>> the following program is seen statewide on california public television. he was america's only nobel prize-winning playwright and was considered the architect of modern american drama, breaking new ground in theater in this country by tackling controversial topics and challenging his audiences. in fact, eugene o'neill is considered by many to be america's best playwright. and on this adventure, we visit a place very dear to him, a home right here in california that today is one of "california's golden parks." ♪ i love you, california

♪ you're the greatest state ♪ of all >> just getting to this park is kind of a surprise because you're driving on a residential street through a residential neighborhood-- not the usual route to a park. but believe me, this park is one of the finest, one of the most beautiful, and definitely one of the most interesting i have ever visited. okay, our adventure begins. we have arrived. we are starting our eugene o'neill california connection adventure. we've been met by national park ranger joanne jarvis. and joanne, it's your duty and responsibility to officially let us know where we are. >> well, welcome to eugene o'neill national historic site here in danville, california, 30 miles east of san francisco. >> what a beautiful location

even though it's kind of overcast and cloudy this morning. what are we looking at off there in the distance? >> well, this national park is nestled between mount diablo state park, and on the other side we have las trampas regional wilderness for east bay regional parks. >> so this is mount diablo over here. >> yes. >> now, this park, it took us a while to get here this morning. it's kind of obscure, isn't it? >> we are a little bit remote. we're a bit isolated, yes. it's the same reason that eugene o'neill came here. he liked the isolation. >> yeah, because i gotta tell you, last night, i kind of nosed around in danville and asked some of the locals about this place. a lot of 'em hadn't heard of it, didn't even know it was here. >> yes, we-- the access to the park is limited. you do have to call for reservations and come up in a shuttle that we provide because we are at the end of a private road. >> yeah, we had to come through a neighborhood. >> yes. >> okay, neighborhoods have houses. and look over here, this is where we're gonna be

spending the morning because this is the heart and the soul of the eugene o'neill experience here in danville. okay, as our tour begins, now we begin to answer some questions. it gets interesting, joanne, because right here on the gate goin' into the front of the house, what are we looking at here? >> well, the o'neills did name their home tao house. and it's a combination of o'neill's interest in eastern philosophy, he read everything, and carlotta was very interested in chinese art and chinese furniture. so they named their home tao house and they put these four symbols on the gate: the symbols of tao, da, pia, and su. >> wait a minute, say that again. >> tao, da, pia, su. >> and what does this mean? >> well, literally, "tao" translates to mean "the way"; "da," "to the big house or villa"; "pia," "set apart"; "su," "from the wilderness." so really what we have is tao house.

>> the big house set apart from the wilderness. and here we go. let's open up the door. there we go. look at this, this beautiful, beautiful home sitting out here. well, actually, it is kind of in the middle of the wilderness, isn't it? i mean, it still has a lot of land around it. how much land did they have to build this house on? >> well, they purchased 158 acres, and the park today is a little over 13. >> okay, so you have the core of their original, would you have called it a ranch? >> they actually called it their rancho. they called it a rancho. >> did they build this themselves? >> they did build this house, yes. >> and what kind of architecture? it looks kind of like a spanish--look over here, this is beautiful-- kind of like a ranch house. >> it's exactly what it is. it's a mix of a spanish ranch house with some chinese elements

tossed into the mix. >> this is absolutely beautiful, and whose idea-- i've got so many questions about this-- whose idea was it to come to california? because eugene o'neill was an east coast guy. >> yeah, exactly. but carlotta was originally from this area-- his third wife, carlotta. so she was from this area and she still had family that was in this area. and they were living in georgia and they decided to relocate. they didn't like the weather. it was too hot. it was a little too close to new york. people were dropping in on o'neill unannounced and he couldn't work, so they decided to relocate. >> and they lived here from? >> they bought the property in 1936, built the house and moved in tail end of 1937, december 30, 1937, and they left in february of 1944. >> so they were here about six years. >> six years. >> can we go in the house? >> absolutely. >> boy, this is so-- turn around here, cameron, and look at this, where it's nestled up these hills, these--

it's just surrounded. it is so beautiful here. >> and we're very fortunate in this national park in that the view that you're looking at is pretty much the same view that the o'neills had when they came here in 1936 because, again, we do border up against las trampas regional wilderness area so that's east bay regional-- >> oh, so that's all protected. >> yes, yes. >> wow, this is about as tranquil even today in the middle of the homes that have been built in this area. back then they probably had the place pretty much to themselves. >> yes, they were very isolated and they came for the isolation, they came for the insulation, they came for the inspiration. >> boy, you really feel it. this is like a little creative cocoon right here. >> well, and also, i'll pronounce to you that part of the chinese elements in the house is that carlotta was incorporating ideas of feng shui into the house. and this is back in 1936. feng shui is a little under the radar for 1936. so for one thing, you'll notice all the curved and circular walkways as we go through the property.

