June Taylor Fruit Syrups

Summer's peaches and tomatoes may be gone, but the farmers' markets in winter still offers myriad delights. These past few weekends, we've had crisp, nippy mornings and sunny skies giving a bright-blue backdrop to the crazy-colored squashes, brilliant orange persimmons and gold-stemmed chard. So far, the rains have held off but the temperature's finally gotten Bay Area-wintery, making a cup of hot chocolate a festively necessary hand-warmer for strolling from stand to stand.

And this season, while you're buying your pastured chicken and dry-farmed potatoes, spaghetti squash and sourdough bread, you can do your holiday shopping, too. At the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, there are lots of excellent and delicious treats on hand to provide a wonderful taste of our local terroir for friends and family near and far. And if you can't decide what your local pals would like best--lavender honey or cider syrup? quince cheese or goat cheese?--the market is offering its popular gift coins again. Each wooden "coin" is worth $1, and can be redeemed at any market stall. They're available in any amount, but you can get a cute, ready-to-go brown box filled with $25 worth of coins from the information booth. (A good trick to know if you run out of cash at the market: use a credit card to buy coins instead of waiting in the long ATM lines inside the Ferry Building.)

Is Dad finally upgrading to a new crock pot? Give him a little inspiration with Rancho Gordo's heirloom bean box ($50), a selection of five one-pound bags of organic dry beans (including, naturally, Christmas limas), plus a sturdy fabric totebag and a copy of Heirloom Beans: Great Recipes for Dips and Spreads, Soups and Stews, Salads and Salsas, and Much More from Rancho Gordo. The best stocking stuffer? Forget the Old Spice; grab a sheaf of Fatted Calf's awesome beef jerky instead. Fatted Calf also has a great selection of holiday gift boxes for the carnivores on your list; you can check out their selection on their website or at their retail shops in Hayes Valley and the Oxbow Public Market in Napa. If you want to pick up a gift box at the Ferry Plaza market instead, just give them a call at their Napa store (707-256-3684) to make arrangements.

Salty or sweet? Whichever way your pals' tastes swing, Eatwell Farm has a fragrant seasoning to match. They've expanded beyond their original (and still much-adored) rosemary and lavender salts; now, choose from smoked chili salt, thyme salt, dried heirloom tomato salt, and dried lemon salt ($6, or 5 for $25), all heavenly sprinkled over grilled lamb or steak. Got a sweet tooth? Add a few pinches of smoked chili sugar to fire up your hot chocolate, or make your Christmas cookies a little more grown-up with a sprinkle of citrusy-herbal lemon verbena sugar ($9).

Didn't get around to pickling this summer? Dirty Girl Produce has plenty of dilly beans ($8/jar) on hand, along with summer-bright tomatoes in quart jars. Put the two together, add some Square One organic vodka, and you've got a Bloody Mary brunch kit for your favorite morning-after buddy.

The Apple Farm has a stylish, all-American treat for those of us with Champagne taste but no bucks for French fizz: sparkling hard cider, made from biodynamically farmed apples, priced at just $8.50 a bottle. It's dry rather than soda-sweet, and makes a wonderful aperitif or festive toast.

In the more than a decade that I've been a fan of this wonderful organic apple orchard and kitchen up in the Anderson Valley, I've found any number of uses for their elegantly bottled apple-balsamic vinegar ($16), with its label hand-written in gold ink. To round out a holiday morning breakfast-in-bed basket, pick up a pint jar of rosy Pink Pearl applesauce ($14) and a jug of tart-sweet cider syrup ($16), perfect for pouring over gingerbread pancakes or eggnog French toast.

Jam maker June Taylor is back with her unsurpassed, brandy-soaked English Christmas cakes ($50), along with dense, sliceable, beautifully molded fruit "cheeses" ($18-$24) in quince, quince-rose geranium, Santa Rosa plum, and damson plum, perfect accompaniments to a cheese platter. Taylor also has a shimmering selection of all-natural fruit syrups ($10) great for all the SodaStream fanciers in your life. Boost their bubbles with flavors like raspberry, Summersweet peach-white sage, Dapple Dandy pluot-rosemary, or Meyer lemon-peppermint.

Conveniently for your party planning, the pretty goat, sheep, and cow cheeses of Andante Dairy are right at the next stall; don't miss the Pastoral, rolled in green herbs and topped with pink peppercorns. The only challenge? Getting all (or any) of these treats wrapped and given away before you make rather merry and find a home for them all right in your very own pantry.

Next week, Bay Area Bites heads north to find local food gifts from the Sebastopol and the Marin Civic Center farmers' markets.

"For Eva and I, life is just better with pickles!"

Saturday mornings at Marin Country Mart Farmers' Market recently got a little brighter with the addition of Emiliana Puyana and partner, Eva Lauderback of JARRED SF brine. JARRED SF brine is a new pickle business based out of the La Cocina kitchen in San Francisco. They specialize in seasonal pickles like pickled yellow wax beans, fennel, incredible shitaki mushrooms and beets (among many other rotating weekly choices). After working as a cook for years, eventually going to the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and moving to San Francisco in 2002, Emiliana started experimenting with pickling on her days off. The rest is history. Emiliana and Eva just began selling their pickles in Marin, but plans are already in place to branch out into other venues around the Bay Area and, someday, perhaps open a little artisan food shop. Chatting with both women, it's clear that a once weekend hobby can, with patience, persistence, and community support, become more of a viable business option. I asked them to tell us more about how they got started, what they're inspired by, and how the feel about the local Bay Area food scene. Here's what Emiliana had to say.

