The Honey Gatherers

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Honeybees harbor anti-resistance genes

As urban populations grow in lockstep with interest in urban agriculture, conflicts over where and whether hives should be kept may continue to escalate.

“Historically, beekeepers want to stay under the radar,” says Peteros. “But being in the urban agriculture movement, we felt that having bees visible in an urban environment is also an important form of passive education. Even in dense urban places like San Francisco … if we are going to be successful in helping people grow their own food, we need pollinators.”

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Keeping the peace between beekeepers and their urban neighbors.

Fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, open air concerts, baseball/softball games, family reunions are all fun things associated with Independence Day.

This year at the recently opened Salumeria, we’ve got the makings of an awesome picnic/BBQ for you.

Look at these delicious buns. And check out those spicy chorizo sausages, perfect for those that like their hotdogs with a kick. Chef de Cuisine Matt Sigler and Sous Chef Rikki are working away on some pork hotdogs as I type.

We are your one-stop shop for your 4th of July picnic/BBQ with house-made mustard (sweet or wholegrain), whey pickles, marinated olives,  and I’ve heard a rumor about house-made ketchup. We have a carefully curated cheese program, and our resident turophile, Sophie Mosgrove highly recommends Landaff as a great picnic/BBQ choice. It holds up well in warmer temperatures and is well suited to everything else on this list
San Bitter, San Pellegrino (Aranciata or Limonata) and our selection of wine all make great choices for beverages. Light, crisp, a bit fruity and quite bubbly. Some call her Xarmant Txakolina 2011…we call her the perfect summer wine.

We also have a wide selection of pastries, chocolate, chips as easy add on snacks. So head on over to pick up everything you need for an awesome day.

Happy Independence Day!

In beekeeping circles it is said that if you want to know the answer to something, ask a second year beekeeper – they think they know everything.

I don’t know what second year beekeepers these people are talking to.  I am in the the middle of my second year with the bees I can confidently say that I know a whole lot less about this creature than when I started.

I have no answers. I am not even sure of the questions, to be honest.

This year has been both exciting and terrifying in a standing-on-the-very-edge-of-a-precipice-overhanging-a-dark-and-bottomless-void kind of a way. I have made a lot of mistakes and have subsequently accessed a much deeper level of understanding my relationship with the honeybee and, on a much greater scale, the world around me. That is to say: I have come to really accept not just how little I know about anything, but how little I will always know – and to allow myself to be guided by my mistakes and fears rather than inhibited by them.

When I started out this Spring, I was really trying to convince myself that I had a handle on what I was doing. I was so determined to claim an intimate knowledge of the honeybee and while, in my heart of hearts, I knew that it wasn’t so, I believed that my earnest desire would be enough to make it manifest.   Armed with this false confidence, I decided to split the hive at Flour+Water and move the split to Central Kitchen, down the street. The split was made without incident but in the weeks that followed, the split failed to raise a viable queen. In a panic, I made a trip up to Healdsburg to purchase a replacement queen. She failed, as well.  I moved a frame of brood from the original colony into the split along with a third queen… who failed. Finally, I decided to stop interfering. I didn’t want to lose this colony, but they weren’t responding to my efforts at saving it. Inspecting the hive two weeks ago I found the colony raising their own queen. Whether or not they will survive is still unclear and I go back and forth between thinking that letting them be is the right thing to do and thinking that it’s irresponsible and that I am a terrible human being.

I really don’t want to be a terrible human being. Even more than that, however, I don’t want to let my ego get in the way of doing what is best for the bees. Intuitively I feel that this is the right choice, even if it isn’t. I have let go of the illusion that I have all of the answers and have opened myself up to the possibility of failure and of the lessons it may unlock.

Sophie (Retail Manager at salumeria): Always find the humor in any situation. It makes the hard ones in particular, a lot easier to deal with.

Paige (Cashier at salumeria): Always do what makes you happy. It’s not always about the money.

Yarrow (Cashier at salumeria): In relationships, no excuses, no compromises. Especially as we all get older. Always feel the freedom to be honest.

Niki (Server at flour + water): He shared his secret formula with me on how to bet on the winning horse.

Emily (Special Events for NeTimeas Restaurant Group): Clean your dishes as you cook! Nobody wants to clean up the kitchen after an Italian family is done eating. And never be fooled by a skinny person when you’re thinking about portion size.

Ruth (Hostess at flour + water): My Dad taught me how to save money. With every paycheck (on payday), put 10% in savings, give 10% as tidings, pay your bills and anything that is necessary, then the rest is yours to spend as you want. Great advice as I’m pretty good with money.

Tim (server at flour + water): My Dad taught me the basics of how to make any meal taste good. Even with the most basic ingredients, a little imagination and a little creative flair, you can whip up a good meal.