>> right here. >> and that's a way of keeping evil from getting into the house because only evil travels in a straight line. so we're gonna see all these curved and circuitous walkways through the house. we have the dark colored tiled roof which represents in chinese symbolism the heavens, which is the yin, and it's all about opposites in feng shui and balance and harmony in nature, and the red doors and the red windows which represent good luck, good fortune, and that's the yang. so you have all of these interesting elements going on in the home. >> boy, i'm glad we're with you. i wouldn't have noticed any of that. let's go inside. boy, look at this. okay, our home tour begins and it's gonna be a lucky one because we're coming in through the red door, right? >> right, yes. >> that means good luck. and i assume we start over here. what room was this? >> this is the living room. >> there's nothing here. >> well, the house is basically set in 1941 and that's because the only photographic evidence

we have of what the house looked like are from some life magazine photographs that were taken in 1941. >> so life magazine came out here to do, what, a photo study on the life with the o'neills at their home in california? >> yeah, they came to do a story on their life out here in their home in california. and it was actually meant to run in one of the december 1941 issues, but there was a slight world event that pushed that publication right to the side. and because of pearl harbor, the article never ran and the photographs were never seen. >> yeah, but you have these wonderful photographs now. and looking at the photograph of this room, it was very asian. >> well, carlotta did design this to be her pseudo asian house, her pseudo chinese house. >> now, they looked, in the picture, pretty comfortable sitting in this living room, so they must have spent a lot of time in here. >> yes, and you notice in the photograph that they were doing their favorite pastime which is reading. we do know that eugene o'neill was an avid reader. and throughout the house where we see these big niches

and these big indentations, they were all meant to be bookcases. >> so this was all a bookcase when they lived here. >> yes, and we see them throughout the house. we see one on the opposite wall as well. when they moved in, they had about 8,000 books in the house. >> oh, my god. >> and carlotta very quickly said, "no, no, no, "it feels like i'm in a public library," so out went the books and in came artwork, chinese screens, furniture, et cetera. we have the blue mirror here. there are three colored mirrors in the house. >> look at this. so this was specifically put in to be a blue mirror. >> yes. >> and remember, when the o'neills were in residence here it was the height of the art deco movement. so this may just be a piece of art deco as well. >> from the living room to the-- this looks like what would've been the breakfast room or the little dining room here. >> actually, this is the music room. this is called rosie's room in here. >> and who was rosie? >> well, this is rosie right here.

this is not the original rosie, but rosie was a mighty wurlitzer player piano. and o'neill was very enamored with the rosies, with the player pianos 'cause he had spent a lot of time down in the bars, the brothels, flophouses, and these were pretty much the tivo and the wi of its day. this was the big piece of machinery. >> we forget that o'neill was right with the people all the time, wasn't he? >> well, that's one of the things about his writing, that's one of the things that makes him so instrumental in american playwriting is that he wasn't writing about the upper class and the nobility. he was writing about average people: sailors, prostitutes, people in bars. certainly not anything that any other playwright was really doing at that time in this country. he was heavily influenced by the european modernists-- ibsen, shaw, chekhov, strindberg-- and he took those sensibilities and he made them uniquely american. >> well, you know your american literature, don't you?

i guess that comes with the job description here. >> it helps. it helps. >> okay, so we know he liked to read and we know he liked rosie. >> yes. >> he liked the music and he liked music in general, didn't he? >> he was a huge music fan, so this is really a music room in here and he-- >> what kind of music? >> everything, everything from classical music to fletcher henderson, bessie smith, paul robeson. so whatever was current, he was a big fan. he had a huge, huge record collection. >> how big? >> you know, hundreds of records. many of them are in the hands of the eugene o'neill foundation, which is our partner up here. they have many of o'neill's original records. the national park service has some. so it's just a huge, extensive collection. >> so when they built this house, when they designed this house, they literally built this as a music room? >> yes, and actually, this is one of the few rooms in the house that eugene o'neill himself designed. carlotta designed the bulk of the house, but this room and his rooms upstairs

were under o'neill's design. >> do you think he envisioned a player piano like this in here? >> oh, absolutely. they brought their player piano from georgia with them. they shipped it out here. so it was one of the few things that they actually brought from the home in georgia. >> well, i was halfway out the door of the music room and joanne insisted that we stop and look over here at this wall of photographs because this ties in directly with eugene o'neill's family and with some of the work he did at this home. >> absolutely. this is-- this wall is all james o'neill, which is eugene o'neill's father. he was a very well-known actor in his day. he was a huge matinee idol, most well known for playing in "the count of monte cristo." >> when was this? i didn't even know about this. >> late 1800s. basically, he was a matinee idol of his day, so he was extremely well known in his time. very, very popular and extremely successful. and the play that eugene o'neill wrote here

