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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
OK, I admit it: I’m a foodie on a freakish scale. In addition to the usual appreciation for fine foods that makes a person a “foodie,” I love heirloom vegetables, organic foods, and exotic meats. I take a keen interest in all the different aspects of food production, including fiddling about in my own garden.
I love to research how things are grown all around the world, like checking weather patterns in Southeast Asia to see if this is going to be a good year for Tellicherry pepper. I even have my own signature six-peppercorn blend, the contents of which are a strict secret. I know, I know, as my wife is always saying, “Pull UP!” So yes, I admit it, I love food to the point of obsession.
So now that you know a little about my love of gastronomy, I thought I would tell you a little about the fun time of year that we are in ... Seed Catalog Season! This is the time of year that my Lay-Z-Boy is surrounded and covered with catalogs, as I examine them in an effort to narrow down what I will be growing this year.
Every year I try to find one unique item that I’ve never grown before. This year I’m planting Mexican Sour Gherkins, a type of cucumber that grows to be the size of a teaspoon. Perfect for pickling! I’ll still have the usual tomatoes, onions, artichokes, herbs, etc.
I’m always looking out for a more flavorful and bigger tomato. This year I am going to start the process of hybridizing my own variety of tomato out of “Coustralee,” “Zogola,” and “Omar’s Lebanese” tomatoes. I’ll also have a couple of a tomato plants that I grew last year called “Quingza” just for eating. I just love to garden.
Tomatoes utterly love our climate. The warm to hot summer temperatures here are similar to the tomato’s native Central and South America, the lack of summer rains helps prevent fungal diseases, and our high altitude intensifies flavors in the fruits more than gardens at sea level.
If you’re interested in improving the flavor of your tomatoes even more, I will let you in on a little secret of my own. Don’t water your tomatoes so much. When I won “Best Tomato of Show” at a North Bay festival (with a cherry tomato called “Matt’s Wild Cherry”) a man approached me and asked for some advice. He commented that he watered his tomatoes twice, and even sometimes three times a day, and he wanted to know how many times I watered mine.
You could see the astonishment in his face when I told him, “Two or three times per year.” I explained to him how every time you water your tomatoes, you water down their flavor. How do they get enough water then? I use a very intensive method for growing tomatoes which requires a lot of preparation before the actual planting begins but which makes the plants mostly self-sufficient. If you would like to learn more, feel free to e-mail me for specifics.
I now want to make a plea with the public at large. When I lived in Santa Rosa, every couple of weeks during the growing season I would harvest all of my extra vegetables and bring them to the local battered women’s shelter. I’m a firm believer that although your next-door neighbor may LIKE getting your extra harvests, there are places out there that actually NEED them. With the recent success of the Wine and Chocolate event (which benefited the new battered women’s shelter), it renewed my belief that these types of programs need to be supported on a continuous basis. If you are a gardener who wishes to donate your extra produce, please contact me. I am willing to start a program that will deliver garden fresh fruits and vegetables to the current and new domestic violence shelters.
If you don’t have a garden and still wish to donate something, then you are also welcome to contact me. I can arrange to have your food picked up and delivered to the shelter. Together we can change our community for the better.
My personal e-mail address is
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.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization, announced that it wrote to Lake County District Attorney Jon Hopkins Friday, calling for aggressive investigation and prosecution – if warranted – of two girls accused of microwaving a hamster.
The girls, ages 14 and 15 years old and Lower Lake High School students, were arrested March 31 and remained in Juvenile Hall until April 3, charged with intentional animal cruelty for microwaving the hamster, as Lake County News has reported. The hamster lost three of her four feet but has otherwise recovered.
The teens are due to go to court April 18, according to Clearlake Police Officer Carl Miller, the school resource officer who led the investigation.
"Those who abuse animals can be dangerous to people," said Dale Bartlett, the Humane Society of the United States' deputy manager for animal cruelty issues. "Americans have no tolerance for violence against the creatures who share our world."
The Humane Society, which monitors incidents of cruelty across the United States and provides input to prosecutors in more than 200 cases annually, reported that it also offered Hopkins' office its support and resources.
Humane Society officials reported that getting the serious attention of prosecutors in cases involving allegations of animal cruelty is an essential step in protecting community safety. That's because the connection between animal cruelty and human violence is well documented.
The group pointed to studies that show a correlation between animal cruelty and all manner of other crimes, from narcotics and firearms violations to battery and sexual assault.
“Strong, carefully considered sentencing that includes incarceration, psychological treatment, and a ban on pet ownership is the most effective available tool for reducing recidivism and interrupting the cycle of criminal behavior,” a Humane Society statement noted.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY – Local rockers Faded At Four remain in the competition for a recording contract and a shot at fame in a contest that pits talented bands from around the country and the world against each other.
