Sep/Oct 2016
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A Letter from the Editor
In the early 20th century, my great-great grandfather, a man named Anselmo Figueroa, was on the editorial board of a socialist newspaper called Regeneración. The founder was Ricardo Flores Magón, a journalist and activist widely credited as one of the primary forces behind the Mexican Revolution. Magón’s call for “Tierra y Libertad” for all got…
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From the Soil Up
Farmer training programs have popped up all over the county, and they teach beginners more than how to grow healthy crops. Kiley Clark lifts a box brimming with fresh cut heads of lettuce, dew drops still clinging to the tender purple and green leaves in the late morning sun, and strolls over to the walk-in…
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Edible Ecosystem
Public food forests build community, improve food security, and increase access to healthy foods. It’s mid-July and, despite months without rain, the berries, herbs, flowers, and fruit trees at the public food forest surrounding the Cavanagh Recreation Center in downtown Petaluma are flourishing. As we brush past pomegranate and fig trees, Trathen Heckman, executive director…
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A Twist on Verjus
Stolen Fruit Cocktail Mixers elevate wine industry discards. Verjus, a fresh-pressed vinegary juice made from the unripe green grapes thinned from vines halfway to harvest, has long been a popular cooking ingredient in France. Used since biblical times to add an acidic touch to food, outside of chef and foodie circles, verjus isn’t as familiar…
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Cocktails with Heart
Garden-to-glass drinks, joyfully crafted from homegrown ingredients, are on the rise. When Tara Heffernon and her business partners Laura Sanfilippo and Steven Maduro decided to open their own bar, they wanted to create a welcoming, neighborhood watering hole in central Healdsburg. “If you’re about to go to dinner at Vallette (a high-end local restaurant) and you’re…
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Locavox
Stories from the people who make our food system go. James Williams | 34 Harvest manager and farm store manager at Green String Farm in Petaluma What is your food and farming background? I grew up in Tracy, California. I did three years in 4-H and two years in FFA raising pigs and chickens and…
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Locavortex
Next Level Movie Grub Walk into your average movie theater, ask the teenager behind the concession stand to speak with the chef, and you’ll probably get an eye roll towards the popcorn machine. Ask the same question at the Rialto Cinemas in Sebastopol, and you’ll be greeted by the smiling face of Patti Stack. A former catering company…
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The End Bit
Sonoma County doesn’t produce much in the way of vegetables. In 2015, roughly 512 acres of vegetable production yielded $12 million. Not much, given that yearly we consume several hundred million dollars’ worth of the stuff. So, what gives? Are there farmers who want to grow more but can’t find buyers willing to pay the…