Citrus fruits often hang heavy and unpicked on thousands of local trees. When they fall to the ground, the fruit is wasted. Saving that citrus, as well as figs, grapes and apples, is Senior Gleaners of San Diego County.
By Laura Woolfrey Macklem:
The start of Carlsbad’s strawberry season yields the biggest, sweetest strawberries I’ve ever had. I remember my then 4-year old scooting up to the strawberry stand and asking...
The start of Carlsbad’s strawberry season yields the biggest, sweetest strawberries I’ve ever had. I remember my then 4-year-old scooting up to the strawberry stand and asking “one basket please” and being gifted a giant, ruby red strawberry as an extra treat. Between our berry acquisition and the Flower Fields, that day was a little slice of heaven.
By Laura Woolfrey Macklem:
Starting this month, OsideNews introduces Preserved Home, a column devoted to homemade and home-preserved recipes.
I grew up in Escondido, and my best friend growing...
I remember driving from Escondido to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas as a teenager, passing produce stands overflowing with fresh blood oranges and other fruits and vegetables. Before I knew about preserving, I would stop along the road just buy a little here and there, and savor the produce fresh. I may not have preserved fruit back then, but what I have preserved are memories growing up surrounded by citrus and avocado groves, friendly produce vendors, and, most of all, a very best friend.
I love California’s abundance of citrus. I’ll never forget driving through the back roads of Temecula with the windows down as the fragrance of lemons filled the air. Growing up, my friend Veronica had several orange trees in her Escondido backyard, and it always seemed kind of magical to me.
My family doesn’t like store-bought salad dressing because it just tastes like oil with some flavoring. It drags the freshness of salad down, and there never seems to be enough flavor. I’m sure there...
