Quick and Easy Hot Apple Rolls

A couple days ago, a friend of mine in the office brought in a large bag of home grown Fuji apples to give away. She started describing to me this Filipino dessert which uses chopped up apples, roll them in lumpia wrappers and deep fry them. Basically, they are apple lumpia. Normally, I make apple pies, but her recipe sounded much easier and also delicious. You just can't go wrong with the combination of fresh home grown apples and deep frying. I told her that I could make some. Her eyes widened, "Really? And you are going to bring them tomorrow, right? Take all the apples!"

I took more than 10 apples home. I peeled, cored, chopped up 6 medium size apples and mixed in a couple table spoons of brown sugar and 1 table spoon of cinnamon. I got a bag of Dynasty egg roll wrappers, which you can find in most super markets such as Lucky's or Safeway. In other words, you don't need to make a special trip to an Asian market to get the wrappers. I prepped the apples the night before. Next morning, I rolled up 13 apple rolls and deep fried them. It took no more than 30 minutes to roll and deep fry them. As soon as I got done frying them, I picked up the tray and drove to the office, which is about 4 miles away. The apple rolls

As I bite into the crunchy shell, I was reminded of McDonald's apple pies although these rolls are nowhere nearly as sweet as McD's apple pies. The apple bits stay crunchy since they were fresh apples and only fried for less than 2 minutes.

Mariscos La Costa in Oakland

It is unfortunate that Oakland gets a lot of bad rap for its crime and negative images of police. If you are not from this area, you probably don't realize that Oakland has many parks up in the hills and next to the bay. It has a zoo and several community colleges. It is culturally diverse with large populations of Chinese, Hispanics, blacks, and white. There is a Chinatown where Bruce Lee lived at one point. You can find plenty of authentic ethnic restaurants there at bargain prices.

Two weeks ago I found this place called Mariscos La Costa in Oakland on International Blvd. I had dinner there with a friend a week ago. They sell oysters on half shell for $1 each! They are big oysters, too. I casually mentioned it to my Mexican friend at work. She was so surprised that I knew of the place. We ended up go there again today. Everything there is in Spanish. This one guy, a regular customer, told me that I was the first Asian he ever saw there. I had a ceviche tostada, too. The place is awesome although I was a bit in culture shock in that part of Oakland - it's like little Mexico. My friend, Rosa, who is from Mexico agrees. Driving down International Blvd during traffic hour isn't exactly a serene experience. It is a very busy street with people shouting, yelling, screaming at other drivers. People were driving and pulling over any way that was doable. Car stereos were booming with heavy bass.

However, as soon as you arrive La Costa, you will suddenly be surrounded by palm tress. In addition to the palm trees next to the sign (first photo), there is an entire row of large palm trees next to the outdoor sitting area. You will start to wonder whether you are still in Oakland or somewhere next to the coast in Mexico.

The setting of La Costa is different from most restaurants that I am familiar with. It only has outdoor sitting. It has a large parking lot, so you don't have to worry about finding parking on busy International Blvd. You walk up to the window to order your food. Their specialty is fresh seafood. You are not going to find any deep fried seafood there. I love oyster on half shell. Rosa loves mixta coctele (mixed cocktail) with shrimp, octopus, and oyster. Most patrons are Hispanics and the menu on the wall is all in Spanish. However, it's okay for you to order in English and ask questions. I am in love with Jamaica drink, which is hibiscus tea. I also love Horchata, but Jamaica is the drink of the month for me.

Mixta Cerviche Tostada

La Costa is located at 3625 International Blvd. (cross 37th) Oakland. I asked them for a takeout menu, and it is in both Spanish and English! The menu says they open until 9PM, but they closed at 7PM when I was there. If you are looking for fresh Mexican style seafood at low price, La Costa is the place to go. It's not a fancy place but the staff is friendly, helpful, and offers fast service. The customers are generally friendly, too.

Far West Fungi Mushroom Farm Field Trip

The yellow tapes are there to reduce mushroom flies

We gathered at Rockridge BART station this morning for carpooling. Master Ken was glad to see me with my car since they were short on cars. I picked up Christina and Silent Joe then headed toward Far West Fungi Farm in Moss Landing. The weather forecast said that there would be a shower in the afternoon; however, the rain started shortly after we got on the freeway. By the time I got to Highway 17, the rain was pouring down so hard as if someone was hosing down the car with full blast of water. I glanced back occasionally at Silent Joe who sat in the back. I hoped they weren't too worried. After all, I have driven Highway 17 countless times. We arrived at the Farm just minutes past noon, and we were the first group from Rockridge BART to arrive. We joined the first tour led John and Toby Garrone's (owners) younger son, Kyle.

Golden Oyster

Unlike a regular vegetable farm, the mushrooms are grown inside of dark and humid warehouses on blocks inside of special plastic bags. These plastic bags cost 20 cents each, which allow oxygen to enter but not bacteria. Kyle Garrone explained to us how the sawdust is mixed, sterilized, and compressed. They are inoculated with mushroom spawns in "clean room", which the employees have to take a shower before entering and stay inside all day during the process in order to eliminate contamination. The clean room is the only facility that's not open for tour.

