Whoa Nelly spring .......Ghetto haircut

Its that time again here in the SCMAVA. Haircuts for the kids. Pruning the vines from last seasons growth. Now Mother Nature we sure could use some more rain so Bud Break can commence on time for a heartier bounty than last year. Then again is our seasons shifting? Late rain and lower temps in April and May last year and this year the average temp is 65 through the "winter" months. Balmy beauty but will we suffer for it later this year?
My Buttercups, Grape Hyacinth,flowering Quince and Daffys are all in full glory at least three weeks early....
I guess Ill stop, drop and roll with Mother Nature and hope for the best. Oh but berries .....my fingers are crossed cause last years late rains made for a lame season and me just using what is offered each season might mean another lean berry jam/jelly year. Shit.
Alas Green Rhubarb is on my spring hit list and no fear of running out. Yes Green Rhubarb. Never had it? Ill fix that.

There is a reason to eat with the Seasons...New Leaf WS last night....

Adzuki bean soup with forbidden rice winter greens and local mushrooms...complete late winter protein

Pulusos teleme cow,Carboncino goat Italy, and Petit Basque Sheep 

Us Teaching n BS @ NEW LEAF MKY WEST SIDE SANTA CRUZ CA

"EWE" woulda had a grand time getting TWISTED

TWISTED TASTING was a hit!
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing hosted this SF BEER WEEK event downtown Santa Cruz this last Friday night with Twisted beers from all around Nor Cal and food pairing from Honey, Cheeses, pickled eggs, Duck tounge, little baby cakes, awesome spreads with savory cheese cakes, Salsa, breads, nuts, salmon jerky, ice creams and me with my little pairing to twist is up with Corralitos Brewing. Full house 400 people ready to eat drink and have a great time. Now I've done so many like events through my travels as a fruit n curd wrangler and its always a coin toss on the jack hole factor. This night we all were in a groove that made for a great night. The DJ was keeping the mass in a funky sway and the fire chicks (didn't even know it was happening) was a great display (so I was told) in the balcony of the Rittenhouse looking down on our downtown Fri night scene......
Only kinda bummer....A few of the food folks (we all are local) were friendly enough to come by and say hello. You know who you are.......and I love the sense of community with those of us that have a similar business or know friendliness builds bridges. There was one.....walked by me when setting up. " HI THERE!"Came from me three time! Not even a glance. Ok he/she's busy setting up I get it. Ill hit he/she up on flip side.
End of night......ahhhh finally.
Down by the service entrance with Betty Ford getting packed up and chatting up some guests and fellow food freaks n brewers....again this person is loading up too. So I thought ok he/she sees my car with the Co. name and has to have a second to say HI how was your night. Yea No.....I waved and asked "HEY HAVE A GOOD ONE?" I guess he/she was too busy or didn't hear me......sigh. I guess its time for me to stalk this person......If this town is comprised of islands we never will be a community to be reckoned with. I will poke you with my olive branch until you say HI. At the very least you never know where a beautiful collaboration can occur until you take that first step...HI.
Ok . Guests. At these kinds of events we get all sorts of folks, personalities, diets and quirks. Its our job as the providers of said good time to be as flexible and gracious as possible. SOOOOOOO when there is a clear sign of what you are about to eat don't ask if the VENISON is vegetarian or pop it in your mouth before you know what it is....shame on you. Your mouth people; your sacred vessel. Respect it by knowing what you put in it before hand. Ask us all the questions you want none are stupid or not worthy of answering. But don't hold up 30 people from enjoying the fare as well. Sense your surroundings. If you want to further a topic wait till I can give you the proper attention. It also is not necessary to tell me if another food or beer was bad. Its all relative and I will not stop what I'm doing to be a mean kid on the playground.
Last.....my head may be down pumping out my delectable bites but I saw you. So please: it is a free for all event. Don't even pretend its your first taste by saying EVERY time you come back"ohhh I wonder what this taste like?" Honey own it I love to see folks come back and keep nibbling it means I did something right. I've got plenty so don't be shifty. I'm just laughing at your thinly veiled attempt at I don't know what......
Great night in my great town.
Kristen @ Serendipity you are so sweet and I love your product!
Farmhouse culture great chatting with you my lacto ferment friend
Delk honey well I just love you, pulled pork and your Habenero honey HAOO BABY
Nut Kreations Mina thank you so much!
Mrs As salsa you rock
Farmhouse icings I love your Choc Beet cake! Can't wait to work with you in future
Companion Bakery, Erin and crew I'm tickled to pieces that we have your love of bread for our fair town! Yum_O
Fresh Prep well Jody you know
Crispin cider...divinity, thanks for the trade making chili tonight to go with my bottles of cider.
SCM brew yum of course
Corralitos brew, Luke n Natalia n Mike you make me wanna do a little pop n lock every time I drink your magic elixir
 OHHHH who ever had the Beet beer I'm a convert and the German Sour Beer was amazing.
I didn't get to nibble the duck tongue but I have a feeling it was a fun one, the crowd around that station was pretty thick all night.
Santa Cruz Salmon Jerky boys got something pretty special goin on
Penny Creamery your showman ship and awesome "pops" looked fantastic! I love a good toasty meringue!


