Seeking Serenity
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. These lines from the Serenity Prayer have been a mantra for me over these past months. So many changes are afoot, and so much is out of our control.
In our last issue, some readers may have noticed a different feel to our magazine, a different paper sheen from our usual matte deliciousness. This was not by choice, but rather due to the global paper shortages preventing us from acquiring our usual stock. It became not a choice of what paper we would prefer, but rather a choice between that or nothing at all. A small change in the scheme of things, but a large shift when it comes to printing a magazine. Our particular design and quality standards are a big part of what makes Word of Mouth great, and losing our paper choices stung a little. Clearly, more and more of what is required of us is flexibility and a little grace.
As we delve further into 2022 (I’m still in awe of that date), additional changes are around the corner. Rising printing costs motivated us to find a new printer, as we want to maintain our quality while keeping ad prices steady. Now in our sixth year of publication, we are looking closely at our approach to see how we can include new people and fresh ideas. As part of our commitment to connect readers to the food and farms of this place, Farmer Gowan Batist is adding her voice, garnered from years of working in the fields and with her sheep. Her singular writing style will not be new to those who follow Gowan on social media, and we hope this column will introduce her to more readers.
This issue also looks at opportunities to rethink the standard approach and adjust it to make things better. The Blue Zones organization wants to make Mendocino County healthier through research-based recommendations. Travis Foote of Strictly Vineyards encourages his clients to forgo the dangerous yet common glyphosate pesticide in his clients’ vineyards. And Lisa Ludwigsen profiles the impressive women working in Mendocino County agriculture, and the changes this fresh generation brings to their work.
This fresh spring season welcomes in more light, with its promise of new adventures. The only constant is change and springtime has it in spades. I’m ready to stand in the sun and stretch, the better to prepare for flexibility and practice releasing my imaginary hold on what lies ahead.
Warmly,
Holly Madrigal
Publisher
Leeks!
Nourishing Spring Beauties
Leeks are beautiful. I mean, have you ever stopped when slicing a leek and gazed at its symmetry, its perfect spring green vibrancy? Crosswise leek medallions are concentric targets with a delicious brilliant lime hue. While truly stunning, their visual appeal is not the only reason to love them. They are delicious. I most commonly eat them in Leek and Potato Soup, which has to be one of the easiest, heartiest soups for an early spring evening when the nights are still cold. My go-to is the version in the cookbook Plenty by Sarah McLachlan (yes, the musician). Sauté the leeks, add a bay leaf, some garlic, salt, and pepper. Add cubed potatoes and broth, simmering until tender. Remove the bay leaf and, using a hand blender, puree it all up right in the pan. You can add a little milk for additional creaminess, but you don’t need it. So soothing and warm.
Leeks are also known to have antibacterial properties. A woman I met from Bulgaria said that when her family did not have access to medications, her mom would steep leeks on the stove, let the water cool, and then administer a few drops to the ear to cure earaches. It was this same woman who shared her favorite leek dish, which she described as “spanakopita with leeks instead of spinach.” So, I looked it up and discovered Prasopita–praso, meaning leek, and pita, meaning pie. This preparation will give you time to gaze at the beauty of this humble vegetable.
Prasopita adapted from Cancale Kitchen (www.mycancalekitchen.com)
Ingredients
• 4 c leek greens, chopped (this is a great use of the darker portions you might normally discard)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (reserve some for brushing phyllo sheets)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 egg beaten
• 6 oz feta, crumbled
• 1 package phyllo dough (approx. 8 sheets), thawed
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Saute the leek greens in olive oil until softened. Add ½ cup of water to the pan, cover, and simmer over low heat until the leeks become very soft. Remove the lid, adding lemon juice, garlic, and spices. Cook until all the water has evaporated. Remove from heat to cool slightly. Stir in beaten egg and feta.
Cover the bottom of a loaf pan with a layer of phyllo dough and brush with olive oil. Place another sheet on top, and repeat the process until half of the phyllo sheets (about four layers) are used up. Add the filling to the layered phyllo sheets, spreading it evenly. Take the remaining sheets and layer them as before on top of the filling, brushing each with olive oil. Fold any extra edges over to close. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Pierce the top in a few spots to vent.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown. Let the Prasopita cool slightly before serving.
The GoodLife Cafe
A People-First Mendocino Institution
by Torrey Douglass
When I met with Teddy Winslow one morning to talk about GoodLife Cafe, her wildly successful breakfast and lunch hot spot, she had already been hard at work for hours. Her early morning had been spent investigating the best way to make hot chocolate and mochas using solid blocks of premium chocolate. Supply chain issues were making powdered cocoa hard to come by, and the cafe needed an alternative solution to keep the hot and chocolatey drinks flowing. This is a small endeavor among the multitude of tasks required to keep a business humming along, yet it embodies a few of the values that have turned GoodLife Cafe into a local institution: never skimp on quality, consistently offer a diverse and tantalizing menu, and use creativity and diligence to always deliver, regardless of the challenges involved.
The cafe sits in an enviable location, smack dab in the middle of Mendocino’s business district where there’s plenty of car and foot traffic. Folks heading up Lansing Street to pop into Mendosa’s grocery store or down it to stroll along the headlands and take in the ocean views all pass by GoodLife. Its large windows offer a clear view into the bustling interior, while coffee aromas tempt passersby inside. And once inside, I double dare you to turn around and walk out once you get a look at the glass cabinets full of freshly baked pastries, bagels, cakes, cookies, and pre-baked dishes like Korean noodles and quiche. There’s also a morning menu that offers full breakfasts like Eggs Benedict, omelettes, and waffles. The lunch menu is filled with favorites like tostadas and burritos, fresh soups and salads, and a variety of sandwiches including a classic BLT, savory portobello mushroom, or a hearty burger. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten- and dairy-free options are plentiful and clearly indicated, and the ingredients are almost all organic.
Teddy credits her success in part to what she calls her “Jewish nature.” “Feeding people makes me happy,” she said with a smile. She comes by it honestly—her Grandma was called Savta Tova, or “Grandma Good Food,” and delicious meals were the standard in the house where she grew up. While she did work at other jobs, she naturally gravitated to the hospitality industry, working as a server for different restaurants, including Queenie’s in Elk. At one point, she was asked to move from the floor to the kitchen when Queenie had to take time off due to illness, providing her first taste of professional cooking experience and allowing the restaurant to stay open during a difficult time.
After years working for others, in 2012, Teddy was ready to strike out on her own. She purchased the little coffee shop from Paul and Joan Katzeff, owners of Thanksgiving Coffee, with almost no money down. At that time, the orders averaged $4.67 and the business was in the red.
Purchasing the cafe wasn’t the only big change in Teddy’s life at that time. When the sale for the cafe went into escrow, she was also seven months pregnant. Her son spent his baby days in the bakery with her, then was sent home to be cared for by family when he began to crawl. Shepherding GoodLife into stability and profitability went hand in hand with solo parenting and learning how to be a mom. When it came to the cafe, her overriding thought was, “If I’m going to commit my life to this, I need to feed my kid from it.” As a result, the cafe serves up “real food”—non-GMO, mostly organic, lovingly prepared food to nourish and delight her customers.
Like a good mom, Teddy encourages continuous growth and improvement. The space has been expanded three times under her ownership. What used to be a funky, small front room with a tiny back kitchen now includes the entire bottom floor of the building, more than triple the original footprint. The original kitchen had one small, six-burner stovetop with her office tucked into a corner. Now there are separate stations each for making pastries, waffles, salads, and deli items, as well as the hot line for the made-to-order dishes. Employees now have a break room, and Teddy and the rest of management share an office in the back. The business has grown 20% every year—she paid off the Katzeffs by 2017—and the larger space testifies to past success while enabling continued growth in the future.
Teddy is the first to tell you she couldn’t have done it alone. The core values that are the foundation of the cafe—producing wonderful food created from the best ingredients—rest on a less visible but probably more significant value: take care of your people. “I named the business GoodLife because I want it to emulate that,” Teddy shared. “Each staff member is appreciated and matters. There’s very little turnover.”
That appreciation is backed up by real action. Teddy implemented a 15% service fee when she re-opened after the COVID shutdown, weathering some Yelp backlash to stand by her commitment to her team. She sees a direct relationship between delicious food, good service, and staff that are treated well. “People stayed because they are getting grown-up paychecks,” she explained. “I want management to treat [the business] like their own.”
Opportunity for professional growth is available to any staff who’s up for it. When Teddy first purchased the business in 2012, Beto Uluac had already been washing dishes for 5 years. He was 22 and shy, possessing little English and a rock solid work ethic. Teddy taught him the cafe’s recipes that she, in turn, had gathered from family, friends, and local professionals. Beto became a cook, then head cook, and now is the kitchen manager.
It seems like Beto has found his calling. He loves to try new things and play around with existing recipes. When he visits San Francisco, he seeks out bakeries to check out the latest creations. That’s how the cafe began making “cruffins”—a pastry that bakes croissant dough in a muffin tin with various fillings. GoodLife cruffins have included fillings like peanut butter and chocolate, raspberry custard, pumpkin spice, and dulce de leche. When reflecting on Beto’s role in the business, Teddy shared, “He’s hungry, he’s scooping up life experience. [The job] is not just a way to make rent.” Recognizing how essential Beto has been to GoodLife’s success, wheels are turning to give him a percentage of the business and make him co-owner, and later this year he plans to attend business management training as well as professional pastry training.
Ultimately, Teddy would like the business to be entirely employee-owned. In a time when businesses are losing workers like a wet dog shaking off water, her turnover has been minimal. Investing in her people keeps the quality consistently high while enabling the business to take everything to the next level. There’s nothing wrong with getting served by a teenager who has had the job for three months, but when you’re waited on by someone who’s been working at the front counter for several years, who is empowered to speak up when there is room for improvement, and can share their expertise with customers, it’s a whole different level of customer experience.
GoodLife prioritizes long term sustainability over easy-butultimately-detrimental short term solutions. “I hate waste,” confided Teddy. Leftover pastries become the next day’s bread pudding and unused vegetables are made into soup before they lose their vibrancy. An overabundance of kale led to the popular “green soup,” now a customer favorite. There are no plastic, single-use utensils on offer, and to-go boxes are compostable. Teddy is currently looking for a pig farmer who could collect her compost, which would provide a full-circle solution for the kitchen’s food scraps.
Teddy’s care for the well-being of folks is not limited to her staff, but extends out into the community. These local ties have been essential to GoodLife’s survival during the pandemic. The kitchen buys produce from farms like Fortunate Farm, Nye Ranch, Big Mesa Farm, and Green Rainbow Farm. Besides serving as a retail space for merchandise like hats, bags, and mugs, the front doubles as a local art gallery, providing a generous 70% payout to artists. And of course there is the coffee, which has always been local. For years, the cafe’s coffee and espresso were all provided by its original owner, Thanksgiving Coffee. Then, last year, Teddy switched over to another excellent Mendocino County brand. Black Oak Coffee now supplies the cafe with coffee sustainably grown by a women-owned business in El Salvador.
Teddy measures her time at GoodLife by her son’s age, since they both entered her life at the same time. An only child, the cafe provides him with a larger family as well as a connection to the community. When he was younger, he would stand by the door and hand out menus. Teddy expects him to start wiping tables and bussing next year. Until he’s ready for that, he volunteers at the Fort Bragg Food Bank, as she thinks it’s important for him to be exposed to the food insecurity some people experience. “Everything we make is so fresh, there aren’t lots of leftovers to give them,” Teddy said with regret. Still, volunteerism can inspire compassion, motivate good works, and help him appreciate the GoodLife he’s been lucky enough to grow alongside.
Good Life Cafe & Bakery
10483 Lansing St, Mendocino, CA 95460
(707) 937-0836 | GoodLifeCafeMendo.com
Open daily 8am - 3pm
Torrey Douglass is a web and graphic designer living in Boonville with her family. Her life’s joys include reading by the fire, cooking something delicious, and inspiring her dogs to jump into the air with uncontained canine happiness.
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.
Springbank Clover
An Edible Springtime Wildflower with Hidden Strengths
by Torrey Douglass
When Spring’s wildflowers appear, keep an eye out for springbank clover, whose deep magenta or pink-purple hues add some snazz to the landscape. With the Latin name Trifolium wormskioldii, its common names include cow’s clover, coast clover, and sand clover. This versatile and beautiful plant can be found in spots that offer both moisture and sun–beside a creek, in a patch of sunny meadow that stays damp from runoff, in marshy areas next to ponds, or on the edge of seasonal wetlands. They are especially abundant after a wet winter. All parts of the plant, from the young leaves to the flower heads to the tender roots under the soil, have something to offer. Starting at the top, the flowers can be dried or used fresh to make a refreshing tea. The greens can be eaten raw in salads or steamed and seasoned with sea salt for a simple side dish. But the real bounty of this plant is hidden beneath the ground, where its nutritious and abundant rhizomes historically served as an important vegetable for Indigenous peoples from California to Western Canada. Rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, and other nutrients, the roots of springback clover were traditionally dried for eating later in the year, but they are good fresh, too, when they are similar in taste and texture to Chinese bean sprouts. They can be washed and added raw to salads, or fermented into a quick and tasty kimchi (see recipe on the right). The flowers attract all sorts of bees and butterflies, so be thoughtful about gathering the plants and leave plenty for the pollinators. Mature plants thrive when they are periodically divided and replanted, so it’s fairly easy to cultivate your own to beautify the view, sustain pollinators, and provide an abundance of flowers, greens, and rhizomes for eating.
Springbank Clover Kimchi
Ingredients
• 2 c Springbank clover fresh rhizomes
• 1 c shredded carrots
• Optional: ½ c additional diced veggies like radishes, bell peppers, celery
• 2 minced cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/4 c mushroom broth or water
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• Optional: sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Combine garlic, chili flakes, fish sauce, and salt, and set that aside for one hour. This is your kimchi mixture.
Combine all of the vegetables into a bowl and salt generously, then set aside for one hour. Rinse the vegetables, then add the kimchi mixture and combine well. Transfer to a vessel, add a weight to press the veggies down, then add enough mushroom broth or water to cover.
Keep it at room temperature for 24 hours before enjoying. The kimchi can be refrigerated for up to a week. Try it with roasted meats, as a stir-fry side, or alone as an invigorating snack.
Torrey Douglass is a web and graphic designer living in Boonville with her family. Her life’s joys include reading by the fire, cooking something delicious, and inspiring her dogs to jump into the air with uncontained canine happiness.
Barra Ranch Alpacas
An Unexpected Arrival at Barra of Mendocino
by Lisa Ludwigsen
I found myself pondering about alpacas as I headed down the windy road to visit the Barra family’s home ranch, Redwood Valley Vineyards. Alpaca is just another name for a llama, right? They’re from South America, and their long necks and stature stand out in fields as they protect livestock, mainly sheep, from predator attacks. After an hour visiting with these sweet, funny, inquisitive animals, I was not only charmed, but I realized that my assumptions about alpacas were mostly wrong. I wanted to learn even more about them.
It turns out that alpacas differ from llamas in many ways. Both breeds hail from the mountainous areas of western South America, where llamas are used as pack animals and predator control. Alpacas, though, are smaller and less instinctively protective, so they aren’t typically used as guards for flocks or herds. Alpacas also have a shorter nose and pointier ears. Perhaps the most important difference between the two animals is that alpaca hair makes an exceptional fiber (llama hair has historically been less desirable for fiber work, though breeding is changing this). Their fleece can be a variety of natural colors–white, beige, brown, auburn, and pure black. It is a prized fiber in many parts of the world, and can be blended with silk and wool to beautiful effect. Just like sheep wool, alpaca fleece can be sheared, carded, and spun into yarn to make textiles of all kinds. Unlike sheep wool, however, alpaca contains no lanolin, so it is hypo-allergenic. This makes it a great alternative for those with wool sensitivities.
The invitation to visit the alpacas was prompted by the unexpected arrival of two alpaca babies—known as cria— to the small herd of five that the Barra family purchased in August of 2020. “The gestational period of alpacas is between 300-350 days, so we had no idea that two of our females were pregnant when the animals arrived at the ranch . . . It was such a pleasant surprise to have these adorable babies show up unexpectedly,” shared Martha Barra, owner of the Barra of Mendocino and Girasole Vineyards wine brands, as well as the Redwood Valley Cellars custom crush facility.
Martha explained, “We purchased the alpacas and three goats from a rancher in Boonville after a pack of neighborhood dogs tragically attacked and killed 13 of our beloved goats in one night. After that heartbreak, we thought alpacas would be a smart replacement, since predators like dogs and coyotes don’t often attack them.” It has worked out exceptionally well. Three new goats share a pasture with the alpacas, where they all look after each other. Martha added, “They really are a delight to be around and make a great addition to the small flock of chickens on the property. We dress them up with traditional Peruvian ribbons, take pictures of them to share on our social media marketing, especially on National Alpaca Day. Everyone, from our staff to ranch visitors, enjoys seeing and visiting with them.”
The Barra alpacas range in color from a light beige to a rich, dark butterscotch and sport names like Coconut, Toffee, Carmella, Sugar (one of the babies) and Yuli, who was born near Christmas. Their expressive faces, pointy ears, and friendly dispositions make them appear to be ready to start up a conversation with a visitor. If you’re in the area, pull over and stop by for a chat
For information about making a group reservation to visit the alpacas at the ranch, email info@barraofmendocino.com.
Barra of Mendocino Tasting Room
7051 North State Street, Redwood Valley
(707) 485-0322 | BarraOfMendocino.com
Open Sat & Sun, 11am - 5pm | Mon - Fri, 10am - 5pm
FloraQuest Farm
Sustainable Flower Farming in Redwood Valley
by Jessica Welling
It is no secret that the local food movement has gained even more momentum over the past two years, as we have shifted our lifestyles to find fresh and easily accessible produce straight from the farmer. This focus has poured over into the local flower movement as well. Yes, the local flower movement. Farmer-Florist Jessica Welling of FloraQuest Farm in Redwood Valley started her farm in 2019 with a vision to provide her community with locally grown, fresh cut, seasonal flowers and to scale down the distance travelled from field to vase. She aims to educate folks about the importance of buying local, and to bring awareness to the environmental impact that comes with conventionally grown and flown flowers.
The vast majority of cut flowers purchased in our country are far from locally produced, usually imported from South America. Often laden with heavy synthetic pesticide applications, the blooms are also fumigated after harvest, before shipment, to meet international agriculture inspection standards. The health concerns for the agricultural workers, florists, and retail customers being exposed to these chemicals are important to consider. Additionally, the carbon footprint is immense–flying a highly perishable product with excessive packaging thousands of miles on jumbo jets. With concern for environmental responsibility in mind, the volume of folks entering the world of flower farming in the United States has exploded. Locally grown, cut flowers are typically of higher quality and longer vase life, unique and diverse in variety, and the seasonality of them determines the availability of different cultivars. They are also safe to compost!
Now, imagine the FloraQuest farm at the height of their growing season–a small field of flowers interspersed with native manzanitas and oak trees, buzzing with honeybees and myriad other pollinators. Jessica tends to the farm as the sun rises, harvesting fresh blooms at their ideal stage of maturity to ensure a long-lasting flower in the vase. The heat of the summer sets in, and she returns in the early evening to plant out new flower babies that will bloom in autumn. The time in between is occupied with creating flower arrangements, delivering orders, and being mama to her 5-year-old son.
Jessica’s life as a flower farmer has not always been this organized. The birth of the flower farm plan got off to a rough start. When the idea sparked in September 2018, farm planning began almost immediately, but then a devastating house fire in early November destroyed not only the family’s home and belongings, but the supply of seeds and bulbs purchased for that season. Yet through an outpouring of love and support from the community, Jessica’s dreams were still able to come to fruition that season on a new piece of land much better suited for the project due to its larger growing space. It was truly a silver lining that allowed the farm to proceed.
The farm itself is considered a “micro-farm,” with approximately ¼ acre in production and an expansion on the horizon. Jessica utilizes no-till farming practices that encourage diverse pollinator habitats, increase healthy soil microbiology, and aid in the reduction of atmospheric carbon released from the ground. The goal is to encourage a community of flora and fauna that work in an interconnected system, fostering health and vitality from the tiniest invertebrates and fungi in the soil, up through to the plants, and beyond to the bees, birds, and humans that enjoy the blooms.
Jessica believes that organic, sustainable farming is the only option for her, though it is no easy task. A no-till farming system can involve a great deal of physical labor. New flower beds are carefully aerated using a large broadfork to minimize soil disturbance and preserve the habitat that thrives below the surface. Next, a layer of cardboard is rolled out for weed suppression, erosion control, and as a bonus food source for worms. The final bed prep task involves spreading a generous layer of compost with basic farming tools: shovel, wheelbarrow, and rake. No tractors are used on this farm, just good old fashioned manual work. FloraQuest strictly uses products certified for organic use, sourced locally if possible, which support the health of the habitats that make up the farm.
Timing is everything when it comes to growing flowers. Each variety is organized into a planting calendar that helps determine when and how many seeds to sow throughout the season. Flower farmers normally follow a succession planting schedule in which any given flower will be planted repeatedly at a specific time interval. For example, sunflowers are planted every one to two weeks to ensure a continuous harvest throughout the entire season. Zinnias are sown every three to four weeks because they produce flowers for a longer period of time between plantings. Seeds are often started in the summer and fall for spring blooms the following season, and overwinter for summer blooms. Planting is best in the cooler evening hours to give the flowers a chance to acclimate and reduce transplant shock. Once in bloom, prime harvest time is early morning when the flowers are most hydrated. Every flower has an ideal stage of harvest—some have the best vase life when harvested early in bloom before the petals even open, some as the petals are just beginning to open, and others once they have blown fully open. Juggling the timing of everything can be a bit tricky, but the rewards are a beautiful, consistent flow of blooms.
So, what happens once the flowers are cut? Sustainably-minded farming practices lead to sustainably minded floral design techniques. Many of FloraQuest’s arrangements are displayed in mason jars, which can be reused by both the customer and the farmer. As an alternative to the toxic foam typically used in the floral industry, larger arrangements for weddings and events are designed with chicken wire to hold the stems in place. Hand-tied bouquets are wrapped in recycled paper sleeves rather than cellophane, and no floral preservatives are used. Additionally, any leftover flowers that have been cut from the field and are suitable for drying are used in the creation of dried flower arrangements and wreaths throughout the autumn season.