that's considered one of his greatest masterpieces is "long day's journey into night." and that play being autobiographical is about his family and it's really exorcising the ghosts of his family. so the whole family story of eugene o'neill's father and his frustrations in his career, and his mother and her dependency on morphine, and the brother. the whole family dynamic that he explores in that play is all directly related to these people and it's all while he's here that he's writing these plays, exorcising these ghosts. >> you know, for people who really are eugene o'neill devotees, coming here and seeing this must just be overwhelming. >> it is. if you know his plays, if you're familiar with the canon of the american theater, this is a very important place because o'neill wrote, i would say, three plays that would probably be considered part of the heart of the canon of the american theater that he wrote right here at tao house:

"the iceman cometh," "moon for the misbegotten," "long day's journey into night." he also completed "hughie" and "a touch of the poet" while he was here. so for only living here for six years, i tell you, he was quite busy writing these plays that are considered so important to the theater. >> okay. as we head up the stairs to the second floor, we are recreating history literally because there is this wonderful picture of eugene o'neill. was that done for the life magazine article as well? >> yes, it was. >> thank goodness, they were here to photograph all of this. >> absolutely. >> and all of these type of-- what do you call these? >> they are masks. they are masks. o'neill was heavily influenced by the idea of masks. he really incorporated them into his plays-- "strange interlude," "the great god brown"-- so he's very influenced by the idea of masks 'cause he really believed that everybody wears a mask and you change your mask given your circumstances and-- >> everything here was symbolic, wasn't it? i mean, it all-- nothing was here by chance.

>> no. it was chosen. absolutely. because it appealed to their sensibilities and their taste. also, remember that the symbol of the theater are the masks, comedy and tragedy, and that here we have chinese theater masks, we have japanese noh theater masks, and we have african and caribbean masks 'cause he really, really was influenced by masks. >> okay. we're on the second floor and we have hit the jackpot. i've been in this room for exactly three seconds and i'm already enamored with the feeling in this room because this is where a lot of his work happened, right here. this was his study. this was his library. >> absolutely. this is where all of his work happened. this was his study and this is the place where he came to write. there's three doors to come into the study so he shut out the world so that he could go into his own creative world. >> right here at this desk. >> right here at this desk.

this is his original desk right here. >> oh, so you got the original desk. >> right. most of their furniture went back to gump's when they moved out. they had come from gump's and they-- >> what do you mean it went back to gump's? >> well, they would buy it back from you when you moved out. >> gump's would buy your furniture back. >> at that time, they would, and so the majority of their furniture had been purchased from gump's so it went back to gump's when they moved out except this piece here. the desk was bought by an attorney in oakland who was a big o'neill fan. he had it in his law firm for many, many years. when he died, it went to his children and they felt it should be back in its rightful place so they did donate it back to us, and this is also his original chair as well, so-- >> oh, really? i'm not--i shouldn't have been touching that. now, there's another desk right over here. >> that's true. that's--it's not an original piece, but eugene o'neill did have two desks in his study. >> he used both desks. >> he used both desks because he worked on at least two plays at one time, and i've actually read that he worked-- >> wait a minute. so you mean he would have one play going over here and one play going over here.

>> yes. and he may have worked on as many as 15 projects at one time. so he didn't suffer from creative writer's block. he was quite prolific that way. >> but you know, being up here and looking out at these views, 'cause he had his desks set up so he could look right out, you can see where he would get inspiration from the natural surroundings, too, even though he was writing about things that were far from being peaceful and tranquil and connected with nature. >> exactly. but this is a place where he came or he was able to pull all that out of himself and they were not easy plays for him to write. "long day's journey into night" was not an easy play for him to write. it was a very difficult play. he was beginning to suffer from tremors, and his mother had had them, his brother had had them, and really the only way he could write that play was to hold the pencil in one hand while he steadied it with the other because that was his creative process. pencil to paper, not pen, not typewriter, not dictating. pencil to paper. and the only way he could write

by that point in time was to hold the pencil in one hand while he steadied his hand with the other. >> well, i gotta tell you, this room, of all the rooms we visited, you really get the sense of the man and what he did in this room. >> absolutely. >> his study. >> absolutely. his contributions to the american theater are absolutely undeniable and many of them came from right here. >> and right here on the desk, in the study, boy, you've done your research. you got everything down to a t. we have a package of old lucky strike cigarettes with the historic ashtray and the matches. was he a smoker? >> yes. he was a very heavy smoker. >> is this what killed him? >> it's not what killed him, but it's a contributing factor. he did have emphysema, tremors, emphysema, prostate problems, nervous stomach, depression, so he had a lot of health problems. >> was this due to his fast living that he had done all his life? >> it did catch up with him.

