Thanks to everyone who came out tonight for our first Thursdays in the Kitchen cooking class of the fall!
Continue reading “Thursdays Recap: Early Fall Dinner Party!”
Month: September 2013
Thursdays in the Kitchen are BACK!
Don’t forget, folks! The Jonathans are back on Thursday nights at the Fullerton Arboretum this fall! Our three part, holiday focused cooking series kicks off this week with an Early Fall Dinner Party. The menu Continue reading “Thursdays in the Kitchen are BACK!”
Ask and You Shall Receive: How to Prepare Cranberry Beans
On a recent trip to the Orange County Great Park Farmer’s Market, Evelyn and I stumbled upon a stall which had produced a great stack of beautiful, vibrant and completely fresh cranberry beans. The 10:00 AM sun was bright and direct and shone the variegated beans in vivid glory. I became too excited; I had seen cranberry beans in a few books and recently in Living Magazine, but to tell the truth, I’d never cooked a fresh shell bean in my life! Continue reading “Ask and You Shall Receive: How to Prepare Cranberry Beans”
An OLT Field Trip: Farmers Market at The Orange County Great Park
If April is the cruelest month, Sunday may the cruelest day. Mixing relaxation and subtle dread of the coming work week, stirring that border between living and making a living. Luckily, Orange County is ripe with Sunday morning activities that can wring every last drop out of your weekend. The Farmers Market at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine is just such an activity. Held on Sunday mornings, this food, farm and crafts market is worth the trip… a trip that OurLocaltopia recently made. Check out our Great Park Farmers Market report, the edible booty we plundered and the meal it inspired. Continue reading “An OLT Field Trip: Farmers Market at The Orange County Great Park”
Tailgating at the Yorba Linda Public Library – Recipes and Pictures!
Thanks to everyone who came out this week to OurLocaltopia’s Tailgating Party at the Yorba Linda Public Library. As promised, here are some pictures from class and the recipe packet of all the dishes prepared that night! Click through to have a look… Continue reading “Tailgating at the Yorba Linda Public Library – Recipes and Pictures!”
Thanks To All Our Tailgaters!
Thanks to everyone who came out tonight to OurLocaltopia’s Tailgating Party at the Yorba Linda Public Library! Check back soon for the recipe packet and more pictures from class. A special thanks to the Library and its great staff for having us!
Late Summer Woes in the Kitchen Garden #3: White Powdery Stuff on my Squash / Pumpkin / Melon /Cucumber Leaves
Remember when you planted those zucchini in the late spring? You amended the soil and gently tucked the young-babe-of-a-plant into it’s rich new home. You watered it carefully and cleared the weeds, fretful that it wouldn’t make it. And then it started producing fruit…
Late Summer Woes in the Kitchen Garden #2: Black Spots on the Bottom of Your Tomatoes and/or Cracked Fruit
A large, leathery black spot that forms on the bottom of tomatoes is a common issue, particularly among heirloom varieties. It’s called blossom end rot and you’ll certainly know it when you see it. Blossom end rot results when a plant that is deficient in calcium. The plant obtains its calcium from the soil but the nutrient level in the soil is almost never to blame. Uneven watering is usually the issue in the home garden – the soil is allowed to become too dry before more water is applied… Continue reading “Late Summer Woes in the Kitchen Garden #2: Black Spots on the Bottom of Your Tomatoes and/or Cracked Fruit”
Join OurLocaltopia for a FREE “Tailgating” Cooking Class at the Yorba Linda Public Library
Join OurLocaltopia this Thursday evening, September 12th at 7pm at the Yorba Linda Public Library for a FREE “Tailgate Party” themed cooking class, part of the Library’s ongoing NiteLife series. Continue reading “Join OurLocaltopia for a FREE “Tailgating” Cooking Class at the Yorba Linda Public Library”
Late Summer Woes in The Kitchen Garden #1: Great Tomato Plants but No Tomato Fruit
The youthful blush of summer garden plants disappeared long ago. Tomatoes now look ragged, the basil won’t stop producing flowers, and some white, powdery stuff keeps ending up on your squash leaves. Fret not, some of these problems are easy to handle. The others will educate you in the art of acceptance (or toxic systemic pesticide use; your choice: zen or poison). You have gigantic plants that aren’t producing fruit – this has to be the most frustrating of summer garden issues. The big, beautiful plants attest to your garden mojo but the lack of fruit suggests otherwise… Continue reading “Late Summer Woes in The Kitchen Garden #1: Great Tomato Plants but No Tomato Fruit”