A Pretty Good Day

NOTE: I caved in and created a photo album just for pictures of Logan (aka "The King of the Babies"). I did this as a public service for his legions of fans. Thank you for visiting.

The day ended with a fabulous salad that complied with the Locavore challenge to eat food from within 100 miles of your home, if you include my exemption of "condiments I already own."

This is a plateful of pea shoots with Oxnard Orange tomatoes (Happy Boy Farms), smoked salmon (New Leaf Market), baby carrots (the last from Windmill Farms), and goat cheese. The dressing is the answer to a prayer: it is Seeds of Change's organic Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette.

Trader Joe's once carried a Vidalia onion vinaigrette, and I bought it dozens of bottles until they discontinued it without warning. (Bastards!) I wailed and gnashed my teeth, and wrote to the company. Alas, they never replaced it, and I have been forlorn ever since. Then I discovered the Seeds of Change version (which has an onion on the label), when I stopped at Andronico's Market in Palo Alto one day.

It's fabulous. It's from New Mexico. I confess right now that I intend to have a bottle of this stuff on hand at all times. It goes perfectly with the pea shoots, and balances the saltiness of the smoked fish beautifully.

Today at the farmers market, I bought: perfect green beans and Seascape strawberries from Live Earth Farm. Joe Rubin pointed out the strawberries to me: "We're finally allowed to sell them at this market." Seascapes are the most popular berry I know right now. The red and yellow raspberries looked heavenly, but I had other things to get with my money. That was $7.

At the Happy Boy booth, I bought two kinds of heirloom tomatoes, including a red and green striped one and some I think are Oxnard Oranges (one of my favorite discoveries from their booth last year). These were mixed in with Lemon Boys, but I know the difference. One pound of tomatoes (five medium ones): Only $2. Score! And look at the millions of cherry tomatoes. Ah, August.

I got my usual bag of pea shoots from Sandra at New Natives. Logan loves her, and I had to disappoint her by telling her that he was at his swim lesson today. Pea shoots are $1.50 a bag (that's two entrée-sized salads).

At Blue Heron (which I just have to visit someday soon), I bought a bunch of cilantro for $1. They have exceptional flower arrangements, with some uncommon additions like millet to the bouquets (pictured here).

At H&H Fresh Fish, I got two pounds of glorious halibut from the very beautiful Heidi (Logan also loves her, and flirts wildly--he even knows she's Heidi). Halibut was on sale today for $9.95 a pound, and it's beautifully white.

It is always great to see Miranda, who was working at the Dirty Girl Produce booth, where I picked up some lovely yellow wax beans ($3 or so). Joe Schirmer had already sold out of bunches of stuff, dammit, because I missed the beautiful shelling beans. Don't they have the nicest sign? That's the work of Jesse, who is an artist and a very sweet young man.

I told Miranda about the very cool article I'd found online about her aunt (Becky Courschesne, wife of Al at Frog Hollow Farm). And then because I'd enjoyed it so much, I stopped to tell Farmer Al about it...and he didn't seem to know about it. I hope he likes the link I've sent. I think he remembered me, when I told him I'd photographed his oh-so pretty baby girl at the Alice Waters dinner.

Finally, I threw my last $5 to Donnelly Chocolates, because it's been a hellish week and I just wanted a break. He sent me home with Tahitian Vanilla, Fresh Mint, and Cardamom. He was out of chipotle. (Note: all chocolate mentioned in this blog is dark. Milk chocolate is for babies, and there is no such thing as white chocolate. That's like saying a vineyard is a farm!)

Everything was at the market today. Everything that is supposed to be in season in August was there. Finally, a profusion of tomatoes. Sunflowers, the birth flower for August, were everywhere. I was so happy to be surrounded by so much treasure.

I tarried, and departed later than I would have liked, so of course I hit rush-hour traffic. I thought I was so clever going up River Street, but it was filled with commuting maniacs, hanging in the middle of intersections for two entire light changes. I made an executive decision to stop at River Street Cafe (right in front of the Farmer's Sexchange, as we call it) to wait it out. I hadn't eaten since 8 AM, when I fed Logan and Bob cheese omelets and cinnamon toast.

Ah, reader, my hunger led me astray. There was no way to order a completely local meal, as they were sold out of several items on the menu, and I needed protein for my blood sugar. (My Evil Twin comes out if I have low blood sugar.) So, given the choices, I opted for the Niman Ranch steak sandwich, and I was not sorry. I'd seen Heidi (the owner) at the farmers market with her cart, so I knew she wouldn't be there. But Gina and Elesa (not sure about the latter spelling) took such good care of me.

I didn't buy any of the Spanish cheese Gina let me taste, but oh dear God. Wait until August is over! His name is Rafael Baez. You don't know him? The legendary cheesemaker of Avila? Rafael Baez. He is the one-man force behind Monte Enebro cheese, and it was hauntingly good. Gina fantasizes about the iconic Señor Baez, and his imaginary Spanish style and garments. He must wear a hat...he must be mysterious. He must be positively smoldering. (You can Google him yourself if you want to know more. I don't want to burst her bubble if she's reading this blog.)

