The 2017 Local Food Gift Guide

Curated by Scott Cratty, Proprietor of Westside Renaissance Market in Ukiah
(with a few additions from our publisher)

Editor’s Choice

Not Harry’s Nuts from Ukiah’s nut company makes them nicely flavored but also ensures that you get the full flavor of their well roasted, quality nuts as well. Not Harry’s offers seven flavors ranging from a smartly hot habanero to sweet salted caramel, with something for all palates in between.

Olivino Olive oils are grown, pressed and processed by Terra Savia/Olivino of Hopland (a fun place to visit). Olivino makes classic blends and also bottles individual varietals for those that like to focus on a specific part of the flavor spectrum, such as Moraiolo, for those who like their oil on the spicy side.

Gattonelli Cayenne Hot Sauce is for the pure and serious hot sauce lover, made old world style with no salt, sugar or preservatives in Covelo. They also make a purist’s pasta sauce with their Covelo-grown tomatoes and basil.

Carol Hall’s Hot Pepper Jelly Company makes a wide range of preserved treats in their small, grandma’s kitchen-style production facility in Fort Bragg. Inland Mendocino residents are particularly fond of them for purchasing and preserving the old Stroh’s Ranch Marinade recipe, now under the Carol Hall’s Ranch Marinade label.

Grilli’s Acre’s Triple Crown Blackberries, grown in Talmage, are so insanely good that some people have started marking their calendars each year to make sure they don’t miss them. Sadly, they are not around for the holidays. But you can get a hint of their greatness by trying Duane’s Seedless Triple Crown Blackberry Jam.

The Apple Farm in Philo is a favorite place to stop any time I’m passing through Anderson Valley. All of their products are top notch, and their concentrated apple specialty items like apple balsamic and apple cider syrup make excellent special occasion treats.

Afterglow Natural’s line of body care products, made in Boonville, always get rave reviews for their effectiveness. Joanne has perfected them over many years of direct customer interaction and feedback at our local farmers markets. Surely you know someone who would appreciate Sore Muscle Rub, Ultra-Rich Herbal Body Butter or maybe Eternal Bliss Body Oil.

Our closest supplier, Carson & Bees Wildflower Honey is headquartered just a couple of blocks from the Westside Renaissance Market. Raw, unfiltered, Mendocino County wildflower honey produced by a Mendocino County native with decades of experience and integrity.

Grown from seed, Boonville’s Piment d’Ville will quickly become one of your go to spices—sweet, spicy and warm. Try it straight, smoky, spicy or melded with Pacific sea salt.

Princess Smoked Salmon & Tuna is wild fish at its best produced by Mendocino’s own “Girls Gone Wild for Wild Caught Seafood.” Heather and crew strive to do everything right, like line-catching each fish, giving it a gentle landing, instant processing, immediate blast freezing and repeated ice glazings for the best possible flavor.

Albion’s Mendocino Tea Company has an excellent line of teas and a new flagship product, the long-in-development organic Tuber Tonic. The Tonic is a unique, tasty and energizing herbal blend without the grind of caffeine.

Potter Valley’s McFadden Farms has been refining its all-organic product line for more than 40 years, which is reflected in the quality of their line of spices and spice blends. Try one and you will likely want to work your way through their extensive line-up.

Publisher’s Picks

Pennyroyal Cheese Farm-to-Table program. Five times a year, receive a selection of three seasonal cheeses. Taste the spring-fresh grass or the caramel toastiness of aged Boont Corners. Contact the farm to sign up or pick up some delightful cheeses to tide you over at Westside Renaissance Market.

Honeyed Hazelnuts with dried orange peel and thyme by Pennyroyal Farm. This inspired me to make my own with Lovers Lane Honey and home grown thyme.

The complex flavor of Navarro Vineyards Gewürztraminer Mustard combines my favorite wine with Dijon mustard. Serve with crackers to start your holiday meal.

Find all this deliciousness at Westside Renaissance Market, 1003 W Clay St, Ukiah. (707) 462-0083. westsiderenaissancemarket.com

Give It and Live It

THE SWEET LIFE: CHERRY STORIES FROM BUTLER RANCH

Stories recounting the lives of George and Ella Butler and their u-pick cherry ranch on Boonville-Ukiah Road. Explore the legacy of those who experienced this “cherry heaven” of days gone by. Mendocinobookcompany.com

FREY VINEYARDS CHEF PACKAGE

Delight your wine lover friends and family with this gift from an organic pioneer. 1 bottle 2015 Organic Chardonnay, 1 bottle 2015 Organic Pinot Noir, 1 Frey Organic Cooking Apron, and 1 2015 Frey Cookbook. Each Gift Pack is wrapped and can include a gift note to the recipient. Freywine.com

SEAWEED SNACKS, A GIFT FROM THE SEA

Delight your friends and family with our yummy sweet or savory seaweed snacks—great for Holiday gift giving, stocking stuffers, party fare, and tasty nutrition all year long. Seaweed wild-crafted on the pristine Mendocino Coast. gluten-free, GMO-free, and vegan. LoveSeaweed.com

LOCALLY CRAFTED WHISKEY

For the connoisseur in your life. The Low Gap Whiskey is double distilled in an antique16HL cognac still in Redwood Valley California. Award winning absinthe, Rose Liqueur and more. Pure, beautifully crafted spirits. Caddellwilliams.com

PENNYROYAL FARM TO TABLE CHEESE CLUB

Local Cheeses with international quality. Receive a selection of seasonal cheeses delivered to your door. Each shipment contains crafters notes, as well as food and wine pairing. Pennyroyalfarm.com

SHARED TABLE AT INN AT COBBLERS WALK

Treat your loved one to a locavore feast. Chef Jonathan Fussell crafts a Farm to Table dining experience at the Inn at Cobblers Walk near Mendocino. One recent menu included sheep’s milk gnocchi with garden squash, pistachio and Fort Bragg Ling Cod with cauliflower and figs. Glendeven.com

STAY AND COOK AT THE PHILO APPLE FARM

Perfect for your favorite food lover. Stay in one of the Apple Farms modern farmhouse cabins and help cook a series of seasonally inspired meals throughout the weekend. Learn homesteading wisdom along the way from Karen and Tim Bates. Philoapplefarm.com

JAZZ AND BEER PAIRING AT THE NORTH COAST BREWERY SEQUOIA ROOM

Every Friday and Saturday evening you can pair excellent beers with world-class jazz. The Brewery in partnership with the Thelonius Monk Institute hosts dinner concerts. The perfect gift for a music lover. Northcoastbrewing.com