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LAKEPORT – Visitors and residents alike came out on Saturday to enjoy the sights and sounds of an old-fashioned Christmas in downtown Lakeport.
The seventh annual Dickens' Christmas Market, cosponsored by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and the Lakeport Main Street Association, lined several blocks of Main Street in the heart of town on Saturday.
The day saw clear skies overhead accompanied by a brisk wind. Melissa Fulton, the chamber's chief executive officer – outfitted in period costume – said the morning had started out perfectly still before the winds came up. The winds posed some challenges for vendors in tents.
Fulton said the day s good saw good attendance at the event.
There was music, numerous vendors with interesting offerings, fun for children, a mule-drawn wagon that carried visitors along as it wound its way through town, and plenty of canine visitors, some wearing wreaths and Santa hats.
In addition, there was caroling and even a costume contest. Many folks strolled through the fair in authentic period costumes.
Bert Hutt, artistic director of the Soper-Reese Community Theatre, once again this year donned his best Victorian garb. With his top hat, cane and overcoat, Hutt looked like he just stepped out of the pages of “Great Expectations” or “A Christmas Carol.”
The annual event kicks off the Christmas season at the north end of the lake. As part of the celebration, the day ended with a lighted parade and lighting of the Christmas tree in the courthouse square.
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Randy: “Dawg! It was pitchy, off key at points … nawh.”
Paula: “You’re unique. You are special and unique.”
Simon: “Absolutely horrendous! Do you realize that you’re singing out of your nose?”
Kara: “Can I please talk?”
What’s the point I’m trying to make? It’s this: Shallots are the Bob Dylan of onions. They are special and unique, but they have been replaced by the pretty, perfect-bodied babes. (Growling and shaking my fists: “Lambert!”)
I love shallots and have been growing them in my garden for years. It’s a shame that the food television shows don’t know more about them. I think the networks also put too much into the practice of having excessively pretty people hosting their shows than people who actually know a lot about food, but that’s what our society has become.
One of the biggest problems in food television is that much of it is written by people who don’t know the actual produce and products they use. They’re often written and produced by big city people who are getting their information from the Internet, and one of the things I teach in almost every class I do is that the Internet can be your worst enemy.
Take shallots for instance: I was watching a pretty girl’s cooking program and she said that she liked to use shallots in the recipe since they are milder flavored than onions. I start screaming at the TV, “That’s not a shallot, you dingbat, that’s a potato onion, a false shallot! They’re harsh tasting and taste nothing like a shallot, so you obviously have never tasted a real shallot in your life!”
I’m not embarrassed to admit this, I really do yell at my TV in times like this. I had to stop watching Emeril the day my daughter said, “Daddy why do you watch him, you just end up yelling at the TV?”
The pretty TV chef goes on to talk about shallots’ superior flavor, and I realize that she’s just spouting information that one of her little interns or flying monkeys picked up off the Internet and shoved into the teleprompter. The pretty TV chef was only there because she is a pretty face and interacts well with a camera, not because she’s someone who actually knows what she was cooking with.
It is very common to find imposters being used as shallots. False shallots, potato onions and even using young red onions as shallots is pretty usual. Even the “shallots” you find at the local grocery stores are actually potato onions. Imposters are almost always larger than true shallots since true shallots are typically only a tablespoon to a quarter cup in size. Traditional gardening habits use the largest bulbs in the kitchen and then replant the smallest for next year. I do the exact opposite, and due to this “selective breeding” my shallots are larger than most, some of my shallots being a half of a cup in volume. Imposters are also easier to work with, having thin, easy to remove skins, while the skin on true shallots is like armor plating.
While false shallots must be used within a couple of months, true shallots, if stored in a cool dry place, can be stored up to a year.
In my opinion shallot imposters have become popular because they grow faster and larger than true shallot varieties. False shallots can take as little as three months from planting to harvest.
