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Spicy Sweet Broccoli with Roasted Lemon and Feta

Sweet Broccoli with Roasted Lemon and Feta

Almost Spring

“Well, you know the railroads built those fruit cars. I went down and had a look at them. They’re pretty good. Do you know we could ship lettuce right to the east coast in the middle of winter?”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

The massive El Nino storms have paused. It has been warm, which feels like spring. I was looking ahead to early spring with the first harvest of local produce when I learned that Tanimura and Antle grows Artisan Sweet Broccoli year round in the Salinas Valley. To grow a perishable commodity like broccoli, year round in the same place is amazing! The day I went to take photos of the Artisan Sweet Broccoli fields in Spreckels, the sun was shining and it felt like spring had already arrived. Next month the harvest of lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and other produce will bring the Salinas Valley alive from it’s short winter slumber. READ MORE . . .

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Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Hazelnuts and Sage

Cauliflower Soup

Late Autumn in the Salinas Valley

“Adam sat looking at the mountains to the east of Salinas, with the notable point of Fremont’s Peak dominating. The air was crystalline as it sometimes is when rain is coming. And then the light rain began to blow on the wind although the sky was not properly covered with cloud.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Lettuces, sweet broccoli, kale and a huge head of cauliflower filled my refrigerator. A gift from
Tanamura and Antle, it was the last of the locally grown Salinas Valley produce until spring. Production has moved to Yuma for the winter. I felt the tug of the cold, wet autumn day. Leaves were blowing off the trees skittering across the lawn, street and roof tops. Finally the rain began. It was a good day to make a huge pot of luxurious cauliflower soup. READ MORE . . .

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Red Rice and Apple Salad in Romaine Spears

Red Rice and Apple Salad with Romaine spears

Early Autumn Light

“Another man, but he was crazy, said that someday there’d be a way, maybe ice, maybe some other way, to get a peach like this here I got in my hand clear to Philadelphia.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

The morning light had just climbed past the horizon. A patchwork quilt of chartreuse, emerald, scarlet and a violet tinged sage green blanketed the view from Spreckels to the south-western city limits of Salinas. The sheen of iridescent fall light lingered on Tanimura and Antle’s fields of Artisan® Lettuces and Artisan® Sweet Broccoli. I was charmed by the vibrant fields bursting with stellar produce just ten minutes from my home. Tanimura and Antle is a company rich in the history of agriculture in the Salinas Valley. Leaders in agricultural innovation and growth three generations of the Tanimura and Antle families have farmed the valley making a strong contribution to the wide variety of fresh produce we enjoy at the grocery store today. READ MORE . . .