Edible San Diego - Spring 2010 issue

Member of Edible Communities

Celebrating San Diego’s local foods, season by season • No. 8 • Spring 2010

Suzie’s Farm Spring Fare Career Inspiration Session Beer Greywater Victory Gardens

www.ediblesandiego.com

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Slow Food has been supporting good food in San Diego and Riverside Counties since 2001. Be a part of the growing national movement to reclaim and preserve good food by participating on a local level. Slow Food is committed to preserving food traditions and reviving the table as a center of family and community.

Slow Food Temecula Valley temeculaslowfood.org

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Slow Food San Diego slowfoodsandiego.org

edible San Diego

Slow Food Urban San Diego slowfoodurbansandiego.org

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CONTENTS

Publisher’s Note

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Notable Edibles

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In Season Interview A Fresh Look at Spring with Executive Chef John Berike

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FEATURES

Cooking up Career Inspiration

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Reclaiming the Drain 11

Edible Reviews 26

Establishing Roots 14

On The Radar 30

EDIBLE NATION 17

SEASON OF DIRT

Why Bother 31

Advertisers Directory 32

Liquid Assets 20 Have You Tried a Session?

Farmers’ Markets 33

Urban Gardens Rise Again 22 www.ediblesandiego.com

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Publishers’ note Super Bowl Sunday. Riley and I both worked all day today and didn’t mind one bit. Working hard to make Edible San Diego successful has turned into a labor of love.

We’re pleased with our second issue and feel like we’re getting better at this. And that is one of our continuing goals: to make each issue a little better than the last. It was a little easier this time, and it looks great! For the last week, we’ve been on a kind of inspirational high.

It was only last Sunday that we returned to San Diego from four days in Santa Fe for the annual Edible Communities national meeting and the first annual Edible Institute. This was not your garden-variety annual corporate meeting, with bored folks checking their messages and leaving sessions early to talk about something—anything—else in the hallways. As Elissa Altman noted in her Huffington Post article about the Edible Institute, most of us sat for the full five hours and listened“with rapt attention to an extraordinary group of people . . . speak with fire and passion on what Alice Waters calls the most important subject there is. Because without food—sustainably grown, ethically produced and harvested food—we, as a society, have no future.”

We were exhausted at the end of each day, but eager to get up early the next morning and do it again.

Every speaker, panel and session was informative, engaging and inspiring. The attendees, mostly publishers from the 62 Edible magazines across the United States and Canada, and a who’s who of journalists and sustainable-food experts, opened our eyes to the importance and positive potential of SOLE food: Sustainable, Organic, Local and Ethically raised.

The message we came home with, thanks to Fred Kirschenmann (look him up!), is that, indeed, there is a food revolution going on, and you are either sleeping through it or you are taking part. We are taking part. Boy, howdy!

We hope to help the revolution along by focusing your attention on the bounty of local and sustainable farms, wineries, breweries and artisan food makers in San Diego County, not to mention the wonderful people who bring it to you. If this magazine appeals to you, welcome to the revolution!

ADVERTISING For information about rates and deadlines, call 619-222-8267 or email us at info@ediblesandiego.com MeMber

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Or send your information (name, street address, city, state and zip code) and check made payable to Edible San Diego to the address below.

edible San Diego

COPY EDITOR Doug Adrianson

Edible San Diego P.O. Box 83549 San Diego, CA 92138 619-222-8267 info@ediblesandiego.com www.ediblesandiego.com

Support and celebrate our local food community. Subscribe or give a gift subscription to Edible San Diego for just $32 a year.

Subscribing online is easy at ediblesandiego.com.

Spring 2010

EDITOR Lauren Duffy

COVER PHOTO Dashielle Vawter

Don’t miss a single issue.

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PUBLISHERS Riley Davenport John Vawter

DESIGNER Cheryl Koehler

John Vawter and Riley Davenport

Edible San Diego, P.O. Box 83549, San Diego, CA 92138

CONTRIBUTORS John Alongé Maria Desiderata Montana Lauren Duffy Dhanraj Emanuel Jeff Gordon Brandon Hernández Vincent Knackal David Mas Masumoto Matt Steiger Melinda Swanson Carole Topalian Dashielle Vawter Candice Woo

Meat Coo ks C onfa Gets Lo b: El cal Win ter C evating • Farm -D Lo omfo rt Fo cal Cui riven D sin is od • R e • Sc tributio amo na Va hool Lu n nch lley Re Win erie form s

No part of this publication my be used without written permission of the publisher. © 2010. All rights reserved. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies.

Thank you.

notable Edibles The San Diego Growers’ Project is a collaboration of local farmers, coming together in hopes of strengthening our local food economy. Community advisors, including Jonathan Reinbold, Interim Executive Director of the Tierra Miguel Foundation, and representatives from The Center for Food & Justice are leading a steering committee that has been meeting monthly since September of last year, and counts farmers from Suzie’s Farm and Sage Mountain among its members. As they work to determine the exact infrastructure of the program, the group is currently awaiting grant results that will help them identify the best location for a central distribution center, or “Regional Food Hub,” which would enable wholesalers and retailers to buy directly from a collective of local farms; in turn helping farms to decrease loss, build profit margins and make it more affordable for restaurants, markets and larger institutions to source San Diegogrown food.

Jimbo’s Naturally has launched a “Local & Organic” program to help consumers identify which foods are produced locally in their stores. Look for brick-red circles with the words “Local & Organic” on signs marking avocados, citrus, and other fruits and vegetables—Jimbo’s sources from over 30 farms in San Diego county. Find locations at jimbos.com.

Delytes Catering & Event Services joins the list of area companies offering thoughtful convenience food. Their “Extraordinary Artisan Takeaway” (E.A.T) program offers organic, family-style takeout cuisine five days a week. Customers

can place orders ahead of time and pick up ready-togo meals at the company’s Temecula headquarters. Delytes Catering is a member of Slow Food, and strives to source organic and regional produce. They can be reached at 951-694-3663 or eat@delytes.com.

The Ramona Farmers’ Market is now accepting WIC as well as Senior Farmers’ Market Nutritional Program Checks.

Nutritional Program Vouchers are available at the Ramona Senior Center and are available to anyone 60 or older. Contact Ray at 760-789-0440 for more information.

We’re loving BottleHood, the new recycled glassware company based out of Ray Street in North Park. Proprietor Leslie Tiano collects used wine and beer bottles from local restaurants, repurposing them into polished glass tumblers, juice glasses and vases. Offerings include colored glass as well as etched glasses bearing beer, wine and spirits logos. Find them at the Little Italy farmers market, look for their glasses at restaurants around town or check them out at bottlehood.com.

Half the purchase The new Cups price of the Love Cup Organic Bakery in La Jolla is committed goes directly to provide care for families at the to local and organic Ronald McDonald ingredients. The House of San Diego. catering arm of the company offers custom-made cupcakes, while the downtown La Jolla lounge hosts classes, private parties, live music, and events such as “cup-aoke,” Sunday-evening karaoke. The lounge is located at 7857 Girard Avenue, and they are on the Web at cupslj.com.

Catalina Offshore Products has gone solar!

Now you can buy sustainable seafood from a company powered by sustainable power.

The roof of the company’s Linda Vista warehouse is covered with solar panels that provide about 90% of the company’s power.

The move was motivated by the company’s desire to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels to become more sustainable. To find out more about Catalina Offshore Products visit their website at catalinaop.com.

This year’s Cultivating Food Justice Conference will feature Raj Patel as the keynote speaker. The annual free event is put on by SD Food Not Lawns, the People’s Produce Project, SD Roots Sustainable Food Project, the International Rescue Committee, and Slow Food Urban San Diego. This year’s event will take place on the San Diego State University campus.

Mark your calendars for April 24 and 25 and visit sdfoodjustice.org for a complete schedule of sessions.

www.ediblesandiego.com

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In Season Interview

A Fresh Look at Spring with Executive Chef John Beriker

By Maria Desiderata Montana, Photographs by Vincent Knackal Executive Chef John Beriker of the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe has been impressing guests, peers and critics for years with his unique fusion of classic French, California and Asian cuisine. His modern and cutting-edge East-meets-West cuisine has gained him critical acclaim by some of the most respected culinary experts in the world.

Working directly with his long-time mentor, the world-renowned Wolfgang Puck, at Spago in Hollywood provided a strong base from which he launched his executive chef career. Puck has called Beriker “one of the world’s leading chefs with extraordinary ability and brilliant talent.”

Puck has called Beriker “one of the world’s leading chefs with extraordinary ability and brilliant talent.”

At the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, Beriker’s food is served amid a historic landmark of beauty and legendary hospitality that sets the standard for perfection and opulence. The 23-acre lush landscape is filled with winding cobblestone pathways that connect private cottages of luxuriously appointed guest rooms and deluxe suites, all of Spanish- and Mediterranean-style décor.

In the Inn’s Dining Room, the menu changes with the seasons, offering farm-fresh local ingredients and creative preparations including cherry tomatoes paired with fresh halibut. “It’s all about eating lighter,” says Beriker. “Cherry tomatoes are the most colorful and perfect food. We even have a little garden on property here in the spring and summer where we grow organic cherry tomatoes, whole tomatoes, herbs and basil.”

Believing that the warm weather makes the quality of the produce even more beautiful, Beriker says, “Everything is greener and more colorful, developing into what vegetables are supposed to be.” One of his favorite vegetables is white asparagus. “I love white asparagus because of its lighter texture and subtle flavor, and when you add a nice sauce it’s all the better.”

When it comes to strawberries, Beriker keeps it fresh and easy. “I have fond memories of strawberries dating back to when I was a 6

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little boy. I loved picking baby strawberries in the strawberry fields near my home. Paired with a mango sorbet, it’s the perfect dessert for spring!”

Maria Desiderata Montana is an award-winning food and wine journalist, editor and published author based in San Diego. She gained an appreciation of European cuisine from her parents, who were born and raised in Calabria, Italy. Visit her website at sandiegofoodfinds.com.

White Asparagus in Hollandaise Sauce Serves 6

Hollandaise Sauce

18 large white asparagus spears 5 egg yolks 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 4 cups clarified butter Sea salt White pepper

In a stainless steel bowl set over a pot of simmering water, whisk egg yolks, lemon juice and Worcestershire until smooth.

Whisking vigorously, add the butter, 1 cup at a time, until all is incorporated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Create Your Plate

Asparagus Clean, peel and trim the end of each asparagus spear. In a very large pot, add enough water to immerse the asparagus spears. Add salt to the water. Bring to a boil. Carefully drop in the asparagus spears and boil until just tender, about 3 minutes.

Remove and place in a large bowl of ice water.

Ladle hollandaise sauce onto a serving platter. Carefully layer asparagus spears on top of the sauce. Drizzle more hollandaise sauce on top. Serve family style.

Chef ’s Tip: If you want an added splash of color, garnish with diced red tomatoes or finely chopped Italian parsley … or both!

Sun-Dried Tomato Crusted Halibut Serves 6

3 cups fresh basil

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 6 halibut fillets, about 6 ounces each Sea salt White pepper 2 cups sun-dried tomatoes in oil 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs 6 medium-sized yellow heirloom tomatoes, cored 2 shallots, roughly chopped 1 celery stick, roughly chopped 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 3 cups cherry tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a large baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

minutes or until tender. Cool. Remove skin from the tomatoes. Place all ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. Strain to a smooth consistency.

Halibut

Cherry Tomatoes

Pat halibut fillets dry and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper. In a food processor, blend sun-dried tomatoes in oil and breadcrumbs. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Roll one side of each halibut fillet into bread crumb mixture, forming a layer of crust on the top. Place halibut fillets into baking dish and bake until fish is opaque, about 14 to 18 minutes.

In a large sauté pan over moderate heat, sauté 3 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes and basil for approximately 3 minutes or until tomatoes are softened but still whole. *Note: Be very careful to toss the cherry tomatoes gently to prevent them from opening.

Yellow Heirloom Tomato Sauce Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease a baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place yellow tomatoes, shallots and celery on baking dish.

Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast for 15 to 20

Create Your Plate Place cherry tomatoes onto the center of a plate. Place halibut fillet (crust side up) on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle yellow heirloom tomato sauce around the plate.

Chef ’s Tip: If the cherry tomatoes start to open when cooked, you’ve cooked them too long!

Recipes courtesy of

The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe Cookbook

by Maria Desiderata Montana www.ediblesandiego.com

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Strawberries with Orange Pink Peppercorn Sauce Serves 6 2 cups sugar 1 cup water 3 cups orange juice ½ cup heavy cream 36 large fresh strawberries 3 cups mango sorbet 6 sprigs of mint

Orange Pink Peppercorn Sauce In a medium saucepan over high heat, stir the water and sugar until caramelized. Add orange juice. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stirring constantly, reduce the liquid by half. Add the cream and continue stirring until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Create Your Plate Ladle orange pink peppercorn sauce onto a plate. Arrange six strawberries around the plate. Place a scoop of mango sorbet in the center. Garnish with 1 sprig of mint.

Chef ’s Tip: Use any flavor of sorbet or ice cream that you like best!

What’s Fresh & Local March artichokes, asparagus, avocados, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, caulifower, celery, chard, cherimoyas, grapefruit, guavas, herbs, kale, kiwi, lemons, lettuce, oranges (Navel), peas, potatoes, radishes, rhubarb, snap peas, spinach, squash, strawberries, tangelos, tangerines, turnips April avocados, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, caulifower, celery, chard, cherimoyas, cucumbers, grapefruit, guavas, herbs, kale, kiwi, lemons, lettuce, onions, oranges (Navel & Valencia), peas, potatoes, radishes, scallions, snap peas, spinach, squash, strawberries, tangelos, turnips May avocados, basil, beets, broccoli, carrots, caulifower, celery, chard, cherimoyas, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, grapes, grapefruit, green beans, guavas lemons, herbs, kale, kiwi, lemons, lettuce, melons, onions, oranges (Navel & Valencia), peaches, peas, plums, potatoes, radishes, scallions, spinach, squash, strawberries, tangelos, tomatoes, turnips

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Cooking Up Career Inspiration Chef Amy DiBiase opens her kitchen and her heart to local teens.

By Brandon Hernández

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ooking at her now—a standout chef at the helm of a successful kitchen—it’s hard to picture Amy DiBiase in anything other than chef ’s whites. But when DiBiase was growing up, her father envisioned her in work attire that was either khaki or olive drab.

“When I was a kid I overheard my parents saying they had a plan for me,” says DiBiase who, shortly thereafter, had military recruiters knocking on the door of her family’s home in Maine.

A consistently good student with an aptitude for athletics, DiBiase was an attractive candidate to all branches of the Armed Forces. But unbeknownst to dear old dad, she had made a pact in the fourth grade.

She wanted to get out, move on and follow her lifelong ambition to become a chef.

“He didn’t think I could do it,” says DiBiase, “and that really pushed me to do well.”

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Photo by Riley Davenport

In her senior year of high school, DiBiase secretly applied to and was accepted to Providence, Rhode Island’s, acclaimed Johnson & Wales University. Attending the noted culinary academy came with a steep price tag in both a monetary and familial sense. Coming from a family of meager means, she knew from the outset she’d need to find ways to scrape together enough money to go to school and, thanks to persistence and creative thinking, she was able to do just that. Oddly enough, the money was the easy part. It was dealing with her father’s disappointment and lack of faith that was the hardest.

“It doesn’t matter where you come from. It’s how bad you want it.”

And well she did, graduating from Johnson & Wales with degrees in culinary arts and food service management and going on to make a name for herself within San Diego’s culinary landscape at Laurel, Baleen and, her current eatery, Roseville, where her elegant FrenchMediterranean-inspired dishes are a far cry from mess hall fare.

DiBiase used her own two hands, heart, soul and drive to build this solid career and, though she would have liked financial and emotional support from her family, their lack drives home a point for her.

“It doesn’t matter where you come from,” says DiBiase. “It’s how bad you want it.”

This story of determination and triumph has resonated with many, but none so poignantly as a group of young girls who visited Roseville late last year as part of the San Diego Center for Children’s Life Skills Program. The LSP was established in 2009 to prepare teens facing behavioral, emotional, social and educational challenges for real life situations and responsibilities once they leave the Center.

To do this, the program seeks out professionals in various careers (physicians, nurses, firefighters, paramedics, bankers, dentists, mechanics, military personnel and many more) to educate the teens about what their vocations are all about and what it takes to succeed in their arenas.

Mixing these objectives with the LSP’s culinary aims to expose participants to fruits and vegetables, different types of cuisines and get them excited about the world of food, Reyes and DiBiase collaborated to come up with games and techniques to introduce them to fresh produce and kitchen equipment items that were completely new to them.

“The Center is looking for a ray of light to show these girls it’s possible to do something with their life,” says DiBiase. “I told the girls all the time that goes into being a chef and they were really into it. And when I took the kids with me in the kitchen, several of them wanted to get in there and cook. It was really good to see them so enthusiastic.”

Tonya, 16, was particularly inspired by DiBiase. For days following the field trip to Roseville, her newfound chef-mentor was all she could talk about. She loved the camaraderie of the kitchen staff, the fact that DiBiase was able to create her own menu and, of course, the food. More than anything, though, Tonya was enamored with DiBiase herself.

LSP is the passion and responsibility of Program Coordinator Tina Reyes, who sought out DiBiase as a strong role model to teach female teens about the chef profession and restaurant environment.

When Reyes came calling, DiBiase jumped right onboard and invited the girls to belly up to the bar at Roseville for an afternoon of sharing.

She kicked things off by telling the kids all about herself, the way her restaurant works on an everyday basis and how important all the things she learned in school are to daily and long-term success in her industry. From there, she led the girls on a tour of her kitchen and treated them not only to a food demo, but a lunch of spiced pork belly with French lentils and apple fennel salad topped off with a rich dessert of bittersweet chocolate pot de crème.

“The best part of the experience was watching them enjoy food they’ve never had before,” says DiBiase. “At first they just looked at the pork belly, so I told them, ‘It’s just like bacon,’ and in seconds they were gobbling it up. I love to see people experience new things with food.”

“The primary goals of the LSP are to teach our teens the fundamental basics in everyday life skills,” says Reyes. “To ensure they are able to comprehend and retain material, we make classes as interactive as possible using visual aids, incorporating games and exercises, and providing question-and-answer sessions.”

Roseville Chef Amy DiBiase with two participants in the San Diego Center for Children’s Life Skills Program

“The Center is looking for a ray of light to show these girls it’s possible to do something with their life,” says DiBiase. www.ediblesandiego.com

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“I want to do the best I can in life and I feel like I’m on my way now,” says Tonya.

“Chef Amy is an inspiring female. It was nice to see that there are strong women in the world like her,” says Tonya. “She struggled with becoming a chef and says it was hard, but she kept at it and overcame everything and made something great of herself. I look up to her and want to be like her one day.”

As part of the LSP, Tonya earned her Food Handler’s Certificate and got her first taste of serving people by teaming up with Just Call Us Catering to feed homeless people at the Winter Shelter in the East Village on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

better prepare them for a real world to which, thanks to the help of generous and caring Center professionals and volunteers alike, these promising young people are much better equipped to adapt and contribute.

To volunteer time or make a donation to the LSP, contact Reyes at 858-569-3952. For more information on the San Diego Center for Children, visit centerforchildren.org.

“I love helping people out, so making and serving food on a constant basis would be great,” says Tonya. “I want to do the best I can in life and I feel like I’m on my way now.”

Tonya is one of many successes realized by the LSP, which is less than a year old but is already yielding positive returns.

“Because of the hands-on approach, the teens enjoy learning and are more encouraged to participate,” says Reyes. “Students run up to me and excitedly ask, ‘What are we gong to learn today, Ms. Tina? Are we going on a field trip? What are we going to learn about next week?’”

Another success has been the implementation of the Striders Group, which was set up to help LSP participants ages 16 and older build their résumés. One way they do this is by earning drivers licenses and Food Handler, CPR and First Aid certifications.

Group participants are also placed in a variety of internships to

Chef Amy DiBiase demonstrates how to prepare pots de creme during a Life Skills Program field trip to Roseville

Chocolate Pot de Creme 3 cups heavy cream 1 cup half & half ¾ cup granulated sugar ¾ cup cocoa powder 1 vanilla bean 9 egg yolks Combine the cream, half & half and split vanilla bean in a saucepot and warm until steaming (do not simmer or boil).

Whisk the sugar and cocoa together. In a bowl, reserve the egg yolks. When cream is steaming, whisk in the sugar and cocoa mixture. Then, add the cream mixture into the egg yolks one ladle at a time until completely incorporated. Strain to catch any lumps that may have formed and refrigerate overnight.

Spoon into ramekins, cover and bake at 325° in a water bath until the center is set (jiggles like Jell-O). Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Tip: Rotate pan halfway through cooking time so they cook evenly, in case the oven has hot spots. You know you’re overcooking them if the sides of the custard start to raise or bubble.

Brandon Hernández is a native San Diegan with a passion for the culinary arts and the local dining scene. He has been featured numerous times on the Food Network hit program Emeril Live, regularly contributes to over a dozen national and local magazines, newspapers and online outlets and has authored and coauthored several cookbooks. Follow him at twitter.com/offdutyfoodie or drop him a line at deepcrimson2008@gmail.com.

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Spring 2010 edible San Diego

Reclaiming the Drain Making the most of our scarcest resource

By Matt Steiger

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alifornia is the nation’s top agricultural producer, with 85 percent of our water supply going to crops. This means that the bulk of our water supply gets shipped, via produce, around the country and the rest of the world. Couple that with the fact that large portions of our state are desert, receiving little rainfall, and you have a severe and perpetual drought. In June 2008 the governor made it official by declaring a statewide drought.

San Diego is one of the hardest hit areas. Our region only holds enough water to supply one out of 10 people living here—and the situation is getting worse. At the time of writing this article the state’s largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, is at 31 percent (48th percentile for this time of year). In the past year both San Diego city and county have instituted water conservation efforts in the form of rate hikes and regulated watering schedules.

We must ask ourselves how we can conserve more.

The average American uses 150 gallons of water each day; roughly half of it goes into our yards.

Some San Diegans have been able to reduce water usage in their yards by employing two mostly untapped resources: greywater and rainwater.

Greywater comes from showers, bathroom sinks, dishwashers and washing machines. Rainwater is that rare, ethereal substance that occasionally falls from the sky on cloudy days. While neither is suitable for drinking, both can be used on landscaping and represent a potential partial solution to the region’s perpetual water shortage.

In the past year, two grassroots water-harvesting companies have sprouted in San Diego. Both companies were started by women with a passion for activism and a desire to increase conservation efforts. The first is H2ome, founded by Brook Sarson, and the second is RainThanks and Greywater, founded

by Candace Vanderhoff.

Sarson has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, but decided she wanted to turn her scientific mind toward solving San Diego’s water crisis. She outfitted her home for rainwater collection and greywater re-use and has been helping San Diegans do the same.

Sarson has a 1,340-gallon rainwater tank at her College Area home.

She also installed greywater recycling on her laundry, kitchen sink and bathroom. She uses her harvested water supplies in her garden,

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Candace Vanderhoff conducts several women in a greywater workshop, offered the last weekend of every month. Photo by Matt Steiger

comprising 14 fruit trees and a small lily pond. H2ome has helped multiple San Diegans retrofit their bathrooms and laundry rooms for greywater recycling, specializing in inexpensive but effective systems.

Vanderhoff has a master’s degree in architecture and has studied Permaculture design. She also has rainwater tanks at her South Park home, totaling about 600 gallons of storage, as well as a greywater system installed on her laundry. She started RainThanks and Greywater with a desire to help the environment, but also as a step towards her eventual goal of designing whole houses that integrate water recycling, passive solar heating and natural building materials.

Vanderhoff draws heavily on her training, with most of her work amounting to landscape architecture. She helps her customers design a whole garden around their greywater systems, often sculpting the yard to maximize water retention, and emphasizing edible gardens.

Left: A laundry-tolandscape greywater diverter installed in Candace’s house. The valve allows her to switch between diverting water to the sewer or to her garden. Photo by Matt Steiger Right: Greywater from Candace’s house is directed to a large mulch basin in her yard. Photo

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Both women offer site surveys, system design and installation services. Both offer a simple “laundry-to-landscape” greywater kit for sale, and both teach workshops on water harvesting methods.

Between their two companies, San Diegans have a choice in greywater installation—from inexpensive and simple ranging to fully integrated solutions.

San Diego County law allows installation of a single-fixture greywater system without a permit, provided several guidelines are followed.

The greywater must be dispersed immediately and directly (no storage allowed) and released at least two inches below ground (mulch counts). The system must have a bypass valve, which will divert excess greywater to the sewer. The full law is available online; most of the rules are intended to minimize potential for human contact.

The reality is that our water supply is limited and arguably diminishing.

Rainwater harvesting is not regulated by any state or local laws. It can be freely collected and stored for future use. For safety, rainwater tanks should be made child- and mosquito-proof. They should also have provision for overflow. To keep the water clean, wire mesh filters and first-flush diverters, to dump the first dirty bit of water from the roof, can be installed.

When designing your systems, consider where you will use the water. Rainwater can be stored and used when convenient, but greywater must be dispersed immediately. A laundry system will generate a small amount of water, somewhat spread over the week.

A shower system will produce more water, and on a daily basis. In either case you must put the water somewhere useful.

For greywater, Sarson uses a pipe with a series of T-valves, each open to one of several small mulch basins in her garden. She can tune her watering simply by opening and closing these valves every few days.

Vanderhoff disperses her greywater into large terraced mulch basins in her garden. She counts on the mulch to absorb water during a deluge and slowly release it during dryer times.

With both greywater and rainwater, potential for human contact should be limited; fruit trees and ornamentals are great, vegetables and lawns are a no-no. When using greywater in your garden also be mindful of the soaps you use. Salts are common in soap, usually sodium lauryl sulfate, and should be avoided.

For either of these systems, consider the cost, harvesting potential and eventual use. Laundry and bath greywater systems cost around $100–$300 each. My household generates only 20–40 gallons of laundry greywater per week, but we produce about 150–200 gallons of shower greywater per week. At 1/3 of a penny per gallon, the shower system would recover its cost much faster.

Rainwater systems are more expensive, with the tanks costing between 60 cents and $2 per gallon of storage, plus about $100 worth of plumbing parts. Sarson estimates that she can fill her 1,340 Below: Brook Sarson and the 1,340-gallon rainwater tank she installed in her backyard. Photos by Lauren Duffy

gallon tank twice a year. Rainwater harvesting will save you massive amounts of water, but unfortunately not much money. The cheap price of water means the rainwater system would take many years to pay for itself.

For those who don’t want to incur the cost of these systems, or aren’t ready to commit, there are several super-cheap and easy alternatives.

Vanderhoff says that most of her clients are already capturing the shower warm-up water in a bucket. Sarson suggests that people use a plastic tub when doing the dishes, then empty it in the garden.

Both women have planned their gardens around natural runoff lanes.

Water-hungry plants are located down-slope from gutter spouts and un-guttered roofs. Plants are located inside C-shaped mounds of dirt or in terraces, to collect flowing rainwater. Mulch basins are built near and around the drip line of trees to help even out wet and dry spells.

The reality is that our water supply is limited and arguably diminishing. We must all do our part to save water as much as we can. A carefully considered greywater system could be made to pay for itself within a few years. A rainwater harvesting system can save large amounts of water, if not money. As water supplies decrease, prices are sure to increase, and these systems will become more and more affordable. Whether you are prepared to install harvesting systems or simply want to rely on a few free and easy measures, you can start saving a bit of water immediately.

Matt Steiger works full time as a physicist and has published articles in several scientific journals. He spends his free time obsessing over food, fishing, cooking, and gardening and has more than a passing interest in photography. Matt has lived in San Diego his whole life and has searched the city high and low for awesome produce, fresh fish, artisanal cheese and bread, great drinks, and the perfect cup of coffee. He can be contacted at steigey@gmail.com.

Greywater and Rainwater Resources Brook Sarson of H2ome: h2o-me.com Candace Vanderhoff of RainThanks and Greywater rainthanks.com Oasis Design: Water harvesting experts and book publishers, offering a free online laundry greywater system plan: oasisdesign.net San Diego County Graywater Law: sdcounty. ca.gov/deh/water/docs/lu_graywater_ chap16A__emergency_regulations_8-4-09.pdf San Diego Rainwater Harvesting Tips: sandiego. gov/water/conservation/rainwater.shtml

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The Good Earth

Establishing Roots

By Candice Woo, Photos by Dhanraj Emanuel

L

ucila De Alejandro loves to pull weeds. In fact, she likes it well enough to list the task as her job title on her business card. But Lucila doesn’t have much time for weed-pulling these days. In addition to raising her 2-year-old twin girls, she and her husband, Robin Taylor, own and operate Suzie’s Farm and Sun Grown Organics.

