DA-LE RANCH | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RANCHING AT ITS BEST

Tucked away (way, way, waaaay away!) in the hills near Lake Elsinore, California is a little gem of a ranch owned by two very lovely people who I have been fortunate enough to get to know over the past year. Their names are Dave & Leslie, and their ranch is Da-Le Ranch. (Dave = Da, Leslie = Le... get it?!) Every Saturday, Dave makes the 60-mile trek out from their ranch to SoCo Farmers' Market in Costa Mesa, which is where we met.

Dave & Leslie of Da-Le Ranch with their adorable llama, appropriately named 'Kisses'!

My husband Tim & I have become Da-Le Ranch 'addicts' over the past year - to say that the meat that Dave & Leslie produce is delicious is putting it mildly. Everything from steaks to ribs to sausages - pork, beef, chicken, lamb, rabbit, duck - you name it, they sell it. And it is Da-Le-Licious! It's clear that this meat is coming from some very happy animals. So, when they very kindly invited us out to visit them for the day earlier this month, Tim & I jumped at the chance.

Left: Da-Le Ranch | Right: My husband, author Tim Watson, on our off-road tour of the property with Dave

We loved every second of our day at Da-Le Ranch - it's not often that Tim & I get to venture off the beaten path and spend a day relaxing while getting to 'meet our meat'! It was so wonderful to see firsthand how Dave & Leslie promote sustainable farming and natural & organic concepts in living. And, personally, it made me so happy to see how the animals that Tim & I choose to eat are given such happy, healthy lives at Da-Le Ranch.

Below is a small tour-through-photos of our day with Dave & Leslie. And if you're in Orange County, be sure to check out the Da-Le Ranch booth on Saturdays at SoCo Farmers' Market, and Sundays at the Newport Beach Farmers' Market. And, you can also pick up eggs & meats during the week in OC at the Anais+Raya storefront on 17th in Newport! For all the latest news, be sure to follow Da-Le Ranch on Facebook.

Dave with 'Kisses' the Llama

ANAIS+RAYA CULINARY COLLECTIVE | NOW OFFERING PRIVATE DINNERS + MONDAY & WEDNESDAY FARMERS' MARKET MEALS

This Summer here on the Anne Watson Photo Blog we shared with you a photographic feast of the new Anais+Raya Culinary Collective that was launched in July by Chef Raya Belna & Special Eats OC's Anais Tangie. And while their weekly Sunday Farmers' Market Feasts have continued to thrive as a fantastic option for home-cooked, farm-to-table Sunday evening meals, even more dining options have been added to the Anais+Raya repertoire in recent weeks that were too cool not to share.

Both Anais & Raya have been up to things - creating culinary masterpieces that showcase each of their talents. Chef Raya has launched the new Wildcraft Elixir Bar along with Diviana Alchemy's Julia Corbett. Located inside the Anais+Raya Culinary Collective, this Superfood Elixir Bar offers RAW Vegan lunches & snacks, superfood juices & smoothies and much more. We'll have a full blog on Wildcraft coming up shortly. (I am currently on Day 2 of a Wildcraft 3-Day Fall Juice Cleanse and can't wait to share photos of these beautiful juices & tell you about this amazing experience!)

Meantime, I have also had the pleasure of experiencing Anais' culinary talents in recent weeks, and... WOW. In addition to Sunday Farmers' Market Feasts and Private Catering, Anais is offering evening Farmers' Market Dinners on Mondays & Wednesdays from 5-8pm that are available for dine-in or take-out, no reservation required. And, she also offers Private Dinners at the Culinary Collective that can be prepared & served for up to 15 guests by reservation only. It is perfect for an inviting, intimate dinner party - all the delicious, farm-fresh SoCo Farmers' Market food you can eat while you sit back & enjoy with your guests.

Below is a lil' peek-through-pictures of an incredible private dinner that Anais catered for myself and a handful of our friends in August. It was a fantastic experience - the wine flowed while we feasted on gorgeous SoCo Farmers' Market produce & outta-this-world Da-Le Ranch sausages, Ribeye steaks & bacon. Visit www.anaisandraya.com now to make your reservation. Bon appetit!

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Left: A refreshing Brazilian Batida cocktail made with SoCo Farmers' Market Stone Fruits | Right: Anais Tangie of Special Eats OC, SoCo Farmers' Market & the Anais+Raya Culinary Collective

Da-Le Ranch Sausages with Whole Grain Mustard | Basil Pesto Dipping Sauce with Fresh-baked bread

So simple & delicious - this was one of the tastiest salads I've ever eaten. Heirloom tomatoes topped with sprouts tossed in a lemon-herb vinaigrette.

Michael Harris works some delicious, buttery Spaetzle magic...

Holy Spaetzle, this was incredible!

GORGEOUS Da-Le Ranch Ribeye Steaks, getting the perfect sear

Dave Lieberman whipped-up some honey-vanilla whipped cream to top-off Anais' grilled peaches for dessert. Yum!

Farm-Fresh Dessert = Healthy & Delicious

FARM TO FOOD TRUCK CHALLENGE III AT SoCo FARMERS' MARKET

Last Saturday, June 9th was an exciting day at the SoCo Farmers' Market in Costa Mesa as approximately 3,000 spectators gathered to cheer-on the competing chefs as they used farm-fresh ingredients to create unique, inspired dishes in 'The Farm to Food Truck Challenge III'. Six gourmet food trucks rose to the challenge in their quest for the title of "Top-Chop Truck": Taco Maria, Seabirds Truck, Barcelona OntheGo, Tamarindo Truck, Chomp Chomp Nation & Dos Chinos.

The Chefs from Taco Maria, Chomp Chomp Nation, Dos Chinos, Tamarindo Truck, Barcelona OntheGo & Seabirds Truck

Live steel drum music drifted through the air as the crowds gathered for the Farm to Food Truck Challenge III

A refreshing Blueberry-Lime Popscicle from the always-amazing Erin at Front Porch Pops

The beautiful, farm-fresh produce of the SoCo Farmers' Market - We love any event that supports our local farmers!

The chefs were given a list of 'secret ingredients' from the judges just minutes before the competition began - artichokes, brussel sprouts, pita chips, fresh-squeezed orange juice, sage honey & zucchini squash blossoms - all of which could be found at the stalls throughout the farmers' market. They then were given 60 minutes to dash through the market, collect their ingredients & prepare their unique dish to present to the panel of judges. 

The ladies of the Costa Mesa High School Cheer Squad kicked-off the festivities & rounded-up the crowds!

Chef Carlos of Taco Maria

The Chefs of Chomp Chomp Nation

Chef Stephanie from Seabirds Truck

The Chefs at the Starting Line

And, they're off!

The chefs dash through the market in search of farm-fresh ingredients

It was a fantastic cast of judges who had the difficult task of narrowing down the winners: Chef Andrew Gruel, winner of the Farm to Food Truck Challenge II & Chef/Owner of SlapFish; Mona Shah-Anderson, Owner of Moxxe PR; Pastry Chef Santanna Salas from Haven Gastropub; Kim Glen from the City of Costa Mesa; Priscilla Willis, food blogger extraordinaire & author of She's Cookin'; and Julie Lim of OC Wine Mart & Tasting Bar.

The Judges: (From Left) Mona Shah-Anderson, Santanna Salas, Andrew Gruel, Julie Lim, Kim Glen & Priscilla Willis

Left: Chef Andrew Gruel of SlapFish  |  Right: Pastry Chef Santanna Salas of Haven Gastropub, Haven Collective

Priscilla Willis, She's Cookin'

It was an intense competition with beautiful cuisine coming out of every truck's kitchen. In the end, the dishes were judged on three criteria: Utilization & creative use of farm-fresh ingredients (50 points), Taste (30 points) & Presentation (20 points). And the winners were:

• 3rd Place: Barcelona OntheGo with octopus three ways over artichoke-brussel sprout hash, saffron carrot puree, orange beurre blanc, beer-battered squash blossom, and a jerez vinegar pita crisp
• 2nd Place: Taco Maria with sage honey ricotta, apricot orange puree, black garlic aioli, artichoke scented with coriander, baby squash and squash blossoms
• 1st Place: Seabirds Truck with an artichoke & cashew cream cheese-stuffed squash blossom over a salad of baby mixed greens, summer cilantro, California cherries, grilled brussel sprouts and pita croutons with a sage honey & orange juice vinaigrette  

I don't know about you, but my stomach is growling just reading the descriptions! Below, you can feast your eyes on a story-told-through-photos from what I captured with my lens during the event.  And, stay tuned to the SoCo Farmers' Market Facebook & Twitter pages, as talks of the Farm to Food Tuck Challenge IV that will take place this Fall are already underway!.... 

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Behind-the-scenes inside the Tamarindo Truck with Chef Pedro

Chef Stephanie of Seabirds workin' her vegan magic with farm-fresh produce

Chef Jennifer of Barcelona OntheGo

Inside the kitchen of the Barcelona OntheGo Truck

Chef Carlos of Taco Maria prepares a perfect artichoke

Inside the Taco Maria kitchen

Chomp Chomp Nation's outdoor kitchen that allowed the scents to waft through the market

The judges eagerly await the dishes

The ladies of Costa Mesa High School Cheer delivered each dish to the judging booth

Crowds gathered as the judging took place

THE DISHES:

Tamarindo Truck

Dos Chinos

Chomp Chomp Nation

Barcelona OntheGo

Taco Maria

Seabirds Truck

Chef Stephanie Morgan of Seabirds Truck: 1st Place Winner of the Farm to Food Truck Challenge III