1. Tell me a little about your business, how and why you decided to start it.
For the last year or so of working in restaurants I began to get a little restless. I wanted a little more time for myself, time to spend with Eva, to plan our wedding, to have a "normal" work schedule and to get home at a reasonable hour. I started thinking of ways in which I might be able to make a living without having to be in a restaurant 12-13 hours a day. I was really thinking about starting a business that specialized in making organic pickles using local ingredients when they are in season and pickling every ingredient with its own unique flavor profile. But it was just an idea at the time. Then, came our wedding; we got married in our home and made a ton of different pickles: carrots, baby fennel, green beans, spring garlic, radishes, etc. and we used those as part of our center pieces. It was a massive hit. Everyone loved them (we had my brother design a label for us that was a sketch of our home). For days and weeks after the wedding people were coming up to us saying "You have to sell your pickles they are so good." That was the final push that I needed. Now with the help of La Cocina, Eva and my family we are finally out selling our products.

2. Why pickles?
Because they are delicious and you can use them or put them on everything. Fried pickles, pickled fennel salsa verde, tuna salad with pickled onions, Gibson martini with pickled ramps, Bloody Mary's with pickled yellow wax beans, fried green tomatoes made with sweet pickled green tomatoes, pizza with pickled jalapeños. And so on, and so on.

3. Do you think living in the Bay Area allows your business to flourish?
Without a doubt, living in the Bay Area helps us to flourish. It puts us at such close proximity to our products from the wine vinegars that we use for our brine to the different fruits and veggies that we pickle. We also love the customers here. They are well informed, they know food, they know what they want and they are adventurous with what they eat which is great for us because one of the things that we really want to do is to continue to experiment with what we pickle.

4. What have been the highlights of being a small business owner in the Bay Area thus far?
Being a small business in the Bay Area has proven to be pretty difficult for us so far. A few of the bright stops have been the local resources available to help small business start to operate. The Small Business Administration and La Cocina have been a tremendous help for us.

5. What inspires you, day to day?
I get inspiration from a number of different places: first and foremost from food. Every Wednesday I go pick up my CSA box, open it, and look at what is in it and I get inspired. Last week for instance, we got beautiful fresh Cayenne pepper in our CSA box and now we are working on developing "MARYS MATE" which will be pickle brine that we we'll sell for people to spice up their Bloody Mary's. It will have grated horseradish, fresh Cayenne pepper, and garlic. The idea is that you can put a splash of "MARYS MATE" in a glass, add a little vodka, top it off with your favorite tomato juice and voila BLOODY MARY'S!

Website: JARRED SF brine
Facebook: Jarred SF brine

For the past month, every meal I've had at home has included tomatoes in some form. I'm not exaggerating. This time of year brings out the greedy tomato monster in me, and I just gorge on them until they vanish from the stands of farmers' markets.

I'm not alone in my obsession, and I'm particularly fond of Early Girl tomatoes. This year I resolved to eat these red jewels as long as possible and decided to finally make the time to stockpile them in my pantry. Wintertime won't be as bleak knowing that I have a stash of tomatoes to brighten my dishes on occasion.

This past Saturday morning, I bought a crate of dry-farmed Early Girls from Dirty Girl Produce at the Ferry Building (be sure to ask for the ones for canning, they're cheaper!) and hauled 20 pounds home in my bicycle panniers. I set aside the rest of the afternoon for this enterprise because canning is an all-day affair, especially if you're planning on doing a large batch (and you should, since it's so time-consuming.)

I had already stocked up on Weck jars from Weckjars.com; I confess part of my impetus for canning tomatoes this season was that I have a deep affection for these beautiful German jars. You might have spotted them at Heath Ceramics or Crate and Barrel. (They're available on plenty of other online retailers as well, so search around if you can't find them locally.) They're pricier than Ball and Kerr jars, but the lids are reusable as long as you don't crack them. (Ball and Kerr jars lids are one-time use only.)

Weckjars.com was kind enough to provide me with a home-canning guide that was immensely useful and included recipes for a variety of jams, preserves and pickled food. Here's a run-down of the essentials:

1) You need a large pot that's deep enough to accomodate both a rack that you can rest in the bottom and the jars. The jars will rest on this rack and should be completely submerged in water when processing.

2) You'll also need a jar lifter to remove the jars from hot water with ease.

3) Be sure all of your jars are in pristine condition and have been thoroughly cleaned with hot, soapy water. If you see any mold (from being stored in a damp cellar, for instance), boil them for 10 minutes. Always use new rubber rings, and they should have no cracks or tears. Boil the rubber canning rings for 2-3 minutes and leave them in the hot water until you need them.

4) Prep your tomatoes. Chop them up and can them raw, or blanch them to remove the skins, make a sauce, roast them...the possibilities are endless. I like the skins and don't mind seeds, so I just sliced mine up, then roasted them in the oven with olive oil and salt.

5) Fill your jars up almost to the top (I left approximately 1/8" of room, Weck recommends 1/2" but I thought that was too much); you want to be sure that the lids don't squeeze any liquid out when you press them down. Wipe down the rims, then add the lids with the rubber canning rings. Be sure the rings are evenly seated around the lid and don't poke up anywhere. This is very important as it will insure a tight seal later on. Weck jars use rust-proof metal clamps to secure the lids during processing. Clamp two of them on top on opposite ends of the lid. Be sure to completely press down so that they click firmly in place.

