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Monthly Archives: August 2009
Mar Vista Farmer’s Market Wrap-Up
Today’s shopper is Annie Barnes, co-founder of Inspire the Change: Green Your Momfluence. She’s going to make 2 dishes: Eggplant caviar and a salad of figs, cantaloupe and arugula, with orange vinaigrette.
The eggplant caviar begins with an eggplant that you roast whole, then let cool a bit so you can handle it. You scoop out the still warm pulp and toss it with chopped onions, 
garlic 
and tomato 
and a little salt and pepper.
The salad uses chopped figs 
and cantaloupe, added to arugula 
and dressed with a vinaigrette of fresh orange juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, from the Greens cookbook. Thanks, Annie! Delicious!
The Green Committee Booth today hosted Bikrowave 
(previously profiled here on MVM) and we’re very excited to say they’re doing great in their new space here in the neighborhood! They encourage us all to use our bikes when possible — and to learn how to maintain them ourselves.
Market Update: First of the season Asian pears 
and Gala apples! 
Weekend Plans: Free Outdoor Movie in Mar Vista Saturday 8/29
The Hilltop Neighborhood Association cordially invites you to their screening of “Journey to The Center of the Earth” this Saturday night, 8/29, starting at approximately 8pm. The film will be shown on the Little League field at the top of Grand View Blvd. Bring a blanket or beach chair to sit on and enjoy the show!
The gates will actually open at 6pm for their first annual block party, to which you are also invited. Please email HilltopNA@yahoo.com for more info.
Mar Vista Moms’ and Ladies’ Night Out: This Friday, August 28th
At the Wood!
Come join us on the patio for some lovely dinner and conversation, between 6pm and 10ish. Bring your own wine, if you like. Here’s a photo of the menu, and please note there will some specials as well on the day.
Looking forward to it, Mar Vista women!
The Wood is located at 12000 W. Washington Blvd. (at the corner of Washington and Inglewood Blvds.) 310-915-9663.
House Of The Week
Great porch.
Mar Vista Farmer’s Market Wrap-Up
Today’s shopper is Paige Gillingwater, President of Black Lab, Inc., a marketing and advertising agency with some very cool clients and a very cool set of products they make for kids (and parents) called Spread Heads.
She’s going to make a salad with cherry tomatoes, 
avocados, 
kalamata olives, 
goat cheese, 
and hearts of palm, all chopped up and tossed together with some italian dressing. Or you could go with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and call it a day. Yum! Thanks to Paige and her whole family!
Also at the market today: grapes are in season — and the vendors are very pleased about it, 
heirloom tomatoes are going strong, 
and the Oaxaquan ice cream vendor is a big hit!
The Green Committee hosted Sustainable Works today — here’s Nancy Barba, Residential Greening Program Coordinator 
with many of the options on display from the workshops they do, teaching people how to make green changes in their daily lives. Fingers crossed they’ll be doing a workshop series here in Mar Vista soon! Stay tuned for more details!!
GoSolar Mar Vista Update: Taking It Personally
Mar Vista Mom is going Solar! I am so excited, in a very geeky, green way.
I have lived in sunny climates most of my life and have always wanted to take advantage of the power of the sun, but there was always the big price tag standing in the way. Now with the leasing program available, that problem has vanished!
But let me back up and tell the story. After having heard the presentation in July describing the lease and the value of using solar, I scheduled an appointment with SolarCity to check out my roof and see if it was suitable for panels. Tom Folan came by promptly one morning (in his green Prius),
and, after climbing up the ladder and checking it all out, 
he gave me the good news: no shade hindering our sun potential, and acres of space for panels! (I am exaggerating; not acres.) 
But he said he can fit enough panels up there to offset 90% of our current electric usage. 
Here’s Tom crunching the numbers.
For the past year, we’ve averaged about $109/month in electric payments to DWP. And the lease would mean we’ll lock in that price per month for the next 20 years. And there are no upfront costs. I just don’t see a downside.
Except this: this program is so popular, we have to wait 5 months for installation. I know that means a ton of people are getting solar panels, which is great for the environment and all, but selfishly, I wanted them to be able to get started right away. Oh well, solar panels for Christmas!
Kudos to Open Mar Vista’s James Brennan and John Ayers for all the work they did pulling together this community discount!
And remember, the GoSolar Mar Vista discounts are only available until October 25th, so schedule your appointment soon. Just be aware that the roof inspection and number-crunching takes about an hour, so plan accordingly.
Oh, and the rooftop photo was taken by Tom Folan, because I have been too chicken to climb up on my own roof. But I vow to get my butt up there when my panels are installed and take the photo myself. You heard it here first.
House Of The Week
House of Peace.
Mar Vista Farmer’s Market Wrap-Up
Today’s shopper is Yvette Roman, a photographer and gardener, and apparently quite a good cook as well! She’s going to make 2 dishes for us today: a cold cucumber soup and a fruit salad.
For the cucumber soup, she’s using a recipe from Field Guide to Herbs and Spices, by Aliza Green. Combine 3 peeled and chopped cucumbers, 1 bunch of scallions sliced, a handful each of mint and parsley, 
(Here’s Yvette at Maggie’s Farm stand with Shylah, where she got the mint and parsley), 2 cups of buttermilk, 2 cups whole milk yogurt, and salt and pepper to taste. Process in a blender until smooth — it may need to be done in batches. Optional: you could add 1 cup of walnuts you’ve toasted — blend them in at the last minute. It’s best if you make the soup a day ahead and let it chill in the fridge overnight.
For the fruit salad, she’s peeling and chopping these white peaches, 
plums, 
honeydew melons 
and cantaloupe
into bite-sized pieces and just simply shredding mint over it all and mixing it up. Both dishes sound perfect for summer! (By the way, here’s a little tip for picking a great honeydew: go for the ones that have those stripey-looking blemishes; they’re known as “sugar marks” and indicate the melon is super ready.)
In other market news, heirloom tomatoes are going strong:
P.O.P. Candy is back — and will be there every third Sunday.
The Green Committee booth hosted Rhonda DeFelice of Green ‘n’ Easy Living with eco ideas for everyday cleaning and personal grooming needs!
(Here’s Rhonda with Johnny Dam. They’re co-hosts of the Green ‘n’ Easy Living radio show.)
Plus, there were Princesses at the market today as well! Princesses Rose and Lily are available for kids’ parties and can be reached through their website.
Mar Vista Business Updates: A Mano Yarn Center and Soaptopia
A Mano Yarn Center has closed. It’s unclear why; their website leaves no clues. But we’re sad to see them go.
Thankfully, Soaptopia is still here and going strong! In fact, in honor of the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock this weekend, they are offering free shipping through Monday 8/17 on all online orders with the code FREEISGOOD. Check it out: