Edible Orange County Spring 2016

edible Orange County

A Member of Edible Communities

TUSCANY TOAST TEXAS SPRING 2016 NO. 20

The Fit Foodie in Tuscany

Spring 2016 No. 20

All About Toast

A Vegan in Texas Hill Country

Aged balsamics Gourmet condiments Kitchen linens&aprons Bird’s-eye maple cutting boards Slate cheese serving boards Original paintings Cookbooks

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Contents Spring 2016

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16

In Each Issue

6

Editor’s Note

By Gina Mullins Cohen

8 Contributors

Features 12

Toast: A Meal for All Seasons

By Robert Mullins

16

The Accidental Vegetarian Does the Texas Hill Country

24

Call of the Wild

28

One Feast Fits All

34

Fit Foodie

By Mareya Ibrahim

10

In Season

38

OC Farmers’ Markets

40

Our Advertisers

By Gina Mullins Cohen

By Bill Cohen

By Michele Jacobson

By Anna Thomas

4 Spring 2016

The Fit Foodie Goes to Tuscany www.edibleorangecounty.com

Recipe Box

31

Carrot-Top Pesto

By Anna Thomas

edible

Orange County® Published by Eclipse Media Partners, LLC 108 Hermitage Blvd.

Berryville, VA 22611 Editorial Staff Gina Mullins-Cohen Editor gina@edibleoc.com 310-721-3093 | 949-315-6445 Bill Cohen Editor: Arts and Culture 310-721-3093 | 949-315-6445 info@edibleoc.com Robert D. Mullins Investigative Reporter Editor info@edibleoc.com 310-721-3093 | 949-315-6445 Vi Paynich Editor: Fashion and Design Vi@edibleoc.com 714-504-1825

32

Lemon Risotto - With Sauteed Fresh Fava Beans

By Anna Thomas

33

PRAWNS SAUTÉED WITH GARLIC GAMBAS À LA PLANCHA

By Anna Thomas

Kim Lewis Creative By Design Creative Director klewis@creativebydesign.net 951-226-5617 Moe Goode Web Master info@edibleoc.com Digital Magazine Producer Creative By Design klewis@creativebydesign.net Advertising Gina Mullins-Cohen Publisher gina@edibleoc.com 310-721-3093 | 949-315-6445 Jennifer Sakurai jennifer@edibleoc.com 310-721-3093 No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher ©2015. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you.

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Editor’s Note edible Communities 2011 James Beard Foundation Publication of the Year

5 Great Years and Counting!

edible Orange County

A Member of Edible Communities

Spring 2014 No. 13

In Season

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Tree of Life

A Member of Edible Communities

TURKEY – UP CLOSE AND FAR AWAY

SPRING 2014 NO. 13

edible Orange County

A Member of Edible Communities

edible Orange County

GROWING STRONG

Growing Strong with Gloria Broming

Winter Warm 2014 No. 12

Endless Summer 2015 No. 17

California Olives

5/21/14 10:30 PM

WINTER WARM 2014 NO. 12

Sweet

edible Orange County

SUMMER’S SWEET GARDEN

People celebrate all kinds of things in the spring: Easter, Passover, Mother’s Day and graduation, but this spring the staff at Edible Orange County is celebrating 5 incredible years of story-telling. We have delivered the tales of local artisans, the histories of foods we love and given recipes born from the many diverse cultures in Orange County. These are stories that make any meal interesting and even the most basic meal complex and memorable.

Our first issue, Spring 2011, featured author Bill Cohen’s piece on organic pear orchards in the mountains of Southern California that separate Orange and San Diego Counties from the vast deserts that stretch to Nevada. Cohen also wrote about seed banks, the history of chocolate in Costa Rica, as well as a step-by-step feature and pictorial guide covering the BriBri indigenous people of Costa Rica, who still make chocolate “ the old way”, bound to legendary tales that haunt their history. Cohen illustrated and wrote a complete comic book satirizing The Natural Food Show which overtakes the Anaheim Convention Center each year. We dedicated the entire Winter 201314 issue to Cohen’s writings on Turkish food which included reviews of the Turkey best Turkish restaurants in Orange County, as well as an historical look at the Up Close foods found throughout that fascinating country. and Far Away My father, lifelong journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, Robert Mullins, brought word of the Super Bee to our pages, the genetically modified bee bred to be resistant to pesticides. He also detailed the history and Summer’s harm of radiation exposure throughout the Western U.S., as well as detailing the hazards of San Onofre, the nuclear power plant Garden just south of Trestles Beach that is now closed. This issue he pens a piece on toast – his favorite snack and now a trend spreading quickly from the west coast to the east.

Mareya Ibrahim, the Fit Foodie, has brought sheer magic and energy to our pages for 5 years. Ibrahim – as you (should) know - is an award winning inventor, celebrity chef and author who continues to Food Friends Front help people find happiness in life through understanding, preparing and Family Lines and eating healthy, delicious food.

Sustainable Dining with Friends Kim Lewis, owner of Southern California’s haute design firm, Creative by Design, is the magician who brings each of our stories to life with her keen eye for color, balance, placement and detail.

Each issue has been a great adventure and each, a celebration. Each story, each recipe and each photograph has allowed us to connect to you, our loyal readers in Orange County and throughout the world.

As we journey down this road in front of us, l want to say thank you, and remember to laugh a lot, eat good food and choose to be happy.

A Member of Edible Communities

Off the Menu

In Season

Winter 2014 - 2015 No. 15

Organic Tree

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Food Recovery

The Fit Foodie

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FOOD FRIENDS AND FAMILY

edible Orange County

ENDLESS SUMMER 2015 NO. 17

A Member of Edible Communities $7.95

2/9/14 9:14 PM

Autumn 2013 No. 11

Buffalo

9/21/15 4:02 PM

WINTER 2014 - 2015 NO. 15

FRONT LINES

Nutcracker

The Ecology Center Community Table

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AUTUMN 2013 NO. 11 eoc11_Cover3.indd 1

Recipes and Reviews

Cabbage

Off the Menu

11/29/14 11:09 PM

Mediterranean Temptations

10/14/13 1:31 PM

–Gina Mullins Cohen

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Contributors Bill Cohen is a writer, musician, cartoonist and humorist. He has a graduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. Bill has worked for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, The Getty Museum in Los Angeles and Universal Music Group. Bill spends his free time playing classical guitar, bicycling and studying Turkish. Bill learned to eat under the direction of his mom.

Gina Mullins-Cohen became fascinated with nutrition, as a teenager, when she discovered the benefits of organic food. Throughout her 20year career in publishing she has successfully co-launched several domestic and international magazines, as well as two media companies.

