Celebrating 50 years of supporting local agriculture |
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March Along the Farm Trails |
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After a long, rainy winter, Spring is on the way in Sonoma County (we promise!). It will be a beautiful time to get out and about and enjoy all that local agriculture has to offer! Enjoy this month's newsletter, and also visit our website, FarmTrails.org, for a searchable map of our members, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Happy Spring!
Above: Eggs for sale at Farm Trails member the Farm Barn in Petaluma
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Blossoms, Bees & Barnyard Babies:
Register for Our Spring Tour May 6 & 7!
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Choose your own agrarian adventure from dozens of farms and producers to discover where your food, fiber, and flowers come from. Registration is free and easy, but required to receive the online tour directory and interactive map. Note that some destinations may only be open one day, have special hours, require RSVP, or charge a fee. Full details of the destinations will be provided via email in early April. |
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St. Patrick's Day Delights |
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St. Patrick’s Day is fast approaching but you can find everything for your holiday meal along the Farm Trails! Don't forget to shop for carrots, potatoes, and cabbage from your neighborhood farm stand or farmers’ market. The luck of the Irish is with us for having such delicious food grown and made so close to home!
Bud's Custom Meat Co.: Every year, Bud's sell out of their famous corned beef brisket. They are currently taking pre-orders in store and over the phone. 7750 Petaluma Hill Road, Penngrove, 707-795-8402
LaLa's Jam Bar & Urban Farmstand: On special for St. Patrick's Day is Irish marmalade. Following the owner's grandmother's recipe, it is made with pesticide-free oranges and Petaluma lemons. Order online or shop directly from the store. 720 E. Washington St., Petaluma.
Nightingale Breads: It wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day without Nightingale's delicious fresh-baked Irish Soda Bread! For the full menu and to order, click here. 6665 Front St., Forestville.
Panizzera Meat Co.: This West County butcher shop that specializes in local pastured meats has house-cured corned beef ready for St. Patrick's Day! Call (707) 874-9770 to pre-order yours before they are gone! Pick up from their two retail locations: 3905 Main St., Occidental; and the kiosk at Andy's Produce, 1691 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol.
Stemple Creek Ranch: Stemple Creek's premium grass-fed corned beef brisket is always a sell-out customer favorite each year. Tender and flavorful, corned beef reaches perfection when cooked "low and slow." Order online. Shipping available to all states in the U.S.
Victorian Farmstead Meat: Vic Farm offers 100% grass-fed and -finished uncured corned beef at a great price! All roasts are made from the brisket and weigh 1.5 to 3.5 pounds. Order online for pickup or delivery, or visit the shop at Community Market at the Barlow, 6762 Sebastopol Ave. #100, Sebastopol.
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Spring & Summer Fruit Tree Care Series at Hidden Forest Nursery: Sharpen your pruning shears and grafting knives! Hidden Forest Nursery is hosting an exciting workshop series on spring and summer fruit tree care with horticulturalist John Valenzuela. Pruning on March 14, grafting on April 11, summer budding on May 9, and summer pruning & fruit thinning on June 13. Only $25/workshop; space is limited! Learn more and register online. 3970 Azalea Lane, Sebastopol.
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Forni Farm & Nursery Opens for the Season on March 30: Forni Farm & Nursery reopens Thursday, March 30. Spring offerings include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, basil, eggplant, melons, summer squash, lettuces, culinary herbs, California natives, and more! All starts are seeded and grown at the nursery. You can find a list of the seasonal plant start offerings by clicking here. Spring hours: Thursdays through Sundays, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. 4000 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa.
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Eggs and More at the Farm Barn: There's no egg shortage at the Farm Barn! In addition to her current flock of pastured chickens, Farmer Debra welcomed new hens recently. She reports that they are producing more and more eggs every day. The eggs start off small and eventually become average size as the hen matures. So right now you can find many pee-wee eggs and buy them by the flat for a good deal. The size is perfect for kids! You can also find jams, honey, and more farm-fresh treats at the farm stand. Open daily 8:30 am to dusk, pay by honor system. 2910 Pepper Road, Petaluma.
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Fiber Arts in The School Garden Workshop on April 27: The School Garden Network invites you to this incredible learning opportunity, on Thursday, April 27, 9 am to 3 pm. This workshop is designed to highlight the wonderful work of our local Fibershed, amplify the work of its local fiber producers and makers, and connect garden educators and classroom teachers with lessons and plants that will support fiber art projects in their school gardens. The workshop will include hands-on activities, dye plant giveaways, lunch and more. For more info and to register, click here. Held at the Fibershed Learning Center, 14000 Point Reyes - Petaluma Road, Point Reyes Station.
