The wildfires aren’t just devastating our landscapes, they’re taking a massive toll on the people who fight them. This week we’re talking about the rising PTSD crisis among Cal Fire firefighters and what’s being done to combat it. And the county has struck a deal to shorten Auditor-Controller Karen Paz Dominguez’ lame duck time. We’ll […]
Pie
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NCJ Preview: Otters, Police Transparency and Blackberry Mania
This week we’re talking about the North Coast Otter Art Initiative and the beautiful painted sculptures created by local artists to raise money for otter research. We defy you to scroll through the offerings without smiling. We’re also looking at the importance of de-escalation how a new law makes it possible to gain access to […]
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Westhaven’s Blackberry Pie Fire Sale
If you’re missing the annual Westhaven Wild Blackberry Festival, which is canceled due to COVID-19 this year, help is on the way: The Westhaven Ladies Club will be selling its stockpile of 450 frozen blackberry pies for $20 a pop on Sunday, July 26 starting at 10 a.m. It’s help for the Westhaven Volunteer Fire Department, […]
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Summer, Berries and Baking
The summer sun still shines brightly as it does every summer but this year is missing the sound of children laughing at the playground. Although I can hear the fireworks popping now and then, they are not as festive as they used to be. We are all experiencing this new lifestyle together and we all […]
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Last-minute Thanksgiving Recipes
Whether you had grand plans for the holiday meal or you’re flying by the seat of your chef’s pants, these Thanksgiving-ready recipes might come in handy. Stuck for sides? Nothing could be more fitting than a soup of acorns, a traditional indigenous food staple. Stuffed acorn squash is a winner and even works as a […]
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The Holiday Pie Divide
Like many of you, my family ate pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. But I never dug it. Pumpkin pie was typically bland and one dimensional, so I usually just skipped dessert and, for years, longed for that sumptuous finale befitting of a feast. Then in my 20s, it happened. I began dating my now-husband and had […]
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Fair Factor
Editor’s note: It’s official — the Humboldt County Fair is back. To help our readers prep for what many see as the most important fair experience — the food — here’s a look back at a 2015 walk through of edible attractions at the Ferndale tradition. You can smell the fryers from the parking lot […]
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Bright Lights, Small Town
Editor’s note: With the Humboldt County Fair marking its 122nd opening day tomorrow, here’s a look back at Peri Escarda’s 2017 It’s Personal column on the annual event, the arrival of which means that summer is once again drawing to an end. Growing up in Humboldt County, there was nothing more exciting than the day […]
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A Pie to Take with You
Family traditions are a fine thing, except when they’re inconvenient, outdated, unappreciated, annoying or molded in gelatin. Which is to say one or two family traditions are a fine thing, particularly the edible ones. I’m at that weird point in my mid-30s where, fully launched into the uncharted waters of adulthood, I pilot a strange […]
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Glamping at Campground
Going for woodland chic in Humboldt risks redundancy but the vibe at Campground (865 Ninth St., Arcata), the landlocked cousin of Salt, is a bit more Swedish cabin hotel, with its deconstructed forest of birch stalks separating the bar from the tables and the homey blue and white tile flooring. Blackout curtains obscure the Bret […]
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Savory Empanadas
Empanadas are a staple for many Latinos. Whether sweet or savory, baked or fried, the little hand pies are a treat. When I was growing up, my momma baked us sweet empanadas, and her empanadas de calabaza (pumpkin) were my favorite. As an adult, it’s the savory empanadas that lure me in: tender, flaky bread […]
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Pie/Cake Truce
Let us not fall into the factions and false dichotomy of pie vs. cake. Really, given the fact that Boston cream pie is really cake and cheesecake — with its graham cracker crust — is more of a pie, are we not already living in a post pie-vs.-cake society? (Drag me in the comments if […]