San Marzano Tomatoes

Given the  Mediterranean-like climate of California, it's no surprise that Italians settled in the state and, thankfully, some of them chose to live and farm in the San Joaquin Valley. There are many kind farmers at the Merced Farmers' Market, and much delicious produce. One of my favorite stands is that of Marchini Farms. Their sweet corn is always delicious; the mini bell peppers they sell on Wednesday mornings are amazing; and their San Marzano tomatoes will help me stock the freezer with summer bounty in anticipation of colder days.

I am a big fan of The Splendid Table on NPR (it doesn't hurt that Lynne Rossetto Kasper works at MPR in St. Paul) and listen to the podcast each week. Often I bookmark interesting recipes and the oven candied summer tomato recipe is a favorite. I made it often in Minnesota with tomatoes from the St. Paul Farmers' Market. Tasting those sweet summer tomatoes in the middle of winter was a special treat. I decided to try it with the San Marzanos from Marchini Farms this year.

The recipe begins with slicing the tomatoes in half.

These tomatoes were pretty big, so I cut them in half again.

They're done with some are browned on the edges.

Sort of disappointing that all those tomatoes yielded only 3 small jars of roasted tomatoes, but they will be such a treat during the dreary, rainy days of "winter" in the San Joaquin Valley.

Placerville and Apple Hill

I really shouldn't complain about the sunny weather around here, but as a child of the Midwest there are certain things I miss. I miss a good thunderstorm, weather extremes, and I really miss autumn. Leaves around here just shrivel up and fall off eventually after they can't stand the dryness anymore, so I'm not expecting any sort of lovely fall foliage, but I did find out about an apple growing area near where gold was originally discovered in 1849, bringing a rush of 49ers to California. Placerville, CA and the Apple Hill area provide a semblance of autumn due to the prevalence of apple and pear orchards situated in the Sierra foothills. We decided to take a couple of days and explore the area.

After driving north on 99 to Sacramento and heading east on 50 toward Lake Tahoe, our first stop when we got to Placerville was the historic downtown. There were cute shops, tacky shops, and people dressed in period gold rush costumes (which led to a discussion of whether they just dress like that in general and hang out in downtown Placerville so as not to appear too strange or whether they are some sort of volunteer or paid re-enactors.) It was much too hot to leave the huskies in the car, though, so we headed to Carson Road, the start of the Apple Hill area.

The first Apple Hill merchant we visited was Boeger Winery which offered lovely, shaded picnic tables and welcomed dogs. Sean and the huskies hung out in the shade and I acted as runner, bringing each of the 6 tastings Sean and I sampled, as well as a complimentary snack for the pups. We particularly enjoyed their Pinot Gris and Tempranillo. I also sampled some figs right off the tree.

Munching the free doggie treat from the winery staff.

Sampling the Pinot Gris in the shade.

 

Next stop was Abel's Apple Orchard, but it was basically a disappointment. Stalls of crafts and too sweet apple crisp along with the saddest turkey sandwich Sean has ever seen (but which the huskies rather enjoyed - they're not picky). Instead of sticking around we decided to try another winery, since they rarely disappoint. On to Lava Cap, where we enjoyed the Muscat Canelli and they welcomed the dogs for a walk up and down between the vines.

Sniffing around and watching out for prickers in the paws!

Lovely views in the Sierra foothills.

Grapes ready for harvest.

Finally we headed to Dedrick's Cheese in downtown Placerville which was even better than expected from a pre-trip visit to their website. We tasted cheeses and salami and walked out with a bag full of delicious goodies. Back at the hotel we opened a bottle from Lava Cap, chilled in the ice bucket, and dined on yummy cheeses, La Brea Bakery bread, olives, Marcona almonds, and lime cookies for dessert. The only sad thing about the feast was that it left us too full for dinner out, as I had been looking forward to trying a restaurant in town. 

Day two began with a hike on the Fleming Trail System in El Dorado National Forest. There is a lovely lake and nice trail system that we shared with mountain bikers and horses. The huskies were pretty excited to meet the horses. Kodi marched down the trail as if he had no idea he's approaching 14 and just finished 6 months of chemotherapy. It was lovely, but dusty!

Thirsty hikers!

Satisfied Kodi.

Dusty sneakers!

