All day today, Costeaux French Bakery in Healdsburg celebrates that notorious French holiday, Bastille Day. The fun begins at 8 a.m. and throughout the day you’ll enjoy petanque (using bread boules), moustache painting, food and beverage specials, activities for kids (painting of Eiffel Tower cookies) and rolling your own croissants. Expect special appearances by Marie Antoinette, the Ooh La La Can Can Dancers, Due Zighi Bach, and more.
“Luana, an Evening of Aloha” takes place on Saturday, July 9, at Shone Farm, SRJC’s beautiful farm and event center. Tickets are $35, which includes dinner and entertainment, culminating with a performance by Faith Ako, Sonoma County’s premier Hawaiian singer. You can also order a lei for $10 more, but the lei option ends at 5 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, June 30) and none will be available at the door. If the event does not sell out, a few dinner tickets will be available at the door.
Dinner features Shoyu chicken, a very special fried rice, potato-mac salad, and freshly-harvest greens with a grapefruit-ginger vinaigrette. There will be freshly made lemonade, too, along with iced tea and coffee. This is a no-alcohol event.
Dancers from Halau Hula Na Pua O Ka La’akea, under the direction of Kumu Hula Shawna Alapa’i, will join Faith on several numbers.
You can listen to my interview with Kumu Shawna here.
Eli Colvin is a gifted baker, with a profound passion for what he does. Haven’t tried his breads? You have two opportunities today, at the Petaluma East Side Farmers Market, which wraps up at 1:30, and at the Forestville Farmers Market, which starts at 4 p.m. You’ll find a list of all the markets Eli attends here. You can also get Revolution Bread at GreenString Farm Store, though not every day.
There is one Tuesday morning market, the Petaluma Eastside Certified Farmers Market, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Deer Creek Village, 501 N. McDowel Ave., communityfarmersmarkets.com. This market, which operates year round, now has a somewhat urban flair and provides a great shopping option to an underserved area of Petaluma and nearby Penngrove.
The Cloverdale Community Market and Exchange takes place on Tuesday afternoons from 3 to 6 p.m. at 225 North Cloverdale Blvd., next door to Plank Coffee. This market has a relaxed, intimate ambiance, grounded in ongoing interaction between vendors, several of whom name it as their favorite market of the week, and regular customers. Don’t forget a hat, parasol, or sunscreen, as Cloverdale can be sizzlingly hot.
The Forestville Certified Farmers Market, located at 6990 Front St., across from Fred’s Liquor, in downtown Forestville, opens at 4 and wraps up around 7:30 p.m. The market took place on the grounds of Russian River Vineyards and Corks Restaurant until this year, when it moved to its current location.
Valley of the Moon Certified Farmers Market takes place from 5:30 p.m. to dusk from the beginning of May through the end of October in the Sonoma town plaza. vomcfm.com It’s a Tuesday evening party at this market, with locals and tourists gathering to eat, drink, listen to music, dance and do a little shopping in the town’s historic plaza.
Today from 3:30 to 7 p.m., Carrie and her crew host a Jimtown Barn Open House, with music by The Beautiful Questions and Girls + Boys, along with door prizes, activities for kids, party favors, photo opportunities and, of course, yummy refreshments.
Can’t make it? There’s a special Solstice Supper coming up on July 21 so tune back in soon for details or visit Jimtown Store’s website here.
Ziggy “The Wine Gal” Eschliman and her beau, David Bice, of Redwood Hill Farm host a happy hour tasting from 5 to 7 p.m. at Franchetti’s Kitchen featuring that elusive beverage Vermouth paired with Redwood Hill Farm’s cheeses.
Ziggy has selected four Vermouths, Vya, Margerum, Carpano, and Alessia. As of press time, cheeses selections weren’t confirmed but expect the aged goat cheddar; Terra, a French-style chèvre with a bloomy rind, peppercorn chèvre, and, possibly, the smoked cheddar.
Cost of the tasting is $12 per person.
Franchetti’s Kitchen is located at 1229 North Dutton Ave. in Santa Rosa. If you think you may want to stay for dinner, you should make reservations.
Saturday, June 18
Crispy Fried Sand Dabs & Scallions with Dungeness Crab Mayonnaise, $10
Clam Chowder, Tomales Bay Clams, Smoky Greens, Ham Hocks, & Parsnips, $10
Red Romaine & Watercress Salad with Fried Hazelnuts & Roquefort Cheese, $10
Pan-Roasted Steelhead, Corn Pudding Souffle, Green Bean & Tomato Salad, $20
Hanger Steak, Garlic Butter, Potato Purée, & Morel Mushrooms, $22
Angel Food Cake, Strawberries, Pistachio Cream, Candied Ginger, $7
This farmers market was founded in 2002 and is widely praised as a favorite Friday evening destination.
The Occidental Bohemian Farmers Market takes place on Friday afternoons, from 4 p.m. until dusk. Nestled on the valley floor that is downtown Occidental, surrounded by towering redwoods and often bathed in coastal fog, this market is unique and distinct, with several farmers that attend no other markets. You can read my story about the opening of last year’s season here.
The market’s survival was in question last year, as many downtown merchants find it inconvenient, in part because of the thoughtlessness of some of the attendees. You can help by parking legally, picking up after yourself and your dog, and by bringing your own reusable plates, flatware, glassware, reusable to-go containers, cloth napkins, and such. The market’s biggest challenge is disposing of the trash generated by people enjoying a meal at the market. We’ve all had to get used to having reusable bags in our cars; why not put together a farmers market meal kit?
Laguna Farms (1720 Cooper Rd., Sebastopol) is open to the public today from 2 to 4 p.m. Visitors are invited to shop in the barn store, learn about the farm’s CSA program and enjoy a guided tour of the fields themselves, which border the Laguna de Santa Rosa. The store features, of course, fresh farm produce along with value-added products, such as farm-made tomato sauce,e and products from nearby producers.
The open barn will include samples, including fresh juice, that highlight the current harvest of carrots, beets, greens, berries, cucumbers, zucchini, basil, freshly-dug potatoes, and more.
Laguna Farms operates the largest and one of the first CSA programs in the North Bay.
The farm will be open to the public on Thursday, June 16, from 2 to 4 p.m., too.
This coming Thursday, June 16, SHED hosts a special dinner featuring the foods and wines of Preston Farm & Winery. There are a few seats left so if you want to join in, snag your tix right away.
Preston, located on the northwestern edge of West Dry Creek Road, has evolved into a gorgeous biodynamic wonderland, with beautiful wines, extraordinary olive oil, succulent lamb, a huge array of produce, Lou’s wood-oven breads and so much more, including delicious strawberries.
Chef Perry Hoffman’s menu includes halibut crudo paired with ’14 Sauvignon Blanc; confit of Bodega Red potatoes with slow-poached farm eggs, charred onions, basil & rye, paired with ’14 Madam Preston; spring lamb with spiced lemons, olives, green almonds and roasted vegetables with ’14 Barbera alongside, and Preston berries with smoked red wine ice cream and spring herbs, with ’13 Organic Syrah for your sipping pleasure.
Dinner begins at 7 p.m. and wraps up around 9. Cost is $115 per person; you can buy tickets here.
