Fall 2018 Publisher's Note
I consider myself a bit of a history geek and think we can learn a lot from our past. I was strolling around Colombi’s Market when I got the idea for this issue’s theme. The feel of that store, the shelving, the black and white photo of the Colombi family hanging over the deli counter—it all filled me with nostalgia. Wouldn’t it be interesting to focus our attention, not on the new and shiny (which is so easy to do), but on the old, the established, the tried and true, the lasting institutions within our communities.
Mendocino history is firmly planted in native culture, and we look to the elders to remind us of past solutions for food security, like the humble acorn. Our county was and continues to be shaped by the resource economy— logging, fishing, and agriculture (legal and not). Throughout our area’s history, families like the Gowans have made their living sustaining us, first by selling apples and now with their award-winning cider, made from an orchard with some trees that recently celebrated their 100th year. Not many companies can boast of such longevity, but Dick’s Place probably comes close, and maybe the Skunk Train. These long term operations can teach us about what it takes to survive through the highs and lows of changing times. I imagine it takes tenacity, creativity, and flexibility in equal measure.
Mendocino County has deep roots that are worth exploring. If one of the stories in this issue piques your interest, consider learning more at one of our local historical societies or museums. The Mendocino County Museum in Willits has wonderful exhibits, including a frozen-in-time Willits Creamery restaurant counter. The old red schoolhouse in Anderson Valley has Boontling demonstrations on the weekends, and the Ford House in Mendocino displays historical photos as well as a carefully rendered model of the town circa 1890. Or stop at one of the businesses like Schat’s or Gowan’s that have sustained our county through the decades and help them keep going for another 100 years.
Yours in gratitude,
Holly Madrigal
Tomatillos
Mary Madrigal was the most remarkable woman I have ever known. Born in Dewey, Oklahoma in 1916, I met her when she was well into her nineties and I married her grandson, Gabriel Madrigal. Mary’s family was vast. She bore nine children, and the resulting grandchildren, spouses, cousins, and babies filled her life and her heart. I would marvel that she could remember everyone’s names and birthdays in her extended family tree. At her 100th birthday, we reminisced on the changes she had seen in her lifetime—the invention of air travel, cars, tv, and internet to name a few. Mary attended the Chicago Worlds Fair in 1933. She lived through civil unrest and mankind’s first steps on the moon.
Mary moved with her husband, Agustín Madrigal, from Chamacuaro, Mexico to Fort Bragg in 1953. The Madrigals were one of the first latino families in Mendocino County. Mary became deeply involved with St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, and her faith sustained her until her death in May of this year at 102 years of age. It was to support the St. Anthony’s Guild that Mary first made her enchiladas as a fund raiser. Friend Mary Durupt remembers being packed into Mary’s tiny kitchen on Pine St. in the summer heat making endless trays of enchiladas. Word quickly spread, and these fundraisers sold out whenever they happened.
It is impossible to convey the grace and intelligence of this remarkable woman. I am honored to have been welcomed into the Madrigal family, and I cherish the rosary that Mary gave me on the passing of her grandson, my husband Gabe. Her love lives on in the many Madrigals that now reside all across this country from Ohio, to Florida, and of course, California. Faith and family meant everything to Abuelita, and her famous enchiladas make enough to fill many bellies and hearts. Make a batch of this recipe and gather your family close.
The actual, world famous Mary Madrigal enchilada recipe is a closely guarded secret (even from me!). To taste the real deal, you will need to attend a Madrigal event (family gathering or fundraiser), where Mary Ellen Peña, Bonnie Madrigal, Ana Madrigal-Duran, Maria Madueño, or Vicky Hernandez are cooking. My personal interpretation follows. The intricacies should be finessed by each cook, preferably surrounded by at least four grandchildren underfoot.
Holly’s Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 lb tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut into chunks
2 jalapeños, diced, seeds removed for a milder hot
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
chicken broth (optional)
Sauté onions and garlic in oil until soft. Add tomatillos, jalapeños and spices and cook until tomatillos begin to release their juices and start to reduce. Transfer the mixture to a heat-safe blender and mix well.
Schat’s
Family Legacy & Ukiah Institution
by Holly Madrigal
photos by Bobby Cochran
It is nearly 8:00am, downright late for bakers’ hours, when Zach Schat welcomes us into his kitchen at the Courthouse Bakery in Ukiah. He shakes my hand with a youthful smile, and it is clear to see the pride he has in this place. Zach seems young to be the owner of a downtown Ukiah institution, but he laughs that he feels like an old timer, especially since he was only 24 when he got the call from his dad. “‘Son, do I have a deal for you. Give me all the money you got, pay the rest as you go.’ Then I realized I wasn’t much of a baker, so I called up my brother Brian to be my partner, and that is when things got really interesting and crazy.”
Leaving college in Santa Barbara, Zach piled his life into his car and drove up to start anew. He pulled over to stretch his legs around one in the morning between Cloverdale and Hopland. “I couldn’t believe how dark it was up here,” he laughs. “I thought, ‘what the heck am I doing leaving southern California for the middle of nowhere?’” But Zach never looked back, and Schat’s Bakery has thrived under his stewardship.
The Schat name has been synonymous with baking since before the family immigrated to the US from Holland. The first Schat’s Bakery was in Utrecht—you can find a photo of the handsome structure on the wall of the Ukiah store. After the liberation of Nazi-occupied Holland, Jack Schat saw the tanks of GIs driving down the streets and decided he wanted to go where those guys were from. Jack’s dad immigrated in 1950, joined the armed forces, and was able to bring his family over soon after. Of Jack’s six siblings, five of them opened bakeries.
Jack’s father opened a bakery in Bishop, California. Jack went out on his own and started his first bakery in Watts, but when it burned in the riots, he walked away from it. It was then that Jack brought the Schat aptitude for both business and bread to Mendocino County.
Running a business as a family is never easy, and the Schat children spread like wildflower seeds, sprouting up independent bakeries all over the west. Zach’s aunt owned a bakery in Missoula, Montana. Another aunt opened one in Laguna Beach, while a few uncles stayed at the bakery in Bishop (now run by Zach’s Uncle Erick). Not all of the grandkids took up the family trade, but many did. There is a Schat’s in Mammoth (run by former sister-in law Shaye), and another in Carson City (captained by cousin Paul). If you see a Schat’s in your travels it’s likely it’s part of this lineage of bakers.
While Jack liked Fort Bragg for its abundant forest and the ocean’s proximity, it was a spacious, solidly built brick oven that sealed the deal. The Mendocino Coast was as different from Bishop, California as a place could be. The oven resided in what is now the Fort Bragg Bakery, and Jack would spend many an hour coaxing wonderful goods from its searing hot stones—breads, croissants and cakes would be cooked in turn as the oven issued steady heat throughout the morning. When he heard in 1991 that a Ukiah bakery was up for sale, he reached out to his sons, Brian and Zach, to see if they would be willing to take it on.
The brothers took up the challenge and began to bake their way into Ukiah’s morning routine. Brian eventually moved on, but Zach has continued to steward the company through the past 27 years. The original space has been expanded and remodeled to its current size. Lisa Hensley, manager at the bakery for the past eighteen years, comments that they did the whole remodel without closing a day.
In 1994, they partnered with Friedman Brothers to open a satellite shop in their new store. “Bill Friedman walked in here and said he would like to partner up. We decided the deal with a handshake,” says Zach. The partnership has been a success for both parties. Any hardworking contractor grabbing a fresh baked croissant will tell you that it was a brilliant idea. The Crows Nest at Mendocino College followed soon after. “There was a lack of fresh food at the college,” comments Zach. “It was mostly prepackaged or fried foods, and they reached out to me to provide a fresh alternative.”