If I missed anyone I apologize.
Ohhh the Cheeses I wish I had time to chat with our local cheese producer...on my to do list this week......
Nice. Now its time for a glass of Cava and I'm going to go lay in the grass and look for inspiration in the clouds......
Tell someone you love them you will make their day........
Mama loves you


OHHHH SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAIN BREW  Thank You so much for a great evening!!!!

Beauty is in the eye of a wall eyed over bred fruit bat.....

Ok I had to post the craziness of BIG KITTY my insane French Bulldog of many talents....The other a view from my kitchen( professional not home that's up @ the Ghetto Vineyard) on a random night last week in Capitola. Beauty. So many versions and so many varieties like the patchwork of people who call SC home. A moment in time I know where I belong and wouldn't have it any other way......
Tomorrow TWISTED TASTING to celebrate SF Beer week. Traa lalalallalalalalalla My favorite local brewer Corralitos Brewing and Moi; Friend in Cheeses Jam Co are goin in for the TWIST....Almond Joy Porter with hints of toasted coconut will be sharing the spotlight with an espresso dusted Pecorino (sheep, italy, aged, cooked curd) and atop will sit my SCM Pinot Cherry.......Twist that!
Then C.B. Has a Witt Belgian with hints of toasted corriander that I'm doin the flavour hustle with Venison salumi my Onion jam and a dusting of sheeps milk Bulgarian Feta....HOLLA!
Which means I gotta go and start getting ready. The rest of you look around soak in the sights of what some times we all take for granted, like that perfect sun set that I'd never seen if I didn't look up.....

Big Kitty says good night!

Bourbon ohh sir I need a Bourbon please......

Some days ya just gotta see the world from another view

Days come days go and some days seem to never end. Yesterday after sitting at the State Board of Equalization staring out dirty windows to Down Town San Jose and trippin on the humanity, I had to re start my brain back to zero.
I came home and saw this little purple girl blooming away like a flower show was coming in her honour. Ahhhh that's all right
Go on make dinner....

Slap me some skin brotha man......

corn dogs and taxidermy and bourbon oh my!

ff

BUCKSHOT BAR AND GRUB 

3848 Geary

San Francisco Ca

94118

info@buckshot-sf

(415)278-6094

Happy hour til 9

Well well well Im back . I guess per a readers suggestion that I get a life I guess I went out and not really got one but have been so busy having one that ole Bloggie got put on ice for a spell. 

Last week I had a delivery of fruity goodness and decided I needed some refreshments and nourishment and the first person I thought of was my childhood pal (broke my wrist in his yard circa 1982) Attorney/seasoned drinker and eater in the best corners of SF. SOOOOO a few FB messages later with request for no food trucks, exhibition butchery or shee shee ramen hut but good old down in dirty food with a soul for the sake of soul and a good bourbon ......Burke says BUCKSHOT on 3rd /Geary just past Japan town. I walk up to your usual suspect college bar with nothing to give you the idea some serious food is goin on inside...Sit down to a well worn stool with the GOONIES playing on the tube with 100 glasine eyes staring at me from their taxidermy mounts.Cool. graffiti loo stalls and a bearded bloke holding court at the helm of the bar stocking up for the night to come. OK whatever I felt at home. Scottish Hammer please . Then I see in the far side of the bar a large chalk board with a list of your "normal"bar food offerings. So I thought. From behind the bar a young tatted ,ears like gummy rings and a bright grin, told me he was the cook. Not the chef they have clip boards not a guitar pick in his pocket. Then the talk of the food began. (S Hammer #2)80/20 burger with a fried egg and house pickles....Bratworst dipped in cornmeal batter, mac n cheese with crispy pig bits and a plate of his in house pickled onions, peppers and cukes. Oh shit and the sweet fat cut rings..... exercise in what seems so simple really is not. My burger was a perfect med rare and the sausage corny made me all warm n fuzzy while the mac n cheese just brought it all home in a creamy highway of lactose love. Between bites , sips and stories of the ridiculous I munched on the crisp pickled lil cukes, peppers and onions. A perfect cut to all the fat. (Hammer#3) we talked food ate and drank with what I call the way real SF likes to do it. In their own neighbourhood bar with simple clean food that doesn't need a  goober with his shades behind his head talkin about Flavour town and puttin his fingers where they dont belong. Andy cooks because he loves it. A full happy grin and a good tip is all he needs to know job well done. 

Go early before the college crowd arrives and disturbs your Japanese horror flick on the boob and an audible conversation with the staff. 

Ill be back and you should go. 

if you see Andy tell him I said HI

If I had to suggest anything a good in house curry katsup with the dog would have made me propose to Andy.....

Cheers...Mama loves you

  

Breathe in the aroma;change is in the air

Aromatics.....the reason for the season. The foods are heartier, the back drop becomes golden and my ass begs for a baked potato....Carbs are my cryptonite,what of it....

A French cook willoften use the phrase les aromates to describe not only herbs n spices that will go into her dish,but also the aromatic vegtables-carrots,celery,turnips and a plethora of the roudy onion(allium)family-of which the flavours all must balance and compliment each other.

Hippophagy.....its what's for dinner.....

Why don't we Americans eat Horse? Calm down you little Buck a roo let me explain....well its redder than beef and we Red Blooded Americans love us some RED Meat. It is a sweeter flesh than beef hence the need to dump ketchup could be averted. Texture beats beef as an old horse or colt will both have a tender quality without the pricey breeding or genetic tom foolery. Lean and unmarbled flesh should be a draw in this health concious time.
Now as I scratch my head the puzzle gets all SUDOKU on me when I think about all the horse consumed by our European brethern. From the French who we usually so closely watch what's on their plate (up to 4lbs annually per french person and one in 3 consume it regularly) Belgium, Italy, Germany, Russia and the Dutch to name a few. This is more lamb ,Veal or Mutton us Americans eat annually....In Japan it is becoming a very popular Sukiyaki dish rising to 3% of Japans meat consumed is Nelly the Horse.
Ohhh I know they are so smart and we would NEVER eat an intelligent beast...I put my bet on a Pigs intellect over a horse any day.
This equine beast has had his highs and lows in the worlds culinary history....let's dip into this trough and see what we find.......

Way back when Grandpa was a teen during the Stone Age, hunters gorged themselves north and south of the equator on Wild Horses. The Asiatic pastorialists who first domesticated this beast enjoyed its bounty as did the PRE Christian folks of N Europe;NOM NOM NOM. Then during the rise of the Middle Eastern Empire the taboo began... Romans refused to indulge and during early medieval times the horse was receiving the European Sacred Cow status. Some crazy papal decree kept starving Midievalans from having this rich protein . Then a few years pass(yes Pat my PHd of history everyone know more than a few years) French Revolution brought the Equine treat back to the Euro plate. By the 19th century is was WHATS FOR DINNER all across Europe minus Britain.( They said blech) By WW1 13 thousand tons eaten then by WW2 the trend reversed again. Why the green light red light acceptability of this protein source is so interesting. AND why did the Brits and americans avoid it all together?
I could blather on and on about the Mongol warriors feasting on the blood and flesh while washing it down with fermented horse milk, or about ......crap my Sciatica is donkey punching me in my back I gotta stop ......I'm not done with this so bare with me while I go lay on my back legs in air and a opium drip...

Foodies in exile set a proper table

When one entertains, there are many things that are just as important as the perfectly deviled egg: the WELCOME; the fastidiousness of the table. Now not a perfect break in the linen or symmetrical bouquet....Boring.
The happy reception of ease for the guests is the opening strain of the evenings agreeable rhythm to lull your people to gentle culinary submission.
Brillat_Savarin " To entertain a guest is to charge ones self with the guests comfort and happiness,during all the time he is under ones roof"
Such preparation takes time and thought. More so than the menu at large. If the feeling is cold and sharp no matter the perfection of a brulee'd hunk of Dolcetto will ever cure such chill.
Sooooo caught up in the task to woo and amaze this age of TOP CHEFS and MASTERS the art of entertaining is becoming lost in a cloud of Porcini dust.....
Relax... food is our friend. The Glue that binds most relationships, and like a good relationship try too hard and the souffle will fall.
Enough utensils . A plate of proper temp. ( Keep your cold plates cold your hot plates hot ; if you have to ask then meet your friends @ Chilis) A glass to fill and some interest of season represented some where. The rest is on you to be the glitter to be taken home in your guests hair and bra. The memory of a good time with out the vision of the little man behind the curtain.
A perfectly executed PBnJ is a better party than a nervously presented Pheasant...........
I felt it was time to blather a bit I've been oh so neglectful of my dear Blog. Starting a biz becomes a child and mine has spit up got colic and a mean case of the shits...This too shall pass.

mama loves you

Fall has tip toed in on the Ghetto Vineyard......

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There are moments when perfection prevails........

Cook without a lemon? Blasphemy. Why not stop using salt, garlic and an onion while you are at it. Yet his little cornerstone of perfection can and will change the way you look at food. From keeping an Aritchoke in check to sexing up a fish ...hell a nibble of MIGNARDISE at the end of a meal is my kind of ending. Lemons lemons so many kinds to choose from.......BUT I live smack dab on the coast in the middle of California which means it's MEYER LEMON country. From gardens to meadows to school yards you will find these little buggars. Throughout the Bay they have been planted as an ornamental and not a food source. And why it was never considered both is beyond me. Some like to point the finger at the ONE person who brought us mere flat palate minions to the Meyer table. Chef Lynsey Shere. Whatever, so she got the ball rolling for the 1%ers of the Bay to see their ornamental bush as a treasure of golden orbs but please.....I was sitting on my stoop as a kid with split open M lemons and packet of sugar making Mouth Lemon aide and popping pomegranate seeds as a chaser.
So odd how folks need to be THE ONE who discovered a food. Proselyization of food is gross. Exposure through example and availability to the people is beauty. The soft aromatic skin and almost sweet juice of the Meyer is so abundant in the Bay Area I could almost say no one needs to purchase a one. Every school should have lemon aide avail at almost no cost. Sigh I don't have enough time today to fully go bonkers on the M Lemon so lets get into some history shall we?

Imported from China 1908 By a botanical adventurer (whatever the hell that means) Lets guess his name was Meyer...... Over the centuries they have traveled throughout Asia, arriving with Spanish colonization of Florida in the 16th century and Cali mid 18th then Meyer brought the uhhh ahhem Meyer. Being the lemon is frost tender guess what...They thrive in Mediterranean regions and are highlighted in the said cuisine. Go figure. For such a delicate skin they are one of our most hardy varietals,so can grow in regions that rarely fall below 20F. Won't cure so don't pick green. Use asap. OCT -APRIL is the coastal season but Santa Cruz keeps them flowing almost year round. yaaaa.
EUREKA And LISBON are the most common varieties in Cali yet the Meyer is everywhere in a non commercial venue.

So don't be shy knock on that door with the bulging Meyer bush in the yard. Ask if you can glean and bring back a jar of Marmalade, lemon Aide or a nice Aioli for the gift of the lemons. What a wonderful way to utilise the forgotten fruit and to have a convivial moment with a stranger by sharing a gift from Mother Nature. If you have a lemon tree and have more than you can use. Call a local elementary school donate your over harvest. Contact a Glean web site for folks to find your fruit. It is meant to be eaten and this country is going hungry with food on trees, vines, bushes and plants. Everywhere there is food. Just like you crazy ass canning fools with a garage full of jars. give back ,share and be part of your community,by providing a local food to your neighbors to create a better sense of community and good will through food. It dosn't take much effort to share and the reward is ten fold. When I lived in Capitola with 20 hens. I had WAY too many eggs to on my way to work I leave a jar of eggs for my neighbors to enjoy. All of a sudden the kids were walking to school with Breakfast burritos and loving they were having eggs from a chicken named Fig, Ethyl Mermon, Gert, etc....All of a sudden we neighbors waved to each other and started to chat in the street at dusk . Rather than scurry into our collective huts with no connection to our surrounding humanity. A extra Zucinni with a bow to a elderly lady who is too arthritic to garden makes for a better planet.

WWW.FOODPOOL.COM Network of gleanable produce around the Bay Area great resource to food otherwise would have gone to waste. Check it!

Now unfortunately I must go. I lost a friend this week and all I can do is be there for those that are left behind. I'm bringing my knife bag and a satchel of lemons. Cause when life gives you lemons.........

I love you Lynn see you on the flip side....xoxoxo

Jesus did have a sense of humour is my guess.......

The day has come...I am now a shameless whore for promotion. Or am I? I am realizing in a climate of home canners, gardeners and fermenters : it is the ones who walk the talk and live as they project that have the real deal behind the lid.

So for the first time at Gourmet Grazing On The Green I got hassled about my riff on religion(one angry older gentleman who hadn't had a good belly laugh in years). I guess I'm a bad bad girl and that persons Jesus has no sense of humour. I mean no disrespect or blasphemy ...the very opposite and little levity in a era of rebuild after a very tough greedy economic disaster is healthy for all of us. Lighten up and see my passion for what I do and share with the public is not anything less than my version of love. OK nuff on that I really don't have time or energy to have a circular argument with someone over my sense of harmless humour. Fly your freak flag my friends. Come one come all you freaks, geeks, and all around characters I embrace you. Rest of you ease up  there are so many more important battles to be fought. Good thing "CHEESES OF NAZARETH" cheese shop isn't around here good golly could you imagine?

OK back to fun stuff....GOURMET GRAZING ON THE GREEN  The event of the season here in Santa Cruz county. A community fund raiser for local Cancer programs like Jacobs heart. It is an event that not only raises tens of thousands of local dollars(over a million since 1995) to help beat the big nasty C; yet a day for our public to be able to come face to face with those of us that feed and libate our fair county. From local beer brewers to wine makers, restaurants to the mom n pop operations that keep us who we are and local Market New Leaf with us little cottage industry food producers having a day to feed the souls of our community while loving those who couldn't be there because of the C word. We were one for a day and it really is an A HA moment when you are part of such a bigger animal.

Food is love and the binder that keeps humanity together. We ALL have some sort of relationship and culture with food (good or bad the relationship is there). For food is the bridge over troubled waters and this weekend proved that so beautifully. All of us people have so much more in common than ever gets admitted. Can you imagine if treaty talks were in a Grazing format? You just can't get pissed with beauty in your belly and sharing the experience with another. OK OK no Cumbayahh holding hands but just a real moment on a real day supporting real people. Not faceless corporations. You could bump into a Farmer, a brewer, a cook,a butcher, a cheese maker, a chef, a vintner his wife, a cupcake queen or even a littl ole jam girl all working, living with you in this county trying our best to make the world a little better place to live. Find fault in that.....

This weekend I was proud to be amongst my fellow lovers of the land and those who we feed. So when I'm toolin down the road in my little BLUE NUN that grin you see is my feeling good about my town.

OK all I have carrots to pick and cherries to macerate,I'm procrastinating as usual.

Go on get outside our summer has just arrived. The tourists are back to their lives now we can enjoy ours without the traffic and our beaches free. scoot!!!


Fellows at the Graze(if I missed you I so appologize)63 in all vendors......

Sones,  Beauregard,  Silver mountain,  Muns, B School,  Hallcrest,  Villa,  SC Mountain, Vino Tabi,  SCM Brewing, SmoQe,  Seabright brew,  Delk honey,  Coastal Catering, Rio, Shadowbrook, Johnnys H, Chaminade,  New Leaf,  Redwood hill,  Bargetto, Mission Hill Ice Cream,  Zameen, Alfaro,  Kathryn Kennedy,  Friend in Cheeses, Loma Prieta , Poetic, Stars cup cakes, Hollins house, Peachwoods, SC Farms,  Roudin Smith,  Hulas, a brewery in Capitola forgot name bomb beer, Fresh prep kitchens, ok Im stuck thats all I can recall.......

Point is what a collection of the finest SC has to offer all under one goal.....

On becoming a GOURMET

Understanding this crazy over used word just might help you find your way through the ARTISAN Highway to hellish uppity tom foolery. Rather a word to express a feeling toward the consumable arts....
Insistent signs in the market invite the shopper into the "GOURMET foods Dept", where one might almost expect to find magIcal potions to produce an effortless fine meal. Every day we read and or hear the phrases "GOURMET cookery", "GOURMET recipe"" GOURMET Kitchen" etc blah blah blahhhhhhhhhhh
BUT alas, in fact the word "GOURMET" is not just another adjective in the language of salesmanship, like "super" or "fancy" or even "special". It is a title that applies only to a person, a title of honour, confirming certain skills which have been learned by study or practice.
So you see the good ole media is trying to rope you in on a slippery string of mis used words to make you feel you must keep up to compete in the hipness of the plate. Stop drop and roll with your own senses and rely more on the seasons , simplicity and what looks smells and tastes like a good time.

Oh plus the word comes from ole Luis XIV looking to keep his Versailles Noblemen busy ,he made up a bunch of bullshit jobs so they had no time to conspire against him. One of those positions. The household managers were given the title GROMET( yes my lil surf dudes this is where GROM started...men in tights in France) so the KItchen GROMS job was to shake down the farmers,fishermen ,butchers,millers, winemakers...to pay a tithe. One tenth of a harvest to the king as tax....so the Gromets went out and took from the peasants the best of their wares for the kings daily meals. Kinda the Gourmonds were basically GOMBAS in tights.....
Interesting the word still hold us hostage. ......

Go now eat an Apple they are ripe for the pickin here in SC County. Don't jam it can it or preserve the first of the season....live in the moment and experience Mother Natures intent. Crisp, tart , crunch ...smile....

Go on.... get!!!!!
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Because

COOKERY: It means the knowledge of all herbs,fruit,spice,balms and all that is healing and sweet in the fields and groves and all that's savory in flesh. It means carefulness and inventiveness,willingness and readiness of appliances. It means the economy of your grandmums and the science of the modern chemist; it means much testing and no wasting;it means English thoroughness,and French art and Arabian hospitality;and ,in fine; it means that you are to be perfectly and always , ladies_ loaf givers_
RUSKIN 1886
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Traffic Jam coming to a road near you...

I have realised over the years its not just the product but the whole package. Unfortunatly the pretty girl gets farther in life by just being pretty. BUT if the package rocks as hard as what is inside well you have $. I had a 1959 Ford Escort wagon come my way and I took the risk and put my $ where my delivery is.....I have to walk my talk on all levels to make any sense in the end. It is Greener than any modern machine Electric or otherwise. 40 MPG all recycled and no nasty lithium battery that is mined in Canada , shipped to France to be refined then shipped to China to assemble the battery THEN shipped to Japan to be installed in car and last shipped to USA. Humpgh Green? thats a carbon footprint for mental midgets. I have a market mobile, French Bulldog transport , glean machine, catering truck and a delivery system for my Jams.......yup 3 gears, no cd player and I do have to manually operate the windows. Yet you won't forget me when I'm tooling down the road...I'll be the red head with the grin.

  The wacky trends of preserve,pickle n jam will find a good healthy middle ground at some point. Lets hope because no matter how hard you try you can not preserve, pickle or jam everything.....So when the dust settles and  the trendbots  receed to the newest cool thing(perhaps lowered trucks will make a come back...shit waxed facial hair did)....I will still be putt puttin down the road sellin my wares with you and Mother Nature in mind.

oh and the Scooter.....My freedom train.

My Great Grandma had it goin on....

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Nobody sent me the memo Carrots are the IT thing to Jam.....

. Looking for my fall offerings I've been wanting to delve into the F.I.C. way of turning this sexy little root into a slamma jamma pairing for all things fall....wow whoa hey now WTF? I get on the old info highway and looky there the Blog -o -ramas have made the carrot the IT root to jam. Humph. ok well silly me once agin head down not realizing what the Jones' are up to and now I'm in challenge mode.
Reasearch has commenced and there have been an odd slighlty yawn- worthy attempts going on(from what I've seen). I bought a few and sat down with some Mahon and a nice little hunk of Burnet to see what these buggars had to offer. uhhh well hmmmm. Nice. pumpkin? Butternut squash perhaps? Lots of baking spice and orange yet not many signals that I was eating carrot. I almost got the baby food thing happening ....urge to spit up on my chin, burp, then shit my pants.....Is this the message I want to convey with my root offering? Computer says.. NO( Little Britain reference)
Now Now I'm not being a twat, I just didn't see anything out there in real life or cyber the idea I had for a carrot preserve. So I feel I can proceed without over doing the IT root of the season. There is room to rock this baby and I'm up for the challenge.
I think the root and I have a special bond. About ten years ago I had a bumper crop in Pleasure Point and was so proud of said crop I yanked up a root ,stomped to FU Tattoo in my muddy Wellies and told Jason"give me a big ole dirty root on my arm" He replied "of course you do Tabitha...sit down" The rest is history...I am a girl of the dirt and the carrot is my scepter I must find a better way........




CARROT JELLY

5.5C. fresh organic carrot juice (we love the Breville juice Foundation Elite)
STRAIN this pup through coffee filter or the resulting jelly will look like a fetus.
zest of two meyer or pink lemons juice of one
.5 C. fresh pressed apple juice
pinch of sea salt
pinch of fresh ground cardomon
pinch of Anardana powder (pomegranite pip dust)

ok here goes the odd bit....1C.golden sultans soaked in Grappa set aside longer they soak the better.

6T. pectin
8C. organic cane sugar you want that bit of molassas.

Boom chica Boom boom you now have your Mise En Place in order. Go roll up your sleeves, put on some clogs(trust me bulging veins from a career in standing will not get you laid)
A little Persian Music on the pod and a nice glass of Pomelo spritzer (xoxox Sean )

Time to get our Jelly on...

Big pot heavy bottom( like me)

Add juices, spices then heat for ten min to let the flavours mingle, do not rush this coutship she will betray you. Now add pectin while heat is on medium. Dissolve that pectin my friend or its a buggar party in the jelly. Bring to a full rolling boil almost can't stir down and add the sugar. dissolve all the sugar and once again bring to a full roiling boiling bubble. The timer is set for one minute exactly.

There is enough said these days about jars, clean, boiling etc....you know what to do ....sterilize , have ready to engage and all will be well in carrot town.

The minute is up. Pull off that heat and onto a heat absorbing surface.

In each jar add five soaked sultans.

pour through your trusty sterilized funnel half a jar of jelly . Then after all jars (approx 12) have been half filled add three or five sultans then topoff the jars  with remaining jelly. Skim the blech from the top, a small grapefruit spoon works best.The film will surrender if gentle.

Lid, then steam bath and the next morning when wake up with orange fingers and mouth. You know you did good. A turkey sandwich will never be the same......

Now atleast I know there is room for all of our creative bursts and this little puppy with her 24K sparkle will not let you down. Fall is near and the larder is full , share with your friends all that you've done this summer and sit back and enjoy a Bunnys best friend........Carrot jelly...


well a week later and I wont be using this recipe for my biz.... I love it my friends love it but I need and want better.....Cardomon Carrot Marmalade it will be.. I wanted more citrus tang to off set the carrot earthyness. so be it I can change my mind if I want to....

On hiatus

Well hiatus from blog o verse . Summer brings a lot to do around the Ghetto and Friend In Cheeses Jam Co has taken to Toads Wild Ride.....
This is the season to go outside and take every moment like its your last. There are so many hunched over their keyboard missing the boat. From laying in the grass watching the clouds go by to picking saturated stone fruit trees all over the county. There is just too much to do, see, smell and experience.
Be Patient I shall return. Just let me jam on to the beat of my own drum until the shadows get longer the days get shorter and the garden tucks in for a long winters rest....
Until then go on look around its a beautiful day in paradise....
Adieu
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Ho ho hi ho Its not making jam but smelling the flowers......

I could drop right now but an evening at the Ghetto Vineyard with my SLOW FOOD brethren was what I needed last Thurs...And a pickle show down ofcourse . Ohhhh and 6 bottles of wine around the fire being big time inappropriate. My forte.
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Puss in vines....

Oscar Wild has a way of keeping me in balance.
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A little bit of Persia in an Italian restaurant......

One of the best parts of starting a small Jam Biz is the amazing support from my friends. One of which has so generously opened her restaurant kitchen to me and my crazy vision of simple seasonal and local fare ......Kitchen space can be one of the biggest expenses for a young small food product company and this gift of kitchen time paid in jars of jam,my fresh chevre and lots of hugs is a gift I'm not sure I could fully repay....
Well in this kitchen I have the foods of the world at my finger tips. A Turkish Bar tender(Zafir) who gave me the recipe for Turkish meat balls and yogurt. Or the adorable server Flower from Egypt but grew up in Brazil who makes the meanest Hummus around. The Italian bus boy who eats but is useless otherwise. Jalisco, Micheuacan, Sonora, Mexico City is all represented in the kitchen and staff lunch represents from Caldos to blk Chili Pollo stew. ohhh and Ruchi  the book keeper from India with all her colorful vegetarian recipes from her Mothers book of kitchen tricks....Sigh I'm in heaven.
Ohh back to why I'm writing this diddy. The owners are an amazing Mediterranean mix of Italian and Iranian. Hmmmm love it. I posted this picture of my baby grape cluster up here on the Ghetto Vineyard and Carolyn let me know there is a phenomenal Persian Stew that uses un ripened grapes. REALLY.......off I went to pour over the web, books and picked the Persians brain and after a few trials n errors here is a classic KORESHT-E BADENJAN egg plant stew with un ripe grapes. I tweaked the various recipes and came up with this gem...hope you enjoy.
KHORESHT-E BADENJAN
Egg Plant Stew
5T cold press Kalamata olive oil
3lbs any egg plant ,I'm digging the Asian white little bombs. Slice in strips and salt both sides to leach
1 large yellow onion diced not too small you want the texture.
12 oz of loin, leg or Butt(shoulder) of Lamb. Cube.
1t. Ground turmeric, fenegreek,mustard seed and fresh coriander

2T tomato paste
2 ripe in season tomatoes seeded and diced
3 C of veggie stock(of course home made)
1/2 C un ripe grapes( no one will say if a particular varietal is in order say Shiraz?origin would be correct)
Zest and juice of one lemon.
Sea salt n white pepper to taste
Ok let's go...
Sweat the onions with half the olive oil and herbs . Put aside.
Brown the lamb.
Pat the salted egg plant to remove the excess moisture and brown in the pan the onions were sweated to pick up the rich pan flavours left behind from the onion spice blend.
Now pull out your big soup pot reserved for this very chore and toss everyone in the pool. Remove the baby grapes from the stems and no need to worry about pips the young grape should not have the pip at this stage.
Simmer till all the flavours have meshed and the lamb is cooked through.
Savory, sour and filling. A dollop of cultured cream(sour cream,creme fraiche , yogurt etc...) A zest of lemon, Batsmati rice with a pinch of Saffron and a pile of warm Naan bread. Voila a little Persia in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountain wine region.

Thank you Carolyn and Jalil for having faith and love for me and my little Jam co.  I couldn't do this with out your support and kitchen time.

Thank you Beto, Ricky,Jose, Manny, Isreal, and the rest of you boys in the kitchen who have made me feel like family and sharing your recipes, stories and camaraderie. I so love my Tuesdays with all of you.
Big respect for my kitchen family you work so hard for beauty with so little recognition.

Next time you have a rocking meal out ....try to give a tip to the kitchen . It will mean the world to them that you realize the hard thankless work happening behind the scenes.

party on......




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The reality of fruit math

This seasons bounty of stone fruit here in the Bay is one of the largest bumper crops I have ever witnessed in my cooking career. From little French plums with the bright yellow interiors, to Santa Rosa plums big sweet and crimson. I have been traveling to backyards, road sides and orchards with bucket in hand and dreams of sugar plum fairies helping me process all this fruit. Before this year BFIC(before friend in cheeses)I had no idea how much fruit it takes to create a jar of jelly,so lets do the math .

Yesterday ten a.m. drove to Willow Glen to a private home to pick about 65 to 70 lb of amazing plums. done by noon with a tub full of near perfect aubergine orbs. Then off to the kitchen. In a stock pot(big enough to fit a ten year old boy) rinsed the fruit de leaved and added zest of three lemons ,split a vanilla bean and added two gallons of water and a good toss of sea salt. 12:30pm. Cooked the plum slurry for about an hour to soften and let the color of the skins bring its bit to the plum party. Take off heat and strain three times with smaller mesh each time for fining. One p.m. Now 65-70 lbs of fruit yielded me as you see in photo only 21 gallons of juice that still needs one more strain after completely chilled so solids fall to bottom. Four hours later not one jar of finished product......

LAVENDER PLUM JELLY

Ball canning recipe with my twist.(use Ball recipes for the formula then color outside of the lines from there)

Have 8 80z jars sterilized and lids ready to go. Keep jars warm in low heat 150 in oven so when adding molten jelly your jars won't explode.FYI.

5cups of strained fined Plum juice

1cup unfiltered cold press apple juice(I do Mac apples from my tree)

pinch of salt

split of 1/4 vanilla bean scrape seeds good visual in the finished product

6T of prepared crystal pectin (dextrose,fruit pectin. citric acid)

Big non reactive pot please

add above ingredients and whisk the pectin til completely dissolved. 

Bring to a full roiling boil . boiling like it is about to crawl up side of pot and spill over.

Now for every cup of sugar have a t. of Lavender let sugar/lavender infuse at least six hours..

7.5C of Lavender infused sugar.

Add to the boiling plum party whisking constantly till all sugar is fully dissolved. Important for no lumpy bumpy jelly.

Bring back to the full roiling boil and set timer for one minute. No more no less ONE MINUTE. so don't got pour a drink or feed the Squirrel stay put and watch this pot.

Pull pot after the minute is up.

Remove jars from oven and do not place directly on counter temp can explode the jars. Keep on sheet pan or sil pat. Get your canning funnel (of course its sterilized) and pour the jelly into a tempered glass measuring cup with a pouring lip.

fill your jars leave an air gap  then  with a spoon skim the top of jelly to remove scum and the lavender heads. I lets a few float on top for a very pretty visual when the jelly is opened. Lid . Then off to the steam bath they go. 10 min please.

Pull from steam pot. Let cool and set 24 hour and don't move them til they completely set.

Viola 10 hours later 65-70 lbs of fruit is now in jars with a crystalline shimmer and unlimited possibilities in the world of pairing. So when you raise your eye at my $8.00price tag for 8 oz do remember all the love, care, time and labour it took to bring you this jar of summer from your own "backyard"it really is an investment in your community, culinary happiness and the preservation of American food traditions. Not ofter such importance passes your lips.

 Literally a jar of self harvested local small batch jelly takes over 24 hours before one jar is ready. From picking, processing, fining, producing, setting it takes time alot of time to make sure you have access to a product only time can give. If I cut corners and shaved time you could tell and tell me an earful of why it is just not the same....I refuse to short cut. For me this is the time very well spent for you for me and for food in general. Respect. 

with cheese, french toast, salumi , foie gras or on your fingers this sexy little minx will be a favorite for sure.

Thank you and this is my story and I'm stickin to it.

Mama has purple fingers,sore feet and smile....wink