Publisher’s Note
Torrey Douglass
Roughly a decade ago, I was at a local food event when Holly Madrigal approached me with an idea. As a self-employed web and graphic designer, I was used to folks sharing their entrepreneurial ambitions with me. These social conversations rarely led to actual work, so even as I listened, I had no expectation that Holly’s project would ever materialize on my desk.
Hence my surprise when Holly reached out a couple of years later to say that she was ready to launch a local food magazine for Mendocino County. Together we hashed out a logo, followed by the layout for the articles she’d collected. By early June of 2016, we held the first edition in our hands.
Take a moment and think back to what our world was like in 2016. No matter your politics, events of the past seven years have left you sometimes horrified and at other times elated. At no other period in my lifetime have long-held beliefs and assumed norms been so deeply challenged and transformed. The responsibilities of government, the nature of gender, the role of law enforcement, the integrity of cultural icons, the trustworthiness of information broadcast over airwaves and online, the resilience of supply chains, the emotional and cognitive impact of new technologies, the very safety of the air we breathe—whew! It’s been A LOT. Folks have either adopted new perspectives or doubled down on their convictions, but no one has been left unchanged.
Through it all, every season, the Word of Mouth team has done its best to assemble a collection of articles to inspire and illuminate. Our stories examine, in new and compelling ways, this thing that we all rely on—food—and the land that grows it. This remote corner of Northern California we call home is a special place, but that’s not always evident on the surface. We peek inside that little wine shop you always drive by, we introduce you to the family behind that cafe you love, and we let you know what new farmstand you should check out. We talk to fascinating people who are spending their time and talents solving our county’s problems—feeding the vulnerable, protecting us from wildfire, building community gardens, nurturing the flora and fauna (everything from kelp to pollinators to donkeys), and, of course, growing the ingredients that end up on our plates.
And this issue is no different. In the following pages you’ll learn about some great places to eat, like Stan’s Maple Cafe for breakfast, Good Bones Kitchen for dinner, and Boonville’s tiny ice cream spot, Paysanne, for dessert. We look at the challenges of farming in Mendocino County, what’s up with Ireland’s Hope Spots, and the joys of gardening with children. And we tip a hat to our very first issue, returning to the original “Ripe Now” subject, the beloved strawberry.
There’s a pop-science assertion that claims that the cells in our body renew every seven years. It’s not true—different cells renew at different rates—but I like the idea that we become a whole new person for each seven year cycle of our lives. Today’s Word of Mouth is different from the 2016 version and will be different again in 2030. But whatever comes, we will keep sharing stories about this quirky and complex county we inhabit—and just how delicious and beautiful it can be.
With Gratitude,
Torrey Douglass
Co-Publisher* & Art Director
*Holly has graciously agreed to share the role of publisher with me as we move into our next chapter, so I’ll be writing the publisher’s note sometimes. Thank you, Holly!
Strawberries!
Summer’s Invitation to Slow Down and Savor
by Torrey Douglass
If summer has a mascot, it’s that red jewel of sweetness, the beloved strawberry. Growing up in New York’s Hudson Valley, strawberries were only ever available in the summer months. I adored them. They tasted like sunshine and freedom.
Later on, when I lived in Oakland, California, their fragrance would hover above the more urban scents of car exhaust and hustle as I walked to the farmers market tucked under an overpass by Lake Merritt, leading me by the nose to the tables crowded with cartons of square baskets filled with ruby-red treasure. A couple of those baskets usually joined me for the walk back home.
We’re very lucky to live in a time and place where we can get fresh strawberries throughout the year. That said, I will swear on whatever is good and green that a local strawberry picked in early summer before the serious heat arrives has no equal. Shout out to the Boonville Barn Collective in Anderson Valley for their most excellent strawberries—sold by the case.* But they are not the only farmers growing strawberries. Take a gander through MCFarm.org to find a Mendocino County farmers market near you so you can get some for yourself.
Sliced onto a chocolate crepe, into fruit salad, over vanilla ice cream, or happily savored as is, these precious gems capture the spirit of summer—a reminder that the season was made for front porch sitting and hammock reclining, leisurely lingering over life’s sweeter things.
Chocolate-Covered Strawberries:
Shortcut Edition
You have fresh strawberries. You have chocolate. But you might not have a lot of time. Here’s a simple approach for making this elegant classic in no time!
2/3 c chocolate chips
2 T water or heavy cream
1 basket fresh strawberries
Put 2/3 cup chocolate chips and 2 T water or heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat (Lily’s sugar-free semi-sweet morsels are perfect). Use a double boiler if you want to be safe, or just keep a close eye on it if you are in the mood to live risky. Stir until melted and smooth.
Wash the strawberries and shake gently to remove excess water, then dry with a paper towel. Cover a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip each strawberry into the melted chocolate and place on the sheet. When all the strawberries are dipped, place the sheet in the fridge to chill the chocolate. These can either be served immediately or moved into a sealed container after an hour. If you’re feeling fancy, melt white chocolate, let it cool slightly, pour into a clean snack bag, snip off the corner,
*Boonville Barn Collective sells their strawberries directly to customers.
Contact them at hello@boonvillebarn.com to be added to the berry mailing list.
Stan’s Maple Cafe
Ukiah’s Breakfast Hot Spot
by Geoff Thomas
We English have a reputation for taking our breakfasts seriously. We’ve named our go-to breakfast “The Full English,” and when not politely pondering the weather, we spend a rude amount of time arguing about what a Full English should actually include. Opinions differ, but every variation basically describes a heart attack on a plate. So when I was asked if I’d like to sample an American breakfast at Stan’s Maple Cafe, I was eager to see how a “Full American” would compare.
The sign on an unassuming building at 295 South State Street, Ukiah, says “The Maple Restaurant.” There’s no reference to Stan. There’s also no mention of it being established in 1922. But from the moment we crossed the threshold, we were cosseted in an atmosphere of warmth. The welcome was swift and sincere, and despite arriving at a visibly busy time, the unflappable service staff were instantly circling to help.
It was early Sunday morning and all of the tables were full, but as we settled down in our seats by the window, there was absolutely no evidence of the diners who’d been there before. The turnaround of tables was brisk but also totally unnoticed, and when a service team can achieve that little miracle, you know that they’re all on their toes.
With that same instantaneous ease, our menus arrived and were swiftly followed by coffee and tea, and even though there isn’t a “Full English” on the menu, there’s certainly something there to please everyone. In fact, by using the additions and variations on the section marked “Traditional Breakfast,” I could’ve designed and then trade-marked a “Full American.” To say that I had no desire to do so is certainly a compliment to The Maple.
On “The Light Side” of the menu we found Granola, Fresh Fruit, and Old-Fashioned Oatmeal, and for those with a craving for international cuisine, American Pancakes, French Toast, Belgium Waffles, and good old English Muffins. Of course, there was also the traditional Biscuits & Gravy—which are unlike the biscuits and gravy that we Englishmen know—and Three-Egg Omelets served with a choice of house potatoes, hash browns, or fresh fruit, showcasing a selection of fillings that would make even the most experienced of short-order chefs tremble.
From the section “Traditional Breakfasts” there were, well, traditional breakfasts including vegetarian options, but as we were dining at Stan’s place, we thought it rude not to go for one of his “House Specialties.” Choosing between the State Street Skillet, Joe’s Special, and Huevos Rancheros was difficult, but after skipping past the inviting option of Eggs Benedict from the “Specials Board” and ordering the Fresh Corned Beef, I wasn’t disappointed with my choice.
Atop a generous bed of house potatoes sat The Maple’s deliciously seasoned corned beef with green onions, two perfectly fried eggs, and a masking of red and green chili sauce. It arrived at the table piping hot, wonderfully seasoned, and perfectly cooked. With the last morsel of home-made biscuit, the final drop of deliciousness was mopped from my plate. Washed down with refilled mugs of coffee, it was the perfect start to my day, and the only thing left to do was to find Stan and learn more about his long-established Maple Cafe.
Unfortunately for me, Stan wasn’t there to enlighten me, having sold the restaurant in 2022 to move to Santa Fe with his family. Fortunately for me, The Maple Cafe’s current owner, Judy Hyler, was more than happy to help.
In 1922, brothers Ted and Paul Poulus established Redwood Empire Confectioners on the corner of State Street and Perkins, where they served homemade ice cream and candy to the growing population of Ukiah. After thirty years as confectioners, they transitioned to serving American diner classics and changed the name to The Maple Cafe, a reference to the maple sugar used in their confectionery.
In the succeeding years, ownership of The Maple passed down through the Poulus family, the cafe was relocated to its current location in the 1970s, and in 2012, it was bought by Stan Sangley, a Ukiah native with more than forty years of restaurant experience behind him. When he decided to sellten years later, he had already identified the best person to continue the legacy.
Working as a server before the arrival of Stan, Judy Hyler had never considered a future career in restaurants, let alone taking on the responsibility of ownership. A bundle of smiling energy, Judy told me, “Being a server for the Brown family was fine, being a manager for Stan was fine, but I’d certainly suffered from fear of ownership.” Fear or not, in May of 2022, Judy took over the reins of Stan’s Maple Cafe, which she described as “a diner where the menu’s evolution is really dictated by the customers.” She goes on to explain, “We prepare as much as possible from scratch, and use local grocers for daily delivery of perishables, plus Schat’s for our daily bread [and] Black Oak for our coffee.”
Despite her misgivings, Judy has adapted well to her role at the head of Stan’s Maple Cafe. She is continuously busy, doing five things with her hands and ten things in her mind at the same time, and although she rightly credits each member of the team for making the cafe run smoothly, it’s clear to see that the flow of actions and attitude all stem from her own infectious approach to the challenge.
It’s also clear that Judy values the support of every member of her team, local producers and suppliers, and of course, the eclectic mixture of customers. She’s full of praise for all who make the daily operations possible, and brushes off her own role in the success story as being “somewhat inconsequential.” But as she calmly conducts the kitchen and dining room like an orchestra, it’s evident that the audience members are just as happy and in-tune as the musicians.
Serving breakfast and lunch from 7am to 2pm seven days a week, The Maple is constantly busy. But when the last customer leaves and the team finally retire for the day, Judy’s work continues. “As a business owner, you can’t always control, but you can always create.” And although becoming the owner just as the world began emerging from lockdown hasn’t been without its challenges, Judy and her team have created a business that clearly appears to be thriving.
As for Stan, he now owns and manages another group of successful restaurants in his new home in Santa Fe. As an Englishman whose favourite meal of the day is breakfast, I’d like to thank him for recognising the attitude and abilities of former server Judy, and allowing ownership of his Maple Cafe to pass into her more than capable hands.
Stan’s Maple Cafe
295 S State St., Ukiah
(707) 462-5221 | Stans Maple Cafe
Open daily 7am - 2pm
Geoff Thomas is an English writer living in Anderson Valley. His book, Ashes to Boonville, shares stories from his round-the-world travels by motorbike.
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.
Starving Fire and Building Homes
How Round Pole Construction Can Improve Forests, Create Jobs, and Shelter Humans
by Torrey Douglass
When Colin Gillespie moved to Mendocino County in 1998, he encountered a lot of people looking to thin small diameter trees from their land to increase sunlight and decrease fire risk. At the time, he was shifting away from landscaping work, which included simple construction projects like fencing and gazebos. He moved into more traditional construction, which, combined with his lifelong enthusiasm for ecological healing and sustainability, gave rise to a compelling curiosity around natural building.
A period of deep learning followed. A forestry class in Nova Scotia at Wind Horse Farm broadened Colin’s perspective, teaching him how to utilize poles from small trees to make bridges, siding, barrels, and more. He came away understanding that pretty much any tree, of any size, species, or grade, could be made into something useful.
A cob workshop at Heartwood Institute in 1999 introduced Colin to expert natural builder Michael Smith, who quickly became a mentor. As his apprentice, Colin helped Michael host workshops at Emerald Earth, an intentional community outside of Boonville, sharing time-tested building practices that employ straw bales, cob (a mixture of clay and straw), and other natural materials. A land care workshop with Native American forester Dennis Martinez proved to be formative as well. “He really clarified for me how much the landscape has changed in the last 100 -150 years,” shares Colin. “He made a strong case for removing small trees from the forest and returning good fire practices to the land.” Devising a construction approach that removes and utilizes these small diameter trees became a personal and professional mission.
In 2014, Colin partnered with Eric Lassotovitch, a licensed building contractor, woodworker, and homesteader, to start Polecraft Solutions. Together they refined their own building style, combining round pole timber framing with natural infill for the walls between the posts. Developing techniques for attaching two round poles together posed challenges, forcing them to look to Colonial, Japanese, and Old English timber framing styles to research different methods of joinery. Mostly they use mortise and tenon joints, typically an intricate and time-consuming effort, though they’ve halved the production time by investing in a Lucas Mill and developing custom attachments to speed up the process.
In a Polecraft Solutions structure, the vertical round poles are visible inside, separated by walls usually made from straw bales coated in earthen plaster. Colin explains, “If you’re going to spend a lot of time in a building, it has to feel good. Showing the superstructure lends itself to feeling safe and sturdy.” He asserts that the homes they build can cost less than conventional construction, provided the design is simple and considerate of bale dimensions. Homeowners can also find peace of mind in the fact that straw bale construction surpasses the 2-hour exposure fire safety standard for residential buildings, a significant benefit in our wildfire-prone region. Their superior insulative properties make them exceptionally energy efficient as well, translating into future savings by reducing heating and cooling costs.
To further reduce project expense, Polecraft Solutions sells pole frame kits that are pre-approved by engineers, streamlining permitting since the plans utilize structural elements already accepted by the county’s building department. The kits use Colin and Eric’s hallmark design, a saltbox round pole timber frame structure with straw bale infill covered with thick earthen plaster. The easy-to-expand structures start at 1000 square feet in size.
The research and development for the kits was funded in part through a grant given to the Forest Reciprocity Group (FRG), a project of Cloud Forest Institute (CFI), a nonprofit focused on environmental education and forest restoration. As it says on their website, FRG was formed to “collaborate with First Nations, land-owners, and local and state agencies in the sales and utilization of materials thinned from forest improvement projects for value added timber frame homes, and many other meaningful products.” Both Colin and Eric are members. FRG recognizes that by thoughtfully removing a portion of the Douglas fir trees in a section of forest, competition for water, sunlight, and soil nutrients is reduced, allowing the remaining trees to thrive.
CFI Co-Founder Jenny Burnstad explains further, “The big trees stay to sequester carbon, while the trees that cause crown fires are thinned. You do it gradually so you can observe what’s going on in the forest. We don’t just take—you have to be sensitive to the ecology, to what’s happening to the animals.” She emphasizes that the point is protection, not extraction. In other words, the health of the forest takes precedence above harvesting Doug fir for profit.
The fact that young Doug fir trees are so abundant, on top of being excellent building material, means their removal can solve multiple problems at once—making our forests more fire-safe, creating forestry and construction jobs, and providing affordable, comfortable, fire resilient, and energy efficient homes. FRG is in conversation with Habitat for Humanity to explore collaboration opportunities, and the group is continually applying for grants to help them share knowledge with builders, property owners, and others about the value inherent in the thinned poles. One project in development involves working with youth of the Pinoleville tribe to build an earth lodge at a site where teachers and students of traditional skills such as basketry and medicinemaking can be protected from the sun and rain.
According to Jenny, there are many local organizations doing similar work. Esteemed elder John Cunnan has been teaching pole furniture making at workshops and in schools for many years. The Northern Mendocino Ecosystem Recovery Alliance was formed to foster fire resilience and responsible land care, while the Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance provides trainings in forest restoration. Wanosh Forest Gardens in Willits offers a variety of natural building workshops. The Eel River Recovery Project has a number of forest restoration grants in the works that will include significant thinning, resulting in an excellent source for Doug fir.
Ongoing research and activism like this can help California address critical challenges like wildfire danger and a lack of housing. With cooperation and creativity, it is possible to improve forest health while reducing wildfire risk and building safe, cozy homes for people.
Find out more about Polecraft Solutions and how to purchase their Salt Box Design Single Family Dwelling at PoleCraftSolutions.com.
Learn about improving forest health as well as events like workshops and talks at ForestReciprocity.org.
Paysanne
Boonville’s Tiny Ice Cream Shop Serves Up Real Sweet Things
by Addia Williams
Anderson Valley locals tend to refer to Paysanne as “the ice cream shop” more than anything else, since the location has seen multiple ice cream shops in that space over the years. True to tradition, ice cream has been Paysanne’s hot ticket item since it opened in 2010. Melinda Ellis had recently moved with her family from the coast to Anderson Valley to take a management position at The Boonville Hotel, and she reopened the tiny ice cream shop as a side project. With training in French pastry and a love of un-fussy, down-to-earth baking, she named the venture Paysanne, French for “country woman.”
For the first three years, the shop was independently run by Melinda, with her two young daughters running in and out and readily volunteering as quality control officers. Local high-schoolers scooped ice cream and hand-drew the signs for the flavors, and Melinda’s artistic niece adhered whimsical gold leaf stars to the midnight blue ceiling. Even a small business is a lot for one part-time owner to manage, though, so in 2013 Paysanne merged with The Boonville Hotel, allowing the two operations to share kitchen resources and administration costs, as well as creative cross-pollination.
Ten years into the partnership, Paysanne remains small but mighty. Last winter, the shop was given a fresh layout to welcome the shop into its teen years. The quaint space still features the same wall-to-wall windows and gold-leaf stars on the ceiling, but now has new counters and cabinetry, as well as a shiny new espresso machine that brings the coffee and drinks menu to a whole new level. With coffee beans from Black Oak Coffee Roasters out of Ukiah combined with organic milk options, customers can choose between a plethora of drinks to satisfy their caffeine cravings.
As of this summer, all of Paysanne’s ice cream is made in-house. The hotel’s executive chef, Perry Hoffman—known for never backing down from a culinary challenge—began experimenting with ice cream recipes last summer. He uses Clover organic milk and incorporates the best produce of the moment, be it strawberries, blackberries, or basil. In addition to classics like chocolate and vanilla, ice cream flavors such as orange cardamom or pomegranate ice come and go as the seasons roll along. The younger clientele gravitate toward organic cones, while many adults cannot resist an affogato assembled with espresso and a scoop of whichever ice cream strikes their fancy. There are also nostalgic options like root beer floats and milkshakes for folks seeking a more vintage ice cream experience.
Paysanne also sells a variety of (mostly) sweet baked goods, all made by hand. The best sellers include chocolate chip walnut cookies, ginger snaps, caneles, coffee cake, brownies, and the chocolate lover’s deluxe—chocolate sea salt cookies. Paysanne’s bakers incorporate seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients into menu items that alter daily, such as galettes, quiches, and tartlets. Favorites can sell out, so stop by early for maximum options. On Saturdays, another local baker sells whole loaves of fresh baked bread out of the shop.
Paysanne’s style is a combination of country charm and artistic whimsy. A few retail items by local artisans are on offer, and hot drinks are served in a locally-crafted, hand painted mug and matching saucer made by Ukiah ceramacist, Jan Hoyman. An oft-instagrammed feature is a bike rack made of antique bike seats, created by The Boonville Hotel owner and designer, John Schmitt.
On sunny weekends, a group of locals often gathers on the outside deck to play their instruments and sing folk music, while young children run around with ice cream. Area high-schoolers and young adults work behind the counter, and when their friends drop by, it adds a dash of young energy to the scene. Taken altogether, Paysanne serves as an ad hoc multi-generational community hub. Melinda shares, “We’ve hired the local teens throughout the years, starting at the ice cream shop, some moving on to work at the hotel, who have then gone out into the world to do their creative work. Littles who once couldn’t reach the counter have since worked as ice cream scoopers in their teens, and are now about to go out into the world. It’s been a joy to see the generations of our kids grow up and have part of their youth be at Paysanne.”
Looking to the future, The Boonville Hotel aims to continue expanding the pastry offerings at Paysanne while incorporating popular family recipes such as buttermilk milkshakes, which were originally served at Sally Schmitt’s Vintage Cafe in Yountville back in the 1970s. And as the sweets shop is directly next to Offspring, a wood-fired pizza restaurant also owned by the hotel, the crew plans to extend Paysanne’s hours to create a one-stop dinner and dessert spot for locals and tourists alike, its own take on “pizza and a pint”—of the ice cream variety.
As a crowd-pleasing purveyor of “real sweet things” for over a decade, Paysanne is more than just a quick stop for a pick-me-up. The ice cream shop is where kids grow up, friends and family gather, and community comes together, with good treats and good people at the heart of it all.
Paysanne
14111 Highway 128, Boonville
(707) 895-2210 | SweetPaysanne.com
See instagram for hours: @sweetpaysanne
Addia Williams is a graduate of Mendocino High School. She works at Paysanne and enjoys writing, volleyball, and spending time with her friends and family.
A Tale of Two Farms
Nye Ranch and Burns Blossom Farm
by Holly Madrigal
The misty image of a luscious dahlia in bloom within a stone’s throw of the sea, or weathered tattooed hands grasping a deep purple cabbage above rich dark soil—these photos became the hallmark of Nye Ranch when they first began operation in 2015. Those who use Instagram in the local food space of Mendocino County could swoon over these images and then taste the real thing after picking up produce at the farm stand on Highway 1 or in person at the Fort Bragg Farmers Market.
Kyle and Mel Burns stewarded this former horse ranch toward its current farming bounty, enduring challenges that come from being so close to the great Pacific Ocean. The wind and rain that first winter drenched the crops until they built the greenhouse. Being exposed to the elements was tough, but the young couple was dedicated.
Mel and Kyle are both gifted visual artists as well, and would stroll through the farm first thing in the morning taking photos of whatever caught their fancy. Sharing these images helped grow their customer base in Fort Bragg and beyond. Mel’s artistic eye helped her select the most striking flowers and plants for arrangements, and her creations were coveted at the market. Kyle took on the produce production, coaxing the best, most flavorful, and unique varieties of tomatoes, garlic, broccoli, and more from their coastal plot. The couple lived in the historic barn on site and became deeply woven into the farming community on the coast. They welcomed their daughter, Rosemary, to the family in June of 2020.
It was the height of the pandemic, an isolating time, when the couple received an offer that they could not refuse—the opportunity to move to the Chico area and start a new farm near Mel and Kyle’s families. As anyone with children knows, family connections can be such a gift, especially when babies are small. The couple made the hard decision to relocate, but they did not want to let go of the investment in both soil and community that they had built. The Nye Ranch property has been a family holding from the beginning, with a small cottage providing a retreat from the hot inland home of Kyle’s parents and serving as an occasional vacation rental when they are not there. It speaks to the strength of their family ties that Kyle’s brother, Shea, stepped up to take on management of the farm.
Shea Burns has a twinkle in his eye and a shy grin. This is his third growing season at Nye Ranch. He tends the 3/4 acre farm for the market and for the farmstand. He jokes that, even all these years later, many people stop by the market table to ask how Kyle and Mel are doing. With the assistance of his girlfriend Blair and new recruit Veronica, they plant, weed, water, harvest, and then do it all again. This past winter was brutal—planting was delayed due to saturated soil caused by the six atmospheric rivers in as many weeks—but they keep rolling with the punches.
Summer beckons with a promise of more sun. “I’m personally looking forward to trying out some new crops and diversifying a bit. I’m going to try growing some hot peppers in the experimental tunnel this season,” Shea shares. “We might try some potatoes and perhaps some more melons. Can’t wait to see what we can get away with.” Nye Ranch is within view of the sea, so the fact that they are regularly some of the first to market with ripe tomatoes is a type of miracle. (I’m pretty sure it involved a magic greenhouse.) Their vegetables are sought after for the menus of local restaurants as far away as Izakaya Gama in Point Arena.
As for Kyle and Mel, they are now in their second season inland. Burns Blossom Farm is located in Chico, where they grow many of the gorgeous crops that they honed here on the coast—but without the 70 mile per hour salty winds off the ocean. Instead they have other obstacles like oppressive heat. This year, the Chico area received almost double their usual rainfall, leaving the fields flooded and unable to take starts as early as they planned.
The family remains creative and hosted their first plant sale at the farm in the spring, offering delicious tomato, vegetable, flower, herb, and strawberry starts in order to get through the weather-related lean times. Kyle invested in a small citrus orchard which, once mature, will provide both seasonal diversity and scrumptious orange fruit. They just began construction of a new steel barn on their farm, and Rosemary celebrates her third birthday in June.
Families like the Burns have been such a gift to the Mendocino coast, applying their passion for tending the soil and contributing to our local food system. Now they oversee two thriving farms, feeding our bodies and souls through inspired photography and nourishing fresh food.
Nye Ranch Farm Stand
23300 N Hwy 1, Fort Bragg | NyeRanch.com | IG: @BurnsBlossomFarm
Fort Bragg Farmers Market, Wednesdays 3:00-5:00pm
Burns Blossom Farm
435 W. 16th Street, Chico | BurnsBlossomFarm.com
Chico Farmers Market
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.
Black Walnut Bitters
A Homemade Digestive for Cocktails and Cooking
by Lisa Ludwigsen
In the world of herbalism, bitters hold a respected place as an aid to digestion and an important component to maintaining a healthy gut. The saying goes that “bitter is better,” meaning that incorporating bitter ingredients, like herbs, veggies, and spices, will complete a balanced diet. Though bitter conjures negative associations in our modern world of sugary indulgence, bitter flavors give depth to a dish or drink and really can improve our overall health.
Bitters in liquid form show up as tinctures and as a category of liquor known as digestives. Amaro, Angostura, and Nocino are a few mainstream digestives that are commonly consumed before or after meals. Walnuts are often used in bitter potions. The leaves and hulls (the pulpy green covering of the shell and nut) have been employed for centuries as treatments for ailments both internal and topical. Nocino is made from unripe walnuts combined with herbs and spices, then steeped in grain alcohol. The resulting dark, herbaceous, and slightly sweet concoction tastes tantalizing and unusual.
Walnut trees in Northern California typically fall into two varieties, the indigenous black walnut, Juglans Californica hindsii, and the English walnut, Juglans regia. The two varieties look similar but have different leaf shape and bark variations. An easy way to distinguish black from English walnuts is to look at the trunk. English walnuts are often grafted onto black walnut trunks because the native walnut is more resistant to disease and pest predation. If you notice an abrupt change in the trunk that looks like two pieces melded together, you are probably looking at an English walnut grafted onto black walnut stock. We value English walnuts because the shells are relatively easy to crack, compared with black walnuts which require much more fortitude to open.
Walnut bitters as tinctures have been showing up in everything from craft cocktails to specialty coffee drinks. Walnut hulls imbue the bitters with a complex, herb-forward profile that can add depth and cut the sweetness of a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. A couple of drops of walnut bitters can also add dimension to a soup or sauce.
Fortunately, recipes for walnut bitters can use either black or English walnuts, and both are easy to find growing in Mendocino County. Ukiah used to be prime walnut farmland, with orchards dotting the landscape where vineyards now thrive. Drive down the street and you’ll likely pass stately walnuts adding to mature landscapes.
Making walnut bitters at home is easy and provides an opportunity to have some fun with new flavors that can sometimes be found right in your neighborhood. Timing and patience are key. The hulls need to be picked when the nuts inside are half formed, before the hulls dry out completely and begin to separate from the shell. Choose hulls that are still green with a little yellowing. Separate them from the shells. Dry the hulls by laying them on paper towels in a dark spot with good air circulation. I like to use the top of my laundry dryer. The hulls will turn black while drying. When the hulls are completely dry they are ready to be made into a tincture.
This recipe is adapted from a similar recipe on the blog site Schisandra & Bergamot. Note that walnuts contain an ingredient, juglone, which will inhibit decomposition and can cause allergic reactions in some people. Also, walnut hulls will permanently stain anything they come into contact with, so wear gloves and protect counters and clothing when working with them.
Black Walnut Bitters
INGREDIENTS
1 c dried and chopped walnut hulls
3 tsp cinnamon chips (this can be crushed cinnamon sticks)
2 tsp cacao nibs (Cacao nibs impart a chocolatey background taste. Omit if you don’t have these on hand and don’t want to invest in an entire bag for just 2 teaspoons.)
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp dried orange peel
Approximately 2 c of 80 proof or higher alcohol, such as vodka
INSTRUCTIONS
In a clean jar, combine all ingredients and stir. Pour in enough alcohol so that all ingredients are completely covered.
Cover the jar with a tightly fitting lid and store in a dark place for at least three weeks and up to three months. Feel free to gently swirl and sample the concoction occasionally to gauge the developing flavors. The longer it sits, the more complex the overall product.
Strain with a coffee filter or cheesecloth in a sieve and discard or compost the spent material.
Your bitters are now ready to use! Start by adding just a drop or two to a cocktail. Use them in place of Angostura bitters with sparkling water, or add them to a sauce. Remember that a little goes a long way. Feel free to experiment with added ingredients like coffee beans, citrus peels, or cacao nibs.
Ireland’s Skellig Coast Hope Spot
Protecting the Ocean’s Health and Biodiversity
by Jack O’Donovan
Dr. Sylvia Earle
A large swathe of ocean off the southwest coast of Ireland has been added to a list of “Hope Spots” by the global marine conservation movement Mission Blue, led by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle. There are now 148 Hope Spots across the globe, which aim to inspire public awareness, access, and support for a worldwide network of Marine Protected Areas.
Hope Spots are special places that are scientifically identified as critical to the health of the ocean. Existing spots include the Galápagos Islands, the Great Barrier Reef, the Northwest Passage, and parts of Antarctica. Some locations are already formally protected, while others still need defined protection.
The Greater Skellig Coast stretches from Kenmare Bay in County Kerry to Loop Head in County Clare and covers an area of roughly 7,000 square kilometers of Irish coastal waters. It is home to critically endangered sharks, globally important seabird colonies, and animals threatened with extinction which rely on these areas for breeding and feeding.
The area has been championed by Fair Seas with the local support of Sea Synergy, a marine awareness and activity centre based in Waterville, County Kerry. Fair Seas has been campaigning for the government to designate a minimum of 30% of Irish waters as Marine Protected Areas (MPA) by 2030. The Greater Skellig Coast encompasses one of 16 “Areas of Interest” that they have identified for possible MPA designation.
Mission Blue was founded by American oceanographer, explorer, and author Dr. Sylvia Earle. She has been National Geographic’s Explorer in Residence since 1998 and was named the first Hero for the Planet by Time magazine. This Hope Spot and support from Mission Blue puts Ireland on the international map alongside 147 of the most important sights for marine conservation around the world.
Dr. Earle said, “This Hope Spot is being announced at a crucial time for Ireland because in 2023, new national Marine Protected Area (MPA) legislation will be introduced for the first time. Eighty-one percent of Irish people believe that we need to protect, conserve, and restore the ocean. This legislation will help achieve this very desirable protection.”
Aoife O’Mahony, Campaign Manager for Fair Seas, said, “It is incredible to see a small part of Ireland’s seas being recognised as critically important to global ocean health by Mission Blue, and joining the likes of the Galápagos Islands and other world-famous marine locations. The Hope Spot will help us to raise awareness and bring the public closer to the ocean as we work to safeguard the water and the marine life within. This global recognition is even more critical now as we finalise our own national MPA legislation in Ireland. We have one chance to do this right and we owe it to the next generation to do this well.”
If Marine Protected Areas are designated along with robust management and monitoring plans, they can have enormous added benefits to coastal communities and local economies alongside the recovery of coastal ecosystems and increases in biodiversity.
Minister for Tourism, Catherine Martin, added, “I welcome the news that a large area of ocean off the southwest coast of Ireland has been added to a list of ‘Hope Spots’ by the global marine conservation movement, Mission Blue, which is led by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle. Our small island of Ireland is not only draped in a wealth of natural beauty but it is also surrounded by an ocean filled with an assortment of marine life and a coastline which houses numerous colonies of birds and wildlife. This all contributes to the richness and attractiveness of Ireland as a destination for tourists and all of which needs to be preserved and protected. Announcements like this are also timely as we are currently developing a new national tourism policy. This new policy will seek to support sustainable economic development in communities throughout the country, whilst protecting our environment and natural resources.”
As part of the film Fair Seas: The Kingdom of Kerry, the organization met with Lucy Hunt, who has been championing ocean conservation in South Kerry for many years. Lucy is determined to help local people engage with and learn about the rich coastal waters right on their doorstep, saying, “I founded Sea Synergy in 2014 to help raise awareness of the importance of the ocean and encourage others to fall in love with the ocean and to help protect it. We have so much to be proud of when it comes to our coast and the Wild Atlantic way, from the wildlife to the views. It’s important we do everything we can to preserve and, where needed, restore it. We’re lucky that we can see dolphins, seals, and huge bird colonies from the shore, as well as experience a whole other amazing world beneath the surface, from kelp forests to jewelled sea walls. The Hope Spot designation confirms what we already knew in County Kerry and County Clare, that the ocean is critically important. It’s my wish that this designation will help inspire people to take a closer look at what the ocean offers, and that we will see more Hope Spots and action to live in harmony with Ireland’s ocean.”
It is truly an honour to have the southwest coast of Ireland and all its incredible marine life recognised on the global stage. This announcement is a great encouragement for all the hard work of the Fair Seas team, its partners and the public who have followed and supported the goal of protecting at least 30% of the ocean around Ireland by 2030.
Reprinted courtesy of Fair Seas. Photos courtesy of Fair Seas.
Jack O’Donovan Trá is the Communications Officer at Fair Seas. He is a marine biologist by training and moved into comms and campaigns in 2018, and has since worked with many large international environmental coalitions and campaigns across Europe.
Gardening with Children
Passing Down Skills and Playing in the Dirt
by Anna Levy
Since becoming a parent, I am often struck by the number of things I still have left to learn in life. One of those things is a somewhat secret shame in this particular geographic region: despite my appreciation for good, homegrown food, and although I’ve worked on farms on both sides of this continent, the truth is that I know virtually nothing about gardening.
Luckily, Mendocino County is home both to a climate hospitable to many crops, as well as casual experts who have a deep sense of how to cultivate them. Thus, when I decided it was time to teach my child something about where our food comes from, I turned to a few of my friends, all of whom are teachers, well-versed in guiding others. I found their words to be both inspirational and educational. As the days stretch deliciously into summer, I thought it might be helpful for others to read what they had to say. So here’s to everyone planting gardens this year, including those of us—ahem—who are doing so for the very first time.
