Winter 2018 Publisher's Note
There is something magical about items made from human hands. In this age of convenience and speed, a meal or a gift that is homemade is an antidote to a boring, prepackaged life. When something is homemade, there is time and attention put into it. That time and attention imbues it with greater value than it would have otherwise. Even the terminology of homemade evokes warm kitchens, and bubbling pots of soup, heartiness, love.
There is a great deal of that love in Mendocino County. My friends and neighbors harbor all manner of secret skills, like our county sheriff who presses and ferments fresh apples into a delicious hard cider (done as a hobby until retirement) as well as making a healthful apple cider vinegar that is a vibrant, tangy tonic that will brighten your day. Or the blackberry cordial one woman has passed down through the generations, as simple as plucking the backyard berries at the peak of ripeness and tossing them into a jar full of vodka. After a few months, she strains out the solids and has a concoction that her friends will give their left arm to acquire.
I admit that I find myself envious when I meet people who make their own …fill in the blank: cheese, cured meats, sourdough, membrillo. Those people are badass. And you, too, can be like them (ok, that quince paste—membrillo—thing is tricky, but the key to making your own is to take that time to figure out how to do something). Visit with friends, look on the internet, and give it a go. As the holiday season approaches, what better time to make something to share. We have filled the pages of this issue with stories of homemade goodness. Perhaps that means cooking in a foreign kitchen far from home, simmering up some winter squash soup, or creating one of our handmade treats. Or who knows, you could be on the receiving end of some homemade generosity. If so, lucky you!
Yours in gratitude,
Holly Madrigal
Winter Squash
by Holly Madrigal
Winter squash is the garden’s gift to the season. Uncut and whole, they can be kept for months in a cool place. Local farms provide many varieties, all with different flavors, textures, and uses. Some of the best “pumpkin” pies, for example, actually come from butternut squash. The bright striped torpedoes of the Delicata squash can be roasted and eaten with the skin on, saving prep time. The hefty Blue Hubbards bake up smooth and sweet with a hint of nuttiness. Their exterior skins are the dusty pale blue of dawn in the winter time. The pastel yellow Spaghetti squash make delicious vegetarian noodles. Pierced to prevent explosion, you can cook these easily in the microwave. Separate the threads of flesh with a fork to break it up, and toss with butter simmered with cumin, ground coriander and diced garlic. Add some fresh cilantro and you have a hearty and satisfying side dish.
The Butternut Hominy Stew below will warm your home and belly. This is a great recipe to make on Sunday afternoon so that you can enjoy the leftovers throughout the week. Poured over brown rice or drizzled on tacos, this recipe keeps on giving, with savory goodness.
Fortunate Farm in Caspar has a bumper crop of winter squash this year. Stop by their farm stand to find the varieties shown here as well as other produce, flowers, and treats—15401 N Hwy 1, Caspar. Turn at the sign, and the farm stand is just down the driveway. They are open all winter, rain or shine. Hours are 10:00 to 2:00, so stop by and pick up some goods.
Butternut Hominy Stew
Ingredients:
3-4 tsp cumin seeds
2 T olive oil
2 c chopped onion (red or yellow)
1-1/2 T chili powder
1 tsp Piment d’ville (or more to taste)*
3 cloves of garlic, minced
6-8 c butternut (or buttercup) squash, peeled and cubed •
4-ish c chicken or vegetable stock
1 large can hominy
Cilantro (to taste)
Lime (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Lightly roast the cumin seeds on the stovetop, then set aside. In a heavy-bottomed stock pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion until translucent. Add garlic, butternut squash, chili powder, and piment d’ville. Saute until spices are spread throughout. Slowly add the stock, the amount varying depending upon whether you want a thick-ish stew or a thinner soup. Add the hominy, and allow stew to simmer until the squash is tender and the flavors have melded. Add salt, cilantro, and lime to taste. This is super yummy served with avocado and warm tortillas.
*Locally grown from seed and hand harvested in Boonville, Piment d'ville is the same variety of pepper known as piment d'espelette, a sweet, spicy red Basque chile.
Petit Teton
A Permaculture Farm Built from the Ground Up
by Rachel Turner Williams
Wending my way up the steep paved drive, lined by an old split rail fence, several welcoming, hand-painted signs, and an iconic blue 1951 Chevy pick-up, it is hard to fathom that Petit Teton Farm has not stood here for generations. Pulling up to the parking area, I notice another hand-painted sign suggesting to “bong the gong,” or “look for us in the field,” and it is immediately clear to me that this is a working farm. No bells or whistles or fancy shop to be found here. Rather, I am greeted by chickens and two friendly dogs while I take in the sheer beauty of my surroundings. A wall of distant redwoods outside of the property blends into rolling hills, including a tall, pointy one that inspired the name of the farm. Countless varieties of well-established trees and shrubs intermingle with row upon row of diverse crops. Far in the distance, I can make out the form of a yak, a rare sight for northern California. A beautiful structure, made of varnished old barn wood, houses hundreds of jars of homemade preserves in a slew of colors, all glistening like gems in the afternoon light.
While taking this all in, I am greeted by Nikki Ausschnitt and Steve Krieg, who are both in the midst of completing various farm tasks. They quickly let me know that when they first found the place in 2004, it was an old sheep ranch, and, with the exception of their simple concrete block house and a few other structures, “none of this existed.” Not much had been grown or maintained on the 375 acres that now make up their farm. I find that hard to believe as I accompany them in feeding their animals and taking a tour of the thriving landscape. I am blown away by the diversity of what they produce—peppers, greens, artichokes, quinces, grapes, figs, hazelnuts, blackberries, asparagus, capers, cacti, jujubes, and golden berries—to name just some. This flourishing utopia reflects Steve and Nikki’s passion for permaculture, a fascination that influenced their decision to leave San Francisco years ago and begin a new life. Rather than limiting themselves to a handful of lucrative crops, they have enjoyed experimenting and “going with what grows or is natural” for the living ecosystem they have created.
A growing interest in permaculture was not the only factor that inspired Nikki and Steve’s move and major lifestyle change. He is a lawyer and she is an artist, and they were looking for something new that they could put their time, money and energy into, something that was not co-opted by big money. For them, it was largely about “finding what’s real” and committing themselves to it fully. Farming and living off the land made sense for them. It was tangible. They loved dirt and their small backyard in the city. As an artist, Nikki sees the land as an extension of her art. For her, the old, austere sheep ranch provided a perfect blank canvas to sink her creativity into. They were drawn to Anderson Valley, specifically, because they “wanted wild,” and they were struck by the pure visual of it, by its raw beauty.
Being that neither of them had a background in farming, part of the original vision of Petit Teton included attracting young farmers who were not able to buy their own land. By working alongside them, Nikki and Steve hoped to learn all about farming themselves. This is how they came to meet and work with Jessie Spain, a young woman who grew up in the area, who had been awarded a scholarship for an agroecology course in Santa Cruz. Jessie was extremely knowledgeable in farming and taught Steve and Nikki all about running the farm. Through her guidance and some of their own research, trial and error, they began growing and selling produce for markets and CSAs, grafting trees, and raising animals for meat and eggs.
Over time, Nikki’s sons both became an active part of the farm. One of them farms and lives there full-time with his young family. The other goes back and forth between the farm and San Francisco, where he sells their goods at the Clement Street market each week. Over the years, they have also welcomed a few other long-term employees who have become a part of their farm family, one of whom also resides on the property in a house they built for him. Given the complexity of what they produce and the ever-evolving ecosystem of Petit Teton, it was important to Nikki and Steve to find people who were interested in staying and getting to know and invest themselves in the farm and the land for the long-term. As such, they have created less of a typical workplace environment and much more a familial working community.
In addition to the produce, meat and eggs they sell at markets and on the farm, Petit Teton has perhaps become best known for its plentiful and creative assortment of canned preserves. When asked how this came about, Steve and Nikki make it clear that their foray into value added products was not an original part of their plan, per se. Rather, it stemmed from their concern for the wasteful ways of our society, a concern that already had them picking up slops weekly around town that they could use on the farm. When they found that they were producing more than they could sell fresh at the markets, it was only natural for them to want to find a way to use everything they grow. This desire, along with their resourceful and artistic natures, has led to a wonderful sundry of jams, sauces, drink mixes and more, all made exclusively with a unique assortment of ingredients that are produced on site. As Nikki and Steve like to say, “We grow what we can, and then we can it!”
