Weekend Along the Farm Trails sponsored by Sonoma County Farm Trails
Over 40 Farms Open the Barn Doors
2009, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sonoma County, CA –

On Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, dozens of local farmers and artisan producers throughout Sonoma County from Healdsburg to Petaluma will open their doors to tell the behind-the-scenes story of local food during Weekend Along the Farm Trails sponsored by Sonoma County Farm Trails.

Join local farmers for a weekend of tours, artisan foods, hands-on activities, cooking, pick-your-own, agricultural demonstrations, music and harvest. From hay rides to cheese-making, Weekend Along the Farm Trails offers a chance to experience Sonoma County's agricultural heritage. Participants of all ages will learn how and where their food is grown, and meet the farmers and artisans who produce it.

Admission is free to most farms: all you need is transportation, a map and a sense of adventure. The gates and barns of your local farms are wide open on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. along the Sonoma County Farm Trails.

Free tour information and map available on www.farmtrails.org or visit Farm Trails FACEBOOK page for tales from the farms. Call Sonoma County Farm Trails for more information at (707) 837-8896.

Sonoma County Farm Trails is a non-profit organization formed in 1973 to promote buying fresh food directly from farms. Over 100 local farms and agricultural businesses comprise its membership

What is everyone planting this year? And how?

We are going to try zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, and lettuce. We are doing it all in pots on the patio.

You?

On Friday, March 20th, 2009, 23 third graders will join First Lady Michelle Obama on the South Lawn of the White House to break ground on an 1100 square foot kitchen garden that will provide food for family dinners and formal dinners. 

According to the New York Times:

The Obamas’ garden will have 55 varieties of vegetables grown from organic seedlings started at the executive mansion’s greenhouses.

And better still:

 Almost the entire Obama family, including the president, will pull weeds, “whether they like it or not,” Mrs. Obama said laughing.

For more information go to

http://kitchengardeners.org/

CAn you imagine?? Could it get ANY better?!

 http://www.thewhofarm.org/

I just found out about  Solar Living Institute through a friend who visited there last week and said it was a great place to visit for those who are interested in alternative energy sources.

They have a sun powered carousel, electricity generating bikes, and solar panels that save 1600 tons of carbon emissions every year. 

Its in Hopland which I think is about 50 miles north of Santa Rosa.

I encourage you to check out their  website and maybe sometime we can take a "field trip" up there. 

This afternoon, I have been listening to an interview on NPR's "Speaking of Faith" with Barbara Kingsolver regarding her family's year of eating only locally and seasonally. A year she writes about in her book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" which I think I have mentioned a few times on this blog. Such a fantastic book!!! I would encourage anyone looking for a good summer read to pick it up.

Anyway, this is an interview that will give you a taste of what her book is about.

Some of the questions explored are:

-How did we (the U.S.) get to the place we are now where eating locally and seasonally is considered "elite"? 

-What are the hidden costs of  eating cheap food from the grocery store and  fast food? Why don't those costs turn up in our grocery bills?

-What has the effect of the U.S. Farm Bill been on our health and the environment? 

-How can eating locally reinforce the idea of gratitude?

 I came across this quote today and really liked it. Luther Burbank as most of you Santa Rosans know came to Santa Rosa in his 20's and is famous here and around the country / world for developing more than 800 varieties of plants and flowers. Most famously among his creations are the Shasta Daisy and the Russett Burbank potato (which is the most widely cultivated potato in the U.S.) McDonald's uses the Russett Burbank potato for their french fries......that has got to be A LOT of potatoes. 

Anyway, I wanted to share this poignant quote that I found today as well as let any of you local Santa Rosans know that if you haven't been to Luther Burbank gardens in a while (or ever), its a beautiful, peaceful place to go and see beautiful gardens and learn more about Burbank who was a pretty fascinating person and true environmentalist.

 
"Every child should have mudpies, grasshoppers, waterbugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, animals to pet, hay fields, pinecones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets - and any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of his education." 

- Luther Burbank

Read this article in the paper recently, I'm glad there seems to be an increasing interest in educating children as to where their food comes from. This article is about curriculum teaching kids about farmers market and food.

Along the lines of food education and community building,  the Sacramento News and Review recently  ran a great cover story on Soil Born farms and local urban farms. Fantastic article you can read here.

I have started my own 'urban garden'  too. Very small, container gardening, but tomatoes, basil, sage nonetheless! Instead of not doing a garden this year due to excuses of start up costs and land prep (our Sac soil is like hard clay), I just decided to fill some 5-gallon black planters I had with a couple plants and place in the sunniest spot I could find....which was our front side yard. Viola! Instant urban garden!

Any of you have urban gardens this year? 

Upon Jen A.'s recommendation, the kids and I went to:

PACIFIC STAR GARDENS

20872 County Road 99, Woodland 95773

Telephone: (530) 666-7308

Hours: Apr-Oct

Farm stand and U-pick operation selling apricots, strawberries, melons, mixed vegetables, lettuce, tomatoes, pumpkins, transplants, flowers and more! Field trips and farm tours also available.

while visiting family in that area. The entire farm is organic and the kids and I had a so much fun picking strawberries, apricots, leeks, garlic, and onions. Not only were the prices right but we got to talk to the farmer, learn a little history of the farm, and Noah got to ride on his tractor. You can't do that in a grocery store and you can't get organic produce for $2 a pound either.

I highly recommend taking time to visit farms this summer and fall  when there is so much to eat and see. It's also a great educational experience for kids who otherwise  might think that our food comes FROM the grocery store. 

For a list of farms in Somona County including their location, hours you can visit and what the grow, please visit farmtrails.org

If you live in the Sacramento/Woodland area, you can find more information here 

 If you live in a different area and have information on farms in your area please let us know.

It's that time of year to get seed starters going and think about planning a garden for any of you who are gardeners or just want to try it out.  I know many people don't have a lot of space in their backyard for a garden. However, gardens don't have to be big. Herbs can be grown in a window box in the kitchen or in pots on the porch. In fact, it's amazing what one tomato plant will produce in a season. 

For those of you interested in buying some good quality organic seeds, there are two websites I recommend:

Seeds of Change

Seed Savers Exchange

Here is an excerpt from the Seeds of Change website.....

Seeds of Change was born in 1989 with a revolutionary mission: To make organically grown seeds available to gardeners and farmers, while preserving countless heirloom seed varieties in danger of being lost to the "advances" of modern industrial agriculture.

and from Seed Savers website...

Seed Savers Exchange is a nonprofit organization that saves and shares the heirloom seeds of our garden heritage, forming a living legacy that can be passed down through generations. When people grow and save seeds, they join an ancient tradition as stewards, nurturing our diverse, fragile, genetic and cultural heritage.

Our organization is saving the world’s diverse, but endangered, garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, while educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity. Few gardeners comprehend the true scope of their garden heritage or how much is in immediate danger of being lost forever.

Gardening is a great way to have organic produce without paying much for it at all. It's also a great learning opportunity for you and your kids and is a fun way to teach children about nature, plant life, seasons, etc... 

The following is from TLC Community Garden website:

The primary goals for a community garden at Thanksgiving Lutheran Church are to help meet the need for fresh, local affordable produce and build community on the west side of Santa Rosa.

When the garden is fully developed, there will be up to 30 plots (15'x15').  Plots are currently available - reserve yours now!

Now that Cameron and I have both read Barbara Kingsolver's latest book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle", we are excited to really put some thought into next years garden. Usually we have just thrown things in at the last minute (late spring) and end up with your standard tomatoes, herbs and a few heads of lettuce.....We are going to try and do something a little more elaborate next year that will hopefully help us cut down on the amount of food we have to buy that may not be local or organic. Right now we are looking at which winter cover crops will be most beneficial. Cover crops are grown primarily to prevent soil erosion by wind and water,as well as suppress weeds and reduce insect pests and diseases. We also thinking about using heirloom seeds as we learned through reading Kingsolvers book how many species of animals and plants have gone or are going extinct due to plant genetic erosion. Seed Savers Exchange is a great website to buy heirloom seeds as well as learn more about genetic erosion and why we should be concerned.