John Moran: The first person whom I gardened with, or learned about gardening from, was my paternal grandmother, Eileen Moran. She taught me the names of many flowers when I was just a little guy. Now I garden with anyone willing: friends who need help, my class of students, and my own children. I personally grow food crops, ornamentals, succulents, native plants, fruit trees, and basically anything that has half a chance of surviving here that I am interested in.
My main rule in the garden is to respect all life. Even a handful of soil has millions of microorganisms in it, all of which are important and worthy of our respect and reverence. “Weeds” are just something that you don’t want in your garden; it doesn’t mean the plant has done anything wrong in striving to grow. Many “weeds” are revered in their native habitat, are edible, or at least provide a historical lesson about how plants travel all over the world with colonizers and beyond, both intentionally and unintentionally.
Gardening can teach children and adults almost anything and nearly everything. I am probably more fascinated by natural history, origin stories, ethnobotany, and essentially that our relationship with plants is one of the main tenets of our existence. Perhaps even more profound is what plants can teach you about yourself, not only through the meditative nature of gardening but also in learning how so many different beings survive, and have been and can be role models for humans to live a balanced life.
It’s always good to start with something you will actually want to have around, whether it is beautiful flowers or food that the children eat. Kids are far more likely to try something new if they have been involved in the process of growing it. Include them in the entire process from preparing beds, to selecting desirable crops, to planting seeds or starts, to checking on plants for pests or damage and, of course, making sure they have a chance to harvest what they’ve planted. Connecting kids and adults with our food systems is one of the many ways we can change the world for the better. Much of gardening is trial and error, and the errors—as always—are more instructive than the successes.
Amanda Martin: When I was young, I was forced to garden; it wasn’t an option. There were parts I loved, like digging up potatoes, but it felt like a chore as a kid. Yet as soon as I moved away, I had this urge to get back to the garden, and I just could never not do it again.
Now, the garden at school [the Albion School, where Amanda teaches] is probably 1500 square feet. We’ve got apple trees, peas, potatoes, lots of flowers, raspberries, Albion strawberries which are big and juicy and wonderful, kale and spinach, herbs, and onions. The kids have a fairy garden that they’re really into, and that’s one of the recommendations I have for someone starting out with kids: give them a designated area, let them do whatever they want in there. They’ll find what they love.
This year, they’ve decided it’s really fun to go in and spread woodchips in there, so we’ll do that. They love to water, they love to feel like it’s important. They’re nurturing something; they have a bit of responsibility. My kids are really respectful about not stepping on things or digging things up, and they ask before they can pick flowers.
We have a little scientific journal we keep, where we draw pictures of what’s growing. We watch the weather and use fractions with the rain gauge. We don’t always go in there with specific lessons. But it’s their spot to learn about themselves, healthy eating, and taking care of the earth.
Lora Barnett-Tuomala: My mother was always in her garden; we spent most days there with her. We also spent a lot of time at my neighbors’ house, and they spent most days in their garden as well. It was the way of life: we played, had secret forts, ate, ran through sprinklers, and gardened. It was magical, but as a kid it just seemed normal.
Now I garden with my daughter and son. My garden is more utilitarian, a fence around 15 rows, so they love to play in the yard and come to the garden when it is time to water (their favorite). They also love planting and harvesting.
Kids naturally respect nature. They are fascinated by it. They want to see things grow. They will make mistakes, but your job is to encourage them and support them. Remember why you want to share this with them and don’t lose track of that along the way. Kids will plant things unevenly and they will over-water and they will want to eat right from the plant. Let them, so that they learn to love the space. It can teach them patience, kindness, a joy of the unexpected, perseverance, respect for Mother Nature, connection to family and friends.
An apple tree is an amazing addition to any home. Picking apples, canning applesauce, making dried apples—you feel so successful, kids can participate in every step, and it is very little work. On the coast, broccoli is awesome, easy to grow, and bountiful, and the same for kale. Also strawberries—they’re a little bit harder, but nothing brings a kid to a garden faster than a ripe strawberry.
If you’re going to have a garden, learn how to process, can, or freeze your food. Talk to your friends; they have great advice, and everyone does it differently. Don’t stress out. If kids are having fun in the garden, that is the success. Plants come second in the beginning.
Bergin-Sipila Vineyards
A Winemaking Partnership Rooted in a Love of the Land
by D.H. Shook
We live in a world of accelerated transformation. From social mores to weather patterns, the winds of change are upon us. Some of these changes are exciting and some are unsettling. It is natural, in times such as these, to cast about for points of reliability, a solid place to plant one’s feet. Redtail Ranch, owned and operated by John and Marbry Sipila, is a living example of how to do just that—by putting down roots (both the plant and family kinds), building, and being a part of a community. A community doesn’t just happen. It is built over time through actions and homespun traditions. It is built through sticking with a thing through thick and thin.
You could say that both of John Sipila’s grandfathers came to Fort Bragg in search of solid ground. In the 1880s, one of John’s grandfathers jumped ship in Fort Bragg and joined the Finnish community there. His other grandfather arrived in San Francisco from Croatia, by way of Ellis Island, on April 17, 1906. The next day, the great San Francisco earthquake hit, and the day after that, he began walking from San Francisco all the way up to Fort Bragg.
Similarly inspired to find a place to call his own, John moved his young family to Redtail Ranch in 1975 and began homesteading. John, a third generation Mendonesian, chuckles about the Back to the Land movement of the ’70s, saying, “I had always lived on the land, so I couldn’t go back since I was already there.” Redtail Ranch, perched on the south-facing slope in the hills of Mendocino County between Leggett and Laytonville, is where John chose to put down his roots. He and his sons cleared the manzanita and planted an orchard that, decades later, boasts 20 varieties of apples, as well as pears, cherries, and figs. This is where Sips, the Sipilas’ fresh pressed, frozen apple juice comes from.
Marbry Sipila, John’s wife, brought a passionate love of gardening with her to the ranch, as well as a deep devotion to her community. These two interests coalesced when Marbry and a few friends decided to establish a farmers market in Laytonville back in the late 1980s. Marbry explains, “First of all, I love gardening. I wasn’t looking at ‘market gardening.’ This was a way to put our surplus fruits and vegetables to good use. The more farmers can grow and sell locally, the more food security we have.” John chimes in, “One thing we all have in common is we all eat food. A farmers market is one of the most basic connections to a community that we can have.” Marbry served as market manager for many years, selling her garden’s bounty as well as the popular Sips apple juice.
Amazing apple juice is not the only elixir from Redtail Ranch that will delight your palate. One of the crowning jewels of the property is the award-winning Bergin-Sipila Winery, 100% off-grid and organic.
John (foreground) working in the vineyard at Redtail Ranch
Winemaker David Bergin
John and Marbry found the thought of home grown grapes too tempting to pass up. At first the idea was to just be able to eat delicious, sun-ripened grapes, but they had friends who were making wine, so they started considering possibilities. John and his sons carved the first vineyard out of the rugged hillside almost 30 years ago. They planted 300 Syrah vines to start with, then added several more vineyards over the years, including Zinfandel and Tempranillo, as well as more Syrah.
They decided to partner with David Bergin, an established Mendocino micro winemaker who was trained in winemaking at U.C. Davis and had made wine with fruit from his own vineyard for years. He belonged to a collective of other passionate amateurs making their own wines for personal use, and together the group explored the world of winemaking. With David’s winemaking expertise and the Sipilas’ farming skills, they had all they needed, and Bergin-Sipila Winery was born.
The first bottled wines were ready for market in 2011 and included fruit from David’s personal Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard. Both the 2017 Syrah and the 2017 Tempranillo wines won medals at the prestigious Mendocino County Wine Competition. The vineyards were once certified organic, but the certification process has been shelved, though the practices remain organic and even include biodynamic preparations. Today an average 300 cases of wine are produced annually by the winery.
The grapes are hand picked and taken to the winery, where they are destemmed and the fermenting process is started. “Some winemakers add sulfites at this stage, but with our regular monitoring process, we find that there are enough native yeasts present to avoid that. We do add some sulfites later but are committed to keeping the level as low as possible,” explains Marbry. The wines are then racked three to four times in oak barrels during the fermentation process.
When talking with the Sipilas, the word nature keeps popping up. “We will see what nature brings, and do the best we can’’ seems to be the motto at Redtail Ranch. As a farmer, it is impossible to tell what the seasons will bring. It could be a late frost, a smoke filled summer, or a bumper crop with the best grapes ever. The dance between winemaker, farmer, and nature is a tradition as old as our history. It endures because there is such pleasure in a fine bottle of wine. In the end, being a part of traditions allows us to find common ground, the best foundation for building community.
Find Bergin-Sipila wines at the Laytonville farmers market, Fort Bragg farmers market summer through fall, and various locations in Mendocino and Humboldt Counties. Learn more at BerginSipilaVineyards.com.
Photo header provided by Clara Shook. Photos of John and David are courtesy of Bergin-Sipila.
A long-time Mendonesian, Deborah Shook lives in a cottage on the edge of the forest. She takes pleasure playing in her garden and tackling a culinary challenge.
It’s Not Easy Being Green
The Challenges and Struggles of Farming
by Holly Madrigal
Some hold a romantic ideal of agricultural life—the pace of your day responding to the season, the pride and accomplishment of growing your food, of feeding your community. They imagine the satisfaction of a day well worked, rising with the sun, and living authentically. What may not be so obvious is the financial stress, the envy of things like a paid vacation, letting go of simple ideas like retirement or even home-ownership.
The average age of farmers in the United States remains stubbornly high, 60 years old, according to the USDA. Over the last five years, Mendocino County has lost numerous small farmers. Some have relocated to other states where land is cheaper, and others have left the agricultural field altogether. Farmers, eaters, and those who believe in the importance of a local food system are seeking solutions to keep farmers here and thriving.
What follows are some thoughts from local farmers—not necessarily answers to these problems, but areas of concern that would be helpful to address if we want to retain our farmers.
SUCCESSION
Dan Todd, Todd Organics
My parents and grandparents were farming in Southern California for many years until freeways and housing developments took over their orange groves. In the late 1950s, they bought adjoining cattle ranches in Potter Valley and planted pear trees, prune trees, and walnuts, in addition to raising cows. That’s where I grew up, on the farm helping out.
In 1977, the bank and I bought some of my dad’s pear orchards, and I began farming on my own. It’s very different when you are making all the farming decisions yourself instead of just doing what you are told needs to be done. In 1987, after a lot of research and talking to old timers who had farmed prior to our modern-day chemicals, I switched over some of our orchards to organic. I was very much an early adopter of organic farming.
I managed to make it work, and by 1992 we had transitioned all 70 acres of pears to certified organic, which possibly made us the largest organic pear grower in the United States. Our best pears went to the fresh market under our Todd Ranch label, and our processing pears went to baby food and juice. Earth’s Best was one of our main buyers.
My wife and I raised our three children on the farm. The saying was, every successful farmer in Potter Valley had a wife that worked in town, and we were no exception, as my wife was a nurse. And we had a good life. Much of our success was hard work, educated guesses, and some good fortune.
The Todd Family with Dan and Alice on the left, Andy and Sarah on the right, and (grand) kids in the middle
Rachel Britton
Our kids went off to college and started their careers. And I wanted that, I wanted them to make their own decisions about their lives. About 10 years ago, my eldest son Andy reached out. He and his wife and their twin boys had decided that they wanted to come home and farm with us. He wanted to raise his boys the way he was raised, with ponds, hills, and the freedom to roam. His wife Sarah was interested but uncertain about leaving Santa Rosa. They decided that it needed to work for everyone. The farm was successful enough to support one family, but the question was could it support two? Through a combination of a few good pear years, and after developing some good contracts for wine grapes, they were able to make it work. They sat down with the bank and, after reviewing the equity and other factors, they decided to do it.
Now we’ve been farming 160 acres together for a bit more than ten years. The farm has grown, and my grandkids can run between the houses. The challenge, of course, is that I have multiple children, and it is important that, when I think about the future, I think about how to pass on the farm to the next generation. What I learned through a succession planning seminar with American Ag Credit was that “fair is not equal, and equal is not fair.”
For estate planning purposes, the farming operation and the land both have value. What we now have is a result of the hard work we have both put in over the last ten years. Andy has a lot of “sweat equity” in the farm and will inherit the farming operation. The land will be equally divided between him and his siblings. I believe they all feel good about this direction. When people ask me how I’m doing, I tell them that I am working harder than I have ever worked, but I am enjoying it more than I ever have.
CAPITAL
Rachel Britton, Mendocino Grain Project
I acquired the Mendocino Grain Project in 2020. It is both a farm—we grow grain, quinoa, and other staple crops—and also a grain-processing business for us and other regional farmers. We work with farmers in Humboldt, Lake, and other small producers in Mendocino County. Our vision is to make dry goods available locally. I sometimes call dry goods the last frontier of the local food system.
I bought this business, which was started by Doug Mosel in 2009. Back then, the Anderson Valley Foodshed, the Willits Grange, and Willits Economic LocaLization group (WELL) had done a local food assessment and identified that one farm product we did not have any of in the county was dry goods. No one was growing oats, beans, quinoa, or wheat on a larger scale. So Doug embarked on this journey of rebuilding the infrastructure to make this happen. [Learn more about the Mendocino Grain Project in our Fall 2022 Word of Mouth article.]
Around 2020, I had been working with John Jeavons’ Ecology Action nonprofit for six years and was looking around for my next step. At that same time, Doug was looking for someone to take on the Grain Project. Well, what are the limitations there? For one, there is a huge financial limitation. What young farmer has $200,000 sitting around and thinks, “Yes, I would like to purchase all of this old farm equipment you have carefully restored.” I am in a unique situation where I lost both of my parents fairly young, and so I did have an inheritance to invest. It was a total hustle, but I was able to make it work.
But this is a huge issue for our farming community. There is a massive disconnect between the young people who have the energy and capacity to do the work, because most people do not have that level of capital. You can lease land to grow grain, but the equipment is expensive, as well as the additional processing required, like threshing and cleaning. Quinoa comes out of the field very bitter and needs to be washed. A critical mass of farmers who are growing dry goods are required to make this pencil out. We reach out and collaborate with as many people as we can to make it work.
The other key component is eaters. We need people who care enough about flavor and the importance of our local food system that they are willing to make those decisions in the marketplace. We have a CSA for our grains, which helps us because the payments are made upfront in the spring and help us through the fluctuations of cash flow throughout the year. And it’s flexible because we have learned that our customers are highly personal: some people eat oats every morning, some are gluten-free, and some never eat beans, so we have now made our subscription customizable.
One of the reasons I am so passionate about this work is that dry goods are calorie dense and storable; they don’t require refrigeration. I signed on the dotted line for this business in February of 2020. It was a wild time. And if you remember, people began baking en masse. And I was so green, I had just enough knowledge to be dangerous. Our sales from April to May grew 60-fold, which some might put in the category of “unsustainable growth.”
I grew up in a small community in Iowa, and I like to question my belief systems. And 2020 was such an educational year because I got to really think: Is local food actually more sustainable and more resilient? This experience was affirming because, for a time we were the only flour available on the Ukiah Coop shelves. We are hyper-localized. Even a small producer like Bob’s Red Mill serves a larger population and had to be rationed between stores. Our focus was getting local food on local shelves. And we are nimble in that we work with an educational nonprofit that works in Marin. I am only able to physically mill 100 pounds per day, but this nonprofit had the exact kind of mill that we used, so they were able to loan it to us so that we could double our production. So this collaboration saved us.
LAND
derived from multiple sources
A friend shared that often when farmers are just starting out, they are on a shoestring budget. That was true in his case. He and his partner were able to lease land quite affordably when they started just out of college. The challenge with that model is that, like with any rental, all the blood, sweat, and tears invested could be lost if the property gets sold or if you have to vacate. Renters do not get to keep the equity if the owners decide to move on. This can add to the already stressful lifestyle of a farmer.
According to my friend, there are ways to mitigate the risks. Finding an aging rancher or farmer who may be considering retirement, and who will let you learn on the land without the risks of ownership, is one strategy. This will allow the tenant farmers to glean valuable information that will be useful for when they are able to buy their own property. Without the burden of paying a mortgage, a farmer might be able to invest in the development of mobile infrastructure, which could go with them if they have to move.
Another couple that left when farming became unsustainable for them commented that Mendocino County is located just outside of the sweet spot: ideally within a one-hour drive of a city of more than 100,000, as suggested by farming leaders like Joel Salitin. Santa Rosa qualifies, but it is hard for Mendocino County farmers to compete with the climate and access to flat fertile land that Sonoma County farms have. Local farms here typically do not grow on a larger scale to sell to restaurants and grocery stores. Though the farmers markets can provide a decent income, they represent a fairly small portion of the eaters in Mendocino County. Groups like the MendoLake Food Hub have been seeking to bridge this gap by consolidating the production and distribution power of small farms.
Our planning bureaucracy is also a barrier to small producers. It’s not a simple thing to build a roadside farmstand or hoop house that could improve a farm’s economic outlook. The permitting process can stymie the most diligent citizen. Drought has brought several local farms to their knees, and the investment required to address that issue is significant.
The challenges facing those who grow food are serious. And we as a culture need to prioritize lowering those barriers if we want local food security. Groups do exist: The Greenhorns provide a professional resource to young farmers seeking to make a go of it, and FarmLink connects retiring farmers with young people looking for land. We need to demand that our local elected officials enact policies to reduce barriers to making small farm improvements. And finally, as those who eat food and support local agriculture, we need to use our buying power to support our neighborhood farmers. The saying goes, use it or lose it. I think, in this case, it is support it or it may soon be gone. I extend a deep appreciation and thank you to those who remain.
Summertime, and the Living Is Busy
Growing More Than Crops
by Gowan Batist
Spring crops are being harvested at the break of dawn, and fall crops are going in the ground. The beaches are territory ceded to the tourists for the time being, and the nights are short and precious.
The canner starts to rumble as we put away pickles and the first salsa. It will build in intensity, a propane dragon on the damp fall porch, until the frost drives it into hibernation. But for now the kitchen work is limited to an occasional batch on a warm evening.
This is the time, ten years ago, that Eat Mendocino started to feel less like a survival project and more like a fun exploration of the bounty that exists in this county. We are blessed with a diversity of growing conditions here—the coastal fog keeps greens sweet and abundant and roots tender, while the inland heat starts to crank out peppers and tomatoes. We can really have it all here, and that starts to feel not just obvious, but luxurious in the summer. Meals no longer mean raiding the pantry for jars or the freezer for packages, but consist of the smallest possible amount of effort, sparing the time for the field. We eat fresh-made herbed cheese scooped up on chopped spears of cucumber, carrot, zucchini, and fresh snap peas. Tilting on the balance point of summer solstice, we are taking very little out of the pantry and putting very little into it, but living happily hand-to-mouth in the garden.
The process of getting to this moment in time has not been easy. I have to admit that I initially felt some smugness, looking at the rows of glass jars like jewels in the pantry, the four chest freezers, the security of stocked bins of dry goods, and the unbelievable luxury of the MendoLake Food Hub delivering local produce to our door. I thought that this spring and early summer would be easier, and it has been in the sense of abundance of food stores … we wouldn’t have made it otherwise.
Ten years ago I loved food with all my heart, and I believed in it. My problem was logistics and storage, the amount of calories saved, the budget to buy food, and the space to grow it for myself, on top of the program I was managing. This year, I have had a well stocked larder, but I hated the sight and smell of food for months. This was especially hard at the crucial stage of mid-spring, when the new produce had barely come in and the storage produce was on its last legs, with long tendrils of green sprouts emerging from the onions in the bin, as if they were making a break for it.
The first crop I ever grew, and likely the last I ever will, is winter squash and pumpkins. They represent beauty and abundance and security to me. They are wild flowering vines in summer, impossible to see through in their density, until they suddenly swoon dramatically with the changing season, dropping their green robe to the ground and revealing the fruit in all their glory, glowing orange against the gray ground, brighter than the low sun. That is several months in the future from now. We are still in the thick of the green jungle, in the place of verdant wild promise, but not fulfillment. Nothing is certain yet, nothing is ripe except pollen for the bees. I’m in the same way as the pumpkins—due in October.
Being pregnant during Eat Mendocino has presented some distinct challenges. Instead of diligently cooking for the family every day like I had planned, the first part of this year left me at times unable to even open the fridge without running for the bathroom. I had nausea and food aversions so intense that I resented the fact that I had to eat to live. Most of what I forced myself to swallow wouldn’t stay down, and it wasn’t even clear how much good it was doing me. I would have lived on sunlight like a plant or filtered plankton like a coral if I could have—I longed to stop thinking, seeing, touching, smelling, or tasting food. I cried when I had to eat more than once.
That’s a bit of a conundrum when my creative, social, and professional framework for this year was tied to food as the center of life. I became pretty severely hypoglycemic by 10 weeks. My hands and feet were always cold, I shook, and I was miserable with an unstoppable cycle of nausea. My midwife sternly but gently told me what I had to do. The cure for what was ailing me was to eat, preferably protein, every hour.
This seemed like an impossible, tortuous task. The meals we make require preparation. We don’t have snacks. We don’t even have a microwave. I struggled. My body was telling me two diametrically opposed things at the same time—that every food, no matter how much my conscious mind knew I loved it, was disgusting and unsafe, and also that I urgently had to eat. The advice given to people in my situation was ridiculously inapplicable: Keep saltines next to my bed? My neighbors, Cam and Megan, made me crackers with Mendocino Grain Project wheat, our salt, and Leu’s rendered goat fat. Carry around string cheese? Clara and Noah made me little round pucks of salty chevre. Eat nuts? I’m allergic to walnuts, some of the only nuts available in Mendocino County. We bought a bag of almonds while traveling through Yolo County, and whispered a little apology to their aquifer. The nuts really do help. We found some workable solutions, and through it all, my partners Morgan and Hunter were there, feeding me patiently, picking up my chores, tending to the things I was finding increasingly difficult to do, and loving me.
Projects like Eat Mendocino tend to draw some criticism for not perfectly encapsulating whatever a given person’s perception of food culture should be. It seems easier for a lot of people, whatever the issue at hand is, to critique how someone else attempts to solve a problem or explore a concept. Ten years ago I was in my early twenties, and I wanted to explore what existed in this county and see how far I could push myself. I had no idea that there was a double whammy waiting for me—people eager to put me on a pedestal and then try to knock me off it, sometimes in the same breath. People expected me to be a perfect ideal of whatever they thought a Mendocino farmer should be, yet many were eager to ferret out the ways I wasn’t. I responded to this scrutiny by sticking perfectly in all ways, at all times, to the letter of the law—if I couldn’t eat only from Mendocino County, down to the salt and oils, I would just fast. I was strong and could do that. This didn’t stop the criticism; the vocal minority just moved the goalposts. Instead of calling me a hypocrite for lacking perfection in my diet, people called me a hypocrite because I drove a car. Or used shampoo. Or didn’t eat coconut oil, which they interpreted as shaming vegans. I hadn’t committed to anything other than what I said I would do— explore Mendocino’s food scene by putting my body on the line. I hadn’t said I would become a neo-peasant. I hadn’t said I would go off-grid. I never told anyone else what to eat or not eat. I hadn’t said I would embody purity in any way, according to anyone’s else’s standard. I committed to one thing, and I did it with all my heart and might, and sometimes the “what-abouts” still followed me around.
What I learned from that experience is that there are two ways to deal with the inevitability of human frailty in the public eye. One is to be absolutely brutally committed at all costs, and still face a certain amount of sneering from the sidelines. The other way is just to own the imperfection of our humanity. This project is important to me, but so is surviving and having a healthy pregnancy. I’m taking prenatal supplements. I’m going to drink the disgusting glucose beverages they make you chug before a series of blood tests for gestational diabetes. I’m eating cottage cheese from Sonoma County. If we had a Mendocino dairy I could easily get it from, I would, but we do not. That in itself is data. After nearly passing out at an event from low blood sugar, my partners brought me a bagel from the potluck table, and I ate it. I have no regrets. I’ll do it again if I need to. I have experienced what commitment on that extreme level feels like, and I don’t regret doing that either, but it’s a new decade, with new priorities. The first one of which is our baby.
Coming to the understanding that I would flex the commitments I’d made when it was necessary for me to do so gave my midwife a huge sense of relief, and gave me a new capacity for gratitude. Coming out of survival mode, I can focus on appreciating what we are doing—growing a new part of this community, from the land and the hands of all our neighbors. I have praised the Golden Rule Garden every day of this year for their decision to grow ginger last season. Our store of honey ginger syrup is used in hot water for tea and in ginger ale made with fizzy water from our carbonator. I bless them every time I sip it. We took the leftover ginger pulp from the syrup production, dehydrated it, and cut it into little chunks, which made all-Mendocino ginger chews. They have kept me alive some days.
My friend Ana let us pick lemons from her place in Ukiah. Added to water to make it more palatable, they have kept me hydrated. Ruthie was incredibly generous with her time, her expertise, and her butcher shop, which has kept us in bone broth, keeping nutrients flowing when we were exhausted. My neighbors have fed us and helped us with chores. The land has grown the nettles and raspberry leaf that are the important tonic teas for pregnancy, and the sea has made salt with water and time.
Summer is the time of busy abundance, but not yet the fulfillment of harvest. It is a time of action and celebration and physical energy, but a time of risk as well. We are doing the work that we hope will yield a positive result for the winter, but we can’t know the outcome yet. There are long months of uncertainty and struggle ahead, as well as doctor’s appointments and screenings, before we bring the harvest home. Every step along the way is a privilege and a celebration. Gowan Batist of Fortunate Farm 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.
Gowan Batist of Fortunate Farm 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.
Good Bones Kitchen
A Chef-Ceramicist Tackles the Challenge of Serving New Food in an Old Space
by Holly Madrigal
There’s a particular charm to a new restaurant in an old building. Guests can enjoy delectable dishes by a fresh kitchen talent within a space that resonates with a wealth of good-time memories from years past. Following this tradition, Good Bones Kitchen, a new restaurant in the tiny community of Caspar just north of Mendocino, opened in May and gets its name from the architectural integrity of the old building that holds it.