As a youngster, Jessica learned and enjoyed floral design by helping her mother in a floral shop near Chicago, where she became familiar with boutonnières, corsages, and wedding bouquets. At that time in her life, it never occurred to her that this would later influence her career choice! Fast forward twenty-some years, and she has taken those elements and made them her own in her budding business.
The beauty of creating something from nature is that there are no strict rules to follow. Texture, mood, and a touch of wild characterize Jessica’s designs today. Highlighting the elements inherent in the blooms is what truly brings her floral arrangements to the next level. She believes that flowers speak in their own sort of language. Flowers can bring people back in time and elicit a sense of nostalgia. They go hand in hand with celebrations of all kinds. They can lift moods, bring peace and calm, and show appreciation or empathy. In short, flowers are used to show someone that you care. With all that we have been going through in the past two years, flowers have increasingly become a beautiful way to nurture emotional well-being and psychological health.
In the coming seasons, Jessica hopes to slowly expand the farm to include more flower beds filled with perennials, native shrubs, and annuals. She is always seeking knowledge on how to become a better steward of the land and coexist harmoniously with the natural rhythms of the creatures that live both above and below the soil. Every season involves some experimenting, whether it be with new varieties of flowers, foliage, and grasses, overwintering frost-hardy plants from the previous season, or companion planting different flowers in the same growing bed. Some of her current interests include Korean Natural Farming (KNF), vermicomposting, seed saving, and vegetative propagation of dahlias and heirloom chrysanthemums. There are always new things to learn and improve upon, and FloraQuest Farm is eager to grow, literally and figuratively, with each season in Mendocino County.
FloraQuest Farm was born out of a passion for environmental stewardship, love for flowers, and desire to share beauty and artistic creativity with the community. Engaging and supporting the fieldto-vase model is what builds strength, stability, and health in the local flower movement in our community. Jessica loves to build relationships and interact with her customers directly, embracing the “get to know your farmer” attitude. Like the local food movement, the local flower movement can bring the beauty of nature into our homes in a way that is better for us, the flower farmers, and the world we share.
FloraQuest Farm is currently not open to the public, but their flowers can be found March through November at the Ukiah and Redwood Valley Farmers Markets, by contacting Jessica at floraquestfarm@gmail.com, and through their website www. floraquestfarm.com.
Jessica Welling moved to Mendocino County in 2010 from Florida, where she attended college and had her first farming experience volunteering on an urban organic farm. She enjoys spending time in the great outdoors with her family and friends, and traveling as much as she can.
Lazy Spring Drives
Wild Wildflowers
Blue Wing Saloon to Bear Valley 49 mi (dirt road involved)
A rustic drive through meadows of grazing cattle leads you to acres and acres of golden blooms. Swaths of purple and pink delight cover the landscape of Bear Valley outside Williams. After enjoying a delicious brunch at the Blue Wing Saloon in Upper Lake head east on Hwy 20 for about 37 miles, turn North onto Bear Valley Rd. which is unpaved. If you pass the Hwy 16 cutoff you have just passed the turn. 8 miles of dirt road pass through oak woodlands, dotted with volcanic soils. Keep your eyes peeled for the invasive wild pigs. Most of the area is private property but one generous ranch owner, in a particularly stunning field has made a gate proclaiming “Wildflower Access” allowing you to walk among the blooms. Best viewed in April with natures telltale variability.
Mustard & More
Boonville to Hendy Woods 9.2 miles
Yellow mustard fills the spaces between the vines on this gentle cruise through the vineyards and apple blossom orchards ending in the towering redwoods. Starting at Pennyroyal Farmstead sign up for a visit to see the goats, if you are lucky maybe some kids (the goat kind) will be about. Traveling west on Hwy 128 meander past vineyards bright with yellow mustard flowers. Arriving at Gowans to sample some award-winning hard cider. Just past the orchards take a left on Philo Greenwood Rd. The Apple Farm is just before the Navarro River and hosts a self-serve fruit stand complete with apply cider syrup, fresh pressed juice, jams and jelly’s. Select items for a picnic in Hendy Woods a State Park
A Blush of Blossomes
Sebastopol to Bodega Bay 16 miles
Drive along this route at the right time of year and falling blossom’s blow in drifts of warm air, carpeting the roads in pink. Driving West on Bodega Hwy. you travel through acres and acres of Apple Orchards many are the regionally celebrated Gravenstein type. Bright green grass covers the hillside interspersed with riots of yellow acacia trees. After 11 mile the road turns north up the coast a great place to grab some chowder and watch the sunset.
The Root of the Matter
Strictly Vineyards on Growing Grapes without Glysophate
by Torrey Douglass
“When it comes to grapes grown in Anderson Valley and Mendocino County, each grape has been touched at least once by someone’s hands,” remarked Travis Foote, General Manager of Strictly Vineyards, a vineyard management company located just outside of Boonville. “It’s not a hands-off approach, especially here in AV, where wines aren’t mass produced through industrial farming.” Grape growing, regardless of vineyard size, is a complex and intensive endeavor, and Strictly Vineyards helps farmers, vineyard owners, and wineries navigate the profusion of challenges that await anyone brave (or foolish?) enough to try their hand at it.
By his own admission, Travis “fell into” vineyard management as a career. After college at Penn State, he came to California to help his aunt and uncle open their new winery and tasting room, Balo Vineyards. He planned wine flights, set up the payment system, and got all the necessary details organized for the tasting room to open in May of 2012. Then, mission accomplished, he headed back east to Philadelphia. But once winter rolled around, he found himself reconsidering his choices. Anderson Valley offered less snow and more sun–and more wine, so he turned around and came back, settling in Boonville and taking on the manager position for Balo’s Vineyard.
Travis was completely new to the field (hah!), and there was a lot to do and even more to learn. He tapped into the valley’s community of grape growers and winemakers, reaching out to experts like Paul Ardzrooni, Norman Kobler, and Jason Drew with his questions. “They were very generous with their time,” he remembers, “and they’re still supportive to this day.” His expertise grew as he learned on the job, and soon he was approached to manage other vineyards. Not long after, Strictly Vineyards was formed to provide vineyard management services such as feasibility studies, new vineyard installation, and ongoing care and maintenance.
According to Travis, the whole winemaking process requires more sweat and effort than folks assume. “A lot of people don’t realize how intensive it is. They go into a store and buy a bottle of wine and assume [it comes out of] a romantic lifestyle. Yet from the farming, to the winemaking, to the selling, it’s a much more intensive process than it looks and not as romantic as it seems.” Still, despite the hard work, he prefers the vineyard to the office, reflecting on how gratifying it is to see something through, from the start of the growing season to harvest. “You can hold something in your hand that you’ve helped to grow, something tangible,” Travis shared. “It can be challenging, and every year’s different. No year is the same, whether you’re dealing with smoke, wildfire, or drought.”
Regardless of the year’s challenges, weed control is a perennial and indispensable part of maintaining a vineyard’s health and vitality. Opportunistic, tough, and aggressive, weeds hoard the water and nutrients that would otherwise nourish the grapes, resulting in lower yields and weaker vines. And with other challenges to address, from finding enough workers to kinks in the supply chain making bottles pricey and hard to find, it’s not surprising that vineyard owners are tempted by the convenience of the one-and-done weed killer, glyphosate.
