Table of contents for Harvest 2022 in Sunset

Earlier in the year I visited a farm in California that grows one of the priciest crops on the planet: saffron, that beguiling ingredient that stains dishes a sunset orange and famously adds haunting flavor to aioli and less famously but equally deliciously to ice cream and cocktails. Growing saffron is a painstaking process: all invisible promise as the bulblike corms buried in spring turn to flowers in the fall, and for a brief window offer up crimson stigmas that, when dried, go for thousands of dollars a pound. The name of the farm is as lovely as what it yields. It’s called Peace & Plenty, a state of being we could all cultivate if we put our minds to it. (You can read all about it on page 56.)…

Randy Gerber and partners George Clooney and Michael Meldman have established Casamigos as a household name for all things agave. Their annual party is the West Coast’s hottest costume ball, attracting guests with names like Justin, Leonardo, and Zoe. Here, Gerber shares advice and recipes to help you raise your Halloween party game. THEME IT: “We like to pick a great theme,” Gerber says. Past parties have been themed around disco and psychedelic, inspiring guests to get creative with costumes. That way, they “become part of the decor.” INVITE THE ECLECTIC: “Curate a great guest list. My guest list is an eclectic group of people, some who come from out of town, family members, old friends, and new friends.” DIAL IN THE DRINKS: “Always serve cocktails to guests when they…

Mara Brock Akil likes to say that her office in historic West Adams reminds her of a Phyllis Hyman song. Assured, feminine, and suede-smooth—it’s easy to see the parallels between the classic R&B singer’s sultry voice and lyrics and Brock Akil’s modern, mood-lit writer’s den. Built around a small courtyard, with ample garden space and lounge areas, and designed in collaboration with Night Palm interior design studio founder Tiffany Howell, it’s a fresh take on Hollywood glamour. And thanks to two fully stocked kitchens, it’s the ultimate spot to host what Brock Akil likes to call her “Muse Dinners,” gatherings of creative minds and open hearts around a table filled with nourishing food. “For most of my career, I’d eat out of Styrofoam and plastic containers for lunch, like everybody…

Where to Stay ACRE RESORT Lush palm trees and cactuses envelop this collection of a dozen treehouses, offering a rustic perch to take in the foothills of San Jose del Cabo before a massage. acreresort.com BANYAN TREE VALLE DE GUADA-LUPE RESORT, SPA AND WINERY Slated to open next year, this modern resort will be set amid olive groves and play host to a hilltop eatery and winery, plus an onsite garden and spa treatments. banyantree.com BRUMA Some spots are so good they never go out of style; that’s the case with this rustic-chic resort right in the middle of Guadalupe Valley wine country. Be sure to stop by Fauna restaurant for the experimental tasting menu. bruma.mx CAMPERA HOTEL BURBUJA Thoughtfully appointed bubble tents are the name of the game at…

PLANT ▸ For abundant indoor blooms, try Thanksgiving cactus (Schlum-bergera truncata), whose birdlike flowers come in orange, pink, violet, and white. ▸ Grow containers of mint on a sunny windowsill, using fresh sprigs for cooking, as garnishes, and to make tea. Mint is available in many different flavors—look for apple, chocolate, ginger, and pineapple, as well as peppermint and spearmint. ▸ Sow wildflower seeds in weeded beds for spring blooms. So you can tell wildflowers from weed seedlings later, scatter a few wildflower seeds in a nursery flat for reference. MAINTAIN ▸ If houseplants stretch and grow leggy and spindly, they need more light. Gradually move them to a sunnier situation, such as an eastor north-facing window. ▸ Trap fungus gnats that plague household plants by putting a mixing bowl…

When chef Daniele Uditi moved to California from Italy 10 years ago, he was accompanied by a secret companion. In his suitcase, he’d hidden a container of his family’s sourdough starter, a living, growing, flavor-improving treasure known in Italian as a crescere, the critical ingredient in transcendent pizza dough. Born of the ambient yeast of Naples, the spiritual seat of perfect pizza, this crescere became the foundation on which Uditi refined his craft as a pizzaiolo, absorbing the culinary influences of California, its farmers markets, its produce, and its multicultural foodways, eventually producing the billowy blistered crust served at Pizzana, the restaurant chain he helms with Candace and Charles Nelson, the culinary entrepreneurs behind Sprinkles Cupcakes. The sleek Pizzana restaurants are the minimalist backdrop for Uditi’s vibrantly topped, expertly baked…

