One of the best perks about eating local, seasonal produce is that it is intuitive to what you may be craving this time of year. Right now it's really time for foods to keep you cool. What better than cucumbers, melons, tomatoes, zucchini, and sweet corn that you can find at your local Farmers' Markets right now?!? Try these easy recipes to help you beat the summer heat!

1-    Watermelon Popsicles

If you have never tried frozen watermelon, you are in for a treat! Simply, cut watermelon into narrow wedges with the rind on (like you would to eat fresh). Cut a slit in the rind and push in a popsicle stick (not absolutely necessary, but makes for less messy eating). Place in freezer until completely frozen. Once frozen, eat like you would a popsicle.

2-    Grilled Summer Veggies

The beauty of this recipe is that it is just as delicious served cold as it is hot off the grill! Serve it as a cool veggie salad with lunch or dinner. The grill sauce and marinade is what makes this recipe a hit. We promise you will like this one!

Grilling Sauce:

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup fresh basil leaves, minced

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour to meld the flavors. Preheat your barbeque or oven broiler on high. Cut 2 pounds of your favorite summer vegetables into ¼ inch thick slices. Good vegetables for grilling are summer squash, zucchini, onions, peppers, and eggplant. Brush the grilling sauce onto the cut vegetables and grill over a hot fire for approximately 4 minutes per side. Once vegetables are tender, remove from the grill and brush again with remaining sauce. Serve hot or cold. Serves 6.

3-    Cucumber Lemonade

This is a nice twist on classic lemonade that will be sure to cool you off and please your taste buds. Did you know that cucumbers are more than 90% water?!

2 medium cucumbers

juice from 3 lemons

2 Tbsp. honey

1 cup of warm water

1 gallon of cold water

Dissolve honey in the cup of warm water and then place in blender to combine with remaining ingredients. Chill before serving. You can also substitute limes for lemons to make cucumber limeade, yum!

4-    Minty Melon Ball Appetizers

1 medium cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, or your melon of choice

1/ 2 bunch of fresh mint, minced

Juice from 2 limes

1 Tbsp. honey

Bring these fun appetizers to your next summer barbecue or pool party. Simply, scoop out your favorite melon with a melon baller (use different types of melon for different colors!) Whisk lime juice, honey and mint together to combine. Then gently toss with melon balls. Place melon balls on a plate and serve with toothpicks. Serve chilled.

5-    Sweet Corn and Tomato Relish

2 ears fresh sweet corn, kernels cut off (about 1 cup kernels)

1 medium tomato, diced

1/3 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

Juice from ½ lime

Salt and black pepper to taste

Gently mix all ingredients together. Serve as a dip for chips or as a topping for grilled veggies or meat. Makes about 2 cups.

 

Last week, the San Jose Mercury News published an interesting map of the state of California depicting “urban” (that is, non-agricultural) water use by region for the month of May.  According to the State Water Resources Control Board, Californians used one percent more water in May 2014 that the average May over the last three years.  Even in Placer and Nevada Counties, some residents don't comprehend the severity of the current drought.

In response to the slight uptick in urban water use compared to the last three years, the Board adopted new penalties for wasting water in urban and residential settings.  This comes on top of Board actions that restrict water diversions and storage for “junior” water rights holders.  Furthermore, irrigation water deliveries from the federal Central Valley Project and the state water project are vastly reduced this year.  In Placer and Nevada Counties, our water agencies have asked for voluntary 15 percent reductions in water use to ensure that they can carryover enough water in reservoirs for next year.

On the same day that the Mercury News printed this graphic, the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences released its “Economic Analysis of the 2014 Drought for California Agriculture.”  Lest there be any doubt that California is in the midst of a severe drought that is having profound impacts on farmers and ranchers, here are a few of the study's key findings:

