Life Begins at 30

Last day to vote!

Today is the last day to vote in the Food Blog Awards.  Life Begins @ Thirty has been nominated for Best Food Blog - Food Industry.  Please vote today!

Mollify me with cheese

About a week ago, Jason and I got into a little spat.  It's not even worth discussing what it was about, but he was in trouble, and he knew it.  J is not the kind of guy to shower me with flowers all the time, so when he walked in the door with 2 dozen tulips, I knew that he was aware he had some serious making up to do.

But what sealed the deal?  In one hand he held the flowers and in the other, two types of cheese!  I couldn't stay mad as I asked him if this was the first time in his life he had ever brought cheese to a woman in order to tell her he was sorry.  It was a really funny sight.

Photo credit: flourdesign

Grab Bag

I always love the miscellaneous categories in trivia games and shows.  The "Grab Bag" category, or whatever they call it, on Jeopardy is always full of very random questions and facts. 

Time has been fairly short this week, so I apologize for the quick posts.  Here are some quips about things I have been thinking about but haven't had time to write complete posts about:

Life Begins @ Thirty nominated in the Food Blog Awards.  This blog has been nominated for "Best Food Blog - Food Industry", which I couldn't be more pleased about.  Of all the categories listed, this is the one that I am most excited to be recognized for.  The new year will continue to bring you more facts about the food industry, sustainable and local buying, and more farmer's market reviews.  Please vote today!

One last chance for local gift buying.  The Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market is holding a special Christmas eve market on Friday, December 24 from 10 am - 2 pm.  According to the newsletter, the following farms are planning on attending:  Allstar Organics, Bariani Olive Oil, Bulldog Cactus, Captain Mike's Holy Smoke, Downtown Bakery, Eatwell Farm, Four Sisters Farm, Galaxy Granola, Genuine Exotic Melons, G.L. Alfieri Farms, Happy Boy Farm, Hare Hollow, Hidden Star Orchard, Highland Hills Farm, Iacopi Farm, Juicey Lucy, Lagier Ranches, Loulou’s Garden, Marin Gourmet, Moua Farm, Nash’s Olive Oil, Nick Sciabica and Sons Olive Oil, Redwood Hill, Star Route Farm, The Pasta Shop, Torosian Farms, and Twin Girls Farm.

Corporation-Friendly Laws outlaw Seed Saving in Iraq. This is an issue that I have been reading quite a bit about, and am outraged over.  Essentially, new legislation put into effect by the new Iraqi government with guidance by the U.S. is outlawing the centuries-old tradition of farmers to save seeds.  The reasons for this are supposedly many - from making Iraq friendly to big business (ie., Monsanto and other large seed companies) to making the Iraqi crops more exportable.  What it will do is make the Iraqi farmers completely dependent on patented seeds that are being thrust upon them by big business.  Keep an eye out for stories about this or read more about it here.

Forget about taste, Florida says, these tomates are just too ugly to ship. Unlike the smooth, round baseball-size tomatoes usually shipped from Florida from mid-October through mid-April, the lush, vine-ripened UglyRipes have what the industry calls a "cat face," full of uneven crevices and ridges. The Florida Tomato Committee, a trade group that controls sales and shipments of round tomatoes, has determined that the brand does not meet its standards for shape, lack of blemishes and other defects. "The marketing order has nothing to do with taste," said Skip Jonas, the committee's compliance officer. "Taste is subjective."

Putting Buying Local to Practice

Mipmup has a great post about buying Chirstmas gifts from local businesses.  And it worked!  And it was fun!

so we walked to our local toy store and i found personal help and attention, creative gifts, a knowledgeable staff and (my favorite) free gift wrapping. and it's so not cheesy, too! i was afraid of the price tag, but i found something within our budget for all the kids on "our" list.

Food Blog Awards - Nominations Open!

Kate at The Accidental Hedonist is hosting food blog specific awards.  Yay!

A couple of weeks ago, I made the decision to not ask for votes for the Does My Blog Look Good in This awards publicly on my site, and missed first place by one (!) vote.  So this is the official announcement of the Food Blog Awards.

You can nominate your favorite food blog in any of the categories below.  You nominate by adding a comment to the related category.  The nominations close on 12/19. 

If you are considering Life Begins @ Thirty for any nominations, please note that this site began in September 2003 and is not eligible for Best New Blog. 

Happy nominating!

Best Overall Food Blog
Best New Blog
Best Group Blog
Best Post
Best Non-Blogging Food Site
Best Site Design
Best Food Blog - Writing
Best Food Blog - Recipes
Best Food Blog - Humor
Best Food Blog - Photography
Best Food Blog - Wine, Beer, and other Spirits
Best Food Blog - Chef
Best Food Blog - City
Best Food Blog - Theme
Best Food Blog - Food Industry
Best Food Blog - Restaurant Reviews

Farmer's Market Wrap-Up

Life Begins at Thirty has reported on several farmers' markets in the bay area, and will be adding more reports in the upcoming months.  Below is a comprehensive list of the farmers' market reports.  This list will be updated as more reports are added.

