Table of contents for Outdoor Living 2024 in Sunset

A cozy houseboat on a placid bay, a shaded ranch house with a pool surrounded with lush native plantings, a charming farmstand next to an orchard with pick-your-own fruit, a utopian seaside community perched between cliffs above the roiling Pacific and towering redwoods, coastal hotels where you can learn to surf by day and sip cocktails by the firepit at night, a Sichuan-spiced grilled feast for a weekend party. These are the summer dreams that are a reality in the West, and just some of the stories we’ve gathered in this issue dedicated to the pleasures of outdoor living. If you haven’t maximized your summer yet, consider this your guide to doing it right. Now is the time to light that grill midweek for a smoke-tinged meal, take an evening…

This chilled corn soup from Jennifer Milsap of Sacramento-based Shef Madres is the essence of late summer cooking. It’s all about taking the greatest care with the sweetest peak-season corn. SERVES 6 6 large ears of sweet corn1 bunch thyme, rinsedOlive oil or canola blend for cookingSalt to tasteChile oil for garnishPopcorn shoots for garnish 1. Slice the corn off of the cob and save the cobs. Place the cobs in a large stock pot and cover with 4 quarts water, or more, if needed. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for up to 4 hours, for stronger corn flavor, adding water as necessary, to equal 4 quarts. This is going to create a “corn stock.” 2. While the stock is simmering, heat a large sauté pan on medium…

CLAX CART A brilliant utilitarian multi-purpose cart that is simple to collapse and expand with just one hand. Especially perfect for those who like to shop with a cooler or crate, which stack easily on multitiered flats. claxcart-usa.com $270 RUX 70L TOTE The coolest multi-use tote we’ve seen. This fully collapsible and modular organizing system stores flat and can be customized with a number of accessories. From market to mountain, it can handle delicately ripe fruit and heavyweight gear alike. rux.life $298 BUSINESS AND PLEASURE TOTE Maybe the most stylish cooler tote, this retro ric-rac number will be going with us on all errands and afternoon pool excursions while keeping everything from market hauls, beverages, and snacks cool. businessandpleasureco.com $109 COTOPAXI HIELO 24L COOLER BACKPACK The most comfortable and colorful…

It’s a misty Saturday afternoon on the Northern California coast, and a man stands on a bluff peering through the viewfinder of a large format camera on a wooden tripod, head draped with black cloth, lens trained on the rocky cliffs and the waves colliding with them as they have for millenia. This particularly photogenic outcropping of the far Western edge of the continent is at Sea Ranch, the groundbreaking residential experiment built in the mid-sixties that set the high bar for mindful land development. He’s been there for hours as the century-plus old camera technology requires, documenting the ancient process of the push and pull of the waves, as if nobody has ever done such a thing, despite the dozen people up the hill shooting the exact same view with…

WAX ON YEW! is a maker of high-performing sustainable surf wax that’ll keep both you and the environment stoked. It’s made of beeswax instead of the petro-chemicals often found in deck grip, and they make a version for soft tops, which do indeed need to be waxed. RASH DECISIONS Carlsbad-based prAna launched its splashy Baja Bound line of rash guards featuring fun retro colorways and an Ultraviolet Protection Factor rating of 50, giving great protection from the harsh sun reflecting off the water. SLIP, SLOP, SLAP Sun protection is key year-round, especially on the water. And it’s ultra important to make sure to use reef-safe mineral sunscreen, protecting the ocean that we revel in. B.C-based FORAH makes excellent everyday SPF, as well as cleansing oil and serum that rehydrate the…

This month: Boise, ID The insider: Keith Moreno, Head Chef, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. STAY A place that I love to stay in Boise for my staycations is Boise Heritage House, my local secret. It’s a beautiful house that’s over 100 years old, and used to be owned by Senator Frank Church. The Modern Hotel is the second place that I recommend. The Avery is super central and has a restaurant helmed by a Michelin-starred chef. EAT 10 Barrel Brewing Co. for sure. When it comes to downtown for food, beer, and cocktails with swagger, we are the spot. Next, I love my neighborhood food truck, El Chavo Taqueria. And I can’t forget Tarbush Kitchen for Middle Eastern food like falafel, Egyptian beans, and kebab. They are so good. DRINK…