• California is enduring its third driest year on record as agricultural, urban and environmental demands for water are at an all-time high.  In other words, this year has been one of the driest in our history – and California's population has never been higher.
• The 2014 drought is responsible for the greatest absolute reduction to water availability for agriculture ever seen, given the high agricultural demands and low streamflows and reservoir levels.  Surface water availability is expected to be reduced by about one-third.
• The 2014 drought will result in a 6.6 million acre-feet reduction in surface water available to agriculture.  This loss of surface water will be partially replaced by increasing groundwater pumping by 5 million acre-feet.
• The net water shortage of 1.6 million acre-feet will cause losses of $810 million in crop revenue and $203 million in dairy and other livestock value, plus additional ground water pumping costs of $454 million.  These direct costs to agriculture total $1.5 billion.
• The total statewide economic cost of the 2014 drought is $2.2 billion, with a total loss of 17,100 seasonal and part-time jobs.
• California farmers will fallow approximately 428,000 acres of farmland in 2014 (other reports put this estimate as high as 800,000 acres).  Most of the fallowed land is estimated to be feed and other annual crops, including pasture.  At the individual farm level, fallowing land creates significant cash-flow challenges.  Some farms may not survive economically; some may be forced to sell land for development.  These farms and ranches grow food for all of us!  Each fallowed acre reduces the amount of food and fiber available for all Californians!
• In the Central Valley, high-value crops including vegetables, non-tree fruits and permanent crops represent less than 13 percent of total fallowing as growers direct scarce water to the highest value use.  Scarce water supplies are being used to keep almond, pistachio and walnut trees alive, rather than to grow annual field crops.  These orchard crops represent significant capital expenditures; farmers can't simply fallow an orchard one year and resume production the next.
• Alfalfa hay prices have increased 40 percent since January 2014.  This impacts the cost of production for dairy farmers, and to a lesser extent, for other livestock producers.  Many foothill ranchers have already felt the impacts of this price increase; they had to purchase hay to make it through the exceptionally dry winter.  Ranchers who market directly to consumers have had to raise their meat prices.
• The California drought, especially the lack of rain in the winter of 2013-2014 reduced pasture quality and the number of cattle [and other rangeland livestock] per acre substantially during the crucial winter and spring period of calving and raising feeder cattle on pasture.  Once the grass started to grow in March and April, many ranchers did not have enough animals to fully utilize the forage, creating fuel-loading problems on many ranches.  Several wildfires this summer have impacted ranches that were forced to de-stock during the winter.
• The combined socioeconomic (reduced production, job losses, economic losses, etc.) effects of the 2014 drought are up to 50 percent more severe than in 2009.

But what happens if the drought continues?  According to the report, “Statistically, the drought is likely to continue through 2015 – regardless of El Nino conditions.”

• Failure to replenish groundwater in wet years will continue to reduce groundwater availability to sustain agriculture – particularly more profitable permanent crops – during California's frequent droughts.  The recent plantings of almond and walnut orchards on the edges of the Valley are at risk.
• If the drought continues for two additional years, groundwater substitution will remain the primary response to surface water shortage, with decreases in groundwater pumping capabilities and increasing costs due to declining water levels.
• A continued drought also increases the vulnerability of agriculture, as urban users with largely adequate supplies in 2014 would likely buy water from agricultural areas.  This means more land will be fallowed and more farms will go out of business.

Obviously, rural communities are especially vulnerable to the drought.  Communities that depend on farming and ranching as their economic base are already suffering from the loss of jobs and farming income.  Drought-induced reductions in food production (and related increases in production costs) will ultimately lead to higher food prices – at the supermarket as well as at the farmers' market.  As the housing market recovers, many farm and ranch families may decide to sell their land for development.

So what can we do?  We can't make it rain – believe me, I've tried everything I can think of!  As farmers and ranchers, we must continue to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.  We need to develop drought plans – what will we do if the drought continues?  For my family's sheep operation, this means keeping a careful eye on our carrying capacity and stocking rates.  For foothill fruit growers, this may mean deciding which trees to save and which to let die.

While most residential water users are used to having their water metered, much of the irrigation water in the foothills is delivered through a network of canals by the miner's inch (a vestige of our Gold Rush heritage, a miner's inch is equal to 11.22 gallons per minute).  As an irrigator, I have two options for conserving water: I can purchase less water from my irrigation district, or I can invest in technology and management systems that allow me to irrigate more acreage with my full allotment of water.  On several of our leased pastures, we've opted to make our water go further.  If the Nevada Irrigation District (NID) is forced to reduce deliveries next year by a fourth consecutive dry year, we'll have to get by with less – and reduce our flock accordingly.  We simply don't have the ability to replace our NID water with groundwater.

What can we do at home?  We've always turned off the tap while brushing our teeth and shaving.  This year, we're putting a bucket in the shower while waiting for the water to get hot – and we're using this water for plants and for drinking water for our pets.  We've also limited the amount of landscaping irrigation that we're doing – our lawn is drier than normal, and we're using some of our yard space to grow food instead of ornamental plants.  If the drought continues, we'll consider tearing out more lawn.

Drought has always been a fact of life for California.  I've seen evidence that the last half of the 20^th Century were wetter than normal for our state – perhaps drought is more ordinary than we realize.  And while many farms and ranches have learned to get by on less water, the map at the beginning of this article suggests that many of our urban neighbors are not aware that we're in a drought.  If our current dry spell persists, however, we'll all be forced to make some difficult decisions.

Here's the bottom line: no matter how we define “locally grown,” if the drought persists, we'll all have difficulty finding locally grown food!

One of the things I've really been enjoying lately is adding fresh herbs to my summer cooking. Herbs can take the flavor of any dish to the next level! They also marry well with a lot of the summer fruits and vegetables that you are probably already enjoying (think: tomatoes, peaches, grilled summer squash/eggplant, watermelon, etc.). Try out these fun ideas for using fresh herbs. What fresh herbs do you enjoy cooking with?

1-Mint

• Lemony Mint Salad Dressing: Chop mint and add to 1 part lemon juice and 2 parts olive oil. Whisk all ingredients to combine and add salt and pepper to taste for a light and refreshing summer salad dressing!

• Mint and Watermelon Salad: Chop mint into ribbons and toss gently with cubed watermelon, chopped roasted almonds and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Chill in the fridge and drizzle with olive oil before serving.

2-Cilantro

• Add cilantro to salsas: try cilantro in tomato based or fruit salsas, like this fresh Peach Salsa. You are sure to love this on grilled chicken or fish or with your favorite tortilla chips.

• Chimichuri Sauce: If you have never tried this, you are missing out! Spoon this zesty sauce over grilled vegetables, steak, or lamb chops, or even grilled chicken. A simple recipe is to blend: 1 cup cilantro, 1 clove of garlic, 1 small/medium jalapeno, the juice from 1 lime, ¼ C olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the seasonings to your preference, but this is a great start!

3-Basil

• Basil Pesto: Yes, pesto is still one of my favorite uses for fresh basil! Check out our Eat Local Basil pesto recipe coming soon: http://ucanr.edu/sites/EatLocalPlacerNevada/Recipes/

           or stop by the Mill St. Farmers' market on July 18^th for a chance to make and taste “bike-powered” pesto!

• Pump up the flavor: Add basil at the end of cooking to simple sautés like this Summer Squash Saute or substitute basil for mint in the “Lemony Mint Salad Dressing” above and toss with chopped, fresh cucumber and tomatoes.

Have you ever noticed that some vegetables provide more than one edible part? I know it's silly, but I get really excited about the idea that I can buy a bunch of beets, eat the beet roots and ALSO use the beet greens for some delicious cooking! What a great deal!

Here are some of my other favorite two for one vegetables:

• Summer Squash/Summer Squash Flowers

Summer squash flowers are commonly stuffed with ricotta or chevre cheese and then fried, but you can lightly sauté them in oil to the same tasty result. For the summer squashes themselves, try our tasty: Summer Squash Saute

• Turnip Roots/Turnip Greens

Turnip greens are excellent sautéed with some olive oil, fresh garlic, salt and pepper. For the turnips, try adding some to this root vegetable medley: Oven-Roasted Root Vegetables

• Sweet Potatoes/Sweet Potato Greens

Sweet potato greens are in fact edible! They will cook down and taste like mild spinach. Try sautéing an onion and cooking the greens in chicken stock until soft. Sweet potatoes can be roasted whole (or microwaved until soft) and then mashed with a little butter and salt for a kid-friendly treat!

• Kohlrabi Bulbs/Kohlrabi Greens

Both the bulbs and greens of kohlrabi go great in stir frys. Or, peel and cut bulbs into matchsticks and toss with olive oil, salt and black pepper, and roast until just tender. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve warm!

• Beets/Beet Greens

Beets are great roasted as well as boiled and sliced on salads. Try this salad with beets: Arugula, Fennel, and Beet Salad or a crunchy snack with beets: Beet Chips

Substitute beet greens for any recipe with swiss chard. Or, try substituting beet greens for the kale in this easy sauté: Simple Sauteed Kale