Sonoma Country Life

Traveling Circus

Stage four of the Rivetti family traveling circus begins today with another trek across country, this time without motor vehicle and the spacious trunk for increasing amounts of luggage. The Italian husband departed for California a couple of days ago, leaving me rental carless 'on the road' with two youngest and third strapping son about to return from his debut backpacking experience through Belgium Germany and northern France.

Stuffing the last of Nonna's Italian treats into side pockets of bulging case and an extra borrowed from my Mum,today's adventure entails traversing London with luggage via train, whilst meeting an old friend for lunch and taking in a West End show with the boys tonight.

En route to Twickenham for interim stay with my sister, stage five of the European adventure commences Saturday with a short-haul to Mallorca.

It has been an exercise in organizational skills, nostalgia and practicality, mixed with intense emotional reunions and farewells. Heady stuff. "Why don't you just stay here" has been a familiar question posed by multiple family members. Why not, indeed. I sometimes wonder. How long would it take me to miss the vineyard views and California clime, friends and community back in Petaluma?

Electric lightening, thunder and hail reminded me of what a true British summer is really all about, although I've quite enjoyed the quirky unpredictability of the weather after so many long, dry summer seasons in Northern Cal.

Read in today's paper that the Queen's garden party was hailed-out yesterday, as she was evacuated during 100 year record rain. Harry Potter premier for the sixth movie was also deluged with precipitation as the young stars took a drenching on the red carpet in Leicester Square.

Will check in again from Twickenham, if I manage to move the family circus according to plan!

Eco Warriers - A Green and Pleasant Land

Though I am temporarily basking in the glow of an active internet connection, here in the English countryside of south Lincolnshire, the fact that I have an entourage of offspring biting at the bit to check their various my space/Facebook walls and reawaken their U.S. online identities after nearly three weeks of wholesome Great British retreat, is making matters less than optimum for the posting of any truly inspired blogs.

One thing I would like to share, in the five seconds I have inline for an online dialog it the fantastic efforts being made across the coutry, here in the increasingly progressive UK, to spread the 'Green'. Friday is Green Britain Day and there's been a  widespread campaign across the media and on billboards encouraging everyday folk to embrace the eco life. Not in an overly hip and trendy, exclusive way, but in a fresh and practical approach to promoting the local produce, tips on how to swap and share and re-sell goods and clothing, big discounts on vehicle trade-ins (not nearly as complicated as the cash for clunkers U.S. program appears to be), recycling made easy with divider bins all over the place and people on bikes in business attire, not just the Tour-de-France ensemble we're so smothered with in Marin and Sonoma Counties!

Despite increasing cases of Swine Flu (Even Harry Potter Movie actor Rupert Grint got a dose), Green Britain Day is set to be boosted with street parties and celebrations of support in how to save the planet, or at the very least, this little, green and pleasant land.

Star Spangled Celebrations Over the Pond

Kind of ironic to be celebrating Fourth of July and all of its independent connotations whilst in the United Kingdom, but, hey, why not. Britain has a lot to be thankful for that the U.S. is no longer its charge. Can you even imagine that scenario?!

Several American star-spangled celebrations taking place in Lincolnshire/Cambridgeshire area, today, by all accounts. Stopped in at the wonderful, neighborhood Italian deli around the corner from Nonna's house yesterday to pick up some Chianti and what-not and just missed out on the Italian bakery's delivery of a stars and stripes cake for a party taking place in an Anglo/Italian/American family home in that neck of the woods.

Will be waving the red, white and blue in my sister-in-law Maria's back garden in Stamford, Lincs  a little later today. Rumor has it there will be key lime pie  for an all-American dessert and our best attempt at rustling U.S. style barbecue thanks to fabulous weather.

Big blow to the Brits with an American wiping out Andy Murray at Wimbledon, yesterday. Would have been the first Brit to have made it to the mens finals in 71 years. I have a feeling he'll be back next year without such impossible pressure. Still, if he had to loose out, best it was to an American.

Happy Fourth of July!

Pause for Doors

After two weeks of apparent inertia due undoubtedly to the repeated act of routine smashing of blogger's skull on random door posts in remote English country hobbit cottage, I'm hoping that I still have sufficient readers to warrant the resurrection of my roving blog!

