Southern Sonoma Country Life

A Halloween Morning Walk in the Hills over West Petaluma

Drizzly skies cleared for stunning views over West Petaluma, CA this Halloween morning, making a brisk walk up to the top of the edge of town, impossible to resist. Green grasses are beginning to change the seasonal landscape of sweeping hills from harvest golden peach to Sonoma County's signature emerald winter's hue.

Putting on the Ritz Pre-Halloween Night

To fully appreciate the imagination and effort that makes Halloween in historic West Petaluma, CA, there's nothing like an afternoon stroll on the 31st. Finishing touches complete, fright night festivities are ready to roll. Sunday, and no rain this year. Go Giants!

Political Junk Mail Getting You Down?

Here's today's recycling stash following a trip to the mailbox in the afternoon drizzle, here in Southern Sonoma County.

It's been every bit of a political hot bed around here as it has on a state-wide scale for Calfornians bombarded with 800 number political phone calls from as far afield as Washington DC and closer to home with various public service contendors fighting to be the last man or woman standing in the biggest muck-slinging match I can remember in my 20 years stateside (previous Presidential campaign excluded).

What on earth are we to do with all the political paper? I had an idea of mounting my own campaign and gathering friends and neighbors to create the largest political mailer campaign photo montage ever produced. We'd snip out the most outrageous allegations and juxtaposition with those idyllic scenes of rural serenity promised in retaliatory pieces, tape them all together and work our way down the sidewalk. Wonder how many miles we'd cover if we'd all saved every single piece we've receieved in the mail this campaign season. A path to? Where exactly no one really does know.

Not being inclined to jump in the muck-slinging arena, I'd have to make sure this was a fair and balanced montage. Something for our kids to have a good debate about at an unknown period years from now, unraveling from the attic, all 25 miles of it, folded over neatly for posterity.

Until then, here's how to avoid the barrage of unwanted holiday catalogues coming your way the morning after Tuesday's election night wraps up. And another alternative support system for the thoroughly overloaded. The bad news, political mailings are excluded from the national junk mail do not send registration service (which, by the way, will cost you a dollar).

 

 

Place A Local Work of Art on Your Holiday Shopping List

Mark your calendars for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts for the art lover on your list. For once a year, Petaluma Arts Center offers artist members the chance to exhibit their work for sale without any restrictions of a jury process. All artwork submitted is shown.

Rather like our developing taste for quality local foods, there's something meaningful in hanging a regional artists' work on the walls of our homes and work places. Not just for the local impression, but for the support of the arts at work in our community.

This winter's fascinating exhibition of diverse art (November 19th to January 2nd, 2010) promises to highlight an outstanding range of talent and creativity of  Southern Sonoma County artist community members. When art is purchased the Arts Council allows the buyer to take the art at the point of purchase, inviting the artist to bring another piece of work in for display and potential sale.

This year’s exhibition, entitled 20” x 20” represents the specific format of space available for each artist to utilize - either on the wall or the floor.

Petaluma Arts Center is located at 230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma, CA94952. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Open Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun and Mon from 12 noon to 4pm.

Technology Leads in Eighty PEF Grant Requests From Petaluma's City-Wide Schools

Petaluma Educational Foundation received a total of 80 requests for grants by this year's deadline for both Major and Impact Grants, on October 20th, 2010. Not surprisingly, most of these grant applications involve innovative educational programs in the fast-developing technology field.

"We received a total of 80 request for $378,022," said Executive Director, Janet Ramatici.  "Of these, 23 major impact grant requests total $279,023.20 and 57 enrichment grant total $98,998.95."

Grants are selected and funded on a competitive basis and are currently being reviewed by an experienced PEF Grant team.

Government stimulus monies provided significant funding to schools throughout the Petaluma area this year for specific program funding, excluding technology. This highlights the groundbreaking work of Petaluma Educational Foundation within our community in being poised to bring some of the leading high tech tools of our time to teachers and classrooms across the city.

PEF Major Impact Grant recipients will be announced before the end of the year. Enrichment Grant recipients will be notified in the New Year.

“If the grant selection committee recognizes more requests than PEF presently has funding for, we will be asking the community to step up with additional fundraising efforts,” said Ramatici.

 

Got Olives? Don't Miss McEvoy Ranch 2010 Community Crush Date

 

 
Although this year's grape season had growers looking to the heavens for signs of blue skies, Sonoma Coast regional Tuscan olive farmers have been jumping for joy at bumper 2010 crops.

With such an abundance of local fruit, small-scale, backyard growers must make a reservation to participate in the November 14 or December 5th 2010 Community Milling Days over at McEvoy Ranch.

Fruit must be healthy and leaf free. Syrah is the last of the Petaluma Gap grown cool climate grapes to hang on the vine and several vineyards in the area have been playing chicken with the rain and now frost, weighing in the benefits of boosting the brix a little higher before beating this rather sudden onset of wintry weather.

Looks like we will be picking grapes one week and olives the next - an unusual scenario here on Rivetti mountain, but no doubt good for the biceps.

Meanwhile, we've almost drained the last of our 2009 allotment from our friends and neighbors' Teela and Mike Ridgeway's family estate Custom Crush at McEvoys. The Ridgeways crush around 40 gallons later in the season, once the majority of their huge haul of fruit is black in color (see photo above).

If you are looking for an exclusive olive oil produced in a limited quantity from premium fruit grown in West Petaluma, reserve yourself a dark green one gallon bottle from the Ridgeways for $75. per gallon.  Southern Sonoma Country Life readers certainly love their local artisan edibles - email the Ridgeways for your limited edition olive oil stash to see you through winter holiday salads and through the year. Certainly one of the best kept secrets in town, though hot on the heels of one of Petaluma's most beloved (Ridgeway Two Pisces) Pinot Noir - another great pick for the holiday table.

 

Rocco's Preoccupation With Multiple Personalities

All sorts of activity on Rivetti Mountain the minute I'm out of the house. It's is intriguing to view one's backyard on YouTube every now and again, without the slightest idea that songs have been written about it!

Equal Rights for the Traditional English Christmas Cake

Even though I am the only one of five household members who will actually admit to harboring a penchant for an afternoon slice of traditional English Christmas (heavily brandied fruit) Cake with my cup of tea, come December, the young men of the house still can't resist our family's annual, late October ritual of a stir and a wish of this much-mocked (State-side) seasonal treat in the makings.

Dating back in Britain to the middle ages and made with honey, spices, preserved fruits and barley mash, the traditional, marzipan and royal icing-topped fruit cake that has graced the festive table in the UK now for centuries was able to be made months ahead of winter festivals thanks to preserving qualities of sugar, rather ironically brought back from the American colonies in the 1500s.

Although, admittedly, it is a bit of a performance to assemble the necessary infrastructure for the long, slow, low-heat baking ritual, at least a couple of months ahead of Christmas, the making of the cake is pretty straightforward.

For Anglophile readers, partial to a slice of Christmas Cake, homemade is always better than store bought and a handful of key items (such as string, brown paper and a tin of black treacle or darkest molasses) may be quite easily stashed at the back of the baking shelf for utilizing year after year. Just in case an American pal or two takes a notion to join me at the tea table with a slice, I've tended, over the past few years to omit including any scary candied peel or glace cherries in my cake.

Southern Sonoma Country Life Take on Traditional English Christmas Cake

9 oz plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 level tsp allspice

36 ounces of small or finely chopped dried fruit of choice (I use a mix of currants/cranberries)

8 ounces unsalted butter

8 ounces dark brown sugar

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 level tablespoons of black treacle (or darkest molasses)

2 tsp grated lemon rind

4 ounces slithered almonds

Half a cup of brandy

 

Soak dried fruit in brandy overnight. Line base and sides of an extra deep 8 inch cake tin with double layer of greaseproof paper and tie a double band of brown paper around the outside of the pan, being sure to allow a one inch wider depth of paper at the top.

Sieve flour, salt and spice into a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar and beat in an egg at a time. Stir in treacle, add flour mixture, fruit and nuts. Mix thoroughly and make a wish for the coming year. Turn mixture into pan, evenly and bake at 275 degrees F in center of oven for 4 - 5 hours. Leave cake to cool. Remove from pan. Poor a little more brandy over the top and wrap in greaseproof paper and foil. Store in a cool spot until December. Decorate with a thin layer of rolled marzipan and royal icing  a week before Christmas. Top with holly and festive touches and tie with a big, red ribbon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Media Think-Tank in Southern Sonoma County

Good to see our friendly little riverfront community of Petaluma, CA host the region's SocialBiz Now Conference last week, attracting scores of tech-savvy types from the Bay Area and beyond as well as many local social media innovators, taking full advantage of complimentary admission.

Petaluma based entrepreneur, Roohi Moolla: creator of SocialBizWorld.com and NeighborhoodNow.com; welcomed conference guests and speakers from around the world, not least, British journalist, radio show host and author, Paul Smith, aka The Twitchhiker , who has forever made P'Town infamous around the globe for its lively Saint Patrick's Day celebrations and gracious tour guides following successful repeat print runs of his paperback travel account of the same name.

The Sheraton Hotel at the Petaluma Marina was full to the brim with brilliant minds in up-to-the-minute social media. It was intriguing to mingle a while amongst conference goers eith their wide range of experience and expectations of what the web can do to transform all sorts of businesses, from local mom and pop operations to international product sales.

 

 

 

 

Human Emotions Rife As Giants Capture The Flag As National Champions

San Francisco Giants capture of the National Championship flag Saturday night made for an exceptional study of the extremities of human emotions

People-watchers swept up in the baseball fever that has engulfed the Bay Area will not be able to resist a front row seat at least in front of the tv for the upcoming World Series play off games beginning this Wednesday (October 27th)pitching the Giants against the Texas Rangers. 

For the first time in the past eight years the Giants have a golden opportunity to end a 55 year drought with a potential World Series win.  Two times Champions, Philadelphia Phillies lost on the teams home field as the Bay Area's optimistic underdogs continue to astonish.