Walking into their on-site commercial kitchen, which has become the heart of the farm, is a feast for the senses. Various colorful canned goods, nuts, and gift packages catch my eye as we walk over to a massive prep table taking up much of the kitchen. The garlic, dill, and other herbs that Nikki busily starts prepping begin to permeate the air as the three of us continue our conversation. The large, functional kitchen is hospitable and surprisingly low-tech given the volume of goods that flow through it. An assortment of knives and large pots appear to make up the bulk of their utensils. No question here as to what “handmade” means to them.
Our conversation shifts to what their day-to-day looks like, and to what being a farmer means to them. I am struck by the way they both light up when asked about their lifestyle. Of course, it is a lot of hard work, and it is certainly not something everyone is cut out for, but they cannot imagine doing anything else, and the joy they get from it shows on both their faces. They have no desire to spend these years of their lives traveling around on cruise ships or taking it easy on a beach somewhere. They both have a need to stay busy with their creative endeavors, and, moreover, a desire to someday be able to pass these endeavors on.
Steve talks about the great mix that farming entails—everything from the daily physical labor and paperwork, to having to become skilled as a “vet” in an emergency situation. They both enjoy the excitement and the unknown that comes in their day-to-day lives. Though they wake each morning with a list of what they think their day will look like, they never actually know what unexpected turn will come their way. “That makes it fun, though it requires the need to be flexible in dealing with whatever comes along.” They likewise never know who is going to show up and “bong the gong,” giving way to what Nikki refers to as their “accidental social life,” to which there is a real sense of adventure.
Being a farmer requires wearing a lot of hats, something both Steve and Nikki are happy to do. Not only does it feed their creativity and their love of experimenting, but it keeps them active, both physically and mentally. Their bodies and minds are constantly going. “No need for Sudoku here,” they joke, adding that they treasure their well-earned evening soaks in the hot tub. As we come toward the end of our visit, Nikki talks about how people do not have a choice about where or what they are born into, but that she believes life is about learning who you are and where you want to be. It is clear that both she and Steve have discovered exactly what this is for them, and that is something they honor each day.
As I start my descent back down the steep road, I cannot help but think of all Nikki and Steve have created in their quest to find what is real. With their hands, they have made much food, art, and entire ecosystems. They have made a business, a home, and a thriving farm family. I think about their desire to pass something on as I drive by the enormous cedar that was once their small potted Christmas tree in San Francisco, and I feel certain they will have much to pass on.
Petit Teton 18601 Hwy 128, Yorkville, CA 95494 | (707) 684-4146 farmer@petitteton.com | PetitTeton.com Visit Petit Teton at the farm, year-round at the Clement St. Market in San Francisco, and at the Mendocino Farmers Market during the summer.
Rachel Turner Williams lives in Boonville, where she is active with the Foodshed and the Land Trust. She is currently training in integrative nutrition and enjoys growing, cooking, writing, and gathering around food. Landscape and yak photos courtesy
KZYX’s Farm & Garden Show Educates and Entertains
If you’re fascinated with gardening and/or sustainable farming, if you want insight from experts, fellow farmers, historians and philosophers on best practices and the latest advances, then KZYX is the place to be every Monday morning at 11:00am. That’s when Mendocino’s county-wide, listener-supported public radio station presents the Farm and Garden Show, hosted by an alternating roster of knowledgeable, talented and passionate moderators who present interviews with informative authors and experts.
The hosts are Ruthie King, Director of Operations at the School of Adaptive Agriculture in Willits; Gowan Batist of Fortunate Farm in Caspar; and farmer/artist/entrepreneurs Bill Taylor and Jaye Alison Moscariello, who co-host. All agree that serving as a conduit between expert, inspired agricultural practitioners and listeners across Mendocino County is the most satisfying component of their work for the show.
“The great thing about being a host is that I get to contact agricultural heroes of mine,” says King. “I get to talk to legendary people for almost an hour, and our county gets to learn about the fascinating advances happening in the field! It’s a great scenario.”
“I love interviewing groundbreaking authors and practitioners of good solid methods that anyone can follow,” Moscariello agrees. “I love bringing these brilliant, committed individuals to our program and helping inspire our listeners to grow more nutritionally dense foods while improving their soil and their health.”
The show has aired on KZYX since the early 1990s, according to Tim Bates, co-owner of the Apple Farm in Philo and co-founder of the program along with author Dan Imhoff. “Dan and I were hosting music shows, and I had started doing a 5- or 10-minute spot each week called ‘Farm Beat.’ That evolved into a regular 1-hour show. Dan knew a lot of famous people who he could interview about big-picture farming issues, while I focused more on local sustainability.”
Since then, the show has been moderated by a long roster of committed and experienced hosts, including conservationist Linda MacElwee, one of the program’s earliest facilitators, who ended her tenure just recently and was responsible for training King.
“Our mission,“ says Taylor, “is to inform listeners about cutting-edge ideas and methods in permaculture, farming, gardening, and landscaping, and to let people know about local activities relating to farming and gardening, healthy eating and local foods.”
The moderators are justifiably proud of the high-profile guests they’ve been able to bring before their audience.
“Our interview with [holistic livestock expert] Alan Savory was such a powerful experience for me,” says King, “because it demystified the celebrity and helped me see him as just human. Hearing his stories directly from his mouth helped me sink deeper into the roots of Holistic Management, a framework I use in my grazing operation, and I loved the opportunity to give our audience a sense of his personality as well as his knowledge.”
Among the guests Moscariello mentions is Dr. David Johnson, who, along with his wife, Wui Chun Su, designed the Johnson-Su No Turn Compost Bioreactor. “Their design of a cylindrical composter that you can use to inoculate unhealthy soils was so inspiring that we invited them both to come to our area and do a workshop,” Moscariello said.
Taylor singles out Dr. Elaine Ingham, an early proponent of biologically-focused farming. “We’ve had a number of great guests who were influenced by her,” he says, “so having her on the show herself, talking about upending chemically-focused growing, was a peak experience for me.”
And both Moscariello and Taylor mention local naturalist and permaculturist Mark Albert. “Mark has a sharp mind, and his food is amazing. He is a local legend,” says Moscariello. In fact, Albert will be back as a guest on December 17th.
To be clear, the program is not only about the global issues surrounding agriculture and ecology, although these are robustly represented. Many shows feature specific, practical tips that listeners can use in their own gardens and fields or to keep their own livestock healthy and thriving. As Taylor puts it, “I love those ‘ah-ha!’ moments that come while I’m researching a guest, and then encouraging the guest to share those insights with KZYX listeners.”
“Arranging and conducting meaningful interviews is immensely satisfying,” King says. “Learning to craft questions that dig deep into the heart of the issues while helping a person feel comfortable enough to open up is a skill I love to practice. Recently, I have started mixing in other forms of media: poetry, music, interview clips. It reflects the way my brain works with drawing connections between broad spectrums of art, and it keeps the show entertaining and engaging.
“I see the Farm and Garden show as an educational and entertaining program that brings issues of agriculture right to our doorstep,” King concludes. “We talk about big picture concepts often through the lens of how they apply to our own environment here in Mendocino.”
Now coming up on its 30th anniversary, listener-supported KZYX broadcasts across the length and breadth of Mendocino County and into Lake County via its three transmitters, allowing its signal to reach into all corners of the region. The station, the region’s primary NPR affiliate, features a wide spectrum of news, public affairs and music shows, most presented by local volunteer programmers like those who host the Farm and Garden Show.
KZYX broadcasts at 91.5 from its Ukiah transmitter, at 90.7 from its Philo transmitter, and at 88.1 in Fort Bragg. In addition, the station streams live on the web at www.kzyx.org and via its KZYX iPhone app.
Jerry Karp is a mostly retired freelance writer living in Boonville. He is the host of the Jazz Odyssey on KZYX, every other Monday afternoon from 1-3 pm, and is the current Programmers’ Representative on the KZYX Board of Directors.
