March 27, 2014: Sprung

Hello there,
 
We’re happy to announce the next Potliquor offering, Sprung, inspired by the vernal equinox and the lovely sprouting growing things we’re getting from the rain and sunny days. As always, we’ll offer this menu for pickup on Thursday between 5:00 and 7:30 in Berkeley and San Francisco; they’re available on a first-come, first-served basis on Square Market.
 
A note about version names: We always offer three options: one with the vegetarian main (Vegetarian), one with the meat main (Omnivore), and one with both (All in).
 
This week, it’s like this:
 
All in: $155
Omnivore: $125
Vegetarian: $110.
 
Long-roasted pork shoulder, fennel and onions (Omnivore, 2 pounds before roasting)
Like braised, but with lovely crusty salty oniony outer bits.
 
Steamed artichokes, pint, and roasted baby chiogga beets, pint (Vegetarian)
Some of the best treasures of right now, ready to eat or play with.
 
Garden pickles: cauliflower, carrot, fennel, pint
Can you tell that we kind of want you to go on a picnic?
 
Braised mustard greens, pint
Still with the transition to spring and wanting bitter spicy green things.
 
Blood orange onion fennel jam, half pint
Bright and just a little sweet; a great sauce hot or cold.
 
Baked beans, quart
Vegetarian and old-fashioned.
 
Green garlic aioli, half pint
See picnic, above
 
Pastured eggs, dozen
It’s egg season! We’re searching for the best, most beautiful ones from the foragingest chickens.
 
Asparagus, bunch
Two market items this week, because the market is so grand. These will be from Full Belly Farm and are the best representation of spring we can think of.

If you enjoyed the loaf of rye from Morell’s Bread last week, you’ll be glad to hear that we are offering their Sunflower bread this week, as an extra! We have chicken glaze and slow-cooked chick peas, too. 

Thanks for supporting Potliquor!

All our best, 
jennifer & laura

March 13, 2014: Luck

Hello there,
 
We’re happy to announce another menu, inspired by the upcoming Irish feasting day and some recent adventures we’ve had: Laura and Jennifer each crashed her bike, within a block of the same spot, a week apart. We’re both healed and well, and looking forward to cooking more food for you. May a warm spring rain fall on you, may you be safe from MUNI tracks, and may the road not rise up to meet you.
 
We’re selling them through Square Marketplace on a first come, first served basis, for pickup in Berkeley and San Francisco on Thursday, March 13. 
 
Ordering will be open from now until we sell out. 

Omnivore: $145
Vegetarian: $120
All in: $170
 
Like this:
Corned beef in its broth, traditional spices, no nitrites or nitrates,  two pounds
Fat-streaked and luscious.
 
Spiced vegetable lentil pasties, four
Vegan picknicky goodness.
 
Caraway horseradish cream, half pint jar
for putting on everything, from meat to cured fish to potato chips.
 
Braised Cabbage, pickled mustard seed & apple cider syrup, quart jar
All hail cabbage! Bright and a little sweet.
 
Smashed whole potatoes & scallions, 24 ounce jar
Skins on, dry farmed, buttery.
 
Carrots & star thistle honey, pint jar
A little more indulgent than usual.
 
Tokyo turnips & citrus, pint jar
Sweet spring treasures.
 
Market hunk of cheese, half pound
Something local, for your ploughman’s lunch.
 
Rye from Eduardo Morell, one loaf
You may have heard us talking about Morell’s bread—naturally leavened, long-risen, sour and soulful–and we’re thrilled to be offering it for the first time as part of this crate. If you’re interested in getting an extra loaf, or getting the bread on its own, let us know.
 
Blond chicken stock, 24 oz jar
Homemade pastured stock, for keeping you well and happy.
 
If you’ve been waiting for a crate to be free of grain or dairy, the next one (March 27) will be! If you’d like to order but cannot eat one of the elements we’re offering, let us know; it is sometimes possible for us to make adjustments.

All our best, 
jennifer & laura

February 27, 2014: Green

Hello there,

We’re happy to announce another menu, inspired by the first signs of spring and the bit of rain we had last week. May we get a lot more, and have muddy little treasures to prepare for you in the coming months. 

We’re selling them through Square Marketplace on a first come, first served basis, for pickup in Berkeley and San Francisco on Thursday, February 27, from 5:00 to 7:30 pm.
 
Ordering will be open from now until we sell out. 

Omnivore: $125
Vegetarian: $115
All in: $145

Like this:

Beef and pork meatloaf (omnivore’s crate): breadcrumbs, spring alliums, bay, tomato, 1.5 pounds
We’ve been cooking together for 14 year and just realized that we have completely different meatloaf traditions. What will happen when we bring them together? Probably magic.

Chard stuffed with freekeh and green garlic (vegetarian crate), 6-8 rolls
Freekeh is roasted cracked green wheat and has a nutty taste that we love. These will be vegan, and a little bit fancy.

Wilted spigarello, leeks, pint jar
We love this sweet heirloom brassica, and bet you will too.

Roasted mixed radishes and fennel, quart jar
Roast radishes? Yes! They get mellow and wonderful, and people will ask you what they are.

Fava beans, shucked, blanched and peeled, 12 oz jar
This is how you can tell that we actually love you.

Meyer citronette
Sweet and tart, wonderful and elevating on everything.

Green garlic butter
Because favas. Because everything, from bread to omelets.

Honeyed pistachios with tangerine
Special little somethings to decorate the rest of the menu.

Little gems
The crunchiest, cutest lettuce of all.

Our grand opening party is next Friday, February 28, from 7:00 to 10:00; we hope to see you there! If you’d like us to hold your crate for you until then, we’d be glad to. Thanks very much for supporting Potliquor!

All our best, 
jennifer & laura

February 28, 2014: Grand Opening Party

Hello there,
 
We’re happy to announce that, after six months in our new space, we’re throwing a grand opening party! We hope you can come. There will be:

• snacks and drinks, some of it featuring the work of our very talented new neighbors
• a silent auction, with neat stuff like custom cooking classes, the opportunity to cook with us for a day, and dinners in the kitchen
• and more! (seriously, every time we talk about it we add something).

Come say hello, bid on things, and see where it all happens! We’ll even let you walk into the walk-in, if you ask nice. 

WHERE: Potliquor, 2701 8^th Street, no. 105, Berkeley
WHEN: Friday, February 28, 7:00 to 10:00 pm
RSVP: Yes, please–drop us a line at potliquorsf@gmail.com if you expect to join us.

We hope you see you there!

All our best, 
jennifer & laura

February 6: Desert

Hello there, 

We’re offering this one in the spirit of Moroccan deserts and wishes for rain—may we get much more in the coming weeks! We all hear a lot about how to conserve actual water, but food takes water for everything from growing to cooking, too, and one of the best things you can do to conserve it is to eat what you buy. We hope this menu will be part of your week, and that you’ll combine it with other food you have about to nourish yourself and your dearest ones, to make the very best of what you have.

We’re selling them through Square Marketplace on a first come, first served basis, for pickup in Berkeley and San Francisco on Thursday, February 5. 
 
Ordering will be open from now until we sell out. 

Omnivore: $135
Vegetarian: $130
All in: $185

It’s like this:

Roasted chicken, dried plums & citrus - 2 quart jar
Rubbed with spices; aromatic, and suitable for a dinner party, or a picnic in unseasonably sunny weather.
 
Chickpea & green garlic fritters - pint & a half jar
Proof that the world is not ending: we still have green garlic.
 
Roasted mushroom or mixed poultry stock - 24 oz jar
Make soup of those vegetables in your fridge!
 
Braised Greens - quart jar
A Potliquor staple.
 
Beluga Lentil Salad - pint & a half jar
Fennel and mint and spring onion and lemon, oh my.
 
Guavas from the farmers market
These are stunning, and until you eat them, will make your entire house smell amazing.
 
Root Mash: potato, turnip, kohlrabi - quart jar
For what we do have, we are thankful.
 
Moroccan Pickled Carrots - 12 oz jar
Carrots are coming from Riverside County these days, but they are stellar, and we’re very excited about these.
 
Chermoula - half pint jar
Cilantro and parsley and cumin and garlic: rich and green and a little spicy. Put it on everything.

Thanks very much for supporting Potliquor!

All our best, 
jennifer & laura

Sportsball! January 30

Hello,

We are planning a treat for you: a special extra crate this week for your sports watching pleasure. We’re calling it Sportsball, for our own amusement. It’s full of decadent snacks to enjoy with friends while watching feats of athletic prowess on the television this weekend: chili, hazelnut thyme crackerjack, sriracha butter…

We’re selling them through Square Marketplace on a first come, first served basis, for pickup in Berkeley and San Francisco on Thursday, January 30. This extra party crate thing is an experiment for us, so if you want it, please let us know by ordering! If enough people order we will make it happen; we’ll confirm by Wednesday night. 

Ordering will be open from now until Wednesday at noon—just a few days. 

Omnivore: $124
Vegetarian: $124
All in: $160

Like this:

Beef chili: cumin and roasted tomato, two quart jar
Because football. Spicy and meaty and good.

 Vegetarian chili: butter beans and green chilies, two quart jar
We love this one, too—milder, made with Iacopi Farm’s inimitable Italian butter beans. 

Spring onion crème fraîche dip, pint jar
For layering, or putting on chili, or potato chips!

 Heirloom beans refried in olive oil, pint jar
Those who must make the dip of many layers know who they are. Also, nachos.

 Hazelnut thyme crackerjack, quart jar
We know, it’s not baseball; but crunchy things are good.

 Local avocados
See layering, above.

 Sriracha butter, half pint jar
for buffalo style wings or cauliflower or squash or cornbread.

 Blue cheese dressing, half pint jar
The superbowl staple, for wings, carrots and celery.

Spinach artichoke dip, pint jar
Sonoma spinach, half moon bay artichokes and creamy goodness.

Thanks for supporting Potliquor! 

All our best, 
jennifer & laura

January 22: Forest & Field

Hello there, 

We’re glad to tell you that we have another menu for you, Forest & Field–mushrooms, pork belly, sustaining rooty soup, rich sauces and lots of green.

We’re selling them through Square Marketplace on a first come, first served basis, for pickup in Berkeley (January 22) and San Francisco (January 23). If you’re counting, yes, we are planning to have a new menu available every other week!
 
Ordering will be open from now until the Monday before pickup at noon, or until we sell out. 

Omnivore: $145
Vegetarian: $145
All in: $180

It’s like this:

Slow roasted pork belly with alliums and seeds (omnivore), 1.5 pounds before cooking
Fennel and mustard seed, coriander and onions–rich and so tasty, a little goes a long way!

Roasted mushrooms (vegetarian), pint jar
Yellowfoot and oyster mushrooms, roasted with thyme and shallots.

Parsnip potato soup, quart jar
Silky and savory. We’ll leave it to you to finish this with cream or mushrooms or chunks of pork belly.

Steamed romanesco, quart jar
Eat your fractals! 

Braised nettles & leeks, pint jar
Wild forest sustenance, deep blue-green, for swirling into the soup or curing what ails you.

Green goddess, half pint jar
We have a big crush on this sauce right now. Did you know it was invented in San Francisco, at the Palace Hotel, in 1923?

Crispy blushed butter lettuce, one head
Because what’s better than crispy lettuce and green goddess? We don’t know.

Brown butter, half pint
For finishing vegetables (especially squash!), soup, any fish, even chicken. We’re not responsible for what happens if you put this on the pork belly, though.

Rye berries, 24 ounce jar
We cook these till they’re al dente, leaving them undressed so that you can use it for a range of things, from porridge with walnuts and honey, to a lunch salad with nettles and squash and mushrooms and greens.

Roasted Marina di Chiogga squash, one pound
Rich and deep orange and silky, beautiful.

Don’t forget to add stock if you’d like it–we have roasted mushroom, vegetable, and mixed poultry available this week, in 24 ounce jars.

Thanks very much for supporting Potliquor! 

All our best, 
Jennifer and Laura

January 8: New Year

Hello there,

We hope you’re enjoying a relaxing and sustaining holiday! We’re happy to announce a menu for pickup on January 8 and 9: New Year, light and spice-laden and just the thing for getting back to it.
 
We’re selling them through Square Marketplace on a first come, first served basis, for pickup in Berkeley (January 8) and San Francisco (January 9).
 
Ordering will be open from now until the Monday morning before pickup, or until we sell out. 

all in: $185
omnivore: $150
vegetarian: $115

Chickpea, potato, olive & conserva stew - two quart jar
Sustaining and bright, and the best color.

Market fish in saffron, citrus, fennel broth - one and a half pounds fish, before cooking
We always want to eat fish just after the holiday passes. This is rich enough to be sustaining, light enough to be a relief.

Cultured caraway beets & apples - pint jar
Sweet and tart and great for your post-holiday belly.

Raw baby kale salad - quart jar
Lucky for the new year. Plus, that feeling you’re having? It’s that you want to eat kale.

Turmeric sesame yogurt sauce - half pint jar
Beautiful on everything.

Seed & spice blend for salads- four ounce jar
We love this on the kale salad, but it will go well on everything else here, too, as well as whatever soup or other salad you’re eating at the moment.

Date, citrus, orange flower water relish - half pint jar
A bright sweet dark thing for vegetables or cheese or any tagine.

Celery root, carrot, chervil slaw - pint jar
Salad! You want salad.

Local honeycomb - half pint jar 
We’re thrilled to have this to offer you at this time of year. Cheese pairing luxury? Natural medicine? You decide.

Thanks very much for supporting Potliquor! We wish you a blazingly wonderful year.

All our best, 
Jennifer and Laura

December Menus

December 11: Soup
December 18: Warmth

Hello there,

We have two menus to offer you this December: the first is Soup, with rich brews and homemade sriracha, to keep you well as the holiday approaches; the second, Warmth, with all sorts of special things like duck rillettes, preserved quince, bay nut candy and mushroom truffle terrine, to give as gifts or serve to guests or eat with spoons.
 
We’re selling them through Square Marketplace on a first come, first served basis, for pickup in Berkeley and San Francisco. Soup will be available on Wednesday, December 11 in Berkeley (4pm to 8pm) and Thursday, December 12 in San Francisco (4pm to 7pm).
 
Warmth will be available twice: on December 11 in Berkeley , December 12 in San Francisco (4pm to 7pm), and also on December 18 in Berkeley (4pm to 8pm), December 19 in San Francisco (4pm to 7pm).
 
Ordering will be open from now until the Monday morning before pickup, or until we sell out.

Soup, December 11 & 12
all in: $155
omnivore: $130
vegetarian: $130

 
Chicken and guinea hen soup: green onion, ginger, carrot, cabbage, celery–two quart jar
Rich, cold-curing, chill-banishing; made extra special with the guinea hen.
 
and/or
 
Vegetable soup: varietal mushroom, delicata, ginger, green onion, carrot, celery & root– two quart jar
Super powered with mushrooms; earthy and a little sweet.
 
Brown rice, one pound
from Massa Organic
 
Fried shallots, 4 ounce jar
to add magic to your soup.
 
Cilantro shiso paste, half pint
A brightly perfumed finish for soup or vegetables.
 
Jarrahdale pumpkin puree, pint jar
The color of the sun, silky and deep: great for pies or soup.
 
Pomegranate seeds, half pint
Freshly pulled from the fruit: antioxidant luxury!
 
Broccoli rabe, steamed with garlic, quart jar
Grow up big and strong.
 
Homemade Sriracha, 12 oz
Cayenne and Corno di Toro chiles: because we love you.
 
 

Warmth, December 18 & 19
all in: $190
omnivore: $165
vegetarian: $130

 
Duck rillettes, pint
Shredded duck confit with sherry vinegar, mustard and lots of black pepper. Great for serving at a party, eating on toast with pickled prunes, or giving as the best host gift ever.
 
and/or
 
Beet walnut puree + salsa verde, pint jar
Deeply red, bright and amazing, with a cap of salsa verde to mix in, if you like. Equally great with crudité or cheese.
 
Mushroom shallot terrine with truffle, half pint jar
Super special. Contains cream and eggs.
 
Spicy sweet almonds, pint jar
Sugared and tossed with our favorite sweet and hot varietal chiles. A cocktail party essential.
 
Pickled prunes, half pint jar
The ultimate agrodolce: a great foil for anything rich (rillettes, cheese, stew).
 
Fruitcake, six-inch round
Our own white version with dried and hand-preserved fruit and nuts. This year’s includes some very special Filigreen Farms plums, candied grapefruit peel, pistachios, pears and tart cherries, and is soaked in rye whisky and kirschwasser. Singular. Contains eggs, butter, wheat, tree nuts and alcohol.
 
Celery salt, four ounce jar
A great salt to add flavor at any point, but especially to finish poultry or vegetables.
 
Preserved quince, pint jar
Oh, where do we even start? Cocktails, cheese platters, punch, stuffings…
 
Bay nut candy, 3 pieces
The fruit of the California Bay Laurel tree, roasted and crushed with sugar into a candy that tastes like coffee, like chocolate, like leaves. A very rare treat.


Thanks very much for supporting Potliquor! We wish you a cozy and satisfying holiday season.

All our best, 
Jennifer and Laura

 P.S. If you have a crate from a previous offering, we’d love to get it back! We’ll even come pick it up. Let us know.

Here are some scenes from preparation we’ve been doing for the Winter Provisions crate, coming soon. We’ll post the full details next week, stay tuned!

November 20: Autumn

Hello there,

We’ve been busy this fall! We moved into our very own new kitchen and set it up, and it’s dreamy: just big enough for us, with lots of natural light and everything we need. We had a busy wedding season that’s just coming to a close, and are excited to start up the meal project. 

Without any further ado:

We’re happy to announce our first meal project from the new kitchen: a balanced menu, comforting and bright. This one will be for pickup in Berkeley only, Wednesday, November 20, 4pm to 8pm, and you’re welcome to come to the pickup open house whether you have a crate or not, to have a snack and see the new space! If you still have a Potliquor wooden crate or jars, we’d love for you to bring them by.

Menu:

pickled chanterelles, half pint jar
great with special cheeses or other treats for your thanksgiving table, or as a decadent snack

celery root soup, quart jar
silky and rich with lots of leeks, an iconic fall flavor.

creamy polenta (no dairy), quart jar 
we cook it forever, but leave the finishing richness your choice.

nasturtium leaf butter, 4 oz
peppery, and crunchy with salt. save for your turkey next week, or use it to finish polenta or toast!

fennel stock, 24 oz jar
heady, anisey, light

gremolata, half pint jar
a bright, herb-based sauce, perfect for the braise and vegetables, or really anything in this menu.

whole baby chicories, sherry vinaigrette with currants
to be enjoyed cold as a salad, or sear the chicories with salt and olive oil, and dress in the pan for a warm fall dish.

for omnivores: braised Marin Sun Farms beef shanks with aromatic vegetables
cooked long and slow; silky, nourishing and warming.

for vegetarians: roasted white beans and vegetables, squash, carrots, turnip, shallots, herbs
golden-edged shards of some of our favorite elements of the season, roasted with good resiny herbs.

As ever, all our food is sourced for the best practices, as nearby as possible; more information about the origin of everything will be on the packing slip, along with details about how to use every element, and a shopping list for making the most of your food.

We’re selling through Square Marketplace this time; if there are extras available, we’ll post them there by Tuesday morning.

Finally, we’re happy to be offering autumn table bouquets from our friend Misti Boettiger at Flowers in Your Hair this time—her work is beautiful, seasonally poetic and uniquely sustainable; she only uses organic and wild foraged elements. The bouquet she’s making this week will dry beautifully and be well suited to your table, next week and all season.

Thanks for supporting Potliquor! We can’t wait to see you.

Best, Jennifer & Laura

We’re in!

Our fridge is cold and our papers are signed: we’re very happy to announce that Potliquor is really happening! We’re throwing a lot of weddings in the coming weeks, and there will be another meal project offering very soon, stay tuned.

People, we have refrigeration. It goes together with a giant Allen wrench, like so much Ikea furniture. We are only a little excited about our walk-in. FEEL THE COLD. More exciting appliances coming soon, stay tuned!

We signed the lease yesterday! Wahoo!

News!

We’re excited to update you on what we’ve been up to recently with Potliquor, instead of making food for you. We have some very good news: we are signing a lease this week for our own little kitchen, and hope to be settled into it by August!

