June Taylor Fruit Syrups

Summer's peaches and tomatoes may be gone, but the farmers' markets in winter still offers myriad delights. These past few weekends, we've had crisp, nippy mornings and sunny skies giving a bright-blue backdrop to the crazy-colored squashes, brilliant orange persimmons and gold-stemmed chard. So far, the rains have held off but the temperature's finally gotten Bay Area-wintery, making a cup of hot chocolate a festively necessary hand-warmer for strolling from stand to stand.

And this season, while you're buying your pastured chicken and dry-farmed potatoes, spaghetti squash and sourdough bread, you can do your holiday shopping, too. At the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, there are lots of excellent and delicious treats on hand to provide a wonderful taste of our local terroir for friends and family near and far. And if you can't decide what your local pals would like best--lavender honey or cider syrup? quince cheese or goat cheese?--the market is offering its popular gift coins again. Each wooden "coin" is worth $1, and can be redeemed at any market stall. They're available in any amount, but you can get a cute, ready-to-go brown box filled with $25 worth of coins from the information booth. (A good trick to know if you run out of cash at the market: use a credit card to buy coins instead of waiting in the long ATM lines inside the Ferry Building.)

Is Dad finally upgrading to a new crock pot? Give him a little inspiration with Rancho Gordo's heirloom bean box ($50), a selection of five one-pound bags of organic dry beans (including, naturally, Christmas limas), plus a sturdy fabric totebag and a copy of Heirloom Beans: Great Recipes for Dips and Spreads, Soups and Stews, Salads and Salsas, and Much More from Rancho Gordo. The best stocking stuffer? Forget the Old Spice; grab a sheaf of Fatted Calf's awesome beef jerky instead. Fatted Calf also has a great selection of holiday gift boxes for the carnivores on your list; you can check out their selection on their website or at their retail shops in Hayes Valley and the Oxbow Public Market in Napa. If you want to pick up a gift box at the Ferry Plaza market instead, just give them a call at their Napa store (707-256-3684) to make arrangements.

Salty or sweet? Whichever way your pals' tastes swing, Eatwell Farm has a fragrant seasoning to match. They've expanded beyond their original (and still much-adored) rosemary and lavender salts; now, choose from smoked chili salt, thyme salt, dried heirloom tomato salt, and dried lemon salt ($6, or 5 for $25), all heavenly sprinkled over grilled lamb or steak. Got a sweet tooth? Add a few pinches of smoked chili sugar to fire up your hot chocolate, or make your Christmas cookies a little more grown-up with a sprinkle of citrusy-herbal lemon verbena sugar ($9).

Didn't get around to pickling this summer? Dirty Girl Produce has plenty of dilly beans ($8/jar) on hand, along with summer-bright tomatoes in quart jars. Put the two together, add some Square One organic vodka, and you've got a Bloody Mary brunch kit for your favorite morning-after buddy.

The Apple Farm has a stylish, all-American treat for those of us with Champagne taste but no bucks for French fizz: sparkling hard cider, made from biodynamically farmed apples, priced at just $8.50 a bottle. It's dry rather than soda-sweet, and makes a wonderful aperitif or festive toast.

In the more than a decade that I've been a fan of this wonderful organic apple orchard and kitchen up in the Anderson Valley, I've found any number of uses for their elegantly bottled apple-balsamic vinegar ($16), with its label hand-written in gold ink. To round out a holiday morning breakfast-in-bed basket, pick up a pint jar of rosy Pink Pearl applesauce ($14) and a jug of tart-sweet cider syrup ($16), perfect for pouring over gingerbread pancakes or eggnog French toast.

Jam maker June Taylor is back with her unsurpassed, brandy-soaked English Christmas cakes ($50), along with dense, sliceable, beautifully molded fruit "cheeses" ($18-$24) in quince, quince-rose geranium, Santa Rosa plum, and damson plum, perfect accompaniments to a cheese platter. Taylor also has a shimmering selection of all-natural fruit syrups ($10) great for all the SodaStream fanciers in your life. Boost their bubbles with flavors like raspberry, Summersweet peach-white sage, Dapple Dandy pluot-rosemary, or Meyer lemon-peppermint.

Conveniently for your party planning, the pretty goat, sheep, and cow cheeses of Andante Dairy are right at the next stall; don't miss the Pastoral, rolled in green herbs and topped with pink peppercorns. The only challenge? Getting all (or any) of these treats wrapped and given away before you make rather merry and find a home for them all right in your very own pantry.

