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Treasures of the Big Valley

“Exploring the San Joaquin Valley”

August 9, 2010 New MMMM, more crepes!!

Just when I was begining to think I would have to learn how to perfect my own crepes to keep up with my cravings, the Midtown Creperie opened up in Stockton!

We went out on Friday and sampled the goods and have to give it a thumbs up. They have a nice selection of sweet and savory crepes and with the option of four different types of crepes including buckwheat and something referred to as classic. Their Brulee crepe comes with a Hungarian cinnamon crepe which was outstanding!

The cream sauce on the Vieux Carré (chicken, asparagus and mushrooms) was fairly bland but the crepe itself and the filling was good. The Brulee came stuffed with either fresh apples or peaches with a light sweet carmel like sauce served with candied pecans and walnuts, I had the peach and was not disappointed. The Goompa, consisting of Grand Marnier, lemon juice, butter and sugar, seemed to consist primarily of Grand Marnier was a little bit strong for our liking. The King Cake was divine, filled with cream cheese, apples and candied sugar, very Mardi Gras.

Beignets are also available, they were more dough-like than what I have had in the past in New Orleans but very flavorful and sweet. They are served with carmel and chocolate sauce. Definitely planning a return trip for breakfast.

I am still planning to learn how to make my own crepes but meanwhile this will most definitely do!

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July 29, 2010 Big Fun at the Fair!

Every year I look forward to going to the fair, in the past it we would go to the Alameda County fair, which we loved and still do. Over the past few years we have taken a trek up to Sacramento to attend the California State Fair at the Expo Center. It has never disappointed and this year was no exception.
We did deviate from our norm a bit, the rides have never been an attraction to us and we have always spent most of our time at the exhibits, animals and experiencing more of the best of the best that the state has to offer. This year we went as a large group with several children and we did head over to the rides after a day of action. But the rides are never our main focus.

We headed over to the dinosaur exhibit which after a long wait was really quite amazing, the children were amazed and the younger ones were a bit stunned by the realism of the animatronics. From there we moved on to the live animals and the kids took turns milking cows and making butters by pouring some butter milk into a small plastic container and shaking it until it turns to butter.

Sampling corn dogs, avocado and lime popsicles, chocolate covered bacon were just a few of the expected fair foods we sampled as we visited with the Master Gardeners who mentioned that they are now offering Master Gardener courses again after a several year hiatus.

We acquired several red wood trees from the forestry booth, which we cannot wait to plant. There were many other ongoing events such as an art display, county exhibits, and food and home demonstrations. Of course there was music playing everywhere.

Sounds fairly, well, pedantic and average, right? It is in my opinion, anything but boring and average, it’s a wonderful resource and gauge of what is going on in our state. This leads me to wonder why so many people I have talked to about the fair have responded negatively. Several people have even gone so far as to say that they do not attend because of the “element” that frequents the fairgrounds. Yeah, know what you mean, those 4-H kids can get a bit out of hand at times, what with the branding and all.

Fairs to me represent all the good and positive that can and does exist in our state. Can there be negative elements to it? Sure, but that can be said for any place and any event. My challenge back to those who make those comments or stay away because of whatever element they want to avoid is this. What are you doing to make it better? Change takes action, if you don’t like what you see you are contributing by not owning it and trying to stamp your presence on it.

All I can say to those nay sayers is it is your loss because the fair, county or state, is just Big Fun.

http://www.bigfun.org/

July 20, 2010 Learning from the Master

We all have a chance to learn from the Master, Master Gardener that is. If the rest of you are anything like me you know what dirt is and that a plant needs to be immersed into it and water applied every so often in order to insure its survival. The more refined details, the entire annual, perennial, shrub scenario is a bit beyond me. The idea of composting, pests, drought tolerance and eco friendly fertilizers and my head fairly spins with confusion. This is all compounded by the plain fact that I do not like to get my hands dirty. Nope. The idea of dirt under my nails gives me the willies. I am quite certain that I was intended to have a gardener, in my case he also must double as my husband. There is a reason my husband has dubbed our place The Prima Dona Ranch.

My aversion to gardening is a problem only in the sense that I love gardens but do not want to work in one. Most of our vacations are spent visiting local gardens such as The Butchart and Minter Gardens in Canada, Filoli in Woodside California, among many others. I love to look at them, contribute feedback in their development, even select and purchase the plants (based on looks of course) but not in the actual implementation process. That part is just, well, icky. So I am fortunate enough to have family that love that part of the process and spend an amazing amount of time working on our small bit of acreage all the while allowing me to, ahem, direct. Since I like to read and research I have recently decided that I should start doing a little research in the area of horticulture in the Big Valley and maybe make more reasonable, informed decisions about what we actually plant.

A great resource that I only just found is the San Joaquin County Master Gardeners website ( http://sjmastergardeners.ucdavis.edu/ ), they are an offshoot of the University of California website. Although I have not checked I can only imagine they offer the same service to other counties. We have in the past contacted the University as part of their small farmers program and they came out and evaluated our walnut trees and location and they were quite helpful. This website is far more extensive and also helps the regular home gardener on everyday questions and keeps people informed on many issues currently affecting the valley, for example the spotted wing drosophila which is attacking berries in the valley. All for free. These services would cost a mint if you wanted to hire someone but they are just a visit, phone call or email away. A great way to learn more about tree landscapes, growing fruit, lawn care, pests for free and for me that is invaluable.

July 18, 2010 Local Marketing

This weekend we headed into Stockton for a little city life or as close as I can get from where we are in the country.  We were found an unexpected delight after turning into the StoneCreek Village to check out REI.  We found instead a farmers market.  Always prepared with bags in the trunk we took a stroll around and asked a few questions. Turns out this was only their second weekend at this locale and they are affiliated with the Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association ( http://www.pcfma.com/markets.php?cnty=San Joaquin County ).  Normally I find my local markets on the California Farmers Market website (http://www.cafarmersmarkets.com/index.cfm ) that way I know what is sold on site is actually grown in our wonderful state!! 

While there we were purchased cherries and nectarines but we mainly focused on vegetables.  Several of the vendors were certified organic but most were just local farms.  We found  many different varieties of fresh veggies but bought eggplant, summer squash, bok choy, Chinese green beans, beets with greens and I was very tempted to buy pumpkin greens but refrained since I have never used them before and the vendor said they are generally used for soups.  With the barometer around 100 degrees, soup was the last thing on my mind. 

For dinner we decided a tapas plates made up of a variety of items we purchased such as eggplant stew, giants beans in tomatoes, greens with onions and lemon, and a variety of artisan meats and cheeses.  It was, in a word, yummy!

Vegie Basket

July 11, 2010 In search of a local BBQ

This week is my husband’s birthday and he asked that we go out for barbeque for dinner that night.  In the past we have all gone out to a popular place north of Stockton on the outskirts of town well-known for their ribs and I will say that they are pretty darn tasty.  The problem is that they don’t really have much else to offer that is worth the effort of going there and not everyone going out is a fan of the rib. So we thought we would try someplace new. The problem is, where?  We know of several places that cater out bbq that are outstanding but they do not offer dine in and other places are just variations of chain restaurants that we are not fans of.  We are self-admitted food snobs.

Most of the locals we know don’t really have an issue with patronizing the chain restaurants that seem to have a monopoly on most cities and mid-sized towns, effectively training the taste buds of a nation to accept mediocrity in food.     So when I ask people I know where they recommend we go for good bbq it takes a strong effort on my part not to seem judgmental when I get the inevitable recommendations for Texas Roadhouse or Famous Daves where on their websites you have to select the state you’re in to find a location, a pretty good indicator that you will be experiencing food completely lacking in originality and/or flavor that can be found anywhere. I know of people who look for just that type of consistency, not wanting to chance the unknown.   Many would argue that many of these places have wonderful food, full of flavor, I beg to differ.  Sugar and salt do not equate to flavor. 

Does this mean that there are no good barbeque places in the central valley that are not chains, a place that offers healthy original meals, presented in a nice clean environment?  I certainly hope not, this is where you come in.  Where do you go for good barbeque?   Send me your ideas and we would love to try them out. We can’t disappoint the birthday boy!

July 8, 2010 Oh, crepe, what’s next?!?!

This post started out completely different but after reading it I realized I would probably have to make it a short series in order to get my point across.  So, what is my point?  I will start with the fact that one of my favorite restaurants in Stockton had to shut its doors because most people would prefer to patronize a mega chain serving flavorless, over processed food instead of a locally owned creative café providing amazing genuine crepes, also known as a galette, stuffed with anything from green apples, walnuts and brie to beef Bourguignon.  A little bit of heaven on a plate…or a big bit as the servings were huge and they made them fresh in front of you on one of three roller grills shipped in from France.  They are gone.  Moved, rumor has it, to Sacramento, after trying several locations in Stockton.  With luck they will find the clientele they need and they do not give up providing such a wonderful experience, one I think everyone should try.

So you may be thinking, what is the big deal, right, I still don’t get your point?  Ok, how about this, the hair salon in Lathrop that took me over three years to find, after the woman who had taken such wonderful care of me for 15 years moved to Argentina, also closed.  Just like that the doors were closed and she was gone.  It is something that is happening all over the Central Valley, many small businesses falling victim to tough economical times.  But do they have too?  Really? 

