Page 36 - Sonoma County Gazette - October 2017

The Sonoma County Home Brewers Competition has turned into quite an extravaganza, and has moved locations in order to accommodate more activities and a large crowd. On Saturday, Oct 7, the gates will open at noon,
on Scott Street, in front of 101 North Brewery Company. This new location is fitting because the winner of the competition will get a chance to brew their beer alongside the brewers at 101. After proper fermentation, TAPS, a major sponsor of the event, will hold a launch party before the beer makes its way to taps all over the North Bay.
Town Musings: The Penngrove Social Firemen’s Hawaiian Luau was a success, raising @ $5,000 for Penngrove Park improvements. Cheers to Kim Hanson for organizing the event each year and doing the cooking. The trip to Hawaii was won by Gabriela Vannier from Kenwood.
Yours truly is honored to have been invited as a judge this year and is even more honored to get to sit alongside Petaluma local Leslie Sbrocco, who is not only an award-winning author, speaker, and consultant, but is probably best known for hosting PBS’s restaurant who “Check Please! Bay Area.”
If you’ve noticed better cell reception around downtown for your Verizon service, it’s likely because of a new cell tower on the V. Dolan Trucking property. It ts right in, designed as a – very tall – faux water tower. Hubby appreciates the help with his Pokémon GO.
An incredible selection local cheeses and chocolates will be on hand so guests can see just how well beer pairs with the likes of cheese from Nicasio Valley,
Pt. Reyes Farmstead, Marin French Cheese, Laura Chanel, Bellwether Farms, Dachave and Sons, and Rumiano and chocolates from Sonoma Chocolatiers, Dandelion Chocolates, Volo Chocolate, and Dick Taylor Chocolate. For those who aren’t crazy about beer, Gowan’s Heirloom Ciders will have you covered.
Penngrove Market partner Rebecca McDowell writes: “We are in the process of resubmitting for permits for our tenant improvements (the kitchen expansion and building of co ee bar and check-out stands) and selecting the contractor. When work is nished and inspections passed, we will open shortly thereafter. As these last many months have demonstrated, it’s impossible to project a precise timeline, but we’re working as hard as we can to open as soon as possible. I’m certainly hoping for sooner than end of the year.”
Sponsor Rocky and Rosie Chicken will be on hand selling food, as will Fuel, Mai Thai Kitchen, Brew, and The Bodega – CA, which makes the best fried chicken sandwich. I plan to get one of everything on The Bodega’s menu to pair across all the various styles and flavors the homebrewers will offer.
The Green Mill property has been purchased by Bonnie and Jim Bergin for Bergin University of Canine Studies. They plan to move the University from Rohnert Park to Penngrove.
Sponsor Beer Belly Brewing will be on site with brewing supplies and will be giving free demos. There will also be beer games, raffles, beer swag, and live music by the aptly named “The Grain.” $35 presale ($45 day of) tickets include unlimited tastings and a voting ticket for you to determine which beer you think should make it into the final judges round. (petalumadowntown.com/SCHBC.html)
SMART Update from Supervisor Rabbitt: “A Queue Cutter is scheduled to become operational the week of September 25th. PG&E had unexpected delays which caused delays in energizing the site. All the improvements are
in place. The Quiet Zone contract is going to the Board of Supervisors on September 19th. We expect improvements to be installed by the end of the month and are hoping to submit the Notice of Establishment as early as the rst week in November. Quad Gate contractors were on site Sept.13, working on the foundation of the two new gates. The design process is ongoing and is scheduled to be completed by the end of November. The County plans to partner with SMART to deliver the project, like the queue cutter, however, if this proves not to be a viable option we would then advertise and bid the work for construction.”
The Mac n’ Cheese Challenge has also grown by leaps and bounds in its first two years and promises to continue this trend on Sunday, Oct 8, from 1-4pm at Lucchesi Center. With competitors ranging from restaurants to caterers to home cooks, mac ‘n cheese lovers will taste them all and cast their vote for the best. Adult libations are included and there will be plenty of
pet and non-pet related raffle items. Tickets are limited and are selling fast. (macncheesechallenge.com)
Oktoberfest Petaluma style means a visit to Hermann Sons Hall on Sunday, Oct 8, starting at noon, for great German food, drink, dancing, raffles, and the great sense of camaraderie and celebration that makes Oktoberfest what it is. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door, if any are still available as this event usually sells out. (Children under 13yo are free.) Fleischkäse, Bratwurst, or Bockwurst Dinners are $12. (odhslodges.org/1/oktoberfest/)
Sonoma County Farm Trails give the public a chance to visit Petaluma ranches, dairies, and farms for free, many of which are not normally open
to the public. On Oct 14 & 15, guests will get to see behind the barn doors at First Light Farm, Lavender Bee Farm, McClelland’s Dairy, McEvoy Ranch,
and Sonoma County Poultry, just to name a few locations offering a “behind- the-scenes peek at life on the farm.” Once registered, guests will “receive the list of participating farms, a detailed program, and interactive online map to chart your self-guided tour.” www.farmtrails.org Promoting buying fresh food directly from farms, Sonoma County Farm Trails is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “ensure the continuing economic viability of Sonoma County agriculture by instilling an appreciation of ag as a vital part of our community.”
Writers Forum holds their final presentation of the year on Thursday, Oct
19, from 6:30-8:30pm, at Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, and they are doing
it up in style. This is a rare opportunity to hear from Cameron Kids, which
is part of Cameron + Company, an independent Petaluma publisher of a “growing list of compelling, thoughtfully and beautifully written, illustrated, edited, designed and produced titles children’s books for all ages.” Attendees will learn about making and publishing children’s books from publisher Nina Gruener, art director Melissa Greenberg, editor Amy Novesky, and illustrator Wednesday Kirwan. (TheWriteSpot.us)
Passanisi to 8270 Holdings: The Passanisi Nursery changed hands 5 years ago. I miss shopping the huge selection of seasonal veggies and ower starts, bags of soil, pots and houseplants. I’ve wondered what’s happening now. I saw a workers in the front eld, so I stopped and met Anders “Andy” Olson, who farms ve acres in wholesale veggies. He found the property on the California FarmLink website, where acreage is listed for those wishing to farm. Andy grows organic produce for
36 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 10/17
the wholesale market, but says “if you see us in the eld, stop in and get some tomatoes, kale, squash or cucumbers. We should have plenty into October, just bring cash or check”. His clients include Novato and San Rafael school systems. “I head up here from Oakland at 4:30 am with the crew
for a long day in the elds,
usually until 8 pm”. We
talked about the challenges
of farming, as I got introduced to the dreaded ea beetle that eats its way through kale leaves. During the hot spells of August and September, his water bill reached $1,625 a month. He donates a lot of product to food banks, although even a donation has its costs: $3 for cardboard lug boxes and 25 cents for cherry tomato baskets. Gleaners come to harvest for food pantries, “but don’t last long in the heat,” said Andy. The farmer’s life isn’t for everyone, yet Andy counts his B.S. in Agroecology from U.C. Berkeley with grounding him in organic methods and building the land. He has taught soil science remediation and environmental problem solving. Anyone interested in purchasing organic produce grown by Andy on his farm, contact: monica9olson@gmail.com.
PENNGROVE cont’d on page 37