June 3rd, 2008 by Melinda McRae
Photos by Larry Conlin and Barbara Haven
What a perfect day — perfect weather, food, wine and camaraderie! The day started with a variety of farm, winery, orchard and wildlife Delta tours lead by experts in their respective fields.
The evening activities started with a silent auction accompanied by beer tasting from Rubicon, wine tasting from Muir-Hanna and appetizers from our four chefs.
Dinner started around 6:00 where we took pleasure in sharing — family style – fresh seasonal and local ingredients in our salad, ravioli, massa brown rice and vegetables, pork, lamb, bourbon-cherry tart with homemade ice cream and Ginger Elizabeth’s chocolate (full menu can be found below.)
Anya Fernald shared the vision of Slow Food Nation’s Labor Day event to the 200+ diners. A lively auction was conducted by professional auctioneer Dan Macon, and the generousity of the participants was overwhelmingly moving– with their help, we were able to raise nearly $10,000 for Slow Food Nation.
We were all blown away by the incredible menu the chefs from each county created, but we were ecstatic to learn that the chefs were contributing $2,000 toward the Slow Food Nation efforts — we bow to you!!
We could not have accomplished this great event without the remarkable participation of our Slow Food colleagues from Yolo, Solano and Placer counties — we love you guys! (I know, corny, but hey, we really do love them!) A very warm and special thanks to all of the farmers who contributed their wonderful produce, the tour leaders who opened their ‘homes,’ the chefs who shared their passion and talents, our sponsors who share our values, and to all of you who contributed to the concept of slowing down on the Delta ~ Cheers!
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May 25th, 2008 by Melinda McRae
The Dinner on the Delta event and field trips on Saturday May 31 are nearly sold out. Tickets for the dinner and the tours are available at Brown Paper Tickets. Dinner (wine included) is $75 Slow Food members, $85 general public; All-day, unlimited field trip ticket $25 (except the Delta Eco-Tour). This gastronomic feast is presented by Patrick Mulvaney (Sacramento), Molly Hawks and Michael Fagnoni (Placer), Daniel Bell (Solano), Pru Mendez (Davis), and artisan chocolates from Ginger Hahn (Sacramento).
Appetizers
Apricots with Home-Cured Pancetta and Lavender Shaft Blue Cheese ~ Sunday Farmers Market Cheese ~ Petaluma CheeseLeinerts Honey ~ Local Nuts
Beer Tasting from Rubicon ~ Two Rivers Cider and Rubicon Ale
Wine Tasting ~ Hann-Muir Organic Wines
Family Style Dinner Service
Rich Collins’ endive, strawberries, mache,
fennel dressed with a local honey and Dixon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, white balsamic vinaigrette
Handmade Ravioli Filled with Del Rio GreensRoastedBrentwood Corn ~ Bear Flag Cherry Tomatoes
Spit Roasted Pigs from Coffee Pot RanchMassa Brown Rice ~ Grilled Leg of Bledsoe LambArugula Salsa Verde ~ Roasted Full Belly Potatoes
Bourbon-Cherry Tart with House-Made Vanilla Ice Cream
Ginger Elizabeth ChocolateT and Y Strawberry & Del Rio Elderflower Ganache
Wine Generously Donated by:
Vino Farms, Carvalho Family Wines, Heringer Estates, Bogle Winery,
Sacramento Natural Food Co-op, Matchbook Winery
Live Auction
Items All proceeds go to Slow Food Nation. There will also be a silent auction with lots of regional goodies!
Farm Dinner for Six with Nikki Ford – Enjoy a four-course dinner prepared by Nikki Ford from Chez Panisse in the spacious kitchen of Soul Food Farm in Vacaville. Appetizers served al fresco in the garden with vistas of the hills and mountains sheltering Pleasants Valley.
Dinner for eight with Darrel Corti – Renowned Sacramento grocer will prepare and serve dinner for eight people in his Curtis Park home. In addition to a seasonal menu, Darrell will serve mature and rare wines from California and around the world.
Dinner for six with Georganne Brennan – Four-star cooking in your home! Slow Food leader and award-winning cookbook author Georgeanne Brennan and her daughter Ethel will prepare a Provencal dinner and you’re welcome to join them in the kitchen.
Dinner for four at the Waterboy with Rick Mahan – This is a truly unique dining opportunity with chef/owner Rick Mahan at his restaurant. Rick will join you from appetizer to dessert and discuss how he develops his menu and his cooking techniques which are influenced by the cooking styles of
Provence.
Dinner for Two at the Hidden Kitchen – A Sacramento Land Park couple open up their house once a month for a unique dining experience for people who love food, wine, art and conversation in an intimate, comfortable setting. Your hosts will prepare and serve you a delicious five-course meal using local and regional seasonal ingredients.
Your wish for an English Butler is Granted – Cruise chef Ellen Robinson and her husband Peter with the real-deal accent and English sense of humor will cook and serve dinner for six in your home.
Two Gourmet Classes for Two at the Supper Club with Four-Star Chef Matt Wooslton – Cited as one of the city’s best chefs by Sacramento Magazine, Chef Woolston’s cooking classes are fun, educational, and incorporate demonstration and hands-on participation for a full, four- to five- course meal with wine.
Create a Handmade Cookbook – There are books and there is book art. Join book artist Tom Weideman of Magpie Books Press with up to six of your friends to create your own handmade cookbook out of handmade papers and include your favorite recipes.
Matrix Arts Community Story Project: Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, or Solano Stories –
Maryellen Burns and Laura Martin of MatrixArts Community Story Project will host a private party in your home for up to 12 people, to capture the stories of your family or community through art, food, and the written word. The daylong event will include lunch (you’ll make) story prompts based on the food you’ve prepared, and a handmade cookbook each guest will get to create and take home.
Edie’s World – Join KCRA’s vivacious and talented anchor/reporter Edie Lambert for a tour of KCRA 3’s studios. You and three guests will enjoy a tour of the station, an opportunity to view the 11:00 news live with Edie and a lunch date with Edie.
Kids in the Kitchen – Maryellen Burns and Laura Martin of MatrixArts Kids in the Kitchen will guide up to 12 kids of all ages (this could be a family affair) in creating a variety of kitchen concoctions. The four-hour event will include lunch (from a menu you’ll help to create) and art projects that come out of materials found in any kitchen – egg tempura, self-hardening clay, or edible art.
Dinner and a Movie – Slow Food members Maryellen Burns and Ellen Robinson will give a cooking class for up to eight people, in your home or at ArtFox, a Sacramento Victorian home art gallery, followed by the movie your meal is based on. Choose between Dim Sum, Tortilla Soup, Like Water for Chocolate or another movie of your choice.
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April 23rd, 2008 by Melinda McRae
We are pleased to announce that our speaker will be Anya Fernald, CEO of Slow Food Nation and longtime program director for California Alliance of Family Farms. Her husband, Renato Sardo, head of Slow Food International, will also be attending.
DINNER ON THE DELTA: Talented chefs from each region will prepare a four-course meal from each county’s seasonal agricultural products — Patrick Mulvaney (Sacramento), Molly Hawks and Michael Fagnoni (Placer), Daniel Bell (Solano) and Pru Mendez (Davis). The chefs are sourcing locally grown food, such as spring lamb, endive extravaganza, local cheeses and nuts, and appetizers and desserts using fruits and vegetables sourced from the four counties. Wines from each county will also be served.
This gathering will be a wonderful opportunity to meet the chefs and farmers and enjoy the ambience of the Delta with friends under old valley oaks on the edge of the Sacramento River. Food-themed silent and live auctions will raise funds for Slow Food Nation.
WHEN and WHERE: Saturday May 31, 5:00 p.m. at Vino Farms, 51375 S. Netherlands Road, Clarksburg, CA 95612 Driving Directions
TICKETS: $85 General Public; $75 Slow Food members available at Brown Paper Tickets.
Special Thanks to our Event Sponsors:
Corti Brothers
FIELD TRIP MENU: From field to feast, enjoy savory glimpses of Delta farming to whet your appetite before dinner! We are pleased to present some very special field trips that will provide a variety of opportunities during the day for behind-the-scenes exploration of our richest farmland, as well as to understand the challenges facing farmers in this complex environment. Max 30 persons per field trip - Min 10 people. By reservation only at Brown Paper Tickets.
*PLEASE NOTE* The Delta Ecotour tour requires direct registration at Delta Ecotours.
Tickets: $25 covers all tours except the Delta Ecotour. Our map and two suggested “flights” will help you plan your Slow Day in the Delta. You should be able to enjoy at least three or four “appetizers.” Available online at Brown Paper Tickets.
Where to meet: Each tour meets at the point designated on the schedule and map. In most cases telephone numbers are provided in case you get lost; however, tours will begin on time unless the leader, in his or her sole discretion, agrees to wait.
What to bring: Be prepared for sun and wind. Bring comfortable shoes that can get dirty, water, hats, sunscreen, and binoculars.
Transportation: Because our tours are spread around the Delta, you are on your own. If you can arrange to carpool with friends, that would be good too.
Lunch: If you want to eat locally grown food, consider bringing picnic fare from your Co-op or CSA. If you want to eat with the locals, consider Al’s Place or the Locke Garden Restaurant in Locke. In Walnut Grove consider Mel’s for sandwiches or the Pizza Factory, both on the River Road on the east side of the Sacramento River. Between Walnut Grove and Thornton are Giusti’s and Wimpy’s Marina, each a venerable institution.
Tours
Early Bird Special: Endive World - Tour California Vegetable Specialties in Rio Vista, the only U.S. producer of endive, selling nearly four million pounds of endive each year. Endive is the second growth of the bud at the top of a chicory root. The first growth takes place in the field, where the chicory plant grows from seed. The second growth takes place in the precisely controlled conditions of the facility’s dark, cool, and humid forcing room. Get to the heart of it with tour leader Rich Collins. Meet at 15 Poppy House Road, Rio Vista, at 9:30 a.m. Phone 707-374-2111. Driving Directions.
*Delta EcoTour: Explore the Delta on the Tule Queen II - Learn about the geological origins, early human history, Gold Rush era, early settlement, reclamation for agriculture, plant and animal life as well as current resource and environmental concerns, habitat restoration and proposals to enhance the natural and human environment of the Delta. The Sutter Island two-hour loop will take you down Steamboat Slough, up along Sutter Slough and back down the Sacramento River. Tour leader and boat captain Jeff Hart. Please sign up directly with Delta Ecotours - $35/adult; 30 person minimum. You will want to tour Hartland Farms native plant nursery and botanical displays as well. Meet at Hartland Nursery parking lot 13737 Grand Island Rd, Walnut Grove, CA 95690 at 10:30 a.m. Phone: 916-775-4021. Driving Directions
Nursery, Organic Farm and Garden Tour – explore Hartland Nursery and grounds and learn about California native plants ideally suited for beautiful, drought tolerant, low maintenance landscapes attractive to birds and wildlife. Tour leader Toni Hart will give special attention to the nursery’s heirloom vegetable varieties as well as plants used by Native Americans for food and art. Plants will be available for sale. Meet at Hartland Nursery parking lot 13737 Grand Island Rd, Walnut Grove, CA 95690 at 12:30 p.m. Phone: 916-775-4021. Driving Directions
Steamboat Acres Organic Pear Orchard, Sutter Island – Tour a 300-acre orchard of organic pears with Tim Neuharth whose Delta farming roots extend by marriage back to 1848. Learn what it takes to get organic pears from farm to table in one of the hidden beauty spots of the Delta. Meet at 15819 Sutter Island Rd. at 11:30 a.m. Phone: 916- 417-1706 (Tim’s cell). Lots of people get lost, but we’ll get you there! Driving Directions
Carvalho Family Wines - For more than 100 years, starting in Portugal, winemaking has been a Carvalho family tradition. Today, Carvalho Family Wines continues that tradition as an ultra-premium winery, dedicated to the production of small-lot, hand-crafted California wines using grapes from the Clarksburg appellation and other high-quality vineyards throughout California. The family pairs their old world approach to winemaking with the best available viticulture and enological tools. Learn about this premium winery and taste its wines with tour leader John Carvalho. Meet at 1:00 p.m. at the historic Old Sugar Mill Galeria do Vinho in Clarksburg 35265 Willow Avenue. Phone: 916-744-1625, Ext 234. Driving Directions
Ning Hou Gallery in Locke 13964 Main St., Locke. Delta artist Ning Hou will welcome Slow Fooders to his gallery in Locke from 1 to 4 p.m. Meet the artist and hear him speak about his paintings celebrating Delta farmscapes. “My goal is that through my paintings, others will see, hear, feel, and most importantly, live the beauty that makes up the natural world that we live in.” Working in both Impressionist and Photorealist styles, the artist aims to capture Locke’s people, produce, and “unique golden sunlight.” Ning Hou’s paintings are bold, vibrant, and thickly layered with paint. His work is on permanent display at the Crocker Museum in Sacramento and the Sacramento Convention Center. Driving Directions
Wildlife Friendly Farming on the Cosumnes River Preserve – Tour farming operations behind the scenes on the Cosumnes River Preserve and learn how The Nature Conservancy, with state, federal, and nonprofit partners, has managed 1,000’s of acres of organic rice and traditional corn, tomato, and wheat crops to protect and preserve habitat for migrating waterfowl and sand hill cranes, creating a national model for farming with the birds. The Preserve itself is a Delta jewel. Tour leader Mike Eaton will give an overview of the Preserve to orient visitors to areas open to public access as well. Meet at the Preserve Visitor Center, 13501 Franklin Blvd. (Between Twin Cities Road and Walnut Grove Thornton Road) at 2:00 p.m. Mike’s cell phone number for day of tour: 209-810-8388. Driving Directions
North Delta Conservancy Duck Hatchery — A group of concerned farmers organized the Conservancy in 1991 to conserve, sustain and enhance the cultural, agricultural, recreational, wildlife and natural habitat resources of the River Delta region. Area farm employees gather the eggs of nesting waterfowl to prevent their destruction by farm equipment and take them to be incubated and brooded. Since 1991, over 10,000 birds have been hatched, banded, and released to join the Pacific Flyway. Tour leader Mark Van Loben Sels will visit the duck pens to see eggs incubating and hatching and observe ducklings aged 1-25 days old. Meet at the Bank of Rio Vista, Walnut Grove Branch, 14211 River Road, Walnut Grove at 3:00 p.m. Driving Directions
