Team Member Spotlight -- Bakersfield

Meet Jay!

Written by Gayle

Now here's a friendly face!  This is Jay, the Manager of our Bakersfield store.

Jay has worked for Lassen's for 15 years.  He started in Thousand Oaks, and eight years ago became the manager in Bakersfield.  He happily "lives the lifestyle," which means that he not only really believes in natural foods and healthy living, he lives it.  He also has a wonderful life philosophy of, "It's okay."  Jay will make the best of any situation and will help to work things out for others.

Jay said that the favorite part of his job is the interaction he has with the public, especially as he gets to help to educate people about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.   He likes to discuss ideas and to exchange ideas and knowledge.  He said that "this isn't a frivolous atmosphere as a job--everyone can contribute to the community in a positive way."

George Harrison is Jay's hero because he used to media and his influence as a celebrity to educate people to the power of inner love and peace.  He was gentle and believed in self-harmony.

When I asked Jay about some of his favorite products he immediately said the Bionature Organic Strained Tomatoes from Italy.  He says that they are the beginning of many great meals at his house!  He says it's a really clean product (organic, and no chemicals or preservatives) and is very versatile.  

Jay also loves the Barely Buzzed Beehive Welsh Cheddar Cheese.  It is covered with a coffee and lavendar rind.  Jay likes it on crackers.  Sounds delicious!

He loves to stir the Sun Warrior Ormus Super Greens into juice, too.  It's a convenient way to get those nutrient-packed greens each day!

If Jay could wish for anything, he would like to eliminate violence from our society, as well as the casual attitude that we often see about it.  Wouldn't that make our world a better place?

So stop into our Bakersfield store and ask Jay for other recommendations!  He is happy to help!

Love,

Lassen's

A Fish Dish Story

Fish Even Kids Will Love

Written by Gayle

Maybe I'm just a mean mom, but however it happened, my kids grew up eating--and enjoying--fish.  I think one of the reasons is this recipe.

Years ago we went to a show in LA.  It was a dinner and comedy show with Danish comedians.  My Danish in-laws and several other family members were excited for the comedy.  I had no idea that I would come away with a favorite family recipe.

It was fish--salmon, to be exact--on a bed of multi-colored peppers.  There was lime juice, I could tell, and a green herb that I had never tasted before.  Delicious!

Several years later, when I tasted cilantro for the first time, it sparked my taste memory.  That was the unknown green herb in the salmon entree!  So I was able to more accurately recreate this delicious fish dish for my family!  It is simple and fast, and very nutritious.  

You'll Need:

• Wild-caught Salmon steaks or filets--as many as will feed your crowd
• Organic Peppers of various colors--right now you can find red, orange, yellow and green--about 1/2 cup per person, chopped
• Organic Cilantro, chopped--about 1 TBSP per person
• Fresh organic lime juice--1/2 tsp per person
• 1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste

Chop the peppers into 1/2 to 1-inch chunks

Chop the cilantro

Place about 1/2 inch of lightly salted water in a flat skillet, then gently lower the salmon into the water to poach.  Cover and bring to a gentle simmer.  Depending on the thickness of the salmon, it will need only about 10 minutes to cook through.  

Heat the olive oil in another skillet, and then saute the peppers just until tender. Add salt to taste.

Check the salmon.  Use a fork to gently open up the thickest part of the fish.  When it is light salmon-colored, not deep red, it is done.  

Stir the cilantro into the peppers...

...and add a squeeze of lime juice.

Then you are ready to serve!  Place the peppers on a platter, and then top with the poached salmon.

This is a great recipe for hot spring or summer days when you don't want to heat the kitchen.  I served it with roasted asparagus and an easy arugula, tomato, feta cheese salad.

You might try grilling your salmon instead of poaching, for a real summer-style dish!

Want to know some health benefits of eating salmon?  Try these on for size: Reduction of inflammation, improved cognitive function, cancer prevention, and improved eye, cardiovascular, skin and eye health!  Click here for the details!

love,

Lassen's

Now, This is a Family Enterprise!

Burroughs Family Farm

Written by Gayle

Beautiful pasture land--where both milk cows and chickens roam and feed.
You can see the chicken coop on the left.

It All Started in 1971

Although the family had been farming for at least 70 years, the Burroughs Family Farming formally began in 1971 with Ward and Rosie Burroughs, and Ward's brother.  They farmed, and raised their children, and in 2004 Ward and Rosie dissolved the partnership with Ward's brother.  They then formed partnerships with their children in various farming enterprises.  They like to say that they produce an ABC of products:  Almonds, Beef, Cheese, Dairy, and Eggs.

Benina, with 3 month old baby in tow, showed us all around the farm.

A few weeks ago we visited the Burroughs Family Farm in Denair, California, just north of Fresno.  We were able to see the dairy operation (they partner with Organic Valley), the free-range egg production, and the almond and olive groves.  We carry their eggs, and have just brought in their Benina Crema Gouda cheese.  

Rosie

Rosie Burroughs in the matriarch of a family committed to organic, sustainable farming.  We were very impressed with their farming philosophy.  We learned about how seriously they take the health of the soil, the pasture grasses, the trees, and the animals. 

Pasture grasses--healthy and full of nutrients!

 The cows and chickens are moved to new pasture regularly (the chickens are moved every day, and the cows after each milking, twice per day.) Their pasture grasses have species diversity to naturally balance the nutrients for the animals, as well as to assure the health of the soil and pasture.  This makes their eggs and dairy products have a natural blance of Omega-3s and Omega-6s.

As we approached, the chickens scattered!

Mobile Chicken Coop

These coops are on wheels, and are moved to a new pasture daily.  The chickens can come into and out  of the coop as they please.  Burroughs has about 2000 laying chickens, and 1500 chicks.  The chickens lay for about 18 months.  

The chicken get about 30% of their nutrients from the pasture, and about 70% from organic feed, which is available in the white troughs shown above and below.  I didn't see any chickens going to the feed, so they clearly like to peck at the ground!

The chickens come into the coop to lay their eggs.

There are laying boxes on both sides of the large coop.

A chicken just laid an egg, which gently rolls down into the trough.

Several eggs were laid while we were there.

Peter shows off a newly laid egg!

Every day the eggs are collected and then refrigerated.

These are definitely free-range chickens, not just cage-free!  They are pasture fed as much as they want, and then supplemented with what they can't get from the pasture.

Sometimes they just want to take a little nap on the roosts.  

This little hen was clearly not sure about getting her photograph taken!

Other Enterprises

The Burroughs family also has 865 acres of organic or transitional almond groves.  (Transitional means that they are treated as organic trees, but will not get the organic certification for three years.)  

You'll notice that there is grass between the trees.  That is because the Burroughs family does not kill the grasses with herbicides.  They use a drip irrigation system to keep the grasses down as much as possible.

The young almonds look like young peaches here!

The young almonds can be cut open like a cucumber.  Here you can see the edible part has been taken out of the half on the left.  

The Burroughs Family has been growing olives as well, and last year pressed their first bottles of oil.  

I couldn't resist adding the photo of their Dairy Milking facility. It is open air and very clean.  The Burroughs Family takes such good care of their cows that they will produce milk for 10+ years.  The industry average in only 2.6 years!  I'd say that Burroughs Family has happy cows!

The Burroughs Family even gave us a delicious lunch after our farm tour.  We had a wonderful day, and hope that you try their delicious eggs.  You can really taste the difference!

Love,

Lassen's

Mom's "Good Stuff"

In Honor of Our Little Mommy

Written by Gayle

This is my mother, Mary.  She passed away in 2009 at the age of 87, about six months after this photo was taken.  

Mom was born in 1922, the oldest of 5 children.  

Look at that incredible, curly hair!

Mom's sister Jinny was so jealous of her hair that, the story goes, Jinny poured honey all over it!

Mom graduated from college, got married and taught 3rd grade for a year.

I think this is her college yearbook picture.

And then she proceeded to have seven children and teach High School English and Drama for about 20 years.  She was a 4'11" 105-lb force of nature. 

Doesn't she look like a High School English and Drama teacher?

Mom had so many amazing qualities:  Incredible singing voice (into her 80s she didn't have the little-old-lady voice at all!), amazing organizational abilities, was a loving friend, was a helpful and caring mother, fun grandmother and great-grandmother, and creative in everything that she did.  She even learned how to water ski in her mid-40s!  And she was frugal.

And Boy, Did She Have Great Taste!

And by that, I mean she could TASTE.  Yes, she had great taste, too, but she could try something absolutely new to her, and she would tilt back her head, close her eyes, and pronounce, "Fennel.  And thyme."  She could pick flavors out of anything.

So when she tried Ranch dressing for the first time, it was not really rocket science for her to figure out what was in it.  And her frugality would not let her pay for pre-made dressing from the store!  So here is mom's recipe for ranch dressing, commonly called "Good Stuff" at our house, since my little brother remarked, "This is good stuff!"  

Mom's Good Stuff

You'll Need:

• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp onion salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed
• 1  1/2 tsp dried parsley, crushed

I like to use a shaker bottle, but you can just use a bowl and a wire whisk, too.

Put the mayonnaise in the shaker container, and then add all of the spices.

Make sure you crush the basil and parsley before adding.

Blend thoroughly with a spoon.  

Measure 1 cup of buttermilk.

Add the buttermilk, a little at a time, and stir to get the big lumps blended in well.

Then put the wire into the jar, and shake!

Partially blending with a spoon gets rid of the biggest lumps.  The shaking gets rid of the little ones!

Now you can enjoy ranch dressing goodness made fresh at home!

You can also substitute 2 cups of sour cream for the mayonnaise and buttermilk for a thicker dip.

Now, obey your mom and eat your vegetables!

love,

Lassen's

My Roasting Obsession

This Time It's S--L--O--W

By Gayle

And I Do Mean SLOW

Remember this post about one of my favorite cooking methods, roasting?  I roast vegetables at least 4 times every week.  That why I was so intrigued when I stumbled across this recipe for Slow Roasted Tomatoes in the Cooking Light magazine that I picked up at the Ventura Lassen's.

Warning:  Start This In The Morning!

Slow Roasting?  Really?  Roasting to me meant very high temperatures and fast cooking.  

So I thought I'd try it.  This is adapted from the Cooking Light recipe.

You'll Need:

• 4 lbs (about 16) Roma Tomatoes
• 1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground salt
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp honey

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  (Yes, you read that right.  Two Hundred.)

Prepare the tomatoes by washing, patting dry, and then cutting lengthwise in half.  I also removed the small core.

Combine the oil, spices, and honey.  It will mix together like a paste.  

Add the cut tomatoes and stir with a large spoon until the tomatoes are coated.  The tomatoes will give off some juice and that will help to get the spices on all of the tomatoes.

Place the seasoned tomatoes on a large baking sheet.  I hate to waste anything (blame my depression-era parents) so I scooped the spices and juice that were left in the bowl and spooned it over the tomatoes on the pan.

Then pop those babies in the oven and let them slow-roast for 7-8 hours.  Yes.  Hours.  

I just could not resist checking on them periodically throughout the day.  They smelled so good!

Voila!

These were SO. GOOD.  The slow-roasting intensified the flavors of the tomatoes and spices.  Awesome.

I served them as a side dish (with spinach and aragula) to soup, but they would be great tossed in pasta, or next to grilled chicken or fish.  And here's a bonus--This dish is Paleo!  (See this post for more information about the Paleo diet.)

I wonder what else I could roast slowly?

Happy (slow) roasting! 

Lassen's