On the Table

All this week, somebody, somewhere, is throwing a party. They will plan the menu and music to the letter, but when it comes to the bar … things fall apart. Short of following a bartending guide to stock up on dozens of ingredients you will likely never use, most people have no idea how to […]

Pining for Pie How did your Thanksgiving go? Maybe a wedge of Costco’s satellite-dish sized pumpkin pie satisfied your cravings, maybe it didn’t. Even if all your favorites showed up on the table, you are not done with pie. North Coast Co-op’s (25 Fourth St., Eureka; 811 I St., Arcata) pumpkin cream pie is worth […]

Watch a few of Meagen Baldy’s cooking videos and you might just think you’ve found a new best friend. Approachable, spunky and down to earth, she films Cooking Healthy in Indian Country in her own kitchen. Her show airs on the Access Humboldt TV network and has hundreds of followers on YouTube. A Hoopa tribal […]

Asian persimmons are festive: in shades from yellow to red-orange, depending on the variety, they glow in the crystalline light of the final months of the year. In neat rows at farmers’ markets and grocery stores, persimmons look like lanterns lit for a street celebration. Due to a poor season, local supplies are short, so […]

Cherchez le Dip The French dip sandwich you’ve been ordering everywhere in hope of finding a good one isn’t actually French. There, there, mes amis. France can dry its tears on its long list of culinary accomplishments. Or it can stop at Oberon Grill (516 Second St.) to feed its feelings with Nick’s French Dip […]

When the spirits of the departed return, you don’t offer them just anything. Sweet, colorful pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, only shows up on altars and tables during the Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations on Nov. 1 and 2. Have you been under a rock? Or on the East Coast? If […]

Cosmetically challenged,” read the politically correct sign on a case of apples I saw at a farmers market a few years ago. I applaud the farmer for promoting the blemished or not-perfect-enough, but I would like to propose something bolder: I hereby launch the campaign to focus on those apples’ virtues, labeling them with names […]

Anyone who thinks farm life is simple and idyllic has never tried to preserve without the benefit of gas heat and electric refrigerators. As a kid, I watched my mom make pickles using an heirloom pickling crock and an intimidating amount of wax. The whole process seemed like something best left to the professionals. That […]