Edible San Diego Issue 18 Fall 2012

Good food. Good drink. Good read. • No. 18 • Fall 2012

Rabbit!

Chef Paul McCabe

Yards Into Edible Gardens Saving Farms and Feeding Kids

End of the Line for Local Fishermen?

The Finest Plant Foods for Growing Green! â—„ scan to learn more

The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) provides organic manufacturers and suppliers with an independent review of products intended for use in certified organic production, handling and processing.

OMRI reviews products against the National Organic Standards and ensures that they comply with USDA Organic Standards.

Acceptable products become OMRI Listed.

The OMRI logo verifies credibility and allows consumers to confidently choose products for organic production.

KelloggGarden.com available exclusively at locally-owned independent garden centers

Across America, seeds of change are being planted. Through New Roots community gardens and farms, refugees uprooted by conflict or disaster are putting down strong roots that grow into solutions for all of us. New Roots helps refugee farmers to rebuild their lives and reconnect with the land. They’re greening urban spaces, sharing their fresh produce at neighborhood farmers markets and revitalizing local food systems and the environment.

New Roots is an essential part of the International Rescue Committee’s work in 22 U.S. cities and over 40 countries to help communities to build a healthy, secure and sustainable future.

Learn about the IRC in San Diego. Help grow New Roots.

Share stories and recipes at Rescue.org ©2012 International Rescue Committee

{Two Cents}

The really big solution may be SMALL Recently I’ve been thinking about our general tendency to want big blanket solutions to our really big problems (like the increase in OBESITY, GLOBAL WARMING and how we’re going to feed all the people in the world­—we don’t think GMOcrops are needed to do so, by the way). It’s all too much to grapple with on an individual level.

But a million small solutions make for the big changes we need. Buying into the idea that only governments can save us from climate change, only big medicine can save our health and only big agriculture can feed us leads us to minimize our everyday contributions to these problems or their solutions. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” said Mahatma Gandhi.

When I see all the small problem solvers in our community, I see change happening in a collectively large way. Urban agriculture activists changing zoning laws. A vision for a public market becoming a reality. A Riley Davenport & John Vawter coalition of farmers’ market managers working together for greater effectiveness. More farmers markets (nationwide up 170% since 2000). Small farmers finding innovative ways to keep farms alive and bring us good food. Restaurants and chefs working to source locally. More people planting vegetable gardens. Fishermen working to keep both the seas and their careers alive. These are very real solutions to some of our biggest problems.

With our first annual Eat Drink Local Week, we hope to participate in this rising sea of positive change by bringing some attention to our local sustainable food community and raising some funds to support the efforts of Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center, Seeds @ City and Wild Willow Farm. We hope you’ll join us by eating at a participating restaurant and attending an event or two. Our idea is to do good with good food, good drink and good fun.

And don’t forget to cast your vote for your favorite community problem solvers (aka Local Heroes) in this year’s Local Hero survey. You have until December 14 to weigh in.

Edible Communities Publications 7th Annual Local Hero Awards Vote NOW to join in celebrating the heroes of your local food community!

Visit the link below to vote for your “Best Of” in the following categories: Chef/Restaurant • Food/Retail Shop • Farm/Farmer • Food Beverage Artisan • Nonprofit Organization www.ediblecommunities.com/heroes Click on the link for San Diego to cast your vote.

Deadline is Friday, December 14, 2012.

Subscribe & support ESD Never miss a mouth-watering issue.

Support and celebrate our local food community.

Subscribe or give a gift subscription to Edible San Diego for just $32 a year (printed quarterly). $52 for two years. $66 for three years. Subscribing online is easy at ediblesandiego.com.

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, P.O. Box 83549, San Diego, CA 92138 2

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edible Communities 2011 James Beard Foundation Publication of the Year

Member of Edible Communities

CONTRIBUTORS John Alongé Chris Rov Costa Amy Finley Enrique Gili Caron Golden Brandon Hernández Karen Kenyon Lauren D. Lastowka Maria D. Montana Jill Richardson Vincent Rossi Leah Singer Matt Steiger Britta Turner

PUBLISHERS Riley Davenport John Vawter

EDITOR Lauren Lastowka

COPY EDITORS Doug Adrianson John Vawter

DESIGNER Riley Davenport

COVER PHOTO Chris Rov Costa

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

ADVERTISING For information about rates and deadlines, call 619-222-8267 or email us at info@ediblesandiego. com No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. © 2012.

All rights reserved.

Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If an error comes to your attention, please let us know and accept our sincere apologies.

Thank you.

Fall 2012

CONTENTS

Departments

Two Cents

2

Just sprouting

6

Local talent: Chef paul McCabe A free-agent success story 10 Kitchen Know-how: Talking Turkey 16 Think: California voters to decide

on gmo labels 19

Liquid Assets: Two for Tea 44

Features

Transforming your yard into a Garden of Eatin’ 21

Some Bunny to love 24

North County’s Hillebrecht family keeps farming traditions alive 30 he End of the line or A new beginning T

for san Diego Fishermen? 34 Farm-to-School symbiosis 40

Franc-ly My dear... 46 It’s elementary: Farm-to-table for young chefs 51

Resources & Advertisers 53

Photo: Chris Rov Costa

Farmers’ Markets 57

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do good with good food, g

Benefitting olivewood gardens seeds @ City wild willow farm

September 1–8, 2012

Edible San Diego’s first annual Eat Drink Local Week Celebrate local seasonal food and food makers in San Diego while raising money for nonprofits Olivewood Gardens, Seeds @ City and Wild Willow Farm.

Dine at our participating restaurants and attend our weeklong series of events.

What a delicious way to support participating restaurants, local farmers, ranchers, and fishermen and nonprofits that promote healthy food and agriculture education!

ParticiPating restaurants Alchemy Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria Cafe Merlot Carnitas’ Snack Shack Cups El Take It Easy Farm House Café Healthy Creations Jeremy’s on the Hill Jsix Restaurant 4

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Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge Local Habit El Q’ero Restaurant Restaurant at The Pearl Saltbox SBicca Sea Rocket Bistro SOL Bistro Starlite

Stone World Bistro & Gardens Tender Greens The Craftsman New American Tavern The Fishery The Linkery The Lion’s Share The Red Door and Wine Bar The Tractor Room The Wellington

good drink and good fun

Buy your tickets now at ediblesandiego.com.

Saturday, Sept. 1 Cocktail Kickoff & Live Jazz

Monday, Sept. 3 Chocolate & Coffee Indulgence

Thursday, Sept. 6 Free Subscription Night!

Celebrate the start of our first annual Eat Drink Local Week at Top of the Park with jazz by the Jaime Valle Trio, two beverages from the bar, a delicious selection of hors d’oeuvres created by Chef Tony Wilhelm from local sources, and the fall issue of Edible San Diego, hot off the press. 6 pm to 9 pm. $50. Must be 21 to attend.

Indulge yourself in some of the best locally made chocolates and locally roasted coffee San Diego has to offer while listening to acoustic jazz guitar by Bob Boss. At SOL Market. Products available for purchase. 6 pm. $20.

The first ten patrons to dine at any of our participating restaurants will get a free gift subscription to Edible San Diego for one year. If you are not one of the first ten diners, don’t worry, there is still something special for you! On this night, all diners at a participating restaurant can get a one year subscription for half off.

No ticket needed.

Sunday, Sept. 2 • Taste of Local

Don’t miss this three-course dinner with beer pairings created by Chef Nick Brune at Local Habit.

Seatings starting at 5 pm. $45. Must be 21 to have beer pairings.

Whole Foods Market Hillcrest presents this outdoor patio event featuring local growers & food vendors with a local chef preparing dishes with local produce.

Low cost, local food items will be available for sale.

No ticket needed.

Wednesday, Sept. 5 Moonlight Jazz & Local Wine Tasting

Sunday, Sept. 2 Collaboration Kitchen

Step up onto the rooftop at Lounge6 at Hotel Solamar, hear the the delightful sounds of Patrick Berrogain’s Hot Club Trio and enjoy discovering delicious and award winning wines made right here in San Diego. Chef Christian Graves will provide locally sourced hors d’oeurves. 6 pm to 9 pm. $45.

Must be 21 to attend.

Sunday, Sept. 8 Beerfest & Foodtrucks Enjoy a Saturday afternoon at Fixtures Living exploring the creations of local brewers and the culinary delights of local foodtrucks.Ticket price includes a $10 ticket to the foodtruck of your choice, a taste of every beer offered and live music by the Bayou Brothers. Additional food may be purchased.

2 pm to 5 pm. $45.

Buy tickets in advance online. If not sold out, tickets at the door will be $5 extra.

All events subject to change.

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Olivier Bioteau, Chef and owner of Farm House Café, and the Specialty Produce and Catalina Offshore Products guys come together at Catalina Offshore to demonstrate cooking fish. Enjoy the demo and delightful food.

Wearhouse chic decor and BYOB. 7 pm. $65.

SPONSORS

Tuesday, Sept. 4 Farm-to-Table Beer Dinner

TM

www.specialtyproduce.com

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{Just Sprouting} San Diego’s First Permanent Public Market Travel to many major cities and you’ll find a permanent public food market: Pike’s Place in Seattle, Kendriki Agora in Athens, La Boqueria in Barcelona. These markets are a place for consumers to connect directly with farmers, ranchers and fishermen; for smallscale artisans to rent affordable space to make and sell their wares; for chefs to find inspiration, ingredients and information; and— most importantly—for the food community to make connections, offer support and ensure the sustainability of their independent local foodshed. While in San Diego we have many efforts that temporarily fill the need of a public market—farmstands, food trucks and farmers’ markets—aside from restaurants, much of the commerce of farm-to-plate food is mobile, isolated or impermanent. Thankfully, this is about to change.

“It’s very exciting and very scary,” says Catt Fields White, manager of the ever-growing San Diego Weekly Markets group, which puts on the Little Italy, North Park and Pacific Beach farmers’ markets. “It’s a big undertaking.” White is referring to her plans to open San Diego’s first permanent public food market in the East Village next year.

This summer, White and her business partner, Dale Steele, signed a lease on a two-acre plot of land in Barrio Logan, solidifying her years-long vision of developing a permanent public market in San Diego. The land includes a 21,000-square-foot warehouse, which will become a food hall and retail space; stand-alone cottages, which White eventually hopes to transform into work/life artisan residences; and sprawling open space that will host an urban farm as well as two weekly farmers’ markets.

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In addition to the permanent stalls, White plans to have space for 11 “daily” stalls, which farmers can rent by the day and use to sell produce. “I really want to accommodate farmers, even if they can’t commit to [selling] five days a week,” White says. She hopes that area farms will alternate days they visit the public market, allowing a large and diverse range of produce-growers to participate. There will also be food vendors selling prepared street food, and White hopes to attract a wide range of international cuisines to the space.

“There are so many cultures to draw on” in San Diego, White says.

The first project associated with the public market will be a weekly Wednesday farmers’ market, which at the time of this writing White expected to open in late August. She plans to open a second weekly market on Sundays shortly after. While the weekly farmers’ markets are running, White and team will be working on the permanent warehouse space, which is expected to open in late spring of 2013.

White is also working on using the property to host cultural festivals, events and educational sessions, both for professionals in the food industry and children at the nearby Monarch School. “There will be a heavy emphasis on business incubation and education,” White says.

The urban farm is also under way.

The public market will be located at 1735 National Avenue in Barrio Logan. The space is half a mile from Petco Park and the 12th and Imperial trolley station. For more information visit SanDiegoPublicMarket.com. ~ Lauren Duffy Lastowka

Photo: Chris Rov Costa

Many of these plans will roll out slowly over the next year or so, as White and her team work to make her vision a reality. The main attraction will be the permanent retail space in the old warehouse, which will include dozens of stalls for vendors who are committed

to manufacturing their goods on site. Think cheese-makers aging cheese, salumi artisans curing meats, bakers baking bread—all under one roof. ( Just imagining the sights, smells and stimulation are enough to keep you hungry for updates on the project.)

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So-Cal Shrooms: Growing better soil, and producing mushrooms to boot Sustainable farming constitutes so much more than growing food.

It is an integral part of both our urban and rural communities.

Farming creates jobs; produces nourishing, delicious food; and supports the growth and health of local eco-systems.

Chris Young, founder of So-Cal Shrooms, is part of a new generation of young farmers taking his practices above and beyond simple vegetable production. Focusing his energy on growing better soil for better farming in the future, Young has been experimenting with growing mushrooms since August 2011. He weaves together a variety of creative techniques and sustainable materials to create a business that not only supports him as a farmer and produces delicious and healthy products for consumers, but also offers a creative, viable solution for soil remediation on a global level.

From spawning the spores in coffee husks acquired from local roasters to designing and building his own pasteurization tanks from reusable materials, Young has built a business that embodies the idea of sustainability. An artist of the earth, Young gathers fundamental elements such as straw, compost, water, heat and a healthy dose of microbial spores, using them to cultivate stunning creations. Ameliorating the soil and establishing healthy food systems are the inspirations driving all of Young’s projects.

“My vision is to get people excited about all the possibilities behind mushrooms, both in and outside of the kitchen. I want to revolutionize the face of farming, soil management and bioremediation.”

Young has partnered with Suzie’s Farm, an organic vegetable farm in southern San Diego, and Wild Willow Farm, its neighboring nonprofit educational center. Young supplies local farmers’ markets with quality edible mushrooms and teaches monthly workshops on mushroom cultivation and soil building. His passion for integrating sustainable farming methods and his creativity in business is a model for the direction our local food system is heading.

For more information on Young’s project, visit socalshrooms.com. ~ Britta Turner

Flying Pig Pub and Kitchen

The menu offers an interpretation of gourmet Southern comfort food, and includes freshly ground pork and chuck burgers, bacon mac ’n’ cheese, house-made pastas and fresh salads. Main dishes are imaginative and tasteful. Don’t miss the maple-glazed Duroc pork belly with black-eyed peas and polenta spoon bread; shrimp and grits; steak with oatmeal stout and date reduction sauce; and chicken and dumplings with braised carrots and polenta fritters.

As members of the Slow Food Movement, Flying Pig Pub and Kitchen owners and husband-and-wife team Roddy and Aaron Browning believe commitment to community and the environment is paramount.

The Flying Pig is located behind the 101 Café on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Tremont Street in Oceanside. It is open for dinner only. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and food-allergy requests will be accommodated.

Their hip and earthy farm-to-table restaurant offers a friendly welcome to all who walk in the door. The warm and deliciously rustic interior is complete with rich colors of red and green on the walls, old wooden tables, local artwork and a handmade wine cabinet boasting wines from California and around the world.

The Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen 626 S. Tremont St., Oceanside 760-453-2940 FlyingPigPubKitchen.com

~ Maria Desiderata Montana fall 2012

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{Just Sprouting} Bates Nut Farm: An Annual Pumpkin Tradition the Bates family had installed a processing plant and had neighbors bringing their walnuts to be processed and purchased by the Bateses, who then sold the nuts to bakers in downtown San Diego and Los Angeles. Their famous Farmer’s Daughter store opened in 1975, when they began selling nuts to the general public.

The Bates family fate would forever change when they began growing pumpkins in the early 1960s. In 1964, the farm hosted its first pumpkin patch visit from a San Diego school. Now, nearly 50 years later, families and schools throughout San Diego County visit Bates Nut Farm pumpkin patch each year. Sherrie Ness, co-owner of Bates Nut Farm and a fourth generation Bates family member, said she sees about 30,000 visitors on the busiest October weekends. The farm does 60% of its business in the fall months.

Courtesy Bates Nut Farm

Bates Nut Farm grows more than 15 acres of pumpkins, including Big Mac pumpkins, Fairy Tale pumpkins, and squash varieties. The pumpkins grown on the Bates farm are quite large—they range from 52 to 250 pounds each—so the Bates also bring in smaller jack-o-lantern pumpkins from other farms for the pumpkin patch.

Bates Nut Farm, which sits on 100 acres in Valley Center, hosts a variety of family-friendly farm activities all year round. But what Bates has become best known for is its famous fall pumpkin patch, which, come October, will be covered in orange pumpkins as far as the eye can see.

Bates Nut Farm opened in 1921 when Gilbert and Beatrice Bates purchased the Walnut Slope Ranch in Valley Center. For the first 20 years, the Bates family maintained walnut trees. By the 1940s,

The farm hosts several educational programs throughout the year for families and schools. The “Life of a Pumpkin” class, in which kids learn about growing pumpkins and their nutritional value, is offered on weekdays in October.

“We are now seeing the third generation of families visiting Bates Nut Farm each year to get their pumpkins and baking goods,” said Ness. “We love that visiting the pumpkin patch has now become a tradition for many families.” ~ Leah R. Singer

Jimbo’s...Naturally! Gives Thanks to Local Teachers

Jimbo’s, a natural foods grocer, has been serving the community since its first store opened in 1984. Today Jimbo’s has stores located in Carlsbad, Escondido, Carmel Valley and 4S Ranch. They started the Thanksgiving lunch for teachers and school staff 11 years ago and it continues to be one of their most popular community endeavors.

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“It’s our way of letting the teachers know how much we appreciate their work and thank them for what they do,” said Kelly Hartford, director of marketing for Jimbo’s.

Hartford says they feed anywhere from 50 to 120 people per school visit.

On the morning of each school visit, the Thanksgiving meal is

made from scratch in Jimbo’s store kitchens.

Each school receives an organic and allnatural turkey along with the traditional side dishes: stuffing, mashed potatoes, organic vegetables, traditional gravy and a vegan mushroom gravy, a red lentil loaf and Jimbo’s signature cranberry sauce.

Jimbo’s staff sets up the meal in the teachers’ lounge and brings enough food for teachers, school staff, crossing guards and janitors.

“The teachers love it and look forward to it every year,” said Hartford. “And we love going out and seeing the teachers enjoy a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal.” ~ Leah R. Singer

iStockphoto

While most people are busy with holiday shopping in December, Jimbo’s …

Naturally! is extending the Thanksgiving season by giving thanks to local teachers— more than 1,000 of them. From December 1 through December 17, Jimbo’s staff visits elementary schools near their four North County stores to provide a full Thanksgiving meal to the teachers who make a difference in kids’ lives every day.

We have the right to know… …what’s in our food. An incredible grassroots movement helped us gather nearly one million signatures to qualify this important measure for the ballot. Please join us! Become a part of the movement to help guarantee our right to know what’s in our food.

Paid Political Advertisement. Paid for by Yes on 37 for your Right to Know if Your Food has Been Genetically Engineered.

Supported by Consumer Advocates, Makers of Organic Products and California Farmers. FPPC ID No. 1342851.

Join us today at www.carighttoknow.org and don’t forget to vote YeS on ProPoSition 37 on November 6th.

CHECK OUT OUR HEALTHY, SEASONAL RECIPE BLOG AT www.thrivewellness.com

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4080 Centre Street, Suite 202 / San Diego, CA 92103 / 619.795.4422

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{Local Talent}

A Free-Agent Success Story Delicias chef-partner Paul McCabe’s at home in his new home in Rancho Santa Fe

By Brandon Hernández Photos by Chris Rov Costa

T

he adjective “five-tool” is used to describe baseball players who hit for average, pound for power, run like gazelles, and have deft defensive skills and strong throwing arms. In short, they have it all. Such wellrounded talents are hard to come by.

The same can be said of chefs. Some are great at conceptualizing complex and delicious dishes.

Some understand the business of restaurants and how to manage a kitchen to be financially and operationally efficient. Some plate like artists. Some excel at grinding on the line.

And some are great leaders with the ability to motivate their teams to culinary victory.

A great many chefs, especially those at the executive level, are strong in several of those areas. But only the most gifted and determined expertly wield all of these tools.

Count five-tool chef Paul McCabe among the exalted sect of toques whom any general manager would want as the star player on his or her squad.

That much was proven last November when McCabe’s name glowed like a bright flame atop the hot stove of the San Diego dining scene as news hit that he was leaving the position he’d held for seven years as executive chef at L’Auberge Del Mar and would revamp Rancho Santa Fe stalwart Delicias.

Unlike most restaurant transactions, terms of the deal were disclosed to the general public and, suddenly, it became obvious how a seemingly smaller market suitor could lure this longtime all-star away. They offered him a stake in the team.

“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to branch out into ownership,”

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“ I was ready for a change in my career and what I had wanted for years was there, right in front of me. I knew right away that I had to go for it.” says McCabe. “I was ready for a change in my career and what I had wanted for years was there, right in front of me. I knew right away that I had to go for it.”

It took time before fans of the chef—who amassed a huge following after opening L’Auberge’s fine-dining hotspot KITCHEN 1540 in 2008, then pushing the venue forward into new and modern food and service frontiers—came to see him in action. He and longtime sous-chef Steve Molina (who also left KITCHEN 1540 for Delicias with McCabe) spent months building a roster of new dishes to update the Ranch’s aging eatery in tandem with a new, more modern interior aesthetic.

After a long winter and a bit of spring training, opening day finally arrived in late May. McCabe’s new menu hit the field to the cheers of many a fanatical foodie who were relived to find his gorgeous presentations, brilliant interplays of textures and temperatures and highly intelligent combinations of ingredients— both luxurious and humble yet always fresh—had survived the trip from Del Mar to Rancho Santa Fe intact.

For McCabe to have lost a step on his unique style or finesse would have been tragic. But, if anything, the liberty afforded on his new home turf has upped his game, as has his new team. That faction is not only limited to his kitchen and front-ofthe-house staff, but also includes the local growers, ranchers and artisanal producers from whom he regularly sources ingredients.

That lineup includes Crow’s Pass, Tzaddik

Farm, Catalina Offshore Products, Bread and Cie and Specialty Produce. It’s an impressive bunch that figures to become even more formidable when McCabe teams up with Suzie’s Farm, a deal he hopes to cinch up in the near future.

When looking for new and exciting purveyors, McCabe’s major sources of information are farmers’ markets and our own Edible San Diego. He’s quite psyched about a rookie he recently came across and will be sourcing whole animals from.

“Cook Pigs Ranch in Fallbrook is raising Red Wattle pigs that are USDA-certified.

They have superior marbling and flavor,” says McCabe. “They’ll be picking up our green waste to feed to their pigs, which is something that I’ve wanted to do for many years. I can’t wait!”

It will be interesting to see how McCabe incorporates the sumptuous head-to-tail components of those noble Red Wattles, but if it’s anything like the delicious uses he’s found for other local products, it’s bound to be both tasty and innovative.

Currently, fresh crab and uni from Point Loma are incorporated into a salad of crispy potatoes, celery and lime served alongside a rich urchin and stone crab bisque; organic purple artichokes are served two ways—puréed and crisply fried—alongside local black cod and lobster; and barbecued sweetbreads are complemented by pickled radishes and a purée of cornbread.

“Our food is rooted in the craft of our industry, pushed forward by modern cooking techniques and guided by the

principles of sustainability,” says McCabe.

In addition to advancing his food and the locals who produce the ingredients that comprise it, this homer is also interested in advancing the local dining scene.

“It’s come a long way in the 11 years that I’ve been here,” says McCabe. “We have so many great restaurants and talented chefs in San Diego. We have a killer food scene.”

McCabe regularly collaborates on a recleague level with a number of those talented chefs—he’s a member of local gastronome consortium Cooks Confab. But he also realizes that cooks who have yet to even step foot in the kitchen will play just as big a part in San Diego’s climb up the culinary ladder.

To those aspiring chefs, he has this bit of advice: “Stay humble and don’t let success go to your head. It’s just food! Be patient and learn the foundation of cooking and work with great chefs that you believe in.”

For readers, in lieu of advice, McCabe’s provided a triple play of sorts—a trio of his personal recipes for you to fix up for your own home team.

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 co-authored several cookbooks. Follow him at twitter.com/offdutyfoodie or drop him a line at deepcrimson2008@gmail.com.

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Wild California Salmon with Preserved Lemon Spaetzle, Sweet and Sour Rhubarb Sauce Serves 4 4 (8-ounce) salmon filets Salt and pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 portions cooked Preserved Lemon Spaetzle (recipe follows) 4 tablespoons Sweet and Sour Rhubarb Sauce (recipe follows) 1 fennel bulb, shaved thin ½ cup pomegranate seeds

Preserved Lemon Spaetzle Season the salmon with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Sauté the salmon over medium-high heat until lightly browned on one side. Turn the fish over and continue to cook until done, or until the desired temperature is reached. Remove from heat. Place about 1 tablespoon of the sauce in the middle of 4 dinner plates. Divide the spaetzle into 4 servings and place the spaetzle on the sauce on each plate. Add the salmon on top of the spaetzle and finish with shaved fennel and pomegranate seeds.

Serves 4 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons fennel fronds, cleaned and diced 3 tablespoons preserved lemon 3 eggs, beaten ½ cup milk 2 tablespoons butter Mix all ingredients except butter together and allow to rest for 1–2 hours. Bring a large saucepot of salted water to a boil.

Place a perforated pan over the pot and add ¼ of the batter. With a spatula, press the batter through the holes and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the cooked spaetzle and transfer it to an ice bath to cool. Drain the spaetzle and reserve. Repeat the process until all batter is used. Just before serving, heat butter in large pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the spaetzle in butter until it becomes crisp and browned.

Sweet and Sour Rhubarb Sauce Makes 1 cup ½ quart rhubarb juice ½ ripe pear, seeded and quartered 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar Add the juice and pear to a medium saucepot and bring to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender. Add the vinegar and sugar and process until smooth. Place the sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use.

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White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Tangerine Chamomile Soup and Black Pepper Tuile White Chocolate Panna Cotta

Tangerine Chamomile Soup

Black Pepper Tuile

4 cups heavy cream

1 quart fresh-squeezed tangerine juice.

1¾ cups sugar

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour.

1 vanilla bean, sliced in half

1½ teaspoons chamomile tea

¾ cup fresh orange juice

1½ cups sugar

1 tablespoon honey

14 tablespoons melted butter

7 sheets gelatin

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to remove tea leaves. Chill liquid.

Zest from 1 lemon and 1 orange

6 ounces white chocolate Combine cream, milk, vanilla beans and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer, taking care not to boil the cream.

Remove from heat. Meanwhile, place the gelatin sheets in ice water. Add the white chocolate to the cream and let rest for 3 minutes. Stir until combined. Mix in the gelatin, strain and pour into 2-ounce plastic containers and place in refrigerator for 12 hours.

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper Mix sugar and flour together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine orange juice, melted butter and lemon and orange zests and pepper. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.

Let mixture rest for 2 hours. Heat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper and spread the tuile batter in a rectangle on the mat or parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool, then break into pieces before serving.

Presentation Unmold each panna cotta into the center of individual bowls. Pour a portion of the tangerine chamomile soup into each bowl and garnish with pieces of the tuile.

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Endive and Frisee Salad with Citrus and Balsamic ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons finely sliced shallots 1 tablespoon honey ⅓ cup hazelnut oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 heads Belgian endive, trimmed, cut crosswise into thin slices 2 heads frisée lettuce, center leaves only, torn into pieces 2 blood oranges or regular oranges, segmented ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped Whisk the balsamic vinegar, shallots and honey in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil.

Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss the endive and frisée in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad to taste with salt and pepper. Mound the salad onto plates. Surround with the orange segments. Sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette around the salads and serve immediately. suziesFarmAd.pdf

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Escondido, Ca

Local Fallbrook, Ca

Food

National City, Ca

Makes Carlsbad, Ca

Sense

New Morena District Certified Farmers’ market Tuesdays 3:00pm -7:00pm

Serving Morena, Bay Park and Clairemont communities

Latest News at: Facebook.com/MorenaDistrictCertifiedFarmersMarket

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Mission Hills

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Falcon and Washington

Farme Markets

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Westfield Utc mall near Macys

.com

IMPERIAL BEACH Fridays 2pm-7:30pm

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15

{Kitchen Know-how}

Talking Turkey Creative ways to gobble those last Thanksgiving leftovers

I

Story and recipes by Maria Desiderata Montana

grew up in a household where it was considered a sin to throw food away. My parents would routinely utter “Think about all the starving children in Africa” every time I would linger over a lesstasteful part of the evening meal. Now, with grown kids of my own, the desire to use every last morsel of a meal is etched in my psyche.

This year, I’ve decided to splurge on a heritage turkey for our Thanksgiving meal. These beautiful specimens are rare by today’s standards, as they are raised in a natural manner typical of the wild variety. Culinary experts herald their meat as the tastiest and healthiest on the market.

When I return home from the market with my prized possession, I vow to utilize every last bit. Of course, my family will only be interested in the meat, so I have to don my creative cap to find ways to use the remaining carcass. It’s a challenge to turn bits and pieces into something appetizing, but I have a couple of recipes that will maximize the return on my investment.

Maria Desiderata Montana is a writer, editor and owner/publisher of the award-winning food blog sandiegofoodfinds.com. She is the author of the Food Lovers’ Guide to San Diego and The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe Cookbook.

Simple Turkey Stock This simple recipe makes a great poultry stock that can be used as a base for soups, stews, gravy and other dishes.

Makes 3–4 quarts One turkey carcass 4 quarts of fresh water Two garlic cloves, halved 1 teaspoon parsley 1 teaspoon basil 1 teaspoon thyme 2 bay leaves 1 sliced fresh onion, or 1 teaspoon onion powder Salt and pepper to taste

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To prepare the carcass for stock, remove meat from the bones of the carcass. Cut up the remaining carcass and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To make the stock, place all of the bones in a large pot and add the water and remaining ingredients. Slowly bring to a boil, then lower heat and continue to simmer for 2–3 hours (longer for a richer stock). Be sure to check the pot regularly, as the bones will create a foamy substance that should be removed periodically.

After 2–3 hours, remove pot from heat. Pour the stock through a fine strainer to remove solids. Store in freezer-safe containers for up to one year.

Turkey and Vegetable Quiche This recipe takes a little effort but the dish is outstanding and makes a wonderful change from the ordinary.

Serves 8

What do you do with leftover turkey?

Area chefs reveal their secrets.

“I’m a sucker for turkey potpie” — Chef Matt Gordon of Urban Solace and Solace and the Moonlight Lounge

2 green onions, finely chopped 1 zucchini, finely chopped 1 red pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and pepper, to taste

“I have never liked the Thanksgiving meal ... never! But I do love to make turkey salad sandwiches with jalapeño, lime, cilantro and crème fraiche.”

—Chef Paul McCabe of Delicias

1 cup turkey, finely chopped 6 eggs 1½ cups heavy cream Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 1 (9-inch) ready-made piecrust, in pie pan 1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1 cup crumbled bacon 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded Preheat oven to 425° F. In a large bowl combine onions, zucchini and peppers. Add olive oil and salt and pepper.

Gently toss. Place on a large baking sheet and roast about 20–25 minutes. Remove from oven. Add turkey, toss well and set aside. In a food processor combine the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Arrange roasted vegetable-turkey mixture inside piecrust. Sprinkle spinach, then basil on top of vegetables and turkey. Pour egg mixture over the top. Scatter cheese over egg mixture and bake at 375° until golden brown and cooked through, about 35–45 minutes. (When cheese starts to turn brown, tent with foil). Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Cut into 8 wedges.

“We make turkey potpies with crème fraiche, marjoram and lots of roasted veggies. We fold cream cheese into the puff pastry and bake it separately so it stays nice and crisp.”

— Chef de Cuisine Brittany Battistoni and Executive Chef Keith Lord from First Avenue Bar & Grille

“I’m Italian, so pasta is only natural as a leftover.

I like to make ravioli with green pasta and stuff it with turkey meat and mushrooms. When sautéed in a butter, sage and horseradish sauce, they are a fantastic comfort food!”

—Mario Cassineri of BICE Ristorante

“I love a grilled turkey, stuffing and cranberry panini for lunch the next day, and the next day.

It is the simplest yet most enjoyable way to utilize Turkey Day remnants. If there is enough left over I like to relive the experience. It’s so good the first day and even better the second.”

—Chef Scott Thomas Dolbee of Kitchen 1540

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{Think}

California voters to decide on GMO labels

By Enrique Gili

YES

Come November voters will have a big decision to make. And it’s not who’s going to be the next President. California residents will be given a choice as to whether consumers have the right to know about the origins of their food. A a statewide ballot initiative that would require labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has food activists hopeful and Big Ag fuming, turning California into a battleground state over food policy.

The subtext of Prop. 37 is: What role does biotech have to play in food production?

The ballot initiative pits farmers who grow GMO crops and corporations like Monsanto (that design GMO crops) against farmers who don’t, mostly smallscale organic farmers and the producers of specialty crops.

Last spring, activist groups gathered nearly 1 million signatures for Prop. 37, known as the California Right to Know Genetically Altered Food Act. If passed, it would require most food products containing GMO ingredients to be labeled as such. It is estimated that 60% to 70% of processed foods currently on store shelves contain at least one GMO ingredient.

California would be the first state in the US to pass such a measure, joining 40 plus other countries that have some form of GMO labeling requirements including each European Union country, Japan and China.

Proponents argue that the initiative is about transparency and educating consumers about what goes into their food. Opponents say the requirement would be costly and isn’t necessary, because existing federal rules are sufficient to assure buyers that the foods comply with safety laws.

Earlier attempts to require labeling of GMOs in the United States have failed.

Ten years ago, Oregon voters defeated a GMO ballot measure. This year, legislative efforts in Connecticut and Vermont to require labeling of genetically engineered foods failed to become law. Earlier this year, three-quarters of U. S. Senators rejected a federal GMO bill.

However, statewide polls show that Californians are overwhelmingly in favor of GMO labeling, suggesting there’s a broad base of support across economic and political lines.

“This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue,” said Stacy Malkan, aspokesperson for the group Right to Know, which launched the initiative. “It took 10 weeks to collect 971,000 signatures,” she said—well over

Sources Stacy Malkan Communications Director/ Right to Know Group Stacy Malkan, 510-542-9224, stacy@carighttoknow.org

NO the 550,000 signatures required to place an initiative on the ballot in California.

Among food activists the concern is twofold: No studies have been done on the long-term health effects of eating GMO food, and in any case consumers are entitled to be informed about GMO foods lining grocers’ shelves.

“Both of those are contributing to the strong desire to have products that contain GMOs to be labeled as such,” said Jim Stomeck, founder of Jimbo’s Naturally whole-foods supermarkets in North County, San Diego. “Most people are completely unaware GMOs are in their food supply,” he said.

If passed, the law would take effect in July, 2014 requiring an advisory label on the front or the back of the packaging.

Meat and dairy products would be exempt, as well as food sold for immediate consumption at restaurants.

Enrique Gili is a freelance writer living in San Diego.

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Preheat your oven.

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edible San Diego

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Transforming your yard into a Garden of Eatin’ B

y now, we all know the virtues of eating local, fresh, seasonal foods.

We have our favorite haunts: farmers’ markets, farm-to-table restaurants and artisan grocery stores. But in the quest for the ultimate fresh, local food you need look no further than your own yard. San Diego has the perfect climate to grow a plethora of gorgeous fruits and veggies. With a bit of space, and a little sweat, you can build a small garden to feed you and your family.

Edible gardening is fun and rewarding, but many are afraid to take the first steps. I have heard the phrase, “I don’t have a green thumb” more times than I’d like to count.

Indeed gardening can be tricky. Every plant has its own quirks and every yard its own microclimate. Sunlight, drainage, soil type

and frost conditions all affect what and how you grow. Add a few chickens or a goat into the mix and things get complicated quickly.

Whether you’re just starting out, or trying to push your garden further, you may want to get some professional help to learn what an urban farm can really be.

Urban Plantations is a small local business specializing in the design, construction and maintenance of backyard edible landscapes. Contreras founded the company four years ago, when she realized she could put her extensive knowledge of gardening to work. Contreras grew up gardening with her grandmother, and eating veggies right out of the yard. Later she owned a small farm in Oregon, where she produced 90% of her own food and

Story and photos by Matt Steiger sold the excess at local farmers’ markets. A lifetime of farming has given her a wealth of knowledge of both plants and animals.

The company grew organically out of Contreras’ mind. She was living in San Diego, working at an unfulfilling job, and seeking solace in her home garden. One day a visiting friend pointed to her zucchini plant and asked, “What’s that?” She replied, “zucchini,” to which the friend responded, “I thought those grew underground!”

Contreras describes that as her aha! moment.

“I realized that there was a real interest in growing food, and a real lack of knowledge.”

It was her opportunity and she seized it.

Contreras is a Master Gardener, but she describes herself as the least knowledgeable fall 2012

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Karen Contreras surrounded by the fruits of her lobors.

Urban Plantations-designed storage shed. Peach ready for harvest.

member of her staff, “Most of my knowledge is hands-on, but these guys all have degrees.”

She is passionate about bringing the locavore movement to the backyard and returning San Diegans to a diet of fresh, organic produce.

But she isn’t satisfied with just building gardens that produce tons of food; she wants them to be beautiful too.

A walk through one of Urban Plantations’ gardens is an education in urban agriculture.

The gardens combine the practicality of producing tons of food with a flair for beautiful meandering overgrowth; form meets function. Tomatoes, beans and herbs intertwine in lush bundles, with fruit trees peeking out. Grapevines wind up around posts and canopy hidden sitting areas.

Rows and rows of dense corn promise delicious barbecues to come. Enormous squash, with dinner-table-sized leaves, form borders. Colorful ornamentals are scattered about, providing relief from the blinding photosynthetic green. It is at once beautiful, daunting, enviable and almost prehistoric—a modern, edible Garden of Eden.

Urban Plantations has installed over 300 private gardens in San Diego, and maintains up to 50 of them at any time.

They are experts in garden design, layout and construction; building all structures out of handsome, sustainable hard wood.

They regularly install four-stage compost 22

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bins, and can even design and build custom chicken coops and goat pens. All their gardening methods are natural, even starting their own plants from seeds— organic and local whenever possible. Contreras describes their philosophy as subtle: “We don’t try to ram our politics down people’s throats, but we do try to lead by example.”

Urban Plantations’ professionalism and high-quality work has even won them contracts in restaurant-supported agriculture. They have teamed with the Alexandria Real Estate group to provide edible landscaping for integrated corporate campuses. Their crowning achievement (thus far) is the onsite Fibonacci Garden and Bistro, located near UCSD—a brilliant garden that lies just steps from an inspired café on a LEED-certified biotech campus. Each week Contreras and company harvest nearly 400 pounds of fresh produce for the restaurant, which in turn plans its menu around the garden.

Whether you are just starting out with a few plants, or are already swimming in compost, a five-minute chat with Karen Contreras is enough to diagnose half a dozen problems in your garden. An hour of her time could probably change your

whole worldview. Should you hire her to tend your garden, you might never have to visit the produce aisle again.

Matt Steiger is a physicist and published science writer who spends his free time gardening, fishing, brewing, cooking and obsessing over food. Matt is always on the lookout for the best produce, fresh fish, great drinks and the perfect cup of coffee.

Follow him at thefoodlunatic.com, or contact him at steigey [at] gmail.com

Urban Plantations services: Garden coaching Design and installation Home orchard care Soil testing and analysis Micro-climate analysis Permaculture solutions Composting systems Follow up visits Ongoing garden maintenance Urban Plantations urbanplantations.com 619-563-5771 info@urbanplantations.com

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23

Some Bunny to Love H

ere is a surefire route to notoriety: kill a rabbit, which I did in 2008 and wrote about last year in the prologue to my book, How to Eat a Small Country, a memoir of the time my family and I spent living and cooking on a farm in rural Burgundy, France, where rabbit is a menu mainstay.

“I realize that animals don’t automatically come in clear plastic wraps,” wrote one respondent, “but … I didn’t want to know how to kill them in graphic detail. The prologue … is 12.5 pages long and most of those pages describe in gruesome detail how to kill a bunny.”

To which I respond with a fact check. The scene in question? The death of the rabbit?

Five—and only five—sentences long.

Sto ry b

y Am y Finle

ris R h C y b y • Photos

o

a ost C v

Twelve pages. Five sentences. Is there a disconnect here? Absolutely. And it’s this: For the rest of those 12.45 pages, the reader has to live in the psychological space where the death of that rabbit is looming. And since a memoir puts you into the skin of its author, you have to squirm right along with me over the unavoidable fact of all meat, which is that something always has to die in order for us to consume it. In general, we carnivorous Americans prefer to disavow our complicity in the slaughter of the animals that become our meals, as if cows and pigs and chickens and lambs were inevitably to be butchered. And that therefore we must eat them, to justify their deaths.

The logic of which is, people, conveniently backwards.

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The Thumper Factor So there is our collective denial about meat But there is our collective denial about meat in general, and then there is the hyperbole surrounding rabbit specifically, which threatens to snuff out all thoughtful conversation about the suitability of the protein to our burgeoning meat-eating population.

Rabbit consumption in Western Europe dates to pre-Roman, pre-refrigeration times, when rabbits were kept in stone pens—convenient year-round meat sources that yielded a tidy single meal when butchered. (France, Italy and Spain all boast iconic rabbit dishes. Think lapin a la moutarde, coniglio alla cacciatore or estofado de conejo.)

Besides rearing rabbit for the gourmet market, where it’s appreciated by top toques, Mark Pasternak, rancher and rabbit advocate behind Devil’s Gulch Farms in Marin County (the largest-scale rabbit rancher on the West Coast), has been participating in USAID Farmer to Farmer programs in Haiti, where rabbits offer a path out of poverty and food insecurity. A single 10-pound breeding doe, which will birth about 40 offspring annually, produces more than 300 pounds of meat in a year— more than a cow, and on feed (namely

“ It’s part of the contract that we have with livestock animals: You will have a good life, you will be well taken care of and, at the end, you won’t suffer.”

Debbie Castillo grasses) that can be foraged and that aren’t suitable for human or poultry consumption.

But that kind of logic too frequently pales before emotion. Case in point: In July, Mario Cassineri of the Gaslamp’s BICE Ristorante promoted a rabbit dinner on Facebook.

“Rabbit’s part of my culture,” says the Milan native. In short order there was social media– facilitated outrage. Boycott pronouncements.

Questioning of Cassineri’s humanity. No small number of posts wondering what, considering the peril of the protein precipice, was next: Would Cassineri cook his own dog? Similarly, this past Easter chef Logan Mitchell of the Normal Heights supper club Cellar Door put four courses of rabbit on her menu. Reservations for that meal fell 15%–20% off average in protest.

Mass-market availability could change the perceptions of on-the-fence eaters who abstain from rabbit more from lack of exposure or cooking knowledge (inaccurate conventional wisdom holds that it is difficult to cook) than because of

any moral qualms. In 2009, riding a foodie tide that popularized “traditional” foods and DIY preparations, frozen rabbit briefly appeared at some U.S. Costco stores, but was summarily yanked from coolers when letters signed, for example, “Marshmallow’s Mommy,” started streaming in.

“I guess I’ve been lucky,” says Nick Brune, chef/owner of Hillcrest’s Local Habit, who sources rabbit locally from Harbison Canyon’s Spur Valley Ranch. “My customers have been open-minded. They can get beyond cute.”

“Well, are we only to eat ugly animals?” questions Pasternak. “The argument that because a rabbit is cute we shouldn’t eat it is a wholly inaccurate anthropomorphism. And no one’s advocating that people eat their pets.”

“If [the rabbits] were pets, they’d be in the house”,” says Debbie Castillo, Spur Valley Ranch co-owner with her sons Alex and Andy Castillo. The family keeps eight bucks and 30 breeding does, and, per rabbit’s smallscale USDA exemption, sells rabbit they’ve butchered themselves directly to the public at the Little Italy Mercato. Their rabbits live in roomy, outdoor, temperature-controlled cages, are antibiotic free and are fed organic pellets. “It’s part of the contract that we have with livestock animals: You will have a good life, you will be well taken care of, and at the end, you won’t suffer. But that doesn’t mean

Andy and Debbie Castillo of Spur Valley Ranch

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you ever get used to [butchering]. Even though you don’t bond with each individual one, you get to know that they are individuals. There’s a collective consciousness.”

“All 1,000 of our breeding rabbits have names,” Pasternak says. (His rabbits are butchered at a facility in Turlock, one of the few in California.)

“My wife,” internationally recognized rabbit veterinarian Myriam Kaplan-Pasternak, “had to get a baby names book eventually. We respect these animals. It has nothing to do with raising them for meat. Killing animals for meat is the way of the natural world.”