Delta Cross Channel and Delta Meadows State Park – Water is the lifeblood of California agriculture and fisheries. The Delta Cross Channel diverts water toward the Central Valley and State Water Projects, away from the San Francisco Bay, to San Joaquin Valley farms and others. Learn about Delta fish at the cross channel gates in Walnut Grove and then walk down the levee road into Delta Meadows State Park, for a glimpse into the historic Delta. A half-mile walk will introduce you to the slough, native vegetation, some great birding, and the abiding challenges of managing our State’s most precious resource. Tour leader Peter Moyle is a preeminent expert on the environmental challenges facing the Delta. Meet at 4:00 p.m. at the Delta Meadows Parking lot – drive onto Railroad Slough Levee from the River Road between Walnut Grove and Locke, via a small gravel road just north-east of the cross channel. Driving Directions
Bios of tour leaders
John Carvalho is the owner of Carvalho Family Winery and owns and has extensively renovated the Old Sugar Mill complex in Clarksburg. With a rich family and cultural heritage of homemade wine making dating back to Madera in the old country, John has strong ties to the passions and joys of wine. In the family tradition, John bottled several of his own homemade vintages, always with the thought of some day opening his own winery. Clarksburg Wine Company not only fulfills his dream, but his label, Carvalho Family Wines, honors his family, their Portuguese roots, and historic ties to the Sacramento Delta region.
Richard Collins, a Sacramento native and graduate of the Agricultural and Managerial Economics program at UC Davis, founded California Vegetable Specialties in 1983 as Rebel Farms. He chose the name in response to the many naysayers who deemed him foolish for trying to grow endive for the U.S. market. Twenty-five years later, his company dominates the market west of the Mississippi.
Mike Eaton is the Executive Director of the Resources Legacy Foundation and a Delta resident. Mike was the Project Director for The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Delta and San Joaquin Projects for a dozen years and instrumental in TNC’s acquisition of Staten Island, a working farm providing critical habitat for sand hill cranes.
Jeff Hart, naturalist, history buff and owner of Hart Restoration, Inc., with his wife Toni, holds a U.S. Coast Guard Master’s license and conducts a variety of Delta Ecotours aboard the Tule Queen II, a 40′ Corinthian Catamaran built in Tarpon Springs, Florida in January 2006.
Toni Hart is a Delta native trained as a forester and biologist. She manages Hartland Nursery and is Executive Director of Hart Restoration.
Ning Hou, born and raised in Shanghai, China, Ning Hou earned his B.A. degree from the Shanghai Art Institute. Hou arrived in the United States in 1983, at the age of 27, to pursue his career in art at the Academy of Art College, San Francisco, where he graduated with his MFA in 1986. Although Hou maintains studios in other parts of the country, his primary residence is in Locke.
Peter Moyle is the Associate Director of UC Davis’s Center for Watershed Sciences and has been studying the ecology and conservation of freshwater and estuarine fishes in California for over 35 years. He is co-author of the controversial UC Davis/Public Policy Institute of California report on “Envisioning futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta” (2007) and is working on restoration of the San Joaquin River. He has also served or is serving on diverse committees associated with managing the San Francisco Estuary. He is author/coauthor of over 160 peer-reviewed scientific papers, 5 books, and many other publications and a frequent resource for journalists seeking to explain the complex challenges facing the Delta ecosystem.
Tim Neuharth’s farm on Sutter Island is known as Steamboat Acres and consists of approximately 300 acres located in the upper Sacramento River Delta near Courtland, bordered by the Sacramento River and Steamboat Slough. The Peck family (related to Tim by marriage) settled there in 1848 and started building levees and farming shortly thereafter. The river was the highway of its day between San Francisco and Sacramento and all points in between. Bartlett pears are the primary crop, which were converted to certified organic production in 2001. Some of the trees are over 100 years old. Tim also grows grapes, cherries, alfalfa and Tritacale (a small wheat-like grain). Tim’s new enterprise is Agri-tourism, including Agri-tainment, Agri-education and Agri-nature.
Mark van Loben Sels is the president of the North Delta Conservancy (NDC). He is an owner of Amistad Freight Services, Inc. and Sels Best Boer Goats. He has farming roots in the Delta area reaching back five generations. His father, who still serves on the NDC Board, was one of the founders of the NDC and farms corn, wheat, safflower, red and green Bartlett pears, alfalfa, wine grapes and processing tomatoes in Courtland, Walnut Grove, and Clarksburg.
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