Ice Cream, Begonia Scream One of the pioneers of ice cream production in Santa Cruz, County was James Brown who in 1911, purchased a five-acre parcel of land along 41st Avenue in Capitola. He began with fourteen registered Guernsey heifers and one bull. He built a dairy, and fed the cattle only weed-free feed. His … More Dairying in Santa Cruz Part III

A Tale of Displacement The Spanish “missionized” and displaced the native people living in California and Santa Cruz (link to MR articles on this) beginning in the late 1700s. Spain was then removed from power and influence when Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821 and seized power of California. The Mexicans were displaced themselves … More Dairy in Santa Cruz Part II

This series was done in partnership with Mobil Ranger The Grasses that Feed the Cows In the late 1700s Spanish missionaries caused significant changes to the California landscape by introducing European plants and animals. Grazing lands were created by burning on lowland slopes to support large numbers of cattle, horse and sheep. Prior to European … More Dairying in Santa Cruz Part I

  ‘Tis the season for holiday parties and potlucks. What better way to celebrate than to dish up a little local history with your meal? Below are some seasonally appropriate recipes taken from the Elizabeth Gilmour recipe book started in 1908. The recipes are written exactly as they appear in her handwriting, but there are … More Holiday Recipes

This project was started to educate ourselves as well as residents and visitors to the region about how we are all connected to this place through the foods we grow, cook and consume here. I was expecting to learn lots of interesting facts about lots of interesting people, influential people, people who lived lives that … More The Best Vegetable Pie Since Pumpkin!

I’m sure many of you are looking for some ideas to help use up the glut of apples you are finding yourself surrounded by this time of year. Why not try a Dorset Apple Cake? This recipe is from Libbie Gilmour’s cookbook, started in the mid 1910s. It is a collection of recipes from family, … More Fall Desserts

On September 21st we were honored to present to the History Forum at the Museum of Art and History. We told an audience of around 50 people about our project so far, the grants that we have applied for, and our next steps. You can view the presentation here. If you are interested in hearing … More Presentation Time!