Winter at the Hollywood Farmers' Market

Over a week ago, we were able to visit and do the table at the Hollywood Farmers' Market...I still can't believe it has been over 2 months since I have been able to sit at the table, time really is flying! It was wonderful to see all the familiar faces (although everyone has been working overtime with the whole BS situ with the Film School)-but it was a joy to be out in the market.
So yes I did happen to see James Van Der Beek, looking normal with the fam, but WAY MORE important was the baby goat from Soledad-10 days old...she was the star of the market the entire time-crowds non stop!

(yeah, she fell asleep in my arms!!)

This time we brought our neighbors Jack and August, they had a blast and even went to Amoeba and brought back this classic Lee Perry album...all I have to say is better not bring it to our house or you will never see it again!

I sat at the MFP table and hung out with Kevin, Master Gardener (dearly missed!!) for a few hours and tried to catch up on everything that has been happening for over 2 months...I can't believe it has been that long. Eventually we closed up and we were able to go shopping...

(root veggies galore)

McGrath Farms always has incredible produce (in the center ring of the market). They usually have a few items that you cannot find anywhere else. As we walked by, I noticed something EXTRA special: Ghost Peppers. If you are into heat, the ghost is known as the hottest pepper on the planet (think habanero x 10...I still can't imagine that). We had to pick up some for another canning creation.

(some lady got mad at me for taking so many!)

I am also big on the prepared food of the Hollywood FM-while I am usually a breakfast burrito gal, I have recently fallen in love with the Caribbean creations at Flava- I am down for beans, rice and plantains any day/all day, but she also as a mean chicken dish (from what I hear) that is not only cheap but way good!

(PS the hot sauce on the counter is hot but UBER good!)

(fixin's with hot sauce-I had 2 orders)

I am hoping to make a regular stop at the market this year every 1st Sunday of the month pending a class or lecture. Either way, you have to check out he Farmers Kitchen where Ernie has made a number of yummy preserves from the farmers who do this market. He is also heading the LA MFP program after 10 years (yours truly will be teaching the first class on food safety)- to apply for one of the 15 spots, click here- go Ernie!!!!

adventures with Evan Kleiman, Kazi and a citrus class!

The typical Friday is not really the end of the week but the prepping for what i like to call the "short week" (aka the weekend). I usually try to finish the weeks work and prep for classes and events that happen in the next 2 days with an evening cocktail at the computer to make me feel like i am having a night on the town!

(BEWARE: awesome Friday ahead...)

This past Friday was a little different though. I met Evan Kleiman (aka: mera-mera) at Union Station for a little trip to her dear friend Kazi's home in Altadena to check out her AMAZING urban farm and work on an upcoming class.

(starting the day)

We happened to arrive a little early so Gustavo and i decided to take a little trip to Olvera Street to grab a snack and check out some cute potential presents. I've heard that this landmark area might be demolished -WHAT A SHAME, can anyone tell me more about this???

(this place served the first taquito in LA-yummers!)

(bright guitars and a ceramic rooster that i want to buy for the front porch)

After a short walk through the gorgeous Union Station that seemed untouched by time (albeit without the constant cell phone usage all around), Evan pulled up to pick me up with her co-pilot Paco, sitting on her lap ready for an adventure. Paco is her 7yr-old little white fluff-ball of cuteness (i forgot the breed-a stray that is mixed with cuteness is all you need to know), that immediately came to my lap as we took off to Altadena.
Evan has told me about Kazi and her incredible home and as we pulled up to the door, i felt the excitement that reminded me of the times i walked up to the home of Beekeeper Kelly's home: i KNEW i was in a special place. Then off i went for a wonderful backyard tour....

(Evan checkin' out the dehydrator that killz it!)

Kazi's home is filled with more wonder that baffles the mind-not only is she a classical musician, but a chica of astounding knowledge and passion of food that is like opening an encyclopedia called, "everything i wanted to know about an creative urban farm but never had the balls to think about what i could do". i probably seemed like a ghost, because the entire time i was in total amazement and could hardly speak (except from the occasional "holy shazzbah" spinkled with, "what is this!" every 10 minutes).
Kazi took me on a tour of her MANY fruit trees (we are talking at LEAST 15 different citrus, not to mention the rest), 30+ birds (that Paco loved to chase), herbs and a dehydrator that would Shaq-style-smack-down whatever you might have at home-Kazi even roasts her own coffee-HELLO!

(finger lime: my new fave citrus-MUST HAVE)

(Paco workin' it with the birds-they didn't like him too much!)

(yeah, this is PART of the yard in winter...for realz!!)

Kazi also made us an incredible lunch (fresh eggs and bread-every thing from scratch yo) and topped it off with farm-fresh soda and preserves from her trip to Oregon-what a woman. While i was in the restroom i also spotted a signed autograph from Frank Sinatra as well as sheet music from past performances-again, what a woman!