he also had had tuberculosis as a young man and that's what actually was the catalyst for him to become a writer, was recovering from tuberculosis. >> wow. >> he became an artist or nothing. that's what he set his sights on. and carlotta also had some health problems as well so both of them were ill while they were here. >> well, and you've also done some good research here. this is what--you know, look down here. any other place you would just think this is a trashcan full of crumpled up paper. but here in his study, this is meant to represent what? >> a little ambience about the creative process. >> these are things he wrote and threw away and didn't work out. >> it's what he would have done with the things that would have-- that weren't working for him, exactly. >> are any of these real? >> i don't think so. but if you find one, let me know. >> wow. 'cause they look kind of historic. >> i think they are period. >> wow. this is great. so this represents the creative process--

>> absolutely. >> --right here. >> absolutely. >> they've done it all. but there's another story going on here in this study and that's the story i asked you as we were leaving. what are these ship models doing here on the wall above the fireplace in the study? and there's a whole other story about this. >> there's a whole other side to eugene o'neill and the-- some of the happiest times for o'neill was when he ran off to sea on deep water sailing ships. in his early life, before he became a playwright, he ran off to sea, abandoned wives and children. this represents for o'neill some of the happiest times was while he was at sea. you'll notice-- >> i never knew he ran off to sea. >> yes, yeah, aboard deep water sailing ships and then later, for a short time, he worked for american lines. in this photograph, you see him in-- >> so he actually worked for the american lines doing what? >> yes. aboard the ship, being a steward aboard the ships.

>> and what's this? >> this is, for someone who had three pulitzer prizes and a nobel prize for literature, when he came to live here, the only thing he chose to put up on his wall was this which is a certificate of discharge for being an able-bodied seaman. so that was the thing he was most proud of, not the awards but his time that he spent at sea. >> so this whole thing right here is an homage to his love of the sea and probably of the life experiences he had at sea which just added to this whole person that he ended up being. >> well, absolutely. and o'neill, you know, he wrote about what he knew. and it wasn't always savory, it didn't always end nicely, but he did write about what he knew and some of his first successes were, of course, his realistic sea plays, "bound east for cardiff," one of his first plays to be produced by provincetown players. and the sea finds its way into so many of the plays including

"long day's journey into night." so it really stayed with him. and this whole idea, the whole maritime idea, indeed the study in here is meant to look like a ship's cabin. so there is a whole maritime theme just in the room itself. >> and once again, it all ties together. this home encapsulated his life. >> absolutely. it very much reflects the man and his desires and the things that-- >> his passions. >> --passions, absolutely. >> well, we're ending up by the old white barn which, of course, was not-- they didn't build the barn, did they? >> no. the barn was already here. >> so this barn's been here a long time. >> yeah, it's from the late 1800s. >> and it's still being put to good use. >> yes. in the spring in may, we have the playwrights' theater and we have live performances in the barn. and in september, we have the eugene o'neill festival and we also have live performances in the barn. >> so some of his plays

are actually performed here in this barn on their property. >> yes, that's correct. >> wow. it does all tie together. this has been an absolutely wonderful day. let's end up here in front of the house and let's get our facts straight. the o'neills lived here only six years, from 1930-- >> '37. >> --to 19-- >> '44. >> then they went to san francisco for two years. >> about, yeah. >> and then they went back east and eugene o'neill died in 1954. >> '53. >> '53. okay. see, this is-- i'm struggling with the facts because what's interesting, a lot of people don't know a lot about eugene o'neill's life and this is such a perfect place to visit, to find out about it because you really get a sense of who he was and what he wrote about and what his life was like. this is wonderful here.

>> well, we hope that you've enjoyed it and we hope that people will come and visit and find out more about eugene o'neill and his significance to the american culture and american theater. >> nobel prize winner. >> absolutely. >> and what's so interesting is that--and this is kind of disappointing because usually when you think about national parks or national historic sites, you're talking tens, hundreds of thousands, millions of people who visit. how many visitors do you have here on a good year? >> probably somewhere around 4,000 visitors. >> 4,000 people. >> yes. >> that's because you have to make reservations and get the little bus that comes up through this area. but i gotta tell you, a lot more people than that should come here because this is truly a national treasure. >> well, thank you and i hope that your viewers will think so too. >> i know they will. thank you very, very much. >> you're welcome. >> let's get out of the way because here it is. the name of the house again? >> tao house.

