by Timothy Rutt
This week's Altadena Farmers' Market will have a little something for fans of Polynesian dance and Nocino.
"Nocino" is not something said by a flirtatious Italian bella. Market manager Joseph Shuldiner says: "Nocino is a traditional Italian walnut liqueur, made when the nuts, still green on the tree, are picked unripe. The harvest is traditionally picked on San Giovanni Day, June 24 (Saint John the Baptist Day), in the morning by barefoot pickers. To actually make Nocino, green (un-ripe) walnuts are steeped in neutral spirits (Vodka or Everclear) with spices for 60 days and then imbibed toward the end of fall."
If this sounds intriguing, the market will have a fresh (but limited) harvest of green English walnuts from the Institute of Domestic Technology farms this Wednesday, June 26. "With each purchase, buyers will receive a recipe sheet with easy, step-by-step instructions on making Nocino at home, along with a Nocino cocktail recipe for when their batch of inky black walnut liqueur is ready to taste."
his week Summer Nights at the Altadena Farmers' Market presents Elizabeth Espinoza's Keiki O Ka 'Aina Dance School. The school is known for teaching native dances from Hawaii and Tahiti as well as New Zealand Poi and Samoan Fire Knife! They will perform at the market, on the lawn, from 5 - 7 pm. Not to be missed!
The Altadena Farmer's Market summer hours are 4-8 PM. The market is located at lower Loma Alta Park, 600 W. Palm Street.
