Southern Sonoma Country Life

Top Pick for Valentine Gifting for the Foodies in Your Life — Straus Home Ranch Small-Batch Artisan Cheese Collections

Photo Credit: RoccoPhotography.com 

One thing I'm asked to recommend frequently these days is local, high quality, small batch food gift options for delivery in the area and elsewhere in California. I can't think of a collection that would be better received and just in time for Valentine treating of family, friends, clients as well as ourselves than a Straus Home Ranch Small-Batch Artisan Cheese Collection — an inaugural homage to Straus family and friends in the area.

This is the first release of a new collection by Cheese Trail creator Vivien Straus. While Vivien and her brother Michael are patiently awaiting (as we all are) a time when it's safe to ease COVID restrictions for reopening bookings for their family's iconic, historic Straus Home Ranch weddings, retreats, reunions and events, they've created this special collection concept as one delicious way of supporting both their own and a range of neighboring businesses.   

Vivien picks the best of the west for her collections. With her many years of experience in marketing for Cowgirl Creamery & Straus Family Creamery (a separate entity from Straus Home Ranch, headed by she and Michael's older brother Albert) and her intimate Cheese Trail connections, a box of Vivien's favorite cheeses, local chocolate, jams and linens will be well met by even the most discerning of foodies. 

Included in the first collection:  

• Bivalve Dairy's Foundry Fresh (from cows who graze at Straus Home Ranch) 
• Cowgirl Creamery's Heart’s Desire (made with Straus Family Creamery organic milk)
• Chocolate truffles by Mutari Chocolate
• Flour sack towel with cows hand-drawn by Ellen Straus (co-founder of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust)

Photo Credit: StrausHomeRanch

Orders: Pre-order by January 31^st, for delivery the week of February 8^th, by USPS 2-Day Priority Mail.

Price: $75, with free delivery.

Ships only within California.

Curated by: Vivien Straus, creator of The California Cheese Trail (www.CheeseTrail.org)

Where to buy:

• Exclusively at www.StrausHomeRanch.com
• Direct link to collection

Upcoming collections will feature cheeses and accoutrements from local, organic, artisan producers.

Photo Credit: www.StrausHomeRanch.com

Image credit: Graham Beer

 

New Year Greetings from Southern Sonoma Country Life — Welcome 2021

Partying like its 2021 is certainly going to be an extremely measured affair — though this is a New Year's that we're all so ready for.

I've had a little fun with a foray back through history for some vintage holiday photos to spark a festive note and one of hope for revisiting life-affirming good company and merriment in the years to come. 

May the old year roar out and the New Year roll gently in. Wishing you and yours a safe and peaceful, healthy and contemplative end to 2020 in the warmth and comfort of home. 

We've learned a lot about ourselves this year, what we miss, what we don't miss, what we absolutely can't wait to return to in our lives. Whatever it is you are looking forward to most, may it be yours by the time the next New Year barrels around. 

I'm most thankful for my loved ones and for laughter.

Friends and family have never been more dear to me. Even (and mostly) if it's on the other end of a screen.

I've been missing my holiday sparkle in the wardrobe department — though I try to make an effort to wear something nice each day! 

Home spun everything this year has been in vogue — from knitted hats to home brews, bitters, baked goods . . . and creative ways to maintain our hair-dos! 

Making time to reconnect has been awesome.

Keeping the bubble to less than a crowd is key, but has been very hard for the more socially inclined. Wearing masks is likely to be made mandatory in the U.S in 2021 and hopefully this practical implementation will encourage more people to get on board with the notion that we all have a major part to play in slowing the spread of the pandemic to a point where the most vulnerable are freed from constant fear and peril. 

Let's hear it for the kids. I hope they all get to go back to school soon. 

And our health care professionals and all of front line folk‚ especially all of the incredibly dedicated ICU staff as well as the many thousands of test administrators who've been standing out in the cold and rain — they are the heroes of our era.

