As a part of Out and About in Rockridge, Market Hall merchants will spill out onto College Avenue for their annual "Picnic in the Street." Enjoy food and wine tastings, cookbook signings, music, and dancing. Children's activities include cupcake decorating and pumpkin painting. There will also be a Cookbook Exchange—bring a used cookbook and exchange it for another (remaining books will go to the Rockridge Public Library).

What: Picnic in the Street

Where: North Oakland's Rockridge Market Hall, along College Avenue between Shafter and Ocean View , adjacent to the Rockridge BART Station
Map

When: Sunday, September 28th, 2008, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

How: Admission is free! Costs associated with some activities

Why: At the Chefs Stage several cookbook authors and chefs will demonstrate recipes, discuss and sign their books including:

Joey Altman:
Without Reservations, How to Make Bold, Creative Flavorful Food at Home

Janet Fletcher:
Fresh from the Farmers Market—10th Anniversary Edition

Alice Medrich:
Pure Dessert, true flavors, inspiring ingredients, and simple recipes

Steve Sando:
Heirloom Beans: Great Recipes for Dips and Spreads, Soups and Stews, Salads and Salsas, and Much More from Rancho Gordo

This recipe from the original edition of Janet Fletcher's Fresh from the Farmers' Market, Chronicle Books is perfect for Fall. Keep your eyes open for persimmons, coming into season this month and next.

Quick Persimmon "Ice Cream"

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 ripe hachiya persimmons, about 1 pound total, frozen hard
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk or half-and-half
Approximately 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Gingersnaps, optional

Preparation:
Quarter persimmons carefully with a heavy knife. Remove the stems and any seeds. Halve each quarter crosswise. Do not allow the persimmons to thaw even slightly.

Put the chunks in the food processor wit the sugar and process until the persimmon is broken up into small pieces. With the motor running, add the vanilla and the buttermilk or half-and-half though the feed tube. Puree until smooth, stopping the machine to scrape down the sides once or twice. Add lemon juice to taste and puree again. Spoon into balloon wineglasses or compote dishes and serve immediately, with gingersnaps, if desired.

With the temps being on the chillier side these days, I was about to get all Dylan on yo' ass and announce, "If you wanta have a picnic, that's up t' you. But don't tell me about it, I don't wanta hear it, 'Cause, see, I just lost all m' picnic spirit. Stay in m' kitchen, have m' own picnic!" However, starting tomorrow the Bay Area mercury is going to fever up to the 80s, so it's finally time to slap on the SPF 30, grab some grub and a stadium blanket, and leave the San Franciscan layers at home.

Now, whether you pack cold fried chicken or lentil salad, whether you opt for a market-worn canvas tote or a full-loaded picnic basket, or whether you go to the beach or spread out in Golden Gate Park, I'm here to tell you about five indispensable picnic tools I can't do without.

Opinel No. 9 carbon steel pocket knife: I used to bring my trusty, fifteen-year-old Swiss Army knife on picnics, but as much as I loved the cunningly stored plastic toothpick, my old backpacking tool just wasn't picnic practical. Gunk and crumbs got jammed in every crevice, and I never seemed to use any tool other than the corkscrew. Furthermore, both blades dulled quickly and I bent back way too many nails just trying to pull the bottle opener out!

Once my husband got this classic, French folding knife for Christmas, we realized it was just what we needed for any and all of our cheese slicing, sausage cutting, or radish slivering. The carbon steel blade takes eons to dull and the entire knife wonderfully lightweight. Over one hundred years old, these knives are as brilliant as they are beautiful. ($12.55) (I might have to take up foraging just to have an excuse to buy the super special mushroom knife. But that's another post.)

GSI Lexan® Wineglasses: Elegant, stackable, and lightweight, I simply adore these wineglasses. I stumbled upon them at REI and couldn't get over their brilliance. In fact, I might have to go back for the corresponding Champagne flutes. ($5.95 per glass)

Small Wooden Cutting Board: Lightweight and packable, mine measures 10x10, but Crate and Barrel has some even smaller than that. ($8.95)

L'Occitane Verbena Towelettes: Isn't progress a wonderful thing? I remember when the only choice we had for après picnic clean-up reminded me way too much of changing my little sister's diapers. Thank god L'Occitane stepped in with their version of wipes, which they call "towelettes," thus elevating the product even further. French and herbalicious, the towelettes clean, refresh, and aromatherapize you as you lie in the sun and digest your wine and cheese. You can also get lavender flavored ones and they even repel mosquitoes! ($8.00 for a pack of fifteen densely packed towelettes.)

Swiss Spice salt and pepper shaker: Sleek, refillable, and humid-proof, this combined salt and pepper shaker is as adorable as it is useful. It packs flat -- unlike my old Morton favorites, which are decidedly not moisture resistant -- and is just so darn adorable. ($16.00)

We each need a good food buddy or two. Mine is a petite Filipina who can eat anyone under the table. Cindy modestly claims it's all about the pacing, but those of us who've had the pleasure of dining with her know that it's really 1) her absolute love of anything sweet, sour, spicy or savory, and 2) a secret second stomach.

So, yesterday, when I found her picnic spot in Golden Gate Park, I wasn't surprised to see that more blankets were dedicated to the spread of food than to her widening circle of guests. It was like a sprawling landscape of culinary discoveries. Others are content with plastic containers of potato salad or some Italian sausages or maybe a hamburger patty or two. Not Cindy. She was already passing around plates of steak with chimichurri sauce, paper thin slices of headcheese, and expertly tied bacon bites.

The best things about a true food buddy is an openness to tasting anything and the gusto of enjoying everything. Whether it's her own cupcakes with chocolate ganache or Nutter Butters topped with June Taylor plum conserve, she relishes all food to the very last plate-scrape and finger-lick.

We ate nonstop for 5 hours.

Fig and Nectarine Bacon Bites

These are simple to make yet very, very good. Bring bacon bites for your next potluck picnic and see how many new friends you make.

1. Trim off the stem tips of fresh figs and slice nectarines into thick wedges. Cut each strip of bacon lengthwise into two thinner strips.

2. Wrap each piece of fruit carefully with a ribbon of fatty goodnes.

3. Sear the bacon bites at the edge of the grill, where it's not quite so hot, or wait until the coals are dying down at the end of the picnic.

Serve over baby arugula leaves as a salad or nibble as is, hot and glistening, for dessert. I think they would be lovely over vanilla or caramel ice cream.