>> and it's right here in danville, california, sitting here for everybody to visit and enjoy. it belongs to all of us, this wonderful place that reflects so much on the life and the times of eugene o'neill. this place is definitely one of "california's golden parks." and when you come here, you can see and feel for yourself why he and his wife loved living here so much. [music]

captioning performed by peoplesupport transcription & captioning well, hello, everybody. i'm huell howser and i sure hope you enjoyed our visit to eugene o'neill's tao house, which is definitely one of california's hidden treasures in one of "california's golden parks" and is definitely worth a visit. now, if you'd like to see this particular adventure again, share it with family or friends, or more importantly, donate a copy to your local school or library, it's available on videocassette

and on dvd. all you have to do is call 1-800-266-5727 and we'll be glad to send it to you right away.

>> coming up next on "california country", get a taste of the research going into a sweet california legacy. and make an sy dessert thanks to one of the bay area's top chefs. and whether they're sliced or diced, see why california onions are at the root of so many recipes. then great food delivered to your doorstep. see why so many people are taking advantage of community-supported agriculture. it's all ahead, and it starts now. [captioning made possible by california farm bureau federation]

>> welcome to "california country". i'm your host tracy sellers. we're at mckenna's here in davis enjoying some of the great produce they have. and these guys are some of my favorites, tangerines. you know, citrus fruits in general are a big slice of the history of california. and researchers are working hard to ensure they're part of the future, as well. for more than century now, citrus has been a big part of the economy and identity of the golden state. and while everybody knows that florida has the nickname of being the orange state because of their citrus production, most of

which goes into orange juice, by the way, california is actually the leading producer of fresh citrus fruit in the country. and that's why it's so important to find the best tasting piece of fruit, and that's also why all these people are here willing to spend the day being puckered up tasting citrus. that one was good. being puckered up is expected and even encouraged at the lindcove research and extension center nearby visalia. operated by the university of california system, there are 200 acres here that represent the more than 200,000 acres of citrus trees planted in california. here they're able to identify and evaluate everything from pests and diseases affecting the citrus industry to the effects of weather on the trees, to how much fruit a tree will produce. to soil quality and so much more.

>> i see us as being something that's needed. especially just even with the water situation here in california. that's really important to us. we do some water deficit-type research. we need new varieties that can withstand diseases. people want seedless varieties, that's a big thing right now. >> this collection and the research that goes with it are vital to the health and well-being of california citrus. not only keeping groves healthy and keeping supermarkets well-stocked, but identifying new and exciting fruit that shoppers will hopefully love. which brings us back to this day. once a year, they open their doors at the center and let folks come in to taste the fruits of their labor. today, this place is citrus central in california. >> today was linove's annual open house to the public to growers and nursery men open house to the public to growers and nursery men so they can see the research that's being done here and experience all the different varieties of citrus available.

it's not just what you have in the grocery store; those three or four little pieces. we're showing over 20 pieces of easy peel fruit, which most people are familiar with because that's what they put in their children's lunches. it's quite a production, but it's nice to show people what we do. >> oh, yeah! >> if you follow this, the blood oranges are right here on the corner. and it f@llows. you just zig zag back and forth. have you got a chance to do the sensory taste test yet? >> in fact, there were 160 varieties of citrus for people to sample at the open house. each visitor circled through the maze of citrus and then tasted and scored each of the fruit on such characteristics as appearance, size and overall taste. and because of events like this, farmers and nursery men are aided in pinpointing what kinds of fruits might be particularly appealing to consumers down the road, and therefore what they might end up planting in the near future.

>> well, we're not just looking at the taste because seediness is very important. so we want seedless fruit. we want fruit that can peel easily. >> you're getting to see a lot more varieties that you've never seen before, so take advantage of it. take a piece of it, because it probably started from here. >> the event is also a way for farmers, nursery men, and researchers to come together and talk to each other about emerging trends they see in the citrus arena. and in recent years, they've seen specialty fruits like the buddha's hand and [indistinct] limes become popular with chefs, and consumers have become fond of smaller pieces of fruit like mandarins and tangerines. both thoughts are not lost on farmers like eric and kim christensen. their rising c ranch in the central valley town of reedley was relatively small when they first started in 1998. it was made up of only one navel orange grove. but as they quickly discovered, diversifying their farm would prove to be the key to success. >> if we were going to compete on a very small scale, we had

