Wednesday, 06 November 2024

News

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Vector Control District reported that it will carry out an aerial larvicide treatment this Wednesday, March 9, weather permitting.


District Manager Dr. Jamie Scott said the aerial spraying, which will take place between Clear Lake State Park and south Lakeport, will begin at 10 a.m.


Scott said the application is meant to reduce the number of mosquitoes that will hatch out later this year.


The treatment will use Aquabac, which is based on the naturally occurring soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti).


Aquabac is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for the control of larval mosquitoes in nearly all aquatic habitats.


For additional information contact the Lake County Vector Control District at 707-263-4770 or visit the district's Web site at www.lcvcd.org.


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A hit-and-run that occurred early on Saturday, March 5, 2011, in Lucerne, Calif., left a pickup, a canoe, a fence and a home damaged. Photo by Gary McAuley.





LUCERNE, Calif. – There has been plenty of nature-generated excitement throughout Lake County in recent weeks, from the snow flurries of the south shore to the seismic events at The Geysers and Lake Pillsbury.


So when John Lordemann, 60, of 6433 11th Ave. in Lucerne, was awakened around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning to a violent shake, he assumed he was experiencing another natural event.


“I thought it was an earthquake,” he said.


After he awoke, he phoned two of his daughters who live nearby to tell them of the shaker.


He said he was then visited by a woman who inquired if he was all right and, after a brief conversation, she left.


Then, at around 2 a.m., a California Highway Patrol officer appeared on Lordemann's doorstep.


As it turned out, the officer was investigating a vehicle crash that occurred next door at 6421 11th Ave. It had been reported to law enforcement by a neighbor that a woman had driven a light-colored, later model Jeep or Toyota SUV, in reverse, into a Ford F150 pickup belonging to John Sanders.


The SUV eventually came to rest in Lordemann’s front yard, after plowing through Sanders’ yard and two fences along the way, he said.


When the CHP arrived, the female driver and vehicle were gone. By then, one of Lordemann’s daughters, Tabbitha Hodges, 28, of Nice, had arrived to help her father with the police report.


Lordemann said he eventually went back to bed and woke again at around 8 a.m. to find out that the hit-and-run accident was worse than anyone had thought.


“I could see daylight through my ceiling,” he said.


He then went outside to find the power pole, normally positioned upright in his front yard, was now pushed over and resting against the roof of his home.


Hodges had returned and was later joined by her sister, Tiffany Hunter, 32, of Upper Lake, and several of Lordemann's grandchildren. They all reported hearing wires arcing underground at the power pole.


Lordemann and his family members began evacuating the trailer, taking his personal belongings and the three family dogs.


Hodges said she felt a strong shock to her hip as she was about to exit the trailer, while Hunter reported that she and the children all developed headaches and nausea at the scene. They attributed the symptoms to the electrical current from the damaged power line.


Northshore Fire Protection District's Station 80 Lucerne was notified via a phone call around 12:30 p.m. that someone’s home had been hit by a vehicle and might need to be looked at, officials said.

 

 

 

 

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The crash pushed the power pole into the trailer, which necessitated that resident John Lordemann leave because his family heard arcing and one experienced an electrical shock. Photo by Gary McAuley.

 

 

 


Northshore Fire responded with an engine, a medic unit and a battalion chief. On scene, Firefighter Odell Landers established incident command.


“We disconnected power to the residence at the main panel, cordoned off the property, requested PG&E and CHP, and stood by making sure the scene was safe,” he said.


Landers confirmed that no one complained of health issues, or requested medical treatment or transport, from the scene.


PG&E later arrived to disconnect power to the pole and informed Lordemann that once he had the damage repaired, by a contractor, they would restore power.


CHP arrived and amended their report to show the damage, previously not noted, to the pole and structure.


Lordemann said that CHP had several leads to the whereabouts of the driver in question and they were attempting to locate her. He also stated he is expecting to hear from his insurance agent on Monday and believes the structure will be totaled.


“I’ll live with my daughter, in Nice, until things get fixed,” he said.


Next door at Sanders' home, though not losing his power or lodging, he didn’t fare very well either. He plans on meeting with his insurance agent early next week.


“I lost my truck, my fences, my canoe and my yard lights,” he said, stating that he won’t even try to start his pickup until the agent arrives.


Saturday afternoon CHP Sgt. Richard Getzelman and two other CHP officers were investigating the scene, with one taking pieces of what appeared to be decorative lettering from a vehicle and putting it into evidence bags.


Getzelman said they had information on a possible suspect in the case.


There were reports from the scene that a vehicle matching the description was seen being towed from the lake’s shore west of Pepperwood Cove, which was reported to CHP.


Early Sunday morning jail records did not reflect an arrest in this case.


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A courtesy dock at Lucerne Harbor Park in Lucerne, Calif., was cut in half by a vandal on Wednesday, March 2, 2011. Here the dock is shown taped off by Public Services staff a day later. Photo by Elizabeth Larson. In the background, a Sheriff's Marine Patrol boat heads in to make a pass through the harbor.
 

 

 



LUCERNE, Calif. – County officials are asking for the community's help in keeping an eye on local parks after several vandalism cases in recent weeks did expensive damage to park facilities in Lucerne.


The Lake County Public Services Office – which oversees the county Parks Department – reported that the incidents occurred at Alpine Park and Lucerne Harbor Park, both located on Highway 20.


Public Services Director Kim Clymire said he and his staff were “very frustrated and disappointed with the senseless vandalism” that occurred at the two county facilities.


During the week of Feb. 15 someone smashed a windshield on one of the contractor’s vehicles who was working on improvements to Alpine Park, located near Second Avenue, Public Services reported.


Then, during week on Feb. 25, someone used a crow bar to pry open the door on the Alpine Park restroom door and the pump room door. The prize: a case of toilet paper, according to Public Services.


Both doors were damaged, with Public Services estimating that repairs will cost approximately $200 for each door.


But the worst – and most expensive – instance of damage occurred last week, on March 2, at Lucerne Harbor Park, located further down Highway 20 near Eighth Avenue.


That's when officials said a 40-foot-long courtesy dock with a steel frame was cut in half. It's surmised that the suspect used a portable saw.


Repair of the steel dock is estimated to cost well over $1,000, Public Services reported.


Clymire called it “a sad state of affairs for the community and very disheartening” to have his staff find deliberate and costly damage to the county's park facilities.


“In light of the current budget crises we are facing, we have fewer dollars for improvements and maintenance and vandalism is a total waste of our taxpayer’s money,” said Clymire, whose department oversees 22 county parks and almost 2,000 acres.


He said his staff has been working diligently on county park maintenance and improvements projects for all residents' and visitors' enjoyment.


Clymire said he's spoken to Sheriff Frank Rivero, who pledged to do all he can to assist with patrolling the parks. Clymire said he appreciated Rivero's “zero tolerance position” on vandalism.


There was evidence of a stepped up law enforcement presence at Lucerne Harbor Park during this reporter's visit to the park on March 3, as a Sheriff's Marine Patrol boat cruised in to make a pass through the harbor before heading back out on the lake.


This isn't the first time Lucerne's parks have been damaged by vandals.


During 2007, following the completion of the $200,000 restroom facility at Alpine Park – the same facility whose doors were just damaged with a crow bar – it was damaged several times with graffiti and the restroom doors being pulled off the hinges, as Lake County News has reported.


At that time 17 pop-up sprinkler heads in the park's lawn area had been broken off.


Other parks in recent years have been targeted by vandalism, including Hinman Park in Nice. Last year, some oak trees on the county-owned property on Mt. Konocti also were cut down, according to Clymire.


Clymire asked anyone who witnesses a vandalism or hears accounts of damage to county parks and facilities to call the Lake County Sheriff’s non-emergency dispatch at 707-263-2690 or, in case of emergency, to all 911.


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 , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

 

 

 

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The restroom facility at Alpine Park in Lucerne, Calif., was damaged during the last week of February 2011 when its two doors were pried open with a crow bar. Officials have taped off the facility, which is closed until repairs are made. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.
 

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Bryan Keith Hurtado-Stratton, 20, a handyman from Lower Lake, Calif., was arrested on Saturday, March 5, 2011, about an hour after he is alleged to have raped a 13-year-old girl at the Lower Lake Community Park. Lake County Jail photo.
 

 

 


LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Sheriff's deputies arrested a Lower Lake man Saturday for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl.


Bryan Keith Hurtado-Stratton, 20, was arrested shortly before 1 p.m., which was approximately one hour after he reportedly raped the girl in a bathroom at the Lower Lake Community Park, according to a report from Capt. James Bauman.


Bauman said that at about 12:15 p.m. sheriff's dispatch received a report that a white male adult had been caught raping a 13-year-old girl.


Sheriff’s dispatch additionally was told the brother of the victim was chasing the suspect, Bauman said.