Gina told me she'd worked with Brandon and Michelle Ross at Ella Bella last year. I've been thinking about them ever since I heard that they'd been evicted, and want to see their new farm. Gina said the new farmer went commercial almost immediately: it was sickening to hear that he'd undone all the organic love that went into that beautiful dark soil by planting strawberries and spraying them. Instant poison. Sick, sick, sick. And to think Logan and I had bought some of the berries there. If you see a farmstand on Corralitos Road, about a half-mile before the Corralitos Market, on the right, do not buy strawberries there! They are not organic! (Everyone's really clear on this, right? That berries grown with pesticides are atrocious and unconscionable? Even if they are Santa Cruz's second most valuable cash crop, after "medical" marijuana. Heh.)

Anyway, I am hoping to hope Heidi get a listing at LocalHarvest, so she can have some kind of a web presence. She buys from local farmers, and the food there is just wonderful. It's only a block or two from Highway One, and it's a light-filled, pleasant place to stop. Oooh, and they had chipotle truffles from Donnelly Chocolates: the most intense hit of heat and dark chocolate, pure lust, for $1/each. Two truffles, one sandwich, one bottle of Tazo peach tea: under $15. They wouldn't let me tip them, but I'll be back.

I absolve myself of guilt for my non-local purchases, since supporting Heidi, who's doing so much good for local organics and good taste, has got to be as noble as eating within my foodshed.

ONE LAST NOTE: To my newest subscriber (last name starts with a Z at Comcast.net)...are you my former brother-in-law?

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Cuisine is when things taste like themselves." —Curnonsky

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LINKS
Santa Cruz Farmers Markets Vendors (with links to many of the farmers and businesses listed above)

H & H Fresh Fish

Andronico's Market

Seeds of Change  (this link goes to their salad dressings page)

Comments

[Helen Williams]

Tana,

So locally inspirational today. Made me want to stay home from work next Wednesday so I can go the market in August too.

Helen

[Tana Butler]

Thanks, Helen. The downtown market is not my favorite, mostly because the patchouli vibe is too much for me. While I appreciate activism, I don't like being waylaid by young people asking me if I'm registered to vote. My standard (terse) response: "Yes, since before you were a fetus."

There was good music yesterday, which was rare, too. A wonderful flamenco-style guitarist was singing and strumming: he was very good.

I just get tired of bongos and incense. I hope the incense has been forbidden: it clashes badly with the proper smells of a farmers market: basil and lavender, in yesterday's visit.

Go to the Saturday market at Cabrillo: it's pretty good. (Avoid the guy with the chai machine, though, and make a beeline for Malabar Trading Company: Annaliese Keller's chai is the best I know.)

Thanks for visiting, as ever.

[Pink Sun Drops]

Our favorite is the Saturday as well. I love the atmosphere and agree with the atmosphere being off at the downtown one.

Any way this was a beautiful post. I can't wait to try Donnelly's chipotle chocolate's and Heidi's cafe. I've seen both and wondered if they were any good but haven't had the chance to try either without knowing if they were or not.

I did walk inside and check out Cafe Limelight and their menu today, oh my WORD, did they look SCRUMPTIOUS. They also had rave reviews from the owner of the comic book store next door. Apparently he ate their sandwhiches and soup for the last three months and lost 20 pounds. I told the girls who shared the story he needs to be their poster boy such as the poster boy for Subway. Ha.

Any way it must be good to eat that much and I do believe they use local ingredients as well, except for ordering delicious unavailable unless you want to drive over the hill desserts from the city. Now I've got three on my list of new places to try and I love trying new places.

Thanks for your site by the way, I so much enjoy reading all the local information and have been very much caught up in your Farmer's Market and local farm fever, having visited every farmer's market within a 15 mile radius. Except for the Capitola one, I just can't bear the thought of finding parking or walking half a mile with two little ones. We've had so much fun and my kids LOVE the farmers markets.

[Tana Butler]

I've always been lucky with the Capitola parking situation -- remember I usually have a baby in a stroller in tow, too.

I confess that I don't know what Cafe Limelight is that you mention. I've never heard of it before.

Thanks for stopping by!

[Pink Sun Drops]

Tana, I went by River Cafe today to try the Donnelly Chipotle Chocolates and so MANY cheeses, yum! I talked to Rachel and mentioned your blog and she seemed to know who I was talking about, she mentioned Gina's name and I said that was one of the girls you had talked to.

Cafe Limelight is downtown at the beginning of Cedar Street next to the Atlantis comic book store, both of which are in the Locust Garage building. They are only four months old. We have yet to try it but have plans to go there this evening, I'll let you know how it is if we do!