by Kelly Knight, Marketing Manager for The Good Table

In the Garden

In Northern California, we don’t really have super defined seasons. We have basically:
Rain if we’re lucky
Rain and fog
More fog, and hopefully some rain
A couple nice weeks in April
Fog
A couple nice weeks in June
Festive Fourth of July Fog (fireworks look like balls of colored light)
Armpit August
Fire Season
More Fire Season
Really tired of Fire Season
It rains again, finally, and it’s Christmas

I’m not complaining. I really love the fog and our funky little micro-climates. But I do miss the more defined seasons in the east, where a lived for a bit.

Here are some recommendations from Fine Gardening on what we can be doing to prepare the garden going into fall and winter, from Fionuala Campion, the owner and manager of Cottage Gardens of Petaluma in Petaluma, California:

• Divide and transplant perennials. With milder temperatures minimizing transplant shock and ensuring a quicker recovery, it’s the ideal time to divide overgrown spring- and summer-blooming perennials. Prune back by half to reduce moisture loss through transpiration and carefully dig around the plant, leaving as large a root ball as possible. Gently lift the clump and check for obvious separation points, dividing it into several smaller ones. Discard older, weaker, or unhealthy parts of the plant, and replant the newly divided plants directly into the garden (or pots if you plan on sharing). Of course, you’ll have prepared the area beforehand by amending with organic compost and adding a handful of organic high-phosphorous fertilizer to help your new plants quickly become established. Water thoroughly and directly after planting.

• Add winter and spring interest now. Continue to source and plant spring-blooming bulbs and fall- and winter-blooming annuals to brighten up your borders and containers all winter long.

• Plant cool-season crops. Many vegetable crops thrive in cooler temperatures and some–like the brassicas–increase in sweetness when touched by frost. To get them off to an excellent start, plant transplants of your favorite broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, and kohlrabi varieties. They’ll be ready for the dinner plate by February. Transplants of leafy greens are even quicker to mature. You’ll start harvesting Swiss chard, spinach, mustards, and kales by December. Continue direct seeding peas, parsnips, turnips, carrots, radishes and beets. For more veggies to grow now and growing tips, read on here.

• Make sure to tidy up for winter. October means it’s time to reduce potential overwintering hiding places for slugs, snails, and insects by picking up overturned pots, dropped branches, and other garden debris in the ornamental and veggie garden. Continue to rake fallen leaves and pull weeds and spent annuals and vegetable plants. Add them all to the compost pile or your green waste bin if you suspect disease issues. Dig in rich, organic compost to any empty ornamental or edible garden beds.

Image Courtesy Fionuala Campion

by Kelly Knight, Marketing Manager for The Good Table

Image Credit: Jason Hickey

Spiritual Touchstone

As the drought in the west continues, it’s hard not to feel a lot like the land: dry, cracked, discouraged.  The wildfires make it all worse: less trees, less shade, less ground cover.  It’s all just feeling very parched out there, and internally too, as the pandemic goes on and on.

After the call went out to conserve water, I started researching dry farming as a way to understand how to keep my garden going and what I might need to do to strengthen it against more frequent droughts.

Dry farming is “a low-input, place-based approach to producing crops within the constraints of your climate. As we define it, a dry-farmed crop is irrigated once or not at all.”

Basically, you let the rain do the work, and don’t water through the rest of the season.  How do you do that?  “Dry farmers try to select a site with deep soil and good water-holding characteristics and then utilize a suite of practices to conserve soil moisture for crop growth. Some of the practices that support dry farming include: early soil prep and planting; selecting drought tolerant, resistant or early-maturing cultivars; lower planting density; cultivation or surface protection to prevent crusting and cracking of soil surface; diligent weed control; and improving soil health and water-holding capacity with practices such as cover cropping, rotation, and minimizing soil disturbance.”

This week, I yanked out the last of my tomato and cucumber plants that were pretty much done, and soon will be planting my cover crops for the vegetable beds.  As I wrestled with the overgrown tomato vines, I was thinking about how we can sow our own resilience to better make it through the lean times.