Gina is the owner of Edible Orange County and spends her time between Orange County, California and Loudoun County, Virginia where she is Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publications at National Recreation and Park Association. NRPA is dedicated to Conservation, Health & Wellness and Social Equity.

Mareya Ibrahim – The Fit Foodie – began her career in the natural products industry as the national marketing director for Wild Oats Market before it became Whole Foods. She experienced the natural products industry from all angles including food and marketing, retail, and all avenues including being a consumer of whole foods. Ibrahim is also the founder of Eat Cleaner products which have been featured on OVC. She has a pod cast and speaks regularly on the benefits of healthy eating.

Michele Jacobson is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, author and food writer. She lectures on GMOs, nutrition, how to eat and shop for healthier food in the American marketplace, and on health benefits derived from traditional diets of the world. In addition to her books, Michele writes two blogs: her Nutrition blog and her GMO blog. A member of the NOFA-New Jersey Public Policy and Advocacy Committee, her articles on GMOs have been widely published and distributed.

Kim Lewis is the owner and creative director of Creative By Design, a full-service creative agency located in Corona, California. Creative By Design provides award-winning design for titles such as Parks & Recreation Magazine and Elearning!

Magazine as well as city and chamber guides across the country. Kim has received over 50 awards for magazine design, from the Western Publication Association, Folio and other industry associations during her 24-year tenure as a creative professional. creativebydesign.net.

Robert (Bob) David Mullins is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. He is the only journalist ever awarded the esteemed Amicus Curiae Award, presented by the state Judicial Council. The prestigious Robert D. Mullins Excellence in Reporting Award, named in his honor, is bestowed annually to journalists considered outstanding in their ethical efforts to report the news. Mullins was also awarded the Bronze Star for his courageous, life-saving efforts during WWII.

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Vitisia Paynich grew up in Orange County.

She has been an editor and writer for more than 20 years. Vitisia co-launched both international and domestic business publications. She has interviewed celebrities, as well as several other high-profile figures throughout her career.

A WORLD O F WI N E ONE CLICK AWAY

Jennifer Sakurai has been a writer and editor for more than two decades. Several magazines under her direction have won Maggie Awards and both regional and national awards from the American Society of Business Publications. She has also earned an MBA with a marketing concentration. Jennifer loves both cooking and baking despite having been “the world’s pickiest eater.”

Anna Thomas is a film screenwriter, film producer and writer. She is also the only Oscar nominated winner of the James Beard Foundation Award.

Thomas has authored several cookbooks including: The Vegetarian Epicure Alfred A. Knopf, 1972, The Vegetarian Epicure, Book Two Alfred A. Knopf, 1978, The New Vegetarian Epicure Alfred A. Knopf, 1996, Love Soup W. W. Norton, 2009 and Vegan Vegetarian Omnivore: Dinner for Everyone at the Table, W.W. Norton & Co. 2016. Currently, Thomas lives in Ojai California where she continues to work in film and write.

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In Season

Spring

By Gina Mullins-Cohen

Apricots Asparagus Avocados Basil Beans, Green Beets Boysenberries Broccoli Cabbage Cantaloupe Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chard Cherries Collards Corn Cucumber Dates (Medjool) Eggplant Figs Grapefruits

Grapes Kale Kiwifruit Lettuce Melon (Honeydew/Persian/ Watermelon) Mushroom Nectarines Okra Onion (Dry/Green) Olallieberries Oranges Passionfruit Peaches Peas (Black-eyed/Green) Plums Raspberries Spinach Squash (Summer) Strawberries Tomatoes Turnips

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TOAST A MEAL FOR ALL SEASONS

By Robert Mullins

L

ong-stalled, but rapidly moving forward due to innovative baking techniques and passionate home bakers, the everyday world of grilled bread – toast - to be specific, is now

“a thing.”

You read that sentence correctly – toast - a simple piece of bread grilled in the oven, charred in the skillet or warmed to a light golden crunch in a toaster, is now the talk of foodies of all ages from artisan eateries in Manhattan to the shores of Laguna Beach.

I have eaten a lot of toast throughout my years. In fact, toast is one of my favorite snacks. I’ve eaten so much toast that I have come to wonder about its origin, its history and especially why it has become a recent trend.

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The first archaeological proof of flour dates back 30,000 years ago. It is highly probable that people were making flatbreads around that time, as well.

Toast begins with bread and bread begins with flour. The first archaeological proof of flour dates back 30,000 years ago. It is highly probable that people were making flatbreads around that time, as well.

Bread was an essential food in early civilizations and in ancient Greece it was sometimes used as an offering to the gods. Some of the first crops to be cultivated were wheat and barley and even though these crops were not as nutritious as other food sources, bread – the result of grains – fed a larger number of people. In fact, the ability to make bread was one aspect in ancient, tribal people’s ability to settle in one place ceasing their nomadic way of life.

The bread we eat today first originated in ancient Egypt. The Egyptians discovered that dough left sitting out for a time would rise and when baked, the dough changed texture and retained the risen shape.

The Egyptians also invented the closed oven which was used for the baking of leavened breads by 3000 B.C. The workers who built the great pyramids were paid partially with bread.

Leavened bread - at this point in history – was lighter and thought to be better than flat breads. The problem was when the leavened bread was left out in the sun for too long it became dry and difficult to chew.

This brings us to the origin of toast.

It is thought that toast began as a method to preserve bread.

Scorching or even browning sliced bread helped it last for longer periods of time and thus, it could be stored.

The word “toast” means “sliced bread singed by heat” and comes from the Latin torrere, “to burn”.

The practice of toasting bread first became popular in the Roman Empire. It is thought that breads were toasted by placing the slices in front of a fire on a hot stone, but in time basic devices were invented to quickly cook the bread in the fire. These devices were frames that allowed the bread to cook evenly.

As a writer, I was intrigued to discover toast was first noted in print within a recipe dating from 1430. The recipe was for Oyle

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Soppy, a dish of seasoned onions stewed in a gallon of stale beer and a pint of oil. That does not sound appealing to me since I like my toast with a square of butter melting in to it, so just how did toast make the transition from the 1400s to a story on the front page of the food section in the New York Times?

During medieval times, bread was so important that it often made up part of the table setting. Bread was the plate. History tells us bread used in this way was called a trencher. A trencher was a slab of stale bread with food served on top. The bread soaked up the flavors and nectars of the food and then the bread could be eaten, as well. Throughout the 1500s and most of the 1600s, toast was also eaten after it was used as a seasoning of sorts for spirits.

All of this changed with the invention of toasters and grills. Alan MacMasters, a Scotsman, invented the first electric toaster in 1893.

