowl
It’s hard to miss what’s been happening in the local housing market as space is valued at an ever-growing premium. It seems to be the same here at Edible East Bay, where we keep learning about more and more exciting stories we want to include. Try as we might, we simply can’t wedge it all…
Read MoreWandering Gypsy
Review by Kristina Sepetys Kitchen Gypsy: Recipes and Stories from a Lifelong Romance with Food by Joanne Weir (Oxmoor House, 2015) When Joanne Weir was a child growing up in Massachusetts, her father called her his “wandering gypsy” because he knew how much she liked to explore. Perhaps even in those early years…
Read MoreMeet the Kitchen Gypsy
A tasting, a talk, and a book review A Kitchen Gypsy at Chez Panisse Celebrated chef and author Joanne Weir signs copies of her new book Kitchen Gypsy and shares memories from her days working on the line at Chez Panisse. Guests enjoy wine and tasty bites provided by the café. After the book…
Read MoreBooks to Help You Celebrate the Harvest!
Book reviews by Kristina Sepetys Harvest marks the end of the growing season for many crops. It’s a time to gather the bounty, preserve it, and store it for the colder, leaner months ahead when you can truly enjoy the products of your labor. These three new books will help you to make the most…
Read MoreROASTED BAY NUTS
Northern California’s indigenous “cacao” Story, photos, and recipe by Kristen Rasmussen You can’t go far on a Bay Area trail without coming across Umbellularia californica, the California bay laurel tree. A native of the Pacific West, it’s a close cousin to the Mediterranean tree Laurus nobilis, which produces the bay leaves we buy at the store. Many…
Read MoreBay Nut Chicken Mole
Photo and recipe by Kristen Rasmussen Read Kristen’s story to learn more about foraging and processing bay nuts. Traditionally, moles get their robust coffee-cacao flavor from chocolate, but roasted bay nuts are a great alternative for a similar rich-but-wild flavor. Serves 6 2½ pounds skinless chicken thighs and/or legs 1–2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)…
Read MoreAlameda Point Collaborative
HOME BASE At Alameda Point Collaborative, farming helps to break the cycle of homelessness By Rachel Trachten | Photos by Lindsay Dobbs “I never wanted to be a farmer; that was hard work,” says Vincent Figueroa, who came to farming relatively late in life. The 56-year-old self-described former drug addict arrived at Alameda Point Collaborative…
Read MoreSeven Stars of Summer
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 seasonal favorites illustrated by Sarah Klein (sarahklein.com) with coloring by Maggie Gosselin. You can learn…
Read MoreEating Plant-Strong!
Reviews by Kristina Sepetys The choice to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet might be for health reasons, such as to control weight, blood pressure, or cholesterol. For some, it might be to honor personal commitments to living sustainably. Many people who follow plant-intense diets are interested in choosing varied and balanced ingredients to ensure…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season?
BY BARBARA KOBSAR Choosing produce harvested at its peak is your sure bet for flavor and freshness. February Citrus gets top billing during the winter months but even as the season winds down there’s one more star to come forward: California navel oranges are at their peak during February when they are heavy with…
Read MoreCancún Sabor Mexicana
FROM FIELD TO PLATE Farmer Jorge Saldana Grows His Food Business The first in a series of stories about relationships between local farms and restaurants BY SARAH HENRY │ PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBIN JOLIN Farm-to-table restaurants are a dime a dozen in the Bay Area now. The term even induces eye rolling among jaded food critics.…
Read MoreNewsletter Archive
Edible East Bay Appetizer Archives April 22, 2026 Rain or Shine April 2, 2026 Let the Earth Month Celebration Begin March 11, 2026 Ides of March Planning List February 26, 2026 Welcome Spring! Our New Issue Is Out! February 13, 2026 First Plum Blossoms. Then Spring. January 22, 2026 Step In, Step Out December 17,…
Read MoreEditor's Mixing Bowl
Working on our fall issue always gets me a little disoriented. It’s lazy midsummer vacation time, but here we are creating coverage for a soon-to-be-busy fall season with its harvests and holiday preparations… oh, and an election. The drought and election were on my mind as I was talking to Aldo Assali of A.P. Farming,…
Read MoreLivermore Valley Wine Adventures
A Visit to Livermore Valley Wine Country By Christy White • Photos by Annie Tillis • Map by Nikki Goddard A few years ago when I was dating a guy from Pleasanton, my Oakland and Berkeley friends often asked dubiously “Pleasanton?” as they glanced at each other in alarm. “You could never live in Pleasanton.”…
Read MoreA Valley Hotspot
Underdog Wine Bar at Concannon Vineyards Story and Photos by Deborah Grossman The Restaurant at the Wente Vineyards event center is the alpha dog of winery dining in Livermore Valley with its half-acre organic garden and 25-year history of white-tablecloth cuisine. But Underdog Wine Bar at Concannon Vineyards has established its own fan base for…
Read MoreMay 31, 2014
Local Gems Edible Tastings at Berkeley’s Live Oak Park Fair is just around the corner, and here’s a preview to tempt your palate. We invite you to read on for stories about a nursery makeover, two chances to mix and mingle, a panel for those with entrepreneurial spirit, and the local food journalists who won…
Read MoreFibershed
FIBERSHED Fashion gets a slow-food-style makeover By Jillian Laurel Steinberger Where does our clothing come from and where does it end up? We’ve grown accustomed to asking such questions about our food and our water, but why not about our fabrics and dyes? What if we could get sweaters, jeans, and hats made from locally…
Read MoreThe Seven Stars of Summer
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 seasonal favorites. You can learn more about the Local Foods Wheel and the group’s other ventures at…
Read MoreSide Dish ..
LA COCINA ALUMS LAUNCH EAST BAY BUSINESSES BY SARAH HENRY The incubator kitchen in San Francisco’s Mission District known as La Cocina has garnered well deserved praise for kick starting the culinary careers of many low-income edible entrepreneurs, primarily women of color from immigrant communities. To date, the nonprofit program, which provides technical assistance, business support,…
Read MoreFinancing Oakland's New Restaurants
BEHIND THE BOOM The Finances Fueling Oakland’s New Wave of Restaurants By Sarah Henry • Photos by Stacy Ventura Oakland is having a protracted It moment. First came word that the New York Times deemed the “gritty” city one of the 45 places to visit in 2012. Last year, the international press weighed in…
Read MoreMarch 27, 2014
Spring Planting Before you dig in to your own garden, cast your vote for Planting Justice! Cast your vote for edible gardens! Edible East Bay has nominated the Oakland-based nonprofit Planting Justice for a grant of $500 through the Edible Feast Cover Contest. To win, we need our readers to vote by sharing our…
Read MoreFood Forays in Fremont
Like many who dwell in the northern reaches of Alameda County, I can go for months on end without giving much thought to the south-county city of Fremont. If I do call up a vision, it’s of the endless subdivisions and strip malls that replaced former farms and vineyards when the region became a bedroom…
Read MoreFeast of the Seven Fishes
The Trend and the Tradition By Cheryl Angelina Koehler | Illustrations by Iris Gottlieb “Food trends start here,” a friend with a deep knowledge of San Francisco Bay Area food culture once said. But in a recent conversation, we came up with at least one trend that seems to have started on the East…
Read MoreSalt-Cured Ahi Tuna Tataki
From The Feast of Seven Fishes Recipe by Chef Rick Hackett of Bocanova Look for this appetizer on Bocanova’s Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes menu. Chef Hackett says to sear the tuna in a light flavorless oil such as grape seed oil, so as not to detract from the flavor of the salt-cure…
Read MoreAny Females in the House?
Top, left to right: Sarah Kirnon, chef/owner of Miss Ollie’s; Dominica Rice, chef/owner of Cosecha; Tanya Holland, chef/owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen and B-Side BBQ. Bottom, left to right: Julya Shin, chef de cuisine at Pizzaiolo; Kim Alter, formerly executive chef at Haven and now at Plum; and Preeti Mistry of Juhu Beach Club, who…
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 MoreEast Bay Appetizer • September 13, 2013
Summer may be just about over, but as the good weather lingers here in the Bay Area, it’s a good time to get out for a visit with farmers from near and far, shop at your local farmers market, and cook up some vegetables from root to shoot. Special note: This issue marks the addition…
Read MoreSYNERGY, SHARING AND RESCUES
By Jillian Steinberger SYNERGY, AVOCADOS AND THREE LADY LANDSCAPERS When Heather Brady DeQuincy moved to San Leandro, she discovered two huge fruitful avocado trees growing around the corner at different houses. She took the writer of this article to see the trees. When they knocked at one of the doors to ask about the trees,…
Read MoreWHAT’S IN SEASON
BY BARBARA KOBSAR ILLUSTRATION BY MARGO RIVERA-WEISS When you’re at the farmers’ market, it’s all about what’s in season. Choosing from items harvested at their peak is your sure bet for fabulous flavor and freshness. FEBRUARY/MARCH Spinach and Swiss chard continue to enjoy the cooler weather. When bunches of small garnet-red round beets arrive with…
Read MoreCOMAL + WATER2TABLE
Chef has a line on the best local, sustainable seafood BY KRISTINA SEPETYS Do you ever wonder where that fish in your fish taco came from and whether it was sustainably harvested? You won’t have to guess at Comal, the stylish restaurant on Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley serving fresh, modern Mexican food and cocktails…
Read MoreEDITOR’S MIXING BOWL
