Chock a Block Fruit and Nut Bars

Ive found a few meanings for chock-a-block, but Im gonna call this bar recipe its newest definition. Choked with dried fruits and nuts the bar is only barely held together by a few drips and drabs of dough. The bars are dense with a little chew from the dried fruit complimented by a sprinkling of sea salt on top. Perfect for on the go mornings, or as I had in mind, packed into my tote bag for beach and picnic trips in the nether regions of NYC. This recipe is 2-3 steps removed from David Lebovitzs version, who may be the internets most linked food blogger cause his recipes always work!

Chock-a-Block Fruit and Nut Bars

2 tblsp whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups nuts, coarsely chopped (walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, pistachios, or hazelnuts)
1 1/2 cup dried fruits, coarsely (apricots, rasins, dates, figs, cranberries, pear, nectarines, pineapple)
1 tblsp, heaping, coconut flakes (I use unsweetened)
1 large egg
1 tblsp oil
1 tblsp, heaping, flax meal
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tblsp molasses
sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment so sides hang over the edges. Grease sides and paper. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Toss in fruits, nuts, and coconut flake so evenly coated. Mix egg, oil, flax, extract, sugar, and molasses until combine. Add wet ingredients to flour coated fruits and nuts. Mix until evenly coated. Spread into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle top lightly with sea salt. Bake for 35-45 minutes until browned on top. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Using parchment overhang lift bars on to a rack to cool. Cut into chunks and share!

Annual Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase

The Mar Vista Community Council Green Committee launched the Green Garden Showcase in 2009 with the goal of encouraging sustainable home gardens in Mar Vista…and beyond.

It’s excitingto see what we’ve achieved – sustainable gardens are now plentiful and most Mar Vista streets have quite a few! The irony is that this makes garden selection for the tour even more demanding – for the tour to be meaningful, the gardens need to stand out beyond what we all see around us.

Organizing the tour is a very demanding, time and labor-intensive task – one that past organizers are unable to take on this year. So the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase is taking a well-earned sabbatical.

We hope youll continue to find inspiration for your garden on this blog. Weve featured approximately 250 gardens over the past seven years. You can still view posts from past tours. Use the links on the right to find gardens from the 2015 tour with the features youre interested in.  Enter a term or address in the search box at the upper left hand corner of this screen to find gardens from prior tours. 

You can still view front yard. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL OF GARDEN OWNERS’ PROPERTY. View gardens from the sidewalk unless invited in. Don’t pick anything! Click here to display a 2015 Green Garden Showcase map, then follow the directions to create your own personal tour map. Click here to display the 2014 map.

The Mar Vista community has an ongoing commitment to encouraging sustainability in all aspects of life. The Green Tent at the Mar Vista Farmers Market hosts a different eco-presenter each Sunday. Every 4th Sunday, UCCE Master Gardeners visit The Green Tent with seeds, seedlings and advice.