LAKEPORT, Calif. – Last Friday, a special afternoon ceremony honored one of Lake County’s retired judges.

Judge Arthur Mann, who still hears cases for the Lake County Superior Court on a part-time basis, was on hand for the unveiling of his new portrait in his former Department 3 courtroom.

Mann retired in November 2009. He was succeeded in 2010 by Judge Andrew Blum.

Blum, along with Judge Richard Martin and retired Judge Robert Crone Jr., led the Friday ceremony honoring Mann, recognizing him for his service and for his fair treatment of who came to his courtroom.

Lake County Bar Association President Mary Heare Amodio unveiled the portrait, which was presented by the association to the Lake County Superior Court.

“I’m still enjoying being a judge. I look forward to assignments whenever they come around,” Mann told the group.

Mann’s longtime bailiff, Cliff Swetnam – now also a retiree – was on hand to do the honors of hanging the portrait above the jury box.

“There’s something appropriate about hanging Art on the wall,” quipped Blum.

The ceremony can be viewed in its entirety in the video above, shot by John Jensen of Lake County News.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH A CORRECTED FINAL SCORE FOR UPPER LAKE.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Three Clear Lake running backs combined for 298 yards rushing as the Cardinals overcame a sloppy first quarter and went on to defeat South Fork, 38-7, Friday night at Lakeport.

“We came out and shot ourselves in the foot,” Cardinal assistant coach Mike Hansen said, referring to three early turnovers, including a pair of Kenny Henninger interceptions – one in the South Fork end zone and another inside the 30-yard line. Penalties, which totaled 105 yards by night’s end, also stymied the Cards.

But the Clear Lake defense, as is its custom of late, shut down South Fork’s spread offense – at least until the Cardinal offense got into gear.

Andre Buendia gained 103 yards on 19 carries, Vince Rave had 99 yards on 13 carries and Luke Punzalan added 96 yards on 12 carries and scored three second-half touchdowns as Clear Lake took a 38-0 lead in the fourth quarter before South Fork got on the board with a 67-yard touchdown pass from Joey Wittlake to brother Keith Wittlake.

Henninger had an off-night – at least compared to his marvelously efficient outing the previous week, when he connected on 4 of 5 passes for 57 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-0 win over Stellar Prep.

On Friday the junior quarterback recovered from the two early interceptions and finished with 7 completions in 14 attempts for 63 yards and a touchdown on a 2-yard pass to Zuhuri Manley, who had 3 catches on the night, as did David Mansell.

Clear Lake, 0-3 at this time last season, takes a 2-1 record into its league opener Friday at Fort Bragg.

Portola, 29; Upper Lake, 26

Upper Lake, which made a statement in its early games last season that included a win over Middletown, took a 3-0 record into its league opener – then contended for the NCL II title and made the NCS playoffs.

The Cougars aren’t wielding that kind of momentum this time around.

Portola High, avenging a 47-14 loss at Upper Lake last year, survived the Cougars’ fourth-quarter rally for a 29-26 non-league victory Friday night at Portola.

It was the second straight loss for the Cougars, who’ll take a 1-2 record into their NCL II/Bay Football opener Friday against an undefeated California School for the Deaf team. Upper Lake, trailing 29-14 going into the fourth quarter, scored on Travis Coleman’s 15-yard pass to Ward Beecher with 4:46 remaining that, after a failed conversion run, cut Portola’s lead to 29-20.

The Cougars scored again with 27 seconds left on a 33-yard run by Coleman that made it 29-26, but any hope for an amazing comeback victory was dashed when Portola recovered UL’s onside kick. (The score reported in an earlier version of the Upper Lake-Portola game story was incorrect.)

Kelseyville, 38; Esparto, 0

There’s nothing quite like a winning streak to lift the spirits of a team – especially if it’s been a couple of years since it experienced one.

But the thrill of Kelseyville’s second straight win, a 36-0 non-league victory over Esparto Friday night at Kelseyville, was tempered by injuries to quarterback John Mark Reagan and fullback Dasan Vasquez.

Robert McLean rushed for 119 yards and scored three touchdowns and the Knights’ defense played its best game of the season in their final tune-up before opening NCL I play Friday at Willits.

McLean and Kevin Duty scored two touchdowns apiece in the first half as Kelseyville (2-1) took a 29-0 lead, McLean scoring on runs of 17 and 3 yards and Duty scoring on a 70-yard scamper and a 5-yard run. The loss dropped Esparto’s record to 0-4.

Reagan suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter and then Vasquez went down with an ankle injury. Kelseyville coach Rob Ishihara said Reagan, who led the Knights in rushing, passing and scoring going into the game, could miss “at least two weeks.” Vasquez’s injury, at least initially, didn’t appear as serious.

McLean added a touchdown on a 3-yard run in the third quarter and also had a pair of two-point conversions. Duty rushed for 94 yards on the night.

Ishihara said reserve QB Jacob Martinez did a good job filling in for Reagan.

Middletown, 38; El Molino, 0

Middletown High (2-1) jumped to a 32-0 halftime lead and went on to defeat El Molino, 38-0, Friday night at Forestville.

Austin Benson, who rushed for 192 yards and four touchdowns in Monday’s 28-8 victory over Upper Lake, finished with 116 yards on only seven carries, including touchdown runs of 57 and 5 yards. Benson also scored on a 63-yard pass from quarterback Ben Pike.

Pike hit 6 of 8 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns, the second one on a 20-yard pass to Jared Carrillo.

Javier Otero, up from the JV team to fill in for Tyler Drew, who hurt his ankle in the Upper Lake game, also scored on a 5-yard run in the Mustangs’ final game before opening league at home against Lower Lake on Friday.

The Mustang defense forced four turnovers, including a pair of Anthonie Gusman interceptions, as El Molino (0-4) remained scoreless on the season.

Valley Christian, 49; Lower Lake, 0

Valley Christian of Dublin, the No. 2-ranked Div. V team in the North Coast Section, jumped to a 28-0 halftime lead and went on to a 49-0 victory Friday at Lower Lake.

Email Rich Mellott at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

News flash: The Milky Way galaxy just got a little weirder.

Back in 2011 astronomers were amazed when NASA's Kepler spacecraft discovered a planet orbiting a double star system. Such a world, they realized, would have double sunsets and sunrises just like the fictional planet Tatooine in the movie Star Wars. Yet this planet was real.

Now Kepler has discovered a whole system of planets orbiting a double star.

The star system, known as Kepler-47, is located 4,900 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.

Two stars orbit one another at the center of the system: One is similar to the sun in size, but only 84 percent as bright.

The second star is smaller, only one-third the size of the sun and less than 1 percent as bright. Kepler found two planets orbiting this mismatched pair.

“The presence of a full-fledged planetary system orbiting Kepler-47 is an amazing discovery,” said Greg Laughlin, professor of Astrophysics and Planetary Science at the University of California in Santa Cruz. “This is going to change the way we think about the formation of planets.”

The inner planet, Kepler-47b, closely circles the pair of stars, completing each orbit in less than 50 days. Astronomers think it is a sweltering world, where the destruction of methane in its super-heated atmosphere might lead to a thick global haze. Kepler-47b is about three times the size of Earth.

The outer planet, Kepler-47c, orbits every 303 days. This puts it in the system's habitable zone, a band of orbits that are “just right” for liquid water to exist on the surface of a planet. But does this planet even have a surface? Possibly not. The astronomers think it is a gas giant slightly larger than Neptune.

The discovery of planets orbiting double stars means that planetary systems are even weirder and more abundant than previously thought.

“Many stars are part of multiple-star systems where two or more stars orbit one another. The question always has been – do they have planets and planetary systems?” said William Borucki, Kepler mission principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center. “This Kepler discovery proves that they do.”

Our own sun is a single, isolated star, with a relatively simple gravitational field that rules the motions of the planets orbiting it.

But, as Borucki points out, not all stars are single.

Astronomers estimate that more than half of the stars in the galaxy have companions. There are double, triple and even quadruple star systems.

Any planets in such systems would have to navigate a complex gravitational field, tugged in multiple directions by multiple stars. In fact, for many years, astronomers doubted that planets could even form in such an environment.

Kepler-47 erases those doubts – and poses a conundrum: “These planets are very difficult to form using the currently accepted paradigm,” said Laughlin. “I believe that theorists, myself included, will be going back to the drawing board to try to improve our understanding of how planets are assembled in the dusty gaseous disks that surround many young stars.”

The Kepler spacecraft is on a mission to find Earth-like planets that might support life.

Said Borucki: “In our search for habitable worlds, we have just found more opportunities for life to exist.”

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A new group of mixed breed dogs – big and little – are the featured pets at the shelter this week.

Labrador Retrievers and a husky, shepherds and Shih Tzu mixes are waiting for new homes.

Thanks to Lake County Animal Care and Control’s new veterinary clinic, many of the animals offered for adoption already are spayed or neutered and ready to go home with their new families.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Labrador Retriever-beagle

This female Labrador Retriever-beagle mix is of undetermined age.

She weighs nearly 37 pounds, has a short black coat and is not yet spayed.

Find her in kennel No. 5a, ID No. 34314.

Labrador Retriever-Beagle

Shelter staff has not given an age for this female Labrador Retriever-beagle mix.

She weighs 28 pounds, has a short black coat and has not yet been altered.

She’s in kennel No. 5b, ID No. 34315.

‘Augie’

“Augie” is a 1-year-old male Shih Tzu-Chihuahua mix.

He has a short fawn-colored coat and is not yet neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 12, ID No. 34207.

‘Girlie’

“Girlie” is a 2-year-old Shih Tzu-Chihuahua mix.

She has a short fawn coat, weighs 12 pounds and is not yet spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 16a, ID No. 34209.

Husky mix

This male husky mix is 2 years old.

He has a long white coat with black markings.

He’s in kennel No. 18, ID No. 34251.

Pit bull mix

This female pit bull terrier mix is 9 months old.

She has a short tan coat, weighs 38 pounds and is spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 19, ID No. 34363.

Dachshund-Chihuahua mix

This male dachshund-Chihuahua mix is 2 years old.

He has a short black coat and floppy ears.

He’s in kennel No. 20, ID No. 34206.

Labrador Retriever mix

This female Labrador Retriever mix is 7 years old.

She has a short black coat.

Find her in kennel No. 25, ID No. 34318.

Shepherd-Rottweiler mix

This female shepherd-Rottweiler is 8 months old.

She has a short tan and black coat, weighs nearly 47 pounds and has been spayed.

Find her in kennel No. 26, ID No. 34311.

Border collie-Labrador Retriever mix

This female border collie-Labrador Retriever mix is 3 years old.

She’s got a short black and white coat, weighs 50 pounds and has not yet been spayed.

Find her in kennel No. 28, ID No. 34365.

Shepherd-basset hound mix

This female shepherd-basset hound mix is 3 years old.

She is nearly 38 pounds and has a short black and tan coat. She has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 31, ID No. 34156.

Labrador Retriever mix

This female Labrador Retriever mix is one and a half years old.

She weighs 50 pounds, has black coloring and is not yet spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 32, ID No. 34269.

Adoptable dogs also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dogs_and_Puppies.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Dogs listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – After being grounded for a week due to mechanical issues, a helicopter used in fighting a wildland fire northwest of Lakeport was flown out of the Scotts Valley area.

The California National Guard Black Hawk helicopter – which had been brought in to fight the Scotts Fire – was grounded on Friday, Sept. 7.

The helicopter was removed this past Thursday with the help of a larger Chinook helicopter.

Officials said a truck couldn't be brought in to move the helicopter, which was attached to a cable and lifted out of the area.

The removal operation can be viewed above in video shot by John Jensen of Lake County News.

Professional truck drivers are among the best trained and safest drivers on the road. Many of these commercial drivers make personal sacrifices to deliver freight safely and on time.

The California Highway Patrol joins the trucking industry in saluting these drivers for their hard work and commitment during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, Sept. 16-22.

“There are millions of commercial drivers who safely travel on California’s highways each day,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Sometimes it is difficult to appreciate what the trucking industry does for us. One way for fellow motorists to show appreciation is to remember that trucks accelerate and stop at a slower rate than passenger vehicles, and the truck driver’s ability to see other vehicles is limited.”

According to CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), commercial vehicles are involved in approximately five percent of the collisions that occur in California every year.

The same SWITRS data also shows a 30 percent decrease in the number of truck-involved collisions from 2006-2010. Additionally, there has been a 33 percent decrease in truck-at-fault collisions during that same time period.

The CHP manages safety oversight of approximately 7.4 million commercial vehicles, which travel approximately 30 million miles on 105,000 miles of roadway in California each year.

The CHP works with industry advocates and commercial vehicle operators to ensure the safe operations of commercial vehicles on California’s highways.

The CHP extends its appreciation to the trucking industry for their tireless efforts in promoting highway safety.

In doing so, the CHP facilitates Trucker Appreciation Days periodically during the year at its commercial enforcement facilities throughout the state.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's long-lived rover Opportunity has returned an image of the Martian surface that is puzzling researchers.

Spherical objects concentrated at an outcrop called Kirkwood on the western rim of Endeavour Crater differ in several ways from iron-rich spherules nicknamed “blueberries” the rover found at its landing site in early 2004.

“This is one of the most extraordinary pictures from the whole mission,” said Opportunity's principal investigator, Steve Squyres of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. “Kirkwood is chock full of a dense accumulation of these small spherical objects. Of course, we immediately thought of the blueberries, but this is something different. We never have seen such a dense accumulation of spherules in a rock outcrop on Mars.”

The spheres measure as much as one-eighth of an inch in diameter. The analysis is still preliminary, but it indicates that these spheres do not have the high iron content of Martian blueberries.

The Martian blueberries found elsewhere by Opportunity are concretions formed by action of mineral-laden water inside rocks, evidence of a wet environment on early Mars. Concretions result when minerals precipitate out of water to become hard masses inside sedimentary rocks.

Many of the Kirkwood spheres are broken and eroded by the wind. Where wind has partially etched them away, a concentric structure is evident.

Opportunity used the microscopic imager on its arm to look closely at Kirkwood. Researchers checked the spheres' composition by using an instrument called the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer on Opportunity's arm.

“They seem to be crunchy on the outside, and softer in the middle,” Squyres said. “They are different in concentration. They are different in structure. They are different in composition. They are different in distribution. So, we have a wonderful geological puzzle in front of us. We have multiple working hypotheses, and we have no favorite hypothesis at this time. It's going to take a while to work this out, so the thing to do now is keep an open mind and let the rocks do the talking.”

Just past Kirkwood lies another science target area for Opportunity. The location is an extensive pale-toned outcrop in an area of Cape York where observations from orbit have detected signs of clay minerals. That may be the rover's next study site after Kirkwood.

Four years ago, Opportunity departed Victoria Crater, which it had investigated for two years, to reach different types of geological evidence at the rim of the much larger Endeavour Crater.

The rover's energy levels are favorable for the investigations. Spring equinox comes this month to Mars' southern hemisphere, so the amount of sunshine for solar power will continue increasing for months. Indeed, Opportunity is on the verge of completing the first Martian Marathon.

“The rover is in very good health considering its eight and a half years of hard work on the surface of Mars,” said Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “Energy production levels are comparable to what they were a full Martian year ago, and we are looking forward to productive spring and summer seasons of exploration.”

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Exactly one week after it broke out northwest of Lakeport, a wildland fire that had briefly resulted in evacuations and scorched thousands of acres was fully contained.

The Scotts Fire, contained on Friday, was held to 4,618 acres, according to Cal Fire.

The fire burned since last Friday, Sept. 7, on North Cow Mountain, between Scotts Creek and Scotts Valley Road.

That same day, hundreds of people in the Blue Lakes area were ordered to evacuate. They were allowed to return to their homes later that night.

On Sunday, Scotts Valley Road residents were placed under an evacuation warning, but officials ultimately did not require them to evacuate.

The fire's cause remains under investigation, Cal Fire said.

Personnel on scene Friday were scaled back to 504 people, with 30 engines, 15 fire crews, one bulldozer and eight water tenders, according to Cal Fire.

With news of the fire's containment came a report from the county of Lake that it would reopen Mount Konocti County Park, closed last Saturday due to concerns about fire danger. The park will reopen on Monday.

