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Knowwhatyou're picking:Itbears repeating over and over that if you are foraging for a plant, you must be absolutely sure you know what it is. And remember that not all parts of all plants are edible, so confer with an expert before eating anything new. Be careful where you are harvest- ing: If a plant is not coming from your own garden, remem- ber it could have been treated with chemicals, and that includes plants along roadways. Know before you eat. Don't over-harvest natives: Be sure you aren't diminishing a plant's chance of survival by remov- ing too many of next year's seeds or the foliage needed to photosynthesize. Also, in dry years, insects and animals that depend on na- tive plants as a natu- ral food source are more needy than you are. You have other options. REMEMBERTHIS JOY ALBRIGHT-SOUZA — SPECIAL TO THE SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL Edible flowers and radish pods make a great addition to a summer salad. ByJoyAlbright-Souza features@santacruzsentinel.com @santacruzfood on Twitter SANTA CRUZ It's always a dry summer here in Califor- nia, but this year is particu- larly challenging with local water restrictions in effect after record-setting winter drought. Fortunately, even in dry years, there are edi- bles to be found in our gar- dens and fallow places that can add flavor and interest to any meal. Hardy and drought-tol- erant edibles generally fall into several catego- ries: sturdy herbs, edible "weeds" and unfussy fruit. They may be annuals, pe- rennials or trees, but they share the ability to provide flavor with very little water. Sturdyherbs Many of the classic herbs we know from European cuisine are well-established as landscaping plants in the West. Herbs from the Medi- terranean area, in particu- lar, share our no-summer- water climate and take long drought periods with lit- tle notice. Rosemary is the most well-known and ubiq- uitous. (Note; If you have rosemary but have been ir- rigating it, just stop.) Of the "Scarborough Faire" quartet of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, just forget about the pars- ley for this year, as it needs much more water. Instead, utilize the remaining trio, which are drought-tolerant and delicious. Other favor- ites are marjoram, oregano and the pretty South Af- rican native Society Gar- lic (Tulbaghia violacea); all are low-water plants that can add wonderful flavor in the kitchen. California native plants that might fall into this cat- egory are native sages and mints like the low-water, shade-tolerant Yerba Buena (Clinopodium douglasii aka Satureja douglasii). Try your favorite combination chopped fine and added to a hunk of goat cheese. Served warm or cold with olive oil and some crusty bread. Is that a weed? Often cursed or over- looked are many "weeds" that have an edible compo- nent. As has been said be- fore, a weed is just a plant that's out of place, so these are often species from other parts of the world that have made themselves at home here, whether we like it or not. Some have been acci- dentally introduced and some have found our gar- dens or natural areas so much to their liking that they have "escaped" from purposeful cultivation. Some sorrels (Rumex sp. and Oxalis sp.), wild mustard (Synapis sp. or Brassica sp.) and common purslane (Portulaca ol- eracea) fall into this cate- gory. Probably my favorite weed is the "wild" radish (Raphanus raphanistrum or R. sativum). This weedy plant can invade wild lands and agricultural fields but has pretty flow- ers that go well in salads and crunchy young seed pods I think are the tast- iest part. It seems to me that eating weeds is al- most a public service. I would also include gar- den plants that are past their prime as part of a weedy category. Heat and lack of water will cause many vegetables to "bolt" (send up stalks of flowers) in an effort to complete their life cycle and set seeds for the coming year. This often makes the leaves (or roots) too bitter to eat and traditional gardeners usu- ally pull them out, to keep things neat, at this gangly stage. But tender leaves can sometimes still be found on the upper part of the stalks, and even when the leaves are done, the buds and flow- ers often are edible, usually with a milder version of the taste of the leaves for which they were originally grown. Bolted brassicas and kales, in particular, have lovely flowers that remain edible for long periods of time. The yellow-flowered pe- rennial Wild Arugula (Dip- lotaxis muralis) is another favorite, that can become a zealous spreader due to its ability to weather a rain- less summer but whose peppery flowers can be eaten long past the "ten- der-leaf" stage. Try any of the tasty flowers in a salad or snip strongly flavored leaves into a creamy dress- ing. For bolted kales, sauté the tender flower buds and stem ends with a little but- ter and salt like you would small sprouts of broccoli. Fruit trees Anyone lucky enough to live on or near an old farm probably knows some of the types of fruit that don't need regular care or water to survive. These may be fruits from dry parts of the world, like pomegranates, figs or mulberries. But often they are fruits that do like a lot of water but can survive with less. Many apples and plums fall into this category and keep on quietly produc- ing, for the birds and squir- rels, on old properties, long after someone has stopped caring for them. The "wild plum" or "cherry plum" that can be found in many parts of the county is either the West- ern native (Prunus sub- cordata) or the remains of the rootstock of old or- chard plants (Prunus Amer- icana), whose upper grafted part has long-since died but the hardier rooted species carries on. The small fruits are devoured by birds, who can spread new seed- lings far from the original plant. Some ornamental plum trees, like the purple- leaved varieties, also pro- duce small fruit, when there is a pollinizer available, al- though the tastiness of the fruit varies wildly from tree to tree. Other adaptable fruit in- cludes persimmons, citrus, grapes, walnuts and many berries. Gooseberries (Ri- bes sp.) and huckleberries (Vaccinium sp.) are a cou- ple of our native plants that produce useful fruit, with little water, as well. Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is another native plant with multiple uses, but only the flowers or the blue/black berries are ed- ible and it requires addi- tional caution as the berries must be used fully ripe and cooked before ingesting, as many people have a bad re- action otherwise. Author Joy Albright-Souza is a Santa Cruz garden designer who loves to eat and travel. She shares her perspective on creating and enjoying gardens at www.per-joy.com. water-wise flavor Even in driest years, earth can yield edibles that add flavor, interest to plate By Jay R. Brooks For The Contra Costa Times Practically the only thing brewers, homebrew- ers and the most hard-core beer lovers enjoy more than drinking beer is talk- ing about it. That's what bars are for, really — get- ting together and having a chat over a beer. And that's what happens at home- brew club meetings, as everyone discusses how to make their brews better. So you may not be sur- prised to learn that not only are there radio shows and podcasts devoted to beer, there's an entire Brewing Network. Founder Justin Crossley started the BN, as it's affec- tionately known, in 2005, the year after he graduated from San Francisco State with a degree in communi- cations. But the idea germi- nated there, when a school project to build an Internet radio provided the technol- ogy he needed. Crossley was always a craft beer fan, but when his then-girlfriend bought him a homebrew kit, his fascination with beer be- came a passion. The home- brew kit's instructions left him with numerous ques- tions, so he turned to his Internet radio to find an- swers — for himself and for the thousands of others he believed must be asking the same questions. Brew-centric radio He invited professional brewers and experienced homebrewers on the show, so people could call in with brewing questions. At the time, there were no radio shows or podcasts devoted to brewing, and the show became an in- stant hit, with a run time of three to four hours. Shortly after the launch, CBS Radio had Crossley do a shorter, one-hour ver- sion on its network. But to this day, the BN airs the full-length show, stopping only when their expert guests have answered ev- ery caller and shared ev- ery bit of information they could. The original program — known as the Sunday Ses- sion is broadcast live on- line, with several guests, a chat room and many reg- ular callers. The BN has since added other weekly shows, including the Jamil Show, Brew Strong, the Home Brewed Chef and Dr. Homebrew, along with the occasional Friday after- noon Lunch Meet. Despite the long run times, Cross- ley finds that many people download shows and listen to them during their com- mute, often taking a few days to hear a program in its entirety. 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