I planted my shallots a month ago and they are just now starting to sprout. Green tops looking like chives will start to grow and can be used sparingly like chives. The bulbs will start to look like a head of garlic, but then each bulb will separate from the mother and grow green tops.
The bunch of bulbs will start to spread out and look like they are pushing themselves out of the ground. Each bulb will grow larger. Then up to eight months from now the tops will die off and turn brown and that will let me know they are ready for harvest.
This long growing time is one of the reasons that, while imposters sell for dollars per pound, true shallots sell for dollars per ounce. It is often said of true shallots that their flavor is milder than onions but that isn’t really true.
The true shallot's flavor is strong and complex but it dissipates faster than onions and you don’t have that lingering onion taste in your mouth for hours. Its aroma contains hints of garlic, lemon, chives and earth. The texture of cooked true shallots is much softer than that of cooked onions. It is also best to avoid browning shallots since this turns them bitter.
If I were the head of a cooking school of my own, or were Emperor of the planet, I would require all chefs to spend two weeks per year working on a farm. Most of the truly great chefs either own a farm or have a close relationship with a farmer.
When I worked on an oyster farm there was a program that had restaurant workers spend a week working on the farm. Later there were fewer complaints from those restaurants because they knew their product better and didn’t jump to conclusions. Cooks who really know and understand their ingredients are the best of the best.
The shallot’s history is muddled at best. Their first mention is around 300 BCE when Theophrastus, “the father of botany,” wrote of the “askolonion.” Where this word originates is unknown, but we know both the words shallot and scallion originate from it.
Centuries later, Pliny the Elder concluded that they were named after the city of Ashkelon in southern Israel. Although the city of Ashkelon did exist in Theophrastus’ time, no evidence supports this correlation.
Some sources say shallots originated in China 2,000 years ago and still others claim Southeast Asia. Whatever its origin, they became very popular in French, Flemish, Mediterranean and Thai cuisines. The Crusaders brought the shallot to Europe in the 12th century from the Middle East.
I think the problem is that I’m being pedantic (I usually am), while the rest of the world is falling into the marketing ploy to merge all multiplier onions under the heading of shallots. Even the Web site named after the shallot has only has one picture of a true (grey) shallot on it. They market a variety of shallot grown from seeds even though shallots don’t make seeds.
There is an unwitting movement to have the word shallot include Allium oschaninii and Allium cepa var. aggegatum, which are the most common imposter shallots. I say unwittingly because it’s not a vast right wing conspiracy as much as it’s just that people have read the information online and repeated it not knowing that the information is incorrect.
Just like the word “forte” is correctly pronounced “fort,” but through years of people mispronouncing it as “for-TAY” the dictionary itself has now changed to reflect the incorrect pronunciation. You can actually compare an older dictionary to a newer one and see the change. Shallots are going through the same process. The Bob Dylan shallots are being overshadowed by the Adam Lambert shallots.
Shallots are high in flavanoids, a type of antioxidant that protects the body against cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Shallots are low in carbohydrates, cholesterol, saturated fat, and sodium. They are also high in folate, manganese, potassium, and vitamins A, B6 and C.
True shallots are available to grow in your garden but using false shallots in your cooking is acceptable as long as you understand that the flavor and texture will be different. I use the shallots from the grocery store any time I’m out of my own shallots.
In an amusing twist the recipe I’ve included goes fantastic with steaks. It’s a Bercy style sauce but not a true Bercy sauce. So I do get a giggle while making a false Bercy sauce with my false shallots. I know, I’m being pedantic again.
Just for the record, I love Adam Lambert’s music and wanted him to win American Idol. It was just funnier using him in this context than someone more obvious. And you have to admit, he sure is pretty.
Bercy sauce for steaks
2 to 3 shallots, finely diced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons demi-glace (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt
Pepper
After cooking your steak, set it aside to let it rest. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan the steak was cooked in and add shallots. Sauté until tender, just a couple of minutes, then add white wine. Scrape the fond from the steak off the bottom of the pan and simmer over medium heat until mixture is reduced to just a couple of tablespoons. Add stock, demi-glace and lemon juice.
Bring back to a simmer over medium heat and reduce again to one cup. Remove from heat, and finish the sauce by whisking in the remaining butter and the parsley. Salt and pepper to taste, but be sure to taste first since reducing the stock may have increased the saltiness.
Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community. Follow him on Twitter, http://twitter.com/Foodiefreak .
The crash occurred at around 11 a.m. Saturday at Crazy Creek Air Adventures in Middletown, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Laura Brown.
Brown said the crash involved a Schleicher ASW 27 glider and a Piper PA 25 tow plane.
“They were on approach to the same runway,” but coming from different directions when the glider and plane collided, said Brown.
Brown did not know if the aircraft hit head-on, a determination that she said is part of the investigation.
The glider pilot was killed, as was the plane's pilot, said Brown. There were no other passengers aboard the plane.
The identities of the pilots were not released late Saturday.
Jim Indrebo, who owns Crazy Creek Air Adventures, confirmed to Lake County News late Saturday that the crash had occurred.
“I can't say much about it,” he said, adding that he may be able to make a statement following the completion of the investigation.
Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board investigators were at the scene of the gliderport, located on Grange Road near Middletown, Saturday evening, Indrebo said.
Brown said the NTSB and FAA will issue a preliminary report on the crash within a few weeks.
The FAA investigates every aviation collision case, Brown said. However, it will be up to the NTSB to decide the incident's probable cause and decide if more investigation – leading to a final report in a few months' time – is warranted, she explained.
The NTSB could not be contacted late Saturday.
However, the agency's Web site explained that it deploys a safety board “go team” – led by a senior investigator – to respond to major incidents.
The NTSB reported that its go team can number from three to more than a dozen specialists ready to be deployed around the clock from the safety board's Washington, DC office.
On an annual basis, the NTSB investigates about 2,000 aviation collisions, according to its Web site.
Among the crashes it investigates annually, Brown said the FAA doesn't see many involving gliders, estimating they account for only “a handful a year.”
Schleichers are one-seat, high-performance gliders, designed with competitions pilots in mind, according to the company Web site. The gliders have a 49-foot wingspan.
Piper PA 25s, which have reportedly become widely popular among glider enthusiasts for use as tow planes, were manufactured for crop dusting from the 1950s through early 1980s. They are ones-seat planes, with a 36-foot wingspan, according to the Virtual Aircraft Museum.
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UPPER LAKE – With only a few hours' notice, citizens gathered on Main Street in Upper Lake on Friday afternoon to welcome home a local soldier.
Daniel Rogers of Upper Lake arrived home from Afghanistan to waving flags, a cheering crowd and handmade signs thanking him for his service.
The family vehicle turned onto Main Street where Rogers saw a crowd waiting to personally embrace him and thank him for his service and sacrifice.
Rogers was visibly moved by the reception, taking time to shake hands and share hugs with everyone.
The young soldier has recently endured difficult times. His unit was hit hard during the Battle of Kamdesh, where eight soldiers lost their lives in one day.
The base where Rogers was assigned was destroyed and he and his fellow soldiers lost all of the belongings they were not wearing or carrying.
Rogers has expressed his gratitude for the support he and his comrades have received. He has communicated directly, using calling privileges to let the participants of Operation Tango Mike and his Lake County supporters know he had received the extra care packages sent to replenish their supplies.
He also has sent messages via his parents, being gracious and very appreciative of the concern and encouragement he has received.
Rogers will enjoy his 15 day mid-deployment leave with his family. He will return to Afghanistan to complete his tour of duty, but will take with him memories of a warm welcome on a November day.
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Three air ambulances were called to fly out three crash victims, according to Northshore Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Pat Brown.
The first collision, a head-on between two off highway vehicles, occurred just before 3:30 p.m. in the Deer Valley area along Elk Mountain Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Elk Mountain Road was closed until nearly 6:30 p.m. as Northshore Fire medics worked on the crash victims. Brown said two REACH air ambulances flew out both subjects.
The CHP reported that the crash victims suffered major injuries.
The second crash, involving a single vehicle, occurred just before 4 p.m. on Highway 20 at Hillside Lane near Clearlake Oaks, the CHP reported.
The vehicle went into a wall, and shortly afterward the CHP reported one of the two subjects in the car was reported to be out of vehicle and on the ground.
“Everybody's going too fast,” said Brown.
The roadway was closed for nearly a half-hour as the two crash victims were assisted by Northshore Fire, according to the CHP.
Brown said a female was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital via CalStar air ambulance.
The CHP later reported that the woman was transported to a hospital in Quincy because Santa Rosa Memorial's trauma rooms were full. Her injuries were reported at minor later in the evening, according to the CHP.
CHP reported another crash happened along westbound Highway 20 east of Upper Lake, when a single vehicle fishtailed and went off the roadway. Minor injuries were reported in that incident.
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Now, let’s explore the contours of this terrain.
“Surviving spouse” is a statutorily defined term relevant to the inheritance rights of married and formerly married persons of a deceased person to whom they were once married. “Surviving spouse” includes any married person whose marriage was neithe
r dissolved nor annulled, no matter how short.
It even includes a married person living separately at the time of death, even if a divorce was pending; provided, however, that marital property rights were not legally terminated, that is, no court ordered separation judgment was issued. That last proviso, as we shall see, however, appears only to pertain to inheritance by intestacy (where someone dies without a will).
With respect to probates (e.g., wills and intestacy), a person who is not a surviving spouse, because of dissolution or annulment, no longer inherits under their ex-spouse’s will, which was signed during marriage, unless the will expressly provides otherwise. The same applies to intestate probates.
But, in contradiction to the definition of “surviving spouse,” a decree of legal separation which does not terminate the status of husband and wife, however, is not a dissolution, and so will not prevent inheritance under a will, although it will prevent inheritance by intestacy.
A similar, but different, set of rules applies to inheriting as a designated beneficiary of non-probate assets such as trusts, IRAs, pay-on-death accounts and joint tenancy assets, but not life insurance. That is, any dissolution or annulment precludes inheritance on death transfers which were authorized during the marriage.
Again, a decree of legal separation which does not terminate the status of husband and wife is not a dissolution and so will not preclude inheritance of any non probate assets by a person who otherwise satisfies the definition of “surviving spouse”.
Furthermore, certain special exceptions may apply to allow a person who is not a “surviving spouse” to still inherit as a designated beneficiary of a non-probate “transfer at death” authorized during marriage. That is, if the transfer was not subject to revocation at death; could not be changed due to court order (e.g., during a pending divorce proceeding); or there is clear and convincing evidence that the deceased transferor intended to preserve the non-probate transfer, then a surviving ex-spouse may still inherit .
Next, regarding employer provided ERISA retirement plans (e.g., 401(k)s), which are non-probate assets, relevant federal law determines a surviving ex-spouse’s right of inheritance and preempts any conflicting state law to the contrary.
Lastly, the foregoing discussion shows why married persons need to act prospectively in keeping their testamentary wishes current, and should do so sooner rather than later.
Obviously, when married persons are already involved in court dissolution proceedings, however, it may become difficult (and sometimes impossible) to effectuate changes due to statutory prohibitions against changing designated beneficiaries on non probate assets, and/or due to court orders preventing such changes.
While not discussed above, what changes married persons can make to their wills, trusts, and non-probate assets (e.g., joint tenancies, retirement plans, life insurance) prior to, during and after their dissolution of marriage proceedings (terminating their marriage), is itself an important subject – one worthy of a future article in this column.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 1st St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at
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