Winter's Charms at Hillcrest Farmers Market

It's not unusual for farmers markets across the country to close for the winter. But not only are San Diego's markets open, they're packed with gorgeous produce. Looking at the bounty at last Sunday's Hillcrest farmers market, it's hard to believe we just endured a week of heavy, chilly storms.

Clearly, it's not strawberry or tomato season yet. Or is it? There were a couple of farmers from Carlsbad with flats of bright red juicy strawberries. And there were several stands with tomatoes, including gorgeous heirlooms of vibrant shades of green, red, yellow, and orange at Valdivia Farms. Are they grown in greenhouses? I asked and was told they're growing outside under the sun. Now, I don't think they have the depth of flavor that long hot summer days provide, but it's kind of nice to have fresh local tomatoes in the dead of winter.

I bought several after tasting samples chopped in a delicious spicy chile mix they're selling. But instead of buying the chile mix, I more or less replicated it, first making a simple little chopped salad of the tomatoes, tiny Mexicola avocados from Koral's Tropical Fruit Farm (more about them below), green garlic, and stemmed red onions-also from Valdivia. These were tossed in a dressing of locally produced avocado oil from vendor Bella Vado,green Hatch chile powder from Richies Roasted Products (whose stall is near the Joe's on the Nose orange coffee truck), fresh lime juice from limes in my garden, and salt and pepper. You could also marinate shrimp in this dressing, grill, and add to the salad, served with homemade corn tortillas. Or serve the salad as a salsa-like condiment with fish, chicken, beef, or pork. It's a wonderfully bright flavor surprise in the middle of winter.

Leafy greens are abundant this time of year. I saw a lot of Swiss chard on Sunday. At Sage Mountain Farm, I picked up some beautiful rapini (also known as broccoli rabe) and a bunch of broccoli. Now, while rapini has those little yellow buds that look they they're going to explode into little broccolis, they're actually not even in the broccoli family, but related to turnips.

These greens are slightly bitter, but it works for them when you counterbalance it with other flavors. After you trim the ends of the stalks, use everything else on the plant, including the yellow buds. Cut the stems into one-inch pieces and blanch in boiling water for about a minute. Then drain and sauté in olive oil and garlic. I like to add about a teaspoon of chopped preserved lemon to it as well, along with toasted pine nuts, dried pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. You could also add pancetta or bacon. Rapini makes a nice side dish, of course, but try tossing them with pasta and add some feta cheese.

As you're walking down the main aisle of the Hillcrest market, rising over the sounds of live music will be the energetic voice of Barry Koral.

 
Playing the part of the carnival-style barker, the 68-year-old Koral, who owns Koral's Tropical Fruit Farm in Vista, is hawking the flavors and nutritional value of his produce, which this time of year is mostly citrus. I saw oranges and tangerines, limes, sweet lemons, Meyer lemons, and conventional lemons. But he also had some interesting fruits like guavas and Mexicola avocados.

Mexicola's are a tiny avocado variety with a thin purplish, almost black edible skin. They have a nutty, almost almond taste to them. Don't use them to make guacamole. Slice them in half and serve with a tray of crudités or chop them and add to the tomato salad I described above. Look for fruit with smooth shiny skin and that are firm but give a little when you touch them. You don't see these beauties  regularly in the markets, so grab these as a special seasonal treat.

Joltless Java

Back in the early 80s, when I was living in Los Angeles, a little coffee and tea shop near my office in Westwood had a going-out-of-business sale. It was filled with porcelain tea sets, electric coffee makers, packages of coffees and teas, and all sorts of refined accessories. But what caught my eye was a large stainless steel stovetop espresso maker. It was sleek and shiny, and reduced from some exorbitant price to $25.

I took that pot home with me and used it almost daily until last year when the handle broke off and I finally had to part with it. It may not have retained its original gloss but we’re talking about 25 years with one pot, and, believe me, I mourned the loss of this morning companion. Since then I’ve been using a Bialetti Moka Express. I don’t love the pot but I’m really a fan of the robust coffee these Italian stovetop coffee makers produce, especially since I have to drink decaf.

A good coffee maker is certainly one of the key components to delicious coffee, but, of course, it all starts with the beans and roast.

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters

Earlier this summer, I spent some time at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. Owner Chuck Patton gave me a run through of some coffee basics, as well as how he buys and roasts his beans. I also spoke with John Weaver, master roaster and president of Weaver’s Tea & Coffee.

John Weaver

Weaver had been a longtime roaster at Peet’s Coffee until 2007, when he formed his own company. He’s just celebrated 30 years in the coffee industry, and says that his new roasting style for his own business is “juicier, more flavorful with a smooth profile in the flavor.”

But how do you get these flavors? Like any agricultural product, the quality and flavors of coffee beans can vary from season to season, depending on weather, the soil, proper fertilization, pest and disease control, proper pruning, and watering.

Just as important, it turns out, is altitude. The higher the elevation, the slower the beans are to mature, resulting in more flavor. Arabicas, of which there are at least some 20 varietals, are grown at a higher elevation. You’ll find many of these varietals in Mexico or Peru. The trees are fussy about their growing environment, and that, combined with the belief that the beans have more flavorful qualities, make them more expensive than Robusta beans.

“I buy only high-altitude coffee beans,” says Weaver. “They have more flavor and acidity.”

Robusta beans usually are grown at lower elevations. The trees are hardier and produce earlier than Arabica trees, but the beans are not of the same quality. These are your supermarket beans, and, they’re often mixed with Arabica beans to bring down prices. However, they do have twice the caffeine as Arabicas.

Patton points out that every country puts out beans with distinctive characteristics. “Sumatran beans have a thick body, are spicy, herby, and earthy,” he says. “Costa Rican beans are more vibrant and lighter, while Mexican beans are more balanced. Beans from Peru have a nutty flavor while Ethiopian beans have a fruity element to them, like blueberries. Kenyan beans are more like wine; they’re more acidic.”

But, even regions in the same country will produce beans with varied characteristics. Patton considers the Huehuetanango from northwestern Guatemala to be the highest quality varietal within Guatemala, especially compared with coffees from Antigua, which is the classic coffee growing region near Guatemala City.

While there’s been a marketing blitz to promote the Fair Trade program—and Weaver’s Coffee & Tea uses certified organic and Fair Trade-certified beans—Patton is involved in what he calls a “direct trade model.” “We’re a Fair Trade licensee but the money goes to the co-op, and how well run are the co-ops?” he asks. “I’m pulling out of the licensing agreement. I want to work directly with farmers or farming groups and make direct rewards based on the effort and investment they make in their farm.”

Patton is involved in the Las Mingas Project in Columbia, which is establishing long-term relationships between independent coffee farmers and specialty roasters around the world. There are 10 to 15 roasters in the U.S. who participate, says Patton, and two to three main farming groups totaling about 50 farmers. “They’re getting paid more than by Fair Trade,” he says. “I sent $200 to a farmer as a reward for a great crop. He put that into a new burner, tile, and cement in his house. It was something that dramatically improved the quality of life for his family and allowed him to focus more on farming.

“I’d rather take that $1,000 a year for the Fair Trade license and give it to independent farmers,” he says.

The roasting room at Birdrock is filled with burlap bags brimming over with beans, some still green, awaiting their roasting, and others a deep burnished brown and ready for packaging. Patton uses a cast iron drum roaster that can roast up to 25 pounds of beans at a time. It takes about 15 to 18 minutes to roast the beans, with the precise timing dependent on the type of bean, the weather and humidity, and what brings out the best in the varietal.

“The roaster has guidelines, but adjustments can be made,” he explains. “We’re aiming for consistent flavors and the sweet spot. It can happen in less than a minute, and making mistakes can lead to a sour flavor, burning, or underdeveloped flavors.”

Weaver explains that he doesn’t create the flavors during the roasting. “I bring out what potential the coffee has. It’s load, size, time, temperature, and air flow.”