The space previously contained the Caspar Pub House, and, for many decades before that, the beloved Caspar Inn. Chef/Owner Miles McCreary reflects, “It’s rare to come into a restaurant space with so much history. It already has this classic tavern feel, and the last thing we’d want to do is take the soul and character out of the room by doing major renovations.”
While this is his first restaurant, Miles’ culinary experience stretches back to his years growing up in Berkeley. His early restaurant jobs defined his culinary ethic: food should be fresh, in season, simple in its integrity, and beautiful. In addition to his kitchen chops, he has the eye of an artist and craftsman, all of which are on display at Good Bones. Like many creative people, it was a winding journey that led Miles to where he is now, a journey with repeating themes of clay, food, and fire. While attending Evergreen College in Washington and studying sustainable agriculture and food systems, Miles discovered the joys of baking sourdough bread. A nearby bakery had a wood-fired oven built by renowned oven builder Alan Scott, which Miles was allowed to use on its off-hours.
Soon there was more bread than Miles and his housemates could eat, and friends started asking to buy loaves. “I clearly remember the first time I exchanged bread for money. I was standing in the kitchen of my house in Olympia, and a friend offered me $3 for half a loaf of bread. I still have one of those dollar bills tucked away in a box with other sentimental objects. That was the first time I seriously considered making food for a living,” Miles recalls. He quickly developed a subscription model, baking on Saturday mornings and selling bread to friends and classmates on the weekend while he completed his studies. After graduating, Miles moved back to the Bay Area and began working in a kitchen that he credits as his most influential culinary experience: Ramen Shop in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland. Started by three veterans of Chez
Panisse—one of whom studied in Japan—the restaurant sourced ingredients meticulously, and the whole menu changed every day. “There was a blueprint to the menu—there were always a few salads and three types of ramen—but the ingredients would change every day with what was in season,” he remembers. “That blueprint resonated with me, structuring a menu in a way that allows you to highlight whatever ingredients are available on a given day.”
One of the Ramen Shop owners was married to an artist, and they used her handmade pottery in the restaurant. “As a line cook there, I first worked the salad station, and I really nerded out on the ceramics, deciding which salads looked best on which glazes. I loved how that was one of the decisions I got to make as a cook. Crimson tuna contrasting on a robin’s egg blue dish—I loved thinking about this as part of the eating experience,” Miles adds. “Most eaters aren’t thinking about the pottery, but it can enhance the dining experience even if every eater may not realize it.” Miles continues, “I asked Jessica Niello, the ceramicist, where she was making her work. She told me about the Pottery Studio in Berkeley, and I started taking classes. There’s a joke in the ceramics community that certain people just ‘get bit by the clay bug’ and I got bit hard. I fell down that rabbit hole fast, and before I knew it I was spending all my free time at the studio.”
When the pandemic hit, Miles was accepted into the ceramics residency program at Mendocino Art Center. Mendocino struck him as an appealing amalgamation of his previous stomping grounds. “This part of the coast reminds me of every place I’ve lived—culturally there’s lots of overlap with Berkeley. We’re far enough north that the landscape and flora remind me of the Pacific Northwest, especially the way lace lichen hangs from trees. The colonial architecture in the town of Mendocino reminds me of summers spent cooking out on Martha’s Vineyard. And there are days driving through Anderson Valley when there is a haze, an alpine glow almost, that reminds me of my time living in Asheville, North Carolina surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. All together, it feels like home.”
While working on his residency, Miles picked up a part-time job at the Brickery at Café Beaujolais cooking pizza in a wood-fired oven built by none other than Alan Scott—a nice parallel to the early days of his cooking journey. While he enjoyed working at the Brickery, he also wanted to have a kitchen of his own. He heard about an opportunity with the new owners of the Caspar Inn, an old roadhouse with a long history as a music venue, restaurant, and bar.
Owners Erin Walkenshaw and Thomas Rosskopf, who both had ties to the community in Caspar, decided to buy the restaurant property and move to Caspar full-time in 2021. “I feel incredibly lucky because they put the word out that they were looking for someone to take on the restaurant, and a few people in the community put my name forward,” recalls Miles. “The timing was perfect, too. I had just finished the Artist-in-Residence program and was looking for something that could be my anchor and allow me to stay. This felt like it was my ticket to putting down roots here in Mendocino.”
The restaurant’s May opening followed a successful series of pop-ups this past winter that proved that there’s an audience for Miles’ cooking. Staples like housemade bread and fresh seafood anchor the menu, while the kitchen team improvises daily with all the local produce they can get their hands on. Devin Myers of Dorsal Wines and Fog Bottle Shop manages the bar and has curated a unique wine list focusing on natural wines from all over the world. Jenna St. George brings years of experience working in Bay Area restaurants to her role as general manager, as well as a talent for designing and curating restaurant spaces. There are plans for live music on Fridays so guests can start the weekend off right.
And of course there’s the pottery, which adds an extra creative dimension to the guests’ experience. “It’s probably not realistic to make every single plate or bowl myself. One of the things I’m most excited about is to bring in pottery from other artists, to have a platform where I can showcase work that I admire,” shares Miles. But whether the dish or plate under the food comes from Miles’ hands or another ceramicists, each one was made with care—just like the food, and the old building in which it’s made.
Good Bones
14957 Caspar Rd., Caspar
GoodBonesKitchen.com | IG: good.bones.kitchen
Open for dinner Fri – Mon | Check website for lunch hours
Photos by Nik Zvolensky
Psychic Pie
Sebastopol-Made Roman-Style Pizza That’s a Cut Above
by Lisa Ludwigsen
Sometimes an imaginative spin on a food favorite can make the world seem shiny and new again. So it is with Psychic Pie’s take on Roman-style pizza. Far from the ubiquitous American fast-food version, or the simple puffycrusted Neapolitan, or even the tasty, crispy wood-fired flatbread style, Psychic Pie creates a uniquely local pizza experience from a small storefront in Sebastopol.
Psychic Pie’s Roman-style pizza is sold Al Taglio—to the cut. Par-baked in large format pans and sold by weight, you can order as much or as little as you like. The minimum order measures three fingers wide, which encourages exploration of the tasty combos that rotate daily. Cut from the big pie with industrial sized kitchen scissors, slices can be taken home to finish off or baked on-site to dine in. All eat-in orders are accompanied by those big scissors—the best tool to cut the thick slices into manageable sections.
Though descriptions of “seasonal” and “local” are trendy these days, Psychic Pie co-owner Leith Miller said, “I can truthfully claim that 90% of our ingredients are locally sourced.” Those fresh, seasonal, local ingredients determine the restaurant’s eight weekly pizza selections, yummy salads, and small but mighty dessert choices. This pizza doesn’t rely on heavy sauce or loads of cheese for satisfying flavor. Instead, expect to find yummy thinly sliced potato covering a slather of crème fraîche, topped with a sprinkling of chopped dill and chives, and finished with red chili oil. Another option might be maitake, shiitake, and cremini shrooms combined with ricotta, chevre, lemon zest, and herbs. Meat lovers will find house-made sausage, pickled onion, and mozzarella topping a thin layer of light tomato sauce. Each day’s offerings are different, and like most truly satisfying food, the quality of the ingredients makes the final product sparkle.
Miller’s partner in work and life is Nicholi Ludlow, the crust maestro. His background as a longtime professional sourdough baker is showcased in a soft yet crunchy, slightly spongy, tangy pizza base that captures that traditional Bay Area sourdough taste. Miller said, “We have built solid relationships with local farms because we want to bring all the tastes of Sonoma County, including sourdough, to the Italian pizza tradition.” Ludlow’s thick crust shines as the proper backbone for all those exciting combos.
Psychic Pie’s cheerful brick and mortar location in south Sebastopol grew from a pandemic pop-up side-jam. Take-n-bake was their game back then, and word of mouth spread quickly. Leith and Ludlow are formally trained in scientific professions—Leith holds a PhD in biology, and Ludlow studied to become a podiatrist. They met in high school, and both worked at Del Popolo pizzeria in San Francisco.
The popularity of their Sebastopol pop-up provided the encouragement to open their shop in a busy mini-mall on Gravenstein Highway South in Sebastopol. Launched in February 2022, the shop has allowed Leith and Ludlow to expand their food offerings, build their clientele, and provide a welcoming vibe for diners to sit and enjoy a glass of natural wine or Sonoma County beer with their meal.Psychic Pie offers fresh salads, and for dessert, big cookies and local buffalo milk gelato from Marin County. That soft-serve buffalo gelato is an experience all its own. The food at Psychic Pie is not precious and it’s not inexpensive. It is fresh, alive, imaginative, and utterly satisfying.
Photo credit: Jo Ann Baumgartner.
Psychic Pie
980 Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol
(707) 827-6032 | PsychicPie.com
Open Thu - Sun 11:30am to 8pm