The bagged blocks are then stored in the dark windowless warehouses. We got to walk through the warehouses of various mushrooms in various stages. Far West currently grow 9 kinds mushrooms - white, blue, brown, pink, gold, and trumpet oysters, shiitake, lion’s mane, maitake, and reishi along with acreage of traditional crop plants that their employees grow for their own use. They grow everything certified organic on recycled materials.

Lion's Mane

At the end of the tour, we had our usual potluck BBQ. Now, you might wonder, how could we have a BBQ in this bad weather? First, a raining day is a great day for mushroom people. Mushroom people never cancel an event due to the rain. When it rains, we cheer in excitement. This was the second time I encountered wet weather on a Far West Fungi field trip during the last 5 years as a MSSF member. I always have rain gear in my car - two umbrellas and a rain poncho. During mushroom season, the rain boots stay in the car, too.

Shiitake mushrooms waiting to be sorted in the walk in refrigerator

Mushroom people and urban farmers are extremely versatile and creative. The Garrone brothers had setup the big grill on wheels at the entrance of a farm shed. If the rain got too hard, we would pull the grill inside a bit. We didn't have enough disposable plates and utensils this year, but that was no big deal. Many people did bring their own bowls as we always encourage people to reduce waste by not using disposable products. People used the lids of tupperwares, flatten cardboard boxes, plastic inserts of crackers, cups, etc. as their plates/bowls. It was interesting to see what people were using to carry their food. I always bring my own food tray and utensils in the car. Everybody enjoyed the feast and social gathering.

Christina working the grill - chicken satay, marinated shiitake, zucchini, and sausage

In addition to the BBQ, we also raided the recycle pile of used mushroom blocks. The blocks are still full of mycilia and can be fruited again although it is not cost effective for the farm to reuse them. We took as many of the used blocks home as our cars could fit to grow mushrooms in our garages, closets, or under the trees.

We raided the pile of used mushroom blocks before heading over to the BBQ

Berkeley Marina, Great Spot for a Day Trip

Berkeley Marina is located in Berkeley, California, off Interstate 80 at University Avenue exit. It's a great place to take a walk, bike, get something to eat, fly a kite, sail a boat, swim in the bay, walk the dog, have a picnic, hang out, or take a nap on a blanket. It's one of the popular hangouts for day activities.
When you get off the freeway at University exit, you have the choices of heading down University Avenue to UC Berkeley or the opposite direction to the Marina. Sea Breeze Market and Deli is located at the entrance of the Marina. It has ample parking right next to it. Sea Breeze has been there for as long as I can remember. It sells fresh fruits, fruit smoothies, and various seafood sandwiches. As you walk or drive further down University Ave toward the Marina, there are a couple more fancier waterfront restaurants such the Hs Lordships and Skates.

There are always people in the Marina walking or biking along the bay trail. There is an off-leash dog area in César Chávez Park. On any clear day, people are there to fly kites. The annual Berkeley Kite festival takes place in César Chávez Park.
OCSC Sailing School is located in the Maria, where you can learn to sail and get certified. Berkeley Charter Boats can take you out on a fishing trip. Doubletree Hotel is in the Marina for visitors who want to stay right next to the bay.

The July 4th fireworks celebration is held at Marina annually; however, the city is considering to change the location due to the impact of loud noises on both domestic animals and wildlife.
Berkeley Marina is a great place to spend a day doing anything outdoorsy. People are friendly, and there is something to do there for everyone including the dogs.

An Unexpected Visitor

It's the second day of another heatwave. I put Dusty in his cage before I left for the cubicle job this morning. As soon as I got back, I started to water the plants. Suddenly I noticed two golden eyes staring at me.

"Oh, hey Kitty," I greeted the tuxedo cat resting in the shade. He got up and started walking toward me. Occasionally a cat wanders through the farm, but they never stayed long. I have never seen this cat before. I petted the cat and noticed how skinny he is. My policy is that everybody gets fed when they come to the farm. I don't have any cat food, not even a can of tuna; however, I do have some whole milk in the fridge. I knew he would like something cold to drink on this hot day. I went back inside to get the milk and Dusty's water bowl.

The cat sure wasn't shy about getting a free drink. As he drank the milk, I went to pick more figs. A lot of figs ripened from the heat today. I picked another full basket. Occasionally I turned around to look at the cat. He just stood there starting at my direction. I wondered if he was going to stay. After I picked all the figs, I proceeded to water more plants. The cat wasn't standing there anymore. Maybe he left. Oh, wait, he went back to the same spot where he was resting before.

After I watered all the herbs and vegetables, I checked on the cat again. He had curled up to take a nap. I left the rest of milk out for him and got another dog bowl out for Dusty's water.

"Goodnight, Kitty."