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Must-Read: Chez Panisse Desserts
I'm crazy about Summer for many reasons, a major one being the season's amazing selection of stone fruits and berries. So I was beyond excited when a close friend surprised me with a new cookbook that takes advantage of my love for fruit: Chez Panisse Desserts ($20.70). This book, which is over 20 years old, is one in a series of seven cookbooks from the kitchen of Chez Panisse, the legendary Alice Waters restaurant that's known as the birthplace of California cuisine.
Organics Industry Plagued by Recession and Scandal
It's only January, and the organic industry is already having a bad year. Not only have producers been losing consumers due to the hefty price tag of organic food, but the industry has struggled to maintain its integrity.
With organic feed prices at an all-time high, farmers in the UK are lobbying the government to temporarily relax organic feed standards to assist livestock producers who are currently paying twice as much for organic feed as they would conventional.
Come Spring, Avocado Prices Will Be the Pits
Guacamole lovers, beware: The crystal ball isn't looking so bright for avocados.
Hot weather at the peak of avocado-growing season last June means this Spring California farmers expect to have the smallest avocado crop in the last 10 to 20 years. Americans buy almost 1 billion pounds of avocados annually, and this number is increasing.
Animal Rights Proposition Passes in California
Yesterday, California passed the most far-reaching farm animal treatment measure to ever be placed on the ballot.
Proposition 2 passed with an estimated 62 percent of the vote in early returns and will affect 20 million farm animals in California, America's largest agricultural state. It requires farmers to give animals space to turn around, spread their wings, stand up, and lie down.
California Will Require Chains to Post Nutritional Facts
Will diners consider their health before ordering a super-sized hamburger value meal? California legislators are betting on it: Last night, the state became the first to require restaurant chains to post nutritional information for their menu items.
By 2011, roughly 17,000 chain restaurants will be required to post the fat, calories, salt, and carbohydrate values where customers can readily see them.
Father of The Vine?
If he were still alive, today would be the 195th birthday of Agoston Haraszthy de Mokcsa (pictured, left). A Hungarian immigrant, Haraszthy was invited to the United States in 1840 by a group of Democrats that included Daniel Webster. Believed by some to be the father of the California wine industry, Haraszthy did much to promote and enhance the agriculture and viticulture of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Come Party With Me: Welcome Back - Menu
My girlfriend Melissa is moving back to California and I'm in charge of planning her welcome back party. This morning I made invitations inspired by the route Melissa and her boyfriend will travel from Seattle to San Francisco. Now I have to put together a menu of passed appetizers that includes both vegetarian and meat-friendly hors d'oeuvres.
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7-Eleven's Newest Plug? Wine
Two Buck Chuck better watch its back — it's about to face some stiff competition. On Tuesday, 7-Eleven announced its plans to release value wines in the United States and Japan.
7-Eleven will launch two proprietary California wines — a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon — to roughly 15,000 outlets under the Yosemite Road label.
Happy Hour: Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc
I ate plenty of thick-skinned, giant pomelos in my youth, but it wasn't until Aspen this Summer that I had my first taste of Pomelo wine. Ever since, the refreshing white has been my go-to everyday Sauvignon Blanc.
Produced by California's Mason Cellars, Pomelo is made entirely out of Sauvignon Blanc grapes — but with its effervescent, citrus-peel aromas and pineapple flavors, the wine could've fooled me into thinking it had real fruit.
Happy Hour: Northern California Merlots
I must admit that I haven't really been drinking much Merlot these days. With so many bold Zinfandels and smooth Pinot Noirs out there, I didn't realize I was avoiding Merlot until I was invited to a tasting at my friend's wine shop. I was super surprised by all of the magnificent Merlots.
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