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Order Chicks and Hatching Eggs from Alchemist Farm: Alchemist Farm & Garden is a humane chicken hatchery located in Sebastopol specializing in beautiful chickens that lay fun and unique egg colors to add depth to your daily egg collecting baskets. They offer sales of chicks and fertile hatching eggs, as well as online classes on chicken and quail keeping. Their season for hatching baby chicks runs from February through October each year and they have chicks available for pickup by appointment as well as shipping nationwide. For more info and to order, click here. (And read this recent article in the Press Democrat to find out more about Alchemist Farm!)
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New Olive Oils, Wines, and Non-Alcoholic Alternative from McEvoy Ranch: McEvoy Ranch launched their 2022 harvest olive oils on March 1. This new release includes McEvoy Ranch classics such as Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as well as a few new additions including their first-ever Extra Virgin Cooking Olive Oil! The Spring release also includes three new beverages! The 2021 Blue Sky Chardonnay and 2021 Red Piano Syrah are joined by McEvoy's first-ever non-alcoholic alternative, the 2022 Poplar Lane White Grape Juice. All new products will be available online and at Ranch Tasting Room Store, 5935 Red Hill Road, Petaluma.
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Spring & Summer Camps Along the Farm Trails |
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Sonoma Garden Park Spring Camp: Registration is now open for Sonoma Garden Park's Spring Garden and Woodland Science Camp, March 13-17 or April 10-14 (Monday-Friday, 9 am-3 pm). Together, ages 7-11 will grow as junior naturalists and agriculturists and play games, plant crops, draw and journal nature observations, conduct experiments, and craft artwork and culinary concoctions. Click here for more info and to register. 19996 7th St E, Sonoma.
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Forni Farm Garden Camp: Forni Farm Garden Camp returns for ages 7–12 years; June 12–16 or June 19-23, $375/child. Kids will learn a variety of skills including harvesting seeds, composting, seeding plants to grow at home, studying soil and insects, cooking from the garden, nature art, outdoor play, and more. And new this year: Day on the Farm, July 17, 19 or 21, Ages 7-12, $85/Child; and Little Ones on the Farm, July 18 or 20. Ages 2-5 plus Parent, $40/Child. For questions or to register, send an email. 4000 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa.
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School Garden Network Summer Garden Camp: The School Garden Network hopes you will join us for another summer of fun in the sun! Garden Camp registration is now open for children 7-17 years old. Our #1 priority is to provide a safe and inclusive space for children to be outdoors and immersed in the delights of a working school garden. Each week offers different themes and is full of creative, hands-on activities that will nurture a life-long appreciation of nature, build healthy habits, and create lasting friendships! Register online. Scholarships available. Camp held at Salmon Creek School Garden, 1935 Bohemian Highway, Occidental.
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Laguna de Santa Rosa Camp Tule: Registration is open so now is the time to get the special kids in your life signed up for a week of nature explorations, nature crafts, nature games and making more nature friends. Chris-Elderberry, Carlos-Osprey and Julianne-Jackrabbit are already having fun planning exciting new ways to connect children to the environment of the Laguna de Santa Rosa. 4 sessions to choose from: June 26-30, July 10-14, July 17-21 & July 24-28, $325. Scholarships are available. Details and registration links are located on the Camp Tule webpage. 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa.
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Join us as we celebrate dedicated leaders in our agricultural and winemaker industries, foundations and philanthropists making a difference, biodiverse and regenerative food production, food justice, and workers' rights. The event will be a PBS/NPR Fundraiser to support our stations and the original programming we produce with its emphasis on the bounty of our area. A relaxed, indoor-outdoor floor plan will allow you to meet old friends and make new ones, too. You’ll mingle with our guests of honor and other food and wine lovers. We’ll be serving wines from leading local producers and offering an array of delicious foods.
Among the illustrious honorees will be the following Farm Trails members:
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Duskie Estes, Farm to Pantry / Black Piglet
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Kyle and Katina Connaughton, SingleThread Farm and Restaurant
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Susan and Lou Preston, Preston Farm & Winery
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Lynda Hopkins, Sonoma County Supervisor, past Executive Director & farmer-member
Get your tickets today before they sell out!
Early-bird pricing ends March 17!
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OUR MISSION
We connect the public to Sonoma County farmers and producers to ensure the economic viability of local ag and to instill an appreciation of ag as a vital part of our community.
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FARMS FOREVER!
Thank you for your support
of Sonoma County farms, ranches, producers, and purveyors in our collective mission of preserving
Farms Forever!
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FARM TRAILS STAFF
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Carmen Snyder, Executive Director & Gravenstein Apple Fair Producer
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Ellen Cavalli, Membership & Marketing Manager
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Pam Davis, Gravenstein Apple Fair Operations Manager
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Sophie Haag, Gravenstein Apple Fair Events Coordinator
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Lisa Rose, Photographer
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Christine Margetts, Bookkeeper
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Vince Trotter, President
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Lauren Bowne, Secretary
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Andrea Krout, Treasurer
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Karen Bianchi-Moreda, Director
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Alexandra Fox, Director
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Alan Siegle, Director
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We are grateful for the generous support of our major sponsors. |
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