Food

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS Tomatoes are the poster child of vegetables for locally-grown and seasonal eating. Finding tomatoes that taste like tomatoes are one of the biggest draws to local farmers’ markets in the summer. They are also one of the home gardener’s most common vegetables to plant. Who doesn’t …

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS Ah, the wonderful smell of freshly-mowed grass, the sound of children running through the sprinklers, the garden awash in color with summer flowers, and the mouth-watering smell of food grilling on the barbecue. Yes, summer is here with warm evenings spent outside, and friends coming over …

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS Blueberries are one of the delights of early summer. Their beautiful blue color means they’re ripe and ready to eat. The shrubs are harvested by hand five or six times throughout the season at the firm, ripe stage because blueberries do not ripen once picked. The …

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS Spring is humming with the sound of bees buzzing around the hills of Martinez and Concord. MarElla Honey Bees out of Concord bring the best pure local honey to your farmers’ market in a variety of flavors that you won’t be able to resist. We don’t …

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS The farmers’ market offers more than just fruits and vegetables, baked good and hot foods. There are also grass-fed beef and seafood purveyors that you should try. Freshway Fish is a family-owned and operated seafood company, established in 2012. They started off selling at local farmers’ …

One of the San Francisco Bay Area’s premier sustainable burger destinations, Roam Artisan Burgers, just opened its sixth location at City Center Bishop Ranch in the Tri-Valley region serving the greater East Bay cities of San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, and Dublin / Pleasanton.  Roam, a fine-casual dining destination, is the latest premium brand to open at …

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS We love biting into a just-baked slice of artisan sourdough or munching a soft, buttery croissant, or treating ourselves to a sweet flaky pastry from the bakeries that participate at the Martinez Farmers’ Market. They offer everything from dinner rolls and breadsticks to cookies, pastries, and …

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS At first glance, it is hard to tell the differences between tangerine and mandarin. Not only do they look alike, their taste is also similar and both grow on trees that also look similar. They both are part of the orange family; however, tangerines are a …

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS This is pomegranate season, just in time for the holidays. What could be prettier than a sparkling pomegranate cider or a fresh salad with pomegranate seeds? These beauties can even be used for decorating because they last quite a while when not opened. Pomegranates have a …

BY DEBRA J MORRIS Related to kale, cabbage, and collard greens, mustard greens are the peppery leafy greens of the mustard plant and are used frequently in Chinese, Japanese, and Indian cooking. They are also used in traditional Southern dishes. Cooked, they taste a lot like spinach, but with more …