He notes that while there’s been a movement to light roasted coffees, it’s not his style. “The consumer palate has developed a deeper flavor profile in coffee. Not darker—that’s just burnt.”

Patton, though, says he does roast lighter. “The more you roast, the more you lose the varietal flavor,” he explains. “We want a bean’s fully developed flavor to peak in the process.” And, he points out that qualities inherent in the bean will determine roasting times. “Green Sumatra beans are dense and need more roasting than beans from Mexico, for instance.”

Tony Gomez

I met Tony Gomez, Patton’s roaster of five years. He was working with decaf Papua New Guinea beans, giving them 16 to 17 minutes in the drum at 420 degrees. As the roasting time was drawing to an end, he repeatedly checked on the beans to take in their color and make adjustments. Once the roasting ended, the beans spilled into a bin to be cooled for about five minutes. Then Gomez deposited the batch in a big can to continue cooling and then poured 22 pounds of organic Brazilian beans into the roaster.

Gomez showed me the roasted decaf beans, pointing out that these beans have a matted finish to them, compared to the glossiness of regular beans.

Both roasters use water processed decaffeinated beans. “It allows the inherent flavors to remain in the coffee,” Weaver says. “But it’s an expensive process so the coffee is more expensive.”

I found the decaf beans from Weaver’s and Bird Rock to be wonderfully rich and flavorful. The difference between what people like me—who just can’t tolerate caffeine—can enjoy now compared with, say 10 years ago, is dramatic. The options are greater and the quality is so much higher. I’m admittedly not someone who can give you nuanced descriptions of each bean. I haven’t developed that ability—at least not yet. And, it is an art. But, I can give you some suggestions for decaf beans to try that I think you’ll enjoy.

• Weaver’s Decaf House Blend
• Joes on the Nose Decaf Peru and Decaf Mexico (David Wasserman, the outgoing young guy in the orange truck at the Little Italy Mercato and Hillcrest Farmers Market, gets his beans from Bird Rock Roasters.)
• Bird Rock Coffee Roasters Papua New Guinea
• Caffe Calabria Costa Rica

Bird Rock Roasters is at 5627 La Jolla Blvd.

Weaver’s Coffee can be found at some Whole Foods stores or ordered at www.weaverscoffee.com.

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An Early Spring?

There were some marvelous surprises at the Little Italy Mercato on Saturday that I wanted to share.

First, huge, red, sweet strawberries from Kawano Farms in Oceanside! I bought a basket and they are ripe and juicy, thanks to our recent heatwave. Tonight, I'll be slicing up what I haven't already noshed on with blueberries and blackberries to enjoy with a slice of lemon cake I made yesterday.



A lovely selection of mushrooms from Mountain Meadow Farm in Escondido, being sold by Kawano Farms, also caught my eye -- particularly the ethereal looking oysters.



They also carry crimini, white and shitakes.

A vendor I hadn't seen at the market before was drawing crowds to her homemade pasta and sauces. Jordan Stone's Delaney Culinary Fresh makes linguini and spaghetti in a variety of flavors, spinach parmesan cannelloni and wild mushroom and homemade pillows of ricotta ravioli. I bought a package of the garlic linguini and the ravioli. All I did to the latter was drizzle citrus olive oil and sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over it. The dough is soft and with a little chew to it. The wild mushroom stuffing is subtle.


The sauces and pestos, the flavored butters and tapenades are all freshly made and their flavors are impressive. I tried an artichoke cream sauce, the marinara and a red pepper sauce before settling on a garlic pesto. My plan tonight is to create a pasta sauce with tomatoes, eggplant and the garlic pesto to put on the garlic linguini.

And, finally, I also finally stopped by Joes on the Nose -- the big orange coffee truck in the middle of the market -- and bought a small decaf mocha. Not only is the organic coffee delicious, but that little squirt of coconut infused whipped cream? Really good. Plus, Joe -- actually David -- is a dog lover and had treats and water for the shopping dogs in the crowd. My Rhodesian Ridgeback, Ketzel, was thrilled.


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