Eat More Rabbit It’s also the way of the chef.

Despite the protests, Cassineri, who grew up eating rabbit, never actually considered canceling the July dinner. “It’s peasant food.

What your mother would cook,” he recalls fondly. Says Pasternak, “95% to 99% of my business is to restaurants like the French

Amy Finley

Laundry, Chez Panisse and Jardiniere that have a European sensibility.” Lean, high in omega-3 fatty acids and lower in cholesterol even than chicken, but with a more complex and slightly sweet flavor profile, rabbit has a rampant following among cooks.

“Home cooks should try a braise first,” advises Mitchell, harkening to some of rabbit’s most traditional preparations. “Or, stick it in a CrockPot and just let it go until it’s falling off the bones,” Brune suggests.

“Bottom line,” says Alex Castillo, who prefers his rabbit marinated in teriyaki and grilled, “we love it and hope people will try it.”

Amy Finley is a third-generation native San Diegan and the author of How to Eat a Small Country: A Family’s Pursuit of Happiness, One Meal at a Time (Bay Books, 2012). She was the winner of Food Network Star and host of the Food Network’s “Gourmet Next Door” in 2007, and lives with her family, dog and chickens in East County.

Butchering a rabbit was a pivotal moment in her food life.

Amy’s Lapin a la Moutarde Reprinted from How to Eat a Small Country (Bay Books, 2012) Serves 6 1 rabbit, 2 to 3 pounds, cut into 6 to 8 pieces Salt and freshly ground black pepper ¾ cup Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 yellow onion, finely chopped 1 cup dry white wine, such as Chablis 3 sprigs fresh thyme 2 dried bay leaves ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, stems removed and 3 reserved ¼ cup crème fraiche 1. I n a glass or ceramic baking dish, season the rabbit liberally with salt and pepper and smear it with the mustard. Set aside.

2. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil, and heat until the butter’s foam has subsided. Add the rabbit pieces and cook, turning once, until evenly crusted and golden brown on all sides, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the rabbit to a large plate.

3. I f necessary, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté the onion until just beginning to caramelize, about 5 minutes. dd the wine to the pan and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up 4. A all the brown bits sticking to its bottom. Bring the wine to a boil, 26

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then decrease the heat to low and return the rabbit to the pan, nestling it into the liquid.

5. Tuck the sprigs of thyme, the bay leaves and the reserved parsley stems around the rabbit, cover and simmer gently until the rabbit is tender, at least 35 minutes and as long as 1 hour.

6. Remove the bay leaves and herb stems from the sauce and transfer the rabbit back to its plate. Stir the crème fraiche into the sauce, increase the heat and, if the sauce needs to thicken further, let it bubble vigorously and reduce.

7. To plate, ladle the sauce generously over the rabbit and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with buttered white rice, potatoes or egg noodles.

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North County’s

Hillebrecht Family Keeps Farming Traditions Alive

Photo: Chris Rov Costa

By Vincent Rossi

W

hen I first called to interview Mary Hillebrecht for this article, she asked if she could call back in 10 minutes. “I’m at the end of a row here and I’ve got my hands full of potatoes,” she explained.

She did indeed call back. She’s a person of her word, especially when she’s asked about farming.

Mary, her sister Laura Kapusnik, her brother Michael and extended family and friends

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maintain a farming operation in the heart of Escondido. They grow a variety of produce and sell it exclusively through their own farm stands: one in south Escondido, the other near the intersection of San Pasqual Valley Road and Valley Parkway.

“We’re third-generation here,” said Mary.

She and her three siblings all have degrees in agriculture. Her sister Sally owns a farm in Northern California. Mary, Michael and Laura have remained in San Diego County.

Hillebrechts have been farming in San Diego County since 1924, when George Hillebrecht, grandfather of the latest generation, began buying acreage here.

“We individually farm and we also combine together on some projects and things we’ve done historically together,” Mary said, as she and Laura were showing me around their stands and fields.

Farm Stand East is tucked into a neighborhood that, from Valley Parkway, looks like your basic Escondido enclave of single-family homes. Walk back a few yards from the farm stand and you’re suddenly in a cornfield.

“We’ve got a little core of agriculture here,” said Mary, looking out at the cornrows, already a few feet high. To the left of the cornfield, several rows of upturned white flower pots marked a nascent watermelon and cantaloupe patch.

“If we can grow things and make a profit, we can continue,” she said.

Laura was minding the stand along with a friend, Larry Feiler, who answers to a range of titles from tech support to farm boy.

Farm Stand West is located on Miller, just off Citracado in south Escondido. On a brief tour there, Laura proudly pointed to a field of 8,000 tomato plants. She said she was raising eight different varieties, among them the Celebrity (“great for this county”), the Fabulous, the Bush Steak Tomato (“a very stout plant, doesn’t need trelissing”) and Mr. Stripey (“an heirloom but hearty”). Growing nearby were plums, apricots and peaches.

Tomatoes are the family’s biggest sellers, but corn is a big draw as well. The family’s website, thefarmstandwest.com, lists 22 seasonal offerings. In addition to corn, tomatoes, potatoes and melons, the list includes apples, avocados, Concord grapes, green beans, miscellaneous vegetables, strawberries and wild blackberries.

Laura said she counts on the more conventional crops to “bring ’em in and then they buy other things,” such as “tiny okra.”

Hillebrechts have been farming in San Diego County since 1924, when George Hillebrecht, grandfather of the latest generation, began buying acreage here.

George, whose parents were citrus farmers from Orange County, chose this area

Mary holds out hope for small family farms in the county.

“There’s still lots of small farmers in San Diego,” she said, while adding, “it doesn’t take much to really change the balance of things.” because the land was affordable and there was a promising source of local water.

George planted Valencia oranges and lemons from his own nursery. Later he planted Fuerte avocados. When George retired in the mid-1950s, his son Ben took over, continuing the citrus and avocado planting. Ben also planted 10 acres of Muscat grapes that he soon found were only marketable through roadside sales.

By the mid-1970s, Ben’s children, who were attending college, were all helping with the operation. “We converted some of the very old citrus plantings into crops which would widen our variety of offerings at the farm stand,” states the website. At the same time, they were selling their citrus to packinghouses.

By the mid-1980s, they were attending up to five farmers’ markets a week and had opened a second farm stand, but commercial sales were becoming problematic. There were too many late payments and big bills from packinghouses, Mary and Laura said. It reached a point where “I made as much from direct marketing 10% of my crops as we made on the other 90% commercially,” said Mary.

The family decided to concentrate on direct sales of their crops “in order to steady our future and do what we like to do,” Mary said.

They now participate in just three farmers’ markets: Coronado, Horton Square and Pacific Beach (Saturday, 8 to noon) . Mary also manages each of those markets. “I only manage farmers’ markets because I’m a farmer,” she emphasized. Both she and Laura expressed the belief that farmers’ markets should be run by and for farmers.

The markets she manages are kept strictly for

farmers, Mary said.

Mary holds out hope for small family farms in the county. “There’s still lots of small farmers in San Diego,” she said, while adding, “it doesn’t take much to really change the balance of things.” She talked about her father and others of his generation “aging out, and an awful lot of my generation got educated to do something else.” She noted that despite all the volatility in crop, land and water prices over the last two decades, “some families are still at it.”

The Hillebrecht family’s yearly crops include pumpkins for a public pumpkin patch they hold every fall. The area around Farm Stand West includes some shaded play areas with sandboxes and other playthings. These are for families who come to buy produce, but also for school group tours. Laura, who also holds a teaching certificate, is anxious to help educate school kids on where their food comes from. “My goal is to get as many little footprints here as I can,” she said.

Vincent Rossi is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in newspapers (San Diego Union Tribune, San Jose Mercury News), online (San Diego News Network, Patch.com) and magazines (Westways, Edible San Diego). With his wife Peggy, a professional genealogist, Vincent co-owns StorySeekers, a research and publishing company for family history, memoir and historical books. His special interests are history, politics, and culture.

Farm Stand West 2115 Miller Ave. Escondido Weekdays noon–6pm Weekends 10am–6pm Closed Mondays Farm Stand East 1710 Idaho Ave. Escondido Honor Stand Monday–Thursday 10am–6pm Staffed Stand Friday–Sunday 10am–5pm Call on rainy days Staffed stands closed from October 31 until spring. Honor stand open year-round with some crops including oranges, tomatoes, avocados and persimmons. Some U-pick persimmon events are held in November.

For further information, visit thefarmstandwest.com. fall 2012

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The End of the Line or a New Beginning for San Diego’s Fishermen?

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By Caron Golden

Photos by Chris Rov Costa

edible San Diego

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L

ocal commercial fishermen talk as though they believe they are an endangered species. Their complaints are numerous: Regulations limit where they can fish, what they can fish and how much they can catch. Depending on the species, the cost of transferrable fishing permits is prohibitive.

Thanks to NAFTA, they say, Mexican imports are flooding the market and forcing prices down. These guys—yes, they’re almost all guys—are no fonder of farmed fish for the same reason, plus they don’t like the quality.

Fuel and insurance costs are skyrocketing, which cut into whatever meager profits they’re making. Then there’s the cost of boat maintenance—we’re talking about $3,000 just to haul a boat onto dry land for off-season repairs.

There are closures from storm pollution and urban run off. There’s competition for catch from sport fishermen.

The list goes on, but you get the idea—and this doesn’t even take into account the usual vagaries of bad weather, migration patterns, disease and other turns of nature they have to deal with as part of the job.

These guys feel they are up against it.

And, hey, even the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health makes it clear that commercial fishing is not for the faint of heart. NIOSH has deemed it one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States, based on hazardous working conditions, strenuous labor, long work hours and harsh weather.

Actually, most of these guys couldn’t care less about the danger part. Instead, they point to politics as the primary culprit of their potential demise. As sea urchin fisherman Mitch Hobron put it, “There’s been a conspiracy in this country to get rid of commercial fishing through reserves regulation. It’s over-regulated and they’re taking our fishing grounds away.”

There was a time, in the early to mid-20th century, when tuna fishing was one of San Diego’s largest industries. Even in 1980, San Diego, with over 100 tuna boats in the area, had the world’s largest tuna fishing

Few young people are getting into commercial fishing and there are no local training, internship or apprenticeship programs to provide a window into a fishing career. If no one follows the footsteps of these guys, are we at the end of the line of local commercial fishing in San Diego? fleet, according to historian Mark Schoell.

And it had a canning industry to match.

But the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972 to protect dolphins led to a series of prohibitions and eventually the flight of domestic fleets to registration under foreign flags.

Then there was the issue of overfishing that led to the endangerment of stock,

such as halibut and barracuda, and the need for fishermen to travel farther afield for their catch—like to Mexico. Except that the Mexican government began protecting its waters. When the California state legislature passed the Marine Life Protection Act in 1999, which requires the state to design marine protected areas to protect and conserve specific fisheries fall 2012

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Mike Flynn

Pete Halmay

Phil Harris

and marine life and habitat, commercial fishermen were further constrained.

The details of the causes of the industry’s decline are increasingly more complex than even this and could fill several books, but the point is here we are in 2012 with perhaps only 85 working fishermen in San Diego, more than half of whom are over age 55, according to Catalina Offshore Products’ Tommy Gomes, who himself comes from a long line of fishermen and is worried about the future. Few young people are getting into commercial fishing and there are no local training, internship or apprenticeship programs to provide a window into a fishing career. If no one follows the footsteps of these guys, Gomes wonders, are we at the end of the line of local commercial fishing in San Diego?

Catch as Catch Can Fishermen are a tough and hardy lot. Yes, it takes strength to do what they do. But it also takes smarts. They have a boatload of regulations to understand and obey. They have sophisticated machinery to operate, from engines to refrigeration to navigation tools. They have to effectively manage an ever-changing business.

Mike Flynn was 23 years old when he started fishing in 1984. Back then you

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These fishermen aren’t in it for the money; they’re passionate about all, including the hard work, that is part of being on the water. “Money’s not what entices them. They love what they do.” could get a lobster permit for $50 and it wasn’t limited entry as it is today. These days he runs the Baby Joe, his 40-foot boat, heading out to sea to catch swordfish and sea bass. It’s a tough life. He used to be able to fish within three miles of the coast, but is banned from doing that now. “I’ve been pushed out to sea,” he says. “It helps the stock but it doesn’t help the fishermen. By the time you get back, the fish are less fresh, you use up more fuel and you’re away from your family for longer periods of time.”

Phil Harris, at 71, owns and operates the 33-foot Sea Nag with one crewmember, who is in his 50s. Harris catches a variety of fish, notably black cod, black gill rockfish and sand dabs. He’s tough and wiry, having spent years working construction in the marine industry and doing tugboat work.

Fishing, however, was his dream job. He’s living the dream, but, as he notes, “It’s tough to make a living.” For him, the regulations

are less of a problem than the price he gets for the fish. “In relation to the economy, the prices we get haven’t changed in years.”

John Hett has been fishing since 1978. He takes his boat, The Temptation, out to sea to catch swordfish—his specialty—but also shark and albacore. He may be the most productive swordfish fisherman in San Diego, bringing in between 200 to 500 fish a year, which he sells to Catalina Offshore Products. He’s got a narrow window in which to do this—basically from October to December. Much of his non-fishing time is spent doing maintenance on The Temptation and repairing nets. Unlike a lot of fishermen, his is not an inherited career.

“My dad was a financial officer,” he says. “I enjoyed the water so much that I got a small boat. I realized I could make money doing this and for a long time I worked for others with large boats to learn the business.”

His 22-year-old son, however, won’t be joining him. He’s in college. Like other fishermen, Hett, 53, believes the younger generation finds fishing too hard and the expenses too high to get into.

“Fathers aren’t bringing sons into the business because it’s too tough,” he says.

“My son doesn’t want to work that hard.

It’s a 24-hour kind of day and they just don’t have the same work ethic.”

Halmay hopes the results will be akin to what has happened in farming in the last several years: a burgeoning demand for dock-tofork dining a la the farm-to-fork phenomenon, with local foodies and chefs leading the charge.

It’s a common complaint you hear among the older guys. They don’t think the kids can cut it, even though it’s a life they can’t imagine not having themselves.

And, in fact, says Catherine Driscoll, owner of Driscoll’s Wharf in Point Loma, where many of the fishermen dock, these fishermen aren’t in it for the money; they’re passionate about all, including the hard work, that is part of being on the water. “Money’s not what entices them.

They love what they do.”

community,” he explains.

A Legacy in the Making While some fishermen like Hett have figured out how to make the business work for them on their own, others have decided to collaborate with a two-fold mission: to help each other by educating the public and marketing their catch directly to the public and, by improving their respective bottom lines, encourage young people to get into the industry.

Sea urchin diver Pete Halmay pulled together a small group of colleagues to form the San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group, a nonprofit organization that focuses, he says, on science and education.

