Fall 2017 Publisher's Note
This issue of Word of Mouth is a gift. As some may know, my world shifted in October with the sudden loss of my husband Gabe. This was followed by the devastating fires in our community. The ripples of this fire as we move from response to recovery may mirror my own healing. It will be a long process.
For now, my mind does not understand the shape of Gabe’s absence. We had known each other longer than we had not, and after twenty four years together we had just celebrated our fifteenth wedding anniversary. I know that this grieving process will include a thousand moments of heartbreak.
I also know that we knew how good we had it. We were giddy at our fortune. We had so much love and so much fun. We had a safe home and fabulous family (I love you Dave and Bonnie, Mat, Morgan, and Kyle), and a vast community of loved ones. Looking over our photos I am amazed at just how much adventure filled our brief time together: visits to Cuba, Thailand, Germany, Italy, and Peru, to name just a few. We hiked the Kalalau trail, visited the village of Madrigal near the Colca Canyon, and swam in the pools of Havasu Falls. These memories fill my heart.
Some of our happy times made their way into the pages of Word of Mouth. When I think about Gabe and I scrabbling over the tidepools in Mendocino as Terry d’Selki guided us on an excursion to gather seaweed, or delicately folding a phyllo dough confection using a recipe for two using Sulin Bell’s cookbook, it reminds me that this is why we love living in Mendocino County. It’s this lifestyle—a slower, simpler life, with a deeper connection to the food we eat and the communities which surround us—that Word of Mouth honors and celebrates. Our day-to-day lives may not always live up to that ideal, but there are golden moments that do, and I am grateful to have shared so many of them with Gabe.
So this issue is a gift to me because it was created to some extent without me, while I begin to heal my heart. In the midst of all this strife, the people of Word of Mouth stepped up and pulled it together. My partner in publication, Torrey Douglass, rearranged her own life to keep this boat afloat, and my dear friend and contributor, Anna Levy, balanced her teaching and counseling career to help with editing, writing, and contributor coordination. Ree Slocum has gone above and beyond to gather ads, write stories, and bring me chocolate from Bolliver’s.
And in large and small ways, contributors, readers, and supporters have shown up to lighten the load. We all believe in what we are doing here, and want to continue sharing stories of food and farming in Mendocino County far into the future. The fact that it’s carrying on even when my emotions, energy and abilities are all flying at half mast, moves me beyond words.
Yours in gratitude,
Holly Madrigal, Publisher
Pomegranates
by Lexi Levy Milani
I always think that, much like the man or woman who ate the first oyster, the person who enjoyed the first pomegranate must have been either brave or desperate. How would you know what to do with this fruit if you hadn’t already been shown?
Being of a certain age and living nowhere near the kind of climate that a pomegranate prefers, I am pretty sure I didn’t see an actual pomegranate until I was well into my twenties. I had no idea that this ancient fruit, so leathery on the outside, contained such beauty inside. Its “seeds”—actually juice sacs—are unmatched in terms of their beauty and unique taste and well worth the work it takes to access them.
Now the pomegranate is almost ubiquitous: you can find it in almost any grocery, and its juice is probably sold in your local gas station convenience store, too. But it’s still a treat to eat a ripe pomegranate out of hand: such a tactile experience in every way, from cutting into the fruit to peeling each precious pod out of its skin and savoring the tangy pop in your mouth. Nothing else compares.
Pomegranates are unique in that their juice can tip savory or sweet, depending on the other factors in any given recipe. They can be used to flavor dishes or to add that one-of-a-kind snap to finish a plate. In the harvest-time recipe to the right, they do both. If you are feeding a crowd, you should have enough molasses to easily glaze up to six pounds of pork— adjust your cook time accordingly.
Recipe: Pomegranate Roast Pork Tacos
For 6–8 people.
For pomegranate molasses:
- 4 cups pomegranate juice
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Combine pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until the mixture has reduced to 1 cup, approximately an hour, stirring occasionally, until it has the consistency of thick syrup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the saucepan for 30 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and allow to cool completely before covering and storing in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. If you are strapped for time, look for pomegranate molasses at natural foods stores or Middle Eastern groceries. The molasses is also delicious spread on bread or drizzled on yogurt and can be used to glaze a leg of lamb instead of pork, if you prefer.
For pork:
- 1 boneless pork shoulder (aka Boston butt), approximately 3 lbs.
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Let the pork come to room temperature (approximately an hour). Rinse the meat and pat dry. Using a paring knife, make ½-inch-deep incisions on both sides of the meat, then massage with olive oil. Salt and pepper liberally, and then glaze generously with the pomegranate molasses. Line a deep roasting pan with foil, set a rack in it, and coat the rack with non-stick spray. Place the meat on the prepared rack in the roasting pan, fat side up. Cover with foil, and roast for approximately 3 1/2 hours or until the meat is fork tender, turning and basting with molasses approximately every half hour. Remove the rack. Cool the meat in its juices in the pan. Discard the foil liner, then shred with two forks in the pan. Reheat gently in the juices before serving.
For taco assembly:
- Corn tortillas
- Shredded red or green cabbage
- 2 fresh pomegranates
- Queso fresco, ricotta salata, or feta cheese, if desired
Warm the tortillas by your preferred method. Fill with the warmed shredded meat, and top with cabbage, pomegranate seeds and cheese (if desired).
Lexi Levy Milani lives in central Maryland with her chef husband, toddler son, and two rescue dogs. For almost ten years, she and her husband owned and operated a restaurant in historic Ellicott City, MD. She has loved eating and writing since she can remember.
Black Oak Coffee Roasters
by Anna Levy
photos by Bobby Cochran
It’s a Sunday afternoon, and the café is bustling. Almost every seat is taken. People sit in pairs and in groups, though some are here alone. There is a steady hum of conversation, sporadically interrupted by laughter. A barista occasionally announces when drink orders are ready—soy mocha, decaf lavender latte, a large iced chai. Friends curl together on a large brown sofa, a woman tosses a squealing toddler into the air, a tattooed and bearded man hunches over his laptop. From those silently reading the newspaper to the groups on the front porch, catching up and gesticulating wildly, the room is full with life.
It is, in other words, just another day at Black Oak Coffee Roasters. Founded in 2012, Black Oak has invited folks to experience the joy of a coffee shop that values quality and comfort in equal measure.
For owners Keith Feigin and Jon Frech, the room’s mood is intentional. The friends-turned-business partners solidified their bond several years ago over an interest in raising goats. Now they aim to serve excellent coffee within an environment that caters to locals.
“We knew we wanted to be more things to more people,” Keith says. “I think you can tell a lot about a town by its coffee shop and roaster.”
As a native of Ukiah who honed his love of coffee shops through visits to local cafes and those in the Bay Area, Portland, and beyond, taking over the former Coffee Critic space was an easy decision. “I heard that there were a few different companies that had their eye on the roaster and had made offers on it,” Keith explains. “I thought, this is a gem in Ukiah. We can’t let it go. I just felt like we needed to keep it in the community.” “
An idea became an opportunity really quickly,” Jon adds, noting that they had been tossing around the idea of going into business together. By that point, they both had small business experience—Jon managed Leonard Lake Reserve and Keith owned Lovers Lane Honey, which he purchased in 2006 after being mentored by its original owner since childhood.
As the coffee shop came together, the two partners clarified their priorities: they wanted to produce a world-class product that could fit into a space tailored to their small town. “We knew we needed to sell really good coffee,” Jon says. “You have to keep your audience in mind but also have an idea of what you want to share with them. For a lot of people, coffee is a comfort food and they don’t want it to be that different.”
Expanding the customer experience has been important to both owners throughout the process. “One of the things that we wanted to stress early on was being inclusive, meeting people where they are, in coffee,” Keith says. “When you come see us, we have things on the menu that are familiar, but we can also challenge the connoisseur a little bit, if they want that.”