to, first off, grow and sell something that would taste good, a., and b., something different and unique. we felt that there was trends coming with different varieties. and so we thought, well, we'd try to capitalize on that. >> so the couple started working with the research center and saw what the trends down the road might be. so they ended up not only planting their usual navels and valencias, but also a variety of specialty citrus like the mellow gold grapefruit and smaller citrus varieties like the gold nugget mandarin. both varieties that were developed throh the research at the center. today, the couple owns and operates more than 130 acres of a variety of citrus that includes 14 different types of mandarins, 11 types of oranges, 6 types of limes and 5 types of lemons. and thanks to their evolving website rightoyou.com, their citrus can be found in restaurants, stores and homes all over the united states now. >> the most gratifying part is hearing the end result

from a chef or a customer or seeing it in a store in new york ci or h@ving people email us pictures of the displays in their grocery stores. and just hearing the end result, the consumer happy with our fruit. >> and there's a lot to be happy about if you're in the citrus community these days. new research, new varieties and new ideas all add to hopefully a sweet outlook for the future. so while the early lush groves of oranges gave california its legacy as the golden state, it's now up to the farmers and scientists of the state to preserve that legacy for future generations to enjoy. for "california country", i'm tracy sellers. so now that we've learned all about citrus, the next question is, what do we do with it? well, coming up after the break, one of our all-time favorite chefs and great friends

emily luchetti has a great idea for you. that's next. country". you know, blood oranges may not have the best name, but boy, do they taste good. you know, they're considered some of the sweetest citrus around, which is why they are so good in desser. here's emily luchet with one idea you can try right now. >> hi, i'm emily luchetti, the executive pastry chef at waterbar restaurant in san francisco. and today i'm going to make a blood orange creamsicle. and this is one of my favorite desserts because it's really light and refreshing, but it's still a really, really wonderful dessert. and it reminds you of the creamsicles that you got as a kid. and what i'm going to do is make a vanilla panna cotta and i'm going to serve it with some blood orange sorbet. so the first thing we're going to do is take some gelatin. and i'm going to put it over some cold water. now a panna cotta is a really easy thing

to make. and once you learn to make it, you'll realize tha you can use it for everything. it's great for fruits in the summer. you can put different flavorings in it, and turn it into many, many, many desserts. so now i'm just stirring this gelatin in the water together, and w're just going to let it sit there for about 5 minutes. so now what i'm going to do is get the cream and the milk off of the stove. now that the gelatin's softening, i'm going to scrape my vanilla bean. i like using a fresh vanilla bean in this recipe because it really brings a lot of vanilla essence and flavor. when you pick a vanilla bean, you want one that's plump. the best way to pick one is just kind of roll it between your fingers like that, and you can feel the seeds and the pods moving inside. so then what you want to do is just take your knhfe and run it down the edge li that and split it open. you can also use a pair of scissors if that's easier. and then you take the back of the knife, the edge of the knife and just scrape all the seeds out, all those beautiful seeds.

and we're going to put the whole thing in the pot. and what that does is help infuse the vanilla in the cream. and we're going to pick out that pod at the end, but having it sit in the liquid, it extracts even more of those seeds from the inside of that pot. so we're just going to stir that together. and now i'm going to add a little bit of sugar, this is a half a cup of sugar. and a pinch of salt. now you always want to add salt because it helps bring out the flavors. it'll help it taste more vanilla-y. it'll help it taste more creamy. it'll just help build up the flavors. and we're just going to stir this together like this. and then the gelatin, now that it's soft, and you can see it kind of looks like shoe leather. and we're just going to scrape it out and put it right into the liquid. and then what we're going to do is get rid of this vanilla bean.

and then i have my ramekins all set. and you want to do this in individual portions. and we're just going to pour it into the mold. and then you just pour it into all six of the molds. and you put it in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 hours. that's how long it takes for the gelatin to set up and cool down the liquid. you can make it a day ahead, probably 2 days ahead. more than th@t, up to 3 days, the gelatin gets a little rubbery, and it gets a little over-activated. so the best thing is just one to 2 days ahead. i'm going to serve the blood orange creamsicle with some segments, some orange segments. and all year round you can do this with regular oranges, or if they're in season, you can use cara cara oranges or blood oranges. so now to plate the dessert, wt we're going to do is, i have this nice plate here and i have my panna cottas. now if we're at the restaurant, we always do them in foil cups because we don't have that many ramekins and we need to make about 50 of

these a day. so i just take a knife and i run it around the inside edge. and you could also dip the whole ramekin, the whole foil cup in a little bit of hot water if you wanted to. you just want to run it around the outside edge. and then you turn it upside down. and sometimes you have to make a little bit of a airhole for it to plop out like that. and you can see all those beautiful vanilla bean speckles on top, which are really nice. and then i just kind of smooth the outsides. and then we're going to take our blocd orange and our cara cara segments and we're just going to put them right on top. and we're going to make sure that we get a lot of that juice and put it around there as well. and then on top, we're going to put a blood orange sorbet. and you can put--or an orange, blood orange, cara cara,

