The Cycle of Life is a Wonderful Thing

by Lassa Skinner

In 1953, Harold and Jean Taramasso moved their family to the Napa Valley. Harold grew apples and pears and raised chickens, and Jean grew tomatoes and raised their boys. A daughter came along and the farm shifted to raising horse and cattle. That daughter, Joan Taramasso, is now grown up and the ranch has come full circle—back to raising chickens and growing tomatoes.

Some of you know Joan well as the former manager of our market, which she lived and breathed for 12 years (and, before that, she was a vendor). Joan also managed the Napa Chefs Market for 7 years, and the Napa Wine & Craft Fair for 6. And now, amazingly, she’s back as a vendor at the market again—selling eggs laid by free-roaming, pastured chickens on her family ranch, and ready-to-plant heirloom tomato starts.

Joan, Matthew Blach, and Cohan Sculley are the industrious team behind Taramasso Ranch, which began raising chickens over a year ago and now have 1000-plus vigorous, thriving chickens of many shapes and sizes. Because of the different breeds—including Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, Dominique, Aracauna, Pearl White Leghorn and White-Crested Black Polish—their eggs come in a spectrum of colors, from pale blue to light tan, darker brown, and bright white. All of them, though, have extra-thick shells and deep orange yolks, the mark of freshness and health.

In addition to eggs, Taramasso Ranch raises heirloom tomato plants (7 varieties) and will continue selling them at the market through the end of June. Once tomatoes start coming, canning and sauce-making will begin--all part of Joan’s family heritage. “It is shaping up to be an epic tomato growing year,” she says, which means it’s time for all of us to get those plants in the ground before the heat sets in. The future? As the ranch evolves, there will be other crops for market as they figure out what the property will best sustain. Stay tuned!

Look for Joan, Matthew and Cohan on Saturdays with their eggs and tomato starts, as well as Matthew’s Organic Karma coffee every Tuesday and Saturday—which he sells both brewed onsite and by the whole bean or ground. For 4 years, Blach was the proprietor of the Organic Karma Café on Third Street, and he continues to slowly tumble-roast his delicious coffee beans locally. Try his signature blend, Karma, or his 100% Guatemala Single Estate. Alongside a couple of Taramasso Ranch fried eggs, perhaps—sunny side up.


Joan’s Auntie Jean’s Torta

This recipe will sound like your average, everyday frittata, but "torta" is what our family always called it. While I don't know the exact derivation of the word, I'm sure it's from the Genovese dialect, since that's what my entire family spoke as a first language prior to my generation's birth.

Ingredients:
• 4 cups of any combination or single item of the following:
• Raw zucchini or squash, diced
• Cooked green beans
• Left-over white or brown rice
• Steamed chard or spinach
• Raw or cooked whole kernel corn
• 5 Taramasso Ranch eggs
• 1 tsp crushed garlic (or more, if you really like garlic)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 cup Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup Bisquick
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Lightly coat a 13x9-inch baking pan with olive oil.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the garlic and olive oil.
• Add the diced onion, grated cheese (save 2 tablespoons for later) and Bisquick, and stir to combine.
• Add salt and pepper to taste (1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper is about right for most).
• Combine wet mixture with the 4 cups of vegetable(s) you have chosen.
• Pour everything into the prepared baking pan, and sprinkle the top with a little more grated cheese.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until top is a light golden brown.
• Serve hot, cold or room temperature.

Seeing Red!

by Alexis Handelman


Red is one of those colors that really gets our juices flowing...pumps us up...revs our engines. It identifies bold women with ruby kissed lips, exquisite designer shoes, hello Christian Louboutin, and even keeps us aware of global issues through the RED campaign which focuses on the fight to eliminate extreme poverty and preventable disease thanks to rock star leaders like Bono.

Here at the Napa Valley Farmer’s Market our very own rock star vendors bring us our own red campaigns. As you walk through the market you’ll see what I mean. Check out Rodriguez Farms and the basket upon basket of plump and succulent strawberries. Pretty hard to resist! Haven’t we been waiting oh so patiently since November to once again see those locally grown beauties?

And how about the first of the season heirloom tomatoes so lovingly grown by Bruin Farms. It does my heart good, to say nothing of my sandwiches and salads, to see those luscious orbs of red ripe juiciness lined up just waiting to be rushed home for the first of the season BLT’s!

But, perhaps the most surprising find right now at the market is Tenbrink Farms red walnuts! Gorgeous nut meats tinged a deep crimson, a variety rarely seen but, now available from one of our most reliable vendors of truly delicious produce.

If you’ve been consumed with the thoughts of leading a greener life think about jazzing it up this month with splashes of red. Your eyes, your heart and your taste buds will thank you.

Strawberry Sorbet
Puree enough strawberries in a blender to yield 3 cups. Mix in 1 cup of simple syrup made with equal amounts of sugar and water. Add a few dashes of salt to pull up the flavor of the berries and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Chill this mixture till cold. Follow the directions of your ice cream maker or chill in a shallow tray in your freezer, mixing every so often to keep the mixture smooth. Put the finished sorbet in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or a non-reactive container with a lid. Will keep for several days.

Easy Heirloom Tomato Salad
Find a pretty platter or dinner plate and cut into 1/4 inch slices enough heirloom tomatoes to fill it. Thinly slice a quarter of a red onion and scatter on top of the tomatoes. Crumble some Danish feta cheese over the tomatoes and onions and sprinkle with 2 or 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1 or 2 tablespoons of your very best aged balsamic vinegar. Serve at room temperature.

Red Salad
Roast 3 medium sized beets covered in a pan in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Cool, peel and dice into small cubes. Grill 4 or 5 radicchio leaves brushed with olive oil and slice thinly. Slice a half of a red endive into thin pieces. Toss it with a tablespoon or three of aged balsamic vinaigrette. Sprinkle the top with red walnuts, halved red grapes and chevre and gently toss again.