MacMasters’ invention, however, did not take hold with the public.

His appliance was thought to be a fire hazard as the iron wiring often melted. The other problem was fundamental. Electricity was simply not common in households in the late 18th century.

It is thought that toast began as a method to preserve bread. Scorching or even browning sliced bread helped it last for longer periods of time and thus, it could be stored.

Two inventors from Chicago, in 1905, created an alloy that was fire resistant and this marked the trail for others to try their devices on toasting bread. Around this time many electric toasters were brought to market. These toasters, however, only toasted one side of bread at once, so the bread had to be flipped. An automatic toast-turner, was invented 1913 and this was followed by the semi-automatic toaster. This turned off the heat in the device when the bread was cooked. Finally, in 1919, the pop-up toaster, similar to the small appliance on your kitchen counter, was created and today toast rightfully takes its place as a staple in America’s haute cuising.

White bread was once considered to be food of the upper class and royalty. Brown bread was for the poorer classes.

A popular idiom associated with the word “toast” is the expression “to toast someone’s health”, which is often done by one person in a group or at a gathering. The toast is done by raising a glass in salute to the individual. This meaning is derived from the early meaning of toast, which from the 1400s to the 1600s meant warmed bread that was placed in a drink. By the 1700s, there were references to the drink in which toast was dunked being used in a gesture that indicates respect: “Ay, Madam, it has been your Life’s whole Pride of late to be the Common Toast of every Publick Table Have you heard of the “buttered toast phenomenon?”

The phenomenon was first published in the form of a poem in the New York Magazine in 1835 and it hints to the fact that when toast slips out of your hand, it land butterside down. This notion is based on buttered toast usually being held butter-side up. If dropped at an angle from a hand, given that the toast is likely to be between two and six feet off the ground, at the start of the fall, it only has time to do a half-turn, thus it seems to almost always (62% of the time) land butter-side down. The weight of the butter actually has little bearing on the outcome of the fall.

The world’s first automatic bread slicer was invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder in Davenport, Iowa in 1912, but was not used in bakeries until 1927.

Electric toasters are in approximately 88% of American homes, today

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THE ACCIDENTAL VEGETARIAN DOES

THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY Story and Photographs By Bill Cohen

I

n the beginning there were long periods of shimmering heat punctuated by torrential downpours. As a consolation prize, the Gods of the Tonkawa gave them lime, salt, and chili pepper with the provision that they had to put all three on everything, and serve it with live music and libations.

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This may explain how I came to order a small plate of chopped watermelon and was asked if I wanted to put chili pepper, lime and salt on it. Fruits and vegetables have always been suspect in Texas. That dish of green beans goes undercover behind a tall hat, mustache, and dark glasses of deep fried batter, cheese, butter, bacon, slivered almonds… and chili pepper, lime and salt. The same could go for any vegetable and some of the veggie cousins, such as fish. Anything that grows in the ground, as opposed to on it, is integrated into Texas society this way. In the San Antonio Mercado, I ordered a piña colada, described as pure coconut, served in a hollowed out pineapple. This time, I asked for some lime (because you put the lime in the coconut) and received a quizzical expression. Three fruits together is a conspiracy. The drink came out with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle on top.

I’m not the kind of food writer that has the gift of effortlessly finding funky, forgotten roadside places with tempting local cuisine every time I stop for gas. My interest is documenting how you and I actually eat along the road, no matter whether it’s at a sit down restaurant or a vending machine in a laundromat. I’d love to tell you about the historical origins of quirky regional specialties in Texas, but I’m going to come clean about what we actually ate, which may prepare you for your experience in the real world of Texas cuisine.

For instance, lunch one day was a scoop of chocolate ice cream and two chocolate dipped strawberries. This was followed by a long hike out on the San Antonio River Walk with no restaurants in sight, until finally when we were starving and it was nearly dark, we Top: Local flavors are found at the historic Mercado in San Antonio. Bottom: Chili, lime and salt on everything in San Antonio 18 Spring 2016

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came upon a modern food complex.

These can be recognized as part food truck, part biergarten, and part recycling and nailing together of any wood or metal object that happens to be lying around and free. For some reason, not wanting to eat any meat in the land of cattle, we ordered an “off menu” combo that I would have titled, “The Eight Year Old” had it actually been on the menu – a side of fries with chili pepper, lime and salt, and a strawberry soda. Ok, the soda got hipster points for being imported.

And instead of calling our name or number, we were handed a large plastic dinosaur so the server could identify our location. Ducks came up from the river bank and went under the picnic tables, where they also managed to fight over and survive on chili fries. I ordered a chicken salad, which as a California greenhorn, I actually envisioned as being made of lettuce. Not saying I didn’t sort of enjoy it, but I think it was cubes of chili pepper, lime, salt and mayonnaise.

Our favorite place in Austin was the Driskill. This is a large 19th century hotel, recently renovated in what I would call Western Gilded Age, a mix of fru fru architectural elements and leather sofas made of www.edibleorangecounty.com

Top: The Riverwalk pathway connects the urban center to historic Spanish Missions. Bottom: Strawberry soda, fries with lime, chili and salt.

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real furry cow hide. And there on the appetizer menu in the lounge, the Accidental Vegetarian was thrilled to discover a dish composed entirely of Brussel sprouts. By now you probably realize that in Texas, naked on a vegetable is about as acceptable as naked would have been on a person in the Victorian era. By the time this sprout had been tarred and feathered with butter, oil, teriyaki, Worcester sauce, almonds, raisins and who knows whatall, it would take a month on a mechanical bull to twist it off. The city slogan is “Keep Austin weird. ” What could this mean? As we exited the theater one night, a guy came strolling down the street in a cowboy hat, a purple cape, 1970s style oversized glasses, cowboy boots, and a teeny weeny purple bikini. I guess the shirt and pants were still at the dry cleaners.’

New Braunfels was hard to locate. The historical part of town is now written as ‘Gruene’ but is pronounced, “Green. ” You’re

Once in, we tried the trout in chili pepper, lime and salt, with a half order of six onion rings that stood a foot tall. supposed to drive around in the countryside under a tree canopy and spot the name on a water tower. Anywhere else a historical town reached by windy roads through the woods and featuring bars, dance halls, beer gardens, and bands belting out the blues would be rattling with idling motorcycles. But this is a very mellow place, with antique stores and bed-and breakfasts. The adults seemed to have left the kids with Aunt Ipad and gone out to a paradise of open carry beer. There are several nice restaurants in the handful of blocks that make up the heart of this town, and we chose the Gristmill. This is a very large establishment, sprawling along the side of a hill above the Guadalupe River. It looks like it was patched together over time by local carpenters not working from a master plan. The fireplace in one room is decorated with three boars’ heads, in another room, a longhorn bull. You wait for a table next door inthe beer garden where there are so many people ahead of you that it takes four full time folks just to write down the names on a chalk board and then cross Top: Onion rings Texas style. Middle: Music, dancing and great food can be found in Gruene. Bottom: Breakfast burritos – a San Antonio original.

