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| Business Beat:
09/01/2009
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Business Beat for September 1, 2009
“Adopt a Giraffe” at Deerfield, support Kenwood Marsh You may have noticed some of Kenwood's tallest residents, the two adult giraffes that used to reside at Swede's Feeds and now live in the Kenwood Marsh located at Deerfield Ranch Winery. The giraffes were donated to the Kenwood Marsh Checkerbloom Society (KMCS) last summer by Don Zile, Richard Schwartz, Ron LaBruzzo, Swede's Feeds and Deerfield, to be the mascots for wildlife preservation efforts. The male, Checkers, is 16 feet tall and the female, Checkmate, comes in a little under 16 feet. The baby, Bloomer, can be found wandering the cave at Deerfield promoting the “Adopt a Giraffe” program. The “Adopt a Giraffe” program benefits the Kenwood Marsh Restoration Project, Swede's Feeds, and the local artists that make the sculptures. The Kenwood Marsh Checkerbloom Society was founded to protect the Kenwood Marsh Checkerbloom, an endangered plant that grows in the wetland, and to oversee the restoration of the last of the Kenwood Marsh. Deerfield Winery's PJ and Robert Rex, with friends Chris and Val Marino, Sharon and Rick Clark, Ron LaBruzzo, Fred Parker, and Grace Svitek, have adopted a baby giraffe in memory of Glory Whitehead, who died suddenly on Feb. 1. Glory was an honorary KMCS member. She and her husband, Tom Peterian, made the checkerboards for the KMCS Checkers Tournament last fall. Glory also made a beautiful hand crafted quilt, and donated 25 percent of the proceeds to KMCS to help further the restoration efforts. A resident of Kenwood for over 29 years, Glory believed in preserving the beauty of the tiny hamlet of Kenwood. You, too, can adopt a baby giraffe to support the Kenwood Marsh Restoration Project, and either take it home with you or let it roam free on the island with Checkers and Checkmate. For further information, please contact PJ Rex at 833-5214 and come attend the annual marsh fundraiser on Sept. 12. Oak Hill Farm tour As September turns the corner on the year, the harvest is in full swing. Don't miss the next Oak Hill Farm tour on Saturday, Sept. 5. Join produce grower Paul Wirtz for a 60-90 minute walk around the fields. You're sure to see the famous salad mix before it arrives on your plate, every bit as beautiful in the field as in the bag. An acre of winter squash is impressive, especially as the large fruits begin to color under the canopy of huge leaves. This is your chance to speak with an experienced and successful produce grower. Come ready with questions from seed choices to pests. And prepare to be inspired by the beautiful and productive landscape. Meet in front of the Red Barn Store at Oak Hill Farm at 10 a.m. There is a $10 fee for adults. Call 996-6643 to reserve space, or just show up. Oak Hill Farm is located at 15101 Sonoma Highway in Glen Ellen. Kunde opens new estate garden Kunde Family Estate recently announced the opening of its new estate herb and vegetable garden. Developed by Chef Ethan Mantle of Componere Fine Catering, the garden is a classic example of a new movement for companies to share resources: the Kunde family provides land to Componere in return for use of the gardens for private events and a share of the produce. Componere has a ready source of a diverse range of herbs, heirloom and hard to find vegetables for in-site and other catering uses. Componere follows natural farming methods and does not use pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers, only compost and Sonoma Valley soil. Chef Ethan Mantle is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York. His dream of farming his own garden was inspired during his time at the French Laundry. “This project is very exciting because it complements our sustainable winegrape-growing and hospitality efforts,” said fourth generation grower Marcia Kunde. The Kunde family farms twenty grape varietals on 700 acres of estate vineyards using sustainable practices. They have won numerous environmental awards, including the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in 2008. For more information, go to www.kunde.com, or call 833-5501. Labor Day special at The Chauvet In celebration of the 17th Annual Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction at Cline Cellars, The Chauvet in Glen Ellen is offering a special Labor Day deal. Book now for a Labor Day weekend stay at the current base rate for a 3, 4 or 5 night stay and receive one additional night's stay free. This offer is good for stays Sept. 1 through Sept. 8, with a 3-night minimum stay required. To find out more information, go to www.chauvetvacationrentals.com, or call Glenelly Properties at 996-6720. Tickets available for Oct. 3 B.R. Cohn concert Tickets are sold out for B.R. Cohn Winery's Charity Concert on Sunday, Oct. 4, but tickets are still available for the show on Saturday, Oct. 3, an event that will feature the Doobie Brothers, Pablo Cruise, Little Feat, Jackie Greene, Pat Simmons, Jr., and the Eyewitness Blues Band. Tickets are $95 for general admission, and the doors open at noon. These concerts are a benefit for the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Trauma Center, the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley, Bread & Roses, and the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance. To buy tickets, go to www.brcohn.com. New crops available at Wildwood How much fun would it be to be able to pick something out of your own garden year round? Instead of limiting yourself to traditional spring plantings, expand your ideas about growing your own food. Try planting a greater variety that can be harvested in all seasons. Add in the component of producing berries, roots, and fruits that promote good health. Wildwood Farm in Kenwood continues to search far and wide for interesting, beautiful, and tasty crop-producing plant material. Last spring Wildwood sold heirloom tomato starts from Italy, Greece, France, America and Japan. This fall Wildwood brings you berries and fruits from Europe and Asia and a root crop native to the Andes. The following are new additions to the plant inventory which are valued not only as ornamentals, but as healthy sources of essential vitamins: Goji berry. The bright red berries are high in antioxidants, have more carotene than carrots, and contain all essential amino acids. On top of all that, the self-fertile shrub that produces goja is an attractive accent to your landscape. It is medium sized (five feet or so), impervious to California cold, and drought resistant. “Sochi” dwarf pomegranate. This miniature tree grows to about three feet in height and produces abundant, crimson-red flowers summer to fall. Red pomegranates follow. The 'Sochi” is from Russia so it can handle the cold. Oca. Oca is a root crop from the central and southern Andes. With this tuberose perennial, one harvests the roots. Think potato! The top is an attractive succulent perennial. Cooks have many options on how to prepare the tuber, including soups or stir-fries. You can even eat it raw. Wildwood Farm is located at 10300 Sonoma Highway in Kenwood. Call 833-1161 for more information. Oven-building workshop at Kenwood Farmhouse There will be an adobe oven-building workshop Sept. 12-13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kenwood Farmhouse, 9255 Sonoma Highway. The workshop will be led by Miguel Elliott of Living Earth Structures. You will learn the valuable art of building your own adobe oven and bench in your backyard using earth right on site. The workshop will cover how to identify good building material, how to make “cob” and adobe bricks, how to build an oven which cooks pizza in three minutes, and how to sculpt, plaster, and seal using natural minerals. Cost is $65 per day. To register, call 320-3609 or 833-1212. To learn more, go to www.livingstructures.com. Kenwood Permaculture September classes Kenwood Permaculture will be hosting two garden workshops in September. On Sept. 19, Karen Boness of Wild Willow Landscape Design will be teaching her “Herbs and Herb Spirals” workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. An herb spiral is an attractive living garden feature that anyone can build in their own backyard. It is an excellent way to grow all your herbs in a small space. This is a hands on workshop. After building an herb spiral, there will be a garden-side lecture on common culinary and medicinal herbs. A donation of $50 is requested. On Sept. 20, Karen will lead the “Glorious California Natives Workshop & Garden Tour” from 9 a.m. to noon. There will be a tour of the gardens of Kenwood Permaculture with a special focus on California native plants. Discover which plants are terrific bloomers and which provide fodder for the critters around us. During the lecture and slide show you will learn how to install and care for these garden gems. Donation: $45. Sign up for both workshops and take $10 off the total price. To register, go to www.wildwillowdesign.com/garden_workshops.html. Call 237-2793 with any questions. To learn more about Kenwood Permaculture, go to www.kenwoodpermaculture.com. Chinese medicinal plant walk at Quarryhill Join Peggy Shafer on Sept. 26, as she guides you through Quarryhill Botanical Garden in Glen Ellen garden and shows you the plants with medicinal value. Then hear Sean Fannin speak of the many medicinal uses of these plants. This fun and informative walk is from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Cost is $15 for non-members, $10 for members. For more information, and to RSVP, call the Quarryhill Botanical Garden office at (707) 996-3166 or email info@quarryhillbg.org. Quarryhill is located at 12841 Sonoma Highway in Glen Ellen. See quarryhillbg.org for directions. |
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