Agriculture Days Spreading Nationwide in March
It’s time to celebrate all about agriculture in the month of March. Taking time to appreciate how food and fiber are… Read More
Local Farms
Autumn Wonderland of Foodie Fun Events in Northern CA!
It's that time of the year where crisp air, the sound of crunching leaves below the feet and awesome food venues will keep you hopping along with your exploring calendars. It's time to bundle up and go enjoy what Northern California is very well known for - beautiful fall foliage, an abundance of fresh fruit and produce at local farms and events that will go down in your photo albums as PRICELESS! Here are a few of our recommendations for some fun and food-filled activities to go, see and do! Sierra Oro Farm Trail Passport Weekend - October 12th & 13th, Butte County Perfect for foodies, wine and beer enthusiast and travelers looking for a weekend getaway or a chance to explore off-the-beaten trail....this agri-tourism adventure provides trail goers with the once a year chance to savor the farm-fresh bounty of Butte County all weekend long. To purchase your passport and pick up your trail map visit www.sierraoro.org/passport-weekend Sactoberfest - Saturday, October 19th This one day celebration will involve beer, bratwurst, great oompah music and bretzels! Join proud German ancestors in Sacramento and embrace the traditions of Oktoberfest. Participate in traditional German games including keg rolling, stein holding, yodeling, and everyone’s favorite Chicken Dance dance-off. Traditional German dance performances will also take place throughout the day by The Schuhplatter Dancers. You don’t have to travel to Munich to experience Oktoberfest, it’s right here in your own backyard! Sactoberfest is a 21 and over event. 12pm-10pm - West Sacramento www.sactoberfest.com California Beer & Wine Festival - Saturday, October 19th Beer, Wine, Food, Cigars, Live Music and fun Vendors....sounds like a great afternoon!! Advance ticketing $25 per person Plus Street, Yuba City Town Center (Between Franklin and B Streets) 1:00pm-5:00pm www.californiabeerandwinefestival.com Pomegranate Festival - Madera, CA - Saturday, November 2nd A unique and fun festival where the celebration of the Spanish Conquistadores bringing the pomegranate to America by 1772 is done by fun activities, history lessons, recipe contests, amazing food, libations and live music!! You’ve seen the “punkin chunkin’’ contests - well how about witnessing the pomegranate fling contest? Madera Municipal Airport - 4020 Aviation Drive, Madera, CA 93637 10:00am - 5:00pm Details: www.maderachamber.com Big Reds Release Party & Redneck BBQ Bash - Saturday, November 2nd Git yerselves on over to Andis Wines in Amador County for their 2nd Annual Redneck BBQ Bash! New BIG red wine releases. Make sure to wash your hands before dinner because no utensils will be allowed! A memorable evening by all who attend. Advance reservations required by Wed. Oct. 30th. Call 209-245-6177 or visit www.andiswines.com/events Click Here to Continue!
A Day of Soil, Farmers & Food! Farm to Fork Experience in the Foothills
Sierra Foothills Farm and Wine Tour Experience by Bethany Woy Yes, we know that California is known for amazing fresh fruits and vegetables. We are known to produce some of the best wine grapes in the world. We are blessed with rolling hills of orchards, farms and vineyards. On a beautiful Saturday this May, a few food lovers decided they would venture out of Midtown Sacramento and join Local Roots Food Tours on the exploration of the nearby Sierra Foothills. A bartender, secretary, regional manager and executive chef joined the Local Roots staff and spent an afternoon discovering the wonders of nature right outside our back door. Here’s what they found. “ We met up in Newcastle at a quaint little country store that you would see out of an old time movie. All fresh produce and local items were sold there. No big box stores. Just products from local dairies, farms, orchards and vineyards. Right away I knew this would be right up my alley. Living in Sacramento, it’s great to be able to shop at the Co-op or Farmer’s Markets, but seeing a little store with so many wonderful local products was refreshing. We loaded up into the comfortable bus and headed out to Colwell Thundering Herd Farms where we met Rich and Nancy Colwell that own a mandarin farm. This couple have lived in Penryn since 1984, but the family farm dates back to 1959. The Colwells continue to live in an old ranch home owned by the Butler family dating back to the late 1800’s. (the land has supported peach, pears and plum orchards at that time!) Meeting Rich and Nancy was amazing and they were the nicest people ever. You could definitely see the passion they have for farming. I had no idea there were so many varietals of mandarin oranges but Rich gave us a full mandarin grove tour where we got to actually touch the trees and learn about pruning, harvesting and processing this amazing fruit. It was so wonderful to have them open up their property to us visitors. The Colwells produce mandarin and lemon olive oil as well as balsamic vinegar and mandarin chocolate sauce. After touring the farm and getting up close and personal with the fruit we were asked to sit in a wonderful shady area of the property and asked to sample the Colwells products. We got to sample the olive oils, chocolate sauces, vinegars and even the fresh fruit itself. Continue Reading More!