6) If you're packing raw tomatoes, you must submerge the jars in room temperature water and bring it to boil. Once the water's boiling (212 °F), you must process them for 90 minutes. For cooked tomatoes, bring the water to a boil and then gently submerge the jars for 50 minutes. You may notice that the volume of your tomatoes has decreased slightly due to the processing stage, as steam and occasionally liquid may leave the jar (but won't enter in.)

7) Don't stack jars on top of each other; be sure to use another rack if you add a second level of jars. It's ok for the jars to touch one another and the walls of the pot itself. However, don't pack them in too tightly. Leave some room so you can remove them easily.

8) Remove the jars with the lifter and let them cool completely. Then remove the clamps and test the lids. Here's the moment of truth: they should be firmly in place, and the tab of the rubber canning ring should be pointing downward. If the lids have any give, refrigerate this batch and start over. Store your jars in a cool, dry place away from sunlight and periodically test the lids of your jars over the next few days to ensure they've successfully sealed. If you notice that the tabs are level, check the seal -- it may be loose. I'd avoid consuming any tomatoes if you feel the seal has been compromised. You don't want to get sick and not be able to eat the good ones over the next few months.

9) When you're ready to eat your tomatoes, pull on the rubber tab to break the seal. You'll hear a satisfying pop and you can feast away.

If you're feeling a bit on the lazier side, you can always freeze your tomatoes, too.

Good luck and happy hoarding!

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Maggie Foard has a table next to me at the Marin Country Mart Farmers Market. She's a fairly new vendor there, but we're such a tight-knit vending community that when there's some down time in the morning hours, there's chatting and catching up and networking... and lots of coffee. Perhaps most importantly, there's time to try each others' treats. So after sampling Maggie's decadent goat's milk fudge, I knew I wanted to learn more about her process, the evolution of her company, and where she sees herself in the next few years.

First it must be said that there's a bit of a stigma surrounding the word "fudge." For so many, it conjures images of an overly-sweet, gooey confection. Often you really can't even taste the cocoa or chocolate, and it ends up seeming overly processed and fake. But Maggie's fudge is the exact opposite. The flavor profiles are complex, the cocoa distinct -- this is a very special product. I fell in love with the Dark Chocolate Almond Fudge right away. It's fantastic to slice off slowly with tea in the afternoon or to sneak into the kitchen late at night for small slices to accompany fruit or sliced peaches. Maggie's goats butter shortbread cookies are also noteworthy: they're a little more subtle in flavor than cow's butter shortbread which tend to be decadent with a rich butter flavor. These have the same texture and crumb, but are lighter and quite lovely, especially when dipped in Maggie's goat milk caramel sauce. The product certainly speaks for itself, but Maggie's passion and drive certainly help, too. A product and a face to get to know if you're not yet familiar.

1. Tell me a little about your business and how/why you decided to start it.
I had an epiphany with goat cheese a few years ago. After avoiding dairy products in general for many years, I discovered that I could eat goat cheese and goat milk products instead of cow's milk and I felt better. That sent me whirling into a whole new food group and the next thing I knew I was under contract to write my cookbook, Goat Cheese. This brought me into the local wonderful world of cheese and milk. The fudge came about in a flurry of desserts -- making up for all those years of avoiding sweets because they all had cow's milk in them! I began making goat's milk fudge for my local goat dairy a couple of years ago and it was so popular that I decided to take the fudge to the big city! That is how Kidding Around with Chocolate was born, just last September. Cheese Plus on Polk Street and Rainbow Grocery were my first two customers.

2. Do you think living in the Bay Area allows your business to flourish? If so, how so?
I am a native of San Francisco so I can't really imagine living too far from the city for very long. I do live in the coastal mountains an hour south of the city where I keep a few goats and chickens of my own. So I am not a city dweller any more but still crave the hustle and bustle of the city. It's in my blood. The entire Bay Area is such a "melting pot" and people are so open to trying new things. The newer the better, in fact, kind of like little food thrills. It's a foodie mecca.

3. What have been the highlights of being a small business owner in the Bay Area thus far?
Getting to meet other small food producers and gaining an appreciation for just how much work goes into really good products. It's mind blowing when you find out how much time it takes to produce real food. How much milk it takes to make that pound of goat cheese and how much work it took to get to produce that gallon of milk that went into it. Thankfully somebody is producing the goat milk that I use to make the fudge and caramel. I can't imagine having to run a dairy farm AND produce food from it. Cheese makers have a hard life. They are an interesting bunch.

4. What challenges are you facing right now in terms of growth or vision?
Moving product around is the hardest part. I have driven 5 hours round trip in the pouring rain to get a pan of fudge to a new grocery store customer. You lose money by the time you pay for the gasoline, but you need every new customer you can get. I am hoping to get picked up by a local distributor that serves the specialty food and cheese shop world so that I can focus on making the product and on new product development. Right now, there just aren't enough hours in the day.

5. What inspires you, day to day?
Nothing puts the smile on my face more than when somebody tastes the fudge for the first time. They say things like "Oh my God, that's the best thing I have ever tasted." And the kids love it, too. Their eyes go wide. They drag their parents to my booth at the farmers market. This really keeps you going.