(yummers x3: our lunch)

during all of this bliss we managed to hash out our upcoming class on citrus ON FEBRUARY 12TH 11-3:30 at her home.  totally worth the drive if you are in Southern CA. Kazi will be teaching marmalade, Evan will be making a yummy lunch and i will be teaching citrus spice/herb applications (and booze). if you are interested, here's the info:

Citrus Celebration and Class at Altadena Urban Farm
Join Evan Kleiman and her friends, urban farmer, Kazi Pitelka and master preserver Delilah Snell at Kazi’s urban farm in Altadena.  We’ll walk through the orchard and try 10+ varieties of in season fruit as Kazi shares her breadth of knowledge of Citrus.  Then we move to the kitchen to make learn a basic Marmalade Recipe, a Citrus Liquer and dry Spice Mixtures.  Includes lunch.
Saturday, February 12 from 11-3:30.
Location:  disclosed upon registration
Cost:  $130
To RSVP, please contact Delilah Snell
delilahsnell@yahoo.com
714.836.8727

what a great friday.....

(had margs @ gabbis in Orange after in the Jam Van, then back to work!)

ceramics with a side of screen printing

when i was in high school, i used to be in ceramics class and LOVED every minute of it-i was pretty good on the wheel and made a number of cups, bowls and art work depicting the funny inside jokes i had with my friends...such good memories.
over the years, i have been wanting to go back into the studio, but either had zero time, scheduling conflict or no money for classes.

(kombucha on tap with Mark-a quick drink before class)

my friends at Avanti Cafe have been trying to get me into their ceramics class in Huntington Beach which is very affordable and if i just rearrange my schedule, i could do it.  after a year of asking me,  i finally got my act together and started taking classes every tuesday for the past few months.
Our instructor Matt is a super nice fellow who teaches computer art stuffs, ceramics and painting/drawing...really funny and one day had scissors screened onto his pants, when i asked where he got them he replied, "i screen printed them in the next room".
AWESOME...

Matt recently made me a screen of a mason jar, and last week showed Mark and I what to do with it....

(attaching the screen)

(Mark spreading fabric ink over the mason jar screen)

(the original drawing-turned into screen-into cuteness on a dress!)

(Matt explaining to Mark about photoshop for his screen)

i brought in a few items that had stains on them o i could cover them up with cute mason jars!

(already wore this to work!) 

(going to wear this to work!)

next up: Backyard In A Jar aprons, tea towels and Road Less Traveled staff tees and other merch! Coming in 2011

and i do do ceramics in this class :)

pie class with Evan Kleiman-an update to working with a rockin' chica

(gone in 60 seconds: Evan's tomato n' gruyere cheese pie)

so this past weekend i had a canning class with Evan Kleiman-queen-of-pies, Good Food host and so much more on pie filling and pie crusts at her restaurant Angeli Caffe.
have to admit-the nerves where a runnin' though me realizing that i was going to be teaching canning this and that with a woman who is, in so many words-a "mera-mera" of culinary So Cal and then some....there were lots of, "please don't f-up this...put your A-game on" type thoughts going through my head for sure!

(starting the workshop with a quick talk on basic canning)

but as soon as i walked into Angeli on Saturday morning i felt at total ease-something that is automatic with Evan. she is a woman with charm and a great energy that you feel like you are coming into her home. Only an hour after arriving, we were met with our 8 students-pretty amazing seeing that we only started promoting the class a little over a week before.

(Evan teaching pie crusts)

I started out the workshop talking about canning while Evan blanched peaches for filling.  After the filling was made and we loaded the jars Evan taught the students how to make 2 different kinds of pie crust and everyone made little pies made in jelly jars that they could put in the oven later (see above).

(the finished product was a quart of organic peach pie filling for each student)

Even though we were both a little tired, the day ended up being really wonderful and has inspired us to do another workshop on tomatoes (will be posting about this next week)!  Most of all, it has been really great to work with someone so inspiring...

a full sunday

usually, i keep father's day pretty quiet-both my father and "D+" (my father-figure/bestie while growing up) have both passed, so for almost 10 years i just use the day to to rest, remember and work on various house projects-i lay pretty low.
this sunday was a different turn.
starting EARLY, like sam style early, we loaded the VW with various preservation items for a trip to the NBC studios to visit with Ted Chen for an appearance on Raw LA to talk about food preservation...um yeah, i was on TV-talk about the exact opposite of what i usually do!

("call me Master for short Ted!")

right after, we headed out to the Hollywood Farmers' Market for my monthly table-which i havent been able to do for the past 2 months because of a crazy work schedule and being sick (which made me miss the anniversary event, which i am still pissed about a month later!) it was really wonderful to see all of the familiar faces of the market-for Father's Day it was so busy! lots of folks came by and Jake Gyllenhaal was there...but alas, no Booger! we ate at the Farmers' Kitchen and had an amazing breakfast of local eggs, mushrooms and greens of all sorts (super good-you must try)! we ended up leaving with a big case of heirloom tomatoes from Tutti Fruitti Farms for super cheap, strawberries and made some good connections for stone fruit when we come back in 2 weeks-i can't wait.

