Category Archives: General

Miracles Do Happen

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My home-grown tomato

My husband calls me “Black Thumb Jung.”

OK, so maybe I’m not the world’s greatest gardener. I should get an “A” for effort, though. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved planting things, nurturing things, and watching things grow. Only, I’m not always the best at it. Try as I might, I have been known to kill things that are supposed to be indestructible. That includes cactus and ivy. Go figure.

That’s why the beautiful red tomato you see above is a true miracle. You see, this tomato plant isn’t still supposed to be alive. But somehow it is. I planted this Carmello tomato plant in the spring of 2007, along with two other different tomato seedlings. And they all grew. And they all gave me luscious and delicious tomatoes all summer long.

When fall hit, they stopped producing, as normal. When winter hit, they started to shrivel and droop. And when the rains came, I began to totally ignore them, figuring come next spring, I’d just dig them up and replant new seedlings like I always do.

It wasn’t until mid-January that I noticed it. While the other two tomato plants were goners, this one plant was still green. Not only that, there were actually about half a dozen tiny tomatoes growing out of the blossoms. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Plants I carefully tend and worry over pay me back by dying on me. But this Carmello, which I had not watered, had not fertilized, and had not given the time of day to for months, was thriving.

This tomato is just about ready for picking. I intend to enjoy it simply: Just sliced with a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil, and a tiny sprinkle of sea salt.

And when I’m done savoring it, I’ll raise a thumb in triumph — one that’s, thankfully, not exactly ebony anymore.

Your Chance To Try the Most Delicious Fruit Ever

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Mangosteens in the shell (back) and peeled (foreground)

That’s what mangosteen has been called. Until this year, the only way to try the fresh tropical fruit was to travel to Southeast Asia, where it originated; or to get your hands on others grown in Hawaii or Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture once banned the importation of mangosteens and other fruits from Thailand because of the concern that they might harbor fruit flies that could infect citrus trees in the United States. Thailand, though, agreed to irradiate its shipments (a method that kills pests with radiation). The first shipments now have arrived in the United States, just at the peak harvest season of the fruit.

You’ll pay a dear price for them, too. At 99 Ranch markets, the tangerine- to orange-sized fruit with a dark purple exterior are $8.99 a pound. And finding them is not always easy, either. At 99 Ranch in Cupertino last week, I came up empty-handed. But my trip to the 99 Ranch on Hostetter Road in San Jose a few days later netted me the goods.

So are they really the most amazing fruit you’ll ever taste? I was dubious. I had tried frozen mangosteens in the shell from an Asian market, and wasn’t impressed. I also had tried a mangosteen juice beverage that was just ghastly.

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Cookbook Donations Wanted

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The Southern Food & Beverage Museum, which lost more than half its cookbook collection to the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina, is asking folks for a hand to help rebuild.

The museum is hoping to remake itself from this tragedy into the largest repository of books, booklets, manuscripts, and documents about Southern food and drink. It is seeking not only culinary books about the American South, but also periodicals from other areas that have influenced Southern foodways. Books in all conditions are happily accepted.

Send your tax-deductible donations to:

Southern Food & Beverage Museum
Attn. Liz Williams
1 Poydras Street, #169
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

Please include your name and address with your donation, because the museum would like to thank you for your efforts. For more information about the project, click here.

Remembering Robert Mondavi

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2005 Continuum and 2004 Opus One

Robert Mondavi may be gone now, having sadly passed away May 16 at the age of 94. But this visionary legend always will live on.

The winery that bears his name in the Napa Valley is no longer owned by the Mondavi family, having been sold to the beverage giant, Constellation Brands, four years ago for more than $1 billion. On the right in the photo above is the last vintage of Opus One (the premium Bordeaux-style blend made in a joint venture with Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild) released before the sale of the business. On the left is the 2005 Continuum, the first release of the first new wine made after the sale with the help of all three generations of Mondavis. Only 1,500 cases were made of this blend of 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 percent Petit Verdot, and 20 percent Cabernet Franc.

Mondavi was a man who put California wine on the map; whose tenacity drove him to start his own winery at age 52 after disagreements with his brother, Peter, led to his ouster from the family wine business; and whose philanthrophy was seemingly endless.

In 1996, he and wife Margrit paid $2.1 million to purchase the Napa site for what would become Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts. In 2001, the couple gave $35 million to the University of California at Davis to establish the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.

Over the years, I had the pleasure of meeting Mondavi at the ground-breaking ceremonies for each of those events. And last November, I, along with a handful of other media, was graciously invited to the Mondavi home in the Napa Valley, where Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and his staff prepared a nine-course dinner and where the 2005 Continuum was poured for the first time.

Over the years, I saw this once vibrant man grow more frail, first relying on a cane, then a wheelchair. But through it all, he remained, as always, the picture of grace and dignity.

When I finally open those two special bottles of wine, I will drink a toast to this man who did so much and meant so much to the growth and reputation of the Napa Valley wine industry. I hope you will remember him, too, anytime you enjoy a bottle that bears the Mondavi name.

Diana Kennedy Coming to Santa Cruz Area

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Diana KennedyThe doyenne of Mexican cooking, Diana Kennedy, will be appearing at three events in and around Surf City to celebrate the re-release of her 1989 classic, The Art of Mexican Cooking.

Kennedy has written eight cookbooks, but The Art of Mexican Cooking remains a true favorite with its collection of traditional recipes. Kennedy, who lives in an adobe home in the state of Michoacana, is already working on her next tome, all about the foods of Oaxaca.

May 30, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., she will host a book-signing at Alma Gifts & Culture, 1705 Mission St. in Santa Cruz. Snacks made from her own recipes will be served. The event is free. Phone is: (831) 425-2562.

May 31 at 9 a.m., Kennedy will conduct a Q&A session at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Dr. in Aptos. Afterwards, she will sign copies of her books, which will be available for purchase.

June 1 at 5:30 p.m.,  she will speak at the Capitola Book Cafe, 1475 – 41st Ave. in Capitola, then do a book-signing. Refreshments, made from her recipes, will be served.

To immerse yourself even more in Kennedy’s life, My Mexico Tours leads tours every August to Kennedy’s home, which include cooking classes taught by the master, herself.

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