Founded 25 years ago in Encanto by Robin’s father, Ken Taylor, and originally called Sprout Power, Sun Grown Organics greenhousegrows, hand-harvests and distributes microgreens and edible flowers to restaurants; sprouts to local market delis including Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Market, Henry’s and Whole Foods; and wheatgrass to Southern California branches of Jamba Juice.

The family moved the farm to its current location, a six-acre leased property in San Diego’s Tijuana River Valley, just south of Imperial Beach, in 1991.

Lucila, whose family moved to San Diego in the 1980s, met Robin while they were both drama majors at San Diego State University.

Robin had worked on his father’s farm since he was a teenager but didn’t necessarily intend to make farming his career. However, in the mid-’90s, when his father retired and he and Lucila got married, they decided to take over the family business.

Growing to keep up with trends In the last few years, as the popularity of microgreens and similar garnishes began to wane, they began to think of ways to expand or reconfigure their farm to better reflect the current food climate.

The wholesale nature of Sun Grown had always kept them a few degrees removed from the end eater, and when you meet the couple, especially the warm and ebullient Lucila, it is clear how much they want to cultivate a relationship with the San Diego food community.

Lucila had worked briefly as an organic inspector, and in 2003 she attended a seminar put on by a sustainable education organization in the Midwest. She returned home energized. At the seminar she saw a farm that participated in community-supported agriculture (CSA) while at the same time selling at farmers’ markets and supplying local restaurants: the holy trinity of a fully engaged farm. So, now the question was how to go about becoming more of a part of the local food chain?

An urban farm plants new seeds for a stronger connection to the community.

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First, they needed more land to grow the kind of produce that you could really sink your teeth into—hearty row crops and fruit trees; a full and broad catalog that would be attractive to home cooks and restaurant chefs alike. In 2004, Lucila and Robin acquired an additional seven acres adjacent to their Sun Grown Organics property and established Suzie’s Farm, named after the family’s beloved Norwegian Elkhound who they’d adopted after she’d been found abandoned and living on nearby farmland. They planted 40 fruit trees, including nectarines, figs and cherries, and Robin, who’d been studying up on organic Permaculture gardening, created permabeds made up of farm waste, cardboard and mulch to grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and more.

By spring of 2009, they were harvesting enough to begin their CSA program, wherein customers, called shareholders, invest in the life of the farm by paying an advance fee, and in return, get a weekly box of just-picked certified-organic produce—a variety of whatever’s in season, usually 10 to 15 items. Lucila, a vegan, maintains the farm’s well-written blog, where she shares farm stories, harvest notes and recipes for CSA members.

But Lucila and Robin soon realized that Suzie’s Farm, as it was, was much too small to be able to sustain and supply their growing CSA and future endeavors. When the opportunity came up to lease acreage in a neighbor’s field just a two-minute drive away, they jumped.

Last summer, Kiki Town, named for another of their dogs, a Norwegian Elkhound who joined the family after Suzie’s passing, broke ground on a 40-acre plot, lined with 250-foot rows, as far as the eye can see. The area, situated 15 minutes from downtown San Diego just off the 5 freeway, was once all farmland, but is now abutted by the Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station and Ream Field, a naval helicopter training facility. It’s a true urban farm, located less than a mile from the ocean and sharing the city’s mild year-round climate.

Already, they’ve planted a hundred varieties of food onKiki Town. In January, fall and winter crops were in bloom—tender broccoli, massive cauliflower, winter greens like rainbowcolored chard and hearty lacinato kale; 25 rows of strawberries were just beginning to fruit.

The couple beams with immense pride and wonder as they lead a tour through the lush rows, marveling along with their guests about what they’ve been able to do with their very own hands in such a short time, though they share credit with their farmer friends who have been their advisors; with their irrigation system, supplied by well water filtered clean through reverse osmosis; and with the Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control, which has become a valued resource.

Next stop, farmers’ markets and restaurants It was also important to the family to have a presence at farmers’ markets. Their CSA enabled them to get their produce directly into the hands of the community, but with pickup locations all around the county, ranging from markets to private homes, it was difficult for them to connect face-to-face, except with CSA members whose pickup location was the couple’s own North Park home. In the late summer of 2009, they became a farmers’-market-certified producer and now participate in 10 markets, including La Jolla, Ocean Beach and Little Italy.

When you meet the couple, it is clear how much they want to cultivate a relationship with the San Diego food community.

But the couple’s current focus is their budding farm-to-table restaurant project. They are in the unique and enviable position of being able to piggyback their chef orders on the distribution system that is already in place for Sun Grown Organics, whose drivers make delivery rounds every weekday. In addition to the quality and superior flavor, this availability

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and consistency makes the farm very accessible for chefs looking to take their menus more local. And the farm’s proximity to central San Diego enables Robin, at least for now, to make special drop-offs if needed.

“Anyone that I grow food for is my friend.”

One of the first chefs to sign on was Christian Graves of the Gaslamp restaurant Jsix, who started buying from Suzie’s Farm in the late fall of 2009. A San Francisco–trained chef, his menu is thoughtfully comprised of house-made charcuterie, organic meats and sustainable seafood. His interest in market-driven cuisine brought about his Chef ’s Kitchen Experience, a shopping tour of the Hillcrest farmers’ market for ingredients followed by a locally inspired lunch. As an extension of this program, the farm plans to grow a custom plot for Chef Graves, which will be harvested by restaurant guests before a special farm dinner at the restaurant.

Because of Suzie’s Farm’s existing accounts with local markets, including Jimbo’s in Carlsbad and Ocean Beach People’s Coop, they were fortunate to be able to add some of their produce onto the markets’ regular orders.

Robin and Lucila next reached out to their favorite restaurants. They have developed a rich relationship with Alchemy Restaurant in South Park; in addition to using their produce, Alchemy has brought a group of kids down for a farm tour as part of a cooking class series taught

by Alchemy’s Chef Ricardo Heredia at local school Albert Einstein Academies. In winter, the Linkery in North Park added Suzie’s Farm to its menu and other locally minded restaurants, including Sea Rocket Bistro, Tender Greens and Blind Lady Alehouse, have expressed interest.

After experiencing a tasting tour through row after delicious row, it’s hard to imagine a chef not wanting to make the effort to work with produce as carefully grown and fresh as this.

But there is even more food to share.

The winter’s bounty yielded a surplus of 18

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many vegetables, including lettuces and especially green bouquets of romaine, and their only problem is finding enough local stores to deliver it to. Transportation is a big issue for many local farms. Nancy Casady, manager of Ocean Beach People’s Co-op, says that fewer than 30 percent of the farms they work with are able to deliver to the store; access for small and large markets to San Diego–grown organic produce would dramatically increase with the establishment of a local distribution center.

Lucila and Robin are dreaming big for Suzie’s Farm. They consider all their time and efforts as investments in building a legacy for their daughters and the community, who they consider part of their circle. As Lucila puts it, “Anyone that I grow food for is my friend.”

Due to many requests, they’ve started to hold monthly volunteer days on the farm for anyone who wants to come down get a little dirt under their fingernails and feel the fertile soil beneath their feet, and they hope to invite more schools to visit, host picnics and offer chef dinners. The rest of Kiki Town’s 40 acres has yet to be planted and there’s an option to take on another 50 in the same field.

So the family has no plans of going anywhere. They have planted their roots in the Valley and are looking forward to seeing the farm bear the delicious fruits of all their labor.

Candice Woo is an award-winning food and drink writer and regular contributor to Edible San Diego. She currently authors a weekly food news and restaurant review column in San Diego CityBeat. Candice also she serves as Education CoChair on the board of Slow Food Urban San Diego, where she helps to create food enrichment classes and events, advises student Slow Food chapters and works towards bringing better food into local schools. Candice enjoys writing about the stories behind our plates, and is particularly passionate about artisan food and craft beer. To talk food, write to Candice at candicew@gmail.com.

edible nation

Season of Dirt

By David Mas Masumoto

S

pring offers a reprieve from the cold, short days of winter.

I log long hours in the fields, renewing myself by working outdoors; all my senses seem to awaken with the change in weather.

I connect with old friends: shovels, rakes, trowels, snipping shears that have sat quietly in the corner of the shed all winter, ignored and forgotten. I justify my neglect by believing that they, like the plants they tend, must hibernate and rest, waiting out the cold, trusting that, following harsh winters, spring will come.

I run my hands over the handles of the old farm tools, wiping off the fine layer of dust that has collected, stirring them up for work. I add a drop of oil to the pruning shears, lubricating the pivot bolt, and then warm us both up: gripping the handles, I pump with my arms, opening and closing the cutting blades. Shovels and hoes are different; their metal has browned from the winter fog and moisture and grown a light layer of rust, but they like to be prepped by being immersed in the dirt itself. With a few healthy plunges into the earth, the metal is wiped clean, the gray steel shines, the cutting edges silver and ready.

Wisdom of the Last Farmer My emotional attachment to inanimate objects might seem excessive, but I do get passionate about farming—about everything having to do with farming—especially in spring. Dad would never use such language about his tools, but he, too, gets excited at the onset of this season of renewal. He sharpens and smooths his pruning shears’ blade, slowly guiding the file across the cutting edge over and over, stopping to examine his work, then starting over. Whenever the handle of a favorite shovel breaks, Dad carefully measures another one, fitting it to match his relatively short height (we’re both about five foot six).

