Alan Dean Otis Palmer, 31, was sentenced in the case by Judge Richard Henderson on May 21, according to a Tuesday report from Mendocino County District Attorney Meredith Lintott's office.

Palmer had pleaded no contest to felony conspiracy to take 45 abalone for commercial purposes. Lintott reported that Henderson gave Palmer three years in state prison, a $20,000 fine and a lifetime fishing prohibition.

Early in the morning on July 21, 2009, Fish and Game Warden Joel Hendricks received a call from dispatch regarding a report that divers were possibly taking abalone behind the Little River Cemetery out of season, according to the report.

The warden observed two divers about 50 yards away from his location on the bluff. Each diver completed dives lasting nine seconds or more, returning to the surface several times, and handling things under the water, officials said.

After an hour the divers headed towards a sea cave entrance, which runs from the open ocean to a large sink hole on the Little River Cemetery property. Officials said Phillip Horch was there, acting as a lookout, and he told wardens that his two friends were diving for the purpose of one teaching the other to dive.

The two divers, Alan Palmer and Christopher Kern, then walked up the trail. They told the warden they were only spear fishing. Palmer was on felony probation for a past conviction for conspiracy to take abalone for commercial purposes. Not discovering any abalone in their possession, the warden advised all three persons they could leave.

At 11 p.m. that night Warden Hendricks, with the assistance of State Park Ranger Chris Glenn, climbed down into the sink hole. The tide had risen and sea water was pushing through the entrance to the sea cave. The warden saw a live abalone rolling around in the surf, leading him to believe it had been detached.

At 8:30 a.m. the next day, the report explained that the warden entered the sea cave and got into the water. He saw seven abalone clinging to small boulders, and then three game bags filled with abalone, all fresh and alive. There was a total of 45 abalone.

Warden Hendricks submitted a report to the district attorney's office, which charged the case and authorized three warrants of arrest.

On Aug. 31, 2009, prosecutor Tim Stoen presented the case against Palmer at a preliminary hearing before Judge Jonathan Lehan. Judge Lehan thereafter ordered Palmer to stand trial on the charges. Horch and Kern thereafter entered pleas in an associated case, receiving extensive jail terms.

This past April 23, Palmer – represented by defense attorney James Griffiths – entered a plea to the charge of felony conspiracy, and to a charge of commercial taking of abalone, each of which constituted an admission to violating his existing felony probation. He had been sentenced in October 2007 to a year in jail as a term of that probation, according to Lintott's office.

Upon being sentenced on May 21 by Judge Henderson on his new conspiracy charge and his probation violation, Palmer was immediately remanded to the California Department of Corrections to begin his prison term, Lintott's office reported.

Officials said three years is the maximum prison sentence for felony conspiracy in abalone cases.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

The event will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Six Sigma Ranch & Winery located at 13372 Spruce Grove Road in Lower Lake.

Kaj Ahlman, chairman of the Lake County Winery Association, described last year’s People’s Choice Wine Awards as an event where “consumers were able to experience first hand the depth and breadth of the quality wines being produced from Lake County fruit and by Lake County wineries.”

Great wines, music, and delectable food bites will be offered, and attendees will have the opportunity to meet and chat with many Lake County winemakers.

Attendees will have the opportunity to taste and vote on their favorite wines with results tallied and announced at the conclusion of the event.

Lake County is part of the North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA), which also encompasses Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino counties.

Within Lake County, five other AVAs exist – Clear Lake AVA, Benmore Valley AVA, Guenoc AVA, Red Hills AVA, and High Valley AVA.

Admission to the event is $25 per person in advance, $35 per person at the door. Please visit

www.lakecountywineries.org or call 707-274-9373, Extension 100, for more information.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

People often spot young wild animals they think are orphaned or need help. In most cases they are neither, and should be left alone.

In 2008, more than 500 fawns were turned into California rehabilitation facilities by well-meaning members of the public, the Department of Fish and Game reported. Many of these fawns were healthy and did not need to be disturbed.

Once a fawn is removed from its mother, it can lose its ability to survive in the wild, officials reported. The same danger applies to most animals, including raccoons, bears, coyotes and most birds.

Disease is another reason that wild animals should not be handled. Wild animals can transmit diseases that can be contracted by humans, including rabies and tularemia, and also carry ticks, fleas and lice, the agency reported.