“Just like dry farmers put in a lot of work so their crops can survive the dry, hot season, we can prepare our minds, hearts, and souls to get through our difficult seasons as well. ”

We can yank out the weeds: the old stories, the not-great habits, and the old coping mechanisms that no longer serve us.  We can sow cover crops that help us retain moisture in the fertile soil of our hearts: creativity, meditation, friendships, community, and service to causes we care about.  We can cultivate the garden of ourselves to be tolerant, resilient, and able to not only survive, but thrive in this season of our lives.

And if we can’t do that, we can ask for help.  What needs pruning or weeding in your life?  Where do you need help cultivating?  What are you going to sow this week?

by Rev. Melinda McLain

From the Kitchen

When our gardens are wild with tomatoes, we’re always on the hunt for new recipes. This recipe for an Italian Tomato Pie was inspired by the seasonal menu for "all things tomatoes" that Pastor Melinda used to enjoy at Kerbey Lane, a restaurant in Austin, Texas.

INGREDIENTS
9” pie crust, store-bought or made with your favorite recipe
4 medium heirloom tomatoes
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp Italian herb mix (oregano, thyme, rosemary, etc.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup chopped Swiss chard
1/2 cup cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or Gruyere would all be good)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the over to 450 degrees.

2. Peel and slice about 4 medium heirloom tomatoes and place in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup tapioca flour (to thicken juice), Italian herbs, salt, and pepper and mix gently.

3. Press pie crust into pan (use pre-made, or your own recipe). Layer chard first on the bottom (note: this is important to avoid a soggy bottom), then tomato mixture, then some grated cheese, then chard, then tomatoes until pie crust is nearly full.

4. Top with bread crumbs mixed with fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese. Put in 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, reduce temp to 375 and bake for 45 minutes or until crust is brown and filling is bubbly. Cool and serve. Even better cold the next day! Enjoy!

by Kelly Knight, Marketing Manager for The Good Table

In Our Community

Image: StateOfIsrael

It’s the worst drought we’ve seen for years here in California and in the west overall, and I’ve been thinking about how to reduce my personal water usage. Granted, the individual can only do so much, but together, we can make a collective difference.

Surprisingly, some of the methods to reduce water use are a little counter-intuitive, but let’s start with the ones that are obvious:

• Shorter showers. Turn off the water when shaving, time yourself (I like to play music, and when I know two medium songs are done, so is my shower), use 2-in-1 products to cut down shampooing time.

• Reduce landscaping water. Use drip irrigation instead of sprinklers, plant drought-resistant plants, reduce or get rid of your lawn.

• More efficient laundry. Only doing laundry with a full load, and using high-efficiency washing machines if you can.

• Better dishwashing. Most dishwashers these days are high-efficiency, and even if they’re not, they use water MUCH more efficiently than handwashing dishes. Reduce or eliminate hand-washing.

Now for things you might not expect:

• Lower your electricity usage, and switch to renewable energy - electricity production in California requires a lot of water, and water requires a lot of energy.

• Eat less meat, particularly red meat. Do you know what food has the largest global water footprint? Beef. It takes approximately 1,847 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef — that's enough water to fill 39 bathtubs all the way to the top.

• Move away from high water use crops. The biggest water use crop in California is alfalfa, which is used to feed livestock, but after that, it’s almonds and pistachios, and then rice.

• Advocate for high water use crops to be grown in other parts of the country where there is no drought. The Midwest is full of commodity grain, but could grow many other things. Get involved with The Farm Bill and advocate for diversification of crops across the country and supporting farmers.

Together we can make change and help turn things around, making California and the west a more sustainable place to live. The only way we’ll get through the upcoming crises is together.

by Kelly Knight, Marketing Manager for The Good Table

In the Kitchen

While the Bay Area has actually been a little chilly lately, we know it will get hot again sometime. And when it does, the best thing, in my not-humble opinion, is to drink something that cuts the heat and gives you back some much needed energy.

Here are two summer refresher recipes to keep cool and stay hydrated!

