I picked up a $12,000 check from Patagonia yesterday morning to support the Pesticide-Free School Project.
I’m honored the employees from the Ventura flagship store chose to stand behind this project designed to build soil, save water, sequester carbon, and improve the health of kids one playground at a time.
I was joined by local students Joel and Sarahí, The Encampment Youth. They both participated in the first Compost tea party held at Rio Lindo Elementary School in El Rio, California.
Compost Tea Party at Rio Lindo Elementary School, El Rio, California
Together we will organize the next compost-tea party in the Oxnard, California area in October.
We designed the Pesticide Free School Project to be implemented anywhere by anyone. Check back here for a link for a How to Host a Compost Tea Party next month.
Join Chef Heather, from Farm & Flame catering/food truck and me, Florencia Ramirez, at the Farm and Flame commercial kitchen to bake and break bread together this Thursday, January 18 from 6:00-8:00 in Westlake Village, CA. Upcoming class on Wednesday, January 31 in Downtown Oxnard’s Fresh & Fabulous.
On Wednesday, Heather and I met at the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market. Our task, to purchase flour for the class from Kandarian Farms. Larry Kandarian, a dry organic farmer from San Luis Obispo, left his home at 2:00 in the morning to make it in time for the market. The closure of the 101 did not keep him away from his favorite farmers’ market.
From right to left: Dry farmer Larry Kandarian @kandarianorganicfarms, Jolie, Kathy Turk @makenbreadngreens, Cookbook Author, Hilary Boyton @livyumyum, Chef Heather Worrell @farmandflame, Author Florencia Ramirez @eatlesswater. Photo credit: Charles Barth @slowfoodventuracounty
Heather met me at 12:30 P.M, the time the fresh bread made by Larry’s great friend, Guy appears on the cutting board tucked away in the back of the white tent. Guy, with a following of over 13K of his bread pictures on Instagram @CEORbread, doesn’t sell his bread. Instead, he shares it with friends.
Guy’s bread made with Larry’s grain is a supple work of art. Purrs of happiness escaped our mouths with each bite. Good bread speaks to all the senses.
Bread doesn’t need to be braided or scored with intricate designs to taste extraordinary. It begins with the ingredients. Guy agrees. He pointed to Larry’s flour each time someone complimented his bread.
Knead with us. We will feature Larry’s ancient grain flour and speak about why the choice of ingredients matter, like grain, to water systems in California and beyond. Your reward will be bread that makes you purr made with your hands in your kitchen oven again and again.
To reserve your spot email me directly at azulflorencia@gmail.com. Indicate the class you are interested in attending.
Class cost is $60 per person. You will make and take enough dough to bake two large organic loaves of bread. Bring a companion for $30 and/or child for $25.
The class is in Downtown Oxnard is on Wednesday, January 31 from 6:00-8:30 at Fresh & Fabulous with Chef/Nutritionist Magda.
All great tamale makers (tamaleros) have no written recipe. Their cookbook is visceral; they know how much ingredients to use by the look, feel, and taste. When I asked the organic farmer featured in the Produce & Water chapter, Nelida, for her tamale recipe, she said, “Chop up some chard, kale, garlic . . . add a little bit of grated cheese and add it all to the masa.”
When I set out to make her recipe I knew I wanted to make the masa from scratch. I didn’t want lard or GMO corn in my tamale recipe. I quickly found that most people didn’t make their cornmeal dough for tamales. Instead, the modern tamaleros purchase masa prepared, cornmeal dough found pre-made at all Mexican markets during the holiday season. This masa is made with manteca—lots and lots of lard.
I succeeded in developing a recipe (with input from good friends) that is moist, flavorful healthy for you and the planet.
This holiday season I invite you to learn how to make masa from scratch with all organic, non-GMO ingredients for your holiday tamales in an Eat Less Water cooking class. Sign up here.
During a 2.5-hour cooking class you will learn how to:
Prepare the corn husk,
Make masa from scratch,
Prepare the filling,
Techniques to spread masa on the corn husk and wrap, and
Ideas for steaming. You will take a dozen tamales to steam at home.
The class includes:
A cooking lesson,
A tamale dinner,
And a dozen tamales (made by you) to take home and steam.
During the class, we will stuff the tamales with Nelida’s inspired recipe of Swiss Chard, Kale, and Cheese, but once you learn the basics, you can stuff the tamale with anything you like.
Florencia Ramirez 