Southern Sonoma Country Life

Challenge Your Knowledge of Food Politics at an Honest Farm to Plate Feast at Tara Firma Farm

Controversial writer Lierre Keith, a convincingly carnivorous, former Vegan (for two decades) and author of The Vegetarian Myth - Food, Justice and Sustainability' will be speaking at what promises to be a particularly memorable, educational and illuminating dinner series gathering at Petaluma's biodynamic Tara Firma Farms during a rousing farm to plate feast on Saturday evening, September 11th, 2010.

Alice Walker describes Keith's Vegetarian Myth as: "the most important book people will read". Part memoir, part nutritional primer, and part political manifesto, The Vegetarian Myth is set to challenge everything you thought you knew about food politics.

Farm goers will experience a tour of Tara Firma's fields and farm, handcrafted wine tasting with visitors from Dry Creek's Montemaggiore Winery, plus Penngrove-based Green Earth Catering's envision of an honest and delicious, farm to plate feast. During dinner, guests are invited to participate in an intimate conversation with the author followed by book signing. 

Local Laloo's Goat Milk Ice Cream desserts will set the stage for lively music and dancing to Olive and the Dirty Martini's.

In wake of the recent egg recall across the United States, we are all increasingly becoming called to be more aware of where our eggs and dairy (and most all edible) products come from. Fellow Petaluma-based food writer and urban backyard farmer Meloni Courtway wrote on Tara Firma Farms as a fab egg source here in Southern Sonoma County earlier this week. 

Get on board with Tara Firma's superb speaker dinner series. This next one on Saturday, September 11th, 2010

Tara Firma Farms   3796 I St. Ext.   Petaluma
5:00 pm - Wine Tasting, Appetizers and Farm Tour
6:00 pm - Dinner in the Barn with Lierre Keith
8:00 Live Music and Dancing featuring Olive and the Dirty Martini’s

Click here to book tickets: Members: $95.00 Non-Members - $110.00

PEF BASH Sponsor Clover Stornetta Farms' Peach and Walnut Pancakes

It certainly does take a village (as well as a farm or two) to launch a successful fundraising gala each year and (site sponsor) Petaluma Educational Foundation's scores of friends and dedicated board members are now busy finalizing the glitz and glamor of this year's Rat Pack themed BASH.

But without the community's support in the form of the major local businesses and corporations that underwrite the event, funding the future of major impact and enrichment grants for Petaluma's city-wide students simply would not be possible.

And who better than Sonoma County's beloved Clover-Stornetta Farms to blaze a trail of leadership amongst a core group of companies to present this year's 2010 PEF BASH?

“PEF is one of those organizations that has a clear mission, exceptional leadership, that generates transparent tangible results," says family owned Clover-Stornetta Farms President Marcus Benedetti. "Clover-Stornetta Farms hopes that in some small way we can help perpetuate its reach.”  

In fact, Clover-Stornetta reaches thousands of school children in the south county and beyond each and every day. Clover's extensive dairy products are a favorite amongst Petaluma families.

If you are out of the distribution area for Clover and you fancy your hand at this delicious recipe from the Clover website, feel free to substitute top quality dairy products from your neck of the woods.

Peach & Walnut Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons of sugar
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of baking powder
¼ cup of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of CLOVER BUTTER, melted
2 CLOVER EGGS
1 ½ cups CLOVER BUTTERMILK
1 ½ ripe yellow peaches, peeled and diced small
¾ cup of toasted walnuts, chopped

Dice the peaches into small pieces, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, then set aside.

Combine together flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl; create a well in the center. Place the oil, butter, eggs and buttermilk in the well. Mix by hand (do not beat) until all ingredients are completely incorporated; fold in peaches and walnuts.

Spoon ½ cup batter per pancake onto a hot, well oiled griddle; use the bottom of the measuring cup to slightly spread the pancake batter into an even sized circle. Cook until bubbles begin to form, flip pancakes over and cool on the other side until golden brown; repeat process until all pancakes have been cooked. Keep pancakes in a warm, 200 degree oven until all have been cooked.

Serve while hot with warm maple syrup.

Travel the West with Two Roving Brits and a Fifth Wheel

I love meeting fellow bloggers while out and about on life's unpredictable trail. Brit bloggers Jon and Fiona crossed my path in a pleasant Saturday afternoon garden party sort of way here in the south county.

Traveling companions and accountants both, the intrepid friends made a pact to ditch the dusty ledgers for a four-month expedition around the great American West, fifth wheeling it through the lion's share of the US National Parks, pit-stopping along the way in Las Vegas, Palm Springs, heading North to the Olympic Mountains and Canada and making their way back to a Sonoma County starting point with ex-pat friends, via the foggy Pacific North West.

Even more enjoyable than chatting over vino in the sunshine with a roving blogger is hearing about epic trails on the open road. Especially when the traveler is a non-native.

Jon's perspective on our Western wonderland has been captured in his daily blog, along with snapshots from the Montana log cabin of Lewis and Clark, rock carvings in Kolob Zion National Park, ghost towns and castles and the Hoover Dam.

Life circumstances had taught Jon a lesson that life is for living. Though not necessarily in the sense of "immediate" gratification so commonly sought after this side of the Atlantic. For the well-traveled friends had painstakingly planned this long-winded adventure far in advance.

Jon was amazed at the distance Americans are prepared to travel for a weekend away, with hours on the road for an all-too brief spot of hoped-for rest and relaxation.

And it's true. For how many of us have conceived of the idea of a four month foray around the Western States? I have to admit, I was envious of Jon and Fiona and their freedom to explore the wonders of the West. On day I would like to do that, too. 

New Labeling Law For Sonoma County Wine

As an international shout-out for Sonoma County's outstanding regional wines, California State Legislature has unanimously approved legislation authored by Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) to implement a connective labeling law for wines labeled with the many varied winegrowing areas of the county.

By improving consumer education on each bottle, 'conjunctive' labeling is expected to unleash the full potential of the county's world-class wines to represent Sonoma around the globe.

Sponsored by the Sonoma County Vintners and the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, AB 1798 requires that any wine labeled with an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located entirely within Sonoma County (such as Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast or Dry Creek Valley) must also include the word “Sonoma County” on the label, starting in 2014. 

There are currently 13 AVAs in Sonoma County.  The bill is the product of a ten-month process of collaboration among the wine industry association and the vintners and winegrape growers of every AVA of Sonoma County, marking the beginning of a stronger Sonoma County brand.

“In this increasingly competitive wine market, building awareness for Sonoma County and the wine regions within the county is critical to Sonoma County grape growers and the wineries they supply,” said Nick Frey, president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission.  “AB 1798 will ensure that consumers recognize every bottle of wine produced from Sonoma County grapes.”
 
Since 1989 Legislature has approved conjunctive labeling laws for three other California winemaking regions – Napa Valley, Lodi, and Paso Robles.
 

An August Book Group Gathering

Fun summer reads have been shelved. It's time for the seriously good stuff. Hardback material, hot off the press and reverberating from the critic's quickened pen.

August's gathering of a decade-long book group called for a late summer supper of Chileno Valley pear, walnut and gorgonzola salad, grilled asparagus, goat cheese and farmer's market arugula flatbread and a fabulous, fresh (chocolate lined) Anjou Pear Tart.

Salad, flatbread and tart paired to perfection with a bottle of crisp organic Mendocino white wine. Look out for Santa Rosa based Horse and Plow Winery's cool climate, handcrafted and whole cluster pressed 2009 McFadden Farm Chardonnay available locally at Whole Foods.

Fancy what promises to be an extraordinary read this September? Ten years in the making by award winning science writer Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is said to be one of the most graceful and moving nonfiction books in a very long time.

The Washington Post describes it as 'a deftly crafted investigation of a social wrong committed by the medical establishment'. Known by scientists as HeLa, Henrietta Lacks was a poor, southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors. Dead some 60 years, her cells, taken without her knowledge - were to become the most important tools in medicine and as the first 'immortal' cells grown in culture, they are still alive today. Lacks lays buried in an unmarked grave. This is the story of how her body unwittingly launched a multi-million dollar industry selling human biological materials and what happened when her family finally found out. 

Stop by your local independent bookstore to pick up a copy and read along with Southern Sonoma Country Life's book group this fall. 

Creative New Web Site Lets Kids Decide What's For Dinner

Couldn't resist this photo of my favorite little gourmet girl giving two thumbs up under the dinner table to a medley of toppings on her Mediterranean vacation pizza.

If only all kids were as enthusiastic about eating a wide range of foods. If you have a fussy eater or one who won't entertain the idea of even a single portion of daily fruits and veg, call your testy tot over to the computer to take a look at www.zisboombah.com.

Kids are encouraged to custom design their own dream dinner by selecting items from over 1,000 popular foods such as chicken wings, carrots, meatballs, pasta.

Zisboombah cleverly tracks carbs, protein, fiber, sugar, saturated fat and sodium. Here's the good bit: the site then awards stars according to the correct balance of meat, grains, dairy, vegetables, fruit on a particular plate.

Pretty soon, the average competitive kid will suss out that if they switch out white for whole wheat buns and pile on the greens, they'll be making smart food choices and racking up the stars. 

Not that we want our little ones glued to the screen, but give them just enough time to get the hang of this healthy game and their top pick meals can be saved and emailed to Mom or Dad with its very own ingredient shopping list.

Stand By the Nation's Largest Student Operated Wildlife Museum

Scandalous headlines don't necessarily sell news print these days, but they do drive traffic to online news sites, creating click through revenue for news organizations intent on maximizing controversy.

Perfect example of this has been a recent Bay Area media outburst focused on the Petaluma Wildlife & Natural Science Museum.

Although it is indisputably in the best interests of the community at large to clear up unfortunate situations regarding potential misappropriation of non-profit funds, it's a jarring experience for all when accusatory headlines splash across the world wide web and instantaneously saturate our social media sites without so much of a hint of a fair trial.

Local media tends to make more of an effort to report the news in a more factual manner. And yes, that's why community news biz doesn't bring in the big bucks.  But here in Petaluma we're awfully fond of our facilities, sometimes few and far between. And the wonderful, quirky, welcoming Petaluma Wildlife Museum is surely one of our favorites.

The non-profit Petaluma Wildlife & Natural Science Museum has been operated by high school students since 1989. Museum founder, Hugh Codding, donated the entire museum inventory and after thousands of hours of community service, an old bus garage was converted into the world's largest student operated museum.Through interactive tours, by students and for students, future leaders educate and inform about the fragile conditions of our planet and its animal inhabitants.

Truly a one-of-a-kind facility, the well established and well recognized museum provides interpretive opportunities and environmental education for children, young adults and the public. It's mission is dedicated to providing teens and young adults the opportunity and facility to develop career skills by operating and maintaining a fully functioning museum.

Board President of Petaluma Wildlife & Natural Science Museum, George Grossi says in an open letter on the museum's website update this month that concerns over the non-profit's financial oversight and bookkeeping procedures were brought to the attention of the Board of Directors last fall.

" At that time, an internal review was conducted that evaluated past expenditures and accounting practices. The investigation recognized a need for greater financial accountability, transparency and oversight of its programs and facilities," says Grossi.

After financial review and program evaluation, the Museum's Board of Directors did in fact, remove the former Curator/Executive Director. New accounting standards and policies are now in place  to ensure greater fiscal transparency and accountability.

Petaluma City School District is maintaining the former Director's position as instructor and teacher for museum related classes on the same Petaluma High School campus as the museum, but in a separate facility. 

"The Museum is dedicated to building trust and relationships," says Grossi. "The program will continue to play an important and active roll within the community. We will demonstrate responsible leadership with new management, increased oversight and commitment to you"

Grossi and the Museum's Board of Directors encourage the local community to engage with them to help the program move forward. "We welcome your questions and hope to address your concerns," says Grossi.

Meanwhile, Interim Director for the Museum has been named as Neal Ramus. He can be contacted with ideas, concerns and suggestions.

The Museum's popular annual Pasta Feed Fundraiser is a community event being held on Saturday, October 2, 2010. Dinner will be served from 5:00pm-7:30pm. The Museum will be open from 4:00pm-8:00pm

The photo in this post was taken during the ever-popular 2010 Petaluma Wildlife Museum Summer Camp, attended every summer for the past 12 years by one or another of this writer's critter-loving offspring.

Petaluma Market - Community Gem Gives City Wide School Support

There are many reasons to shop locally, seasonally and sensibly and if you are reading this article, you don't need too long of a list outlining this concept in full.

One list we all need is the inevitable grocery shopping list, scratched on the back of a scrap piece of paper, tapped into the notes section of a phone, stored in the increasingly cluttered back of mind. 

And as we all know, those grocery bills rack up. Especially when you have kids in the house. Back to school doesn't necessarily equate to less food in the fridge. Packed lunches and afternoon snacks call for increased items on the shopping list of daily life.

Here's where the Petaluma Market comes in. It's where I'm headed in a few minutes, in fact. I'll probably see you there. Our favorite home town market is a buzzing emporium of fresh food finds (and a locavore's haven with lots of local produce, dairy and meats).

Without the Petaluma Market as a central beacon of convenience for a cart load of pantry staples or a simple box of pasta we'd miss out on all sorts of pleasant conversations with former neighbors, old friends, grown ups, teens and familiar kids on cycling expeditions downtown.

Because the locally owned Petaluma Market is such an integral, service-oriented part of the community, managers and staff are committed to giving back to literally thousands of loyal families that shop locally and often.

One of the most significant ways that the Petaluma Market currently gives back is as a Valedictorian Sponsor of the 2010 Petaluma Educational Foundation fundraising Gala BASH (Sept 11th). 

Along with Wells Fargo Regional Commercial Banking, RNM Properties and Exchange Bank, The Petaluma Market is a proud presenter of the 2010 BASH at the highest level this year.

"Petaluma Market has and always will be a full time supporter of the city schools," says the Petaluma Market's Jim Agius. "We believe that there is nothing more important than continued education at all levels and in these difficult times it's especially important  for us to do what we can in terms of support."

By underwriting the production costs of the city's most glamorous 500 person gala fundraiser, BASH Valedictorian Sponsors will enable PEF to fundraise its goal of $250,000 or more for innovative classroom grants to classrooms in public and private schools across the city.

Thousands of Petaluma students will benefit directly from the generosity of some 30 plus sponsors of the 2010 BASH, The Petaluma Market leading the way along with the other high profile presenters.

Why I'd Like to Live in Trinchero Family Estates Hospitality Center

"Trinchero Show"

If you think our tasting room looks good, you'll be in for a treat when you see inside our hospitality center," said the Tasting Room Manager at Trinchero Napa Valley as we sidled in for a private tour of one of the valley's most remarkable, state-of-the-art, new wine education facilities.

We were at the tail end of a splendid industry jaunt that had taken us behind the scenes of one of California Wine Country's first families of wine. Cafe and west country market owners Michael and Lesley had brought me along for a private tour and tasting at the source of some of their eateries' best selling wines.

We'd lost the fourth member of our foray into Napa County following a night out in Saint Helena, dinner at Go Fish and a plush little wine country overnight in guest rooms at the classic Victorian Sutter Home (unimposing mother ship of Trinchero dynasty). Soccer coaching called back over the hill in Sonoma County, leaving Michael and myself to carry the flag for west country neighbors as we 'poshed' it up a bit in super plush Napa Valley. Lesley, an ardent non-drinker, had prepped herself for appreciating the architecture and stunning locale as she patiently waited for her traveling companions to sip, swirl and shoot the breeze while sampling the winery's wares.

Though none of us had an inkling of how blown away we'd be by the gorgeous surrounds and drop-dead spectacular interior design and decor of the Trinchero estate.

"It was clear from the outset that the family did not want to construct yet another elaborate Italian winery here in the Napa Valley," said our captivating, charismatic tour and tasting guide, wine educator and avid hobby cheese maker Gail Bickett. "The concept was to create a space that reflected the Trinchero family's arrival at Ellis Island from Italy and their humble beginnings in the U.S, cross country travel by train and decades of hard work that had led to the development of Sutter Home."

Since purchasing the Folie a Deux property north of Saint Helena in 2004 and hiring whom Bickett fondly described as the new winery's 'rock star' pedigreed winemaker, Mario Monticelli, the Trinchero family's vision of beyond premium wine making has come to near perfect fruition in a breathtaking environment of pristine, relatively private and peaceful surrounds.

Scrupulously sorted by hand, only the best whole berries of the winery's 13 acres of acclaimed Cabernet grapes make the cut for the luxury of slow processing, gentle fermentation and aging. Trinchero took home a coveted double gold at this year's San Francisco Chronicle wine awards. The Wine Spectator gave the winery's 2007 Meritage a 91 this June.

Wandering around the company's brand new wine education facility, tucked as discreetly private house behind the only slightly more formal tasting room, we were captivated by the layers of detail in careful design to bring the past and the future together. For in every room and striking space of the this luxurious (a sort of Restoration Hardware catalog on steroids) setting immaculately retouched vintage family scenes, notes, mementos and snatched quotes from letters or diaries had been carefully blended into a modern, California ranch style scene.

My favorite finds included a 1950s feathered hat collection in the ladies loo, along with snippets of the late Matriarch, Mary Trinchero's conversations with friends. Immense sofas with super-size faux fur and leather cushions, lighting fixtures from Italy and heritage treasures from closer to home framed several family-style living spaces for large and small groups of industry insiders and those intensely training for the inside track.

The kitchen had me drooling over its epic refrigeration, fine art and endless counter space, a train station clock, stove tops and ovens that would surely have had Mary Trinchero lost for words had she been around to see what has become of her family's small start-up Mom and Pop operation in the late 1940s.

West Petaluma Pineapple Upside Down Cake

"Pineapple?" I hear you question. Not at all a local, seasonal find in West Petaluma, CA. Indeed. But a pineapple appeared on my kitchen counter top last weekend after leaving the Italian Husband to his own grocery shopping devices for a few days.

After quaffing several slices after a makeshift dinner following the past few probably too many wine country romps, a good half of the prickly fruit seemed to scream out "pineapple upside down cake". At least to me. I have a particularly sharp sense of hearing when it comes to even the merest whisper of a proper pud, substantial pie, or a sturdy slice of old fashioned cake.

I've no particular form or design to provide in the layout of an 'upside down' base, preferring the free-form effect of a cake whipped up on a whim in a five minute dash to be somewhere else on time. Set the oven timer for 40 minutes and hoped that one boy or another would surface to switch off the buzzer and remove the pineapple pleasure from the oven. It all seemed to work out well. I'm going to serve it with custard because I'm British and funny that way, but you might prefer a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

West Petaluma Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Topping:

5 tablespoons of baker's sugar

1/2 stick unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of pineapple juice (squeezed from a wedge of fruit)

As many fresh pineapple slices as you can fit in the bottom of a cake pan

1/4 cup of dried, unsweetened cherries

Cake:

1 stick of unsalted butter

Grated rind and juice of half an orange

1/2 cup of baker's sugar

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups of baking flour

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix topping butter, sugar and pineapple juice and melt in a hot pan until sugar dissolves. Pour into cake pan and add pineapple slices and cherries. Cream butter, sugar and orange rind, beating in eggs, flour, salt, baking soda and orange juice. Spoon batter over pineapple and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before inverting the tin onto a platter, letting the hot syrup mixture trickle down the sides of the cake before removing the pan.

Serve warm or cold.