|
Meat Markets Go Local, Organic |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by Maria Gaura
|
SANTA CRUZ (March 2010) - The fast-evolving market for organic meat has caused a shakeup in grocery store meat departments locally, with some stores switching to California-grown organic meats and others adding organics for the first time.
In the past few months, New Leaf Community Markets have begun stocking California-raised natural and organic grass-fed beef, replacing a line of organic meats produced in Uruguay. Staff of Life market has also jettisoned its Uruguayan organic beef in favor of a California-raised brand. Even venerable Shopper’s Corner, which has sold prime conventionally-raised beef for more than 70 years, has recently added a small selection of organic beef to its popular meat counter.
What a change from 2008, when the only organic beef in local stores came from South America or a feedlot in the Midwest, and shoppers who bought organic were mainly concerned about drug or pesticide residues in the meat. Few worried about their burger’s carbon footprint, humane treatment for the animals or how many miles their steak traveled between pasture and market.
|
|
Farewell To The Corn Dog - Santa Cruz Transforms School Lunch |
|
|
|
|
Written by Maria Gaura
|
SANTA CRUZ (February 2010) - Jamie Smith is a friendly guy - he’s just impatient, and very direct. The new food service director for Santa Cruz City Schools is on a mission to evict junk food from district cafeterias, and replace it with fresh, healthy, scratch-cooked meals.
That may explain why, when Smith strides into the kitchen at Gault Elementary School or Harbor High, some staffers greet him with a smile and a handshake, and others get that unmistakable “oh, crap!” look in their eyes.
It’s not clear that Smith notices the occasional look of dismay. He’s stalking the premises, often with a cell phone mashed to his ear, peering into steam trays and coolers, and rummaging through paperwork. But he doesn’t appear to miss much.
On a recent visit to a district elementary, Smith was chatting up a few employees when a deliveryman slapped a receipt on the counter and said “here’s the bill for the ice cream”. Smith gazed at the deliveryman’s retreating back and said mildly, “Ice cream on campus? Oh, my.”
|
|
The Carnivore's Dilemma: Natural, Organic or Grassfed Beef? |
|
|
|
|
Written by Maria Gaura
|
SANTA CRUZ (APRIL 2009) - So you’ve read Michael Pollan’s books, and vowed to buy as much locally-grown, organic food as your grocery budget allows. But the tradeoffs get complicated when it comes to buying meat.
Step up to almost any meat counter in Santa Cruz and prepare to be confronted with a consumer dilemma. There’s grassfed organic beef, most of it shipped in from Uruguay, a 9,000 mile, oil-fueled journey. Other brands of organic beef hail from the U.S. Midwest, and require somewhat less shipping. But those cattle spent the last three to six months of their lives on feedlots, which many activists consider contrary to the principles of organic farming.
You can find several brands of “natural” beef raised in California. But the term “natural” can legally apply to cattle raised on corn, hormones and antibiotics, and kept in confinement for a full year. You just want the best for your family and the environment – how do you separate the beef from the bull?
|
|
Written by Tara Leonard
|
This November, Santa Cruz families large and small will gather together for that beloved American holiday, Thanksgiving. Steaming pies will be cooling on the counter, rich gravy thickening on the stove and even if cousin Amanda isn’t speaking to her football-obsessed husband or your teenage son is sulking at the kiddie table, it will all seem worthwhile as you carry in the golden, fragrant centerpiece of the meal, the Frankenturkey. Um…what?
|
|
Written by Tara Leonard
|
Ask five people what they know about quince and chances are three of them will say, “Quints? You mean quintuplets?”