any kind that you want it. and there you go. a beautiful blood orange creamsicle from waterbar. >> thanks, em. well, we're going from sweet to sour, sort of. you know, some say onions are one of the most popular cooking ingredients in the entire world. i just say, make sure you have some kleenex when you're working with it. you know what i mean? check it out. they're used in just about every cuisine imaginable, from a mexican fiesta, to an asian stir fry, to the all american barbecue. they bring smiles to everyone who eats them, and tears to everyone who prepares them. they're onions. and here in the salinas valley are where many of them are getting their start. think growing onions is easy? well, think again. get ready to peel back the many, many layers in the life of an onion.

over 135 countries grow onions, and here in the united states, onion consuption has risen more than 50% in the last 15 years. whether you like your onions fresh, frozen, canned, pickled, or in dehydrated forms, this is where the first layer in a life of an onion starts, at the gill's onion farm in the fore fields of salinas. >> we grow roughly 1,500 a@res of onions in the salinas valley for a storage program for gill's onions. and we currently are running anywhere from 2 1/2 to 3 million pounds a day through our shed. but the rounder the onion is,

and the firmer it is, the better quality product you're going to get. you can be assured of a good onion if you look for those things. color of skin, the amount of skin, the roundness, the firmness, the heighth of the onion. that's what you're looking for. >> from the fields, they are harvested, graded, and sorted. some are put into cold storage and some continue their life cycle to their processing facility more than 250 miles apay in sunny southern california. welcome to ventura county, and tohe gill's onions headquarters, the largest year-round grower and processor of fresh-cut onions. >> our motto here at gill's onions is, if you're still cutting your own onions, it's a crying shame.

>> well, gills onions started about 1983, i think it was. almost 25 years ago. and started peeling onions for our first customer, la victoria, and we started with growing peppers for la victoria and they wanted to go from dehydrated onions to fresh cut onions. >> but being the nation's largest producer of fresh, whole, peeled, diced and pureed onions and do it all under one roof does have a slight downside. something that brings a tear to your eye the mgment you step in the building and encounter all of those onions. >> well, i've seen people literally run out the door because they can't take it. >> tears and all, this is how many of us enjoy the last layer

in the life of an onion-- at the dinner table. believe it or not, the average american eats about 18 pounds of onions a year. at basil's by the lake, located at the radisson hotel in sacramento, the possibilities are endless for one of our favorite vegetables. from sauces to soups to marinades, chef scott mccross has become a big fan of them over the years, and for good reason. >> onions are very large. they consist of about 60% of the menu has some kind of onion in it, either in the recipe or its raw form or cooked form. well, this is a popular dish for us. we top a lot of steaks with them. we caramelize them up. this would be a fried onion here. we*re just gonna take a little seasoned our mixture, toss them up into seasoned flour... well, if you're wanting to try and not cry, i would work with them in more of their cold state, so right out of the walk ins, and with a sharp utensil is the best way. so a nice, good sharp knife if you're cutting

them up. >> and here's one more tip for working with onions-- you can always just carry around a box of kleenex, like this fearless and teary-eyed reporter did. but as any onion aficionado will tell you, the tears are well worth it. for "california country", i'm tracy sellers. so just to expand on what chef scott was saying, you want to chill the onions at least 30 minutes before you start working with them and that will help cut down on the tears, hopefully. hopefully. coming up next, it's a growing trend here in california and getting volved is as easy as a-b-c, or in this case, csa. see what i mean coming up next. >> welcome back to "california country". you know, as more and more people wonder where their food really comes from, community-supported agriculture programs, or csas, are becoming

more and more popular. charlotte fedipe has the story of one program in northern california. >> every week, pat crowder gets a different surprise when she opens the box of produce that's delivered to her. >> always a surprise. look at that. wow, look at this. i'm not even sure know what that is. that's great. >> all this produce is fresh, organic, and locally grown. this week's box contains melons, squash, carrots, corn on the cob, and more. crowder, who's head of nutrition services at mercy hospital in woodland, says her staff use just about everything almost immediately. you could say it's just what the doctor ordered. >> probably about 2 years ago, we made the decision that we wanted to try to start offering some organic produce just

