by Christina Waters | Jun 10, 2008 | Food, Home |
You’ve noticed that food prices have gone up, up and up?
So do something about it!
*Stop eating so much meat. Just stop it! Think of chicken, fish, pork and lamb as protein accessories, with fresh, seasonal veggies and whole grains as the main attraction.
*Only shop for what’s in season – and that means stop craving asparagus in November, or red peppers in May. We only buy organic and natural foods – so that means we’re already paying higher prices (and worth every blessed penny) than those of you who comb the mega-aisles of Costco. But we don’t pig out on luxury meats when free-range chicken, or fresh local seafoods will do.
*Buy perishables in small amounts – enough salad greens or fresh fruit for the next few days – and in small containers. Buying smaller containers means less waste, which can more than recover the slightly higher per unit costs of smaller containers.
* No imports, buy local – Sure there are obvious fair trade import exceptions, but in general local and seasonal gets you more flavor and value bang for the buck. Plus it keeps local small growers adding to the local tax base. Can’t live without artisanal cheese? Try local and Bay Area cheeses, instead of French imports.
* Give up that daily latté habit – Make it a once-a-week treat to stop at your favorite coffeehouse for a double royale with whipped cream. You’ll save a bundle. (more…)
by Christina Waters | Jun 4, 2008 | Food, Home |
Farm & Garden Organic Produce Cart – Summer’s here and the bounty from UCSC’s Agroecology apprentice program is back at the corner of Bay & high Streets, every Tuesday and Friday, noon to 6pm. Flowers, herbs, infant lettuces, chards, onions, strawberries — the array changes week by week. But the quality remains exceptional. Come meet the student growers and check out what’s fresh and in season.
by Christina Waters | May 17, 2008 | Home, Movies |
This Marvel Comix-based big screen adventure is not just for 15-year-old males. Brooding, smart, crisp, astonishing and edgy — that’s Iron Man, and its star Robert Downey Jr. who pretty much owns the screen from the scorching opening in war-torn Afghanistan to the final delightful shot. I repeat, Iron Man is a thinking woman’s gloss on at least three Greek myths, one or two Freudian complexes and the age-old battle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness.
Value-added for film buffs, Iron Man looks sensational, and serves up an orgy of visual quotes from Metropolis, Aliens, Gattaca, as well as reframing both the tale of Icarus and Plato’s myth of the cave.
As a Blakean flawed genius, Downey works his way into the short list of great American actors. (I know you’re thinking I have slipped a cog here. It’s a marvel Comix industrial design heavy metal flick — but Downey rockets Iron Man way out of the mere fantasy hormone genre.)
Muscular, graceful and charismatically weary, Downey (more…)
by Christina Waters | May 17, 2008 | Food, Home |
The Best Strawberries of the Season! Whatever we were eating before, whatever those other little red orbs were that people were trying to call “strawberries,” well – this is the real stuff!
At New Leaf, look for the little container of RMS Farms Organic Strawberries – from Watsonville, $2.99. The ones we’ve been eating all week are firm and sweet, with that top-note of tartness you want from a berry. They are totally intensely strawberry flavored. Just like the ones you had in your childhood. Amazing!
by Christina Waters | May 16, 2008 | Home |
Don Yee’s Tea Cup — which was situated on the second floor above what it now Judi Wyant’s shop on Pacific Avenue — was the required after-work pit-stop during the cocktail years before 1989. The charmingly murky bar was attached to a Chinese restaurant, though no one actually remembers dining. Cocktails were the whole point (more…)
by Christina Waters | May 12, 2008 | Home, Wine |
We weren’t the only ones soaking up the pastoral beauty of the Corralitos countryside last Saturday. We had plenty of fellow wine-seekers for company as we toured a few of the small artisenal wineries on rare view during this twice yearly open house.
First Alfaro Family Vineyards, where the gorgeous new tasting room, with marble counters and exposed beams, greeted us. The tasting room will be open on Saturdays, by appointment, starting the first week in June, so download a map and get ready to sample some of the many varietals and vintages. (The $10 tasting fee, Richard tells me, will purchase a commemorative glass and a flight of at least five Estate wines.)
This winery has several defining features. One is the irrepressible Richard Alfaro (below, in his official wine tasting shirt), who transformed himself from successful baker
to passionate winegrower with a first crush five years ago. Of his 75 acres, a full 25 are dedicated to vineyards – Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This has to be — correct me if I’m wrong — the largest continguous acreage devoted to wine grapes in the entire appellation. And it’s gorgeous!
I met Alfaro’s winemaking partner, UC Davis-trained Joe Martin (hence, the Martin Alfaro label), swilled myriad house pinot noirs – including the exceptional 2006 from Santa Lucia Gary’s Vineyard, and the estate-bottled Lindsay Paige Pinot Noir. We listened to the singing attorney, Joe Haselton, sampled cheeeses and hot Corralitos sausage, (more…)