In the Bay Area, spring is when Nature wears her richest green clothing, and it’s when farmers’ market shoppers know to look for curious treasures, such as green garlic, fava beans, and rhubarb. This issue feels similarly gifted by the season of fresh, new, and unique, especially so with the artwork we received for these…
Read MoreCONTENTS Spring 2013
SPRING 2013 EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL WHAT’S IN SEASON EAST BAY BOOKSHELF Michael Pollan on cooking Inspiring garden design Christopher Shein on permaculture A crowd-sourced food atlas COMAL + WATER2TABLE Chef has a line on the best local, sustainable seafood A DIFFERENT WAY OF FARMING By farmer Mike Madison SEVEN STARS OF SPRING And a pork…
Read MoreGuacamole with Preserved Lemon
From the East Bay Avocado Back in 2013 when she gave us this recipe, Caterina Rindi was busy turning excess produce from neighbors’ yards into preserved items, which she traded and sold at popup markets. Caterina is one of the founders of Shareable.net, an online magazine that covers the people and projects bringing a shareable world to life. …
Read MoreFive-Minute Mexican Weed Wrap
An easily portable lunch or fast dinner. The sprouted-grain tortilla’s earthy texture stands up well to the weedy greens, and the avocado adds a smooth contrast. For 1 hearty serving, briefly place 1 sprouted-grain tortilla directly on stove burner on medium heat. Watch closely to avoid burning, and turn to lightly toast each side. Place…
Read MoreSWEET, COLD, AND UNFORGETTABLE PLEASURE
SWEET, COLD, AND UNFORGETTABLE PLEASURE An East Bay cone-u-copia of ice cream and other frozen treats STORY AND PHOTOS KRISTINA M. SEPETYS Ice cream cones, a cup of sorbet or gelato, an icy paleta: simple, delightful indulgences that make people smile. Like many grown-up children, I have fond memories of an old, battered ice cream…
Read MoreWhat’s Cooking with Sustainable Seafood?
What’s Cooking with Sustainable Seafood? Getting hooked on best choices through fresh businesses, cookbooks, and practices By Sarah Henry Cathy Phillips wants to eat fish for health reasons—all those heart-healthy and brain-boosting omega-3s for starters—but like many ethical eaters she’s also eager to source seafood that is sustainable, caught close to home, and supports the…
Read MoreCheese Without the Cow
The non-dairy artisanal delights of raw nut cheeses By Jillian Steinberger | Photos by Stacy Ventura So, raw nut cheese . . . raw nut cheese . . . What is raw nut cheese? If you don’t know, no worries. This would not be a food you see on TV. It’s kind of…
Read MoreTransition groups plant the seed
Local Visionaries: Transition groups plant the seeds for a homegrown future By Rachel Trachten, photos by Nicki Rosario At Albany’s “Great Unleashing,” the talk was of growing food, going solar, and living more simply. On a Sunday in May, groups gathered inside the Veterans’ Memorial Building and on the lawn, posing such questions as: Can…
Read MoreGive and Take: The East Bay’s Growing Food-Sharing Culture
Give and Take: The East Bay’s Growing Food-Sharing Culture By Sarah Henry Pictured: Some of the homemade goods offered at the East Bay Homemade Food Swap. (Photos courtesy of Becky Spencer.) Sharing has made a comeback. East Bay residents are now bartering, trading, exchanging, swapping, or simply giving away an abundance of homegrown produce or…
Read MoreSeven Stars of Summer
Seven Stars of Summer 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 Jessica’s seven summer favorites. You can learn more about the Local Foods Wheel and the group’s other…
Read MoreSeven Stars of Spring
Seven Stars of Spring By Jessica Prentice with line drawings are by Sarah Klein (sarahklein.com) colored by Maggie Gosselin 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 Jessica’s seven best bets for…
Read MoreWeedy Greens
The Great Recession’s Latest Crop By Jillian Steinberger, M.A., BFQL | Illustrations by Bonnie Borucki Um . . . Did someone say, “Free food”? After six years developing an edible test garden for my landscaping business, I’ve come to regard weeds as crops. In times like these, you just can’t let a great—and super-local—source of…
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 More