The county also said it will lift the suspension on hunting permits for the Highland Springs area, which it put into effect at the same time as the park closure.

The Bureau of Land Management had closed the Cow Mountain Recreation Area in response to the fire. The South Cow Mountain area is expected to be reopened next week, while the North Cow Mountain area is to remain closed for an unspecified amount of time.

Cal Fire said smoke may continue to be visible within the fire perimeter as mop up and repair efforts continue. Local fire crews will continue to patrol and monitor the fire area.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Lake County Sheriff’s patrol deputies responded to a report of found munitions, located inside a residence in Kelseyville on Wednesday.

At approximately 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, deputies responded to a residence on Pine Drive on a report of found munitions and other devices, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks.

Employees of the Public Administrator’s Office had been in the process of cleaning out a residence, which had been occupied by a veteran who had recently passed away, Brooks said. As they were removing items from the residence they located some assorted ammunition and a device they could not identify.

A patrol sergeant responded to the residence in an attempt to identify the device. Believing it was some type of military ordnance, the patrol sergeant contacted the Napa County Sheriff’s Office Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit, according to Brooks.

Brooks said the deputy took several pictures of the device and e-mailed them to the Napa County EOD Unit for identification.

Shortly after receiving the photographs, the Napa County EOD Unit contacted the patrol sergeant and verified it was a live explosive device. Brooks said they identified the device as a Japanese mortar from World War II. The Napa County EOD Unit advised they were responding to the residence to dispose of the mortar.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies evacuated the area and set a 300 foot perimeter around the residence, Brooks said. They also obtained supplies requested by the Napa County EOD Unit, so the mortar could be safely detonated. Kelseyville Fire Department personnel responded to the area as a safety precaution.

At approximately 3:30 p.m., the Napa County EOD Unit arrived at the residence. Brooks said they inspected the mortar with a remote controlled robot and prepared it for detonation.

At approximately 4:30 p.m., the mortar was safely detonated without causing any damage to nearby structures, Brooks said.

My mother-in-law has a charming, if unusual, hobby: redecorating her home each month to reflect one of twelve rotating themes she’s determined should be celebrated at that particular time of year.

Some months are obvious (Christmas in December or Halloween in October), others not so much.

On the first day of September she took down knickknacks and pictures representing travel, August’s theme, and filled the house with all manner of apple-related items.

Faux apples of all shapes and sizes covered surfaces everywhere. This, combined with the chill that was hovering in the air that day, made me want to draw all things autumn around me like a mantle.

The fall frame of mind brought with it a pretty severe case of apple nostalgia, overwhelming me with memories of harvesting apples with my father in Upstate New York, of baking my first apple pie, of sweet-tart baked apple desserts pulled out of the oven by my mother.

There was only one cure, and I happily took it; that afternoon I trekked out to our lone surviving apple tree with bucket in hand and ripe apples on my mind.

The little tree had gnarled limbs on which grayish-green patches of lichen had made its home. Unlike last year’s harvest, which was mostly small and misshapen, plump, yellow-red apples beckoned from nearly every branch in fully developed glory, belying the tree’s age and size.

Apples filled the onetime egg basket as I picked them from the tree, and it didn’t take long to clear it of fruit, save for those I left for the yellow jackets and birds.

Nearly an hour later, my trusty knife and I had peeled, cored and chopped the whole batch.

Aside from some I froze for baking, most of the apples ended up in a big pot on the stove for applesauce.

Alchemy occurred with the addition of heat and just a little bit of water. The apples softened into a chunky sauce, to which the smallest touch of agave nectar was added. A light dusting of cinnamon and lemon zest followed.

The result was truly magical. A highly flavored, not-too-sweet, fresh-tasting, soft but chunky sauce had been formed from the humble fruit.

It isn’t me, however, who deserves the credit; it was the pure taste of one of the best cooking apples on the planet, the Gravenstein. If you’ve never made sauce with them or baked them into a pie, it’s well worth seeking them out for your first experience.

This apple variety is native to Denmark, where it was discovered as a chance seedling in 1669. It was introduced to western North America in the early 1800s by Russian sea traders, who planted a tree at their Fort Ross, California settlement.

Renowned botanist and agricultural pioneer Luther Burbank was particularly fond of the sweet-tart Gravenstein apple. Of it he said, “If the Gravenstein could be had throughout the year, no other apple need be grown.”

I’m not sure I agree with his assessment of doing away with other apples (there are so many kinds to love!), but it reflects the respect the Gravenstein commanded at the time.

The U.S. Gravenstein apple crop is concentrated in western Sonoma County, specifically near the town of Sebastopol.

This amazing apple is a difficult commercial crop. They don’t store well, making them available only in season, and short stems and variable ripening times make harvesting and selling difficult.

Sadly, most commercial Gravenstein orchards have disappeared due to suburban sprawl, grape vineyards, and bad economic conditions. Few growers are left.

In 2005, Slow Food USA declared the Sebastopol Gravenstein apple a heritage food and included it in their Ark of Taste, an international catalog of heritage foods in danger of extinction. I feel grateful whenever I see Gravensteins in a store or on a tree. It’s good to know some still exist, even if in smaller quantities than in the past when they were shipped to World War II troops in the form of dried apples and applesauce.

We are in the midst of apple season, and the Gravenstein is but one of more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples. Most are harvested between August and November.

Apples are divided into three groups: dessert or table apples, which are bred for eating; cooking apples, such as the Gravenstein, which are bred for baking, drying, and making into applesauce; and cider apples, which are typically too tart and astringent to eat fresh, but impart a rich flavor to cider.

Lake County is home to a small handful of commercial apple growers, and their crop may be found at farmers’ markets or in CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes.

Apples are members of the large rose family. Wild ancestors of apples known today still grow in remote mountainous regions of central Asia, such as in southern Kazakhstan and surrounding countries.

Almaty, Kazakhstan’s capital and largest city, derives its name from the Kazak word for apple, “alma.”

I particularly enjoy apples in savory applications. My mother has developed a new favorite dish inspired by Alice Waters. Made with sweet potatoes, apples, and onions sautéed together in a skillet until the apples become caramelized, it’s absolutely delicious as an unusual side dish.

Another favorite of mine is sautéed apples and purple cabbage flavored with fennel or sage. White wine vinegar and currants or raisins add acidity and sweetness, respectively, for a balanced dish. As you can imagine, this is a nice accompaniment to pork or sausages.

Apples may be cored and stuffed with a bit of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and then baked until soft and sweet for a dessert reminiscent of apple pie, though a bit healthier. This was something that was often served in my otherwise dessert deprived childhood (and that’s not a complaint).

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is a phrase that’s said to have been coined in 19th century Wales, and it’s proven to be true to some extent. Research indicates that apples contribute to good health by reducing the risk of colon, prostate and lung cancer.

They may also help with heart disease, weight loss, and controlling cholesterol. Compared to many other fruits and veggies, apples are relatively low in Vitamin C; however, they’re rich in other antioxidant compounds.

If an apple a day doesn’t keep the doctor away, it will at least delay him or her.

There are so many wonderful ways to use apples: in a rustic tart, for example, or baked into bread or added to butternut squash soup. Today I’ve chosen a twist on baked apples, one of my favorite apple dishes.

This version is made in a crock pot, wonderful for warmer days when ovens are eschewed. And it brings with it another boon: it has the same flavors as apple pie, but comes without the guilt of a fattening crust.

I love that walnuts are included in the recipe, a perfect choice for Lake County locavores. Use your favorite apples in the recipe, either sweet or somewhat tart.

Enjoy!

Crockpot baked apples

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

6 apples, cored

1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider

2 tablespoons orange liquor (optional)

Preheat a large crock-pot on high heat and preset it for three hours.

In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts, butter, and cinnamon. Fill the apples with the filling and place them in the crock-pot.

Pour in the apple juice or cider and the liquor, if using.

Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Recipe adapted from www.skinnychef.com .

Esther Oertel, a freelance writer, cooking teacher, and speaker, is passionate about local produce and all foods in the vegetable kingdom. She welcomes your questions and comments and may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County officials announced effective on Monday, Sept. 17, Mount Konocti County Park will reopen to the public for hiking and the temporary suspension of hunting permits for the Highland Springs area will be lifted.