Peach Nectar Iced Tea

Peach Nectar Iced Tea
by Heidi Swanson, of 101 Cookbooks

INGREDIENTS
4 cups cold water
4 bags black tea
4 cups peach nectar (Note: You can buy this at the grocery store in the juice section. It’s sweeter than straight peach juice. Looza is my favorite brand.)
Plenty of ice cubes
2 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced into eighths
Mint sprigs for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat, add the teabags, cover, and steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let the tea cool to room temperature on the counter. Stir in the peach nectar and feel free to add more if you want it even peachier. Serve in ice filled glasses garnished with a couple peach slices and the mint if desired.

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Shiso Limeade

Shiso Limeade
from Laura McLively and The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook

What’s really fun about this is that the acidity of the lime juice turns the shiso tea into a shocking pink color. I really enjoy it. You can find fresh shiso at Asian markets and finer grocery stores.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup packed Chinese shiso leaves, plus a few for garnish
2 liters boiling water
2 tablespoons agave nectar (or more to taste)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Lime slices for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Place the shiso leaves in a large, heat-resistant jug or jar and pour the boiling water over the leaves. Let the tea steep for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your desired strength. It’s a subtle flavor — a bit like lemon mint, so you may want to go longer. Stir in the agave nectar and lime juice and watch as the tea magically takes on its bright pink color. Chill before serving. Serve over ice with a lime slice and a shiso leaf.

by Kelly Knight, Marketing Manager for The Good Table

Flowers I planted in my garden for the pollinators

From the Garden

Climate change is consistently on my mind, and often makes me feel a little powerless. We’re in a big drought and approaching a heat dome heatwave and it’s all just a lot right now.

Since I cannot control the weather or climate change, I’ve decided to focus my attention on things I can do right here and now. As I’ve touched on a couple times, my garden is a source of joy, spirituality, and peace for me. A garden can also be a force for good in local populations, specifically very small populations — pollinators.

Pollinators are animals who move pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This allows the plant to reproduce, and creates, among other things, the edible fruits and vegetables we all enjoy. Nearly everyone knows about bees at this point, but pollinators can also be butterflies, hummingbirds, moths and bats.

Sunflowers, zinnias, and amaranth

Pollinators are also in trouble: insecticides; invasive species; parasites and diseases; and climate change all have put a dent in pollinator populations.

“A lot of these pollinators have evolved to emerge exactly when their plants are flowering,” says Deborah Landau, a conservation scientist for The Nature Conservancy in Maryland. But climate change messes up the timeline. “If a flower blooms too early or an insect hatches from its egg too early, they could completely miss each other.”

So what can we do to help pollinators? There are a couple things:
1. Plant native species in our gardens. When pollinators emerge, the plants that they rely on will be there, ready for them. Visit the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center at wildflower.org and choose the “Native Plants” tab to find flowers that will work for your area.

2. Support controlled burns on forestry land. Fire is a natural part of the ecosystem and when a landscape is burned, you often see a resurgence of native plants. This also helps with wildfire season, making sure the fires aren’t as devastating.

3. Plant a wide variety of flowering plants. Choose plants with various flowering seasons so that pollinators will have access to nectar and pollen the length of the flowering season.

4. Place flowering perennials and annual in drifts, groups of at least three plants, rather than dotting them individually around the garden. This makes it easier for pollinators to locate plants and they don’t have to work so hard to get what they need.

Drifts of pincushion flower, strawflower, daisies, and milkweed

5. Put a water source in your garden. Especially on hot days, having access to water will help sustain pollinators as they do their hard work. Put rocks in the bottom of a shallow fountain or water dish to allow insects to perch and drink without falling in.

6. Minimize your use of pesticides, even organic ones. These chemicals can hurt pollinators. Learn about different kinds of plants and companion planting to cut back on damage to your vegetables and showcase flowers.

Thank you for considering what to do to help our local pollinator populations. Our tiniest friends are grateful for your work.

Bee on a borage flower

In the Community

The arts have always been important part of any community. Today, we’d like to spotlight two artists in our community that are doing amazing things.

Photo Credit: Susan Wilson

Carolyn North
A remarkable person, Carolyn has given birth to three children, been a midwife in India, sung in a Gospel choir, started a farm, taught her technique of dance healing as a dance therapist for many years, started a hunger organization, Daily Bread, built a strawbale house, written 11 books on matter and spirit and, stayed married to the same man for 58 years until his death in 2015, started the CommonSpace Community Land Trust in Sonoma County, and became a member of the Wild and Radish Community of Northern California (of which our partner org Planting Justice’s Gavin Raders and Haleh Zandi are members) where she is helping design a program for elders aging and dying in community.

As if that weren’t enough, Carolyn “recently donated her Berkeley home valued at approximately $1.3 million — residential property she and her husband purchased in 1966 for $28,500 — to the East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative. The Oakland-based organization permanently removes residential properties from the mass market through cooperatives and land trusts and creates affordable housing opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and other underserved minority groups. North’s former family home now offers affordable housing, primarily for artists who are people of color.”

Carolyn says:
”I feel I am here to help make the transition from a materialistic culture to a culture that recognizes that we are all connected with each other, with the earth and with the cosmos.

You can read my bi-monthly articles on Musings On The Passing Scene and can follow links to information about my books at About Carolyn’s Books. The latest books are From the Notebooks of Carolyn North: Musings on the Passing Scene (Vol. 1) and its sequel The Living Edge of Dying: Musings in an Era of Breakdown (Vol. 2). They both address the realities of our time with deep seriousness, humor, personal stories and suggestions of how to keep on keeping on.”

Read Carolyn’s interview in SF Classical Voice: Carolyn North

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Steve Zwetsch

Making musical instruments out of unexpected items is Steve Zwetsch’s particular genius. Five years ago, Zwetsch came across a YouTube video of a guitar made from cigar boxes and wondered if he could craft something similar.

Being a self-taught handyman, Zwetsch gave it a shot and created the instrument in his basement. Before the pandemic, he would make five cigar box guitars a year but after his bakery business was impacted by COVID-19, he created 14 guitars in six months.

“It’s fun to make these things and I’m making them more for the art value than anything else. Then, the fact that it created more art with the music that you can play with it, is just phenomenal.”

— Steve Zwetsch, in profile by ABC News

Read his profile by ABC News here: The Art of Imperfection

by Kelly Knight, Marketing Manager for The Good Table

In the Kitchen

For the first time in a very long time, I was able to have fully vaccinated friends over for brunch on my deck this weekend. Since we hadn’t hosted anyone in awhile, I was a little stumped on what to make but then I thought of quiche. Quiche feeds a crowd (we only had two other adults, but it felt like a crowd!) and combined with an easy fruit salad, muffins, and some mimosas, it was a really lovely spread.

My partner can’t have gluten or dairy, so I bought some gluten-free pie crust and then made this paleo quiche recipe from Paleo Running Momma. Most quiche recipes include cheese, which is delicious, but if you can’t have dairy, this recipe is very satisfying and you won’t feel like you’re missing out.

Image courtesy Paleo Running Momma

Bacon, Caramelized Onion, and Veggie Quiche
by Paleo Running Mama
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1 9 ” paleo pie crust recipe pressed into 9” pie dish and baked for 5-7 minutes at 375 degrees or until just barely set
6 slices bacon
3-4 Tbsp reserved bacon fat or other cooking fat
1 x 8 oz container white mushrooms, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced thin
1 small/medium zucchini, cut in quarters and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt for sprinkling on veggies
7 large eggs
1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional - but it really does help with flavor)
Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium high heat, crumble, and set aside to drain on paper towels. Reserve bacon fat to caramelize the onions and cook the veggies.

2. Next, caramelize the onions. Heat a large skillet over med-low/low heat, and add the bacon fat (or other cooking fat if preferred)

3. Add sliced onions and stir to coat, sprinkle with sea salt. Cook and periodically stir, for 20-30 minutes, lowering heat or adding a bit more fat as needed to avoid burning. The onions are done when they are a deep golden brown color and very fragrant.

4. While the onions cook, heat a separate skillet over medium heat and add 1 tbsp cooking fat. Add the zucchini and mushrooms, sprinkle with sea salt.

5. Sautee the veggies for about 2 minutes, stirring as needed, until softened. Add garlic and continue to cook another 45 seconds until softened, then remove from heat.

6. In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, salt, and nutritional yeast.

7. Drain excess fat from the onions and veggies, then place all the veggies and bacon evenly in the partially baked crust. Pour egg mixture evenly over the filling.

