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By Kimberly WrightA quick summary of 2005:
In January we combined forces with the Santa Cruz II Convium to celebrate the life & legacy of Julia Child with a Potluck of her recipes. At the event, we learned of Santa Cruz II leader Roger Mastrude's terrible automobile accident, which put something of a damper on the festivities.
February brought Carnavale! with the Dante Alighieri Society of Santa Cruz, a Venetian-themed potluck with costumes.
In March we celebrated Early Spring on the Central Coast with a potluck of seasonal foods emphasizing root vegetables and leafy greens.
We were fortunate to obtain a locally raised Navajo Churro sheep, so in April we roasted some of it and served it with potluck Spanish themed accompaniments, reflecting the early heritage of the breed.
Norma and Harry Domash sponsored our May Monterey Bay Salmon Barbecue at Hahn Estate Winery. Their wine club membership made the location available to us, and it was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a great view of the Salinas Valley while sipping sustainably-grown wines.
In June we met for our first annual School Garden Fundraiser Dinner at Freedom Elementary School. We dined on Slowly-barbecued pork donated by Niman Ranch and fresh produce from the school garden, Live Earth Farm and Mariquita Farm. As this event was on a school campus, Roxanne and I had a chance to be creative with non-alcoholic beverages. Roxanne Craddock is a great supporter of the school garden and cooking project, and was a major part of putting the event together.
In July we held a Tomato Feast, exploring the use of tomatoes in courses from appetizers to dessert. The season started late due to cool early summer weather, but local tomatoes came into season just in time.
August saw our second annual Dinner with the Open Space Alliance at Thomas Farm. Jerry Thomas gave a walking tour of the Farm, which included visiting his flock of Bourbon Red turkeys. We barbecued grassfed beef from TO Morris and pastured chickens from TLC Ranch; the vegetables came from Thomas Farm.
After seeing the damage done by the hurricane, in September we gathered for a New Orleans-style potluck dinner. Our convivium was able to send $1000 to Roko Tverdeic, an oysterman whose home & business were destroyed by the storm.
In October we met at Lauri & Craig Evans' home for a Caribbean Feast, emphasizing foods native to the Americas that were the greatest legacy of Columbus. When Lauri helps plan a dinner, the offerings are always bountiful & good!
In November we enjoyed the rest of our Navajo Churro Sheep in a Southwest Indian-themed dinner.
December is a good time to celebrate our local Dungeness Crab at the beginning of its season. This year we tried a recipe from Roxanne Craddock for marinated crab.