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Top Left: Dating back to the 19th Century, Gruene Hall is a famous music venue where Willie Nelson, Emmy Lou Harris and many others perform regularly. Top Right: Gruene’s favorite dining establishment, The Gristmill.

Bottom: A colorful, charming street corner in downtown Gruene.

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Top: The Blue Star Brewery is located in one of the many hip areas of San Antonia. Bottom: Late night, in-room, dinning? The mini bar.

them out. Once in, we tried the trout in chili pepper, lime and salt, with a half order of six onion rings that stood a foot tall.

On to San Antonio’s La VillitaArts Village where we encountered the town’s new regional specialty, the breakfast taco. At $1.95 a taco this is a cheap way to start the day, with a rolled up flour tortilla containing your preferred combination of eggs, potato, cheese, bacon and sausage. In So Cal, anything in a flour tortilla is called a burrito, not a taco. The flour tortilla itself is a postwar invention, so whether Jack in a Box inspired this regional cuisine, I’m not sure.

One day we River Walked right out of town, past the King William historic home district and to the end of the landscaping, where the river becomes natural again. From here you can rent bicycles and continue in an eight mile loop downstream to see four Spanish missions. At the intersection of the man-made and natural worlds is the Blue Star Arts Complex, containing art galleries, a bike shop, bars, coffee houses and restaurants. You can see the tanks in the Blue Star Brewery and sample the product in a bar full of bikers - that is, bicycle bikers. Once again I went for the chicken salad because it’s like a lottery where the winner might find some lettuce. This time I won.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, the snacks were not hidden in the minibar fridge but covered half the top of the dresser, daring you to resist. So late at night, we would cut a swath of devastation, leaving only a pile of wrappers in the trash can.

Then we would rearrange the remaining snacks to look like no one had touched them, to avoid the overpriced fee. It’s all about intentions, and no hotel should charge you for what you intended not to eat. A minibar is to a guest as a highway patrol is to speeding cars. There should be an entrapment defense.

Post-Indian Texas cuisine began with the French Colonists under La Salle starving to death when their supply ship sank in Matagorda Bay. During the Battle of the Alamo, cattle were herded in and roasted by the defenders. Mexican American food originated in San Antonio in the 1890s, by women selling homemade tamales from steaming pots on the sidewalk.

Nowadays the cuisine of all nations is welcomed as long as they abide by the Statewide Convention prohibiting undecorated vegetables. Do not do as we did and try to maintain a strict vegetable and chocolate diet. For God’s sake, there’s authentic Tex-Mex food - cheese enchiladas smothered in sauce with more cheese on top. There are places like The Salt Lick, serving heaping mounds of smoked brisket, steak, chops and sausage.

There is a whole closed off street of bars serving Texas beer and hard liquor in Austin. As the Texas settler slogan goes, “Come and Take It.”

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Top Left: You find history around every corner in San Antonio. Top Right: Sunday morning parishioners in the cathedral in the historic district of San Antonio. Bottom: Want to have a peaceful day? Try the San Antonio bike path.

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Call of the

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By MICHELE JACOBSON

I

n the beginning, all foods grew wild. Nothing was cultivated, processed, or genetically engineered. And prehistoric humans benefitted enormously from eating the natural edibles they gathered. On average, they consumed over one hundred different plant varietals a year. These plants provided great amounts of calcium and other micronutrients, helping to build strong bones and teeth. Our ancestors also ate less sugar in a year than the average person now eats in a day. Foods were gathered at the peak of freshness and, prior to eating, simply washed, peeled, cracked or possibly cooked over an open flame.

As humankind evolved into an agricultural society, cultivated varieties of plants were bred to be sweeter to cater to the contemporary palate. Fruits and vegetables continued to be cultivated for uniformity, durability during transport, and long shelf life; key concerns for producers. As a result of these objectives, what we lost was the high nutritional content that our original wild food sources contained.

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Desert regions hold a plethora of edibles including palm dates and cactus fruits, although some taste better than others.

The nutrients found in wild foods cannot be matched by their counterparts at the supermarket, or even the farmers market, conventional or organic. Studies have shown the TAC, or total antioxidant count, in wild fruits and vegetables are far and above what their cultivated cousins contain. This refers to nutrients such as polyphenols, carotenoids, chlorophylls, and ascorbic acid, which are so important to modern health because they fight free radicals in the body and have cancer-fighting properties.

Wild plants contain far more substantial amounts of these antioxidants. This isn’t just due to healthy soil, the absence of pesticides or other man-made interventions. In order for a plant to survive in the wild it needs to defend itself against the forces that threaten to harm it, such as fungi, viruses and bacteria.

Antioxidants are the compounds a plant produces to protect it from environmental hazards. As these compounds serve to safeguard plants, contributing to their optimum health, when humans partake of the plant-based foods that contain them, the protective properties transfer over to benefit us as well.

Many people are interested in foraging wild foods because of these significant health benefits, but that is not the only draw. There is the diversity of plant life, the connection with nature, and best of all, the food is free. While some folks may just stop to enjoy some wild berries by the side of the road, others make a livelihood from foraging, picking for the expanding number of restaurants that increasingly feature wild foods on their menus. Indeed, many of these cannot be found in the produce section of your local supermarket.

The diverse topography of California, coupled with its temperate climate, make it ideal for foraging. Each bio-region contains foods native to its environment, though some plant species like to travel and often show up in other areas. While what is fresh will vary with

the season, what you can expect are: mountain regions bountiful with nuts and greens and, if you’re lucky enough to find them in forests, wild mushrooms; fields abundant with edible flowers in season, the edges rimmed with berry and bramble bushes; seaside stretches where nutrient-dense seaweeds such as algae and other sea vegetables bide. The chaparrals’ manzanita provides berries and flowers, most of which can be eaten.

Desert regions hold a plethora of edibles including palm dates and cactus fruits, although some taste better than others. Even urban areas have wild foods for the picking, from weedy lawns, coniferous and ornamental trees, the cracks of sidewalks and cacti, though it would behoove you to make certain your edibles have not been subject to pollutants or other toxins such as pesticides!