8. Bake in the 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until center is set. Cover the quiche with a foil tent for the last 10 mins if crust begins to brown too much. Allow quiche to rest st least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.  Enjoy!

by Kelly Knight, Marketing Manager for The Good Table

In the Garden

I’ve had a garden for many years, but this was the year I decided to get serious about it. It both was and wasn’t because of the pandemic — I’ll admit, it’s nice to have something pleasant to focus on when the world is falling apart; but also, I come from a long lineage of green thumbs, and maintaining a garden feels grounding for me in a way that little else does.

Amaranth, sunflower, cucumber, squash, and zinnia bed - The Good Table At Home

Something new I’m trying this year is Companion Planting. Simply put, Companion Planting is putting different types of plants together in a way that maximizes their harvest in yield, flavor, or pest reduction.

The most often stated example is the Three Sisters Trio: corn, beans, and squash. The corn provides a strong base for the beans to climb, the beans make nitrogen for the soil that helps all three plants to grow, and the squash shades the soil at the base, helping the plants retain moisture and reducing weeds. Squash is also prickly, which keeps away raccoons and other pests.

In the bed in the above picture, I’ve put the taller plants in the back row — amaranth (purple), sunflower (tall), and a crookneck squash in the back right corner. There are cucumbers in the first row, which the taller plants will shade. I’ve also planted zinnias in this bed to attract pollinators. There were nasturtiums in here too, which attract pests away from the vegetables, but they got sun-stressed and didn’t like the denser soil, so they’re in a pot off to the side in a succulent blend soil.

Little Gem Lettuce, Tomato, Parsley, Borage, and Cosmos

In this bed above, I’ve planted tomatoes next to borage, a flowering plant that attracts bees and tiny pest-eating wasps. Parsley also attracts insects away from tomatoes, so I’ve put these plants in between each tomato plant. I’m also going to transplant some dill in here in order to detract aphids and mites. The cosmos attract pollinators.

More parsley and tomatoes, onions, swiss chard, daisies

In the last bed, we planted onions by taking sprouting onions from the grocery store and plunking them in the soil. It’s an experiment. But onions “are thought to protect against borers, mites, slugs, and cutworms, as well as maggots of all types.” We’re planting them with Swiss Chard, which they like, and more parsley and tomatoes. There’s also a watermelon in there. It’s kind of a grab bag because I got a little overzealous with my seed starts this year.

If you’d like to learn more about Companion Planting, here are the two resources I used:
Companion Planting Guide by Farmer’s Almanac
Companion Planting Chart by Live Love Fruit - this one has a map of how you can lay out your beds as well!

by Kelly Knight, Marketing Manager for The Good Table

In the Kitchen

When spring rolls around, I always look forward to asparagus season. There’s something so nice about the green, fresh quality of asparagus, and I love adding it to frittatas, soups, stir-frys, and other dishes. The one we’re sharing today was inspired by Colleen, Melinda’s wife, who made it without a recipe the other night for dinner. I am not nearly as adept a cook, so I’m adapting this recipe from The Healthy Foodie.

A note on the salmon: Colleen sourced hers from local purveyor Pinoli Farmhouse Kitchen. Check them out if you’d like.

Image courtesy of The Healthy Foodie

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Risotto
by The Healthy Foodie

INGREDIENTS
2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1-1/2 cup Arborio rice
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
5.3 oz smoked salmon, chopped, (plus more to garnish)
8.8 oz asparagus, cut into 1-1/2" pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, warm the chicken broth and water over medium heat.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan set over medium heat; add the shallots and cook to soften, about 1 minute. Add the rice, stir to coat with oil and toast slightly, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, add about 1/2 cup of broth to the rice and stir constantly until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously until the liquid is completely absorbed between each addition. Repeat until the rice is soft and creamy, which will take about 45 minutes.

3. Once the rice is cooked to your liking, stir in asparagus, add white wine or vermouth and cook, stirring constantly, until the asparagus is cooked to your liking.

4. Stir in Parmesan and smoked salmon; season with salt and pepper to taste and serve without delay.

5. Garnish with more smoked salmon, asparagus tips and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.