> When it comes to cult Cabernet Sauvignon and other high-end juice from Napa Valley, “bargain” is a relative term—with bottlings from Screaming Eagle and Sine Qua Non topping $1,000. Fortunately for anyone looking for a cellar-worthy, special-occasion-ready bottle, a handful of wineries in the region are making exceptional Cabernet and other varietals sourced from stellar vineyards at a fraction of the price of the better-known brands. While the prices by no means take them into daily drinker terri-tory, these wines are exquisite enough for cellaring. Be sure to sign up for their mailing lists to be one of the first to know when the bottles drop. BELLA OAKS Preservationist Suzanne Deal Booth in 2010 reinvigorated the vineyard where the Heitz Cellar Bella Oaks wines of the ’70s and ’80s…

T Bar T vineyard climbs up into the hills of Sonoma’s Alexander Valley like a painting. That’s Sam Jordan’s first memory of his family’s wine country property, which they acquired in 2015. Fast forward to 2022 and the entrepreneur isn’t just marveling at the beauty. He’s utilizing the grapes, which you may have already sipped in vintages from popular brand Iron Horse, to craft Cabernet for his own Red Bear Winery. In partnership with his father, Oakland real-estate investor Wayne Jordan, the co-founder hopes to create wines that appeal to a younger generation. Here’s what he’s up to this harvest season. When did you make the decision to utilize the T Bar T vineyard grapes for your own wine after years of selling them to others? 2018 was an exceptional…

An Outdoor Room with a View Eckley didn’t want people looking down at the ground, so he elevated the plantings in gunmetal steel raised beds, which gave the outdoor living room an eye-level view. “The space was designed to be really rich when you’re sitting down,” he says, “because that’s the way you’re going to appreciate the garden most of the time.” TIP: To lift the eye in your garden, low beds or planters at 2 feet high or less will give you eye-level views of your plants when sitting down. IF you ask landscape designer Scot Eckley to point to his best work, the small garden courtyard with outdoor living space that he created for one Seattle couple is it. “This is a little garden where every decision counts,”…

California Gombo Chef Keith Corbin layers the flavor in this vegetable-forward vegan gombo (which is the Louisiana Creole spelling of gumbo). Red miso gives the profound broth depth, while quick-charred seasonal vegetables add crunch and color. SERVES 6 Gombo Sauce 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil6 cloves garlic2 tsp. minced ginger1 red Fresno chile, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced2 large shallots, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced¼ lb. okra, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced1½ tsp. dark chili powder Kosher salt to taste5 cups vegetable stock1 Tbsp. red misoJuice of 1 lime Charred Vegetables 2 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more for seasoning8 medium asparagus, cut in 1-inch pieces½ lb. sugar snap peas, cut in half crosswise¼ medium head of Napa cabbage, cut into 1½-inch slices12 baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise4 scallions, cut in…

RECIPE ON NEXT SPREAD Can veganism go viral? If anyone can accomplish that in the world of Chinese cuisine, it’s Hannah Che. Hailing from Portland and now based in Taipei, Taiwan, the chef, photographer, food stylist, and author has made a name for herself chronicling her adventures in vegan Chinese cooking across her blog and social channels. Watch her drool-inducing Instagram videos (@han-nah.che) of nori-wrapped tofu pan-fried and glazed in sticky teriyaki sauce or fluffy black-sesame buns emerging fresh from the steamer, and you, too, will join the 100,000-plus social acolytes showering “likes” on her posts of plant-forward, photo-worthy, and above all delicious approach to Chinese cooking. While Che’s evangelization of vegan cooking is on trend, the traditions and recipes from which she takes inspiration are as old as the…

This month: Driggs, Idaho The insider: Lea Beckett, co-founder of Grand Teton Distillery NORTHWEST Gluten-free Idaho potato vodka: That’s what you’ll get when you pick up a bottle from Grand Teton Distillery. Of course, you could also visit for a tour and free tasting of these award-winning spirits. Which is exactly why we reached out to co-founder Lea Beckett to learn about the team’s home base of Driggs, and must-visit spots in the region. EAT: Head to Warbirds Cafe for dinner and check out “all of their classic planes in their aircraft museum—they even have a MiG,” Beckett says. When actor Channing Tatum, who’s partnered with the distillery, visited Teton Valley, "we hosted him and his friends at Linn Canyon Ranch,” Beckett adds. STAY: You can stay at Linn Canyon…