Farm Tours
Exploring Sacramento Has Never Been Better Than Spring! And once the pollen has died down, there will be no end to the fun just waiting for you! So get out and get going ‘cause spring will be summer in no time at all.
It is the beginning of festival season in the Sacramento Region. Calendars ready? Adventure out to the colorful and educational Pacific Rim Street Fest in Old Sac & Downtown Plaza May 18th from 10am to 5pm - great food, amazing costumes and family-friendly! If you are looking for something fun, energetic and different check out Spanglish Arte’s unique Pinata Festival at Southside Park in Sacramento May 24th from 11am to 6pm. Have you ever been to a pinata-hitting contest? Guaranteed laughs....and of course lots of candy! Ready to get down and dirty? Kick it up a notch with crawfish and blues? Cajun and Blues in Isleton, the grand daddy of jazz festivals will be June 14th and 15th (Father’s Day Weekend).
You are probably asking....but where is the FOOD DRIVEN EVENTS and FESTIVALS? Good point....we got you covered! If you want to spend A Day on The Farm you can visit American River Ranch on May 18th for a day of learning, eating, music and celebrating the local farms bounty.....even cooking classes will be offered. Two great events to consider on Saturday June 7th - Sacramento VegFest - a food event celebrating plant-based foods and products with some world-class speakers. All takes place at the Red Lion Hotel - 11am to 6pm. Wanting more that weekend...head on over to Cesar Chavez Plaza for Sacramento Region’s Premier Wine & Food Festival - Grape Escape. Over 60 of the region’s wineries and 40 local restaurants - you won’t walk away hungry or dehydrated for sure! Advanced ticketing required for this event. If you are looking for a more Intimate Affair with food and smooth tequila then reserve your seats for a Pre-Father’s Day Tequila Pairing 4 Course Dinner at Mayahuel Tequila Museo Friday June 13th at 7pm. You can book your tickets thru Local Roots Food Tours who is sponsoring the event! Buy Tickets Here.
Futbol is here, fellow soccer fans! Say hello to the Sacramento Republic FC. Now that we have a team, let’s join the rest of the world and call it futbol. The Republics are currently tied for third place in the USL Pro standing. A great match up against LA Galaxy II should be your next sporting event in Sacramento - Saturday May 17th at Hughes Stadium. A few pointers: It is a match, not a game. It is a pitch, not a field. There are no time outs.
The boys of summer are back! The Sacramento River Cats are well into the swing of their season. And home games abound. Forget about Fix50, pull into Raley Field and take in American’s pastime on June 13th and 14th when they vs. Iowa. And for the second year, fireworks after every Friday night home game and Saturday game. If it's good food and good beer you are after then you have come to the right place! Sure there are peanuts and cracker jacks, but also An Honest Pie - a food truck featuring sweet and savory pies, as well as an expanded menu from Broderick Roadhouse in the Jack Daniels Solon Club. There are gluten-free and vegetarian dining options. And don’t forget the beer garden. Going to a game has never been this delicious before.
You might not need a pig, but you definitely need to go to a market and ALL of our local Certified Farmer’s Markets are open. Over 11 to choose from in the area!! Find a market near you: CLICK HERE If you are looking to learn about the farm before you pick up your fork you should check out Sierra Foothills Farm & Wine Tour in Placer County on Saturday, May 31st or Friday, June 6th. Meet farmers, vintners and a pig named Gordo! Buy Tickets Here
Local Roots Food Tours will be going strong all summer long offering farm to fork walking food tours! What better time to learn about Sacramento and the hidden neighborhood eateries. They have Sacramento covered: Downtown, Midtown and East Sac all have delicious and interesting tours. Want a day trip? How about the charming town of Murphy’s in the foothills or a farm to fork tour in Placer County? Check out their food tour menu and dates to go: Local Roots Food Tours Click To Continue!
3 Years & Going Ticket Sale! Local Roots Food Tours is CELEBRATING their 3 years in offering culinary walking tours. Time sure… Read More
Summer Foodie Stay-cations!
With the soaring prices of gas, inflation and the housing crunch, many vacationers are holding back their grand vacation plans for the time being. Many would-be holiday makers are simply choosing a "stay-cation" instead. What's a "stay-cation" you ask? Simply put, a "stay-cation" is a vacation that is close to home. Many people are choosing locations that are with an hour or so from their homes, it's close enough to save on gas and just far enough to feel like a getaway. A stay-cation allows a family to save money while spending more quality time together and helping a local economy.
Everyone loves to eat on vacations so why not focus your family stay-cation around food? Here are 10 tips and ideas to get your stay-cation planner filled up and your bellies full!
First off: In order to enjoy your stay-cation we recommend you:
1. Put the World On Hold - Take time out—literally. Eliminating reminders of time helps wipe away the stress of the daily grind. Gather up all the clocks in your house and stash them in a dresser drawer. Throw your watch in next to them. Leave them there for the whole day (or two, or five).