As of Friday evening, Cal Fire reported 100 percent containment of the Scotts Fire, which began the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 7, at the northern end of Cow Mountain, west of Scotts Valley Road and east of Ukiah.

On Saturday, Sept. 8, during the early stages of the Scotts Fire when fire resources were committed in Lake and surrounding counties, Lake County officials took precautionary measures by issuing a temporary closure of Mount Konocti County Park and temporarily suspending hunting permits previously issued for the Highland Springs area.

The Bureau of Land Management also plans to reopen access to South Cow Mountain effective on Monday, Sept. 17; access to North Cow Mountain will remain closed.

For specific information regarding the Cow Mountain Recreation Area, contact the BLM at 707-468-4000.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Here are the previews and predictions for this weekend’s prep football games involving Lake County teams and their league rivals.

Friday’s games

Upper Lake (1-1) at Portola (2-0), 5/7 p.m. The Cougars rushed for 535 yards in last year’s 47-14 win over the Tigers at Upper Lake, with running backs Bradley Brackett (14x186), Joe Valdez (8x174, 2 TDs) and Ward Beecher (18x121, 4 TDs) producing tremendous numbers. Both teams have most of their starters back for tonight’s rematch at Portola, which should be a much closer game for a few different reasons.

The Tigers, much like Upper Lake, love to run the ball, which usually means handing it to Zach Martinez, who no doubt remembers last year’s second game, when the Cougars stuffed him for a season-low 19 yards as his team fell to 0-2.

But Martinez and the Tigers bounced back from that ugly loss, winning five of their six remaining contests, with their workhorse runner averaging 155 yards a game to finish with 1,025 (a 6.5-yard per carry average) and 16 touchdowns.

Martinez is back on track this season and so are the Tigers, who’ve made it seven out of eight since last year’s trip to Upper Lake with victories over Burney (36-13) and Pershing County, Nev. (21-14), during which the 5-foot-9, 160-pound senior gained 245 yards in 44 carries. The two wins lifted Portola to the top of the Northern Section’s Div. IV ratings.

Strange as it sounds, when Martinez doesn’t get the handoff, it’s often a sign of an imminent Portola touchdown.

Quarterback Ricky Lowdermilk has thrown only nine passes in two games, but he’s hit on four of them for 111 yards and two touchdowns. And Zach’s brother, Michael Martinez, has only five carries this season—but they produced 138 yards and two touchdowns.

Linebackers Klint Williams and Oscar Romero need strong performances to contain a Cougar running attack that sputtered in Monday’s 28-8 loss at Middletown, which UL coach Alex Stabiner attributed to the lackluster play from his offensive line.

“We needed the front eight to take care of the running game,” Stabiner said.

Instead, it was the quick and swarming Mustang defense that took care of UL’s ground game, holding it to 156 yards – and only 55 in the second half after MHS coach Bill Foltmer reminded his defense how to adjust to various Cougar formations.

Cougar QB Travis Coleman gained 87 yards in 14 carries, but Middletown held UL’s speed-power combo of Ward Beecher and Joey Valdez to 51 yards in 15 carries.

Upper Lake would normally have a good shot at beating Portola again, but this isn’t a normal week.

With the Scotts Valley fire pushing back the Middletown game to Monday, the Cougars only had three days this week to recover and prepare, plus that five-hour bus ride across the valley and up the mountain to Portola, 50 miles northwest of Reno.

The Tigers, on the other hand, had two weeks to prepare for the rematch (they had a bye last week). And somewhere in the back of their minds, Portola players like Zach Martinez have been preparing for this one for over a year.

Prediction: Portola 27, Upper Lake 14.

Middletown (1-1) at El Molino (0-3): 5/7 p.m. In past years, this one might have been a good test for Middletown, but El Molino’s football program is reeling these days after taking a couple of huge hits over the past 14 months.

First, the Lions didn’t field a JV team last year because of a low turnout. It was reinstated for this season, but without last year’s feeder team, El Molino’s varsity is playing with only 18 players – about half the number most teams can rely on.

The second blow came when second-year head coach Matt Transue got pinked-slipped from his fulltime teaching job at Elmo (he’s since taken a fulltime position at Rancho Cotate High), but he decided to finish the season as the Lions’ off-campus coach, which limits the time he can spend with his players during the day preparing for games.

Middletown is coming an impressive 28-8 win over Upper Lake, in which Austin Benson broke loose for 192 yards in 24 carries and four touchdowns.

The Lions have yet to score this season in losses to Fortuna (48-0), Justin-Siena (53-0) and St. Bernard’s (41-0), and though they might score against Middletown, they won’t be able to hang with the Mustangs for very long.

Prediction: Middletown 27, El Molino 7.

South Fork (1-2) at Clear Lake (1-1), 5:30/7:30 p.m. at Lakeport: There are issues like the ones facing El Molino, then there are the types of problems that Stellar Prep brought to Clear Lake last week.

“Total disorganization,” is how Cardinal coach Milo Meyer described Stellar Prep’s act, which included 130 yards in first-quarter penalties, some shoving matches with CL players, and a first quarter ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct of an SP player who managed to sneak back onto the field in the second quarter for a couple of plays before a referee recognized him and kicked him out again.

It wasn’t particularly pretty, but the Cards still dominated for a 48-0 victory.

South Fork might not provide Clear Lake with a lot of competition, but the Miranda team, which has a 22-19 win over John Swett and losses to Calistoga (61-28) and Tomales (54-6), isn’t likely to cause the grief and frustration that Stellar Prep did.

The Cards, who took an 0-3 record into league play last year, have alternately surprised and impressed in their first two games, and will likely take a 2-1 mark into NCL action next week.

Prediction: Clear Lake 40, South Fork 6.

Valley Christian (3-0) at Lower Lake (0-2), 5:30/7:30 p.m. The Lower Lake Trojans could use a little John Swett or Stellar Prep or South Fork on their schedule right about now – an opponent they can match up against, maybe even beat.

But after lopsided losses to Hoopa Valley (41-14) and Arcata (44-6), they’ll instead face an even better opponent in powerful Valley Christian, ranked second among NCS Div. V schools.

Lower Lake has the second most-difficult pre-league schedule among NCL teams (only Middletown’s is tougher), so there won’t be any early-season wins to build a little confidence. And then the Trojans play Middletown in their league opener next week.

Prediction: Valley Christian 46, Lower Lake 13.

Esparto (0-3) at Kelseyville (1-1), 5:30/7:30 p.m. The Knights, who matched last year’s win total with a victory at John Swett last week, can surpass it tonight – and take another small step forward in their quest for credibility.

Esparto is a winless Div. III team that’s been that been out-scored 116-25 in losses to Pierce (47-12), Winters (58-0) and Rio Vista (53-13) – a factoid that could be misleading when you consider that Pierce and Winters are undefeated and Rio Vista is 2-1.

In other words, Esparto is a lot better than the John Swett team that Kelseyville victimized last week. The Knights can win this one, but they’ll have to bring their ‘A’ game.

Prediction: Kelseyville 27, Esparto 21.

Calistoga (2-1) at Willits (1-1), 5:30/7:30 p.m. At No. 74, Willits is rated 20 positions higher than Calistoga among all NCS teams, and if the Wolverines want to keep believing they can contend in the NCL I race this season, which starts next week, they need to make a statement tonight. Calistoga, which went 0-10 last year, has made strides with victories over Cloverdale (28-20) and South Fork (61-28), and more impressively, gave California School for the Deaf a scare last week before falling 35-29.

Willits opened with a 38-0 win at lowly Richmond but couldn’t score last week in a 7-0 loss to Ukiah. As tempted as we are to forsake the “class” gauge here in favor of form (and a Calistoga upset), we’re going with the Wolverines to prevail in their home opener.

Prediction: Willits 27, Calistoga 20.

Saturday

Cloverdale (0-2) at St. Vincent’s of Petaluma (1-1). The Mustangs should get their high-powered passing game back in gear after super-quick St. Helena shut it down last week. Cloverdale has hung tight in losses to Calistoga (28-20) and McKinleyville (29-24).

Prediction: St. Vincent 40, Cloverdale 20.

Prediction record: Last week: 3-2. Season: 9-2.

Email Rich Mellott at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .