Sharing the Bounty, September 14th... A Farm to Table Dinner

Freshly harvested tomatoes, peppers, and summer squash... paired with local, grass-fed meat... amazing wines... and a delicious dessert... a four-course meal prepared by four superb local chefs... YES! It's the 4th Annual Sharing the Bounty farm-to-table benefit dinner on September 14th, from 5:30-8:30pm.

Tickets are $75 per person. Proceeds go to the Gardens Project... and directly support building new school and community gardens. Limited seating is available, so reserve your ticket now!

And this year, the event will be held at the beautiful outdoor venue at Saracina Vineyards. Saracina is a 600-acre bio-diverse property encompassing three ranches located in Hopland, California.  With 300 acres in vineyards, the property's openness and unspoiled yet well-tended beauty are unique in Mendocino County.  The main ranch is home to Saracina Vineyards, a small-production, state-of-the-art, California Certified Organic (CCOF) winery and the first wine caves in Mendocino County, carved out of solid rock over a two-year period.

Want to take a walk down memory lane? In past years, Sharing the Bounty has been held at Ukiah's Patrona Restaurant... check out some of the great food and generous people who supported the Gardens Project over the years! Click here.

The Judges Rated 'em... Now It's Time to Taste 'em!

Infused Water... tasty, beautiful, easy, and creative! Five local judges spent their Saturday morning sipping infused water blends from over 17 entrants. A special thank you to our judges, Anne Molgaard of FIRST5 Mendocino, Chris Dewey of the Ukiah Police Department, Jill Santos -- Miss Mendocino County, Katrina Frey -- Winery and Caterer, Doug Crane -- Ukiah's Mayor (not pictured). And, a key part of the event was a "people's choice" award determined by farmers' market folks who took the time to sip and choose their favorites.

 Anne Molgaard as "Potter the Otter"... she LOVES to drink water!

 Chris Dewey rates the flavor of infused water provided by vendor Petit Teton

 Jill Santos tastes Inland Ranch Organics raspberry-mint infused water

Katrina Frey sips a citrus blend from Uncorked Wine Bistro

Crowds gather around the tasting table to get a drink and experience the flavor blends

 

Did you miss the taste-off? Want to offer a tasty infused water at your next family gathering? How about volunteering to bring one of the winning recipe blends to your child's classroom? These recipes can be in your fridge every day, or pulled out for special occasions.

 

1)

Savings Bank of Mendocino County's winning recipe for "Tropical Infusion"

• Fresh Pineapple, sliced
• Coconut, chunked
• Orange, sliced
• Lime, sliced
• Basil, a few leaves

2)

Uncorked Wine Bistro's winning recipe for "Jamaican Me Refreshed"

• 1 Fresh Coconut (peeled with the water reserved and meat cut into slices and lightly pounded)
• 1 Whole Pineapple (peeled and cut)
• Fresh Ginger (4" piece)
• 2 Jalapeno Peppers (seeds and ribs removed)

Add coconut, coconut water, pineapple, ginger, and jalapeno peppers to a gallon pitcher filled with water and ice. Refrigerate overnight. Replenish ice if necessary when serving.

 

3)

Taste Buds Restaurant's winning recipe for "Early Summer Days"

• Chamomile Flowers
• Strawberries
• Mint

4)

Ukiah Boys and Girls Club's winning recipe for "Pi-Wa-Mi"

• One Gallon Water
• 1/2 Fresh Pineapple
• 1/2 Small Watermelon
• 10 Mint Leaves

5)

NCO's Hands On Volunteer Network's winning recipe for "Peachy Keen"

• 2 Sliced Fresh Peaches
• 1 Whole Vanilla  Bean

 

CHEERS! Drink water for the health of it.

 





Pinoleville YouthBuild Garden Kiosk!

The youth of our community continue to inspire me with their creativity, community engagement, and initiative.    The Gardens Project of NCO Community Action and the more than 100 community gardeners at the State Street Community Garden are grateful for the work and artistry provided by the Pinoleville Pomo Nation YouthBuild Program for constructing a beautiful communication kiosk for the garden.

The communication kiosk is essential for this large and diverse community of gardeners in the State Street Community Garden to share information about upcoming meetings, planting and harvest schedules, and community events. 

