Tableau Vivante

This is the point when the season begins to transition into a schizophrenic sort of time. In this bridge between summer and autumn, heirloom tomatoes, corn, eggplants, cucumbers and zucchini all share space with new pears, winter squash, grapes of every shade, and even pomegranates. Today’s market had me on the tippy toes of anticipation. The firsts of fall were everywhere, which means my home chow is going to be a peculiar amalgamation of bi-seasonal dishes. Nectarine and pomegranate salad. Plum and grape tartlets. Fresh sweet corn and butternut squash étouffée. Summer goods will dry up eventually. But right now, it feels like this seasonal cook has a window of interesting opportunity.

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Back east, I remember going to the old Eastern Market in D.C. and buying a gigantic sour dill pickle from a huge, murky glass crock. It was wrapped in a little paper diaper that did little to protect me from the dripping brine, but if you like pickles, and I do, you don’t much care. Sure you’ll smell like dill and vinegar and maybe a little garlic and bay, but it’s a price worth paying, and if you want your own special crock-o-pickles, it’s an effort worth undertaking if you have a little time and a lot of patience.

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Camera? Check! Backpack? Check! Humility upon realizing they only love you for your camera? Checky McCheckerson! My usual vendors all said generally the same thing - She’s back! Never mind that I’ve actually been going to the market each week and saying hello:). No. It wasn’t me they were talking about. It was my Nikon. I got poses. I got smiles. I got hammin’ it up and special shout outs. People were just giddy about seeing the strap on my shoulder again. Too funny.

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Maybe it’s because summer is winding down and people are spending more time in their kitchens and at their keyboards (it’s been surprisingly chilly here the past few mornings…in August no less). Maybe it’s because the food blogging world is just full of that much marvelous. Maybe both! Regardless, I’ve come across some pretty diverting posts lately that I wanted to share. On with the linkage!

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So…WAAAAAY back in May, JJ and I took a little excursion up north. I’ve already talked about a few of the stops we made while traipsing around wine country. But one place that I haven’t really talked about yet was one of the most impressive. Point Reyes – stunning protected coastlines that stretch for miles and are dotted with wild lupines and grasses, as pictured above. I start with this instead of the usual food shot because I think it’s important to see the landscape that spawns some of California’s most amazing food. The people who are lucky enough to call this region home protect the landscape passionately and vigorously support their local farmers. In the middle of this is Point Reyes Station, a tiny outpost town which is home of some of the most community and green-minded folk I’ve ever met. Kind of threw me for a loop, actually. Ended up redefining a few bits of personal politics while I was there. It’s also the original home of the Cowgirl Creamery where we were given a tasting tour of their cheeses, a primer in the cheesemaking process and how a couple of like-minded ladies managed to create some of the country’s most hailed curd.

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California oysters from the Carlsbad Aquafarm at the Hollywood Farmers' Market

On our way back out of San Diego, we decided to try and visit the Carlsbad Aquafarm. I’d seen them before at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market and while we were down south, they were on every menu of the places we enjoyed most (Stone Brewing World Bistro and The Linkery to be specific). I had read an article that said, quite clearly, that they gave public tours. Sadly, a quick phone call made on the road told us otherwise - no public access. But did we give up? Non! As we approached the exit, I decided that even though I wouldn’t be able to examine the harvest tanks and water testing facilities myself, I could probably get a decent peek at the farm from a safe and legal distance. How hard could it be?

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The Linkery - photo courtesy of Bonzo McGrue, San Diegan, foodie, and traveler.

We’re having a fabulous time here in San Diego. I’ve been pleasantly buoyed by the growing food scene here.

And yet…it puzzles me.

San Diego has long hovered in LA’s shadow, not quite fully grabbing the baton of the west coast city relay (if I may pull an olympic on ya). That’s all changed in the past few years. And in one way, they’ve surpassed my hometown in flying colors.

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This is a shot from the Cowgirl Creamery up in Point Reyes Station from our trip to Sonoma back in May- yet another past travel post that needs doin'

Greetings! Posting will be happening more frequently once the computer situation is resolved - which should be very soon. I have so many posts to catch up on - Sonoma recap (see pic above), summer market days, Malibu wineries, Temecula wineries, brunches (they’re the new dinner party), etc. All this good fooding plus the added benefit of meeting up with some really fantastic, generous, and knowledgeable people has made it a most excellent summer, and most of it within driving reach. So much exploratory food goodness. And, to add happy to happy, the basil plants this year have drowned me in pesto. I’ve been freezing pesto cubes with glee, knowing that come winter, I’ll be able to have some pretty glorious pesto pasta. Also gearing up for some mad, mad preserving. My friend L is a farm-raised import from Indiana and has been begging me to have a good ole fashioned cannin’ in my kitchen. Going to scoop up the last of the summer’s pickling cukes, peppers, and stone fruits in a few weeks. I’m also planning a day trip out to the San Bernardino apple farms in October for a few bushels of orchard gloriola. Apple butter will happen. Oh yes.

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It was Day #10 of our trip, the second to the last, and I was back at the Festival again.

A never-ending series of differently shaped clouds coasted across the building tops on a light breeze.  Each seemed to pause in turn for their moment in the spotlight of a late afternoon sun.  A glowing sky parade, I had thought, pausing to snap a shot.  Yet another of Disney’s sideshow entertainments.

Now with something like an air of familiarity, I strolled around Epcot’s World Showcase looking for tasting booths I hadn’t been to yet.

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