Made Local Magazine
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Petaluma Winery: Brooks Note
Five years ago, something extraordinary happened on the 400 block of Petaluma Boulevard North. The promise of the city of Petaluma’s burgeoning wine scene was realized in a trifecta of oenological proportions when one small enterprise had the audacity to envision wines grown, made, and poured in a town formerly known as the “egg basket…
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Letter from the Editor
This time of year, our thoughts turn to the garden. Whether it’s food, flowers, or perfecting the landscaping, there is plenty to keep us humming in the yard. This summer, tired of battling gophers, deer, and turkeys, I’ve turned my attention to the front porch where I’m planting veggies in pots. Nice and safe where…
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Urban Wild
Petaluma River Park For decades, a 35-acre industrial site on the McNear Peninsula in downtown Petaluma sat dormant. It was an abandoned peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Petaluma River. Today, that neglected spit of land is transforming into an ambitious public space: the Petaluma River Park. In 2020, a community-led grassroots effort raised…
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Dig in with Master Gardeners
The UC Master Gardener Program Offers Science-Based Solutions to Your Gardening Questions A flourishing garden—whether on a large lot, small patio, or even a community garden plot—holds enduring appeal for so many of us. We dream of picking fresh plump tomatoes or clipping lettuce leaves or flowers from our neatly maintained patch out back. It’s an…
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All That Jazz
Healdsburg Jazz Festival is one of the Crown Jewels of Sonoma County’s Cultural Calendar Don’t let June sneak by without catching the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, taking place from June 12-21 in and around the wine country town. This is the festival’s 28th year, and surprisingly it manages to fly under the radar for many locals.…
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Ripe for Change: Making Space for Food in Wine Country
There’s a new crop popping up across Sonoma County. You’ve probably seen them while driving by rolling hills or along rural roads. Emerging from soil once dominated by grapes, this new crop is sturdy, oddly rectangular, and complicates the future of local agriculture: “For Sale” signs. For half a century, ever since local wine began…
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Rare Bird: Glen Ellen’s Songbird Parlour
Sometimes the best restaurants feel a bit like a well-kept secret. Those places with thoughtfully prepared food, attentive service, and ambiance that encourages good conversation and genuine conviviality. Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen is just such a spot. Tucked into historic Jack London Village, which dates to 1839, Songbird Parlour offers an elegant and sophisticated…
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Reuse and Restore
Sonoma Restorations creates beautiful heirloom pieces from repurposed wood. In a world where furniture is mass-produced and discarded far too easily, it feels good to collect pieces that come with backstories, ready to enhance a new chapter in your story. In the heart of Sonoma County, Sonoma Restorations transforms the history and heritage of wine country into handmade furniture, décor, and…
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Springtime’s First Food
In the Eastern Pomo language, April is referred to as “Schubok-Goy-Di” or “Flowers Grow Time.” For many of our local tribes, the first strawberries are celebrated and blessed as the arrival of spring brings growth and renewal, and the strawberries are considered “first foods.” Berries are an integral part of the traditional California native diet.…
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Spring Farmers Markets
Find a Sonoma County Farmers Market Near You: Ourfarmersmarkets.org Nuestrosmercados.org Cloverdale Cloverdale Farmers Market cloverdaleconnect.com Downtown Plaza Tuesdays (Summer) 6:00-9:00pm Cotati Cotati Farmers Market ilovefarmersmarkets.org La Plaza Park Wednesdays (June–September) 4:30-7:30pm Forestville forestvillefarmersmarket.com Downtown Park Tuesdays (June–September) 4:00-7:00pm Healdsburg Healdsburg Farmers Market healdsburgfarmersmarket.org Foley Family Community Pavilion, 3 North St. Saturdays…