With the nonprofit, he and his fellow board members, who include Hobron and Harris, want to show the public that they’re harvesting sustainably—and get grants to help further that community education. “We want to tell our consumers that not only is this fish good tasting but if you buy from these local guys, you’re doing your part to help the carbon footprint and help them make a living.”

He says, “We have a lot of struggles with marine protected areas, but we have to learn to live with them. We have to prove to consumers and to the community that we’re sustainable or else we’re finished. It’s what makes us different. The importers don’t care about that.”

According to Jonathan Hardy, a consultant working with the group, it will also give local commercial fishermen a voice for dealing with local and state agencies like the Port of San Diego and the California Coastal Commission. “We created the San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group to be the local contact for those agencies and the

The group is also establishing a marketing association they’re calling San Diego Seafood Harvesters. It’s to be a hybrid organization that will allow fishermen to collectively negotiate prices with processors and market their catch directly to consumers. Halmay and his group are working with farmers’ market manager Catt Fields White to open a weekly fisherman’s farmers’ market on Driscoll’s Wharf, perhaps by spring, that will feature local fishermen—along with farmers and the usual farmers’ market fare. The plan even includes the possibility of a small mobile processing plant to enable the fishermen to break down large catch so consumers can buy fish parts—bellies, collars, cheeks, loins—and not be forced to buy a large whole fish, which most can’t use. There will be cooking demos and the fishermen can be available to sell for one another if someone is out at sea—and chat with consumers directly about their work and their catch.

Phil Harris

With that, Halmay hopes the results will be akin to what has happened in farming in the last several years: a burgeoning demand for dock-to-fork dining a la the farm-tofork phenomenon, with local foodies and chefs leading the charge. And if this proves successful, even on a small scale, it could encourage young people to follow their hearts and get into the business—and encourage the older guys to pass on their knowledge and work ethic.

“First you have to put food on the table and pay your rent,” acknowledges Halmay. “If these guys can move from barely making ends meet to becoming profitable, then they see a future and so do young people.

Pete Halmay

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“ I believe in fishing. I love fishing,” says Halmay, who is in his 70s. “I love the way of life. We have to start grooming the next generation right now.”

“I believe in fishing. I love fishing,” says Halmay, who is in his 70s. “I love the way of life. We have to start grooming the next generation right now. I’ve started talking to people about having a program at junior college level that teaches about fishing. And starting an apprenticeship program. But these things need funding. We need help from the community.”

In fact, he says he’s been talking with the Maritime Alliance about their workforce development program. And, he’s been

speaking with Southwestern College about starting up a program that would teach young people about navigation, repair work and even marketing.

This effort, says Halmay, is his life’s work.

TRIPLE B RANCHES

“My generation was brought up in open access. You got a permit and you went fishing and it attracted all sorts of people who didn’t mind harsh elements. The next generation will have to be one level higher because society and the community will demand it. They’ll have to answer why they are fishing. But first, we need to identify if there’s a population out there who wants to do this.

“The vision is very clear. The steps to the vision,” he says with a laugh, “are not.”

Caron Golden is an award-winning freelance writer and the author of the blog San Diego Foodstuff.

She writes the Local Bounty column for San Diego Magazine, and has contributed to Saveur, Culinate, Sunset, the Los Angeles Times, and many others.

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A

s a child, Bob Knight waited for the day he could leave the farm.

As an adult, he’s helped numerous others find a way to stay on their farms.

Farm-to-School Symbiosis

Knight left his family’s orange grove and kiwi vineyard after high school and didn’t look back until 9/11. At the time, he was living and working in Saudi Arabia as a telecommunications engineer.

“Things got kind of tense,” he recalls. “And in that environment, I thought ‘Farming really isn’t that bad.’”

When he took up his place as the fourth generation on his family’s farm, he saw how Southern California had changed in the years he was away. Thousands of acres of orange groves had become housing developments, freeways and shopping malls. He observed that “the groves that were remaining, they just had a really tough time being even profitable, even paying for their expenses ... it was a real awakening call to me.”

Knight went to work to save these farms. “To make these last remaining groves profitable we had to find a different business model and it had to be a direct-to-market business model,” he explains. First, he tried a citrus community-supported agriculture (CSA) harvest subscription program. That was successful, but he really hit his stride when he began partnering with schools in farmto-school programs.

Initially, this was difficult. Back in 2006, few people had heard of the farm-to-school concept, and when Knight called a school, he could rarely get past the receptionist. But he was persistent, and he soon was able to sell everything his farm produced. Then he went to his neighbors, and they joined too. It helped that schools did not have to change their menus to serve local oranges.

Photo courtesy of Bob Knight

“School districts usually have what I call ‘the big three,’” Knight says.

“Oranges, apples and bananas. And we were just so lucky being here in Southern California, this being the Napa Valley of the orange industry .... If we were growing rutabagas or something, this whole thing never could have evolved.”

Bob Knight’s farm-to-school efforts benefit school children and save farms

By Jill Richardson 40

edible San Diego

fall 2012

“Six years later, we have 28 farmers that are part of this,” says Knight. The farmers provide schools with several kinds of citrus, strawberries, watermelon, apples, baby cucumbers, tomatoes, kiwi, stone fruits and sugar snap peas. Most are grown on farms of less than 10 acres. In one case, a farm was letting its fruit rot on the ground when Knight approached them. “It was hundreds of tons of fruit falling to the ground because it was too small. But kids need small fruit.” The entire crop now goes to feed school children.

Another small farmer recently lost his contract with Home Depot.

“This farmer has rows of greenhouses where he used to grow ornamentals,” said Sadie Sponsler, who met Knight through her work at the San Diego Hunger Coalition. “After losing his contract, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Enter Bob Knight. Bob was looking for someone who could grow baby cucumbers and some other small veggies to sell to the schools and this partnership was born. There was now a use for the empty greenhouse. [Knight] has saved many of our Southern California small farmers in this same way.”

Vanessa Zajfen, the farm-to-school specialist at San Diego Unified School District, explains why farm-to-school programs can be difficult for schools—and why Knight makes it easy: “Schools are catered to by an industry that makes it easy to buy pre-packaged products in set quantities, set qualities, timely delivery.” Farms are hardly so predictable. “I get emails all the time saying ‘hail destroyed my nectarines,’” says Zajfen. “[Schools] don’t want to deal with that. Now I’m dealing with looking at hail-damaged fruit to see if we can eat it and [schools] don’t want to do that if they can just call someone on the phone and get a nectarine. And Bob eliminates that [uncertainty] for people. He takes care of it.”

serving his produce this coming school year. In fact, demand is so great that he is looking for more farmers! School districts tend to be cash strapped and their staff are very busy, so they appreciate that Knight understands their needs so well. For example, most of the produce he provides is “grab and go,” requiring little or no preparation before offering it to students.

Knight loves that he is able to pick and pack the fruit to order. With such a short distance between farms and schools, “we can pick to their order and get it to them practically the next day”—nearly always within two days at most. No fungicides or waxes are needed, because the fruit will not be stored long before it is consumed.

“A new vocabulary word has popped up and it’s ‘hub,’” Knight says. “It This new business model does more than simply nourish children. means ... you take little farms that by themselves are too small to be able “A generation ago we had a local foodshed,” says Knight. “Within to afford to do their own packing, distribution, sales and marketing, my generation we tore that down and had a global foodshed. And food safety management and stuff like that, but if you pull them now we are focusing on building that back up. And this is a strategic together into a group and you hub them—you move because local foods are delicious, and have a single picking crew that picks, you have “A generation ago we had a local we are developing [the children’s] palates so a packing crew that packs, you have a packing that they will have very high standards and foodshed. Within my generation shed where you have cold storage and you when they grow up they won’t be able to eat share the trucks. That’s called hubbing and we tore that down and had a global that kind of globally distributed supermarket that’s what we do.” foodshed. And now we are focusing plastic produce.”

Within San Diego, Knight and his fellow on building [the local foodshed] back farmers provide fresh produce to school Jill Richardson is a San Diego-based freelance writer up. And this is a strategic move districts in San Marcos, Fallbrook, Vista, and the author of Recipe for America: Why Our Food Oceanside, Grossmont, San Diego Unified, because local foods are delicious, System Is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It. She is on the policy advisory board of the Organic El Cajon, Spring Valley, National City and and we are developing [the children’s] Consumers Association.

Carlsbad. Sweetwater and Poway will begin

Photo courtesy of Bob Knight

palates so that they will have very high standards and when they grow up they won’t be able to eat that kind of globally distributed supermarket plastic produce.”

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Annual Fall Plant Sale October 20 - 21 www.SDBGarden.org 230 Quail Gardens Drive Encinitas, CA 760-436-3036

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{Liquid Assets}

Two for Tea

Think outside the bag at Mad Monk Tea

By Enrique Gili

When it comes to global impact, tea is a drink for the ages. First harvested by the ancient civilizations of Asia, the tiny green leaf has been a catalyst for global commerce, trade wars and ceremonial rituals for eons. Consumed for at least 3,000 years and brought to American shores by English settlers, tea has been held in high regard as both healthy tonic and refreshing drink. It is deemed fit for peckish pashas and thirsty laborers and shared across cultures by people as diverse as mountain-dwelling monks and merchants living in the sweltering tropics. It’s a way of life for some. It’s also a multinational business for those involved in the global production and sale of tea.

th Cell

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Ca

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Owner Taylor Drye, 25, is more than a shop keep. He is steeped in the medical lore and natural history of tea, and he’s eager to educate his customers. Drye has been delving into the intricacies of tea for several years, first as a student of Aikido and now as a tea purveyor. Drye first learned of the benefits of tea during his martial arts training, when he would spend hours each day in the dojo, in need of a boost that would not make him jittery. “Tea is WD-40 for the system,” he says.

in e

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One of those is Ocean Beach’s Mad Monk Tea Shop, a cozy cubbyhole tucked inside Scrimshaw Square on Santa Monica Avenue. The 300-square-foot retail shop is focused on high-end tea, providing an alternative to coffee and a haven for tea drinkers and people curious about premium tea blends.

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There are plenty of java joints around town where you can sling back a cup of coffee, yet there are few locations in San Diego that can give tea its proper due.

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Drye is working to spread the word that there is more to tea than dunking teabags into hot water. Many of his teas are imported from remote regions of China, where tea is traditionally grown on small plantations in rural farm communities. The shelves of Mad Monk Tea are stocked with 40 varieties of premium tea, which Drye sells by the ounce or pound. Tea is an “affordable luxury,” says Drye. His growing roster of clients—discriminating tea drinkers with a serious habit—would agree.

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Photo: Chris Rov Costa

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Cabernet Franc gains favor among local growers

Photo: John Alongé

Franc-ly, My Dear...

Cab Franc vines at Woof “n Rose vineyard.

By John Alongé Part of the evolution of any wellintentioned wine region is to figure out which grape varieties will ultimately best express the character of the place where they are grown. This process requires time, dedication to cause and a good deal of trial and error. The burgeoning San Diego County wine industry, now boasting more than 60 wineries, is in the midst of that essential viticultural quest.

While there is always a tendency, especially here in California, to automatically resort to the requisite Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay varieties, local grape growers are starting to take the path less traveled and experiment with grape varieties that may be better suited to local growing conditions. One of the varieties meeting with success here is Cabernet Franc.

Sitting at more than 3,200 feet of elevation in the mountains north of Warner Springs, Hawk Watch Winery has been producing unblended Cabernet Franc for several years. Initially, they used purchased grapes, but the success of the wine led them to plant almost an acre of the grape in their own vineyard in 2009. Since then, owners Mike and Lisa Schnell have produced their Cabernet Franc in every vintage with great success. Their 2009 bottling won a Silver Medal at the 2012 Tasters Guild International Wine Competition.

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“Cabernet Franc is still a mystery to most wine drinkers,” Lisa explains. “Recently, a very intent taster visiting our tasting room tried our Cabernet Franc and asked if the blend had more Cabernet or more Franc in it.” That lack of general consumer awareness has not deterred the Schnells. They believe that Cabernet Franc has a great future in local winemaking. “You can grow anything here,” says Mike. “You just have to put the right grape in the right place.”

Equally committed to Cabernet Franc are Steve and Marilyn Kahle, owners of Woof ’n Rose Winery in the Ramona Valley.

Their 2008 Estate Cabernet Franc Reserve has won a plethora of medals, including Gold at the 2012 San Diego County Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

The Kahles initially planted the grape in their vineyard in 2003. “We didn’t want to plant the same thing everyone else was planting,” Steve tells me when I ask how they decided on Cabernet Franc. “We were already familiar with the grape and its potential. In the U.S. we’re impatient, we don’t want to wait. Making the right choices in a vineyard takes time.”

Woof ’n Rose also features Cabernet Franc in its signature Eglantine blend, along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, showcasing the grape’s outstanding attributes as a blending grape. Eglantine,

too, has been recognized with a number of industry accolades, including a Gold Medal at the 2012 Finger Lakes International Wine competition.

At the remote Hellanback Ranch, owner John York (who also serves as president of the Ramona Valley Vineyard Association) is working on his first commercial vintage

Why Cabernet Franc?

In spite of its relative anonymity here in the United States, Cabernet Franc is one of the 20 most planted wine grape varieties in the world. It has been cultivated in the Loire Valley in France for centuries (where it may be called Breton or Bouchet) and is most famously used as a blending grape in France’s Bordeaux region. Recent DNA testing has ascertained that Cabernet Franc was crossed with Sauvignon Blanc at some point in time to create the world’s most prolific red grape, Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cabernet Franc ripens somewhat earlier than its offspring Cabernet Sauvignon, hence it may be planted in wine regions where early ripening is a necessity due to a short growing season. However, the main reason for its allure, especially here in San Diego County, is the grape’s aromatic intensity. Depending on where it is grown and how it is handled in the winemaking process, Cabernet Franc can add incredible finesse to a wine along with aromas of raspberry, cassis, tobacco, bell pepper or violets. To experience some of this potential, try a French Chinon, Bourgueil or Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil from a reputable grower. All three of these Loire Valley reds are made from 100% Cabernet Franc.

all-natural meats.

Hawk Watch Winery of estate-grown Cabernet Franc. “From the 27054 Chihuahua Valley Rd. time I first planted it here in 2007, it just Warner Springs seemed to take to the site,” John tells me as 951-326-4692 we walk the rows of his vineyard. “It grows Tasting room: Fridays, noon–5 p.m.; like a weed here. Sometimes I have to take Saturdays & Sundays, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. a machete to it.” Later, we taste his 2011 HawkWatchWinery.com out of the American oak barrel where it lies awaiting bottling. The wine unmistakably Woof’n Rose Winery exhibits the enormous potential of this 17073 Garjan Ln., Ramona grape here in San Diego Photo County.

Courtesy of Red Rock Casino, Resort, & Spa · Las Vegas, NV

www.nimanranch.com

As the local wine industry continues to mature and evolve, savvy winemakers all over the county are taking the time to explore the nature of what is truly unique about our growing environment. Rather than making choices based on broad industry trends, San Diego County wineries are taking a serious look at what it takes to make distinctive wines tied to the terroir. That kind of thinking is very good news for all of us.

