Inhaltsverzeichnis für July 2018 in Sunset

THOSE WHO KNOW ME are apt to read this editor’s note with a raised eyebrow. A paean to the all-American road trip? The irony is rich; I am hardly an automobile aficionado. Call it a relic of being raised in the most urban of environments, a flashback to a first-ever driving lesson that involved an accidental merge onto Manhattan’s West Side Highway. Certainly I am as blown away as the next person by the prospect of self-driving cars (or camping-friendly Tesla hacks, page 30). And my version of a Pirelli calendar pinup is the vintage Bronco on this month’s cover. But what truly gets me going is the seduction of the narrative—the sheer humanity of the shared experience that a voyage on the open road can bring. As a cultural…

Iconic music venues. Galleries promoting Bay Area artists. Hot bars mobbed by stylish patrons. If you think you’re in San Francisco, guess again—Oakland is just as lively these days. Creatives of all stripes have fled S.F.’s crazy rents to put down roots here. The heart of the action is in Uptown, where a slew of restaurants and shops have popped up amid grand art deco architecture, old brick buildings, and swanky new condos. The Saturday afternoon art stroll is catnip for gallery hoppers. But right now, Uptown is bumping any day of the week. 10 A.M. Grab a sweet, flaky kouign-amann pastry from Firebrand Artisan Breads (firebrandbread.com), then take it a few doors down to the shipping-container outpost of local roaster Red Bay Coffee (redbaycoffee.com) in the industrial-chic Hive courtyard. 11 A.M.…

Who hasn’t dreamed of leaving the city behind for pastoral fields and life in the country? (Fresh air! Farm animals! Plenty of room to grow the garden of your dreams!) Which is why, in 2010, when almost five acres of former dairy pasture appeared on the market in Ojai, California, 90 minutes northwest of Los Angeles, Steve and Brooke Giannetti quickly snapped it up. Sure, their home in Santa Monica had chickens in the side yard and vegetables in the front, but there just wasn’t enough square footage for what they really wanted—a sprawling landscape with a greenhouse, a pond, and some hoofed additions to the family. “Our life was evolving to be more centered around gardening and animals,” says Brooke of the daily routine with their three children. “We…

“Suppress weeds in low-traffic areas with a layer of crushed rock.”MIKE IRVINE, GARDEN EDITOR PLAN Order bulbs for fall planting. These unsung heroes are often drought-tolerant and extremely low-maintenance. Native choices include one-leaf onion (Allium unifolium) and pretty face (Triteleia ixioides). We like Western varieties and specialties from around the world at Telos Rare Bulbs (telosarebulbs.com). Head to your local farmers’ market now to sample stone fruit, then decide what to grow from bare root in winter. PLANT Shop for crape myrtles while they’re flowering. Characterized by burgundy leaves, the Delta series blooms in four colors: lavender, pink, red, and white. We have three new ones—Delta Flame, Delta Eclipse, and Delta Fusion—in the Sunset Western Garden Collection (sunsetwesterngardencollection.com). Keep your vegetable patch cranking with succession sowings of crops that don’t…

“Suppress weeds in low-traffic areas with a layer of crushed rock.”MIKE IRVINE, GARDEN EDITOR PLANT Grow these heat-loving, red-flowered summer favorites: Coral fountain (Russelia equisetiformis) has weeping branches that become laden with tubular blossoms; Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus arboreus drummondii) produces turban-shaped blooms; and crimson flare esperanza (Tecoma x ‘Crimson Flare’) will give you showy trumpets that fade to pink and can handle your landscape’s hottest locations. All prefer at least a half day of sun. For fragrance, try beebrush (Aloysia gratissima) for its potent vanilla-scented florets on an airy 10-foot-tall shrub. Or look for creosote bush (Larrea tridentata)—it has tiny yellow flowers, plus leaves that exude a distinctive scent after desert storms. Both are natives with rangy habits, so be sure to give them plenty of room and site them…

In the Sunset Test Garden, we have an incredible rainbow of flowers—deep purples and sharp greens, creamy yellows and rusty reds. With such an array at our fingertips, we decided to arrange stems not by size and shape but by their vibrant hues. In other words, we got back to basics. “One particularly beautiful bloom starts the composition,” says Alethea Harampolis, cofounder with Stefani Bittner of Bay Area–based Homestead Design Collective. “The rest of the materials and colors follow from that.” For our focal flowers, we chose English roses, lesser-known dahlias, low-water echinacea, and a zinnia that won’t quit. To pick their companions, Bittner and Harampolis suggested a tool you may remember from a childhood art class: the color wheel. This helpful guide shows how pigments best mix and mingle—in…

01 CAMBODIAN COOKOUT Kick off a backyard get-together with sizzling, aromatic beef skewers from Nyum Bai, a new homestyle Cambodian restaurant in Oakland. “For any special event in the summer, like a birthday, my mom would make a bunch of these,” says chef and owner Nite Yun. Usually on the side: Pickled green papaya (recipe at right) and grilled corn drizzled with coconut milk (sunset.com/grilledcorn). LEMONGRASS BEEF SKEWERS (SACH KO ANG) SERVES 4 TO 6 (MAKES 8 LARGE SKEWERS) / ABOUT 2 HOURS, PLUS AT LEAST 1 DAY TO MARINATE 2 lbs. well-marbled beef (sirloin, flank, or boned New York strip)⅔ cup firmly packed Cambodian Spice Paste (recipe at far right)1 tbsp. honey3 tbsp. Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)* or dry sherry1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Thai or Vietnamese fish…

Pop and circumstance Reach for the stars July 4th with a nostalgic frozen treat! Try our natural-fruit knockoff of the beloved Bomb Pop: sunset.com/rocketpop. Game on! From cornhole to yard dice, 10 outdoor classics get refreshed—and encourage some fun in the sun: sunset.com/outdoorgames. Doggie DIY Taking your fur baby for a serious hike? Check out our tips for backpacking with a pup, including gear for carrying their own supplies: sunset.com/dogbackpack.…

IT’S NOT JUST YOU: Summers are indeed getting hotter. Last year, in fact, much of the West experienced record-breaking heat waves. When the mercury rises, your first inclination is probably to hunker down near the air conditioner, maybe with a couple dozen fans and a bucket of ice nearby for good measure. But what if you could outsmart the weather entirely by heading north or to higher ground? Destinations you might not dream of visiting in January are calm, cool, and collected in July, and pine-girded cabins that are socked in during snow season are yours for the taking. Water is a safe bet too. Think of all the glacier-fed alpine lakes and Pacific beaches that are waiting for you to take the plunge. So bring a swimsuit, a tank…

Planning your own escape from bright city lights to homestead living? Visit these working Ojai Valley farms for a glimpse of what your future might hold. 1. Ojai Olive Oil Company. Family-owned for two generations, these remarkable groves are 150 years old, handpicked, and organically grown. Stop by for a tasting any day of the week, or enjoy a free guided tour of the grounds and milling process Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ojaioliveoil.com. 2. Frog Creek Farm Ojai. With more than 600 lavender plants on one of its 7 acres of land, this U-pick farm packs a fragrant punch on a small parcel. Free and open to the public during peak blooming season; visit on July weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to harvest bundles,…

“For stability, submerge stone steps as deep into the ground as possible.”MIKE IRVINE, GARDEN EDITOR PLANT Try purple sprouting broccoli. To extend your harvest season, grow more than one variety and choose options that mature at different rates. If set now, ‘Rudolph’ can start rewarding you in December, ‘Red Admiral’ will produce in mid-February, and ‘Red Fire’ will follow in early March. Continue to enjoy salads in late summer and fall by adding leafy greens to your beds now MAINTAIN The new CobraHead “mini” Weeder and Cultivator ($22; cobrahead.com) is smaller than the original but perfect for tight spaces and teasing out grass and pesky runners. Summer pruning inhibits regrowth in trees (as opposed to stimulating winter cuts), so now is a good time to tackle varieties that normally respond…