Foraging may be fun, free, and a source of nutritious, delicious fare, but there are definite protocols that should be followed. These are for the safety of the eater, the ecosystem that depends on the plant, and the plant itself, which needs to regenerate and grow.

Furthermore, there are a host of laws in place to both guide and restrict who can pick which plants, and where. Though some may resent these regulations, they exist for those people who are unaware of the damage they may impinge on the environment, causing soil erosion and depleting food sources essential for native animal species. Foragers walk a fine line between the right to pick wild plants and the obligation to respect nature.

So, before you start out foraging for wild foods, make certain you go where you are welcome. Here are some loose guidelines, but the most prudent course of action is to ask before you pick.

1. Foraging is restricted in California state parks. Harvesting in state forests usually requires a permit. National forests generally allow small amounts of edibles to be harvested, but foraging in designated wilderness areas is prohibited. And, of course, trespassing on private property for any reason is illegal. The harvesting of marine aquatic plants, such as seaweed, comes with its own set of rules and regulations based on volume and region.

2. Learning how to forage properly is essential so that plant life is not destroyed in the process; here are a few rules of thumb: a. Experts advise to only take 1/7 of a plant so that it is able to rejuvenate, thrive and grow. b. Remember that it is not just about you, or the plant, but the entire bio-system of a region that is interwoven.

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c. Always have respect for the surrounding environment and leave it looking like it did when you entered. d. Take only what you need and don’t deplete natural resources.

Always consider the equation of scarcity vs. abundance.

3. It is important to be well-educated on what is safe to eat, and the best way to learn is from an experienced forager! Get informed.

Take a class. rRead up on the topic!

Never consume what you’re not sure of. There are poisonous plants that are easily confused with edible lookalikes, and viceversa, so if in doubt, go without.

Pick only what you will eat, and only eat what you know.

Avoid any plant that looks contaminated, by animal droppings, pollution, dirty water runoff, etc. Never eat anything rotting or with foreign growth.

From the commonplace to the truly unique, one person’s weed can be another’s vittles. The next time you go out for a hike, you can come home with a veritable feast. All you need to do is look.

Happy hunting.

A wonderful guide to California wild foods is Foraging California

by Christopher Nyerges.

Wild Edible Plants of So Cal • • • • • • • • • • •

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Amaranth Asparagus Brudock California Bay Laurel* California Black Walnut California Poppy * Cattail Chicory Chickweed* Clover* Dandelion*

• • • • • • • • • •

Field Pennycress Fireweed Blackberry* Green Seaweed Kelp Prickly Pear Cactus Purslane Sheep Sorrel Wild Black Mustard* Wild Sorrel

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ONE

FEA Vegan, vegetarian, omnivore—everyone’s welcome at this table

By ANNA THOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY BY VICTORIA PEARSON

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ST

FITS ALL

T

he way we eat is changing—that’s not news anymore.

I remember when, as a budding vegetarian, I couldn’t eat out in Los Angeles—in Los Angeles!—except at a handful of hippie cafés. I became an upstart in the food scene by writing The Vegetarian Epicure in 1972, while I was still a film student at UCLA. I think it was self-defense. Since that time, I’ve cooked a lot, eaten constantly, entertained often and written four more books. And now—good grief—I’m the O.G.

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Yes, I believe that what I put on the table is important.

But there is one thing more important: Who is at the table?

Gathering my friends around the table has been one of the joys of my life, and I don’t invite people over because they eat the same way I do. I’m willing to bet you don’t either. We invite folks because we love them, or we want to know them better, or they tell the best jokes! Or maybe simply because we’re related.

Can we all sit down and have dinner together?

Over the last few years, I have begun to hear more and more laments from people who were afraid to entertain because this one would only eat that, and the other one wouldn’t eat this. The way we eat is changing, but we’re different, and we’re in very different places on that larger curve. We need to find a way with food, I thought, that allows us to relax and be flexible, and to just have a good time.

Well, here’s the thing: In our traditional American food culture we have a default setting: meat in the middle, grains and vegetables on the side. Those familiar meals could be adapted, of course, but we’d immediately be taking something away, substituting— compromising. Of course, we could prepare two separate meals, but what a hassle! And let’s face it, then there would be an A meal and a B meal, and who wants to be on the B list?

We’re doing this backwards, I thought. Why not start with the food everyone eats?

Everyone eats the watermelon at the picnic. It’s not the vegan watermelon, it’s just the watermelon. Everyone eats the minestrone and the focaccia. Everyone eats the roasted potato wedges with mojo verde that I serve with cocktails, and my wild mushroom risotto.

It seemed so simple. Start with the foods everyone eats, create a dish or a meal that works, then add and elaborate … expand with eggs, cheese, fish or meat … make it flexible. Make one meal, but one that can be enjoyed in variations. It became my holy grail: to design meals at which we could sit down together, toast

each other and eat happily in my peaceable kingdom.

I made a savory chile verde with fat white beans and added chicken to half of it. I made Lebanese-style stuffed peppers filled with aromatic rice and lentils, but added spiced lamb to half the stuffing. I made meals built around hearty pilafs of farro and black rice, surrounded by roasted vegetables—and slices of pork for the omnivores. My easy fish soup became a dinner party favorite. It begins as a robust vegetable soup and the fish and shellfish are added at the last minute, so it can easily be served in two versions.

And one spring weekend, after my weekly visit to the Ojai Certified Farmers’ Market, I made a delicate, lemon-perfumed risotto with sautéed fresh fava beans. I offered large shavings of Parmigiano, and passed a platter of sautéed shrimp to be added as a garnish for those who wanted it.

It was a perfect springtime meal, bright and full of the fresh taste of the season.

Here is that risotto in a menu that can be kept very simple (see page XX for recipes). Make a salad of the first tender lettuces to begin, and finish with a bowl of strawberries. Or make it a dinner party by adding a starter of carrot-top pesto served with roasted young carrots, crostini and tangy goat cheese. For dessert, combine our amazing local Gaviota strawberries with Ojai tangerines, all drizzled with a light syrup to make a compote that can only be enjoyed at this perfect moment of the year.

And invite everyone you like; call them to the table without fear. We long for that social table—it is a place of sharing of stories and jokes, old friendships and new, a place where we can become our best selves. Let’s not give it up just because we don’t all eat the same way!

Longtime Ojai, California resident Anna Thomas wrote the iconic cookbook “The Vegetarian Epicure” when she was still a film student at UCLA, followed by its two sequels and “Love Soup.” Her newest book, “Vegan Vegetarian Omnivore: Dinner for Everyone at the Table” (W. W. Norton & Co., 2016), hits shelves in April.