Photo by Carole Topalian

Spring awakens our valley, stirring life within flora and fauna. With the sun’s warmth on our cheeks, we forget that other places still have snow as well as threats of late spring frosts that stalk fresh, tender young growth. But in our valley, we are fortunate: life starts early.

Farmers and gardeners share this sensitivity to spring’s calling. We all long to get outside, breathe in the air and touch the earth with our hands. We want to feel the damp soil under our fingernails, to break winter’s crust and its hold on us by turning the earth, freeing a spirit in the land. Growing things seems natural, a distinctly human act, part of our desire to cultivate, grow, and create that can seem out of place in our fast-paced, knowledge economy. Farms and gardens foster natural connections that follow slow timelines, much like learning.

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Spring awakens our valley, stirring life within flora and fauna. With the sun’s warmth on our cheeks, we forget that other places still have snow as well as threats of late spring frosts that stalk fresh, tender young growth.

I’ve often thought that all students and teachers should be required to grow something, so that they can better understand the patience it requires and the long developmental curves. We can all benefit from planting seeds and practicing the patience it takes before we see the flowers bloom. I sometimes fantasize: what if all professions required their members to know how to garden? If businesspeople, lawyers, doctors, and politicians had to pass a gardening test, a personal humility might be fostered as they experienced some humbling harvests.

With spring’s calling, we allow the senses back into our lives.

One of my Japanese neighbors, a retired farmer, prunes a bonsai pine by feeling the needles with his hands and fingers and skillfully guiding the clipper to the unwanted growth to cut it off.

He could prune blindfolded, allowing a touch world to guide him.

When I ask him how he knows which branch to cut, he doesn’t respond, but simply keeps working. I wait and watch more closely.

His hands massage the needles, running his palms over them, suddenly stopping, snipping, and starting his search again. He pauses just for a moment, as if a sixth sense guides him to a specific place to perform a task. His work is like that of a skilled hairdresser.

Their movements gentle yet rapid, they feel for the strands that are out of place, trimming to allow the desirable growth to fall back into place, to thrive. They both create a natural appearance, their best work looking as if a craftsperson had never been there.

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My neighbor simply shows me by example, much as Dad did when he and I worked over the years. Spring lessons were crucial, as the results of this season’s work would be multiplied throughout the rest of the year. I’ve learned to watch, listen, and pay attention—spring demands that of you.

Nonetheless, as my neighbor prunes his pine, I ask one more time: “How do you know which branch to cut?”

Again, he doesn’t answer, but looks up, blinks, and returns to the pine. For an instant, I think he is teaching me a Zen lesson, having me simply pay attention to the moment.

A few seconds pass, then my neighbor looks at me and asks, “Did you say something? I can’t hear that well anymore.”

He smiles. I say nothing, just smile in return.

Appropriately, Dad returned to the farm in spring. Life awakens with his presence and his touch. He has recovered enough to do light farmwork—shoveling weeds, monitoring the irrigation water, helping with some tractor driving.

Standing in the sunlight, he enjoys the heat, absorbing the warmth, grinning to be here. Today Dad spades the weeds. They, too, are warmed by the sun and seek its life-giving energy. Like Dad, they find comfort in the light. In a synergy between the two, the weeds give work that Dad seeks.

Later, like Dad, I spy the first green shoots of weeds, which won’t let me forget the work and the sweat to get to those lush harvests. But I also continue to enjoy their color and the moment, for these are not yet weeds, just misplaced plants. All green, the color of spring surrounds me, marking the end of winter.

To begin the spring, I rub my hands together and chant: “This is a season to get dirty.”

David Mas Masumoto is an organic peach and grape farmer who works with his wife, Marcy Masumoto, and their two children, Nikiko and Korio, on their 80-acre farm just outside Del Ray, 20 miles south of Fresno, California. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in community development from UC Davis. He is a columnist for the Fresno Bee, has written for USA Today and the Los Angeles Times, and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine and New York Times. His farm has been featured Sunset, Country Living, and Glamour magazines and on television as part of the California Heartland PBS series as well as the nationally aired program Ripe for Change.

Masumoto has won numerous awards, including the James Clavell Japanese American National Literacy Award in 1986; the 1995 Julia Child Cookbook Award in the Literary Food Writing category, finalist for the 1996 James Beard Foundation Food Writing Award, and San Francisco Review of Books Critics’ Choice Award 1995-96, all for Epitaph for a Peach; Commonwealth Club of California silver medal for the California Book Awards in 1999 and was a finalist for the Asian American Writers’ Workshop award in New York for Harvest Son; and the UC Davis “Award of Distinction” from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 2003. He has been the keynote speaker at diverse conferences including International Association of Culinary Professionals, Culinary Institute of America, American Association of Museums, and many more. He also was awarded a Breadloaf Writers Conference fellowship in 1996.

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Liquid Assets

Have You Tried a Session?

Lower-alcohol beers don’t have to be bland.

By Jeff Gordon

Locally sourced food and local craft beer: There’s no better combination of food and drink, especially in San Diego. But if you’re like many people, craft beer has become a little too aggressive in alcohol over the past 5–10 years.

It’s one thing to sip a 12 percent alcohol-by-volume (ABV) Imperial Stout on your back patio as a nightcap, but what about beers you can enjoy pairing while you wind your way through the appetizer, salad, main and dessert courses and not need a taxi to get home?

It’s time to take notice of the session beer movement.

A session beer is a beer with a low alcohol content, typically 5 percent or less, although this number is arbitrary and debated.

The beer is full-bodied with a balance between malt and hop flavors and should have a clean finish that encourages you to drink more. Put simply by Lew Bryson of the Session Beer Project, a session beer is “a beer that’s low-alcohol, but not lowtaste.” The term appears to have originated in Britain, where pubs would produce 3 to 5 percent ABV “milds” or “bitters” that patrons could quaff over four-hour drinking sessions while remaining sober. In fact, Guinness is the perfect example of a classic session beer. It’s got a well-rounded roasty malt flavor with a dry finish that leaves you wanting more.

Photo by Lauren Duffy

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Besides making great candidates for food pairings, session beers are also a great way to introduce the uninitiated into the world of craft beer.

These lower-alcohol beers are perfect for pairing with food. “The flavors and alcohol will complement rather than dominate foods,” says Paul Sagura, brewmaster at Karl Strauss. Instead of offering your guests small taster pours with each course, you can feel free to pour a nice big pint for each of them.

Locally Brewed Session Beers These are just a few examples of the fine-crafted session beers our local brewers produce. You can find them and many other lower alcohol options at better beer retailers and bars throughout San Diego.

Even Keel—Ballast Point Brewing Company, 3.5 percent, American Pale Ale: “A session beer for hop-heads”; pine, citrus and floral hop flavors and aroma dominate with a biscuit malt backbone.

Excellent Session Beer—Karl Strauss Brewing Company, 4 percent, ESB (Extra Special Bitter): This winter seasonal just had its recipe adjusted to bring the ABV down from 5.6 percent to 4 percent. The ESB has the robust malt taste and hoppy bitterness and finish of an ESB with a lower alcohol punch.

Levitation Ale—Stone Brewing Company, 4.4 percent, American Amber Ale: Caramel malts wrapped in earthy hops. A surprisingly restrained Stone offering that still brings the flavor.

Midnight Sessions Lager—Port Brewing Company, 5 percent, Schwarzbier: Right on the high end of the “session” definition in both ABV and flavor profile. Midnight black with flavors of cocoa and coffee but with the crisp mouthfeel of a lager. Could easily replace your higher-ABV stout when you’re looking for something without the boozy punch.

Nautical Nut Brown—Alesmith Brewing Company, 4.8 percent, English Brown Ale: Nutty, caramel and sweet malt flavors with a very slight hint of hops.

Tuatara—Alpine Beer Company, 4.2 percent, American Pale Ale: A new offering from one of San Diego’s hoppiest breweries. A spicy, herbal hop-forward beer with a very light and crisp taste.

That allows them to spend time with the beer and explore its complexities and how it complements the food.

Session beers are also great for the pub, whether it’s an after-work pint or a night out. “We believe that beer is a social drink meant to be enjoyed with friends and good food,” Sagura says. “Sessionable beers make it easier for the good times to last a little longer.” For these reasons the Karl Strauss brewery always likes to keep at least a few sessionable beers on tap at their brewery restaurants, such as their flagship Amber Lager and their Excellent Session Beer, which has been brewed every winter for over 10 years.

Besides making great candidates for food pairings, long-drinking get-togethers and quick stops into the local pub, session beers are also a great way to introduce the uninitiated into the world of craft beer. Let’s be honest: Downing a snifter of the Lost Abbey’s Angel’s Share Brandy Barrel-Aged Strong Ale or Stone’s Old Guardian Barley Wine isn’t likely the best first step for someone who’s just beginning to explore the vast world of handcrafted beers. The balance of malt and hops in session beers will allow the drinker to start learning their unique flavors before diving into hop-bomb IPAs and massive stouts.

If you’re interested in trying some local session beers, you’re in luck—session beers are produced throughout the county. Pat Mcilhenney, brewmaster at Alpine Beer Company, thinks session beers are taking off locally because “San Diego is conducive to an active lifestyle. People want to be able to enjoy a couple of beers and still be safe to drive.”

I encourage you to stop into your local pub for a “session” with a friend sometime soon. Take the time to enjoy the beer for its depth of flavor and complexity and leave the worrying about the taxi to the guy on the other side of the bar.

Upper: Alpine brewmaster Pat McIlhenney enjoys a Tuatara, his 4.2 percent American Pale Ale. Photo by Lauren Duffy Lower: Karl Strauss brewmaster Paul Segura. Photo

by Melissa Dombo

Jeff Gordon loves beer and often can be found at his favorite San Diego hideouts and Padres games. He is accountable for the creation and genius behind taphunter.com.