Mendocino County’s Potluck Culture
Bring an Open Mind and an Appetite
by Emily Inwood
Homemade goat cheese sprinkled with mixed fresh herbs from the garden, carrot-raisin salad, smoked salmon with various homemade sauces, apple-huckleberry crisp, a tray of ribs, homemade challah, chanterelle and porcini frittata with fresh eggs from the backyard chickens, black bean enchiladas, baked macaroni and cheese, bundt cake . . . these are some of the delicacies one might find at a Mendocino County potluck. With a population of so many foodies and farmers and foragers, it’s no surprise that one of our favorite things to do is gather and eat together.
Whether it’s a school hosting a potluck to accompany a work meeting, a Jewish group celebrating a mitzvah, new parents celebrating the birth of a child, a community center hosting a fundraiser, or an individual looking for an excuse to form warm bonds around breaking bread, the people of Mendocino County love to gather and eat, regardless of where they fall on the store-bought to showing-off culinary spectrum.
There are true artists like Annette Jarvie, editor and food-lover, who recalls, “I attended a wedding where the bride asked guests, in lieu of a present, to bring potluck food. I brought a basket filled with meringue mushrooms, a recipe I’d found years before that is easy and impressive and really looks like little champignon mushrooms. There were two tables for food, one marked “savory” and one marked “sweet.” I put the basket on the sweets table. A while later, visiting the tables, I noticed that my basket had been moved to the savory table, so I moved it back to sweets. A little while later, sure enough, it was back on the savory table. I could not understand why someone thought a guest would bring a basket of raw champignon mushrooms to a wedding, but I moved them back to sweets again, and there they finally stayed.” No doubt they were then properly appreciated.
But you don’t have to be a DIY foodie to feel legit at a potluck. Take-out pizzas from any of our favorite pizzerias, local breads (think Roland’s, Schats, Beaujolais, and Fort Bragg Bakeries) and cheeses (think Pennyroyal Farmstead and Shamrock Artisan), and Kemmy’s pies are delicious solutions for the less-than-confident/ too-busy individuals. “Classing up” fruits and veggies with garnishes and fancy platters is a great way to add a personal touch without cooking or much fuss, as Word of Mouth publisher and potluck enthusiast, Holly Madrigal, does. “When I am feeling lazy and/or rushed, I buy blood oranges and a grapefruit, cut them into wedges, add some really good quality olives and a decent cheese and ta-da! A potluck worthy spread. It helps if this set up is on my neat, long fish plate, garnished with edible flowers.”
It can also be fun to abandon convention and host and/ or attend a “guilty pleasures” potluck, as Sandy Triplett, owner of Mendocino Market, has been known to do. What better way to feel like you are doing justice to your childhood self than to indulge in choices such as Spam, Cap’n Crunch, mini corn dogs, Velveeta, gummy bears, and homey midwestern throwbacks like the food Triplett is most embarrassed to admit to liking: deli-sliced ham spread with cream cheese and rolled around sweet pickles?
No matter where you fall on the spectrum, though, it’s important to have a potluck strategy. Eating ahead of the party might be the most obvious solution for those with special dietary concerns, as is bringing a dish that you know you can safely consume. At many potlucks, guests and/or hosts label foods with an ingredients list, or at least designate dishes with gluten-free or vegan signage. For those who can—and love to—eat everything, getting in the front of the line and taking small samples of many dishes is the best initial strategy and may ensure room for a second helping of the favorites.
It’s a boon to acquire recipes for those dishes that stand out, even if you have to be a nag and will ultimately fail at replicating the original masterpiece. Sometimes potluck attendees are free with their recipes, but don’t count on it. As Suzanne Jennings, retired Albion school teacher recalls, “About forty years ago, I went to one of our legendary potlucks on the Salmon River. A friend of mine made the most delicious chocolate pudding ever. I asked for the recipe, and after three failed attempts, I finally gave up. I still salivate when thinking of that pudding, better than any chocolate mousse or any chocolate dessert I have ever eaten!”
Many such food memories have formed at a potluck, given the nature of sampling new, often tried-and-true creations. Karen Inwood, active member of the potluckfriendly Pacific Textile Art community, says, “When you have the same group meeting for potlucks over the years, certain people are expected to bring their special dishes, and all look forward to tasting that familiar treat again, like Judy’s cheesy potatoes and Peg’s apple cake. Yum!” In such cases, it might be enough to have the creator of the recipe as a consistent member of your potluck gatherings, and associating the delicious food with the sweet people who make it seems to enhance the flavor, texture, and uniqueness of the whole experience.
Following is a recipe whose creator was graciously forthcoming. It’s perfect for any season, anywhere—even for the persnickety potluck participants of Mendocino County.
Marcia Steinfeld’s Orzo Salad with Feta, Olives, and Bell Peppers
Augmented from the Epicurious website, where it is attributed to the October 1997 issue of Bon Appetit—from the Applewood Inn in Guerneville, CA
12 oz orzo
2 T plus 1/2 c olive oil
1-½ c crumbled feta (seasoned with herbs is fine)
1 c each chopped red, yellow, and orange bell pepper
3/4 c pitted Kalamata olives
4 scallions, chopped
2 T capers
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
2 T white wine vinegar
1 T garlic
1-½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp cumin
3 T pine nuts
Cook orzo al dente in large pot of boiling salted water. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Transfer to a large bowl. Toss with 2 T olive oil. Add feta, bell peppers, olives, scallions, and capers. Combine lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, and cumin in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in remaining 1/2 c olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add dressing to orzo mixture and toss to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with pine nuts. Can be made 6 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate or serve immediately.
Emily has called the Mendocino coast home since 1983. She loves to hunt for mushrooms, make pies, and run around outside.
Cooking at Home, Abroad
Renting Spaces with Kitchens Makes Travel More Affordable and Super Delicious
article and photos by Anna Levy
On the days when my insatiable sense of wanderlust is almost too much to bear, it does my heart good to remember the places I’ve already been; in so doing, I realize just how important food is to the nostalgia I feel for vacations I’ve taken. What surprises me about that is that some of the most memorable meals I’ve had elsewhere have been the ones I’ve made myself.
In the last several years, I’ve had the pleasure of renting a variety of houses, apartments, and rooms in various cities. In every place, I’ve found particular joy in the process of buying and preparing food. Doing so gives me a glimpse of what it would be like to actually live there; having chores that include grocery shopping and washing dishes helps me feel like I really belong. In time, my memories of each rental have become inseparable from the open-air markets I visited, the quirkiness of foreign ovens, and the challenge of translating words to find an ingredient I’m seeking. Whether it’s lemons straight off of the trees in Sicily, bread in London smeared with marmalade, or red snapper fresh from the Gulf Coast, food I’ve prepared has given me a crash course in local culture that is hard to find otherwise.
Take, for example, the flats I’ve rented over the years in Paris. The City of Lights is without question one of my favorite places. When I go, though, I don’t visit all the most celebrated restaurants; more often than not, I instead spend hours at cafés with café crème, espresso, or wine, and then head home for meals. Doing so allows me to visit more often, and that’s a tradeoff I am happy to make.
In the process, though, I’ve come to feel more pseudo-Parisian than I ever could if I stayed in a hotel. I’ll never be a Frenchwoman—sadly!—but I gain a sense of accomplishment when I successfully navigate an outdoor market; a feeling of belonging when I can describe that I’d like to purchase a fromage that is not hard, not soft, but somewhere in the middle; a thrill of delight when I follow locals into the preferred boulangerie and walk out with a baguette of my own, twisting off its top for a quick snack as I head home. Every time I am in Paris, I look forward to stocking the yogurt I adore, which comes in small ceramic pots; strolling aisles devoted to butter, wondering how I could use each type; and occasionally eating a meal of olives, cheese, and wine, sitting in my apartment with the windows open to the sounds of France.
