September 2023

1 September’s sustainable picks include functional athletic wear, a farmer’s market in a box, and plant- based cheeses that don't suck Trending Local Stokes

Get SWCHBAK, Save Lives While having fun in the sun is a San Diego staple, protection from harmful rays is a top priority. Enter SWCHBAK , a female-owned, SD-based company offering an array of functional athletic apparel and accessories made from sustainable materials in prints designed by artists from around the country. The brand’s line of gaiters (a neck and face scarf) are UPF 50, with a percentage of sales going to local nonprofit Stage Free Melanoma. swchbak.com

BY JENNIFER IANNI AND SAMANTHA LACY

Grate Things Whether it’s shredded, sliced, shaved, or melted, cheese is the essential star ingredient or finishing touch on many a meal. But for some folks, delicious dairy tops their dietary no-fly list because of the havoc it wreaks on their system (or on the planet). And let’s be honest: Most plant-based cheeses just don’t taste the same. Enter chef Anthony Howe of Scratch House , who has set out to prove that plant-based cheeses can be as satisfying as their cream-based counterparts. During Howe’s tenure at SD vegan spot Donna Jean (see our vegan roundup on page 56), he saw the Swiss cheese–like holes in the vegan cheese market and decided to reinvent the standard. Today, he produces dairy-free dill havarti, fermented Fresno jack, smoked gouda, parmesan, and baby goat cheese made from cashews, refined coconut oil, water, rice flour, tapioca starch, and more. Whichever way you slice it, Scratch House has proved that good queso doesn’t have to come from a cow. scratchhousevegan.com

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A Fruitful Bounty Do you like being awash (nay, drowning) in quality produce? Do you like when it’s affordable and local? Do you like it delivered to your door at no additional cost? So do we. That’s why we dig Yasukochi Family Farms . Based in Oceanside, the family operation grows a broad diversity of flavorful, seasonal vegetables, and supplements their CSA box with picks from other local producers. You can opt for a subscription-based jumbo or regular-sized box, or just order on the weeks you need it (there’s no price difference). There are also plentiful add-ons like eggs, extra fruit, and live basil plants. For many of us here at SDM , it’s basically made shopping for produce at the grocery store obsolete. yasukochifamilyfarms.com

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18 SEPTEMBER 2023

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