Taste of the Season, Moss Landing

Moss Landing Harbor, $3.50/lb.

Boil water, add salt and beer, drop in crabs, boil for 15 minutes, transfer to ice bath.

Can't wait for next Sunday.

Buenas Tardes, Martes

Yellow Cauliflower and Romanesco

Shopping at the Tuesday farmers market in Monterey did not hold its usual charm for me today.  I almost didn't go, but the desire for fresh thai chili inspired me to skip my second nap of the day.  My finds were worth the effort:  fresh snap peas, oranges, strawberries, colored mini calla lillies, and a beauteous romanesco......but not a single thai chili to be had.  I enjoyed my usual small talk with my favorite vendors, and I continue to be amused when they speak to me in Spanish.  It started years ago, when they would greet me in Spanish and I would respond.  The great part is that as a local, they remember me. The only problem is that they remember me as the Spanish speaker I am not.  I'm part to blame for the charade, because I don't want to lose the familiarity.  I can usually stumble through the money part of the conversation.  Then I feel foolish and a fraud and wish my best friend were there to help me our of my conversation quandary.

I am astonished at the lack of etiquette I've experienced at the Tuesday market.  Why must people wander aimlessly, stopping to eat their sample strawberry in the middle of a stream of foot traffic?  At many of my favorite vendor's stands, people pick their produce and thrust their bags at the vendor without even greeting them.  I'm an educator and truly love children, but I don't love it when I am cut off by their parents pushing their double wide high tech strollers while the whole family shares a gyro.  What bothers me the most is the total lack of awareness of others that some people have.

I asked the vendor who sold me snap peas and oranges about the day and he shared my sentiment: "Not a good crowd.  People just here to look."

Bah, humbug.  Better luck on Friday.  In the meantime, tomorrow's menu includes a twist on Mom's Cream of Cauliflower Soup.  I wonder what she would say to see me substitute the giant chartreuse and purple monster pictured above?

Farm Fresh Produce

Highway 1, Moss Landing

Smells have a way of evoking memories, and there is something about walking into Farm Fresh Produce, the fruit stand located in Moss Landing on Highway 1, that evokes very early memories for me.  It is possibly the commingling of ripe fruit scents as they collect in the awnings of this fruit stand that never closes.

This sign makes me wonder if the produce stand and the San Jose market are connected.  Inside, I find local honey and cheap produce.  I know the asparagus, avocados, and pineapple I buy are not organic and likely seconds that were not selected for store retail, but I don't care.  I buy them all in a trance caused by this scent that has awakened something in the depths of my memory.

Dusty packages of dried fruits are stacked on shelves next to orchids plants and candy I remember wanting as a child.  There are sesame crisps made with honey that my mother used to give me.  As when I was a child, there are all sorts of things to discover. Today's discovery is a sort of citrus I have never seen before: Shasta tangerines.  They look warty and alien to me, but I buy one anyway, just to see what it tastes like.  I smile to myself as I pick the ugliest one.  As a child I used to pick the ugliest pumpkin on the patch, imagining that its feelings would be hurt to be overlooked by children wanting a perfect jack-o-lantern pumpkin.  I must have watched too many Charlie Brown specials.

Shasta tangerines

Its exterior looked tough and impenetrable, but it peeled surprisingly easily.  In contrast to the tough interior, the juicy segments were encased in tender membranes.  In this case, following my childish instincts led to a new discovery.

I have very few childhood memories, and I can't recall a specific day of being at the San Jose flea market.  I will probably never fully recall this memory or know anymore about it, since I have no sibling with whom I shared the experience.  I was probably there often.  All I know is that there is an ephemeral smell that hits me when I walk near this produce stand, and sensing it makes me feel happy.

Incredibly Cool Discovery in Monterey County

According to the The Monterey Herald, "The bones of a juvenile Ice Age Columbian mammoth have been found in a field near Castroville, the first discovery of its kind in Monterey County."  See Localite Links for more information.

Free Tomato Babies to Good Homes

Friends, family and past readers of this blog will remember a certain tomato mania that strikes me every spring. There is something so rewarding about growing my own food, even if it just a small amount.  This is my third year growing tomatoes two blocks from the beach, and my quest to discover which varietals grow best in the various micro climates of Monterey County continues.

Last year I started my seeds on March 15.  Though I shuttled my seeds flats indoors every evening and out again every morning, there was very little danger of frost hurting the tender plants.   This year's early spring inspired me to start my plants earlier (February 19), and as a consequence these lovelies are enjoying today's Saturday sun:

even though I did considerably more shuttling.

