People transplanted to Northern California usually have an "aha" moment when tasting their first peach at a farmer's market here. You realize that is how a peach should taste. While you may feel some bitterness toward all the past peaches you ate prior to this moment, the new world that open ahead of you diminishes this anger. A peach is not just a peach in Northern California. They have names that sound like shades of lipstick: Red Haven, Autumn Flame, and Cal Red.

According to Kashiwase Farm salespeople at the Marin County Farmer's Market at Civic Center, all varieties peaches--and nectarines and plums have their own characteristics and things to look for when picking them out, but the best way to pick out a perfect peach, generally speaking, is to look for the boldest colors. Don't look for pale or perfect. The more color, the more flavor. And when picking out nectarines, the speckles are from sugar, so the more blotches, the sweeter the nectarine.

Some of the late July and August varieties to look for include:

August Lady: Classic yellow peach, ripens in mid-August. Great for canning.

O'Henry: You will find these at the markets from now until mid August. Choose the deepest red and purple fruits you can find; these have lots of flavor and are perfect for grilling. Toss them in summer salads with goat cheese or ricotta.

Cal Red: These are late summer golden-red beauties, found at Frog Hollow Farm at Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market and at the Edible Schoolyard. Make a peach cobbler out of these and your friends and family will love you even more.

White Opal: These are very pale and super-high sugar content and very low acidity. It has hints of vanilla and is perfect for making bellinis. (See recipe below).

Growing Your Own Peach Tree

If you are a container gardener, the good news is, that you can grow miniature or dwarf peach trees in containers and avoid problems with a disease that commonly afflicts peach trees: leaf curl. Start with good, well draining soil. Use organic fertilizer and water regularly. When fruit starts forming on your peach tree, pinch off every third peach, or enough so that they will have plenty of room to grow and get larger. When selecting your fruit tree, keep in mind how many chill hours you have in the winter, how large the tree can get--do you want a dwarf or ultra-dwarf, and if you're going to get just one tree, it needs to be self-fertile. Keep in mind donut varieties like the Saturn Peach, as they have a delicious, delicate flavor, are small trees and require low chilling hours, which is great for California.

Recipe: Dry Creek Peach Bellini by Dry Creek Peach & Produce

Puree all ingredients below:
½ c. water
1/4 c. (approximately) lemon juice
½ - ¾ lb. white peaches
2 tsps. sugar
Strain the puree and then pour into a pitcher (preferably glass). Add one bottle of chilled Prosecco or sparkling white wine and stir. Serve in chilled champagne glasses and enjoy!

Calendar Buzz

Opening of Mission Community Market
July 22 - 4pm-8pm
Bartlett @ 22nd, San Francisco
Arts, Crafts, Music, and Capoeria set a festive environment for buying your organic veggies. The Mission in San Francisco finally has their own farmer's market.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
701 Mission St., San Francisco
Thursdays, July 22 & 29 6:00-8:00pm
TASTE! returns to YBCA this summer with a DIY take on gourmet eats and drinks, with Ritual Roasters, Bernal Heights' Wholesome Bakery and featuring The Ministry Of Approximate Travel, a project by Bay Area-based artist Jenny Odell.

Pre-Event for Sonoma County Book Festival
Windrush Farm is located at 2263 Chileno Valley Road, Petaluma, CA.
July 31st 2 - 5 PM
Annie Somerville of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco comes to Mimi Luebbermann's Windrush Farm in Petaluma to share secrets of her renowned restaurant. Somerville will be in conversation with Jonah Raskin, author of Field Days: A Year of Farming, Eating and Drinking Wine in California.

Tickets are $50 apiece, and children are free. All proceeds benefit the Sonoma County Book Festival. Tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/118595.

questions, please contact J.J. Wilson at 707.795.9058 or boxcar@sonic.net.

Despite the fact that small farmers have been relying on unpaid volunteers, interns and apprentices to keep their farms up and running for decades, the state Department of Labor has started cracking down on this practice in California. Farms in Marin and Santa Cruz County have been fined thousands of dollars in the past couple of years and many organic farmers are being forced to find new ways to stay competitive without the extra hands they're accustomed to. (See a recent article in the Marin Independent Journal).

But maybe there are some alternatives to traditional unpaid farm labor that might give these regulations a run for their money? On a recent visit to North Carolina I found out about "Crop Mob" : groups of people working for no money that have been helping out local farmers since 2008. The idea is based on the exchange of willing labor from landless aspiring farmers in exchange for knowledge and a good meal. The goal is to build interdependent strong communities through farm work. Small sustainable farms are ideal recipients of this effort because most grow diversified crops on small acreage with no chemical pesticides or fertilizers and very little mechanization, making them more labor intensive than conventional farms, but also more fertile learning grounds.

The "mobs" can be 10 people or 50 and the tasks range from building compost piles to mulching to harvesting. The group descends on a farm for one day and usually accomplishes more than the farmer could do alone in a month. Now there are more than 30 Crop Mobs around the country, including a burgeoning group in California. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/California-Crop-Mobs/357393926702).

So is it a wacky experiment in neo-agrarianism or just good old-fashioned "barn-raising"? Probably a hybrid of the two. And in that way, it reflects the sustainable food movement as a combination of back-to-the-land traditional farming methods with non-traditional farms and farmers. The question is: can innovative trends like Crop Mobs get around laws and regulations that, perhaps, aren't evolving as quickly?

by Ariana Reguzzoni

Calendar Buzz

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
701 Mission St., San Francisco
Thursdays, Jul 15, 22 & 29 6:00-8:00pm
TASTE! returns to YBCA this summer with a DIY take on gourmet eats and drinks, with Ritual Roasters, Bernal Heights' Wholesome Bakery and featuring The Ministry Of Approximate Travel, a project by Bay Area-based artist Jenny Odell.

Home Grown Marin Market
Marin's Underground Market Premier
Saturday, July 17th, 3PM-9PM
Studio 333 Caledonia St.
Sausalito, CA.

Hayes Valley Farm
Tuesday, July 20 at 7:00pm
450 Laguna Street (at Fell), San Francisco
Farm Film Night featuring Botany of Desire

18 Reasons: Edible Perfumes with Yosh Han
593 Guerrero Street, San Francisco
July 21st, 7-9PM
Aromatic treats to fuel learning include: cardamom-rose-vanilla scented whipped cream with lavender shortbread cookies and rosemary, lavender and sage dipping salts paired with summer melons.

Street in Ravello: A Resident's Vegetable Garden behind the Gate

The beautiful town of Ravello on the Amalfi Coast was founded as a place for vacation homes for families from across the valley at Scala, where nobles who had fled the fall of the Roman Empire in the 4th century, settled. And if there's anything nobility likes, it's promenading through gardens.

Artists like D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, and Richard Wagner have been drawn to this town, and Gore Vidal made his home here for part of the year. He wrote: "Certainly the gardens, the setting, the architecture of this ancient city have a magical influence." For garden lovers, the town itself is a wonderland of rustic terraced edible plots with their specialty lemons trees, Sfusato, trellised on pergolas. Botanical gardens like Villa Rufolo host classical concerts are throughout the summer. The Villa Cimbrone , offers Medieval architecture and panoramic views of the sea from the Terrace of Infinity. One of the most impressive gardens in Ravello is at Hotel Caruso, an 11th century palace renovated into a luxury hotel. The gardens are set among a steeply terraced cliff, and while ornamental, have lots of edibles, from pomegranate to chestnut trees. They grounds are manicured, but still have a lush feel and heady fragrance.

An edible herb garden, used by the chef Mimmo Di Raffaele also has strawberries planted through it that the bar uses for cocktails--muddling them with Prosecco for a twist on the Bellini.

The gardens are cut in to a steep incline, and each level hold a surprise, from roses and lavenders, to olive tree groves and citrus and fig trees.

While renovating, they cleared an old vineyard and found Medieval ruins. They were preserved and included in the garden design.

This pergola is an elegant mix of white star jasmine and white hydrangea. The jasmine and linden trees were in full bloom and the air so sweet from their fragrances it almost made you dizzy.

This is the promenade at the Hotel Caruso Belvedere, once used by the ladies in the Caruso family, so they could get a little exercise, but be shielded from public view. Now it's the walk to the infinity pool overlooking the ocean.

Hops To It

I'm always on the lookout for new and unusual plants I can grow in my backyard that my friends can eat or use, so when someone suggested growing hops to me I said, why not?

It turns out that there are very few organic hops growers in the country and especially in California. The Pacific Northwest, with its cool, but not too cold, climate is where most hops in the U.S. come from. But with the burgeoning micro and home brewing movements, more and more people are taking a stab at growing varieties of hops that are better suited to different climates.

The main requirements to keep in mind are plenty of space for the rhizomes underground and vertically for the vines and plenty of sunlight. The vines can grow incredibly tall, so a strong support system is needed and pruning (down to two or three shoots per vine) is recommended if you don't want to create a hops jungle. The plants also need plenty of water (in well-drained soil) and nutrients like nitrogen, potassium and phosphates to feed the lush green leaves and the flower-like cones. The cones are ready to harvest once they feel papery and light when squeezed. Hops can be used fresh, but for a more predictable flavor, they can be dried and stored in sealed bags or jars and frozen for up to two or three years.

Hops varieties have some of the best names in all of botany: Cascade, Liberty, Brewer's Gold and, my favorite, Fuggle. A true beer connoisseur or cicerone (beer sommelier), can tell you the subtle differences between all kinds of hops (see Tips below), but there are basically two things to keep in mind: alpha acidity, which determines the bitterness of the beer and aroma, which contributes other flavors and smells to the beer. If you go out to buy your own hops (you can find rhizomes for sale at brew stores like Oak Barrel Winecraft in Berkeley), you will most likely find Cascade, which is one of the most popular aroma varieties and imparts floral, spicy and citrusy flavors. If you're lucky enough to find Fuggle you can impress the brewmaster with your knowledge of history: Fuggle is named after Richard Fuggle, who, in 1875, bred this aroma variety to grow well in cool weather and be resistant to the plant disease downy mildew.

So far, I have experimented this year with Cascade, Fuggle and Glacier which seem to be doing well in my temperate East Bay climate - even though they're stuck in containers. I don't expect any cones this year, but next year, if I can find enough space for trellising, I'll be delivering fresh hops to my beer-making friends.

Tips for Hops Growers and Beer Drinkers

The kind folks at one of my favorite brew pubs, Monk's Kettle in San Francisco shared this description of Cascade hops from "The Monk's Kettle Guide to Hops," prepared by Bar Manager Nick Schuster:

Cascade Description: The most widely used hop in America, Cascade is an aroma variety with well-balanced bittering potential. Released for cultivation in 1972, it was the first commercially accepted American-bred aroma hop. Bred by crossing a female Fuggles hop and a male Fuggles hop with Russian Serebrianker. The hop's aroma is of medium strength and very distinct, it has been described as flowery, spicy and citrus-like.

Typical Beer Styles: American-style ales; especially Pale Ale, IPA, Porter, Barley wines. Can also be used in Witbier.

Noted commercial example: Red Seal (used post boil), Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Mirror Pond Pale Ale

And Monk's Kettle Certified Cicerone, Sayre Piotrkowski, has offered his input on pairing beer made with Cascade hops with food:

He says it ultimately depends on how you use the hop and what style of beer it is used in, but here a few suggestions:

* When used in an Amber or Red Ale or even just a slightly richer Pale Ale like "Red Seal" you end up with a bitterness level that is balanced with the caramel sweet flavors provide by the use of darker malts. We have had success pairing beers like this with salads that have a caramelized fatty component (usually bacon and/or a candied nut) over a bitter green (often rocket) with a tangy cheese and citrus vinaigrette. I specifically remember doing "Red Seal" with a salad of castle di franco greens, lamb confit, apricot Stilton and walnuts.

* In a beer like "Sierra Nevada Pale Ale" where the hop bitterness presents itself a bit more prominently and the noses can have more obvious spicy, citric aromas, we have had success with curry spices like tumeric, cumin and medium degrees of peppery heat.

* When used in very large amounts as in a massive, high ABV Imperial or Double IPA, cascade hops will compliment a tart tropical fruit or even a lemony custard based dessert. Pineapple Flan, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, and Lemon Creme Brulee all spring to mind.

By Ariana Reguzzoni

Dreaming of Italy: Terraced Gardens of Poggio Trattoria

We have to admit a bias for Poggio Trattoria in Sausalito. We love sipping Negronies and people watching from the sidewalk tables, or stopping by at night for their house blended wines paired with seasonal Italian fare--they make pizzas like fig and pancetta that will haunt your dreams. And they also have "affogato," a scoop of gelato "drowned" in espresso, that makes summer just that much sweeter. We had heard about the Poggio garden for some time, but never saw the mythical spot until recently. It's not part of the restaurant, but rather, adjacent to co-owner Larry Mindel's Sausalito hillside home.

Larry has long been passionately in love with Italy. His first visit in 1959, was a fling, but he returned in 1970 and fell hard for the place, the people, and especially the food. He opened the restaurants Ciao and Prego in San Francisco, but the Mediterranean feel of Sausalito reminded him of Italy, and so he found himself north of the Golden Gate.

The central feature of the garden is a natural spring that appears at the house, where it feeds the swimming pool, before running down the center of a terraced garden and irrigating the plants; it then empties in to a well at the base of the hill. According to Larry Mindel, when the big earthquake of 1906 hit San Francisco, water was hauled to the city from this spring via ships. In more recent history, it was an organic watercress garden run by a Basque couple, who peddled the greens in Sausalito. But seven years ago, when Larry and Chef Peter McNee opened Poggio, the garden became the place of inspiration for the restaurant.

The head gardener, Chicory Almond--his real name--has made this garden a Mediterranean wonderland. It's filled with towering artichokes, spicy peppercress, fava beans, kale and basil. The herbs and greens are served at Poggio, and some of the more seasonal far finds its way in to the daily specials. While there are too many large trees nearby to allow in much sun, Chicory did recommend Cherokee Purple and Green Zebra tomatoes for a temperate climate like this. And as for summer squash, he pointed out the Italian heirloom, Squash Cocozella Di Napoli for prolific squash blossoms, but thought bush zucchini a better bet for the vegetable.

Tip

If you want to harvest squash blossoms, get the early ones, which tend to be male. These have longer stems, good for a handle, and are just there for pollinating so leave a few, but they don't become squash. Female blossoms will have a slight bump that will become a squash.

By Maria Finn

Bruschetta with fava beans, ricotta and Pecorino Romano cheese by Chef Peter McNee of Poggio Trattoria

Fava beans are a staple ingredient in Roman cuisine. In the springtime, Romans will eat the raw fava beans with nothing more than a few pieces of Pecorino Romano cheese and some good olive oil. We grow beautiful fava beans in the Poggio organic garden located in the hills of Sausalito. This is our version of an Italian classic- the bruschetta.

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

Fava beans 1 cup*
Ricotta cheese ½ cup
Pecorino Romano 1/8 cup + 2T, grated
Virgin olive oil ¼ cup
Water as needed
Kosher salt to taste
Sea salt to taste
Garlic 1 clove
Bread, ciabatta or baguette 1 ea

*after peeled, blanched and shocked and peeled a second time.

Method:

1. Bring pot of water to boil. Add kosher salt.
2. Shuck fava beans.
3. Blanch fava beans in salted water. Check for doneness.
4. Shock beans in an ice bath when cooked to preserve the bright green color.
4. When fully cooled, peel the beans a second time. You need to yield 1 cup.
5. Puree the beans in a food processer with a little water and olive oil.
6. Hand mix together the pureed fava beans, ricotta and 1/8 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese.
7. Season with kosher salt to taste. Reserve for later
8. Slice the loaf of bread for bruschetta. Grill or toast. Rub with garlic.
9. Spread the fava bean puree on top. Sprinkle the 2T pecorino Romano and drizzle with olive oil.
9. Eat.

Ladies in Overalls: Farmer Jane

It's hard to believe there haven't been more books written about women farmers. If you learn anything from Temra Costa's new book, Farmer Jane it's that women have made an indelible mark on recent agricultural history and practices - and there are more and more female farmers joining their ranks every day.

Of course, this is nothing new. Women have been farming in this country (and others) for centuries. But it is a novel idea to document it - at least this most recent wave. What's also remarkable, according to Costa, is that women are one of the fastest growing segments of the population to own and operate farms in the U.S. And they are tending towards diversified, direct-marketed operations that create relationships with "eaters" (a more accurate term than "consumers," in Costa's opinion). This means they are having a substantial impact on sustainable agriculture, in particular.

Costa's book profiles 30 women who are "making a more sustainable food system," which broadens the idea of who influences from farmers to food activists, advocates, chefs and educators. Some of these women have been working in the field for decades, while others are just starting out - and many of them are from Northern California (see list below). After each chapter, Costa includes a "Recipe for Action" to give readers ideas on how they can join in the food movement, even just as an eater. And Costa invites readers to go to the book's website, to post stories of women who might not have made it into her list of 30. The website also has a great list of sustainable and local agriculture resources.

Costa's is no Willa Cather when it comes to literary style, but she calls herself an advocate, not a writer. Regardless, Farmer Jane is an excellent primer on how women are making a difference in the food and agriculture world. And Costa says the focus on women, not men, is because women "have been underrepresented in the public sphere about the sheer amount of work they do" for far too long. This reminder alone was enough to get me out to my garden!

by Ariana Reguzzoni

Bay Area women profiled in Farmer Jane:

Nancy Vail, Farmer, Pie Ranch, Pescadero, CA. Visit the City Dirt Profile on Pie Ranch Here.

Dru Rivers, Farmer, Full Belly Farm, Guinda, CA.

Jessica Prentice, Author, Chef and Co-Owner, Three Stone Hearth, Berkeley, CA.

Jesse Ziff Cool, Author, Chef and Restaurateur, Flea Street Café, Menlo Park, CA. Also see City Dirt story about Jesse Cool.

Willow Rosenthal, Author and Founder, City Slicker Farms, Oakland, CA.

Novella Carpenter, Farmer/ Author and Urban Farmer, Ghost Town Farm, Oakland, CA, or read the City Dirt interview with her Here.

There are several upcoming Farmer Jane events in the Bay Area. In fact, tonight she will be at Cuesa. See details in Calendar Buzz and visit her website for other opportunities.

Calendar Buzz

Wednesday, June 9
CUESA and Kitchen Table Talks to host an evening of women and food
Port Commission Hearing Room
One Ferry Building
San Francisco, CA 94111
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Cost: FREE / Donation

Thursday, June 10th
California Academy of the Arts
Where else can you meet friends for drinks and seahorse watching but the Thursday night parties at the California Academy of Arts? Tomorrow night, catch the Sustainable Seafood Cooking Demos as part of the celebration of World Ocean's Day. San Francisco Seafood Watch® Alliance and Bay area chefs will be teaming up to teach us how to choose and prepare sustainable seafood.

Speaking of Oceans

The BP Oil Spill is truly heartbreaking. If you want to help, one of our favorite organizations is the National WaterKeeper Alliance. This is a neighborhood "watch program" that monitors our waterways and fights to protect them. They are hard at work in the gulf and could use your support.

Please Shop Whole Foods Today! (This is not a paid advertisement). Rather, today, 5% of your Whole Foods purchase will go to support the Marin Organic Gleaning Program. City Dirt profiled this amazing program, read about it Here. In a sentence, they get local, organic food from Marin farmers into Marin schools. Whatever shortfalls there are in the budget, they use gleaned products from Marin Organic farmers.

Participating stores include ALL Northern California Whole Foods Market locations excluding: Sebastopol, San Mateo and Los Gatos

The Forage: Sonoma Seaweed

Heidi Herrmann runs a small farm outside of Sebastopol, and she teaches Sustainable Agriculture classes at Santa Rosa Junior College. But on low tides, she goes from farmer to forager and can be found gathering seaweed along the Sonoma Coast. At farmer's markets in Occidental, Healdsburg, and Sebastopol, Heidi sells these salty sea vegetables along with fresh produce and canned goods. Those in the know are aware that seaweed is high in protein, iron and many other vitamins and minerals. It's good for the thyroid, and if you toast and crumble seaweed and add it to pots of beans and grains, it improves the digestability and nutritional value.

There are several local varieties that are edible, but Heidi considers Nori (Porphyra perforata) the "Gateway" seaweed, as it's the mildest in sea flavor. Also, since it's only one cell thick, "It feels good in the mouth," as she put it.

Spas use seaweed as body, hair and face treatments. Soaking in the bath with some seaweed strands will ease aches, detoxify you, and improve skin tone. Some spas even claim it boosts in metabolism and reduces cellulite--but Heidi didn't say this, we read it somewhere. And it sounds like more fun than eating less.

Seaweed is also great in your garden. You soak the strands into a tea and pour it right on the soil, or mix it in with your compost. According to Heidi, "It boosts microbial activity, rendering plants more resistant to insect pests, fungus, and diseases."

And while there are several commercial seaweed operation in Mendocino, Heidi is the lone forager on the Sonoma Coast. She claims that the Sonoma Coastline has a pristine a seaweed "terroir".

Like all foraging, it is recommended you learn from an expert before heading out on your own. Heidi is available to give 1-2 hour lectures within the bay area. You can reach her and find out more at www.StrongArmFarm.com or call (707) 548-6061.

Local Seaweed Varieties by Heidi Herrmann

Nori (Porphyra perforata)
Only 1 cell thick! Particularly tasty when lightly toasted (150*F in oven 10 min) then crumbled over food as a condiment. Highest in protein (30% by weight), iron, B6 and B12 content among the seaweeds. Packed in its natural crinkly splendor rather than in heat processed, in oily MSG-laden sushi sheets.

Kombu (Laminaria dentigera)
Excellent added to beans, to soften and break down the tough fibers in beans increasing the digestibility, therefore reducing the 'gas effect'. Studies show that alginic acids in Kombu remove heavy metals and radiation from the GI/digestive tract.

Wakame (Alaria marginata)
10 times the calcium as milk, 4 times the iron as beef. This olive colored sea vegetable is rich in niacin, calcium, riboflavin, and thiamine, promotes healthy skin and hair. Great in beans and stews.

Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosis)
Regarded as the panacea by some herbal healers, known as 'the thyroid seaweed'. Fucus has been used to enhance the body's immune system, inhibit tumor cells, suppress allergic inflammation and strengthen body tissues.

Recipe: Gingered Wakame by Heidi Herrmann

1 c. (2/3 oz.) wakame (or other)
3 med. cloves garlic, chopped
2 c. water
1 t. grated ginger
1 T. oil (olive, safflower, or toasted sesame)
1 heaping T. honey or rice syrup
1 T. soy sauce

Soak wakame in water for 10 minutes. Chop into ¼" strips. Set aside. Combine all other ingredients in a wok or frying pan and sauté for 2 minutes. Add wakame and simmer for 15-20 minutes, adding soak water as needed.

Calendar Buzz

Summertini!

Friday, June 4th
6:00-9:00 PM
Galleria at the SF Design Center

Come out for hors d'oeuvres from 20 of the Bay Area's top restaurants, signature martinis, live jazz by the San Francisco Bourbon Kings, and auctions. This event is to benefit CHEFS (Conquering Homelessness Through Employment in Food Services). It's a great program that helps people get off the streets and in to jobs and homes. And it's a great party.

For more information and tickets visit their website at www.ecs-sf.org/events/summertini.html

Preserve Sonoma Spring Canning Exchange
Saturday, June 5th 1-5
330 South Main Street, Sebastopol
Gardeners, Farmers, and Canners come together for this swap of pickles,
salsa, and jams.
Canning classes will be available for novices

For more information visit:www.preservesonoma.com

The enigma that is San Francisco summer--chilly and foggy when the rest of the country is starting to wilt--is easily remedied by a trip north. There are wineries in Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino that have gorgeous gardens where you can picnic, look at art, play bocci ball, learn about permaculture, and even let your pets frolic in the dog run. All the while you are enjoying fruits of the vine. These are great places for a day trip to soak in the sun and feel like you've had a vacation.

Napa

Besides their wine, The Hess Collection has two big draws: their courtyard garden and their art collection. Upon arrival, guests are greeted with a placard with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson "a weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." Here plants are allowed to self-sow themselves to create the sense of an alpine meadow; this field is sectioned into strips running at a vertical angle and it's surrounded by a vine covered walkway and framed by Redwoods and ferns to imitate the natural world. This garden was designed by Peter Walker, who was deeply influenced by the art of Frank Stella when he was starting out as a designer. The second bonus to this vineyard visit is their art collection, which includes many heavy hitters like Robert Motherwell, Francis Bacon, and Robert Rauschenberg. As you tour the artwork and pause at the Frank Stella paintings, the geographic lines and repeated patterns seem vaguely familiar.

Rutherford

Frog's Leap Vineyard in Rutherford California is as much a homestead as vineyard and a magical spot in Napa Valley. In the summer, their flower garden is in full bloom you can wander the paths from huge clusters of Matilda poppies to swaths of lamb's ears and clusters of yarrow and lavender. They have a chicken coop and at times goats to help mow high weeds and grasses. Their dwarf fruit trees are abundant, and lucky visitors during peach season get sent home with fruit. After touring the gardens and grounds, sit on the porch and have a leisurely wine tasting. A flight of four wines and small plate of cheese, crackers and dried fruit cost $15.00. It is a great deal and even a few hours here will make you feel like you've been on vacation. Make a reservation for a farm tour and tasting at 800-959-4704 or email ribbit@frogsleap.com.

Sonoma

Stop by the vineyard and winery Chateau St. Jean and wander the marvel that is their Mediterranean Garden. Italian classics like gnarled olive trees and shrubs of rosemary border the perimeter. White roses bloomed profusely between the tightly pruned boxwood corridors, lemon trees are in terra cotta pots and archways led to smaller patios and the bocci ball court. Take a picnic, buy a bottle of wine and sit on the patio and enjoy. Edith Wharton described the charm of the gardens of Italy: "The traveler returning from Italy, with his eyes and imagination full of the ineffable Italian garden-magic, knows vaguely that the enchantment exists; that he has been under its spell..." You may feel the same about the Chateau St. Jean.

Sebastopol

If you find yourself thirsty for some Russian River Chardonnay or Pinot Noir while near Sebastopol, stop at Lynmar Winery . They have shaded tables throughout their stunning flower gardens. You can bring a picnic lunch and pair it with their wines while watching honeybees and hummingbirds suckle lavender and salvia. If they let you, walk up the dirt road and poke around Quail Hill Ranch. A little more rustic than the tasting room, but it still has that golden, California glow.

Healdsburg

Wine, food, design, and garden enthusiast should be excited about the recent opening of the Medlock Ames Tasting Room & Alexander Valley Bar. They employed a dream team of eco-minded designers, and the outdoor space includes a farm-style table amidst a grove of 30 year-old olive trees and a fire pit seating area. The table has a metal insert that holds ice running down the center for chilling your white wines. In fact, the plug on the drain for this is the exact size of a wine cork. We hope the landscape architect, Jeffrey Longhenry, project manager for Nelson Byrd Woltz has on a patent on this. A grid of galvanized raised beds grow seasonal edibles for wood-fired pizzas, and fruits and herbs for use in crafting cocktails at the speakeasy bar.

Booneville

The Navarro Vineyards & Winery in the Anderson Valley appellation is known for their Pinot Noir, and they have a red blend from 2008, Navarrouge that tastes like smoke from the wild fires that year. If you like the novelty of tasting natural history, buy a bottle of this and some local cured meats they carry in their tasting room, or a bottle of dry Gewürztraminer and some local cheese and go sit under their pergola. It's a lovely spot shaded with wisteria vines that overlooks rows of grapes. And they have a dog run, so bring your pooches, and let them play while you do.

Calendar Buzz

This exhibition isn't opening until this fall, but it's worth buzzing about.

SF MOMA
November 20, 2010 - April 17, 2011

How Wine Became Modern looks at the material and visual culture of wine over the past three decades and offers a fresh way of understanding the contemporary culture of wine and the role that architecture and design have played in its transformation. The exhibition will include aerial photographs of wine-growing regions as well as winery architecture, wine labels, and glassware.

But if you're itching to get to SF MOMA before then, mark your calendar for the Meat Paper and Blue Bottle Event on June 17th at the Rooftop Garden café for a tasting as part of the museum's third Thursday springtime event series, SFMOMA: Now Playing. Local chefs will create dishes and desserts featuring edible flowers. 6-8pm The rooftop event is free with half-price museum entry. (Free for SFMOMA members.)Tasting plates $5

Then take your dad out to McEvoy Ranch for the Father's Day Weekend Hike. The hike includes steep, uneven terrain along unpaved dirt paths----so they advise you wear sturdy shoes, dress in layers, and be prepared for a vigorous jaunt as we make our way through the natural beauty of the Ranch. After the 1 hour long walk, then it's on to the milling room, where they explain the process of extracting olive oil. The experience concludes with a rustic post-hike snack, dad-style.
Price: $50
Date: Saturday, June 19, 2010
Time: 10:00am - 12:30pm

Calendar Buzz

There are so many great events going on in the bay area this week that today's newsletter is exclusively Calendar Buzz. Many of these happenings require tickets and fill up fast, but if the event you want to go to is sold out, check their calendars for upcoming programming as many of our favorite places and organizations around the bay area are hosting events all year round that will make you smarter, healthier, happier, and hipper.

Next week we will return to profiles, recipes, tips, calendar buzz, et al. But for now, here are ideas for you to go out and have fun, eat well and get dirty.

If you enjoy receiving this newsletter, please pass it along and encourage friends to sign up. As well, we'd like to know what you want to hear more of and less of, so please send your feedback. (Just hit return on the newsletter).

For Foodies

May 15th-31st
From Earth to Five Star

The Old Mint in San Francisco is transforming into a Local Foodie Fantasy Land for three weekends in May. With exhibitions on the evolution of food and drink in San Francisco, along with exhibit galleries showing products Northern California is known for like wine, cheese, and fresh produce. Live programs include talks on organic wineries, the future of Farmer's Markets, the Gardens of Alcatraz and edible gardening. Find out more at From Earth to Five Star.

Thursday, May 20th ; 7-9pm
The Earth Island Institute Presents "Can You Be a 'Good Environmentalist' and Still Eat Meat?"

The question that weighs on many a carnivorous conscience: "Can You Be a 'Good Environmentalist' and Still Eat Meat?" Watch Nicolette Hahn Niman, a Marin rancher and author of "Righteous Porkchop" debate this issue with Howard Lyman, the author of "Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat. " This will be held in Berkeley at the David Brower Center. For more information click Here.

Sunday, May 23rd; 3:00 pm
Marin Organic Presents a Conversation with Marion Nestle

Marion Nestle is a New York City based writer, academic, nutritionist and food activist. She will discuss her latest book, Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health with Helge Hellberg, Executive Director. Held in Toby's Feed Barn in Pt. Reyes Station, this should make for a enlightening afternoon.
Visit the Marin Organic Website to see the 2010 Speaker's Series Here.

For Foragers

Thursday, May 27th & Saturday May 29th
Daily Acts has organized a Seaweed Harvesting Workshop with Heidi Herrmann

Heidi is the owner of Strong Arm Farms and an avid seaweed gatherer. Learn the secrets of the sea in this two-part class. The lecture will be held at the Seed Bank in Petaluma and part two will be at the ocean, low tide of course. For more details visit Daily Acts.

For Tree-Huggers

Tuesday, May 25th; 7-9 pm
18 Reasons Presents Edible Gardening for the Space-Starved

Growing your own food in the city is easier than you might think, and you don't need acres of fertile earth to make it happen! Here to guide your green thumbs are Maria Finn, author of A Little Piece of Earth: How to Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces, and Leslie Bennett, gardener and founder of San Francisco's Star Apple Edible Gardens. Together, they'll take you through the steps of planting your own container garden, help you to think through what to grow, where to grow it and how to make your garden thrive! Visit 18 Reasons for more information.

May 29th; 10 am to 2 pm
Gray Water Workshop Hosted by Middlebrook Gardens, San Jose

Greywater Guru, Roy Nordblom III, greenbuilder, consultant and trainer from Willow Glen, will conduct the greywater workshop. Participants will learn how to install single-source greywater systems that are legal and require no permit. For more information visit Middlebrook Gardens Website.

May 30th, 10am to 1:30pm
Permaculture Bootcamp at Hayes Valley Farm

Chris Burley & David Stockhausen will teach you how to take your urban windowsill, office ledge, or rooftop garden beyond sustainable to regenerative. Short & cheap, this workshop could change your life. For details go to their website by clicking Here .

For Future Farmers

Thursday, May 27th; 7-9 pm
18 Reasons present What's On Your Plate? Film Screening

What's On Your Plate? is a witty and provocative documentary about kids and food politics directed by award-winning filmmaker Catherine Gund. Filmed over the course of one year, the film follows two eleven-year-old city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. Seating is limited; floor cushions welcome. Snacks generously provided by Kaia Foods. Visit 18 Reasons for more information.

Fridays, ongoing; 2-5pm
Bayer Park and Community Garden

Take the kids to a taste of the farm in central Santa Rosa. Children (and adults) explore edible gardens, barns, and hay bales. For more information visit Land Paths .

Tuesdays-Sundays through Nov. 4
The Garden of Savage Delights , Carnivorous Plant Show at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park

Watch them stun, snap, and poison their prey. Yes, these are plants that eat meat and kids fear and love them. So take the family down to the Golden Gate Park and learn about Venus Fly Traps and Pitcher Plants.
and is free with admission to the conservatory. For more information, call (415) 666-7001 or visit the Conservatory of Flowers website.

Big on figs: Elma man turns his interest into a passionate hobby

by DEBBY ABE

One magical day on a river bank two decades ago, Denny McGaughy fell in love with the fig.

McGaughy (prounced ma-goy) was vacationing in California, moseying around the Sacramento River when he spotted a lone fig tree. He lowered a branch and plucked one of the world's most ancient and succulent fruits.

"It was wonderful," said McGaughy, a 67-year-old retired environmental biologist. "I said, 'This is God's candy.' "

McGaughy has been trying to raise figs ever since at his home in Elma, 30 miles west of Olympia.

His hobby recently yielded a jackpot of sorts. It turns out that one of the 100 fig trees he's been nurturing was a previously unidentified variety.

He's calling it the Olympian.

"I think it's exciting," McGaughy said. "It's a wonderful fig that grows wonderfully in Olympia."

Read the Full Article Here