 Work in Hollywood? Take a break right now and head over to the new Hollywood Lemon Grove Farmers' Market, which opened 9 a.m. today at 4959 Lemon Grove Ave.
Get there before noon and enter a free raffle to win a basket of market-fresh produce. If you have kids, take them along; Network for a Healthy California is hosting a "Power Play" event for children at 11 a.m. The market will be open until 1 p.m.
Earlier: What $6 gets you at the farmers' market
 Have your organic locally-grown carrot cake and eat it too! The Hollywood Farmers' Market is turning 17, and the celebrations kick off with a carrot cake cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. -- Get there early and enjoy a free piece!
When: Sunday, May 25, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Where: Hollywood Farmers' Market, at Ivar and Selma avenues between Hollywood and Sunset, Los Angeles
Cost: Free!
There'll be face painting and an arts and crafts workshop for kids starting at 9. For the cooks, a chef demonstration with Pace's Sandy Gendel -- a twice-weekly farmers' market shopper -- begins at 10 a.m.
Shop local, eat good cake -- and don't forget to take your own bag!
 If you're like me, you use GMail, Google calender, Google maps, and just plain google.com on a daily basis. So perhaps eating like Google does was just the next step for me. Google employees get free healthful gourmet meals made for them every day -- a fact that fills me with jealousy whenever I ride my bike past Google's Santa Monica office on my way to the farmers market.
Well, now, I can eat like the Google people do, thanks to former Google chef Charlie Ayers. His new book, "Food 2.0: Secrets from the Chef who Fed Google," is filled with his environmentally-conscious, locavore-friendly cooking tips -- with more than 100 yummy recipes accompanied by mouth-watering pictures.
Ayers was hired by Google when the company had just 40 mouths to feed. When he left Google in 2005, he was feeding 1,500 people a day! And in "Food 2.0," Ayers tells little anecdotal stories from his tenure at Google while dispensing healthful eating advice. "You're smart. So why don't you eat that way?" he asks.
"Food 2.0" emphasizes that eating healthfully and ethically doesn't have to be time consuming. Many of the easy-to-make recipes are labeled "Grab & Go." Plus there's lots of time-saving tips, from cooking in bulk and freezing for later use, to instituting an effective labeling system for the meats in the freezer. Then there's the eco- and health-conscious advice, like "Stuff to avoid feeding to yourself or people you love" to "4 best herbs to grow at home."
Of course, not everything in "Food 2.0" is simple and easy -- especially to a cooking novice like me. For example, Ayers names his top favorite vinegars to use at home -- all 11 of them -- then gives instructions for making more! I don't even have space for that many vinegars... In addition, some recipes, like those for Lamb Korma or Goan Pork, seem both complicated and time-consuming. Good thing I don't cook meat.
But I drooled over most recipes. The first one I want to try: Smoked salmon-sun-dried cranberries-goat cheese wrap. Prep time: 6 mins. Cook time: 0. I just need to bike past Google tomorrow for the Wednesday farmers' market, where I plan to pick up some local goat cheese from the Redwood Hill Farm booth!
For a taste of "Food 2.0," try the recipes on Ayers' website, or the Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce recipe published on Amazon.
Yes, I knew I could get local, sustainably harvested oysters and mussels at the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers' Market, thanks to Katie Ricketts' post. But yesterday, I found out I could get ready-to-eat steamed mussels in a white wine sauce!
So I got a pound of the stuff -- for just $8! There it is, above.
I got to the booth at a lucky time, when only a couple people were in front of me -- but by the time I was leaving with my bowl, about a dozen people were lined up! Many of the benches on Third Street Promenade were occupied by other mussel eaters, but I managed to snag a spot and devour my bounty in about 5 minutes. Afterward, I sopped up the garlicky wine sauce with the bread.
The seafood booth offered a couple other flavors of steamed mussels too, as well as chowder and raw oyster plates. Unfortunately, this booth comes to market only about once a month, according to the woman who was serving the dishes. But now I'm more determined than ever to never miss a farmers' market day.
Photo by Siel
That's Katie Ricketts, community/market organizer at Southland Farmers' Market Assn. and contributor to Emerald City, giving out bags of yummy, farm-fresh produce in front of the Santa Monica Main Public Library!
Stop by between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. today and you can meet her in person -- and sign up for the Santa Monica Market Basket Program. Want in-season strawberries but don't want to fight the crowds at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market? If you join the Basket Program, all you'll have to do is choose a pick-up location -- either the SM Main Library or the parking lot at the SM City Hall -- and a pre-packed bag will be waiting for you between 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. every Wednesday.
Cost: $25 for a "classic" bag, which'll contain 8 to 10 pieces of produce. You can opt for a $30 "specialty" bag that includes a few items with higher price points or a $38 family bag. Yes, prices have gone up a tad because some of the summer produce costs more.
To sign up, just stop by either location during the pick-up time on a Wednesday -- or contact Katie at katie@sfma.net or (310) 740-7544. After prepaying (credit card, check or cash), you can start picking up your bag o' goodies every week! Eating local's never been easier.
I believe the Basket Program's still trying to implement a viable bag reuse program, but having a hard time making the process simple and feasible for produce buyers. Got suggestions?
Photo by Siel
A guest post from Katie Ricketts, community / market organizer at Southland Farmers' Market Association.
I first met Nina when someone yelled out at the farmers' market,
"Hey marshmallow lady!" Marshmallow lady? My curiosity was sparked and I quickly weaved
through the crowd to track her down and find out what the story was.
A
week later, I and a few others encircled
Nina, three chocolate bars, and two packs of specialty flavored
marshmallows. Each bar and every marshmallow was handmade, and as I held the
box in which she brought them, I considered taking a run for it,
ditching the rest of the group, and hoarding them all for myself. Heaven.
Nina is a young chocolatier who is the brains and the talent
behind Bon Bon Homemade Candy Bars, a candy bar company that lends itself not
only to making great tasting sweets, but is eco-friendly in practice and
product. Nina gleans as much of the
product (generally the fruit and nuts) from the Santa Monica Wednesday Farmers' Market, making her item truly and uniquely local to the area. Made on the weekends in an L.A. kitchen, Nina's chocolates and marshmallows
are found in trendy places like Joan's on Third and Market Gourmet on Abbot
Kinney.
Starting off with the single malt scotch bar (I mean, who
wouldn't?) I knew I was in for a serious treat. My favorite was the Malt
Bar, which is, simply put, a classic candy bar done perfectly.
We're certainly featuring her in the upcoming Santa Monica Farmers' Market Chef and Farmer Gala Dinner on May 18 at the
Fairmont,
which will showcase some of L.A's most innovative chefs and celebrated
farmers who support the Santa Monica Farmers' Market. Nina will be donating a basket of chocolates and marshmallows
for our silent auction… that is, if they make it from my office to the
event....
Michael Pollan knew this would happen. Back in Oct. 2006, in the aftermath of that E.Coli in bagged spinach issue, the author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" wrote this for NY Times Magazine:
I received a rather coldblooded e-mail message from a friend in the food business. "I have instructed my broker to purchase a million shares of RadSafe," he wrote, explaining that RadSafe is a leading manufacturer of food-irradiation technology. It turned out my friend was joking, but even so, his reasoning was impeccable.....
And today comes this headline from the L.A. Times: USDA scientists say irradiation could be key to food safety:
U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists said irradiation could be key to destroying pathogens in hard-to-reach places inside and on the surface of fruits and vegetables.... Robert Mandrell, research leader at the USDA's Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit in Albany, Calif., said consumers and producers might be more willing to accept irradiation if illnesses linked to leafy greens continued to grow.
Why is it unsurprising that irradiation's getting serious consideration? According to Pollan, it's "Because it's easier to find a technological fix than to address the root cause of such a problem. This has always been the genius of industrial capitalism--to take its failings and turn them into exciting new business opportunities."
The root of the problem, according to Pollan: "Our highly centralized food economy is a dangerously precarious system, vulnerable to accidental--and deliberate--contamination." Yet a move towards irradiating food would further push us towards this centralized food economy:
So what happens to the spinach grower at my farmers' market when the F.D.A. starts demanding a Haccp plan--daily testing of the irrigation water, say, or some newfangled veggie-irradiation technology? When we start requiring that all farms be federally inspected? Heavy burdens of regulation always fall heaviest on the smallest operations and invariably wind up benefiting the biggest players in an industry, the ones who can spread the costs over a larger output of goods. A result is that regulating food safety tends to accelerate the sort of industrialization that made food safety a problem in the first place. We end up putting our faith in RadSafe rather than in Blue Heron Farms--in technologies rather than relationships.
The solution Pollan points to is more local, sustainably grown or raised food. If you're against irradiated spinach, support your local farmers' market!
And relatedly, support strong organic standards. At the moment, produce that's been irradiated can't be certified organic. As more big businesses focused on just the bottom line enter the organic market, it'll require more consumer involvement to keep that and other organic standards in place. Get involved now by signing up for the Organic Consumers Association's free e-newsletter and staying informed.
Photo by Al Seib / Los Angeles Times
We have no shortage of pop stars that get famous then start going in and out of rehab. But after winning a bunch of awards for her music, 23-year-old singer-songwriter Missy Higgins started -- composting.
"I just bought a compost bin yesterday," said Missy (below) when we met up at Flore Vegan Cuisine. "I think it's called Happy Farmer!"
This musician from Melbourne, Australia's been greening her tours for a while now by recycling, opting for organic produce, buying offsets, and driving in hybrids instead of flying. Now, newly relocated to Silver Lake, Missy's lost no time getting settled into a green lifestyle. In addition to composting, Missy's picked up a copy of Greenopia, started shopping at the nearby Saturday farmers' market, and embraced a pedestrian lifestyle. In fact, she walked the half mile from her apartment to Flore -- a distance many Angelenos would have opted to drive.
Here's a celebrity that literally walks the walk, instead of simply buying offsets to greenwash a less-than-eco-friendly lifestyle. While Governor Schwarzenegger has no problem commuting from his SoCal home to Sacramento by private jet, Missy's decision to move to Silver Lake was in part due to environmental reasons. After realizing her flights between Australia and the U.S. were huge contributors to her carbon footprint, Missy decided to settle in Silver Lake -- at least for a year, while promoting her latest album, "On A Clear Night."
"I really don't want to fly unless I absolutely have to," Missy says. And for the most part, Missy stays out of the car too, with the help of her fold-up bike. Silver Lake's a very pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, Missy says, with great cafes, bars, and shops nearby. Pointing to KellyGreen and Reform School, two eco-friendly stores in Silver Lake, Missy optimistically says Angelenos seem to be pretty eco-minded. "All these resources are becoming so accessible," she says.
My own less sanguine view's that many people don't actually take advantage of these resources -- whether it be green stores, walkable neighborhoods, or farmers' markets -- as much as they could. Still, if a newbie Angeleno like Missy finds it fairly easy to green her life, hopefully many others will follow suit.
To that end, Missy's been talking a lot about her own efforts to green her life and tour, even creating five little webisodes (below) that follow her on her eco-adventures, from talking to environmental scientists to visiting an eco-school in Nevada:
Missy starts her biodiesel-fueled tour in May, with two L.A. performances on May 13 and 14 at Santa Monica High School.
Top photo by Siel
A guest post from Katie Ricketts, community / market organizer at Southland Farmers' Market Association.
One
of the best-kept farmers' market secrets is back again this year in a
BIG way. Green garlic is as hip to LA restaurants and chefs as
neon-colored t-shirts and slap-stick bracelets
are to LA fashionistas. Still relatively unknown, green garlic is
poised to take foodies around the US by storm; crunchy, sweet, juicy,
and easy to prepare it's a perfect mix of sweet and garlicky onion
goodness.
Jerry
Rutiz, the farmer behind Rutiz Family Farms -- one of the few at
the Santa Monica Wednesday market that grows this fantastically trendy
product -- tipped me off that the best part to use is the
white bulbous end up until it becomes light green, which can be diced
and separated in rounds. As Jerry noted, chefs in LA are using the
green garlic for all kinds of things raw (yep, it's just that sweet)
atop salads, or thrown in towards the end of a stir-fry for added color
and some flavor punch. I can imagine it being great in dressings and
marinades as well. With such warm weather upon us green garlic can be
wrapped in foil with a tad of olive oil and cooked on the BBQ—serve it
atop burgers or in grilled sandwiches.
If you need even more inspiration (or frankly don't have the time/will-power to make Lucques green-garlic aioli with lamb), here's a quick pasta dish recipe:
Pasta with Green Garlic and Basil
- 1 bunch of green garlic
- 1/2 lb pasta (penne works well)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sliced basil
- Handful of spring vegetables (broccoli, carrots, fava beans, even chard or kale) blanched
Blanch any vegetables you may be using in boiling water for 1-2 minutes (broccoli, carrots, fava beans, peas) and then place in cool water to halt the cooking process. Vegetables should be just al dente. Set aside. Boil water and cook pasta until just tender. In another pan, heat skillet over moderate heat and add one tablespoon of oil and tip to coat pan. Add green garlic and toss to brown lightly (2-3 minutes depending on heat). Set aside. Drain pasta and toss in warm serving bowl along with a tablespoon of olive oil, green garlic, half the basil, and a big squeeze of lemon adding salt and pepper to taste. Add more basil, oil, lemon juice, and seasonings to taste. Adding some broccoli, english peas, or fava beans (just make sure to soften them by boiling for a few minutes) for a great spring-time dish.
A guest post from Katie Ricketts, community / market organizer at Southland Farmers' Market Association.
Eat fresh and buy local with the Farmers' Market Basket Program -- now with a new drop-off location on the east side at Occidental College!
The Farmers' Market Basket Program is a weekly farmers' market delivery service offered by the Santa Monica Wednesday Farmers' Market and the Southland Farmers' Market Association. The program is intended to make shopping at farmers' markets and supporting sustainable California agriculture and small local farmers more convenient to North-East Los Angeles residents and businesses.
Every other week, participants receive a basket full of fresh fruits and vegetables, hand-selected from the market based on taste, quality and seasonality.
 New this month is a drop-off location at Occidental College for east-side Angelenos looking to get farm fresh produce direct from local California farmers.
Delivery for April and May at Occidental College will occur every other Friday beginning on April 4. Participants may pick up their basket anytime after 1 pm.
Each basket costs $35, and comes with a newsletter that includes recipe ideas, farmer bios, farm news, and information about market happenings and restaurant/chef events around L.A.
Interested individuals: Email me at katie@sfma.net for more information and to receive a sign-up packet.
Photos by Katie Ricketts
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Work in Hollywood? Take a break right now and head over to the new Hollywood Lemon Grove Farmers' Market, which opened 9 a.m. today at 4959 Lemon Grove Ave. 
Emerald City calendar