I always feel foolish when I go to the store and find much bigger plants at ridiculously low prices, but the charm in starting my own lies in the varieties that I don't find in stores.  This years varieties include: Amish Paste, Reigart, Brandy Wine, Riesentraube, Stupice and Annelise.  Except.....I may have gone overboard.  My current count is 552.  So, who will join me in the joy of growing tomatos from home?  Free tomato babies to good homes!

River Road Wine Trail Valentine's Passport

Today was such a gorgeous day in the Salinas Valley, no one could have guessed that it is the middle of winter. The twelve wineries which make up the River Road Wine Trail opened their doors with plenty of wine, food and music.  My friends and I only managed to make it to five of the twelve wineries:  Marilyn Remark, Hahn Winery, ParaisoVineyards, Sycamore Cellars and Sheid Vineyards. 

Sycamore Cellars, Greenfield

Paraiso Vineyards, Soledad

Soledad, California from Hahn Wineries

Hahn Winery, Soledad

The Santa Lucias from Hahn Winery

Fortunately, we left plenty of places to visit next year.  Unfortunately,  I forgot to take pictures of the wine.  In fact, I forgot to take pictures after the first couple of wineries........

Fresh Eating in the Middle of Winter

Winter Greens, MPC Farmer's Market

California BBQ, Soledad

On a recent trip to Arizona, I was attracted to and impressed by the following BBQ contraption, complete with dual muffler exhaust:

Babe's BBQ, Camp Verde, Arizona

Anecdotally, folks in this part of Arizona seem to scoff at Californians who move in and try to change the status quo.  There's no debating it: Arizona and California are very different. The ribs were sweet, smoky, sticky and a perfect send off as we headed back to California.

Until today, I figured that our Santa Maria neighbors had the monopoly on the California barbecue scene.  There is definite history behind the Santa Maria tri-tip barbecue, which perhaps we will visit in the future.  But today, after a gorgeous winding drive down River Road, I discovered that south Monterey County not only challenges the presumption that Santa Maria is the California barbecue mecca, it scoffs at it.

Soledad Super Bowl BBQ Fundraiser, Soledad American Legion Hall

Chicken and Local Swiss Sausage for the Cooking Crew

Soledad Bean Pot.  Yikes.

The Soledad Rotary Club and the American Legion partnered up today to  raise money for the Soledad community by selling a half-chicken BBQ lunch complete with beans, local salad, homemade salsa, local roll and soft drink.  And not just any barbecued half chicken, these babies were grilled over some serious hardwood coals.  Arriving early allowed a behind the scenes views of the BBQ crew in action (permitted as long as one stays behind the painted green line).  Fortunately, this localite scored a line pass (pair of tongs) and got the honor of handing out the chicken in the serving line. (Wait........ honor? Or hazing?)

I still haven't gotten the smoke out of my hair.

Down The Road a Piece

A Kamikazi Tumbleweed

Sunset in the Mojave Desert

Sedona, Arizona

Montezuma National Monument, Camp Verde, Arizona

ACME Coffee Roasting Company, Seaside

Acme Coffee is not a dainty place, yet I drove past it for two years to and from work without knowing it was there. With its "Fight Corporate Coffee" slogan it is one of the best examples of a localite find. Acme Coffee has a history with the former Morgan's Coffee, and if you are interested in knowing more, just ask around or read the brochure available on the counter. Despite the past which created Acme Coffee, the present is a local favorite that plies locals with strong morning joe in a setting with an automotive/industrial theme. Acme Coffee is featured at other local business such as Earthbound Organic Farms and the Big Sur Bakery.  There are no leather chairs and gentle jazz playing here. However, in a nod to aesthetics and ambiance there is a pretty row garden for clients' pleasure (if not that of their pets).

Earthbound Farm, Carmel Valley

7250 Carmel Valley Road

Earthbound Farm is not the only organic farm on the Central Coast, but it is perhaps the best known now that Earthbound Farm Organic Products can be found coast to coast.  Earthbound Farm focuses on organic rather than local food, but they do feature several local products including Lula's Chocolates, Acme Coffee and Santa Cruz Organic juice.

It is possible to buy nearly everything for an organic kitchen at the Earthbound Farm Stand if you have a sufficient budget.  There is plenty of produce, of course.  An organic cook can also buy bread, cereal, nuts, coffee, dairy products, meat and organic pantry staples to fill the larder and pantry.  

If you want an organic meal without having to cook, the Organic Farm Kitchen serves hot food which you can enjoy on a picnic table or take out.  There are also plenty of prepackaged entrées, sides dishes and snack foods ready to be grabbed for the organic eater on the run.

Earthbound Farm Organic Farm Stand

Taste of Monterey, Cannery Row

Large Cheese Platter, 2008 Kali Hart Pinot Noir

Like many people, I am creature of habit.  I tend to go to the same restaurants, order the same food, read the same authors, and take the same route to and from work each day.  There is a sense of comfort and reassurance in routine.  On the other hand, it is easy to get in a rut.

When it comes to wine, I am not a very sophisticated drinker.  Actually, I am not a particularly sophisticated or worldly gal.  I have always been a home body, which is evident by the theme of this blog.  When it comes to wine, I tend to drink it if I like it.  I have never been to Napa or Sonoma Valley, and even when I travel I tend to order a Monterey County wine if it is on the menu.  My favorite winery is River Run Winery in Aromas, mostly because my parents have been tasting and buying there so long the wine maker, family and staff are like family.  I once tutored the wine maker's son and was paid wine.

Last summer I decided to branch out and join a wine club.  I chose Club Taste at Taste of Monterey for its price point and the opportunity to taste wines from around the county.  If not forced to branch out, I will always revert to my comfort zone.  Five months later I can confidently report that my palate for wine has developed.  Every so often I also have a good excuse to have a wine party with friends to bring down the numbers of wine bottles that fill my shelves.

An added benefit of club membership it the opportunity to taste wine once a week.  Yesterday, fleeing the wet weather and cramped Localite Cottage, family members and I hunkered down in the Taste of Monterey Wine Visitor's Center on Cannery Row.  After tasting a flight of five wines, we purchased single glasses of our choice and settled in with a large cheese platter.  While the location was great, it faces north and does not afford a good sunset view.  However, the setting of dusk has its own natural magic and before the light turned purple and then dark we spotted two harbor seals, a great egret and an American oyster catcher in addition to the usual gulls.

Taste of Monterey, with its two locations in Cannery Row and Oldtown Salinas, definitely competes for its share of tourism dollars.  Perhaps I have not spent  enough there to gauge whether or not it appeals to locals .  Participation in future events may shed some light on this. On the first Fridays of the month Taste of Monterey hosts a local art walk, and on the last Fridays of the month they offer special prices and later hours.  Anyone care to join me?

A Good Start

Happy 2011

Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur

Pfeiffer Beach, south facing

Famous purple sand

Obligatory photo of Pfeiffer Beach rock formation

Sunset

New Year's Day Brunch, Big Sur Bakery

Baked Goods, Big Sur Bakery

The Big Sur Bakery was a pleasant haven on this rainy New Year's day.  Though overpriced, a cup of drip coffee is locally roasted at Acme Coffee Company and refills are free.  Fresh pastries beckon to blurry eyes patrons from a lit display counter.  After sufficient caffeine infusion and sugar spike from a chocolate croissant, I had a perfect brunch: fish salad.  Though an unusual order for breakfast, this lovely meal featured local Monterey Bay halibut on butter lettuce with shaved fennel and Meyer lemon dressing.  The delicate fish and fresh vegetables were just right for this slightly hung over localite.  Okay 2011, let's see what you've got!

Halibut Salad with Shaved Fennel and Meyer Lemon

New Year's Eve Beer Paired Dinner, Big Sur River Inn

The Big Sur River Inn hosted a New Year's Eve beer paired dinner featuring The Beer Geek.  "The Beek Geek" is actually married couple Chris Nelson and Merideth Canham-Nelson who collaborate on their love of beer.  The great thing about a New Year's Eve party in Big Sur is that you don't really need to worry about being dressed up.  Just put on your dress up Uggs and join in.

Menu

BBQ Shrimp on Pineapple Planks

Bear Republic Red Rocket

Scallops wrapped in Bacon with Grilled Endive Salad

Rodenback Amber Ale

Spicy Apricot Wings paired with Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Beef Filet with Grilled Vegetables

 Chimay Red Label

Stout Beer Float

Rogue Chocolate Stout

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Malheur Brut Reserve

"Champagne" Beer Midnight Toast: Malheur Brut Reserve