Dill pickles, a new seasonal treat at the Sacramento market.

Cutting celery from Woodsong Herbs

Satiety Vineyards cactus, or nopales

Labels: cactus paddles, cutting celery, farmers market, Glashoff Farms, locavore Sacramento, pickles, Satiety Vineyards, seasonal, seasonal produce, Woodsong Herbs

Labels: cast iron skillet, cheese, enchilada, farmers market, jalapeno, Monterey Jack cheese, recipe, seasonal ingredients, Southwest, tomato sauce

Today’s menu: light, fluffy scrambled eggs hidden under a thin layer of gooey cheese and a fire-alarm salsa. Salsa made of tangy, crisp cactus, rich heirloom tomatoes, blazing red and green jalapeno peppers, bold onion and garlic, avocado, cilantro, and a refreshing squeeze of lime. Also being served: airy, flaky croissants that melt in your mouth bathed in caramel-sweet clover honey that runs across your tongue and cools it from the jalapeno heat.

Would you be surprised if I told you that every single ingredient can be found at Sacramento’s downtown farmers’ market? Indeed, I can think of no heartier brunch, and at seasonal bargain prices, it’s sure to please both palette and wallet. Every last ingredient, right down to the olive oil you use to sauté, comes from our beloved local farmers.

This meal was inspired by the seasonal ingredient at the market, but also by a recent visit to New Mexico, where I discovered the cooling properties of honey eaten after a spicy meal. Ingenious! The lighter-than-air sopapillas that are popularly served post-meal there inspired my pairing with fresh croissants. They truly need to be baked that morning to even come close to the wonderful sopapilla quality (day-olds just won’t cut it). I think it’s a fair substitution. And once you’ve enjoyed this honey and heat combination, you’ll be hooked!

The following recipe is written in the order I recommend preparing your meal for brunch.

Farmers’ Market Brunch featuring:
Scrambled Eggs under Cactus & Jalapeno Salsa with Honeyed Croissants

· 2 Freshly baked croissants
· 4 tablespoons local clover honey, divided
· 1 Tablespoon olive oil
· 1 cactus paddle, diced
· 1 medium onion, diced
· 2 green jalapenos, finely diced
· 2 red jalapenos, finely diced
· 1 large clove of garlic, minced
· 1 large heirloom tomato, diced
· 2 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped
· 1 avocado, sliced
· Juice from 1 lime
· Freshly grated black pepper to taste
· 6 farm fresh organic eggs
· 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
· 2 oz. grated Monterey jack cheese

Honeyed Croissants
Set one croissant on the edge of each serving plate. Pour 2 tablespoons of honey into a small dipping bowl and set one next to each croissant on the plate.

Cactus Salsa
Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Begin dicing your veggies while the pan heats. Add olive oil, and then the cactus, onion, and jalapenos. Sauté until onions begin to turn translucent and the cactus begins to darken in color, about 5 minutes (or the amount of time it will take you to prep your avocado and cilantro and clean your cutting board). Now add the garlic and allow to sauté for 2 minutes more. Turn off heat. Prepare your scrambled eggs (below). When they have finished, stir the tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice into the cool sauté pan.

Scrambled Eggs
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Crack eggs into a small mixing bowl. Poke each yolk with the tip of a whisk, and then whisk until well blended. Drop the butter into the skillet and when it has melted, pour in the eggs. Your pan should be hot enough that you need to scrape the bottom of the pan frequently, but not so hot that you are scraping constantly. It should take 4 to 6 minutes, depending on how you like your scrambled eggs. Remember: they’ll keep cooking after you turn off the heat. When your eggs are done (they should glisten with moisture, but not be runny), turn off the heat and sprinkle with grated cheese. Place a lid over the skillet for about 1 minute to allow the cheese to melt.

Spoon scrambled eggs onto the serving plates next to the croissants. Top each egg with a generous portion of the Cactus Salsa, followed by the sliced avocados. Serve immediately with juice and coffee. Remind your diners that the honey will cool their mouths from the heat of the salsa, so don’t eat your croissant first!

This recipe serves two.

Tip: If you have any leftover salsa, seal it in a glass jar in your fridge. It tastes great with tortilla chips as a snack. In fact, I sometimes serve the extra salsa in a bowl in the middle of the table with chips as part of the brunch in case folks are still hungry (which my husband always is!). It’s best eaten that same day.