Within minutes of the call sheriff’s deputies were in the area, Bauman said. They were assisted by a game warden from the Department of Fish and Game and California Highway Patrol Officers who arrived to help search for the suspect.


Sheriff’s deputies rapidly developed information that identified Hurtado-Stratton as the suspect. They determined he was on searchable probation and lived several blocks from the incident, and Bauman said deputies subsequently went to Hurtado-Stratton's home and arrested him.


Bauman said sheriff’s detectives and the Sheriff’s Crime Scene Investigations Unit were called in to assist with the investigation, collection of evidence and processing of the crime scene. Sheriff’s detectives secured and served a search warrant on Hurtado-Stratton’s home where they collected additional evidence.


Hurtado-Stratton has been charged with rape by force, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, sexual penetration with force, sexual battery and lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 years of age, according to Bauman.


Sheriff’s detectives sought and secured a bail enhancement, and Bauman said Hurtado-Stratton was booked at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.


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






















SACRAMENTO – Everyday activities for teenagers like text messaging, talking on a cell phone or even eating are dangerous, potentially deadly distractions when done behind the wheel of a vehicle.


During California Teen Safe Driving Week, March 6-12, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is warning the state’s newest drivers that distraction can be life changing.


“Teenagers tend to think they’re invincible and can multitask while driving,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “In reality, they’re inexperienced when it comes to driving and they need to recognize the responsibility and the risks associated with the privilege.”


However, it’s not just cell phones causing the distraction among teen drivers; passenger interference, adjusting the radio or changing the CD are additional factors leading to driver inattention.


“Officers see firsthand the destruction caused by inattention,” said Farrow. “It only takes a second of distraction to result in a crash.”


During a four-year period – 2005 to 2008 – in California, drivers between the ages of 15 to 19 were involved in more than 20,000 collisions where inattention was a factor.


Among those crashes, 41 percent resulted in injury or death, the CHP reported.


The overwhelming majority of these crashes is caused by inexperience or distractions, not “thrill seeking” or deliberate risk taking.


To address this growing problem and help drive home the message to teenagers about the dangers of distracted driving, the CHP acquired a grant to fund an educational campaign throughout the state.


Efforts to reduce distracted driving through Impact Teen Drivers – Connecting Key Players continue through Sept. 30 and are a part of California’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, a statewide road map to reduce traffic-related fatalities.


“The bottom line, distracted drivers can destroy lives,” added Farrow. “The only message they need to receive is to focus on the road and traffic around them.”


Funding for this program is provided by a grant awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.


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THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEN WHO RESCUED THE WOMAN.


NAPA COUNTY, Calif. – Good Samaritans are being credited with saving a San Francisco woman from her vehicle after it caught fire as the result of a Saturday afternoon crash.


Darcelle Chatoian, 45, was semiconscious and seriously injured when the passersby pulled her from the burning SUV, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol.


The two men who saved her life are 38-year-old Peter Hart of Clearlake and 32-year-old Ryan Perez of Napa, according to Napa CHP Officer Jaret Paulson.


In the process of the rescue, Perez injured his leg, Paulson said.


At 4:50 p.m. Saturday Chatoian was driving her 2004 Food Explorer southbound on Highway 29 over Mount St. Helena, just inside Napa County, according to Paulson's report.


For reasons which Paulson said are still under investigation, Chatoian failed to negotiate a lefthand curve, allowing her vehicle to travel onto the north shoulder where she collided with a tree.


After she hit the tree, Chatoian's vehicle caught fire, Paulson said. At that point, Chatoian was still seat-belted and semiconscious in the driver's seat.


Paulson said Hart and Perez put themselves at risk during the rescue. Perez kicked out the driver's window – injuring his leg – so they could pull Chatoian from the fire that would have killed her.


Chatoian was transported by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries.


The CHP reported that Highway 29 had been closed for a time as first responders worked at the scene and the tow company arrived to remove Chatoian's vehicle.


Traffic control was conducted for approximately two hours in the area of the collision, Paulson said.


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

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Kenneth Gary Coburn, 23, a dancer from Upper Lake, Calif., was arrested on Saturday, March 5, 2011, after leading a police sergeant on a high speed chase through Lakeport, Calif. Lake County Jail photo.






LAKEPORT, Calif. – A police sergeant's attempt to stop a driver led to a high speed chase through residential areas of Lakeport on Saturday.


Sgt. Jason Ferguson eventually was able to take 23-year-old Kenneth Gary Coburn of Upper Lake into custody after Coburn ran into an unoccupied vehicle.


A report Ferguson issued Saturday explained that Coburn was seen driving a white Honda Prelude at a high rate of speed in the parking lot of CVS Pharmacy on 11th Street.


Sgt. Dale Stoebe said Ferguson, who was on foot in the parking lot, saw Coburn driving recklessly and tried to get him to stop. In doing so Ferguson recognized Coburn, who he arrested about a month ago for driving on a suspended license.


But Coburn didn't stop and fled the scene, with Ferguson going after him, Stoebe said.


Stoebe, who lives near the area, said he heard Ferguson yelling at Coburn to stop and went out to see what was going on. Many other area residents started out to see what was going on, with a lot of foot traffic in the area.


He said the chase lasted about half a mile in the area of Sixth and Seventh streets.


The chase finally ended when Coburn hit the parked vehicle and gave himself up, according to Ferguson's report.


Coburn was taken to the Hill Road Correctional Facility where he was booked on charges of felony evading a peace officer, hit and run and driving on a suspended license. His bail has been set at $100,000.


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 , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A local man has resigned his post as commander of the Lakeport Veterans of Foreign War post in the midst of allegations that he falsely claimed to have served in Vietnam.


Robert Lawrence Deppe, 57, of Upper Lake submitted a letter of resignation in mid-February after members of the VFW Post 2015 confronted him about the allegations, according to Post Adjutant Kirk Macdonald.


Lake County News reached Deppe via e-mail but he refused to comment for this story.


Earlier in February Macdonald said it was brought to the attention of post members that Deppe was “possibly not eligible to be a member of the VFW because his military record was not valid.”


Macdonald said post members also learned at that time about Deppe's arrest on Feb. 9 for felony passing a fictitious check and misdemeanor petty theft.


Capt. James Bauman said Deppe turned himself in at the Lake County Jail shortly after midnight on Feb. 9 following an investigation into allegations that he took money from his brother-in-law, who lives with him.


Deppe allegedly took eight $100 bills and five $20 bills and replaced them with fake bills. Bauman said Deppe also is alleged to have taken to two $100 bills from his wife's purse, also putting fake bills in their place.


Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff said Deppe has been charged with forgery and felony petty theft.


Post members asked Deppe to respond to the allegations regarding his arrest and military record at the Feb. 14 meeting, Macdonald said.


They also asked him to sign a Form 180 so his military record could be accessed and verified, according to Macdonald.


“Mr. Deppe chose to write a letter of resignation as commander of the post and also to be removed from the roles of the VFW membership,” Macdonald said. The resignation reportedly went into effect on Feb. 16.


Macdonald said Deppe wouldn't respond directly to the questions about his record, and made no admissions one way or the other.


While the allegations were new to the local post members, questions of Deppe's military record have been arising for several years, according to Mary Schantag, who along with her husband Chuck, a Vietnam veteran, founded the nonprofit POW Network, www.pownetwork.org.


“He has been doing this for years and has been exposed, and had been exposed in the past,” Schantag said of Deppe in an interview with Lake County News.


Schantag said Deppe had been under investigation since 2005, after he posted a story on the VFW 2015 Web site, which came to the attention of POW Network members.


Deppe had claimed on the VFW Web site – which he helped administer – to have been a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army form 1971 to 1974, receiving the Purple Heart, as well as the Silver and Bronze Stars. He also said he was a Ranger on Company H, 75th Infantry, Third Brigade, First Cavalry Division.


But men who had served in those branches of the military claimed to have never heard of him, according to a page dedicated to him on the POW Network under the “phonies” category, which can be found at www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies405.htm .


Macdonald said that, in light of the issue with Deppe, VFW Post 2015 is taking new measures to authenticate service records up front to make sure nothing like this happens in their group again.


Specifically, they will require prospective members to submit a Form 180. He said that will allow the post to request military discharge records directly in order to confirm a prospective member's eligibility.


Such situations have been reported nationally. One of the most notable recent examples was that of Rick Strandlof, former executive director of the Colorado Veterans Alliance, who in 2009 was revealed as having never served in the military.


Allegations come to light


Schantag said allegations such as those against Deppe usually arise when a person claiming to be a veteran says something wrong, or uses an inaccurate detail, which tips off other veterans.


That seemed to be the case with Deppe, whose account had inaccurate information, according to a statement posted on the POW Network site by Bill Anton, one of the men who reported against him. Deppe also reportedly posted pictures showing the compound where he was stationed, which were said to not reflect what the actual compound looked like.


The Bronze Star document he used claimed that he received the award for action he took in Vietnam on April 10, 1972, while he was a corporal – not a staff sergeant as he'd stated elsewhere.


The document stated in part: “As the first three men of the element exhausted their first magazines, Corporal Deppe immediately recognized the danger caused by the lull in firing and rushed to the position, firing his own weapon and throwing fragmentation grenades. As the team withdrew from the position, he remained in his position and continued his fire, covering the team’s withdrawal. By holding the enemy at bay his fellow soldiers were able to escape without injury. When he attempted to rejoin his team, he was hit by enemy fire, which wounded him in the” left leg.


The commendation also states, “While wounded, Corporal Deppe carried SP4 Jaime Pacheco, leader of fire team 75 to safety in a nearby ravine.”


However, the POW Network alleges that the language of Deppe's commendation actually comes from a Silver Star given posthumously to Pacheco, an Army Ranger who was killed in action on May 25, 1972.


Deppe's document added, “His actions gave the team the precious time they needed to reach safety” – the exact language from one of the ending passages of Pacheco's commendation.


Deppe also reportedly used a Silver Star document that claimed he won the award on May 12, 1972 – just a month after winning the Bronze Star. The document stated that Deppe – said to be a squad leader – pushed back an ambush of the North Vietnamese Army, called in aid for wounded, fired back at the enemy and destroyed an enemy machine gun bunker and crew.


Deppe's Feb. 9 arrest was posted on the POW Network and it appears to have drawn additional attention to his case.


Schantag, who lives in Missouri, said the POW Network was contacted by the Lakeport VFW Post several days before Deppe resigned, with members wanting information on him. She said they were put in contact with one of the individuals who had reported about him before.


She said the POW Network had tracked Deppe, an Illinois native, previously in Missouri, and it believed he also had claimed to be a veteran while living in yet another state.


That Deppe did not directly respond to the question of whether or not he was an imposter could be because, as Schantag pointed out, people proved to be posing as veterans can be prosecuted.


During a typical week the POW Network will send a couple of cases to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for investigation with a view to prosecution, Schantag said.


She said they felt Deppe's case was serious enough that it was forwarded to the FBI in 2008.


Schantag said there have been about 40 to 45 prosecutions nationwide over the last few years, mostly of very egregious cases.


The 2005 Stolen Valor Act was passed in order to enhance penalties in such prosecutions, but two district courts have ruled it unconstitutional, saying that it violates free speech protections. Schantag said she expects the matter will work its way up to the US Supreme Court.


Even without the Stolen Valor Act, Schantag said US Code Title 18 still stands.


“It is still illegal to impersonate an officer,” she said.


She said states are now going for their own mandates, which will make prosecutions faster and easier. Still, Schantag said there aren't enough courts and judges to handle the number of imposters.


“I can't trust any veteran I meet anymore,” she said.


'A pandemic'


Schantag said she and her husband started the POW Network 21 years ago.


“We're not a veterans group,” she said. “We started out as an educational organization trying to write the history of the POW/MIA issue.”


It was about 12 years ago that the issue of frauds and phony veterans became a major focus for them.


“It's a pandemic. It's awful,” said Schantag, noting that she deals with such stories every day.


Imposters come from every background, she said. Ministers and police officers have been caught as imposters, as have teachers.


“We've seen fathers do it to sons, and then we have to deal with the sons,” she said.


She's also dealt with threats, via mail, e-mail and telephone. One night, within the space of an hour, she received 60 threatening phone calls.


The reasons for being an imposter are varied, she said. “It could be something as ridiculous as trying to impress a woman,” to trying to get Veterans Affairs benefits and services.


“They lie to get license plates, they lie to get property tax breaks,” she said. “It's our tax dollars that they're using.”


She said DD 214 forms, which record a veteran's discharge or release from service, are the most forged documents in the military community, and have been known to fool VA officials.


The POW Network has extensive resources for research, as well as the help of many groups – including former Rangers, Special Forces and Navy Seals – who she said can have information on a veteran's records within minutes.


“This is a huge effort behind the scenes,” she said, calling her group a “middle man” in the work.


It used to take months to get confirmation on a veteran's records, but now it takes weeks, thanks to Schantag perfecting her methodology for requesting information from contributors as well as government agencies through Freedom of Information Act requests.


“We get the answers,” she said, noting that nothing is classified any more from the Vietnam and Korean eras.


While they don't delight in exposing alleged imposters, “History has to be accurate,” she said.


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 , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LUCERNE, Calif. – A community town hall meeting will be held in the Northshore community of Lucerne on Thursday, March 10.


The meeting will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Lucerne Alpine Senior, Center, located at the corner of 10th Avenue and Country Club Drive.


Supervisor Denise Rushing will host the meeting, one of a regular series of such town halls that she hosts around her district.


Topics will include an update on community redevelopment projects, other county projects and issues, a community group update and announcements, and an open forum.


Free tables will be set up for local groups, businesses or organizations wishing to distribute informational literature.


For more information contact Rushing at 707-263-2368 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


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This passel of parsnips reflects the variation in their shape and size. Photo by Esther Oertel.




 


My great-grandfather, a staunchly religious New Englander, had a love affair. He just couldn’t help himself. His beloved was oh, so tempting! Spicy … rich… buttery … sweet … and just a little bit nutty.


Who was this temptress? Believe it or not, the parsnip. My mother is fond of telling me that this humble relative of the carrot was her grandfather’s favorite vegetable.


One would never guess from its simple, rough exterior just how exquisitely flavored the parsnip is.


Upon peeling a parsnip, its strong, spicy scent is emitted immediately. If eaten raw, the taste remains true to its spicy aroma; however, cooking the parsnip mellows its flavor and the spice forward taste becomes a pleasant and subtle back note.


I just ate a bowl of mashed parsnips, prepared very simply from nothing more than the peeled, sliced vegetable simmered until tender in salted water and mashed with a little of its cooking water. Even without seasoning, it was surprisingly flavorful.


In other words, it carried its own flavor tune without the need for culinary back up music. And because of its high starch content, it was also immensely comforting.


When I think of parsnips, things such as a pastoral English countryside and Beatrix Potter characters, like Peter Rabbit and his ilk, come to mind.


This makes sense in a way.


Until the potato was introduced to Europe from the Americas, the starchy parsnip was a staple in European cuisine and used much like the potato is today.


Though not as popular a vegetable as it once was, parsnips are still featured in traditional Sunday roast dinners in the United Kingdom, as well as on Christmas tables in much of the British-influenced world.


The Irish mash them with carrots and concoct creamy soups with them, often with leeks, one of their common companions.


They’re a popular vegetable for stews, soups and purees, and – despite their wonderful flavor independent of spice – pair well with seasonings such as allspice, anise, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, thyme and sage.


The parsnip has gained some notoriety outside of European cuisine and can be found paired with – for example – Indian curries. In fact, a quick review of recipes on the Internet yielded some interesting uses for parsnips, including parsnip fritters topped with bleu cheese, parsnip-apple soup, baked cheesy parsnips and parsnip-bacon chowder.


One of my favorite ways to bring out the lovely flavor of parsnips is to roast them until they’re brown and caramelized. Roasted parsnips can be eaten in their pure form, used in a soup, or pureed for a side dish.

 

 

 

 

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Peeling reveals a parsnip

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Tiffany Steptoe of Nice, Calif., and her young son were injured in a crash near on the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff on Thursday, March 3, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.
 

 

 

 

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol issued a report Friday on a single-vehicle crash that occurred the night before, injuring a woman and her young son.


Tiffany Steptoe, 22,of Nice, and her 2-year-old son were hurt in the crash, which occurred at around 6:30 p.m. Thursday on the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff, the CHP said.


Steptoe was driving her 2001 Hyundai Accent westbound on the cutoff at about 45 miles per hour when, for reasons that are not known – in part because it was noted that Steptoe did not remember the crash – she allowed her car to turn sharply to the left, the CHP said.


The vehicle went off the roadway, striking a wire fence and running into an oak tree, the CHP reported.


The CHP's investigation found that both forward airbags in the car deployed, but neither Steptoe nor her son were wearing seatbelts.


Steptoe struck the windshield and steering wheel, suffering bruised ribs and a laceration and contusion to her head, the CHP said.


The child, which the CHP reported struck the right front door pillar post, also suffered a head contusion.


The CHP said both suffered major injuries.


Because medical personnel feared brain trauma for both mother and son, they were flown to area hospitals separately in REACH air ambulances, the CHP said.


CHP Officer Brendan Bach was the investigating officer on the crash.


The Nice-Lucerne Cutoff was the site of another crash earlier this week, when a car went off the road and into the water, and last month an elderly woman was injured in a crash that saw the other driver arrested for DUI, as Lake County News has reported.


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