Good to Grow: Plant pumpkins now for fun in fall | Life | Big Size Pumpkin Seeds

Chef Brandon Gauthier and his wife and house manager Victoria Gauthier with their children Jackson, 5, and Elijah, 2, at Confluence.(Photo: Patrick Breen/The Republic)

It doesn’t seem intentionally so. Whether by design or happenstance, the restaurant doesn’t play as a shot across the bow of highbrow cuisine. The vibe is more along the lines of "accidentally nondescript." It is neither establishment nor anti-establishment, white linens nor wine tumblers, Bach nor Biggie.

“I’ve made a lot of new friends in the industry,” Jay says. “I’ve even traveled overseas to take a course on milling oats from start to finish.”

Although Schumitsch Seed doesn’t currently do any farming, it is engrained in its history. Joe Schumitsch moved to the outskirts of Antigo in the 1940’s, at Schumitsch Seed’s current location, where he built and maintained a simple dairy operation.

Navi, Yarraville: Smoked blue mackerel Nick Buckley, assistant Melbourne editor Julian Hills takes pride in every aspect of his fine diner Navi, from making his own plates to personally foraging ingredients on the Mornington Peninsula. Respect for these native elements is placed above all else in Hills’s technique-heavy dishes. The best example of this sees smoked blue mackerel marinated in honey and soy. The fish is then sealed in beeswax and aged for a week, allowing subtle umami qualities to develop. Salty beach greens give contrast to a sweet, roasted fishbone and toasted tea-tree dashi that’s poured over nori tapioca crisps that pop and crackle. Pure magic.

“I’ve talked to guys who have been in crop sciences for decades focusing on oats. They’ve met with Lucia and have had great discussions with her. They’re always impressed by her wide array of knowledge and are excited about the talent and value she is going to bring to the Wisconsin farmer,” Scott relates.

The best restaurant I visited in 2018 was Protégé in Palo Alto, California — New American upscale dining in a casual setting from French Laundry vets. My favorite dish there was the poached hen egg, braised bacon, smoked olive oil, porcini pastry “cage” topped with some freshly shaved black truffle.

You can eat sunflower seeds raw or buy dry roasted seeds with or without the shell. They also come in flavored varieties. Unsalted, raw kernels are the least processed versions of the seeds, says Yeung, but pick a seed that you’ll enjoy so that you’ll actually eat them. Eat them on their own or sprinkle them on oatmeal, yogurt, soups and salads, says Yeung.

Hybrid sunflower seed can be made by slowly, meticulously and expensively emasculating individual flowers to create females, which are then pollinated by hand. Alternatively, mutant sunflowers, incapable of producing fertile pollen, are used as female parents in hybrid crosses.

As the year winds down, let’s not reflect on the pounds we gained during the past 12 months. Instead, let’s recognize the restaurants that opened in 2018.

The meatiest dish on the menu, ironically, might be the black bean soup ($13). The broth, spiked with black garlic and serrano chiles, is a full-flavored one, to be sure. But it’s plied with enough tender braised belly and silky lamb fat that it carries more pure, intense, meaty flavor than any rack of lamb I’ve had this year. The soup looks skinny, but it packs a heavyweight punch.

Stir in the chestnuts and lentils. Simmer for 10 mins. Keep an eye on the liquid level and top up with a little extra water if needed. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic and gently fry until golden brown: take care as they can catch and burn quickly. Scoop them onto a plate.