Pajaro Valley Magazine December 23 2021

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF THE PAJARO VALLEY

A supplement to The Pajaronian

DECEMBER 23-30, 2021

A cast of cartoon figures in costume add color and excitement to the 31st annual food giveaway by Casa de la Cultura in Pajaro.

Giving Spirit

Annual Christmas giveaway held in Pajaro P4

GARDENING P6 | HOME OF THE WEEK P7 | MIXING BOWL P8

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DECEMBER 23 - 30, 20211 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE

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Hon Truong Cover Photography:

Tarmo Hannula

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Cover story

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Gardening

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Home of the Week

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Mixing Bowl

Published by WatsNews, LLC, Watsonville, CA. Entire contents © 2021. All rights reserved.

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HOLIDAY CHEER

Characters wave to families in passing cars at Casa de la Cultura’s food and gift giveaway.

DECEMBER 23 - 30, 20211 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE

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BY JOHANNA MILLER

Casa de la Cultura holds annual Christmas giveaway

continues

F

or more than 30 years, the Casa de la Cultura organization in Pajaro has held its annual Food and Gift Christmas Giveaway, offering families a chance to receive free presents, food, clothing and more during the holiday season.

Sister Rosa Dolores Rodriguez, executive director of Casa de la Cultura, founded the annual event that has continued to grow in scope every year,

with more groups joining in to help donate, organize and distribute items to hundreds of low-income families.

Usually held at the organization’s small headquarters and parking lot, it was adapted last year to comply with Covid-19 regulations. Cars lined up along Salinas Road and eventually began rolling through the grounds at Marinovich Cold Storage (owned by the Alvarez Brothers), picking up packages as they went.

Tarmo Hannula

ATRADITION

SOUNDS OF THE SEASON Professional musician Miguel Calero delivers his versions

of popular Christmas tunes at the drive-thru.

GIVING BACK A student from Palma High School hands off a bag of food to a family Monday.

PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 23 - 30, 2021

Photos by Tarmo Hannula

This year, organizers decided to continue with the new format at its Dec. 20 event.

“We wanted to keep things as safe as possible,” Sister Rosa said prior to the giveaway. “We thought it was the best option for everyone.”

Between 80 and 100 volunteers helped to put the event together, serving more than 1,500 people in total. River Valley Farms, Royal Oaks Farms, Watsonville Coast Produce, Second Harvest Food Bank, Whole Foods Market and Lakeside Organic Gardens donated food.

Volunteers from Driscoll Associates helped Santa Claus in wrapping, labeling and distributing toys.

A deejay was on hand at the event playing Christmas music as others dressed up as holiday-themed Disney characters to welcome families as they passed through.

Students and alumni from Palma High School in Salinas, as well as teachers and parents lent a hand in packing up and handing off bags of food. The school has made it a tradition to help out Sister Rosa with the event.

“The first time I helped out was over 20 years ago,” said Willie Beesley, a teacher at Palma. “It’s great. The kids really want to give back. This is a great way to let them do just that.”

Beesley said he is impressed with how the event has continued even through Covid.

“For a while we weren’t quite sure how things would go,” he said. “But they did an amazing job last year, figuring things out …

We’re so happy to be back.”

Knights of Columbus groups from Aptos (9580) and Watsonville (11804) were present to give out hundreds of new, warm coats and jackets through their Coats of Kids program.

The program raised money for 600 coats total; some will also be sent to Jacob's Heart Children's Cancer Support Services and the All About Kids program in Orville.

Knights of Columbus officer Larry Young said that this is the sixth year they have teamed up with Casa de la Cultura.

“We have so many generous people in our churches who have made donations,” Young said. “Every year it gets better. We love Sister Rosa and the generosity of all the groups here. It’s just a great way to give back to the community.”

Sister Rosa also thanked the nonprofit’s musical group, Estudiantina, as well as Thorne Communications and Chuck Allen for their support of the event.

“Look at all of this,” she said. “Could we do it by ourselves? Never. It takes so many dedicated people to pull this off. We are so grateful.”

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GARDENING

Kate Russell

DECEMBER 23 - 30, 20211 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE

HEALTHY PLANTS Poinsettias require strong morning sun and afternoon shade.

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Holiday plant care Poinsettias, other festive plants need special attention

By KATE RUSSELL

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ost holiday plants receive too much water and heat, and not enough sunlight, to make it through January. Poinsettias, Amaryllis and miniature Christmas trees make delightful gifts, but they need special care to last.

Poinsettias are fascinating. The bright red blooms are actually modified leaves, called bracts, and the plant is a tree that can reach 13 feet in height. Poinsettias need 12 hours of darkness for at least five days in a row to turn from green to red. Even the slightest exposure

to light will halt this process. To keep poinsettias healthy indoors, provide strong morning sun and afternoon shade. Poinsettias can be grown outdoors as long as they are protected from frost. Poinsettias are susceptible to fungal and bacterial diseases that can be prevented by allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. Poinsettias contain latex, which can be an irritant, but they are not poisonous.

