Source Report: Fall
Oh, Fall, how we've missed you. Don't get me wrong, Summer was very generous to us. But we’re swooning over the apples, pears, pumpkins, and cooler evenings cuddled around a backyard bonfire.
Something about this time of year makes the human brain want to dive into all the fall traditions. Maybe it’s the slowing of the seasons and time spent at home carving pumpkins while watching a Halloween movie or making spiced cider with buttery popcorn. Cozying down with a warm bowl of soup or lighting those enticing scented candles feels right, especially when your home smells like pumpkin pie and cream!
One of my favorite traditions is making the trek out to Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center. Yes, I know I can get a pumpkin at Home Depot or from the grocery store. But anticipation builds while we drive through the colored countryside. Plus, I love dressing up like a pumpkin spice latte ad. I’m talking flannel, sweaters, and boots. Actually, what really fills my cup is my kids' ear-to-ear smiles and enthusiasm for the maze and tractor ride. You can spend all day at Bates Nut Farm with carnivalesque rides, face painting, and fair-like foods. Looking for closer patch options? Liberty Station and Carlsbad are closer and have great pumpkin options.
After we get around to picking the "perfect" pumpkins, we typically head over to Blind Lady Ale House for their Stehly Farms roasted spaghetti squash pizza and one of their fall beers. Try and get your mouth on the Fall Brewing and AleSmith Oktoberfest collab, Firestone Walker's Frieky Bones Wild Cherry Sour, or the fuzzy, warm feeling that AleSmith’s Speedway Stout evokes. Check out some more pumpkin brews here. Once our bellies are warm and full, we’ll carve pumpkins and watch Nightmare Before Christmas on the tube to cap off a spectacular day.
NEWS & SEASONAL TRENDS
We've been cooking with Jimmy Nardello peppers from Her Produce for a while now, and they are a staple in Chef Rocio's Tomahawk steak dish on our new Fork & Knife menu. These peppers are unique for their sweet flavor, slender shape, thin walls, vibrant red color, and historical significance. They are prized for their versatility and are a favorite among gardeners and cooks. Did you know they were named after an Italian immigrant who brought the seeds to the United States in the late 19th century?! Their continued popularity and cultivation highlight the significance of preserving heirloom varieties and culinary traditions.
On the pasta front, we are infatuated with the Balanzoni, little tortellini crown-shaped creatures stuffed with spinach from Tamai Farms in Oxnard, toasted pine nut, pickled raisin, and bathed in a creamy spinach sauce. I'm always curious about pasta names; there are hundreds of them. In this case, Balanzoni is named after a mid-1500s Italian carnival character, Dr. Dottore Balanzone. This character loved food, imbibed copious amounts of wine, and wore a hat, which resembled the shape of this pasta.
Our MIHO Garden's great summer run has come to an end. If you are thinking about planting anything at home, it is a peculiar time to do so, as there are better times for fall. I found that out the hard way. After harvesting and prepping the raised beds, I ran over to City Farmers in search of parsnips, beets, collards, Brussels, or mustard greens, but I was reminded that the current heat would have to dissipate, and I was told to wait a month or two. So, I went with Winter Valencia, Winter Siberia, and Stupice tomatoes, Bombero and Hatch peppers, swiss chard, lavender, Cuban oregano, Thai basil, and French lavender.
FARM WORTH READING ABOUT
Coleman Family Farms hails from Carpinteria and was started by Bill Coleman back in the 1960s. Now, his son, Romeo--the only one of the five siblings who decided to turn his love for plants into his passion-- runs the 12-acre farm known as "The 33 field". After high school, Romeo enrolled in Santa Barbara Community College and realized he wanted to pursue agriculture, which led to his degree from Cal Poly shortly after in 1996.
The Coleman Family Farm grows kale, fennel, borage, lettuces, basil, tomatoes, and squash, but they are known for their Spigarello! Broccoli spigarello is similar to broccoli rabe and is the bluish-gray hue of its cousin cavolo nero (Italian black kale). Spigarello has narrow leaves with curled edges and has a sweet, full-bodied flavor. In the late 2000's, Bill manned the farmstand at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel from the groundbreaking Campanile restaurant discovered spigarello and fell in love with this primitive green. Soon after that, many chefs like Suzanne Goin from Lucques and Jeff Jackson from The Lodge at Torrey Pines took notice and desired more of their goods. Back in 2012, MIHO was paired with the Coleman Family Farms during one of our favorite food events, Celebrate the Craft. We’re proud to carry on the tradition of supporting this independent farm. Nowadays, Chef Rocio uses the spigarello on the gnudi appetizer and the quail entree. It all comes full circle.
Have a wonderful autumn celebrating the harvest of the season!
