0:07
farmers market 5
for someone who loves cold weather, i reallllly love what hot weather does for produce.
let me tell you: the farmers market is the best cooking school you’ll ever invest in. there is no one who knows how to use produce better than the people who grow it and often families who have been farming the same land for generations. talk to the farmers. ask them questions. you’ll learn more in five minutes at a farm stand than you will from scrolling recipes online or chatgpt. they also know all of the best chef’s tricks and are some of my favorite friends that i have made over the last 20 years in the industry.
your body is made up of the food and liquids you put into it, which is why this newsletter is mostly about food, with the occasional recommendation for what you put on your skin (because that gets absorbed into your body, too).
i bought soooo many delicious things this morning and, yes, i carried a watermelon. but these are the standouts you absolutely need to know about if you love california produce.
we’re officially in peak peach season.
elegant ladies are incredibly juicy with fragrant, floral flesh. eat them over the sink, slice them into salads, or grill them and serve them with my vanilla bean ice cream (the same vanilla bean ice cream i used to make for ozzy osbourne z”l and it was his absolute favorite).
to me, they are the quintessential peach. they have the peachiest flavor, the peachiest look, and i love their name. they’re quite regal, as you’ll see below.
these were so stunning they stopped me in my tracks this morning.
maglia rosa tomatoes are some of the most beautiful tomatoes you’ll ever find. they’re pink-and-red striped, a little larger than a cherry tomato, and sweet, balanced, and wonderfully meaty. they don’t need much beyond good olive oil and flaky salt, which is exactly what i am going to do with them. they remind me what is to come with the garden of’s blush tomatoes that will be here soon and i will write a love letter to them to share with you.
these are a very, very rare find. only a handful of farms grow them, and i’m lucky enough to have access to a couple here in southern california, though they were first grown in sonoma county.
they’re the first apple that gets me excited every summer, they show our microclimates and what can be grown not in their typical season. they’re perfectly balanced between sweet and tart, wonderfully crisp (the only way i like an apple), and incredibly fragrant.
many people bake with them or make applesauce and apple butter (my apple butter recipe is INSANELY DELICIOUS). i usually do what i do with most incredible produce: eat them exactly as they are. maybe dipped in honey or peanut butter if i’m feeling fancy... or elegant.
even the name is fun.
these are 75% plum and 25% apricot, and if you think you’ve had a good pluot before, wait until you try these. they have deep ruby flesh, notes of honey, unbelievable sweetness, and they absolutely burst with juice when you bite into them.
honestly, most of my farmers market sampling this time of year involves bending over so i don’t drip juice all over my shirt and shoes. it’s oddly reminiscent of shotgunning a beer in college. taste memories can be found everywhere ;)
these are sometimes called “dinosaur egg pluots” because of their beautifully speckled skin.
they’re the perfect balance of sweet and tart, with marbled flesh that makes any fruit platter look like a work of art. the skin is maroon and dappled yellow, while the inside is striking ruby red and creamy white with red mottling that looks like a watercolor painting. look at how they glisten in the sun!!!! SWOOOOOON.
til next week!!!!!
x,
ajs
light spaghetti strap dress in navy
beige studded fisherman sandals from a bay area women owned shoe company
my new favorite white t shirt that is breathable and perfect. you need it. this is my favorite fabric. 100% ultra soft cotton. i love their dresses too.
100% cotton underwear to wear to sleep with a t shirt and is very caroline besset coded
the ultimate shlepper bag for the farmers market or pool day
australian hydrating sunscreen for your face with the ultimate coverage
this giant bandana scarf i love how it’s styled with this oversized belt
light weight euro cotton quilt for the sweaty summer nights to come
the only natural deodorant that works, in the best fragrance. i just refilled
this giant bowl that is chic, unbreakable, goes with everything else i serve in
follow me on instagram: @alizajsokolow
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buy my children’s book, this is what i eat
reach out if you have a story idea or would like to collaborate on an article
lets cook together! i teach classes
3:15
The Impermanence of Things—Part Six
Getting older has changed me in all sorts of ways.
Physically, well, let’s just say even my Methuselah-aged, arthritic terrier is Usain Bolt compared to me when we go for walks these days. Cognitively…
Read more
3:27
STAT+: White House reviewing top contenders to lead FDA
WASHINGTON — The top contenders to lead the Food and Drug Administration have been sent to the White House for a final review and decision, according to a person familiar with the process.
The finalists include Heidi Overton, a White House adviser; Jeffrey Vacirca, an oncologist and health system executive; and Stephen Ferrara, a health affairs official at the Defense Department.
3:46
STAT+: RFK Jr. plans to create list of injuries caused by Covid-19 vaccines
WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is preparing to make it easier for people to claim that they were injured by a Covid-19 vaccine and receive compensation.
Kennedy is set to start the process of compiling a list of injuries that are presumed to be caused by Covid shots. People with those conditions could then ask for compensation from the government. It’s not clear what conditions may make the list — and that’s something that outside experts are keeping a close eye on.
