Elixirs Go To Local Parties

Spreading The Magic

Experience the essence of our local hills - the subtle floral sweetness of elderflower - captured in a bottle!

Elderflower elixir has a natural effervescence as light and delicate as champagne bubbles!

Elderflower Elixir is truly a magical experience. The limited edition and artisanal elixir is made from the first flush of spring blossoms gathered from the hillsides of our Valley during a 4 - 6 week period.

This week Elderflower Elixir,  Elderflower Rose Soda, Lemon Balm Soda and Hibiscus Soda were featured at two local summer parties.

A Local Celebration Of Summer

~ PARTY WITH A PURPOSE~ 

Brined Pickle class Friday June 10th 6 - 9 PM in Lisa's Kitchen

Last Friday evening I taught a class on how to make small artisanal batches of brined pickles, chock-full of gut healing bacteria, using an assortment of local farmer's market produce.  

Dinner and Botanical-Inspired Elixirs

For dinner I put together an intriguing menu inspired by my travel abroad and yet based and grounded in regional foods that reveal their roots in our local soil.  

I served sourdough pita bread made with Sonoran Heirloom wheat and unbleached unenriched flour, hummus, labneh with herbs and cucumber stirred into it, rose petals chopped with dry fruit and nuts, several rice dishes infused with herbs and fruits and spices, a salad of beets and a salad with greens, fruit and basil, three types of pickles - daikon, turnip and traditional dill pickle - along with about 2 gallons of various botanical elixirs - pomegranate, strawberry, hibiscus, elderflower, rose and sage.

Local Flavor

Cherry Berry Delicious

Cherry Berry Breakfast

Cherry Berry Deliciousness made with farmer's market fruit - fruit that is so good it needs no accoutrement.  However today I jazzed things up a bit just for fun.  I spooned fromage blanc by Cow Girl Creamery and wonderfully tart Strauss Dairy yoghurt into a bowl of cherries and berries, swirled in local wildflower honey mixed with lemon juice and sprinkled ground almonds on top.

The honey lemon mixture really woke things up and brought out the full bouquet of flavor in the fruit.  This was a completely yummy way to start the day.

Farmer's Market Blooms

The Sweet Scent of Spring

Nearly summer - but we are still able to get beautifully fragrant sweet peas from the local farmer's market.  I buy them right up when I see them.  Sweet Pea's have a lovely lingering fragrance that pleasantly tickles the nose.  Snap dragons, sunflowers and baby's breath are other favorites.

Now a quick segue - a quick leap - to the world of edibles...

The above flowers, btw, are not edible.  (Only the seed of the sunflower is considered edible.) It is important to be absolutely certain that a flower or plant is edible before tasting it.

My interest in flowers, botanicals, herbs and such like does seem to marry up quite nicely with an interest in all things edible.  For instance, today I combed the local nursery for edible flowers to underplant and grow among the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant that make up my small potager this summer.  Nasturtiums are a favorite of mine because I like the way they artlessly mingle among other plants and I like their pleasant peppery flavor in summer salads.  Dianthus is another flower that is both colorful and edible.  Calendula too is simply brilliant.  I also like to harvest the flowering stalks of vegetables and herbs gone wild and weedy such as cilantro, chives, radish.  Yesterday I nibbled cilantro blossoms.  Tiny white flowers.  Quite tasty. Today I judiciously pruned the clump of cilantro, with an eye for it's beauty, and then chopped the clippings onto a chickpea curry at lunch.  It was such a simple thing to do, it only took a moment, and yet the cilantro improved my enjoyment of the dish immensely.

~ Local Food Is Delicious ~

Eating Seasonal and Local

Hooray for local raspberries!  Yes - we grow local raspberries here in Southern California and they are in season right now.  I buy my berries at the local farmer's market in a three pack and they couldn't be more delicious.  Berries and yoghurt have become a favorite item on the breakfast table. What could be easier?

This meal is completely local and regional.  The Strauss Yoghurt is from Petaluma California.  The Grindstone Bakery bread is from Sonoma County. The raspberries are from a local farm and the elderberry syrup (made by me) is from my very own neighborhood.

~ Farmer's Market Carrots ~

Flavorful Farmer's Market Carrots

So here is a plug for farmer's market carrots. Aren't they beautiful by the way?  Farmer's market carrots come in all colors and sizes - from slender and tender to thick and densely sweet.  Orange, yellow, coral pink reminiscent of that translucent quality one finds in summer melons, an exquisite color that is hard to describe, deep shades of purple, light buttery yellow, and white are some of the varieties I have found.

When I visit the farmer's markets I often buy multiple bunches of carrots from a variety of vendors and I have never ever found farmer's market carrots to be woody or bitter as is often the case, no matter how careful one is, with carrots bought at the supermarket.

One of my favorite ways to prepare carrots is to pan roast them whole until they are fork tender.

~ Farmer's Market Find! ~

California Blueberries

Yes!  California blueberries!  I used to live in the northwest - premier blueberry growing country - but I have to admit these California blueberries are delicious!  Just picked (not shipped) and locally grown they are perfectly ripe, juicy and sweet. What could be better along side buttered toast, and a pot of tea?  A dish of yoghurt maybe?

This no-fuss French breakfast is just right for me while my arm is healing.