Yet it isn’t just Paris that offers that chance to nestle into the everyday food rituals of a place. Last summer, in the seaside village of Vilassar de Mar, I loved living the Spanish principle that simple foods are often the best. The host left a large jug of olive oil, fresh juices, and directions to the best grocery store. There, I wandered the rows of food labeled in a language I do not speak, completely beguiled by what I found, selecting what caught my eye without much of a plan, often winding up with small tins of fish and chocolate-laden cereals. It was an approach that ushered in early-evening appetizer picnics on the porch, in the warm Mediterranean air, just after siesta and well before late-night dinners out. S
imilarly, on a trip to Edinburgh with my sister-in-law that stretched longer than intended because of an airline strike, we became accustomed to the host’s breakfasts: tea, grainy bread softened by sweet jam, muesli. We had rented only a bedroom in the apartment and thus shared the home with the host herself. The kitchen was marked by a large sign that said “Heaven”—she’d saved it from wreckage when a local restaurant closed. That kitchen gave us the best that travel can offer: sitting down as strangers, sharing a meal, and leaving as friends.
I also have fond memories of a Christmas spent in Copenhagen in one of the coziest apartments I’ve ever found. The host informed my partner and me that most shops would close for December 24th and 25th. We didn’t understand, though, that everything but convenience stores would be closed even on the evening of the 23rd, and so found ourselves scrambling to put together a grocery list in the aisles of the Danish 7-11. The resulting dinner was not fancy or foreign—jarred tomato sauce and boxed pasta, a few anemic vegetables and ice cream for dessert—but we ate it above the quiet city, by candlelight, in an apartment lovingly decorated for the holiday. Taking out the trash afterwards, it felt like we really were home.
The joy of a kitchen when traveling allows for the occasional mishap, too. In Vienna, I was easily persuaded to buy a grip of sauerkraut after the Austrian vendor insisted that I try it; he reached into a waist-high barrel with his bare hands to give me a sample, and my refrigerator was pungent with fermentation for a week afterwards. In Norway, overwhelmed with my efforts to translate the language in real time, I mistakenly brought home strawberry milk instead of the plain option I sought. In frigid Toronto, I learned that finding black-eyed peas for a traditional New Year’s Day dinner was out of the question. And in Spain, my gesticulations and broken attempts at Catalán resulted in the purchase of an inedible fish. In all instances, though, the mistakes themselves became part of traveling’s lore.
Domestically, where the language is my own, I still love eating at home while traveling. In Kauai, for instance, the bare-bones kitchen on a screened-in lanai allowed breakfasts of coffee, papaya, and a soundtrack of tropical birds. Having a kitchen in the summertime in Galveston, Texas meant a freezer stocked full of beloved flavors of Blue Bell ice cream: Rocky Road, Dutch Chocolate, Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream. And when my siblings and I, along with our families, rented a house to share with our dad in New York for a milestone birthday, I found that it didn’t matter that we weren’t in a familiar home; the kitchen remained the heartbeat of our weekend together, allowing space for us to slice still-warm bagels and to light candles atop a cake marked by blue roses.
Dining out can admittedly be one of traveling’s greatest joys. Still, there is also the sweet connection to a place that comes from staying in for meals. As I consider my next trip, I am already excited to find a little place to call home for a week or two. There, I’ll contemplate a world that is not my own, even as I clean up from dinner, even as I stack my own dishes to dry.
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.
HOME(MADE) FOR THE HOLIDAYS
There’s something extra special about giving or receiving a homemade gift, made with love in the busy warmth of a friend’s kitchen. Here are some favorites from the team here at WOM in case you get a hankering to roll up your sleeves and produce something lovely and/or delicious from your own two hands.
Spiced Nuts
Great to add to a dinner party spread, or to give as a hostess gift.
Savory
6 c nuts of choice—almonds or cashews work best (if you use salted nuts, be sure and reduce the salt called for in the recipe)
6 T lime juice
1 - 2 tsp Piment d’ville (to taste)
4 - 5 T chili powder (to taste)
3 - 4 tsp salt (to taste)
Toss the nuts in the lime juice. Sprinkle in the seasonings. Spread on a baking sheet (parchment
paper makes cleanup really simple) and bake at 250 degrees for roughly 45 minutes, or until done to your taste.
A Touch of Sweet
4 c nuts—pecans and walnuts work well
2 T butter
3 - 4 T organic sugar
2 T fresh chopped rosemary
2 T orange zest
Melt the butter in a saute pan. Add nuts and toss well. Add sugar, rosemary, and orange zest and cook for 2-3 minutes. Spread out on baking sheet and let cool.
A South Asian Touch
3 c nuts—pecans and cashews work well
1 egg white whisked with 1 tsp water
3 T organic sugar
1-½ tsp garam masala (spice blend you can buy
or make)
Mix all ingredients, spread on baking sheet (parchment makes cleanup simple), and bake at 300
degrees for 30 minutes.
Salt Dough Ornaments
Super fun for kids of all ages, salt dough ornaments are easy to make. Pull out your holiday cookie cutters and acrylic paints, and mix up some dough with:
1 c flour
1/2 c salt
1/2 c water (or more if needed)
Mix the dough, then move it onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Add extra flour
if it is sticky. Roll it to a thickness of 1/4” with a rolling pin, then cut out ornaments using cookie
cutters. Add a hole in the top of each with a drink straw, then bake at 250 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet. It can take two to three hours for the ornaments to dry completely. Flip them about halfway through.
Allow the ornaments to cool completely before glitzing them up with paint, glitter, and any other
fancy finds you might have around (I’m thinkin’ rhinestones, baby!).
Holly warning: decorative only. Not for eating.
Candied Citrus Peel
This recipe is crazy simple yet makes a delicious gift that you can almost pretend is good for you.
10 various citrus—lemon, grapefruit, orange
1 c sugar
1 c water
Superfine sugar for coating
Cut the tops and bottoms off each fruit. Peel the rind into long strips. Scrape off any excessive white pith which can turn bitter. Cut strips into uniform widths of 1/4" or so. Bring a small pot of water to boil, add peels and cook until tender. Strain peels and lay out on a wire rack to dry slightly. Meanwhile, combine 1 cup water and sugar in a saucepan and heat until dissolved. Add softened peels and stir until syrup reduces, about 10 minutes. Remove peels and place on wire rack. Air dry. Sift superfine sugar over candied peels. Dry completely before packaging as a lovely gift.
Winter Gardening
Cold Weather Options for Minimalist, Moderate, or Maximized Gardens
by Torrey Douglass
Excellent gardeners have always impressed me beyond measure. I’m amazed at how they can stick their hands in the dirt and, a few months later, pull out something beautiful or edible (often both). They are magicians of seed and soil, weaving spells with water, sunshine and time until— presto!—dinner. Not a bad skillset.
If gardening is magic, winter gardening is nothing short of miraculous, at least to someone with my limited talents. So with the days growing shorter and the tomato plants starting to wither, it seemed an apt time to consult Boonville master gardener Linda MacElwee to harvest some tips about gardening options for the colder months.
The Minimalist Approach
Some folks just want to tidy up their beds and make sure they’re in good shape to get back to the business of growing things come spring. If you’re in this camp, all you need to do is collect whatever seeds you want to use from your summer plants, then pull those plants out and add them to the compost pile. Sprinkle an inch or so of compost over the top of your beds, adding in gypsum to break it up a little if your soil has high clay content. Cover with straw and call it good! You can also plant a cover crop like fava beans or bell beans to increase nitrogen in your soil. These crops won’t need ongoing care, provided the season experiences average levels of rainfall.
In the spring, be sure to remove the straw and, if you did plant cover crops, cut off the tops of the plants and remove those, too. If you mix the straw and plant tops into your soil directly, it will add too much carbon, and you risk attracting symphylans—tiny white centipede-like insects that will munch on plant roots and take a once-healthy bed from thriving to shriveling in no time. Local farmers have been known to just walk away from plots suffering from symphylans, since there are no organic methods to effectively control them, so prevention is your best strategy.
Last, if you do plant cover crops, wait three to five weeks once you’ve removed the tops so the roots can release their nitrogen into the soil. After that, work in the roots as you prep your soil for spring planting.
Easy Winter Gardening
For gardeners who want to do some low maintenance gardening through the winter, garlic and hearty greens can complement your cover crops. Plant garlic cloves with the pointed side up about an inch in the soil. Remember that the bulbs will contain cloves of similar size to the original, so avoid the temptation to use this as a way to clear out your tiny cloves, and choose big healthy ones.
