By Katy Budge
Well, I’ll start with a disclaimer. This trip through Northern California also included a stop in Ashland, Oregon, but the point of that was to visit family, so I didn’t do due diligence with documenting my every morsel. Guess I’ll have to go back and rectify that at a later date!
I’m not always in the mood for a swap meet situation, but luckily I was on the morning I had the chance to visit the Galt Market. This sprawling homage to flea market-style commerce seems to have everything: from fresh produce to ethnic cookware, from used tools to neon signs, from baby strollers to Halloween costumes (in April, no less), plus a few intriguing stalls with bolts and bolts and bolts and bolts of luxurious cloth for making saris.
Nestled in the shadow of Mount Shasta, Dunsmuir ended up being a bit of a culinary surprise. Of course, we had to go full carnivore with the towering burgers at Yak’s. (There’s also a location in Mt. Shasta, but this one has far more eclectic charm.)
And, while driving down Dunsmuir’s main street, we noticed a sign for Salt & Savour, a small batch, organic sauerkraut producer. This was just a production location for the label, not retail, but we tracked some down at a local grocery and bought a jar. Then, we went back to the store and bought three more to bring home!
A visit to Rumiano Cheese in Crescent City was an absolute must. This longtime family-owned creamery started walking the organic walk before most people were even talking the talk. Perhaps best known for their Monterey Dry Jack, which they began producing in Willows, CA in 1919, Rumiano now has more varieties than I was able to count, plus organic ghee. I may have walked out of their store with waaaaay too much cheese. Oh c’mon, who am I kidding – there’s really no such thing! (Check your local markets for availability.)
The stay in Crescent City also afforded a stop at Samoa Cookhouse, so I can finally cross that off my culinary bucket list. Opened in 1893 for the local lumber company employees, this is the last such establishment in The West. Back in the day, “Every large or small logging mill in the redwood country had a cookhouse,” according to the website. Though the expansive family-style dining area and museum were closed during COVID, they’ve reopened with three all-you-can-eat meals a day from Wednesday through Sunday.
The rotating no-frills menu at Samoa Cookhouse serves up dinners such as fried chicken and meat loaf, while breakfasts are French toast, pancakes or our meal of homefries with eggs, sausage and toast. Everything is made from scratch, right down to the breads, and the experience was topped off with a just-ebullient-enough server. She’s worked there almost 30 years and, if her energy is any indication, she’ll likely be there 30 more.
Even if we don’t end up staying at a particular Harvest Host, we have found some fun food stops among the listings. Our schedule didn’t end up allowing for our planned overnight at Chico Rice, but we still hit up the farm stand on the way by and bought a couple bags of their organic rice. I appreciated their artisan approach to milling, especially with the blond rice. As their website noes, “Our Blonde Milled Chico Rice is semi-polished in the haiga-mai style in which only some of the outer bran layer is removed, retaining the nutritious and oil-rich germ prized by health-conscious fans of brown rice. The result is an easily digestible, quickly-cooking grain with the subtle, delicate flavor and smooth texture of white rice and much of the vitamins, minerals, and oils of unpolished brown rice.”
On the flip side of this trip’s Harvest Host experience … we had planned to stay at a campground on a particular evening, but upon arrival, it looked a little sketchy. Not full-on Dueling Banjos vibe, but close. Thankfully, a very gracious HH nearby was able to accommodate us on very short notice – Nelson Family Vineyards in Ukiah. As with all Harvest Hosts, all they ask is that you purchase something, so we “had” to buy some wine!
And last, but not least, when you’re camping 10 minutes from downtown Monterey, but don’t feel like cooking … excellent takeout from Rosina’s (and wine from TJ’s) is a pretty darn good option!