That goal—to appeal to the casual coffee drinker as well as the person who might look for something unusual—has been realized through two methods: developing the retail location in Ukiah and selling wholesale to restaurants, businesses, and more. As they’ve grown their presence to include the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and beyond, Jon explains, “We’re competing locally, regionally, and nationally for our audience, and we want to be the best at what we do.” By doing that, he says, they’re able to expose their local audience to a wider variety of flavors.
Introducing customers to something new, Jon says, continues to be a treasured part of the process. “If you can give someone that—the first, indelible experience—it’s kind of exciting,” he explains. “Like the first time you try a natural Ethiopian coffee, and its blueberries and strawberries. The flavors of Ethiopian coffee are some of the strongest, so it’s like a gateway drug to others.”
The café continues to evolve and has become both a refuge and a resource for the community. At one point, for example, Jon steps out of the interview to confer with a customer who has brought in a bag of coffee from Maui. “She wanted to know what we had that was like that,” Jon explains, clearly pleased that he was able to point out what stood out in the flavor profile and what Black Oak could offer that was similar.
Still, Black Oak has done an impressive job setting itself apart from competitors. Recent awards include being named the Overall Champion Roaster at the 2017 Golden Bean North America roasting competition and winning the 2017 America’s Best Espresso Competition in Portland. “It was cool to go up there and compete among some of the best roasters in the United States,” Keith says. “Being able to put our little town on the map up there, it felt good.”
Regardless of how far they go, it’s clear that Black Oak’s focus is on providing a memorable, local experience. When talking about the café, Keith says, “I just want people to think of it as a place people can go and feel comfortable. They can count on us for a place to come see their friends and family.” He continues, “Their day is going to be better when they leave. They can see us as a vibrant hub for the community and have a great culinary experience while they’re here, too.”
Yet Black Oak’s influence goes beyond providing a gathering spot for locals. A week after visiting Black Oak on that bustling Sunday afternoon, the café is again busy, though this time there’s a different feel in the air. The Redwood Valley Fire has been raging for several days, so in addition to locals, emergency responders sit at the tables, occasionally being interrupted by someone offering a hug or other forms of gratitude. A fire truck from Los Angeles is parked outside.
The desire to help was immediate for Keith, Jon, and their employees. “On the Monday morning that we heard about the fire, we started donating all our drip coffee sales to the relief efforts,” Keith says. “We raised about $2,179 there.” The staff also unanimously decided to donate the cash prize they’d just been awarded in the America’s Best Espresso Competition.
In the end, they gathered $4,179, giving directly to help those affected. It isn’t something that either owner wants to draw attention to; it’s just clear to them that helping their community was the right thing to do. And it’s oddly fitting, given the café’s name. “When you think about the Black Oak tree, it looks different than other oak trees. It stands out and is resilient and is unique,” Keith explains, noting that he and Jon kept a running list of possible names before settling on their moniker. “It’s a huge symbol for Mendocino County.” Like its namesake, Black Oak Coffee Roasters is an enduring and integral part of our community, providing beauty and sustenance. As Keith and Jon continue to find ways to make the experience even better, it’s clear that they’ve already built something special—a café for Ukiah to call its own.
Black Oak is located at 476 N State St, Ukiah Open Mon–Fri, 6:30am–6pm / Sat & Sun 7am–5pm. blackoakcoffee.com (866) 390-1427
Anna Levy writes, cooks, and plans travel of all sorts whenever she can. She lives on the Mendocino Coast with her husband and two dogs.
Sharing the Bounty
Mendocino Permaculture Winter Abundance Fair
by Andy Balestracci
My first memories of fruit trees begin with an autumn kindergarten class trip to my town’s family-farmed apple orchard, Bishop’s Orchards, in coastal Connecticut. The acres of apples seemed to stretch to the horizon, a paradise realm of apples that still, to this day, sets the benchmark for how a “MacIntosh” should taste.
Tapping into the bounty of Nature can have long-lasting benefits. On the winter day 35 years ago when Barbara Goodell first learned to graft apples, she was surprised how simple the process was. From the 100 apple trees she grafted with her husband, Rob, and friend, Patrick Schafer, 99 survived. At $1 per rootstock, it was a great investment. Many of those same trees bear fruit to this day on their property outside Boonville, providing a yearly harvest of a number of apple varieties. Some are used for cider, others for baking, and still others are best eaten right out of your hand.
With a 99% success rate under their belt, the Goodells and Patrick “wanted to share that success and get everybody doing this for their own orchard,” explains Barbara. So they started the scion and grafting exchange.
“With our friends Lee Davis, Mark Albert and Patrick Shafer, we soon started hosting a variety of events all around the county, visiting successful homesteads, ranches, gardens, and especially people who seemed to have a clue about living in harmony with nature.” Some of these venues blossomed into their own yearly gatherings, like the Butler Ranch Cherry harvest and the annual Zeni Ranch Chestnut gathering (mentioned in the Fall 2016 Word of Mouth).
Eventually, a yearly event evolved in Anderson Valley, held at the beginning of February. First located at the AV High School Ag Department and, more recently, at the fairgrounds in Boonville, the gathering offers free seeds and scions provided by local farmers and gardeners, root stock for sale, and workshops on grafting.
Scions are the prunings from last year’s growth on fruit trees. These cuttings can be grafted onto a hardy rootstock, which then grows into a new tree that provides fruit identical to those from the graft’s source tree. All the apples, pears, plums, and apricots you buy from your local market are from grafted trees. You won’t get the same Gravenstein apple if you plant the seed from an apple you just ate—it would be its own unique product of cross-pollination from two parent trees. That isn’t to say that happy mistakes don’t occur, but for consistency, you need to use grafts.
The MacIntosh apple is a perfect example: all of the “Macs” that have ever existed came from a chance apple tree seedling and an observant farmer. John MacIntosh discovered some wild seedlings on his Dundela, Ontario farm in 1811. One of them produced exceptional tasting apples. Grafts from that one tree produced a commercial MacIntosh industry that amounted to 40% of the Canadian apple market in the 1960’s.
The best way to learn fruit tree grafting is with an experienced teacher. Come down to the County Fairgrounds in Boonville on Saturday, February 10th, and attend one of the free workshops at the Winter Abundance Fair. Now celebrating its 35th year, this homegrown event offers a diverse sampling of what grows best here in Northern California, and particularly in our varied microclimates in Mendocino County.
Sidebar: Grafting Trees: Key Terms and Instructions
KEY TERMS
Grafting: the horticultural technique of combining plant tissues to continue growing together.
Scion: last year’s new growth from a desired fruit tree variety that is grafted to rootstock.
Rootstock: a rooted seedling fruit tree that imparts genetic strengths possibly absent in scionwood, such as hardiness in some form like drought or cold tolerance or semi-dwarf mature trees for ease of harvesting.
Whip graft: a graft whereby a diagonal cut is made across the top of rootstock paired to matching diagonal cut on the scion.
Whip Tongue graft: a whip graft that has an additional small diagonal cut midway on both scion and rootstock that has the added benefit of holding the scion and rootstock graft through opposing tension of plant tissue.
HOW TO MAKE A WHIP TONGUE GRAFT
- Cut the scion at a point where it has a similar diameter as the root stock.
- Carve the end of the scion into an angle.
- The first interior layer beneath the bark is the xylem. The graft should pair the scion’s xylem with the rootstock’s xylem so water and nutrients can flow through one to the other.
- Add a vertical cut in the center of each angled portion that will allow the two parts to fit snugly.
- Slide the two angled portions together, forcing the cuts apart to insert the opposing wedges.
- Wrap tightly with gardener’s tape.
- Leave the tape on for 12 months or when the swelling graft seems to push the tape outward.
- Example of a mature graft.
- Andy inspects his collection of grafted trees.
