Farm to Fork benefit dinner for UCSC’s Agroecology Center, plus a zippy salsa from Teresa’s Salsa that loves every food it meets
I know you’ve been loading up on all the Romano beans, peaches, cippolini onions and dry-farmed tomatoes you can fit in your bag at our farmers markets—including the one that opens every Tuesday and Friday at the foot of the UCSC campus. It’s that time of year when we can all give thanks for our taste buds and that we don’t live close to the Arctic Circle.
Let me segue into a reminder about a very special Farm to Fork Benefit Dinner coming up on Sept. 12 in the newly renovated Cowell Ranch Hay Barn—now the headquarters of the UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS). Beginning at 3 p.m. with a sparkling wine and appetizer reception, the event will give guests the very first look at the new vintage barn, as well as a tour of their organic farm and garden. A sit-down dinner follows at 4:30 p.m., created by the cuisine artists of Feel Good Foods catering company, owned by another graduate of the UCSC apprenticeship program, Amy Padilla—an alumna of the CASFS apprenticeship program—and her partner Heidi Schlect. This year’s benefit dinner honors Ecological Horticulture Apprenticeship alumnus Matthew Raiford, creator of the first Farm to Fork event at UCSC in 2011. Raiford and his sister run Gilliard Farm, an organic family farm in Georgia dating back to 1874. After dinner, the celebration expands to include pie, music and dancing. Tickets for the Farm to Fork dinner are $150 per person and benefit the Apprenticeship Program in Ecological Horticulture. Information is available at casfs.ucsc.edu.
Sommelier Secrets
You can always learn more about how to select the perfect wine to complement the flavors of your meals, right? So join Certified Sommelier, Oliver Carter’s interactive class from 6-8 p.m.m on Friday, Aug. 28 at the Westside New Leaf Community Market. Carter will serve tastes of a dozen varietals and a few blends, walking attendees through the nuances of flavor partnering. Wines poured will represent major wine regions in France, Spain, Italy and the United States. All of them are available at the Westside New Leaf and range in price from $11 to $25 per bottle. You might consider bringing along your sweetie or roommate—or the one you share meals and wine with the most—since the $40 class fee is reduced to $35 apiece for couples. New Leaf is located at 1101 Fair Ave., Santa Cruz. Space is limited so preregistration is required. To register, visit: newleafwestside.eventbrite.com.
Product of the Week
Teresa’s Salsa Verde ($6.99/6 oz). This tall slender jar of lemony green salsa is the new staple of our kitchen. Taking its place in the hallowed ranks of Cholula, hot mango chutney, and green-peppercorn mustard, this salsa is exactly what you need for every food with a surface worthy of condiment love. Spicy but not fiery, assertive yet not aggressive, this zippy salsa offers an appealing blend of tomatillo, charred jalapeños, cilantro, garlic, onion, sea salt, spices (I’m thinking cumin for sure), and lemon. It loves every food it sees. Tacos and tortilla chips? Of course, total no-brainer. On top of scrambled eggs it is a star. Teresa’s Salsa Verde is perfection on chicken, on salmon, on pork—you’re sensing the theme here. It is easy to like, and if you’re having one of those “bad cooking” days, you can smother a pork roast, or turkey breast with a jar of this salsa, apply heat and enjoy the way the salsa ties all the flavors together like the Dude’s rug in The Big Lebowski. Just get some and try it for yourself. New Leaf Markets.
FROM THE FIELDS Golden beets for sale at UCSC Farm and Garden’s market cart, which is open from noon-6 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday at the base of campus. PHOTO: CHIP SCHEUER