My point is this:  Plenty of chain restaurants are doing just fine.  Large chain operations appear to be chugging along and if they do feel the pinch then they make a few management adjustments and keep on going.  But small local operations don’t have that luxury.  They depend on locals to support them and help them become a successful part of the community.  These businesses have the opportunity to enrich our towns, help make us a place people want to visit not just the brunt of bad jokes.  It is these local businesses and the unique spirits that run them that help make the Central Valley the amazing treasure that it is and I for one plan on supporting them.

July 2, 2010 Shades of Lavender

Lavender Hollow Farm

Recently several of my friends and I headed out to Escalon, now for those of you who have never been to the town, there is not a lot to offer a visitor in the form of entertainment; most people who hang around live in the area or are stopping by on the way to Yosemite.  Our goal was to locate and experience Lavender Hollow Farms.   None of us had been there but we had all looked at their website and I knew a few people who had been there.  We had all signed up for a craft and then ordered a boxed lunch.  I would like to point out that none of us are particularly crafty and my friends were good sports about giving it a shot. 

We turned on our GPS’s and headed out, wending our way through the small town of Escalon, heading out to open fields growing corn and onions, orchards of walnuts, almonds and cherries but we didn’t see anything resembling a lavender farm.   After a final turn onto a dirt road with large ruts in it we were stunned to see we were on top of a hill leading down into an amazing sight.  It was an actual hollow, a round depression unlike anything in the surrounding area, bordered by trees of various types.  In the center of the hollow there was row upon row of lavender.  All at different stages of growth in differing shades of purple and green, there were more varieties growing there than I had even known existed.   Some almost silvery in color with a soft purple flower others dark green and delicate but with deep purple blooms.

We all sat down to work on creating a lavender wand.  For the uninitiated this is where you take an odd number of lavender stalks of equal lengths and try to turn them upside down while weaving a delicate ribbon between the stalks.  This is a perfect way to test any friendship and also discover which of you has an up to now undiagnosed case of OCD.   It was not as relaxing as some of us had hoped and one lady said her shoulders hurt from the tension for a week afterwards.  The location of the class was behind the building on site and it was a calm, shady oasis that was itself a lovely experience.  We picked up our boxed lavender themed lunches and brought them back to the craft area to enjoy.  The food was good, some of it odd but the effort to keep to the lavender theme was well worth it.

They also have a store on site that sells items made from the lavender they grow, everything from essential oils, soaps and lotions to shortbread.  It is a family owned and run farm and open only during the May to July season.  It is well worth a trek out there if only to breathe in the amazing aromas.   

http://www.lavenderhollowfarm.com/

June 29, 2010 Fruit Stands vs Farmers Markets

As a kid we would drive south from Seattle to LA on highway 99 or 5, often navigating slowly through the tulle fog. Other than the fog, my memories are of olive, peach and almond trees and of fruit stands off the road selling all types of products made from the fruit. Remember the ones that had the big signs on the side of the road teasing you with a word, maybe peaches and then twenty feet later would be the word pie. You couldn’t wait to see what they had to offer, would it be pie or better yet ice cream? The trees are still mostly there, interspersed between towns made of track homes that have sprouted up everywhere, but the fruit stands are now mostly convenience stores. They have morphed into marketing opportunities that sell items that are sometimes not even made in the state to tourists also not from the state. These stands now sell foods so full of preservatives and coloring that they no longer resemble the amazing fruits growing so abundantly in the valley, selling to tourists who no longer recognize the difference between the two.

With the exception of fruit stand and u-picks that you can locate on smaller highways like 120 or 4, there are few quality stands left, well, standing. To me it seems many local farmers markets are taking the place of what used to be traditional locally owned and run fruit stands. In some ways it is just so much better to visit the market. You know when and where they will be each week and you have the choice of visiting other towns and markets (http://www.california-grown.com/ ). Some farmers and dairies make the rounds at several of the towns but for the most part I have found that the local farmers are taking advantage of the chance to show off and sell off their fresh, often organic, sometimes hard to find variety of goods for fairly reasonable prices.

A few weeks ago while visiting a local blueberry farm that also offers u-pick (http://jessopfarms.com) the owner and I discussed the need for more support of local industry, he mentioned that a recent customer was frustrated that the price of the berries was the same as a local mega mart. There are really many things the farmer could have said to him, in fact tried to tell him. Things like what the effect of large industry, even farming has on our environment or something about how challenging it can be to actually grow an all-organic crop. In my opinion fruits and vegetables are rarely as fresh and sweet at a mega mart when compared to a freshly picked product. But what he said struck me as more meaningful and honest. It just tastes better. And I for one am willing to pay the extra few pennies if need be, not just for the food but for the memories and experience just going there creates.

When it comes to our food, I can’t think of a better way to support our local economy, whether it is from a local fruit stand or the farmers market.

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