6. What are your goals for the future of the company?
I can see myself producing a whole line of goat milk confections & sweets as there are so many people like me that truly love goat dairy products. You can see this now in just about any grocery store. Whole Foods in Mill Valley, for instance, has 4 different brands of goat milk side by side. Several brands of goat milk yogurt, goat milk kefir and even goat butter. And the front and center stars of the cheese dept -- the local goat cheeses. In the last few years, goat cheese has gone from being an obscure little known gourmet only food that used to be only imported from France to a local everyday staple in many households. California goat cheeses are world class. People really want a variety of foods made with goat dairy and that includes desserts made with goat milk!

Rebecca Rouas of SF Pops has a contagious enthusiasm for her business, her product, and just for people in general. It's obvious she's a former educator; kids practically flock to her farmers market booth and it's not just for the popsicles themselves: her warm smile and encouragement to try new, potentially unfamiliar flavors (chocolate avocado!) elicit excitement from customers and vendors alike. On an average afternoon, you'll see Rebecca's chalkboard sign advertising flavors including Strawberry Chocolate, Vanilla Orange, Strawberry Lemonade, Mandarin Beet, and Blood Orange Mint. New additions appear when inspiration hits or when new seasonal fruits hit the stands.

On an early Saturday morning full of little sleep and lots of schlepping, Rebecca and husband Sean's warm smile and positive energy are always a welcome sight. And some of this absolutely must be one of the reasons their business has taken off so quickly, so I set out to learn more about the origin of the company, why Rebecca and Sean hang in there even on rainy days at the market, and how she envisions the business growing.

1. Tell me a little about your business and how/why you decided to start it.
SF POPS makes seasonal fruit ice pops made from locally-sourced produce. Our goal is to provide a sustainable, tasty treat for kids and adults alike. I really enjoy experimenting with innovative flavor combinations like plum honey cardamom, but it is also a pleasure to make the kid pleasers like strawberry lemonade. The idea for SF POPS stems from a recent trip to Oahu where I had an Ono Pop-- a locally sourced fruit pop. I had the Passion-Orange-Guave (POG), and it was incredible. I realized that the abundance of awesome local produce in California would allow me to do something similar in the Bay Area.

2. Do you think living in the Bay Area allows your business to flourish? If so, how so?
Absolutely. Bay Area folks appreciate a healthy, local, sustainable product. Also, the love of food in the Bay Area results in a lot of interest in my product. Finally, and most important to me, I am able to get all of my produce from within a 200 mile radius of the North Bay.

3. What have been the highlights of being a small business owner in the Bay Area thus far?
The social aspect. For me, I am able to interact with people when I work, which beats sitting at a computer any day. I have also become educated about local produce, seasonal availability and varieties, and I also use my business as an opportunity to educate my customers about the same. Finally, I enjoy watching people eat a Meyer Lemon Honey Mint pop so I can watch them pucker at first lick.

4. What challenges are you facing right now in terms of growth or vision?
My biggest challenge right now is getting SF POPS from the stall to the grocery store freezer. Although the farmers markets are a wonderful sales outlet, the ice pop season is limited and will be wrapping up at the end of September. Ideally, SF POPS will still be available for purchase without me having to sit out in soggy, cold weather.

5. What inspires you, day to day?
Motivated people. When I meet or hear about people who have their acts together I am inspired. It has been exhausting starting a small business, and I often felt like calling it off and taking a seat back on the couch.

6. What are your goals for the future of SF Pops?
Keep on selling pops, push to get pops at birthday parties, get pops into small grocery stores, and come back next season with even more incredible ice pops!

Find SF Pops at the following Farmers Markets: Fairfax Market Wednesdays 4-8 p.m., Civic Center San Rafael Market Thursdays 8-1, p.m., Marin Country Mart Saturdays 9-2.

Follow SF pops on twitter for new flavors and locations
Like SF Pops on Facebook to stay in the loop

Molly de Vries has a very special Bay Area company, Ambatalia. The name is actually born from a Trinidad song about empowering women and nurturing the earth and Molly couldn't be a better living and breathing representation of the namesake of her company or her mission for the work she does. I first met Molly at the Marin Country Mart Farmers Market. She has a booth right next to my Marge booth and we spend many a Saturday chit-chatting and catching up with each others' lives. But the first time I really began to understand what Molly was aiming to do with Ambatalia was the day she turned down a slice of pie I offered her because it was in a clamshell container. Oh no, I assured her, it's corn-based -- not plastic. That helped. But Molly routinely and deliberately eschews any containers or packaging for a simpler way of carrying and transporting goods -- whether that be a cinnamon roll in the morning or how she brings her goods to the farmers market each morning. She's the real deal. I decided to take some time away from the market to talk to Molly about how she began and what her intentions are for her burgeoning business. I couldn't have been more inspired.

Tell me a little about your business and how/why you decided to start it.
I had closed my downtown Mill Valley fabric shop in 2004 and Tyler Florence approached me to do a kitchen line for his store. I had always created goods in and around the kitchen and the act of shopping but this really pushed me to focus on my passion for useful, sustainable textiles. After being a hairdresser for twenty years, I wanted to do something meaningful and after a year of focusing on what that would look like, when I turned forty, I started to put together clues from my life and Ambatalia was born.

I wanted to do handmade goods with integrity and beauty have a real sense of honor in my work -- the opposite of all the mass-produced plastic stuff floating around. When I walked into Joanne fabrics or other large chains, I'd just see yards and yards of plastic fleece but no wool. This seemed crazy to me. So my goal really became buying fabrics with the most integrity. the closest in distance, and as sustainable as possible.

