MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – A year and a half after the destructive Ranch fire, officials are opening up more portions of the Mendocino National Forest.
Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson has issued Forest Order No. 08-20-02 for the Ranch fire area which opens more trails and campgrounds and continues the temporary closure of selected trails and campgrounds until more fire hazards can be removed.
The new closure is effective from Jan. 29, until Dec. 31, 2020.
Most of the road system and trails in the Ranch fire area have been evaluated and hazards have been removed, officials said.
Forest Order No. 08-20-02 opens the majority of OHV trails on the Grindstone Ranger District as well as Pine Mountain Lookout and Bear Creek campground on the Upper Lake Ranger District.
However, officials said numerous hazards still exist within the general forest, along many roads and trails and in campgrounds.
“Due to the hard work of Forest Service employees and volunteers there are now many fire impacted areas that are safe for the public to enjoy and I feel it is important to reopen access to public lands where we can,” Supervisor Carlson said. “We are continuing to remove hazards such as dead standing trees, exposed rebar in trail treads, and stump holes on trails in order to reopen the remaining trails and campgrounds.”
Carlson added, “Although the end date for Order 08-20-02 is Dec. 31, 2020, we are working hard to reasonably reduce risks to the public and reopen areas as soon as possible.”
Forest Order 08-20-02, including the order, map and list of closed trails and facilities is posted on the forest website.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has two cats ready for adoption this week, both handsome fellows waiting for their forever families.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
‘Milo’
“Milo” is a male domestic short hair cat with a seal point and cream-colored coat and blue eyes.
Also, he looks awesome in a bow tie.
He’s in cat room kennel No. 15, ID No. 13475.
‘Duster’
“Duster” is a young male domestic short hair-Russian Blue mix with gold eyes.
He’s quite handsome in a tie.
He’s in cat room kennel No. 80, ID No. 13491.
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, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The groundhog has evolved into a winning combination of cute and ungainly. This burrowing squirrel may resemble a furry cube with a leg at each corner, but do not be deceived by its bumbling, hapless charms: this is a Nostradamus of the animal world. In North American folklore, the groundhog can apparently be used to foresee the future, as many a town in the US and Canada will vouch on February 2 as they celebrate Groundhog Day.
Groundhogs are great diggers and spend much of their time hunkered down in their burrows – understandably since they feature in far too many food webs. They’re among nature’s “true hibernators”, and become fully dormant for much of the winter.
This period, so the story goes, is broken on February 2 when they emerge from their burrows. For the human celebrants of Groundhog Day, everything depends on whether the animal is spooked by its own shadow. If it is cloudy, the hogs stay out and about and spring will come early. But if the sun shines brightly and the groundhogs catch sight of their own shadow, they flee back underground, and winter will apparently return for another six grim weeks of ice and rain.
Some groundhogs really do wake up from hibernation in early February, while the weather is still very cold, before going back to bed until March. However, this has nothing to do with scary shadows.
Their early emergence is primarily down to males checking out the whereabouts of neighbouring females with an eye towards amorous opportunities later in the spring. Given this, jumping back into your burrow at the slightest hog-shaped silhouette might not be the best reproductive strategy.
In some European traditions, the weather on February 2 has a similar significance, but without the groundhogs. In the north of America, the hogs are essential, perhaps an evolution of Germanic folklore imported by immigrants who became the Pennsylvania Dutch (from the German: Deutsch). The custom spread, and today many towns have annual ceremonies.
There are even celebrity groundhogs, with their own entourage of handlers. After all that time underground, you might expect a dazzled groundhog would be spooked by anything, especially a fan club of oddly dressed town elders.
Meanwhile “Groundhog Day” has entered the popular lexicon in the wake of the 1993 film of the same name in which a pompous weather forecaster arrives in town to deride the locals’ affection for their fortune-telling rodents, only to find himself trapped in a time loop, the day repeating itself until he is redeemed by love.
Further south in the US, a menagerie of other species has acquired this remarkable gift of prescience, including coypu and crayfish.
However, among planet Earth’s fortune telling fauna the groundhogs’ weather forecasting is tame. The US National Centre for Environmental Information has investigated Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous groundhog of all, and found his forecasts show “no predictive skill”.
In recent years, the football futurology talents of Paul the octopus has attracted particular acclaim. Paul, who lived in a Sea Life Centre in Germany, correctly predicted four of six matches in Euro 2008, then seven of seven in 2010. Statisticians were consulted and, understandably, weren’t sure what to make of this, probably because all the octopuses that were not so on the ball were not being recorded.
After Paul’s death, an imitator, Otto, tackled not only football but eventually the UK’s Brexit referendum. Sadly, her football punditry proved poor and her career ended with a whole-hearted, or, more precisely for an octopus, whole-three-hearted, prediction of a victory for Remain.
Maybe we’re better off sticking with groundhog forecasts.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Kelseyville man was seriously injured last week when he was involved in a three-vehicle crash while riding a motorcycle.
Paul F. Richardson, 65, suffered major injuries in the wreck, which occurred on Thursday afternoon on Merritt Road near Kelseyville, according to a Monday report.
The CHP said that at 4 p.m. that day, a white 1991 Honda Accord, driven by 31-year-old William G. Wymer of Kelseyville, was stopped going eastbound on Merritt Road, east of Highway 29, with the left turn signal activated, waiting to make a left turn into a private driveway.
A red 2009 Ford Explorer driven by Daniel J. Crouch, 34, of Lakeport, approached traveling eastbound, failed to slow for Wymer’s car ahead of him and a collision occurred, the CHP.
Richardson, who was riding a 2005 Harley Davidson Dyna Low-Rider, was traveling behind Crouch’s Ford. The CHP said Richardson was unable to stop in time and collided with the rear of the Ford.
Richardson was ejected from the motorcycle and came to rest on the shoulder of Merritt Road. The CHP said Richardson was wearing a Department of Transportation-approved helmet at the time of the collision.
The CHP said Richardson was transported by an air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. He’s expected to recover, with his injuries including broken bones.
Crouch and Wymer were both wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. The CHP said Crouch had minor injuries and Wymer was uninjured.
The CHP said neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected of having been factors in this collision.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Scientists at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia, announced Jan. 29 that they were able to grow the Wuhan coronavirus from a patient sample in the laboratory. This was the first time the virus had been grown in a lab outside China.
This is good news, since it will allow researchers to quickly develop new diagnostic tests for the virus, which will be essential if scientists want to be able to track its spread across China and the rest of the globe. There is so much we scientists still do not understand about this fast-moving pathogen.
I am a veterinary researcher, and I study how respiratory viruses such as influenza cause lung disease in animals and humans. I see this development as an encouraging sign.
A market with a global reach
The virus appears to have originated at an animal and seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei Province toward the end of 2019.
It is important to note that here have been no deaths yet outside of mainland China, and the majority of most cases seem to be confined to the area around Hubei. This may be thanks to the prompt, if perhaps slightly draconian, quarantine measures instituted by the Chinese government. At the same time, some critics are saying that Chinese officials did not act quickly enough, allowing 5 million people to leave the city before it announced the seriousness of the virus.
Still, all of us, scientists and non-scientists, should try to maintain some perspective here. The city of Wuhan alone has a population of more than 11 million. In that light, perhaps the roughly 7,000 confirmed cases is not really so many after all? The problem is that right now, the public, scientists and health officials don’t know if those 7,000 cases could be just the beginning of a major outbreak.
It is possible that some, or even many, of those who contract the virus only experience mild disease and are therefore not tested for infection. Moreover, this coronavirus appears to be less deadly than the SARS coronavirus of the early 2000s. That said, the 7,000-plus cases of the new coronavirus in China already exceeds the 5,327 cases of SARS.
At the moment, confirming infection requires time-consuming polymerase chain reaction-based tests for viral genes that can only be performed in a few laboratories. The technique behind this test allows researchers in the lab to make millions of copies of a particular section of DNA, but it’s not quick. The technology developed in Australia will help develop new and more rapid antibody-based diagnostic tests for infection that can be used in the clinic, not the lab. This will allow doctors to identify infected patients much faster and deploy appropriate infection control measures as needed.
This would allow scientists to get a far clearer picture of how readily this virus is transmitted from person to person, how many of those infected get very sick, and if there are any groups that are particularly prone to severe and potentially lethal disease. This information is essential if we wish to respond to the outbreak rationally.
The ability to grow the Wuhan coronavirus in the laboratory will also make it easier to develop a vaccine. Developing and manufacturing a vaccine requires large amounts of viral proteins that can serve as vaccine antigens that will induce an immune response in people. This can realistically only be done by growing large amounts of the virus in cells in a laboratory or vaccine manufacturing facility. Vaccines against several coronaviruses already exist, including SARS and MERS and such vaccines tend to elicit good immunity. Again, that is good news.
But vaccine development, manufacture and testing takes time. Theoretically, the first doses of a new vaccine might be available by late spring, although that would be a best-case scenario. But even then, making enough vaccine doses could take a year. Hence, it is unrealistic to think that vaccination will allow us to control disease in the short term.
So what can one do to stay safe? First, don’t panic. There is as yet no reason to believe that the Wuhan coronavirus will have a devastating impact upon humanity. Second, wash your hands frequently because doing so removes virus from your hands. Because people touch their hands with their faces, virus that remains on hands can then enter the body through the mouth or nose. Also, a person with virus on their hands can spread it to other people through touching someone and by spreading it onto surfaces such as door knobs. Third, if you get sick, stay home and avoid spreading whatever virus you have to others. And finally, get your flu shot – right now. Influenza is a far bigger threat to the health of the average American than this faraway virus.
A new spacecraft is journeying to the Sun to snap the first pictures of the Sun’s north and south poles.
Solar Orbiter, a collaboration between the European Space Agency, or ESA, and NASA, will have its first opportunity to launch from Cape Canaveral on Feb. 7, 2020, at 11:15 p.m. EST.
Launching on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, the spacecraft will use Venus’s and Earth’s gravity to swing itself out of the ecliptic plane – the swath of space, roughly aligned with the sun’s equator, where all planets orbit.
From there, Solar Orbiter's bird’s eye view will give it the first-ever look at the sun's poles.
“Up until Solar Orbiter, all solar imaging instruments have been within the ecliptic plane or very close to it,” said Russell Howard, space scientist at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C. and principal investigator for one of Solar Orbiter’s 10 instruments. “Now, we’ll be able to look down on the sun from above.”
“It will be terra incognita,” said Daniel Müller, ESA project scientist for the mission at the European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands. “This is really exploratory science.”
The sun plays a central role in shaping space around us. Its massive magnetic field stretches far beyond Pluto, paving a superhighway for charged solar particles known as the solar wind.
When bursts of solar wind hit Earth, they can spark space weather storms that interfere with our GPS and communications satellites – at their worst, they can even threaten astronauts.
To prepare for arriving solar storms, scientists monitor the sun’s magnetic field. But their techniques work best with a straight-on view; the steeper the viewing angle, the noisier the data. The sidelong glimpse we get of the sun’s poles from within the ecliptic plane leaves major gaps in the data.
“The poles are particularly important for us to be able to model more accurately,” said Holly Gilbert, NASA project scientist for the mission at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “For forecasting space weather events, we need a pretty accurate model of the global magnetic field of the sun.”
The sun’s poles may also explain centuries-old observations. In 1843, German astronomer Samuel Heinrich Schwabe discovered that the number of sunspots – dark blotches on the sun’s surface marking strong magnetic fields – waxes and wanes in a repeating pattern.
Today, we know it as the approximately-11-year solar cycle in which the sun transitions between solar maximum, when sunspots proliferate and the sun is active and turbulent, and solar minimum, when they're fewer and it’s calmer.
“But we don’t understand why it’s 11 years, or why some solar maximums are stronger than others,” Gilbert said.
Observing the changing magnetic fields of the poles could offer an answer.
The only prior spacecraft to fly over the sun’s poles was also a joint ESA/NASA venture.
Launched in 1990, the Ulysses spacecraft made three passes around our star before it was decommissioned in 2009.
But Ulysses never got closer than Earth-distance to the sun, and only carried what’s known as in situ instruments — like the sense of touch, they measure the space environment immediately around the spacecraft.
Solar Orbiter, on the other hand, will pass inside the orbit of Mercury carrying four in situ instruments and six remote-sensing imagers, which see the sun from afar.
“We are going to be able to map what we ‘touch’ with the in situ instruments and what we ‘see’ with remote sensing,” said Teresa Nieves-Chinchilla, NASA deputy project scientist for the mission.
After years of technology development, it will be the closest any sun-facing cameras have ever gotten to the sun. “You can’t really get much closer than Solar Orbiter is going and still look at the sun,” Müller said.
Over the mission’s seven year lifetime, Solar Orbiter will reach an inclination of 24 degrees above the sun’s equator, increasing to 33 degrees with an additional three years of extended mission operations. At closest approach the spacecraft will pass within 26 million miles of the sun.
To beat the heat, Solar Orbiter has a custom-designed titanium heat shield with a calcium phosphate coating that withstands temperatures over 900 degrees Fahrenheit – 13 times the solar heating faced by spacecraft in Earth orbit.
Five of the remote-sensing instruments look at the sun through peepholes in that heat shield; one observes the solar wind out to the side.
Solar Orbiter will be NASA’s second major mission to the inner solar system in recent years, following on August 2018’s launch of Parker Solar Probe. Parker has completed four close solar passes and will fly within four million miles of the sun at closest approach.
The two spacecraft will work together: As Parker samples solar particles up close, Solar Orbiter will capture imagery from farther away, contextualizing the observations. The two spacecraft will also occasionally align to measure the same magnetic field lines or streams of solar wind at different times.
“We are learning a lot with Parker, and adding Solar Orbiter to the equation will only bring even more knowledge,” said Nieves-Chinchilla.
Solar Orbiter is an international cooperative mission between the European Space Agency and NASA. ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in The Netherlands manages the development effort. The European Space Operations Center (ESOC) in Germany will operate Solar Orbiter after launch. Solar Orbiter was built by Airbus Defense and Space, and contains 10 instruments: nine provided by ESA member states and ESA. NASA provided one instrument suite, SoloHI and provided detectors and hardware for three other instruments.
Miles Hatfield works for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will get an informational report on regulatory options for stabilizing rents at the city’s mobile home parks.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
On Tuesday, City Attorney David Ruderman will present the council with a report on options for regulating the rental market in mobile home communities within the city.
The planned discussion on the item resulted from numerous residents of the Clearlake Marina Mobile Home Park approaching the council at its Jan. 21 meeting to complain that their rents are being raised dramatically by a new park owner.
The park is for those aged 55 and above. Residents told the council that many park residents are disabled; the park also is reportedly home to numerous veterans.
The rent increase is presenting a problem for those residents who are on fixed incomes. The park residents also own their homes and said they can’t easily leave or move their homes.
Park residents asked the city to consider implementing a rent stabilization act like the one recently put in place by the city of Ukiah.
Ruderman’s report to the council explains that there are four potential mechanisms for regulating mobile home rents in the city.
They include rent registration, which requires park owners to notify the city of rent increases and provide specific information; rent mediation, which allows park residents to petition for mediation of proposed rent increases; rent stabilization, which limits annual rent increases to a small, set price, such as an inflation adjustment; and rent control, which prohibits rent price increases, with limited exceptions.
Ruderman’s report said this is an informational item only, with no action expected to be taken on Tuesday night.
Also on Tuesday, the council will hold a public hearing and receive public comment regarding the Community Development Block Grant program and possible activities and projects to be considered for funding under the upcoming Notice of Funding Availability process. The council is then expected to direct staff to proceed with the preparation of a CDBG grant application.
In council business, Public Works Director Doug Grider will ask for the council to approve City Manager Margaret Silveira signing purchase orders with Magic Interiors and Caliber Carpets for the City Hall Council chambers carpet and installation. The improvements are new floor coverings in the council chambers for the total amount of $10,875.
The council also will present a proclamation affirming the city’s support of the ongoing State of Our Children effort in the city of Lakeport and the county of Lake.
On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on Jan. 7; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the Mendocino Complex fire; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the February 2019 storms; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the October 2019 public safety power shutoff; and approval of the Application 2020-002, with staff recommendations, for the Shakespeare at the Lake event, to be held July 25-26, 2020.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It’s February, when our hearts turn to love. Or – just maybe – chocolate.
Since this is a culinary column, I’ll write about the latter, but really, sometimes the two are intertwined.
In less than two weeks, vast quantities of the confection will be distributed to loved ones in honor of Valentine’s Day, so let’s learn a bit more about this rich treat.
Though it wasn’t until 1847 that it was made into a solid form, chocolate has been used as a drink for thousands of years, perhaps dating as far back as 1400 B.C.
The Mayans and Aztecs used the beans to produce a fermented, frothy, bitter drink that was used in religious ceremonies, often flavored with chili peppers.
The consumption of chocolate may subtly improve cognitive performance. Experiments with chocolate-fed mice suggest that flavanol-rich cocoa stimulates neurovascular activity, enhancing memory and alertness.
Because chocolate stimulates endorphin production, giving a feeling of pleasure, its effects are often compared to being in love. To many, even the word chocolate evokes a sense of well-being.
As well, chocolate contains serotonin, an antidepressant, and theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants.
It would seem chocolate can both relax and energize those who consume it.
Chocolate comes from a pineapple-sized, melon-like fruit that grows in the tropics on the cacao tree. These fruits are referred to as pods, and each one holds about 40 cacao (also known as cocoa) beans. The simple brown seeds that reside within the pods, cocoon-like, in sweet, sticky white pulp contain all the ingredients needed to make one of our most beloved food products, chocolate.
After harvesting the pods and removing the beans, the beans are left in piles to ferment and then dry before going to the factory. It’s the fermentation process that produces the rich cocoa flavor in the beans.
At the factory, the beans are roasted (either quick and hot or low and slow, depending on the flavor desired) and then hulled to remove the nib inside. The nib is milled to make chocolate liquor, a rich (non-alcoholic) paste that is the base for any chocolate product.
Some of the chocolate liquor is pressed to extract cocoa butter, the ingredient that makes chocolate taste so rich. With a melting point of about 97 degrees, it’s what causes chocolate to melt on our tongue.
Finally, cocoa powder is ground from what’s left after extracting the cocoa butter.
Then the love happens.
Simple ingredients – chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar and a minor ingredient or two, such as vanilla – go through a series of processes (such as conching, which is extensive kneading to develop flavor, and tempering, which is heating and cooling to make chocolate glossy, break with a snap, and melt in our mouths) and become the sweet treat that nearly all of us love.
Because of the health benefits associated with chocolate – particularly dark chocolate – many chocolate manufacturers list the percentage of chocolate liquor (typically noted as cacao) on their dark chocolate products. While more chocolate liquor means greater health benefits, it also means less sugar, so as the percentage increases, the sweetness of the chocolate decreases.
Bittersweet and semisweet chocolate (of which there is no official difference) must contain at least 35 percent chocolate liquor.
If you’re cooking with bitter- or semisweet chocolate, staying below 60 percent chocolate liquor is a good idea, unless your recipe calls for a chocolate with a higher percentage, as the dish may turn out more bitter than intended.
Couverture is a term used for chocolates that are extra rich in cocoa butter, such as the brands used by pastry chefs and sold in specialty stores.
White chocolate is so named because it contains cocoa butter but no chocolate liquor. Be cautious if you want the real stuff – there are products such as “white baking chips” that don’t contain a drop of cocoa butter and you can taste the difference!
Cocoa nibs are sold in natural food or specialty stores and they make for a crunchy little treat, full of intense chocolate flavor. (They’re unsweetened, so be prepared!) They can be tossed in salads, added to breads, or even mixed with asparagus and prosciutto for a delicious and interesting side dish.
As with coffee and wine, the area in which cacao beans are harvested, as well as the type of tree on which they’re grown, contribute greatly to their flavor profile. In other words, there’s a terroir associated with chocolate.
Cacao is harvested in Africa, Mexico, Central America, Asia, and in the Caribbean, and areas within each locale offer their own differences in flavor.
For example, beans grown in Madagascar are said to have citrus overtones, in Panama roasted nut flavors, in Trinidad cinnamon spiciness, and in Jamaica subtle notes of pineapple.
Chocolate can be paired with so many things – from fruits such as raspberries or oranges to chicken when used in a Mexican mole sauce – that it’s really quite a versatile food.
As far as pairings go, chocolate and wine are a comforting classic. I reached out to local wineries to find out which Lake County wines are recommended as sipping companions for chocolate. Many responded, and the result is a list of wines, along with comments from winery staff, which can be found below.
So where do I get my chocolate fix?
When I get a hankering for chocolate, I often head over to the Middletown Creamery if they’ve got their house-made chocolate sorbet on hand. With cinnamon and a hint of heat, it’s reminiscent of Mexican hot chocolate. (No wonder I love it so!)
For something richer and a bit more decadent, Hidden Valley Lake-based truffle maker Linda Moran never fails to disappoint. She recently created a dark chocolate truffle flavored with star anise, which just goes to show that chocolate pairing possibilities are copious!
As luck would have it, students in the Woodland Community College Advanced Pastry Class in Clearlake made chocolate babka on Monday, and Chef Instructor AnnMarie Pleskaczewski has generously agreed to share the recipe they used.
In her opinion, “this bread would be an amazing part of a Valentine’s Day breakfast as French toast with a dollop of crème fraiche, a drizzle of honey, and some sliced strawberries.”
The babka recipe is below, as well as two chocolate recipes of my own, Chocolate Lavender Truffles (a worthy Valentine’s Day gift) and Spiced Mayan Coffee, an interesting pick-me-up on a dreary winter morning.
Bon appétit! And happy Valentine’s Day, just a little bit early.
Chocolate Babka
Babka dough ingredients (Makes 2 9x5-inch loaves) 6⅓ cups (792 grams) all-purpose flour ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar 1 tablespoon (9 grams) active dry yeast 1 tablespoon orange zest 4 large eggs ¾ cup warm whole milk (105°F to 110°F) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened 1 tablespoon (9 grams) kosher salt
Egg Wash:
1 large egg 1 tablespoon water Simple Syrup: ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar ½ cup water
Instructions
1. For dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and zest. With mixer on low speed, add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat until mixture comes together, 2 to 3 minutes. (If the mixture remains too dry and crumbly, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.)
2. With mixer on medium speed, add butter, 1 tablespoon (14 grams) at a time, letting each piece incorporate before adding the next. Add salt, beating just until combined, about 3 minutes. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until a smooth and elastic dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (If dough does not pull away from the bowl, add more flour, 1 tablespoon [8 grams] at a time.)
3. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F) until doubled in size, 1½ to 2½ hours. After dough has risen, refrigerate for 30 minutes. Alternatively, the dough can be made one day in advance and the entire rise may take place in the refrigerator overnight.
4. For egg wash: In a small bowl, lightly beat together egg and water.
5. Spray 2 (9x5-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray, and line with parchment paper.
6. Divide dough in half. On a heavily floured surface, roll half of dough into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Brush edges of dough with egg wash. Spread with half of chocolate filling (recipe below), leaving a 1-inch border on long sides of dough. Starting at one short side, roll up dough, jelly-roll style, and press edge to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut roll in half lengthwise. Carefully twist dough pieces around each other, and place in prepared pan, cut sides up. Repeat procedure with remaining half of dough. Place prepared pans on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F) until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 30 minutes. Cover with foil, and bake until a thermometer in center registers 190°F, about 35 minutes more.
8. For simple syrup: In a small saucepan, bring sugar and ½ cup water to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Pour simple syrup over warm loaves while still in pans. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Chocolate filling (Makes enough for 2 loaves)
Ingredients
1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate morsels
¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter
¾ cup (90 grams) confectioners’ sugar
⅓ cup (25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat, and whisk in confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, and salt. Let cool to room temperature before using.
Recipe courtesy of Chef Instructor AnnMarie Pleskaczewski and the Woodland College Advanced Pastry Class.
Chocolate Lavender Truffles
This recipe is from one of my holiday culinary classes where lavender was featured. Though lavender season is in early summer, culinary lavender may be purchased at spice stores, specialty food markets, and even online.
Note: The same procedure can be used to infuse other flavors into the chocolate, such as cinnamon, orange or vanilla. In those cases, cinnamon sticks, strips of orange zest, or a couple vanilla pods are substituted for the lavender.
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon dried lavender florets 12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
Procedure
Grate or roughly chop chocolate and put in heat proof bowl.
Bring cream and lavender to a simmer and simmer for one minute; strain.
Add hot lavender-infused cream to chocolate and stir to melt. Mix well.
Chill at least 3 hours. (You may spread on parchment paper on a baking sheet.)
Roll into 1-inch balls and then roll in cocoa.
This recipe makes about 25 truffles, which should be refrigerated until ready to be served.
Recipe by Esther Oertel
Spiced Mayan Coffee
This recipe is from a culinary class I taught on chocolate. It includes three of my favorite pairings with chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, and rich cream, and harkens back to the way it was enjoyed centuries ago. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For every two servings, you will need:
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa 4 tsp sugar (1 tbsp plus 1 tsp) ½ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (less cayenne for less heat) 1/8 tsp salt (1 pinch) 1 cup strong hot coffee 1 cup hot milk ½ tsp vanilla 4 tbsp (approximately) freshly whipped cream
Procedure
Place dry ingredients (through salt) in large Pyrex measuring cup and stir to combine.
Add hot coffee, then hot milk, stirring to combine. (Or, for froth, whir hot milk & dry ingredients in a blender before adding coffee.)
Pour into individual coffee cups and top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and cayenne pepper.
Recipe by Esther Oertel
Wine and chocolate pairing
So you want to pair Lake County wines with chocolate? Here’s a list.
Boatique Winery – Their 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is recommended as a great pair for chocolate.
Cache Creek Vineyards & Winery – The 2017 Rosé, the 2015 Reserve Cabernet, and the 2015 Petite Sirah are all recommended as stellar pairings for chocolate.
Fults Family Vineyards – They recommend their Old Vine Zinfandel Dessert Wine called GBR (which stands for Go, Big Red!).
Gregory Graham Wines – Gregory Graham notes that their Zinfandel is well known for pairing well with chocolate. He says it’s very jammy (meaning there’s some residual sugar) and almost port-like.
Laujor Estate Winery – They recommend their 2017 Angelina’s Blend Cabernet. It has notes of raspberry and soft cocoa, which make it a great pairing for chocolate. Also recommended is their 2018 Syrah Noir, a dessert wine noted as “big, bold and jammy.”
Mt. Konocti Winery – The Tempranillo from this winery is recommended as a great pairing for chocolate.
Olof Cellars – Their Barbera or Malbera is recommended for chocolate pairing, as well as their signature Nebiollo-Barbera blend. Cindi Olof creates unique food and wine pairings of her own, including chocolate s’mores using marshmallows made with their wine.
R Vineyards – Vineyard owner Monica Rosenthal recommends their Old Wine Zinfandel from vines planted in 1937. Its jamminess and notes of blackberry, chocolate, and cinnamon make it a great pairing for chocolate.
Shannon Ridge Family of Wines - Molly Wingo, winemaker, says, “I really like our High Elevation Petite Sirah, which has a mocha note that goes well with both milk and dark chocolate. The other is our Vigilance Cabernet Sauvignon, which has a nice spiciness that pairs well with any chocolate. I especially like it with milk chocolate. As for white chocolate, I would pair it with our High Valley Sauvignon Blanc for contrast, or the High Valley Rose’ to bring out some of the strawberry notes.”
Six Sigma Ranch, Vineyard & Winery – Six Sigma’s 2015 Dessert Wine, a port-like wine made from Tempranillo grapes, is recommended as a pairing for chocolate. Though currently sold out, it will reappear in the future, so keep your eyes peeled! The brandy used in this fortified wine is distilled from their own wines.
Steele Wines – Their Catfish Zinfandel, made from grapes grown on vines that are 119 years old, is recommended as the best pairing for chocolate, though I was told that many of their wines may be paired with a chocolate that best matches the varietal.
Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa, Calif. She lives in Middletown, Calif.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Sen. Mike McGuire on Friday announced that $1 million has been dedicated over the next three years to expanding construction trades programs at Mendocino College in order to assist in the fire rebuild.
McGuire, who represents both the counties of Lake and Mendocino, has been working to secure funding to meet the workforce needs to spur the rebuilding of these communities.
In an event at Mendocino College in Ukiah on Friday morning, McGuire announced that $1 million has been secured to expand the college’s construction career program – over the next three years.
The expansion dollars will be focused on recruiting additional students into the program in both Lake and Mendocino counties, which will expand the construction workforce, grow business partnerships, hire additional faculty and purchase needed equipment.
“The fires over the last five years have greatly exacerbated the labor shortages Mendocino and Lake counties have traditionally witnessed in the construction trades,” McGuire said. “Today’s investment will be a shot in the arm for the local economy, but more importantly, an opportunity to provide young people with the tools they need for a construction career and a family-sustaining wage. We’re grateful to partner with the College on this potentially life-changing program.”
Mendocino College is currently working to expand its Sustainable Construction and Energy Technology program and will be able to offer additional courses with specific training opportunities immediately.
The $1 million investment will allow the college’s construction core program to expand by approximately 40 percent and the college has set a benchmark that 75 percent of the students who participate in the additional offerings will either gain employment or increase wages in the construction field within six months of participating in the program.
“Mendocino College is thrilled to expand its critical role in supporting the region’s economic development. This significant investment for fire recovery construction training spearheaded by Sen. McGuire for Mendocino and Lake counties will provide tremendous support for our communities’ recovery by addressing the labor shortage and preparing our Sustainable Construction and Energy Technology students for improved earnings and living wage attainment. This funding will serve as a catapult to a more robust, self-sufficient and continuously evolving construction program,” said Eileen Cichocki, Mendocino College interim superintendent/president.
The fires throughout Northern California have been unprecedented in size and scope. Because construction workers could make more money rebuilding homes in Sonoma and Napa counties, many skilled workers traveled south and west, which left an even greater shortage in both Mendocino and Lake counties.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors this week will get a report on the benefit zones established last year in several communities in the Kelseyville area to deal with vegetation management as well as a separate county program adopted to reduce hazardous vegetation.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
At 9:30 a.m., the board will receive an update from Community Development staff regarding the benefit zones in the Clearlake Riviera, Riviera West, Buckingham and the Riviera Heights.
At 9:10 a.m., the board also will get a report on the implementation of the hazardous vegetation program the county instituted last year.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve letter finalizing response to the questions of the Northshore Fire Protection District.
5.2: Approve the updated bylaws of the Middletown Area Town Hall.
5.3: Adopt proclamation designating the month of February 2020 Black History Month and celebrating Martin Luther King's Birthday.
5.4: Approve change to board’s annual meeting calendar for 2020.
5.5: Approve late travel claim for Crisis Supervisor Melissa Mathis in the amount of $588 and authorize the auditor-controller to process payment.
5.6: Approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between county of Lake and Redwood Community Services Inc. for the Lake County Wrap Program, Foster Care Program and Intensive Services Foster Care Program for specialty mental health services for fiscal year 2019-20 to allow payment of services rendered in fiscal year 2018-19.
5.7: (a) Approve budget transfer and new capital asset in the amount of $7,500 for the purchase of a vote-by-mail heavy-duty envelope opener; and (b) approve the purchase of a vote-by-mail heavy-duty envelope opener and authorize the department head to sign.
5.8: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, (a) waive the competitive bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-38.2, based on the determination that competitive bidding would produce no economic benefit to the county; and (b) authorize Special Districts administrator/assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order not to exceed $78,000 to Collier Capital Machine Corp. for an overhaul on the DKM 15 Stage Pump.
5.9: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, approve additional freight and tax costs and authorize Special Districts administrator/assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order not to exceed $150,000 to R.F. MacDonald for a New Bowl Assembly for Goulds Pump.
5.10: Sitting as the Board of Directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District, adopt resolution for the revised grant application and funding agreement resolution for the state’s Quagga and Zebra Mussel Infestation Prevention Grant Program.
5.11: Adopt proclamation commending Water Resources Technician Mark Miller for his service to the county of Lake.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: (a) Presentation of proclamation designating the month of February 2020 Black History Month and Celebrating Martin Luther King's Birthday; and (b) presentation of proclamation commending Water Resources Technician Mark Miller for his service to the county of Lake.
6.3, 9:10 a.m.: Consideration of report on Chapter 13, hazardous vegetation 2019 overview and recommendations.
6.4, 9:30 a.m.: Consideration of update from Community Development staff as it relates to the benefit zones in the Clearlake Riviera, Riviera West, Buckingham and Riviera Heights.
6.5, 10:30 a.m.: Continued from Jan. 14, public hearing, consideration of Appeal AB 19-02 Dawson/Guerra.
6.6, 11 a.m.: Consideration of memorandum of understanding between the county of Lake and San Francisco VA Health Care System for meeting space usage at Bevins Court Apartments in Lakeport.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of the following appointments: Lower Lake Cemetery Board.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Conference with labor negotiator: (a) chief negotiator: M. Long; County Negotiators: C. Huchingson and P. Samac; and (b) employee organizations: LCDDAA, LCDSA, LCCOA, LCEA, LCSEA and LCSMA.
8.2: Public employee evaluations: Community Development Director.
8.3: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9 (d)(1) – County of Lake, et al v. PG&E, et al.
8.4: Conference with legal counsel: Decision whether to initiate litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 5456.9(d)(4) – One potential case.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has adult dogs and pups waiting to be adopted this week.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Chihuahua, Doberman Pinscher, Labrador Retriever, Norfolk Terrier, pit bull, Rhodesian Ridgeback, shepherd and terrier.
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”).
‘Blossom’
“Blossom” is a female pit bull terrier with a short blue coat and brown eyes.
She has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 3, ID No. 11864.
Male Norfolk Terrier
This male Norfolk Terrier has a long tan and brown coat with brown eyes.
He is in kennel No. 4, ID No. 13486.
Female Labrador Retriever
This female Labrador Retriever has a short chocolate coat and brown eyes.
She is in kennel No. 5, ID No. 13487.
Male pit bull terrier puppy
This male pit bull terrier puppy has a short black and tan coat and brown eyes.
He is in kennel No. 19a, ID No. 13489.
Female Chihuahua puppy
This female Chihuahua puppy has a short tan coat and brown eyes.
She is in kennel No. 21, ID No. 13381.
Male Doberman Pinscher
This male Doberman Pinscher has a short red and brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 22, ID No. 13459.
Male Labrador Retriever
This male Labrador Retriever has a short chocolate coat.
He is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 13465.
‘Oso’
“Oso” is a male shepherd mix with a long black and tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 27, ID No. 3173.
‘Goofy’
“Goofy” is a young male Rhodesian Ridgeback with a short tan and black coat.
Shelter staff said this boy is great with other dogs, although he is high energy and would benefit from obedience training. He would love to go jogging every day, he is very food motivated and willing to learn new things.
Goofy has been at the shelter since Nov. 5. He was originally taken from someone in Upper Lake and found on the highway in Clearlake. If anyone has any information on his owner please contact the shelter.
He’s in kennel No. 33, ID No. 13210.
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, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement for parts of Northern California including Lake County due to chances of rain and wind in the coming days.
Forecasters said a cold Pacific storm will bring rapid changes to Northern California on Sunday and Monday.
Although rain and snow amounts will be light, forecasters predict the storm will bring much colder temperatures and gusty northerly winds Sunday and Monday.
The forecast calls for light precipitation Saturday night into early Sunday over the Coastal Range and Shasta County mountains, then mainly over the west slope of the Sierra Nevada and foothills Sunday and Sunday night.
In Lake County, light winds are expected on Saturday, with stronger winds with gusts of up to 32 miles per hour forecast on Sunday.
Temperatures during the daytime over the weekend will rise into the low 60s and drop into the low 30s at night, based on the forecast.
In the coming week, daytime temperatures will hover in the high 50s before rising once again into the 60s, and the high 30s to mid-40s at night, the forecast said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.