Foggy Plum Martini

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The wild plum trees in the woods are full of fruit right now. They are mini plums, just bigger than cherries, with a sweet and tangy finish. Every time I walk by one of the trees, I fill my pockets and pop them into my mouth, or save them to make salsa or put in cocktails!

Even though it’s summer, we have been getting a lot of coastal fog. Pescadero beach is just over the mountain, about 20 minutes away, and before the trees grew so tall, they say you could see the ocean from here. The fog is one of the things that drew me to this place- the soft, overcast light makes it an ideal place to shoot food outdoors. Fog is such a defining element of the Northern California landscape so it’s fitting that our local vodka distillery, Hangar 1 Vodka, is now using it to make a very unique spirit. They actually gather water from the fog to make their Fog Point Vodka (see a video of them doing it here, kind of amazing!) We have been in such a drought in California so it’s nice to see companies implementing creative ideas for water conservation.

This Fog Point Vodka is very special so I didn’t want to add too much to it to take away from the natural flavor. I simply shook it with ice, poured it into a stemless martini glass and garnished with whole fresh plums. (If you can’t find small plums, you can just use cherries or grapes.) We served these Foggy Plum Martinis alongside some Plum Pico de Gallo and it’s a fantastic combo for an outdoor gathering. Cheers to summer!

Foggy Plum Martini

(serves 1)

ice

3 oz Hangar 1 Fog Point Vodka

mini plums or cherries for garnish

Combine Fog Point Vodka and ice in a martini shaker and shake well. Pour the vodka into a stemless martini glass and garnish with whole mini plums or cherries. Enjoy immediately!

Plum Pico de Gallo

(serves 4)

3 black plums

2 large heirloom tomatoes

¼ of a red onion

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

juice from 2 limes

a splash of olive oil

a pinch of salt

Dice the plums, tomatoes and red onion and toss with all other ingredients. Serve alongside tortilla chips and a martini.

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This post was done in partnership with Hangar 1 Vodka, a local brand we love. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Forest Feast possible.

Summer Stone Fruit Recipes

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My weekly farm box is exploding right now with some of the juiciest, most amazing peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums. Delicious! So I thought I’d do a little round-up of some of my favorite stone fruit recipes from my blog and books. 

Happy summer cooking and baking!

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-Peach-Burrata Caprese Salad

-Plum Tartlets from The Forest Feast for Kids

-Broiled Stone Fruit with Cinnamon Cream

-Nectarine Tomato Salad from The Forest Feast

Mother's Day Brunch Menu

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Are you hosting a Mother’s Day brunch and looking for recipe ideas?! Here is a little menu from the archives. It’s easy, seasonal, colorful and pretty. Start with this Peach-Basil Sangria, then serve a Strawberry-Cucumber Salad and an Asparagus Pesto Tart

And I have the perfect Mother’s Day gift for you: A Mother is a Story. The author, Samantha Hahn, is one of my oldest friends and is a crazy talented fashion illustrator (just check out her website! The painted quotes above are by her). This new book is full of her paintings and hand lettered watercolor quotes about motherhood and it’s a stunning gift.  We had a book signing together in Brooklyn last weekend, here are a few pics

Happy Mother’s Day!

An Earth Day Potato Salad

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I know it’s officially spring when my jasmine on the deck begins to bloom (my favorite scent ever!) and we can spend evenings with a glass of wine in the backyard while Ezra runs on the grass. We’ve been doing more hikes and walks lately in our woods. I love to see the new lime-green tips on the redwood fronds, fields of blue forget-me-nots, and vibrant shades of pink flowers at every turn. I’ve been snapping photos of all the wildflowers– I can’t get enough!

There’s nothing like Earth Day to make you want to get outdoors. The mountains where we live have certainly inspired me creatively! I find that I come up with some of my best ideas on hikes. One way to give back to the Earth is by shopping greener. In honor of Earth Day, I have partnered with Whole Foods Market to give you some ideas for making greener choices at the grocery store. I shop at Whole Foods a lot and love that I can trust them to offer products that aren’t toxic for the Earth, or for us.


My 5 Earth Day tips:

1.) ORGANIC

I try to buy organic as often as I can. It’s healthier for you, safer for the farmers who produced it, and better for the planet. I make a point to prioritize shopping organic when looking for produce without a peel and animal products.

2.) FLOWERS

I buy freshly cut flowers every week- they just make me happy! In doing so, I wasn’t necessarily thinking about the environmental choice I was making. I want to help protect the farmers who grow and pick those flowers from harsh chemicals.  Whole Foods Market sells flowers (and produce, too!) that are responsibly grown meaning that they come from farmers who have eliminated the use of eight of the most hazardous neurotoxins still allowed in US agriculture. I want to make a bigger effort to buy bouquets that are responsibly grown from now on. 

3.) SEASONAL

Harvesting produce when it naturally grows uses less energy and resources. Plus, it usually tastes better and is cheaper because there’s an abundance of it at the store. Here’s a great guide to what’s in season now. Check out my seasonal spring produce collage, above, plus the seasonal spring recipe below for a Potato & Onion Salad.

4.) CLEANING & BATH PRODUCTS

Ever since I was pregnant I make a big effort to buy only non-toxic cleaning products and bath & body products that are free from harmful chemicals. Whole Foods has a huge variety which is especially great since now I have a baby! We use Whole Foods’ 365 Everyday Value line of diapers and have found they are cheaper and better than all the other natural brands we’ve tried.

5.) BULK

At Whole Foods you can buy ingredients like oatmeal and rice in bulk (without packaging) which cuts down on a lot of waste and lets you bring home just how much you need. I LOVE the bulk peanut butter machine at my local Whole Foods. It’s way better than any type in a jar!

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Potato & Onion Salad 

Roast mini potatoes on a baking sheet with olive oil & coarse salt at 425ºF for about 30 minutes, or until fork tender. Spread fresh greens (I use arugula) on a platter and scatter the warm potatoes over. Use a mandolin to thinly slice rings of raw red onions over the potatoes, then sprinkle the whole platter with capers, olive oil, coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.

Wishing you a very happy Earth Day and hoping that you have some time to get outdoors and enjoy what’s growing around you this weekend!

This post was done in partnership with Whole Foods Market, a store that I have shopped at for years. I only work with brands I love and opinions here are my own.