Your business is decidedly centered around food: the serving of it, the presentation of it, the transportation of it. How did you come around to food?
Well, food and textiles have so much in common, at least in my mind. There's an obvious link in the way in which we honor our food with beautiful cloth on our table and in our kitchen, but more importantly, the people making the cloth have a direct impact on us as individuals and families. The people that are making our clothes across the globe have faces and families. So often these days, we don't take a moment to think about them, we just want a good price. And I walk down the aisles of stores and restaurants and see all of the plastic packaging, especially in the food industry, and puzzle over how so many people don't think about where all of that plastic ends up. So now, as a society, we're finally starting to understand the benefits of buying local, organic food and the importance of knowing our farmers. I believe that it's just as important to buy our textiles in the same way.

Do you think living in the Bay Area allows your business to flourish? If so, how so?
I think so and largely because we’re so cosmopolitan and the whole local food movement is thriving here. People are more receptive to paying a little more to benefit the environment or local producers and artisans. The question always remains though: how do I produce as much as I can using materials that originate as close to home as possible? So it costs more. It does. But there's a trade-off.

What have been the highlights of being a small business owner in the Bay Area thus far?
Well, the highlights are really that I grew up here; I’m native. I’ve always been a small business owner, attracting a community that I love so there has really never been anything else for me. The area itself is a source of creativity and I get the chance to be supported in doing what I love. I love bringing lightness and awareness to something I think is really important. I truly believe in doing the right thing even before making the money. I feel small business can create change where it counts.

What challenges are you facing right now in terms of growth or vision?
My vision is very clear. Honestly, the biggest challenge is about doing everything myself and figuring out a way to grow and balance within that. It's just about learning and asking for help. And right now one of my bigger challenges is the marketing side of the business-- there's only so many hours in the day!

What inspires you, day to day?
Nature, the colors of nature around me. My kids. Also, really humble and simple objects whether it be a tool or just a simple object.
I get really inspired by watching older people and how they do things. There’s something that we’re lacking in our society today. Something that unites us in a deep way...slowing down and creating something, making something useful. That’s inspiring.

What are your goals for the future of Ambatalia?
Immediate goals would be expansion in scope. Right now I do housewares including aprons, furoshiki dish towels, table coverings, and shopping textiles as an alternative to plastic, paper and packaging. I'm looking to broaden my horizons and do linen bath towels, mats, shower curtains. I'm really excited about being a part of our own fibershed project even though it's an ancient way of producing, it is a totally new concept these days. In short, it's where goods are grown and sewn close to home. I will be incorporating plant dying into my products done by Rebecca Burgess and locally produced fiber which would include organic cotton grown here in California by Sally Fox and possibly incorporate some local wool because it is in such abundance here in Marin. In the near future I plan to do a whole collection around the principles of the project. Getting the fibershed stamp of approval would mean the highest level of sustainability to me. That'll really finally bring it completely full-circle.

As a certified green business since 2005, I have sewn all of my products myself and I've just begun training men and woman to sew my products rather then going to a factory in the city. I also want to find weavers here where there is a rich community of weavers. I really believe in connection and relationships. Giving power and support rather than getting what you need or want for the very cheapest price.

California grass is here! Fat or slender, steamed or roasted, even deep-fried: it's just a week until the official beginning of spring, and that means, after a long winter of kale, kale, collards, and kale, beautiful asparagus--called 'grass' in the produce biz--is reappearing this month, right alongside the daffodils, tulips, and magnolia blossoms brightening every front yard.

Asparagus, you might be surprised to find out, used to be considered a member of the lily family (Liliaceae), which also included onions, garlic, leeks and the rest of the edible and ornamental alliums. But the botanical powers that be have since split that family, making a separate Asparagaceae genus of some 300 mostly ornamental species. However, unless you have a botany geek among your midst, it's still fun to amaze your friends with your mastery of obscure plant facts by mentioning the asparagus-lily connection, should conversation around the buffet need a goose.

What's really interesting, however, is how asparagus grows. It's a perennial plant, for starters, growing from a tangled, ring-like "crown" planted some six to eight inches below the surface of the soil. Once an asparagus patch is well established (it generally takes about 3 years to become fully productive), it can last for decades. The asparagus spears work like bulbs--in the same way that tulips and daffodils push up their stems and leaves from their storehouse underground, so an asparagus patch can be bare dirt one day and a forest of insouciant little tips the next. The spears come up in leaps and bounds, an inch one morning and practically full-size the next.

Some commercial asparagus growers have to harvest their fields several times a day to keep a consistent size and shape. The spears come up without distraction--no leaves, no flowers, no frills. Once they're long enough to harvest, out come the knives, cutting them off just below soil level. Like peas, asparagus are most tender and succulent straight out of the garden, which makes them worth seeking out straight from the farmer rather than at the supermarket.

The stalks should be turgid and smooth, not flaccid, pithy, or ridged. The tiny leaves should still be tight against the stalk, and the tips should be firm, the leaf tips closed with no sign of rot or sliminess at the top. The best way to judge freshness is to look at the base: really fresh asparagus will look moist, almost translucent. A day later, it's chalky; after that, it's solid white, with woodiness moving up the stalk.

You can feel where the tenderness of an asparagus stalk starts, just by bending it gently about three-quarters of the way down the stalk. Hold it with the tip pointing to your right, and you'll feel it: tender over to the right, woody to the left. Snap it right where the stiffness gives, keeping in mind that the fresher it is, the less you'll have to take off.