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RECIPE Carrot-Top Pesto How many times have you thrown away those bushy green tops? Me, too—but no more. Now I make this deliciously peppery, textured pesto. Have it as a condiment with roasted spring carrots, or roasted new potatoes. Or spread it on crostini with a dab of white cheese.

Be sure you have fresh, bright green carrot tops. And if you have no basil to add to the mix, try parsley or cilantro and a few fennel greens instead.

INGREDIENTS 4 oz. trimmed carrot tops (from 1 or 2 bunches), big stems trimmed off 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup (1 oz.) walnuts 1 oz. fresh basil leaves, chopped (1/2 cup) 1/2 oz. fresh mint leaves, chopped (1/2 cup), plus more to taste 3/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS 1. Pull the fronds of the carrot tops off the stems and discard the stems. Carrot tops have a firm, chewy texture, but the stems are tough. Wash and spin-dry the greens.

2. Pulse the garlic and walnuts briefly in a food processor, then add the various greens and the salt and pulse again, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the greens are finely chopped. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and process the pesto until it is smooth.

Makes about 2 cups

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RECIPE Lemon Risotto - With Sauteed Fresh Fava Beans VEGETARIAN Although the ingredients are simple, I think of this as a luxury dish: fresh fava beans are a seasonal delicacy, and shelling this many rates as an act of culinary devotion. The risotto is aromatic with lemon zest and richly satisfying with the bright green new favas—a bowlful of spring.

Serves 6 to 8 as a center-of-the-plate dish INGREDIENTS 5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups peeled fresh green fava beans, from 1 lb. shelled beans (see note) 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice sea salt 3/4 cup finely chopped shallots 8–9 cups light vegetable broth, diluted if salty 2 1/2 cups Arborio rice 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 1/2 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for the table DIRECTIONS 1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium sauté pan, add the garlic, and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the peeled fava beans and sauté them over medium-high heat, stirring almost constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they color lightly. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, sprinkle the beans with a big pinch of sea salt, give them one more stir, and remove them from the heat. Set them aside as you prepare the rice.

2. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan and stir the shallots in it over medium heat, with a dash of salt, until they are soft, 6 or 7 minutes. Bring the vegetable broth to a simmer, cover it, and keep it hot on the lowest flame. Be sure that your vegetable broth is not too strong or salty.

3. Add the rice to the shallots and stir over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir as it evaporates. Add 1

cup of the hot vegetable broth, lower the heat to a simmer, and stir as the broth is absorbed into the rice. Continue adding broth, about a cup at a time, stirring almost constantly. As each cup of broth is nearly absorbed, add the next cup and stir again, and so on until the rice is tender but firm and a creamy sauce has formed around it, 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and the lemon zest, as well as two-thirds of the sautéed fava beans, reserving the rest for a garnish. Stir in the Parmigiano, and then, just before serving, add a final, generous ladleful of broth. Immediately spoon the risotto into shallow bowls and scatter a few reserved fava beans on top of each serving. Pass the olive oil carafe and the additional grated ParmigianoReggiano at the table.

A SEAFOOD VARIATION . . .

Lemon risotto can be made with shrimp instead of fava beans, or along with them. Peel and devein about 1 pound of fresh shrimp, wash them, and have them ready as you begin to cook the risotto. When the rice has been cooking about 15 minutes, sauté the shrimp for a moment in some olive oil with a bit of garlic and a splash of white wine. Stir the shrimp into the risotto, or into part of it, just before serving. Or add a few sautéed shrimp on top of individual servings. The large Prawns Sautéed with Garlic (p. 349), which are left unpeeled, also make a good pairing.

ABOUT THOSE FAVA BEANS . . .

The well-protected fava beans must first be taken out of their large pods; then the beans need to be peeled, one by one. It’s a bit of work, but not so much that it should stop you. I timed myself the last time I peeled a pound of shelled favas (about 3 cups beans in their jackets): 20 minutes. Not a tragedy. So bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the shelled favas.

When the water simmers again, give them 2 to 3 minutes, depending on their size. Drain them, rinse briefly with cool water, and then slip off their skins while they are still warm.

You’ll have a generous 2 cups when the beans are peeled.

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RECIPE PRAWNS SAUTÉED WITH GARLIC GAMBAS À LA PLANCHA Prawns sautéed in garlic is one of those classic, simple dishes found all over the Mediterranean, from the tapa bars of Spain to the mezze tables of the Middle East. You can sauté prawns or large shrimp in their shells, or you can peel them down to their tails, which makes them an easy finger food.

INGREDIENTS 1 lb. large prawns (14–18) 2–3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro a pinch of sea salt GARNISH: lemon wedges DIRECTIONS 1. The prawns can be sautéed in their shells or peeled, depending on how you want to serve them. Sautéing in the shell keeps in

a bit more flavor, but peeling the prawns makes them much easier to eat (and you don’t need finger bowls). If peeling the prawns, leave the tails on and remove the dark veins.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the garlic, and add the prawns right on top of it. Cook the prawns over high heat for about a minute, until you see them starting to turn pink, then turn them over. Add the lemon juice and the chopped cilantro and cook another minute or so, just until the prawns have turned pink all over. Exact cooking time depends on the size of the prawns.

3. Sprinkle on a tiny bit of sea salt and serve the prawns with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

Serves 6 to 8 as a tapa, in a selection of mezze, or as a garnish for pasta. Easy to double.

IN FLEXIBLE MENUS . . .

Find these easy prawns in No One Eats Mezze Alone (p. 118), but don’t stop there. Have them with Teddy’s Fusion Arrabiata (p. 185) or with Lemon Risotto (p. 201) or Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil (p. 183).

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The Fit Foodie®

DESTINATION SATIATION

BY CELEBRITY CHEF AND INDUSTRY EXPERT MAREYA IBRAHIM, THE FIT FOODIE

Mareya Ibrahim is The Fit Foodie. She is the creator of EAT CLEANER® and the Cleaner Plate Club, teaching families how to enjoy cleaner, safer, longer lasting fresh food. She is also a featured chef on “Everyday Health’s Recipe Rehab” and hosts “Fit Foodie” Fridays on Channel 6 San Diego. This time of year, she can’t get enough of golden beets, butternut squash and Branzino.

I

t can be hot, sweet, smoky, spicy and raw. It’s yummy. It’s sensual, and it can bring you to tears. It’s fun too - so fun, that most people do it 3 times a day.

The truth is, it can completely change your destiny, and the fork in the road is what you choose to put in your mouth.

Food is, quite literally, information.