Kennedy has long been critical of vaccines, saying none have been adequately safety tested. He’s said that he plans to overhaul a similar but separate program that provides compensation for individuals who claim injury by a vaccine recommended by the federal government.
4:21
Can a Side Dish Become the Whole Dinner?
I have a confession. Every time I’ve made ratatouille at home, I’ve stood in the kitchen afterward wondering what else to make. Because ratatouille, for all its beauty, has never once made me feel like I’d actually eaten dinner.
apparently had the same thought. And then he did something about it.
In this week’s live cooking session, Martin walked us through what he calls a summer ragu. It borrows the vegetables and the spirit of a classic ratatouille but solves the one problem that has always kept ratatouille in the side-dish category. He put beans underneath it.
Not beans stirred through the vegetables or tossed in at the end. A full bean ragu, cooked on its own first, spread across the bottom of a casserole dish like a foundation. Then the vegetables get shingled on top in overlapping rows, the whole thing goes into the oven, and what comes out is something closer to a French cassoulet than anything I’d normally call ratatouille.
The base starts the way Martin starts most things. Onions go into a dry pan with no oil and sear for three to five minutes until they pick up a little color. He’s pointed out before that if you watch how cooks in Japan or Mexico build their sauces, most of them don’t reach for oil either. It’s one of those things you never notice until someone says it out loud.
Once the onions have some color, in go the peppers and garlic. Martin used a Hungarian pepper variety with a medium heat, similar to an Anaheim chili if you’re shopping stateside. Four cloves of garlic for four servings. Then canned white beans (he prefers gigante beans, which still have real bite compared to most canned options), tomatoes, a splash of balsamic vinegar, fresh rosemary and thyme, a bay leaf, and torn basil.
He let the whole thing cook down before it went into the casserole, and he was specific about why. When you skip that step and just layer everything raw, the flavors don’t blend. The balsamic vinegar is doing something particular here, too. It brings a different acidic profile than the tomatoes alone. Martin was emphatic about this one. Any time you make a soup or a stew, just a small splash of vinegar changes the whole dish.
This is where it gets fun. The ragu goes into the bottom of a casserole dish, spread evenly. Then Martin started shingling sliced vegetables on top in rows. He alternated between zucchini and eggplant (both white and purple varieties), with tomatoes and peppers filling the gaps and a few extra onion slices tucked along the edges. The pattern looked almost decorative, like someone had organized a farmers’ market display into a baking dish.
But there’s a practical reason behind the shingling. When you lift a serving out later, you get a cross-section of everything. Beans on the bottom with vegetables layered above and caramelized edges on top. Each bite has a slightly different ratio.
One useful note on eggplant. Martin mentioned that professional chefs will salt eggplant slices before cooking to draw out some of the bitterness. You don’t have to, but if your eggplant tends toward sharp, a light salting beforehand makes a noticeable difference. And cut it thin. Thick slices won’t cook through properly and turn chewy instead.
On top of the layered vegetables, Martin added his usual functional spice combination. Black pepper and cumin, which show up in most of his dishes, plus fenugreek. The fenugreek is interesting because Martin uses it less for flavor (it adds a mild background warmth) and more because the research on fenugreek and blood sugar regulation keeps pointing in an encouraging direction. He mentioned he’s been reading more about it and thinks it should be going into far more meals than most people realize.
Then the casserole gets covered. Martin used a second baking tray flipped upside down as a lid, but aluminum foil works fine. The idea is to trap steam for the first phase of cooking so the vegetables steam before they roast. Without that cover, the top layer dries out before the bottom fully heats through. After roughly forty minutes, depending on how thick you’ve built the layers, you pull the cover and let the top caramelize.
This is my favorite part, and honestly the technique I’m going to steal for other dishes. At the very end, Martin takes about a teaspoon of good olive oil, loads it onto a pastry brush, and paints the top of the finished casserole. Not before cooking. After.
His reasoning is practical. Olive oil loses its beneficial properties when you overheat it. But used cool, as a finishing oil, you keep the peppery flavor and the nutritional value intact. He looked like an artist adding final brushstrokes to a canvas, and I told him so. He did not disagree.
There’s a personal story behind Martin’s commitment to beans, and it came up again during the session. His father-in-law reversed heart disease following a strict bean-based eating pattern after a heart attack. That experience shaped how Martin thinks about building meals.
7:41
You're Not Emotionally Intelligent. You're Socially Fluent.
So, I was reading this article about social intelligence and emotional intelligence, and it's really interesting. Apparently, people often confuse the two, but they're not the same thing. Social intelligence is about being able to read people, understand their needs, and navigate complex social situations with ease. It's about being able to pick up on social cues and adjust your behavior accordingly. This is something that some people are naturally good at, and it's valuable in many social and professional settings.
The article suggests that social intelligence is often mistaken for emotional intelligence, which is actually about being able to recognize and understand your own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. Emotional intelligence involves being able to manage your emotions, empathize with others, and develop strong relationships. While social intelligence is about being able to read people, emotional intelligence is about being able to understand and manage your own emotional responses.