Berkeley Farmer's Market

Cannery Farmer's Market

Dupont Circle Farmer's Market

Ferry Plaza - End of Summer

Marin Civic Center Farmer's Market

Marina Farmer's Market

Food Fight, Deborah Koons Garcia

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a sold-out movie called The Future of Food by Deborah Koons Garcia.  It addresses GMO foods and the nature of our food today.  I haven't had a chance to write anything up about it, but it was a very educational evening among some of the best in our SF food community.  Heidi of 101 Cookbooks wrote a great post on the movie that is worthy of a read, and she gives us a great popcorn topping recipe to boot!

Berkeley Farmer's Market, Saturdays

Going to the Berkeley Farmer's Market, it is difficult not to make constant comparisons to the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market.  And it's not just me - others do the same thing.  One farmer told me that the business he does at the Berkeley FM is comparable to the Ferry Plaza FM - a remarkable feat considering that the number of people going to the Ferry Plaza FM probably trumps the Berkeley FM by thousands. 

The people at the Berkeley FM walk the walk.  The same farmer said that he feels that the Berkeley FM customers are more middle class, and that buying food at the Berkeley FM is probably a larger hit to their paycheck than some of the customers at the Ferry Plaza FM, but that the customers see and understand the value of buying from the farmer's market.  They do it as a way of life, and not necessarily in order to buy from the newest, hottest farmer.

This is a great market.  I could easily shop here and find everything that I need every week.  It's a great balance of veggies, prepared foods, meats,  fruit, and cheese.  The only additions that would make it perfect would be a yogurt seller (a la Saint Benoit Yogurt) and maybe Rancho Gordo for beans and tortillas and tortilla chips.

There are some real gems of farms at this market.  It's not the polished, well-marketed look that you are used to with the San Francisco markets.  The farmers who come to the Berkeley market seem to be more of the in-the-fields, hard-working, marketing-as-an-afterthought farmers. 

Don't get me wrong - there are some "superstars" here ... Frog Hollow Farms is the main one that comes to mind.  But the attention that these booths receive is comparable to the attention that all the other booths seem to receive.

If you go to this market, be sure to check out the wares at Ludwig Avenue Farm.  The farmer sells eggs of all sorts, potatoes, and fantastic looking pecan and sweet potato pies that his wife makes.  The other day, I purchased a soup base from him with okra and large white beans in it that I have yet to try.

Another great booth at this market is the Fatted Calf booth that sells sausages and other types of meats.  This small-production business only sells at the Berkelely farmer's market and a few select places.  Once you try their sausages you will understand the magic of this company.  (For LOTS more info about Fatted Calf, check out Meathenge's site - he talks about Fatted Calf all the time)

The veggie booths at this market are remarkable.  So many of them are polycultural farms with tons of different offerings.  A couple of note are Riverdog Farms, and Happy Boy which is quickly becoming one of my favorite farms.

Parking is easy at this market if you are willing to pay $1.50 or so in an enclosed lot.  Below please find a list of the farmer's that I recorded on my trip there (apologies for omissions or misspellings).

For more information on this market, visit the Ecology Center website.

Berkeley Farmer's Market
10.00 am - 3.00 pm
Center Street @ M. L. King, Jr. Way

Avalos Organic, Salinas Valley - veggies
B & B Organic Farm, Laytonville
Bariani Olive Oil, Sacramento - olive oil
Bennett Valley Bread, Santa Rosa - baked goods
Big Paw, Napa - olive oil
Billy Bob Orchards
Blossom Bluff, Reedley - fruit
Blue Bottle Coffee, Berkeley - coffee
Blue Heron Farms, Watsonville
Brokaw Nursery, Ventura County - avocados, citrus
Covelo Organic, Covelo - veggies
Fandango Jams - jams, jellies, preserves
Fatted Calf, East Bay - meats, sausages
Firme Farm, Gustine - veggies
Flying Disc Ranch, Thermal - dates
Four Sisters, Aromas - greens
Frog Hollow , Brentwood - fruit
Gabriel Farm, Sebastopol - apples
Gladstone Botanicals, Sonoma County - lavender products
Guru Ram Das Orchards, Esparto
Happy Boy Farm, Santa Cruz - veggies
Happy Quail, East Palo Alto - Peppers
Happy Wraps - prepared foods
Highland Hills Farm, Vacaville - Grassfed beef, lamb
Juniper Ridge - soaps, incense, teas
Kathryn's Kookie
Kennedy Farm
Lou lou's Garden, San Francisco - jams, jellies, pickles
Ludwig Ave Farm, Santa Rosa - eggs, pies, potatoes
Morell's Bread - baked goods
Octoberfeast Bavarian Breads - baked goods
Phoenix Pastificio, Berkeley - pasta
Pomo Tierra Apples, Menodcino County - apples
Primavera Tortillas, Sonoma - Mexican goods
Quetzal Farm, Santa Rosa
Redwood Hills Cheese, Sonoma County - cheese
Riverdog Farm, Guinda
Schmidt Farm
Smit Ranch, Linden - fruit
Solano Mushroom, Vacaville - mushrooms
Star Valley Farm
Swanton Farms, Davenport - veggies, berries
Terra Firma, Winters
Vital Vittles, Berkeley - baked goods
Willow Ha Ranch
Woodleaf Farm, Oroville - fruit

(this farm list was recorded on 12.04.04 - please note that the booths probably change throughout the year.)

All shots for this post taken with a Nikon 5700 digital camera.

Buy Local for the Holidays - Bay Area

Editor note.  This post is part two in a two-part series about buying local for the holidays.  Part I focused on general advice for buying local.  This part will focus on local buys specific to the Bay Area.

The Bay Area has a wealth of local businesses and products that are perfect for the holidays.  To me, it seems that you have to almost go out of your way here to not buy local.  I would like to share with you some of my favorites gifts and local stores.  Many of these items will be under the tree for my loved ones, or have been gifts in the past.

Happy Quail Farms Chili Powders.  These small vials of chili powder would be perfect for any spice-loving member of your family.  We have one that is a deep red smoked type, and this little baby which is quite spicy.  You can even buy a nifty wooden holder for them made by the farmer.  Happy Quail Farms is an East Palo Alto-based farm and can be found at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market (Front, South end) and at the Sunday Marin Civic Center. ($5-$10)

Hangar One Vodka.  The vodkas coming out of this East Bay distillery are fantastic.  They are being critically acclaimed, and are a fun gift to give.  You can buy Mandarin Blossom, Kaffir Lime, Buddha's Hand, Fraser River Raspberry or their fantastic plain vodka.  Among other places, Hangar One is available at the Jug Shop and K & L Wine Merchants. ($30 - $35)

A Blue Bottle Coffee Subscripton.  Everyone is probably tired of hearing me talk about Blue Bottle Coffee, but this will be the last time this year, I promise.  You can purchase a subscription of Blue Bottle Coffee and have coffee delivered to your family and friends weekly for as long as you choose.  You can decide on the blend, or coffee master James Freeman can decide for you.  Blue Bottle will even enclose a card explaining who sent the gift. If you want to purchase single pounds or half-pounds for gift baskets, you can find James at the Berkeley Farmer's Market (Tuesday / Saturday) or the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market (Saturday / Sunday).  Pressed for time and can't make it to a Farmer's Market?  Buy Blue Bottle Beans at the Frog Hollow stand inside the Ferry Building.  (1/2 pound of coffee: $8, 1 pound of coffee: $15)

Eatwell Farms Lavender Products.  Buy affordable, organic lavender products as stocking stuffers or small gifts this year.  They are always a hit with my friends and family.  Eatwell sells a range of products that are worth checking out - lavender salt, body scrub, hydrosol, dried lavender, sachets.  You can find Eatwell on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market and Sundays at the Marin Civic Center.   Pressed for time and can't make it to a Farmer's Market?  You can buy Eatwell's lavender salt and rosemary salt inside the Ferry Building at the Potter Family Farms stand.  (products start at $5).

Candied Nuts from Cache Creek Farm.  For the past couple of years, these have been making it into my mom's stocking because she loves them.  They are addictive.  They also have fantastic pistachios.  You can find Cache Creek Farm at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market - in the back.  (pistachios are $6/pound)

Support our local publisher.  I am proud that Chronicle Books is part of the Bay Area.  This publisher sells well designed books that are great for specific interests.  I have purchased many items from their stand at the Metreon.  Check out their site to learn more. 

Sake from True Sake.  While most of True Sake's bottles are not local, by purchasing items here you will be supporting the first dedicated sake store outside of Japan.  The proprietor, Beau Timken, is working hard to teach the masses about great sake.  His store is enjoyable and very easy to navigate once you get the hang of reading Beau's descriptive tags.  True Sake is located at 560 Hayes Street in Hayes Valley.  The sakes range in price, but it is easy to walk out with a bottle between $10 and $20.

Support a local artist.  There are many artists in the Bay Area that are affordable and approachable.  See new art by my favorite, Katie Gilmartin, at City Art this Friday night.  828 Valencia Street, 7pm - 10pm.  (art costs range - approximately $150)

Need more ideas?  Check out this post by mipmup -- she and I put together a fun gift basket last month.  I have so many other ideas.  If you have specific questions about items, please feel free to post here and I will help you out.

Photo Credit: Flourdesign with his new macro lens

Second Place!

Life Begins @ Thirty is the proud 2nd place winner of the first "Does my blog look good in this" photo contest!  Thanks to all who voted.