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Urban Gardens Rise Again

Victory Gardens San Diego brings sustainability and health to area communities

By Melinda Swanson Photos courtesy of VGSD

Mel Lions proudly displays a Victory Gardens San Diego t-shirt.

G

rowing your own food is essential to many cultures, yet it is something from which our Western culture has become completely disengaged. Recognizing that each of us is probably only one or two generations removed from an avid gardener or farmer, that disconnect is astounding.

With the scarcity of water and land in urban areas, and often a lack of accessible fresh produce, a handful of San Diegans wondered if it was possible to reconnect people to their food. Why not use water more productively to grow food instead of lawns, and thereby help create food security and community self-sufficiency? They wanted to help folks begin to see public and private lands around them as potential food-producing resources.

In these fertile minds a project germinated: Victory Gardens San Diego (VGSD).

The mission of VGSD is to encourage and assist in the development of home, community and school food gardens throughout 24

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the San Diego area that are sustainable, healthy and earth-friendly.

This mission evolved out of months of meetings involving representatives from 14 different community organizations, as well as a number of passionate individuals. Some of the organizations work for food security for immigrant communities, others fight the devastation of obesity on adults and children, but all were looking for ways to help people learn how to raise vegetables in their yards, schools and neighborhoods.

The name of the organization, Victory Gardens, honors a time in our recent history when communities came together and successfully grew food. During World War I and World War II the government encouraged its citizens to grow and preserve their own produce, enabling resources to be diverted to the soldiers overseas. It is estimated that the 20 million “Victory Gardens” planted during war time were responsible for up to 40 percent of the nation’s vegetables.

Even Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden on the White House lawn.

By putting our hands to work and composting our scraps to build our own soil, we achieve a victory for our planet, our monthly food bill and, best of all, our diet.

And while VGSD is building community and capacity not unlike those bygone world war days, they are battling a different enemy: our increasing alienation from the soil and the food we

“ The most valuable of all art will be the art of deriving a comfortable subsistence from the smallest area of soil.”

—Abraham Lincoln eat. For VGSD, “victory” is defined as reclaiming our agricultural heritage as farmers and gardeners. By putting our hands to work and composting our scraps to build our own soil, we achieve a victory for our planet, our monthly food bill and, best of all, our diet.

At the outset, VGSD set out to build 15 home gardens (including apartments), two community gardens and two school gardens. Many hands make quick work; between June and October of last year, they successfully established eight victory gardens at sites all over San Diego County, mostly in the City of San Diego. Each garden is assigned a “guide” or mentor—someone who acts as a companion to provide insight around design and plant selection and to help identify material needs. This mentor provides supervision to the volunteers who help build the garden and then remains in contact after the build to address any ongoing needs for the site like pests, seasonal crops, etc. And since these gardens are places where people come together to dig and build and share a meal or two, a network of gardeners has begun to evolve.

The first VGSD garden build was at a home day care in the Encanto neighborhood of San Diego, where on a Saturday morning 15 eager gardeners showed up, and by the end of the day installed a garden where there was once a lawn. The garden design included not only ample areas to cultivate food, but a compost pile to feed the soil. The family had already been cultivating fruit trees, but wanted to give the children in the day care a chance to learn about growing food. They also wanted healthy, fresh produce for their own family to eat. Their Planting Starts: Jonathan Lee, Miles Thomas and Julia Dashe formulate a plan for a batch of plant starts.

Suzie’s Farm CSA Program & Local, Organic Food

Y

ou already eat organic. Get with the program and eat organic and local. Suzie’s Farm CSA weekly and bi-weekly programs have 14 convenient pick-up locations, and we’re always adding more.

When it comes to planting, we’re not afraid to get our hands dirty. We’ve planted over 100 varieties at our farm in San Diego’s Border Field State Park. You can experience this bounty in every Suzie’s Farm CSA box or visit us at one of the local San Diego farmers’ markets. At the markets, you can hand select our veggies and greens, as well as our fine and fancy sprouts, microgreens, edible flowers, and wheatgrass all unique to our farm. That takes some real ingenuity if we do say so ourselves. When it comes to green thumbs, we have all our digits on the earth‘s pulse.

If you are a San Diego chef, what are you waiting for? We have ample land to custom grow (in fact, we already do) and we deliver in San Diego five days a week. Plus, we have the distinction of growing your everyday go-to crops as well as speciality produce. You can find us the way that ever everyone does these days on our website suziesfarm.com, but if you want to talk to the person that drives the tractor, call us at 619-662-1780.

619.662.1780 | suziesfarm.com | sungrownorganics.com

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new victory garden enabled them to accomplish both objectives.

Through the course of building gardens, VGSD organizers unexpectedly discovered that there is a groundswell of people who are eager to learn how to grow their own food. Responding to this need, the VGSD University of Gardening was created (or as they like to call it, U. Garden).

This six-class series is designed to give a hands-on overview of key topics for gardeners, including nontoxic lawn conversion, soil preparation, seeds and planting, irrigation, weed and pest management and, of course, enjoying the fruits of your labor. Taught by local seasoned gardeners, these classes have proven to be great opportunities to learn new gardening techniques, connect with other gardeners, as well as get some serious work accomplished at home or school garden sites.

VGSD continues to help the community in other ways, too.

Shakti Rising and Victory Gardens are partnering to create a more sustainable lifestyle for the Sunshine House in order to support the Shakti Model of transformation. Shakti Rising’s mission is to

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Back at Work: Laura deTar and Dalila Butler transfer potted starts into a garden bed.

Our First VGSD: Kyle Hutmaker, Sheri Catron, Bob Greenamyer, Susan Duniphin, Alicia Finley, Lea Woldu and her daughter, Mindy Swanson and Mel Lions celebrate a successful garden build.

History of Urban Gardening 1800s — Potato Patch Movement. Many U.S. cities offered garden plots to the poor and unemployed so they could feed themselves.

Early 1900s — Liberty Gardens. During World War I the U.S. Government encouraged people to grow gardens as a way to contribute to the war effort.

1930s — Relief Gardens. During the Great Depression, Relief Gardens provided work and food for large numbers of desperate citizens.

1940s — Victory Gardens. The government launched a successful gardening campaign during World War II. Victory Gardens ultimately produced 44% of the country’s fresh produce.

empower young women to uncover, rediscover and reclaim their whole selves.

Recently, two raised rolling beds were built for the garden club at La Vita Del Mar retirement community. The raised beds were specifically designed to accommodate those who want to sit, stand, or need a wheelchair for assistance so that anyone can garden with ease.

Also, VGSD has been working closely with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) at their New Roots Community Farm, coordinating the construction of a shade house and green house with the assistance of interns from Hoover and Crawford High and volunteers from Lowe’s and the Rotary Club. Additionally, VGSD made a cash donation to the IRC to assist with their costs of new garden hoses, digging tools and passion fruit vines for the farm.

Clearly, VGSD is dedicated to supporting the San Diego community. But San Diego has also been supportive with generous contributions coming from notables such as Patagonia, Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Co-op, Blind Lady Ale House, Gerson Institute and Lynn Rosenthal. They were even awarded a $5,000 grant from the Jack Johnson Foundation!

To join VGSD, offer yourself as a garden guide, sign up for the next VGSD Garden University session or support the VGSD project, go to victorygardenssandiego.com

Mindy Swanson is a founding member of Victory Garden San Diego. As a community and school gardener she promotes gardens-based learning as a way teachers, students, administrators and parents can address important nutrition and academic standards while also fostering a healthy learning environment. Mindy believes that knowing how to grow your own food is an essential skill that leads gardeners to incorporate more of those fresh tasty fruits and vegetables into their diets. Currently employed supporting food access and farm to school programs, Mindy is working to expand access to fresh and local food for all.

70 years ago we didn’t call it “organic” or “sustainable.”

It was simply a way of life.

70 years ago we didn’t call it “organic” or “sustainable.” www. r a n ch o l a p u e r ta . co m

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Edible Reviews

Think Globally, Write Locally

Area cookbook writers celebrate worldly cuisine.

I

Su-Mei Yu

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Spring 2010 edible San Diego

f you’ve found yourself looking for inspiration in the kitchen, look no farther than San Diego’s own backyard.

The past year has brought an explosion of cookbooks from area chefs and food writers, which together offer an impressive collection of recipes that showcase the diversity and global influences woven throughout our local cuisine.

The concept, based on traditional Thai philosophy, is that each person is guided by a dominant element— earth, wind, water or fire—and that one’s health is a result of keeping this element in perfect harmony.

The Elements of Life: A Contemporary Guide to Thai Recipes and Traditions for Healthier Living

By Su-Mei Yu 2009, Wiley Hardcover, $35.

The Elements of Life is no ordinary cookbook.

Rather, it is a guide to health and wellness, centered on food. And from the first page of the book, it seems this is how it should be, as Su-Mei Yu, chef and owner of Saffron Thai in Mission Hills, explains how in Thai culture, food is medicine.

The large-format, hardcover book is not meant to simply be a collection of recipes (although it is a gorgeous one); it is designed as a personal guide to choosing foods to enhance one’s health. The concept, based on traditional Thai philosophy, is that each person is guided by a dominant element—earth, wind, water or fire—and that one’s health is a result of keeping this element in perfect harmony.

Once you learn your element, which is based on your birthday and year, the book becomes a personal tool, allowing you to select and modify recipes to best suit your tastes and needs. But even if you don’t subscribe to Yu’s convincing philosophy—or simply don’t want to take the time to find your element—the book is a treasured collection of authentic recipes that will interest any fan of traditional Thai cuisine. If the book included only its detailed instructions for basic sauces, pastes, dressings and seasonings, it would be an essential resource. But this is only the beginning. The Elements of Life is a vast collection of inspired and diverse recipes, peppered with guidance, wisdom and wonderful anecdotes that together offer a true understanding of Thai cuisine.

Whether or not you choose to let your element guide you, this is a book that will inspire and enlighten, and one that will make an indispensable addition to any cookbook collection.

—Lauren Duffy

Grilled Shrimp, Asparagus, and Mushroom Salad Reprinted with permission from The Elements of Life: A Contemporary Guide to Thai Recipes and Traditions for Healthier Living, by Su-Mei Yu, published by John Wiley & Sons.

Late spring and summer is asparagus season. The taste of fresh asparagus reminds us of clear and cloudless warm days. Asparagus aids digestion and relieves bloating, and is a vegetable that is good for Earth element people.

Serves 4 2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 pound medium-size shrimp, peeled and dried thoroughly 8 asparagus spears Vegetable oil spray 2 portobello mushroom caps ¼ cup Black Sesame Dressing (recipe follows) Prepare a grill. While waiting for the grill to get hot, mix the sesame oil and salt together in a mixing bowl. Toss the shrimp and asparagus in the mixture. Place on the grill over medium heat and grill until the shrimp turn pink and firm and the color of the asparagus brightens. Remove to a plate to cool. Lightly spray the mushrooms with vegetable oil spray and grill until they are tender but firm.

Remove to a plate to cool. Toss shrimp, asparagus and mushrooms with black sesame dressing and serve.

Black Sesame Dressing 1 ½ tablespoons black sesame seeds, toasted in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant 1 teaspoon salt 1 clove garlic, minced 2 to 3 thin sliced peeled fresh ginger, minced 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 ½ tablespoons honey ¼ cup apple juice 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice Put the sesame seeds in a mortar and grind with a pestle into powder. Transfer to a blender, add the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. Adjust the taste for a balance of sweet, sour, slightly spicy, and salty. Refrigerate until ready to use. Dressing will keep for a day, though the lime juice might lose its sourness. Before using, taste and adjust.

www.ediblesandiego.com

Spring 2010

29

A Biblical Feast: Ancient Mediterranean Flavors for Today’s Table

By Kitty Morse 108 pages, $18.95 Self-published, abiblicalfeast.com When Kitty Morse’s 2006 edition of A Biblical Feast: Foods from the Holy Land for Today went out of print, she acquired the rights from the original publisher, Ten Speed Press. The 2010 second edition is self-published and will eventually be downloadable, sporting a compact format and all-new color photography. As with the original, the book delves into food history, explaining the ingredients most used in the Mediterranean diet several thousand years ago. The recipes incorporate 84 foods that were staples of the ancient region, such as figs, lentils, almonds, leeks, garlic and olives.

This is a book for anyone interested in the historical and cultural significance of foods, or for anyone wanting to explore a few new wholesome, wholefoods recipes. Morse has put a lot of energy researching and testing the flavors and dishes in this book, and her labor of love results in a wonderful recipe collection that will clearly stand the test of time.

—Lauren Duffy

Bitter Herb Salad Reprinted with permission from A Biblical Feast: Ancient Mediterranean Flavors for Today’s Table, Copyright 2010 by Kitty Morse. abiblicalfeast.com On the feast of Passover, bitter herbs symbolize the hardships suffered by the ancient Hebrews in Egypt. Because the herbs were gathered wild, they may have varied from one region to another. Biblical botanists believe the most likely candidates are chicory, lettuce, arugula, watercress, mallow, purslane, dandelion, mint, lovage and sorrel. “Salad” derives from the Latin word salata (“salted”).

This may allude to the way the Romans ate herbs, by dipping in salted water.

Serves 4 ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons wine vinegar 1 teaspoon honey 2 garlic cloves, minced ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, toasted and ground ½ bunch watercress, rinsed and dried 10 leaves fresh mint, rinsed and dried 4 leaves sorrel, rinsed and dried ½ bunch young dandelion greens, rinsed and dried 20 arugula leaves, washed and patted dry 6 red grapes, halved ¼ cup walnut pieces Fresh dill, for garnish Make dressing: whisk together oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, salt and mustard seeds. Remove the stems from all leaves and herbs and discard. Toss all greens with dressing. Sprinkle with grapes, walnuts and dill and serve.

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Ruby Red Sangria Reprinted with permission from The Bubbly Bar: Champagne and Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion, by Maria C. Hunt (Clarkson Potter).

This fragrant sangria, created by Tom Mastricola, a great bartender [formerly of Arterra], is made with the sweet, red sparkling wine Brachetto d’Acqui. The cognac adds an extra layer of depth and flavor.

2 raspberries 2 blueberries 2 strawberries 1 slice of orange 1 slice of lemon 1 ounce Landy cognac ½ ounce crème de cassis ½ ounce Homemade Sour Mix Splash of fresh orange juice 2 to 3 ounces Rosa Regale Brachetto d’Acqui The Bubbly Bar: Champagne and Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion

By Maria C. Hunt $16.99, Clarkson Potter

Add the berries to a cocktail shaker and muddle them to a juicy pulp. Add the orange and lemon slices. Add the cognac, crème de cassis, sour mix and orange juice and stir well to combine.

Pour into a rocks glass, tall drinking glass, or narrow collins glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Top off with the Brachetto.

Nothing says festive like bubbles rising joyously in a tall, elegant glass. Maria Hunt’s book The Bubbly Bar will help you take Champagne and sparkling wine out of the realm of special occasion and into the domain of everyday life.

Maria tells us right up front, “A glass of bubbly has a way of making an everyday event extraordinary.”

She gets right into the heart of the subject, providing recommendations for sparkling wines from around the world and recommending indispensable accessories for your enjoyment of them. She also presents a comprehensive collection of bubbly-based recipes for cocktails and mixed drinks, including classics like the Bellini and the French 75 and cutting-edge libations like Tangerine Dream and Love in the Afternoon. There’s even a section devoted to desserts infused with sparkling wine, just in case you should find yourself with a leftover glass or two sometime.

This is a book to help you transform any regular weeknight into a night to remember. Maria reminds us: “Everything tastes better with bubbly.”

Once you’ve read The Bubbly Bar, I’m quite sure that you’ll agree.

—John Alongé

www.ediblesandiego.com

Spring 2010

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On the Radar

a sampling of coming events

Hands for Haiti Now

Stone Oakquinox

Hands for Haiti Now takes place March 20 in the heart of Temecula Valley’s Wine Country at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa with Chef Leah Di Bernardo of Delyte’s Fine Foods, Chef Dean Thomas of South Coast’s Vineyard Rose Restaurant and a team of Southern California’s finest chefs to create a spectacular evening to benefit Haitians.

Sunday, April 18, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.

Stone Brewing Co., Escondido Stone Brewing Co.’s first wood-inspired beer festival will celebrate the complex world of barrel-aged and woodinfused beers. Tickets are $35 and include 10 tasters and a commemorative glass. Buy tickets and learn more at stoneworldbistro.com/oakquinox

What: A locally foraged five-course dinner paired with wines from South Coast Winery When: March 20, 2010 – 6 p.m.

Where: South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, Temecula Cost: $125 per person RSVP: Order tickets now online at handsforhaitinow.org or call 951-694-3663

Cultivating Food Justice Conference

Preparing Greens from the Garden Saturday March 27, 10:30 am–12 noon Seeds at City Urban Farm, Downtown Join the Seeds at City Urban Farm for an educational workshop on harvesting, cleaning and cooking with winter greens, followed by a fresh vegetarian lunch. This workshop is part of a year-long food gardening workshop series at Seeds at City Urban Farm. $20 for the class or $160 for the series. Email info@seedsatcity.com to register.

San Diego Home Gardening Seminar Saturday, March 27, all day University of San Diego This one-day seminar put on by the San Diego Master Gardeners Association features three sessions and over 25 classes on a wide range of home gardening topics. Class topics include drought-tolerant plants, sustainable landscaping, composting and organic summer vegetables. Pre-registration fee is $45 for three classes, $35 for two classes or $20 for a single class. Find the schedule and registration details at mastergardenerssandiego.org/spring/index.php

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April 24 and 25, all day San Diego State University This free two-day conference is put on by many of the area’s most active food justice organizations: SD Food Not Lawns, the Peoples Produce Project, SD Roots Sustainable Food Project, International Rescue Committee and Slow Food Urban San Diego. Look forward to workshops, discussions, film screenings, and a keynote speech by Raj Patel. Look for the schedule and more at sdfoodjustice.org Vegetarian Day at Your Library The Lemon Grove Library, 8073 Broadway, will host “Vegetarian Day @ Your Library” on Saturday, April 24, from noon to 3 p.m. This free event will offer informational sessions on ethical, environmental, health and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle, speakers, resource tables, displays and promotional coupons, crafts for all ages, literature and giveaways. For more information please call 619-463-9819.

Beekeeping for the Intrepid Saturday, April 24, 10:30 am–noon Seeds at City Urban Farm, Downtown Join Paul Maschka for an educational workshop on practical, low-cost beekeeping.

This workshop is part of a year-long food gardening workshop series at Seeds at City Urban Farm. $20 for the class or $160 for the series. Email info@seedsatcity.com to register.

Developing Sustainable Foodsheds: The Next Steps in Eating Local Tuesday, May 4; 6:30–8 p.m.

San Diego Natural History Museum A panel discussion moderated by Michael Dimock, president of Roots of Change, will look at how climate change, population growth and agricultural issues point toward the importance of eating locally. Part of the Natural History Museum’s Sustainable Planet: Food lecture series. $5, register at sdnhm.org.