Alexis Handelman sees, eats, drinks and serves red everyday at Alexis Baking Co. and sits on the board of the red hot farmers’ market.

Get Yer Green On!

People came out in droves for the kick-off of the 2012 season last week, joined by oodles of sunshine and giggles from kids.  There is always great anticipation with the market’s opening and with such a wide variety of vendors to choose from, everyone shares in the bounty.

The selection in May is certainly different from what you’ll find in August, and that’s a great reason to indulge on all the wonderful spring offerings. From strawberries and fava beans to veggie starts and beets, think outside the grocery bag and bring a few new items home to play with.


In addition to their abundance of heirloom tomatoes and peaches this year, Tenbrink Farms is featuring a variety of leafy greens such as Italian dandelions and “Shingiku” – chrysanthemum leaves - which have a little kick similar to wasabi.  We sautéed it last night with sesame oil, rice vinegar and ginger and paired it with fish and quinoa.  Sublime.

Gauchito Hill Farms from the Capay Valley is also offering a nice selection of lettuces and kale which are almost too pretty to eat (but we will.)  Kale is high in calcium and fiber and is delicious served in salads, sautés, or smoothies.

One of my taglines is: our bodies need everything all the time.  Now while you might think that gives license to overindulge, it is actually suggesting variety in our diets to make sure we cover all bases with vitamins and minerals.  There’s no better way to do so than by buying your produce fresh from the source as nature intended.   And that is why we so love the farmers’ market.

Green Smoothie – Serves 2
There are a gazillion variations to make smoothies.  The key is to stock up now on the fresh fruits and freeze them to use all summer. I also freeze my greens if I can’t use them right away. Almond butter adds a shot of protein and keeps you satiated all morning.

2 cups chopped kale or spinach
1 cup strawberries
1 banana
½ cup parsley

Pour 2 ½ cups water into blender and mix with all ingredients.

Parmesan Kale Chips
Warning!  These are highly addictive and won’t last long.  Kids love them, too. Also! Must thoroughly dry the leaves before baking and make sure to watch the time.  30 seconds too many and they can burn.

1 bunch kale
1 tsp. olive oil spray
Dash of sea salt
½ cup shredded Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray two large baking sheets with oil.

Wash and thoroughly dry kale. Remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite sized pieces.
Place on baking sheets, spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Bake about 10-12 minutes, turning and moving them around as they shrink to make sure they evenly crisp up.

Top with shredded parmesan cheese, keeping a close eye on them, bake an additional 5 to 6 minutes until the edges are crisp but not burnt. Time will vary depending on your oven.

Recipes from www.cook4seasons.com

The Wait is Over

It’s May 1and it’s here -- finally! The start of the Napa Farmers Market season has arrived, and today is the first day of the market season. Though it hasn’t been a particularly hard winter, it has been a long time since we’ve had our favorite farmers right in front of us selling the veggies and fruits of their labors—and this is traditionally the start of what we consider to be summer. It’s time! We’re ready!

There are several new vendors added to the market roster, though many of the faces will look familiar. Keep your eyes peeled for Joan Taramasso, long-term Napa Downtown Farmers Market manager and Napa native. She’ll be on hand with fresh eggs from her free-range Napa-based chickens, and her partner Matt will be pouring brewed coffee and selling coffee beans from his locally-based roasting company, Organic Karma Coffee. Among the other familiar faces are Soul Food Farm (Vacaville)’s Alexis Koefoed with her pastured chicken; Long Meadow Ranch (Rutherford)’s Laddie Hall; Big Ranch Farm (Napa)’s Mark and Teresa Haberger; Morning Sun Herb Farm (Vacaville)’s Rose Loveall-Sale; and Tenbrink Family Farm (Fairfield)’s Linda Tenbrink. And these are just a sampling of the farmers that will be joining this first week.

There are also some new farmers to welcome: Gleason Ranch (Bodega), with grass-fed lamb, pork and beef, and Gauchito Hill (Capay Valley) which brings certified organic produce from one of the best known northern CA growing areas.

So, what’ll we find in season now at the market?
Cherries, green garlic, baby chard, lettuces of all varieties, endive, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes (yes!), oranges, almonds, walnuts, olive oil, honey, eggs, chicken, beef, lamb, pork…and a huge variety of veggie, herb and perennial plant starts. Time to get your veggies in the ground at home, too!

For those of us addicted to ABC Bakery’s cinnamon bun and other local bakeries’ pastries, they’ll be there too. As will Annie the Baker and her fabulous cookies, East and West’s Afghan breads and dips, Handmade Pantry’s granola, and a slew of other new and delicious things, including hummus, sausage rolls, Vietnamese sandwiches, sorbets, lemon curd and breads.

So bring your cart, bags and boxes and load up.
See you at the Napa Farmers Market!


ENDIVE SPEARS STUFFED WITH HERBED GOAT CHEESE

A quick & easy hors d’oeuvre that can be made ahead of time (the filling) and whipped up at the last minute. (From “Relax, Company’s Coming!” by Kathy Gunst).

Ingredients:
• 4 ounces fresh, soft goat cheese (chevre)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 ½ tablespoons mixed fresh herbs, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 large head endive, or 2 small heads
• 2 tablespoons toasted, finely chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)

Directions:
• In a medium bowl, cream the goat cheese with the back of a wooden spoon. Add cream, chopped herbs, chives, and pepper and mix until smooth and creamy. (Add more cream if particularly thick.) Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before assembling.
• Core the endive and separate into spears. Spoon the filling into 20 endive spears, filling each spear about halfway. Assemble on a plate and sprinkle with the chopped nuts (if using). Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.