Andy Balestracci is a gardener, homesteader, arborist, and seed saver, as well as owner of Diaspora Seeds, providing non-GMO, open pollinated seeds selected for their productivity, resilience, and deliciousness. www.diasporaseeds.com
Gin, English Style
London Distillery Company combines the best of then and now with their artfully crafted Dodd’s Gin
story & photos by Lisa Ludwigsen
As the saying goes, “Gin caused the downfall of London.” There’s truth to that. Tales from the 17th century recount the saturation throughout society of the powerful spirit—mothers abandoning their children, men rendered impotent, and riots in the streets as government intervention tried to turn the tide of the dark and ruinous trend. What started out as a medical treatment for indigestion and gout was eventually labelled “Mother’s Ruin.”
We’ve come a long way from the sordid tales of bathtub English gin, as evidenced by the lively tour of the London Distillery Company (LDC) I took with friends on a short visit to London last spring.
Housed in a brick warehouse under a railway arch in London’s trendy Bermondsey district, LDC’s quality standards mirror all the attention to detail toward the final product as the best craft distillers in Mendocino and the Bay Area. All botanicals used are certified organic, as is the base spirit. The honey is locally sourced, and the stunning labels and boxes are printed on carbon neutral paper made by wind power. LDC also reclaims heat energy generated from its stills.
London Distillery Company produces two gins—Dodd’s and Kew Organic Gin. It also makes English rye whiskey in small batches. Among the blend of 42 botanicals incorporated into Kew Gin’s classic English gin are seasonal flora from London’s Kew Gardens. This dry gin is clean and bright, perfect for a gin & tonic, with label designs evoking Kew Gardens, the 300-acre horticultural masterpiece in south London that is home to the world’s largest collection of living plants.
In a nod to the rough and tumble history of gin in England, Dodd’s is named after a London civil engineer, Ralph Dodd, famous for attempting to build the first tunnel under the Thames in 1789. In 1807, Ralph tried to open the London Distillery Company but ran afoul of the laws of the time. In 2013, LDC founder Darren Rook, resurrected Ralph’s dream, finally creating the London Distillery Company and naming the company’s first gin after Dodd, proving once again that entrepreneurial boldness and innovation can have long-lasting effects, even when they aren’t initially successful.
Dodd’s is a very drinkable gin with a well-rounded mouth feel and a big botanical profile—big juniper and bay laurel leaf accented with lime, raspberry leaf, otherworldly angelica, and two types of cardamom. Dodd’s uses a stateof- the-art cold vacuum distillation for some of the more delicate botanicals.
Though this writer prefers gin served as an icy cold dry martini, straight-up with olives, the refreshing cocktail served at the conclusion of the tour was a winner—Dodd’s with Fentimans Bitter Lemonade over ice, sweet, fragrant and a perfect kickstart to a fun London night. Fentimans sodas can be tricky to find in Mendocino County but are carried by Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op and a few other local markets. Bitter Lemonade isn’t available in the US, but Fentimans Rose Lemonade would make a very suitable substitute.
Wondering about the differences between vodka and gin? You’re not alone. Simply put, all alcohol starts as a plant—grains or potatoes are most common. They are first fermented then distilled to concentrate the alcohol. This produces vodka. In the case of gin, after the initial distillation, botanicals are added, most predominately juniper and then a variety of other traditional and nontraditional herbs and flowers. Creating spirits is part science, part art, and the elaborate, shiny stills and plant formulas always remind me of the factory in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
The great news is that a trip to London isn’t necessary in order to enjoy high quality artisan spirits. Locally, American Craft Whiskey Distillers in Redwood Valley is the home to Tamar Distillery, which produces whisky, gin and vodka, and Greenway Distillers, which produces absinthe and beautiful rose liquor. Their tasting room, Caddell & Williams, is conveniently located at 108 West Clay Street in Ukiah. Hours are 8am-4pm Monday through Friday, 9am-noon Saturday.
As a final plug, if you’ve never visited London or if it’s been a while, go to London. It’s an accessible, friendly and welcoming city with so much to do and so many fine cocktails to enjoy!
Recipe: The Winter Sunset
Tamar Kaye, of American Craft Whiskey Distillers, suggests this holiday-inspired cocktail to get the party started. It is a version of a drink created by mixologist Hoolis C. Nation.
Build in an ice-filled glass:
- 1 oz. gin, preferably Russell Henry Ginger Gin
- 2 tsp. Aperol
- 2 oz sweet Champagne
Garnish with a few fresh cranberries on a skewer.
Lisa Ludwigsen is marketing manager at Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op. For the last 25 years, she has worked with families, farms, and food through school garden programs, small scale farming and the media.
5 Steps to Becoming a Better Mushroom Hunter
story & photos by Tom Shaver
Ah, mushroom season! When the sound of raindrops on rooftops brings visions of earthfruit exploding from the duff in firework-like profusion, growing before your eyes. Yeah! It’s raining! Let’s go OUTSIDE and catch the show!
Yet not every foray yields an overflowing basket, especially if you have a narrow repertoire of mushrooms that you know. After many years of mushroom hunting, I still have foraging sessions where my favorites are elusive, while abundant are a kind of mushroom that I don’t recognize.
As a self-taught mushroom hunter, I’ve become proficient at using identification keys so I can be absolutely confident serving the mushrooms I find at group dinners and selling at farmer’s markets and restaurants. I’d like to share here a few tips about getting to know a new mushroom, tips I share with people who attend workshops that I lead on my land or at events such as the Not So Simple Living Fair, as well as wine and mushroom pairings.
1) LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The first thing to consider is finding a dependable place to forage. I am lucky to live on a 200-acre property that has both redwood forest and oak woodland. When conditions are right, I can walk out my door and be gathering mushrooms almost immediately, returning in an hour or two with a full basket of mushrooms (10 to 15 pounds).
I know most people don’t have 200 acres of wild land outside their door, yet don’t let that discourage you. I’ve met experienced urban foragers who have a wide array of secret locations and end up with more harvest volume per year than I do. I was building houses in Santa Cruz when I began learning about mushrooms. I would leave a half hour early from work so that I could stop by a park on the way home for some Oysters, and maybe have a Chanterelle patch staked out that I could check at lunch.
My advice is to seek places that you can go back to regularly and for years into the future. Get to know the mushrooms that occur in that location. I have some particularly mushrogenic spots where, in an area of 100 feet diameter, a series of over 10 edible varieties will appear one after the other, with some overlapping, in what I call The March of the Season.
Because I am able to get out in the woods frequently, I have a good sense of what will be coming next as the season’s march progresses. I have indicator spots near home that I start checking because they tend to have the earliest bloom. I know there are plenty of people who only go out a few times a year to random places and come home with lots to eat, but a strong feeling for when it is time to check an area for a particular mushroom comes from years of experience.
2) NARROW YOUR SEARCH
For people who want to become familar with an area’s mushrooms, I recommend they begin with the biggest and most abundant ones they find. I took David Aurora’s pocket mushroom book, All that the Rain Promises, on my earliest forays. It has great pictures and nice bulleted lists of the distinguishing characteristics to look for in each mushroom. I still run through this collection of distinguishing features in my head when I come across many of the mushrooms I know. This book also contains alerts when the mushroom you think you’ve found could be its poisonous look-alike.
It might sound obvious, but it is critical to get to know any deadly or hazardous mushrooms in your area. I’ve made a point to know the Death Cap and Destroying Angel really well so I can recognize and avoid them easily.
3) A YEAR IN THE LIFE
I encourage people to study a mushroom for an entire season—at least, before eating it—even if you are totally sure you’ve identified it correctly. This was my process for getting to know Midnight Blue Entolomas, a dark grey, somewhat morbid-looking mushroom that I kept finding. It was helpful to see it go through its entire life cycle—from button stage, to vibrant maturity, to mush—so I could be familiar with its many faces. I went through the identification key in Mushrooms Demystified by David Aurora, starting with the spore print. Now Midnight Blue Entoloma are a staple at our dinner table when they are abundant. They are easy to clean and then store for a few days fresh or dry quickly. Either way you’ll enjoy their uniquely earthy flavor.