Use these tips to keep your poinsettias healthy: • New Year’s Day: Apply all-purpose houseplant fertilizer • Valentine’s Day: Check for

whiteflies; cut down to five inches • St. Patrick’s Day: Remove dead leaves; add fresh potting soil • Memorial Day: Cut back three inches; repot, if needed, using fresh potting soil • Father’s Day: Move outside to a location with indirect light • Fourth of July: Trim again; move into full sunlight; water and feed, as needed • Labor Day: Rinse plant off and move it indoors; reduce feeding • Autumnal Equinox: Place in uninterrupted darkness for 13 hours and bright light for 11 hours each day; nighttime temperatures of 60 degrees are ideal • Thanksgiving: Reduce water and feeding; place in a sunny window, rotating for full coverage • Christmas: Enjoy and repeat!

Most live miniature Christmas trees are Alberta spruce, Italian stone pine or Cypress. Rosemary is also used as a topiary Christmas tree. These plants prefer cooler temperatures, and more sunlight and moisture, than you will find in most homes. Before planting outside, know that Dwarf Alberta spruce will never perform well in high heat, and Colorado blue spruce can reach 75 feet tall.

In 20 years or so, a stone pine can provide pine nuts. Rosemary takes care of itself, providing an excellent border or accent in any landscape.

Amaryllis plants are striking South American flowers. They need as much sunlight as you can provide, and temperatures between 68 and 70 degrees. Water sparingly, at first, and then more frequently, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. Blooms should be removed when they start to wither. Amaryllis produces leaves for most of the year.

As leaves turn brown, take them off and move your Amaryllis to a protected area on your patio. Being bulbs, your holiday Amaryllis can last for several years.

Understanding what your holiday plants need to stay healthy can transform them from short-lived hostess tokens to durable members of the landscape or home interior.

Kate Russell is a UCCE Master Gardener.

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PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 23 - 30, 2021

Unobstructed views of land and ocean

GIFT

Tom Brezsny’s

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THE MIXING BOWL 1 cup cooked room temperature brown or white rice 1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup chopped spinach 1 large egg white 3 tablespoons grated highly flavor cheese like asiago, Parmesan or Pecorino Romano 2 tablespoons marinara sauce or similar flavored tomato sauce (plus 3/4 cup more for serving)

For breading and baking:

Tarmo Hannula

DECEMBER 23 - 30, 20211 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE

MY TWIST For these arancinis I used a cooked artichoke sausage from Freedom Meat Lockers, white rice, chopped chard,

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cheddar cheese and bread crumbs mixed with salt, pepper and rosemary. I served it with a light tomato dipping sauce.

Simpler Arancinis

By SARAH RINGLER

A

rancinis are a Sicilian meat and cheese mixture that is stuffed into little balls of rice and deep fried. These crispy and richly flavored balls are then served with a tomato-based dipping sauce. The name means “little orange,” which describes their appearance.

They are a traditional food going back to the 10th century when Sicily was part of the Byzantine Empire. Due to its location as the largest island in the middle of the

Mediterranean Sea, it was important for maritime trade going back to the time of the Phoenicians in 700 BCE. It was later invaded and occupied by almost every growing power in the area from the Greeks, to the Romans, Germanic tribes, Arabs and Normans, finally joining Italy in 1860. Due to its isolation as an island and the influence of the invaders, Sicily developed its own cuisine.

Although the ingredients here are similar to Sicilian arancinis, this is a cheater version of the recipe. It replaces deep fat frying with baking and makes a smaller version. It is from Gina Homolka at skinnytaste.com.

There is a lot of flexibility in this recipe. It is a good way to use leftover rice, meat and greens. Whatever meat you use, it needs to be cooked and minced. You can experiment with the cheeses too, but one should be a melting cheese as it helps the balls stick together. The bread crumbs are an important final opportunity to add flavor. Oregano, basil and marjoram and common Italian herbs can be mixed in with a little salt and pepper.

Meatballs: 6-8 ounces ground meat or cooked sausage, minced

Olive oil for greasing the pan 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 large egg and 1 large egg white beaten together 1/2 cup bread crumbs or panko If you are using uncooked meat, fry it first in a small frying pan with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Break up the meat with a fork as it cooks until it is finely minced. Chop with a knife or small food processor if necessary.

In a medium bowl, combine the rice, minced sausage or meat, grated mozzarella, chopped spinach, egg white, Pecorino Romano cheese, and 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce. Mix well. Mixture may be refrigerated until ready to be breaded, baked and served.

Before serving, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and oil a rimmed baking sheet.

Get out three small bowls and put flour in one bowl, beaten egg and egg white in a second bowl and bread crumbs in the third.

These steps are the trickiest. In your hands, roll about 1 heaping tablespoon of the rice-meat mixture into round balls that are about 1-2 inches in diameter. Quickly roll the ball in the flour, then the egg, and then in the bread crumbs, shaking off any excess at each step. Put the breaded rice balls on the prepared baking sheet.

Dip your fingers in water if necessary.

Makes about 10 balls.

Heat up some tomato-based or marinara sauce for dipping.

Bake the balls for 8 minutes, turn over, and bake for another 8 minutes, until they are a crisp golden brown. Cool a little before serving, and serve with hot marinara sauce.

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PHOTO GALLERY Have a recent photo you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to echalhoub@weeklys.com or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 18, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the name of the photographer.

STAYING PATIENT

Lucy ( full Chihuahua) and Odie (a Rat Terrier) wait with their master for a takeout order in Moss Landing.

Tarmo Hannula

Ed Show

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Tarmo Hannula

DECEMBER 23 - 30, 20211 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE

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