You can plant winter greens like kale and chard from seed in September. (Linda likes dinosaur kale and swiss chard, while I’m partial to rainbow chard, because who doesn’t like rainbows?) Water one to two times per week during dry spells, and these prolific plants will serve you until spring.
Tender greens can also be planted from seed in September. You’ll want to give them a little protection from frost, so cover them with reemay—a light material that allows 70% of sunlight to hit the plants while protecting them from frost and wind. You can loosely drape it over the plants and weigh down the edges with rocks, or, if you’re feeling fancy, create some hoops with PVC or wire for some mini-hoop houses to shelter those tender greens from the weather. Arugula or a mesclun mix are both excellent choices for your winter garden.
Ambitious Winter Gardening
For those who want to maximize their garden’s food production during the winter, you’ll need to plan ahead. Start broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts from seed in June and July, then transplant to your garden in August and September—it’s particularly satisfying to have your own garden-grown brussel sprouts for the Thanksgiving table. You can directly sow seeds for spinach, beets, carrots, and peas in early August.
If you miss the late summer planting for hardy veggies like leeks and broccoli, you can grow starts inside during the fall and plant them in January or February. They will bide their time until spring and then take off, giving you something to harvest while you’re putting in your summer garden.
To really pull out the stops for your winter garden, consider growing some grains. Oats, wheat, barley, and rye can all be direct seeded in October after the first rains, and hopefully will have at least six weeks before a serious frost. Keep them moist until the seedlings pop up, at which point they will do fine without irrigation. Oats and barley will grow back if they are cut once they are two feet tall, providing greens that can be used as mulch or feed for your animals. Don’t cut them back if you are growing them for food, but instead wait until late spring and harvest them by cutting about 12 inches from the top of the plant.
In many ways, winter gardening is less work than summer gardening. The colder temperatures and reduced sunlight slow growth, and weeds are easier to keep in check as a result. Rains help out with watering, and there are fewer insects around to harass your plants (though keep your eyes out for snails and slugs). You’ll want to pay special attention to soil health, so invest in some compost in the autumn. Also keep an eye on drainage so plants don’t get waterlogged, and group them closer together to discourage erosion.
It’s nice to know there are options for gardeners who don’t want to hang up their trowels in the fall. Whether you want a minimalist, easy, or ambitious winter garden, planning ahead, caring for your soil, and protecting against erosion will ensure your beds are in great shape for spring planting. And for those who put the extra energy into cultivating during the cold months, having fresh veggies on the table in the dark of winter strikes me as nothing short of miraculous.
Torrey Douglass is a web and graphic designer living in Boonville with her husband, two children, and a constantly revolving population of pets and farm animals.
Sources include expert gardener Linda MacElwee and two online articles: https://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/5545/a-wintervegetable- garden-in-northern-california/page/all and https://www. motherearthnews.com/
Backbone Winery in Redwood Valley Embraces Sustainability
photos & article by Ree Slocum
Eric Kaster and Sattie Clark, owners of Backbone Winery, moved to Mendocino County from Portland, Oregon in 2013. Married since 2002, their lives had been built around generations of family, friends, and Eleek—their thriving business creating artisan lighting. In spite of all that, “We came to realize that the air in Portland was polluted with industrial toxins after our son was diagnosed with chronic arsenic exposure,” Sattie said. "At that point we had an epiphany—that we wanted our family’s health to be the first priority. We began looking for a cleaner, more sustainable environment in which to live. In our research, we learned that Mendocino County has some of the best air quality in the country.” After investigating and traveling back and forth to Mendocino County for almost two years, they found the perfect fit on Redwood Valley’s east facing slope. They purchased a piece of property once owned by Paul Dolan, master viticulturist specializing in sustainability, organics, and Biodynamics, and his wife, Diane Fetzer. There was a grand home and a winery, and there was also space next to the winery where Eric could build his studio to continue fabricating large lighting fixtures for Eleek.
In this new venture, Eric and Sattie had the added bonus of growing their own grapes. The vineyard boasted a steep, terraced slope planted in Malbec, Cabernet, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot wine grapes. “We have a sort of laissez faire attitude about growing the grapes. We don’t add compost or minerals to the soil, nor do we till. Our vineyard is very geologically active—constantly churning up new material. We prune, we sucker, and that’s about it,” Sattie said. Their steep slopes don’t lend themselves to mowing, so they controlled the grasses with a weed eater, providing a layer of mulch. “When Redwood Valley Water District cut off irrigation water in 2014 in response to drought, we didn’t have a way to get water up that steep slope to the vines. So we decided to dry farm it. We didn’t choose the experiment, but it fit with our values,” explained Sattie. They were thrilled with the results. “The grapes improved from dry farming. Less water means more concentrated flavor, and you can taste that in the wine,” added Eric. An inexperienced winemaker, he enlisted a friend to help him make their first vintage in 2013. All the varietals were blended together in a classic Bordeaux style. The next year, 2014, he was on his own.
By 2017, the family was thriving in Redwood Valley. Their thirteen-year-old son, August, was finally healthy, enjoying school, playing guitar and writing songs, and acting in local plays. Eric, who co-owns Eleek with Sattie, is happy to work in his shop designing lighting. (His work can be seen in the Sacramento Train Station, where he restored and replicated the original antique lighting, Disney World Hong Kong, MAC Cosmetics stores in New York City and Paris, as well as the corporate offices of Facebook, Twitter, and Google, to name a few. He recently worked on specialized lighting to be installed in King Tut’s tomb in Egypt.) Eric enjoys not having to manage all the employees they once had in Portland and revels in being outdoors working in the vineyard and making wine. Sattie took on the task of bonding, licensing, and launching Backbone as a business. They began selling their wine that spring. They added two Anatolian Shepherds to keep the bears out of the vineyard, created gardens, and raised chickens. Life was pretty wonderful for the busy and creative family.
In 2017, Backbone Vineyard and Winery won top awards for their 2014 Malbec wine at the Mendocino County Fair Wine Competition. It was one of the first wines they had produced, and it was their first wine competition, so the couple was elated. “We thought it was good and we were excited that other people, including the experts, thought it was good. And then it was suddenly all gone! It was brutal,” remembered Sattie.
In October of the same year, a firestorm raged through Redwood Valley. Eric and Sattie lost all five vintages of wine they’d made along with the vineyard, winery, greenhouse, and barn. While these were heavy losses for the couple, they soon realized that they were the lucky ones. Sattie continued, “Many of our friends and neighbors lost their homes, and some even lost their lives. The toll was so heavy on our community that our losses paled in comparison. Our home survived, and one of our shops where we make the lighting survived. It could have been so much worse for us.”
Devastated once again by circumstance beyond their control, the couple combined their talents and dreams for the future. “We’ve always been interested in sustainability and are huge proponents of trying to protect the environment and live lightly. And now sustainability has really shifted into resiliency. How do we live in this new world where we have to think about wildfire and climate change?” Sattie mused. While their answers are still developing, some of their plans are in the process of materializing.
When I visited them in late October, Eric took time out from building their new greenhouse and animal barn, and Sattie put aside the mounds of paperwork for the building and planning department to meet with me. “We know people who have moved away because of the constant fire threat. We’re way too invested in what we are doing here to leave, so we need to find a different way of living here that makes us feel ok about the risk. For us, that means building fire-proof buildings and having sheep to keep the dry grasses very short. We have to find a way to live here and not feel terrified of the next fire.”
The new animal barn Eric is working on is made of metal and glass, with a sloping metal roof. They now have Baby Doll sheep, a small breed that keeps the grasses down, produces wool, and will provide nutrients for the new vines planted this winter. Wood stakes in the vineyard are being replaced with metal. The new winery is designed with all metal and concrete construction. All the paperwork for the county is being completed. Although the recovery process has been daunting and at times frustrating, the couple has a vision, and each is organized and focused with their valuesdriven work ethic. “At the end of the day, we want to feel good about what we make and what we do,” Sattie said.
Sattie had good news the last time we talked. “The plans are submitted! We have a contractor that will work with us. We had the people who’ll do the concrete come here and confirm that they can get the crane in. So we know it’s buildable. Now we’re just trying to get the the County what they need to give their approval.” Eric reports, “We’ll be bottling rosé in a few months. And the lighting for King Tut’s Tomb arrived safely in Egypt and is being installed.” For now, life has resumed its natural rhythms of peaceful productivity and creativity, and with their firesafe improvements underway, they hope to keep it that way, regardless of what the future holds.
Backbone Vineyard & Winery 707-234-8918 | Facebook.com/BackboneWine
Ree Slocum is a fine art freelance photographer and writer who calls the edge of the wilds in Mendocino County “home.” She takes pleasure living with bird song, the breathing fog, and wildlife’s cast of characters when not on assignments.
Eliot’s Bread
A Former Beer Brewer Turned Farmer Bakes Old-School Style
by Holly Madrigal
photos by Bobby Cochran
There is an alchemy created when ancient grain, water, salt and natural yeasts combine to make a delicious loaf of bread. Building his own sourdough starter from scratch about three years ago, Eliot Hartley let the combination of organic rye flour, water, and naturally occurring microbes transform into a lively bread base. This starter now goes into all of Eliot’s sourdough bread, which he prepares and bakes at the Little Lake Grange kitchen and sells at the Willits Farmers Market. “I used to work as a commercial beer brewer,” says Eliot. “It’s a very similar process, the fermentation. I always had an interest in it and I did it as a hobby. I wanted to make bread for myself, and the next level is sharing with other people.”
Eliot is largely self-taught. His sister is a baker, some bakers have helped him along the way, and he lived with a pastry chef for a time, learning a lot from her. He jokes that there is lots of information about how to bake with refined bread flour. The challenge was to develop a tasty, light loaf without as much readily available gluten. “I don’t want to be adding lots of extraneous things to my recipe. I really just want flour, water, grain, salt. It’s a unique process to make whole grain bread, and to make it taste good.”
Eliot focuses on using ancient grains and heirloom varieties like kamut, Khorasan wheat, and spelt. The spelt has enough gluten to make a delicious hearty loaf with really good flavor. The bread has a savory tang from the sourdough and a crisp-crunchy crust. He buys grains whole from an organic distributor in Petaluma and grinds it fresh prior to baking. Last year, he tried growing about an acre of rye with advice from local grain entrepreneur Doug Mosel. They harvested the acre, but it turns out that it is not feasible right now to grow the amount of grain needed for his bread production.
While living in the area, Eliot decided to enroll in the School of Adaptive Agriculture program located at Ridgewood Ranch just south of Willits. The school has a vocational instruction curriculum that is training the next generation of farmers in the science and art of producing food. Through his work at the School of Adaptive Agriculture, he met others with a similar desire to make a difference producing good, clean food using sustainable principles.
This group of like-minded individuals formed The New Agrarian Collective, which is now producing many of the staples of life from a diverse collection of sustainable businesses based at Ridgewood Ranch. Eliot and his partners in the collective are part of an exciting wave of young farmers practicing old traditions and adapting them to the current food culture. The value of good food—the kind where you know who grew, tended, and produced it—is hard to quantify. The New Agrarians are striving to create this food within an integrated farming system, while balancing their sanity in the process.
Most of the collective live on Ridgewood Ranch and continue to farm there. They chose the collective model to take advantage of shared branding and shared work, but also for the ability to take time off from farming. These young farmers have learned that their work is often very demanding, every day of the year. The physical and financial stresses can lead to burn-out. The idea behind the collective is that the members of the group can support one another, maybe even leading to that elusive farmer dream, a day off. All the parties support each other, which allows them to sell meat, vegetables, eggs, wool, and Eliot’s Bread at the market.
There are seven members of the collective, each with different roles and self-run businesses that fall under the collective umbrella. Joshua Sternberg manages vegetable production with Caroline Reyberger as farm manager. Jes and Keith have Butter Cup Compost Lab. The other members of the collective contribute to the compost from the crop waste and bedding collected from the animals. The compost, in turn, creates fertility in the farm operations. Caroline Radice works with the farming business and Ruthie King and Eliot handle the animals. This year they have raised about 30 pigs, and 40 or so sheep for processing. The two manage a flock of a couple hundred egg laying hens. Ruthie also leads the sheep shearing operation.
“Trying to balance my baking and the livestock operation, there are times when I really can’t step away from the farm. And when you are providing a staple food, like bread, people notice if you are not at the market,” he adds. “People are disappointed, but they understand if I let them know that I didn’t make it to market because we were lambing this week,” he laughs. Hopefully, the collective model will allow increased flexibility as time goes on.
Eliot Hartley sells his bread at the Willits Farmers Market. Look for more about the New Agrarian Collective on their Facebook Page and in an upcoming article. Buy their pork, eggs, vegetables, and wool at the Willits Market, Thursdays 3:00-5:30 in the winter location, the Little Lake Grange, 291 School Street.
Holly Madrigal is a Mendocino County maven who loves to share the delights of our region. She’s fortunate to enjoy her meaningful work at the Community Foundation and takes great joy in publishing this magazine.
Crab!
by Jay Newcomer
On November 3rd, the Dungeness crab season opened for recreational fishing along our stretch of beautiful coast here in Mendocino County. Last year was a prosperous harvest, and I’m hoping for another great season this year (which will run through July of 2019). To be eligible to catch crab, one must have a valid California fishing license (children under 16 years of age do not need a license), and each angler can keep ten Dungeness crabs of legal size. A measuring tape or, even better, a crab gage must be used to be sure all crabs taken are of legal size—at least 5-¾" across the narrowest part of the shell on the crab’s back just in front of the lateral spines.
Female Dungeness are easily identified by looking at the belly, as she will have a half moon shaped shell. By contrast the males have a prominent point shape on their belly. I only keep males to encourage as many crab offspring as possible.
There are three popular ways to catch Dungeness crab. The first is by casting from the shore, using a sturdy fishing pole and a baited box with looped fishing line surrounding it. Squid makes fine bait and can be found along with the catching device at many county fishing and sporting goods outlets. My favorite one is the Noyo Fishing Center down in the harbor in Fort Bragg. After casting the trap out onto a sandy bottom, the angler waits until a tugging of the line is felt, and then they quickly retrieve the bait to shore.
The second popular method is the use of hoop traps, conical in shape and about 2-½ feet across. A bait such as raw chicken is securely attached to the center of the trap, and the trap is lowered onto the sandy bottom of the ocean. A buoy is used to mark the trap’s location on the top end of the retrieval rope. Be sure your rope is long enough for your water depth or the whole rig will sink and be lost forever. Hoop trapping is used from piers and from kayaks in the ocean and is also a good way to catch crabs in the brackish river mouths. Each trap will need to be frequently checked and legal crab removed at least once every two hours.
Finally, a fully closed crab trap is most commonly used when fishing from a boat. These traps also feature retrieval ropes and marker buoys and are deployed in sandy bottomed locations ranging in depth from 50 to 200 feet or deeper. Traps are baited with fish heads, chicken, or squid, and can be left for several tidal cycles. Each buoy must be marked with the ID number on the angler's license, and it’s important to remember where the traps were set. Your cell phone can help with this by activating the mapping feature. Leaving the traps overnight works great, and returning the next day to pull up the ocean’s bounty is a unique thrill.
Crab should be kept on ice and alive until placed in a boiling pot. Bring the pot back to a boil for 15 minutes, then drain and cool as quickly as possible. An ice bath works best for this. Dungeness crab makes wonderful salads and crab cakes, as well as crab bisque. While you can find all sorts of recipes online, like the Baltimore Crab Cakes below from epicurious. com, my favorite is simply covering the table in newspaper and eating the fresh, sweet meat directly from the shells. Enjoy!