“Unfortunately quinces are a little bit of an anachronism in our day and age,” admits Christof Bernau, Garden Manager and Instructor at UCSC’s Farm and Garden, which has half a dozen quince trees. “It’s not a fruit that’s well known or recognized in the United States.”
|
|
When Life Gives You Broken Candy Canes... |
|
|
|
|
Written by Tara Leonard
|
When the Christmas tree fell over for the second time, I felt my holiday spirits waning. Yes, in hindsight I might have taken the first collapse a bit more seriously, leading to remedial action. But that first time, as I took in the crumpled tree, wet carpet and shattered ornaments, my thoughts leapt only to gift search and rescue. I scrambled to pull the wrapped presents from an ever-widening puddle of murky water and broken glass while my two eager-to-help dogs munched on broken candy canes, still in their wrappers. Let the holidays begin!
|
|
|
|
Written by Tara Leonard
|
It’s a revelation, that first sweet taste of honey on my tongue. This is sage honey, translucent yellow with a hint of vanilla, conjuring images of sultry summer days and the thrum of sun-drunk bees floating from blossom to blossom.
I’m visiting Walls Honey Farm in Soquel and I arrived with some trepidation. Like many of us, I have a love/hate relationship with bees. Sure, these industrious insects pollinate flowers and give us mankind’s oldest sweetener, but a few painful stings have made me wary. Frankly I’ve never been a huge honey fan. But suddenly, with this drop of sunshine on my lips, I’m a convert. This is why the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used honey as a gift to their gods. I can’t wait for more. Happily, there are a number of beekeepers, or apiarists, in Santa Cruz County who provide a wonderful variety of honey and beeswax products for our enjoyment.
|
|
Written by Tara Leonard
|
Confess to Laura Everett that you have never eaten a persimmon and a look of disbelief flashes across her tan, smiling face. Everett believes that there are only two kinds of people in the world -- those who love persimmons and those who have never eaten a truly ripe piece of this colorful fall fruit. I've been warned that you'll never forget your first bite on an unripe Hachiya persimmon, the puckering astringency, the bone-dry mouth. But as owners of Everett Family Farm in Soquel, Laura and her husband Richard are just the people you want handing you your first plump sample, still warm from the tree, its distinct acorn shape encased in a glossy, orange-red skin.
|
|
Written by Tara Leonard
|
“Are your neighbors friendly?”
“It depends on how much you like zucchini.”
Stuffed zucchini, grilled zucchini, zucchini quiche, pancakes and pesto. Though kids are heading back to school and the tourists have all gone home, Santa Cruz zucchini plants continue to produce at such a prolific rate that you can hear cries of “What? Zucchini again?!” at dinner tables across the county. If you’re sneaking zucchini onto a neighbor’s porch under the cover of darkness or feeding leftover zucchini casserole to the dog, it’s time to get help. You’ve come to the right place.
|
|
Get Back to Your Roots for Heatlhy Winter Eating |
|
|
|
|
Written by Tara Leonard
|
The parsnip, children, I repeat
Is simply an anemic beet.
Some people call the parsnip edible;
Myself, I find this claim incredible. -- Ogden Nash
Raise your right hand if you know how to cook a parsnip. You are excused from reading this column. If you agree with Ogden Nash, you might want to stick around, especially if you peruse the piles of earth-encrusted root vegetables at the local farmers’ markets and wonder what the heck to do with a turnip. While most of us are familiar with common root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and beets, I can’t recall a favorite family recipe that includes rutabaga or kohlrabi. If only it were July, the market stalls piled high with crisp green beans, sun-ripened tomatoes, and other familiar summer fare. But there’s no need to resort to frozen peas just yet! According to local food experts, delicious new flavors await beneath those gnarled and knotty exteriors. All it takes is a sense of adventure and a sturdy vegetable peeler.
|
|
Written by Tara Leonard
|
It takes patience to find a truly perfect pear, one with sweet, melting flesh and a buttery, seductive aroma. As the nights turn cooler, produce stands are overflowing with crisp, crunchy apples, that quintessential American fruit – bright, bold and ready-to-eat straight from an eager hand. Pears require more restraint, a self-control fueled by the knowledge that only with time can you unlock the superlative flavor of this underappreciated fruit.
|
|
|