Since we had a cooler full of ice only partially filled with cheese and salami, we decided to make two more stops in Apple Hill on our way home. The first was Willow Pond Organic Farm where we met some nice folks and bought delicious plums, pears, and eggs. Then we stopped at Smokey Ridge Farm and Charcuterie for homemade sausages (both apple and jerk chicken varieties) and some delicious apples. It's still early in the season for many varieties, but I purchased a bag of Winter Banana apples, which I had never tasted before. They were a pleasant, sweet surprise and I will enjoy snacking on them in my lunch all week as a reminder of our fun weekend in Placerville and Apple Hill.

Preserving the Harvest

I've been dabbling in canning and preserving for over 15 years now. I fondly recall playing darts with my cousins in our grandma's basement in Waunakee, carefully avoiding the shelves of mysterious cans with who-knows-what preserved inside. I recall there being many cans of peaches, which perhaps weren't a favorite since there seemed to be so many left on the shelf. I'm not sure where, in southern Wisconsin, grandma got the peaches that she canned. Perhaps she purchased the boxes of juicy ones from Colorado that arrived in Midwestern grocery stores each summer. Regardless, grandma was a canner and I am too. She out of necessity and me out of enjoyment and food snobbery. (I have not been able to eat store-bought pasta sauce since discovering the recipe I can each year.)

Canning in Minnesota provided loads of opportunities, and in the Midwest, if you want to eat locally all year round, it plays an important role in the process. I also froze a lot of stuff, but we left the deep freeze with Sean's brother, so it's not much of an option these days. Plus things grow here year-round so eating locally is really quite easy. One could get lazy about canning, but luckily I enjoy it too much to give it up.

A selection of this year's canned delicacies.

This year I have canned the following:
- Pasta sauce (with Early Girl tomatoes from a fabulous bearded and pony-tailed farmer at the Merced Farmer's Market)
- Tomato jam (also with Early Girls)
- Lemon marmalade (with lemons from our friends Joe and Heather's lemon tree)
- Lemon curd (also with J&H's lemons)
- Strawberry, ginger, black pepper jam (with strawberries from Yang's Farm Stand and ginger from the Modesto Farmer's Market
- Fig and balsamic jam (with mission figs from the Merced Farmer's Market and balsamic vinegar from my guy who sells Sciabica's olive oils and vinegars at the Modesto Farmer's Market)
- Plum jam (with plums from our backyard tree)
- Mulberry, strawberry, blueberry jam (with mulberries from our backyard tree - identified and tasted by my brother-in-law, Aaron and strawberries and blueberries from Yang's Farm Stand)

I use many sources for recipes, but am particularly fond of my first canning book, which I received from my mom as a gift. That book, Canning and Preserving, by Linda Ferrari, started it all. This year, due to all the jam making, I relied heavily on The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook, by Rachel Saunders. She has delicious and creative ideas and I look forward to further exploration of her giant citrus section this winter as our Meyer lemon tree looks to be producing a good crop.

I'll end this post with the tomato jam recipe I love. It's soooo much better than ketchup on burgers!

Spicy Tomato Jam (FoodNetwork.com)

4 large lemons

5 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces

4 cups light muscovado sugar or packed light brown sugar

4 teaspoons ground cumin

Kosher salt

2 scant teaspoons red pepper flakes

4 small cinnamon sticks

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

8 1/8-inch-thick slices peeled ginger

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the lemons in wide strips, leaving the bitter white pith behind. Squeeze the lemon juice through a strainer into a large, wide saucepan. Add the lemon zest, tomatoes, sugar, cumin, 4 teaspoons salt, the red pepper flakes, cinnamon sticks, cloves and ginger. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are juicy and the sugar dissolves, 15 to 20 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are dark and syrupy and a candy or deep-fry thermometer registers 220 degrees F, 40 to 50 minutes (the timing may vary depending on the juiciness of the tomatoes). Reduce the heat if the mixture starts to scorch. Discard the cinnamon sticks. Meanwhile, sterilize four 8-ounce canning jars and lids. Fill the jars with the tomato mixture, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, then seal and process.

Modesto

45 minutes by car up "The 99", as the highway is known in the Valley, lies Modesto, CA. Home of the Gallo wine empire (generous donors to UC Merced), hometown of George Lucas (celebrated each year with American Graffiti Days), and home base of Yosemite climber and outdoor clothing designer, Royal Robbins, Modesto is a town we visit often.