2. Turn off the ringers on your phones and mute the answering machine. Check messages only when you want to, keeping in mind that "not at all" is always an option.
Do an “out of the office” message for your e-mail (even if your office is a corner of the playroom). Say you won't be checking your e-mail till you're back from vacation. Then power down the computer and throw a towel over it.
3. Skip the news—and maybe even stop the mail—for a week. When you banish the source of stress, the stress itself may follow. The earth will continue to turn even if you're not reading all about it every morning at 7:30 sharp, and sadly, the bills will still be there when your vacation is over.
So now let's get to the food portion of your stay-cation, shall we? Here's our top 7 ideas on how to create a foodie stay-cation.
1. Book a week long series of cooking classes in your local area. Sacramento offers several options for classes and cooking camps this summer. Check out these companies and see what might peak your palate: Lulu's Kitchen in Sacramento has a variety of day and evening cooking classes. The Learning Exchange in Sacramento offers food & wine classes. Whole Foods Market and Sacramento Co-op are both offering fun summer cooking demos and classes you surely can fit into your stay-cation. They even have summer kids cooking camps.....just in case you have more space to fill in your calendar.
2. The California State Fair - take a few days with your entire family and do the State Fair Fried Food Challenge - you haven't vacationed until you've experienced the deep fried mac -n -cheese on a stick, deep fried cheese curds and deep fried twinkies at the fair. State Fair Summer 2013 dates: July 12th-28th. Many local businesses offer discount fair tickets - check out Big O Tires - buy one get one free ticket offer before they run out!
3. Grab your bags and baskets and plan a Farmer's Market Week with your family. Lucky for you there is a market within a 20 mile radius of Sacramento each day of the week. Have fun and meet your local farmers and artisans.....there might even be some education involved! Searching for markets in the vicinity? Google: California Grown, Placer Grown, Davis Farmers Market, Ferry Building Market, Oxbow Market in Napa. Go to the market w/ a shopping list for the ingredients you will be needing for your brand new farm to fork recipes. We recommend coming on an empty stomach for the fun food truck vendors and samples you will run into. Try a different ethnic type of food at each market each day...making it an epicurean adventure.
4. Strap on your tennis shoes and sun had and participate in a culinary walking adventure in and around Sacramento. Eat your way thru your own city or explore the town next to you by going on a food or farm tour. These food tours are a half day event and give participants the opportunity to get up close and personal with local chefs, artisans, farmers and passionate mom and pop eatery owners. Kids will think you are the coolest parents when they have the chance for a local chef to sign their dirty napkin....Souvenir award for sure! 5 to 6 food stops along with history, culture and architecture just right out your back door. Check out Local Roots Food & Farm Tours for their different tour menu options and make it a foodie stay-cation must. Click to continue with our tips!
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!
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
We tour all around different cities looking for what might be a winner and hot topic to talk about with our food tour participants. Trying to stay ahead of the kitchen mallet as to what is trending compared to what is here to stay in the culinary arena has its perks and challenges. Local Roots Food Tours has compiled their top finds on what you might experience in 2013 while on your "foodie adventures."
Top 10 Culinary Trends For 2013:
1. Chef’s behind closed curtains is a thing of the past. 2013 will continue to bring celebrity (as well as local chefs) front and center hosting special themed culinary events, symposiums and contribute to hands-on cooking classes. No more hiding behind the frying pan - their talents and passion will continue to be exposed with many culinary events. We are looking forward to seeing more of our local executive chefs come out and support Sacramento’s Farm to Fork Capital of America efforts by offering some pretty awesome cooking events in and out of their kitchens in 2013.
2. Restaurant gardens - Whether it be in back alley gutters or a transformed back lot, gardens are popping up all over the nation. Chefs cite many logical reasons why restaurant gardens are a good idea: cost, convenience, control, sustainability. The concept of in-house farming is hardly new and the trend has hit far and wide—there are countless restaurants tilling their own soil and planting the seeds for vegetables that will eventually appear on a customer’s plate. A small farm adjacent to an eating establishment keeps that path from farm to table about as short as it can get. One example we love is share is Mineral Restaurant in Murphys, CA. Executive Chef Steve Rinauro and partner/co-owner Maya Rinauro have been busy planting, weeding, watering and harvesting their restaurant garden in 2012. Their farm to table philosophy is lived vivaciously every day in their vegetarian menu. For those restaurants who don’t have the option of a garden out their back door, buying plots of land in local farms creates a great option. One local farm in Sacramento, Feeding Crane Farms offers such plots to local Sacramento chefs.....the next best thing to offer local farm ingredients.
3. Nordic food is out - Peruvian and Korean food is in for 2013. Click to continue!
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!
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!
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
The heat has dissipated, the crops are being harvested and the crisp air leads foodies out and about exploring festivals and great food events in the Sacramento Region. We have found several festivals and food entertainment to go check out. Go Explore your bountiful Northern California food friendly region! Click Here for Events