Sonoma Country Life

2009 Community Crush Season at Petaluma's McEvoy Olive Ranch

 

The rush to crush may be over in the wine world here in Sonoma County, but the next mad dash is hot on its heels - for Tuscan-varietal olive trees are a ripe for the picking and Petaluma's magical McEvoy Ranch makes it ever-so-easy for producing community crush oil.

In addition to milling McEvoy's own olive fruit, the ranch offers its Rapanelli mill and expert oil makers to other growers in the region. "We can mill your olives with our stone wheels or with one of our two blade mills. Our commitment to making high quality oil continues in our custom milling program, giving our customers the best possible oil that can be made from their fruit," says the web site for the scenic west Petaluma ranch positioned right along the border with West Marin off the D Street extension.

Due to the size of the McEvoy mill there is a 250 lb minimum for individual custom milling; those growers with fewer than 250 lbs of olives are invited to join one of two 2009 community mill days: Sunday November 15 or Sunday December 5. Price per lb of fruit: $1.00

For customers with small quantities of fruit who want to pool together with other growers, Tuscan olive varieties and all other varieties will be milled in two separate batches. Arrive between 9 and 12 p.m on either Sunda, preferably having picked your fruit the day before milling, keeping it dry and cool.

Alternatively, charge is $450.00/ton for custom milling (250 lb minumum) and the McEvoy mill is open from late-October to mid-December. Reservations can be made with Shari DeJoseph (shari@mcevoyranch.com 707-769-4100.

Bring your own oil containers (well-marked with your name) unless you would like to purchase them from McEvoy Ranch. Plan on 1 gallon from approximately 60 to 80 lbs of fruit depending on the overall ripeness.Fruit will be weighed and charged accordingly upon acceptance. Due to the amount of time to calculate and divide up everybody’s share of the oil, the following Tuesday is the designated pick-up day.

If the weather is looking wet, be sure to check with Samantha Dorsey at 707-769-4123 or samantha@mcevoyranch.com.

Fruit which is very badly damaged by olive fly will not be included in the milling and leaves must be thoroughly discarded. Thanks to Teela Ridgeway for reminding me and many more Tuscan olive tree growers in and around west Petaluma to get on with our annual harvest and participate. Teela is a passionate protector of the Petaluma olives, having launched a program last year to hand pick practically every unwanted specimen in town in order to protect growers like herself and husband Mike from having to endure a potential olive fly infestation that would swiftly swamp the area. It is really imperative not to leave unwanted olive fruit hanging or rotting on the ground. And why would you when the offer to conveniently produce your own house oil awaits at McEvoy?

Labor Day Weekend Music in the Vineyard with the Cinnabar Quartet

 

 

 

What are you doing, this Labor Day weekend? if you are hanging out and about around Sonoma County and haven't made plans for this Sunday, September 6th, it's not too late to treat yourself to a one-of-a-kind evening of wine tasting and classical music under the stars in Petaluma's most exclusive, private vineyard.

Pari and Kamal Azari of Azari Winery at 1501 Spring Hill Road host a virtual trip to Tuscany when the Cinnabar Quartet performs under a full moon at the Azari's family estate and winery. Guests will enjoy a gorgeous reception of Petaluma Gap wine tastings of locally grown and produced wines with delicious appetizers, as they settle in for starlit views overlooking valleys and vineyards with a musical backdrop provided by the Cinnabar Quartet.

This event is part of an annual Summer Music Program fundraiser for Petaluma's fabulous Cinnabar Theater. Tickets are just $40 per person and include five tasting tickets for Petaluma Gap premium wines. Purchase tickets online TODAY at www.cinnabartheater.org; or call the box office at 707-763-8920. Sponsored by Azari Winery and Petaluma Gap. Wine tasting begins at 6pm and the concert starts at 7.30pm.

Rumor has it that Pari and Kamal may be pouring a sneak preview of their own first release Azari wines, which will be ready for purchase this holiday season, though much depends upon the winemaker's final say this weekend. If the fine Azari cool climate Pinot Noir and Shiraz wines would benefit from a couple more months of maturity prior to preview tastings, Summer Music Program guests may have to wait a little while longer, though there will be plentiful, premium local wines to fill the void, full blog with photos to follow.....

Rebuilding Petaluma's Daily Bounty!

Hot off the press: The progressive folk of the City of Petaluma, Daily Acts, Petaluma Bounty, and Rebuilding Together Petaluma are teaming up to transform out-dated, unattractive, water intensive turf & landscape around City Hall into a dynamic, water harvesting eco-scape, complete with community gardens, potential water catchment systems (approvals pending), native and edible plants. 

 
The inspirational landscape being planted will provide food, habitat, inspiration and education for a wide variety of community members, two legged and otherwise!. You too can make a difference by helping transform City Hall! 

As a volunteer you will learn the theory and techniques for sheet mulching, water catchment and planting dynamic systems that could very well help in the transformation your own yard into a productive food forest. Oh, and let's not forget to mention that you’ll also be helping the City of Petaluma lead by example in saving massive amounts of water!

Mark your calendar and sort out your gardening gloves for October 24th to coincide with two important events:  The annual Make a Difference Day, where more than 3 million people will be volunteering nationwide to help their communities and the International Day of Climate Action, where a worldwide network of organizations will be taking actions to impact & raise awareness about climate change.

Click here to register as a Volunteer here in Petaluma

Note: There will be no alterations to the ever-popular (and much in-demand) Pee Wee soccer field on the west side of City Hall. 
 

Greening The BASH

Petaluma Educational Foundation’s premier annual fundraising gala event is going for green next week, in staging the high profile non-profits’ most eco-friendly event to date.

Inspired by sweeping views of the many natural wonders of protected Petaluma wetlands, an expansive Shollenberger Landing location is an ideal fit for a sustainable 600 person fundraiser, due to take place next Saturday, September 12th.

As the largest commercial property owner in Southern Sonoma County, RNM Properties’ generous donation of the use of its most commanding, new office suite, situated alongside 500 acres of native wetlands in Petaluma’s Lakeville Business Park called for a more sustainable approach to staging this year’s popular PEF event.

“This light-filled, ‘next generation’ office campus provides PEF with a unique site in which to raise the bar of educational fundraising for innovative, city-wide classroom programs at a critical juncture in state educational cuts,” says Janet Ramatici, Executive Director of Petaluma Educational Foundation. “Expansive glass elevations will allow for abundant natural light for the early evening as guests are able to enjoy glorious views of sunset over Shollenberger Park.”
                   
Greening this year’s PEF Fundraising BASH will be all the more visible due to a first-year corporate sponsorship by new Petaluma Green Taxi Service with 50% of the gala evening profits from the sustainable taxi service going towards funding of the foundation’s annual classroom grants.

Sun Logic has introduced a “Solar for Schools Program” through PEF. Petaluma-based home and business owners who choose to install Sun Logic solar panels to save money and the environment by harnessing the power of the sun to generate electricity will generate an estimated $500 rebate per installation to be donated directly to the educational foundation.

“Our plan is to contribute $0.10 per watt of every local solar installation back to the PEF for the next six months,” says Sun Logic Spokesperson, John Knueppel. “This amounts to around $500 per installation. Our ultimate goal is to give $7,500. Solar electricity provides clean energy with real financial benefits. Today our schools and students need as much financial support as we can provide. This is why Sun logic sought out the help of the PEF as a charitable partner. They effectively reach out and give back to schools and students. With Solar for Schools, people who buy solar can be assured that they are bettering their environment and their community.”

Upstairs tenant at the South McDowell Landing BASH location, CamelBak has generously provided 600, custom stamped PEF eco-friendly “Better Bottles” for the foundation to request $10 donations towards funding an athletic/nutrition grant for the next school year.

Specializing in large events throughout the North Bay, Rays Catering provides the BASH with a fresh and elegant, sit-down dinner, using quality linen, silverware, glassware and flatware, recycling the evening’s wine bottles and entirely eliminating any use of paper and plastic table products.

A dessert bar will feature organic desserts donated by Whole Foods Market Petaluma, Baker Girl and Clover Stornetta.

As I posted previously, in keeping with the earth-friendly, greener theme of the 2009 fundraising BASH, Petaluma Chapter of Realtors  stepped up to the plate last week with a $5,000 check to provide partial funding of the continuation of Petaluma Educational Foundation’s first major impact grant program: The Petaluma Wetlands Association Third Grade Science Program.

Additional green grants that will be funded during the “raise a paddle” for Fund-A-Need portion of the PEF live auction at this year’s BASH include a $5,000 pledge by Clover Stornetta for a Sustainable Agricultural Education Fund and a $5,000 pledge by long-term supporter, Barbara’s Bakery, for a new Teaching Garden construction.

Non-profit organization, Friends of the Petaluma River are offering a ‘Mysteries of the Marsh’ river cruise as a live auction feature for 10 guests to learn of the river’s rich, natural resources and wildlife. Friends of the Petaluma River support river access and stewardship with a goal of creating a River Heritage Center to teach maritime, agricultural and outdoor heritage skills.

Tickets for this year’s BASH are priced at $150 per person, inclusive of cocktails, live and silent auctions, dinner with drinks and dancing to the Moonalice brand of Americana rock and blues are close to being a complete sell-out. A few remaining tickets for the 600 person event can be purchased from PEF at 707 778 5063 or online at www.pefinfo.com.

In addition to its Classroom Grant Program, Petaluma Educational Foundation funds over 200 graduating high school student scholarships each Spring, plus cultural enrichment events in art and music. PEF also manages over $3, 500, 000 in endowment and component funds established through gifts, planned giving and corporate commitments to benefit Petaluma schools.

With current state and district cuts to education, it is important to understand the funding process of educational foundation's such as PEF.

Following months of strategic planning in the midst of unprecedented, state-wide educational cuts, non-profit Petaluma Educational Foundation has announced an entirely redesigned funding model for the future provision of its benchmark 27-year-old Grant Program enabling teachers and school communities throughout the Petaluma area to bring innovative educational ideas to fruition.

Over 1, 359 “Invest in Education” PEF grants totaling more than $1, 465, 274 have been awarded to teachers throughout Petaluma’s 33 schools since 1992.  Entirely funded by individual donations to its annual “Invest in Education” campaign, this unique program remains supportive of each school or district’s overall goals, while weighing in the best interests of all students affected by individual grants.

Announcement of a restructured program funding process in which PEF will offer two distinct types of grants with different levels of funding came within weeks of the non-profits’ premier annual fundraising event, next Saturday's 2009 BASH.

The foundation will offer PEF Enrichment Grants of up to $2, 000 for curriculum projects that supplement, support, and enrich the student experience, awarded in early 2010 for the 2010-2011 school year and completed by May of 2011.

A second tier of grants will be offered as PEF Major Impact Grants of up to $15, 000, with significant emphasis on innovative programs of extraordinary scope, reach or longevity, awarded in early 2010 and for immediate implementation completed by May of 2011.

Teachers, groups of teachers, classified personnel and principals in K-12 public, charter and not for profit private schools in the Petaluma area are eligible for the PEF Major Impact Grant Program. In addition, community groups with an established presence within the schools, students and parents may apply with teacher sponsorship and site principal approval.

Petaluma Chapter of Realtors Provides Partial Funding for City-Wide Third Grade Outdoor Science Program

 

 

 

Petaluma Chapter of Realtors has stepped up to the plate this week with a $5,000 check to provide partial funding of the continuation of Petaluma Educational Foundation’s first Major Impact Grant Program: The Petaluma Wetlands Association Third Grade Science Program.

“We are so grateful that the real estate community in Petaluma has chosen to support our program in the schools,” says Coordinator of the PWA 3rd Grade Science Program in the Schools, Helen Heal. “Our school program helps all third graders in Petaluma and in the Petaluma River watershed learn of the importance and wonder of local wetlands. Every year our volunteer docents bring almost 1,000 children and hundreds of parents and teachers into the wetlands for science education, and it is wonderful to have such community support to do this.”

Over $53,000 will have been donated to a variety of community programs and causes by the Petaluma Chapter of Realtors this year alone. Monies are raised at an annual golf tournament and seasonal fundraisers and weekly brokers' tours in which agents from brokerages throughout the city actively participate. 

Additional recipients include: Boys and Girls Club, Building Homes, Building Hope, Carousel Fund
HCSQ-Challenge Day, Mentor Me, Human Race, City of Petaluma, Newspapers in Education,Petaluma Ecumenical Properties,Petaluma Health Center, Petaluma Hospice, Petaluma Kitchen, Petaluma People Services, Project Graduation, Rebuilding Together,Petaluma Rotary-Holiday Party for Children,
Scholarships for five Petaluma Graduating Seniors, PEF Invest in Education Grants, Week of the young child.

Meteor Showers and a Mad Dash to the River and Back

Ten weeks off school and not a single night under the stars? That's not allowed when you live in this part of the world. Camping is second nature if you're native Californian (OK, not quite a natural instinct for me to be completely honest, being of the non-native variety, but how could I deprive my West Coast boys the simple pleasures of a campfire, frog chorus and a once-in-a-blue-moon shower of meteors for some amazing night time entertainment?)

Off we toddled, for just one night of last-minute adventure along the Russian River before school's back in next week. It's been a while. For me at least. Contents of our antiquated camping container looked a bit neglected, but satisfied the basic needs for a brief 24-hour stint in the dirt!

Nothing much matters but a couple warm blankets, the right amount of hurriedly purchased fixings for s'mores and lots of gathered wood and kindling for the pyromaniac in most males to have a blast by the light of a sturdy campfire.

Never mind the six loads of laundry and two hours of unpacking a night of camping creates. It's the memories that matter, right?

Gargoyle Gecko, Little G Gets to Grips with Sonoma Country Life

Four fun-filled days at Petaluma's fabulous Wildlife Museum camp on the campus of Petaluma High School fueled the passion of my youngest - aka the aspiring Gerald Durrell of Southern SoCo to add to his menagerie this weekend with a potential mate for his two-year-old gargoyle gecko.

An expedition over the bridge to the East Bay Vivarium was initially intended for the purchase of specific dietary requirements of the big girl gecko, though I should have known that we'd not return empty handed of something gripping to add to the gang.

At six weeks old, the (hopefully) male gargoyle gecko that attached himself to the wildlife boy will have to be housed in his own luxury domain until old enough to handle the attentions of his future 'Mrs'! If he turns out to be a she, then it's merely a matter of waiting for the second gecko to grow to the same size as the first for an optimum room mate scenario.

Yes, I know I said, no more. And now that there's a breeding plan in place, I'm going to be holding him to his word that it's his gig and not mine!

Afternoon Berry Picking in Chileno Valley

 

Blackberry jam donut cakes are bubbling away in the oven this evening after an extremely focused afternoon of zen-like activity in and around the prickly blackberry bushes of Gail and Michael's Chileno Valley homestead.

Packed to the punch with anti-oxidants, juicy blackberries were considered by ancient Greek cultures as pulling all the punches as a nifty remedy for nasty old bouts of gout. The Romans brewed tea from the spiked leaves of the blackberry plant to treat a variety of illnesses.

Under the protective canopy of abundant Northern Californian blackberry bushes, all sorts of wild animals including quail, doves, turkey, raccoons, mice, rats, opossums and an occasional farm cat (as this one, pictured sunning herself his afternoon) take refuge from the summer's heat. Birds, bees and other insects have themselves quite a feast in the tangled masses that no human hand is ever likely to dare to reach into.

Arriving with a handful of plastic tubs and a couple of strapping young lads to help with the manual labor, I soon discovered the art of blackberry picking is much improved with a pair of sturdy gloves and a borrowed rain jacket. Not to keep me dry, but to shield the nasty spikes of crazed tendrils.

Two huge tub fulls of purple berries called for a rejuvenating glass of Chardonnay and a slug of cold apple juice for the younger labor force pictured above with our hostess, resting their fruit-pickers' feet in the peace and quiet of a grassy pasture. 

And yes, Mrs Ayala, you might well get to see the light of day of that legendary Torte Di Mora!

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.”

Tranquility of Shollenberger Park to be Protected After All

 

Bill runs Shollenberger Park at dusk in training for his marathon, mountainous bike rides with Petaluma pals, track star Alexi trains in the off-season on the gravel path circling the park, Karen takes a few laps each day as her regular keep-fit routine.

Grandparents stroll with toddlers, bird-watchers walk with binoculars at the ready, nature lovers pause for the millionth observation of the beauty of the natural world up close. Summer vacationing school kids ride mountain bikes, empty nesters walk arm-in-arm and moms find the park the perfect safe haven for a healthy outing with their young.

Now that three of our Sonoma County Supervisers have declared that they will not be supporting the highly controversial construction of Dutra's asphalt plant across the river from the park, it looks like a safe bet that Shollenberger will remain spared of the sights, sounds and long-term effects of health and noise issues impacting the other-wise peaceful haven of wetland life.

A five-hour hearing yesterday (Tuesday, June 9th) brought to a head months of mass campaigning in our community on both sides of the fence. The board of supervisors postponed its final vote on the plant until July 21st, but given the fact that two additional members have withdrawn their support for the project, the next move for Dutra will most probably be to find an alternative location.

With such unprecedented passion and public outpour in Petaluma in opposition to the plant, Shollenberger Park should be enjoying a popularity boom. Been there lately? If not, now's the time to take a walk, ride or run and fully appreciate this protected area.

Thanks to Petaluma Wetlands Alliance for the continued use of these fantastic photos shot at Shollenberger Park. I'll be writing about the Wetland Alliance's excellent Third Grade School Program funded by PEF sometime in August.