Nonprofit Produce
From the spot where I am standing, in the midpoint of Napa Valley’s 30-mile length, neatly planted rows of lush grapevines order the rambling flatlands and dusty hillsides. Everywhere, it seems, grapes with nearly as much pedigree as Perigord truffles cover the terrain. Vintners in pursuit of a legendary wine pay more than $200,000 for an acre of this type of land. But wait, what’s that over there by that old redwood house? In the place where some of California’s priciest grapes could be thriving, someone is growing . . . onions.
Jack and Dolores Cakebread, owners of Cakebread Cellars, are keeping a vegetable garden on a precious plot of Napa Valley vineyards. When I ask Jack about it, he laughs. “Yeah, I know, I asked our accountant once to figure out how much these vegetables cost me. He told me if I could get something like $15 for an onion, we might break even.” Later I discover that, for the laughing Jack, it’s been more about a love of the land anyway.
Jack is a farmer. His property is not only a winery, it is a place devoted to what it takes to drink and eat well. In 1973, he made a $2,500 down payment on this land so he could move his family from Oakland, where he was running an auto repair business, to Napa Valley, where he hoped to design his life around the seasons. Jack took some short winemaking courses at UC Davis, and that year he made 157 cases of Chardonnay with the help of his family and friends from Oakland. “We told them to come up to Rutherford, bring their old clothes, and we would find something for them to do,” says Dolores. Part of the work was cleaning up a 2 1/2-acre vegetable garden that sat among the vines. Dolores, in particular, took to the garden, working the soil with a sense of purpose. “This was the ‘70s and canning was big. When I realized what the garden could do for us, I said forget the canning. We could have fresh produce all year round.”
Down by the river that borders their property, the Cakebreads are cultivating olive and plum trees and raising bees for honey. Through the years they have sold much of their produce to local restaurants, but today they make it available to visitors. In a shed next to the parking lot, they set out whatever is ripe and ready each morning. A handwritten sign asks visitors to leave money in a basket for vegetables, such as organic sweet corn and more than a dozen varieties of tomatoes, but Dolores concedes, “It really doesn’t matter if people just take them.”
Driving away with my own bag of sweet onions, I realize that the Cakebreads are teaching us something simple but often overlooked: that ingredients matter, both in wine and food. Lousy grapes will never turn into fabulous wine, and if you cook with tired vegetables, you need to replace their weaknesses with something else. So start with what already tastes good. You may not always get what you paid for, but, then again, not everything can be measured in money.
Romaine Salad with Grilled Tuna, Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomatoes
(Recipe by Brian Streeter, Cakebread Cellars)
Serves 4
3 ears corn, husks removed
2 albacore tuna fillets (skin removed), each about 8 ounces and 1-inch thick
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 pint red and yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 hearts of Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon minced garlic
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Light charcoal grill and allow coals to burn down to white. Grill corn over direct medium heat until browned all over, 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally. Brush tuna with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the tuna over medium heat until just opaque in center, 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. Cut corn off the cob and place kernels in large bowl. Break tuna into large flakes and add to corn along with tomatoes, green onions and lettuce. In separate bowl whisk together orange juice, lemon juice, cumin and garlic. Slowly whisk in remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.
