If you asked me to recommend a good lunch spot in Santa Rosa on a Saturday, I’d have one and only one suggestion: Go to the Santa Rosa Farmers Market. Go hungry. Go willing to try a variety of cheeses, yogurts, dried fruits, vinegars, smoked fish, fresh produce, coffee, and Afghan pestos. Don’t shy away from the Bellwether Farms Sheep Yogurt (go for the plain), and if someone offers you a taste of dried cantaloupe, for heaven’s sake, don’t hesitate to destroy it with your digestive system. If you’re still hungry after your free-sample free-for-all, you can purchase some food from the lunch trucks and BBQ stands. Top it all off with a heavily caffeinated cup of Brazilian coffee. You might want to stop by the fresh fish stand for dinner supplies.

Today marks the launch of the new Everglades Foundation website, featuring a web map I developed on the front page. Visit the new site, and click on the “Everglades Action Map” to check it out!

The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization geared toward professionals using GIS in urban and regional environments. I recently attended a meeting held by the northern California chapter of URISA in Sacramento, the theme of which happened to be web-based mapping. The first presenter was Brian Morgan from the UC Davis, which apparently has an extensive arboretum utilized regularly by students for research purposes. Darrin Farmer from Weston Solutions gave a presentation on a geospatial information “dashboard” developed for water-resource employees. Finally, Doug Renwick from HostGIS in Arcata talked about free, open-source GIS and web mapping technologies. A lovely and informative meeting overall!

Cranberry Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup fresh cranberries
• 1/4 Cup rolled oats
• 1 Walnut
• Milk
• 1 Dollop plain yogurt
• Ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice

Directions:

1. Tune into to your favorite Hawaiian radio station for some delightful breakfast music.
2. Fill up a small pot with about an inch of water. Boil the cranberries in the water until they begin to pop. Turn the burner to low and let the cranberries simmer until most of the water has evaporated and the cranberries reduce, becoming jelly-like.
3. Add the oats to a different small pot, and adjust the heat to a high setting, letting them toast briefly before adding 1/2 cup of water.
4. Add cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice to the oatmeal, to taste.
5. Cook the oatmeal on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
6. While the oatmeal is cooking and the cranberries are simmering, lightly toast the walnuts in a pan over low heat.
7. Take the oatmeal down to a low heat setting, and add a splash of milk.
8. Serve the oatmeal topped with cranberry reduction, a dollop of yogurt, and toasted walnuts.

(Serves one.)

♦   ♦   ♦

Fresh Vegetables with Cranberry Dressing

For the dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup fresh cranberries
• 2 tsp Honey mustard
• Balsamic vinegar
• Unsweetened soymilk
• 1 Spritz of lemon juice
• 2 Healthy spoonfuls of plain yogurt
• Ground ginger
• Black pepper

Directions:

1. Turn on some old-timey swing music, or alternatively, R&B.
2. Fill up a small pot with about an inch of water. Boil the cranberries in the water until they begin to pop. Turn the burner to low and let the cranberries simmer until most of the water has evaporated and the cranberries reduce, becoming jelly-like.
3. Place the cranberry reduction in a small food processor or blender. Add honey mustard, yogurt, lemon juice, soymilk, and balsamic vinegar. The soymilk and vinegar will serve to thin out the dressing, so gently incorporate these ingredients until you achieve your preferred consistency.
4. Add ginger and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth.

For the salad

Ingredients:

• A broccoli floret or two
• 1 Decently sized chunk of butternut squash
• 4 Baby bella mushrooms
• 2 Roma tomatoes
• Fresh spinach
• Napa cabbage
• 2 Walnuts

Directions:

1. Chop up the squash and and steam or boil with the broccoli floret(s) until soft.
2. While the squash and broccoli are steaming, chop up the mushrooms, tomatoes, and walnuts.
3. Combine chopped vegetables, walnuts, and steamed squash with fresh spinach and napa cabbage in a bowl.
4. Top with cranberry dressing, garnished with the broccoli floret(s).

(Serves one.)

Interesting Facts (?) about Cranberries

• The OceanSpray commercials that feature cranberry farmers wading in bogs of floating cranberries propagate the misconception that cranberries grow in flooded conditions. In actuality, cranberry beds are only flooded twice a year. Once, during harvest season, to facilitate the cropping and retrieving of the berries, and again in the winter, to protect the shrubs from freezing.
• Apparently, you don’t mess around with OceanSpray employees.
• Wisconsin is the leading producer of cranberries in the United States. Every fall, a cranberry festival is held in Warrens, Wisconsin, aptly titled “Cranfest“.
• For some reason, OceanSpray is the only brand of fresh cranberries in the grocery store 99% of the time (based on my own observations). Why is that?