Farm and Wine Bus Tour Big Savings Day!
Exploring Northern California’s hills and valleys by bus is only the beginning. We take participants right to the source of our local… Read More
Local Roots Food & Farm Tours Turns 2 Years Old – Celebrate Offer!
Local Roots Food & Farm Tours Celebration Gift Certificate Offer In honor of our food touring company's 2 year anniversary mark - we are offering all our customers the opportunity to SAVE!! Buy our CELEBRATION GIFT BOOKLET for $250 and receive a FREE ADULT FOOD TOUR TICKET. Celebration Booklet comes with 5 adult food tour tickets to all walking food tours excluding our bus tours.) A SAVINGS of $110.00 Buy our SPRING FARM TO FORK GIFT BOOKLET for $350.00 and receive: 6 Farm & Wine Bus Tour Tickets and a SPECIAL FREE GARDENER'S GIFT! A SAVINGS of $100.00 ******Offer expires 4/30/13. Discount pricing only for ADULT TICKET. Limit 2 per booklets per person/per offer/per order. To receive Gift Booklet Deals, please call our home office: 1-800-407-8918 OR Submit your gift certificate request on our form below. Click for Gift Certificate Fun!
April Foodie Events: Sacramento & Beyond!
This could be my favorite time of year. The weather warming up, the trees starting to bloom and best of all... my mouth watering at the new, fresh produce. With that being said, I have compiled a list of some ‘foodie’ events happening in California in April. Get your calendars ready and put a bib on. If you love food, wine and fun- this list of events is for you. Enjoy! (Blogger- Bethany Woy) Sacramento Turn Verein Bockbier Festival- April 5: 6pm-12am, April 6: 3pm-12am Tickets: Adult $20, Children under 12 $5 Turn Verein Hall- 3349 J Street, Sacramento http://stvbockbierfest2013-zvents.eventbrite.com/ A traditional bockbier is a strong dark beer usually brewed around Christmas or the Spring. Well, it’s that time of year ladies and gentlemen! The celebration kicks off the first week in April and will take place at the historic (and beautiful) Turn Verein hall here in Sacramento. The festival will showcase the authentic Bockbier from Germany, traditional German music from local bands and delicious, mouth-watering food. Special performances of traditional German dances will be performed during both days. An amazing, educational and best of all delicious way to spend the weekend! Festa di Vino- April 6: 6:30pm-10pm Tickets: Adult $45 Scottish Rite Masonic Center-6151 H Street Sacramento http://festadivino.com/ Music. Dancing. Live auction. And best of all... FOOD. A lot of food. This tasty event and will be showcasing over 20 local restaurants and 20 local wineries. Some of our local favorites (Ambrosia Cafe, Blackbird Kitchen & Bar, Firestone Bar- truly the list goes on and on) will be contributing at the event. A true celebration of food and wine. Right up my alley. Sacramento Beer and Chili Festival - April 6: 1pm-4pm Tickets: Adult $35 pre-order, $40 day off Fremont Park- 1515 Q Street, Sacramento http://sacramentobeerandchilifestival.com/ Sacramento Artists Council in partnership with the Grid Agency and Dad’s Kitchen is proud to announce the 2nd Annual Beer and Chili Festival. I don’t know about you but when I hear chili and beer as a combination my mouth instantly starts to water. The pair just seem to go so well: like peanut butter and jelly. The Festival is a fundraiser for The Sacramento Artists Council and raises money for art programs that help at-risk children, children of homeless families and fund adopt a school art programs for Sacramento schools. Not only will you have your fill of delicious beer and chili, the money for the event goes to an amazing cause. You can feel like you’ve helped the community while gorging yourself! My kind of event! The festival will begin with a chili cook off competition (industry and individual) and unlimited beer tastings provide by local breweries. (Mad River Brewing, Lost Coast and Speakeasy Ales--- just to name a few!) Sierra Foothills Food and Wine Bus Tour- April 14: 10:30am- 2:30pm Tickets: Adult $69, Newcastle, California http://localrootsfoodtours.com/farm-tours/ Wouldn’t you love to take the back roads through the beautiful California olives trees, vineyards and fruit farms? Want to know how vineyards can tell when it’s time to pick their grapes or how to grow the best tomatoes? We are so fortunate to live in the “Farm to Fork Capital of America”. Now is time to jump on board the Local Roots Food Tours Culinary Passport bus and explore the cornucopia of agriculture. Tickets include: transportation in a 14 passenger executive bus, a 4 hour bus ride with stops at independent farms, local vineyards and a local produce market. A trained local guide ready to showcase their knowledge of the area. Hands-on, one on one access, from owners of the farms, orchards and vineyards. A catered 4 COURSE GOURMET LUNCH (what a deal!) and a reusable Local Roots Food Tours shopping bag. Can you say amazing weekend?! Don’t you want to be able to get to know this area of California a little better? This is the way to do it! Click for more events!