Lake County Bodog Battle of the Bands Finalists, Faded At Four took Hollywood by storm in the latest round of competition for the $1 million recording contract on March 12.
The five-member band was once again complete with glove-wearing guitarist Chris Murphy returning to the group after his brief hiatus from the band.
Murphy joined his fellow band members, vocalist Jon Foutch, guitarist Brian Kenner, bassist Martin Scheel and drummer Chris "Pencil" Sanders on the stage of the Avalon in Hollywood.
Several of their fans made the trek to Hollywood to see this band compete for a place on the reality TV series, Bodog Battle of the Bands as once again, another venue was filled with chants of "Faded Faded Faded" by fans proudly displaying their support in their Faded At Four T-Shirts. Fans were presented with a special treat in Faded's performance, their new song, written for their Bodog performances called "Faded."
Faded At Four started their journey with Bodog in July 2007 by registering at the Bodog Web site and submitting their bio and music for judging by online voters.
Shortly after registration, they became No. 1 in the San Francisco division and rapidly moved up the ranks to become No. 3 in the nation, securing their spot in the live competitions.
In October the band performed in their first live round, the audition round to show the judges that they were a real band with real musical talent by traveling to San Francisco to compete at 12 Galaxies.
Moving on with seven other bands from that round, Faded at Four prepared for the "Impress the Judges Round" again at 12 Galaxies in December by offering their fans a bus ride to the venue, food and drink on the bus, a Faded At Four t-shirt and admission to the venue for one flat fee. Fifty fans packed the venue and voted their favorite band into the next round in January.
January's Semi-Regional Finals found Faded At Four facing off with 11 other bands. Their fans once again offered their loyal support by loading on buses to attend the show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.
This time fans from Sacramento joined their Lake County counterparts and three buses were brought to the show. Faded At Four, with their fans help, moved on to the Finals in March in Hollywood.
One band out of the 12 that played at the Avalon in Hollywood moved on to the reality series. Two more bands may join the reality series participants by fan voting online.
The Wildcard vote takes place from April 1 to April 30 on Bodog Battle of the Bands Web site. Faded at Four's fans may vote for them once daily by logging onto the Bodog website and casting their vote.
The winners of this nation wide voting will be announced on Bodog's Web site in May.
Faded At Four is competing in the Bodog Battle Wildcard voting along with MTV2's On The Rise online voting. Links to both of these sites can be found at Faded At Four's Web site, www.fadedatfour.com. where fans can go vote for Faded every day.
Faded At Four also will return to the studio to complete their long-awaited album, "Collateral" along with playing at many venues in the area. Fans are advised to check Faded At Four's Web site for
upcoming shows that they are working on in multiple counties in the area along with the latest updates from this local band who is helping to put Lake County on the map!
Those wishing to book Faded At Four in a venue near them can contact the band by sending an email to
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY – Two girls arrested earlier this week in an animal cruelty case have been released temporarily from Juvenile Hall.
The 14- and 15-year-old girls, students at Lower Lake High School, were released from Juvenile Hall Thursday after their Monday arrest for microwaving a hamster, said Officer Carl Miller of Clearlake Police.
“They are on 15-day home detection until they go into their jurisdictional hearing,” Miller said.
Miller, a school resource officer for the Konocti Unified School District, conducted the investigation into the case.
The girls, Miller explained, allegedly put the hamster in the microwave twice back in December. His investigation was unable to confirm allegations that the girls also had put Bugsy in other appliances, such as a clothes dryer.
Miller said the girls, when confronted with the allegations, admitted they had done it, and he said they showed no remorse.
Their alleged reason for putting the little female hamster in the microwave was because they were bored, said Miller.
“They said they only did it for five seconds,” he said.
The hamster lost three of her feet following the microwave incident, Officer Morgan Hermann of Lake County Animal Care and Control told Lake County News earlier this week. However, the hamster has made a recovery and is living with a teacher who reportedly confiscated her from one of the girls, who had brought the little animal back to school.
Miller said a veterinarian's exam of the hamster showed the burns she suffered were consistent with what a microwave would inflict.
When the girls go to court April 18, Miller said they'll make their pleas. If they plead not guilty, they'll be subject to a trial by judge. A guilty plea would likely result in a quicker resolution.
If convicted, Miller said the girls could face anything from probation to a year in the California Youth Authority,
He expects they'll receive 30 days in Juvenile Hall and a few years of probation if guilty verdicts are delivered. “Anything more than that is highly unlikely.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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