To learn more about what it takes to create the finest tasting meat in the world, visit us at www.nimanranch.com/edible

Scan the tag with your mobile phone to discover why top chefs trust Niman Ranch.

Get the free app at http://gettag.mobi

760-788-4818 Call for tasting appointments WoofnRose.com

Hellanback Ranch Vineyard 760-787-9586 info@hellanbackranch.com Tasting room planned to open in November; until then, call for appointment HellanbackRanch.com

John Alongé is a popular writer and corporate speaker on the subjects of wine, craft beer and spirits. His latest book, The Wine Heretic’s Bible, offers “plain English advice for the casual wino.” For more information, visit WineHeretic.com.

Our family farmers understand the importance of preserving agricultural resources for future generations. That’s why they utilize responsible farming practices such as restorative crop rotation, which helps prevent soil erosion and encourages agricultural biodiversity.

To find out how sustainable agriculture helps create the finest tasting beef, pork, lamb and cage-free eggs, visit us at www.nimanranch.com/edible

www.nimanranch.com

To learn about our sustainable farming traditions, scan the tag with your mobile phone.

Get the free app at http://gettag.mobi

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edible San Diego

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ranch LE

DIG IN!

Field toArtisan the Food Fork Fair FIELD TO

Educational symposium featuring

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THE FORK

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Single-order beef packages: Buy in sampler, eighth-beef, quarter-beef, half-beef and whole-beef quantities.

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Farmers Markets: Come to Hillcrest, Little Italy, and Riverside farmers markets to pick up single servings.

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Sustainable agriculture, humane animal care and the support of U.S. family farmers are the guiding principles upon which we’ve built our reputation. Each of these philosophies, working together, consistently delivers the highest quality, all-natural meats.

To learn more about what it takes to create the finest tasting meat in the world, visit us at www.nimanranch.com/edible

www.nimanranch.com Photo Courtesy of Red Rock Casino, Resort, & Spa · Las Vegas, NV

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{It’s Elementary}

Farm-to-Table for Young Chefs

by Karen Kenyon

At McKinley, the classes have been held in the school cafeteria, with one class in the organic garden (called “The Octopus’s Garden” because of the colorful pottery and glass murals of sea creatures surrounding the garden). On pizza-making day, grills were brought into the garden and the young chefs shaped the dough, added the sauce (which they had made) and topped their pizzas with vegetables and even flowers from the garden, to create very individual (and delicious) pizzas.

“We like it!” says Julia Nunamaker. “It’s a cool place.” The 9-year-old fourth grader is talking about the organic garden at McKinley Elementary School, an International Baccalaureate school in North Park, San Diego.

In fact, Nunamaker and nine other fourth and fifth graders have just completed an eight-week cooking class offered by South Park’s Alchemy Restaurant, in which they used many ingredients from the garden— basil, thyme, oregano, tomatoes, fava beans, carrots and celery, to name a few.

Ron Troyano, owner, along with Matt Thomas, of the restaurant, says that presenting the healthy-cooking class for children is an important part of the restaurant’s mission. It’s important to introduce children to healthy food, as well as to help them understand where food comes from. “We are passionate about it,” he says.

The students in the class were chosen by Alchemy’s chef Ricardo Heredia based on essays they wrote. “The first thing I look for is sincerity,” he says. “I read the essays over and over looking for kids that I think want to explore food more than others may.”

Heredia taught the youngsters a variety of lessons, including the history of chocolate, which involved making Alchemy’s Chocolate Ginger cookies. Another lesson on masa (a Spanish corn dough) included a history of Mexican cooking and allowed the children to prepare handmade tortillas and make tacos.

Before it was offered at McKinley, the Alchemy cooking class was offered for three years at Albert Einstein Academy, not far from the restaurant. The first class began when the organic garden was funded by a “Healthy and Ready to Learn” grant from chef Alice Waters, of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, who is famous for her advocacy of local, fresh food. Troyano describes Waters as “our inspiration.”

“We used basil, green beans, yellow flowers and even purple flowers!” says Nunamaker.

A field trip to Susie’s Farm was also part of the program. There, children learned even more about where food comes from and about healthy organic gardening. As a treat they ate directly from the garden. “I had the freshest strawberries I’ve ever tasted,” says Nunamaker. “They were juicy!”

“Now I like to cook,” says class member Nauta Hashimi.Another class member, Alicia Spencer, adds, “Fresh foods are better.”

And Nunamaker? “We learned where foods come from, and what is ‘organic,’ and about bad companies and about genetically modified food.”

Chef Ricardo says Alchemy will offer the class at McKinley again next year, and those in this year’s class will automatically be in the second class, if they wish.

“I welcome them all in my kitchen every time,” he says of the students. “I love it. I’m proud of it. We want to inspire kids and inspire parents.”

“The classes help with outreach and awareness,” adds Troyano.

Julie Ashton-Gray, principal of McKinley couldn’t be more pleased. “The class was a fantastic opportunity for our students to have a real-life experience connected to their learning at school. I am so impressed

Nathan Odom (top) and Julia Nunamaker (below) show off their new skills.

with the level of professionalism, and leadership of the staff at Alchemy who worked with our students. They provided guidance, motivation and learning experiences that were not available at our school. What a fantastic partnership and I am indebted and inspired with this project. I hope this is the start of many more opportunities at Alchemy!”

Karen Kenyon is the author of “Sunshower” and of “The Brontë Family/Passionate Literary Geniuses”.

She has written numerous feature stories, including many food articles for the San Diego Union-Tribune. She teaches at MiraCosta College and through UCSD Extension. fall 2012

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{Local Marketplace}

www.pralinepatisserie.com

Sushi Japoné

1101 Camino Del Mar A (at 11th) Del Mar, CA 92014

(858) 755-7555

Artisan Caramel Sauces

Join us for harvest season.

Call for reservations.

temeculaoliveoil.com 866-654-8396 Advertise in

Cultural Fare & Cocktails served nightly Brunch on Weekends

Assisting back-of-the-house staff with emergency medical needs

Taco Party Fundraiser • September 9 Like us on 52

to find out more!

edible San Diego

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1503 30th Street in South Park 619.255.0616 www.alchemysandiego.com

and watch

your business

grow!

For more information, please contact Riley Davenport, publisher.

619-222-8257 • riley@ediblesandiego.com

{Resources & Advertisers}

Thank these advertisers for their local and sustainable ethic by supporting them with your business.

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.

Catering

EVENTS

INDULGE CONTEMPORARY CATERING Contemporary cuisine and catering.

Vintage recipes coupled with the freshest local, organic produce. Flor Granados and her talented staff specialize in weddings, events and corporate accounts. 277 3rd Ave., Chula Vista • (619) 934-5700 • indulgecontemporarycatering.com

AUTUMNAL EQUINOX DINNER On Saturday, September 22, Suzie’s Farm invites you to gather with friends at twilight in an enchanted sunflower maze. In the maze find secret rooms, music, food and drink surprises. Then Executive Chefs Joe Magnanelli, Max Bonacci, Javier Plascencia and Karen Krasne promise to make your meal unforgettable. For info email events@ suziesfarm.com. For info and tickets go to the website. • suziesfarm.com

MISS SUSHI SAN DIEGO Sushi where YOU are! Catering, Foodtruck, Sushi-making parties. Follow Miss Sushi on Facebook (MissSushiSD) and Twitter (#MissSushiSD). Menus and complete information on the website. • MissSushiSanDiego.com THE VETTED TABLE Stylish design, graceful service, delicious feasts. The Vetted Table would like to make your next celebration that much more memorable. Contact them through the website • thevettedtable.com

EDUCATION & SERVICES CUPS Offers a variety of intimate, hands-on cooking classes in their state-of-the-art teaching kitchen for experienced cooks and beginners alike. 7857 Girard Avenue, La Jolla • (858) 459-CUPS (2877) • cupslj.com CASSIDY/TURLEY COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Looking to expand your restaurant?

Contact Randee Stratton who specializes in retail tenant representation. • (858) 546-5418 • randee.stratton@ cassidyturley.com • Twitter: @rstratton

COLLABORATION KITCHEN Bring your own beer or wine, find an empty chair on the warehouse floor, and get ready for fun, great food and to learn something about seafood from top San Diego chefs. Always a sell out, so buy your tickets early. Benefits San Diego children in need. Brought to you by Catalina Offshore Products and Specialty Produce. facebook.com/collaborationkitchen EDIBLE SAN DIEGO’S EAT DRINK LOCAL WEEK September 1-8. Eight days of ticketed events celebrating local, seasonal food and food artisans, and restaurants and merchants that source locally. Proceeds benefit Olivewood Gardens, Seeds@City, and Wild Willow Farm • Buy tickets at ediblesandiego.com San Diego Childrens discovery museum Family Pumpkin Patch: Live music, crafts, creative carving, hands-on gardening and more, Sept 22 – Nov 4, Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. FREE for children ages 0-12. Members $5, nonmembers $10. Fall Festival: Live music, crafts, creative carving, hands-on

gardening and more, Saturday, October 6, 10 am to 6 pm. Members FREE or general admission $6. Children 0-12 FREE in October. 320 N. Broadway, Escondido, CA • (760) 233-7755 • sdcdm.org FIELD TO FORK CELEBRATION Sunday, October 14th, 2-6 pm at Robert Renzoni Vineyards. Slow Food Temecula Valley (SFTV) invites you to their 5th Annual Field to the Fork Celebration, the premier local artisan food, wine and beer event. Proceeds go to SFTV school garden programs. slowfoodtv.org FRONT BURNER FUND Nonprofit committed to raising funds to assist back-of-the-house staff with health care costs and emergency medical needs. Taco Party Fundraiser, September 9! Like them on Facebook and follow “Front Burner Fund” for details • facebook.com/FrontBurnerFund SAN DIEGO BOTANIC GARDEN ANNUAL FALL PLANT SALE October 20-21. Sale of plant donations from over 100 local growers, wholesalers, retail nurseries and individuals, including native plants, cacti, succulents, bromeliads, fruit trees, and subtropicals. Silent auction, Bakery Shoppe and a lot of fun! 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas, CA • (760) 4363036 • SDBGarden.org (Events & Classes)

FARMS & FARMERS’ MARKETS BRIAN’S FARMERS’ MARKETS Weekly markets serving Morena District (Tue, 3-7), Mission Hills (W, 3-7), UTC (Thur, 3-7), Imperial Beach (F, 2-7:30), Golden Hill (Sat, 9:30-1:30) and Point Loma (Sun, 9:30-2:30) and unique farmers’ market CSA. Produce, flowers, bread, honey, olive oil, pastured chicken and rabbit, fish, prepared foods and crafts. EBT Market Bucks accepted. • (619) 795-3363 • BriansFarmersMarkets.com

HILLCREST FARMERS’ MARKET Every Sunday from 9-2pm at the DMV. Locally grown, in-season produce, meat, fish, bread, artisan foods, gifts, arts, crafts and flowers, and a wide variety of hot prepared food items with an emphasis on international cuisine.

3960 Normal Street • (619) 299-3330 • hillcrestfarmersmarket.com NORTH SAN DIEGO FARMERS’ MARKETS Every Wednesday, 11-2pm, and Sundays, 10:30-3:30 pm, at the Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead, a beautiful environment supporting local artisans and farmers. Produce, eggs, honey, artisan foods and lots of hot food for lunch. I-15 at Via Rancho Pkwy, Escondido • NorthSDFarmersMarket.com RON LACHANCE FARMERS’ MARKETS Serving Mira Mesa (Tue, 3-7), Carmel Valley (Thur, 3:30-7), Kearny Mesa (Fri, 10:30-1:30), La Costa Canyon NEW!, (Sat, 10-2), and Leucadia (Sun, 10-2) farmers’ markets. Local, farm-fresh produce, seafood, bread, flowers and specialty foods. • (858) 272-7054 • leucadia101.com SANTEE FARMERS’ MARKET Every Wednesday from 3-7pm in the abandoned school parking lot. Fresh, sustainable produce, bread, pastured chicken, cheese and more. 10445 Mission Gorge Road • (619) 449-8427 • santeefarmersmarket.com SAN DIEGO PUBLIC MARKET COMING IN 2013 2-acre property in Barrio Logan near Petco Park destined to become a public market like Pike’s Place in Seattle. RFP from shopkeepers, farmers and chefs for spaces starting at $500 a month. (619) 233-3901 or email to info@sdpublicmarket.com.

Rent-by-day stalls for farmers available.

Facebook.com/SanDiegoPublicMarket. • sdpublicmarket.com

DEL MAR FARMERS’ MARKET In the Del Mar City Hall parking lot.

Open from 1-4 pm on Saturdays year round. Fine crafted cheese, fresh fish, meat, honey, fruit, vegetables, flowers, prepared foods and crafts. 1050 Camino Del Mar • (760) 521-0643 • delmarfarmersmarket.org

SD WEEKLY MARKETS Serving Pacific Beach (Tue, 2-6:30), North Park (Thu, 3-7), and Little Italy (Sat, 9-1:30) with weekly markets offering cheese, pastured meats, local seafood, honey, fruit, vegetables, flowers, prepared foods and crafts. • (619) 2333901 • sdweeklymarkets.com

ENCINITAS STATION FARMERS’ MARKET On the corner of E Street & Vulcan, parking lot b, every Wednesday from 5 to 8 pm May-Sept, 4 to 7 pm Oct-April.

High quality produce, meat and artisan food vendors only; no arts & crafts and no hot foods. Remember to bring your own bags: the market is a single-use plastic bag free zone.

SUZIE’S FARM & SUNGROWN ORGANICS San Diego based organic farm and CSA grows, sells and delivers USDA certified organic produce and micro greens to chefs 5 days a week, and to the public at many local farmers’ markets and through their CSA. (619) 662-1780 • suziesfarm.com • (800) 995-7776 • sungrownorganics.com fall 2012

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FOOD REVIEWS & DISCUSSIONS LET THERE BE BITE LTBB helps you make the best food choices at your local store and online from trusted vendors, and provides tips on becoming your own four-star chef. • lettherebebite.com

FOODIE DESTINATIONS & CATERING ALCHEMY Alchemy serves light, healthy, sophisticated cultural fare, craft beer and cocktails. Small bites, substantial tapas and full size entrees made from highquality ingredients and local produce.