Labels: avocado, cactus, croissant, eggs, farmers market, heirloom tomato, honey, jalapeno, seasonal

I hear his footsteps coming up the front porch. I hold my breath. I am motionless with anticipation. Clomp. Clomp. Up one step. Then the next. Finally! He reaches the door. Through a crack in the window blinds, I see his tall figure. I hear the creak of the mail slot, the swish of a letter dropping inside. Who cares about a letter?! I want the REAL goods, Mr. Mailman. I wait for it. Then I hear the awaited “thud” of heavy paper hitting the ground in front of my door. The mailman retreats back down the steps and across the yard. That’s when I make my leap. I throw open the door, shout a polite “Thank you!” and scoop up the precious Cooking Light Magazine he has delivered just for me.

I wipe the drool from my lip as I stare lovingly at the front cover image: this month, a “sweet and easy apple pancake” shown under a light drizzle of powdered sugar and nestled in a rustic cast iron skillet. A large headline is stamped proudly next to it: “Fresh from the farmer’s market.” Oh, Cooking Light. I love you!

Cooking Light’s motto reflects my own: “Eat Smart. Be Fit. Live Well.” Its contents contain everything I need to feed my passion for food and my quest for healthy food knowledge. I want to know how to put better foods in my body and incorporate them in my recipes. Each issue provides the latest nutrition research, detailed information on the healthful benefits of featured foods, and of course, recipes that put this knowledge to work. They also include a section called “Lighten Up,” taking readers’ high-fat family recipes (often desserts or cheesy entrees) and making them more figure-friendly without eliminating the flavor.

The magazine also provides fitness tips, a section titled “Enlightened Traveler,” wine pairing, and even green living tips to update your home.

My idea of a perfect day includes sitting back on my lounge chair, sipping a hot chai, and slowly digesting every word of this wonderful magazine. My husband, if he’s in the same room while I’m reading, must also endure my constant interruptions. “Honey, did you know…” “Honey, this says…” “Hey, listen to this!” Quote after quote pour from my mouth as I learn something new on every page and am driven to share each gem of knowledge with the person that I love—and feed.

Labels: cooking light magazine, farmers market, fit, food, healthy, recipes

Most folks jump-start their mornings with a jolt of liquid caffeine. I was once among the coffee addicts of the world. When I quit, cold turkey, it was orange juice that took its place. Each morning, I need a kick in the pants from nature’s sugar to get my own juices flowing.


After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I began to resent my fruity, orange wake-up. Every fresh carton or can of concentrate proudly proclaimed, “Florida oranges.” That’s an awfully long haul, and plenty of fuel burned, to bring me a morning cup of nectar. I was ashamed. Meanwhile, up and down the orange tree-lined streets of Sacramento, the beautiful orbs were falling to the ground like unwanted trash. What’s wrong with me?—buying juice from Florida that can clearly be made right here?! The farmers’ markets are teeming with oranges at all times of year. That’s the beautiful thing about citrus. There are varieties that will bare fruit in winter, and other varieties that will fruit in summer. In California, we can proudly gather ripe oranges nearly year-round.

In my kitchen cabinet, sitting alone and waiting for some attention, was my juicer. It’s a simple gadget, purchased for less than $30 at a Target. All it takes is a sliced orange, a bit of pressure, and “Wallah!”—orange juice.

Each week for the past six months or so, I have purchased a large bag of oranges at the farmers’ market. For a whopping price tag ranging between $3-5 for a 10lb bag, I easily fill a large pitcher with fresh-squeezed orange juice. It takes about 20 minutes of my day, once a week. This amount of juice lasts my husband and I exactly one week—until the next farmers market rolls around and I can buy another fresh bag of oranges.

For $5, I could buy a half-gallon of “fresh” orange juice that has just been shipped in from Florida—a trip that would take several days on a refrigerated truck. I could buy this orange juice, which may be made from a concentrate, or which may have added sugars or preservatives. Or, I could spend the same amount of money on a bag of oranges purchased from a local farmer.

Ultimately, my husband and I hope to plant our own orange trees. We have one mature tree already. It ripens in the winter, when we take full advantage of the glorious fruit for orange juice, fruit salads, and succulent snacks. In due time, we hope to plant a summer-ripening variety as well. But in the meantime, we love having quick access to the oranges grown proudly by local farmers.

Labels: books, farmers market, locavore, orange juice