I Heart Farms

4th St. Bistro in Reno & Other Tasty Tidbits

When it's time to get the hell out of Dodge, Reno seems as good a bet (pardon the pun) as any. Bob is constantly receiving offers from the Siena hotel for free stays. The beds are as comfortable as the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco and, as Bob likes to say, "It's out of town." Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and traditionally I cook a 22-pound turkey. (That's it, pictured at left, about ten years ago..and the lighting is wretched--the bird wasn't that dark. But I was that slender. Do you think I look psycho? You try holding a 22-pound bird while someone sets up their camera. "Take the picture! Take the picture!" Audrey Hepburn fans unite.)

This year, we just wanted to escape.

The drive through the San Joaquin valley was beautiful. The November sky was moody and grey, and we passed dozens of vineyards that held golden-green leaves on their vines. One pretty little farm, on the banks of the Mokelumne River, just outside the Sacramento County line, caught my eye: orchards, rice paddies, beautiful trees grown up around the farm house...I've been Googling for hours, trying to find out more about it. I wonder if this could be the place.

More from the Vanilla Queen: Patricia Rain Tells Her Story

After the post Patricia wrote for me last week, I e-mailed and asked where she had visited the vanilla farmers. She generously answered:

I first visited Papantla, Veracruz Mexico in 1992, again in 1994 and then nearly yearly until 2002. I haven't been back since though I miss my crazy Mexican family terribly. I'm going again in February. This is where I did a lot of my research on the early history of vanilla as well as the contemporary face of vanilla in Mexico.

The first visit was after taking the bus from Puebla where I had spoken at the University of Mexico at a conference celebrating the 500 years since the encounter of old and new world food traditions. There were many famous food anthropologists, historians (Michael and & Sophie Coe -- The True Story of Chocolate), economists, sociologists, etc...and me.

At the conference I assumed someone would know who to meet and where to go in Papantla, the center of the vanilla industry in Mexico, but no one knew anyone, which was why I was there representing vanilla. I was really nervous about getting on the bus and heading into the tropics alone, but there was a certain exhilaration about it as well. I was 49 years old and 1-1/2 years out of a ten-year relationship/marriage that had been very challenging, so it was like reinventing myself.

The Vanilla Queen Speaks: Patricia Rain on the Importance of Real Vanilla

I am blessed to live in Santa Cruz county, which is home to not only some of the best farmers in the world, but to the sort of open-minded, free-thinking, generous-of-heart-and-spirit people with whom I am most comfortable. (And is it really a big secret that I never returned to Georgia after age 18 because there were no health food stores open on Sunday?) I once belonged to a culinary group here, and it was there that I first met "The Vanilla Queen," Patricia Rain.

I ran into Patricia at my favorite little farmers market a few months ago, and we caught up with each other's lives. I realized that she's helping the small, independent vanilla growers for the same reason I blog: we love what these people do.

Ferry Building Marketplace: A Foodie's Mecca

A recent visit from a traveling foodie friend from New York City brought me back to the Ferry Building Marketplace on Tuesday. Suzanne and I had befriended each other at MouthfulsFood.com (seven hundred members and growing). With her culinary education and background, I knew Suzanne would enjoy the wonders of the place, especially since there is a small farmers market there on Tuesdays, from 10AM until 2PM.

I arrived at 11AM, just as her ferry arrived from across the bay. Wasting no time in getting down to business, we exchanged packages. I'd brought her a bag of Meyer lemons from our tree, and she arrived with riches galore: a collection of spices from a store in New York, to start my training in cooking Indian food. Pictured here are: (first row) tamarind paste and pomegranate powder; (second row): green cardamom, arjwain seed, curry leaves; (third row) kasoori (methi) leaves, mango powder, fenugreek seeds; (alone) black cardamom; (fourth row) kallongi seed (black stuff), black mustard seed, black salt; (alone) saffron.

Okay, so I won't win any prizes from the Eat Local committee, but I am dying to crack into Suvir Saran's Indian Home Cooking, since attending a cooking class he gave earlier in the year.

Culinary Pumpkins & Squashes

Courtesy ofJeff and Lori Fiorovich, of Crystal Bay Farm, here is the list of culinary pumpkins and squashes that they grew this year, with notes. With the exception of the Marina Di Chioggia photo, all images are from the Fiorovichs. (They won't get much bigger than these thumbnails, though.) Thank you so much, Jeff and Lori.

Culinary Winter Squash 2005

Long Island Cheese
This old heirloom variety has a smooth, tan skin with medium ribs and a flattened shape that resembles a wheel of cheese. The flesh is a deep orange color that is moderately sweet and great for pies. Good for long-term storage.

Jarrahdale
(Cucurbita maxima)
Decorative, gray, ribbed fruits.Fairly large, avg. 6-10 lb., drum-shaped fruit with heavy, rounded ribs and slate gray skin. Medium-sweet, thick orange flesh of good quality. Long storage. An appealing squash for fall decorative use. Stores well. An Australian native, it is a favorite of U.S. amateur seed savers.

It's Official

My first-ever personalized license tag arrived today. I can't believe that, of all the millions of people in California, and all the thousands who love farms, that this was still available.

I can't wait for Bob to get home to put it on my car.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "My father was a farmer and my mother was a farmer, but, my childhood was very good. I am very grateful for my childhood, because it was full of gladness and good humanity." —Roberto Begnini

Thanks for visiting.