Hanging on to a sense of humor and the knowledge that this too shall pass.

Good times will come again. 

Didn't learn a new language or write a book? Neither did I! Though I am working on a new book and hope to have a renewed focus in 2021.

"For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice." — T.S. Eliot. 

Photos via Pinterest. 

Southern Sonoma Country Life Rustic Christmas Greetings for 2020 Simple Celebrations at Home

Outside my home office window the street is empty of neighborhood walkers and vehicles at four in the afternoon on a December weekday so close to Christmas to be eerily devoid of holiday hustle and bustle if it weren't for the knowledge that folk are doing what they're supposed to and staying home.

Ordinarily I would be racing around from holiday event and party and last minute errands but this year, December 2020 is so utterly different for all of us — wherever we are in the world. 

I've shopped locally, walked most of my errands, filled the pantry from farm shops and favorite purveyors and I have to be honest with myself about not missing much of the department store/mall, big-city holiday lights outings I used to enjoy in season's past. 

Nightly news and updates from friends and family around the globe fills me with the fresh concerns we're all doing our best to process as we strive to stay safe and well while staying in touch. Ever the optimist, even I have to confess to the sorts of pandemic dreams that would make for a decent Netflix thriller. 

Christmas couldn't come at a better/worse time in so many ways, it's simply going to be a season for holding tight to all we are thankful for in our lives and for making the best of the holiday in however we see fit or are able to muster.

In sticking close to home I've collected lots of lovely photos this winter and in sharing a selection with you, I hope you enjoy this year's curation of literary quotes to suit this muted though still welcomed yuletide. 

And so, here, it is, Merry Christmas, as the song goes . . . Wishing you and yours a peaceful, quiet winter snuggle. Thank you to all the doctors and nurses, medical staff and each and every essential worker out there on the front line this Christmas and every day. 

“The fragrance of pine resin is frankincense poured out—a balm of stars and snow and moonlit nights” — John J Geddes..

“On a busy day twenty-two thousand people come to visit Santa, and I was told that it is an elf's lot to remain merry in the face of torment and adversity. I promised to keep that in mind.” — David Sedaris. 

“I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.” — Harlan Miller 

“The rooms were very still while the pages were softly turned and the winter sunshine crept in to touch the bright heads and serious faces with a Christmas greeting.” — Louisa May Alcott.

“Christmas doesn’t come from the store to sit under the tree;
It comes from the heart and is spread for free.” — Nadine Sedaka Boulos.

“I spend the morning in the local grocers, bringing in the Christmas provisions: Stilton, ham, Brussels sprouts, a capon of terrifying dimensions. Unfathomable quantities of potatoes. Red wine and white, a bottle of Marsala. Turkish delight and cherry liqueur chocolates. A bag of satsumas, some wrapped in blue and gold paper. Several pots of cream, just in case.” — Katherine May. 

“Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.” — Peg Bracken. 

“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ” — Washington Irving. 

“I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen, of meadow-flowers and butterflies in summers that have been; Of yellow leaves and gossamer in autumns that there were, with morning mist and silver sun and wind upon my hair.
I sit beside the fire and think of how the world will be when winter comes without a spring that I shall ever see.
For still there are so many things that I have never seen: in every wood in every spring there is a different green.
I sit beside the fire and think of people long ago, and people who will see a world that I shall never know.
But all the while I sit and think of times there were before, I listen for returning feet and voices at the door.
(Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, chpt 3)” — JRR Tolkien. 

“This was the time when Mother usually did her knitting. With ten children in the family, she didn't have time to knit more than one pair of mittens a year for each of them, so she gave the mittens to them at Christmas. The children never asked who the mittens were for, even though they watched each one grow. Some had stripes of bright color and some had little patterns, and of course some were big and some were small.” —Lee Kingman. 

“Like kids who only ever get socks for Christmas, but still believe with all their hearts in Santa.” — Barbara Kingsolver. 

“At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.” — Chris Van Allsburg. 

 

 

 

Southern Sonoma Country Life Holiday Gift Guide 2020

We must be more mindful than ever in support of our local small businesses over the holidays and throughout this winter season. At the time of posting this guide Sonoma County is not fully locked down. In any event, retail is limiting the number of shoppers in store at any one time. Do try to shop during the week and not only on busier weekend times. 

Most of these vendors offer online sales and deliveries and/or pickups. Be kind and patient when shopping — everything takes longer with all the hoops in place for keeping us all safe. A lot of the time it is the merchant him or herself who is the one dropping orders on your doorstep. Old fashioned service is why we love where we live. 

There will be more gift giving ideas to post closer to Christmas for last minute local shoppers. 

Flower Casita winter floral wreath, a gorgeous seasonal bouquet or perhaps an annual subscription floral delivery if you're feeling especially generous. 

Check out Sonoma Spice Queen's terrific gift boxes online and in-store at 407 C Street across from the Mail Depot. Sonoma Spice Queen is open every day until Christmas. My kitchen is full of Sonoma Spice Queen products, I just love them! 

Preferred Sonoma Caterers Holiday Gifts and Platters are winners all-around. Orders must be placed three days ahead of pick-up or delivery. 

How about booking an outdoor tasting on 2nd Street at Foundry Wharf to pick up a bottle each of Sonoma Portwork's Fig'n Awesome Fig Liqueur and a Port Barrel Aged Grappa to boost the spirits? 

New this year, Petaluma artist Shannon Abbey is offering Giclee prints from her original paintings. Printed with care by locals Bill and Joe at Digital Grange on archival acid free rag paper.

The prints make great gifts at $100 each. Signed by the artist. Shipped around the country.

 

Woman-owned Sonoma Coast Spirits has you covered for the cocktail crew on your list. 

Nothing says I love you during the holidays than a bumper package of California cheese! At least in my mind! Check out the California Cheese Trail site for where and what to order and/or make a bee-line for local cheeses when shopping for your holiday stores. 

Nicky Ovitt bandanas, kitchen towels, cards, totes. Nicky designed the covers and inside art for my Fog Valley Books. Her work has a special place in my heart.

Treated myself to a bottle of NOMAD Botanicals foaming wash at this year's annual Petaluma Holiday Food Fair at Hotel Petaluma. It's terrific and made in Petaluma. NOMAD gift baskets and products are sure to please. 

I think we'd all benefit from a herbal healing solve or a breathe deeply tea or Sonoma County chai from Marigold Apothecary this winter season. 

McEvoy Ranch ODE skincare products — I'm using the Daily Moisturizer. 

You can't go wrong with any of the McEvoy oils, wines and products for online ordering and delivery of thoughtful and distinctive gifts. 

Buying shoes for someone isn't always a good idea unless you've been steered in the right size and direction but a gift certificate to my favorite local shoe store, Passeggiata  is the way to go for the shoe lovers in your life. 

These lovely, Labradorite Ocean Drop earrings are a great example of the treasure chest of designer jewelry by Robindira Unsworth and available in-store on Petaluma Boulevard in boutique row or online, along with a sparkling array of baubles and bangles, Italian leather purses, homewares and clothing gifts that are sure to go down a treat with discerning ladies on your list. 

Herb Folk  Medicine Shop

Open Wednesday and Friday afternoons 11-4 on East Washington St in downtown Petaluma and house products and gift boxes are available to order online. 

Herbal and green teas, broth herbs, elderberry elixir kits, bath soaks and salts, natural bath fizzies, organic bulk herbs and medicine making supplies, plus tinctures, topical salves and oils, seaweeds, patches, herbal wreaths that are ideal tonics for pandemic-era gifts.

Tomasini's Rex Ace Hardware & Country Store is one of my all-time favorite stores in town. Staff are always so helpful and friendly and the store is packed with holiday lights, gardening tools, home goods and all sorts of practical items for gifting.

The Find is decked out for fun, local holiday shopping on Western Ave. Look for Patti Lou Designs store (see above at the artists' studio), within the store for Petaluma-centric art and home items. 

Jess Brown rag dolls are total treasures and are lovingly made here in Petaluma for bespoke delivery around the world. If you'd like to gift one of these gorgeous rag dolls this Christmas, your order must be in by December 9th, 2020. 

Visit tasting rooms and purchase wines from our Petaluma Gap Winegrowers' micro-regional wine growers and makers. Keller Estate is one of several terrific local wineries offering tasting opportunities by appointment this winter. 

Look for Petaluma Gap and Sonoma County wines ion the shelves in your favorite store's wine department. For a boutique experience being guided in your selection and to further support small business, visit Jason at Vine & Barrel on Petaluma Boulevard.  

Marta Shannon's wonderful scalloped scarves are a Sonoma County classic! This red one is a lovely choice for the holidays.  

And for the chocolate lover on your list — Farm Chocolate simply cannot be topped for a gift of local deliciousness & decadence. 

Maude Shop Rare Finds stocks the most beautiful cards and stationery, artists' pens and pencils and pads, exquisite candles, kids and women's clothing. Find Maude on Western Ave. 

Pennyroyal Design wallets and bags are chic and super high quality and locally made. Find them at In The Making in American Alley along with super beautiful Siri Handsdotter ceremonial jewelery. 

Books, books and more books! Copperfield's Petaluma has you covered for everyone on your list. Take a look through my list of lots of great books by SONOMA COUNTY AUTHORS  by clicking on on my local shelf at Bookshop. 

You may buy my novel Big Green Country through Copperfields or directly from me by clicking the home page of this blog and scrolling down to my PayPal on the right hand side. Also available in the Petaluma Museum online store along with quite a few additional local books.  

Fog Valley Winter copies are available directly from me. 

Fill the Petaluma market bag with beautifully curated home and personal goodies in store at Petaluma Home & Garden. 

Help keep everyone's humor intact with a holiday shop at Heebe Jeebe General Store on Fourth Street.  Always choc-full of fun stuff for folk of all ages. 

The simple truth about buying toys online is that each purchase inches brick and mortar toy stores nearer to closing their doors. We're lucky to still have a toy store open in downtown Petaluma. Plenty others have tried and not been able to sustain business. So if you have little ones on your list, do stop in at Toybville on Petaluma Boulevard downtown this holiday season. 

Restaurant & cafe gift certificates are a win-win for everyone when given as gifts. Support your favorite eateries with gift card purchases. Who wouldn't enjoy take-out or outdoor dining treats at The Tea Room, Water Street Bistro, Aqus Cafe, Risibisi, Cucina Paradiso, The Shuckery  Lunchette Della Fattoria and other tasty local treasures? 

What to gift those on your list who don't need anything? The best thing to do this year especially is a gift that gives back to our community. Please consider donating to any one of our invaluable local non-profits this holiday season, especially those serving the most vulnerable as well as the many important cultural organizations that are struggling to maintain the coffers through the pandemic period. 

Here are some suggestions:

COTS

REDWOOD EMPIRE FOOD BANK

UNA VIDA

REBUILDING TOGETHER PETALUMA

PETALUMA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

PETALUMA PEOPLE SERVICES (core services include Senior Services, Counseling & Prevention, Housing, Employment, Petaluma Bounty Farms, and Youth Programs, which now includes Mentor Me. )

LITERACY WORKS

PETALUMA HISTORICAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

PETALUMA RIVER PARK

PETALUMA ARTS CENTER

CINNABAR THEATER

PETALUMA WILDLIFE MUSEUM

SONOMA FAMILY MEAL

HEARTFELT HELP FOUNDATION

WOMENS WISDOM INITIATIVE

SONOMA COUNTY REGIONAL PARK PASS

 

 

 

Local Author Event at Sbragia Vineyards December 9th Postponed Until 2021

Postponed — Although it was to be a safe distanced, outdoor event in beautiful Dry Creek Valley, we're following the lead from neighboring Bay Area counties and postponing this lovely event until some time next year. Please continue to support Sonoma County wineries & all the families who depend on the farming & production of these wonderful wines when shopping for your holiday vintages.

Even if Sonoma and Napa Counties do go into more stringent lockdown, wines are available for pick up and delivery. Look for local wines on your favorite grocery store shelf.

 

Look for the first of my holiday GIFT GUIDES on Tuesday. There is so much bounty to share in our neck of the woods that I'll most likely post an additional GIFT GUIDE for last minute shopping ideas that support local. 

 

Claudia's A Moveable Feast Book is available to order online at https://www.recipesforrollingkitchens.com/

Jayme's Wonder Is My Compass is available at https://www.jaymecellitioci.com/

And my Fog Valley books are available directly from my via my blog homepage www.southernsonomacountrylife.com. Big Green Country is available at Copperfield's Books, online from all major booksellers and from me directly.

Also look for lots more great local books on my bookshelf at Bookshop. https://bookshop.org/lists/books-by-sonoma-county-authors

 

Thanksgiving Greetings from Southern Sonoma County

 

Thanksgiving 

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1850 to 1919

 

We walk on starry fields of white
   And do not see the daisies;
For blessings common in our sight
   We rarely offer praises.
We sigh for some supreme delight
   To crown our lives with splendor,
And quite ignore our daily store
   Of pleasures sweet and tender.

Our cares are bold and push their way
   Upon our thought and feeling.
They hand about us all the day,
   Our time from pleasure stealing.
So unobtrusive many a joy
   We pass by and forget it,
But worry strives to own our lives,
   And conquers if we let it.

There’s not a day in all the year
   But holds some hidden pleasure,
And looking back, joys oft appear
   To brim the past’s wide measure.
But blessings are like friends, I hold,
   Who love and labor near us.
We ought to raise our notes of praise
   While living hearts can hear us.

Full many a blessing wears the guise
   Of worry or of trouble;
Far-seeing is the soul, and wise,
   Who knows the mask is double.
But he who has the faith and strength
   To thank his God for sorrow
Has found a joy without alloy
   To gladden every morrow.

We ought to make the moments notes
   Of happy, glad Thanksgiving;
The hours and days a silent phrase
   Of music we are living.
And so the theme should swell and grow
   As weeks and months pass o’er us,
And rise sublime at this good time,
   A grand Thanksgiving chorus.

Maybe because I'm an immigrant I personally don't have any major disappointment this year about not having as big a Thanksgiving as usual. Aside from dear friends who are staying home to be safe, my extended family and in-laws don't celebrate this American holiday with us anyway, as they're all overseas. There's no angst on breaking with tradition and hosting a smaller gathering than we typically enjoy. 

I know it's hard for so many and I hope that you're not too displaced yourself. 

I've been thinking that this year's Thanksgiving is a lot more like the European Harvest Festivals of my childhood in that we're looking more toward the natural bounty of our region than ever and we're extra grateful for home and hearth and garden and the simple pleasure of small outdoor fall and winter celebrations, whether it be a solo hike, supper for two or, best of all, for me, more intimate holiday gatherings with my husband and one, two or all three of our sons. 

There's not too much to say that hasn't been said a thousand times in the run up to the holidays 2020, so I'm sending you love and best wishes to you and yours from my corner of Sonoma County with a few of my favorite snapshots from this fall season. 

Enjoy your day, savor the simplicity and let Mother Nature do the decorating! 

 

Dream Big — Petaluma River Park Non-Profit Purchases Prime Recreational Land

Congratulations to everyone involved in supporting the Petaluma River Park non-profit organization on the successful purchase of the Petaluma River Park property in the heart of Petaluma. This has been an ambitious four-years-in-the-making dream by a dynamic group of community-minded individuals and families and it is an extraordinary accomplishment given the times that we are in. 

I've been thinking about the timing of this remarkable plan a lot over the past months in following the developments that have brought this dream to fruition. It strikes me as incredibly poignant that during an extensive period of global unrest and a pandemic in the latter stages of this big, local fundraising effort, these determined non-profit leaders stepped up their campaign with so much vigor and passion it's nothing less than an inspiration in human spirit. 

My husband Timo was honored to work with the non-profit from the start in brokering a very complex set of circumstances with the historic property that belonged to various descendants of the McNear Family, one of Petaluma's most storied, founding families. This would not have happened if it weren't for the many, many months of vision, hard work, negotiation & cooperation for all involved in the process, not least the financial and other donations from within our community. 

What we need going forward locally, regionally, nationally and globally, is more open space areas such as this for leisure and recreation and the fact that it's the people who are making this happen, not local government speaks volumes for what we are able to do within our communities when we truly set our minds to it. Thinking outside of the box will need to continue as fundraising efforts ramp up now to implement the various stages of this beautiful new river park. 

Here's a link to the article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat this week on the historic property sale. 

And please do click here and check out the Petaluma River Park website to get on-board with being a part of this exciting development. 

 

Petaluma Arts Center Welcomes Back the Annual Members Show this Holiday Season

Mary Fassbinder, Amanda Bergan, Jennifer Jensen, Clark Mitchell and Peter Phibbs have stepped into action to set up the ANNUAL MEMBERS SHOW at Petaluma Arts Center. Art has been dropped off this past week or so and will be available to view online shortly. 

It's one of my favorite events — I'm always so impressed by the range of local talent in our midst. For a while, pre-pre-pandemic, there was a push away from the local element at the arts center in an effort to bring in regional visitors to high-profile traveling shows but it didn't pan out financially and so the returning emphasis now on local is more essential than ever in rallying support not only for our beloved arts center space but for the many artists in our community. 

The MEMBERS SHOW will be setup in the arts center main gallery and will be viewable online in the weeks ahead. 

Plans to showcase  the late Jon Gariepy's artwork have been put on hold until next year so more time and space may be dedicated to celebrating his life and legacy as a valued member of our community. That said, the arts center is pleased to have a piece of Jon's in its Petaluma Loves Art: Auction + Stories, graciously donated by Joe McDonald and in tandem with a decorated helmet created by David Best.

If you are interested in donating to Jon's memorial fund, please reach out to Lindsey at lgoodwin@petalumaartscenter.org.

Petaluma Loves Art: Auction + Stories Fundraiser December 1st - 7th The Arts Center is excited to present its inaugural Petaluma Loves Art: Auction + Stories fundraiser. On December 1st - 7th, the arts center will host an accompanying online silent auction, including over 25 stunning works of art donated generously by local collectors and artists.  Add to your collection or purchase a special holiday gift while knowing your purchase is supporting the arts in Sonoma County! In addition to supporting the Petaluma Arts Center, you will also have the opportunity to support Petaluma City Schools’ My Art Supply Kit program. You may donate directly to this program via our fund-a-need category benefiting each of the 2,200+ students in the school district with an at-home art supply kit to inspire creativity during the continued shut-downs.  *Due to rising COVID cases nationwide (and statewide), the Arts Center has decided to err on the side of caution and suspend in-person gallery viewings at this time. That said, all of the artwork will be photographed and available for high-quality viewing on the online auction site.
VIEW THE AUCTION AND REGISTER AS A BIDDER

Petaluma Gap Winegrower's Holiday Recipes —Thirty Seven Wines 2016 Reserve Pinot Paired With Wild Mushroom, Sausage and Sourdough Stuffing

Petaluma Gap Winegrower's Holiday Recipes – Trombetta Family Wines 2016 Gap's Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir Paired With Brussels Sprouts With Pancetta