1503 30th Street, San Diego • (619) 255-0616 • alchemysandiego.com BLIND LADY ALE HOUSE A certified purveyor of honest pints, BLAH offers a finely curated lineup of local and craft brews, Neapolitan style pizza topped with fresh made mozzarella, local veggies and charcuterie housemade from sustainably produced meat. 3416 Adams Avenue, San Diego • (619) 255-2491 • blindladyalehouse.com

sourced. Niman Ranch beef and Vande Rose pork is sustainably raised. 2632 University Avenue, San Diego • (619) 294-7675 • carnitassnackshack.com COLLABORATION KITCHEN Fun, educational monthly cooking demos with top San Diego chefs. Brought to you by Catalina Offshore Products and Specialty Produce. facebook.com/ collaborationkitchen EL TAKE IT EASY Mexican wine country cuisine made with local produce, pastured meats and local seafood. Features local wines (San Diego County and Baja California), craft beers and cocktails made with artisanal mescal, tequila, American whiskey and other spirits. 3926 30th Street, San Diego • (619) 291-1859 • eltakeiteasy.com FARM HOUSE CAFE Chef Olivier Bioteau and wife Rochelle present rustic, country French cuisine in a quality, affordable neighborhood eatery.

Featuring local, fresh and seasonally appropriate produce, meat and cheese.

Excellent and eclectic wine selection.

2121 Adams Avenue, San Diego • (619) 269-9662 • farmhousecafesd.com

BLUE RIBBON ARTISAN PIZZERIA Supports local farmers’ markets and sustainable practices. Pizzas fired in a true wood burning oven feature house-made dough, fennel sausage from sustainable Berkshire pork, handstretched fresh mozzarella. Produce is local and organic. 897 South Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas • (760) 634-7671 • blueribbonpizzaria.com

HARNEY SUSHI With the most aggressive sustainability program of all Southern California restaurants, and a perennial “best sushi” pick of San Diegans, Harney serves up tasty and beautiful sushi made with sustainably harvested fish.

Two locations: 3964 Harney Street, San Diego • (619) 295-3272, and 301 Mission Avenue, Oceanside • (760) 967-1820 • harneysushi.com

BROOKLYN GIRL EATERY Locally owned and family operated. A casual neighborhood American eatery with a sustainable farm-to-table attitude, full artisanal bar with a great selection of locally produced craft beers on tap, and an extensive and affordable wine list. 4033 Goldfinch • (619) 2964600 • brooklyngirleatery.com

FISH 101 Local and seasonal fish, shellfish and produce highlighted here. All seafood is sourced in accordance with Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program.

Follow them on Facebook to see their delicious, seasonal desserts! 1468 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas • (760) 9436221 • fish101restaurant.com

BURGER LOUNGE Great tasting hamburgers made from healthy ingredients and sustainably raised, grassfed beef. A simple premium quality menu appeals to health and environmentally conscious diners, vegetarians and salad lovers. Kensington, Coronado, Little Italy, Hillcrest, Gaslamp and La Jolla. burgerlounge.com

JSIX Cooks Confablieri member Executive Chef Christian Graves embraces farm-to-table and boat-to-pan cooking by sourcing locally and using made-from-scratch methods. His thoughtful and inspiring cuisine is always delicious and delightful.

616 J Street, San Diego • (619) 531-8744 • jsixrestaurant.com

CAFÉ MERLOT Invites you to forage on 17 acres of ranch and vineyard and dine from their very own micro farm. They plant, grow and cook every meal to order. Cooking classes, specialty events, culinary medicine! 13330 Paseo del Verano Norte, Rancho Bernardo • (858) 592-7785 • cafemerlot.com

LOCAL HABIT Local Habit seeks to create a community based around local organic produce, meats and craft brewed beers.

Hand-crafted pizzas, sandwiches and small plates featuring the freshest produce from local organic farmers and award-winning craft brews. 3827 5th Avenue, San Diego • (619) 795-4770 • mylocalhabit.com

CARNITAS’ SNACK SHACK Slow food-inspired, pork-centric American cuisine, and snacks. Poultry, produce, beer and bread are locally 54

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MIHO GASTROTRUCK MIHO Gastrotruck uses fresh, local, and thoughtfully sourced ingredients to create hand-crafted street food that is affordable, convenient, and delicious. To locate where the truck will set up next, follow them on Twitter @ MIHOgastrotruck • MIHOgastrotruck.com MITCH’S SEAFOOD Casual waterfront dining in the historic fishing neighborhood of Point Loma, serving up locally caught seafood with a view of the bay and the San Diego Sportfishing Fleet. 1403 Scott Street, San Diego • 619-222-8787 • mitchsseafood.com RED MARLIN At the Hyatt on scenic Mission Bay, this modern, yet warm waterfront restaurant offers a sophisticated menu by Chef de Cuisine Danny Bannister with many sustainable, locally sourced ingredients.

Casual enough for an afternoon appetizer, and impressive enough for a very special occasion. 1441 Quivira Road San Diego • (619) 221-4868 • hyatt.com/ gallery/redmarlin/site.html RITUAL TAVERN The Ritual serves humanely raised natural Niman meat, Jidori chicken, sustainable seafood, and locally grown organic vegetables in simple, delicious dishes in the cozy dining rooms, on the front porch and back patio, and at their beautiful bar. Great wine and craft beer menu. 4095 30th Street, San Diego • (619) 283-1720 • ritualtavern.com SBICCA A cozy and award winning neighborhood restaurant serving traditional California cuisine with a comfortable and welcoming attitude and an ocean view. Given Wine Spectator’s “Award of Excellence” as the 2011 Gold Medallion Recipient for Best Neighborhood Restaurant. 215 15th Street, Del Mar • (858) 481-1001 • sbiccabistro.com SUSHI JAPONE A Seafood, Soy and Sesame Environment.

They use 100% rice bran oil for frying.

Gluten free soy sauce available. Happy Hour Monday through Saturday, 5 to 6:30 pm. 1101 Camino Del Mar A (at 11th) in Del Mar • (858) 755-7555 • sushijapone.com

foods. Two San Diego locations: 2400 Historic Decatur Road in Liberty Station • (619) 226-6254, and 4545 La Jolla Village Dr. at UTC • (858)455-9395 • tendergreensfood.com TERRA AMERICAN BISTRO In the East College District, Chef Jeff Rossman presents New American food with emphasis on ingredients and preparation styles from North, South and Central America, and using the bounty of local, sustainable and organic ingredients. 7091 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego • (619) 293-7088 • terrasd.com THE CRAFTSMAN NEW AMERICAN TAVERN Chef Wade Hageman and his wife Kristi of Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria serve up hand crafted, farm-to-table comfort food (short ribs, mac n’ cheese, house made sausage and charcuterie, artisan cheeses, local produce) and pair it with local craft brews, boutique wines and classic cocktails. 267 El Camino Real, Encinitas • (760) 452-2000 • craftsmantavern.com THE FISHERY With a premier seafood market at the center of the restaurant, Chef Paul Arias’s menu is market driven and changes seasonally, using sustainably raised and caught fish and fresh, local produce. Try the 3-course “Tuesday Tastings.” 5040 Cass Street, San Diego • (858) 272-9985 • thefishery.com THE LINKERY Setting the bar for local and sustainable in San Diego, the Linkery serves great food made with local produce, handmade sausages, local seafood and pastured meats. Ten taps of craft beer, and local wine. 3794 30th Street, San Diego • (619) 255-8778 • thelinkery.com THE RED DOOR RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR A casually elegant neighborhood hangout. Using organic produce sourced from their own ½-acre garden, local seafood and humanely raised meat, Chef Miguel Valdez produces re-imagined versions of familiar dishes. 741 W. Washington Street, San Diego • (619) 295-6000 • thereddoorsd.com

STARLITE Dinner. Cocktails. Late night dining.

Starlite offers handmade cuisine that uses the year-round abundant produce available locally. The menu changes frequently to accommodate seasonal products available in San Diego. 21 and up. 3175 India Street, San Diego • (619) 358-9766 • starlitesandiego.com

TIGER! TIGER! From the folks who brought you BLAH, find house baked breads, lots of excellent draught beer, salads, sandwiches, sausages and other hearty fare and lunch served Friday – Sunday. 3025 El Cajon Blvd. • (619) 987-0401 • tigertigertavern.com

TENDER GREENS Tender Greens offers farm-to-fork, organic classics along with chef driven daily specials highlighting the best of seasonal ingredients, local farms (one is just a few blocks away) and artisan

GARDNER & BLOOME Helping create beautiful gardens for over 85 years, find Gardner & Bloome premium organic garden soil, potting soil, mulch and fertilizer products at Anderson’s La Costa, L&M Fertilizer (Temecula & Fallbrook),

GARDEN RESOURCES

Myrtle Creek (Fallbrook), Plant World (Escondido), and El Plantio (Escondido) Nurseries. • kellogggarden.com GRANGETTO’S FARM & GARDEN SUPPLY Since 1952, large selection of organic products and eco-friendly garden and farm solutions. Four locations: Escondido, 1105 W. Mission Av.; Encinitas, 189 S. Rancho Santa Fe; Fallbrook, 530 E. Alvarado St.; and Valley Center, 29219 Juba Rd. Open Mon-Fri, 7 to 5 pm, and Sat 7 to 4. Check out the specials at • grangettos.com GREEN THUMB NURSERY Excellent selection of organic and natural solutions for your edible garden and knowledgeable staff to answer your questions. Complete selection of home canning supplies.

Find Coupon for $10 OFF any purchase of $60 or more on page 48.

1019 W. San Marcos Blvd. • (760) 744-3822 • supergarden.com NORTH PARK NURSERY A neighborhood plant and garden supply enterprise owned and staffed by neighborhood residents that supports local growers and is committed to reusing and upcycling whenever possible • (619) 785-1855 • supergarden.com REVOLUTION LANDSCAPE Specializing in the design, installation and maintenance of edible gardens and ecofriendly, water wise landscapes for businesses and private residences. • (858) 337-6944 • revolutionlandscape.com SAN DIEGO BOTANIC GARDEN Explore four miles of garden trails, enjoy flowering trees, majestic palms, and the nation’s largest bamboo collection. Plants from all over the world thrive here and the topography provides a variety of microclimates all within 37 acres.

230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas • (760) 436-3036 • SDBGarden.org URBAN ESCAPES A unique design and build landscape contractor specializing in transforming ordinary yards into edible and drought tolerant landscapes and outdoor living spaces that engage, delight and nourish the client. • (619) 933-3331 • uelandscape.com URBAN PLANTATIONS The Urban Plantations staff has over 25 years experience in home orchard care, garden coaching and permaculture solutions, including complete garden installation. They

can also teach you to care for your garden organically, keeping soil and plants healthy. 1010 University Ave. #1877, San Diego • (619) 563-5771 • urbanplantations.com

GROCERY BARONS MARKET All four neighborhood Barons Markets have large selections of natural and specialty food, like grass fed beef, organic cereal and bread, and local craft beer at low prices. The organic produce section is expanding, with many locally sourced items. Point Loma • Rancho Bernardo • Temecula • Wildomar/ Murrieta • baronsmarket.com JIMBO’S . . . NATURALLY! A local, family owned grocery with four locations that provides the highest quality organic and natural foods at reasonable prices. Jimbo’s is committed to supporting organic growing practices, and they are staunch supporters of the drive to label GMOs. 4S Ranch • Escondido • Carlsbad • Carmel Valley • jimbos.com SOL BISTRO & MARKET Locally sourced (within 100 or so miles) foods seven days a week.

Over 100 bottles of California & Oregon beer & wine. Bistro serves food made with local produce, fish, cheese and artisanal sausage.

Happy Hour 4 to 6 pm Wed-Sat. Liberty Station, 2855 Perry Road, San Diego • (619) 795-6000 • solmarkets.com SPECIALTY PRODUCE Local, organic and sustainably sourced produce from over a dozen farms each week. They promote freshly picked, organic produce that hasn’t traveled thousand of miles or sat on grocery shelves. 1929 Hancock Street #150, San Diego • (619) 295-3172 • specialtyproduce.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY RADIANCE YOGA & THERAPEUTIC CENTER Experienced, caring teachers at Radiance guide you through the postures gradually at a comfortable yet challenging pace. Yoga, therapeutic yoga, prenatal and kid’s yoga, personal fitness and massage therapy offered. • (619) 299-1443 • radyoga.com THRIVE WELLNESS Provides education, fitness training and lifestyle programs.

Acupuncturists, massage therapists and other specialty doctors help you reach your highest goals in health and nutrition. 4080 Centre Street, Suite 202, San Diego • (619) 7954422 • thrivewellness.com

HOME & GARDEN LIVING PROGRESS Stocks conscientious products for the home and garden, sourced from small design studios. They are passionate about quality and accessible pricing. 2225 30th Street, San Diego • (619) 280-5501 • progresssouthpark.com WILLIAMS-SONOMA The premier specialty retailer of gourmet cookware, cooks’ tools, cutlery, appliances, bakeware, tabletop & barware, outdoor cooking and agrarian (garden & homestead) resources. Supports the local food community by showcasing growers and specialty food producers at their Artisans’ Markets. 3 locations in the region: Fashion Valley • Westfield UTC • Promenade in Temecula • williamssonoma.com

Eat me!

I’m local.

Dine at the docks on the freshest fish in San Diego and support local fishermen.

Fresh Local Fish from Local Fishermen Sustainably Caught For daily specials, follow us on facebook

MEAT DA-LE RANCH Fresh, sustainably raised pork, lamb, beef, bison, rabbit, chicken, duck, goose, pheasant, quail and turkey by the cut at Little Italy, Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach, Escondido, Encinitas, North Park and Borrego Springs farmers’ markets. Custom order beef, pork and lamb by the side, half or quarter. CSA weekly, biweekly and monthly options. • da-le-ranch.com/ • dave@da-leranch.com GREEN BEEF San Diego’s premier grassfed beef CSA. The Kubitschek family has raised grass-ed beef since 1968.

Monthly they deliver CSA shares of healthy and fresh American Grassfed Association Tier 1 certified, Animal Welfare Approved beef to two convenient locations in the county, Golden Hill Farmers’ Market (Sat), and in San Marcos (Tue, Thur). • (888) 524-1484 • eatgreenbeef.com NIMAN RANCH Consistently good tasting, all natural beef, pork, lamb and smoked and prepared meats from small U.S. family farmers . Animals are humanely raised outdoors under strict animal handling protocols based on recommendations by Dr. Temple Grandin. Animals always have access to fresh, clean water and are able to express their natural behaviors. • nimanranch.com SAGE MOUNTAIN GREEN-FED™ BEEF CSA Using a “polyface” farm approach, cattle eat e diet of watermelon, eggplant, onion potato, tomato, butternut squash plants, alfalfa, wheat grasses and other forages.

