The Mollie Stone's Blog
Produce
Many heirloom bean varieties, such as those grown on the Llano Seco Rancho in Chico, CA, were brought to the Santa Maria region of the Central Coast by either missionaries or citrus grove workers. To this day, they have remained connected to the famous Santa Maria BBQ culture.
Try this hearty recipe for BBQ Beans with Llano Seco Pinquito beans (which have a super sweet, creamy interior yet hold up to their dense pot liquor) or Canario beans (which have a ..read more
This recipe is from Llano Seco‘s dear friend and culinary mentor Niloufer Ichaporia King, a specialist in tropical cuisines and author of My Bombay Kitchen: traditional and modern Parsi home cooking (University of California Press, 2007).
Folklorist Berta Montero Bascom of Havana used to bring a vast vat of these beans, expected and appreciated, to any occasion where food was shared. Below is Berta’s family recipe recounted as we cooked them together in her Berkeley kitchen. This is a dish you ..read more
This recipe is from Llano Seco’s dear friend and culinary mentor Niloufer Ichaporia King, a specialist in tropical cuisines and author of My Bombay Kitchen: traditional and modern Parsi home cooking (University of California Press, 2007).
This improvisation on a lazy rainy afternoon has become our favorite way of eating the ritual good-luck black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. Like many recipes for legumes, you should see this one as a signpost not a blue print, and add your own touches. ..read more
Llano Seco Rancho grows heirloom beans expressly for their rich flavor and their rich history. Heirloom vegetables and heritage breed animals are, in simple terms, the old timey varieties that are known for their flavor and nutritional value, that have gone out of fashion due to their inability to adapt to industrial agriculture’s ways.
The mechanization of agriculture began with the industrial revolution in the late 1800s and changed dramatically in the years post-WWII. As the food business expanded and companies ..read more
Llano Seco Rancho is a 6th-generation family farm in Chico with a rich history of balancing agriculture, livestock husbandry and conservation. The Rancho is one of the last fully intact Mexican land grant properties, a reminder of a lost era when Californian, American, Mexican and Spanish history intersected. Joining forces with conservation groups, they work to restore native wetlands, grasslands, oak savannas and riparian forests in order to preserve the biodiversity of the Rancho. Lllano Seco produces organic, responsible, natural ..read more
As shared by Megan Shanley of Shanley Farms
Life for those living in Morro Bay on the Central Coast of California is a little chillier than one might expect. The summer temperatures here don’t get much above 75 degrees, and the fog usually doesn’t burn off until the early afternoon, if at all. We wear a lot of sweatshirts and jeans, and unless we’re in head-to-toe wet suits, you rarely find us playing in the ocean! Tourists love to escape here ..read more
With their lemony-limey-grapefruity-citrus flavor, Citriburst Finger Limes can be enjoyed in any course, any time of day and especially stand out with seafood and desserts. To demonstrate the incredible versatility of finger limes, we used recipes from Shanley Farms to create this Citriburst 3-course dinner menu:
To drink: Citriburst Finger Lime Mojito Appetizer: Oysters on the Half Shell with Citriburst Finger Lime Mignonette Main course: Salmon with Bok Choy in Parchment Paper Dessert: Citriburst Finger Lime PieKeep reading for the recipes and get ready ..read more
With a great crunch and subtle bitterness, endive is perfect for refreshing salads year-round. It lends well to most salad ingredients: flavorful dressings, toasted nuts, assertive cheeses like Pt. Reyes Original Blue or Stilton, and proteins like grilled steak or seared Ahi tuna. We also love the sweet & savory sensation from adding a fruit that’s in season, such as Bartlett pears, apples, Satsuma mandarins, pink grapefruit, heirloom tomatoes or creamy California avocados.
The recipe for this delightful Red, White & ..read more
Endive has a lovely presentation for finger foods and appetizers as a healthy, versatile and delicious substitute for crackers. Endive leaves are the perfect bite sized vessel for any prepared salad or dip.
California Endive Farms shared several of their favorite appetizers with us – keep reading for recipes!
Whether you use red or white – or a combination of each, which always looks especially stunning – the small, slim endives have a natural elegance and are available at Mollie Stone’s year-round for everything from backyard BBQ summer salads to holiday appetizers for entertaining.
No Need to Wash – Great Raw or Cooked
Once you’re ready to use endive, there’s no need to wash it. The leaves have not been exposed to soil and are harvested and packed under sanitary conditions. ..read more