Next week, Bay Area Bites heads north to find local food gifts from the Sebastopol and the Marin Civic Center farmers' markets.

The grounds of Philo's Apple Farm

I'd driven through Boonville with my Dad and my sisters once, all too briefly en route to Mendocino. We stopped at the Boonville General Store for a sandwich and sat outside admiring the coolness of the little stretch of road and the delightfully slow pace of life. All along Hwy 128 there were orchards, farm stands, hidden hiking trails, and--of course--vineyards. I vowed to come back and do some exploring.

It did take me a good three years, but I returned last Friday for a one-day getaway with a dear friend, good wine, and great food. I’d actually wanted to make a weekend of it, stay at the Boonville Hotel and wile away a few days--but reality precludes such leisure at the moment, so we set out early and packed in as much as we could. A two hour (ish) drive, a stop at Flying Goat Coffee in Santa Rosa for a little extra fuel, and we found ourselves in Anderson Valley (115 miles N of San Francisco on Hwy 128) right around lunchtime on a quiet, sunny fall day. Not only were we delighted by what we found, we both vowed to come back soon--and to stay just a bit longer.

The Boonville General Store

Lunch at the Boonville General Store

Right across from the Boonville Hotel sits this friendly, bustling café. Don’t let the name fool you. While they do have great provisions for picnics or treats to take home, it’s more a spot for creative, organic meals than it is a place to pick up a gallon of milk. They have cheeses, olives, amazing baked goods, jams, and pestos to grab-and-go for the road. But the idea is to take some time and eat there, either at one of the rustic indoor tables or on the breezy outdoor patio. For lunch, we shared one of the house pizzas and a sandwich of the day.

The pizza had a super thin-crust (automatic ten points in my book) and was made with goat cheese, caramelized onions, local pears, bacon, and sage. The slightly sweet crisp of pear balanced with the earthy goat cheese and salty bacon made for a perfect bite. The sandwich was equally good: an organic turkey melt with Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pesto on housemade honey wheat bread. We grabbed a few pieces of homemade candy corn for the road (would love to track down their recipe for these) and lingered a bit on the patio mapping out our next move. I hear on weekends the place is a mob scene with cyclists and bikers, so if you’re looking for peace and quiet, Sunday may not be your day.

Boonville General Store
17810 Farrer Ln.
Boonville, CA 95415
(707) 895-9477
Hours: M-F 7:30am-3pm; Sat.-Sun. 8:30-3pm

Farmhouse Mercantile

Home and Garden Finds at the Farmhouse Mercantile

After lunch, we wandered down the road to the Farmhouse Mercantile, a local shop that stocks everything from unique kitchen tools, to vintage papers, paintings, tablecloths and local preserves. The owners are the folks behind Philo's Apple Farm, and they certainly have a brilliant eye for unique home and garden goods. They've hand-selected products you don't see in your everyday chain stores. From tiny whisks to mini Lodge cast-iron pans sized perfectly to fry a single egg (sheer brilliance), they've got it all. A sweet spot for gifts or to treat yourself to a post-lunch treat--precisely what I did with a new, shiny corkscrew. There’s an adjoining café so while you’re browsing, you hear the pleasant din of dishes clanking--fitting indeed.

Farmhouse Mercantile
4111 Hwy 128
Boonville, CA, 95415
(707) 895-3996
Hours: Thurs.-Mon. 11am-5pm (closed Tues.-Wed.)

Anderson Valley Brewing Company

Entering--and drinking--at the Anderson Valley Brewing Company

Before continuing on down the road, we backtracked a few blocks, turned down Highway 253, and quickly discovered the Anderson Valley Brewing Company. Now you can get their bottled beers in select grocery stores, but I was eager to see where they’re made and try some of the seasonal brews. If you're into factory tours (we're not), they offer them daily at 11:30 am and 3:00 pm. If you like disc golf (we don’t), there’s that, too. And if you enjoy sampling numerous beers out of small glasses (we do), then you’re in for a treat. They offer a few different samplers, ranging from 5 glasses to 12 glasses. After a pretty lengthy discussion and unsolicited input from our fellow bar-mates, we decided on the 6 glass sampler with the Hop Ottin’ IPA, Boont Amber Ale, Winter Solstice, Deep Enders Dark Porter, Oatmeal Stout, and Brother David’s Triple Triple Ale. Let’s get the negatives out of the way first: Brother David’s is, in my humble opinion, some pretty raunchy beer. When I asked the gal at the bar what the story was, she didn’t have much to offer. She said it was a strong ale in the typical Belgium tradition. Hmm, I appreciate a Belgium beer just like the next girl, but this was different. It was incredibly strong, cloyingly sweet, and tasted much more like sherry than like beer.

But moving on, the Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale was absolutely delightful. It literally tastes of winter and afternoons by the fireplace, with a creamy flavor and hints of spice. And if you like IPA’s, theirs is hoppy and citrusy while the Deep Enders Porter is smooth with coffee undertones. We had a great time sampling and rating the beers and chatting with other locals and visitors. Do know that they don’t serve food here. I was envisioning more of a rustic, pub-style atmosphere for some reason, but in reality, it’s quite spare and airy. People brought pooches, families, Frisbees, and even a few picnic blankets. As I’m writing this, I’m reminded of how much I regret not getting a case of the Winter Solstice to take home, and how I need to seek it out here locally. Pronto.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company
17700 Hwy 253
Boonville, CA 95415-0505
(707) 895-BEER
Hours: Daily 11am-6pm (with the exception of Fridays, 11am-7pm)

Philo Apple Farm

Apples and Orchards at The Apple Farm

Right up the road about 5 miles (northwest of Boonville on Hwy 128) is a small family farm with a lot of appeal. Upon turning down the little gravel road, you’ll notice the farm stand first. They believe in eating in season and eating as minimally processed food as possible. Their website reads:

“Food preservation is a time honored way of stretching the harvest bounty between seasons. In our not too distant past it was an absolute necessity for our rural population. Many of the techniques and recipes that used to be handed down from mother to daughter are being lost in our fast-paced times. We hope to carry on the tradition.”

The farm stand is their way of carrying on this tradition. They sell a variety of local apples and their own jams, chutneys, syrups, and vinegars. I can’t remember the last time I saw a place where you pay using the honor system. But here, you mark down what you took on a clipboard, drop your money in a slot, and call it a day. Beyond the stand itself, there are beautiful grounds open to the public where you can explore the orchards, hidden little paths, the gardens, and the pigs and roosters. If you’re lucky, the resident dog with two different colored eyes will give you the grand tour.

Besides the farm stand, you can opt to stay at farm in one of their cottages. I haven’t had the pleasure myself, but they look fantastic. Each cottage is unique in design and has its own porch and fireplace. From what I gather, if you’re the type of person who loves good room service and a nightly turndown, this isn’t your place. It’s more independent and private--just as you’d expect after a quaint and secluded visit to the farm.

Philo Apple Farm
18501 Greenwood Road
Philo, CA 95466
(707) 895-2461

Toulouse Winery

The Winery Dogs at the Toulouse Tasting Room

Before we headed home, I wanted to stop at Toulouse Winery after a few locals suggested that they had some of the best Pinot around. Little did I know, they have way more than that. Vern and Maxine Boltz began the boutique winery post-retirement in a quest to become growers and do something creative with their days. The Boltz’s do all of the winemaking and bottling on site--they even live above the winery.

From the affable winery dog, Tess, to the friendly owners who were doling out recipes and advice on the most scenic route home, you can tell they genuinely love what they do and want to share it with their visitors. The thing that often turns me away from wineries and wine tasting is all of the pretension and artifice. It makes me sweat. At Toulouse, I was calm and collected. The tasting room is in a warehouse-type space with barrels set up as causal tables, a concrete floor, and a bunch of dogs roaming around. My kind of place. They give you tasty cheese crackers, are laid back in their presentation of wine education, and there’s’ no pressure or expectation to buy--although we did. In addition to Pinot Noir, the region’s also well known for Gewürztraminer, a slightly sweet white wine. While I generally don’t love sweeter wines, Toulouse’s was subtle and had distinct floral notes that were surprisingly refreshing. Vern mentioned he’d been looking for the perfect breakfast wine for quite some time, and he’d finally nailed it. It was hard to leave Tess, Vern and Maxine behind, but it was growing dark and we had big plans of going the long way home--and returning soon.

Toulouse Winery
8001 Hwy 128 (P.O. Box 152)
Philo, CA 95466
(707) 895-2828
Hours: Mon.-Sun 11am-5pm