KCRW Engineers’ Neighborhood

Green skinned sapotes, also known as custard apple, and wrinkly purple passion fruit are found at Coleman Farm.  Sapotes soften and turn yellow, then the skin can be rubbed off and the sweet soft fruit can barely hold its shape while eaten.  Delicious, delicate and rare.  Bumpy passion fruit is full of crunchy seeds and yellow-orange fleshy fibers.  Puree for drinks or eat with a spoon.  Wednesday, Saturday Santa Monica

Frisee and radicchio, bitter greens also found at Coleman Farm go great with sweet persimmons, salty cheese, almonds, walnuts and pecans in salad.

Chestnuts are very scarce this year.  Nicholas Farm has them for about 2 more weeks at $8 per pound.  Pierce with a knife and roast them in the oven or over the fire and eat them out of the shell, or use them in stuffing.  Wednesday, Pico Santa Monica, Sunday Beverly Hills.
 

Savoy cabbage from Flora Bella is sweeter than regular cabbage and the huge outer leaves can be used for wraps.  Wednesday, Saturday Santa Monica; Sunday Hollywood

Bucheret goat cheese from Redwood Hill, a farmstead goat cheese maker from Sebastopol.  Redwood Hill is a small family owned farm that produces prize winning goat cheeses including Camelia, Crottin, Cheddar, Raw Feta and 4 kinds of Chevre.  Wednesday Santa Monica; also Whole Foods, Co-Opportunity and other Health Food Stores.

Walter Hole Avocados from JJ’s Lone Daughter Ranch.  These are a rare winter variety similar to the Mexicola, which is primarily a root stock avocado.  The thin skin is edible.  Wednesday, Saturday Santa Monica; Sunday Hollywood

Did you know Tim Robbins’ father was a singer in a popular folk group? Neither did I! The actor has music in his blood and dropped by our studios to talk about how much it has defined his life – from the song his mother sang to him as a child to a track about the stark realities of “adult” love. He also pays tribute to his time living in LA, where he founded one of the city’s most accomplished theatrical institutions, The Actor's Gang. They are currently hosting a series of both free and fundraising events called the WTF Festival.

Hear the full set here

RR

KCRW TOP 50 FOR WEEK OF 11/03/2009

  1 AIR == Love 2 >> [Astralwerks]
  2 TWILIGHT - NEW MOON == Ost - Music By Thom Yorke, Grizzly Bear >> [Atlantic]
  3 BANHART, DEVENDRA == What Will We Be >> [Warner Bros.]
  4 ZERO 7 == Yeah Ghost >> [Atlantic]
  5 QUADRON == Quadron >> [A:larm/attack]
  6 BROWN, VV == Travelling Like The Light >> [Island Uk]
  7 MASSIVE ATTACK == Splitting The Atom Ep >> [Virgin]
  8 ATLAS SOUND == Logos >> [Kranky/4ad]
  9 LITTLE DRAGON == Machine Dreams >> [Peacefrog]
10 BUILD AN ARK == Love Part 1 >> [Kindred Spirits]
11 VALADEZ, ANTHONY == Audio Visual >> [Recordbreakin]
12 ASTATKE, MULATU == New York - Addis - London >> [Strut]
13 KINGS OF CONVENIENCE == Declaration Of Dependence >> [Astralwerks]
14 JOGGER == This Great Pressure >> [Magical Properties]
15 BIG STAR == Keep An Eye On The Sky >> [Rhino]
16 NDEGEOCELLO, MESHELL == Devil's Halo >> [Mercer Street]
17 MIDDLE EAST == Recordings Of The Middle East >> [Spunk]
18 HEAVY == House That Dirt Built >> [Counter]
19 FOOL'S GOLD == Fool's Gold >> [Self Release]
20 TEGAN & SARA == Sainthood >> [Sire]
21 ORCHESTRE POLY RYTHMO DE COTONOU == Echos Hypnotiques - Vol 2 >> [Analog Africa]
22 SWELL SEASON == Strict Joy >> [Anti]
23 FARRAR & GIBBARD == One Fast Move Or I'm Gone >> [Atlantic]
24 RODRIGO Y GABRIELA == 11:11 >> [Ato]
25 MAAL, BAABA == Television >> [Palm Pictures]
26 XX == Xx >> [Xl]
27 BIBIO == Ambivalence Avenue >> [Warp Music]
28 EL PERRO DEL MAR == Love Is Not Pop >> [Control Group]
29 SHAFIQ == Shafiq En A-free-ka >> [Plug Research]
30 GROOVE ARMADA == Groove Armada Ep >> [B-live]
31 MUM == Sing Along To Songs You Don't Know >> [Euphono]
32 BLK JKS == After Robots >> [Secretly Canadian]
33 BASEMENT JAXX == Scars >> [Ultra]
34 FLORENCE & THE MACHINE == Lungs >> [Universal Island]
35 DO == Mouthful >> [Get Down]
36 TIMBER TIMBRE == Timber Timbre >> [Arts & Crafts]
37 FANFARLO == Reservoir >> [Self Release]
38 WASHED OUT == Life Of Leisure >> [Advance]
39 STONE, JOSS == Colour Me Free >> [Virgin]
40 TENOR & ALLEN == Inspiration Information >> [Strut]
41 STEVENS, SUFJAN == Bqe >> [Asthmatic Kitty]
42 LEE & HOPKINS == Fascinating Fingers >> [Ubiquity]
43 FLAMING LIPS == Embryonic >> [Warner Bros.]
44 SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS == Prince Of Peace Ep >> [Vagrant]
45 HARRIS, CALVIN == Ready For The Weekend >> [Ultra]
46 FORRO IN THE DARK == Light A Candle >> [Nublu Records]
47 LUSINE == Certain Distance >> [Ghostly International]
48 CORREATOWN == Demo >> [Advance]
49 MONSTERS OF FOLK == Monsters Of Folk >> [Shangri-la Music]
50 ZAZA == Cameo >> [Kanine]

Sandra sent a picture of this yummy pie:

"Here is a photo of my husband Steve's now-famous rhubarb pineapple pie. I don't know where he found the recipe, but one evening he whipped one up and it was delicious. I froze some rhubarb from the garden, so he can make one to add to our Thanksgiving pie buffet. This year we'll be having pumpkin, apple, pecan and lemon pies, each in a vegan and non-vegan version."

Last year, Little Dragon sold out their first-ever show in LA. It was at the Roxy on Sunset and packed with hardcore fans. They didn’t even have an album out at the time, but a few KCRW DJs – Mathieu Schreyer and Garth Trinidad in particular -- were giving them steady spins and word spread fast that this Gothenberg band was one to watch. Their new album is a bit more electro and fast-paced, but still maintains the experimental minimalist mix that made the first one stand out – as well as Yukimi Nagano’s vocals, which add warmth and passion to the array of sounds. I’ve heard word that the band is working with TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek on a collaboration so keep an ear out for that. Also, Jason confirmed this morning that Yukimi and fantastic Swedish musician Jose Gonzalez are in fact a romantic couple and she told us he is working on a new album. Some exciting music news!

Check out this live set from Little Dragon.

RR

This week on Good Food, I chat with a third-generation cranberry farmer about harvesting cranberries.  Here's a video explaining the process:

Grab the New Yorker next week to see Jonathan Gold profiled by Dana Goodyear.  Here's a preview.

This is in the category of "What will they think of next"?