A walk on the Wilder Side

Wilder Ranch State Park, Santa Cruz County

Oh, I was tired this morning. Too much tossing and turning last night, worrying about friends, thinking about work, and dealing with some achey muscles made me a cranky woman. Fortunately, after taking care of some bill paying and laundry, I had time to venture out to my favorite State Park and let the wind blow the brain fog and the stress away. Wilder Ranch State Park is a few miles north of Santa Cruz, California. It is divided by the highway. One side goes up into the hills, the other down to the ocean. Today, my destination was the cliffs above the ocean, through beautiful wild flowers, bunnies scampering everywhere to get away from the people ( and the mountain lions and hawks, neither of which I saw today). There were runners ( young men with no shirts), birdwatchers, several groups of school children, people on bicycles. It was a glorious morning. I came home ready to tackle the list of projects to do on my day off from personal cheffing. It wasn’t a day entirely away from food however. In doing some research on the park, I learned that 12% of California’s brussels sprouts are grown here, in the park. If you come in the fall, after the harvest, there is definitely a pungency to the air. Come with me and let your stress fade away. Listen to the birds sing, the children laugh, and the waves crash. Feel the sun and the breeze. Take a deep breath.

Farmers’ Market in full Spring mode

Enjoying Spring in Santa Cruz County

I have been out of town the last few weekends. As a result, I have not gone to the Farmer’s Market in a while. I love my Saturday morning visits there.

Today I went a bit wild. I hope I won’t actually waste anything. I came home with eggs. I have plenty of plans for those, including a frittata for dinner tonight filled with herbs, green beans ( also from the market), onions, potatoes, a leftover roasted red pepper from a personal chef cook date. I will be making some flax bread tomorrow.  I also got a pint of strawberries, some of which I have already consumed and the rest will probably be gone tomorrow. No cooking necessary!

I got carrots and celery, which will be mainly munched as themselves, with some going in some soup in a few days, along with some some celery roots I purchased today.  The carrots may also appear in some salads, as I also got some lovely heirloom Little Gem lettuce and a bag of assorted sprouts. I have been eating a lot of raw beets lately and am looking forward to more, as well as cooking some along with their beautiful greens. I always ask the beet people for extra beet greens that they collect from people who ask for them to be cut off right there in the booth. Oh foolish people, not to try them. I love them steam fried, with a bit of olive oil and water, salt and pepper. mmmm! and so good for you.

I couldn’t resist the baby turnips. Inspired by my recent re reading of Nourishing Traditions, I will be pickling those.  A couple of English cucumbers rounded out my purchases of the day.

Here are a couple of recipes using green beans. I realize they come earlier in the season here in California, but the rest of you, take heart! We have passed the midpoint of Spring and the Summer Solstice is actually only 6 weeks away and green bean season will be upon the whole country.

from Cooking Light magazine, October 2005

Green Beans tossed with Walnut Miso sauce

4 c. green beans, trimmed

2 T. grated peeled fresh ginger

3 T. coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

2 T water

1 1/2 T. yellow miso

1/2 tsp. soy sauce

Place beans in a large saucepan of boiling water; cook 5 minutes. Drain and plunge beans into ice water; drain.  Place ginger on several layers of damp cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth; squeeze cheesecloth bag over small bowl. Set 1/2 tsp ginger juice aside; reserve remaining juice for another purpose. Discard ginger ( My experience the first time I made this was that I got NO juice. I just used the grated ginger as is.) Combine ginger juice, walnuts, water , miso, and soy sauce in a food processor and process until the nuts are minced. ( hard to do unless you have a mini processor) Combine walnut mixture and beans in a large bowl. This can be served warm or room temperature.

from a wonderful Personal Chef colleague from Georgia, Jan Harding.

Green Beans Gremolata

1 1/2 lbs green beans, washed and trimmed

1 1/2 c. Italian parsley – packed, then chopped ( it ends up being about 3/4c) ( you can use curly parsley)

1 1/2 T. olive oil ( I usually use a bit more)

1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest

1 1/2 T lemon juice

3/4 tsp. minced garlic

3/4 tsp salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Add beans to large pot of boiling water. Cook 7 – 10 minutes until just tender. Drain well. Combine remaining ingredients in serving bowl until blended. Add hot beans to bowl and toss to mix and coat. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Strawberries!

Strawberry season is upon us here in Santa Cruz

I wait all winter for the first strawberries. Now, Spring is here and the season is in full swing. I am happily eating strawberries almost every day. I lived in Oregon for many many years. They grow wonderful berries there and I was quite the snob about California strawberries. They always arrived in the stores before the local berries, and usually being desperate for some new kind of fruit, I would purchase some. And, every year, every time, I would poo poo them, saying that Oregon strawberries were FAR superior to California berries. ( of course, for many years, Oregon had the reputation of poo pooing anything Californian!!)  And now that I happily live in California, while not putting down Oregon berries, I do know that what makes each region’s berries “the best” is eating them when they are fresh, in season, and have not travelled in a truck to get to my kitchen!  And, of course, that they have not been sprayed with pesticides. Strawberries are high on the list of foods that are SO important to eat organic. Not only does that improve our own health, and the health of the planet, please always remember the health and well being of the workers who picked those berries ( and so much of our food).

My favorite way to eat strawberries, I must admit, is straight from the basket. Nothing added. Sometimes, the basket is empty by the time I get home from the farmers’ market or the store!

Sometimes, less is more. And sometimes, it is nice to add something special. Have you ever had balsamic syrup ?? oh my. It is a lovely little bit of elegance that is so easy to do.

In researching ideas for this blog, I found this recipe, which called out to me. Not that I go on that many picnics, but wouldn’t a glass of strawberry wine be lovely on a warm day, shared with a friend ?

And I recently made this beverage found in Eat Fat, Lose Fat .( by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon)  Shrub is an “old-timey” beverage from before the days of soda pop. Now, that is an invention that changed the course of peoples’ nutrition for sure.  You can make it with any fresh seasonal fruit.

Strawberry Shrub

2 cups crushed strawberries

1 cup coconut vinegar ( you can experiment with other vinegars such as apple cider which is what was originally used, or champagne vinegar would be good)

5 cups purified water

Mix all the ingredients in a large jar and cover tightly. Let sit on the counter for 2 days. Strain. Serve with pinch of salt, and dilute with sparkling water. You will not really taste the vinegar per se. It is tart and refreshing, and because it is fermented is so good for your digestion. Enjoy!

There are so many fabulous ways to enjoy strawberries. What are some of your favorites ?