Of all the creative ice cream brands to hit the scene in the past decade, Wanderlust might be the most globally wide-ranging when it comes to flavors. Serving inventive varieties like Abuelita Malted Crunch, Sticky Rice & Mango, Palo Santo Mint Chip, and kalamansi mignonette sorbet (a nod to co-founder Adrienne Borlongan’s Filipino heritage), the L.A.-based brand is a sweet celebration of the immigrant culinary traditions that make up the West. For home cooks wanting to recreate these deliciously diverse flavors at home, Borlongan’s new book Wanderlust Creamery Presents: The World of Ice Cream (Abrams; $29.99) is a foundational guide packed with technique and sourcing intel, dozens of inspiring custards, sorbets, and ideas for infusing flavors into your creations. It’s a true masterclass in the art of frozen dessert artistry.…

The Western home has always been at the forefront of energy efficiency, from the thick insulating walls of Southwestern adobes to the cooling shaded patios of California ranch houses. Today, in the evolving world of home energy management, the shift from analog to digital is radically transforming how we power our homes, with the all-electric house as the biggest paradigm shift we’ve ever seen. Homes equipped with solar power, tankless water heaters, heat pumps, automated smart home systems, and electric car chargers have set a high bar for affordability, sustainability, and ease. At the forefront of this revolution is Schneider Electric, which already helps manage the electricity in 40 percent of homes in the U.S. under their brand, Square D. For homeowners looking to join this revolution, the company’s Schneider…

WHERE TO STAY: Holbrooke Hotel or The National Exchange Hotel, both renovated Victorian properties, in Grass Valley. For larger groups, families, or a longer stay, there’s Stone’s Throw Cottage or Skog-Dom available via Airbnb. WHERE TO EAT: Streicher’s Auburn favorites include Restaurant Josephine for farm-to-table French, Pizzeria Luba (“the best pizza I’ve ever had”), and the Wings Grill and Espresso Bar at the local municipal airport. WHERE TO DRINK: Sample dry hard cider at the Ponderosa Cider Co. tasting room, or craft brews at Knee Deep, Moonraker, or Crooked Lane. Stop for coffee at The Pour Choice. WHAT TO DO: The Pennyweight hiking trail to the American River is short, sweet, and scenic. Streicher grew up swimming and fishing at the South Yuba River State Park, known for its historic bridges…

Lana Williams, owner of Oakland, California-based plant shop and design company The Tender Gardener, is known for her gorgeous step-by-step plant recipes for creating lush outdoor planters. In Lana’s latest book release, The Container Garden Recipe Book, she’s revealing fabulous floral and frond combos that will have you making plant and pot pairings like a pro. Here she shares a few seasonally appropriate tips on the types of statement plants and containers to use as we transition from late summer into fall. 1 KNOW YOUR NUMBER Lana goes by a loose rule of sticking with odd numbers when selecting plant combinations. To start, try to mix three different plants in one container, each with a contrasting color and texture. When building a larger container that fits six plants, try using…

When my business partner Stephanie Hjelmeseth and I began dreaming up Suá Superette, we immediately gravitated towards fast and flavorful foods for our busy schedules. We eventually landed on what you may know as Suá Superette today, a grab-and-go concept in L.A.’s Larchmont Village, with organic, healthy, and flavorful bites—what I describe as a Pret a Manger meets premium Sichuan flavors. Without a doubt, summer is one of our favorite seasons at Suá Superette. It’s a time to showcase the bounty of California’s seasonal produce, highlight the smoky and intense flavors from the grill, and picnic outside with all our friends. In that spirit, the culinary team at Suá has created a medley of dishes perfect for those hot days out in the summer sun that you can easily make…

This month: El Segundo, CA The insider: Jackson Kalb, Chef, Jame STAY Being next to the airport, there is no shortage of great hotels. We stayed at the AC Hotel L.A. South Bay for a few days when it first opened. It’s wonderfully modern, clean, and sleek. It also has a lovely rooftop bar. Hotel June West L.A. is another Sunset favorite, with a groovy poolside vibe and a playful mid-century-meets-Baja California design. DRINK This is a shameless plug, but I have to put it out there. We opened John Thomas Bar as an extension of Jame last year. It took me over a year of R&D to nail down the drinks. It is phenomenal, timeless, and slightly seedy in the best way. All of our cocktails are named after…

When Blythe Friedmann made the decision to move out of her stately Edwardian home in San Francisco’s eclectic Mission neighborhood, she had only one serious criterion: It had to be the opposite of the house she’d lived in for 15 years. That meant no tall, walnut wainscoting, dimly lit rooms, or closets full of memories. The interior designer and art therapist was preparing for her life as a new mother. And she wanted the proximity of suburban living without any of its inherent blandness. “I got rid of almost everything except for art and a few beloved collectibles, and it felt so good.” “I was thinking and thinking, and then I just woke up one morning, and it was this intuitive knowing. I wanted to try to buy a houseboat,”…