No growth hormones, stimulants

1403 Scott Street, San Diego www.mitchsseafood.com

LOCAL FARM-FRESH PRODUCE & ARTISANAL FOOD PRODUCTS

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS 5pm - 8pm / May - October 4pm - 7pm / November - April 600 S. Vulcan Avenue, Encinitas www.encinitas101.com

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or antibiotics. Beef is dry-aged for 14 to 21 days for flavor. Six and 12 month CSA options. Single order packages available at farmers’ markets. • sagemountainbeef. csaware.com/store TAJ FARMS A CSA/subscription farm in the rural foothills of Valley Center selling pastured turkey (including heritage breeds), chicken, goat, pork, and beef. TAJ is dedicated to sustainable and responsible agriculture practices and creating safe and healthy food. • (760) 670-7012 • TAJfarms.net THE MEATMEN Albert Juarez makes artisan dry sausages using an old world, cold fermentation process: they are hand formed, then hung and slow dried for 6 weeks in small batches. Find MeatMen at Ocean Beach (Wed), La Mesa (Fri), Poway (Sat), Leucadia (Sun) and both Oceanside farmers’ markets (Thur), and at SOL Market in Liberty Station. • (619) 7089849 • meatmenstore.com T&H PRIME MEATS AND SAUSAGE Artisan Sausage Meister Jacob Kappeler learned his craft in Switzerland. His honey cured hams and turkeys received Grand Champion status; Polish Kielbasa judged the best in California 2 years in a row. State-of-the-art facility can handle year-round custom cut, smoke and wrap service for all wild game and farm-raised animals. Find them at Vista (Sat am) and Del Mar (Sat pm) farmers markets . • 735 E. Mission Rd., San Marcos • (760) 4719192 • tandhsausage.com

ORGANIZATIONS INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE New Roots community gardens and farms help refugees uprooted by conflict or disaster rebuild their lives and reconnect with the land. They’re greening urban spaces, and revitalizing local food systems and the environment. IRC works in 22 U.S. cities and over 40 countries to help communities build a healthy, secure and sustainable future. Learn more about IRC in San Diego and help New Root grow. • rescue.org PRICE-POTTENGER NUTRITION FOUNDATION 24-hour online health and nutrition course. Good vs. bad fats, paleo vs. vegan diet, degenerative diseases, environmental toxins, cell phones, vaccinations, dental disease. Direct access to David Getoff, Naturopath, Certified Clinical Nutritionist. Discounts for PPNF members. • (619) 462-7600 • ppnf.org

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SD COUNTY FARM BUREAU Established in 1913, the Farm Bureau is the leading advocate for the farm community by promoting the economic viability of agriculture balanced with good stewardship of natural resources.

Membership is open to all, helps your local farmers, and has many benefits. • (760) 745-3023 • sdfarmsbureau.org

SPECIALTY RETAILERS

SLOW FOOD 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 and food traditions by participating on a local level. • slowfoodsandiego. org • slowfoodurbansandiego.org • temeculaslowfood.org

CURDS AND WINE Curds and Wine is your source for home winemaking and cheesemaking supplies. Large selection of wine kits and you can make wine at the shop! Good variety of cheesemaking cultures and equipment available and cheesemaking demonstrations at the shop. 7194 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego • (858) 384-6566 • curdsandwine.com

PET CARE DEXTER’S DELI Suppliers of all natural diet and supplements for dogs and cats, including fresh raw foods and selected natural dry and canned foods. All are “human-grade” and chemical free and chosen to keep your pet strong and healthy. Two locations, Carlsbad, (760) 720-7507; and Del Mar, (858) 792-3707 • dextersdeli.com

RESTAURANT SUPPLIES SPECIALTY PRODUCE Local, organic and sustainably sourced produce from over a dozen farms each week. They promote freshly picked, organic produce that hasn’t traveled thousand of miles or sat on grocery shelves. 1929 Hancock Street #150, San Diego • (619) 295-3172 • specialtyproduce.com SUN GROWN Sungrown cultivates six categories of quality produce: micro-greens, microherbs, sprouts, micro-mixes, edible blossoms and specialty greens and shoots. Also Available through Suzie’s Farms. Call to order • (800) 995-7776 • fax (619) 662-1779 • sungrownorganics.com

SEAFOOD CATALINA OFFSHORE PRODUCTS Wholesale seafood market open to the public, offering fresh sushi grade fish, fresh local fish and shellfish. Featuring cooking demos on Saturdays. 5202 Lovelock Street, San Diego • (619) 2979797 • catalinaop.com PACIFIC SHELLFISH Locally owned and operated for over 30 years. Fish, shrimp and lobster are wild caught unless specified otherwise.

Seasonal and subject to availability. Inside The Fishery restaurant at 5040 Cass St. Pacific Beach • (858) 272-9940 • fax (858) 272-9615 • thefishery.com/wholesale

CAXAO Caxao Chocolates uses meticulously chosen fresh, natural ingredients combined with ideas of beauty, poetry, music and emotion to achieve a harmony of flavor in their confections. orders@ caxao.com • (619) 379-2447 • caxao.com

MOROCCO GOLD DATES Raw, organically and sustainably farmed Medjool dates grown in the Imperial Valley since 1994 and sold at San Diego farmers’ markets since 1998. Find them at Santee Farmers’ Market every Wednesday from 3 to 7 pm. • (619) 995-8048 PRALINE PATISSERIE Artisan Caramel Sauces made in small batches by an artisan chef from real vanilla beans, organic lavender, real butter, pure cane sugar and real cream, no artificial flavor, color or preservatives, just the best all natural ingredients available.

(619) 449-8427 • pralinepatisserie.com SOLAR RAIN A pure, great-tasting premium drinking water sourced from the ocean off San Diego, purified locally using highly efficient, evacuated solar tube technology. The PET1 bottle uses fewer material and energy resources than conventional plastic, and bottles contain an organic additive to help it biodegrade in a landfill in 9 months to 5 years. (760) 751-8867 • solarrainwatery.com SPRING HILL CHEESE Spring Hill’s line of farmstead, artisan cheeses include Quark, Ricotta, Cheddars and Jacks, fresh and specialty cheeses, and goat cheeses. Find them at Coronado (Tue), Palm Desert (Wed), North Park and Horton Plaza (Thu), La Mesa (Fri), Poway, Vista, Little Italy and Del Mar (Sat), and Hillcrest, La Jolla, Leucadia and Solana Beach (Sun) farmers’ markets, and at Jimbo’s Naturally and Venissimo. • springhillcheese.com TEMECULA OLIVE OIL COMPANY A family-owned and operated business that produces and sells premium extra virgin olive oils (pressed from sustainably raised olives harvested from trees on their ranch near Temecula), balsalmic vinegars, mustards, sea salts, sauces and spreads.

Four tasting rooms: 28652 Old Town

Front Street, Temecula; 2754 Calhoun St., Old Town San Diego; 342 S. Cedros Av., Solana Beach; 148 Main St., Seal Beach • 1-866-olive-you• temeculaoliveoil.com

WINE CARRUTH CELLARS Carruth Cellars is a boutique urban winery in the heart of the Cedros Design District with a tasting room open to the public five days a week. 320 Cedros Avenue #400, Solana Beach • (858) 847-9463 • carruthcellars.com TRIPLE B RANCHES A family business dedicated to producing San Diego’s finest wine grapes and premier estate wines made from those grapes. Grown, aged and bottled entirely within San Diego County, the wines display the unique qualities of our region.

• (760) 749-1200 • triplebranches.com VESPER VINEYARDS The goal of Vesper Vineyards is to expose wine drinkers to the diverse micro climates San Diego has to offer in one winery. We not only support local grapes and wine, but all local agriculture and cuisine. • (760) 749-1300 • vespervineyards.com

RADIO KSDS JAZZ 88.3 FM JazzWeek Magazine’s Large Market Station of the Year in 2011. Full-time mainstream/ traditional Jazz radio station, licensed to the San Diego Community College District, broadcasting 24 hours a day from San Diego City College. • jazz88.org

SOLAR CLARY SOLAR Residential and commercial solar installation and help with government incentives and private financing. They strive to give you the most comprehensive financial solution and the best engineering design and equipment. Free consultation. 2 locations in our region: Sorrento Valley, (888) 662-4743, and Palm Desert, (888) 662-4743, ext. 104. • ClarySolar.com

Farmers’ Markets MONDAY

Escondido—Welk Resort 8860 Lawrence Welk Dr. off Champagne Blvd.

1 – sunset fall/winter 3 – 7 pm spring/summer 760-651-3630

TUESDAY Coronado 1st St. & B Ave., Ferry Landing 2:30 – 6 pm 760-741-3763 Escondido * Grand Ave. btw Juniper & Kalmia 2:30 – 6 pm year round 760-745-8877 Mira Mesa * Mira Mesa High School 10510 Reagan Rd. 3 – 7 pm (3 – 6 pm winter) 858-272-7054 Morena District NEW!!

1240 W. Morena Blvd.

3 – 7 pm 619-795-3363 Otay Ranch—Chula Vista 2015 Birch Rd. and Eastlake Blvd.

4 – 8 pm (4 – 7 pm winter) 619-279-0032 Pacific Beach Bayard & Garnet 2 – 6:30 pm 619-233-3901 UCSD/La Jolla UCSD Campus, Town Square at Gilman/Meyers 10 am –2 pm (Sept to June) 858-534-4248

WEDNESDAY Carlsbad * Roosevelt St. btw Grand Ave. & Carlsbad Village Dr. 1 – 5 pm 760-687-6453 Encinitas Station Corner of E St. & Vulcan 5 – 8 pm, May-Sept 4 – 7 pm, Oct-Apr 858-922-5135 Mission Hills Falcon St. btw West Washington & Ft. Stockton 3 – 7 pm year round 619-795-3363 North San Diego # Sikes Adobe Farmstead 12655 Sunset Dr. Escondido 11 – 2 pm (Sept to June) 858-735-5311

Ocean Beach 4900 block of Newport Ave. 4–7 pm (summer 4–8 pm) 619-279-0032

San Marcos *# Cal State San Marcos 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd. 1 – sunset, (3 – 7 pm summer) 619-534-1738 Santee *# 10445 Mission Gorge Rd. 3 – 7 pm 619-449-8427 Temecula* 40820 Winchester Rd. by Macy’s 9 am – 1 pm 760-728-7343

THURSDAY Carmel Valley NEW!!

5951 Village Center Loop Rd. Canyon Crest Academy 3:30 – 7 pm 858-272-7054 Chula Vista Center St. off Third Ave. 3 – 7 pm (3 – 6 pm fall/winter) 619-422-1982 Horton Square San Diego 225 Broadway & Broadway Circle 11 am – 3 pm, March to Nov. 760-741-3763 Linda Vista *# 6900 Linda Vista Rd. btw Comstock & Ulric 2 – 7 pm year round 619-534-1738 North Park CVS Pharmacy 3151 University & 32nd St. 3 – 7 pm year round 619-233-3901 Oceanside Market & Faire * Pier View Way & Coast Hwy. 101 9 am –1 pm 619-440-5027 Oceanside Sunset Tremont & Pier View Way 5 – 9 pm (winter 4 – 8 pm) 760-754-4512 San Carlos Pershing Middle School 8204 San Carlos Drive 4 – 7 pm 619-279-0032 SDSU Campanile Walkway btw Hepner Hall & Love Library 10 am – 3 pm www.clube3.org

Seeds @ City Urban Farm 14th & C Sts. San Diego City College 9:30 – 11:30 am (Sept to June) erempala@sdccd.edu University Town Center Genesee Ave. at UTC Westfield Shopping Plaza 3 – 7 pm 619-795-3363

FRIDAY Borrego Springs Christmas Circle Comm. Park 7 am – noon (Nov–June) 760-767-5555 Fallbrook 102 S. Main, at Alvarado 10 am – 2 pm 760-390-9726 Imperial Beach * Seacoast Dr. at Pier Plaza Oct-Mar, 2 – 6 pm, Apr-Sep, 2 – 7:30 pm 619-397-1917 Kearny Mesa North Island Credit Union pkg lot 5898 Copley 10:30 am – 1:30 pm 858-272-7054 La Mesa Village * Corner of Spring St. & University 2 – 6 pm 619-440-5027 Rancho Bernardo Bernardo Winery parking lot 13330 Paseo del Verano Norte 9 am – noon 760-500-1709 Southeast San Diego 4981 Market St. (west of Euclid Ave. Trolley stop) 2 – 6 pm 619-262-2022

SATURDAY Carlsbad * Roosevelt St. btw Grand Ave. & Carlsbad Village Dr. 1 – 5 pm 760-687-6453 City Heights *!# On Wightman St. btw Fairmount & 43rd St. 9 am – 1 pm 619-534-1738 Del Mar 1050 Camino Del Mar 1 – 4 pm 760-586-0373

Golden Hill B St. btw 27th & 28th Sts. 9:30 am – 1:30 pm 619-795-3363

La Costa Canyon NEW! La Costa Canyon High School One Maverick Way, Carlsbad 10 am – 2 pm 858-272-7054 Little Italy Mercato Date St. (Kettner to Union) 8 am – 2 pm 619-233-3769 Pacific Beach 4150 Mission Blvd.

8 am – noon 760-741-3763 Poway * Old Poway Park 14134 Midland Rd. at Temple 8 – 11:30 am 619-440-5027 Ramona * 1855 Main St. (K-Mart pkg lot) 9 am–1 pm 760-788-1924 Rancho San Diego 900 Rancho San Diego Pkwy.

Cuyamaca College 9 am – 2 pm 619-921-9450 Scripps Ranch 10380 Spring Canyon Rd. & Scripps Poway Parkway 9 am – 1 pm 858-586-7933 Temecula * Old Town Temecula Sixth & Front St. 8 am – 12:30 pm 760-728-7343 Vista * County Courthouse 325 Melrose Dr. South of Hwy 78 8 am – noon 760-945-7425

SUNDAY Gaslamp San Diego 400 block of Third Ave. 9 am – 1 pm 619-279-0032 Hillcrest DMV parking lot 3960 Normal & Lincoln Sts. 9 am – 2 pm 619-237-1632

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La Jolla Open Aire La Jolla Elem. School Girard Ave. & Genter 9 am – 1 pm 858-454-1699 Leucadia * Paul Ecke Central Elem. School 185 Union St. & Vulcan St. 10 am – 2 pm 858-272-7054 Murrieta * Village Walk Plaza I-15, exit west on Calif. Oaks/ Kalmia 9 am – 1 pm 760-728-7343 North San Diego # Sikes Adobe Farmstead 12655 Sunset Dr. Escondido 10:30 am – 3:30 pm year round 858-735-5311 Point Loma # Corner of Cañon & Rosecrans 9:30 am – 2:30 pm 619-795-3363 Rancho Santa Fe Del Rayo 16079 San Dieguito Rd. 9 am – 1:30 pm 10 am – 2 pm fall/winter 858-922-5135 San Marcos *# Cal State San Marcos 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd. 10 am – 2 pm 619-534-1738 Solana Beach 410 to 444 South Cedros Ave. 1 – 5 pm 858-755-0444 *M arket vendors accept WIC (Women, Infants, Children Farmers’ Market checks) # Market vendors accept EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) ! Currently only City Heights accepts WIC Farmers’ Market Checks and the WIC Fruit and Vegetable Checks.

All San Diego County markets listed except SDSU and Seeds @ City are certified by the County Agricultural Commissioner. Visit ediblesandiego. com and click on “Resources” for more complete information and links to farmers’ market websites.

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