Every six weeks or so I schedule a haircut at the Aveda salon in Modesto. I plan the appointments on Saturdays to coincide with the farmers' market.  The Modesto Certified Farmers Market is a nice, mid-sized market with a variety of produce, cheese, fresh fish from Santa Cruz, and the best flavored olive oil, Sciabica.  Because we buy so much, my guy sets me up with good deals and cheap shipping for my visitors. On our last visit to Modesto we also discovered a great organic grocery, Sunflower Market. 

Lately we have also enjoyed great meals at Modesto restaurants. We celebrated our friend Mike's tenure award at UC Merced with he and Laura at Camp 4 Wine Cafe, a terrific place for wine selection and delicious panini opened by Royal Robbins' son, who placed it in the original Royal Robbins clothing factory and named it after the climbers camp in Yosemite. Another favorite is Dewz where we celebrated our wedding anniversary. The table-side Caesar salad preparation wowed Sean and I was smitten by a delicious cocktail. Sugar N Spice contained: Ron Zacapa, Cherry Herring, Cinnamon Schnapps and Jalapeno, served with a Cinnamon, Sugar and Cayenne rim. It was liquid Big Red and it was fabulous.

Merced has its charms, but Modesto has won us over for its produce we can't find in Merced and its great dining options.

Blossom Time

The fruit and nut trees are blossoming a little early this year due to the mild winter.  It is difficult to describe the extent to which Merced and the surrounding communities are filled with orchards in bloom.  There are pistachios, almonds, walnuts, plums, apricots, pluots, peaches, and more.  We took a short drive to see and smell the orchards and to walk through the falling almond blossoms.  The smell is almost sickeningly sweet and the falling, swirling petals reminded Sean of Japanese anime.  The most disconcerting thing is to stand still, listen, and both hear and feel the hum of bees.  They were too busy working to bother us, but we avoided their boxes nonetheless.  What a beautiful way to spend a Saturday afternoon in spring!

Fruit, almonds, and orchards

Sean's back has finally healed enough to allow us to take daytrips again.  Saturday we decided to head up to Modesto to shop at the Farmers Market and Stewart & Jasper Orchards Company Store and have lunch at Chipotle (Sean misses having one in town).  The market was great, as always.  I'm having fun trying out fruit I haven't had before, at least not in its whole form.  We bought a different kind of persimmon from last time and some quince, which the farmer told me are great raw drizzled with lime juice, tequila and salt.  I will have to give that a try.  I'm also sprinkling pomegranate seeds on everything these days.  They are so delicious and nutritious at same time!

We also bought some mini guavas.  I have had guava juice and guava jam, and a friend from The Bahamas once made me guava duff, a delicious dessert, but I have never eaten them raw and whole, so I am anxious for them to ripen.

 

Unfortunately, the Stewart and Jasper Orchards company store is not yet open in Modesto, though we had been informed that it was.  We fell in love with their roasted, salted, in shell almonds when we bought them at their store in Monterey.  However, while looking for the store that is not yet open in Modesto, we did stumble upon the Royal Robbins outdoor clothing store where I bought a fabulous scarf and glove set (not sure when I will even need those... maybe when we head back to Minnesota in December).  Royal is a Modesto native who became famous as a rock climber, particularly in Yosemite, and who started an outdoor clothing company with his wife (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Robbins).  So we had to head to the S&J company store in Patterson, which gave us a chance to gawk at the gorgeous Coastal Range for most of the trip.  There we bought some of our favorite almond treats.

And speaking of almond orchards, today we decided to take the dogs for a nice stroll in one just down the road from our house in Merced.  It was lovely to walk down the straight path in the shade, with leaves crunching under our feet.

Local Food

This week there was some good news, bad news, and neutral news related to local food in Merced.  The bad news involved the announcement of the closing of the Merced Organic Store.  Unfortunately this store was not able to overcome the loss of revenue caused by the massive summer construction project downtown that closed off the nearest street and made access difficult.  While I do not eat much prepared food, organic or not, it was nice to have them in town and I did stop by every other week or so to buy staples and snacks.  Honestly, I feel a bit of nostalgia for the place since I sought it out when I first visited Merced for my interview at the UC.  They gave me a coupon that I saved in case I got the job and I used it the week after we moved in.  I am sad to see them close, but am not entirely surprised as I was often the only shopper on the days I stopped in.