Cooking asparagus is a lot like cooking corn: you're not so much cooking it as just heating it through, nudging it gently over the line from raw to tender. Asparagus moves very quickly from green and tender to khaki and mush, and once gone, there's no bringing it back. You can steam-simmer it in a wide, flat saute pan, spreading it out in a bare half-inch of boiling salted water, moving it around with tongs to keep it cooking evenly, whisking it out into an ice bath the moment it starts to give.

Or you can flash-roast it, my favorite method. Preheat your oven to 450F. Lay your asparagus out on a baking sheet, drizzling olive oil over the tips, rolling the rest of the spears around in whatever's left. Go lightly: you don't want the stalks to dry up like paper in oven's blast of heat, but neither do you want them dripping and soggy with oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and grind on some coarse black pepper. Pop in the oven for 5-7 minutes, depending on your oven. They should be supple with perhaps a little ambered charring here and there. Again, don't overdo it, otherwise the lovely succulent tips will end up shriveled and chewy-brown.

To serve them as is, add a generous squeeze of lemon juice and perhaps a little flurry of finely grated lemon rind. (Meyer lemons are very nice, should you have a backyard tree.) Tangerine or even blood-orange juice can make for an interesting change. I find that roasted asparagus tastes best still warm; if you're planning to cook ahead, I'd stick with steaming, and don't put anything acid (citrus juice, vinegar) onto it until just before serving, as the acid will turn your grass from bright green to a muddy pea-soup shade very quickly.

Hollandaise sauce, in my opinion, is the most perfect accompaniment to asparagus, a suitably rich gilding for the season's first crop. But with its tricky-to-make reputation and Mad-Men ingredient list (butter, butter, egg yolks, lemon juice, butter), it's pretty much fallen out of favor among home cooks, reserved only for eggs Benedict at birthday brunches. Instead, here's a lovely spring salad to green up your table, just in time for St. Patrick's Day this week.

There's a lot about this post that feels a little self-indulgent largely because I'm writing it and it's all about my new baking business, Marge. I've been waiting for the right time to announce it here on Bay Area Bites, and now seems as good a time as any. Although really this post is more about launching a small business without a storefront in the confusing (and expensive!) world of health permits, legal documents, licenses and occasional slammed doors. So without further ado, meet Marge.

The idea for Marge began last spring. I decided I'd open a bakery. I've always loved baking, had signed up to study at San Francisco Baking Institute and mentor at Comforts in Marin. I was already baking for private clients at the time and knew that what I really wanted out of a career was to work for myself. It wasn't important to me to have enough expendable income to fly to Hawaii every Christmas, but being able to support myself selling pie sounded pretty darn good. So begins the fun part. Real estate! Vintage wallpaper! Pretty display cases with distressed wood! And that lasted all of three weeks. Three glorious weeks, but three weeks nonetheless. And then reality hit. Those of you who have built-out a kitchen from scratch (or know someone who has) know how expensive it is. And for those of you who have ever looked for a charming, affordable retail space with a lovely pre-existing kitchen all ready and waiting for you-- you know they're a rare (read: almost never) find. So I regrouped.

I decided I needed a business license. It seemed like a good logical step and you basically just fill out a form, write a check, and 'Bam' you've got yourself a business. Perfect. Or so I thought.

My visit to City Hall went something like this:

Clerk: Ma'am we're confused about the category of your business.
Me: It's a baking business. We'll have a storefront someday, but right now we're going to do pop-ups, deliveries, catering--you know, keep it casual.
Clerk: Ma'am, there's really no category for "casual."
Me: Look, I don't know. Call it whatever you want.
Clerk: Ma'am you need to choose a category.
Me (flustered, confused, wishing I could coerce him with pie): I understand. I just need a business license in order to get a health permit in order to get my commercial kitchen in order to get my business bank account. Can you just help me out a little here?
Clerk: Well we need a physical address.
Me: O.k....
Clerk: Why don't you put down the location where your accountant and bookkeeper do the books.

I stood there smiling and thinking to myself, "If you only knew that you're staring right at the accountant and bookkeeper, the owner and the baker."

And so began all the legal/totally unfun stuff. It's all very cart before the horse: you need one document before you can get another but the timing doesn't work and none of the agencies talk to each other and you lose a little sleep. And some nights, a lot of sleep. This was nothing like picking out vintage wallpaper. Instead, it involved health inspections and a lot of bureaucracy. Even for a small business like Marge, inspectors often come to check out your kitchen, where you store your ingredients, and your processes for packaging. It's daunting when you're not quite sure what all your processes are yet. And it all seemed a little odd because I still wasn't quite sure how I was defining the business. I now had all of these forms in place but nowhere to actually sell my product.

Then I decided that I may not have a storefront, but people have got to try what I'm baking at Marge or the word will never get out. I brought around samples to businesses, farmer's markets, and folks in my neighborhood. I got a business cell phone. When it rang two days later, I literally dropped it in the sink and missed the call. Orders started coming in around the holidays despite my temporary website. I did the SF Underground Farmer's Market in December -- our first public event-- and it was awesome. The pop-tarts and apple pies sold out, lots of friends came out to support Marge, and I met some great food folks starting their business in a similar fashion. And then I got a call from the new Marin Country Mart farmer's market (a quick ferry ride from the city, by the way) that they'd love to have Marge as a permanent staple on Saturday mornings. I can't tell you how thrilled I am: my weekends are now one big ol' bake sale and I can't imagine anything better.

