food preservation classes, workshops & events APRIL and MAY 2010

lots happening for those interested in food preserving, canning, eco-lectures and sales! this is what is happening for April and May:


*April 11th, 2-5PM: Jam Session @ The Road Less Traveled Store
*April 17th, 10AM-2pm: Lecture on Sustainability in the Textile Industry @ CSUF Social Justice Summit
*April 18th, 1:30-3:30PM: Fermentation 2: Vinegar, Tonics and Yogurt (Taught by Chef Ernest Miller!)
*April 22nd, 6:30-9:30PM: Pickles and Relish @ Irvine Fine Arts Center
*April 23rd, 1-3PM: Organic-Start to Finish: Food Preservation Lecture @ South Coast Plaza Home Garden Show
*April24th-25th: Unique LA Gift Show
*April 25th, 3-6PM: Foraged Foods @ The Road Less Traveled Store
*May 1st, 11-2: Working with Chilies @ Road Less Traveled Store
*May 8th, 2-5PM: Pickles and Relish @ The Road Less Traveled Store
*May 15th, 11-1PM: Fermentation 1-Kraut, Kimichi and other Old School Foods @ The Road Less Traveled Store
*May 16th, 9-1PM: Hollywood Farmers' Market Citrus Demo (w/ Chef Ernest Miller)
*May 21st 7-9PM: Food Preservation for Drinkers @ {open} books
*May 20th, 6:30-9:30: Savory Spreads @ Irvine Fine Arts Center
*May 23rd: Jam Session @ Urban Craft Center (FARMERS' MARKET TOUR INCLUDED)
*May 29th, 1-4PM: Summertime Food Preservation @ The Road Less Traveled Store
*May 30th, 11-5PM: PaTcHwOrK Arts & Crafts Fair, Santa Ana
*June 6th, 11-5PM: PaTcHwOrK Arts & Crafts Fair, Long Beach

there should be a few other classes up in the next week or so-call or email me if you are interested!

root cellar update

Unfortunately i was pretty sick during the holidays, my root cellar was a victim in catching-up.
This past weekend i made the most of the good daylight and worked on my scary root cellar.

This place has obviously been deserted for YEARS and there were a number of dust bunnies, webs and other dirty clean-me-ups....also found a few beer cans, so at least someone had used it for good times
Most cellars are probably a lot bigger than what we have, and that is totally understandable...So Cal doesnt need to save that much for the winter-as many know our winters are more like cool sunny days...yes a little rain and frost, but that is more for the nightly news if it is even close to what COLD means in the rest of the country.
But i have plans for this here cellar-i have the tiniest apartment and i really want to use whatever storage i have for for things needing rest, or for food items that i wont use that often.

(LOTS of cleaning to do!)

(The main storage room, not too big but enough to work with)

The photo above is of the small storage room-this is the main area i want to work with. It has a few hooks on the ceiling and a cement shelf that will be the main holding shelf. My plan is to clean the cement and walls (they are actually old doors!), vacuum the floors and ceiling and install a few more hooks in the ceiling in addition to a few smaller shelves around the space. i am also going to try to figure out how to get some lighting in there, b/c it is pretty dark!

Some of the things i want to store:

• flavored booze: just made loquat n' honey, lemoncello and pepper vodka...wont be needing them for a few weeks at the most!
• New Mexico pepper mixes: Gustavo, got me some amazing dried peppers from all over NM....at least 6 in various sizes...too much for a kitchen pantry
• vinegar: my "creations" have been sitting under my sink for WAY to long and are getting in the way of laundry detergent and trash bags!
• dried herbs and salt mixtures: i have been drying extra herbs that we have been getting in our CSA-usually dill is traded in and we end up with several bunches a week. I end up drying these in the closet and now have a large jar full of it. i also have 3 large jars of spicy salt that i need to store.

I am going to make this my Monday morning work and i will post my progress in a few weeks.

renegade onions now in my tummy

(with a little cleaning...)

(cleaned up and ready to eat for chopping!)

i dont know if they are in the soil already, for sure a few have been "transplants" that i placed lovingly in various pots at the bottom of our stairs but we have onions! it is crazy, they seem to be in each of the plants i have at the bottom of the stairs, anywhere from 1 to 3 onions in a pot!

over the past 6 months, i have started to see little green shoots poke out and just this past week i have waited until i saw some of them look strong and much bigger (especially after the rain!). i have started growing garlic recently by simply planting garlic that had green shoots popping out (which are a little bitter if you cook them).

(one of the strong sprouts that we harvested-growing in our passion fruit pot)

(random pot that i also planted garlic that sprouted in the kitchen)

MUSHROOMS WITH RENEGADE ONIONS

• 1-2 # mushrooms (i did a mix of crimini and white)
• olive oil
• salt (or spicy salt)
• handful of onions sliced, green parts and all
• 1/4 c.white wine vinegar
• 1-3 cloves garlic, sliced
  

wash and trim the mushrooms, if they are a little big chop them in 1/2.
in a large pan, add olive oil and saute the garlic for a minute, add the mushrooms cooking for another 5 min. add the onions and the vinegar and salt and place a lid on it and simmer for 10-15 minutes....SUPER GOOD!

