Category Archives: blackbird

ESC #45: Cabin Weekend Edition

My friends Tim & Gina graciously loaned me their cabin for a weekend again, and my friends Steph and Megan joined me for paddling, hiking, birdwatching, etc. We spotted some sandhill cranes, and I found some Alpine Waxy Cap mushrooms, which we didn’t eat because the squirrels had gotten to them first. No problem: IContinue reading “ESC #45: Cabin Weekend Edition”

Alternative Careers and A Day in the Life of Chef David Yoshimura at Nisei

“So, you ready to run away and join the circus?” David Yoshimura asked me as we stood side-by-side in chef’s whites in the kitchen of his Michelin-starred restaurant, Nisei, watching our hard work that day come to fruition as the first plates went out to dinner guests. I just chuckled because the answer to thatContinue reading “Alternative Careers and A Day in the Life of Chef David Yoshimura at Nisei”

Grits v. Polenta v. Cornmeal v. Atole v. Chaquewe v. Masa: What’s the Difference?

TL;DR: not a whole heckuva lot—it’s mostly about the fineness of the grind and whether the corn has been nixtamalized or not. But for the fine print, read on…. If you try to cook even a little bit outside the box, you’ve run into this issue before. You’ve found yourself staring at a recipe thatContinue reading “Grits v. Polenta v. Cornmeal v. Atole v. Chaquewe v. Masa: What’s the Difference?”

ESC #41 and #42: DessArt Night (ft. shibori dyeing)

My friend Gina asked me when I got interested in shibori, and I couldn’t remember, but I love the graphic simplicity of it and the rich color of the indigo. Indigo dyeing always intimidated me, though—until I found Yamato Indigo’s instant dye vats. It’s a mix of organic indigo with the agents you need toContinue reading “ESC #41 and #42: DessArt Night (ft. shibori dyeing)”

Operation Baguette (aka Projet Boule): Succès!

Wow, you guys. Mad props to the ancestors. Also, agriculture is clearly a team sport because I can tell you as an individual it is NOT worth it. You spend way more time and energy planting and processing grain than you get back in calories. You’d be better off spending all that time fishing andContinue reading “Operation Baguette (aka Projet Boule): Succès!”

ESC #39 and #40 plus bonus ESC: Beach Edition

Yep. Been passing this sign outside Sebastopol for years and finally couldn’t resist pulling over and taking a picture given its current, shall we say, mood. Plus Bill’s is a really great organic market I didn’t know about with a great little coffee shop. So, win/win. Playing catch-up here after a couple of busy workContinue reading “ESC #39 and #40 plus bonus ESC: Beach Edition”