Finding Gluten-Free at Farmers’ Markets

April 29, 2013February 13, 2014 / Tara Taft / Leave a comment

On a recent trip to Marin, I found several gluten-free products available for sample and purchase at the Marin Civic Center Farmers’ Market.

Besides fresh strawberries, peaches, and other fruits and vegetables, my gluten-free daughter and I tasted gluten-free granola, gluten-free scones, and gluten-free cupcakes.

We found gluten-free veggie burgers, kettle corn, and gluten-free tamales.

Next time you’re in San Francisco or Marin, consider going to a farmers’ market for lunch. You’re bound to find something that’s not only gluten free but yummy and locally made as well.

Trip taken August 2012.

Visiting Farmers’ Markets in California

April 25, 2013April 25, 2013 / Tara Taft / Leave a comment

Although a few Farmers’ Markets are now appearing in New England over the winter, from November until March, we wait for things to grow. But in California, where an abundance of food grows all year long, the farmers’ markets never end.

If you’re lucky enough to live in or visit San Francisco or Marin County, just across the Golden Gate Bridge, you have your choice of farmers’ markets every day except Mondays. For a complete schedule, click here.

On Tuesdays, you can find fresh veggies in Novato, Tam Valley, San Francisco Ferry Plaza and San Francisco Marina; on Wednesdays, in Corte Madera and Fairfax; on Thursdays, at the San Rafael Marin Civic Center, San Francisco Ferry Plaza, in Downtown San Rafael, and in Downtown Ross; on Fridays, in Mill Valley.

During the weekend, you’ll find Farmers’ Markets in Larkspur Landing, Marinwood, Point Reyes, San Francisco Ferry Plaza on Saturday and on Sunday, in Sausalito, San Rafael Marin Civic Center, San Francisco Fort Mason.

I often visit the Farmers Market in San Rafael. I love to see the booths overflowing in color and texture, the flowers, the vegetables, the fruit.

I like to sample the local food I know I can’t get at home, like Donna’s Tamales, locally grown dates, and pumpkin bolani from East and West Gourmet Afghan Food.

I like to watch the people and feel the positive energy. It’s been several months. I’m overdue for a trip.

Where Were You on April 15th?

April 22, 2013February 13, 2014 / Tara Taft / 2 Comments

Where were you on Patriot’s Day? The day of the Boston Marathon, the day of the bombings?

After checking into a hotel in Baltimore, I waited for the elevator, glancing up at the big screen TV hung on the wall. I don’t remember the exact words – just Boston Marathon and explosions, those words enough to grab my attention, to shock and to scare me.

Far from Boston, we ventured out for dinner. The Inner Harbor of Baltimore was eerie, the mood tense and ominous as more and more police appeared, on bike, in boat, in cars, in helicopters.

Back home, only 30 miles west of Boston, my daughter texted me to assure me she was safe. Back in our hotel room, we watched the news.

I know people who were on bikes at the Prudential Center, just a block away. I know of people who were delayed as they ran the course, realizing that the delay prevented them from crossing the finish line at 2:50 p.m. I’ve heard stories of people in my town and in neighboring towns who were dining nearby, volunteering in the medical tents; people who walked into one of the explosions.

We awoke Friday morning at home to the news and Boston’s shut down, spending the day glued to the TV, relieved when Suspect No. 2 was cornered and later apprehended.

An American flag undulated on the back of a pickup truck in front of us as my daughter and I drove into Boston on Saturday. A man walked down Newbury Street with another flag draped around his shoulders. The streets were full of red, white, and blue: families wore Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox shirts, people wore college sweatshirts –from Boston University and Boston College.

Barriers prevented us from walking down the cross streets of Exeter and Dartmouth towards Boylston Street where police and FBI gathered evidence.

In front of the Nike store, we joined others writing and drawing sentiments with chalk on the sidewalk.

We saw flowers and stuffed animals and therapy dogs at the eastern end of the Boylston Street makeshift memorial.

We read signs in front of cafes and stores offering free coffee and discounts to responders. We spoke to a man who lost his daughter on 9/11.

On Sunday, I ordered Boston Strong t-shirts for each member of our family. I’ve watched videos and read articles of people across the country and around the world routing for Boston, singing “Sweet Caroline,” and raising money for The One Fund Boston.

I was in Baltimore when Boston was bombed. Where were you?

Trip taken April 2013.

Picking Strawberries in August

April 16, 2013February 13, 2014 / Tara Taft / 2 Comments

Green containers in hand, we probed carefully, searching for the reddest, the ripest and juiciest strawberries. In spite of the many berries which stained our lips and our tongues, it wasn’t long before the buckets were over flowing and it was time to pay.

We were at Swanton Berry Farmstand, an organic growing and union working farm located on Highway 1 near Pescadero, California.