The good news is that Merced now has a great bakery called Little Pink Boxes that just opened on Main Street.  I am excited to try their croissants and other pastries and can vouch for the deliciousness of their cookies as I brought a dozen to a work meeting on Thursday.  They will be open late on the weekends and early on weekdays, so will accommodate everyone's schedule making it difficult to pass them up. Last week also saw the opening of a new hot dog specialty restaurant owned and operated by three graduates of UC Merced.  While friends and colleagues are initially underwhelmed by the selection, in spite of the locally sourced meats being served, we all hope to see improvements as the business grows.  In a town of 80,000 with high unemployment, local food and businesses take on great importance and many of us try our best to give them our support.

The place that never lets us down, of course, is the Merced Farmers Market.  A salon appointment had me shopping at the Modesto market last weekend (and I particularly appreciated the local cheddar and portobellos) but this morning Sean and I once again hit our favorite stands in Merced.  Along with the second week of persimmons, this week brought locally grown kiwi fruit.  The farmer told me to wait 2 weeks for them to be fully ripe unless I am willing to place them in a bag with an apple to speed up the process.  Since Central Valley apples are nowhere near as delicious as the Minnesota grown variety I am used to (I miss those fabulous U of M creations, with Honeycrisp still the hands down favorite) I have no problem sacrificing one of the Fujis I picked up last week at the Modesto market.

Another reliable favorite that has appeared in this blog before is Houa Khong Laotian/Thai restaurant.  We've been back a number of times with guests and they all love it as much as we do.  Last night we dined with our friends Nora and John and it was finally chilly enough (sort of) for me to try their version of Pho.  It was fabulous!  I am so happy to have found my spot for that delicious noodle soup.  As an added bonus, on the way out Nora found the homemade specialty cookies they sell to go and bought us each a bag.  They are made with coconut milk and are very fancy and delicious.  Served with a scoop of Ben & Jerry's vanilla, this cookie was better than any waffle cone I have ever had.

Yang's and De Angelo's

Sean drives me to work a few days a week so he can have the car to get to his chiropractor (R. Bryant Owens at Holistic Xchange - great guy).  This afternoon he surprised me by stopping at Yang's Produce beforehand to pick up some strawberries, saving us the trip on our way home.  We stop at Yang's, a farmstand on McKee Road at least 1-2 times per week to stock up on fruits and vegetables in season.  They have the best heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes I have honestly ever tasted.  So fabulous in a caprese salad!  The family that owns the stand and raises the produce are friendly and kind.  Sean never used to like strawberries, but this spring when we moved here I would bring home 3 baskets after work and then receive a text from him the next day requesting that I stop and pick up more because he had eaten them all.  The summer strawberries are great, but we are already looking forward to next year's spring harvest because they are the sweetest little red strawberries in the world.

My friend Heather, who started the same day I did at UC Merced as the university's Director of Alumni Affairs, had the splendid idea of inviting a group of folks out to dinner at De Angelo's this evening after work.  It was so great to meet others who work in different parts of the university.  There was a fun mix of people from Merced and other parts of California, and some from out of state.  The food was good and the company was great.  We plan to make our meetings a regular occurrence.

The names of these two establishments also highlight one of the things I really love about the Merced area.  Though the city's population is only 80,000, there is such a great racial and ethnic mix.  The food and cultural celebrations are two ways we have already celebrated this wonderful variety.

Yang's Produce Stand
McKee Rd. and Alexander Ave., Merced

De Angelo's Restaurant
2000 E Child Avenue, Merced

Merced County Certified Farmer's Market

Saturday mornings are farmer's market mornings when we're in town.  The Merced Certified Farmer's Market has multiple locations on multiple days, but Saturdays fit best into our schedule.  The location on 19th & N downtown is open on Saturdays from 7 to 12.  Merced Farmer's Market link  This morning's purchases included yukon gold potatoes, peaches, arugula, butter lettuce, sweet corn, and rosemary & olive bread.  One of my favorite farms has the most delicious fresh figs and I was happy to hear there will be a second harvest starting next week.  The myriad opportunities to purchase fresh produce in the Merced area mean we are eating healthy, fresh, locally grown food for every meal.  And, as much as I love and miss the St. Paul farmer's market, it's fun to have this view while I shop: