Farm Focus: The obscure, the oblong, the one and only olallieberry

Farm Focus for July: Olallieberry

You locals are no stranger to the olallieberry. You've heard the hype. You've eaten the pie. When visitors asked you, "What the heck is an olallieberry?" you checked wikipedia, so you know it's a modern cross between a youngberry and a loganberry. Which is to say it's a delicate, skinny blackberry with a pedigree.

(Thanks to edrabbit on flickr for the photo)

By the Spoonful's picks for local olallieberry flavor:

Swanton is the only organic u-pick around. The last time my dad and I tried to pick there, it was closed due to wildfires! So we turned to nearby Phipps, known for their heirloom beans but also a great spot to pick berries.

Someday I'll get over jam fever enough to bake with olallieberries, because yummmm. Check out the gorgeous photos and recipes (Olallieberry Orange Shortbread Napoleons, anyone?) at Dessert First.

Olallies are king in Santa Cruz. You can even drink them in your beer!

Last but not least, my tower of olallieberry jam! I was lucky enough to get my hands on a flat from Medina Farms (previously featured on Farm Focus) just in time to send a few jars home with my own visitors.

Curd by the spoonful!

Our citrus all died last year, but like everyone around these parts we have more than one friend happy to donate bagfuls of their own lemons. What to do with a windfall of lemons? Housemate jarred some preserved lemons and I made lemon curd.

We have such ugly flourescent lighting in our kitchen I got fed up and stuck the jars next to the window. Here I give you: still life with lemon curd, houseplants and random cat figurine.



Sadly, curd is not safe to preserve in a hot water bath, so I can't make it part of my jamshares, but it will last forever in the fridge. Now... what to do with all that curd? I made a lemon tart for a picnic. In the morning it compliments my berry jam nicely on toast. Or you can always eat it... you guessed it... by the spoonful!

By the way, I use a recipe that prevents curdling by mixing the ingredients like a cake batter before cooking. Warning: If you've never made curd and want to retain any illusion that something so fruit based must be a health food, do not click on that link!

Farm Focus: Strawberry Days

Farm Focus for June: Strawberries from Eatwell Farm



Last year I invited my friend C down to Swanton to pick berries. This year she invited me up to Dixon to Eatwell Farm's Strawberry Days! Eatwell is one of the biggest CSAs around the bay area - C not only subscribes but hosts a pickup site at her home. Every summer they welcome their members up to check out the farm and get their hands directly on some strawberries!

We picked loads of dead-ripe strawberries in under half an hour - the joys of picking from a reserved field, not a u-pick site that gets picked over every day. Lots of cute kids eating their weight in berries and fellow jammakers loading up. Unfortunately this was at the height of my miserable allergy season, so we didn't linger for a farm tour. Next time!




Our pollinating friend


C, A, and hay

Farm Focus: Virtual berries!

Every month I find the story of a farm whose fruit is featured and share it with subscribers. This month I'm taking it paperless!

Mmmm, it's finally berry season. Whenever I need strawberries but don't have time to pick them myself at Swanton, I rely on Medina Berry Farm at the Jack London Square Farmer's Market. They're nice people who always make me a great deal on a flat of berries, and ask after my jam.

Pacific Coast Farmer's Markets, who run the JLS market on Sundays, has put together a lovely virtual farm tour. Pedro Medina, Jr. thanks his customers, talks about why he went organic, and hopes the farm will pass on to the 4th generation. I love the music and the family photos!


And, speaking of paperless, I should also mention that the Jack London Square market has a really effective presence on facebook these days. They offer weekly updates on special events and what crops are coming out. Plus facebook exclusive contests and giveaways! I'm a fan!

I didn't make it!

I don't know about you, but my spring fever comes on in the form of reorganizing my pantry and eating my way through last year's preserves. This week I've broken into all the odd jars I've gathered from friends along the way. Let's take a moment to celebrate some jams made by hands not my own.


Rhubarb jam from a dear friend in Vermont. Rather than pectin, she uses the long-boil method, and in this case it had set extra hard, into a jewel like candy. No great sacrifice here, I ate it by the forkful!

(By the way, I'm sure she would hasten to mention that she tried to offer me a more successful batch. But I had my heart set on rhubarb, which is one of the few things that doesn't thrive in California. My dad used to make strawberry rhubarb sauce every year out of our backyard, where it grew like a weed.)


I didn't get any blackberries of my own last year, so I'm treasuring this small jar, mostly in PB&Js on homemade bread. (Again, don't look at me! Inder's the only breadmaker in this household!) Part of my haul from the "Yes, We Can" canning exchange at the Eat Real fest. I traded jars with some lovely kindred souls whose idea of a good night out on the town involved sitting on hay bales in Jack London Square conversing about jam. This was made by Stefani of the Alameda Fruit Exchange, if I recall correctly.

This year I'd love to try your jam, yes yours!

Wanted: marmalade lovers!

By the Spoonful presents
MARMALADE: An open house
Saturday, March 20th 3-6 pm
my house


Come one, come all! Drop by to sample at least 3 varieties and give me some feedback so that I can perfect my recipes. I'll provide tea and snacks. Plus, one lucky taster will win a free jamshare subscription! Let's kick off the first day of spring in citrus style.

(Find my address and RSVP on Facebook)

What's in this spring? Jamshares!

Sign up for jamshares - Spring 2010 quarter! April, May, and June will feature marmalade, kiwi, and the start of the strawberry season. This quarter I'll only be offering subscriptions at the 1 and 2 jar levels. Details and ordering here.

A huge thank you goes out to my fabulous BtS jamshare subscribers! I hope you've had as much fun as I've had over the past 6 months.

You've inspired me to make small batches more often and to experiment with new recipes. So far I've been able to provide a round dozen flavors, many of them jamshare exclusives! Which is your favorite?
Strawberry • Strawberry Lavender • Raspberry • Fig Cardamom • Nectarine • Ginger Loquat • Cranberry • Kiwi Lime • Apple Butter • Pear Butter • Blood Orange Marmalade • Pucker Orange Marmalade

You've helped connect me with the organic farmers that supply my fruit. Every time I research my monthly Farm Focus feature, I learn something new. Behold the power of google!

Just this week I discovered that Blossom Bluff Orchards (Parlier) is run by fourth generation family farmers who grow over 170 varieties of fruit. Plus, you can find them on facebook! (I hope they don't mind me borrowing the photo above, which they posted in January as "the first peach blossom of the season.")

Did you know...
Kaki Farm (Gridley) specializes in persimmons, and takes its name from the Japanese word for that fruit?
Four Sisters Farm (Aromas) ripens their kiwifruit in small batches using the natural ethylene gas from their storage apples?
Swanton Berry Farm (Davenport) was the first organic farm in America to unionize?
The owner of Guru Ram Das Orchards (Esparto) supplies Chez Panisse and gets an adrenaline rush from his trees?