The heritage of the food, its ordinance, its’ upbringing are all imprints and all of this passes onto us and affect our DNA. The foods we eat can be vibrant and full of energy, like a rainbow chard that basks in the sun and feeds from rich, nutrient dense soil, and is picked a few miles away. We take that into our bodies and things get serious. All the chlorophyll does some major magic and our cells do a happy dance, oxygenating us into a focused and present state. It is a chain reaction, and there is no choice but to feel vital and strong.

We pass this on to our children and they inherit our DNA, built by how we care for and fuel our bodies.

When you think about how this information

34 Spring 2016

becomes part of our genetic makeup, it makes you think twice about downing the Ding Dongs and diet soda.

Last October, I took a group of 7 people to Tuscany to get a taste of culture and cooking in the hills above Pisa. It’s a magical locale, a brick and terracotta villa nestled in a grove of over 300 silvery leafed olive and stately Cypress trees. Lush and rustic, it’s proprietors are two super cool and well-spoken Italians who make it their living to nurture visitor’s stomachs and intellects. Paolo, aka ‘Wiki

Small bites adorn the table www.edibleorangecounty.com

Seasoned green beans with almonds

Paolo,’ our curator of all things cultural has an answer for you about everything Italian. Manul, the soulful cooking expert leads the culinary aspect.

Manul is deeply insightful and shy in her outward emanation, but firm in her beliefs and is not afraid to share her reverence for the earth and how it is our duty to respect what it produces. A sign hangs in the dining room that says ‘We give thanks to the fruits of the air, of the earth, above and below its surface, to the animals and to the elements, alchemic nourishment for our body and our essence. May our behavior be conscious and dignified.”

It showed in everything they taught us to prepare – from the

“We give thanks to the fruits of the air, of the earth, above and below its surface, to the animals and to the elements, alchemic nourishment for our body and our essence.

May our behavior be conscious and dignified.” creamy risotto with wild mushrooms to the poached apples with Vin Santo to the balsamic-roasted cipollini onions with amaretti, to the penne with pesto and roasted red peppers and the best cantuccini I’ve ever eaten – and many more delicious bites in between. We gathered around the large butcherblock table donning our aprons, cutting boards and tools in front of us, and discussed the ingredients for each dish. While we prepared everything, we laughed and told stories, nibbled on pieces of Pecorino, fennel Taralli crackers and giant green olives, then sat down to enjoy this experience with every ounce of presence in our bodies. Each dish we tasted fed our souls.

And BOOM. It hit me like a giant pizza.

This is the definition of intention. The act of cooking and eating is by no stretch an accident, a happenstance or an occasion where the intellect takes a holiday while the stomach gets to play with complete abandon. Unlike any other creature, we are the only ones capable of alchemy in the kitchen. It could be as simple as salad or as intricate as a 4-course meal, but the fact www.edibleorangecounty.com

Creating food that feeds the soul.

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The Fit Foodie

We use chemistry to nurture a creation into being by using heat, cold, spice, a blender or a knife. As omnivores with opposable thumbs, we have the conscious ability to select what we will eat, prepare it, consume it and share it.

Homemade Biscotti - a treat for all.

that we can articulate food into art, appreciate it with all 5 senses and participate with other in the act is extraordinary. We can’t stomach certain things because our bodies can’t digest them, so we transform them. We use chemistry to nurture a creation into being by using heat, cold, spice, a blender or a knife. As omnivores with opposable thumbs, we have the conscious ability to select what we will eat, prepare it, consume it and share it. We can pick certain foods that contain superior health and flavor properties and combine them in a way that nourishes our cells.

We are able to make decisions about what we like, what spices to add, what heat or technique to use and how we will present it for consumption. No other creature does this. We can choose to partake with others or consume it ourselves, and depending on how much time we have, we can spend a few minutes or a few hours indulging in the meal. We can invite friends and family to the table and fill it with laughter and conviviality. If the mood takes us, we can set some nice dishes and silverware

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Artistry in everything - even coffee and other hot drinks

out, furnish the table with a cover, play some background music, light a candle, pour some wine and maybe even an assortment of different drinks to complement different types of food. And so, we’ve created another layer of alchemy to our environment.

In Arabic, we call it ‘mezhag’ or zest for life, infusing our creative touch on everyday actions. The point is, we have the choice to do it or not. Humans are alchemists, and alchemy is magic, making us kitchen magicians.

What does the flip side look like?

It can be only about responding to hunger with a quick answer, like fast food. As humans, we feel our stomachs growling and our brain immediately says, feed to survive. Back in the caveman times or the 19th century for that matter, there was a lot more pre-meditation to satisfying that ‘need.’ It would come in the form of expending energy to go hunt down a meaty animal, pick some berries and nuts or cultivate a garden to yield fresh produce.

There were no quickie corner stores where you could grab a hot dog and a soda. Kind of obvious, but think about it for a second.

What if you lived in a food desert, or hours from the nearest store, how would mealtime look?

As omnivores with opposable thumbs, the choice is really ours.

Mealtime can involve relying on processed convenience foods full of empty calories and empty promises with words we can’t pronounce. Or, it can be a beautiful, sumptuous gift from the earth full of real color, real value and real intention. How we source it, prepare it, savor it, share it and make memories with it is also ours for the taking. It can be a chore or a haven, an inconvenience or something we anticipate with great excitement.

Now, that’s the real dish. www.edibleorangecounty.com

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OUR ADVERTISERS

Orange County Farmers’ Markets

ORANGE COUNTY FARMERS’ MARKETS ANAHEIM Downtown Center St. Promenade and Lemon St. Thursdays noon – 8 pm

FOOTHILL RANCH

NEWPORT BEACH

26612 Towne Center Dr. Parking lot of Food Festival Thursday 3pm – 7pm

The Great Park in Irvine Certified Farmers Market Marine Way off Sand Canyon Rd Sunday 10am – 2pm

Newport Beach Certified Farmers Market Lido Marina Village Sunday 9am – 2pm

Kaiser Permanente Certified Farmers Market 3430 E. La Palma Friday 9am -2pm

FULLERTON 801 W. Valencia Dr. Wednesdays 8 am – 1:30 pm

Kaiser Permanente Certified Farmers Market Sand Canyon Rd and Alton Parkway Wednesday 9am – 1pm

OLD TOWNE ORANGE 145 S. Lemon St. Thursday 2pm – 6pm

Kaiser Permanente Farmers’ Market Lakeview and Riverdale Fridays 10 am – 2 pm

Wilshire & Pomona Thursdays Apr–Oct: 4 pm – 8:30 pm

THE GREAT PARK IN IRVINE

Orange Home Grown Certified Farmers Market 304 N. Cypress St. Saturday 9am – 1pm

BREA Brea Blvd. and Birch St. Tuesdays 4 pm – 8 pm BUENA PARK Corner of La Palma and Stanton Sears Parking Lot Saturdays 9 am – 2 pm Local Harvest Farmers Market Corner of La Palma & Stanton Saturday 9am – 2pm CORONA DEL MAR Corona Del Mar Certified Farmers Market Margarite & Pacific Coast Hwy Saturday 9am – 1pm COSTA MESA Orange County Fairgrounds 88 Fair Dr. Thursdays 9 am – 1 pm (rain or shine) SOCO Farmers Market 3315 Hyland Ave (South Coast Collection’s Central Lot) Saturday 9am – 2pm DANA POINT Pacific Coast Hwy. and Golden Lantern South Saturdays 9 am – 1 pm

GARDEN GROVE Local Harvest Certified Farmers Market Main and Garden Grove Blvd.

