Indian Summer
For some, living here in the Monterey Bay region is a gift of fate—they were just born here. For others, like us, we are here by choice, having fallen in love with it as adults and been graced with ways to make it home. No matter how one gets here, it would be hard not to be grateful for it.
Rob hails from the very bottom of the Central Coast—the small beach town of Carpinteria—and Sarah grew up in the Northeast, where autumn means beautifully colored leaves but also cold days that cut the growing season short long before we all celebrate the harvest at Thanksgiving.
Here in our area, we get to enjoy pretty golden leaves in our vineyards and a leisurely two- or three-month Indian summer. In our coastal towns and cities, fall is even hotter and clearer than the summers, so it’s no wonder that autumn is so many people’s favorite time of year.
In this issue, you’ll find many ways to make the most of our sunny and warm fall days— and especially the crescendo of deeply flavorful fruit and vegetables that arrive this time of year.
You’ll find a story about why, if you commit yourself to buying any one item that is fresh and local, olive oil should be it. And to make that easier, we fill you in on a new olive festival that will feature olive growers and oil purveyors that have been quietly creating a local olive oil boom.
Our bevy of accomplished local pastry chefs and ice cream makers provides inspiration for using our surfeit of fall fruits—and we celebrate the pomegranate in particular.
To help you make the most of the tomato harvest, we have a recipe from Santa Cruz denizen and Manresa rock star chef David Kinch, from his gorgeous forthcoming cookbook, Manresa. And at the other end of the challenge continuum, Jordan Champagne shares her secrets for making amazingly effortless (no cooking or canning required!) refrigerator pickles.
Also in this issue, we share why you’ll want to take an autumn picnic to the vineyards of Corralitos, and why you might want to take advantage of the balmy temperatures and great fall produce to get more raw food into your diet.
This edition marks the magazine’s second anniversary, and we’d love to celebrate with you! We have a few events in the works—to stay posted, sign up for our e-newsletter at info@ediblemontereybay.com or go to our events page at www.ediblemontereybay.com.
Meantime, please accept our thanks for being such enthusiastic readers, find a sunny spot, put your feet up and enjoy this issue!
Happy autumn!
Sarah Wood and Rob Fisher
Publishers
About the author
At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
