Dear Readers,
Welcome to the late summer issue of our magazine! I’m happy to share with you this collection of stories, recipes, and inspirations to make the most of this special season of abundant produce, longer days and time spent with family and friends.
Mark your calendars for the 51st Annual Gravenstein Apple Fair on August 10 and 11 at Ragle Ranch Park in Sebastopol. This event will feature local growers, including Gold Ridge Organic Farm, which will also celebrate all summer long with weekly heritage apple tastings and pizza events. And speaking of amazing pizza, the eagerly awaited pizza oven at Petaluma’s Stellina Pronto! is now fired up for summer take-out and sidewalk dining.
Manzana—the last apple cannery in the area—is moving to Washington. Read our feature Hard Core to learn more about their 100-year-old legacy and what the move could mean for Sonoma County’s heritage apple farmers.
Earlier this summer, I attended Healdsburg’s AVFest film festival’s Neighbor Night in Alexander Valley to watch the film Common Ground, directed by married duo Josh and Rebecca Tickell. There, we enjoyed paella from Sonoma County’s own Gerard’s Paella, drank locally sourced wines, and heard from a panel of experts, including Zero Foodprint’s Elaine Chen, who discussed regenerative agriculture and ZFP’s grant program for farmers in Sonoma County.
Chen’s insights and the film were a powerful reminder that many local farms and restaurants in Sonoma County are at the forefront of the regenerative agriculture movement. Read our story Zero Foodprint Steps Up to find out how restaurants like Lunchette and Little Saint are helping to transition local ranches and farms from former models of land management to the both climate friendly and more profitable regenerative agriculture model.
I hope you’re energized by these stories and more in this issue of Made Local Magazine. Enjoy the warmth of summer and let it charge up your own creativity and passions.
Kary Hess