Greetings from Monterey, CA, where I traveled to on Monday morning to celebrate all things salad with my buddies at Dole Salads for a few days!
Quickly, a note about Monterey and specifically the Carmel Valley Ranch where I am staying. NEVER LEAVING. I have spent a bit of time in both northern California (San Fran and above) and southern California – but never in Monterey, a couple hours south of San Fran, which is absolutely incredible. Very rustic, and untouched feeling. “Ranchy” vs manicured. I feel so at home here.
The Carmel Valley Ranch itself is a sprawling golf resort filled with wildlife (including, ahem, loudly gobbling wild turkeys,) wild flowers, fresh air, singing birds, and a breathtaking night sky. It has the most incredible “camp” vibe.
Except I’ve never camped in a nearly 1,000 sq foot “tent” before. ; )
While the landscape at the ranch is rustic and homey, the rooms compliment it well, containing natural decor with an upscale twist. Touches of wood, burlap, cotton, leather, and lavender (which grows like crazy around here) are upscale but fabulously unfussy.
I don’t normally do hotel reviews but this one was too spectacular not to mention. I can’t wait to bring Ben (and the baby!) back here someday so he can play a few rounds of golf then join me on one of the many hiking trails that surround the ranch. Finish the day out with couple’s massages and a cuddle by one of the two in-room fireplaces? Done.
AHH!
Oh, they also have a ranch dog, natch. Roxy. I die.
Ok, back to salads! This week Dole gathered a bunch of food bloggers from around the country to come check out some of their independent growers’ fields, tour their lettuce plant, and get a taste of Spanish cuisine to promote their new Taste of Spain contest, which includes a 9-day trip to Spain. Whee!
Tuesday morning we started off with breakfast at the ranch highlighting Dole berries and small plates, or Tapas, of Spanish tortillas (egg, potatoes, spices) and prawns.
Breakfast of champions!
Afterwards we boarded a bus and headed off to a lettuce farm about an hour away. Dole itself only has 500 acres or so of growing fields. To meet the demands of their consumers they actually rely on thousands of independent growers across the country, which I never knew.
I was really excited about this portion of the program as it ties into what I’m doing back home with the Join My Journey program – traveling to farms all across Iowa to learn about modern farming systems and practices. Where we grow acres of soybeans, though, California grows lettuce. And lots of it!
Our first stop was to visit farmer Mark Pisoni, who grows numerous types of lettuce for Dole. When Mark is done at his big farm for the day, he goes home and tends to his home garden with the help of his wife and children. This man LOVES farming.
And lettuce. The day we visited, Mark his team were harvesting acres and acres of big, fat, juicy, iceberg lettuce heads. So fresh we could tear them from the ground, slice ’em in half, and take a big ‘ol bite.
Best iceberg I ever had. Sweet. Cool. Crisp. My Mom made an iceberg salad every night growing up and I still remember how she’d thump the core onto a cutting board, rip it open, then tear and wash the pieces. This totally took me back!
Afterwards we donned hair nets and headed into the field ourselves, trailing the harvesting team.
What do we think – is this a good look? ; )
I find it absolutely fascinating that the back-breaking job of hand harvesting still results in a $2 head of iceberg lettuce at the store.
I will definitely remember this crew the next time I stab my fork into a bowl of salad.
After leaving Mark’s growing fields, the gang traveled to Dole’s nearby packing plant, where all the lettuce is transported to immediately after harvesting. Due to proprietary techniques we weren’t able to take pictures, but this is where all the lettuce is cut, triple-washed, sorted, bagged, and shipped.
After perusing the plant we headed to R&D for a little Lettuce 101!
With Emilio… ;)
Dole includes over 35 types of lettuce and vegetables in their salads and salad blends. They want people to see salad differently and the dozens of pre-packaged and kit options definitely allows for that.
Over 20 of the lettuces were on display in front of Emilio, and before he explained the different varieties, we were to go around and try to match the different lettuces to their name. As a frequent salad connoisseur I figured I had this one in the bag. I did not. I had never even heard of some of these lettuce varieties! After tasting a few, including baby butter lettuce and red oak, I am looking forward to branching out and trying some different Dole blends the next time I’m at the store.
After lettuce 101 we headed to nearby Paraiso Vineyards for lunch, a small, family-run winery that totally took me back to Napa.
Wine was poured, and nibbles including Empanadas – flaky pastry wrapped around a cheese and chorizo filling – were served. Think upscale Hot Pocket, mmkay? ; )
Lunch was served at a beautifully set table on the patio. The sun was warm and the breeze was cool. It was perfect.
I ordered Saffron Risotto with Grilled Chicken Romanesco. The risotto was mouthwatering and reminded me to make another batch at home sometime soon. I loved how Spanish touches were worked into every meal we had out here, to tie into the Taste of Spain promotion.
As a side note, I have absolutely loved getting to know the women on this blogging trip. Some, like Ali, I have had the pleasure of meeting before,
while others like Liz and Chung-Ah, I got to meet for the first time this week. Everyone has been unbelievably warm and friendly. As an introvert, sometimes these blogger get-togethers can be overwhelming and intimidating but I have enjoyed my time with them so, so much.
I also don’t know why I feel it’s ok to eat dessert with every meal when I’m on trips like this, but I decided not to stop now and enjoyed a Vanilla-Bean Creme Brulee with fresh berries for dessert. Delicious! Creme Brulee is hands down my favorite dessert.
I made sure to leave my mark on the way out of the vineyard. : )
To close out the day’s activities, later that afternoon we had both the head chef and owner of nearby Spanish restaurant, Mundaka, come and give us a tapas demonstration!
Tapas are small plates of food meant for sharing, and originated in Spain. They say small plates used to be placed over glasses of wine or sangria at bars and restaurants to keep the bugs out, which chefs started adding little nibbles and bites to. The rest is history!
