I always love food so here is a great share from Kendall-Jackson!

At Kendall-Jackson, not only are we known for our amazing wines, we are also known for our heirloom tomatoes.  We have been saving heirloom tomato seeds for the past 15 years and now have over 400 varieties of seeds saved.  Each year, we plant approximately 175 heirloom varieties in our culinary gardens and invite chefs from all over to come and cook tomato-inspired dishes to pair with our wines at the annual Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival.

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It never fails to amaze me how much better fresh produce tastes! I have done my share of gardening but my current residence is, to say the least, less than hospitable to edible plant production. Now I do love farmers’ markets, but never seem to execute a trip before a desperate run to the grocery store is made. So, I have turned to the CSA box. For me this is the best of both worlds; farmers market freshness on a schedule plus a little forced variety.

Recently I was turned on to Rutiz Family Farms, a local Arroyo Grande sustainable ranch and market stand that I am practically giddy over. One of the coolest things about the Rutiz program is that you do not need to prepay a subscription. An email is sent out each Tuesday listing what will be in the box that week (plus cooking suggestions, announcements, and prices of other stand produce). You simply need to decide by Thursday evening whether or not your fridge needs stocking, email in the affirmative, and pick up on Friday.

Local family farming

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At the 2009 Earth Day Food & Wine Festival my friends (stellar, silent auction bidding event volunteers) won the auction package “Cook’s Nook” which included a cooking class at Central Coast Culinary and Catering. Having wanted to attend a class with chef Debbie Duggan for years we figured that this would be the final incentive to sign up. Eight months later (ok, we were not highly motivated) we finally booked, just in time for the school’s last class!

Of course, a wine from SIP Certified Tolosa

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Fall Veggies

September seems like an interesting time in the world of agriculture, especially on the Central Coast where the lines between seasons are often blurred. On this late September day it feels like summer but there are signs of fall in the air. (The weather on this day can fluctuate easily between the two seasons. Record high for September 21st: 106 degrees, record low: 38 degrees.) So, I decided to head to the Paso Robles Farmers’ Market, held each Tuesday in the City Park downtown from 3-6pm to see what is being grown locally this time of year.

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Love the stemless glassware!

If  you’ve been in downtown San Luis Obispo recently, you may have noticed the quaint little tasting room on Chorro Street. This oasis of goodness is Pithy Little Wine Company and on Monday night I stopped by their Wine Industry Open House for a taste.

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What better way to start your morning than in the garden? Beth and I headed out of the office for a morning of vegetable harvesting at Steinbeck Vineyards’ Vineyards Growing Veggies project site. We met with Cindy Steinbeck Newkirk of Steinbeck Vineyards and Winery and, after a quick tutorial, we were off to work!

Straight off the vine - Beth's got a zucchini and a squash

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There’s usually good food to be had at wine tasting events, but have you checked out who’s going to be at this year’s Earth Day Food & Wine Festival? Just the list of restaurants alone reads like a Who’s Who of the Central Coast’s stellar spots for pleasing your palate!

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Taste of SLO has done it again, I thoroughly enjoyed myself last Wednesday night as I wandered, well due to the great turn out, shuffled up and down the Mission Plaza tasting all that San Luis Obispo has to offer. This year’s disco themed event came complete with go go dancers, a giant disco ball, great music, and of course fabulous food and wine. The best of the best of San Luis Obispo restaurants made their appearances with delicious samplers; Tuna tacos from Native Lounge to mushroom soup topped with grated espresso bean from Mother’s Tavern to profiteroles from Mama’s Meatballs, can only begin to explain the range choices that were laid out in front of me. While samplers may sound like child’s play compared to the gigantic meals we are served at some restaurants, with a choice of samplers from over 30 restaurants I found that my graceful walk into the event had turned into a bit more of a waddle as I left the evening.
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Once again, the 3rd Annual Pallet to Palate Event in August 2009 featured not only great food and wine (a big SIP poster made appearances at several events, and Baileyana/Tangent wines were poured at the SLOcovore event on Monday), but also a thought provoking panel discussion. This year’s topic was “Let’s Be Frank … About Local Food,” a perfect title since one of the participants was Larry Bain, co-founder of Let’s Be Frank, a company that produces and sells hot dogs made from sustainably raised grass-fed beef, family-farmed pork, and pastured turkey. Judith Redmond of Full Belly Farm and renowned chef Bradley Ogden, most recently of Root 246 in Solvang, ably rounded out the panel, but the remarks of the engaging Bain (whose résumé also includes running a social justice non-profit and opening Acme Chop House in SF, the country’s first sustainable steak house) were the ones that really stuck with me.
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One line said it all: “This is SUCH a good idea!”
Of course, this happy person had to be referring to the CCVT’s 3rd Annual Earth Day Food and Wine Festival held at the historic Santa Margarita Ranch on April 18. This year’s sold out event featured over 100 booths offering award-winning wines, tasty food, and information about sustainable businesses. The weather was perfect, Big Daddy’s Blues Band was cookin’ with a solar powered sound system, and a good – no, make that – great time was had by all.
Of special significance was the “festival debut” of SIP certified wines from Ampelos Cellars, Baileyana Winery, Castoro Cellars, D’Anbino Cellars, Hahn Estates, Halter Ranch, Laetitia Winery, Paraiso Vineyards, Pomar Junction Cellars, Saucelito Canyon Vineyard, Tangent Winery, and Wolff Vineyards & Winery. It was great to finally see some wines from the SIP program getting into the marketplace, and more will be emerging with each new vintage.

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