I want people to read this book! It’s important.

As a cook, I elate in every fresh fruit, nut, or vegetable that crosses my cutting board. Vanilla bean, watermelon, and almond alike are all capable of sending me skipping across my kitchen with a whistle of delight on my lips. Yet, after reading James Beard Award-winning author Rowan Jacobsen’s Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis, I realize my skipping days might come to an abrupt end. The decline of the honey bee is to blame.

Honey bees and other pollinators are responsible for the production of 80% of the foods that make up our diet, according to Jacobsen. But with the rapid collapse of bee colonies around the globe, those foods stand at dramatic risk of collapse themselves. If we can’t save the bees, we won’t be able to reverse the damage to our juicy watermelons or our buttery almonds. It’s already too late for vanilla.

What in the world is causing our world’s bees to disappear? Fruitless Fall weaves a tangled web of the many possible culprits: pesticides, stress, monoculture crops, an unhealthy plant, an addiction to cheap food, and antibiotics are just a few. Put all these factors together, and you’ve got an industry rife with problems that spell annihilation for our once-buzzing bees.

Fruitless Fall provides a thorough study of the role of honey bees in our contemporary agricultural system. Jacobsen educates the reader on everything bee-related from the science of the hive, the history of their transcontinental evolutionary journeys, the economics of honey, to a prototypical—and in some instances, a realistic—world without bees. You’ll learn how bees reproduce, the healthy ingredients that make up their potent honey, and the dog-eat-dog affect of capitalism on agricultural practices that in turn affect our striped friends.

It may come as no surprise that the rapid decline in the world bee population directly coincided with the 37% rise in grocery prices in 2006. But did you know that the exorbitant cost of vanilla is also directly linked to bees’ demise? According to Jacobsen, the only native bee capable of pollinating vanilla flowers has become extinct due to deforestation. Now, the only animal responsible for that creamy, sweet spice in your morning latte is man. Vanilla plants are literally pollinated by hand, “making it the most labor-intensive crop in the world” (page 202). No other species of bee has been able to replace this labor.

Because flowers and bees have evolved in such perfect harmony, when human practices cause the downfall of one, it’s only a matter of time before we experience the downfall of the other.

Fruitless Fall reveals the ugly underbelly of our collective need for cheap food and how that’s damaging bees and the honey industry. After all, where do we turn when we want something cheap? China, of course. Jacobsen takes us to the environmental-damage behemoth of a country, where pesticides are dumped, sprayed, and injected like weed seeds, ultimately infesting its honey exports with highly damaging chemicals. Although America can’t boast a light-handed pesticide record, it still shines like a nova compared to the pesticide black hole that is China. So, while American honey bee keepers are already experiencing declines in revenue with the weakening of their hives, China’s kicking them while their down with its cheap, but illegal, chemical-laden honey exports. Meanwhile, China’s own bee population is dwindling.

Sadly, China isn’t the only culprit in this story. Packed with a deluge of hardily-researched data and stories from across our own country, Fruitless Fall paints a disheartening picture of our current agricultural system—one that is heavily dependent upon a disappearing black-and-yellow-striped workforce. Jacobsen takes his reader to the almond fields of California (our state’s biggest and most lucrative export crop) to reveal an industry on the brink of disaster if we cannot keep our bees healthy, and one that in fact, may be causing the poor health of those bees. Jacobsen informs us of one beekeeper after another whose livelihoods have failed with the insect’s decline.

Yet, Jacobsen’s story doesn’t end in despair. He introduces us to bee saviors who are using organic methods to revive the honey bee. In a world riddled with chemicals, can the organic farmers help the bee make a comeback? Can they compete?

Like any good book, this one leaves the ultimate answer to us. There’s a list of pollinator-friendly plants that you can grow in your own yard, and a list of ways to make a difference in saving the bee, the butterfly, and a host of other pollinating critters.

After all, the future of our recipes depends on it!

Labels: agricultural crisis, bee collapse, book review, California almonds, collapse of the honey bee, colony collapse disorder, Fruitless Fall, honey, honey bee, honey bees, pollinators, Rowan Jacobsen

Utter delight awaits with this flavor-packed, blissfully fresh meal. Intensely delicious, bursting passionately with wet, bright aromas, this dish will have you licking your fingers and mumbling sweet nothings under your breath. You may even drool. It’s just that good.

The salsa alone could be gobbled feverishly. It’s packed with the season’s best fruits: crisp apples, luscious strawberries, and tangy orange. Add sinfully sweet dates, crunchy grated carrots, and a few sprigs of grassy cilantro for a harmoniously zestful fruit salsa.

I pair this with soft, fresh tortillas packed with a hint of salty Dry Jack cheese, a slice of creamy Jersey Jack, a sprinkle of earthy walnuts, and a drizzle of wet, sweet clover honey. Put the two together, and you just might begin imagining that you’re sliding down a rainbow into wonderland.

Pinch yourself. This is real.

Serve this as a light lunch, brunch, or even a snack. Go ahead. You deserve it!



Double Jack Quesadillas with Seasonal Fruit Salsa

Ingredients:
4 large strawberries, diced
½ small carrot, grated
1 small apple, diced
2 dates, diced
1 small orange, peel zested and fruit diced
2 sprigs cilantro, chopped fine
2 whole wheat tortillas
2 pumpkin spice tortillas
4 slices Jersey Jack cheese
2 Tablespoons grated Dry Jack cheese
4 Tablespoons walnuts, chopped
4 Tablespoons clover honey

Farm Fresh Ingredients: all of the above!

Use a spoon to mix the first six ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

On microwave-safe plates, lay the tortillas flat. Top each with 1 slice Jersey Jack cheese and a half tablespoon Dry Jack cheese. Place each plate in microwave and cook for about 45-seconds each, or until the cheese is melted. Remove and immediately sprinkle 1 tablespoon walnuts and 1 tablespoon honey over cheese. Fold tortilla in half to form a quesadilla. Slice each quesadilla into smaller sections and serve with ½ cup fruit salsa. Feel free to “ooh” and “mmm” as you chew!

Labels: complete meals from farmers market, dry jack cheese, farmers market recipe, fruit salsa recipe, honey, Jersey Jack cheese, quesadilla recipe, seasonal recipe, tortillas, walnuts

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