because we can see the value in promoting healthy eating. so, i went online trying to find somebody local that i could purchase occasionally from, and i found farm fresh to you. and so, we started down the road with, "ok, we'll sign up for a big box every week and see what we get." >> she's one of about 3,400 customers who receive a special hand-packed box of fresh produce every week from a farm in the capay valley. it's called community supported agriculture, and it gets a big thumbs up from farmers like thaddeus barsotti and his family. >> and you can see, this is the first one we've probably harvested, and if you look at the rest of the plant, it's got a lot of fruit on it. >> he and his partner moyra and his 3 brothers run farm fresh to you, a produce delivery service in northern california. it's run from the family farm, capay organic, which was started by his parents in the 1970s in the capay valley. back then, kathleen barsotti and her husband mart had the then revolutionary idea of growing food on a farm using natural

pest control methods. >> obviously, you know, my parents and the other people involved in that movement were, you know, were cutting-edge and they really led, you know, led the public into the organic foods movement. >> his mom died a few years ago, and he and his 3 brothers helped the farm expand to more than 240 acres. they regularly harvest squash, peppers, eggplant, okra, tomatoes, and more. >> i believe that this model is the future, you know. it's an alternative distribution system. so, this is our eggplant selection, and actually, you wouldn't know it, but there's, uh, there's like 10 other varieties of eggplant you can grow. there's white ones, there's green ones, there's little ones, there's ones that have--look like this. this color but this shape. so, these are our heirloom vari--this is an heirloom variety. it's called a purple cherokee and you look here, this is what--the color they're going to end up being. you know, part of the--the neat thing about our--our service is that customers are getting

things that they wouldn't eat otherwise, but also getting things that they couldn't find in the store otherwise. >> community supported agriculture started in europe and japan back in the sixties, and it's slowly catching on here in the united states. in fact, there are about 1,000 csa farmers in america. support to say, it helps to put the farmers' face on food. pat crowder says community supported agriculture is also a way for her to try new produce without taking too mucof a risk. >> some things they don't even have in the store. like i have never seen this kind of squash in the store. >> unlike many csas, farm fresh to you allows customers to pick and choose what produce they do or don't want when they order on their website. >> you know, this is how we're able to keep such a diverse selection of produce so local, but also give the customer what they want, and they're not getting things they don't want. >> he admits it's hard work, practically 24/7, but he says

success is sweet, and he thinks his mom, who passed away in july 2000, would be proud of his decision to help keep the family business running while staying true to its organic roots. >> i mean, if we told her, "hey, mom, we're delivering 7,000 boxes a week," she'd probably fall over. ha ha! >> in the capay valley, charlotte fadipe for "california country tv." >> though it may not look like it, jim muck is successfully bucking a trend... >> like the chard here, you see it's all different colors. it's a variety called rainbow. >> one which finds him tending to his family farm in wheatland.

his family purchased the farm in the 1850s. and after leaving for college and then career opportunities, he eventually found his calling and circled back to where it all began. >> it just wasn't a terribly glamorous life and appealing to a high-school student. so, you know, i went off, and i did other things. i went off to college, and i actually worked for xerox, and i was never satisfied being inside an office. >> jim is 43 years old and has a small organic vegetable farm on a portion of his family's 160 aares in wheatland. according to a 2007 u.s. department of agriculture census, one in 4 farmers is 65 or older, and the percente of farrs younger than 45 has dropped significantly, makinc it just over 20% of american farmers. >> so, there's like this critical need to have this replacement generation to come in here so that we can keep growing food tc feed evybody here.

>> farmer rich johansen is aware of the need r young farmers and is doing his part by mentoring the owners of four frog farm in penn valley. >> and we wanted to set up something for younger farmers who may not have the capital, may not have the land, but certainly have the knowledge, the eagerness, the willingness to farm and make it happen. >> meet lon egan. he's 26 years old and graduated from stanford with a master's degree in earth systems. >> rich's knowledge has really been invaluable, first on how to keep things moving very efficiently on the farm. he--no matter what we're doing, he's kind of looking from a distance. and you can tell that he's always thinking, "ok. how can we make this move faster?" >> and in places like placer county, helping young farmers jump-start their farms is not just an individual task.

communities are taking on the effort as well. >> so, we're doing everything we can to get young people on the farm. we have internship programs. and the whole community is actually coming in to support young farms noq. >> i know my dad loves the idea that the farm is utilized to a greater degree than it has been for probably 30 years-- or 40 years. yeah. so, we're trying tmake the most out of what we've got. and i think they like that. >> we're pretty proud of how we've been able to bring a lot of food to a lot of people in the surrounding area. >> well, that's all the time we have for the show today. if you have questions about the stories or the recipes you saw, go to our website, californiacountry.org. or you can go to our facebook site. you know, we've been hearing from a lot of you. so continue to write in, let us know what you think of the show, if you have story ideas, all that go stuff. let us know. i'm going to

continue shopping, and we'll see you again next week on "california country". looks good. we'll get that. [captioning made possible by california farm bureau federation] [captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--]