Anyone who grew up road-tripping to Truckee from San Francisco, or exploring the hiking and cycling trails that cut through the rolling foothills outside of Sacramento, is likely to have memories of The Orchard at Apple Lane off Highway 80 in Auburn. It was pretty as a picture, if a bit neglected in recent years, and a beloved century-old relic from the small farming heyday of the region, with rows of apple, pear, fig, plum, and peach trees, an old farmhouse, three cottages, and a farmstand selling seasonal pies. “This property held a special place in my heart,” says Laura Carter who, along with her mother Sue Dossa, aunt Jan Morel, and sister-in-law Ashley Streicher, owns and operates the 27-acre property and its now thriving farmstand. “My brother Clay and…

PLANT It might feel too early, but it’s time to jump-start planting for the cooler seasons ahead. Begin direct sowing transplant-sensitive plants, such as onions and leeks, while starting brassicas in individual cell trays. Try heat-tolerant varieties like Chinese garlic chives and Autumn Star Kalettes, which need the warm days for germination but won’t bolt on you before fall. It’s bulb-buying season. This year, try Western natives, such as Mariposa lily and wild hyacinth, to add some localized interest to flower beds. Interested in growing saffron? Order Crocus Sativus corms now for early fall planting, as they tend to sell out quickly. HARVEST The garden is at an all-time abundance and needs a consistent comb-through for plants and flowers to continue producing. Pay special attention to runner beans, herbs, tomatoes,…

SEASONS: All LIGHT: Full sun to partial sun WATER: Low PLANTS One 6-inch (15 cm) old man cactus (Cephalocereus senilis)One 3-inch (8 cm) panda plant (Kalanchoe tomentosa)Two 3-inch (8 cm) variegated lavender scallops (Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi ‘Variegata’)One 4-inch (10 cm) “Blue Pearl” sedum (Hylotelephium) CONTAINER & MATERIALS 12-inch (30 cm) hand-built ceramic glazed bowlSucculent and cactus potting mix 1. Wear leather gloves for this recipe, as you’ll be dealing with a cactus. Fill the container three-quarters of the way with potting mix and place the old man cactus at the back left. Add more soil to hold the cactus in place. 2. Place the panda plant at the front right edge of the container. 3. Place one of the lavender scallops at the front left ledge and the other behind the…

When I was a kid growing up in the ’70s, I hated my parents for ruining every sandwich with alfalfa sprouts, trying to convince me carob was as good as chocolate, and passing off falafel as meat. In the intervening, years I changed my tune and now thank them for introducing me to a plant-forward way of eating free of processed foods that endures to this day (though I still abhor alfalfa sprouts and am known to indulge in a well-marbled ribeye now and again). Jess Damuck was schooled in similarly crunchy, hippie ways and then some, working a juice bar in Shelter Island, eating macrobiotic at progressive schools, eventually attending the French Culinary Institute, and serving the high priestess of local and organic cooking Martha Stewart for nearly a decade…

Cruising on my longboard, I gaze up at the iconic red turrets of the Hotel del Coronado as gulls glide overhead. There was a pep in my pop-up, as it’d been a few months since I’d been out, and all it took was a couple rides to get back in the groove. Stoked and smiling at the end of a long ride, I dismount, and suddenly excruciating pain zings up my heel, like stepping on a giant nail. “It’s fine, let’s keep going,” I tell my instructor Tomo, not wanting to relinquish my session to a stingray. “Nah, we need to get you into some hot water, stat,” he says. If the human version of the stoked sea turtle in Finding Nemo says it’s time to go in, you go in.…

This month: Tokeland, WA The insider: Kelsey Bumsted, Photographer STAY Tokeland Hotel is great for beach walks, reading, hot-tubbing, and board games. It also has a sweet farm animal area where you can pet goats, pigs, and chickens. It’s both dog- and kid-friendly, with a fire pit for roasting s’mores! And LOGE Westport serves as a convenient basecamp for the world-class waves and offers rentals of all the gear you’d need, including wetsuits, boards, kayaks, and bikes. At the end of the day, you can grill your catch on the camp’s communal Traegers. If you’re into the #vanlife, Peace Vans is a Seattle-based rental service that is a wonderful way to explore. EAT The Wandering Goose at the Tokeland Hotel serves three square farm-to-table meals a day, all made using the…