I WAS FLOATING on my back, looking at the Wellsville Mountains in the distance and dissolving problems in water the precise temperature of inner peace. Meanwhile, a lifeguard dished about a guy who drove all the way from Washington to this little oasis in Honeyville, Utah. He didn’t come to get in the water—he came to take it. Crossed three states with six massive plastic containers in his car. One by one, he lugged them across the Crystal Hot Springs parking lot, filled them with what’s said to be the most mineral-rich water in the country, then hauled them back to the Northwest. More than 700 miles for a hot bath, to go. I had several questions but asked none of them. Maybe the lithium and manganese in the water…

“Some cilantro?” Isabel Cruz calls out to one of her guests. Cruz can’t find the herb she needs for showering over her sizzling, skillet-roasted chicken, just out of the oven. She’s unfazed. “Check the field,” she says. “But it’s okay if we don’t have any.” The self-taught, self-reliant chef of Puerto Rican descent has already harvested basketfuls of other produce—shiny heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, chiles—today. Here at Stargazer Farm, a 60-acre property she co-owns in Sandy, Oregon, not far from Mt. Hood, the bounty usually gets trucked to local restaurants, including her own, Isabel Pearl in Portland. But tonight it’s going straight into an Independence Day dinner for family and friends. Although Cruz regularly visits the farm, her home base is the San Diego area. She currently has two…

FEW SIGHTS ARE more cringe worthy than a bottle of red sitting on a sunny picnic table at an outdoor get-together, says Shawn Mead, buyer for Seattle’s natural wine–focused bottle shop and cafe Vif Wine|Coffee. “The warmer the wine, the more alcohol evaporates off of it,” explains Mead. The result is that when you bring the glass to your lips, “the first aroma you’ll get is alcohol—a burny sensation in your nose.” But instead of pointing people who stop by her shop on their way to a cookout to already cold whites and pale rosés, Mead suggests something bolder: Tuck young, lighter reds in a cooler to go. Winemakers who steer clear of commercial yeast, synthetic pesticides, or large amounts of added sulfur often offer easy-drinking wines from grapes fermented…

The garden is filled with blooms and bounty in July, but dry spells and hot weather can wreak havoc on perennials. Don’t feel bad if a plant needs to be replaced, particularly if it’s prominently set along a well-traveled path. These three varieties from the Sunset Western Garden Collection (sunsetwesterngardencollection.com) are quick-and-easy refreshers; they’re low-maintenance, low-water, and have handsome evergreen foliage that can handle a peak-heat planting. BULLETPROOF Platinum Beauty lomandra Variegated beauty with a grasslike habit that pops in shady corners, but won’t blink an eye at blazing heat and direct sun. TEXTURAL Clarity Blue dianella Hands-off favorite with striking upright foliage that won’t top 2 to 3 feet. Excellent in containers, but also adds punch to succulent gardens and beds of low-growing flowers. SCENTED ‘Meerlo’ lavender With an…

How do you feel about twisty stuff?” the manager at the motorcycle rental shop asked, looking up from a map. My buddy Martim and I exchanged glances. The more the better, we said. I’d ridden passenger on a bike before—often with Martim behind the handlebars of his sporty BMW for day trips around the Bay Area. It should be noted that I’m the kind of person who still swoons over the safety record of Volvo 240 station wagons. But as long as I kept my boots on the back pegs, didn’t wiggle around too much, and hooked my fingers firmly through his belt loops, a winding road was exactly the kind of ride this usually cautious lady was up for. For my first overnight venture, we had landed on the…

On the spectrum of real estate heartaches, falling for something that’s not on the market is a tough one. Kele and Christina Dobrinski were in the middle of a house hunt in the San Francisco Bay Area when they found themselves in Sacramento touring someone else’s newly acquired 1930s Spanish Colonial Revival. “We didn’t say anything while we were walking through it,” Christina says. “But we were definitely elbowing and eyeballing one another.” Feeling they could talk the new owner into letting it go, Kele picked up the phone: “Hi, Dad.” Kele’s father—a general contractor who had purchased the house as a flip with Kele’s mother—not only agreed to sell but signed up for a major remodel too. “Looking back, I think that was his plan all along,” Kele says.…