Baltimore Crab Cakes
Ingredients
1/4 c mayonnaise
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 T Dijon mustard
2 tsp fresh lemon juice plus wedges for garnish
1-½ tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped
1 pound lump crabmeat, cooked and picked over
1-¼ c panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
1 T thinly sliced chives
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 head Bibb lettuce
2 T vegetable oil
Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk. Add crab, then stir in 3/4 cup panko, chives, salt, and pepper. Form each into 6 1”-thick patties. Refrigerate for a miniumum of 10 minutes. Cover a platter with lettuce leaves.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place remaining 1/2 cup panko on a plate, then dip the cakes before adding them to the skillet. Fry until golden brown and crisp, 3-4 minutes per side. Arrange atop lettuce and serve with lemon wedges.
Jay Newcomer has lived in Anderson Valley for more than two decades. When he’s not playing with grapes for a living, he enjoys fishing, gardening, foraging and turning all that bounty into delicious meals for family and friends.
Crab drawing by Rebecca Goldie.
Sunsets and Seafood: Pier Chowder House and Tap Room
by Dawn Emery Ballantine
It was nearing sunset, and it was surprisingly clear in Point Arena the night we discovered the Pier Chowder House and Tap Room. The sky was showing all the beautiful colors of autumn—turquoise to burnt sienna—and the temperature was practically balmy for the coast. An art show at the Arena Market and Café had lured us over the hill to celebrate the opening night of the delightfully whimsical paintings of Meredith Frederick and the invigorating guitar solos of Dusty Brough. The Arena Market buzzed with friendly folks, fresh groceries, good food, and great wines. After the show wound down, we found ourselves out on sidewalk wondering where to find a good meal and quiet conversation.
Driving down Main Street, turning right where the sign indicated “Coastal Access,” we found ourselves on a dark road lined by trees with no other traffic, and we wondered if we had stumbled on a one-way road to nowhere rather than an access to a fairly busy marina. But the road soon spilled out into a parking lot, and the view of the remains of the sunset, the crescent moon, and Mars all reflecting on the calm marina waters was breathtaking. And the wafting smells of good food were beckoning.
The buildings at the marina appeared to be fashioned of weathered redwood, fitting for a location at the mercy of the elements. (The entire wharf and many of the buildings were destroyed by huge storm waves in 1983 and rebuilt in 1987, not the first time Point Arena, or parts of it, had been completely destroyed and restored.) The lights glowed warmly in the near dark, drawing us over, past the fantastic smells of the pizza joint (with gluten-free options!) and up the heavy wooden steps to the Pier Chowder House and Tap Room. There was extensive outdoor seating on the deck, with fabulous views of the remaining sunset and moon-and-star-bedecked sky, so we lingered outside for a few moments, enjoying the sun’s final glow over the ocean and the pure beauty of the setting. Then the door opened, and the mouth-watering aromas and sounds of the restaurant filtered out and pulled us in.
The venue’s ample restaurant seating—booths and tables in a large dining room—was completely filled. There were a couple of seats open at the end of the bar, beautifully crafted and running the substantial length of the restaurant, so we snagged them. A large screen TV at the far end was broadcasting a sports game, but it was far enough away to be easily ignored. The bar was full of folks eating, drinking, and reading books (always a welcome sign for me), and the bar-tendress greeted us warmly in spite of the crush.
Given that it’s on the wharf, it’s not surprising that the Pier Chowder House and Tap Room has a wealth of fresh seafood dishes on the menu. Options run the gamut of preparations: appetizers of fried calamari, raw oysters, seafood cocktails, and steamed clams; four separate chowder preparations; salads, including the Seafood Louis, and soups; seafood entrees and seafood pasta dishes; beer-battered, deep fried choices; burgers and sandwiches; steaks and chicken; and our choice for the night, fresh rock cod tacos and slaw—so tender and delicious! Service was prompt, the food was great, and the people seemed happy, a recipe for success.
To top off the fabulous food, the bar has multiple choices to quench your thirst. The Tap Room has 31 beers on tap, as well as an additional two taps which rotate between hard cider, high alcohol kombucha, and “hard” waters. The lemon-ginger hard water was particularly refreshing with the fish tacos. The venue specializes in numerous northern California brews, as well as some out-of-state craft brews, but they also serve wine and mixed drinks. Plans are in the works for developing relationships with local micro-breweries, such as HenHouse Brewing Company, a most excellent venture from Santa Rosa. All of this wonderful beer has prompted the restaurant to offer a 5-course dinner with beer pairings in the winter months. The next event takes place on Saturday, January 26th, and will feature beers from Boonville’s Anderson Valley Brewery. The menu will also include crab choices, as part of the Mendocino Crab, Wine and Beer Festival. Reservations are limited to 30 seats and must be made in advance.
The Chowder House is owned by Tracy & John DuPont. Tracy is a fourth-generation resident of Point Arena whose grandparents were the Ledfords of coastal renown. (Tracy shared that her grandparents’ original Ledford home is actually on the property of what is now The Inn at Schoolhouse Creek, not the Ledford House restaurant site.) Tracy’s great-grandmother kept the books for the Point Arena shipping company in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and her grandmother was born in “the cove” in a tiny house that still stands. Tracy’s husband, John, is a more recent transplant, arriving in Point Arena in eighth grade. Tracy and John were high school sweethearts and work in this venture together. One of their two daughters, Lindsey, is the bookkeeper and events planner for the venue, which has an area for special events and groups in the back of the restaurant with a capacity of up to 30 people (with reservations).
The drive down the coast is unparalleled for its wild beauty and stunning vistas. The trip over Mountain View Road from Boonville is forested, winding, and at times one lane, but well worth it. Point Arena has an independent, pastoral charm and is home to the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast, destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and re-built, featuring, in its most modern incarnation, lodging in renovated lighthouse keepers’ quarters, tours, and activities as part of its attraction. Point Arena’s determined inhabitants have had to rebuild numerous times in the past century because of natural disasters. Their latest renaissance has yielded a food-lover’s paradise, with highly rated dining and beverage offerings— Uneda Pizza (downstairs from the Chowder House), Franny’s Cup & Saucer, and Bird Café and Supper Club, to name just a few. An unexpected treat at the end of a long week, we were delighted with our find, and we’re already planning another sunset venture to the Pier Chowder House and Tap Room, perhaps staying long enough to enjoy some of Point Arena’s other attractions.
The Pier Chowder House & Tap Room
790 Port Rd, Point Arena, CA 95468 | (707) 882-3400 | ThePierChowderhouse.net
Dawn Emery Ballantine owns and curates Hedgehog Books in Boonville, edits this magazine and other wordy endeavors, provides business services for local entrepreneurs, and is an avid reader in her spare time.
Huckleberry Shrub & Ginger Syrup Cocktail
by Cally Dym
My grandfather Ole always took us huckleberry gathering, and he taught me what I now call the S&C method—Strip and Cocktail. He taught me to strip the branch, including leaves, unripe berries and spiders, and then sit at the kitchen table and have a cocktail while cleaning your bounty.
Huckleberry Shrub
1 c huckleberries
1 c sugar
1 c champagne or cider vinegar
Smash the berries by hand or in a food processor. Heat the sugar and vinegar together until sugar is dissolved. Add berries and simmer five minutes. Cool and strain. (The remaining pulp is an excellent base for a gastric.)
Ginger Syrup
4" fresh ginger, sliced (it’s okay to leave the skin on)
1 c sugar
1 c water
Heat the sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Add ginger and simmer until reduced by half. Cool.
Cocktail
1-½ oz Russell Henry Gin
1 oz huckleberry shrub
1/2 oz ginger syrup
Dash orange bitters
Pour all ingredients over ice. Garnish with orange slice. Extra credit garnish: fresh berries and/or
crystalized ginger from the syrup.
Little River Inn
7901 Highway 1, Little River, CA
LittleRiverInn.com | (707) 937-5667
Cally Dym is a fifth generation innkeeper of Little River Inn in Little River. Stop by the inn’s bar, Ole’s Whale Watch Bar, to enjoy a drink with a view and a light bar menu.
Photo by Brendan McGuigan
Working Overtime
Years in the Making, the New Fort Bragg Micro-Brewery is Now Open for Business
by Esther Liner
A labor of love twenty years in the dreaming and ten years in development, on Friday June 1st of 2018, three years to the day after signing the lease, Overtime Brewery opened its doors to a public of eager patrons who were deeply invested in its success. Overtime Brewery is the name owners David Simons and Daniel Justice gave their operation when it was still just a passion project in Simons’ garage.