Chef demonstrated this amazing little black beluga lentil salad with smoked ham, shaved brussels sprouts, pickled cauliflower and the most perfect lemon vinaigrette. Ugh it was so good, and I just loved how it was presented in a jar. Great for entertaining!
Then we split up into teams for a tapas making competition, muwahaha!
With ingredients like hard boiled eggs, anchovies, smoked ham, roasted red bell peppers, and green olives, we were to come up with a unique tapas dish that could be eaten in 2-3 bites.
The competition was stiff…
My team modeled our tapas after the woman adorning the packaging of Dole salad promoting the Taste of Spain contest. While we didn’t win best tasting – we did snag best looking. I’ll take it!
Now, no visit to the west coast would be complete without a trip to, well, the coast, so this afternoon we concluded our trip with a cruise down 17-Mile Drive.
Between the smell of the surf, and the sound of the waves, I don’t ever want to leave!
Alas…I must. I’ve had a blast here in Monterey and cannot wait to return to this beautiful part of the country someday. Thank you so much, Dole!
With that, it’s back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow! I hope you’ve had a great week so far! : )
[…] Kristin, Iowa Girl Eats […]
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I was born and raised in Monterey and still feel lucky to live here. We have so much wonderful fresh produce at our back door, not to mention seafood at the front door. Come back again as there are plenty of restaurants and wineries you should try!
[…] Kristen, Iowa Girl Eats […]
[…] Kristin, Iowa Girl Eats […]
Loved this recap, Kristin, and meeting you IRL! Finally! It was such a lovely trip. My recap is going up tomorrow (our bus ride pic). :) Can’t wait until July 5th!
[…] by the salad in a jar I had in Monterey last week, I decided to give the classic dessert a little twist by layering it in […]
That hotel (and your whole trip) looks amazing! I love the Monterey/Carmel area and was just there earlier this spring. Now I want to go back!
It was SO great to meet you Kristin! You are so sweet, and I really enjoyed talking with you throughout the entire trip. I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes smoothly. And I’m dying to hear the little guy’s name!
hubba hubba Emilio! ;-)
Gorgeous pictures! That creme brulee has my mouth watering!
AMAZING BLOG POSTING…..Thanks for sharing this, Kristin. Our children and grandchildren are going to grow up in a world far more conscientious about nutrition as a thing to celebrate as well as understanding that it is a powerful first line of defense for good health.
We are SO fortunate here in NC that Dole’s owner is bringing his focus on nutrition to an impressive new enterprise here in the western part of the state. He’s taking property that formerly housed textile manufacturing and also building state of the art new buildings. They need to host an event for food bloggers there too I’m thinking! (He was SO smart – he chose a place where he can engage top tier research universities AND harness the training capacity of a world class community college system – )
From Wikipedia: North Carolina Research Campus
David H. Murdock, chairman and owner of Dole Food Company, Inc., the world’s largest producer of high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables, founded the North Carolina Research Campus. Mr. Murdock is also chairman and owner of Castle & Cooke, Inc., a company with business activities that include the development and ownership of real estate, leasing of transportation equipment and manufacturing of brick.
Combining business acumen with a personal commitment to health and nutrition along with support from the state of North Carolina and the University of North Carolina system, Murdock announced the establishment of the North Carolina Research Campus in 2005. To make way for the 350-acre campus, Murdock and the North Carolina division of Castle and Cooke, Inc, which is located in Kannapolis, oversaw the razing of the former textile mill in the center of the city. In 1982, Murdock owned the textile mill then known as Cannon Mills, the largest manufacturer of home textiles in the world. In 1986, his firm Pacific Holding Company sold the mill. Murdock retained substantial property holdings in Kannapolis. The mill later became known as Fieldcrest Cannon and later Pillowtex. Pillowtex announced bankruptcy and closed in 2003 causing the largest mass lay-off in North Carolina history. Murdock bought the mill property at auction in 2004.
Here’s an excerpt from the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics:
—Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
— Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
— Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
– See more at: http://www.ilind.net/2012/10/13/journalistic-ethics-and-accepting-gifts-of-food-and-drink/#sthash.Zl5cDYXn.dpuf
Your viewpoint and mine obviously differ on this subject, Sara.
Don’t stress about what Sara wrote – first off, you aren’t a journalist. You are a blogger. secondly, many journalists have conflicts of interests and still keep their jobs. I’m glad you had the opportunity and were able to share it with us. It was really interesting and I can only hope opportunities like that continue to come to you so you can continue to share them. BTW, you look great! I think it’s awesome that you’re able to eat whatever you want this far along in your pregnancy – wish I were as lucky! Every time I eat I get horrid indigestion and it’s killing me. Good luck!
My god, where are your ethics? You’re taking a free trip from Dole and then you’re going to write about their products. If you worked for a real media company you’d be getting fired right now.
I guess I’m not sure what you mean by getting fired if I worked for a real media company. I’ve been eating Dole products my entire life and writing about them for four years on my blog, so when an opportunity came to see how their products are grown in Monterey and learn about their Taste of Spain promotion, naturally I was excited to participate and share about my experience.
Monterey is one of my 2 favorite places to visit. It helps to have an aunt that lives there, so we visit every couple years. If you enjoy easy hiking, do not pass up Point Lobos State Park. It is spectacular! 17 Mile Drive is nice, but is surpassed by Pt. Lobos and the drive down to Big Sur on Highway 1.
Kristin-
I immediately looked at flight info & hotels after reading about this trip—wow! I think for all of the glamour of California, this rustic beauty and ocean scenery would be like paradise. So glad you had a great time!
This is such an amazing post! you truly inspire me! i cant wait to be able to do this one day!