There will be opportunities to participate in crowdfunding, presales, kitchenwarming parties, and more! We’ll be posting updates as the kitchen progresses, and hope to resume crates sometime in August. In the meantime, we are still taking catering jobs, so please do send us your betrothed and party needing friends.

To be the first to hear about new developments, join the email list (link above)!

March 5: Warming

**Sold out! Thank you!**

We’re pleased to announce the fourth Potliquor crate, a warming menu that we’ve been looking forward to offering you since the beginning. This one will be available as a vegan ($115) or omnivore’s version ($125), or you can get all possible options (one extra item) for $140. Crate and jars deposit is $25, or the return of your previous ones.  As always, there will be a packing slip with details about how to use every element.

Pork stew, quart
Lightly spicy, green and bright
and/or
Hominy stew, quart
in a comforting red broth

Heirloom beans, quart
Cooked slowly with aromatics and bay—one of the best quick meals in any kitchen.

Curtido, pint
Fermented cabbage with carrots, onion and chile—the perfect condiment for everything else in the crate.

Pumpkin seed lime citronette, half pint
For dressing salad or cold beans, dipping vegetables

Roasted varietal squash puree, 20 oz
Sweet and satisfying, and an incredibly versatile element to have about.

Hot sauce, 4 oz
Our own, made with Aji Amarillo chiles. Treasure. (Laura wants me to say Liquid Gold.)

Market fruit
Likely avocados, limes, and a surprise.

A limited number will be available for pickup in San Francisco on March 5 and in Oakland by arrangement; if you’d like one, please email us at potliquorsf@gmail.com to let us know which sort of crate you’d like (vegan, omnivore’s or all in) and where you’d like to pick up. We’ll email you with a confirmation.

Exciting things are in the works, stay tuned for details!

All our best, 

jennifer and laura.

Thanks, everyone! We wish you a deeply nourishing January. See you soon.

January 15: Renewing

***Sold out! thank you!***

We’re pleased to announce the third Potliquor crate, a renewing menu meant to support your best existence as we head into 2013. This one will be available as a vegan ($115) or omnivore’s version ($125), or you can get all possible options (two extra items) for $145. Crate and jars deposit is $25, or the return of your previous ones.  As always, there will be a packing slip with details about how to use every element.

 

Ginger green onion sweet potato broth, 20 oz.
A rich and nourishing vegan broth

and/or

Pastured chicken ginger broth, 20 oz.
Practically a registered drug.

 

Varietal mushrooms and herbs, pint
A mix of our favorites.

 

Seaweed salad with cucumber, pickled carrot and radish, almond oil, pint
Sourced from Mendocino, unique and delicious. Might give you superpowers.

 

Nettle parsley pistou with garlic and almonds, half pint
A very different one from last time, with a bit of extra wild dark-green goodness.

 

Firebrand rye toast, 2-quart jar
We love these curly, sturdy, thin crackers–nourishing and satisfying and a great foil for anything you want to put on them, from bright to rich. If you’d rather not have any gluten in your crate, we can leave these out and credit you the difference.

 

Shredded raw beet salad, parsley, lemon, pint

Bright, earthy, sweet–a great salad for anytime, wonderful with apples, spicy or sweet greens, fresh cheese, or by itself.
 

Tea, 1 oz
Curated by our friend Sina at Red Circle Tea. Special.
 

Olive oil poached fish (exact fish depending on best availability) with fennel and grapefruit peel, pint. 
This is delicious, rich, and among the most nutritious foods a person can eat. We hope you will try it! Beautiful for a picnic, on toast (see above), over some spicy greens with pistou, in a bowl with rice and seaweed…just lovely, really.

and/or

Olive oil poached celery root, fennel and capers, lemon peel, pint: 

Ready to eat on its own or as an element with toast, eggs, tofu, in broth, as a skillet hash…the olive oil flavors and is flavored by the other elements and is beautiful as a finishing element for other food, too.

 

A limited number will be available for pickup in San Francisco or Oakland on January 15; if you’d like one, please email us at potliquorsf@gmail.com to let us know which sort of crate you’d like and where you’d like to pick up.

 

We’re looking forward to making lots of food for you in 2013–stay tuned for more details, coming soon!

 

All our best, 

jennifer and laura.