So my strategy for now: get out there in other farmer's markets throughout the spring and summer and do local events that I'm excited about. Start getting Marge products out in local coffee shops and cafes and spreading the word about old-fashioned pies and nostalgic desserts. Make new friends. Meet new people. Forget all about vintage wallpaper (for now). And see where that takes us. Who knows? Maybe I'll be back here in the fall chatting all about our cute storefront. But for now, it's all good.

To get the latest on Marge, sign up for the newsletter and check out the website for the seasonal menu, contact information, and the full scoop on Marge. You can follow Marge on twitter @MargeBakery and on Facebook to learn about new events and markets we're doing. Come and visit us at the Marin Country Mart Farmer's Market, and of course, we deliver and cater as well. Pie is good. Having someone make it for you is even better.

I have a love/hate relationship with eating in Kauai, Maui and Hawaii (the Big Island). I'm leaving Oahu and the smaller islands out of this culinary conundrum as I hear Oahu has a pretty great food scene and I've never been to Molokai, Lanai or the other smaller isles (although I'd love to go). As a mom, I'm always disappointed with the quality of food in family restaurants on the islands. They're full of fried foods and overpriced entrées. I am always left wondering why, in a state full of farms and surrounded by fresh fish, are most of the restaurants so lacking. And then I remember, Hawaiian restaurants are for tourists.

First let's talk about the love: I ADORE all the fresh and ripe tropical fruits that are so hard to come by on the mainland. Pineapple sweetened in the field is a completely different fruit than what you find in your local grocery here. And the papayas! Sweet and fragrant, ripened on the tree as they should be, they are the ultimate tropical treat as far as I'm concerned. Oh wait! I forgot about the apple bananas, which are tied with the papayas on my love list. If you've never had one, they’re worth a trip to Hawaii all by themselves. I am also always impressed with how much better the fish tastes in Hawaii. Restaurants and fish markets on the mainland may officially tell you that their catch of the day was just flown in and is fantastically fresh, but when compared to the local fish you find in Hawaii -- fish that really was caught that day -- you can see, smell and taste the difference. The only problem is going someplace that knows how to prepare that fish. Which leads me to my hate list…

I DETEST the abundance of mediocre restaurants serving overpriced and poorly cooked food. As Hawaii's main industry is tourism, most restaurants seem to cater to a clientele that will come only once or twice, so they focus on island ambiance and big Mai Tai's instead of quality food. As a mom, these places have no appeal, even if they have great views. First of all, the prices are outrageous. $30 for an overcooked fish entrée slathered in butter is bad enough when you’re paying for just you and maybe your partner, but throw in a couple of children and you start eyeing the kids menu, which is usually just the standard fare of chicken fingers, burgers and pasta with butter. Now normally I try to avoid kid menus, but the idea of paying $60 for my kids to pick at their meal brings out the devil on my shoulder -- there he sits, smugly convincing me that French fries served with mac and cheese is a perfectly acceptable and nutritious meal for my growing girls. After all, they can get their vitamins from the pineapple slice in their POG (passion fruit, orange juice, and guava juice cocktail), right? Of course there are a few high-quality restaurants serving fresh seasonal foods, but these are far and few between and a dinner for four can often reach $300.

So last week, when my family and I were in Kauai, I tried to seek out some food love on the Garden Island, Yelping, Chowhounding and asking around to find some alternate food opportunities that would allow me to feed my kids (and myself) a variety of local and fresh food that didn't break the bank. Following is a list of my top picks. After finding an abundance of $39-an-entrée establishments that served food similar to what you'd get at Fisherman’s Wharf, I am hoping to steer you to some better locations for your own island getaway. Unfortunately, those expensive restaurants with overcooked fish covered in macadamia-nut butter often have the best views, so you may find yourself in one or two of them anyway. I admit we spent an evening in a restaurant that was overpriced and barely passable, but only because my daughters wanted to spend their birthday eating Japanese food and the only other sushi restaurant was in a strip mall 20 minutes away. Plus this place made virgin Mai Tais with umbrellas, which really made my daughters smile from ear to ear.

The following list highlights restaurants, markets and one farm that are focused on serving the best fresh local food the Island of Kauai has to offer. If you know of a place not listed, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section.

Koloa Fish Market
5482 Koloa Road, Koloa, HI

The Koloa Fish Market is everything a fresh fish place should be. With a case full of Ahi, Ono and Mahi Mahi, this is an old school market that only sells locally caught fish. I also love that you can purchase their products a few ways.

Raw: When you buy raw fish to cook at home, you will be asked how thick you want the slices, how many people are eating, and how you plan to cook your fish. The fish mongers (is that still a current-day term?) will cut your fish the way you want it. Be sure to get some sides of teriyaki and wasabi cream sauces to go with your fish as they are fantastic.

Poke: There are a variety of pokes available in the refrigerated case (poke is a Hawaiian dish of cubed raw fish, usually Ahi, that has been flavored with various herbs or spices). I tried the Ahi with Sweet Maui Onion, Korean Poke, and Tako Poke (made with octopus). All were great, but the Korean Poke was my favorite as it was slightly spicy yet still mild and perfectly suited for that fresh tuna taste.

Cooked: Each day the market features a couple of cooked fish plates that you can top with their teriyaki, wasabi cream or butter and garlic sauces. You can't go wrong with any of these. The plates are served with cooked rice, macaroni salad (which is pretty good) and a random lettuce salad. And if fish isn't your thing, you can get pork or beef dishes as well.