Sunday 9am – 2pm HUNTINGTON BEACH Huntington Beach Mercada Farms Market S.W. Corner of Warner Ave & Gothard Ave. Ocean View High School Saturday 9am – 1pm Huntington Beach Certified Farmers Market Main St between Pacific Coast Hwy & Orange St. Tuesday 5pm – 9pm Local Harvest Certified Farmers Market Pacific Coast Hwy and Anderson Saturday 9am – 2pm Pier Plaza Main St. and Pacific Coast Hwy. (next to the pier) Fridays 1 pm – 5 pm (rain or shine)

Marine Way off Sand Canyon Sundays 10 am – 2 pm (rain or shine) LADERA RANCH Ladera Ranch Town Green 28801 Sienna Pkwy.

Saturdays 8 am – 1 pm LAGUNA HILLS Laguna Hills Mall Parking Lot I-5 and El Toro Rd. Fridays 9 am – 1 pm (rain or shine) LAGUNA BEACH Lumberyard Parking Lot Next to City Hall Saturdays 8 am – noon Jul–Aug: 8 am – 11 am (rain or shine) LAGUNA NIGUEL Plaza De La Paz Shopping Center Corner of La Paz and Pacific Park Sundays 9 am – 1 pm (rain or shine)

IRVINE Historic Park at the Irvine Ranch 13042 Old Myford Rd. Tuesdays 9 am – 1 pm (rain or shine)

LA PALMA Kaiser Permanente Certified Farmers Market 5 Centerpointe Dr. Every Other Friday 9am – 2pm

IRVINE CENTER Corner of Bridge & Campus Across from UCI Saturday 8am – Noon

MISSION VIEJO 200 Civic Center Dr. City Hall Parking Lot Saturday 9am – 1pm

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ORANGE 1500 E. Village Way btw Katella and Lincoln on Tustin St. Thursdays 9 am – 1 pm (rain or shine) PLACENTIA Downtown at corner of Bradford and Santa Fe Ave. Saturdays 9 am – 1 pm SAN CLEMENTE 200 Block Avenida Del Mar Dr. Sunday 9am – 1pm SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO El Camino Real & Yorba Linda Wednesday October – March 3pm – 6pm April – Sept 3pm – 7pm SEAL BEACH 13960 Seal Beach Blvd.

Thursdays 1 pm – 6 pm TUSTIN Corner of El Camino Real and 3rd St. Wednesdays 9 am – 1 pm (rain or shine) YORBA LINDA Main St. and Imperial Hwy. Saturdays 9 am – 1 pm

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OUR ADVERTISERS CREATIVE BY DESIGN (P. 11) 951.226.5617 400 Ramona Ave., Suite 212-L Corona, CA 92879 creativebydesign.net Our creative professionals have over 30 years of hands on experience on the client and agency side. Our knowledge of marketing & design from both sides of the desk, allows us to know what is a fad, what works and what will work for the client and not just us.

Our integrated approach incorporates strategy, planning, creative and media to determine what will work for you, we then develop a plan to meet your goals, be they short or long term. Let our years of experience and holistic approach help guide you and your business to get the results you are looking for.

EAT CLEANER (P. 7) Info@eatcleaner.com www.eatcleaner.com Protect and preserve your family’s food with EAT CLEANER, the award-winning line of all natural food wash a + wipes that remove wax, pesticide, residue and bacteria that can cause food borne illness. EAT CLEANER is an Orange County-based company.

HUMBOLDT CREAMERY (BACK COVER) www.humboldtcreamery.com Founded in 1929, Humboldt Creamery has been owned by Crystal Creamery and the Foster family since 2009. Humboldt Creamery has been sourcing local dairy milk and producing dairy products for more than 80 years. In 2003 the creamery first introduced its organic dairy products with the certification of its facility at Fernbridge.

Crystal Creamery’s considerable investment in the facility has maintained the company’s long-standing commitment to the highest quality premium dairy products.

SIERRA NEVADA IMPORTS (P. 9) 775.323.8466 www.sierranevadaimports.com info@sierranevadaimports.com Based in the town of Reno and nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains, near Lake Tahoe. Sierra Nevada Imports specializes in small to mid-sized growers from France and Spain. They operate on one simple premise - respect. The wines they import are sought out for their special provenance. Sierra Nevada Imports aims to be different by connecting you to a place, a person and often a story from vine to glass. Many of the producers are 5th or 6th generation winemakers and are extremely skilled in their craft. The product in your glass is the product of their effort.

WEST COAST FLAVOR (P. 2 & 3) 714.744.9844 www.wcflavor.com If you eat, cook, entertain and enjoy making your home functional and beautiful, you should be shopping with West Coast Flavor. Bringing you the best artisan foods, accessories and art that celebrate the countries and cultures making up the West Coast of The Americas, West Coast Flavor offers an incredible variety of new products to make your summer cookouts, picnics and entertaining outstanding. No matter the time of year, or the event at hand, West Coast Flavor provides unique, artisan foods and condiments to spice up the menu of any occasion.

YOGI TEA (INSIDE BACK COVER) www.yogitea.com For more than 40 years YOGI TEA® has been producing delicious herb and spice teas based on unnique Ayurvedic tea recipes, which promote individual well-being.

NOVICA (Inside Front Cover & P. 1) with National Geographic cdukes@novica.com www.novica.com NOVICA LIVE provides a unique cultural shopping experience, where you can travel the world through entertaining home shows and see multimedia presentations of artisans creating the very items you will hold in your hands.

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Steep a cup of Yogi tea and you have something more than delicious. Every intriguing blend of herbs and botanicals is on a mission, supporting energy, stamina, clarity, immunity, tranquility, cleansing or unwinding.

®,©2015-2016 East West Tea Company, LLC

Every cup is a gift to mind, body and spirit.

®