David and Daniel, who are now 38 years old and have been best friends since middle school, started home brewing just for fun as young bucks. Somewhere in their late 20s, it grew from a hobby into a full-blown obsession. For over ten years Simons, a full time machinist and part time bartender, and Justice, a full time EMT at Mendocino Coast District Hospital, religiously spent their weekends in Simons' garage experimenting, refining and improving upon their craft. Though no one was paying them, they treated brewing as their second and third jobs. Then, true to their generous natures, they gave the fruits of their labor away: friends, family, neighbors all became willing, frequent tasters.
Owners Daniel and David
Over time, they amassed a cult following. Their delicious concoctions like Jasmine Green Tea Ale and D&D’s Drinkin’ Beer (a session pilsner Simons had made to sip on while making higher ABV% brews like Amarillo IPA) started showing up at backyard barbecues, community fundraisers, and small weddings. Simons and Justice each come from working class backgrounds in a town whose workers have faced many challenges in the past twenty years, such as the closure of the lumber mill and the decline of fishing. They are part of a generation of local kids who are looking to the future of Fort Bragg, figuring out how to provide jobs and sustainable business practices for themselves, their friends and generations to come.
“We started brewing for our friends, family and community. That’s the drive behind this whole thing, and it’s what’s kept us going. We had too many people believing in us, pushing us forward, to give up,” says Justice of the logistical challenges they’ve faced going into professional production. Without deep pockets, it took a series of small business loans, local partners, and investors to get this dream machine running. Overtime Brewery’s supporters have twice filled Town Hall past capacity, spilling out onto Main Street, when issues of permitting and water usage came up before Fort Bragg City Council. They have invested funds, volunteered labor, and asked, helpfully, “You open yet?” since 2015, when the project was first announced.
Stephen Duerr, owner of Piaci Pub and Pizzeria, believes in Simons' and Justice’s work ethic, vision and talent enough to partially back them as a partner. “I know these guys, I trust them, and I share their love of craft brewing. I also believe in building the sort of place you’d want to spend time in, serving the kind of food you’d want to eat. Because the reality is, when starting a new business, you spend more time there than you do at home.” Partner Greg Zeimer, a retired RN and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, has designed a simple, soulful food menu that emphasizes the integrity of the ingredients. Overtime’s kitchen sources produce from Fort Bragg’s Nye Ranch, buns and bread for their pulled pork sandwiches and Panini from Fort Bragg Bakery, beef for their burgers and “Portuguese Lollipop” (tender flank steak, wrapped and grilled around linguisa) from Willits’ John Ford Ranch.
With a decidedly proletariat, minimalist aesthetic, set in a converted warehouse with an ocean view and a beer patio, Overtime is a place where locals and visitors can come to gather, drink high quality brews, and eat locally sourced, satisfying food, affordably. The satisfyingly salty grilled shishito peppers with miso are a match made in heaven with the balanced, floral Jasmine Green Tea Pale. The wilted kale salad with bacon, egg and caramelized onion hits that perfect note between decadence and healthy sustenance, and the light mineral finish of the seasonal Benedict Cucumberbatch Ale (featuring Nye Ranch cucumbers) serves as a perfect palate refresher between bites.
The approachably crisp and lightly bitter Fancypants Dry Hopped IPA is Simons’ nod to bartenders Johnny “Pants” Peterson and John “Fancy” Krebs. “Those two didn’t know each other before working together, but man, did they take to each other like brothers,” says Simons. Peterson moved back to Fort Bragg a year ago to help with the opening of the brewery, painting and helping to seal the floors on his rare days off between bartending and house painting. Krebs also helped pitch in with the construction and painting whenever he had a moment between jobs. Kerry Hagan, Simons' longtime romantic partner, takes serving shifts when she's not at her consignment shop, If the Shoe Fits. Dave Hill moved back from Brooklyn a couple of years ago and is happily working with friends old and new at Overtime.
Working with a side-by-side nano brewer, Overtime brews at least two days a week. They have a crowler (32 oz) and growler (64 oz) jug program, where patrons can take their favorite freshly-tapped brews home to enjoy. Their spent grain is available on a first come, first served basis as compost and animal feed. An orphaned baby boar by the name of “Sal,” who is being fostered by a local, has become Overtime’s unofficial “Mashcott,” happily munching on spent grain after brew days.
The aptly named Overtime Brewing is a testament to the power of hard work, blind faith and loyal friendship to overcome just about any obstacle. It is a living breathing example of what makes the town of Fort Bragg, California so damned special: the loyalty, generosity and perseverance of its people.
Overtime Brewing
190 E Elm St, Fort Bragg, CA 95437 | (707) 962-3040
FaceBook.com/OvertimeBrewing
Esther Liner is a freelance writer and photographer who splits her time between the Mendocino Coast and the East Bay. She writes about: slow food, fast times, rad art, and the Captains who make it happen. Instagram: greetingsfromnorthwestnowhere
Pineapple Express in Garberville Serves Up Hawaiian Flavors
by Holly Madrigal
When the grey days of winter seem to stretch on and on, head to Garberville for a warm breath of the tropics. The Pineapple Express food truck is dishing up authentic and delicious Hawaiian fare to rave reviews. I caught up with owner, Codi Nishimoto, to ask how she got her start.
Born and raised on Oahu, near Pearl Harbor, Codi traveled to Humboldt State to study forestry. While at Humboldt, she started cooking recipes that she missed from home. “When I got home to Hawaii, Shoyu Chicken was the first thing I ate, as soon as I got off the plane, it’s like my favorite dish. So before I really got into cooking, I forced myself to make it because I missed it so much in college,” Codi laughs. “It is slow simmered, fall-apart tender, really simple but just a real comfort good, good dish.”
Codi became really passionate about cooking and traveled back to Hawaii to train under a master chef there. The food scene in Hawaii is really taking off, with many chefs embracing traditional dishes made with fresh local ingredients. When work and family brought Codi back from Hawaii to the Garberville area, she decided to dive in with a food truck to offer a different type of dining option. The Pineapple Express opened last year in a spot across from Ray’s Market in Garberville.
Drawn in by the colorful sandwich boards promising Hawaiian Plate Lunch, I found a turquoise food truck emblazoned with a giant pineapple on the side. Great music filled the air as patrons sat at sun-filled tables. The hardest part was picking a main dish: Shoyu Chicken, Garlic Chicken, Furikake Crispy Cod, Kalua Pork? It is all divine. It comes with two scoops of rice and macaroni salad (yes, this is the standard side dish on the islands and how I knew this place was legit) or fresh green salad.
Adding culinary twists to the traditional Hawaiian food she loves elevates the offerings at Pineapple Express from what you might expect from a humble food truck. Their Furikake Fries are created using a namesake Japanese seasoning that is full of delicious umami flavor. The fries come with two homemade sauces—Sweet Chili Aioli and Hawaiian BBQ Sauce. Traditional Poke is transformed into Poke Nachos, flash fried, atop ethereal wonton chips. “They have the best shave ice around!” says a friend, when I tell her we are doing a story on Pineapple Express. Codi tells me they ordered a special machine from Japan. “The ice is light, fluffy and delicate instead of crunchy” she adds. This tropical dessert staple is available, along with other pupus (appetizers) and specials like the Loco Moco Sammy or Poke-stuffed Squash Blossoms to tempt your palate.
Word has spread about Pineapple Express, and they have branched out to events and parties. They have brought their “Ono grinds,” Hawaiian for super good, soul nourishing food, to the “Calling All Spirits” bash in Old Town Eureka and the KMUD Summer Music Series in Garberville. Let them know if you are interested in bringing some aloha to your next event.
I couldn’t repress my smile as I sat down with my steaming plate of Furikake Crispy Cod (had to choose!), creamy mac salad and rice. Pineapple is the international symbol for “welcome,” and this food truck is true to its name. If I close my eyes, I can almost feel those tropical breezes right here in Northern California.
Pineapple Express Hawaiian Plate Lunch
900 Redwood Dr, Garberville, CA 95542
(808) 387-6101 | Facebook.com/PineappleExpressFoodTruck