When you go to the Koloa Fish Market, be sure to avoid the lunch hour if possible as the store is full of hungry locals and the employees try to rush everyone through quickly. They can also get a little testy if you take too long to decide what to order. Also, be sure to grab a bag of cooked edamame and a container of seaweed salad to go with your meal. Both are fresh and cheap.

Hanalei Coffee Roasters / Java Kai
55183-c Kuhio hwy, Hanalei, HI‎

After my various coffee adventures this summer, I was excited to stumble upon a local roaster in Hanalei. The Hanalei Roasting Company does small-batch roasts of locally-grown Kauai coffee (yes, the beans are grown right on the island) and also Kona coffee. Mild and slightly sweet with a rich coffee taste, their beans were really amazing. They also make a variety of lattes and cappuccinos from their home-roasted espresso and have a wide array of teas as well.

The restaurant is also run under the name Java Kai, which is a small breakfast and coffee chain, so if you're in Hanalei, look for the Java Kai sign. This seems to be the go-to breakfast spot for the North shore of Kauai. I can vouch for their banana macadamia nut waffles, which were nutty and fluffy, while their smoothies -- made with apple bananas, fresh papayas, and a hint of ginger -- are sublime. My kids loved the freshly baked bagels and muffins, and the patio was a beautiful and relaxing spot to spend a morning before we hit the beach.

Kauai Coffee
1 Numila Rd, Kalaheo, HI

I am very sad to say I didn't actually go to the island's coffee plantation, but I did try (sort of). My kids and husband weren't all that interested in going -- "Mom, that's boooooorrrrriiiing" was the response I got when I suggested we head over to see it. I also have to admit that once I was sitting in my beach chair, it was almost impossible to get me out of it, especially as I already had locally-grown and roasted coffee sitting in my cupboard from Hanalei Coffee Roasters. That said, I am sorry I missed seeing how coffee is grown and have vowed to get my arse off the beach and to the coffee farm next time I'm there. Also, if you are interested in buying Hawaiian coffee, there's no need to make sure it's fair trade as coffee farms in Hawaii adhere to all US labor laws (it is the United States, after all) and many are unionized, so you can rest assured you're drinking coffee where everyone is getting paid at least minimum wage.

Postcards Café
5-5075 Kuhio Hwy # A, Hanalei, HI‎

Postcards is a very cute organic restaurant in Hanalei. I ate there during our last visit to Kauai, but as we were staying on the south shore this time (and they're located at the north), I wasn't in the area for dinner this visit. When I was there previously, however, their menu was full of locally-raised vegetables and fruits, locally caught fish and Kauai-raised meats. I asked a few locals about it and they all said it was still great. This is also a wonderful place to eat if you are vegetarian or vegan.

Savage Shrimp
Truck on corner of Lawai Road and Poipu Road
Koloa, HI 96756

Sitting on the side of a lonely little road in Poipu Beach is Savage Shrimp. Susan -- the owner, chef and server of this food truck -- offers shrimp three ways. You can go with the Garlic Scampi, the Bahia Scampi (which uses a Brazilian coconut and tomato sauce sauce), or the GrassHoppa Scampi (a spicy concoction). We tried he first two and devoured each and every shrimpy morsel on our very full plates within five minutes flat. Maybe I was really hungry, but at the time I was thinking this may be the best shrimp I've ever had. Served with rice and a salad, the dishes of fresh local shrimp are filling and more than worth the $12.50 price tag.

Monster Tacos
Koloa Rd
Koloa, HI 96756

This food truck is widely admired by many, so I wanted to mention it here. I need to come clean and tell you, however, that I didn't actually get to eat a taco here. When we stopped by for lunch, the very nice lady who cooks for Monster tacos informed us that she only serves her fish with Cajun blackened spices. Although I'm not a big blackened fish fan (and neither are my kids), I wanted to give the tacos a try. I figured I'd quickly order one little taco and then go someplace else to get something for my hungry kids, but after being told it would take 15 - 20 minutes for my one taco, even though only one guy was sitting on a bench ahead of us, we left. That said, people rave about this place, so if you like blackened fish tacos and are on the south shore of Kauai, this is your place.

Sunshine Farmers' Markets
Located in a different town Monday - Saturday of each week

The state of Hawaii runs a series of local farmers' markets on Kauai Monday through Saturday. These are a bit of a scene as they're run almost like tourist attractions where some guy with a bullhorn opens the market at noon to a crowd of people and then let's everyone loose. But don’t be turned off by the management as the fruit and vegetables awaiting you are worth the septuagenarians elbowing each other out at the gate. Full of fresh local fare, you can find exotic fruits that just aren’t available anywhere else at these markets. We purchased some star fruit and dragon fruit, along with fresh and ripe guavas, wing beans, the cherished apple bananas and papayas, along with regular cucumbers, lettuce, spinach and bok choy. As we were staying in a condo, it was fun to bring home our bags and explore the variety of produce available from local Hawaiian farmers.

Lappert's
Various locations throughout Hawaii

What visit to Hawaii would be complete without an enormous scoop of ice cream, and what better place to get it than Lapperts? With frozen yogurt, gelato, sorbet, and ice cream on hand, you can pretty much get whatever frozen treat you’d like -- oh, and they serve coffee too. My favorite flavor was the caramel macadamia nut, although my husband had a few servings of the triple summer berry, which was also mighty nice. Whichever flavor you choose, this is a great way to cool off in that tropical sun.