Inspiration

I used to live and report in Sonoma County, which has some awesome farms and food. Here are some articles I wrote about food and gardening:

Market to table
I made a dinner for four made from ingredients bought at the Sebastopol Farmers Market (and a few things from my garden).

Cooking with wild mushrooms
A year into my obsession with mushrooms, I interviewed local mushroom gurus about their favorite ways to cook up the elusive wild mushroom.

Making compost
One of the articles I wrote from my permaculture training at OAEC, I talked with the experts on turning trash into treasure.

Not just thistling, Dixie
On the importance of battling invasive thistles.

Making sushi
You're probably not growing the ingredients, but oh so tasty. Mmm... raw fish.

Making mead
If you raise bees (and don't we all love an endangered species), you should know how to make mead, honey wine.

OAEC's biodiversity tasting
I've been to two of these marvelous events so far, and found some of my favorite things to grow there. When I went they had a dozen different tomatoes, eight different basil pestos (my favorite was cinnamon basil - amazing depth of flavor. We're growing two dozen of them this year), six sauteed greens (my fave: magenta lambsquarters), herb water, 10 different garlics and an extravagantely diverse salad. They haven't announced one yet for 2007, but if you get on their mailing list, they'll let you know.

Sebanana
Just to show it's possible, Sebastopol man grows bananas. Commercially.

Raising rabbits for food
Both vegans and meat-eaters in denial about where their meat comes from were horrified at my description of a small rabbit-raising operation. But it's the most ethical meat I've ever eaten. Also delicious.

Monte Rio school garden
And because school gardens are the coolest and most important thing ever, Monte Rio School grows its own salad! Yeah!