4) HABITAT
When we come across a patch during a group foray, I encourage people to carefully take a seat nearby and do a brief meditation to activate all five senses. Next, feel around in the duff, look at the trees, take note of the slope, and be aware of any other sensation you experience in that particular location. Take a look at the mushroom patch from above, below and each side. I find that when I have imprinted the feeling of a particular mushroom’s habitat, my senses will alert me when I come across the same conditions in an unfamiliar area, and I refine my search strategy accordingly.
I tend to cover promising areas by doing switchbacks up and down across a slope so I can scan the whole area from both above and below. Following this search pattern several times during a mushroom’s bloom period gives me a sense of the subsurface web that’s producing the fruit. Recognizing and imprinting the various micro habitats where a specific mushroom occurs is a big part of getting to know it.
5) EAT IT!
Once you’ve absolutely 100% determined that a mushroom is edible, the greatly anticipated day of first consumption is at hand. Some species you’ll want to prepare sooner rather than later. Sorting through a basket that looked pristine when I picked it but turned bug-ridden and soggy two days later helped me learn about the different shelf lives of each mushroom.
Once you’ve picked, processed and eaten hundreds of them, the angst of the first taste will be a faded memory. But when you are first tasting a mushroom you’ve picked on your own, you’ll want to just eat a little bit. Eat a bit more the next time you bring it home, then next time you might offer it to others with a warning that it is a mushroom that could be new for them. Even mushrooms that have no warning of toxic effects can produce nausea in people with sensitive digestive systems.
For some mushrooms, to know them is to smell them as they are cooking. This is particularly true for the seafoody aroma of Shrimp Russulas. For uniqueness of taste, the Matsutake is a popular choice here in Mendocino.
Recalling the adage, “We are what we eat,” brings an indelible deepness of relationship with a new mushroom. I love the slack-jawed faces and ecstatic moans when people take the first taste of a previously unknown mushroom they’ve found, identified, and prepared. From the forest floor to the frying pan, mushroom gathering is a pursuit for the patient and cautious, with wildly delicious benefits.
To arrange for a mushroom foraging session with Tom Shaver at Emerald Earth Sanctuary or on your land, please email sparkyshroom@gmail.com. For more about Tom Shaver and his approach to mushrooms, more pictures and videos of mushroom foraging, go to sparkyshroom.com.
Catching a Wild Pig
My family has raised pigs for as long as I can remember, but it’s not every day that one of us will catch a wild one. One of those days came last spring when we were driving home at the end of the day and saw three pigs running across the road—two piglets and their mother.
I got out of the car and took off after one of the piglets. I tried to grab it but I missed, and it got away. The second piglet had doubled back and gotten confused, so I dove for it before it could realize what was happening. I grabbed it by its waist and hugged it to make it calm down and stop it from squirming.
I got back in the car with it, and it stayed pretty relaxed on the way home. We named it George and kept it in the house for about three months before putting it in a pen with the rest of our pigs. We named him George because my grandfather was a farmer who loved pigs, and his name was George.
During the first week of having George in the house with us, he didn’t trust us so it was hard to feed him. We would put an old towel around him and spoon-feed him some oatmeal. Once he got used to it, we would just put his food in a bowl and he would eat it when he decided he was hungry. He quickly became friends with our two dogs, Emma and Mochi.
When George got too big and stinky to live in the house, we gave him a dog cage on our front deck for him to sleep in. Once he got big enough, we fed him commercial pig pellets and kitchen scraps. George would come and go as he pleased, and the dogs would accompany him. He ended up spending so much time with them and drinking from the same water bowl as them that he thought he was a dog. George would stroll around the house all day, digging unwanted holes and sleeping while he wasn’t following someone around.
George is now living in a large pen about 100 yards from our house and weighs around 200 pounds. We raise all our pigs for food and will probably butcher George sometime this December.
Sam Douglass-Thomas is a ninth grader at Anderson Valley High School. He likes mountain biking, basketball, and spending time with his friends. He has been helping with the family’s animals since he was a toddler.
Feral pigs are wild animals and should not be approached or handled without an experienced person present.
The 2017 Local Food Gift Guide
Curated by Scott Cratty, Proprietor of Westside Renaissance Market in Ukiah
(with a few additions from our publisher)
Editor’s Choice
Not Harry’s Nuts from Ukiah’s nut company makes them nicely flavored but also ensures that you get the full flavor of their well roasted, quality nuts as well. Not Harry’s offers seven flavors ranging from a smartly hot habanero to sweet salted caramel, with something for all palates in between.
Olivino Olive oils are grown, pressed and processed by Terra Savia/Olivino of Hopland (a fun place to visit). Olivino makes classic blends and also bottles individual varietals for those that like to focus on a specific part of the flavor spectrum, such as Moraiolo, for those who like their oil on the spicy side.
Gattonelli Cayenne Hot Sauce is for the pure and serious hot sauce lover, made old world style with no salt, sugar or preservatives in Covelo. They also make a purist’s pasta sauce with their Covelo-grown tomatoes and basil.
Carol Hall’s Hot Pepper Jelly Company makes a wide range of preserved treats in their small, grandma’s kitchen-style production facility in Fort Bragg. Inland Mendocino residents are particularly fond of them for purchasing and preserving the old Stroh’s Ranch Marinade recipe, now under the Carol Hall’s Ranch Marinade label.
Grilli’s Acre’s Triple Crown Blackberries, grown in Talmage, are so insanely good that some people have started marking their calendars each year to make sure they don’t miss them. Sadly, they are not around for the holidays. But you can get a hint of their greatness by trying Duane’s Seedless Triple Crown Blackberry Jam.
The Apple Farm in Philo is a favorite place to stop any time I’m passing through Anderson Valley. All of their products are top notch, and their concentrated apple specialty items like apple balsamic and apple cider syrup make excellent special occasion treats.
Afterglow Natural’s line of body care products, made in Boonville, always get rave reviews for their effectiveness. Joanne has perfected them over many years of direct customer interaction and feedback at our local farmers markets. Surely you know someone who would appreciate Sore Muscle Rub, Ultra-Rich Herbal Body Butter or maybe Eternal Bliss Body Oil.
Our closest supplier, Carson & Bees Wildflower Honey is headquartered just a couple of blocks from the Westside Renaissance Market. Raw, unfiltered, Mendocino County wildflower honey produced by a Mendocino County native with decades of experience and integrity.
Grown from seed, Boonville’s Piment d’Ville will quickly become one of your go to spices—sweet, spicy and warm. Try it straight, smoky, spicy or melded with Pacific sea salt.
Princess Smoked Salmon & Tuna is wild fish at its best produced by Mendocino’s own “Girls Gone Wild for Wild Caught Seafood.” Heather and crew strive to do everything right, like line-catching each fish, giving it a gentle landing, instant processing, immediate blast freezing and repeated ice glazings for the best possible flavor.
Albion’s Mendocino Tea Company has an excellent line of teas and a new flagship product, the long-in-development organic Tuber Tonic. The Tonic is a unique, tasty and energizing herbal blend without the grind of caffeine.
Potter Valley’s McFadden Farms has been refining its all-organic product line for more than 40 years, which is reflected in the quality of their line of spices and spice blends. Try one and you will likely want to work your way through their extensive line-up.
Publisher’s Picks
Pennyroyal Cheese Farm-to-Table program. Five times a year, receive a selection of three seasonal cheeses. Taste the spring-fresh grass or the caramel toastiness of aged Boont Corners. Contact the farm to sign up or pick up some delightful cheeses to tide you over at Westside Renaissance Market.
Honeyed Hazelnuts with dried orange peel and thyme by Pennyroyal Farm. This inspired me to make my own with Lovers Lane Honey and home grown thyme.
The complex flavor of Navarro Vineyards Gewürztraminer Mustard combines my favorite wine with Dijon mustard. Serve with crackers to start your holiday meal.
Find all this deliciousness at Westside Renaissance Market, 1003 W Clay St, Ukiah. (707) 462-0083. westsiderenaissancemarket.com
Mendocino Meats in Redwood Valley
story & photos by Paula Gaska
Since establishing Mendocino Organics / Mendocino Meats in 2000, our farm has evolved to where we currently focus on meat production— heritage pastured pork and pastured chicken, along with lamb, goat, beef, and eggs. Farming is an adventure as we work with the natural environment and processes to produce food.
Like any small business, we deal with changes in the market and are directly impacted by supporting industries. The trials and opportunities have been varied along the way as we pursue our passion for delicious, healthy food.
Focusing on raising livestock is different from raising crops for a living. We hold a higher level of responsibility to honor the life of the animals who feed us, and livestock require a specific land base and infrastructure. Food safety laws regulating the logistics of getting your meat to market are also unique and expensive. We are required to process meat at USDA-inspected facilities to sell to our chosen buyers. Fortunately, we are able to navigate the system and make it work, cooperating with other local ranchers.
Like many first-generation farmers, we had to find land and capital to establish our venture. In summer 2008, we began a partnership with Julie and Joe Golden of Golden Vineyards at Heart Arrow Ranch, overlooking Redwood Valley, with the purpose of bringing more crop and livestock diversity to their biodynamic farm. In exchange for assisting Golden Vineyards in managing the soil fertility and overall plant health of their certified organic and Biodynamic® wine grapes and olives, we have the opportunity to complete the farm organism by growing mixed vegetables, herbs, fruit, and hay, and raising livestock. Our two businesses are working together toward a self-sustaining farmscape. CSA-style marketing and small business loans from community members who believe in our vision and mission have helped us capitalize our farm. Small grant programs, such as those offered through the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and online crowd-funded loans from Kiva Zip have helped us gradually grow.
Finding our niche and making available affordable healthy meat is hard in Northern California, where we compete with medium-scale meat producers who also produce good, consistent products in a sustainable manner. We aim to scale our operation to be price-competitive and to develop a distinct product, truly unique to our farm. Thus, we have invested in livestock breeds adapted to Heart Arrow Ranch and to a pasture-based lifestyle, and we find cost-effective quality feed and forage. For example, our pig breeding herd of three boars and 20 sows consists of many old breeds, including Berkshire, Red Wattle, Mulefoot, Eurasian, and others. With these genetics, the pigs can thrive on the sloped oak woodlands of Heart Arrow Ranch as well as the summer pasture we lease near Ukiah. For pig feed, we have developed a proprietary blend of non-GMO, soy- and corn-free feed, which includes spent brewery grains and food manufacturing byproduct, most of which is certified organic. These elements yield a sweet, well-marbled, and very flavorful meat.
In the summer of 2017, Julie and Joe Golden opened SIP and SAVOR at The Golden Pig in Hopland to showcase our products and offer the community local, farm-driven food. The bar and restaurant is “working with farmers, ranchers, gardeners, brewers and winemakers to provide an authentic small-town, local dining experience with recipes to SIP and SAVOR, leaving each guest feeling better than when they entered” (www.thegoldenpig.com). The restaurant sources as much meat, eggs, and produce as possible from Heart Arrow Ranch and works with other local producers, such as Magruder Ranch in Potter Valley for grass-fed beef, and Pamela’s Products for gluten-free mixes.
Selling competitively priced sustainable meat is challenging, whether to restaurants, butcher shops, or grocery stores, where most people purchase their food. The Golden Pig purchases whole animals, creating a win-win for the bottom line of the restaurant and the rancher. To do so, the restaurant needs to utilize the entire animal, meaning nothing goes to waste, and food costs are minimized. Restaurants may not be able to utilize whole animals because they are menu-driven and do not need all the cuts, or they may lack the space or labor to breakdown whole or half carcasses. As a rancher, selling whole or half animals is easier because we save on paying for additional processing of the meat, and we save time and energy securing buyers for all cuts of the animal.
With menu items like The Golden Pig signature sandwich— pork hot dog with pulled pork and sauerkraut on a pretzel roll—the Reuben sandwich, and rotisserie chicken, the restaurant showcases high-quality, local ingredients in a friendly format of comfort food. The local food movement does not have to be overly expensive, and we can meet people with an approachable menu.
It has been important for our farm to stay in diversified production to help us weather natural and market-based challenges. From 2008 to 2013, our organic vegetable CSA was actually our main focus. By 2015, we reduced the number of our grazing animals as a reaction to the drought and expanded pork production as opportunities opened in that enterprise. As a local food producer, we strive to be consistent, trying to achieve an economy of scale yet remaining open and flexible enough to recognize opportunities or the need to change.
In 2017, the Grade Fire and the Redwood Complex Fire raged through Heart Arrow Ranch. Only roughly 200 acres of the ranch’s 2,000 acres did not burn. We were able to save all livestock, equipment, and structures, including the Goldens’ home. Hopefully, we can leverage the fire’s destruction as an opportunity to expand our grazing animal operation again
We can develop access to more grazing land at Heart Arrow Ranch and perhaps even open up more emergency exits from Redwood Valley. We are grateful for how supportive the community has been in our farming venture thus far, and we hope to continue supporting the community with wholesome food and more.
Paula Gaska owns and operates Mendocino Meats with her husband Adam in Redwood Valley, CA. After working in Washington, D.C. as a conservation economist in her early 20s, Paula found her true passion for sustainable agriculture and food in Northern California. Family photo © Emily Matheson. All other photos courtesy of Mendocino Meats.
Tiny Bubbles
Brighten any gathering with one of the many sparkling wines of Mendocino County
by Heidi Cusick Dickerson
No wine is more synonymous with the holidays than champagne—known as sparkling wine in our country. Think frosty evenings, a warm kitchen, smiling faces and a toast to the future. How fortunate to live in Mendocino County, where at least 17 wineries have méthode champenoise style sparkling wines.
The méthode champenoise is important because, although in the US we can’t label even our finest bubblies “champagne” (only the Champagne region of France can), those with méthode champenoise designation are made exactly as they are in Champagne. That means after the wine is fermented in a tank or barrel, it goes through a second fermentation in the bottle, which is where the bubbles form.
After the initial fermentation, the wine is dosed with a mixture of yeast and sugar, then it is bottled and sealed with a metal or plastic cap. It is kept in the bottle en tirage for 18 months or more while it develops bubbles and is “riddled”—stacked, neck slanted down, in racks and turned slowly for several weeks or months. When the winemaker deems it is time, the cap is removed. The neck is frozen and sediment, left over from yeast and sugar that collects in the bottle neck from the riddling, blows out. The bottle is topped off and corked with a wire wrap to make sure the cork stays in place until you are ready to pop it.
How to choose a Mendocino sparkling wine for a meal, to pack for a ski trip, or to simply sip in a candle- or fire-lit room contemplating the end of 2017 and all it has brought? As a champagne lover who feels bereft if I don’t have a bottle always chilled and ready, it is like asking which one is my favorite child. My overall recommendation is you can’t lose with a bottle of Mendocino bubbly.
The first sparkling wine makers in the county were Scharffenberger, Navarro, and Handley in Anderson Valley in the 1970s. In 1982, the esteemed Louis Roederer champagne house in France needed room to grow and set out around the world to find the perfect terroir to produce a sparkling wine similar to their prestigious and renowned Champagne. Roederer sampled soils and grapes and zeroed in on Anderson Valley to locate its new sparkling winery. In 2004 it purchased Scharffenberger Cellars, which continues in its special style and affordability, making what many in Mendocino call their “house sparkling wine.”
Some of Mendocino’s wineries, like Terra Savia in Hopland and Signal Ridge above Boonville, have made delicious rosé and brut sparkling wine alongside their still wines since they started. The historic Parducci Cellars added sparkling wine about 10 years ago to complete their line of varietal, aperitif, and dessert wines.
In the last few years, more wineries known for still wines have added sparklers to their list. McFadden Vineyards, Elke, Graziano, Jeriko, Yorkville Cellars, Cesar Toxqui Cellars, Brutocao, Nelson Vineyards and Toulouse are among them. Cesar Toxqui did so because when he asked his son Hugh Oliver, now 21, if he wanted to join the family business and what wine would he want to make, Hugh answered, “Yes— and sparkling wine.” His winery, which is about to open its new tasting room in Redwood Valley next to Barra, now sports a luscious, tiny-bubble-filled sparkling wine named— Hugh Oliver.
At Brutocao Cellars in Hopland, which has a popular wedding venue where many corks are popped, producing their own sparkling wine “seemed like a no-brainer,” says Steve Brutocao. The wine is called Sparkling Bliss under their Bliss label, which is named for his maternal grandparents, whose farming connections in Mendocino date to 1943.
“We decided to offer a sparkling wine for a few reasons,” says Chris Nelson of Nelson Family Vineyards, located off Highway 101 south of Ukiah. “It’s delicious. We have three wedding venues on our ranch, and bubbly is highly desirable. We have a wine club, and sending sparkling wine before the holidays is a terrific offering.”
According to Guinness McFadden of McFadden Vineyards in Potter Valley, “My friend John Sharffenberger told me years ago that some of the best chardonnay they bought for their bubbly came from Potter Valley. He said that the cold nights here kept the acids at high levels and that was important for sparkling wines.”
When Rack and Riddle, whose specialty is producing sparkling wine for other wineries, opened in Hopland (and since moved to Healdsburg), it offered a new world of possibilities to local wineries like McFadden, Nelson, Cesar Toxqui Cellars, and Brutocao. Having a one-stop shop available to share the high cost of sparkling wine equipment, such as the riddling machines and the bottle neck-freezing equipment, led to more wineries adding sparkling wine to their repertoire.
All this has led to the boon in available sparkling wine in Mendocino—and a reason to toast the New Year with a flute full of tiny bubbles.
Heidi Cusick Dickerson is a culinary and wine adventurer, columnist and author of wine guide books including Mendocino Roots & Ridges: Wine Notes from America’s Greenest Wine Region. Her day job is director of Leadership Mendocino, which she does in between seeing her grandkids and enjoying her homestead in Redwood Valley.
Editor's Picks
HEIDI SIPS ...
Nelson Family Vineyards Brut, made with Champagne’s classic combo of 60 percent Chardonnay and 40 percent Pinot Noir, delights the senses with its fruit-filled crispness, plethora of bubbles and lingering flavors. Available at the tasting room at the family ranch where you can also cut your own Christmas tree. $35
Yorkville Cellars Malbec Brut Rosé delights with its creamy, joyous, moussey mouthful and light copper color that reflects the elegant balance and luscious surprise from a non-traditional champagne grape. $36
HOLLY SIPS ...
Hugh Oliver, a Blanc de Noir, was named after Cesar Toxqui’s son (pronounced toe-ski). This sparkling wine is as beautiful as it is delicious. The light rose color is balanced by a perfect effervescence. The price allows this bottle to accompany my life’s celebrations both special and spontaneous. $32
McFadden’s Cuvee Brut Special Reserve, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, was left on tirage for 5 years and in the bottle for 2 more years, giving it a complex, almost creamy richness that effuses grape and melon aromas and a sparkling mouthful of flavor. $35
TORREY SIPS ...
The Signal Ridge Tiny Pink Bubbles Brut Rosé “offers up flavors of raspberry, orange peel and grapefruit, alongside deep flavors of ginger and freshly baked bread,” according to its website. All I know is its tantalizing combination of whimsy and deliciousness makes it my go-to sparkling, whether I’m celebrating a momentous occassion or making it through the week. $25
Roederer’s Estate Brut is what sold me on sparkling. It’s crisp and elegant, sophisticated enough to make me feel like a grown up while those tiny bubbles make me feel like a kid frolicking in a field of dandelions. So that would make it ... so-fun-sticated? $20
ANNA SIPS ...
One of my top sparklings is the Roederer Estate Brut Rosé. A mixture of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, it is easy to drink, slightly fruity, and spectacularly celebratory, with a blush hue and tiny bubbles that race joyously to the top of the flute. Pick up a bottle at local stores and at the tasting room. $28.99
Do other people have an everyday sparkling? I do: the Scharffenberger Cremant, which seems to work as well on a summer day as it does at a holiday gathering. It’s a bit sweet, which makes it an appealing escort for spicy dishes, but it is equally at home with a well-chosen cheese plate, or even on its own. $19.99
Updates on Farms, Ranches, and Vineyards Affected by The Redwood Complex Fires
by Ree Slocum
This update is not comprehensive, and only reflects what we know at the time of printing.
Backbone Vineyard and Winery: For Eric Kaster and Sattie Clark, most of their 14 acres of vineyard, winery, and award-winning bottled wines were lost. They’re hoping that the old, deeply rooted vines planted by Paul Dolan in the 1980s will sprout this spring and regenerate. Their home and the workshop for their decorative lighting business (eleekinc.com) survived.
Bob Gates Organics: The family home and Bob’s years of saved seed were destroyed, but the gardens were saved. Bob will continue delivering produce to restaurants and markets throughout the area as he rebuilds.
Floodgate Farm: Bill Taylor and Jaye Moscariello lost their entire apple crop and 30% of their garden in an earlier fire (see Fall 2017 issue of Word of Mouth). They were able to save their house in the Redwood Valley Complex fire.
Frey Vineyards and Winery: The winery facility with tasting room was destroyed. All of the homes burned, but all family members and staff are safe. The main house and insulated warehouse storing their cased goods are fine as well as the stainless steel wine tanks and most of the crush pads. They lost about 10% of their estate vineyards.
Mendocino Meats: Only 200 acres of the mostly wooded 2000 acres survived. Of that, most of the olive orchard and fruit orchard are intact, and buildings and livestock were all saved. They’ll be able to continue providing pork to the Golden Pig in Hopland, Ukiah Co-op, Bay Area restaurants, and individuals.
Rancho Mariposa and Moon Dance Ranch: These two ranches of 160 acres each lost acres of forest, homes, and outbuildings. Rancho Mariposa’s large “pig palace,” where they now house the sheep, was spared. No livestock were lost. While the fire did hit the apple orchard, some of the trees might survive. Moon Dance Ranch hosts events around land stewardship and Climate Change. It is starting Mariposa Rural Resilience Ranch. They have a www.youcaring.com crowd funding account.
Ridgewood Ranch Beef: Brian Bartholomew supplies beef to the Ridgewood Ranch Church Group and calves to Mac Magruder in Potter Valley. A lot of the ranch’s forest burned. About two-thirds of the 1800 acres available for grazing burned. They’re culling some of the cattle early and supplementing with hay until the calves are mature enough for sale.
WAYS TO HELP: Volunteers coordinated through NCO (North Coast Opportunities): (707) 456-9005 & www.ncoinc.org. Monetary donations accepted by the Community Foundation of Mendocino County: (707) 468-9882 & www.communityfound.org.
Word of Mouth will be following recovery efforts and how to help as the affected areas move forward, particularly for agricultural and food businesses.
The Caring Kitchen Project serves cancer patients through food and volunteerism
by Elizabeth Archer
photos by Martin Wattenburger
The Cancer Resource Center of Mendocino County (CRC) is a key partner and connects patients with the program. According to CRC Support Services Manager, Nancy Johnson, they try to Word of Mouth • Winter 2017 Mendocino County is home to an impressive array of community service projects. But if you’re looking for one that touches all walks of life, look no further than the Caring Kitchen Project.
A new project of North Coast Opportunities, Inc. (NCO), the Caring Kitchen Project covers a lot of bases: healthy food access and education, volunteerism, job training for youth, cancer recovery support, and community and local economy development. How does one small project do so much?
The Caring Kitchen Project is the 13th affiliate of the Ceres Community Project, a nationwide program that started in Sebastopol 10 years ago. The mission is primarily to prepare and deliver nourishing plant-based meals to families struggling with the challenges of cancer. The secondary missions are multifold: The meals are prepared by volunteer teen chefs-in-training, providing them with job skills, volunteer opportunities, and the chance to give back to and connect with their community. Most food that isn’t donated is purchased from local farms.
Since starting the “grow a row” campaign in May, in which gardeners and farmers are encouraged to grow and donate extra produce, more than 650 pounds of local fruits and vegetables have been donated by dozens of individuals and farms. Caring Kitchen orders additional produce through the MendoLake Food Hub, also an NCO program, which supports local farmers. Finally, food comes from a dedicated garden plot at the Willits Community Garden, which was recently planted with fall favorites like herbs, onions, and greens by teen volunteers.
“It’s a very flexible menu,” explains Kitchen Manager, April Cunningham. “I write the menus a month in advance, but we adapt them each week depending on what comes our way.”
Training for teen and adult volunteers took place over the summer—during which volunteers got their food handler’s permits, and about a dozen teens and 10 adults actively volunteer. Food is prepared every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church in Willits.
“The teens walk in the door and add life to the kitchen,” says April. “They are learning a lot and improving rapidly.” Adds AmeriCorps Vista member, Holly Ordinans, “They’re developing useful skills, and they’re also doing something for their local community, which gives them pride and purpose.” Health and Human Services Teen Coordinator, Tina Tyler-O’Shea works with the project to recruit and manage the teen volunteers. “Tina is immensely helpful,” says April. “It’s vital to the project to have her support.”
The Caring Kitchen Project started delivering meals on September 21 to nine patients and their families throughout Mendocino County. Each weekly delivery includes, per person, one chicken or fish entrée, one vegetarian entrée; a quart of soup; salad with homemade dressing; one or two vegetable sides; and a healthy dessert. A sample menu might include salmon with roasted vegetables, Asian chicken with rice noodles, a kale cheddar frittata, carrot ginger salad, coleslaw, and a fruit crisp.
“We do a lot of storytelling with the teens about where the food comes from, which helps them connect the food they’re cooking to the community that grew it,” says April. “We also emphasize how important it is to pour love into the food, because it’s part of someone’s healing process.”
The Cancer Resource Center of Mendocino County (CRC) is a key partner and connects patients with the program. According to CRC Support Services Manager, Nancy Johnson, they try to choose patients who have always wanted to eat healthier. “People are loving the food—even the kids who say they’re picky eaters,” says Nancy. “And we love that the program serves everyone in the household. They learn as a family how to eat better. The goal is for them to take these new skills and habits and stick with them for life.”
Project Manager Tarney Sheldon has been following the Ceres Community Project for years. Tarney has worked at NCO since 2009 on food access and nutrition education, and Ceres was always in the back of her mind. “It seemed like it would be such a good fit for our community,” explains Tarney. “I love how it connects volunteerism, local food, and healing meals for cancer patients. It’s a win-win-win for everyone involved.”
As Ceres affiliates sprouted in 12 other communities around the country, Tarney became even more energized to make it happen here. She approached the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, and they voted to award a $10,000 grant to get the project started. Soon after, the Caring Kitchen Project became Ceres affiliate #13. So far, most funding has come from NCO and Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), with contributions from Howard Memorial Hospital and Adventist Health Ukiah Valley. NCO has applied for a number of funding opportunities, and one volunteer wants to start researching possible grants.
“So far, it’s a shoestring operation,” says Tarney. “We’re doing great work thanks to the support of so many organizations and volunteers, and we look forward to doing even more once we secure additional funding.” This winter, they will be launching a Healthy Heroes campaign, which encourages people to become monthly contributors.
“However people choose to treat cancer, the one thread that connects it all is nutrition,” says Nancy. “That’s what makes the Caring Kitchen Project so impactful.”
If you want more information or are interested in volunteering, contact Tarney Sheldon at tsheldon@ncoinc.org or (707) 462-1950. You can also find the project on Facebook and Instagram: “NCO Caring Kitchen Project.”
Elizabeth Archer is an enthusiastic eater and promoter of the local food scene in Mendocino County. She and her husband run Carson and Bees, a beekeeping operation in Ukiah.
Jetsetting at the Mac House
by Sage Andersen
When winter arrives on the Mendocino coast, we watch its wild ocean reshape the beaches. We hike to our waterfalls and watch them swell with rain and we rejoice at the prospect of hunkering down and tucking in for the season. It’s gorgeous here, but it can get chilly, and more often than not, it’s foggy. That’s precisely when it’s time to find a welcoming bar and a warming drink.
On just such a day, when the fog was wrapping itself around the spire of the Mendocino Presbyterian Church, a dear friend and I made our way to the perfect spot: The MacCallum House—or, for those in the know, the Mac House. Its restaurant is lovely, but some days, as we all know, demand some time at the bar.
The Mac House bar—also known as the Grey Whale Bar, according to the tin sign on the door—is as inviting as you’ll find: comfortable couches, a corner fireplace, and sash windows. According to Bar Manager Dan Mello, the wooden bar hails from the 70s, worn and soft in a way that only old wood can be. Arrayed on top are glasses filled with the loveliest garnishes, including pineapple sage flowers and candied ginger, right alongside the more typical olives and onions. I was particularly taken by the cherries, macerated in-house in a local Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s one of the many garnishes, purees and syrups the bartenders make themselves.
Beyond the bar itself, there is a glittering selection of spirits. I found out from Dan and General Manager, Herman Seidell, that just as the restaurant tries to feature local and sustainable products, so too does the bar. They’ve assembled a collection of high quality craft and local spirits, like a brand of rye distilled in Healdsburg or a whiskey from Saint Helena, carefully chosen both for their taste and their birthplace.
A foggy, cold day aches for drinks rich with whiskey and bourbon, and so on Dan and Herman’s suggestion, we tried four: The Whiskey Business, Ginger Spice Manhattan, Cattywampus, and Jetsetter. Each seemed an invitation to another era. The Ginger Spice Manhattan, for instance, made with bourbon and apricot bitters, seemed perfect as a post-dinner drink, possibly even better if consumed while wearing a smoking jacket and slippers.
Ultimately, though, it was the Jetsetter that stole our hearts. Served in the slightly less common coupe glass, and with the rich brown color I’ve come to expect from bourbon, it was my favorite of the afternoon: sharp, and a little tangy with lemon, but still sweet. After each sip I felt the warmth reach my belly, a perfect winter cocktail. Knowing that the MacCallum House is so close by, their creative bartenders and nightly cocktails at the ready, is a delight. I can imagine passing many a night here, cozy and warm, the cocktail in my hand smooth, comforting and— almost—too easy to drink.
Recipe: Jetsetter
- 1 oz Old Forester Bourbon
- ¾ oz Giffard Pamplemousse Liquer
- ¾ oz Averna Amaro
- ¾ oz lemon juice
Shake ingredients together, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with cherry, and enjoy!
Sage Andersen lives in Mendocino with her amazing wife and son. She’s a teacher by trade and loves to sing, to cook, and take hikes with friends in her spare time.
Late Night Pierogis, Russian Dumplings & more at Nite Bite
by Mike Huckleberry
If you live in Mendocino Coumty, or if you're simply passing through, you know nights in our small towns tend to end early. Except for a spattering of bars, most places close by 9:00. So when I heard about Nite Bite, a small eatery tucked into Main Street Music in Willits, the name alone hooked me. Late night eats, especially after a movie or a visit to friends, are a rarity. I was intrigued.
Owned by Pete Swanton, a local entrepreneur, Nite Bite opened in March 2016. The idea was to provide a destination for the hungry after other local eateries had closed. Pete’s goal was simple: to offer reasonably priced food that also introduced new flavors to the community.
In the beginning, that meant focusing on just a few things, including dumplings, pies, and pastries. Over time, though, Nite Bite has expanded its menu to include chili, waffles with fruit and real maple syrup, and chicken and waffles. In addition, Pete explains, the menu includes two types of dumplings, clarifying that the veggie dumplings— potato with onion, and mushroom—are pierogis, a Polish favorite; meanwhile, the meat offerings—chicken or beef and pork—are pelmeni, and Russian.
Pete also wanted to highlight local goods such as Tangorganic empanadas, Kemmy’s pies, and Bella Rosa coffee. You can enjoy these in the café, which seats eight comfortably at the bar, or take them to go. “Though it has taken longer to catch on than we expected,” Pete says, “we now have an expanding customer base.”
It’s easy to see why. The selection, which includes vegan and gluten-free options, is both wide-ranging and done well. For me, conflict hit straight away when I realized I needed to choose between chicken and waffles and pierogis. After all, homemade waffles—made from buckwheat, oat, cinnamon, sugar, and coconut milk—don’t come along every day, yet I’d arrived with pierogis in mind. With so much to choose from, I was torn.
Luckily, Donte was working the counter that night and encouraged me to try both. Problem (deliciously) solved. When the food came, I gathered up the fixings: sour cream and horseradish sour cream, rice vinegar, sriracha, and paprika, just to name a few. All of it went beyond my expectations and seemed to meet Pete’s criteria for food that is unique, affordable, fast, and fulfilling. It was, truthfully, unlike anything else I’ve had in Mendocino County.
But that, unsurprisingly, is part of Pete’s plan. “It’s important not to become predictable,” he says, describing his commitment to continuing to offer something new in Willits. “Whatever is added to the menu at Nite Bite will not compete directly with other food establishments.” And he continues to dream. “One idea has to do with my roots,” he teases. “Think of the food you would find on the boardwalk in New Jersey.”
Regardless of what comes, though, Pete says it’s his hope that Nite Bite, along with his other local businesses—Shanachie Pub and Main Street Music—will continue to add to a growing and vibrant social scene. “Willits’s future is bright,” he says. “It has a lively, fun night life with music, theater, cinema and art of all kinds. Nite Bite aims to complement all that.”
With a pierogi in one hand and a waffle nearby, I can indeed imagine such a scene. And luckily, I can taste it too, maybe even with some horseradish sour cream on the side, just for good measure.
Nite Bite is located at 65 S Main Street in Willits. Open Tues–Sat, 5–11pm. (707) 459-4747
Michael Huckleberry writes for a living and loves new adventures and waffles. He lives on the coast in Fort Bragg with his wife and two puppies, Ferdinand and Ruby.
Bolliver’s Fine Food, Confections, & Artisanal Chocolates
story & photos by Ree Slocum
Many coastal folks know Robert Goleman as a fourth-generation Fort Bragger who has been, among many other things, a singer and a magician, best known for his magic troupe, The Fabulous Blendos. Robert also had a green thumb and developed a world-class plant collection featuring carnivorous plants and orchids, which he propagated and sold through his nursery, Hortus Botanicus, until it closed in 2008.
A modern-day Renaissance man, Robert also had a life-long love of creating food. He says, “I started cooking when I was five or six and got my first cookbook when I was in first grade . . . In my family, people were baking all around me. I even cooked by myself. It was a freer time when kids could do things like that.” Through this experience, he cultivated the ability to pay attention to details and outcomes, becoming attuned to cause and effect. Robert united his loves of cooking, baking, and making chocolate and launched Bolliver’s in 2012. It quickly became a Mendocino County favorite.
“It took the first year of trial and error and making mistakes before I was producing the kind of chocolates I’m making now,” Robert said. “Chocolate has been the greatest learning curve of all the food I make! There are so many factors to making it correctly—temperature and humidity to name a few. The temperature shouldn’t be over 75 degrees, and humidity cannot be over 50 percent.” He cautions, “Don’t put chocolate in the refrigerator. It ruins the chocolate—makes it go out of temper, and you’ll see the little grey dots on the surface. When you take it out of the ‘fridge it’ll start sweating, which will make it sticky.” Loving fine chocolate, and Bolliver’s in particular, the light bulb went off in my head, and I understood why I’ve had some delicious chocolates turn weird.
I was fascinated, watching Robert make some of his savory dishes one day and his fine, hand-crafted chocolates another at Chubby’s Shared Use Kitchen in Fort Bragg. Robert has assistance making the gourmet meals, appetizers, side dishes and other decadent desserts, but he works solo to hand-craft his artisanal chocolates. And he loves the process. The Friday I walked into the shared kitchen to interview and photograph Robert at work with the chocolate, he was juggling a variety of processes: creating the strawberry balsamic reduction for his milk chocolate mice—because “. . . milk chocolate goes better with strawberry”; making and then filling the Faux Bordeaux cups with his own luscious butter cream recipe; and crafting and filling the Love Cups with his special caramel. The Bobble Bars and ever-popular Three Bite Caramels were filled and waiting to be sealed with dark chocolate bottoms.
I marveled at the many details he followed. There were specific timings to be adhered to, and his attention to the flavors, textures, and colors of the varieties of chocolates and fillings needed to be precise to produce a complete sensory treat. “It’s about the mouth-feel, with the dark chocolate snap and smoothness of the filling. It starts with the quality of chocolate, one that doesn’t overpower the filling. The texture and flavors of each layer need to complement each other. And they need to be visually beautiful. All this combined will make a fine artisanal chocolate.”
Let’s follow the process through just one of his customers’ favorite chocolates: The Faux Bordeaux Cups. Robert begins with a dark milk Guittard Chocolate—made in the US and considered one of the finest in the world—breaking it up and adding it to the hopper on the pre-set tempering machine. While the chocolate slowly melts and softly swirls in the machine, he washes the Belgian or Italian molds, then he dries and polishes them carefully so there are no scratches or residue to mar the mirror-like shine transferred to the chocolate cups. He measures, weighs, and creams the butter, dark Muscovado sugar, cream, touch of salt and smidge of espresso over heat until it reaches the desired temperature and consistency. When the time is right, the tempered chocolate is poured into the molds, gently vibrated on a special machine to remove air bubbles, and poured into the mold, creating a delicate cup to be filled with the butter cream.
When the cups are cool enough, they are released from the mold. Robert loads the butter cream into a disposable pastry bag and begins filling each cup, making sure to seal the sides as he fills them and leaving room for the final layer of dark chocolate. This last layer needs to seal the cup, since air or moisture leaking in will destroy the bonbon. The dark chocolate hardens quickly, so he can only fill 10 cups before adding the chocolate sprinkles. Once finished, the Faux Bordeaux delights are stored in an environment with low humidity and a temperature of 70 degrees. Imagine each of his chocolates going through a similar process!
Many of Robert’s proprietary recipes have evolved from a combination of a known recipe and the development of his finely-tuned palate. His creative ideas and willingness to experiment coalesce to offer you something marvelous in your experience of his chocolates. Bolliver’s chocolates will awaken your senses with compelling visual pleasures, the surprise of a new mouth-feel, and a melding of flavors and textures that will inspire your delight.
These exquisite morsels and other gourmet food offerings can be found at Harvest Market in Fort Bragg and at the Willits and Fort Bragg farmers markets. Because of the summer’s heat, the chocolates are only available when the markets go inside for the winter months. Order online at www.Bollivers.com.