Get Involved: Holiday Time Giving Guide
This holiday season, some of our favorite things are not things at all. Great reward comes from pitching in to help with your favorite cause. Get involved and join the fun at these organizations, or kick in a donation as a gift to help them do their work. ‘Tis the season to get involved!
Learn how you can Help the Kelp at Noyo Center for Marine Science in Fort Bragg. Take a morning to count purple sea urchins, or volunteer to help create the life-sized earthen blue whale at their Crows Nest location on the Noyo Headlands.
Noyocenter.org
The Caring Kitchen helps to heal those fighting cancer by providing free, healthy meals made with love. Volunteer yourself or bring the whole family and join the team of teen chefs prepping and cooking. Volunteer angels deliver the meals across inland Mendocino County. Can you feel the LOVE?
ncoinc.org/programs/caring-kitchen-project
Get out the Vote! No matter your electoral leanings, we can all agree that more people voting makes our democracy stronger. Take a turn registering voters at your local post office or gathering place. Make it a family affair with red, white, and blue top hats. The California primary is sooner than you might think, so contact your local Registrar of Voters to ensure you are signed up.
Though it’s a small community, Round Valley has a whole lot going on. The hardworking volunteers of Friends of the Round Valley Library can always use a hand hosting fundraisers and other activities. Join in, or donate to KYBU, the Black Berry Festival, the thriving Documentary Series, Seed Library, Art Exhibits and more.
frvpl.org
If you like to get outside for your volunteering, consider connecting to the Redwood Forest Foundation, owners of the almost 50,000-acre Usal Redwood Forest at the start of the Lost Coast and King Mountain Range. Pitch in to help build trails, plant trees, or improve access to the forest. You can give the gift of preserving a redwood grove in a family member’s honor.
Rffi.org
The folks of Acorn Partners in Point Arena love to get kids outside. Kayaking, turtle-counting (in Baja), and hosting a 5K run on the Stornetta National Monument headlands are just some of the efforts undertaken by this dynamic group. They seek to provide education about the environment and cross-cultural learning through experiences and the arts.
acornpartnersineducation.org
Home for the Holidays
Be sure to include some of these delicious, locally grown or produced goodies in your holiday feast.
by Rachel Turner Williams
Mendocino Meats offers lamb as well as turkeys and pork for your holiday season
Fort Bragg bakery croutons
Zeni chestnuts are delicious
Kemmy's pies
Apple Farm apples will make your holidays sweet
Make your own pumpkin pie with locally grown pumpkins
Polish off the feast with some Cowlick's ice cream
THE CENTERPIECE
Luckily for us, even our Thanksgiving turkey can be sourced locally. Sisters’ Ridge Farm out of Calpella has been producing certified organic, pastureraised turkeys for several years now. The white broadbreasted turkeys are processed on the farm and will be ready for pick-up in November. To arrange an order, contact Jenness Hartley at (707) 272-0172 or visit their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/farmsistersridge/). Likewise, first-generation farm Mendocino Meats will be raising and processing white broad-breasted turkeys using organic feed at Heart Arrow Ranch near Redwood Valley. For those who prefer a holiday ham for their special meal, those can be ordered through Mendocino Meats with at least one month advance notice. Contact them via e-mail at info@mendocinoorganics.com or call (707) 272-5477.
THE STUFFING
What would the bird be without all that glorious stuffing? Just in time for the holidays, Fort Bragg Bakery, a local artisan bread company, puts out croutons made from their natural, organic levain sourdough breads. The croutons can be found seasonally at Harvest Market, Lemons, Anderson Valley Market, Purity Supermarket, Mariposa Market, and other local stores. More at www. fortbraggbakery.com. Alternatively, try making your own by getting a fresh loaf from your favorite local bakery—we recommend Schat’s for inland dwellers—slice it up, dry it either overnight or in a warm oven, then cut into cubes and sauté in a pan with butter and a little garlic.
THE SIDES
Looking to round out your table with some tasty, locally-grown sides? Natural Products of Boonville (707-684-0182) is growing a variety of potatoes and purple sweet potatoes for the season. If you are hoping to include mushrooms in your feast, they also have Lion’s Manes and sometimes shiitakes. The Forest People (707-489-5034) also have oyster mushrooms for sale. For a lovely touch of holiday tradition, be sure to include Zeni Ranch (707-684- 6892) chestnuts in your meal. The ranch also hopes to produce their first batch of chestnut honey this year, which could be a wonderful addition to your yams or desserts.
THE PIES
What Thanksgiving would be complete without some delicious, seasonal pies? If you are looking to make your pies from scratch, pumpkins and winter squash are available locally through Blue Meadow Farm, Brock Farms, Anderson Valley Community Farm, and Yokayo Farm. Apples for pies can also be sourced locally through The Apple Farm (707-895-2333) or Gowan’s Oak Tree (707-895-3353). If you are looking to take a delicious shortcut, look no further than Kemmy’s Pies, a local pie company out of Willits that offers handmade holiday pies ranging from classic pumpkin, pecan, and apple, to specialty pies such as bourbon sweet potato or saged mushroom. Look for them at local markets throughout the county or contact them at Kemmyspies@gmail.com to place an order.
AND MORE
You can be sure to savor the season all month long with these special local treats! Cowlick’s Ice Cream (www.cowlicksicecream.com) in Fort Bragg offers special handmade flavors during the holidays, including pumpkin, cinnamon, and chai. Enjoy deliciously creamy pumpkin butter from Carol Hall’s Hot Pepper Jelly Company (www. hotpepperjelly.com) or pop in to The North Coast Brewing Company (www.northcoastbrewing.com) to taste their soured seasonal Cranberry-Quince autumn brew.
Main photo: Sisters’ Ridge Farm
Rachel Williams lives in Boonville where she is active in the food shed, and avid gardener, and Undergoing online training in nutrition.