“For stability, submerge stone steps as deep into the ground as possible.”MIKE IRVINE, GARDEN EDITOR PLANT Perk up porch pots, window boxes, and flower beds by replacing disheveled bloomers with heat-tolerant Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus). A perennial that’s often grown as an annual, it’s available in a range of cheerful colors, including apricot, bright rose, cherry, coral, lilac, pale pink, and white For an autumn harvest, start new crops of beets, cucumbers, green beans, peas, and Swiss chard midmonth. Protect tender seedlings from harmful critters with floating row covers, but remove them once plants get established to allow access to pollinators. MAINTAIN Never mow more than one-third of the height of your grass in hot weather. For most turf varieties, raise the blade on your lawn mower to 2½ to…

“Suppress weeds in low-traffic areas with a layer of crushed rock.”MIKE IRVINE, GARDEN EDITOR PLANT It’s last call to add warm-season edibles, including basil, cucumbers, summer squash, and tomatoes. Set in the late afternoon or early evening. This will give them a whole night to adjust before they’re hit with a full day of sun and heat. MAINTAIN Prop up fruit-laden tree limbs so they won’t break. Tuck branches between the tines of an old rake, cushioned by layers of cheesecloth or an old glove, and angle the handle into the soil. Allow for some give so the tree can still sway in the breeze. Deadhead spent flowers, including alyssum, coreopsis, crape myrtles, dahlias, del phiniums, dianthus, fuchsias, Gaillardia, Lobelia, marigolds, Penstemon, petunias, rose of Sharon, salvias, and verbenas to…

CRYSTAL HOT SPRINGS From $9; crystalhotsprings.net. SOAK In Honeyville, several pools and two giant slides are fed by a super-hot spring (120 to 134°) with one of the highest measurable mineral contents in the world. STAY From March 2 through October 30, park your camper van or pitch a tent at Crystal’s on-site campground; in the off-season, it’s tents-only on Friday nights. EXPLORE Just 25 miles away sits Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, a protected marshland on the edge of Great Salt Lake. On the 12-mile auto tour you’ll spot protected species like white pelicans and American avocets. THE HOMESTEAD CRATER From $16; homesteadresort.com. SOAK Book a standard 40-minute steep-and-swim through the Homestead Resort in Midway, or up the ante with snorkeling and scuba diving. STAY The 132-year-old resort’s Crater…

PAIR IT WITH Flavorful Mexican-style lager—or Thyme for Mezcal cocktails (sunset.com/thymeformezcal). MEXICAN MANGO STACKS MAKES ABOUT 20 / 30 MINUTES These juicy little morsels burst with the flavors of a south-of-the-border fruit stand. You’ll end up with more mango pieces than you need, so choose the prettiest ones and save the rest for fruit salad or a smoothie. 1 to 2 medium mangoes, peeled, fruit cut off pit in large pieces½ small jicama, peeled2 tbsp. lime juiceAbout ½ tsp. kosher salt2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro, plus about 20 cilantro leavesPinch or 2 of cayenne 1. Cut mango into ¾-in. cubes and select about 20 of the nicest ones. Cut jicama into thin slices about the same width as the mango pieces. 2. Put lime juice, salt, and jicama in a…

FOR FREE INFORMATION MAIL the attached post-paid card TRAVEL TRAVEL CHRONICLES 101 Travel Chronicles 102 Black Oak Casino Resort 103 Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce 104 Colorado Springs, Colorado 105 Discover Claremont 106 Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau 107 Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa 108 Oregon’s Tualatin Valley 109 Southwest Montana (Gold West Country) 110 Travel Medford & Southern Oregon 111 Ukiah—Hub of Mendocino County 112 Visit Camarillo ALASKA 113 Alaska Marine Highway System 114 Explore Fairbanks CALIFORNIA 115 Alpine County Chamber of Commerce 116 Aquarium of the Pacific 117 Black Oak Casino Resort 118 Fairfield—Gateway to the Napa Valley 119 Jelly Belly Visitors Center and Tours 120 Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau 121 Pacific Wine & Food Classic 122 Stockton Visitors Bureau 123 The Queen Mary Hotel…