(big-time garlic from Tutti Frutti-people asked more about the garlic than preserving!)

(adorable wooden eggs we bought from an old European woman-gorg!)

(yeah, Father's Day made no dent in the crowds in h-wood)

we had to cut-out a little early because right after that, we went to Evan Kleiman's beloved Angeli Caffe to help sponsor Nina Garcia, a popular food favorite obtain a mobile vendor operation. even though we were starting to feel the exhaustion of being in the sun and early morning, the fried quesadillas and other goodness was way too much to pass up-

i have to honestly say that i am in awe of Evan and her amazing heart. she opened her business to pave the way for another woman to make more for her business-what an inspiration and woman!

(Evan made me this savory beer drink-basically the topper for my sleepiness)

(SUPER good-gracias Nina!)

the beer and heavy food was trying to do us in-we sang songs to keep us awake so we wouldnt miss the new epi of True Blood (um yeah wasnt it great!).  however, in the back of my mind, i my mind was racing with a number of things...
i miss father's day with D+

an afternoon with Evan Kleiman ?!?!

just last week i had a private canning class with culinary "mera mera" Chef Evan Kleiman of Angeli Caffe but you also might know her for her popular show on KCRW Good Food. this class, with Harriet from the show (who i met a few months back) was going to take place in my home on what i hoped would be a not too hot of a day (Summer's are brutal in the apartment homestead!)
i have to admit, i was a little nervous at first about how the class was going to turn out-what do i say, "Evan: cut this, prep that, now wash dishes???..." -i should be doing that! all of this in my shoebox apartment, where the occasional sound of the tire shop next door or lord knows what else would be filtering in.

the first time i met Evan was at a lecture and signing for Alice Water's book on the Edible Garden in Santa Monica. both Ernie and i braved the traffic and crowds for a chance to talk to both Alice and Evan and perhaps give them a jar of loquat goodness.  we were able to say a short hello but both were among a huge crowd of people (of course!!!) so it's not like we shared tales of canning adventures and our favorite restaurants.
but this was different.
Evan and Harriet met me and Courtney (of C-Salt fame, who was is a HUGE fan of Evan's) at the store where we took the short walk to our home.  i proudly showed both ladies my finished root cellar, packed with boozes and dried chilies from New Mexico and my little veggie garden and for the next 3 hours we made jam, jelly and pickles.

(peach-habanero jam bubbling)

(Evan fills the jars with hot basil jelly)

(the afternoon breeze felt great while cooking)

i can't tell you how much fun this class was-it was more like a vacation!  with the faint sound of Loretta Lynn in the background, we talked of food, relationships, pies, jokes, travels, the 127 yard sale and our own personal stories and drank cocktails made from the kumquat vodka from the root cellar. the afternoon reminded me of what food preservation is all about-connecting with people and the world around you- we ended our class with hugs and singing Joni Mitchell songs. our class has turned into new friends!
and more...Evan and I talked about a few ideas and i will be posting them soon!!

new friends, old friends and KCRW's Good Food??

(not edible, but really pretty!)

(Joel explaining the wonderful world of wild plants to Eddie and Harriet)

About a month ago, we had an amazing class at the store called Foraged Foods: identification and preparation. Naturalist and friend Joel Robinson foraged foods from our local wild places and i taught a cooking class with these tasty ingredients....i have to admit, this was an awesome class for not only Joel and i, but it has also caught the attention of some other big foodies in Southern California.
Just this past Thursday, Joel was interviewed by beloved KCRW foodie show Good Food for our class and he gave an in-depth tour and tasting of wild Santa Ana to new friends Eddie Lin and Harriet Ells...i got to cameo a little demo on making a wild salad too!!

(wild radish-SUPER beautiful and very fragrant)

Throughout Joel's tour of our parking lot, Park Santiago and the Santiago neighborhood, i not only got a much needed break from the day-to-day "store-life" that i am usually consumed in but i was able to appreciate the beauty and wonder that is literally within block of my home....it is so easy to forget the wonder of nature around you when you are constantly working.
But even more, i really cherished that i could take a few moments from my day and have an adventure with friends: 1 whom i have been trying to do a walk/spend time with (Joel) and two new friends whom i shared a child-like experience of wonder and amazement in finding new treasures to eat! as i sit here and write, i am thankful that my little store has allowed me the opportunity to know such amazing people...i love how the world works!

here are some images from our adventure:

(we demoed this wild green in a salad)

(Black Sage right outside the entrance to Park Santiago)

(loquats! right outside a church in the Santiago neighborhood)

(recording in the church yard-lots quieter!)

our next Foraged Foods class will be on April 25, we also do a Wild Weeds Walk around Santa Ana with Caroline Colesworthy every 3rd Saturday of the month