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

i think it is time for a new display

it's March and i have just about run out of excuses for the x-mas lights in the store....at least in the same theme that i had back in December.
when i was in my first few years of business, i was super excited and motivated to do displays and rearrange stuff. in the beginning, Rachel Hulan of Path Design was my mentor in merch, and i would simply sit and watch her figure stuff out and work her magic (PS if you ever get the chance to watch a professional do displays, i very highly RECOMMEND doing so, very fascinating!). After that, i took lessons that i learned from her and researched other ideas, both in person and on-line and used what i liked from each and tried to put something together (of course it took me 10xs longer).
Now that i am in my 4th year of business, displays although fun, are not part of the monthly routine anymore...i just can't spend all that time doing it-as a result i try to do my displays every 2-3 months, more mimicking the seasons.

(yeah can you feel it is time to mix it up a bit?..yes i am tired!)

Back to it's March, not December. i little bit ago i posted about DIY garlands, i really wanted to do something like that in the store as either a display of some kind. i looked at a few ideas on Etsy and then one day on Facebook, i saw crafter Cathy of California posted a gorgeous display that she did using the same technique...i think i am finding out my new display theme...

This past weekend, Corissa cut out numerous circles and sewed them together in long strands from leftover paper from flyers in bright colors attached with string.

(Corissa says that it reminds her of 1st grade)

Every dilemma with the store and displays: making 2 window cohesive and an interior piece or display that relates to what is happening to the windows (or what is happening in the season)...basically 3 displays that are all a little different but somewhat the same...easy right??

(second window-same idea, different take)

The paper garlands worked out great. the first window, which i have crappy images of (not seen here), is a springtime scene with a bike and some awesome Nikki McClure posters depicting "ditch the bike" images and of course garlands. the other window...more garlands with huge scissors made from an old cardboard box from the new couches we have in the store. the center piece?? a HUGE chandelier-type creation made from extra long garlands and leftovers.... super springy and totally cheap and easy to make...we have already had a number of people using the idea to decorate...go for it!

CSA cooking: passion fruit limeade

basket inventory: red chard, big handful of chives, red carrots, celery, sprouts, broccoli, limes, oranges, blood oranges, limes, lemons, lettuce, passion fruit

so at my stint at the Hollywood Farmers' Market, we have come to love this Peruvian booth for amazing breakfasts, but also great juices that for a 24oz cup, costs only $3...i know and it tastes SUPER GOOD! only thing is we can only have it once a month...which leads to making this at home! this is my own take on this yummy drink.

PASSION FRUIT LIMEADE:

• passion fruit
• lime juice
• water
• agave nectar
• ice

passion fruit is best when the fruit is wrinkled, this is when the fruit is sweetest. cut the fruits in half, scoop out the seeds and yummy orange parts and put in a pitcher. add anywhere from the same amount to double the amount of lime juice. add water and sweeten with agave until it is how you like it...add more water if you think it is too strong.
add ice, or we added champs last night for a unique take on the mimosa!

CSA cooking: simple tomato pasta

basket inventory: small bunch of chard, kale, parsley, quince, navel oranges, mandarins, limes, lemons, lot of carrots, radishes, 2 kind of lettuce, macadamia nuts, field greens, cilantro, celery

yes i watch Food Network. i do have some issues (no me gusta Emeril, why are they doing a contest to see who is the next Iron Chef?? no Ramsay and no vegetarian shows) but catch myself watching it from time to time (i do like Chopped!).
This morning i was watching Giada when i realized that she had this simple and yummy pasta recipe that would go perfect with at least a few of the carrots we got from the basket...i didnt have some of the ingredients form the original recipe so i made some modifications.

EASY TOMATO PASTA (modified from Giada's recipe)

• 1# pasta
• olive oil
  
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 large onion in thin slices
• 3 carrots, diced
• s & p, chili flakes (optional), lime juice (?) and/or SPIKE
  
• fresh basil, finely sliced
  
• 1/2-1 tiny can tomato paste
• parm cheese

cook the pasta until it is just about finished, drain- but reserve AT LEAST 2c. water (i actually just fill a 4c. measuring cup, b/c really you never know)
in a large saucepan: oil, onions and garlic, soften. add the carrots and salt (unlike Giada, i wait to put pepper in) and cook a little more until everything is soft and the onion bits have a little bit of golden color. add the tom paste and the pasta water, a cup at a time until you have the sauce consistency that you like (and that will cover all of the pasta!)-dont throw out the pasta water until you are about to serve, it might get thick and you will need more of it. Turn down the heat, add seasoning/chili and taste until you like it (i even add lime juice b/c i like tart!). toss the pasta and add the basil until it everything is well mixed.
place in a large serving bowl and add the cheese (or have it on the side, some people dont like it-crazy i know).