Planning Your Warm Season Garden Saturday May 22, 10:30 a.m.–noon Seeds at City Urban Farm, Downtown Join the Seeds at City Urban Farm for an educational workshop in planning summer gardens. Learn what and when to plant, what water and soil needs to consider, and how to manage insects and critters. This workshop is part of a year-long food gardening workshop series at Seeds at City Urban Farm. $20 for the class or $160 for the series. Email info@seedsatcity.com to register.

CineCucina: A Slow Food on Film event May 22, 6 p.m.

Birch North Park Theater Join Slow Food Urban San Diego and the San Diego Italian Film Festival for a screening of Slow Food– related films and educational pieces, including the feature Foccacia Blues. Hosted at the Birch North Park Theater, the event aims is to promote a new critical awareness of food culture. Learn more at slowfoodurbansandiego.org.

Advertiser Directory Ampolos Kitchen & Bath Design Center 858-576-9009 ampolosdesigncenter.com Anthony Imbimbo, CPA 619-497-1040 anthony@awicpa.com Art Academy of San Diego 619-231-3900 artacademyofsandiego.com Bristol Bay Salmon Company 619-855-5332 bristolbaysalmonco.com Delyte’s 951-694-3663 delytes.com JSix 619-531-8744 jsixrestaurant.com The Linkery 619-255-8778 thelinkery.com Palomar Mountain Spring Water 800-227-0140 palomarwater.com Rancho La Puerta rancholapuerta.com

Sea Rocket Bistro 619-255-7049 Searocketbistro.com

More than just a cookbook—the voice of a movement.

“Read this book and join the movement!”

Slow Food San Diego, Urban San Diego and Temecula Valley slowfoodsandiego.org slowfoodurbansandiego.org temeculavalleyslowfood.org

—Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat

“It is a simply beautiful work.”

—Deborah Madison, author of Local Flavors

“Edible honors all those who have been…diligently working to re-create a world where the power of good food can change our lives.”

Starlite 619-358-9766 starlitesandiego.com

—From the Foreword by Michael Ableman, farmer, photographer and author of Fields of Plenty

Sun Grown 619-921-8135 sungrownorganics.com

Available through ediblecommunities.com or wherever books are sold.

Suzie’s Farm 619-921-8135 Suziesfarm.com The Urban Seed 619-584-7768 urbanseedstore.com

edible_7.5x8.25_rd2.indd 1

2/9/10 1:55 PM

Advertise in

Urban Plantations 619-563-5771 urbanplantations.com Whole Foods Market 619-294-2800 Hillcrest 858-642-6700 La Jolla wholefoodsmarket.com

Ritual Tavern 619-283-1720 ritualtavern.com

and watch

your business

grow!

For more events visit ediblesandiego.com WHERE YOU CAN FIND US You can find a complimentary copy of Edible San Diego at any of our advertisers and at local farmers’ markets.

Other distribution spots are listed on ediblesandiego.com.

Want to see us in your neighborhood?

Contact us at info@ediblesandiego.com.

For more information, please contact Riley Davenport, publisher.

619-222-8257 • riley@ediblesandiego.com

www.ediblesandiego.com

Spring 2010

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There are great reasons for living more sustainably. We’ll give you some each issue.

Healthier Vegetables: The Secret’s in the Soil

By Dashielle Vawter If we are what we eat, the same is true of plants and the soil that they “eat.” This means that plants grown in nutrient-rich soil are more nutrient dense than their conventional counterparts. At least, that’s what we can conclude from two studies performed by independent institutions, both of which found higher concentrations of minerals and nutrients in organically grown foods than in conventionally grown foods.

A report jointly produced by the Organic Center and professors from the University of Florida Department of Horticulture and Washington State University found that organic foods contain 25 percent higher concentrations of 11 nutrients than their conventional counterparts. The report measured nutrient levels across 236 comparisons of organically and conventionally grown foods.

A study commissioned by the Organic Retailers and Growers Association of Australia (ORGAA) found that conventionally

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Spring 2010 edible San Diego

grown fruits and vegetables purchased in supermarkets and other commercial retail outlets had just one tenth the mineral content of fruits and vegetables grown organically.

So why did these two studies find such a wide difference in nutrient concentration? One explanation is the soil. Conventional farms often use chemical fertilizers, which allow plants to grow in even the most nutrient-depleted soil. Many organic farms, on the other hand, use techniques such as composting and soil regeneration, which enhance the mineral and nutrient content of the soil. As both of these studies suggest, organic fruits and vegetables grown in nutrient-rich soil will have a higher nutrient content than their conventional counterparts.

Why bother? In short, healthier soil = healthier food = a healthier you.

Farmers’ Markets San Marcos* 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd. 1–6 p.m.

760-751-4193

Valley Center * 28246 Lilac Rd. 1–6 p.m.

760-751-4193

Del Mar 1050 Camino Del Mar 1–4 p.m.

760-519-1894

Gaslamp San Diego 400 block of Third Ave. 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

619-279-0032

FRIDAY

TUESDAY

Santee 10445 Mission Gorge Rd. 3–7 p.m.

619-933-8427

Little Italy Mercato Date St. (India to Columbia) 9 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

619-233-3769

Alpine Opens April--watch for news.

Alpine Community Center 1830 Alpine Blvd 2 - 6 p.m.

619-743-4263

Temecula 40820 Winchester Rd. btw Macy’s & JC Penney 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

760-728-7343

Hillcrest DMV parking lot 3960 Normal & Lincoln Sts. 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

619-237-1632

Coronado Old Ferry Landing, First St. & B Ave. 2:30–6 p.m.

760-741-3763

Tu Mercado University of San Diego Campus 5998 Alcalá Park, btw Marian Way & Morris Dr. 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

MONDAY Escondido—North 8860 Lawrence Welk Dr. off Old Hwy 395 2–6 p.m.

760-749-3000

Escondido Grand Ave. btw Juniper & Kalmia 3 – 6:30 p.m.

760-745-8877 Mira Mesa Mira Mesa High School 10510 Reagan Rd. 3–7 p.m.

858-272-7054 Otay Ranch—Chula Vista 2015 Birch Rd. and Eastlake Blvd.

4–8 p.m. (winter 4–7 p.m.)

619-279-0032 UCSD/La Jolla UCSD Campus, Town Square at Gilman/Meyers 10 a.m.–2 p.m. (Sept. to June) 858-534-4248

WEDNESDAY Carlsbad Roosevelt St. btw Grand Ave. & Carlsbad Village Dr. 1–5 p.m.

760-687-6453 Ocean Beach 4900 block of Newport Ave. 4–7 p.m. (summer 4–8 p.m.)

619-279-0032

THURSDAY Chula Vista Center St. off Third Ave. 3–7 p.m. (3–6 p.m. fall/winter) 619-422-1982 Horton Square San Diego 225 Broadway & Broadway Circle 11 a.m.–3 p.m., March–Oct. only 760-741-3763 Lakeside* 9841 Vine St. Lindo Lake County Park 2–6 p.m.

760-745-3023 North Park CVS Pharmacy 3151 University & 32nd St. 3 p.m.–sunset (winter 2 p.m.–sunset) 619-237-1632 Oceanside Market & Faire Pier View Way & Coast Hwy. 101 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

619-440-5027 Oceanside Sunset Tremont & Pier View Way 5–9 p.m. (winter 4–8 p.m.)

760-754-4512

Borrego Springs Christmas Circle Comm. Park 7 a.m.–noon, November–June 760-767-5555 Fallbrook 102 S. Main, at Alvarado 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

760-390-9726 Imperial Beach Imperial Beach Pier Plaza 2–7 p.m. (winter 2–6 p.m.)

619-397-1917 La Mesa Village 8300 block of Allison Ave. 3–6 p.m.

619-440-5027

Pacific Beach 4150 Mission Blvd.

8 a.m.–noon 760-741-3763 Poway Old Poway Park 14134 Midland Rd. at Temple 8–11:30 a.m.

619-440-5027 Ramona** Collier County Park, 626 E St. 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

760-788-1924

Mission Valley East Westfield lot near Macy’s 3–7 p.m.

619-795-3363

Scripps Ranch 10380 Spring Canyon Rd. & Scripps Poway Parkway 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

858-586-7933

Rancho Bernardo Bernardo Winery parking lot 13330 Paseo del Verano Norte 9 a.m.–noon 760-500-1709

Temecula Old Town Temecula Sixth & Front St. 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

760-728-7343

SATURDAY

Vista County Courthouse 325 Melrose Dr. 7:45–11 a.m.

760-945-7425

Barrio Marketplace, opens 5/10 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m.

619-232-5181 for details Carlsbad Roosevelt St. btw Grand Ave. & Carlsbad Village Dr. 1–5 p.m.

760-687-6453 City Heights* On Wightman St. btw Fairmount & 43rd St. 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

760-751-4193

SUNDAY Bonsall River Village Shopping Center 5256 S. Mission Rd. at Hwy 76 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

208-553-4700 Fallbrook 139 S. Main 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

760-390-9726

Julian Wynola Farms Marketplace 4470 Hwy 78, 3 miles west of Julian 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

760-885-8364 La Jolla Open Aire Girard Ave. & Genter, La Jolla Elem. School 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

858-454-1699 Leucadia/Encinitas 185 Union St. & Vulcan St. 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

858-272-7054 Point Loma Liberty Station, 2728 Decatur Rd. 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

619-795-3363 Solana Beach 410 to 444 South Cedros Ave. 1–5 p.m.

858-755-0444 * D enotes markets accepting EBT. ** Denotes markets accepting WIC and FMNP checks All San Diego County markets listed are certified by the County Agricultural Commissioner. Please visit ediblesandiego.com and click on “Resources” for more complete information and links to farmers’ market websites.

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Spring 2010 edible San Diego