The company has innovated continually throughout the years. Schat’s had the first pocket patio, taking one parking spot and filling it with tables and benches, now a common sight for eateries around the downtown area. Dog owners sit happily in the sunshine out front. When Zach learned about the Mendocino Grain Project he began using a Sonora Wheat grown by Doug Mosel for a local loaf, no mean feat as the grain is naturally low in protein. “He puts a ton of work into it,” Zach says, referring to Doug. “It’s pretty cool. I have a ton of respect for Doug and how hard he has worked. We have adapted some to the gluten free market, and many people (the gluten sensitive folks) find that the local grain does not affect them as much. It is an heirloom variety, so it has never been processed or changed like commercial flours. The flavor is really good, it’s a 40 hour process so it develops a sourness. I would love to have more time to work on projects like this, but running the business keeps me pretty busy.”
When asked about the secret of the bakery’s longevity, Zach comments, “We have great people. The fact that these guys have worked with us all these years really says something about what we have built here.“
A job with Schat’s is often the first employment for many local kids. “It is so rewarding, and yes, it makes me feel old to see the kids that started here come back to get cookies for their kids,” Zach muses. “We teach them the basics, how to look customers in the eye, count back change, show up on time.” And the investment in community doesn’t stop there. It seems Schat’s is always donating here or helping out there. The business is a true leader in the Ukiah area. “I couldn’t do any of this without the people that work with me,” says Zach.
“There is a lot of expectation when your whole family has been doing this their whole lives.” Zach continues, “You don’t want to let the legacy down.” His approach: “Use quality ingredients, make a good product, provide value, and give each and every customer a great experience.“
He points out that baking is different every day. Yes, it’s a science, but also the air will be different, the temperature and humidity. He holds up a triangle that will become a ham and cheese croissant. “These are best when it is cold outside. But like anything, it takes experience.”
Zach has been married to Ukiah native and professional physical therapist Missy Schat (neé Keffeler) for 15 years. When asked if their children will be part of the business, Zach says, “We’ll see. My son, Luke, is 13, and he likes to sleep too much to be a baker, but he is a hard worker and puts in hours during the summer months to earn and learn. My daughter, Kate (11), loves it in here. She thinks the place will be called Kate’s Cakes and Cupcakes. I just keep telling her to hurry up.” If her abilities are like her dad’s, she’ll have no trouble keeping this Ukiah institution baking all sorts of goodies into the decades ahead.
Schat’s Bakery
113 W Perkins St, Ukiah (707) 462-1670
Open Mon–Fri, 5:30am–6pm Open Sat, 5:30am–5pm
Holly Madrigal is a Mendocino County maven who loves to share the delights of our region. She’s fortunate to enjoy her meaningful work at the Community Foundation and takes great joy in publishing this magazine.
The permanent legacy of Live Power Community Farm
by Elizabeth Archer
modern day photos by Ree Slocum
It’s a hot, still summer afternoon at Live Power Community Farm in Covelo, so named because it uses animals and humans—living sources of power— rather than fossil-fuel-powered farm equipment. Owners Gloria and Stephen Decater are resting in the relative cool of the house, and two of their workers, Mei Lee and Yeat Hing, here from Malaysia on an exchange program, are relaxing in the shade. The other two employees, Dylan Jones who works the horses and machinery, and Danny Brooks who works in the garden and does other general farm labor, are ostensibly hiding from the heat as well.
Gloria braves the sun to show me around. The dogs, Sophie and Zeke, lead the way as we tour the farm’s menagerie: 25 laying hens, eight ewes and their lambs, eight dairy and beef cows, four enormous draft horses, three lazy pigs, two recently arrived goats, and an ornery ram. We pick a few of the season’s first blackberries and admire, from a distance, the two acres dedicated to intensive vegetable production. Depending on the season, Live Power Community Farm grows up to 30 varietals. Beyond that, the farm’s 50 acres are divided into four acres of alfalfa, the occasional few acres of grain, and 35 acres of perennial and annual hay and pasture. Some things have changed in the more than four decades since the Decaters made Round Valley their home, but much has stayed the same.
Stephen Decater came to Round Valley in 1973 to work with the legendary Alan Chadwick on the erstwhile Covelo Village Garden (CVG). As a member of the first undergraduate class at UC Santa Cruz, Stephen worked with Alan on the Santa Cruz Student Garden, which started in 1967 when the school was just two years old. (Today, 51 years later, it’s still there.) When he heard Alan was moving to Covelo, Stephen didn’t hesitate before joining him. He says, “Alan was crazy enough to start another garden, and I wanted to help see it happen.”
After several years of fits and starts, including relocating sites after the first winter brought epic floods, the garden was well underway. Enter Gloria. After completing the Waldorf teacher training in Los Angeles and moving to Sonoma County, Gloria heard about CVG from a friend and came to Round Valley in 1977 as an apprentice.
The garden was situated in the northwest corner of the valley, backed up against Medicine Mountain. During its five-year tenure, many people came and went; they planted herb gardens, fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables. By the time Gloria arrived, there were some stubborn but indispensable animals on hand to help out. Ultimately, CVG didn’t last. “Alan’s vision was always to build a village of craftspeople, and it didn’t materialize in Covelo,” explains Stephen.
By then, Gloria and Stephen were living together on a cattle ranch. Stephen had been acting as caretaker for several years, and when the CVG ceased to exist, several apprentices started working with him and Gloria on the ranch. They had to do a lot to the property: reroof the house and barn, rebuild outbuildings, put up fencing, install irrigation; the list goes on, as it always does on a farm.
After planting relatively small areas on the ranch, Stephen had started live-power operations in 1975, after planting relatively small areas on the ranch. “My training was all by hand with a spade and a fork, but I wanted to cultivate larger areas,” explains Stephen. “I respect what fossil-fueled equipment can do, but I’ve never been excited about operating it. I don’t like the fumes, I don’t like the noise, and I don’t like what it does to the environment.” The solution? Live power.
He went looking for draft animals in Mendocino County and eventually found a pair of donkeys outside of Willits. Although donkeys can’t cover the same area horses can, they have certain advantages. Says Stephen, “Plowing with them was quite slow, but it was a good way to learn because they don’t panic like a horse.” They served other purposes, too. He didn’t own a car at the time, so Stephen built a donkey cart to go to town, earning him the nickname “Jackass Man.” The farm switched to draft horses in 1980, and the rest, as they say, is history—today, the resident powerhouses are four big, beautiful horses.
After the horses came three sons, born in 1985, 1989, and 1993, two of whom still live in Mendocino County. Gloria recalls that their second son, Christopher, was born the same day as the Loma Prieta earthquake, which caused massive destruction throughout the Bay Area. “It was the only week in 29 years that we didn’t deliver our CSA to the Bay,” she says.
The primary source of income for Live Power Community Farm is that very same robust CSA program which they have been operating for 30 years. Some members have been with them that entire time. “Our members are loyal because they support our principles and appreciate the quality of the food and care we put into the land,” says Gloria. After so many years they’ve started to simplify, discontinuing operations in the Bay last year and effectively reducing their membership from 200 to 100 families. “It’s still a lot of work to grow food for 100 families, and we had to make the hard choice to scale down,” explains Stephen.
They have also been teaching on-site classes to school-aged children for 35 years. “I love seeing what a powerful experience it is for the kids,” says Gloria. “Milking a cow, shearing a sheep, plowing behind a horse … they remember it forever, getting in touch with the earth, with their roots.”
“There’s some part of all of us that is yearning for that connection. In our small way here, we’ve tried to create the opportunity for people to come back to the earth, to be surrounded by creation speaking to them,” adds Stephen. Gloria says some of the teachers visited the farm themselves as children. “Sometimes they cry,” she says. “It’s very powerful.”
In order to maintain those kinds of experiences and to keep the land dedicated to fertile use, in 1995, after 20 years of being its caretakers, the Decaters decided it was time to buy the farm. The problem was, they couldn’t afford it on their own. Furthermore, they didn’t believe in private ownership. “Nobody owns Mother Earth,” says Stephen.
After a lot of research, they decided to institute a conservation easement to move all non-agricultural uses of the property into a non-profit land trust ownership. The easement states that the only allowable commercial use for the land is organic or biodynamic agriculture, and the farm operators have to demonstrate that at least 51% of their income comes from active agriculture. Once the farm income dips below that threshold, it triggers the option for someone else to buy the agricultural rights and use of the buildings. After a lot of fundraising for the land trust and a private loan secured by the Decaters, they purchased the farming rights and infrastructure, while Equity Trust purchased the non-agricultural uses.
They didn’t stop there. Stephen and Gloria understand only too well the affordability problem in farming, so they included conditions in the easement that require the appraisal process to value the property based on the income stream that can be produced from organic agriculture on the land. “Then it’s a matter of working backward from the income stream to determine the price per acre,” explains Stephen. “It should be recognized that food-bearing land is, in many ways, a public resource, and the people cultivating it should be able to make a living doing it.”
After decades of farming, the Decaters will leave behind a legacy of a permanent working farm. They have no plans to stop any time soon, but they would like to cultivate successors who want to dedicate their lives to the land in much the same way they have. “A farm isn’t something you build in a few years,” says Stephen. “It’s a lifetime. And we’re so grateful that the work we’ve done will survive past our lifetimes.”
Elizabeth Archer is an enthusiastic eater and promoter of the local food scene in Mendocino County. She
Tenadam Catering
Bringing Ethiopian Cuisine to Mendocino County
by Jackie Cobbs
Ethiopian food tells a story about the land and its people. The ingredients reveal a narrative of climate, geography, and history. Even the way Ethiopian food is consumed expresses the culture. It’s not uncommon to see people break off a piece of injera, scoop up a choice bite, and feed it to a loved one. This practice is known as gursha and exemplifies how this is a culture of sharing and of community. Berbere, the principal spice mix used, blends Mediterranean, Indian, and Middle Eastern flavors, developed over centuries by the numerous historical trade routes through the region.
Colorful, spicy dollops of aromatically spiced, stewed vegetables called wat are served family-style on injera, a large sourdough flatbread that serves as both tangy plate and spoon for all meals. It’s made with fermented teff, a grain that grows in cool climates at elevations over 5,000 feet. Most areas of Ethiopia are perfectly suited to growing teff, especially near Addis Ababa, the capital city. Lying at the foot of Mount Entoto, its grassy foothills don’t often see temperatures that vary far from 72 degrees year-round.
Growing up in Ethiopia, Yusuf Heyi often helped his mother at her restaurant in their hometown, Asella. “I kind of taught myself how to cook, but I have the idea of how to cook from my mother.” Heyi studied psychology at Bahirdar University, then moved to the capital city of Addis Ababa, where he worked for the Peace Corps as a language and cross-culture coordinator, and also with Friends International as a child protection officer. He also worked in schools teaching English. “I love kids,” Heyi remarks. “They have a beautiful soul.”
Through Friends International, Heyi discovered his true passion of cooking. The organization takes in children from the street who are HIV positive, abused, and have no education. The program, funded by the Australian embassy, provides food, clothing, and shelter for the at-risk youth, and teaches them culinary skills. They learned from international chefs, creating small plates such as jalapeno poppers, samosas, goat kofte, and a watermelon and feta salad in the school’s restaurant, Bahir Zaf.
One of Heyi’s roles was to help find jobs for the kids after their training was complete. He often placed them in cooking positions in restaurants and hotels or helped them start their own businesses. Before long Heyi was inspired to pursue his own love of cooking.
Heyi moved to Ukiah from Ethiopia only 18 months ago to be with his wife, who grew up here. He first worked with Jaynene Johnson from Zocalo Collective, a catering company out of Willits, where he helped prepare meals. He enjoyed the work, deciding to branch out and create his own business, Tenadam Catering. “It means ‘Adam’s health,’” Heyi explained. “It [tenadam] is also a traditional spice in Ethiopian cooking. And I just like the name.”
Just 29, the young entrepreneur utilizes local, seasonal ingredients in his wats as much as possible, including vegetable such as beets, potatoes, lentils, chard, kale, and cabbage. He also offers meat choices of chicken, beef, and lamb. “My most popular dishes,” he confided, “are lentils and spicy beef.”
Creating a cuisine so far from its origins has both advantages and challenges. Teff is quite expensive in the U.S. compared to Ethiopia, and the fermentation that occurs while making the injera is affected by the different climate and altitude. Some spices have to be expensively shipped from overseas—though he admits he uses less when cooking for an American audience, as they can find the usual spice levels in Ethiopian food overwhelming. But Heyi appreciates the variety and availability of produce here, giving him more options and creative freedom in the kitchen.
Heyi’s catering company cooks for both private and public events. Last winter, he was often seen at farmers markets in Laytonville, Willits, Ukiah, and Fort Bragg. He took a hiatus this past summer to work the festival scene, including Sundays in the Park in Ukiah and First Fridays in Middletown. “I love music festivals,” he says. “You see a lot of people, there’s good music, good food, good vibes.” Heyi also likes working the farmers markets, and plans to return to them this winter. You can also find his dishes at the Ukiah Co-op for grab-and-go convenience.
Heyi’s current ambition is to attend a culinary school and focus on vegan cooking, with a long-term goal of starting a restaurant or food truck in Fort Bragg, Willits, or Ukiah. He’s also open to doing pop-up dinners when the opportunity arises. “I’d be happy to get some support from the community,” he said, “with maybe a partnership or funding.” Until then, he does all his cooking at the Willits Grange. They let him use the kitchen whenever he wants for a very low fee. “I really, really appreciate the Grange. It’s my backbone,” Heyi said enthusiastically. As long as it allows him to keeping cooking his nourishing comfort food, we appreciate it, too.
Email Yusuf Heyi at yusufadem6@gmail.com or call 707-380-6734 for more info. Also follow him on facebook.com/tenadamcatering.
When Jackie Cobbs isn’t wrangling words, she is busy running after her two boys, Henry and Marshal, and helping her hubby, Kale, complete their cob home.
Eulogy for Red Tail Ale
by Holly Madrigal
Good beers are abundant these days, but back in 1983, when Red Tail Ale was created, a good beer was hard to find. In fact, the birth of the Hopland Brewing Company/ Mendocino Brewing Company (MBC) ushered in the era of the now-ubiquitous brewpub. The Hopland Brewery was the first brewpub in California and the second in the country. (There are now upwards of 1,500 brewpubs in the U.S.)
The now defunct Mendocino Brewing Company, home to Red Tail and many other wonderful craft beers had a glorious run and a sudden and mysterious end. Initially brewing only 400 barrels in 1983, the Mendocino Brewing Company was brewing upwards of 75,000 barrels just prior to their closure, with a nearly nationwide distribution (helped along by a sister brew pub in New York).
Housed in a gorgeous, Mission-style building in Ukiah, where the brewing company moved after it lost its lease in Hopland, MBC grew to create and market over twenty labels in its 35 years of brewing excellence. (Kudos to the label artist, Randy Johnson, for his avian-themed labels, showing an exceptional eye for color and detail.) In the late 1990s, it was considered one of the most successful microbreweries in the country. MBC was the only unionized craft brewery in the country, represented by the Teamsters Union. It won many awards, launched a public offering, and landed major accounts across the globe. By 2015, MBC was the 41st largest brewery in the United States and the largest in Mendocino County. That was why it was quite surprising to the average Mendocino County resident to hear that MBC had gone belly up.
Rumors of financial troubles have plagued the brewery for the past decade. Following the offering of MBC stock, the majority of the shares were purchased by Indian billionaire Vinlay Mallya in 1997. Mr. Mallya lives in London and is currently fighting extradition to India on charges of money laundering and fraud. It appears his financial problems overran the banks of his personal life and impacted his financial holdings, including MBC.
The news of the brewery’s closure was a shock, since the bottles of beer continued to grace the shelves of many a pub, Costco and other retailers even after the official axe had fallen. One local shop mentioned that even her supplier was kept in the dark, told the product was simply out of stock. Prices of these final bottles have risen steeply as word of the closure has spread. There is scarcely a local resident (of a certain age) who does not have a MBC tale. My favorite is my friend’s story about when she was laboring to give birth. She was told by her midwife that beer could “help her milk come in.” Her BFF’s dutifully snuck a couple of bottles into the hospital, and the results were spectacular.
Mourning fans ask, can the brand be resurrected from the depths of our not too distant history? Rumors abound of local companies taking an interest in the brand and seeking a potential rebirth. When asked, resident beer expert from North Coast Brewery, Joe Seda said “It would be challenging. My guess is that because of the legal issues incurred by past ownership, Mendocino Brewing Company may be tied up for some time.“ The assessment, though accurate, saddens many a fan of this groundbreaking brewery that retained a loyal following up to and beyond the news of its closure. For now, it can live on in our memories of hot afternoons, dancing till the wee hours, and spending time with friends.
Keep an eye on Small Bites monthly email for info about a forthcoming Mendocino Brewing Company wake in Willits.
Home for the Holidays
Be sure to include some of these delicious, locally grown or produced goodies in your holiday feast.
by Rachel Turner Williams
Mendocino Meats offers lamb as well as turkeys and pork for your holiday season
Fort Bragg bakery croutons
Zeni chestnuts are delicious
Kemmy's pies
Apple Farm apples will make your holidays sweet
Make your own pumpkin pie with locally grown pumpkins
Polish off the feast with some Cowlick's ice cream
THE CENTERPIECE
Luckily for us, even our Thanksgiving turkey can be sourced locally. Sisters’ Ridge Farm out of Calpella has been producing certified organic, pastureraised turkeys for several years now. The white broadbreasted turkeys are processed on the farm and will be ready for pick-up in November. To arrange an order, contact Jenness Hartley at (707) 272-0172 or visit their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/farmsistersridge/). Likewise, first-generation farm Mendocino Meats will be raising and processing white broad-breasted turkeys using organic feed at Heart Arrow Ranch near Redwood Valley. For those who prefer a holiday ham for their special meal, those can be ordered through Mendocino Meats with at least one month advance notice. Contact them via e-mail at info@mendocinoorganics.com or call (707) 272-5477.
THE STUFFING
What would the bird be without all that glorious stuffing? Just in time for the holidays, Fort Bragg Bakery, a local artisan bread company, puts out croutons made from their natural, organic levain sourdough breads. The croutons can be found seasonally at Harvest Market, Lemons, Anderson Valley Market, Purity Supermarket, Mariposa Market, and other local stores. More at www. fortbraggbakery.com. Alternatively, try making your own by getting a fresh loaf from your favorite local bakery—we recommend Schat’s for inland dwellers—slice it up, dry it either overnight or in a warm oven, then cut into cubes and sauté in a pan with butter and a little garlic.
THE SIDES
Looking to round out your table with some tasty, locally-grown sides? Natural Products of Boonville (707-684-0182) is growing a variety of potatoes and purple sweet potatoes for the season. If you are hoping to include mushrooms in your feast, they also have Lion’s Manes and sometimes shiitakes. The Forest People (707-489-5034) also have oyster mushrooms for sale. For a lovely touch of holiday tradition, be sure to include Zeni Ranch (707-684- 6892) chestnuts in your meal. The ranch also hopes to produce their first batch of chestnut honey this year, which could be a wonderful addition to your yams or desserts.
THE PIES
What Thanksgiving would be complete without some delicious, seasonal pies? If you are looking to make your pies from scratch, pumpkins and winter squash are available locally through Blue Meadow Farm, Brock Farms, Anderson Valley Community Farm, and Yokayo Farm. Apples for pies can also be sourced locally through The Apple Farm (707-895-2333) or Gowan’s Oak Tree (707-895-3353). If you are looking to take a delicious shortcut, look no further than Kemmy’s Pies, a local pie company out of Willits that offers handmade holiday pies ranging from classic pumpkin, pecan, and apple, to specialty pies such as bourbon sweet potato or saged mushroom. Look for them at local markets throughout the county or contact them at Kemmyspies@gmail.com to place an order.
AND MORE
You can be sure to savor the season all month long with these special local treats! Cowlick’s Ice Cream (www.cowlicksicecream.com) in Fort Bragg offers special handmade flavors during the holidays, including pumpkin, cinnamon, and chai. Enjoy deliciously creamy pumpkin butter from Carol Hall’s Hot Pepper Jelly Company (www. hotpepperjelly.com) or pop in to The North Coast Brewing Company (www.northcoastbrewing.com) to taste their soured seasonal Cranberry-Quince autumn brew.
Main photo: Sisters’ Ridge Farm
Rachel Williams lives in Boonville where she is active in the food shed, and avid gardener, and Undergoing online training in nutrition.
Put ‘em Up!
The challenges and joys of home canning
by Dawn Emery Ballantine
Most folks I have spoken to about canning admit to feelings of trepidation during their first attempt—would it really preserve the flavor, would the jars seal up properly, would the results make anyone ill, would it just end up a waste of some really good produce. All of these bounced around my mind during my first attempt shortly after moving to Anderson Valley nearly 15 years ago.
I come from Ohio, and although I grew up with grandmothers who canned various vegetables and pickles most of my childhood summers, my immediate family found the results suspect and were reluctant to try any of it, except for the pickles. I guess they figured that much vinegar would kill anything.
As the rebel of the family, I couldn’t wait to get out on my own and try all the things my family frowned upon. With the urging of my friend, Judy (more from her below), I agreed to try my hand at it in time to enter the results in my very first Mendocino County Fair & Apple Show.
I settled on a slow-cooked, spiced apple butter, figuring that it had enough sugar so that, even if the seal failed, it wouldn’t harm anyone in the short term. I won a blue ribbon for it and liked it so much that I made more for holiday gifts. (I even sent it to my family in Ohio. No, they never did try it. I wasn’t surprised.)
I was lucky enough to run across a “canning set” at a local thrift store, which included the giant pot for the water bath, a submersion tool to lower all the jars at once into the water bath, and a “jar picker” device to remove individual jars from the boiling water. The best $4.99 I’ve ever spent.
My friend, Judy, was lucky enough to grow up on a farm in central California, and it’s there she learned canning from her mom. She laughingly tells of trying her first canning results on the dogs, saying “When they didn’t die, I figured I’d mastered it.” (Don’t fret. She’s the biggest animal lover I know, and she wouldn’t have used her pets for Guinea pigs. She just has a wicked sense of humor.) When I asked for her favorite canning recipe, she said, “If you live near the ocean, you have access to the ‘chicken of the sea’ . . . Albacore Tuna.”
Canning pot with lid and rack; jar grippers.
Judy recently bought a batch of tuna from the awesome women of Princess Seafoods in Fort Bragg. She bought 30 pounds of tuna and had them loined for $5.00 per fish. She says “Loining the fish will cost a few extra dollars, but it is well worth the money. If you don’t mind having the head, skin, etc., you can loin them yourself. The raccoons will love you for it. There are several ‘do-it-yourself’ videos for this on You-Tube.”
Judy’s efforts yielded 42 one-half pint jars of tuna using the water bath method. She continues, “Frankly, I’m terrified of pressure cookers after a scary incident when I was a child, so I just feel safer doing it that way. I make my canned tuna outdoors on camping stoves so the house doesn’t smell like a fishery.”
Judy claims that the only way to eat tuna is with Best Foods mayonnaise. “Best tuna you’ll ever eat!” Having sampled her tuna more than once, I enthusiastically agree.
I’ve never lost my nervousness about canning, but I’ve been helped along the way by a couple of good resources on canning and preserving food. Look up the Ball Blue Book, “the go-to canning guide for over 100 years” according to Mother Earth News. I particularly like Stocking Up and The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving. Best, though, would be to find someone who will mentor you through the process until you have the skills to save and enjoy the abundance of the harvest throughout the year.
Dawn’s Spiced Apple Butter
Pick about 30 good-sized apples from your trees or the store. A mix is good, depending on how tart or mild you like your apples.
Wash, core, and chunk them, or use the handy-dandy Apple peeler-corerslicer (which I also found at a local thrift store!). Put the apples in a crock pot or oven safe dish and cook for 10 hours (at 250 if you’re using an oven).
After 10 hours, add more apples and the following spices to your taste:
- 2-4 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ - ½ tsp allspice
- ½ - 1 tsp cloves
- a vanilla bean and a bit of cardamom
Cook another 10 hours or so and adjust spicing. Continue with a final 10 hours of cooking, then adjust spices and add calvados or brandy, if you like. If you like it chunky, leave as is. Otherwise, blend with an immersion blender.
Leave the apple mix warming and set your water bath to boil. Be sure there’s enough water in the pot to completely cover the jars. Sterilize the jars and their lids, making sure everything is super clean.
Fill the jars to ½" from the top, wipe off the lip of the jar, and screw on the lids. Put the jars in the water bath and bring the water back to a boil. Keep the jars in boiling water for a full 10 minutes.
Remove the jars carefully and place on a heat-proof surface, letting them rest undisturbed. You will hear them pop as the jars seal. This is a good sign! If any jars don’t pop, put them in the fridge and eat them within a couple of weeks.
Judy’s Best Canned Tuna
Bring the water in your canning pots to a rolling boil. Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water. Wash, trim, and cut the tuna into pieces that will fit into half-pint jars. Be sure and remove the dark blood lines, or the result will be a bitter tuna. Pack the sterilized jars firmly with cut tuna and sprinkle ½ tsp salt over the top. (Note: the fat in the tuna creates enough liquid to boil over the fish and spread the salt around.) Wipe the jar rims clean (as leftover schmutz can prevent proper sealing). Put on the lids and tighten. Place the jars into boiling water, making sure they are fully submerged. Keep the jars covered in water and boiling for four (4) hours. You will need to add boiling water over time to keep the jars submerged. After 4 hours, remove the jars and let them cool. If they pop and the seal
Dawn Emery Ballantine lives in Anderson Valley where she sells books, edits this magazine, and cans when she is feeling particularly adventuresome.
Gowan’s Apple Orchard
Six Generations of Apple Innovation
by Ree Slocum
It was one of those crispy hot, dry days in June when I drove through Anderson Valley’s wine country on Highway 128. I was on my way to visit the Gowan’s apple farm and cidery. The scenery was resplendent with rolling hills, sheep ranches, old Victorian farmhouses, vineyards, wineries, and tasting rooms. Nestled in the midst of hills planted in wine grapes are acres of Gowan apple orchards, providing both color and deep history to the area. Right off the road is their quaint roadside produce stand. A bit further is the warehouse, which was undergoing a transformation from an apple packing plant to make more room for the expanding cidery. In its welcome coolness, I met with Sharon Gowan and family matriarch, Josephine Gowan. Josephine’s wit and sharp memory were entertaining as she talked about the long and rich family history in Anderson Valley.
In the mid-1800s, a branch of the Studebaker car manufacturing family moved to California, bought land outside of Philo, and soon planted Gravenstein apple trees on their farm. In 1876, the Gowans bought a portion of the land. It didn’t take long before the two families melded together by marriage under the Gowan surname. The two women told story after fascinating story about the historic procuring of many of their heirloom apple varieties.
Because of the success of the one Gravenstein apple, the families realized they had the perfect climate and soil to continue expanding their orchards. When any of them traveled and discovered new varieties of flavorful apples, they brought them home to test out in their orchard. Josephine told one story about Great, Great Grandpa Daniel.“ In 1906 [he] was on a trip by horse near Jackson, California [at the foothills of the Sierra Mountains]. He got a [Sierra Beauty apple] tree from a farmer and took it home and planted it. The apple was a family favorite, so they grafted and planted it, then grafted and planted, and grafted and planted, so there are now acres and acres of them!”
Eighty years later, researchers were looking for Sierra Beauty apple trees, believed to be extinct. The Gowans got wind of it, contacted the researchers, and Josephine’s late husband, Jim, released the scion wood so others could plant it. Sharon added that any Sierra Beauty apple tree found in the world can probably be traced back to the Gowan orchard. It’s now the primary ingredient in a Gowan Heirloom “still cider,” much like a Chardonnay wine, winning awards in wine competitions.
Sharon’s husband, Don, stated that they are a family of farmers and peddlers who’ve met the challenges of a changing economy or market whenever necessary. Historically, they began peddling fresh apples up and down the Mendocino Coast using wagons and draft horses. Back then, Highway 128 was a dirt road and was routed over the steep Anderson Valley ridge. It was rutted, dusty, or dangerously muddy, making it an arduous trek to the coast. In the pre-WWII era, the family dried and dry-canned apple slices for home and professional bakers’ use. In 1952, after Jim and Josephine purchased a WWII Army Surplus vehicle, they began to truck fresh apples to a San Francisco wholesale market. They also sold their apples in local stores and from their fruit and vegetable stand. Today, Don’s sister and brother-in-law, Grace and Otilio Espinoza, manage the produce stand and also sell apples to Mendocino County schools.
When the economy began to change in the mid 2000s, Don and Sharon looked at one other and knew it was crucial to try something different. There was increasing demand for cosmetically beautiful fruit with crisp, hard bodies and uniform sizes, that, in many cases, did not have much flavor. The couple believed in their delicious, tree-ripened, heirloom apples. Being a relatively small orchard, they couldn’t compete with the huge corporate orchards selling large quantities at lower prices. How could they turn this treasure into something new and sustainable?
Because of their reputation for having tree-ripened apples whose flavors remain true to their variety, local hard cider-makers have often used the Gowan apples to flavor their home-fermented ciders. Don and Sharon thought, “Wait a minute! We have something very special here we haven’t realized. We have these delicious heirloom apples, and we should start producing our own [hard] cider.” Through research, taking classes in fine hard cider-making, testing yeasts, timings, and tasting with the family’s historically refined palates, they realized their apples’ flavor profiles were superior to other apples. In 2014, they obtained their license and have been producing orchard-based, fine hard ciders and winning prestigious awards ever since.
I was treated to a tasting at the cidery after our interview. We sat comfortably at the end of shoots—an artifact from the packing era where, for years, apples had been sorted and crated. Sharon introduced me to three of the Gowan fine ciders. She emphasized that each cider is a “premium cider, fruit forward, terroir driven, and that’s probably why they’re winning such high awards at cider and wine competitions. You can taste the different flavors of the actual apple!” I find their fine ciders delicious, with no two alike. It was easy to distinguish between the Gravenstein and Sierra Beauty. The 1876 Heirloom Cuvée was my favorite. It’s a complex, light, semi-dry blend with just a hint of apple sweetness, a perfect chilled cider to sip on a hot summer day.
As we talked, Sharon painted this sensory picture. “If you walked in an orchard with me on a warm afternoon in October, with some apples on the ground and some in the trees, and we’re well into harvest, this cider [the Heirloom Sierra Beauty] would taste like that smells. We tried to capture that feeling of October in our orchard.” I’d like to go back in autumn to walk the orchards with Sharon and experience the trees, apples, smells, and stories while sipping their latest release. Gowan’s fine ciders are available in stores and restaurants.
For more information about tasting events and to subscribe to their E-newsletter and Cider Club, visit GowansHeirloomCider.com.
Ree Slocum is a fine art freelance photographer and writer who calls the edge of the wilds in Mendocino County “home.” She takes pleasure living with bird song, the breathing fog, and wildlife’s cast of characters when not on assignments. Ree can be reached at reeslocum@gmail.com.
Terra Sávia hopes for the best
With California’s largest wildfire ever uncomfortably close, Terra Sávia in Hopland hopes for the best
by Torrey Douglass
“We have a Mutual Admiration Society here,” says Yvonne Hall, referring to the supportive relationships that exist between the wineries and other businesses around Hopland. The tasting rooms recommend each other to visitors, figuring the longer folks stick around, the more they will fall in love with the small town charm and natural beauty of the “Somendo” zone just above the Sonoma/Mendocino county line.
Hall owns Terra Sávia Winery with her partner, Jurg Fischer, where they’ve grown grapes and olives organically since 2005 and 2008, respectively. The “Mutual Admiration Society” includes other olive growers like Filigreen Farms, who use Terra Sávia’s olive press to make their golden olive oil every fall. The granite wheel press is also available for regular folk, who can bring in their own olives for processing.
Hall and Fischer are devoted environmentalists, incorporating earth-friendly practices into their farming. Their olive orchard is 100% off-grid and was planted on open land to avoid removing any pre-existing trees. A small herd of eight Baby Doll sheep eat down the weeds, and rodent control comes in the form of three cats who also tend to lounge around the office, decreasing everyone’s blood pressure. They even keep a few goats to eat the cuttings from vineyard and bramble pruning. In the past, their labels featured endangered animals to raise awareness of their plight, and they make regular donations to local animal rescue organizations. Every decision made on the farm takes the well being of flora and fauna into account.
As of this writing, the largest wildfire in California history is burning on Hopland’s doorstep. Yvonne cites the animals as top of the list of things to save should it threaten them. But so far they’ve been fortunate. When asked if smoke from the fires has affected their crops, Yvonne says, “It’s too early to tell. There are good days and bad days, but we’ve been lucky. The afternoon winds come from the west and blow away the smoke.” On a recent day, the high point of their property, Duncan Peak, was hidden by the smoky air, but it eventually reemerged thanks to the winds. Ultimately, they’ll only discover if the smoke has impacted the fruit come harvest.
If that happens, it wouldn’t be the first time. In 2008 the Lightning Complex fires filled much of Mendocino County with smoke, including Anderson Valley. The smoke poured over the ridge and settled in the Ukiah Valley flatlands where Terra Sávia’s vineyards grow. The Chardonnay and red wines were harvested earlier in the season and turned out fine, but the delicate and late-harvested Pinot Verdot did not fare so well.
There are no measures a grape farmer can take to protect against “smoke taint,” which leaves smoke compounds on the fruit and can result in a bitter, ashy aftertaste. They are entirely at the mercy of the fire and the weather during it. While there are post-harvest measures available— high-tech filtration being one of them—it is not a silver bullet, adds expense, and sometimes can’t overcome the bad rap a vintage can get when it contains fruit from a fire year.
For now the folks at Terra Sávia can do little more than wait out the fire, giving thanks for the firefighters working to contain it and the wind that keeps its smoke at bay. Farming, especially organic farming, is hardly an easy lifestyle, but its burdens are lightened when there’s a supportive community on hand to gather around a common purpose. No matter what happens, groups like Destination Hopland and the less formal Mutual Admiration Society will continue to sing the praises of the wine, food, and natural beauty abundant in the Somendo area.
Photos courtesy of Terra Sávia.
Torrey Douglass is a web and graphic designer living in Boonville with her husband, two children, and a constantly revolving population of pets and farm animals.
The Abundant Acorn
by Torrey Douglass
Acorns are amazing. You could easily overlook these little oblong nuggets scattered among the duff under oaks, but they are an integral part of our ecosystem, a nutrient-rich food source for all sorts of wildlife, from squirrels and wild turkeys to deer and wild pigs. In a 2014 article in Scientific American, ecologist Janet Fryer from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service states that “oak species with their large, nutrient-rich acorns, may be the single most important genus used by wildlife for food and cover in California forests and rangelands.” Even domesticated livestock like cows, sheep, and goats will feed on acorns from the many types of oaks that thrive on our south facing slopes.
Like many California natives, the Pomo people of our area relied on acorns as a dietary staple. And why not? They are an excellent source of fats, protein, and minerals, and thanks to their hard outer shells, they can be stored for up to three years. Health benefits include improving digestion, heart health, energy levels, and blood sugar regulation—quite the superfood! And super-abundant as well. A mature oak can drop up to 2,000 pounds of acorns in a good year, but as Boonville homesteader Rob Goodell shared, an oak’s yield can vary greatly from one year to the next.
So what’s the catch? In a word: tannins. Tannin amounts vary among different oak species, with white oaks containing the least. (Some oaks in the area include black oaks, live oaks, and tan bark oaks.) It’s best to collect the acorns shortly after they’ve fallen, while there’s still a little give to the shells. Moth worms can burrow into acorns, leaving a hole that lets in air, so to quickly identify infected acorns, pour a bunch in a bucket of water and remove the “floaters.”
To render the acorns edible, tannins need to be removed through either steaming or soaking. The first step for either process is to remove the acorns from their shell. You can lay out the acorns inside a folded towel then hit them with a hammer to crack the shells. You can also soak them overnight to soften the shells, then peel them by hand. Fastidious cooks remove the papery layer between the shell and nut, but it’s not necessary. After you’ve gathered the nut meats, chop them roughly in a blender. Do not make them too fine or they will fall through the holes in your steamer.
Next, place three to four cups of the chunky acorn mush into a steamer. After 30 minutes, taste to check if enough tannins have steamed out. It can take up to two hours for full processing, so keep tasting until you’re satisfied the bitterness is gone.
Another leaching technique requires storing the chopped acorns in a large glass jar of water in your fridge. Drain and replace with fresh water every day for a week, then taste to see if they are ready or give them more time if they need it. In the past, the native Pomo would fill a basket with acorns and set it in a running stream for a couple of weeks to achieve the same effect.
Once the tannins are removed, you can work with your acorn mixture. A second blend will break down the chunks into smaller pieces for a finer “meal”—this can be done in a blender or with a potato masher. Next spread the meal on cookie sheets to dry in the sun. It needs to be completely dry to become acorn flour or the moisture will accelerate decay. Once dry, you can blend again in a food processor, then sift to remove any last little chunks. Store acorn flour in a dry, dark place. It will last anywhere from a few months to almost a year.
You can use half acorn flour and half wheat flour in your favorite baking recipes, but be mindful that the acorn flour is gluten-free and adjust your approach accordingly. Pancakes, muffins, and even breads work well with acorn flour. The end product is similar to almond flour, so you can expand your options by hunting for almond flour recipes wherever you look for kitchen inspiration.
Willits herbal teacher Donna D’Terra uses acorns to make acorn paté. Learn more about processing acorns in her September 8th class: Autumn Wild Harvest. This hands-on class will also cover a method of turning Bay nuts into chocolate-like treats and using Manzanita and Toyon Berries as drink and seasoning. For more information, 707-459-5030 or Motherland@pacific.net.
Donna d’Terra’s Acorn Pate
Mix 1 cup acorn (leached, cooked, strained, cooled) with mayonnaise until it is a “spreadable” consistency. Fold in some or all of these (chopped fine): scallions or red onion, celery, basil/cilantro/parsley, toasted sesame or toasted sunflower seeds. Add to taste: lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, tamari, salt, or pepper. Serve on crackers and enjoy! Photo by Andy Balestracci.
Special thanks to Donna d’Terra the recipe.
BIOCHAR
Could there be a new day for this old technology?
by Andy Balestracci
Floating downstream into his own heart of darkness in June 1542, Francisco de Orellana had no idea what to expect. What we do know of his murderous journey, as he sought the fabled golden kingdom of El Dorado, is gleaned from a written chronicle of the Spaniard’s observations. His writings paint a landscape populated with bustling villages and even a few cities along the banks of the river. Local men and women justifiably fought Orellana and his soldiers of fortune to protect their homeland, although it was the women archers that eventually gave this area and the river its name: The Amazon.
Like the Greek historian Herodotus’s accounts of Scythian women warriors on horseback, tales of a heavily populated Amazon were relegated for hundreds of years to the realm of a good yarn. Amazingly, and with the help of archaeologists over the last few decades, this depiction of a dense and thriving society along the Amazon has shifted from fable to fact.
Prior to the work of these archeologists, the predominant post-European conquest view of the Amazon depicted untouched expanses of forest, sparsely populated by semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers. Poor, acidic soils throughout the region were thought to limit both quantity and variety of crops. Heavy precipitation and tropical humidity allowed for the rampant growth we picture when imaging the rainforest, but that biomass, and the limited fertility from its inevitable decay, exists in a fragile skin over the land. Rainfall both gives life and depletes it by washing soil downstream.
With the advent of satellite imagery and LIDAR, which uses pulses of laser light that can penetrate through gaps in the forest canopy, we now have detailed maps of the topography underneath the trees. With the help of follow-up ground examinations by geographers and archaeologists, we can now see large scale earthworks and terraces that point to sizeable former settlements that could have only been made by large populations of workers and farmers.
The discovery of these sites and the implications for the area’s past civilization are stunning. Though greatly diminished by pandemics of European disease and genocide, clearly at one point the Amazonian people had the agricultural resources and know-how to support a much larger population than originally thought.
Associated with these sites are soils that are dark and richly fertile even after many hundreds of years of abandonment— uncharacteristic for the lower Amazonian watershed. These dark soils, locally called terra preta, are definitively anthropogenic (human made) in origin, with bits of ceramic, bone and, most importantly, charcoal contained within.
According to researchers, this charcoal is the magic ingredient that can transform a thin layer of easily depleted topsoil into robust and enduring farm dirt. Outside of the Amazon, this carefully rendered charcoal is known as Biochar.
Biochar is not your garden variety charcoal—it has to be made within specific parameters. You can burn any dry vegetable or animal biomass in a low oxygen environment, in a process called pyrolysis. During pyrolysis, the lack of oxygen causes the material to break down chemically, burning off gases and leaving a carbon-rich charcoal. Since charcoal is highly porous, it contains an astoundingly large surface area for its volume. It is estimated that a single teaspoon contains as much surface area as a football field, or 1.32 acres. Combine this with the fact that carbon is highly adsorbtive and binds with any atoms in its vicinity. This is bad news if you add raw biochar directly to your farm or garden soil, as it will rob nutrients from plants and microorganisms. It’s great news if you first combine it with compost or compost teas, as it locks in the available nutrients for future use.
And here we return back to the example of terra preta soils that are still fertile, nutrient-dense and biologically diverse after centuries. If you have ever seen the diversity of life in and around a coral reef, you know that it’s in large part due to its complex, multi-layered structure. Just as a coral reef provides habitat for a diversity of species underwater, biochar acts like a land reef for a plethora of fungi, beneficial microbes, and nutrients. Because biochar resists decay, it could transform annually produced biomass into a substance that captures carbon and carbon dioxide, locking them into soils rather than releasing them into the atmosphere through decay, thereby reducing global warming.
The easiest way to make biochar is to adjust how you approach your winter burn pile. First get your hands on a county burn permit and confirm it’s a county prescribed burn day. You can use fruit tree or vineyard prunings, grape pomace, manure or forest thinning material from your property.
Next light your dry burn pile from the top and allow it to burn downwards. This method, known as a conservation burn, creates the low oxygen pyrolysis burn, much like a match burning from the top down—cleanly, with little or no smoke. Your neighbors will thank you for the smokeless burnpile, and it’s good for the planet. Once the pile is reduced to glowing coals, extinguish with water. You now have raw biochar! The double benefits of sequestering carbon and creating long-lasting, healthy soils could contribute to the survival of our farms and future local food security.
Biochar Compost/Manure mix
To any compost or manure pile add no more than 10% Biochar by volume. Adding biochar will reduce smell, prevent nutrient leeching and runoff, greatly enhance long term fertility.
Biochar Tea Recipe
- 5 gallon bucket of new Biochar/charcoal
- 10:1 Water-Compost tea/Worm Compost tea
Add together. Let soak for 1-2 weeks. Mix into garden soil at a rate no more than 10% Biochar to soil.
Andy Balestracci is a writer, gardener, and homesteader living in Boonville. He owns the heirloom seed company, Diaspora Seeds.
Colombi Market
A family-run corner shop serving Fort Bragg since 1933
story by Anna Levy
photos by Mathew Caine
Several blocks inland from downtown Fort Bragg, Colombi Market and Deli stands out. Located at the intersection of Oak and Harold streets, the store’s sign—in vertical neon and advertising, among other things, groceries and sundries—harkens back to an earlier time. Inside, though the aisles are now lined with a variety of modern-day needs ranging from energy drinks to fresh cilantro, it’s surprisingly easy to imagine those same shelves holding the standards of past generations.
As it turns out, finding the history within Colombi’s isn’t that difficult considering that, not only has it occupied the same space for the last 85 years, but it is still owned by the family who founded it. It even has original fixtures within its walls, including those vintage shelves.
Now run by three grandchildren of the couple who created what was then called the Sun-Brite Market, Colombi’s has no doubt seen changes since it first opened its doors in 1933. Yet in talking with Jeanette and Marissa Colombi, two granddaughters tasked with carrying on the legacy that originated with their Italian-immigrant grandparents and passed down through their father, it becomes increasingly clear that the true beauty of this stalwart of the Fort Bragg community is that it’s not just a story of a business, or even of a single family. In many ways, the story of Colombi’s is a story of this country itself.
In the early 1900s, Emanuelle Colombi was an olive picker in Cittanova, Italy, looking for a way out of poverty and into a better life for his family. “At some point,” Marissa explains, “he just wanted to live the American dream.” He made his way to the United States, coming through New York before traveling across Canada and finding his way to California where, his granddaughter continues, “he discovered the redwoods.”
As this gorgeous land has affected so many, the young man was smitten with Northern California. He decided to build a life here, first serving for the United States in World War I to earn citizenship before returning to Italy to fetch his wife, Serafina, and son, Robert. When he did, he took evidence of his new home with him, planting redwoods from this area in Cittanova, where they still stand today as a visible connection between two small towns a world away from one another.
Once in Fort Bragg, the Colombi family quickly found their place. Though Emanuelle originally worked at a logging camp, the family moved to Whipple Street and opened the market in 1933. Mama Colombi, as Serafina was soon nicknamed, became an integral part of the Italian community in town, known for both her cooking and her lively personality. The couple hosted dinner parties, which served multiple purposes—a chance to enjoy a sense of family for those who had left their own relatives in Italy, and a moment of freedom from a world where “people used to speak down to those who spoke another language,” Marissa says.
Though the family never had much money, Emanuelle and Serafina “would let people charge, would give them groceries,” explains Jeanette. “They would do what they could to help people out,” partially because they knew what it was to be poor. As a result, the Colombis became a couple that locals turned to when they needed help. At times, that translated into friends and neighbors coming to them when they needed to move on from Fort Bragg, offering to sell their homes at an affordable price so that they could be on their way. “Grandmother encouraged buying properties,” Marissa explains.
“They truly saw this as the land of opportunity,” Jeanette adds of her grandparents, “and were willing to work so Colombi Market A family-run corner shop serving Fort Bragg since 1933 story by Anna Levy photos by Mathew Caine Serafina and Emanuelle Colombi A young customer helps himself. 40 Word of Mouth • Fall 2018 hard.” The market, which originally started as a full-service grocery store and meat shop—there are still butcher hooks in the deli area today—blossomed into a family business that took on a number of different roles.
“Our Dad sold his first pack of cigarettes at 9,” Jeanette remembers. “He had to stand on a box because he wasn’t tall enough to reach the counter.”
Over time, the business expanded, growing to include a motel across the street that was originally conceptualized as a place for traveling salesmen to stay. The family also turned a neighboring feed store into a laundromat that still operates today. The deli came along in the late 1980s.
Just as Emanuelle and Serafina became more deeply rooted in the community, so too did their children, all attending schools in Fort Bragg and finding balance as Americans whose family had recently immigrated. “[They] wanted to be as American as possible,” Marissa says, noting that though Italian was spoken in the home, her father and his siblings were all encouraged to speak English. When World War II broke out, the three sons all enlisted, returning home safely after the war.
After the war, the Colombis’ eldest son, Robert, took over the business, running it until his own children stepped in. As it remains, Colombi’s is truly a family business. Jeanette, for example, remembers that she started working in the market at 13, stocking shelves. Though Jeanette eventually left Fort Bragg to attend college, Marissa and their brother, Robert, remained, running the business. When Jeanette returned, she joined them. In the ensuing years, they’ve tried to expand their audience so that the market remains a place that locals go on a regular basis, while also appealing to visitors from outside the area. “We feel very blessed that we’ve been supported by local people,” Jeanette says, noting that they occasionally still hear stories about their family from people who have been coming to Colombi’s for generations.
It’s hard to imagine Emanuelle and Serafina could have envisioned that, all these years later, in a world so unrecognizable in some ways, their market would still be going strong. It is easy to wonder what they would make of their corner store now, with its gluten-free bread, vegetarian sandwiches, local mustard, and so much more. It is likely that they would be proud of their legacy, evident in both their business and in their family. “They could cook and they could sell food so that’s what they did,” says Jeanette. From humble beginnings, they created a place that has, somehow, both withstood and transcended the pressures of time.
A lot has changed since 1933. Colombi’s is, perhaps, a reminder that some things have remained the same—the joy associated with good food, the satisfaction of building a life somewhere new, and the importance of community. All have stood the test of time in countless places, including right here in Fort Bragg, at the intersection of Harold and Oak.
Photos—main photo: Serafina and Emanuelle Colombi, slideshow: Marissa Colombi and Jeanette Colombi, A young customer helps himself, Colombi Market opened in 1933.
Columbi’s Market | 647 E Oak St, Fort Bragg | (707) 964-9274
Open 7am–9pm Sun–Th | Open 7am–10pm Fri & Sat
Anna Levy writes, cooks, and plans travel of all sorts whenever she can. She lives on the Mendocino Coast with her husband and two dogs.
Liquor, Locals, and Lore at Dick’s Place
by Emily Inwood
In an urn above the bar rest the ashes of Pete Cecchi. Pete was the son of Riccardo (Dick) Cecchi who, with his wife, Dora, founded Dick’s in 1934. Dick worked as a logger for 20 years after emigrating from Italy with his father. He opened the business, then called Dick’s Liquor Store and Café, just as prohibition ended, veritably ensuring success. At the time, they offered Italian family-style lunches to loggers in the dining room—where the dart boards and pinball machine are found today—and sold liquor in the front room. They continued to offer meals until 1961, when the business became solely a bar.
The Cecchi family lived in the adjoining building, where Rubaiyat Beads is found now. When Dick died in 1967, his son Pete took over and continued to work there until his retirement, even after selling it to the Mendocino Hotel owners in 1982, writing into the contract that it would remain a “working man’s bar.” In 2013, Eula and Mike Lenihan, who met each other while Eula was bartending, bought the business and have maintained the working man’s vibe that is Pete’s legacy.
Today, locals and tourists alike find familiarity, nostalgia, and great drinks at Dick’s Place. During the day, the door usually stands invitingly open, while on dark, misty nights, the neon martini sign, grandfathered in by the Historical Review Board, acts as a beacon for the thirsty and lonely. The bar has a museum-meets-man cave feel. One wall is covered with photos from logging in the early 1900s, and the rest are papered with all sorts of memorabilia: bumper stickers, Giants’ paraphernalia, and countless personal touches by the many people who’ve celebrated and found solace in this special haven. There is a complete miniature replica of the bar created by Chris Hayter, and a hallway of murals by Jacob Hewko that leads to the bathrooms. There are four TVs inside and one on the back patio broadcasting sports, windows overlooking the headlands and bay, a jukebox pumping tunes, and dart boards and pinball in the back.
At Dick’s, each bartender has their own style and specialty, but there is one consistency: the award-winning Bloody Mary, voted best in town a few years back. Visitors to Mendocino come back for the drink, and locals know to order it regularly. Though there is no substitute for sitting at the glossy bar, chatting up friends and strangers, and taking in the details covering the walls while sipping this spicy, tangy cocktail, here is the cherished recipe:
Dick’s Place Bloody Mary
Serves 6, 10 oz. glasses or “buckets.” Mix together in a pitcher:
- 1 32oz. container plain tomato juice— Campbell’s
- 1 heaping Tbsp each: dill weed, black pepper, horseradish, and celery salt
- 12 dashes each: Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce
Fill each glass with ice, add a shot of vodka, then fill with above mix. Garnish each serving with a spicy, dilly green bean, a lemon wedge, a pepperoncini, and two olives.
Dick’s Place | 45070 Main St, Mendocino (707) 937-6010
Open daily 11:30am–2am
Emily has called the Mendocino coast home since 1983. She loves to hunt for mushrooms, make pies, and run around outside.
A Day Out in Cloverdale
Just south of the county line, this quiet town has a lot of charm and really good coffee.
by Torrey Douglass
Ever since moving to Boonville, trips out of the area have usually taken me through the sleepy town of Cloverdale. Originally just a spot to do some banking or fill up on gas, Cloverdale has been diligently expanding and improving its downtown zone for the past several years. The efforts have paid off, with an enviable collection of fun and yummy small businesses livening up the town’s main street, Cloverdale Boulevard, making it an excellent destination if you find yourself with a free afternoon on your hands.
For your first stop, step into the welcoming wood-paneled coffee house, Plank. There’s a wonderful variety of fresh baked items from the Flour Girl, many gluten-free, and refreshing drinks like The Big Red, 16 ounces of hibiscus high iced tea mixed with freshly squeezed lemon and oranges, apple juice, muddled mint and agave. But Plank’s coffee is the real show-stopper. Whether you are getting a cup of plain black brew or a creamy latté, it’s always delicious.
Next door to Plank, and owned by the same wife-husband duo, is the small but mighty modern vintage home furnishings shop, 14 feet. Whether you are looking for a pillow or a sofa to put it on, this narrow (14 feet wide, I assume) shop is brimming with artsy and craftsy goods. Think organic sheets, geometric handmade pottery, and stylish wooden platters among the bounty.
A block away, you can grab a bite of lunch at the organic market, Dahlia & Sage. You can build your picnic from scratch with fresh produce, breads, meats, and cheeses—visit the deli and take advantage of their soups, salads, and other pre-made items for easy grab n’ go yumminess.
Top off your day with a visit to Clover Theater, an independent movie house that likes to mix it up with a variety of mainstream and independent films. Keep an eye on their facebook page for special events, like the Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 or the 20th Anniversary screening of The Big Lebowski.