In this second part of our conversation with Greg Schechter of Schechter Natural History, we talk about his excellent field guide app, his youtube channel, and cook up a delicious Middle Eastern egg dish.

Recipe – “Shakshuka” 

Ingredients – 

·         6-8 roma tomatoes 

·         18-20 cloves garlic

·         One yellow onion

·         Red Pepper flakes

·         1 Red Bell pepper (optional)

·         6 eggs

·         Smallest can of tomato paste (4-6oz)

·         Oregano

·         EVOO

·         Parmesan or any other harder, grateable cheese.

·         Parsley, Cilantro or Chives for garnish

·         Salt and pepper

·         Foil

·         Hand grater or microplane

Optional sides/additions –

·         Grilled bread from our Avocado Toast recipe

·         Corn tortillas

·         Grilled steak from our first recipe

Chop tomatoes and onion. Slice garlic cloves into thin slices. Cut the bell pepper in a small dice if using.
 Heat olive oil until shimmering in cast iron skillet on a medium heat part of the fire. 
 Add onions, garlic, chili flakes and bell pepper if using.
 Sweat out till onions just start to caramelize and garlic goes golden brown. Add the can of tomato paste and stir in. Add another drizzle of olive oil, add a pinch of oregano and toss. Add chopped tomatoes with a few spoons of water and a generous pinch of salt. Toss to combine everything, and start cooking it down, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes break down and puree and take on a sauce like consistency.

Make 6 little “wells”, or depressions, in the tomatoes, and crack eggs into them. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat and cover with aluminum foil. Tuck the foil around the pan to make a seal. 
 Return to the fire over a cooler part of the fire, and let cook 10-15 minutes, till egg whites are set, and yolks are at your desired consistency. 

Remove from heat, and grate the cheese over the whole thing, letting it start to soften and melt. 

Serve directly from the pan, eating with toast, tortillas or on its own.

Schechter natural history on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SchechterNaturalHistory
Field apps: https://schechterguides.com/
@schechterguides on instagram

Today we welcome another guest to the podcast! This friend of ours has been on a whole array of adventures with us, all over Southern California. We’re going to talk to him about some of those adventures, some adventures of his own, and his work with his field guide app and YouTube channel. 
 It’s going to be a good time, so let’s get into it!

We had way too much fun talking to Greg Schechter to keep it to one episode, so we're splitting it in to two parts!

This part will focus on our discussion about herping, as well as the trips we've taken, both together and solo!

Keep an eye out for Part 2, which will feature our recipe (a wonderful Mediterranean egg dish) , a great breakdown of some craft beers, and pairing them with food, as well as some in depth behind-the-scenes of Greg's work with his Field Guide app and his YouTube channel! 
Subscribe now, and until next time, Hop in the car, let's go!

Today we’re broadening our focus from any one particular trip or place, and taking a look at the region we do most of our herping and exploring in; Southern California.
 We’re going to take a look at the incredibly diverse habitats that make up SoCal, some of the coolest herps we have to offer, the beautiful, vast nature to explore, and of course, we’re going to feature just about the most typically Millennial, California recipe we could come up with. 

When we started talking about doing this episode, we actually scrapped the idea a few times before resurrecting it. The thought of trying to tackle something as monumental as “Herping Southern California” was daunting. So, we’re going to barely scratch the surface. We could start a whole new podcast, and dedicate every episode to the subject, and 2-300 episodes later, we still wouldn’t be finished talking about herping in Socal, so we’re not going to even TRY to be comprehensive. This episode is just a couple of Socal natives, talking about what we love to do best. If we overlook, forget, ignore, or otherwise miss something, don’t worry, we’ll get to it in an episode soon.

One of the coolest things about southern California, is you can herp year-round. There is never a month where you can’t hit the field and find cool shit. Change up your targets, your methods, and your destinations, and you’re all set. In fact, this year I’m trying to document snakes every month of the year. I started on January 26th with a small little Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, and quickly followed up with a baby speckled rattlesnake in the beginning of February. Every month since has been crammed full of some awesome herping, all over the southern half of the state. I’ve been in 10 counties, in mountains, deserts, coastal valleys, and everything in between. And none of it more than an hour or two from home. That’s what’s so damn cool about SoCal.

Smashed avocado on grilled sourdough

•  Four avocados, ripe.
•  One lemon
•  Extra Virgin Olive oil (EVOO)
•  Salt
•  Pepper
•  Fennel pollen (optional)
•  Sourdough loaf – rustic, country, fresh baked, etc
  Toppings – optional
•  Cherry tomatoes – halved
•  Arugula
•  Fried eggs
•  Smoked salmon
•  Pomegranate and sunflower seeds
•  Anything else you want!

Slice bread into thick, half/one inch slices. Drizzle with evoo. Set aside.
Slice open avocados, cut into large chunks and add to bowl.
Zest whole lemon, and squeeze half a lemon over it.
Add 4 TBSP evoo, more to taste at the end.
Large, generous pinch of salt and pepper. Fennel pollen if using.
Mix with large spoon, it's much slower but gets better results by emulsifying the mixture, until at desired consistency. I usually prefer chunky, but however you like it.
Grill bread, 30-45 seconds each side at a time to avoid charring, on grill grate set over open flames. Grill till you get to your desired level of toastiness.
Spread avocado mixture over the bread, generously, about a quarter/half inch thick.
Top with desired toppings, a drizzle of evoo, salt if needed.

Enjoy!