California Gourmet: Herb-infused Finishing Salts

 Finishing salts can be made with California native plant flavors.Professionalchefs know a secret or two about using flavors.  Often it’s the finishing touches– the sauces, the toppings or the seasonings sprinkled atop a dish – that giveit that extra zing.  Creative finishingtouches are making their way into home kitchens as well, where amateur chefsare...

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Plant of the Month (January) : Catalina perfume / Evergreen currant – Ribes viburnifolium

Catalina Perfume (Evergreen currant; Ribes viburnifolium): Mother Nature's BackyardJanuary is the dead of winter. While most S.California gardens aren’t covered in snow, this is still the coldest andwettest time of the year.  So we treasureany plant that dares bloom in January. One of our early bloomers, Ribesviburnifolium (pronounced RIE-bees (or REE-bees) vi-bur-ni-FO-lee-um),...

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New Year, New Hours

  HappyNew Year to all our readers.  Tocelebrate 2017, the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve will be open one additionalafternoon each month (4th Sat. of each month – 1:00-4:00 p.m.).   The new hours for Mother Nature’s Backyardwill be as follows:                FirstWednesday...

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