Mendocino County’s Local Food Guide
Find Out Who is Growing What in Our County
by Lisa Ludwigsen
Mendocino County is known for its rugged coast, towering redwoods, and picturesque vineyards. There’s also a deep tradition of small family farms and ranches providing residents and visitors with fresh, seasonal food year-round. From produce to dairy, poultry, beef, fish, nuts, honey, and fruit, Mendocino County’s network of small farms offers something for everyone.
This year marks the third printing of the Mendocino County Local Food Guide, a valuable resource for anyone wanting to support local agriculture and eat truly delicious food. In a county with under 100 farms spread over 3,500 square miles, the guide explains what farmers are growing, how they are growing it, and where to buy it.
The Local Food Guide started back in 2004, when the Anderson Valley Foodshed, a group dedicated to encouraging support for local agriculture, adopted the “C’mon Home to Eat” campaign. A foodshed is a concept that describes the geographic area that produces the food for a particular population. It’s often compared to a watershed.
“C’mon Home to Eat” challenged residents to eat entirely from local sources—specified as within a 100-mile radius— for the month of October. The goal was simple: to connect eaters with growers.
To that end, the Anderson Valley Foodshed compiled lists of farms and other food production sources. Those lists grew in subsequent years and eventually turned into the first printed issue of the Local Food Guide in 2007.
Linda McElwee, one of those original Anderson Valley Foodshed members, is excited to be involved with this new printed issue. “I’ve been dedicated to this guide since the first issue because I believe that the information is important for everyone in our county,” shared McElwee. “The Local Food Guide is meant to be a resource, used over time. This new edition has planting charts and harvesting guides for people to refer to as the years continue,” she added.
A second edition came out in 2009, and a website— mendolocalfood.org—launched in 2011. That website has been reworked a few times in the intervening years, evolving into a comprehensive resource for all things food and farming in the county. Want to know when your local farmers market or other events are happening? Check the guide. You’ll also find listings of local agencies, educational opportunities, community gardens, and more. A scroll through the website’s farm guide paints a colorful picture of the rich tapestry of farms and ranches, and the people who make it all happen throughout the county. Linda and the guide’s production team are also excited to be sharing more information on local aquaculture.
The guide has always been a labor of love, made possible by a small group of mostly volunteers. For this new print edition, local artist Michelle Noe contributed the cover artwork and Torrey Douglass of Lemon Fresh Design (and this magazine) did the graphic design. Milena Duenas translated the guide into Spanish. McElwee added, “We do our best to reach out to all local food producers but occasionally miss one. If you’re a farmer who wants to be included in the online guide you can add your farm through the website.”
Financial support came from the MendoLake Food Hub, a program of North Coast Opportunities, which won a USDA grant designed to connect local farmers with food pantries. Food pantries, soup kitchens, and food banks provide an essential part of food security in the county, and are included in both the print and online versions the guide. Many of these organizations welcome donations of excess produce from farms and gardens.
In a food system dominated by large-scale industrial agriculture, the Mendocino Local Food Guide is more than just a list of places to buy food. It is a dynamic force that champions the viability of small farms, empowers residents with access to healthy, delicious food, and offers visitors an unparalleled, authentic taste of Mendocino’s agricultural heritage.
Find a printed Local Food Guide at independent grocers, farmers markets, and other spots around the county. Find the information online at mendolocalfood.org.
Lisa Ludwigsen has been working in environmental education and small-scale agriculture for 25 years. She chronicles her experiences and travels at Food, Farms & Families at lisaludwigsen.substack.com
Photo by Torrey Douglass
Winesong!
The Coast’s Iconic Food & Wine Event Turns 40
by Holly Madrigal
Living on the rugged and remote Mendocino coast, easy access to healthcare is not a given. Instead, healthcare here involves a delicate curation of wonderful local practitioners, out-of-town specialists, and often long drives to connect with the services our sometimes-fragile bodies require to keep going. Back in 1984, the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation (MCHF) was created to support and fundraise for the Mendocino Coast District Hospital—the only hospital on the coast. The original idea for Winesong came swiftly thereafter, as Barbara Bessler, the chair of the Development Committee, suggested they hold a benefit wine-tasting and auction at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.
The Botanical Gardens spans 47 acres from Highway 1 to the sea, and was less than 20 years old when the first Winesong was held. The stunning gardens showcase rhododendrons, dahlias, ferns, and plants of every type that continually shift with the seasons. Because of their longstanding partnership, Winesong is the only fundraiser benefiting an outside organization held at the gardens.
The event has evolved over the years. Originally a small affair limited to the Dahlia Garden, it soon expanded to encompass the event lawn and beyond. The organizers worked hard to improve the event year after year, building the wine auction and developing a loyal group of attendees, some of whom would fly into the Little River Airport for the occasion. Less than ten years in, the celebration surpassed $200,000 in gross income in 1993, a significant milestone and evidence that the annual fundraiser was on the right track. The popular Winesong poster, a collector’s item for many, showcases commemorative artwork painted for each celebration’s year, usually by a local artist. Seeing this artistic legacy through the decades is its own body of work.
With any function as long-lived as this, there are bound to be changes, not all of them comfortable. Though the initial staff consisted entirely of volunteers, the organization transitioned to paid staff to maintain continuity and professionalism. The pandemic years required the group to pivot to virtual online auctions, but dedicated supporters continued to donate. Winesong weathered the challenges and has endured, continuing its important fundraising work for the hospital.
To help with the 40 year celebration of Winesong, coordinators Janis MacDonald and Jamie Peters have returned to produce this year’s event, along with Jonathan Darrow. Jamie shares, “You know Winesong as the must-attend event in September, where you can taste wines from regions all over Northern California and beyond, sample foods from local restaurants and chefs—all in the glorious beauty of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.” When asked why this event is so important in the community, she adds, “Every ticket helps provide healthcare and wellness through the Coast Clinics services, Street Medicine programs, food banks, nursing scholarships, and so much more.”
Jamie describes the Grand Tasting as a wine lover’s fantasy, allowing guests to taste award-winning wines and bid on special items at the silent auction. But the excitement reaches new heights during the live auction as guests compete for trips to international locales, regional adventures, original artwork, whiskey experiences, and a few incredible rare and collectible wine collections. Auction winner Greg Burke won a trip to Africa in 2024. He shared, “The dedication of MCHF and their selection of such a quality tour company helped make what could have been a stressful travel situation into truly a trip-of-a-lifetime experience.”
The gardens are bountiful in September, so guests can stroll down the path for a peek at the begonias or the giant Staghorn fern. Music from local musicians add to the celebratory atmosphere.
Living in a somewhat remote area requires creative problem solving, which is exactly why Winesong was created. Healthcare is a basic human right, and initiatives like Winesong help our hospital continue to serve its patients. Coming together to enjoy fantastic wine and food, all in a gorgeous setting, makes for an exceptionally good time—that also does a lot of good.
Winesong Weekend is the weekend following Labor Day:
Grand Tasting, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens Saturday, September 6th, 11am - 2pm
Pinot Noir Celebration, Little River Inn, Friday, September 5th, 1 - 4pm
Live Auction Lunch, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens Saturday, September 6th, 2 - 5pm
For more information and tickets, visit winesong.org.
Insta: @winesongmendocino
Holly Madrigal is a Mendocino County maven who loves to share the delights of our region. She’s fortunate to enjoy her meaningful work as the director of the Leadership Mendocino program and takes great joy in publishing this magazine.
Photos courtesy of Winesong
The Mendocino County Resource Conservation District
Helping Landowners Keep Forests, Soils, and Waterways Healthy for 80 Years
One of the best-kept secrets in Mendocino County is the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District (MCRCD), a special district of the State of California with a mission to conserve, protect, and restore wild and working landscapes in Mendocino County. It is a non-regulatory and primarily grant-driven public agency working to enhance the health of the water, soil, and forests through projects with landowners of all types. Their main office is in downtown Ukiah, with satellite offices in both Willits and Boonville.
Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) were conceived during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s to help mitigate man-made natural disasters. Today, RCDs continue to support and educate landowners on best practices for natural resource management, as well as assist on conservation infrastructure projects through grants and government contracts. The MCRCD, now with a staff of 16 and a dedicated volunteer board of directors, has been serving landowners and land stewards throughout Mendocino County since 1945, with programs that span across four categories: Soil Health and Agriculture, Water Resources, Forest Health & Resiliency, and Land Stewardship.
The Soil Health and Agriculture Program works with agricultural professionals around sustainable land management and productivity, emphasizing healthy soils and climate-beneficial agriculture. The program offers technical assistance, outreach, education, and access to regional partnerships. It also links land stewards to funding sources for the planning and implementation of climate- beneficial practices.
Financial assistance for sustainable agriculture practices has decreased due to state budget constraints, but it is in higher demand than ever because of climate change and rising operational costs. Through MCRCD’s work on the 2024 California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) Healthy Soils Program, over 40% of the roughly $1 million awarded in Mendocino and Lake Counties has gone to projects supporting socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. MCRCD’s Soil Health and Agriculture Program will provide both technical and administrative assistance to these farmers through their full grant term.
One recently implemented Healthy Soils grant facilitated the installation of a 350-foot hedgerow at Foursight Wines & Mendocino Lavender in Boonville. This pollinator hedgerow contains diverse native flowering plants including trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses, all specifically selected to provide food sources like pollen and nectar, as well as nesting habitats, for pollinating insects like bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. As it grows, the hedgerow will provide ongoing food and shelter for local pollinators and other wildlife, while also serving as an educational feature of the lavender farm tours.
From 2021 to 2023, the Soils Program was part of CDFA’s pilot Farm to School grant with North Coast Opportunities, working with Laytonville and Fort Bragg school districts to increase farm to school education as well as school farm and culinary infrastructure. In 2025, the Soils Program will begin a new CDFA Farm to School grant with the MendoLake Food Hub in order to build lasting school access to local farmers and Food Hub infrastructure. MCRCD will provide hands-on food and agriculture education.
The Water Resources Program promotes and protects clean water and healthy streams, which are critically important to both aquatic ecosystems and human communities. Grant programs for road storm-proofing, streambank stabilization, and riparian restoration focus on water quality protection which benefits landowners by reducing erosion damage and preserving the water table. Salmon and steelhead benefit from stream habitat enhancement and the removal of instream barriers.
One example of stream habitat enhancement coupled with improved water security was implemented at Blue Meadow Farm, adjacent to Mill Creek in the Navarro River watershed. A 63,000-gallon storage tank was constructed to store water diverted in the winter for use in the summer. This tank, combined with a 39,000-gallon rainwater catchment tank, provides enough water for the food farm to operate, even during years of drought. By not diverting 63,000 gallons from Mill Creek in the summer and fall, that water remains in-channel to support valuable aquatic habitat for salmonids and many other species.
The MCRCD’s Forest Health & Resiliency Program promotes sustainable forestry and land stewardship focused on habitat conservation, sustainable timber production, watershed health, increased climate and wildfire resilience, and overall forest health on both public and private lands. The program has been increasingly active over the past several years as more state and federal funding has been made available for forest health and fuel reduction projects in order to reduce the risk of larger and increasingly catastrophic wildfires.
The Northern Mendocino County Forest Health Collaborative Project, funded by CAL FIRE’s Forest Health Program and the California Climate Initiative, was created to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health. In this project, the RCD partnered with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc. (RFFI/USAL Forest), Humboldt County Resource Conservation District, The Trees Foundation, and local fire districts to implement critical forest health treatments across 1,400 acres in the South Fork Eel River watershed. Among other forest health treatments, this project reduced excessive fuel loads, created shaded fuel breaks, managed invasive species, and reintroduced prescribed fire to the landscape, all within BLM’s Red Mountain and RFFI/USAL Forest lands. These treatments have helped lower the risk of severe wildfires, improved containment options in case of future fire events, and strengthened the landscape’s long-term resilience to disturbances such as drought and disease.
Building on this success, the RCD’s Forest Health and Resiliency Program was recently awarded a $6.4 million CAL FIRE Forest Health Grant to support forest health and fuels reduction work on the Leonard Lake Reserve and Montgomery Woods State Reserve properties in central Mendocino County. Additionally, the RCD was awarded a $1.96 million grant through the North Coast Resource Partnership to carry out similar work east of Leggett, further extending its efforts to improve forest health and fire resiliency across the region.
In contrast to these large-scale projects, the MCRCD also leads efforts to assist smaller landowners through the North Bay Forest Improvement Program (NBFIP). Funded by CAL FIRE, the NBFIP helps private landowners develop Forest Management Plans (FMPs) and implement forest health and wildfire risk reduction measures on their properties. Since its launch in 2020, it has provided funding support to more than 25 Mendocino County landowners, helping them complete FMPs and implement forest health projects that enhance both wildfire resilience and long-term forest stewardship.
The Land Stewardship Program oversees lands set aside by Caltrans in the Willits/Little Lake Valley to mitigate the impacts caused by the construction of the Willits Bypass. The MCRCD has been managing this project since 2014. Through a partnership with Caltrans, project contractors planted over one million herbaceous plants, trees, and shrubs. It also has protected rare and threatened populations of Bakers Meadowfoam and North Coast Semaphore grass, created wetlands, and witnessed flourishing populations of elk, beaver, river otters, over 65 species of birds, and numerous aquatic species. Half of the 2,000 acres of the mitigation project is a working landscape utilizing carefully managed beef cattle grazing to reach some of the project’s goals. These grazing lands are under contract with five local ranchers, whose products are primarily sold locally.
The Willits Bypass Mitigation team administers a public outreach and education program that runs monthly educational tours of the lands. They publish a weekly blog and offer a YouTube channel that posts wildlife photos and videos captured on the project (check it out at https://mcrcd.org/ category/willits). The program also offers educational content to local school kids learning about natural history and conservation, and manages a room at the County Museum in Willits, open on Wednesdays, which serves as a classroom and also exhibits photographs and natural history displays from the project.
With 80 years behind it, the MCRCD remains as busy and vital as ever, supporting farmers, property owners, and other stewards of the land so they can improve the health of soils, waterways, forests, and the overall landscape. Their efforts result in improved wildlife biodiversity, water quality, wildfire resilience, and agricultural productivity, sharing knowledge and encouraging practices that will preserve those benefits for generations to come.
Find out more at mcrcd.org
Photos courtesy of MCRCD.
This article was collaboratively written by Setphanie Garrabrant-Sierra (Executive Director), Joseph Scriven (Assistant Executive Director and Water Program Manager), Seth Myrick (Soils Program Manager), Doug Turk (Forestry Program Manager), Christopher Bartow (Land Stewardship Program Manager), and Linda MacElwee (Navarro Project Coordinator).
Jude Thilman
Integrating Cannabis into Mainstream Medicine
by Jude Thilman & Joyce Perlman | photos by Joyce Perlman
Jude Thilman, a medicinal cannabis educator with over 20 years of experience in the cannabis industry and co-founder of Dragonfly Wellness Center, is nothing if not practical. She ardently believes in health care as a human right and sees a return to traditional, herbal medicine as heralding the death knell for a “pharmaceutical-dominant” approach to treating “dis-ease.” At the same time, she recognizes that, “Western medicine, or allopathy, is not going away tomorrow.” One focus of her cannabis educational work is to build bridges between allopathic medical practitioners and traditional healers who utilize cannabis in their practices.
Jude herself is a cannabis patient and a former coastal cultivator. Before joining the Mendocino cannabis community, she spent two decades working for social justice causes globally, including publishing stories about the anti-war and civil rights movements while in high school, for which she was forbidden to write for the school newspaper. Later she worked in South Africa on Nelson Mandela’s presidential campaign, provided support for women activists running a domestic violence hotline in Budapest, and served as the Director of the Marin County Human Rights Coalition Against Hate Violence, in addition to many other projects.
Jude became involved in the cannabis community after moving to the Mendocino Coast in 2003. She was dismayed that, while there was a large amount of global research on healing properties of cannabis, in the U.S. there was very little information available to the public about its medicinal value. This, in spite of the fact that there are written records on the healing properties of cannabis for over 5,000 years. This “missing story” is changing, though, as modern science is increasingly recognizing cannabis as an herb and not a drug. The National Institutes of Health identifies over 540 chemical compounds in the cannabis plant. These compounds come together to provide many healing benefits on a root level. Jude reflects, “If medical practitioners are willing to partner with traditional herbalists and healers, it would be a significant step forward. Couldn’t today’s healing practices include elements of both? For example, osteopathic doctors and chiropractors are clearly not very interested in using pharmaceutical drugs, and they have been accepted into Western practice.” Jude isn’t the first to think this way, and she won’t be the last. Herbalists are already taking huge steps to integrate cannabis into their herbal healing practices.
Jude Thilman, a medicinal cannabis educator with over 20 years of experience in the cannabis industry and co-founder of Dragonfly Wellness Center, is nothing if not practical. She ardently believes in health care as a human right and sees a return to traditional, herbal medicine as heralding the death knell for a “pharmaceutical-dominant” approach to treating “dis-ease.” At the same time, she recognizes that, “Western medicine, or allopathy, is not going away tomorrow.” One focus of her cannabis educational work is to build bridges between allopathic medical practitioners and traditional healers who utilize cannabis in their practices.
Jude herself is a cannabis patient and a former coastal cultivator. Before joining the Mendocino cannabis community, she spent two decades working for social justice causes globally, including publishing stories about the anti-war and civil rights movements while in high school, for which she was forbidden to write for the school newspaper. Later she worked in South Africa on Nelson Mandela’s presidential campaign, provided support for women activists running a domestic violence hotline in Budapest, and served as the Director of the Marin County Human Rights Coalition Against Hate Violence, in addition to many other projects.
Jude became involved in the cannabis community after moving to the Mendocino Coast in 2003. She was dismayed that, while there was a large amount of global research on healing properties of cannabis, in the U.S. there was very little information available to the public about its medicinal value. This, in spite of the fact that there are written records on the healing properties of cannabis for over 5,000 years. This “missing story” is changing, though, as modern science is increasingly recognizing cannabis as an herb and not a drug. The National Institutes of Health identifies over 540 chemical compounds in the cannabis plant. These compounds come together to provide many healing benefits on a root level. Jude reflects, “If medical practitioners are willing to partner with traditional herbalists and healers, it would be a significant step forward. Couldn’t today’s healing practices include elements of both? For example, osteopathic doctors and chiropractors are clearly not very interested in using pharmaceutical drugs, and they have been accepted into Western practice.” Jude isn’t the first to think this way, and she won’t be the last. Herbalists are already taking huge steps to integrate cannabis into their herbal healing practices.
Mendocino County is home to many traditional healers who have integrated cannabis into their practice. Wendy Read and Annie Waters are just two of the many herbalists who include cannabis in their healing work. Also, decades-old small, craft cannabis farmers, such as Emerald Spirit Botanicals (winner of the Emerald Cup Regenerative Farm Award), are among those cannabis farmers dedicated to making medicine with cannabis.
Dragonfly Wellness Center is unique in its emphasis on caring for people’s medical needs through the informed, science-based choice of cannabis medicinal products, such as tinctures. Dragonfly itself was inspired by a group of women dedicated to holistic, natural healing in all its forms and modalities. That first group included practitioners of massage, Bowen (a type of touch therapy), cranial-sacral therapists, yoga, and meditation.
From the start, Jude decided against a typical “pot shop,” which usually emphasizes high THC smokables. Instead, Dragonfly sought to be a community resource for people seeking pure and potent cannabis medicines combined with other traditional healing medicines and modalities. Dragonfly believes that, like all healing herbs, cannabis use must be true to the meaning of “holistic.” It must be part of a comprehensive approach that includes nutrition, exercise, movement, music, meditation, spirituality, and all treatments that consider the body as a whole, not a collection of segmented parts.
Dragonfly opened its doors in 2011. As it evolved, Jude developed its educational and patient advisory missions—work she continues to this day. She wants Dragonfly to be a resource for people seeking the education and information they would need to understand how cannabis heals and how best to choose and use their cannabis medicine. While there are few adverse effects from herbal medicine, it is up to the patient to find what works best for them. Jude upholds the #1 rule of herbal medicine—that we are individual metabolisms, not cookie cutters of each other, so patients must find out what ratios of phytocannabinoids and what dosing are best for their individual bodies and needs.
Education is key to Dragonfly’s identity. Jude regularly teaches a free class at Dragonfly called “Cannabis is Medicine: Changing the Narrative.” She studies the science of cannabis medicine, largely drawing from the formative groundwork of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians. This group of professionals from the pharmaceutical industry, allopathic medicine, and traditional healing has produced studies and reports based on lab research, clinical testing, and communications with international colleagues. This last is especially important, as research around cannabis as a healing herb was conducted around the world in countries that did not have a “War on Drugs” that included cannabis.
Thankfully, as more states legalize cannabis, research within the U.S. is growing. Jude has attended cannabis conferences and interviewed leaders in the medicinal cannabis sector of the industry. She featured these interviews in her program, “Cannabis News and Views,” produced by Mendocino TV and broadcast biweekly via the internet in 2022. She also secured funding to take her educational presentations on the road throughout the state, presenting at events such as the Emerald Cup and Cannabis Farmers’ Markets, the 2017 Dandelion Medicine Conference, patient support groups (Cancer, Parkinson’s, vets dealing with PTSD, seniors, and others), hospital community education programs, Chambers of Commerce, civic and professional groups, and everywhere people were open to the changing narrative about cannabis. Over the last ten years, a growing segment of the population has been seeking scientific information about how cannabis heals. Education is the key, and the Mendocino community is finally seeing years of prohibition-defined misinformation slowly dissolve into irrelevance.
Many cannabis farmers incorporate principles of herbal medicine in their growing methods. Unfortunately, state and county regulations after legalization have not been friendly to the medicinal cannabis movement. Small, craft farmers in the Emerald Triangle have been forced to spend all their resources paying exorbitant license and permit fees and taxes, struggling to meet state and county regulations for participation in the commercial cannabis marketplace. And true to a profit-driven system, the commercial cannabis industry prioritizes adult recreational use, which is unfortunately defined by high THC content—not sun-grown, organic, sustainably produced flower, with the requisite combination of chemical compounds needed for healing. It is only through the efforts of groups like Origins Council, which consists of seven county trade associations, that a strong voice exists in Sacramento advocating for small, craft cannabis operators best suited to produce cannabis medicines.
The immediate issues that rural cannabis growers faced in this legalization process, especially in the early years, included helicopter raids, busts by a county prosecutor running his own “pay-to-play” scheme, license fees and taxes well above those commonly charged in any other industry, profiteering by banks and insurance companies, and regulations so burdensome that adherence would bankrupt most small farmers. This has been, and continues to be, a deck that is utterly and completely stacked against them. Small cannabis farmers have had to spend all their time trying to stay alive in this new, “bigger is better” marketplace.
But there was a bright side to these difficult times, as longtime cultivator Nikki Lastreto of Swami Selects noted back in 2017:
Cannabis is what has actually brought together our community in a way that was not possible before. … there is a lot of open space in this county and it can take up to four hours to drive from one end to the other. Hence, it has always been difficult to meet our neighbors, as our ranches are often miles apart. It took the common cause of cannabis to bring us together into an active community. The gift of the many friends I have made through this process is priceless.
Times have changed since Dragonfly opened in 2011. Located in close proximity to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Dragonfly hosts ever-growing numbers of cannatourists. The well trained staff offers product guidance, education, and concern for everyone who comes to visit. They are not called “budtenders” but rather “staff counselors,” symbolizing an important difference in what Dragonfly offers to the community. In response to their disillusionment with other dispensaries, customers Anna and Lee Gardner sent the shop a letter of thanks for its “fantastic selection of products,” “excellent prices,” and “location that is easily accessible.” The letter also shared their gratitude: “Thank you for the peace of mind you give us. … We are so grateful for the simplicity, comfort, and ease you have brought to this experience.”
Every day, more and more people are turning to cannabis as medicine. They are disillusioned with the pharmaceutical model: the high cost, the adverse effects, and the ineffectiveness of many “medicines” that do no more than treat symptoms. But the cannabis industry itself is shackled by a lack of scientific information. It continues to operate from its 40-year-old incomplete narrative that, at worst, touts the mystical magic of cannabis as the end-all solution to world problems—solving everything from war and global warming to economic inequality. At its best, the cannabis community knows that cannabis can be both a “recreational” inspiration and a healing herb. But it is threatened by an economic system that will degrade and denigrate the broader value of cannabis in the world.
The next chapter on the fate of the best cannabis in the world, from Mendocino and surrounding producer counties, is yet to be written. Hope, prayers, and this precious community are tasked with keeping cannabis—as it is meant to be alive.
Dragonfly Wellness Center
17975 N Hwy 1, Fort Bragg
(707) 962-0890 | dragonflywellness.org
Open daily 9am - 9pm
Dragonfly photo by Bojh Parker. All other photos by Joyce Perlman.
Jude Thilman is an entrepreneur and medicinal cannabis educator, bringing over 20 years' experience in the cannabis industry. She is ready to retire from Dragonfly and is looking for buyers that share the vision and values of the Mendocino cannabis community. If you are interested, contact Themos Pentakalos—themos@drivemeta.com, (858) 361-6364, www.drivemeta.com.
Joyce Perlman is a photographer living in Mendocino. In 2022 her photographs of Jude were selected as one of the chapters for the One in Six project, which examines how 25% of the workforce will be 55 or older by 2030 (1in6by2030.com/stories/a-journey-of-activism). See more of Joyce's work at jperlmanphotography.com.
Cooking at School
Mendocino High School’s Culinary Program
by Phannarai Inkun
Hungry bellies wait patiently outside a classroom’s wide metal doors next to a bright red and white food truck. Ten minutes before the school bell rings, the yoga club finishes their meeting. As they funnel out, the first culinary class of the day funnels in. It is a quick exchange made necessary due to the limited room during renovations on the campus. Immediately, students work to transform the yoga studio back into a culinary classroom. The padded rug is rolled up, the tables are moved back into place, and the kettle is turned on. The most impressive part? This is all happening in the former band room of the Mendocino High School.
When the high school first began its renovations in 2021, the culinary class was forced to move into the band room. Instruments were moved into their cases, metal tables were brought out, and electric burners placed on top. With no oven, one sink, and initially no hot water, the culinary students were forced to work with what they had. No longer able to do larger kitchen-based projects, their new project became running a retro-looking food truck that was donated by Fedele Bauccio of Bon Apetit. It looks like a VW Bus, and two or three of us can fit in there. We sell dishes like Pad Thai or fresh burritos to students and teachers. Sometimes we sell drinks or cookies, and we always sell out.
The culinary classroom is a constantly evolving environment. Eventually, construction will be completed in the new kitchen, featuring more stove tops, a washing station, actual ovens, and more space. More advanced students will be given their own section to complete their projects. Other students interested in the dessert aspect of the program will be given the opportunity to bake and make pastries. And on top of all of that, the food truck outside the culinary room will continue its sales to our community. We students dream of what the future holds, but until then, we have to work with what we have and continue to learn.
Carolen Barrett—our culinary teacher, yoga instructor, and honorary tía—makes the most of the situation. The lockers for instruments and pictures of former band students on the walls make it clear we are not in a normal teaching kitchen, but she has somehow managed the impossible: transforming the space into one where we are able to cook. The culinary class is not merely a room with pots and pans, it is an exchange of skills and experiences.
Carolen was formerly a cook at the Fog City Diner in San Francisco. There, she worked tirelessly until she was about to be promoted to chef. She was a woman in her thirties that was about to receive a very notable promotion. It was a big deal, but something in her changed. Sure, she may have been able to create incredible dishes, but she was not sharing them with the people she loved most. She found that she was no longer happy in the big city environment. She wanted more from her life, the ability to cook and also spend time with her family, to also have time for herself. She says, “Sometimes we think we know our path, but we have to follow our hearts to find what’s right.” So she made the decision to move to the Mendocino Coast. Twenty years later, her children were going into high school. And so that was how we got our Carolen, our Chef.
Monday mornings are spent doing book work and satiating our stomachs and brains. Beginners learn from a textbook from the Culinary Institute of America. More advanced students learn from online modules and more complex books. Around fifty students from various grades and levels of culinary expertise come through our doors to learn. But culinary skills cannot be grasped merely from reading and watching videos. It is done through trial and error, through practical and physical experience.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, Carolen pairs beginners with advanced students. We learn from each other: how to cook, how to clean, how to plate, how to compromise and work together, and even how to run the food truck. We learn the skills needed to not only feed ourselves in our own homes, but others in the culinary world. The class gives students the skills and experience they need to work in commercial kitchens. Future hospitality workers are trained within our walls. The classes are a direct pipeline to careers and jobs within the community through the information learned and the connections made. We are a team, a family, and more.
I have personally always been around and in the culinary classroom. I love any opportunity to eat. Whenever I have a moment between classes on the days we have Culinary, I pop in to see if anyone needs a taste tester or if someone has leftovers they are willing to share. I have been met with nothing but kindness from these people. And this year, it was my first time being on the other side of things. I am taking culinary courses as a beginner, and it has been such a filling experience, in both senses of the meaning.
I did not merely learn from a cookbook. I learned from the experience of my peers. We have made Mexican and Japanese and Middle Eastern cuisine, and each time different classmates put their own culture and experiences into the dishes. Everyone in that class comes from a different background, and they incorporate that into their work. I have been taught how to cook by classmates that have been doing it since they could remember. I cooked alongside people who are just trying to make a meal for themselves for the first time.
Despite being originally from Thailand, I never learned how to cook the food. Cooking was never my strong suit. I always preferred to bake, a process which is precise and clear. Cooking was a whole new territory for me. It involved tasting and changing the dish as you went, feeling out the kinks and fixing it when needed. Baking involves following a set of instructions to the T. Yet I wanted to try my hand at the culinary class because I absolutely love to eat, and if I wanted to do the thing I loved, I had to learn how. Carolen’s culinary program has created an environment where each and every member of that class feels as though they can grow as cooks, not just through the recipe book, but from each other. Our hungry bellies and our thirst for learning are satisfied here.
Photos by Phannarai Inkun
Phannarai Inkun is a senior at Mendocino High School. They can usually be found stuffing their face full of food or spending time with friends (usually eating with them).
Redwood Coast Senior Center
Providing Fun, Food, & Friendship to Fort Bragg Seniors
by Anna Levy
Jill Rexrode, Executive Director of the Redwood Coast Senior Center, is clearly passionate about her work. Sitting down to talk about their food program, and the services that organization offers to seniors in general, is nothing short of inspiring. With a daily average of 90-110 people coming for lunch—to say nothing of the many activities and resources they offer—it’s obvious that the Senior Center has built quite a community.
Founded in 1973 and currently “about halfway through” a 99-year lease from the Fort Bragg Unified School District, the Senior Center has evolved over the years to meet the varied interests and needs of the community’s population of older adults. At this point, one of the flagship offerings is an extensive food program that has been serving the community since 1974. Jill shares, “It definitely has evolved into a very big program.”
As part of that program, diners can opt to join others for lunch five days a week, Monday through Friday, from 11:30am to 1:15pm. “We have really healthy food that is approved by a registered dietitian,” Jill explains. “We contract with the Area Agency on Aging. [They] review our menus every month and approve them to make sure that we’re serving balanced meals.” They also make sure to flag foods that could be an issue for people with certain health considerations, such as a food high in salt. The result is a monthly menu of meals such as chicken parmesan, beef ravioli, vegetarian soups, and salads.
Another key aspect of the dining program is to make sure it’s financially accessible. “It’s by donation,” Jill says, noting that for people over 60, “the suggested donation is $5. If somebody is under 60, then it’s $10, which is a heck of a bargain for a three course meal.”
In addition to the lunch program at the Senior Center, they also deliver meals to homebound seniors through Meals on Wheels. “On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,” Jill says, “we send out about 150 meals that are hot that day, in addition to frozen, to supplement for the days that we don’t deliver.” As with so much, the pandemic affected both food programs— the in-house lunch program became a pickup-only option, and the Meals on Wheels offerings were trimmed from five days a week to three. That, however, turned out to be an opportunity in disguise. “When the pandemic happened, a lot of the seniors that do the Meals on Wheels deliveries decided to shelter in place,” she says. “And then we found out that the seniors prefer [deliveries] three days a week, so it’s worked out just fine.”
Of course, the food program is just one part of what the Senior Center offers the community. There are frequent activities to choose from, among them regular meetings for people who like to quilt, knit, play ping pong, and more. “We have ‘Wake Up and Walk’ on Wednesdays at 8:30. You can meet in the atrium, and we have coffee and a little goodie. Then Jennie Stevens, our new activities coordinator, takes everybody for a walk.” There are also chair-based exercise classes three days a week that focus on building balance and strength. The effort to build a strong sense of community is clear and intentional. Jennie has put together a Fourth Friday Food Trucks event, an all-ages community-wide party including local food vendors, live music, and games.
Jill—who “was born and raised here”—knows her audience. To that end, the Senior Center offers some vital services, such as affordable transportation through a contract with the Mendocino Transit Authority. “It’s a dollar to go wherever between the bridges, and then as you go beyond the bridges, the fees go up, but the highest fee is only four dollars.” That same thoughtfulness shines through such details as the “wheelchair-accessible planter” near the entrance to the rehabilitated garden.
The Senior Center plays an important role in the larger community as well. For instance, Jill says, “We are an emergency shelter in the community,” meaning that people can come for power and internet if needed. “I feel really good about that,” she continues, “that we’re here for an emergency, and I want to expand.” The planning for that, of course, presents challenges. “Even though we’re an emergency shelter,” she says, “we are so low on space in this building. I would really like to get a storage pod container so that we have emergency blankets, cots, and dehydrated food.”
Jill has other hopes for the future as well, from expanding the live music in the dining room from three days a week to five, to other, longer-term goals. “My dream, “she says, “is to build a coffee shop in the front atrium offering home baked pastries.” Though that would be a significant project, involving first an accessible entrance and door, Jill can imagine it easily. “I want to call it Friendship Coffee,” she explains, talking about how people could come, get a coffee, visit the Senior Center thrift store, and play a part in providing “a little revenue stream for here.”
With such plans, of course, there’s work to be done, and Jill stresses that volunteers are always welcome and needed, whether that’s to serve in the dining room, work in the thrift store, or offer another skill. Beyond that, donations or even “people thinking about us in their estate planning” are ways to make a lasting impact on seniors in the community, both now and in the future.
Jill is happy with how the Senior Center continues to grow. “The word’s out that it’s a beautiful facility,” she says. “It’s clean, it smells good, it’s pretty, and the food is great. So people are flocking in and it’s wonderful. It was my dream, and it’s happening.”
Redwood Coast Senior Center
490 N Harold St, Fort Bragg
(707) 964-0443 | rcscenter.org
Don't miss Fourth Friday Food Trucks June 28th, July 26th, August 23, 2024 from 5 - 8pm.
Photos courtesy of Redwood Coast Senior Center
Anna Levy lives on the Mendocino Coast with her family.
Haerah Baird
Tackling Food System Reform from the Ground Up
by Holly Madrigal
If you are interested in local food in Mendocino County, you have likely heard of the MendoLake Food Hub. A program of North Coast Opportunities (NCO), the Food Hub was originally created to connect farmers and producers in the area with local buyers like restaurants, schools, and hospitals. During the pandemic, the program received additional COVID funding and expanded access to individuals for home delivery. Now you, too, can purchase high quality, exceptionally fresh food grown and produced in this county.
The program provides an online marketplace that is open for orders twice a week, allowing the farmers and producers to post what is available. In addition to fruits and vegetables from local farmers, the store offers a myriad of local goods, like bread, flour and other grains, honey and bee products, eggs, mushrooms, cheese, ferments, and so much more. After the ordering period closes, farmers and producers deliver their goods to the closest climate-controlled “nodes” located strategically around the county and managed by the Food Hub. A Food Hub truck makes the rounds a couple hours later, picking up the boxed bounty from the nodes and delivering to their warehouse, where it is assembled into customer orders and delivered the next day.
At the helm of the operation is Program Manager Haerah Baird, whose diverse professional experiences provided excellent preparation for her current role. In her early career, Haerah worked for the federal government—not surprising considering she grew up in the suburbs outside of Washington, D.C. One of her many jobs included reviewing applications for emergency visas to the United States. Applicants might need a life-saving surgery, or be a recently orphaned child whose only living relatives are in the States. “That was one of my favorite jobs, but it was hard, too. It showed me at a pretty young age the extreme difficulties some people face, and how much help they need,” shares Haerah. “It also taught me the power of individual work as part of a bigger mission. I didn’t process applications, but I received and triaged all the cases, which was maybe one of the most critical parts of the entire program—to make sure the most urgent cases were reviewed first.”
Haerah had another realization during her 20s that influenced both her life and professional choices—namely, the abundance of toxins present in day-to-day life in America. Preservatives and other chemicals in our food, toxic ingredients in household products, an overreliance on pharmaceuticals, and exposure to and ingestion of synthetic components that might be detrimental to health seemed to be ubiquitous. Haerah began to look at food as medicine, and to seek out natural solutions to support her health as well as reduce negative impacts on the environment.
Yet it was Haerah’s experience in the cannabis industry that best prepared her to take the helm of the MendoLake Food Hub. This included working for a collective of small production farmers, overseeing compliance measures, developing white label products for the retail market, and managing a $1M supply chain for a large cannabis company in Los Angeles. As a result, Haerah has seen first-hand the pressures on farmers both from the marketplace and the regulatory requirements, all designed to favor Big Ag. She has a sensitivity to the economics of our regional food system, direct experience with how product travels from its source to the consumer, an understanding of how to transform goods into value-added products, and a deep desire to reform the flawed and fragile system we have now into something better.
“People already don’t remember the pandemic. The food shelves were empty,” Haerah remarks. “The food supply broke, and we still haven’t addressed it. More disasters are in our future. We need a more robust and localized system. It’s so important to build now for a sustainable future.” Fortunately, Haerah’s new position includes working on a strategic level with farmers and buyers, county food policy councils, and other food organizations, allowing her to advocate for that future on many levels.
Haerah began managing the MendoLake Food Hub in the fall of 2023. “I was happy to move back into the nonprofit world where I feel like my work is really helping people,” she shares. Working with a small but mighty staff, the Food Hub promotes and manages the website, builds relationships and contracts with farmers, and travels all over Mendocino and Lake Counties picking up and dropping off orders.
But Haerah and the team at NCO balance the big picture as well, seeking additional funding sources or collaborations to further the work of supporting local agriculture and providing community nutrition. One grant allows The Food Hub to provide group and one-to-one farmer technical training, education, and services. Another, received last year, is called the Edible Food Recovery Grant. “Many people do not know that the green ‘waste’ that enters our landfills rots and contributes significantly to methane gas released into the atmosphere. Much of what grocery stores have to remove from the produce shelves is still very usable—for example, in a bag of clementines, if one begins to mold, the whole bag is pulled from the shelf, “ Haerah shares. “We can open that bag, pull out the moldy one, wash the rest, and give them to people who have challenges accessing fresh fruit. We just delivered about 600 pounds of food to one of our local food banks that would have gone in the trash if we didn’t have the grant to fund this work.”
This program is just one of the many that the Food Hub administers to help our community in need. “Mendocino County has a number of nonprofits that help underserved individuals with specific nutrition needs,” explains Haerah. “Food pantries can often supply shelf-stable goods, but fresh produce and nutrient-dense or dietary-specific offerings can be a challenge. By helping redirect some of these perfectly good leftovers, we are both helping address climate change and giving people who need food the food they really need.”
Haerah elaborates, “Modern supply chain involves understanding of a myriad of technology, systems, scale, business operations and administration, and so much more to be competitive and provide sustainability for this version of farming, and those are the things I can contribute. The cracks are beginning to show in our existing food systems, and we need to be ready to feed our community through times of disaster and change. It’s embarrassing that we have so much food waste and so many hungry people coexisting in America.”
Growing and stabilizing our local food systems is an uphill climb since mass market produce is so heavily subsidized, and the average person does not typically think about where their food comes from and how it gets to them. “In the subsidized food industry, from field to table, farmers are not paid living wages, food travels hundreds of miles, and corporate businesses look for cheaper prices rather than promoting nutrition, food security, healthy economics, or anything else we need to survive,” says Haerah. “To me it’s a no-brainer to want to buy produce from your local farmer, to know that your money is going to the farmer or producer, and to further develop the Food Hub. Our challenge is figuring out how to make what we sell affordable for everyone, because everyone is used to the subsidized prices.”
Through these challenges, programs like the MendoLake Food Hub play a proactive role in ensuring our local farmers and producers have an ongoing and stable market outlet for their goods, and our community has access to those high quality foods, picked the day after you order and delivered right to you the day after that. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!
Order farm direct at mendolake.localfoodmarketplace.com. See The Food Hub at the Farm Convergence March 19th at Ridgewood Ranch. This annual gathering brings many new and existing farmers, buyers, and supporters together to learn from each other and connect. To learn more about Farmers Convergence or how to join the food hub please email mendolakefoodhub@ncoinc.org. To learn more about the Edible Food Recovery Program please email sseidensticker@ncoinc.org.
California’s Farm to School Program
Improving Access to Fresh Food in Public Education
by Lisa Ludwigsen
There is good news to report for California’s school children and their families. Yes, that’s right, good news which extends to regional farms and even the future of local agriculture.
Imagine the resources and creativity it takes to feed 6 million students, kindergarten through grade 12, two meals each day. Those meals need to be nutritious, tasty, and prepared on a very tight budget, every day for nine months. It requires a sophisticated system of suppliers, cooks, administrators, and other staff managed by district food service directors at the state and federal levels. California’s school meal program is big business.
The federal school meal program dates to 1946, when it became clear that malnourished children did not grow up to be strong, productive workers. Today, many of the raw ingredients used to prepare school meals originate on large, centrally located farms, heavily subsidized by the federal government and shipped long distances. It is a food system with a heavy slant toward commodity food like dairy, corn, soy, and wheat. Families pay for meals if they can afford to, or they can qualify for free or reduced meals. It is by no means a perfect process, but it has been in place for decades.
Ironically, COVID helped bring about a seismic shift in how we source and serve school food. During the long shutdowns, schools were allowed to provide free meals to all students, regardless of family income, often through drive-thru parking lot pick-up. Families were no longer required to fill out paperwork or prove financial need. School administrators no longer had to navigate the complicated system of verifying financial eligibility, nor did they need to pursue late or delinquent accounts that sometimes ended up denying food to hungry students. Not surprisingly, engagement from families skyrocketed.
Following through with that success, in 2022, California became the first state to make universal free meals permanent for all students. Eight other states have followed. Not only can California’s school kids now eat two meals free of charge, regardless of financial need, but the food they are eating may very well be sourced from a nearby farm or dairy.
The Office of Farm to Fork, a new branch within the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), is overseeing a $100 million allocation to assist school districts in sourcing organic, climate-smart, and local ingredients through the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program. It also provides training and infrastructure for on-site meal preparation. This is great news for small local farms that typically get short shrift in getting accepted into large distribution networks, and it is great news for California’s students who can eat fresh, healthy, unprocessed food to fuel their minds and bodies.
“California’s Farm to School program has incredible potential to contribute to the sustainability of our local farmers and producers,” said Haerah Baird, project manager of the MendoLake Food Hub, which is working on the distribution end of the equation. “More money will stay in our counties, investing money into farms and the local food system, instead of paying corporate entities.”
Sourcing from local organic farms also offers schools expanded options for plant-based and culturally relevant meals, which can support long-term positive health and climate impacts. It has even been suggested that free school meals should be considered equally important as textbooks or computers to academic success.
Pamela Lee, North Coast regional lead for Farm to School, shared her thoughts on the nascent program’s potential, “I am excited that school nutrition departments and farmers are being recognized for the important roles they play within our communities.” She added, “I’m also excited that children are being taught, through hands-on experience, the importance of eating locally grown foods.”
Beyond schools and students, local economies also benefit. Lee explained, “Schools and farms are being supported to form new relationships that will bolster local economies, lower greenhouse gases, and improve the health and well-being of our communities.”
Lots of questions arise about the challenges of retooling a massive system that has been in place for many years. Can small farms ramp up production to meet the demand? How does the food get distributed to schools or school districts? What happens in urban areas without nearby farms?
Working out all the details is the job of regional teams that are now creating and rolling out the program. Meerae Park, producer engagement specialist for the North Coast Region, shared, “A major challenge has been the wide geography of the North Coast.” Park adds, “For farms, I believe a major challenge is finding a balance between competitive pricing, volume, and profitability.” Food hubs, like the MendoLake Food Hub, are an important resource. They aggregate and distribute regional food, and will play a key role in getting food from small farms to schools, especially in rural areas.
Park also points out that “schools are challenged with labor– for both administrative duties and scratch cooking.” Pamela Lee adds that additional challenges include aging school kitchen facilities, school procurement regulations, and staffing shortages, all of which the additional infrastructure will help develop.
Nick Anicich, Farm to School program manager, is looking forward to the future, saying, “In five years, we hope Farm to School programs will be embedded in every school district across the state.”
The pandemic revealed many of our strengths and weaknesses, especially when it comes to our food systems. One of the most valuable lessons was that we can’t always rely on freeways and trucks to deliver food that magically appears on our grocery shelves, or in our school meals. The Farm to School program offers a way to create a more sustainable regional food system, while also helping to establish lifelong healthy eating habits for our young people.
If you would like find out more about the Farm to School program, sign up for the Farm to School Network newsletter on the CDFA California Farm to School Program webpage:
cafarmtofork.cdfa.ca.gov/CaFarmtoSchoolProgram.htm
You can also get involved with your local school district and connect with the regional staff member in your community.
Lisa Ludwigsen is a writer and marketer working with food, farms, and family small businesses. She has worked in organic agriculture, natural foods, and environmental education for over 20 years.
Going to Seed
Adapting Resilient Seeds for Local Conditions through Promiscuous Pollination (Frisky!)
by Julia Dakin
Imagine Mendocino County’s gardens and farms sowing diverse, locally adapted varieties that grow into healthy and hardy plants, bursting with more delicious flavors than you can find in produce you buy. For example, tasty melons and squash growing on the coast, and cucumbers and kale thriving in Covelo’s hot summer weather.
Locally adapted varieties, or “landraces,” are the natural next step for the local food movement because they’re selected for what local eaters prefer, rather than for increased shelf life and long-distance shipping. Most supermarket produce isn’t local. It travels long distances from industrial-scale farms and is bred for uniformity to facilitate harvest, shipping, and storage. Landraces, on the other hand, are often diverse in size, shape, and ripening times, making them less compatible with the large-scale agricultural systems that supply most supermarkets. These varieties become suited to the areas where they are grown, perhaps requiring less water and fertilizer, and they become more resistant to local pests and diseases.
When we purchase seeds from far away, the plants don’t adapt to our local environmental challenges, making them much more susceptible to pest attacks, summer heat or fog, blight, and all the other hundreds of challenges gardeners face each year. These non-adapted plants require more resources and money to survive: row covers, heat mats, hoop houses, and soil amendments.
The organization I’m part of, Going to Seed, evolved out of a passionate group of people that wanted to support “inspiring a shift in agriculture towards adaptation, community and diversity.” We started by developing online courses and a community around them. Then we added a seed project, where gardeners from all over the country select and save seeds from the earliest, tastiest, and healthiest plants. They send those in to be mixed with others’ best seeds and made available for free to anybody getting started with adapting their garden plants to local conditions.
The main challenge for gardeners with this method is learning to embrace diversity instead of avoiding it. Plants are less able to adapt and thrive when they have a very narrow genetic base to pull from. When you save seeds from the healthiest plants, if there is diversity, the plants in your garden will quickly—even just over a couple of years— rearrange their genes to resist the bugs, the pests, and the other challenges that store-bought seeds would succumb to. Taste everything from your garden and only save seeds from the fruits or vegetables you love.
Growing locally adapted, community-selected varieties was how many of our great-grandparents gardened. But over the last hundred years, gardeners have become increasingly dependent on seed companies, and we have lost 95% of crop genetic diversity, mostly because gardeners have stopped saving their own seeds.
Many indigenous communities in this country are still stewarding the seeds of their ancestors, and internationally, many rural and indigenous communities never lost the practice of looking for the healthiest plants with the tastiest grains, roots, or fruits. Re-adopting some of these practices isn’t new, unique, or difficult.
Some very cool seed initiatives are evolving in Mendocino County, including the first two collaborative seed projects. The Round Valley seed librarian, Patricia Sobrero, is facilitating the first one that is becoming a model for other collaborative community seed projects starting up.
A community collaborative seed project starts with a workshop on the why and how, to get everyone on the same page. Then the community chooses a few crops to grow together. The Mendo coast group chose melons, butternuts (Cucurbita moschata), and sweet corn. The Round Valley community picked cucumbers, artichokes, kale, peppers, corn, and melons. We choose crops that are local favorites and a few that may be a stretch to grow in that climate. For example, melons aren’t known to thrive on the coast, but I know it’s possible, so working on melons as a group will increase our chances of success.
Going to Seed gathers, mixes, and distributes diverse seeds for a variety of crops. These free seed packets are a great starting point for community projects. In Round Valley’s case, we didn’t have artichokes, so Pat (the seed librarian) bought starting seeds for the participants from a few seed companies. In Caspar, I supplied all the seeds to get started because my seeds had already survived at least one cool coastal summer. Participants will save seeds from the earliest, tastiest, and healthiest plants, then drop them off in a central location. The seed librarian will ask volunteers to thoughtfully mix the seeds and host a seed exchange where participants and the wider community can access the mixes.
To truly minimize agriculture’s carbon footprint and reduce farmers’ dependence on toxic chemicals (even organic ones), we need to start caring about how our seeds are grown. Growing hardier, more diverse, adapted crops would mean less dependence on plastics, which are still commonly used in regenerative agriculture. I tell people that if they care enough to make their compost, they must also start growing or finding healthy local seeds. If higher nutrient density is a goal, the genetics of the plants make much more of a difference than improving soil quality, so we need to care about the seeds just as much as we care about the soil.
And, when we talk about mitigating the effects of climate change on our food system, seeds and genetics become even more critical. Diverse, locally adapted crops are more resilient to climate variations and extreme weather events.
Going to Seed offers online courses that teach a person how to develop their own landrace, learning both the why and the how of shifting their mindset toward a different way of growing food and becoming re-inspired about gardening. People enjoy reconnecting with traditional ways of growing food and the better flavor, higher nutrient density, and beautiful colors that emerge. Some gardeners find a sense of liberation in allowing nature to have a greater say. It’s a whole new perspective when you aknowledge that the pests and diseases are teachers helping your plants get stronger instead of enemies to be avoided at all costs.
With landrace, there are no more “varieties.” After the first season, all the plants have cross-pollinated with something else, and they are something new and their own thing. If plants are healthy, if the harvest is delicious, and if it matures early enough, it will be part of next year’s seed population. If not, then it won’t, and there is something kind of zen-feeling about how simple that becomes. Anything that got a disease was not meant to be there. It becomes fun just to relax, sit back, and focus on the ones doing just fine and producing plenty of food and seed, instead of focusing on the plants that need more attention.
Developing new landraces isn’t for everyone or every crop. If you have family heirlooms or any variety that has cultural significance for you, protect them. Many of us have lost local connections and plant and seed relationships, and have given up control to the seed companies. We love the stories associated with heirlooms, but they are usually somebody else’s stories. What was once a thriving, locally adapted farmer variety has likely suffered inbreeding depression after 50 or more years of isolation. Moreover, the world has changed. There are new diseases and weather patterns. Many people have migrated to new countries with different environmental challenges. Isolating populations is like trapping them in amber—they can’t adapt, and we can’t expect these heirlooms to continue providing reliable harvests without significant interventions on our part.
We’ve recently received a grant to support farmers in growing and selling genetically diverse produce, so we’re expanding in that direction as well. Our farmers are already heroes in the local food movement, and transitioning to a different model of growing food involves a couple of years of uncertainty and learning new skills. When I was in Covelo supporting their evolving seed project, Brandon Gatto (formerly of Covelo Organics) said something like “This sounds like a lot of extra time which I don’t have…” There’s a gap period that everyone else can support—gardeners by starting the initial adaptation process, organizations by providing financial support, and everyone else by looking for that diverse produce at the farmers markets and through CSAs. As another (gardener) participant said enthusiastically, “We’ll grow the seeds! We want to support our farmers!”
Over the last year, I’ve also been working on a new online course based in southern Mexico, taught by campesinos who practice the same seed-saving and selection techniques as their communities have for hundreds of generations. I think there is a need and desire for change in how we think about growing food, and that’s what the course is about: polycultures, seeds, and community food sovereignty.
My passion is starting and supporting community seed projects, so I’m excited to support our current pilot projects this year and expand next year with grant funding and donations. This will allow us to put on a series of workshops, create a mobile seed library, and expand into new communities throughout California.
Food is an essential aspect of the human experience and has shaped our culture since its beginning. With so much history, it can be tempting to look to the past for direction. But to prosper in a changing world, we need to look ahead. It’s time to rebuild relationships with seed, time to create the heirlooms of the future—the ones that thrive in our communities and gardens, and take on the stories of our communities as they exist now.
Find out more at GoingToSeed.org. Thanks to Anna Mieritz who contributed to this piece. Anna runs the seed program and online store at Going to Seed.
Julia Dakin grows food and seeds in Caspar, where she has been adapting some warm-season crops to coastal summers, and sells seeds locally through Quail Seeds. A couple of years ago she co-founded a non-profit called Going to Seed.
Caroline Radice
Farmer, Chef, and Believer in Community
by Lisa Ludwigsen
Caroline Radice
Mendocino County’s history of farming and ranching dates to the mid-19th century, when settlers took land from native people to plant orchards and field crops and establish ranching operations. The northern California climate and landscape are ideal, and a few of those heritage farms and ranches still exist. Today, a dedicated group of farmers, activists, and food professionals continue working to expand opportunities for the agricultural community.
Caroline Radice co-owns Black Dog Catering with Jason Pluck, in addition to her other roles as chef and farmer. With a full and demanding work schedule, no one would fault her for kicking back during her down time. But Radice is one of those folks who can’t let a good idea pass by. Though she doesn’t necessarily consider herself a leader, whenever something interesting or innovative happens in the local agricultural scene, Radice is often part of the team making it happen.
In 2017, searching for a means to provide direct support to local farms, Radice and a small group of farmers, policy activists, and community leaders founded the Good Farm Fund. Radice was inspired by her own experiences as a small farmer in Mendocino County and the substantial learning curve that comes with starting and operating a farm. “We realized that local farms see substantial benefit from a relatively small influx of cash and, at the same time, the greater community was looking for a mechanism to provide support.” Many farms operate on very slim profit margins, which means that investment in the production capacity and long-term sustainability typically needs to come from outside sources.
Funds for a new section of fencing, tractor part, or walk-in cooler can have an exponential impact on a farm, allowing farmers to save money on infrastructure, resulting in increased production and sales.
Radice elaborated, “Sarah Bodnar and Scott Cratty were other co-founders of the Good Farm Fund, and launched the Good Farm Fund with the idea of raising money through farm-to-table dinners, which would benefit the farms directly and showcase the incredible food and wine grown in our region.” The fundraisers are enormously successful, and funding for the grants is now supplemented with support from area foundations.
To date, the Good Farm Fund has donated over $400,000 to local farms and the county Market Match program, which widens access to fresh, local food to CalFresh recipients. “We’re incredibly proud of that figure,” said Radice. “It’s nice to see such a widespread impact with something that you’ve spent a lot of time on.”
Radice said that one of the wonderful things about Mendocino County is there is generally room to get involved and make a difference in our community. When she first moved to Northern California, she was struck by the generous, welcoming culture of the area and how neighbors and friends are generally very supportive of each others. It has inspired her to continue that in her life here. She explained, “I spend some time every week on community service or nonprofit work, but I have also been on the receiving end of incredible community support. I cook at the Little Lake Grange Community Kitchen, a commercial kitchen that helps make it possible for many small food businesses like mine to operate. The kitchen is home to all kinds of businesses and projects, like Mendo Ferments, Mindful Meals, Grange Pancake Breakfast, and more. The commercial kitchen was built with support from the Grange and North Coast Opportunities and is a shining example of a successful community project.”
Radice noted, “My co-workers and I also operate a small vegetable farm at Ridgewood Ranch, which is home to a lot of agricultural projects like the Golden Rule Garden and the School of Adaptive Agriculture. Landowners who are committed to supporting food access and small farmers are another foundational piece of the food system. The cost of land in Mendocino County means that a farm business needs to either make a substantial investment or find a partnership with a supportive landowner. A lot of food goes out into the world from Ridgewood Ranch, and I’m proud to be part of this community.”
Since Caroline Radice arrived in 2003, much has changed in Mendocino and Lake County farming. Land prices have soared amid formidable climate conditions. Simply staying in business presents significant challenges for most farms and ranches. Yet farming endures thanks to people like Radice who are doing the work, finding creative ways to continue to produce high quality food.
Black Dog Catering
BlackDogFarmCatering.wordpress.com
Lisa Ludwigsen is a writer and marketer working with food, farms, and family small businesses. She has worked in organic agriculture, natural foods, and environmental education for over 20 years.
Pomo Land Back
The Movement to Heal Land and Restore Promises
by D. H. Shook
In 1850, Pomo Tribes, including the great-grandparents of Michael Hunter, the current Coyote Valley Tribal Chairman, lived on the land that is now known as Jackson Demonstration State Forest. This forest land—before it was called Jackson Demonstration State Forest, before Fort Bragg was named Fort Bragg, before Willits was known as Willits—was the home of Pomo and Coast Yuki Tribes. This is where they made baskets and gathered medicines and wild food.
Before white people colonized the area, this forest was a vast cathedral of redwoods that stretched across the mountain for 50,000 acres, all the way from the inland valley to the great Pacific Ocean. Some of the trees had diameters of more than 20 feet and were as much as 3,000 years old. Just for a moment, imagine what a forest like that sounded like, felt like, looked like! The Pomo and Coast Yuki hunted and fished and raised their families for thousands of years, and there are ancestral sites sacred to them in this forest.
In 1861, Jason Green Jackson claimed the land now known as Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF) and formed the Caspar Lumber Company. It is estimated that an average of 2 million board feet of redwood came out of the Caspar Lumber Company annually until 1947, when the land was purchased by the State of California from the Caspar Lumber Company. In 1949, it was designated a ‘demonstration’ forest, intended to provide examples of logging practices. The mandate for the management of JDSF was also set up in 1949, and CAL FIRE was placed in charge of forest management in 1973.
It’s important to note here that CAL FIRE is a complex agency with 10 separate programs. Our heroic firefighters are part of the CAL FIRE Fire Protection Program, which is distinct from the Resource Management and the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection that manage state forests.
Pomo Land Back is a movement that focuses on the Pomo and Coast Yuki tribes gaining a co-management position with CAL FIRE at JDSF. At the heart of the movement is the desire for recognition that the forest contains sites sacred to these tribes, starting with a moratorium on commercial logging there. The estimates of remaining old growth redwood trees at JDSF range between 3% and 6%. Along with the old growth decimated there, much of the second growth is also gone. Priscilla Hunter, Coyote Valley Pomo Elder and former Chairwoman of the Coyote Valley Pomo Tribe, explained, “We want to let the land and forest heal.”
Polly Girvin, attorney and advocate for the Coyote Valley Pomo Tribe, explained, “It is an indigenous obligation to protect the trees, the water, air, and wildlife. They look at the world through a lens where all things are related, interconnected. They do not objectify and dissect the parts, these are their relatives … In Pomo tradition and lore, it is believed that the souls of their people enter the trees after they die—they have an ancestral, a family connection to the trees.”
Many groups are working to protect the remaining trees in JDSF, including a coalition of Pomo Tribes, Coast Yuki Tribe, PomoLandBack.org, Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), the Trail Stewards, SaveJackson.org, Earth First, and Mendocino County Youth for Climate. For the Native American tribes, it is also important to preserve the cultural landscape within the forest. There are village sites and groups of trees that were tended and used for a purpose, of historical value not only for the Native tribes but for the full history of Mendocino County. Polly Girvin emphasized that “The Pomo Land Back is a social justice issue as well as a climate issue … There is a cultural landscape, rich in history, that is more than an arrowhead or grinding stone.”
On August 28, 2022, a gathering of people, organized by Mendocino County Youth for Climate, met at the edge of the JDSF outside of Caspar to support the Pomo Land Back movement. Colorful banners hung from the trees, tables were loaded with food, and people of all ages stood chatting in small groups. Under a sun tent, Bernadette Smith from the Manchester Point Arena Band of Pomo stepped up to a microphone and sang, in the Pomo language, songs of her people. Her strong, clear voice was so heartfelt that it was truly stunning. Next, another Pomo Land Back supporter announced, “We need a rainbow of people to make this happen!” A voice from the crowd responded, “No more broken promises!”—a prominent slogan on the PomoLandBack.org website.
Broken promises and worse have a long legacy in the state of California. Back in January 6, 1851, the first Governor of California, Peter Burnett, included in his State of the State address his feelings about the California Native American population:
“That a war of extermination will continue to be waged between the races until the Indian race becomes extinct must be expected … While we cannot anticipate this result but with painful regret, the inevitable destiny of the race is beyond the power or wisdom of man to avert … Our American experience has demonstrated the fact that the two races cannot live in the same vicinity in peace.“
Fast forward to June 18, 2019, when Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order B-10-11. The first part of Newsom’s Executive Order contains a formal apology to the California Native Americans for the extensive and protracted atrocities imposed on them by the state of California. Governor Newsom reaffirmed Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown’s Executive Order of September 25, 2011, N-15-19, “which requires the Governor’s Tribal Advisor and the Administration to engage in government-to-government consultation with California Native American tribes regarding policies that may affect tribal communities.”
Newsom’s Executive Order codified a mandate to negotiate with the local California Native Americans. To that end, Tribal Chairman Michael Hunter met with the Secretary of Natural Resources, Wade Crowfoot, and members of his staff in an effort to form a co-management plan for the Pomo and Coast Yuki ancestral land known as JDSF. The topics of sacred sites in relation to road placements and timber harvesting played a large part in these negotiations. As a result, suspension of five of the approved Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) in JDSF was announced in early 2022. It was not only the Native American tribes who celebrated this, but here in Mendocino County many people, from all walks of life, shared in the celebration.
Then on August 18, 2022, the California Natural Resources Agency and CAL FIRE declared a “Revitalizing of the Management of Jackson Demonstration State Forest.” This declaration announced the adoption of a “modern vision” in compliance with state law, with California values of ecology and social justice to be incorporated in the management plan of JDSF. This declaration indicated a dramatic shift in management practices.
But the fine words offered in the “modernized vision” did not translate into action. Seven days after the vision was announced, without consultation or notification to the Coyote Valley Tribe Chairman—or to any of the JDSF advocate groups—CAL FIRE announced that logging operations would resume. Despite the Forest Practice Act and Rules, on September 21, 2022, 36 hours after an unusually heavy rain of 2.5 to 3 inches, heavy equipment continued work in the mud, creating a destructive mess and upheaval that the Forest Practice Act and Rules was designed to prevent.
The KZYX Pomo Perspective radio show on September 19, 2022, featured an interview with Michael Hunter and Matthew Simmons, Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) staff attorney. They emphasized that it is important to understand that the CAL FIRE/JDSF-approved THPs allow for numerous piles of slash to be left along the roads that have been cut in to haul the timber out. The THPs allow for certain trees to be girdled, which kills them, and leaves them standing dead—a practice in direct violation of Mendocino County’s 2016 ordinance. Michael Hunter said, “Go to PomoLandBack.org and you can see the videos and images. In 2022, they are clear-cutting! … People don’t realize that forest fires start because lightning hits kindling from all the slash and dead trees they left out there … How many times do we need to make a clear-cut and look at the findings? In JDSF we see this logging demonstration ‘experiment’ repeated again and again.”
Practices like this that increase fire risk and exacerbate drought should be prohibited or at least discouraged by independent oversight, but unfortunately CAL FIRE has no such check on its power. CAL FIRE is ostensibly advised on forest management by the Jackson Advisory Group (JAG), formed in 2008 to recommend “how best to manage the forest in the public interest,” according to its website.* The site also asserts that the group consists of 13 members from various fields and interests, including “timber and logging industry, environmental and conservation organizations, scientific and research fields, and recreation representatives.” Yet 10 of the existing 13 members are invested in the forest’s commerical benefits over its ecological health and cultural significance, creating a biased imbalance in the group’s recommendations.
Simmons described JAG as “ … a body with no power.” Chairman Hunter explained, “I am at the table negotiating a co-management plan [with Secretary Wade Crowfoot and his staff] and I have zero decision-making authority. Zero!” Hunter continued, “While I am at the table negotiating a co-management plan, I am the only one who is not being paid by the State of California … You’ve got to look at where the big [political] donations are coming from. [State Senator] McGuire, [Assemblyman] Woods, [Congressman] Huffman—none of them were at the table, [even though] we had collected 4,000 wet signatures from our community.”
We already know that logging has a huge impact on waterways. Compounding the concerns about waterway erosion, wildlife habitat loss, fire hazard, loss of California natural resources (old and second growth redwoods), and degradation of historic sites, there is another very real problem. Ample evidence is available, globally, that excessive logging contributes to the trend towards drought. And given that only 3% - 6% of the old and 2nd growth redwood is left, it is clear that the logging has been excessive.
Simmons described the process that CAL FIRE goes through to harvest and sell timber from the state-owned forest:
For private logging projects in California, the forester isn’t required to complete an EIR [Environmental Impact Report]. Instead, they complete a less environmentally rigorous document called a Timber Harvest Plan (THP). After they complete that document, CAL FIRE as the lead agency reviews the plan and makes sure it follows the Forest Practice Act and Rules. THPs are available for public review on CAL FIRE’s website CALTREES.
For JDSF, CAL FIRE is both the land owner and the regulatory agency. So they write the THP and then determine whether it is adequate.
Simmons continued, “[CAL FIRE’s] currently approved plans on JDSF, which if completed would damage both Pomo sacred sites and mature second growth redwood groves, demonstrate that JDSF needs a comprehensive update to its management mandate in order for the forest to match the values of the people of California. Simply making small adjustments to these plans does not remedy the situation. We need a solution that will protect this forest in perpetuity.”
The issue with the preservation of JDSF is larger than Mendocino County. There are a number of advocacy groups working to protect the remaining old and second growth trees in JDSF. This is a situation where social justice is married to ecological responsibility, which moves the Pomo Land Back movement onto the world stage and provides an excellent forum to demonstrate values appropriate for the 21st century. The time for ecological accountability based on scientific evidence and social responsibility is past due. There needs to be an authentic oversight mechanism employed so we can get out of the fox-watching-the-hen-house syndrome.
The forest is more than trees that make lumber. The JDSF redwood trees are a huge carbon bank, far more valuable and more durable as an asset than the comparatively meager profit from a few timber sales. JDSF is the home to rare and important wildlife. And JDSF holds sacred ground for indigenous Californians, which is an issue that warrants serious consideration and study. It is a complex and vital ecosystem which has value beyond measure.
Jackson Demonstration State Forest has inspired a level of devotion from so many people that little old ladies are getting arrested in Sacramento in an effort to draw public attention to the issue. School-age kids are organizing gatherings. Folks are having fundraisers to raise money for legal expenses. Ladies are making quilts to raffle, musicians are showing up to entertain, ecology groups are doing what they can. The Pomo Land Back movement has significant support, and it presents an opportunity to include oversight of JDSF with the very people whose ancestors once called it home.
Learn more at PomoLandBack.com.
* jacksonforest.com/JAG/advisory_top.htm
All photos except Priscilla Hunter courtesy of Pomo Land Back.
Priscilla Hunter photo by D.H. Shook.
A long-time Mendonesian, Deborah Shook lives in a cottage on the edge of the forest. She takes pleasure in playing in her garden and tackling a culinary challenge.
Mendocino Cannabis Alliance
Supporting Small Farmers During Challenging Times
by Dawn Emery Ballantine
As a community, as a county, and as a magazine publication, we are concerned with our farmers. We want to know where our food comes from. We want assurances that our farmers are paid a living wage just as they provide for our sustenance. We want to know that we are not buying from large corporate farms that put smaller folks out of business. This holds true for both the food farmer and the grape farmer. Now Mendocino County has the cannabis farmer, at long last recognized to farm within the law. But these farmers are barely surviving in today’s market.
The cannabis industry struggles with not just labyrinthine legalities and usurious taxes, but also with a deep and persistent stigma. In 2016, California’s voter-approved Proposition 64 legalized cannabis cultivation, distribution, and sales with exceedingly strict regulations. The law gave the 58 California counties the right to establish their own local policies and regulations for cannabis retail, manufacturing, and cultivation, but just over half of California counties continue to refuse permits for legal cannabis businesses. After Proposition 215 supporting medical marijuana was passed in 1996, there were approximately 10,000 cannabis retailers throughout California. Today, after Proposition 64 and the newly licensed recreational market, there are only roughly 1,500 cannabis storefronts licensed in the entire state. In a population of 39.3 million covering nearly 164,000 square miles, that doesn’t amount to much.
To make matters worse, wholesale prices have plummeted. Exploring the reasons for the market collapse would require a whole series of separate articles. Suffice it to say, that collapse inspired the creation of an organization to address its impact on farmers—and the cannabis industry as a whole—in Mendocino County.
Mendocino Cannabis Alliance (MCA) aims to serve as the voice of the local cannabis community. It represents over 140 individual businesses, from the smallest cannabis cultivators to distributors and retailers. “Our mission is to serve and promote our cannabis operators through education, public policy initiatives, and sustainable economic development,” said Michael Katz, Executive Director.
MCA was created in 2019 by unifying two existing local trade associations, one focused on economic development and the other on policy advocacy. Michael was initially a board member, but he was hired as MCA’s Executive Director in November of 2020. For the first eight months, their focus was exclusively advocacy because of proposed policy changes, but their focus has since shifted to helping the local industry survive the current—and somewhat hostile—environment.
Operational licenses in Mendocino County have dropped from a high of 1,200 licenses in 2020 to fewer than 800 today. Complications of legal compliance, in addition to new cannabis cultivation in areas that previously had none, have led to product oversupply. Though Prop 64’s regulations specified a 1-acre cultivation cap per licensee for the first five years, many local jurisdictions circumvented this limit by “stacking” smaller licenses. One farm in Santa Barbara currently cultivates 5.5 million square feet of new cannabis canopy—more than 100 acres for one grower. In contrast, Mendocino County has licensed only approximately 290 acres of growth in the entire county. Michael explained, “Two or three farms in Santa Barbara produce more licensed cannabis than the entire county of Mendocino [by utilizing licensing loopholes].”
With such a huge oversupply of product, particularly in Southern California and backed by substantial corporate money and resources, the prospects look bleak for our local farmers. Once upon a time, a cannabis farmer could charge $800 to $1,200 for a pound of high quality, sun grown cannabis. That price is now down to roughly $400-500 per pound. The reality is that farmers cannot survive at that pricing.
Michael explained, “Retail is really the key to generating the revenue, the market value, of these products. And [the difficulty is] trying to figure out how to capture as much of that market share for our community as possible, given the reduced number of retailers, massive oversupply, and that we have a struggling community, financially under-resourced and challenged by the entire system and cost structure of compliance and bringing product to market.”
So the MCA brought its leadership together to create MendocinoCannabis.shop—a new venture which is perhaps the only one of its kind in the state. The idea is to utilize people and businesses within their existing licensed infrastructure to create a direct-to-consumer pipeline that would enable farmers to retain more value from each sale of their product. According to Michael, “We’re one of the only groups—if not the only group—taking this specific approach to retail as a trade association, bringing together our members’ resources and combining them to enhance the efforts of the entire community and derive value for everyone.”
It works like this: Brandy Moulton, an MCA member and CEO of Sovereign, a business in Fort Bragg, also has a licensed cannabis delivery service in Sacramento and Butte Counties, a competitive market with lots of big money cannabis businesses competing for attention. Brandy offered her license as the MendocinoCannabis.shop platform to bring other MCA members’ products to market in Sacramento. Local cannabis distributors—Mendocino Cannabis Distribution of Laytonville, Madrone from Fort Bragg, and The Bohemian Chemist in Anderson Valley—assist the project by getting product from small cannabis farms to a centralized location, where the products can be transported to Brandy’s facility for sale in the larger Sacramento market.
MendocinoCannabis.shop currently showcases over 25 craft farmers from Mendocino County, with more to be added soon. With their tagline “Cannabis with a Conscience,” the group promotes these products to people who tend to seek and purchase value-aligned products, in this case focusing on craft cannabis that is coming from small independent farms. They hope to help consumers understand the need to provide living wages to these farmers, and the way that we can do this as a broader society is by enabling them to retain the most value possible for their products.
Brandy’s own business website also features products from participating farms. The sales system which Brandy uses—Dutchie—has its own infrastructure and platform, so anyone who looks up Sacramento cannabis delivery will find each of the farms listed there as well. Customers can order from the websites, and the orders go directly through Brandy’s team for fulfillment. Most importantly, Brandy’s company only applies a 10% markup to cover the administrative costs of running the program. The farmers thus retain 90% of the pre-tax price for each product. For a $25 sale of 1/8 ounce of packaged flower including taxes, the farmer in this program is getting $17.90 per sale, or nearly $2,300 per pound. “Selling their packaged flower to other licensed shops not in the program, these farmers would be getting closer to half that price for the same product,” explained Michael.
MendocinoCannabis.shop launched in early March, 2022, after more than six months of discussion and planning. At the time of this writing, the program has shown good sales with month-to-month increases, new customers, and happy repeat customers. Perhaps equally important, they have been doing what they can to make their presence known in the broader Sacramento community. All participants contribute to a shared budget for marketing and engagement with boots-on-the-ground connections. They have recently received positive coverage in the Sacramento Bee, Cannabis Business Times, and Ganjapreneur.com, showcasing this effort as a unique response to the current market crisis.
MCA is also in conversation with retailers in other parts of the state, with the idea that curating a suite of Mendocino cannabis offerings for those outlets could also provide more of a return for our farmers. MCA continues to work as a community to try and create solutions, and Michael noted that they’re “seeing like-mindedness” among other folks looking to provide resources for the smaller farmers. One possible solution was recently introduced by Assembly Member Jim Wood, with AB 2691, which would enable small farmers to be licensed to sell directly to consumers at a limited number of events per year, in an effort to help them retain full value of their product. (This is like the farmers market model, where growers set up and sell directly from their own tables.)
MCA represents over 140 individual businesses, but the organization has just one paid staff member—Michael Katz. Though they do have a number of dedicated volunteers who staff the board and various committees, their goal is to bring in more local cannabis community members to support the efforts for policy and market access. As Michael shared, “We really are stronger together … With all the challenges in the market and the diminishing resources, we really do need more support from the community and from any quarter we can find it in to continue our efforts.”
MCA would also love to bring on local non-cannabis businesses who are interested in sponsoring and supporting the local cannabis community. Michael said, “I’m cautiously optimistic about the future … We operate in the best interest of our members, which is the best interest of the broader cannabis industry in Mendocino county.”
Michael’s ultimate vision is to see Ukiah, Laytonville, and Willits become like “the Napa Valley for cannabis” over the coming decades. But he believes the groundwork has to be laid now, with concerted efforts made to ensure that operators survive the licensing process, giving them the time and support to find financial stability and create a strong infrastructure. The opportunities for cannabis tourism are abundant here like nowhere else, and MCA has recently collaborated with Visit Mendocino County, producing a video which came out in early June. Michael believes that this collaboration is the beginning of many and bodes well for the future of people and entities working together to recognize the value cannabis can provide to our community.
The small cannabis farmers in Mendocino County are here, trying to do the right thing under the new laws. Current economic hurdles are huge and are threatening their survival. Given the world we live in, thoughtful people have taken on the challenge of addressing inequities and overcoming prejudices and stigma for the good of our cannabis farmers and for Mendocino’s economy as a whole.
A Brief History of Cannabis in California
1795 Cannabis cultivated for fiber and rope in California. Two-thirds of it is grown on the missions.
1807 California produces 13,000 lbs of hemp, increasing by 1810 to 220,000 lbs grown.
1895 Cannabis grown in California for recreational use, reportedly by Arabs, “Hindoos,” Armenians, and Turks as hashish.
1913 Possession prohibited as part of the general prohibition act for alcohol.
1914 One of the first cannabis drug raids occurs in the Los Angeles area.
1925 Possession punishable by up to 6 years in prison.
1937 Cultivation becomes a separate offense.
1954 Harsher sentences put in place, including a minimum 1-10 years in prison for marijuana possession and 5 -15 years with a mandatory 3 years before eligibility for parole for selling. Life imprisonment allowed for people with two prior felonies.
1960s Legalization efforts begin.
1972 California is the first state to try to legalize cannabis by the ballot initiative Proposition 19, which is defeated.
1991 San Francisco Proposition P requests California legislature to legalize medical marijuana.
1993 California legislature makes joint resolutions requesting the Federal government to legalize medical marijuana.
1996 California is the first state to enact a medical marijuana law—the Compassionate Use Act, Proposition 215—which makes it legal for people and their caregivers to grow and possess cannabis for their own personal medical use with physician approval. Includes edibles, hashish, and concentrates. Transportation later included (SB420) as well as the establishment of medical cultivation cooperatives. Cannabis for medical use is not subject to CA sales tax.
2010 Proposition 19 introduced again to legalize cannabis, and again defeated.
2010 79% of US cannabis comes from California.
2016 Proposition 64 legalizes the possession and cultivation of cannabis for adult (over age 21) recreational use and reduces criminal penalties by authorizing dismissal or re-sentencing of existing cases of marijuana-related convictions.
Today “... the FDA and DEA have concluded that marijuana has no federally approved medical use for treatment in the U.S. and thus it remains as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law.”
Visit The Shop online at www.MendocinoCannabis.shop
MCA can be found at www.MendoCannabis.com.
All photos courtesy of Mendocino Cannabis Alliance
Who’s Rescuing Whom?
The Oscar’s Place Donkey Sanctuary is a Fresh Start for All Involved
by Lisa Ludwigsen
Anyone familiar with donkeys will tell you that, despite their obviously similar appearance to horses, a donkey’s demeanor is closer to that of a dog. Think a big, friendly, 1,000-pound dog.
Visiting the donkeys at Oscar’s Place Donkey Sanctuary in Hopland reinforces that comparison. Just like dogs, when a guest arrives, some of the donkeys make a beeline to see who the visitor is. Others hang back for a while, but they are all curious, aware, and interested. And they are utterly charming as they seek out a pat, a scratch behind the ears, or even a hug.
When a 1,000-pound animal snuggles up for a gentle hug, the effect is transformative. The day’s stress and worry fade away. Time slows down. The experience is delightful and genuinely heartwarming. Donkeys are the ultimate therapy animals.
Except for some telltale hide marks from their time at a kill lot, a visitor would never guess that these gentle animals have been rescued from dire circumstances. Most were purchased at an auction, on their way to slaughter. They arrive at Oscar’s Place, after two weeks of quarantine and medical checkups, in various states of trauma. Once they are rehabilitated and healthy, they are available for adoption to loving homes.
The man behind this ambitious, heartfelt, 15-month-old project is Ron King, a former media executive with 20 years’ experience in the media and fashion worlds. Like many people with second or third career acts, Ron’s path to his current work was circuitous, a matter of timing and opportunity that led him to a place he least expected.
In 2019, Ron found himself at a crossroads. Between jobs and newly single, Ron was offered a job overseeing the sale of a sprawling, elegant 75-acre estate owned by his friend, Phil Selway. While temporarily living on the property, Ron happened upon a TikTok video of donkeys at a kill lot in Texas. The video led him to an article in The Guardian detailing how the use of donkey hides in traditional Chinese medicine is decimating the global donkey population. The medicine, called ejaoi, is used to treat anemia, insomnia, bleeding, and dizziness. It is so popular that five million donkey hides a year are needed to keep up with demand. At that rate, donkeys would be wiped out within five years. Taking a big leap into the unknown, Ron proposed to his friend, Phil, that they keep the Hopland property and turn it into a donkey sanctuary.
Fifteen months later, Ron oversees not only the growing donkey population at Oscar’s Place—23 foals will be born this spring, adding to the 95 adult donkeys—but also a burgeoning media conglomerate. A reality TV pilot has been completed, multiple national media outlets have covered the story, and Ron co-hosts a podcast. This important exposure helps illuminate the plight of donkeys, as well as raise awareness of the work of Oscar’s Place. As one might imagine, operating expenses are significant for a growing animal sanctuary, and Ron is always seeking donations and sponsorships.
Though the sanctuary isn’t open to the public, volunteers are a crucial component of the operation. “At the beginning, we asked volunteers to help with ranch chores,” shared Ron. “Now we ask them to spend their time just loving on the donkeys.” That socialization is an important aspect of their rehabilitation. When they arrive, many of the donkeys need to relearn trust in humans. Tammy Bishop travels each week from Whitter Springs in Lake County to spend time brushing and socializing with the animals. “I knew I wanted to help out at a donkey rescue and just love spending time with them,” she said with a smile, while stroking a donkey.
The goal of Oscar’s Place is to rehome their rescued donkeys (to date, 31 have found homes), but Ron strictly adheres to his three-part agreement with the adopters: the donkeys will be safe and happy for the rest of their lives; they will not be working animals; and bonded pairs will not be separated. They are allowed to be used as livestock protection, a traditional use for working donkeys, but only as a secondary task. They must first be a pet. To that end, the adoption process is comprehensive and doesn’t happen quickly. Many adoption requests are denied. Other donkey rescue operations are less stringent in their requirements, but Ron stands firm in his commitment to the animals under his care.
At its core, Ron’s personal mission is to keep moving toward connection of all kinds while making the world a better place. ”After a very full life, I am now able to differentiate between things I enjoy and things that bring me joy,” he shared. “I enjoyed beautiful clothing, fancy cars, and international travel, but taking care of donkeys actually brings me a lot of joy.” As he moves through the corral, sharing loving affection for each donkey and calling them by name, it’s clear that Ron has found his joy. And it appears the donkeys have, too.
If you would like to support Oscar’s Place, become a volunteer, or learn more about donkey rescue, visit OscarsPlace.org.
Lisa Ludwigsen is a writer and marketer working with food, farms, and family small businesses throughout Northern California. She has worked in organic agriculture, natural foods, and environmental education for over 20 years.
Collaborative Farming
The Women Writing a New Chapter in Mendocino County’s Rich Agricultural Heritage
by Lisa Ludwigsen
Mendocino County is known for many things—stunning coasts, exceptional art and music, old grove redwoods, and top-notch wine and cannabis. Less familiar but just as important is the rich heritage of farming and ranching built and maintained by generations of people deeply connected to this place. And, as anyone in agriculture knows all too well, farming and ranching are challenging. Land, crops, animals, and businesses need continual tending. Even in off-season, tas
ks abound.
Fortunately, inland Mendocino County is home to a group of young farmers, ranchers, and community organizers who have begun to move outside of traditional farming models, creating joint agricultural endeavors and/or assuming leadership of existing farms and ranches. Their collaborative efforts are opening new avenues for networking and support which they hope will allow everyone to have a fair and equitable balance for long-term sustainability.
Interestingly, many of these new agricultural leaders are women. Farmer Caroline Radice and rancher Ruthie King are among those running their small-scale operations at Ridgewood Ranch south of Willits. The picturesque property has an interesting and varied history. Originally a native Pomo village, it later became a 5,000-acre working horse ranch and the retirement home of renowned race horse, Seabiscuit. Today, Ridgewood Ranch is owned by the Church of the Golden Rule who rents the land to a burgeoning group of farmers and ranchers. In addition, it is the site of a residential farm school—The School of Adaptive Agriculture—that teaches all aspects of building a farming business.
Caroline is a popular caterer and organic farmer, providing produce for local restaurants, farmers markets, and other wholesale accounts. Her farm acreage also serves as a hands-on workshop for the farm school’s students.
Ruthie owns Headwaters Grazing, a 75-sheep operation that provides meat, fleeces, wool, and a shearing service. A growing aspect of her business is contract grazing to vineyards and farms to reduce fire risk and improve soil fertility. Ruthie is also co-founder of the School of Adaptive Agriculture, the farm school located on the ranch.
Ruthie and Caroline are founding members of the Ridgewood Ranch Producers Group, which also includes Buttercup Farm, Mendocino Grain Project, and the Golden Rule garden. The group members pool talents and resources to promote their shared interests as well as their individual businesses. This community of like-minded people is spending the time and effort to join forces and create new opportunities and, hopefully, a sense of balance over the long term.
“I was always a very independent worker, but as I continued building my career, I realized that the relentless nature of this work can grind people down,” said Caroline. “As our collaborations have deepened, I’ve witnessed that exponential growth happens when visions align and people work together on shared goals. It takes time to sit down and hash out goals and plans, but collaboration is now a core value in all the work I do.” She added, “We share marketing efforts, booths at farmers markets, and are now writing grant proposals together.”
Ruthie contributed, “We’ve seen that small farms aren’t really viable unless they are community endeavors.” A new farm stand, made possible through a shared grant, serves all the residents of Ridgewood Ranch, including the approximately 150 residents of the Golden Rule Senior Mobile Home Park. Ruthie added, “The farm stand sells not just my meat and wool products, but also vegetables from Caroline’s farm, dried fruit from the Golden Rule garden, flowers from Buttercup Farm, locally grown and milled grain from Mendocino Grain Project, olive oil, jams, and more.”
Rachel Britton, owner of the Mendocino Grain Project, is another pivotal person involved in developing the collaborative community. The Mendocino Grain Project was established in 2009 when respected farmer, Doug Mosel, recognized that, though there was meat and produce available in the county, calorie-dense grains were not being produced. Rachel took the helm in 2020, and today, the Grain Project fulfills multiple functions. It grows heirloom grains and legumes to sell under its own brand and provides milling services at its Ukiah warehouse for other growers. The project also offers custom harvest services, lending its specialized grain harvest equipment to the wider farm community.
Earlier in her career, Rachel worked at John Jeavons’ Ecology Action Network, known globally for its research into growing food efficiently and sustainably. “I don’t believe that it’s possible to make small farming work in a purely capitalistic model,” shared Rachel. “It must be collaborative in order to be sustainable in the long term.” She believes that the collaborative nature of the Ridgewood Ranch Producers Group stems from their shared history working with nonprofits. Caroline Radice credits Rachel’s conflict resolution skills with facilitating growth-oriented community meetings.
The MendoLake Food Hub, a program of North Coast Opportunities, is perhaps the most established example of a collaborative work model within the local farming community. The Food Hub, currently coordinated by Ana Victoria Salcido, provides a distribution network for local farms throughout Mendocino and Lake Counties. Wholesalers, restaurants, and now the public can purchase food for delivery through the Food Hub’s online portal.
At the height of the pandemic, the Food Hub was able to pivot from selling exclusively wholesale to assembling and delivering 200 food boxes per week for local residents—even gifting some of the boxes to folks in need. “We’ve learned through sheer necessity that collaboration is essential for our success,” said Ana Victoria. “It hasn’t been easy, but we understand that trust and open communication within our staff and with our farmers makes our work much more efficient in the long run.” She added, “We look out for each other. If a farmer needs a week off, we make sure they know we’ll be ok without their delivery that week.”
Ana Victoria elaborated, “We realize that so many farm workers, in our area and elsewhere, don’t have access to rest, fair wages, or even adequate personal protective equipment. It is a privilege and a luxury for many farm workers just to rest. We need that to change. For all workers.”
In 2015, Caroline, Ruthie, and Rachel, along with policy activist Sarah Bodner and restaurant owner Bridget Harrington of Patrona, were among a group who founded the nonprofit Good Farm Fund, which raises money to provide grants for vital infrastructure projects for local farms. The talented group behind the Good Farm Fund throws spectacular parties and events that not only raise money but remind us of the joy and fun in being together celebrating hard work, well done.
Caroline, Ruthie, Rachel, and Ana Victoria are just four of the many principal players working hard to shift Mendocino County agriculture into a new age, while honoring all those who came before. Hopefully, the impact of their combined efforts will have a lasting impact on other farming and ranching communities. With the pandemic proving how vital our local food economy is for our very survival, the timing couldn’t be better.
Lisa Ludwigsen is a writer and marketer working with food, farms, and family small businesses throughout Northern California. She has worked in organic agriculture, natural foods, and environmental education for over 20 years.
Milla Handley
A Pioneer for Women and Wine
by Holly Madrigal
Milla Handley wanted to make wines with a come-hither quality, to create flavors that beckon you to learn more, full of complexity and nuance. Wine that hints of a life of intrigue, just steps away around the corner. In some ways, this is like the woman herself. A pioneer among Anderson Valley winemakers, Milla Handley passed away last year. Her legacy lives on in her children and the delicious wines of Handley Cellars.
Milla attended U.C. Davis because it was the one college where she could bring her horse. She initially pursued many of her passions in veterinary science and art. She settled on enology because, when she dreamed of her future, she knew that she wanted a life in the country, and enology could provide that while offering a decent living. She saw it as a way to combine her love of science with art to create a product that could be enjoyed. She met her husband, Rex McClellan, at Davis, and they decided to embark on a journey to find this rural life.
Milla and Rex moved to Sonoma County after graduation to hone her winemaking craft, but they settled in Anderson Valley when Rex got a job with Navarro Vineyards. Shortly after giving birth to her first daughter, Megan, Milla met legendary winemaker Jed Stelle at a playgroup. Jed was working with Edmeades at the time, and Milla soon went to work with him. She learned a great deal from Jed, but following her own independent streak, she set out to make her own vintage. After a trial year spent making wine in the basement, her first official vintage was a 1982 Chardonnay which won a gold medal at the Orange County Fair.
Those accolades helped launch Handley Cellars, and in 1985, Milla and Rex purchased the land where the vineyards and tasting room still sit, nestled in the golden hills in the deep end of Anderson Valley. Initially they planted grapes for sparkling wine, but they pretty quickly shifted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Adding some blocks of Gewürztraminer, an Alsatian white varietal, was a nod to Milla’s mentor, Hans Kobler, then-owner of Lazy Creek Winery. Handley Cellars’ love of the Alsatian varietals continues to this day.
Professionally developing as a winemaker is a lifelong commitment, urging the desired flavors to prominence, balancing the notes to make the perfect end result. In recent years, an increasing number of female winemakers are in the industry, but the number of vineyard owners and labels helmed by women is still very few (some reports show 13%, with 25% of female/spouse co-ownership). Many were inspired by or aware of Milla’s work in Anderson Valley. She took time to mentor, to speak, and to teach what she had learned.
There is still a long way to go in the acceptance of women in this traditionally male-dominated field. Milla was the first woman winemaker and owner in the U.S. to establish a wine label with her own name. “My mom did it all. She made the wine, made the sales calls, and managed the business,” says daughter, Lulu Handley. “She was a maven and was able to buck trends because she really didn’t care what people thought about her.”
Somehow, Milla managed not to be too affected by either praise or criticism. “She was able to set a course and stick to it. She got incredible reviews early on but did not let that sway her from making wine the way she wanted to. Harsh comments rolled off her back. I admired that ego was never part of it,” adds Lulu. Handley wines were crafted to a level of excellence because of Milla’s vision. “Something beautiful that came from her passing was having all these women in the wine industry sharing how she had helped them either by mentorship, or by simply existing in this space as a successful female winemaker and vineyard owner, showing them that their dreams, too, were possible.”
Milla sought to bring forth the taste of Anderson Valley in her wines. She understood that the area was worthy of broader recognition. Revealing the terroir with a deft touch, she felt like a champion for the area by making wines that really represented this place. She originally crafted sparkling wines that elevated the most simple meal, creating a celebration. “There is something magical about the sparkling wine. A bottle of bubbles can transport you,” Lulu muses. Milla liked delicate wines that did not knock you over the head. Describing her excellent Pinot Noir, Lulu shared, “She made wine that beckons you from across the room. Ones that were beguiling, intriguing, welcoming you in.” She liked wines that were a little mysterious. She made wines that kept you interested, ready to explore more, meant to be shared at the table paired with a wonderful meal.
Handley Cellars continues to hold the flame of her legacy. Lulu has been involved with running the business since 2016, around the time that her mom retired. Winemaker Randy Schock worked alongside Milla, learning from her values and skill. Now leading the way, he keeps Handley wines dynamic and evolving, just as Milla would have, bringing forth excellent vintages that retain the high bar set by his predecessor. Looking to the future, they are crafting wines that stem from the original roots of Handley Cellars. Yet they are also exploring new territory, having decided to remove some of the old vines and replace them with an exciting new varietal.
Lulu ensures that Handley Cellars’ devoted customers continue to have access to their favorite Handley vintages. The tasting room has developed a welcoming outdoor garden space to taste flights on site. Or if you want a casual picnic gathering with friends, you can grab a bottle and settle in the Adirondack chairs gazing out over Anderson Valley. The come-hither quality of the wine will draw you in. As you sip your glass of Pinot Noir, imagine Milla Handley inviting you to explore the taste of this place, and you will likely never forget it.
Handley Cellars
3151 Hwy 128, Philo, CA 95466
(707) 895-3876 | HandleyCellars.com
Tastings by appointment | IG and FB : @handleycellars
Holly Madrigal is a Mendocino County maven who loves to share the delights of our region. She’s fortunate to enjoy her meaningful work as the director of the Leadership Mendocino program and takes great joy in publishing this magazine.
Survive & Thrive
How the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council Helps Us Coexist with Wildfire
As the relentless and catastrophic wildfire seasons of the last several years have shown, fire suppression is not a sufficient long-term approach to living with wildfire. Over time, California learned to adapt building codes to better survive the inevitability of earthquakes. Similarly, we need to adapt how and where we build, how we maintain our properties, and even how we behave, to recognize that Mendocino County’s inhabitants have chosen to live in an environment where wildfire is prevalent.
The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) exists to do help us do just that. Its mission: “to inform, empower, and mobilize county residents to survive and thrive in a wildfire-prone environment.” Incorporated in 2004, the group was an outgrowth of a community mobilization to preserve the firefighting airplane service stationed at the Ukiah Airport. Since then, it has gone through a number of active and inactive periods. But as the threat of wildfire to our communities continues to escalate, an engaged, robust MCFSC is more necessary than ever.
The latest resurgence began in 2018, assisted by the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District (MCRCD). The MCRCD used both its staff and reputation to win grants on behalf of the MCFSC. By the end of 2019, the organization was active enough to require its own staff and executive director. As a result, Scott Cratty assumed MCFSC leadership on January 1, 2020.
Scott came to the MCFSC after working in the local food movement. Among other things, he co-founded the Good Farm Fund, served as General Manager of the Mendocino County Farmers Market Association, managed the Ukiah Farmers Market, and owned and operated the Westside Renaissance Market neighborhood grocery in Ukiah (covered in Word of Mouth, Spring 2017). While jumping from local food into fire may seem like a big shift, there is a common thread: preserving farmland, protecting access to fresh healthy food, and keeping our neighborhoods safe. These priorities share a lot of common ground, opening up opportunities for us to build a robust, safe, and healthy community.
A prescribed burn outside Anderson Valley off of Hwy 253—Spring 2021
As a property owner, there is a lot you can do to be ready to survive and thrive in an area prone to wildfire, and the internet is an excellent source for information. A great first step is to visit CAL FIRE’s Ready, Set, Go program online. Follow the guidance to get you and your family prepared (readyforwildfire.org).
Next, focus on Home Hardening, including creating defensible space (as required by state law) around your home. The first 5 feet around your home, including exterior decks, should be entirely free of combustibles. The 5-30 feet zone should be “lean and green,” with healthy vegetation clustered in islands and open space between them to prevent continuity that could carry fire closer to your home. Between 30 and 100 feet, fuel should be reduced, with brush cut back and removed, tree limbs pruned up to 10 feet, vegetation again clustered into islands, and grass no higher than 4 inches. Instructions and more detail are available in the MCFSC video series available on our site (firesafemendocino.org/homehardening).
It’s important to understand that most homes are not lost during a wildfire due to a wall of flame passing through. Instead, they fall victim to embers that drift in, potentially from a fire that is as much as a mile away. Hardening your home includes steps to protect your home from these dangerous embers, like sealing vents, keeping roofs and gutters empty of dried vegetation, and clearing vegetation around large windows. Windows are more vulnerable to heat than your siding, so if nearby vegetation or other flammable matter is near them, they could shatter and allow embers to enter and ignite your home.
Another fire safe strategy: Help create a resilient and fire safe neighborhood. Unless you have your own handy helicopter and pad or your own personal fire break lane to the freeway, a safe egress for you to escape and first responders to gain access will depend on how well your neighbors have maintained their portions of the access route. Keep in mind that one of the most high-risk situations for your home is when one of your neighbors’ homes catches fire, so even though you can accomplish a lot by preparing your individual property for wildfire, working with your neighbors can significantly increase your fire safety.
An excellent place to start: Organize a Neighborhood Fire Safe Council (NFSC). The MCFSC currently has about 40 affiliated NFSCs, and we hope that your neighborhood will become the 41st. For information on how to begin a NFSC in your area, visit the “Prepare Your Neighborhood” page on our website. You can find out if a NFSC exists near you, and, if not, how to start your own.
In the last 18 months, the MCFSC has increased the scope and scale of its operations tremendously—so much so that it was recently named a state legislature Nonprofit of the Year. Among other things, MCFSC is working to assess and prioritize needs, obtain and manage grants, bring resources to projects, encourage and assist neighborhood groups, provide practical guidance for property maintenance, and work with policy makers. In addition to landing roughly $500,000 of its own grant projects in the last year, MCFSC has taken on the management and implementation of other major grants in partnership with the County of Mendocino.
Among its major projects, MCFSC currently provides county-wide community chipper service (chipperday.com/ mendocino), a program to help income-qualified seniors and handicapped residents (firesafemendocino.org/defensible-space-assistance-program), and a grant project to help qualified county residents upgrade to more fire safe roofs (firesaferoof.com). For information about all of MCFSC’s current programs, go to firesafemendocino.org.
Regardless of how our ideologies might diverge in other respects, there is plenty of common ground to work with when it comes to creating a healthy and safe community. By working together to maintain defensible space, harden our homes, keep escape routes cleared, and stay prepared, we can coexist with wildfire and be a community that survives and thrives in spite of it.
Mendocino County Fire Safe Council
P.O. Box 263, Ukiah, CA 95482
(707) 462-3662 | firesafemendocino.org
Plowshares
Feeding Community
by Elizabeth Archer
If Mendocino County were a living organism, Plowshares Peace and Justice Center would be a critical artery. As a truly local non-profit organization, Plowshares is mostly community-funded and supported. Part of its mission is to provide a welcoming environment “where all are treated with respect, justice, and dignity,” a mission it takes very seriously.
Since 1983, Plowshares has fed and empowered our most vulnerable populations. The Community Dining Room and Meals-on-Wheels programs serve over 70,000 meals annually—almost 1,500 a week—to anyone in need, no questions asked. Plowshares also offers Community Service and Work Release Programs, and connects its clients to local resources for work, housing, physical and mental health services, and more. The personal care center gives out items such as soap, toothpaste, diapers, underwear and socks, and pet food; provides a phone and mailing address for clients to send and receive mail; and often offers services like free haircuts.
Although the pandemic has necessitated rapid and constant adaptation, last spring Plowshares was able to quickly implement new safety measures and practices, such as installing a plastic barrier on the food service line, sanitized daily and replaced monthly. They also reduced indoor dining to 25%, now offer to-go options, and provide free masks along with a handwashing station to everyone who enters the building. There was a large increase in clients at the start of the pandemic as people unexpectedly lost their jobs and needed a little extra help, with about 1,000 extra meals per month being served. That number has mostly returned to pre-pandemic levels, but Plowshares remains open and available to any and all who need it.
In fact, Plowshares is offering more than ever before. Thanks to partnerships with the Seventh Day Adventist Church, The Hunger Express, and Interfaith Network, the Dining Room and Meals-on-Wheels are now providing meals on weekends. For the first time in its nearly 40 years of operation, Plowshares is open 365 days a year.
None of this would be possible without two things: community support and dedicated volunteers. According to Plowshares Office Manager, Kristina Keene, “We have one of the most amazing, caring communities, and the support during the pandemic has been unbelievable.” The 14th Annual Empty Bowls fundraiser was converted to a drive-through event which sold out quickly. The Winter Appeal fundraiser blew way past its $90,000 goal, raising more than $132,000. In addition, Plowshares is supported by the T.R. Eriksen Foundation and a Community Resiliency and Preparedness grant from The Community Foundation of Mendocino County.
In order to put every dollar to its maximum, best use, Plowshares relies on its dedicated volunteers. About half of their volunteers were not able to take on the risk of working in a community setting during the pandemic, but according to Keene, “The [remaining] volunteers stepped up to make sure Plowshares was taken care of. Many come in multiple times a week to make sure there is plenty of coverage.” She adds that many of the volunteers who have been observing the state’s stay-at-home mandate are starting to come back into the fold. “We are so happy to see those smiling faces again,” says Keene.
Adaptation didn’t only happen in the dining room. It has also played a vital role in the Plowshares garden over the years, which has undergone a few different iterations and is currently managed by The Gardens Project of North Coast Opportunities (NCO). In 2019, 23 of NCO’s 26 plots were converted to community garden plots, with the other three reserved for Plowshares. Originally, these plots were meant to be co-managed and provide a space to work with clients in the garden, but with COVID-19, those efforts were paused. Instead, community gardeners have been diligently cultivating those beds and donating 100% of the produce to the Plowshares’ kitchen. The relationship between Plowshares and The Gardens Project is built on mutual trust and communication, and the partnership has made each organization stronger, enabling both to offer more services.
Within the Plowshares garden, there are four different languages spoken: English, Spanish, Cantonese, and Nepali. Says Garden Manager, Lucy Kramer, “It’s the most multi-cultural garden in our network, and it’s really neat to see this cultural legacy preserved through what the gardeners plant in that space.”
Each NCO gardener pays an average of $60/year for their plot, which covers land access, water, seeds and plant starts, tools, irrigation supplies, compost, workshops and trainings, and access to a large network of gardeners. “Most people wouldn’t otherwise have land to cultivate, and some choose to grow in a community garden to have the opportunity to learn from their neighbors,” says Kramer. All of the gardeners live below the federal poverty line, and although most were not clients before gardening there, most of them now interact with Plowshares, eating meals in the dining room and taking advantage of the resources available.
As California enters yet another drought season, The Gardens Project is as committed as ever to water-wise policies. It has built underground irrigation systems with automatic drip timers in each of its gardens, including an all-new system at the Plowshares garden in 2020. It encourages watering at off-peak times, growing low-water plants, and using mulch to retain moisture.
The future of Plowshares seems certain: it is a keystone among our area’s support organizations, with tremendous community support and some of the most dedicated volunteers you will find anywhere. However, certain does not equal stagnant, and Plowshares continues to grow and adapt to the changing times. Their next big project is to convert to solar power, with the goal of being fully operational during disaster events in order to provide essential services and function as a community hub with cool-down stations, places to charge devices, and more. This environmentally conscious upgrade will also eliminate monthly utility expenses, saving approximately $10,000 each year, which will be redirected into their service programs. With installation scheduled to start very soon, Plowshares will continue to be a bright beacon of hope and change for years to come.
Plowshares Peace & Justice Center
1346 S. State St., Ukiah
(707) 462-8582 | PlowsharesFeeds.org
Free hot lunch open to all Mon–Fri 11:30am – Noon, Sat & Sun 3:00pm
Early seating for families with children and seniors 65+. Personal care center is open at this time as well, where guests can use the phone and pick up mail and personal hygiene items.
Photo Credits:
Workers behind plastic and dish of food: Kristina Keene
Photo of garden: Lucy Kramer
Elizabeth Archer is an enthusiastic eater and promoter of the local food scene in Mendocino County. She and her husband run Carson and Bees, a beekeeping operation in Ukiah.
Loco for Local
Reflections from The Bewildered Pig
by Janelle Weaver
We have been big fans of Word of Mouth since day one! In a way, we “grew up” together, as The Bewildered Pig opened the same year that the magazine released its first issue in 2016. We’re each going on six years in operation, and both the magazine and the restaurant have forged paths into the heart of our community and become known as trusted sources, sharing local food philosophy and ideals.
When we first permanently arrived in Mendocino County to open our restaurant, the word “local” took on a much different meaning. We had been visiting and catering in Anderson Valley for over a decade, and we had so much excitement and passion about finally being able to realize our long held dream of opening a small, intimate restaurant featuring locally sourced foods. The thought never occurred to us that we might not be considered “locals” after moving here.
Daniel and I were a bit unprepared for the unforeseen politics of earning acceptance into a new community, alongside the intense pressures of opening a small restaurant in the “middle of nowhere.” It appeared that there were endless factors when considering whether someone or something was “local.” Over time, we have come to realize that the concepts of being “local” and sourcing food locally are much more interrelated, thoughtful, and complex than their textbook definitions.
Sourcing local food for a restaurant is a fairly complex endeavor. It requires much more than just typing “sourced locally” on the menu. First, chefs and farmers have to find each other. Sounds very simple, but in reality, small farmers, like chefs, are extremely busy and don’t have a big outreach/marketing budget or team. Both are struggling business people: up at dawn (or just going to sleep after a long night of work), managing all areas of their business, and working “8 days a week.” A chef doesn’t just call up a farmer, fisherperson, or artisan food producer and “order stuff.” Like an individual becoming part of a community, the process of chef and farmer uniting requires building a relationship based on long-term commitment and trust.
Once they’ve found one another, they learn about their respective food philosophies and practices. There are discussions about availability, timing, and options. Finally, an initial order is made. Great! Now that that’s done, how to get the product? Delivery and receipt of product can be complicated, especially in a rural, spread out area like Mendocino County. I can’t tell you how many suspicious looking rendezvous in parking lots or on the side of the roads have taken place when coordinating with small purveyors to receive goods! Sometimes it’s delegating deliveries/pick ups to servers or managers coming to or from work, or maybe the purveyor knows someone who may be traveling nearby. It requires a lot of collaboration.
As time goes on, a chef and purveyor become almost like business partners: they are taking a chance on each other and making long-term arrangements in advance, up to a year or more. Some end up partnered for decades. How many heads of cabbage can you grow? Can we get them at reasonably consistent sizes? The chef expects a certain quality, criteria, and timely deliverability of goods, and s/he relies on the expertise of the farmer to deal amicably with Mother Nature. The purveyor expects to work hard to ensure that they’ve done their best to grow/raise their product with utmost care and trusts that the product will be utilized with integrity (and, of course, paid for). It is a relationship that relies on mutual commitment to survive.
Many chefs also enjoy foraging and gleaning. Though they already work 12-plus hour days, some are so passionate and dedicated that they’ll wake in the wee hours to go seeking mushrooms, wild herbs, sea salt, berries, and myriad other wild delicacies. I recall arriving at a farmer’s orchard at 4:00 am to glean figs. The farmer was contracted to a famous chef and was not supposed to “sell” to anyone else, even though the chef only used less than 10% of the product! So the farmer provided his incredible figs to me in secret. Some chefs raise and harvest their own animals. There is really no end to the depths chefs can go to express their passion for showcasing locally sourced food!
We are lucky to be in this magical area, with so many local food options: beyond-organic fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, olive oil, wine, fish, fowl, and livestock. We even have a local mill that freshly grinds heirloom grains into flour! And if you can’t bake bread yourself, you can order it from a local baker.
As a busy chef, I deeply appreciate having the MendoLake Food Hub as a purveyor and delivery liaison. I wish that the entire country could have this model, and we do as much as we can to support this vital resource. Without the Food Hub, my chef life would be markedly more difficult, and I think the farmers would say the same. Fashioned much like a CSA, the Food Hub unites very small farmers with Mendocino and Lake County businesses and individuals by way of an online portal and distribution infrastructure. This business makes sourcing amazing, locally grown product incredibly easy. Like any business, it takes a while to smooth out the kinks, and I feel honored to have been with the Food Hub from the early days! As a fledgling businesses, we were patient with one another—another great example of local communities working together.
OK, but what does it actually mean to be “a local?” While some may ascertain whether a person in a locale is a “local” simply by proxy, I believe that it is much deeper than that. Is it simply how long one has resided in a place? Must one be born there to be truly local? Were the native Indians considered local? Like, if you live somewhere for 5 years, you’re somewhat local? 40 years you’re VERY local?
Over the years, we have come to create our own thoughts (and spelling) on the subject. To us, being “Loco(l)” is about how one interacts and contributes to a place and its inhabitants. It’s about contributing positively to society in one’s own unique way. It isn’t merely subscribing to someone else’s notions. It’s about respecting the world around oneself and being able to cherish and see the beauty of the immediate moment. Being “Loco(l)” is a state of mind, a way of living that embraces that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” for the true and greater good of the community.
Being considered a “local” in a small community takes more than just existing in a place. One must demonstrate that they possess shared values, are willing to participate in some positive way, and that they care for others in the community. Each community is a kaleidoscope of these interwoven principles, and each locale has individual differences based on its demographic make-up.
Coming here, we felt that we would nestle into a curiously diverse community of artists, rebels, sustainable farmers, winos, foodies, metropolitan expats, and people dedicated to “green” living. People here appear to enjoy music, dancing, and living mindful, responsible, bucolic existences. We appreciate Mendocino County because we enjoy farming and “living off the land.” We also crave quietness and solitude. Many who live here make great efforts to help one another in myriad ways: growing “stuff,” harvesting it, sharing equipment, exchanging time, sharing information and knowledge . . . the list goes on and on.
We continue to observe what the word “local” means to us as members of society, chefs, hosts, friends, gardeners, business owners, bosses, and human beings, both in this little hamlet and in the global “village.” In the world of food, supporting our community of farmers, foragers, ranchers, and fishing boats is of paramount importance. But we also enjoy introducing ourselves and our guests to delicious and unique delicacies sourced from our global community. We live in a beautiful world, and we want to celebrate its richness and diversity.
It took a little while, but we now feel comfortable with our place and view in this unique community, and we hope to continue as humble humans practicing what it means to be a positive part of this amazing place that we truly call home.
The Bewildered Pig | 1810 Highway 128, Philo
(707) 895-2088 | TheBewilderedPig.com
Check website for hours.
Chef Janelle Weaver, Co-Owner of The Bewildered Pig restaurant in Anderson Valley, has cooked professionally for over 20 years. She stays inspired by celebrating the local bounty of all things edible, cultivating a continued passion for the art of hospitality, and sharing her love of cooking with others. She and partner, Daniel Townsend, enjoy living a simple life on their modest farm with their “family” of chickens, rabbits, cats, and an occasional pig.
Farming without Plastics
by Michael Foley
When I started farming back in Maryland, I based a lot of my organic farming methods on Eliot Coleman’s The New Organic Grower. Somewhere in that book, he presented a back-of-the-envelope calculation comparing the carbon footprint of a head of lettuce grown in California and shipped to the East Coast versus a head of lettuce grown under plastic in his Maine hoophouse. His head of lettuce won hands down.
Coleman convinced me that year-round farming was the way to go. I put up my first hoophouse in 2005 and haven’t looked back. But when we moved to Willits in 2007, it was already clear that Coleman’s calculation couldn’t apply. A Salinas Valley head of lettuce had a lot less miles on it traveling to Willits than those shipping to eastern markets. Still, I built hoophouses and encouraged others to do so. I bought row covers to protect outdoor plants through fall, winter, and spring. I bought shade cloth to protect tender lettuces from the bright California sun. And a couple of years ago, we started buying ground cloth to kill off weeds and prepare the soil for planting.
I already knew plastic was bad for the environment, but I consoled myself that the most common plastics in our farming practice were the least bad: black plastic polyethylene mostly, and polypropylene for the greenhouse plastic and row covers. But plastic turns out to be much worse than I imagined. It is not just another fossil fuel product. It’s a product that pollutes all by itself as it off-gases additives and degrades into tinier and tinier pieces. The scourge of micro-plastics (plastic fragments less than 5mm in length) is becoming clearer, as they turn up in the intestines of fish and wildlife, in our drinking water, and in our own guts. We know that the bigger pieces kill plankton and other small forms of aquatic life, and many of them carry toxic chemicals, from BPA to phthalates, both responsible for a lot of reproductive harm in mammals, including humans.
Bioplastics aren’t necessarily better. Some of them biodegrade, but only under special circumstances—not in your compost heap, garden soil, or the ocean. Some of them don’t. Recycling, in the meantime, is in something of a crisis.
From an environmental perspective, we have to get plastics out of farming. But can we? On the one hand, the answer is, “Of course!” Humans farmed for 10,000 years before the advent of plastic just a few decades ago. We can do so again. On the other hand, this farmer—and I’m sure many others—is finding it hard to break the addiction.
Winter farming without that plastic hoophouse? The French market gardeners of the 18th and 19th century did it, with glass topped cold frames and “hot beds” warmed by composting manure, but it took a lot of labor, glass, and manure. Then there are the “fruit walls,” south-facing walls of cob or brick that absorb the sun’s heat during the day and stave off the cold during the night. Put a glass window in front of the wall and you have the beginnings of a greenhouse.
So there are tools out there that we might adopt and adapt as we try to find our way past the Age of Plastics. The glass greenhouse will be very expensive but last a long time. Other alternatives vary a lot in durability and cost. One of our mainstays at Green Uprising Farm in cooler months is row covers, sheets of spun polypropylene draped over low hoops down each row. Plants get protection from wind and chill, and the ground stays a couple degrees warmer. We’ve experimented using large pieces of cheesecloth and have found that they’re better than plastic. They stay up in the rain and snow, and they seem to last longer than the plastic version. They are also twice the cost.
In hot weather, we depend upon shade cloth. It covers much of our salad garden and our propagation house. This summer I tried the old alternative, used for centuries in farming cultures around the world—reed mats, sold as “reed fencing” here. It only took a few to cover the propagation structure. They’re much cheaper than shade cloth and much more attractive, and they give very effective shade for tender starts and microgreens.
Before market gardeners adopted plastic landscape cloth to kill weeds and prepare soil for working, organic gardeners and permaculturists advocated plain old cardboard. It works, and big pieces can be obtained from your friendly local furniture store. It can be cumbersome and ugly too, and we still have all that landscape cloth, but we’re using both now.
Bigger farmers depend upon sheet plastic mulches to suppress weeds, especially around delicate strawberry plants. But I met one farmer in Monterey County’s strawberry belt who was experimenting with burlap. We’re now trying out burlap to preserve the moisture around slow-germinating carrots, following the advice of Paul and Elizabeth Kaiser at Singing Frogs Farm.
Our old poly seed starting trays are coming apart, and it’s time to think about alternatives. Eliot Coleman introduced soil blockers to the U.S., a clever European device for producing compact “plugs” for seedlings without need for plastic. We’ll be trying them out soon.
As for packaging, we seem to be stuck with bio-plastic bags for our salad greens, but there are lovely cardboard fruit boxes on the market now that work just fine for tomatoes, pears, plums, and apples.
The biggest challenge is irrigation—miles and miles of poly tubing, with plastic fittings of all kinds. Invented to save precious water, it would be hard to part with and will probably be the last to go, if we ever manage to leave behind everything else plastic.
Can we get plastic out of farming? Yes, but we have a long, long way to go to end our dependence!
Michael Foley farms at Green Uprising Farm in Willits with his wife, Sara Grusky, and daughters, Thea Grusky-Foley and Allegra Foley. He is the author of Farming for the Long Haul (Chelsea Green, 2019).
Many Hands Make Light Work
Collaborators Come Together to Revive Willits’ Harrah Senior Center Garden
by Shannon Furr
The gates were locked, and a once bountiful garden was now buried in four feet of weeds. The Harrah Senior Center Garden in Willits was closed until further notice. The torch had been passed by the folks that ran the garden previously, but there was no one to take on the garden management. After the pandemic hit, a few of the members of the Willits Garden Club decided to give it a try. With the help of the Gardens Project of North Coast Opportunities (NCO), 100 Women Strong, and the Commonwealth Garden, a delightful collaboration came together. Significant donations by Dripworks, Cold Creek Compost, Sparetime Supply, and Family Tree Service provided needed support materials.
The Harrah Senior Center Community Garden became the newest of the 56 gardens supported by the NCO Gardens Project, which empowers community, one garden at a time, in creating shared spaces for cultivation and supporting local gardeners to become leaders and decision makers. Lucy Kramer, Gardens Project Coordinator, met with the Harrah Senior Center Board to organize systems for the garden to meet the requirements for designation as a community garden.
“Partnering with The Harrah Senior Center and The Willits Garden Club on this project has been a wonderful experience. The work by The Willits Garden Club with Shannon Furr has created a strong foundation for a very successful garden of great benefit to the larger community,” says Lucy. With the help of Cody Bartholomew, the President of The Golden Rule Church Association and a contractor for Ridgewood Community Builders, the project participants constructed six raised beds, designed to be wheelchair accessible. Cody is passionate about supporting independence for seniors, and he was pleased to support The Harrah Community Garden project.
All of this garden organizing took significant effort as well as fundraising. The NCO Gardens Project had been a recent recipient of an ingenious collective called 100 Women Strong. “The mission and purpose of this group [100 Women Strong] is to promote our local non-profits by sharing real stories with the public about what they do and how they impact people’s lives,” says Katie Fairbairn, founder. “I had attended a 100 Women Strong event in Lake County and was so inspired by what they were accomplishing on behalf of their community, and the sheer support and love shown to their non-profit organizations, I just had to do it in Mendocino County. I really wanted to do something that would make a difference and impact our community. I reached out to six amazing women who, after listening to my spiel, immediately said yes to creating a group here. It was meant to be, because everything just came together so naturally and easily.”
100 Women Strong Inland Mendocino just finished their inaugural year. The premise is this: Anyone who is interested commits to donating a hundred dollars to the winning nonprofit at each of the quarterly gatherings. At the event, members are given a ballot. Representatives from three non-profits make a pitch for the attendees’ votes. Ballots are counted, a winner announced, and checks are written directly to the non-profit. There is no overhead or fee, so the nonprofit receives the total donated by those present. Many members are so moved by the presentations that they write checks to each of the organizations represented.
“Last year, we raised over $92,000 in four gatherings. We averaged $23,000 per meeting, with on average $21,000 going to the winning non-profit and the other $2,000 going to the other two non-profits,” explains Katie. “Due to COVID-19, our first gathering in 2020 was postponed. We held a virtual event on June 11. We didn’t expect a good turnout and were hoping to maybe raise $10,000. Well, once again, this community came through with flying colors. At one point we had over 90 people on the zoom call, and we raised over $22,000!” The five winners of funding to date include: National Alliance on Mental Illness, Cancer Resource Center of Mendocino County, Walk Bike Mendocino, NCO Gardens Project, and the most recent winner, Project Sanctuary.
Last November, the Gardens Project was the winner of that evening’s award. Sarah Marshall, Gardens Project Manager, spoke passionately about the impacts of food insecurity, especially in the elderly of Mendocino County. She affirmed that community gardens not only relieve a nutritional burden, but also foster community connections, diminish loneliness, and contribute to personal empowerment. The attending members of 100 Women Strong agreed and awarded the group more than $10,000 in donations. The NCO Gardens Project, in turn, invested in the Harrah Senior Center Garden with some of those funds. They partnered with the Willits Garden Club, providing financial support and training on operating a community garden.
The community collaboration continued with the nearby Commonwealth Garden, a project of the Howard Hospital Foundation, providing plant starts. “We are blessed to be able to provide locally grown produce to patients, staff, and visitors at the Adventist Health Howard Memorial Hospital, the Willits Food Bank, Daily Bread, and the Caring Kitchen. And this year, Commonwealth was able to provide plant starts to over 160 families as well as the Harrah Senior Center Garden,” enthuses Ananda Johnson, garden manager.
It’s such a blessing to grow something from a seed and watch it come to fruition. It’s even more satisfying to the soul to give back to the seniors and the homeless with all that this community garden now produces. There is disabled access to personal half wine barrels instead of a daunting row for those that are unable to reach down. Those custom-built planter boxes from Cody hold every kind of vegetable and herb one could ever want, including five different varieties of squash, eggplant, four varieties of lettuce, watermelon, cantaloupe, cauliflower, beets, turnips, artichoke, sweet peas, pole beans, three varieties of cucumber, carrots, six varieties of tomatoes, peppers, brussels sprouts, flowers, and fruit trees. It’s been a healing sanctuary for all involved, and it makes us all feel we are truly part of a community effort.
It was extensive community cooperation that brought the Harrah Senior Center Garden back to thriving vitality. Now, despite the challenges of the pandemic, community members of all ages and abilities can dig in the soil, share a laugh with fellow gardeners, clear their minds by weeding the beds, and fill their bellies with the homegrown harvest.
To learn more, visit gardensproject.org and willitsseniorcenter.com.
Shannon Furr is a member of the Willits Garden Club and creator of Odin’s Organic Dog Treats. When not gardening, you can find her carousing with her furry family, Odin and Ragnar the Bernese Mountain Dogs.
The Elk Store
Adapting and Innovating During COVID-19
by Elise Ferrarese
The Elk Store is a small general store and deli in the town of Elk (population 250). In the days before the county order was issued, there were loads of tourists in the store telling us they were “escaping” the Bay Area because of COVID-19. The weekend of March 14th and 15th, business was up significantly, and we and our staff were feeling unsafe with the influx of people coming into the store from around the state and the country, especially given the long incubation period of the virus and the high percentage of asymptomatic carriers. We were one of the first businesses on the Coast to close our doors to customers because of the pandemic.
One of our biweekly takeout dinners: house-smoked ribs, roasted brussels sprouts, and baked beans.
We closed the store at the end of that weekend and took a few days to determine our next steps. Within days, we had to lay off all of our staff except for one. This was a difficult decision because these people are some of our dearest friends. Everything began changing really fast at that point, and it’s kind of a blur. One thing that is clear: our net sales for April are down by about 70% when compared with the same time period last year.
Let’s back up a bit. Grocery margins are notoriously thin during normal times, because large national chains like WalMart, Target, and Safeway have huge market share and buying power. They dictate prices, and as an industry they also drive down costs by paying their employees minimum wage. Grocery net profit margins are typically 1.5-3%. This presents a challenge for small markets such as ours.
Our approach has been to focus on locally-made foods and specialty products, organic staples, and of course, our famous deli sandwiches. We strive to pay our employees well, recognizing that they are our top asset and this is an expensive place to live. Our business is about community—supporting other local businesses, supporting Elk families, and supporting the Elk community. We have invested everything we have, living and raising our kids here. We love this community.
Prior to COVID-19, most locals would pop in for an occasional sandwich, a dozen eggs, or a bottle of wine, but we weren’t viewed as a one-stop shop. There are a number of locals who have prioritized supporting our business over the past five years by adding us to their regular weekly shopping stops, and we appreciate them very much. But the truth of the matter is, our income depends heavily on tourism. And now that that has been removed, we need more locals to ramp up their support and change their shopping habits. One of our distributors reports that the bigger grocery stores along the coast have had large buying surges and steady local support. This is to say that those stores will manage to get through this crisis. People will continue to shop there. But a small store like ours is barely coming up for air right now. If you want to see The Elk Store survive, please act now. From what we can tell, the government aid packages aren’t going to save us. It’s up to all of us.
The Elk Store in Elk, California
We have implemented stringent measures for community health and safety. We recognize that we are serving an older population that is at high risk of complications from the disease. Because we are such a small space, customers and vendors are no longer allowed inside. Sean and John are the only people who have been in the store since March 15. They receive all deliveries outside and remove products from outer boxes before bringing them into the store. Masks are worn and hands are washed frequently.
We have set up online sales and are in the process of getting all of our inventory entered into our online marketplace. You can order online by visiting theelkstore.com. We have fresh produce, hormone- and antibiotic-free meats, cheeses, pantry staples (including yeast!), personal care products, beer and wine, and much more! Our prices are competitive. If there is something you’d like but don’t see on our website, please email us and we will do our best to serve you. Groceries can be picked up curbside or delivered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
We are also making dinners two days a week (Wednesday and Saturday, $20 per person), featuring our house-smoked meats. Order online anytime before noon the day of pickup.
We are particularly proud of our community for coming up with an innovative way to support our business while helping those experiencing food insecurity in Elk. We are working with the Greenwood Civic Club, the Greenwood Community Center, and the Mendocino Coast Children’s Fund to spearhead an effort to put together food boxes for local families in need. We are working closely with this group to help order, provide, and re-package food and to help reach out to locals in need. Please email if you live in Elk and have a need (your information will remain confidential). To make a donation to the Greenwood Civic Club to support these efforts, contact thelittletownthatcan@gmail.com.
Retired Mendocino County Sheriff Allman famously quipped that when he needed something done, he’d ask someone from Elk. One of our friends referred to Elk as “the little town that can,” because this is a community that steps up when there is a need. We need you now.
You can make a donation on our online marketplace (theelkstore.com) if you would like to help us out. Or you can mail us a check to The Elk Store, PO Box 16, Elk CA 95432. This situation is constantly evolving—check our website and social media for our latest updates. Contact us at elkstoreca@gmail.com.
Subsistence Is Resistance
The Revolutionary Gardening Methods of John Jeavons
by Matthew Gammett
We don’t have to continue what we’ve been doing. We can be pioneers in an opening field of miniaturization of agriculture, of a sophisticatedly effective use of resources, of building up a fantastically abundant ecosystem on this planet . . . I may not change the world, but I want to vote for life with my life. If I wasn’t acting positively about these problems—good grief!—then I’d really be depressed . . . The question we need to ask is how can we easily raise our food with manual techniques. — John Jeavons
I was in my second year of the Boise State University Horticulture Program when I was introduced to the name John Jeavons. My instructor, Leslie Blackburn, took us out back of the greenhouse complex to some well-made raised beds. With shovels and forks in hand, we enthusiastically got our first lesson on double digging and biointensive potato planting. Ms. Blackburn told us she had learned about the techniques while attending a gardening and farming conference in California.
My classmates and I had a vague idea of the Grow Biointensive method because we had heard of the legendary potato yields reported from many folks who had implemented these techniques. But that was about as far as our knowledge went. After receiving a copy of The Sustainable Vegetable Garden by John Jeavons and Carol Cox from my instructor, I realized that the focus of the Grow Biointensive system was on attaining high yields and calorie production in a limited space. Hmmm . . . The aspect of calorie production rather than just “how to grow” really stuck with me and would guide my farming hand in the years to come.
A few years later, by some course of beautiful synchronicity, I found myself living near Ecology Action, a Grow Biointensive research and education site in Willits (and home to John Jeavons). I discovered this fact while listening to the only local radio station that made its way deep into the redwoods. I was tuned to The Farm and Garden Show on KZYX (shout out!), and the hosts were conducting an interview with John Jeavons on hand watering efficiency potentials on the . . . “What?! The double digging people?” I said aloud in the kitchen. “Ecology Action is just down the street from here?”
A note on double digging: Double digging is a widely used method of garden bed preparation and is utilized by the Grow Biointensive method. The idea is to aerate and loosen soil while revitalizing soil structure and microbial communities. It is usually only done for the first year or two, and then a transition can be made to only broad forking the beds, minimizing how much the soil is disturbed. The benefits are countless: it improves drainage, breaks-up the plow pan, improves soil structure and aeration for organisms, and creates a nice crumbly soil texture for planting transplants or seeds.
John Jeavons, founder of Ecology Action
Around that same time, I became quite enamored with Dr. Elaine Ingham’s work on the Soil Food Web and the topic of growing all of one’s own food, and I realized that this was a perfect moment of inspired synchro-mysticism. I was rediscovering my course material from school and noticing a great urge to learn and practice what I would later find is called “minimal area diet farming.” Historically, this would have been known simply as subsistence farming—farming to feed your family without much, if any, surplus for market. Is food production for making money or for building community, soil, and food security? Must they be mutually exclusive?
With the research he has been conducting for over 40 years, Jeavons claims that it is possible to make a modest income using the Grow Biointensive techniques while feeding yourself and your family. From my own experience, I have no doubt that this is true. Unfortunately, double digging (and thus Grow Biointensive) has developed a negative reputation in some circles. I hear time and again, from people of all ages, that it is just too much work, too much hard work.
First of all, not all soils require double digging. Double digging is about a kind of radical, restorative, and regenerative approach to revitalizing and oxygenating damaged or extremely marginal land—which, by the way, is the kind of land that most of the humans on this planet have access to. That’s right, double digging is a radical act and it can be restorative for body, mind, and soil! Second of all, it only takes a couple of solid hours, give or take, to dig a 100 square foot bed. That’s just a blink in a season of farming. It can be done in half this time with experience. Here’s what John Jeavons has to say:
“. . . I know that the most controversial issue of my work is labor. Most of us aren’t used to physical labor. We don’t want to farm, much less farm manually. And when we have those kinds of feelings, we set up mental blocks and decide, emotionally and understandably, that it can’t be done, at least not without overworking or stressing out. The question we need to ask is how can we easily raise our food with manual techniques. This question will bring the insights necessary to simplify the process to where it is humanly effective as well as resource effective.”1
The importance of the Grow Biointensive food production method was immediately obvious to me. I could potentially grow all of my own food on a very small section of this huge and glorious earth—without a tractor, without a tiller, with minimal labor, minimal investment, and low to no inputs! Some research by Ecology Action has the space requirement for feeding oneself down to 1000 square feet or less. (See Matthew Drewno’s upcoming publication, Achieving More with Less at www.Growbiointensive.com.)
As John said, “Perhaps partly because I’ve always been concerned with making the most efficient possible use of resources, I became curious about just how small an area could provide a complete living—including food and income—for one individual. The more times I put the question to people, though, the more different acreage figures or plain “don’t knows” I received. So one day I decided that, if I wanted to find the answer, I’d have to do the legwork myself.”2
Since learning these techniques that John Jeavons created, I have devoted as much time as possible each year to practicing and honing my skills on minimal area diet production and Grow Biointensive food raising techniques. Currently, my family and I operate a small scale oyster mushroom farm in Boonville. While the small space and low inputs of mushroom farming are exciting and promising for our future food security, for me personally, nothing compares to just getting outside with my face in the sun and my hands in the soil.
As I write this, humanity is in the midst of a global pandemic, and I think what has become most clear is the fragility of our food distribution networks. It has been on plain display how easily the artificially-inflated abundance of the supermarket can dwindle in just a few days’ time, even with all the might of our industrial system pushing it along. As the shelves sit bare of flour, beans, and rice (and tp), many of us have taken action by planting more food than we think we might need in an effort to “overgrow the system.” What better way to empower yourself and take control of the situation than to plant a garden? With Grow Biointensive food raising techniques, you can start your journey on the path to growing your own food. For example, you can grow all the garlic you need for a year in just 100 square feet of space. Of course, this one act of planting garlic is part of a larger synergistic whole which you can learn more about at Ecology Action’s website, GrowBioIntensive.org.
On the right sidebar are three crops to try with biointensive spacing and growing techniques that blew my socks off with their productivity of calories and nutrients in a small space. Try incorporating a 5 ft x 20 ft or 3 ft x 10 ft planting of at least one of these root crops into your normal gardening routine. If you are ready to try some of the more advanced biointensive food growing plans, check out some of Ecology Action’s publications like How to Grow More Vegetables, 8th ed. This is the hallmark book of the entire biointensive methodology, authored by John Jeavons and many researchers and interns over the decades. It provides some really nifty spacing and planting charts with data, as well as a jump-off point for your own subsistence farming guide in your own locale. They have translated and transmitted their guides, techniques, and books into dozens of languages all around the world.
We have an incredible resource right here in Mendocino County. Almost forty years after Ecology Action came to Willits, we find ourselves on top of a mountain of information related to food production specific to our local climate. In our rapidly changing world, we would be wise to utilize the knowledge and the tools to grow all of our own food in a small space and with limited resources. We can and we must strive to create a vibrant local food economy that nourishes our bodies and communities!
Sidebar: An Intro to Biointensive Gardening
Leeks that have been transplanted into their second flat with 1.5” spacing.
Leeks: In the early spring and throughout the year until mid-August, sow leek seeds in a 3” deep flat at ½” spacing in a hexagonal staggered pattern like a beehive. At one month, up-pot into a new flat that is 6” deep with 1.5” spacing. Transplant into the garden soil or garden bed one month later at 6” offset hexagonal spacing with at least 30” of bed width, and watch your investment in leeks grow mightily. Harvest begins at pinky thickness on up until flowering next year.
Rutabagas: In spring and early fall, sow rutabagas broadcast style into 3” deep flats and thin out to every 1/2”. One month later, transplant into bed at 6” offset hexagonal spacing with a bed width of at least 30” and watch these things grow into creamy, tasty, monster root crop goodness! Harvest starting at 3” tuber size up to 6” before they get woody.
Parsnips: In the early spring through the early fall, sow parsnip seeds into a 3” deep flat. Approximately one month later, transplant the parsnip plants into your garden bed at 4” inch offset spacing with a bed width of at least 30”. You will be rewarded by root crop goodness up until they begin to flower next year in the early spring.
All these crops can be left in the ground over winter if fall planted and harvested when needed, so no need for a root cellar! These are just a few of the crops that can become a lifeline during lean times.
(1) - https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/john-jeavons-biointensive-agriculture-zmaz90jfzshe
(2) https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/john-jeavons-zmaz80mazraw
Disclaimer: Matthew Nasser-Gammett is in no way affiliated with Ecology Action, its partners, and/or affiliates. He is just a fan of their very relevant time-tested gardening practices.
Matthew lives and farms mushrooms in the redwoods and grows vegetables in Anderson Valley with his family. One day soon they hope to move onto a permanent land base in Mendocino County, where they too can conduct research into subsistence farming and resource-scarce food raising techniques, and continue to contribute to our local food economy.
Brain Pleasers
6 Tips to Help Your Brain Stay Healthy
by Joi Sandhu
Neuroplasticity—it’s a fancy word that means our brains can grow new neurons and neuronal pathways, even as adults. The caveat: IF we live appropriately. The health of our brain is largely within our control and depends on the choices we make in our daily lives. This is fantastic news!
At Brain - Body - Health, we see clients all the time who are looking for ways to improve their brain health through lifestyle and diet adjustments. Of particular concern to many is dementia. Two-thirds of its victims are women, and the actual disease process begins 10-30 years before the first symptoms appear. Predictions indicate that dementia rates will triple in the next 20 years, and the cost of treatment is 50% more than other diseases, including heart disease and cancer. The estimated cost for one person’s care is over $342,000, with 70% of those expenses falling on the patient’s family. Scary stuff!
It has been established, though, that dementia is a preventable condition and should, in fact, be rare. Research shows that dementia and cognitive decline are primarily influenced by eight factors: stress, social life, learning, exercise, food, sleep, toxins, and infections. Your genes play a role, but they do not determine your fate.
Here are six habits we recommend to anyone who wants to preserve and even increase neuroplasticity.
1 – Eat an organic, whole-food, plant-rich diet that is low in carbohydrates and sugar, and eliminate processed foods. For a few days a week, follow an intermittent fasting schedule, allowing 12-16 hours overnight without any food. Poor nutrition damages the brain and the body. It can cause systemic inflammation which leads to a buildup of oxidative stress (rusty cells) that injure our blood vessels. Inflammation, which is at the root of most chronic diseases, often starts with our diet. The food we eat is one of the most important contributors to both disease and health.
2 – Play! Laugh—watch comedies and read light-hearted books. Find ways to enjoy yourself and spend time with people who make you feel happy. Do you want to join a book club or take a class? Have you always wanted to try pottery or watercolor or kayaking? Go for it! The joy it brings will add to your vitality and longevity.
3 – Challenge your brain—it needs exercise too. Some of the best ways to do this involve learning an instrument or a language, or joining a dance class. Learn new skills and new words and use them. You can also practice using your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth or stir your coffee. As we get older we sometimes avoid situations that make us feel uncertain or inexperienced, yet that wobbly feeling is great for your brain. Embrace it.
4 – Move yourself! We live in sedentary times, and it’s dreadful for our health. Sitting is the new smoking. Get up and move, every hour. Do some jumping jacks, step outdoors and walk for a few minutes. Get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five times per week.
5 – Rest. Sleep is critical. We need at least seven hours of deep restorative sleep every night. That sleep phase is when our brain cleanses itself, and it’s how our nervous system starts anew each day.
6 – Use clean products. Beauty products, cleaning, and yard products can be some of the most toxic things we expose ourselves to. We inhale them, lather them on, and ingest them. Eliminate those hazardous products with ingredients we can’t even pronounce and replace them with plant-based products that use natural ingredients.
If we incorporate the above practices into our lives, we can protect ourselves from dementia and even from disease in general. While these suggestions apply to everyone, each of us is unique, and we all have specific needs to optimize our health. In order to experience your best health, find a medical practitioner who can assess you as an individual. They can provide in-depth lab analysis to target areas that need support and recommend a health coach to make those goals achievable.
We are not at the mercy of bad luck. We can know health. It takes effort and some discipline, as well as a willingness to be honest and make some changes. But nothing is better than feeling good and being free to live fully for as long as we’re here on this planet in these amazing bodies. Spring is a great time to take control of your health, so think about making some changes to support your brain and your body in the years ahead.
Brain-Body-Health | www.brainbodyhealth.org | Ukiah and Willits, CA
Betty Lacy MD
UJ Sandhu PA, Health Coach, Functional Medicine Practitioner
All photos courtesy of Unsplash: brain scan—Alina Grubnayak; organic foods—Marty Harrington; laughing women—Omar Lopez; trumpet player—Priscilla du Preez; runners—Kolar Io; cat—Kate Stone Matheson; washing hands—curology.
Strong Roots & Open Circle Seeds
by Ree Slocum
Surely you’ve had this experience: You’re out with friends and trying out some new foods. At first bite, your ability to listen to words falls away because your taste buds are bursting with exquisite flavors. Well, that experience is something that recently delighted me with one of Strong Roots’ Sharlyn melons. “It’s so sweet and juicy with undertones of pineapple and coconut,” farmer Sorren said, “People swoon!” I can attest to salivating for more once I tasted the beautiful, luscious fruit. The melon, like all the plants on the Strong Roots farm, is open-pollinated and carefully chosen. Besides being a favorite with the Strong Roots farmers, Gina and Sorren, the Sharlyn has become a local legend.
Gina began selling vegetable seeds from her Laytonville gardens fifteen years ago as Laughing Frog Seeds. Her style as a grower was permaculture-influenced, with curving raised beds and nary a straight row. Sorren spent 25+ years learning organic farming in far-flung locations, riding her tractor wherever she went. Her style is all about efficiency and production, and curving raised beds are not even imagined. When the two joined forces in 2014 on a farm that had grown only grass hay for decades, they began not only converting hay fields to food crops, but integrating market growing with seed production.
“It’s been a learning experience for both of us,” Gina says, adding that for her it’s been “a completely unlooked-for gift and an opportunity to do things on a larger scale.” For Sorren, adding the special requirements of seed propagation—isolation distances, extra time in the field—has been a logical next step and a welcome challenge. The partnership works, she says, because “we’re both passionate plant people.”
Sorren’s farm business, in all its locations, has always been called Strong Roots. Gina’s seed company changed names with the move to Potter Valley and is now Open Circle Seeds. In addition to produce sold around the county through the Mendo Lake Food Hub, Strong Roots runs a thriving business selling spring and fall garden starts at the Ukiah Co-op, Mariposa Market in Willits, and Weathertop Nursery in Laytonville. The farm still sells grass hay to customers who come to the farm for it. And everything is certified organic.
All this activity could be a chaotic jumble if the parts were all separate, but each informs the others.
Promising new varieties, like Huerfano Bliss orange honeydew melon, are grown to sell as starts. If they’re vigorous and fast-growing, they’re trialed in the field—often alongside other varieties for comparison, as Huerfano Bliss was in 2018 with a total of 20 melon varieties—and the fruit is sold as produce. Gina says incredulously, “Picture this—Sorren’s minimum for any variety is a hundred-foot row.” Sorren gives her a look that seems to say, “Well, that’s obvious.” If the variety proves to be delicious and productive, it’s grown for seed the next year in an isolated field at the back of the farm, as Huerfano Bliss was in 2019. Then the seeds grown on the farm are used for starts as well as for Open Circle Seeds. Even the hay plays a part. Over a hundred bales are used every year as mulch for garlic and onions, asparagus and artichokes.
Melons are definitely a theme at Strong Roots, and each variety grown for produce and for seed was chosen because it stood out for its fabulous taste combined with vigor, productivity, and resilience to climate stresses. “We found, as we got to know Potter Valley more, that it used to be known for its melons and watermelons and was a central point for melon and watermelon seed growing,” Gina says. Sorren adds, “So we’re trying to revive those traditions.” Some years they have a watermelon or melon tasting party where people choose their favorite. “Usually there’s no surprise as to the favorite. It’s frequently the one we chose, too,” Sorren says. Winners so far are Mountain Honey cantaloupe, Huerfano Bliss honeydew, and, of course, Sharlyn. Among watermelons, Crimson Sweet holds the #1 spot, with Early Moonbeam as the best yellow variety, and an orange heirloom called Sweet Siberian—a small apricot-colored watermelon with floral undertones to its sweetness—as the winner grown for seed in 2019.
Seed comes first at Strong Roots Farm, both in details—seed crop locations for the next year are planned first, and other crops fit in around their requirements—and in the big picture view. “Without seeds, we’ve got nothing,” Sorren says, “and just like everything else, the world of seed is in a dire situation.” Gina adds, “Over 90% of all the seed resources in the world are tied up in just three multi-national chemical companies. But it’s one of those rare things where ordinary people can make a huge difference. What could be more important than our food supply? And the most actual good you can do is go out and plant a garden.”
And pay attention to the source of your seed. “Seeds are the one aspect of agriculture few people think about,” Sorren says, “Even organic farmers often overlook where their seed comes from.” To be sustainable as the basis of our food supply, seeds need to be from open-pollinated varieties, meaning they can be grown true from seed year after year. Organic seed makes a difference, and Gina points out, “Organic seed produces plants with better built-in defenses against pests, and they’re better able to take up nutrients from the soil and air. Seeds grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides are adapted to need those inputs.” For even more garden success, look for locally adapted varieties like the ones offered by Open Circle Seeds, or use seeds you save yourself. “The truly amazing thing is how quickly plants adapt,” Gina enthuses. “They can make changes in their DNA in just one growing season,” Sorren elaborates. “We start with the best varieties we can find, and then every year we grow them they just get better adapted to our region.”
Potter Valley provides challenges that are perfect for adapting plants to the widening range of stressful conditions the changing climate presents. “We go for short-season varieties whenever we find them,” Sorren explains, “because those are the plants that jump out of the ground and grow fast, and we don’t know what the season will bring.” Recent years have included the 115-degree days of 2017, the 2018 summer of smoke, and 2019’s short colder season. Gina and Sorren have confidence that the plants they grow can meet the challenges and adapt to the changes. You can help grow a resilient local food system with your food choices—by planting your own garden with locally adapted seed, or simply by eating the produce of our local farmers.
Strong Roots sells their produce, starts, and seeds at the Ukiah Co-op and Mariposa Market in Willits. Their open-pollinated seeds are also available online at opencircleseeds.com. To find out more about seed saving, visit seedalliance.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. See her work at ReeSlocumPhotography.com.