Elderflower soda Alison Steele Column Alison Steele Columns Food & Drink 

Elderflower Soda

By Alison Steele The elderberry tree (Sambucus nigra) is native and to both Virginia and California. It waves its abundant white flowers in processions along mountain roads and stands watch in the corners of cultivated gardens in early to mid summer. My mother’s Mennonite Community cookbook, from 1950, offers recipes for pies, jams, jellies, vinegars, cordials, and wine including this… Read More
Roasted Artichokes with Sage Blossoms and Lemon Balm Column Alison Steele Columns Food & Drink 

Roasted Artichokes with Sage Blossoms and Lemon Balm

By Alison Steele If you’ve been following along, you’ll notice that I love harvesting edible flowers to flavor our food. Reeling us in with color, then aroma, and capturing our taste buds with the melding of essential oils, flowering herbs are a complex flavor addition to any meal. Continuing the edible flower theme, this week’s recipe is nothing short of… Read More
Santa Cruz Mountains Gin Columns Food & Drink 

Mountain Fermenter: Making Your Own Gin, Santa Cruz Mountains Style

By Greg Roe and Mike Desmidt How can I make gin at home without a still, you ask? Well, you can skip that part, because someone’s already done the distillation for you. It’s called vodka. Gin is pretty much a vodka with botanicals added. Gin distillers extract most botanical flavors using the distillation process, but you can simply steep the… Read More