Inside the farm store, we weighed our berries, calculated our cost, and paid on the honor system before sampling the many jams (blackberry, strawberry, loganberry, etc.) and purchasing berry truffles, a pie, and even berry lemonade.

We ate our own lunch on picnic tables inside the store, perused the many old photos and articles on farming and union labor decorating the walls, and played a few of the old wooden games (you know the one with the small silver ball and the maze and all the holes?).

In August we picked strawberries, but if you come another time of year, you can pick ollalaberries (June), blackberries (July), and kiwis (December).

Trip taken August 2012.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Color

April 11, 2013February 13, 2014 / Tara Taft / 3 Comments

My love of color is evidenced by the colors of the home in which I live. My house is red, my car is green, my bedroom is lilac, my bath is aqua.

As I travel, my eye is drawn to color. I found red in a hibiscus in Central Park, in the comb of a rooster in South Africa, in the shirt of a man on the 4th of July in Boston, in the strawberries and radishes at a farmers’ market in California. I found orange in the flames of a campfire in New England, in the wings of a butterfly on Cape Cod, in a tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, in a handpainted sign on the Brooklyn Bridge.

I found yellow in a meadow in the Sierras, on a New York taxi cab, in a candle in Frankfurt, and in bubbling macaroni and cheese. I found green in the leaves and on the wings of a bird, and on a girl’s sunglasses on the beach.

I found purple in the lilacs in front of Louisa May Alcott’s house and inside a hot air balloon. I found blue in the skies everywhere I went.

Hibiscus in Central Park

Above Stow

S’Mac in New York

Emigrant Wilderness

Red Admiral butterfly on the Cape

Hot Air Balloon

A NorCal Beach Along Highway 1

April 8, 2013February 13, 2014 / Tara Taft / 2 Comments

“Nine, ten, eleven. . .” We counted the dark ticks clinging to the pale grasses along the path. We stepped carefully as we walked to the beach near Costanoa, an eco resort along Highway 1 in Northern California.

Over and down the hill, we dropped our towels and nestled behind a large rock, seeking refuge from the cool wind.

A seal (or sea lion?) ventured close, his head bobbing in the surf, his curiosity bringing him closer and closer as the kids did cartwheels along the shore.

After a couple of hours in the sun and wind, we headed back to the car, avoiding the tall grasses and hopefully, any unwelcome hitchhikers on our way.

Trip taken August 2012.

Camping Without the Hassle

April 4, 2013February 13, 2014 / Tara Taft / Leave a comment

What do you do when you want the camping experience without all the gear and hassle? If you’re in Northern California, you can stay at Costanoa, a campground and resort located near Pescadero, about an hour south of San Francisco. After a week of backpacking last summer, my daughter and I decided we’d had enough real camping and decided to do just that.

Ignoring the spa resort accommodations at this ecofriendly lodge, we chose to “camp” with her cousins in family tent bungalows where two adjacent tent cabins share a fire pit and a picnic table.

The kids unrolled their sleeping bags on the bunks in their sparse cabin while the adults slept in sheets in a queen size bed with pillows, a lamp, and bedside table in the cabin right next door. With waterproof canvas walls and a wooden floor, both bungalows were heated and included electricity, sliding windows, and a locking door.

After a simple supper cooked on our own camp stove, we chatted with our next door neighbors, another family from Boston, and played games and roasted marshmallows in one of the resort’s many communal outdoor fireplaces. We brushed our teeth in a “comfort station,” just a short walk from our cabin, where the toilets flushed, the concrete floors were heated and the hot sauna inviting.

The morning’s dense coastal fog demanded a trip to the lodge’s restaurant for hot chocolate and coffee in front of a warm fire.

Behind the lodge, the kids climbed a tree and other visitors played chess on a life size chess board. The kids pet the local cat while the adults checked out the store full of gourmet camping supplies and local art.

We walked along the beach in the sunny afternoon, rode horses with a Costanoa guide, and picked strawberries at a nearby farm.

If you’d prefer a slightly more luxurious experience, you can stay in the lodge or in one of the cabins where you’ll be able to enjoy the resort’s outdoor hot tub.

Roller Coaster by the Sea

April 1, 2013February 13, 2014 / Tara Taft / 2 Comments

Arms up, we lurched and creaked, climbing to the top of the hill, bracing ourselves for the fall. We were on one of the oldest roller coasters still in operation, not just in the U.S., but in the world. We were on the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California.

Since May 1924 when the public paid 15 cents to ride the red and white roller coaster, the Giant Dipper has excited over 60 million roller coaster enthusiasts who now must spend $6 for its thrills.

Riding the Giant Dipper is only one of several things to do on the Boardwalk. With kids aged 8 to 14, my friend and I spent an afternoon exploring a few of the options. We were splashed on Logger’s Revenge, lost our stomach on the Giant Dipper as well as on the Hurricane, and enjoyed the view from the Sky Glider.