Jen (server at flour + water): How to make a funny joke bad!

Tara (Assistant for NeTimeas Restaurant Group): He taught me how to play records. He had loads of vinyl when I was growing up so I knew how to read the lines of vinyl before I knew how to play CDs.

central kitchen is just coming up to one month old and I managed to catch up with our pastry chef at central kitchen, for a few minutes.

What appealed to you about joining the team at central kitchen?

The strong team and the philosophy behind the restaurant. Their focus on sustainability, seasonality and supporting local farmer’s are all ideals very close to my heart. I have a lot of respect for Chef Thomas and Chef Michael’s style and work ethos too.

What inspired the career change from Interior Architecture to being a Pastry Chef?

In my free time I found myself drawn to baking as a way to unwind. I did a lot of experimental work with chocolate and soon I was being booked to create desserts and cakes for weddings. That piqued my curiosity enough to switch careers…which was also around the same time the dot com bubble burst so it was a fortunately well timed move.

How would you describe your signature style or dish?

Fun, whimsical, playful and tastes sinfully good! I try to stay away from the idea of a signature dish so I keep challenging myself to create new wonders, but I’d say my use of chocolate and fresh fruit has become something special for me. And I’m always working on new and exciting ways to pair the combination.

What’s your candy of choice from a grocery store?

Ritter Sport. Hazelnut Chocolate.

What do you do to unwind in San Francisco?

I love to go for a run on the city streets. Every day is a little bit different on the wonderful streets of SF. And yoga, that always helps me relax.

What are your favorite places to go in San Francisco?

For Lunch: Tony’s Pizza.

For Dinner: Citizen’s Band.

For Dessert: Absinthe for any of Bill’s desserts,

For regular updates on what’s happening behind the scenes, join the digital discussion. Click, click, tweet, tweet.

flourandwater (twitter. facebook)
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See what we see as we see it on instagram.

all photos courtesy of aubrie pick

This week we opened our third offering, salumeria.

salumeria, a neighborhood delicatessen that houses a wide selection of house cured salumi, which is a particular passion of chef de cuisine, Matt Sigler. Daily offerings include an ever evolving selection of sandwiches, antipastas, a wide selection of cheese curated by our resident cheesemonger, Sophie Mosgrove, as well as oils, honeys, chocolate, a daily delivery of treats from Belinda Leong and so much more. Come by at lunch time and enjoy a bite in the central kitchen courtyard, or stop by on your way home and grab a selection of delights for a meal at home.

open from 9am to 7pm

www.salumeriasf.com

salumeria on facebook. twitter.

Always with a pep in his step, a smile on his face and some of the snazziest pants in town, Tim Carr is a joy to have on the team. His upbeat personality and ease with interacting with diners make him a much yelped and tweeted about favorite on the restaurant floor at flour + water.

Having been drawn to the stage early in life, his theatrical influence is apparent when he’s performing live. Those who were lucky enough to see him Shake His Kaboose on a Friday Night at The De Young Museum, were treated to a performance that was full of energy, peppered with humor and the inimitable combination of his soulful voice and highkicks against the multicolored backdrop, was a spectacle to behold. So we were all delighted to see that Tim Carr was picked out as The Best Local Musician in this month’s 7×7 magazine!

I sat down with our resident chanteuse to get a little insight into the wheres, whens and whats of his life in San Francisco.

What are your favorite places to go in San Francisco?

For Brunch: Dear Mom. The menu changes regularly but I’m always a fan of any combination of eggs, sausage and potatoes. It’s the Irish in me.

For Lunch: Nopalito. I usually get the carnitas with an awesome margharita.

For Dinner: Schmidt’s. Anything and everything. The schnitzel, they have a very impressive selection of sausage.

For cocktails: Shotwell’s. It’s my favorite neighborhood spot. They have a great beer selection and easy, friendly vibe makes it feel like Cheers. Or the Orbit Room for the fantastic bartenders that create innovative cocktails. The Hideout is always a winner. The bar within a bar that manages to always fly under most radars.

For a 1st Date: A hike in Glen Park and if that’s gone well, onto drinks at The Blackbird.

For an anniversary:I’d probably want to stay home. And I’d cook one of my famous Carr Curries.

Adventures in SF: Grab my backpack, put on some comfortable shoes and explore a different part of town I don’t know that well or haven’t spent time in recently. My most recent daytime adventure was in the Financial District. If you don’t work around there, its easy enough to almost forget we have this busy, bustling business district.
Adventures outside SF: Mendocino, Tomales Bay or Capitola.

Find out more about Tim and his music here: http://timcarrsongs.com/