The article argues that this confusion between social intelligence and emotional intelligence can be costly, especially for high-capacity, neurocomplex minds. These individuals often rely on their social intelligence to navigate complex social situations, but they may struggle with their emotional intelligence, leading to feelings of burnout, anxiety, and depression.
It's worth noting that social intelligence is not just about being charming or charismatic; it's about being able to read people and situations accurately. And while it's valuable in many contexts, it's not a substitute for emotional intelligence. In fact, the article suggests that developing emotional intelligence can actually help to mitigate some of the negative consequences of high social intelligence.
Overall, the article is a great reminder that social intelligence and emotional intelligence are distinct concepts, and that developing emotional intelligence can be just as important as developing social intelligence.
9:06
Practitioner Tip: The Everyday Exposures Keeping Your Mast Cells Activated (And What to Do About Them)
Hello MC360 Community!
When you are managing Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), chances are that you’ve probably already thought about what you’re eating, what supplements you’re taking, and how much rest you’re getting.
But there’s another category of triggers that even many sensitive people might be overlooking. And it could be quietly keeping your mast cells activated around the clock.
It’s your environment. And the exposures hiding inside it.
The good news is that your environment is also one area where small changes can make a meaningful difference. And many of those changes are simpler than you might expect.
In this post you’ll learn:
Why your body treats everyday environmental exposures as ongoing survival threats
Commonly missed environmental triggers for sensitive systems
Simple, free or low-cost steps you can take today to start reducing your environmental load
Our free ‘Simple Environmental Reset Checklist‘ to walk you through it
Let’s get started.
This post is for informational purposes only. To read our full disclaimer, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
Your Environment and Your Mast Cells
So why does your environment matter so much?
Unlike the foods you choose or the supplements you take, environmental exposures often happen automatically. You’re breathing them in, touching them, or living around them day after day, whether you think about them or not. For someone with MCAS, that constant background exposure can quietly add up over time.
Here’s why.
With MCAS, your body can have difficulty distinguishing between a genuine threat and a lower-level environmental stressor.
To your mast cells, a fragrance from a plug-in air freshener, residue from a conventional cleaning product, or mold spores circulating in a poorly ventilated room can all be interpreted as potential threats.
Everything your body encounters has to be processed and moved out. When your mast cells are already sensitized and primed to respond, even small exposures can be enough to keep them activated.
Exposures that are minor for most people can become an added burden for a body that’s already under strain. As that burden builds, your mast cells may continue releasing inflammatory mediators instead of returning to a resting state.
In a sensitized system, it can take very little exposure to keep that alarm response going.
Read more
10:46
13 High-Protein Meals, No Bland Chicken
Here’s the quick rundown: the piece isn’t a study, just a practical cheat‑sheet for getting 70‑90 g of protein in one meal without spending hours in the kitchen. The author lines up six go‑to recipes that can be thrown together in two‑to‑five minutes, plus a “free 7” list of simple combos you can mix and match. The focus is on everyday ingredients—turkey, eggs, cottage cheese, salmon, bagels, potatoes—so you can hit the protein target even on chaotic mornings.
The first three ideas are sandwich‑style or bowl‑style meals that stack protein sources: a turkey‑Swiss sandwich (≈79 g), scrambled eggs with cottage cheese and a can of pink salmon (≈74 g), and a microwave‑cooked potato topped with eggs, egg whites and salsa (≈50 g). They’re cheap, require minimal cooking skill, and can be prepped in a single pan or microwave.
The next three keep the prep light: an egg‑and‑egg‑white scramble on sourdough with avocado (≈46 g), a half‑bagel with cream cheese, cucumber, onion and smoked salmon (≈59 g), and a quick skillet mix of spinach, sun‑dried tomato, garlic, feta and potatoes with eggs (≈52 g). All stay under ten dollars and under ten minutes.
Finally, the author suggests boiling a batch of eggs, saving the yolks, and pairing them with apples for a grab‑and‑go snack that delivers about 72 g of protein. The overall message is simple—pick a few high‑protein staples, combine them in ways that require little effort, and you’ll avoid the bland chicken routine while keeping your nutrition on track.
11:50
the healthy sweet treat i've been inhaling lately: chocolate chip banana bread protein balls
recipe from today’s reel!
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup creamy salted peanut butter
1/2 cup vanilla plant based protein powder (this is the one i use in all of my recipes)
1 cup oat flour
pinch each of cinnamon and sea salt
mix-ins: chocolate chips and chopped walnuts
in a mixing bowl, mash the banana until uniform. then add in the maple syrup and peanut butter.
whisk until smooth, then stir through the protein powder, flour, and cinnamon/salt until a cookie dough texture forms.
once you’re able to roll the dough out into bites, roll each one into a ball, add the mix ins, and place on a parchment paper lined plate.
transfer the plate to the fridge to set for a half hour and enjoy!
store in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or the freezer for a month!
