Southern Sonoma Country Life

An Ode to Succulents — Workshop at McEvoy Ranch, March 11th, 2018

photo: McEvoy Ranch

Date: Sunday, March 11^th, 2018
Time: 10:30am–1pm 
Cost: $85
Location: McEvoy Ranch

Make your own succulent arrangement with McEvoy Ranch’s Garden Gal, Kyli Rose. Kyli shares her expert experience in propagating, designing and caring for unique and beautiful succulent gardens with a workshop on Sunday, March 11th, 2018 from 10.30 am to 1 pm. 

Founder Nan McEvoy had a penchant for succulents. The late, great lady's greenhouse is full of succulents in many shapes, sizes and containers. Often thought of as the perfect plant for forgetful gardeners, the McEvoy team likes to think of them as ideal for purposeful arrangements.

Workshop participants start the morning with a tour of McEvoy Ranch that includes ranch gardens and the family’s succulent collection. Along the way, Kyli will share tips for growing and propagating succulents before guests settle in to workstations in the Ranch Greenhouse.

Once in the Greenhouse, Kyli will examine design elements, care and maintenance with supplies on hand to encourage creativity in making your own arrangement to take home.

After the hands on portion participants will be escorted back to the on-site tasting room for a flight of McEvoy wine and taste of olive oil.

Click here to register. 

McEvoy Club members enjoy an additional 15% off all workshops and complimentary tastings.

 

A Fun New Weekend Tasting Experience, Petaluma Drinks! — June 2nd & 3rd, 2018

Petaluma lives up to its reputation as a boozy riverfront city in the naming of its new, annual tasting event bringing together all of Petaluma’s burgeoning craft alcohol producers in one spirited weekend. Petaluma Drinks - June 2nd & 3rd, captures the essence of this close community of outstanding brewers, vineyard managers, winemakers, cider makers and distillers who are ready to welcome you into their tasting rooms, ranches, and facilities for a memorable taste. 

Given the on-point event name, a newly released website and promotional materials are (rightly) plastered with reminders not to overdo it and never to drink and drive. Hey, no glossy, wine country marketing here folks, Sonoma may sip, but Petaluma Drinks! 

Ticket holders will be invited to visit each producer once during the weekend. Many producers are offering purchase discounts for ticket holders for those who'd like to take a bottle or two of something Petaluma-made home with them. Tickets include a voucher for a food item at Petaluma’s centrally located food truck park: The Block.  

The event takes place in various tasting rooms and facilities of Petaluma’s craft producers. Click here for participating producers, including Adobe Road Winery, Azari Vineyards, Bitter Girl Bitters, Barber Cellars, Ethic Ciders, Kastania Vineyards, Lagunitas Brewery, 101 N Brewing, McEvoy, Sonoma Coast Spirits, Sonoma Portworks, Still Water Spirits, Revive Kombucha, Stubbs Vineyard and several other leading, local makers. 

Participating producers will be open for event tasting from 11-4 both days. Early bird tickets are $55 per person, $65 at the event. 

Check in for the event starting at 10 am on Saturday June 2nd at the Petaluma Visitor’s Center, 210 Lakeville St, Petaluma,  adjacent to the train station and right next to downtown. 

Designated Drivers will get their own wristband for free non-alcoholic drinks at each stop and a free commemorative water bottle. Register for free as a Designated Driver by clicking here: petalumadrinksdd2018.eventbrite.com.  Event organizers recommend out-of-towners to use the new Smart Train  dropping off in the heart of downtown at the visitor’s center for event checkin. 

Taxi and ride sharing info and hotels are listed on the Petaluma Drinks website, click here for details. 

Ten percent of the ticket price is to be donated to the COTS homeless foundation and another ten percent to  PAS animal shelter.

 

 

 

Azari Vineyards Wildfire Relief Benefit April 7th and Stock Up on the Winery's Newly Released Corkscrew Wildfire Red

Azari Vineyards on Spring Hill Road invites you to a special benefit to directly aid victims of the 2017 California Wildfires, Saturday, April 7th, 2018 from 1pm to 4pm.

The Azari family and winemaking team is are raising money with a pay-what-you-want ticket price, and 100% of the funds split evenly among any local family that would signs up and qualifies to receive aid.

Enjoy the Azari's cool climate Corkscrew Wine and delicious wood oven pizza in this fantastic West Petaluma winery, just a short drive out of town.

Click here for tickets. 

If you're not able to make it to the benefit, consider purchasing bottles of the Azari's new release, Corkscrew Rebuild Red (from $14). Crafted in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Rebuild Red is to be an ongoing annual vintage, with grapes sourced from vineyards/wineries impacted by the fires. For each bottle sold, $2 will be sent to aid Habitat for Humanity with its efforts in rebuilding. 

To date, the Azari's have raised over $2,000 for Habitat for Humanity. What a great reason for a glass of red! 

Click here to purchase Rebuild Red. 

 

 

 

Cookbook Drive — Donate to Delicious New Chapters to Restock the Bookshelves of Regional Wildfire Victims

 

 

With so many angles on stories of the devastating October Wine Country Wildfires, it helps to hone in on simple ways to continue to help make a difference in the lives of those rebuilding what it means to be home, be it a long-term plan to rebuild or finding somewhere suitable as a starting off point in figuring out a permanent move.   

Sondra Bernstein-founder of the girl & the fig - listened to Sonoma Valley residents talking about losing their homes and their cookbook collections in a recent cooking class. Home, hearth and cooking are an integral part of our lives here in Sonoma and Napa Counties.

This struck home for Sondra, who treasures her own cookbook collection and could not fathom losing it. 

Sondra reached out to friends Kathleen Hill - Author and Culinary Historian and Laura Havlek - Owner of Sign of the Bear - to brainstorm how we as a community of food lovers are more than capable of build ing treasured “new-old” Cookbook Collections to give away.

Here's where we come in, Southern Sonoma Country Life readers and our friends and family in the region. I'm readying signed copies of Fog Valley Winter, featuring vintage, local recipes to donate to this fantastic cookbook drive. I hope you will find one or two gems on your own bookshelf to pass along. 

 

 

From now until April 4th, donations of Cookbooks in English or Spanish in VERY GOOD condition (please only gift books you’d be proud to give a close friend) may be dropped off at the following locations:

 

• the girl & the fig

  • 110 West Spain Street - Sonoma - any day before Noon

• The Sign of the Bear

  • 435 1st Street West, Sonoma - any day before Noon

• The Rhône Room

  • 20816 Broadway, Sonoma - Friday - Sunday - 12pm - 3pm

• Sonoma Visitors Bureau 

  • 453 First Street East, Sonoma - any day - 9am - 5pm

• Ramekins Cooking School

  • 450 W Spain St, Sonoma, Tuesday - Saturday - 9am - 4pm

• the girl & the fig CATERS!

  • 21800 Schellville Road, Suite C - Sonoma - T-F, 10am - 2pm

• TIPS Roadhouse

  • 8445 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood - Daily 11:30 - 4pm 

• Sonoma Valley Museum of Art - Store

  • 551 Broadway - Wed - Sun - 11-5

• Healdsburg SHED

  • 25 North Street - Healdsburg - Daily 8am-6pm 

• Cameron + Co.

  • 145 Kentucky Street, Suite 7 - Petaluma - M-F 9 - 5:30 PM

• Franchetti’s

  • ​1229 N. Dutton Road, Santa Rosa - Tues - Sun 10:30 am - 1:30 pm, Wed - Sat 5pm - 8pm

 

Or, mail books (ask for media mail) to:

DELICIOUS NEW CHAPTERS

c/o the girl & the fig Business Office

1206 MacArthur Street #3, Sonoma, CA 95476

 

Visit www.deliciousnewchapters.org for updated locations and information.

 On Sunday, April 8th, Fire Survivors in Wine Country will be welcomed at Suite D, to create a new collection for themselves. The event will run throughout the day starting at 9 am.

"Fire Recovery is not a sprint, but a marathon. We hope our community’s efforts keep pushing out love for folks for years to come. We’d love to fill every kitchen with tangible reminders how grateful we are for the people who are the very best part of our Valley and region," says Sondra and team.

 If you have a friend or know someone that will benefit by this, please pass this along.