The most widely used herbicide in the world, glyphosate was developed by the agrochemical company, Monsanto, in 1974. It’s the main ingredient in their weed-killing farm and garden product, Roundup, which is known as a broadspectrum herbicide, meaning it kills all plants rather than targeting specific species. Glyphosate, aided by other chemical components in Roundup, is sprayed onto a plant’s leaves, where it is absorbed into the plant’s vascular system and travels throughout the plant, including down into its roots. The formula interrupts the production of the biochemical components of proteins that are required for growth, causing the plant to die all the way down to its roots and making regrowth impossible.
On the surface this seems like an elegant solution—apply it once in the spring, the encroaching weeds die, and weed control is achieved for another growing season. But there is a different story taking place beneath the soil. Research by Robert Kremer of the University of Missouri has found that glyphosate, typically entering soil through spray application or released from the roots of treated plants, can be carried along waterways to neighboring fields and watersheds. The herbicide also sticks around, persisting in the soil more than four years after its last application.
A study by Environmental Science and Research International compared the effects of chemical and mechanical weed control methods on grapevines. The results showed that glyphosate decreases root mycorrhization—the symbiotic relationship between a vine and the beneficial fungi attached to its roots. In root mycorrhization, the fungi transmit nutrients from the soil into the plant in exchange for sugar produced by the plant through photosynthesis. This relationship allows the fungi to survive underground on the roots, while enabling the vines greater access to the soil’s nutrients. This and other studies have shown that using glyphosate decreases the nutrient content of the final harvest, partly due to its impairment of the mycorrhization process.
While glyphosate weed killers like Roundup reduce the nutrients in grapes, they add another component: the glyphosate itself. A 2019 study of beer and wine by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group found measurable levels of glyphosate in all five Northern California wines it tested—including two that were certified organic. The safety questions around glyphosate seem a little more personal when we’re unwittingly welcoming it into our bodies via that sip of syrah. Mice studies have linked consistent glyphosate exposure to liver disease, and in 2018 a jury decisively concluded that Roundup caused a Vallejo school district groundskeeper to develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when the backpack container he was carrying broke and drenched his back in the formula.
Yet when product safety questions arise, Monsanto points to EPA reports that Roundup poses no risks to humans when used properly. Those claims are less than convincing when put into context by Carey Gillam’s book Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science. A journalist and research director at public health advocacy group U.S. Right to Know, Carey Gillam included Monsanto’s own internal documents in her book, demonstrating how, time and again, the EPA’s assertions that Roundup posed a cancer risk and should come with health warning labels were shut down by the political pressure the multi-billion dollar company brought to bear.
Fortunately there is a glufosinate-based alternative that is considerably less harmful—this is the approach Strictly Vineyards encourages its clients to adopt. It’s a “broadcast burn down” application, killing the plants on which it lands down to the soil–but not under it. Says Travis, “Its price is on par with glyphosate, and it has a shorter half-life than Roundup and other glyphosate products. Also, it’s contact, rather than systemic, so it does not travel into the root system of the plants it is targeting. If the application is timed correctly, it’s only needed once a year.” Glufosinate cannot be described as benign–it’s an herbicide, after all–and should always be handled with care. But it is not considered a cancer risk, and it is significantly less detrimental to the environment. So for conventionally farmed vineyards, it’s a better option
In a county that markets itself as “America’s Greenest Wine Region,” leaving glyphosate behind makes sense. Grape growing and winemaking is a significant part of the local economy. Jeopardizing that through short-term solutions that cause long-term harm threatens Mendocino County’s future resilience. Reflecting on Anderson Valley in particular, Travis said, “It’s a different climate here than Napa, Sonoma, even Ukiah Valley. We’re 15 degrees cooler and get more rain. We’re perfectly positioned to grow world class pinot noir, and produce some of the best wines in California.” For that to continue into the future, it’s essential to protect the health of our harvests, soil, and water. And for that we must understand the consequences of choices made in the vineyard—both above and below the ground.
Strictly Vineyards (707) 684-9277 | StrictlyVineyards.com
Raising Chicks
by Trudy Goodstein
When COVID first started, the restaurant where I’d worked for two years closed indefinitely. Suddenly unemployed, I moved back in with my parents. It was a chaotic and exciting time because, soon after I moved back in, we all moved up to Mendocino County to a property with plenty of outdoor space and a lot of trees. When I was in elementary school, one of my parents’ favorite things about the home where we lived was our chickens, and every morning my brother and I would go out and gather the eggs for breakfast. So it was natural that finding and caring for a new flock of chicks became my responsibility when we moved to Anderson Valley.
Online research led me to Alchemist Farm & Garden, a solar powered family farm in Sebastopol that humanely raises all sorts of bird breeds—even quail! I ordered a mystery box of 10 chicks that would be selected for me based on my preferences and the heat/cold situation at our house. When the day came to pick them up, my mom and I took a drive down to the farm. The chicks were all very cute and in perfect health.
At home, I had set up a re-purposed dog crate with chicken wire around the edges, a heat lamp attached to the top, and pine shavings and containers for their food and water inside. When we brought the chicks home, I took each one and dipped their beaks into the water container until they started to drink, then into the food so that they would know it was there, and then I let them go free into the crate. I kept a close eye on them for the first few hours so I knew that they had figured out where everything was and that they were all right. After that, I checked in on them several times a day to marvel at their cuteness and to refill their food and water.
When chicks are young, they are very susceptible to cold, so they need to be kept dry and warm. For the first week, I made sure the temperature in the crate stayed at around 95°F, dropping it to 90°F the next week, and then another five degrees every week after that. After about six weeks of taking care of them in the dog crate, they were all fully feathered and ready to venture outdoors. But there was just one problem: we didn’t have a place to put them yet, because the permanent chicken coop wasn’t ready. So I repurposed our screened-in porch by spreading hay over the floor and placing their crate in the middle. I placed bigger food and water containers for them on the ground outside of their crate, then opened the door so that they could explore at their own pace.
After a few hours, they were walking around and seemed to enjoy their new space. They were considerably bigger now, and they looked a bit scraggly as their full feathers continued to grow in. As they became more comfortable, they began to test out their wings and fly onto various low surfaces. (Though chickens can’t fly like other birds, they can fly for short distances.) At this age, they are almost continuously eating and growing, so they poop a lot. Everything was now a target for becoming a perch and getting pooped on, so I made sure to remove anything that we valued off of the porch. I made sure to clean the porch thoroughly at least once a week, which meant changing the hay, scrubbing the food and water containers out, and getting the dried poop off of any surfaces. It took a while, but it was important because chickens can get stinky very quickly, and they were so close to the house. I did my best to minimize the stink, but of course there was still some smell—that’s just what happens when you have chickens.
When the permanent outdoor chicken coop was ready, I began the process of moving them all over. It was a bit tricky, because in order to transfer them, I had to catch each chicken and carry it to the new coop. When I catch a chicken, I make sure to place my hands over their wings, rather than just around their body, so the wings can’t flap in my face. Having another person or two helping definitely speeds up this process.
Once the chicken wrangling was done, they were all safe in their new house, and I hopefully will not have to move them again. They were about ¾ size then compared to now, and by that time you could more easily tell which ones were roosters (when they are babies they look like identical fluffballs). At this adolescent stage, roosters can be distinguished by their size and comb (the red waggly bit on top of their heads). Their comb is significantly bigger than the hens, as is their waddle (the red bit attached to their throats). They are also much bigger than their hen counterparts, and most are brightly colored.
My morning routine now includes caring for the chickens before I go to work. I give them any kitchen scraps that have accumulated from the day before, check and refill their food, clean and refill their water, and collect any eggs. As long as the eggs are checked daily and not allowed to reach 99°F, they will not form an embryo. It’s been fun to see the fluffy chicks grow into full grown chickens, and to trade kitchen scraps for beautiful, fresh eggs.
Check your local farm supply in springtime to buy chicks locally.
Trudy Goodstein has been working in the food industry since 2018. She attended culinary school in San Francisco and worked at the Michelin star restaurant Octavia until it shut down due to COVID. Today she works at Petit Teton Farm doing canning and jam making, and she loves working with animals and food and living in the hills above Anderson Valley.
Lake Superior Smoked Fish
A Child of Texas Follows Her Tastebuds North
by Lisa Ludwigsen
With a few rare exceptions, Scandinavian food is not known to be particularly inspiring. Originating in a harsh land with heavy winters, the food at hand traditionally consisted mostly of meat, fish, dairy, and a few grains. I’ve always pictured my ancestors, who originated in the southwestern region of Norway, relying on the sea and a trusty cow in the barn to sustain them through the long, dark winters. That arrangement sounds pretty good to me. I could eat fish, cheese, and dairy every day—as long as I have my coffee.
In Scandinavia and other northern climes, the year’s food consisted of what could be harvested or procured in the short summer season, and preserving food for the long dark months was paramount. Along the long coast of Norway, fish reigned supreme, and air-drying, pickling, fermenting, and smoking the catch ensured nourishment all year. The famously slimy, gelatinous lutefisk is a whitefish, like cod, that is preserved by air-drying it to the point that it looks and feels like corrugated cardboard. This treatment results in a product that water alone can’t sufficiently rehydrate, so lye must be added to the soaking solution for several days. Multiple rinses in fresh water are then required to make it edible. Eating lutefisk certainly conjures dark, desperate days of limited food and few alternatives. Even smothered in the traditional melted butter and white sauce, it is one of the worst foods I have ever eaten.
Growing up in Texas in the 1970s, meat, mostly beef, was our main food group. It was a time when the federal government, no doubt in coordination with the powerful beef lobby, told Americans to eat meat with every meal. My mother hated fish, and Hamburger Helper was much more our style. But everything changed for me during a visit with my Norwegian grandparents, Ev and Lud. Both were raised in the tiny northern town of Bayfield, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Superior, where Lud’s father, a Norwegian immigrant, had fished commercially. They harvested lake trout, whitefish, salmon, burbot, and herring, among others, navigating bulky, enclosed wooden boats, constructed so the nets could be pulled into the hull without exposing the fishermen to the extremely rough weather of Lake Superior.
On a fortuitous sunny day when my sister and I were visiting, we watched Grandma Ev work in her small kitchen. She placed a chunk of smoked whitefish into the blender, along with a healthy plop of Hellman’s mayonnaise and a handful of chopped scallions. That was it. What emerged from the blender was a homogenous, thick, white smoky paste that we spread on saltines or made into sandwiches with the fabulous mushy white Wonder bread of the day. Smoked fish spread is still a staple in the Great Lakes region, with specific recipes attributed to influences of the person making it. Capers, onions, and herbs can be added, though I remain a purist, preferring my grandma’s recipe. I could still eat it every day, and can only attribute my continued preference for strong, smelly fish to my Norwegian ancestry. I would argue that fish spread is appropriate at all times of the day or night.
During a visit with my parents in Bayfield this past summer, France Miller, a well-known painter and distant relative, stopped by with a small, precious container of her fish spread. It was different than Grandma Ev’s—chunky, with perfectly balanced ingredients and a bit of acidity. Luckily, we had saltines on hand, and that’s how my Dad and I ate that yummy snack, with a glass of sauvignon blanc.
France makes her version in large quantities for art openings and big parties. “Luckily, it freezes beautifully,” she shared. Though her recipe might seem heavy on the dairy, the finished product was not overly creamy or rich. “Even though I grew up on Lake Superior, I’m not a big fish eater,” said France. “I created the recipe for a gallery opening about 20 years ago, and it was so good that I continue to make it.”
Of course, whitefish spreads aren’t limited to Scandinavian cuisine. Jewish whitefish spread is also delicious and quite common, though France will tell you that the best whitefish or lake trout comes from Lake Superior. I might just agree with her.
France Miller’s Smoked Trout or Whitefish Dip
Try France’s recipe with any locally caught, mild smoked fish. This recipe is for a crowd, but can be halved, as desired.
Ingredients
• 6 lbs trout or whitefish fillets, smoked, bones removed
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 2 packages cream cheese, softened
• 1-pint sour cream
• 1 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise (Best Foods in the west)
• 1 Tbsp Frank’s red hot sauce (or your hot sauce of choice)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• ½ c fresh chives, chopped
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
All ingredients, except the fish, should be at room temperature. This is best made a day ahead. Break up and skin the fillets, removing any bones. Set aside. Mix remaining ingredients, then fold the mixture into the cold fish. Combine thoroughly. Add additional salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with hearty crackers such as Triscuits. It also makes a great sandwich.
Find France Miller’s work at www.austinmillerstudio.com.
Fish photo by John Werner courtesy of Unsplash
All other photos by Lisa Ludwigsen
We Can’t Go Back
Thoughts on What We’ve Lost
by Gowan Batist
Gathering around the table with the whole farm crew and associated family is the mitochondria–the power generation organelle of the cell that is Fortunate Farm. We used to gather at least once per week in jostling, steamy, convivial chaos that felt disorganized in the moment. But seen from a distance of two years of pandemic, it was actually a beautiful balance, the way any patch of stars look randomly strewn, but when seen far enough back, the whole galaxy has a graceful and balanced spiral.
I miss the shuffle–grabbing extra chairs from the barn, keeping track of five different food allergies and diets, windows steaming over from pots on the stove, damp boots at the door, and everyone's laughter. I knew all our laughs so well that I could place each crew member at the table with my eyes closed.
I miss being able to hover quietly on the edge of the big mob, part of but not engaged in it. I have hearing loss and lose track of conversations in a crowded room, and had a tendency to leave my own sentences trailing off into the auditory static. I experienced the collective as one general hum.
I miss how anyone who showed up got swept in, how some people had a knack for picking just the right time, how immediately people became family–both by being handed dishes full of food and dishes they could wash.
I miss commiserating with everyone bravely laboring under the exquisite burden that is my mom's Very Nourishing Cooking.
I miss our dinners after farmers market, when we would put on the Iron & Wine radio station and cook a bit from all our friends’ market stalls, and it was like the energy of the whole long day on our feet lasted long enough to culminate in a sense of camaraderie with the larger farming community, rendered visible in our bowls.
I miss having a physical language for inexpressible bonds. Just come in, we don't need to say a thing, enough is already said in the jostle and gesture.
To be honest, on our farm those dinners had already slipped away before the pandemic, because as much as he loved them, my dad couldn't handle the noise and stimulation as his illness got worse. The dinners mellowed, thinned, and eventually halted entirely before the announcement of social distancing.
I thought at first that moving into the old farm house my parents used to live in would be like a passing of the torch, that I would become the host of the party, and my folks would visit when my dad felt well enough but would be able to slip away gracefully. That they would preside as honored elders but hand off the responsibility to our generation to keep the table going. I was proud of the transition.
Well, I moved into their house, and they moved into a smaller cottage down the farm lane, but my stewardship of this community turned out to be quite different. Instead of hosting the groaning dinner table and the weekend breakfasts, I took their big epic party table down, because I couldn’t live with it sitting there empty. When my mom and I tugged on opposite ends of the old table and took out the leaves, moving its diminished form into in her new place, there was an air of solemn ceremony about it. Like folding up a flag.
This house feels too big for me alone, but too small to hold the echoes of everyone who should be here.
It's already too late for us to comfort our sadness about our long time apart by saying we are sacrificing time together now so that we'll all be there when we gather next. We won't all be. We lost loved ones these last two years. Those losses will always be there, there will always be a void in their shape.
Now that it’s been two years of pandemic, we are faced with adjustment beyond emergency, short-term measures. We have been able to pull together massive support for food aid and recovery, but we have also lost farms and farmers to the economic consequences of this pandemic. On our farm, the recovery measures actually became weaponized against us when someone fraudulently applied for and received government aid in our business name, forcing us to fight with the IRS and file identity theft reports–all while burying my dad.
We are trying to build a new paradigm, while still recovering from the fatigue and loneliness and anxiety of what came before. To me, COVID has felt like a series of constantly shifting goalposts that prevent me from adequately measuring and conserving my energy. While I am still panting and gasping at the finish line, I realize the finish line of the sprint has become the starting line for a marathon. It’s unclear how many shifts still lie ahead. The biggest outbreak of the pandemic in my home on the Mendocino Coast is happening right now.
Our new generation of interns and young farmers are having a very different experience from my own at their age, and, though it was a short time ago, the way things were feels like a different era. The centrality of communal meals on our farm was echoed in the larger farm community. I learned and grew so much as a young farmer in Guild meetings at the Grange in Willits in my early twenties, eating potluck dishes and talking shop, and at gatherings at Ridgewood Ranch with huge dinners in the kitchen and farmers from all over the county and beyond, crowded together sharing a communal meal and building a community. I’ve seen business and romantic partnerships bloom at those events, as well as successful political actions and deep understanding between people with different perspectives and approaches.
The Good Farm Fund picnic held at Barra on October 12, 2021, shows how nimble this community is. It wasn’t like the mob scenes of the past, but I looked around and saw the usual suspects, and some new faces. I saw the alchemy of our farms coming together in a to-go box instead of a plate, but the magic was still there.
We can't put the lightning back in the bottle. It will never be what it was again. There is no going back to normal, because we are not all here, and even those of us who are still here are not who we were before. I have faith in our farming community to regenerate, to be resilient, to do what we always have done and grow flowers out of compost.
The future of the farming community will be different after this is over, but it will still be us. I don’t know when we will gather freely and easily as a farm crew, let alone a farming community, again. Whatever the world looks like when that day comes, there will be a table with a place at it, or just a corner to perch wherever you fit.
Until then, stay safe.
Gowan Batist is a Post-Industrial Pastoralist working towards regeneration on landscapes her ancestors devastated. She is seldom seen, but sometimes glimpsed out in the fog or the oak savanna propagating native plants, spinning wool, hand shearing sheep, or sprawling on the ground with dogs. Her writing can be found at https://www.patreon.com/GowanBatist
The Blue Zones Project
Creating the Conditions for Health and Vitality
by Holly Madrigal
What are the ingredients for a well-rounded life, for a life of fulfillment, health, energy, and meaning? Dan Buettner, a National Geographic photographer and traveler of the world, wondered what aspects made the people of Okinawa, Japan regularly stay active well into their 90s, and why the people of Sardinia, Italy had so many elders living vivaciously into their twilight years. Buettner spent many years studying and researching, eventually collating the data and mapping a number of areas across the globe that possessed these traits. He was able to identify nine shared conditions— natural movement, life purpose, stress reduction, moderate calorie intake, plant-based diet, limited alcohol intake, engagement in spirituality or religion, connection in family life, and strong friendships—and coined the phrase “Power 9 Principles” to describe them.
Of course, knowing the ingredients of any recipe is only part of the picture. How do we take those items and combine them to best effect? The Blue Zones Project of Mendocino County, generously sponsored by Adventist Health, works to improve the health and wellbeing of all the residents of our county. This group, led by longtime community health worker, Tina Tyler O’Shea, is gearing up to walk the walk here at home. “We are seeking to make the healthy choice the easy choice,” said Tina. “We are taking the blueprint of Blue Zones and making it work here for us, utilizing the resources and research of this huge effort and sharing it within Mendocino County to make a difference.”
The work has already been underway here for years. In Tina’s previous role with the county’s Department of Public Health, she worked regularly with students on learning to make healthy choices and exercise more, engaging the youth to empower themselves and become their own advocates. “Many leaders in the community, like North Coast Opportunities, have pioneered the growth of healthy food systems in Mendocino County with the Food Hub, Gardens Project, and the Caring Kitchen, just to name a few. What we’re doing at Blue Zones is supporting these efforts and helping move the needle towards community health in these key ways,” she explained.
A five-member local team is in the foundational discovery phase. Beginning last spring, they facilitated multiple listening sessions and focus groups to develop a clear understanding of the work already underway in Mendocino County. Tina elaborated, “All the information has been distilled into reports that will guide the work and priorities of the team. Beyond personal health changes, there are real improvements that can be achieved in our community. We are not coming in with a prescriptive plan, but are learning how we can be a resource. We have determined a level of community readiness in Mendocino County with the incredible work that has already happened. We are one of seventy communities in the United States that is undertaking this health initiative. Our focus is on People, Place, and Policy changes that can have real positive impacts.”
The focus on People will take the form of partnering with existing nonprofit and faith groups to encourage volunteerism. Studies show that the bond formed when giving generously of one’s time benefits the volunteer as much as the recipient. The project will also be hosting workshops to help people explore their purpose in life, encouraging folks to think about why they get up in the morning, what brings them joy. Physical health also falls under this category. “I’m excited about starting Moai groups. This is an Okinawan term which means to gather with a common purpose,” added Tina, “so we can have walking meetings instead of all sitting around a conference table. It both gets you outside into the fresh air and gets creative thoughts flowing.”
The focus on Place refers to the physical conditions in our community. Do neighborhoods have access to fresh food? Are there safe trails and spaces to be outside together? Calling back to those key ingredients for a long healthy life, socializing and natural movement were key factors. If we highlight Place-making in our towns, if parks and community spaces are encouraged, then socializing becomes much easier. The Blue Zones team is partnering with the staff of Caltrans District 1, which encompasses Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties, to discuss how transportation projects can support community health needs. “We’re also recognizing the truly excellent grocery stores in our county and celebrating the work that they have been doing to support local food providers, as well as the community support they give. This work will be ongoing, but so many of the relationships are already connected here,” Tina explained.
The focus on Policy can be both challenging and extremely rewarding. It is an area that Tina knows well from her time on the Anti-Tobacco Task Force with the county. “There has been a real cultural shift over the past thirty years when it comes to smoking. We’ve had significant declines over the years, but unfortunately what we are now seeing is an epidemic increase in vaping, especially in our young people,” Tina noted. “We are committed to education and policy initiatives that will move the needle on this,” she added. The Blue Zones project plans to work with the Food Policy Council to engage with local employers and schools to incorporate wellness, increase access to fresh food, and foster connection. “So much work in this area has already been done,” commented Tina, “but we plan to work with Adventist Health to pull down resources from the national Blue Zones Program to benefit our community. We are hosting a kick off March 19th in Ukiah at our offices in the Alex Rohrbach Center to celebrate and share our plans for the future.”
The recipe for a long-lasting and fulfilling life can seem simple at first: make friends, eat plants, move your body. But we all know that new habits can be difficult to sustain. Thankfully, there are a wealth of projects and initiatives that can support these individual acts. The Mendocino Blue Zones Project is engaging the grassroots organizers of this county to make these steps available and accessible for all. Now is the time to start our own Moai group to map out our healthy, long-lived future.
Find out more at MEC.BlueZonesProject.com.
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.
Juice Me
Ultra-Fresh, Revitalizing, and Delivered
by Holly Madrigal
The tang of fresh carrot dances across my tongue. Hints of tart apple with a slight kick of turmeric taste so alive that it feels like I’m mainlining nutrients. A cheerful colorful heart adorns each recycled glass bottle of Juice Me. The ingredient list is simplicity itself: turmeric, carrot, lemon, apple, cayenne, love.
Daphne Allen, creator and owner of Juice Me, has been into juicing her whole life. A Mendocino native, her parents lived off the land. Her rustic roots led to a lot of juicing in her early years, and she has fond memories of the juice bar (now the herb and tea room) that used to be upstairs at Corners of the Mouth. In her memories, they only had carrot juice, but it was a treat.
This ethos of conscious living permeates her other work as well. In 2018, she was doing some research through a program called Food Matters, based in Australia. She learned that her body was craving nourishment, so she started doing intermittent juice fasts and enjoyed how she felt. Then, because of some minor health issues, she began to wonder what it would be like to include regular juicing in her lifestyle. She included 64 oz of juiced mixed vegetables each day, adding a small amount of apple for just a hint of sweetness. Daphne explains, “The juice is a combination of cold pressed juice and blended whole vegetables which makes it unique because it includes fiber and enzymes. When I first started juicing this way for myself my health improved greatly.”
The change was noticeable. “I gained energy and felt so much better. I started drinking this large amount of juice each day and pretty much ate what I wanted to eat other than that. I found that once I began receiving these bioavailable nutrients and fiber, I didn’t crave much junk food or breads or sweets,” she explained.
Nutritional deficiencies can cause cravings for less-healthy foods, and unfortunately, many Americans are in this state regularly. Our industrial food processing has stripped many foods of the vitamins that they began with. Fresh juices retain many of the nutrients that the plants started out with and make the vitamins, enzymes, and fiber easier for bodies to absorb.
Some friends and neighbors noticed the changes in Daphne and asked her to juice for them. “It took off from there,” Daphne laughed. “At some point, I called the health department to make sure I was doing it all correctly and safely. Pretty soon I just had to start the business to meet the demand.” And Juice Me was born, and it has grown and flourished.
The business has expanded greatly from its humble beginnings in her home kitchen. The format is an exercise in simplicity. Each bottle is labeled with the five or so ingredients and dated so that consumers know how fresh it is. Daphne and her husband built a commercial kitchen at the inn they run. “We have this dedicated team, and we could not do it without them. The team juices, packages, and delivers each day. And the community here has been so supportive, with businesses like Harvest Market taking a chance on us.” Daphne noted, “We credit the stores for what doesn’t sell, so there is no risk to them. Juice loses its nutritional content over time, so we ensure that what people are drinking is the freshest and healthiest available.”
The couple both spent large parts of their lives down in the East Bay, so as the juice business succeeded in Mendocino County, even in the midst of a global pandemic, they decided to open a satellite kitchen in Contra Costa County. “We were essential juicers,” laughed Daphne. “We say that we deliver each morning … like the milkman, but freshly made, healthy juice.” The rainbow of glass jars on the porch would bring a smile to anyone’s face.
Deliveries can now be received on the Mendocino Coast, Willits, Redwood Valley, and Boonville, as well as Contra Costa County and some locations in Oakland. Additionally, you can pick up one of these colorful gems at A Frame Expresso and Harvest Market in Fort Bragg, GoodLife Cafe & Bakery, The Waiting Room in Mendocino, and at many other locations. Juice Me purchases their produce through Veritable Vegetable, which sources their organic produce from family farms throughout California. This leads to a price point that is not inexpensive (though certainly healthier than a latte habit like my own).
Reflecting on her personal journey, Daphne added, “Once my body knew it could count on these nutrients, those 64 oz a day, it stopped asking me for those breads and sweets. It changed my cravings over time. In my experience, 8 oz a day would not show significant health changes, but 32 oz or 64 oz daily certainly does. I don’t recommend taking away anything in your diet, but if you add our Green Juice or one of our other flavors, it may change you. Personally, I don’t think that you need to restrict but can shift to more intuitive eating.”
I’m not sure there has ever been a better time to focus on health, and that community desire is clearly fueling the success of this small business. Their expansion demonstrates that there is a craving for these unprocessed, healthier beverages. It’s the start of spring, when people begin to seek out fresher, healthier foods. Even if a juicing revolution is not in your plans, you may want to give these a try. Sipping the last bits of my carrot juice, I can feel the vitamins pouring into my body, and what’s that last ingredient? Oh yeah, I can taste the love.
Juice Me juices can be purchased at both Harvest Market locations, GoodLife Cafe and The Waiting Room in Mendocino, A Frame Expresso Drive Thru in Fort Bragg and by delivery at JuiceMePlus.com.
Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans
by Holly Madrigal
The Rancho Gordo label—a retro image of a woman licking her teeth— is eye-catching, not to mention the gorgeous heirloom beans visible in transparent packaging. It’s clear from the outset that there are no boring beans to be found under this label. Based in Napa, with 38 varieties of beans and legumes available on their website and at almost every decent grocery store, these heirloom varieties have changed the way people view beans. Some examples: pale purple Ayocote Morados; King City Pinks; Vaqueros, looking like nothing so much as an actual Holstein hide; Yellow Eyed Peas; and my favorite, Scarlet Runner beans, with their gorgeous deep crimson speckles. It would take ages just to sample all these delicious offerings.
Rancho Gordo celebrated their 20th anniversary last year, and the expansion from small garden plots grown by owner, Steve Sando, to full-on staple crop sourcing and production has been significant. Rancho Gordo now works with growers in Mexico and Central America through their Xoxoc Project to obtain much of their expansive selection. The company has also branched out into chilis and sauces, grains, and seeds. Steve has written books on the subject. It seems there is a hunger for more beans.
It helps that this relatively simple, calorie-dense food is incredibly good for you. Nutritionists agree that beans are a wonderful source of healthy fiber and protein. Their creamy goodness adds heartiness to soups, stews, and burritos. But Rancho Gordo beans are equally good just on their own. Simply prepared with minimal spices so as not to overwhelm the flavors, these heirloom beans have a richness that makes you understand why almost every cultural diet includes them. Indigenous to the Americas, beans were grown in Mexico as far back as civilization existed there. And Italy, France, and the Middle East all have their own culinary ties to different pulses.
Perhaps that is the market that Rancho Gordo was so poised to develop—the beans from our cultural memories. As much as we are used to bulk commodity pinto and black beans, the ones offered by Rancho Gordo are in a different league. Heirloom varieties are often passed down through generations of families. The diversity on offer is a testament to the genetic variations and conditions that cause one type of bean to thrive in a particular place. Heirloom beans are also often fresher than their generic cousins. Fresher beans can cook faster and even (gasp!) not require the overnight soak. (Ok, the merits of soaking can be debated another day.) Suffice it to say that you want to simmer the beans in water or broth until tender. This can vary depending on variety, size, etc. Stovetop, clay pot, pressure cooker, and even last year’s trend, the Insta-Pot, can cook you up a delicious serving of beans in less time than you’d expect.
Next time you are in Napa Valley, it is definitely worth a stop at Rancho Gordo Beans. The image of the lady licking her teeth is sure to draw you in. The endless options of colorful, flavorful beans will keep you coming back for more.
Rancho Gordo
1924 Yajome St, Napa, CA
(707) 259-1935 | RanchoGordo.com
Open Mon - Fri 10am - 5:30pm, Sat 11am - 5pm