It’s always sad to see summer go, when everything turns from green to brown, shorts are replaced with jeans and the word “iced” is removed from coffee orders. Rather than dwell in the funk of another summer lost, it’s better to look at the perks of autumn: Those corduroys are practical again, mowing your lawn […]
On the Table
Posted inEat + Drink
Hounding for Huckleberries
There is no shortage of huckleberry products out there: I have encountered huckleberry candy and huckleberry barbecue sauce, and last week I drank some huckleberry tea. They’re all disappointing. Nothing matches the taste of an actual, freshly picked huckleberry. These tiny blue-black orbs take forever to ripen, but they have a unique tangy-sweet flavor that […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Hum Plate
Sometimes it happens at first sight, across a crowded restaurant. Sometimes what’s been right in front of you for years just clicks. You fall in love. With food. We’ve been falling in love (or at least infatuation), eating promiscuously and tracking our flings on the new Hum Plate blog. Here’s a little taste of the […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Pesto Goes Rogue
For years I resisted developments in pesto. A purist, I was suspicious of change and, frankly, hostile towards new-fangled assumptions that the perfection of basil pesto should be tampered with. Even the phrase “basil pesto” still makes me cringe a little; it’s redundant! Alas, relentless onslaughts from Nigella Lawson and Fine Cooking Magazine have beaten […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Can It, You!
There’s no way to sugarcoat this: Canning can be a long, hot and occasionally frustrating process, especially if you’re new at it. But is it worth it? I don’t know, how do you feel about having a rainbow of local fruits and vegetables all arrayed in vintage glass jars lining your shelves, fruits and vegetables […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Sushi for the Gluten-challenged
That tiny protein that holds wheat together is a lot easier to avoid than it used to be. As long as you’re willing to spend a bit more, even mainstream grocery stores carry a handful of gluten-free items. Local co-ops and health food stores are a practical wonderland of gluten-free delicacies. But dining out is […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Roman Holiday
Our version of a heat wave is around 75 degrees. Still, who wants to cook when there are lawn chairs to be filled and bocce balls to be rolled? If incoming waves of zucchini and tomatoes (it’s good to have friends in Willow Creek) are keeping you in the kitchen, here are a couple of […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Summer Stock
I want to talk about soup. Some say soup is a cold weather dish, but I think it’s just seasonal. In winter, I make stews; in summer, I make soups. It’s just another way to eat the delightful treats we get at the market around this time. The thing about soup is you can […]
Posted inEat + Drink
New on the Menu in Eureka
There’s a recession on, but apparently we still need to eat. When this year’s Menu of Menus hit stands (and the Journal‘s app), a couple of places hadn’t officially opened yet. Three of them are in downtown Eureka. Who doesn’t love a stadium dog? And yet, even as you unwrap the foil, isn’t something telling […]
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A Real Slice of Humboldt
It takes a very specific kind of curiosity to be out on Humboldt Bay at 8 in the morning just to see oyster beds, and on June 11 that curiosity was on full display when nearly 40 people boarded the Madaket for the first of a series of tours being put on by the University […]
Posted inEat + Drink
The Joy of Handmade Pasta
In the beginning there is flour and water. Make the flour be semolina flour (ground durum wheat) and make the water warm. The pale yellow semolina flour may look as if it just stepped out of an impressionist painting, bathed in early morning sunlight. In the first act of the performance, you make the dough. […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Which Came First?
I once owned a T-shirt that read, “Stock up on eggs for Passover and Easter.” I bought it overseas, along with some other bits of shirt-bound poetry like “On the Road With Feeling” and “Head For These Seafood Values.” But “Stock up on eggs for Passover and Easter” was always different. It seemed both completely […]