Hard to believe it, but trust me, dear readers, there are still places in the civilized world without internet access or cell phone reception. Oddly enough, I have found these parts, upon recent inspection, to be some of the most pleasant locales in England's green and gorgeous lands!

And after giving up on the withdrawal frenzies of these first two weeks off radar, something rather refreshing has started to take over in the need-to-be-connected department. You really ought to try it yourself sometime. Amazingly enough, the world does continue to rotate without manic checking of one's essential email. And texting truly rocks. Except for the fact that the lucky recipients of my rambling UK texts claim that I'm confusing the instant message mobile with an opportunity for a minor novella.

Have lots to  report from the happily sun-drenched small island, though camera has mysteriously frozen along with all other technological tools. Reports might come in dribs and drabs according to the time of day when internet access is an option in the midst of current big, fat, Anglo-Italian family reunion weekend.

Keep 'em peeled!

Fortuitous First Full Day Back in GB

Had I chosen to return back home to glorious Great Britain today as opposed to yesterday, I would have walked straight into the happiest day of the year.

For according to Cliff Arnall, a psychologist at the University of Cardiff in Wales, his formula for the 19th of June takes into consideration various emotional, physical, and stress factors in determining the most blissful day of the annual calendar.

By all accounts in today's British media, a winning combo of brighter evenings, childhood memories and the prospect of summer vacations puts today at the top of the cheerful spectrum.

Arnall's equation reportedly looks like this: O + (N x S) + Cpm/T + He.

O is time spent outdoors.

N is time spent in nature.

S is more socialization in the summer.

Cpm relates to positive memories of childhood summers.

T factors in temperature.

He is vacation anticipation.

And given the fact that I woke to the sound of doves gently cooing in broad daylight at 4.45am this morning, it is true to say that the incredible lengthy days from dawn to dusk during the British summer do perk up the spirits considerably!

If I had arrived today and not yesterday I may not have had the two and a half hour hold up at Hertz rental car hq at Heathrow airport with exhausted teens and pre-teen in tow with our great pile of luggage to haul a couple more hours north.

A car-rental hold-up welcome visit from my sister, Lindsey and the lovely little Phoebe kept the spirits from flagging as the adorable toddler entertained us with a repertoire of dancing and airplane spotting!

Revived considerably with a plate of Nonna's pasta and homemade meatballs, stuffed peppers and salad from her garden before making our trails to my hometown in the countryside, where the boys and I have strolled to the butchers and bakers, lunched on ham sandwiches and strawberries, stretched our plane-cramped limbs with a leisurely swim and started about the business of extending this 'happiest day' into the next few, wonderful weeks.

Meanwhile, the mad Italian husband has been golfing since dawn and oldest son took a train to the North to tour a university he might be taking into consideration. Now that would be a good thing, more excuses for me to make the long journey back to Britain for more frequent visits.

Petaluma School Garden Students Appeal to First Lady

Jacquie Perlmutter, of Petaluma-based Barbara's Bakery plants salad greens and lavender with students at Grant Elementary School. Teacher Julia Megna talks with Jacquie on the tremendous impact Barbara's Bakery continues to make via Petaluma Educational Foundation on a variety of Petaluma teaching gardens. Photos by Todd Cary. Students at Bernard Eldredge Elementary prepare their mission-style teaching garden for summer break. If the Nation’s First Lady responds to a big, bundle of handwritten letters penned by Petaluma elementary school students and were to pay a visit to any one of a variety of the city’s schools, she would be met with a wealth of horticultural knowledge and hands-on experience in how to make the most of a number of flourishing teaching gardens. For First Lady, Michelle Obama famously planted fruit and vegetable seedlings in the new White House Garden this spring, assisted by a group of Fifth Graders from a Washington D.C School, inspiring over 300 students at Valley Vista and McKinley Elementary Schools to write her in request of recognition for their efforts here in Sonoma County. Thanks to generous, on-going, annual PEF grants funded by community-minded, Petaluma-based Barbara’s Bakery, numerous schools throughout the city are already well under way with a ‘White House’ trail of sustainable, healthy lifestyle lessons being learned in a wide range of well-established teaching gardens. “We’re delighted to help support so many otherwise under-funded school gardens here in Petaluma,” says spokesperson for Barbara’s Bakery, Jacquie Perlmutter, pictured with students at Grant Elementary School Learning Garden. The goal at Grant is to enrich math, plant science and health education curriculums through ‘green’ use of the Learning Garden. 2008/2009 school-year garden grants represented year nine in a generous, 10-year $50,000 commitment by Barbara’s Bakery via PEF. Schools which have benefited are: Bernard Eldredge, Casa Grande HS, CG Native Plant Nursery, Grant, Mary Collins, McNear, Penngrove, Petaluma JH, Petaluma HS, St. Vincents HS, Two Rock, Valley Vista and Wilson. As with the White House Garden, 600 pounds of last year’s excess seasonal produce from St. Vincent de Paul High School’s innovative PEF funded Victory Garden was donated to Petaluma’s needy through Petaluma Bounty and the Petaluma Ecumenical Project. The Barbara’s Bakery Grant for 2009-2010 will fund the relocation and major expansion of the garden to provide more produce to meet ever-growing demand. The school’s kitchen coordinator will utilize produce to involve student gardeners in cooking classes. Latin class students have designed labels with scientific names of plants and the Art department is designing T-shirts for the Garden Club. Theology teachers plan to utilize the garden for thoughtful meditation for faculty and students. Bernard Eldredge Elementary School’s perfectly contained learning garden is based on the Spanish Mission gardens of early California. Native plants and grapevines thrive throughout the year on a sustainable drip system, as students learn which plants, fruits and vegetables thrive in this environment. This year’s PEF grant funded by Barbara’s Bakery will provide funding for a Redwood Tree Fairy Ring and an orchard of fruit trees. “Without the financial support of grants from Barbara’s Bakery through PEF, the creation and ongoing development of our wonderful mission garden would have been an impossibility,” says Jay Bushey, Upper Grade Teacher, Bernard Eldredge Elementary School, Petaluma Coordinator for Petaluma School District Gardens, currently funded by the non-profit SHAKE Foundation (Support Healthy, Active Kids in Education is a Petaluma Elementary Schools fund raising development task focused on providing total health for children in the Petaluma Elementary School district), is Vanessa Passarelli. It was Passarelli who spearheaded the letter writing campaign to the White House. “Students were not asking for funding, but merely to make the First Lady aware of the tremendous efforts taking place here in Petaluma to teach sustainable gardening in schools,” said Passarelli. “Reading the letters brought tears to my eyes.”

Breaking With Tradition - A Home Baked Birthday Cake for Mum!

Someone around here at Sonoma Country Life HQ is having a b'day. Discreetly. Even though I'm blogging the fact, it's not for the fanfare. Or the cake.

Except for the sweet evidence pictured above that the Rivetti famiglia actually broke with a long-standing tradition and baked a birthday cake without any (well, hardly any, other than the hint of a rose-on-top) help from the birthday girl herself.

And when I say, familglia, I should really be more specific and attribute most of the accolades to my lovely youngest son, who at aged 10 and three quarters has made my day with his home baked gift. Whipped cream (with a hint of sugar and vanilla to his taste), fresh berries and all. Life doesn't get much sweeter than this!

Check out Kay's Petaluma Farmers' Marketplace and Chat Table

Though it feels a little nippy out there for summer, it won't be long before the big-brimmed sunhat brigade get some bang for their buck on their continental wardrobe - the sun has to shine sooner or later!

Wednesday's first-of-the-season's Petaluma Farmers’ weekday Market was buzzing with activity and superb regional produce. And according to our home town's queen of culinary credibility, Kay Baumhefner: "We came home with flowering pea shoots, tender lettuces, fava beans, Japanese turnips, de cicco broccoli, rucola, blossoming zucchini, garlic scapes, fresh basil, strawberries, cherries and white nectarines."

Kay's fantastic new concept of a Marketplace Chat Table is proving a home-run with her registered Come Home to Cooking Club market-goers, keen to make the most of their abundant baskets.

"These meetings will be structured like an informal class with the following schedule of activities, but please feel welcome to come join us any time that works best with your schedule," says Kay, who provides registered members with their own nifty, insulated, zippered Come Home to Cooking Bags. "We look forward to spending many balmy summer evenings with you in the heart of our very own village."

Click Here For More Info on Registering with Come Home to Cooking

Petaluma Wednesday Evening Marketplace Chat Table Schedule:
4:30 – 5:30: TOUR THE MARKET WITH KAY for a Produce Tutorial with Selecting & Buying Advice.
5:30 – 6:30: MEET UP BACK AT THE CLUB TENT to Assess Everyone’s Purchases, Review Effective Storage Guidelines, and Discuss Recipe & Menu Ideas to Help You Make the Best Use of Everything You Take Home [bring a notebook & your questions].
6:30 – 8:00: GET YOUR PICNIC SUPPER from one of the wonderful Market Food Vendors [and/or bring something from home] and GATHER BACK AROUND OUR MARKETPLACE CHAT TABLE to Celebrate the Timeless Joy of Eating Together in Good Company while still talking more about food and cooking.

 

Winemakers' Summer

Early summer in the winemaking world here in Sonoma County marks a mellow few weeks before the heat ramps up the heavy duty work in the ripening vineyard.

It's the perfect time (like its late December/early January counterpart) to entertain and be entertained by fellow winemakers and friends involved in the fast=paced wine biz.

I've been freelance writing for Wine Country This Week since the New Year and have romped around both Napa and Sonoma Counties in pursuit of all sorts of appealing assignments for tasting room features, food and wine pairings and winemaker profiles.

But there's nothing like tasting last season's vintage from the barrel or the previous year's release in the bottle at vineyards of friends here in the Petaluma Gap.

Hot on the heels of a barrel sampling of some superb new Shiraz lots at Azari Vineyards, our neighboring D Street grape and olive growers, Teela and Michael Ridgeway sizzled steaks and herb-crusted whole chickens for an impromptu pot-luck and pouring of their fabulous Pinot Noir. Teela's home made pesto pizza appetizer popped with a dash of the Ridgeway estate olive oil, farmer's market tomatoes and a sprinkling of romano cheese.

Pictured above is Gap member winery Cline Cellars over in Sonoma, home to a variety of Petaluma Gap grown wines and long-time workplace of its Director of Marketing, the wonderful Charene, fellow book group member and girlfriend extraordinaire. Picnicked during Charene's lunch hour and took a little time out of the hectic week to catch up with close pals for a spot of vino purchasing to stock up the summer wine selection.

There's nothing quite as nice as a crisp, white Cline Viogner with fresh berries, artisan cheese, a loaf of Della's Rosemary, Meyer Lemon bread and a slither of pate for a casual SoCo picnic.

Now that I've had my fill of locally grown wines, I'll soon be perusing the wine merchants' shelves in Cambridgeshire and Sussex to see if I can spot any familiar labels over there in the UK. As they say, "When in Rome" may well translate to "When not too very far from France". Although, there are some intriguing English white wines on the market today, might have to give them a whirl with the cucumber sandwiches. Then again, a nice pint of ale sounds good with a ploughman's lunch......

Full Moon and Music in the Vineyards

Have your fun this summer, but save September for some seriously decadent fundraising events in two of Petaluma's most exclusive venues.

Cinnabar Theater invites you to discover the stunning vistas and superb wines of Petaluma's secluded  Azari Vineyard with enchanting chamber music under a full, harvest moon, Saturday September 6th.

This event is limited to 100 lucky wine and music lovers, who will be the first to participate in a public event at one of the Petaluma Gap region's most talked-about family wineries. Take it from me (and my recent shots) - it's a sweeping sensation of pastoral tranquility out there on Spring Hill Road, with glorious sunsets over the peach-hued hills.

The annual educational-fundraising extravaganza of the PEF BASH follows on Saturday, September 12th at a lux, new, ultra-modern South McDowell Landing location, overlooking Shollenberger Park. Tickets go on sale in July. Check in at the PEF website now to make early ticket/table reservations. I'll be posting much, much more on the finer details of the not-to-be-missed BASH later on in July.