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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
Fresh-off-the-vine, locally grown tomatoes taste like heaven to me! Like Pavlov’s dogs, the pungent smell of tomato vines can make me salivate.
The midsummer heat brings long-awaited fulfillment of my craving for fresh tomato sandwiches, and there is nothing better with which to make them than the beautiful array of local, farm-grown tomatoes available this time of year.
My affection for vine-ripened tomatoes is so great that the term “heirloom tomato” may be one of my favorite culinary phrases.
I’m thinking of them now, nestled in farmers’ market stalls in all their colorful glory.
They’re calling my name: red, charmingly creviced Brandywines with their classic sweet taste; yellow firm-fleshed Persimmons; earthy, smoky Cherokee purples; Marvel stripes with their red and green striations, and oh-so-many more.
Together they make a rainbow of sweet, savory, subtle, intense tomato flavor.
I’ll never forget when my husband got inspired by a seed catalog and planted more than 40 varieties of tomatoes in our home garden. We seemed to have tomatoes in every conceivable color and shape that year, from an almost black Russian variety to tiny yellow ones the size of berries.
I’m thankful that our dehydrator endured all its use that summer and that our friends enjoyed their Christmas gifts of our dried tomato experiments.
Tomatoes, along with eggplants and squashes, are botanically classified as a fruit; however, for culinary purposes, they’re considered a vegetable since they don’t have the high sugar content of other fruits.
On an interesting, if unusual, side note, in 1893 the U.S. Supreme Court was asked to rule on whether tomatoes should be treated as vegetables or fruits. In that case regarding importation tariffs, the vegetable designation prevailed.
Typical supermarket tomatoes are no match for summer’s local crop. While the average American consumes almost 22 pounds of them each year (mostly in the form of ketchup and canned sauces), only ten per cent of us rate them as our favorite vegetable, largely due to the poor taste of those found in the produce departments of conventional markets.
Tomatoes are a fragile fruit, and do best when brought to the table from the vine in the shortest route possible.
Because supermarket tomatoes must endure shipping and cold storage, they’ve been bred for durability and a long shelf life, and that has done away with the complex mix of sugar, acid and chemicals that create good tomato flavor.
In addition, tomatoes that must be transported long distances are picked immature, before they’ve had the chance to develop their natural flavor, and are “ripened” later using ethylene gas, which gives them a red color.
When I buy a tomato from the supermarket in the off season, it’s the plum or cherry variety, which haven’t been as subject to the breeding that does away with flavor. In cooked dishes, canned Italian plum tomatoes often impart more flavor than fresh ones from the store.
Tomatoes are native to the western part of South America, including the Galapagos Islands, but were first cultivated in southern Mexico beginning in about 500 B.C.
They were brought to Europe by Spanish Conquistadores, and by the 16th century had spread throughout Europe.
They were not initially popular as a food, however, as they were thought to be poisonous. (While the leaves contain toxins common to members of the nightshade family, the fruit is – thankfully! – quite edible.)
Tomatoes are an absolute powerhouse of nutrition. They’re full of lycopene, an antioxidant which has been shown to be protective against a growing list of cancers, as well as a benefit to cardiovascular health.
If you’re interested in getting a healthy dose of lycopene, studies have revealed that organic tomato products have three times the amount than their conventionally grown counterparts.
Tomatoes abound in vitamins A and C, a range of B vitamins, potassium and fiber. They’re also high in vitamin K, which is essential for maintaining bone health.
I’m convinced that tomatoes are one of the healthiest things one can eat, and farmers’ market stalls are full of them now!
And if you can find a locally-grown crop at your neighborhood market, buy them, even if just to say thanks to your grocer for supporting local agriculture.
And, speaking of eating, what about that tomato sandwich I mentioned? My favorite way to create one is to layer slices of heirloom tomatoes of varying colors on sourdough French bread and top it with fresh basil leaves, real mayonnaise and a bit of salt and freshly ground pepper.
Sometimes I make a basil aioli to replace the fresh leaves and mayo, and I’ve shared that recipe below.
Modern-day aioli is a spin on the traditional sauce of garlic and olive oil that originated in the Provence region of France.
Aioli is often looked upon as a flavored mayonnaise, but a true aioli must contain garlic. If the garlic clove is eliminated from my recipe below (which is an option for its preparation), it would more appropriately be called basil mayonnaise.
Also shared below is my recipe for one of my favorite summer meals, a cooling tomato-based soup called gazpacho, which hails from the southern region of Andalusia in Spain. Chocked full of fresh summer veggies, you may be able to find most of its ingredients in your garden or local farmers’ market.
While some gazpacho recipes call for blending the entire batch of veggies into a puree, I prefer to puree only half of them to maintain an interesting texture and satisfying crunch.
Enjoy! Researchers have found that eating gazpacho helps guard against depression, so it’s guaranteed to make you happy.
Gazpacho
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
2 bell peppers, chopped (combine red, green, yellow or other colors)
1 red onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups tomato juice
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Tabasco sauce and salt & pepper to taste
Combine vegetables in a large glass bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Add half the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth.
Combine puree with original mixture and chill for 4 hours before serving.
Garnish with diced avocado or cilantro, if desired.
Serves four.
Basil aioli
Combine one large egg, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a food processor. Process for a few seconds until mixture is emulsified.
Keep the motor running as you drizzle in just under a cup of extra virgin olive oil. Add 1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh basil and pulse a bit until combined. Scrape the aioli into a container and refrigerate. Makes about 1-1/2 cups.
Esther Oertel, a freelance writer, cooking teacher, and speaker, is passionate about local produce and all foods in the vegetable kingdom. She welcomes your questions and comments and may be reached at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Want a poodle mix? Or perhaps a hound, Labrador Retriever or pit bull?
You can find mixes of all of those breeds this week at Lake County Animal Care and Control.
Thanks to Lake County Animal Care and Control’s new veterinary clinic, many of the animals offered for adoption already are spayed or neutered and ready to go home with their new families.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
Male pit bull mix
This male pit bull mix is 3 years old.
He has a long brown and white coat, weighs 62 pounds and has not been neutered.
Shelter staff said he may have a case of mange.
Find him in kennel No. 3, ID No. 33777.
Male poodle mix
This male poodle mix is 2 years old.
He has a short white coat and weighs just under 9 pounds.
Find him in kennel No. 7, ID No. 33894.
'Coco'
“Coco” is an 11 month old female Labrador Retriever mix.
She has a short chocolate-colored coat, weighs 62 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in kennel No. 13, ID No. 33780.
‘Lucy’
“Lucy” is a 7-month-old female bluetick coonhound-treeing walker coonhound mix.
She has a short black and white coat and has not yet been spayed.
Find her in kennel No. 30, ID No. 32171.
Adoptable dogs also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dogs_and_Puppies.htm or at www.petfinder.com .
Please note: Dogs listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A boat abandoned at a local boat repair business for more than four years will take on an important new role in Lake County’s efforts to protect local water bodies from the threat posed by invasive quagga and zebra mussels.
When the Lake County Department of Water Resources was offered a donation of an abandoned older model Bayliner pleasure boat, it presented an opportunity to use it as an important educational tool in Lake County’s Invasive Species Inspection Program.
On July 5, the boat was launched into the waters of Nevada’s Lake Mead, where invasive quagga mussels first were discovered in 2007, and it will remain in the infested waters for more than four months to ensure mussels at all life stages are present on the vessel.
The contaminated boat will then be removed from Lake Mead, allowed to dry, and covered with a protective spray coating that will hold the dead mussels onto the boat. This process ensures the mussels are dead and, thus, pose no subsequent risk.
Upon its return to Lake County, the contaminated boat will become an important hands-on tool to train mussel inspectors in Lake County as well as across Northern California.
“This boat will be an extremely useful tool in our training program,” said Lake County’s Water Resources Director Scott De Leon. “A boat infested with actual mussels will give screeners and inspectors a real-world understanding of exactly what they are looking for when they do an inspection.”
His department has worked collaboratively with the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), Nevada Department of Wildlife, and California Department of Food and Agriculture, which operates the state’s Border Protection Stations, to ensure all proper permits are in place to facilitate the transport.
The department also is working with DFG to ensure the boat also is available for regional training courses for inspectors involved in other mussel inspection programs across Northern California.
Researchers at UNLV, who have been monitoring levels of invasive quagga mussels in Lake Mead, recently reported an estimated 1.5 trillion adult quagga mussels and 320 trillion baby quagga mussels are alive in Lake Mead, which is approximately 10 times the level in 2007 and evidence of the speed with which an infestation can spread.
Dreissenid mussels, which include the small quagga mussel and the even-smaller zebra mussel, are tiny invasive mussels that can be spread unknowingly from one water body to another on boats and equipment with devastating effects to lakes, boats, docks, water intake equipment, fisheries, and beaches.
Just a few simple steps can prevent the spread and keep Lake County waters mussel-free – clean, drain, and dry all boats and equipment after exiting any water body. Be sure to allow boats to remain dry on a trailer for one full week prior to launching into another water body.
For more information about preventing the spread, visit www.nomussels.com , call the Lake County Mussel Hotline at 707-263-2556, or contact the Lake County Department of Water Resources at 707-263-2344.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Visitors from across the United States – as well as some from across “the pond” in the United Kingdom and from throughout California – joined local wine enthusiasts in the eighth-annual Lake County Wine Adventure held Saturday, July 28, and Sunday, July 29, in the high-elevation terroir of Lake County.
“Wines with 'altitude' – I get it now!” exclaimed two event-goers from Rancho Cordova as they sampled the wines at Laujor Estate in the Red Hills AVA on the northeastern flank of the Mayacamas.
With expansive views of Mount Konocti, Clear Lake and to the Coastal Range mountains beyond, the visitors, who began their adventure at Laujor Estate, said they were excited to taste – and explore – more of what the Lake County Wine Adventure (LCWA) had to offer.
Only two hours from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sacramento Valley, many wine tourists on the LCWA were stunned by the natural beauty of Lake County – the vast open spaces, mountain peaks surrounding the largest natural lake within California – and very appreciative of the quality wines available to sample at the welcoming tasting rooms and wineries.
“We just left a magnificent estate in the middle of nowhere,” said a group from Glen Ellen who had come from Brassfield Estate Winery and were now sampling at Noggle Vineyards & Winery, “and have arrived at what looks to be a winery in a garage! We love it!” they said with smiles and nods of agreement all-around. “It's like we're in on your secret; but we're telling on you!”
Several event-goers noted appreciatively that most of the wineries had excellent food and wine pairings.
“It really helps me buy a wine – and become a fan of that winery – when I can easily pair foods that I like with wines that I like, but I need some assistance. I'm not a chef or sommelier,” said a visitor from Oakland. “Some of the pairings today were out of this world – and most were paired with food and ingredients that I will actually use. I really enjoy that because I know I can do it too and absolutely 'wow' my friends back home!”
“This is brilliant!” said a visitor from the UK who was staying with family in San Francisco that had come up for the event. “Certainly not like wine tasting at home!”
“I've been to a former stage coach stop, a winery atop a mountain where all I could see were the vineyards and trees, one that grew their own olives and made olive oil and soaps, one on the lake shore that still smelled of lavender that had recently been harvested, and two that had outdoor clay ovens. And at every one – I've enjoyed great wine. We've tasted from almost 20 wineries in two days – they should make this a three-day event so we could get to them all!”
Hosted by the members of the Lake County Winery Association, with major sponsorship from Calpine Corporation and Twin Pine Casino & Hotel. Other sponsors included Robert A. Boccabella – Business Design Services, Dan Camache, The Ice Water Co., David Lucido – First American Title Co., Lake County AODS, Clearlake Police Department and the numerous local businesses that provided outstanding prizes for the 2012 Wine Adventure raffle.
“No, no – I'm going to win that prize,” was overheard time and again as the nearly 2,000 LCWA participants perused the extensive list of prizes available.
One local resident was explaining to visitors the merits of each of the prizes as they were cued up in line to buy their tickets for the event at the Lake County Wine Studio.
In this passport-style event, event-goers left their “passports” at their final destination to be entered into a drawing for numerous prizes that included a variety of Lake County “stay and play” packages valued at $500 or more each featuring overnight accommodations, dining, and a wide range of recreational activities to enjoy.
The grand prize, an “Instant Cellar” showcasing an assortment of wines from the participating Lake County Wine Adventure wineries, was much-talked about and is valued at $1,200.
Drawing for the prizes took place during the week of Aug. 6. Notification of winners was to follow shortly thereafter.
“What a fun event! I'm so happy to be in warm and sunny weather, in a beautiful place, tasting great wines with friendly and nice people. I'll be back,” said a resident of Mill Valley.
The 2012 LCWA event was chaired by Cheryl Lucido of Laujor Estate and co-chaired by Pam Prisco of Steele Wines.
It is hosted by the wineries of the Lake County Winery Association. Special thanks to Susan Feiler, proprietor of the Lake County Wine Studio for her assistance with the LCWA raffle.