The Pinoleville Pomo Nation YouthBuild Program, under the leadership of Vaughn Pena and Construction Manager, Mike Sherosick, used materials donated by the California Conservation Corps to build a large, professional grade communication kiosk and installed it at the garden.  The program helps men and women 16-24 years of age earn their GED or High school diploma and gives them hands-on training in the construction trades.   Big thanks to the builders:  Christopher Williams, Tara Martinez, Anthony Pinola, Tanner McCoy, Angelo Bettega, Mayloni Mendoza, Darin Potter, David Steele, and Alva Reeves.

To see their work, visit the State Street Community Garden on the South side of the parking lot behind the Ukiah Natural Food Coop and the County Social Services building.

To see photos of the communication kiosk in action see the flickr page, or to join a garden, to learn more about The Gardens Project and how to get involved, go to www.gardensproject.org .  

Farm-Fresh WATER? Yes!

Ever try fruit/veggie/herb infused water? Well, if you came to last Saturday's Ukiah Farmers Market you know that there were over 20 water "recipes" available for tasting in the Rethink Your Drink Taste-Off.  Here's a sampling of the farm-fresh recipes from a few of the local farmers...

Floodgate Farm's recipe: water, holy basil, anise hyssop, and orange bergamot... TASTY!

Lover's Lane recipe: water, mint, cantaloupe, and a touch of honey... WHAT A TREAT!

Petit Teton's recipe: water, anise hyssop, fennel, cinnamon, and clove... LIQUOR-ISH and DELISH!
And here's a "cheers" from a few happy farmers' market tasters! There are all sorts of ways to stay healthy... one easy way is to choose water instead of sugary drinks.

Seeking Farmer for Brookside School Farm!

The Willits Unified School District, in partnership with North Coast Opportunities—Community Action, is looking for an experienced farmer, business, and/or non-profit to operate Brookside Farm, a 1-acre Farm to School production garden at Brookside Elementary School in Willits, California.  The successful candidate will enter into a 3-year License Agreement with the school district to grow food for the school and community while allowing access to the farm for educational activities.

Brookside Farm is a turn-key operation with significant existing infrastructure, including a 20’x65’ hoop house, a brand new vegetable washing station, a  rainwater catchment system, solar power, tools and some equipment.  An annual rent of $450 will be required in addition to a commitment to utilize at least 15% of the bed space for growing crops for the schools.  Municipal water will be provided by Willits Unified. All other production expenses will be the responsibility of the farmer and all profits from farming activities will be retained by the farmer.  The full License Agreement is available for review upon request. 

This is a unique opportunity for the right person/organization/business.  We are looking for someone with production experience and people skills, as interfacing with the school and community will be required.  A passion for healthy local food, a commitment to community-based agriculture, excellent communication skills,  an entrepreneurial spirit and a love of children are prerequisites for this endeavor! 

Proposals must be submitted by 4pm on Friday, August 30th.  Interested parties should contact Susan Lightfoot, Farm2Fork Coordinator at North Coast Opportunities—Community Action, at (707)467-3238 or slightfoot@ncoinc.org for more information.  Thank you! 

Farmhouse Pasta

This rustic pasta recipe has the feel of coming directly from a kitchen garden behind your very own Tuscan Farmhouse... from your community garden plot... or from the CSA basket you just picked up from your local farmer!

It's simple... start with an olive oil sauté with onions. Add chopped greens (I used chard and beet greens), minced garlic, chopped veggies (I used snap peas), and cherry tomatoes (I used the last batch of frozen tomatoes from last year's garden). Sauté until tender, then remove from heat. Season with salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon, and stir in chopped, fresh basil. Serve over your favorite pasta... enjoy!

Kids Are Farmers Too!

 Every Tuesday the Ukiah Public Library from 12 to 2pm kids of all ages from come to sell their fruits, vegetable, walnuts, even honey! We visited the market yesterday and met Isabel (pictured above) who was selling apricots. She told us that last week she was selling jam she had made with the tasty fruits last week and she sold out before she could even put all the jars on the table! Johnathon (pictured left) was selling wild plums he had gathered and honey from his very own bees.
The market is a great way for kids to learn how great growing and eating their own produce can be! It is part of the summer reading program "Reading is so Delicious" which has events on Tuesdays and Sundays throughout the summer.