Images from Emilie Raguso

Below are images from last Sunday's Marmalade and Jam Exchange. Thanks to Emilie Raguso for sending these along!

The jams, all lined up, before the Exchange began.

And again.

Hachiya persimmons and Eureka Lemons.

Hachiya Persimmons.

Chanterelles.


Rick reading his story of olive gleaning in Davis

Thank you!!

Thank you to all who came to today's Winter Marmalade and Jam Exchange! It was a great success, what with a wide selection of marmalade, jams, jellies, chutneys, fresh fruit, and even chanterelles and olive oil, limoncello and orangecello.

Thanks to Scott for, once again, so generously hosting the Exchange.

Thanks to Rick for reading aloud his story of gleaning and pressing olives for oil in Davis.

And thank you to everyone who shared part of their afternoon with the Forage Oakland community. I apologize if I didn't get a chance to individually say goodbye, but it was a bit frenzied towards the end. There will be a similar exchange come spring, so do stay tuned.

If you took photos today and wouldn't mind sharing them (i.e. having them posted to the blog or sent to me for documentation's sake), please email them to forageoakland@gmail.com. I'd really appreciate it!

All images in this post are courtesy of Scott Whitten

Marmalade and Jam Exchange

Hi All!

Just a quick reminder: the Forage Oakland Winter Marmalade and Jam exchange is today between 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm at 411 51st Street. So, if you are moved by the holiday spirit and in search of gifts, or if you would simply like to diversify your preserves supply, then do come!

Call (510) 289-7557 if you need directions.

Warmly,
Asiya

(the two images in this post were taken by Maria Gould at the February Marmalade and Jam Exchange)

Images from 'Persimmons for Later'

"Peel the Persimmon"

Lulu & Howie (and Siew Chinn's hands, peeling the persimmon).

Below are images taken by Blair Sneddon at the opening for the Persimmons for Later installation currently at 18 Reasons. Thanks for the images, Blair, and thank you to those who came to watch the screening of the Viva's film!

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Forage Oakland is hosting a winter marmalade and jam exchange! If you have fresh backyard fruit in abundance, you are welcome to bring that as well and barter for preserves (and vice versa). Ideally, preserves will have been made using surplus backyard fruit.

When: 20 December, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Where: 411 51st Street in North Oakland
RSVP: (510) 289-7557 or forageoakland@gmail.com

If you are in a gift giving mood and looking for the perfect holiday gift, come to the exchange and leave with an armful of jams.

*Thank you*

Here are two images of a peeled hachiya persimmons that will eventually dry to become hoshi gaki. I came across this image several years ago and was quite taken by it. It was originally discovered on sOs' photostream on Flickr.

Below are two stills from Viva's video. The eight minute video should be uploaded to this blog relatively soon; Siew Chinn will walk you through the initial steps of making hoshi gaki.



Below is an image of Rosie, the curator at 18 Reasons, giving a persimmon a gentle massage, as she does every few days to aid in the distribution of the sugars.


Forage Oakland harvesting activities will resume in earnest in January, so please stay tuned!

Civil Eats, 2 December

Below is my December Civil Eats Hachiya Persimmon piece:

Each year, between November and February, slowly and intently, hachiya persimmon altars begin to take root in my North Oakland apartment. They form on my kitchen window sill; on my bedroom dresser; on my dining room table; on my office desk. I fall into the familiar habit of always having one or two persimmons in my bag in case, in the course of the day’s travels, I meet a neighbor to whom I’d like to bestow a persimmon.

The first time I saw a persimmon was in my North Oakland neighborhood in California. The exact moment is now foggy in my memory, but the sensation remains clear, that quickening of the heart, that sudden unbelievable joy at such an unexpected fruit in the dead of winter. Now, four years later, I am on a train that has just departed the station in Bra, Italy, and I am heading towards Carmagnola. On the train ride, I’ve passed the most haphazard (insofar as their use of all possible available space) and well-tended orchards that nearly abut the train. And just a moment ago, the train crept along as Italian trains can, and in plain sight, we passed an orchard of hachiya persimmons. A few of the fruits were ripening, but by and large, the tree bore matte lime green fruit, with a few glossy orange globes towards the top. Each time I unexpectedly find myself in sight of a persimmon tree, the same heart-quickening sensation returns, the feeling as lucid as the first time I saw the fruit in Oakland.

18 Reasons Opening

photo: Maria Gould

Please join me at 18 Reasons this Friday, 11 December 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm for the opening of my show, Persimmons for Later. I have collaborated with Siew-Chinn Chin and Viva Barrows-Friedman to create a hoshi gaki exhibit that pays homage to the traditional craft of hanging and drying of hachiya persimmons. Twenty-six Park Avenue persimmons have been peeled and hung throughout the gallery, and with the help of Rosie Gill and Lulu McClellan, the persimmons will be massaged to produced the succulent, preserved hachiyas that we know and love.

Viva Barrows Friedman, Siew-Chinn Chin, and I have collaborated to produce an instructional hoshi gaki video as well, and it will be screened at the opening.

Please stop by to say hello and enjoy persimmon pudding made by Stacie Pierce. Other snacks have generously been provided by Bi Rite Market.

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Asiya

Hachiya Persimmons: a call

If you or someone you know has hachiya persimmons in excess, please call me as soon as possible: (510) 289-7557. I am specifically looking to harvest trees in central or south Berkeley, and neighborhoods in North Oakland.

Also, please visit this site: Bristol Food for Free.

Sincerely,
Asiya