California Agritourism Offers Great Farm Tours!
Many might wonder what actually defines; "Agritourism" Is it a trend or just a catch phrase that is becoming more and more prevalent in agricultural communities? Agritourism is widespread in America. Agritourists can choose from a wide range of activities that include picking fruits and vegetables, riding horses, tasting honey, learning about wine and cheesemaking, or shopping in farm gift shops and farm stands for local and regional produce or hand-crafted gifts. People have become more interested in how their food is produced. They want to meet farmers and processors and talk with them about what goes into food production. For many people who visit farms, especially children, the visit marks the first time they see the source of their food, be it a dairy cow, an ear of corn growing in a field, or an apple they can pick right off a tree. Northern California is growing their Agritourism and several tour companies offer great options in the form of tours and events in which participants are taken directly to the farms, the cheesemakers, the winemakers and bakers. So many options to choose from......are you ready to go? 1. Local Roots Farm & Wine Tours in Sacramento Valley http://www.localrootsfoodtours.com 1-800-407-8918 Sierra Foothills Farm & Wine Bus Tours take participants on a 4 hour bus journey through the beautiful hills and valleys of Placer County visiting local olive groves, mandarin orchards, organic farms, beautiful vineyards and an indoor produce market and bakery. The opportunity to meet passionate farmers and vintners on each tour stop. Tours include a gourmet lunch which includes farm to fork ingredients from placer county farms and wine tasting at local vineyard. Tours are offered Saturdays and Sundays year round. Custom group tours for private parties are offered 7 days a week. 2. Ag Venture Tours in Salinas Valley http://www.agventuretours.com 831-761-8463 Van tours planned around the Monterey Bay Region stopping at several chosen organic farms in the prosperous Salinas Valley. Different tour options. Advanced ticketing required. Click to continue!
5 Farm, Wine, Food and Fun Sacramento Region Events
The weather outside might look frightful, but the opportunity to explore is more than delightful with events being offered all around our communities. December is filled with many chances to go out and explore our hills, valleys and peaks. Northern California is blessed with farms, vineyards, and the chance to shop locally. Get out your calendars and plan for a few weekend road trips this December....it's time to get up and get active! 5 Ways to Explore your Own Backyard: 1. Twin Peaks Orchards Fruit Tasting Open House - Placer County http://www.twinpeaksent.com/events.htm Sunday, December 2nd - 11am - 3pm Free admission. Fruit tastings, u-pick mandarins & persimmons, brick-oven pizza, shopping, farmers market, hay rides, and so much more! Fun for the entire family! 2. Holidays in the Hills Toy Drive - Placer County Wine Trail http://www.placerwine.com/events.htm December 8th & 9th: 11am - 5pm; 17 Participating Wineries - Free Tastings with Unwrapped Toy Donation. Live music, food, Christmas shopping, carolers, chocolate tastings, vineyard tours.....lots of fun in beautiful settings. Download - Holidays in the Hills Wine Trail Map Download - Holidays in the Hills Activities List Click to continue!
Sierra Foothill Farm & Wine Bus Tours in Placer County
Would you like to see where California’s delicious fresh fruit, produce, nuts, and wine come from? Want to know how vineyards can… Read More
Celebrate Autumn with Foodie Fun! October Food Events in N. California
Wondering where to go to explore Northern California’s excellent food and wine scene? Get out your maps and chart your foodie course.....October is filled with some delicious venues and fun adventures! It’s a Hoes Down Festival!! Full Belly Farm, Yolo County, CA October 6 & 7, 2012 MAIN FESTIVAL: Saturday, October 6, 2012 11am - 11 pm Admission Prices: Adults: $20 each when purchased online; $25 when purchased at the gate, Children (2-12): $5 each anytime! Under 2: Free Saturday Night Camping: $25 per car- no reservations are needed! No dogs allowed - service animals are welcome! Sunday Celebration, October 7, 2012 Please note: The main festival day and a majority of the activities occur on Saturday, October 6. Specialized Hands-On Seminars on a variety of subjects. Pre-registration is required. www.hoesdown.org Sonoma County Harvest Fair October 5-7, 2012 A celebration of the local harvest featuring three full days of wine tasting with 150+ wineries, wine sales, marketplace, chef demonstrations and workshops, farm and harvest agricultural activities for children and adults, the World Championship Grape Stomp, live music, an art show and sale, crafters pavilion, farm animals to meet, and much more. Make plans to join us and taste the best of Sonoma County! 12-7pm Friday, 10-7pm Sat & Sunday www.harvestfair.org 19th Annual Calaveras Grape Stomp, Murphys, CA October 6th, 2012 9:30am - 5:00pm Murphys Community Park. 25 pounds of wine grapes freshly picked, a half wine barrel fitted with a spout, a partner and you. More than 100 teams throughout the state and beyond compete each year to vie for the prestigious 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards. Click to continue!