People improperly handling young wildlife is a problem across the nation, most commonly in the spring, when many species are caring for their young offspring, according to the report.

“People frequently pick up young wild animals because they believe they have been orphaned or abandoned and need to be saved,” said Nicole Carion, the Department of Fish and Game's statewide coordinator for wildlife rehabilitation and restricted species.

“However, in the vast majority of cases the parents are still caring for their offspring and the attempt to ’rescue‘ the young animal all too frequently results in harm,” Carion said. “Even though California has many capable rehabilitation centers, people need to understand that humans cannot provide the survival training or the perfect diet provided naturally by their wild mothers.”

The responsibility for intervention should be left to Department of Fish and Game personnel or permitted wildlife rehabilitators.

It is illegal to keep orphaned or injured animals for more than 48 hours in California. People can call a rehabilitator, who will determine whether there is a need for a rescue. Rehabilitators are trained to provide care for wild animals so they retain their natural fear of humans and do not become habituated or imprinted.

For more information, visit DFG’s wildlife rehabilitation Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/rehab/facilities.html.

Remember: Wildlife belongs in the wild. As wildlife experts say: “If you care, leave them there.”

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Curtis Dewayne Dodge, 39, was arrested at about 1:40 a.m. Sunday, according to a report from the Redding Police Department.

Dodge has been on the run since March, and when arrested was found without a GPS monitoring anklet which is a condition of his parole, according to the police statement.

The Redding Police Department reported that officers were dispatched to check out a suspicious black 1993 Oldsmobile Achieva parked to the rear of the Dark Side & Tattooing on Pine Street in Redding.

When officers contacted Dodge, he didn't have any identification and gave them a false name. They became suspicious and began an investigation, which led to their identifying Dodge as a parolee at large out of Lake County, Redding Police reported.

Dodge reportedly told officers that he had been in the Redding area for only five days before five days before Redding Police arrested him.

Officials reported that Dodge has an extensive violent criminal background and also is a convicted sex offender.

He was booked into the Shasta County Jail for violation of parole, sex offender registration violation and providing a false identity to a police officer, Redding Police reported.

Information provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation showed that Dodge originally was sent to prison from Madera County, where he was given a four-year sentence for cruelty to a child.

He was placed on parole in 1995, but was returned to prison six times over the next four years on parole violations, the records showed.

In Lake County in 2003 he was sentenced to prison for two charges of possession of a controlled substance and had five more parole violations. That was followed by a December 2006 sentence for the same charge and three more parole violations, the last one in 2009.

Dodge, who was being held without bail, remained at the Shasta County Jail on Monday, jail records showed.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

A view of Rattlesnake Island from the hills above Clearlake Oaks, Calif. Photo by Chuck Lamb.

Islands are special places. Their uniquely precious web of life is also uniquely fragile, and can unravel at a touch.

Rattlesnake Island, situated a few hundred feet offshore in the Oaks Arm of Clear Lake and the lake’s largest island, is no exception.

Its habitat consists of mixed woodlands – willows, cottonwoods, and several species of oaks including some valley oaks (Quercus lobata) of truly majestic proportions – interlaced with grassy meadows spangled with wildflowers in the spring, and encircled by riparian vegetation consisting primarily of sedge-and-tule marshland.

Diverse flocks of water birds – dabbling and diving ducks, grebes, coots, cormorants, gulls, egrets, herons, etc. – visit the island and the surrounding waters.

It’s not uncommon to observe a swooping procession of several hundred white pelicans wheeling and turning overhead, or a resident osprey sallying forth from its perch on the shoreline to snatch a fish from the lake, while families of otter and the occasional mink can be seen cavorting along the shoreline.

The island is the anchoring landmark on the first of Lake County’s magnet “water trails” for kayakers and canoers, and the waters around it are widely considered to be among the best fishing locations on Clear Lake.

Rattlesnake Island is special for another reason as well. In the words of archaeologist Dr. John Parker, it “has been the political and religious center of the Elem Community of Southeastern Pomo for at least 6,000 years” – in other words far longer than Rome has been Roman, or Greece has been Greek.

During the fathomless span of years that they ate and drank, speared fish and gathered tules, chipped stone and wove baskets, fashioned boats and constructed houses, rejoiced in the newly born and mourned the newly dead, the record of those endless days of their lives accumulated.

Archaeologists have identified six specific sites there, dating back to the earliest human occupation of this hemisphere, but actually it would be more appropriate to consider the whole island as a priceless cultural heritage site, one of the most important in Lake County, in California or in the Western Hemisphere.

Befitting the immense antiquity of its continuous habitation, Rattlesnake Island has been determined eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, and is listed on both the State Register of Historic Resources, and as a Sacred Site with the State Native American Heritage Commission.

As stated by Dr. Parker, “This island and its archaeological remains likely represent evidence of the oldest human use of the Clear Lake Basin ... The sites on Rattlesnake Island are in an excellent state of preservation and still contain the foundations of many of the prehistoric structures that have been built there.”

Despite ties that bind down the endless years, the Elem community no longer has legal title to its own Deep Home Place.

Rattlesnake Island was excluded from Elem trust lands in 1877, apparently by clerical error, and subsequently passed through a series of owners who put it to uses as various as a miners’ labor camp and a pig farm.

The current owner acquired it in 2003, with the intention of constructing a vacation home and several subsidiary structures on the site. Late in 2004 the county of Lake issued a permit for septic system (again apparently by clerical error), and most of the necessary excavation work was performed although the permit itself was subsequently rescinded; after extended tumultuous debate the Lake County Planning Commission then determined that due to the extremely sensitive nature of the site no project approvals could be granted before an environmental impact report was prepared.

There the matter rested until the spring of 2010, when county planning staff recommended that the Planning Commission approve a grading permit on the basis of an archaeological survey that several experts considered inadequate, and “mitigations” consisting primarily of a monitoring plan that was unlikely to prevent damage although sure to slow down the progress of the work and increase costs.

At the subsequent hearing, which took place on May 13, the commission heard more than four hours of testimony from the Sierra Club, the Heritage Commission, two archaeologists, an anthropologist, numerous impassioned tribal spokespersons, and several other members of the public, and then unanimously reconfirmed their earlier decision to require a focused a environmental impact report as a precondition for any project approvals.

Although restricted to an evaluation of cultural resources (suggestions to extend the evaluation to aesthetic and biological impacts were not accepted) limited to the specific locations subject to disturbance by construction or access roads, this decision nonetheless represents a major victory in the effort to protect one of Lake County's most precious treasures.

Perhaps even more significant in the long term, it may also provide the time that Elem’s leaders need to find the financial backing, from the federal government or other sources, needed to take back ownership of their ancestral homeland.

Victoria Brandon is a Board member of Tuleyome and was elected to the Sierra Club's Redwood Chapter Lake Group executive committee in 2004. She has been Group Chair since January 2005, mobilizing support for numerous campaigns other local conservation issues. She's also the secretary of the Chi Council for the Clear Lake Hitch, a participant in the Cache Creek Watershed Forum, a member of the Coalition for Responsible Agriculture, and the Lake County Peace Action newsletter editor.

Tuleyome is a local non-profit working to protect both our wild heritage and our agricultural heritage for future generations. Past Tuleyome Tales articles are available in the library section of the group's Web site, www.tuleyome.org.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Rattlesnake Island is an important cultural and spiritual center for the Elem Colony. Photo by Chuck Lamb.

The event began Friday evening but really got going on Saturday morning, with a pancake breakfast at the fire station held before one of the main events – the parade through downtown.

Businesses up and down Highway 29 welcomed visitors coming from as far away as Merced.

The parade included a number of floats, including a clever “Wizard of Oz” float with interactive characters. Also taking part were Uncle Sam – played once again this year by Ronnie Bogner – and fire trucks from the South Lake County Fire Protection District.

It wouldn't be Middletown Days without the parade of horses, an important element in the celebration, with a gymkhana and junior rodeo coming later in the festivities.

Behind the vendor area there were rows and rows of horse trailers and cowboys walking with just as many cowgirls and kids. One of the youngest visitors was 3-month-old Owen Hawkins, there to see his big brother Jon, age 2, ride atop the lead line.

Vendors stayed busy and reported good sales at the event. Among the many items for sale were American accessories and handmade jewelry, plants and decorative, original and whimsical pottery. The Middletown Park fundraiser organizers also reported a strong weekend.

In addition to the parades and shopping, there also was an evening of music and dancing to entertain visitors and residents alike.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Myron Holdenried operates the forklift, with J.B. Ballesteros and Brian Fisher installing Big Oak Ranch Blazing Star. Photo courtesy of Marilyn Holdenried.

KELSEYVILLE – Brian Fisher and J.B. Ballesteros, owners of Big Oak Ranch, have added their rustic barn to the Lake County Quilt Trail.

Located at 4595 Gaddy Lane, Kelseyville, the quilt block can be seen from the road as one drives north on Gaddy Lane.

The quilt block, named Big Oak Ranch Blazing Star, is a variation of the traditional Lone Star design.

The ranch was built around the time of the great depression by the Trailor family.

Mr. Trailor was the lead engineer on the Hopland Grade (Highway 175) road construction. The house was built from a kit sold by Sears & Roebuck, the Hollywood version.

The Trailor large family lived on the ranch until just after the barn was built in 1935. The barn is currently used for feed and hay for the cattle that are raised on the ranch.

The quilt block pattern chosen for the Big Oak Ranch barn is in honor of Fisher’s mother, Carolyn Beehe. She gifted many of her handmade quilts to him throughout her life.

“My favorite is a small yellow and white quilt, the Rising Star design,” he said. “Today that quilt adorns the guest room bed.”

Fisher and Ballesteros chose the Blazing Star pattern because it looks like a conglomerate of all the quilts that have been passed down to them.

Like most quilt patterns, this old multi-pieced star block is known by many names with variations of sic points, eight points (the most common design) or even more. Blazing Stars are made with small stars that cover the entire quilt top surface.

For more information about the Lake County Quilt Trail, contact Bethany Rose, 707-263-5744.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

The California Employment Development Department reported Friday that Lake County's May unemployment rate was 17.1 percent, down from 18.6 percent in April. The county's May 2009 unemployment rate was 14.7 percent.

Lake County's May unemployment rate ranked it No. 48 among the county's 58 counties, according to the report. The county's labor force rose from 25,340 people to 25,800 in May, when 4,400 people were out of work, 300 less than the previous month.

Statewide, unemployment totaled 12.4 percent in May, down a notch from 12.5 percent in April but up from 11.3 percent in May 2009, the state reported. The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nation's unemployment was 9.7 percent in May, down from 9.9 percent in April.

The state's lowest unemployment rate in May was found in Marin, where joblessness totaled 7.9 percent, while the highest was 27.5 percent in Imperial County, according to the Employment Development Department.

Lake's neighboring counties posted the following rates and state rankings: Glenn, 15 percent, No. 38; Mendocino, 10.8 percent, No. 13; Napa, 9 percent, No. 4; Sonoma, 10 percent, No. 9; and Yolo, 11.7 percent, No. 23.

Upper Lake was the county area with the lowest unemployment in May – 8.9 percent – while the highest unemployment locally was in Clearlake Oaks, where joblessness totaled 25.2 percent, according to detailed state labor data.

The following unemployment rates were reported for other areas of the county, from highest to lowest: Nice, 24.7 percent; city of Clearlake, 24.3 percent; Lucerne, 17.9 percent; Kelseyville, 17.4 percent; Middletown, 17.2 percent; city of Lakeport, 16.4 percent; Cobb, 15.3 percent; Lower Lake, 14.3 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 14.1 percent; north Lakeport, 13.6 percent.

California gains jobs in May

The Employment Development Department reported that California has gained jobs in each of the first five months of 2010, with gains over the period totaling 95,900 jobs.

Nonfarm jobs in California totaled 13,905,500 in May, an increase of 28,300 over the month, according to a survey of businesses that is larger and less variable statistically. The survey of 42,000 California

businesses measures jobs in the economy. The year-over-year change (May 2009 to May 2010) shows a decrease of 244,700 jobs (down 1.7 percent).

The federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, shows an increase in the number of employed people during the month. That survey estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in May was 16,062,000, an increase of 48,000 from April, but down 182,000 from the employment total in May of last year.

The number of people unemployed in California was 2,277,000 – down by 21,000 over the month, but up by 212,000 compared with May of last year the state reported.

EDD’s report on payroll employment (wage and salary jobs) in the nonfarm industries of California totaled 13,905,500 in May, a net gain of 28,300 jobs since the April survey, according to the report. This followed a gain of 25,400 jobs (as revised) in April.

Six categories – manufacturing; information; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government – added jobs over the month, gaining 46,200 jobs, the state reported. Government posted the largest increase over the month, adding 30,000 jobs, all in federal government.

Four categories – construction; trade, transportation and utilities; financial activities; and educational and health services – reported job declines in May month, down 17,900 jobs. The report showed that trade, transportation and utilities posted the largest decline over the month, down by 9,600 jobs.

One sector, mining and logging, recorded no change over the month, the state reported.

In a year-over-year comparison – May 2009 to May 2010 – nonfarm payroll employment in California decreased by 244,700 jobs, down 1.7 percent, according to the Employment Development Department. Three industry divisions – information; educational and health services; and government – posted job gains over the year, adding 37,000 jobs.

Educational and health services recorded the largest increase over the year on a numerical percentage

basis, up 24,500 jobs, a 1.4 percent increase. The state reported that information posted the largest increase over the year on a percentage basis, up 2.0 percent, a gain of 8,900 jobs.

Eight categories – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – posted job declines over the year, down 281,700 jobs, the state reported.

The report showed that trade, transportation and utilities employment showed the largest decline over the year on a numerical basis, down by 82,300 jobs, a decline of 3.1 percent. Construction employment showed the largest decline over the year on a percentage basis, down 12.8 percent, down 80,800 jobs.

In May, there were 675,201 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the May survey week, according to the Employment Development Department. When federal unemployment insurance extensions are included, the total is 1,461,349 people receiving benefits, compared to 729,211 in April and 839,960 last year.

At the same time, the state reported that new claims for unemployment insurance were 70,439 in May, compared with 83,896 in April and 67,579 in May of last year.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Veggie Girl Esther Oertel discusses using arugula in this week's column. Courtesy photo.

Arugula has been a staple in Italian cuisine for centuries, but this peppery green has only been known in the U.S. since the 1970s, when it was imported along with other exotic Mediterranean salad greens like radicchio and Mache.

It achieved culinary fame in the 1990s, when it became a popular component in the California Cuisine cooking style.

If spinach is a somewhat predictable southern gentleman, then arugula is a brash, showy thespian.

It has a taste that’s at once bitter, peppery, mustard-like and somewhat nutty.

Of the six tastes – sweet, salty, bitter, sour, piquant (hot, like chili peppers) and savory (also known as “umami") – bitter is one that is not natural to our North American palate. For that reason, arugula for some may be an acquired taste.

In addition to the leaves, the flowers, young seed pods and mature seeds are all edible. The ancient Romans used its leaves as a salad green, its seeds to flavor oil and made medicinal compounds with the entire plant.

It was once thought to be an aphrodisiac; in fact, there is evidence of its seed being used in aphrodisiac concoctions as far back as the first century A.D.

Arugula, a member of the mustard family, has long stems that open into slender, irregularly shaped leaves. They remind me of dandelion greens, a relative of theirs that shares their bitter taste, but in stronger form.

Watercress, another relative, tastes similarly peppery, and arugula’s spiciness identifies it with its cousin, the radish.

Arugula blossoms add a burst of mild piquancy to salads.

It's a component of mesclun, a salad mix of young greens that originated in the Provence region of France. Originally, mesclun contained chervil, leafy lettuces, arugula and endive, all in equal proportions, but modern versions contain a variety of other greens, as well.

Arugula is native to a wide swath of the Mediterranean region, from Portugal and Morocco to Lebanon and Turkey. Cultivation of it has increased since the 1990s; prior to that it was mainly gathered in the wild.

In Britain, arugula is known as “rocket,” which is probably derived from the French word for it, “roquette.”

It’s high in vitamins A and C and has an amazingly low two calories per ½ cup serving.

Baby arugula can be found at the supermarket in premixed bags of salad greens and occasionally in packages on its own. However, arugula in its mature form may be harder to find in most markets, probably because its pungency increases with growth.

Thankfully, it can be purchased at Lake County farmers’ markets. I bought a handful of mature arugula from Doug Mooney of Full Moon Farms at Lakeport’s Wednesday night farmers’ market, which I enjoyed in a pasta dish a couple of nights later.

Baby arugula with its toned-down spicy taste is delicious alone in salads, but if using mature leaves, it’s a good idea to mix them with milder greens, such as butter lettuce, unless fruit (or a fruity dressing) is used in the salad to balance the flavor. Pears are often matched with arugula, and in Lake County that would make a nice late summer salad.

I really enjoy a salad with greens such as arugula that offer strong and diverse flavors. When the greens sing, a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice or balsamic vinegar and a little salt and pepper is all that’s needed.

Sliced fennel bulb, red onion and oranges often join arugula in salad recipes.

To prepare arugula as a side vegetable, sauté washed leaves in a little olive oil (with some garlic, if desired) to the point where it just begins to wilt. A squeeze of lemon adds flavor and helps neutralize bitterness.

The sautéed arugula can also be tossed with cooked pasta, olive oil and local goat cheese for a main dish. If desired, add kalamata olives for an additional flavor punch and garnish with pine nuts.

I sometimes add chopped arugula to pasta water just before the end of the cooking process to blanch it for a few minutes. It gets drained with the pasta and dressed with whatever sauce I’m using that evening. (With the Full Moon Farm arugula, I used a hearty puttanesca sauce, which worked well.)

Arugula can be used in many recipes in place of spinach to add pungency to the dish. For example, use arugula in place of spinach on a pizza. As with spinach, add it just before it comes out of the oven so it doesn’t burn and dry out.

Jamie Oliver, one of my favorite celebrity chefs, likes to grill rocket (as he calls it) in an aluminum foil packet with Swiss chard, a bit of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Throw the packet on top of the outdoor grill and the vegetables will steam to beautiful tenderness.

Like with spinach, arugula can be used in some recipes to replace basil, such as in pesto and bruschetta.

To make pesto, blanch arugula in boiling water for a few minutes, then plunge it into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. The blanching process decreases pungency, though some prefer to use raw arugula leaves in their pesto.

When the arugula has cooled, drain well and use in place of basil in your favorite pesto recipe. Arugula pesto is particularly yummy on pizza topped with mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses.

To make bruschetta with arugula, sauté diced Roma tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Add chopped arugula, stir, and off heat, add diced sun dried tomatoes and fresh shredded Parmesan cheese. Chill for about four hours before serving over toasted baguette slices.

The recipe I offer today is a grilled fig and arugula salad. The sweetness of figs and saltiness of prosciutto complement spicy arugula leaves beautifully.

While figs aren’t yet in season (they will be later this summer), I couldn’t resist sharing this recipe for your future use.

Grilled fig and arugula salad

8 large fresh black mission figs or 12 smaller green figs

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for brushing figs

1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar, divided

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 pound arugula

1/2 pound Ricotta Salata cheese, grated (Ricotta Salata is a salty Italian sheep’s milk cheese that is often hard to find. Crumbled feta cheese or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano can be substituted.)

1/4 pound prosciutto, julienned

Rinse and trim stem end of figs and split lengthwise.

Whisk olive oil into 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss arugula with vinaigrette.

Lightly brush figs with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil figs one minute on each side. Remove figs from heat and toss with remaining 3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar.

Place figs on a bed of greens then sprinkle with grated cheese and prosciutto and serve.

Esther Oertel, the "Veggie Girl," is a personal chef and culinary coach and is passionate about local produce. Oertel owns The SageCoach Personal Chef Service and teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Community members gather to enjoy an evening of music in Lakeport's Library Park on Friday, June 18, 2010. Photo by Terre Logdson.

LAKEPORT – Dancing and enjoying the company of friends and family, residents and visitors gathered at Library Park to enjoy the Lakeport Summer Concert Series on Friday night.

Held every Friday evening in the summer, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Summer Concert Series, which is free of charge, is popular with all ages.

On Friday evening, the American Rock band Swinging Chads energized the crowds and got many in the mood to dance.

The series started June 11, and will end on Aug. 13, when local favorites The Lost Boys end the series for the summer.

For the complete concert schedule, visit www.kxbx.com.

E-mail Terre Logsdon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .