California's Green Bounty
OLD WEST
Californians have a proud history of showing off the riches from
their verdant fields and trees, dating to 1911 with the start of
the National Orange Show Festival, in San Bernardino. The state
boasts certified farmers' markets in 350-plus towns and cities and
offers more than three dozen annual food festivals, including the
Gilroy Garlic Festival, Ventura's Lemon Fest, the California
Avocado Festival in Carpinteria, and Indio's International Tamale
Festival. And while Napa and Sonoma garner much of the spotlight
when it comes to wine, the Temecula Valley, about 90 miles
southeast of Los Angeles, may have been California's first wine
country: The padres at Mission San Juan Capistrano began
winemaking more than 200 years ago. When you're in the Valley, stop
by the family-owned Temecula Olive Oil Company and the Rusty Acres
Herb Farm in Rainbow for their lavender. San Diego County has a
cornucopia of local farmers' markets and roadside produce stands,
including the Vegetable Shop at the Chino family farm in Rancho
Santa Fe.
NEW WEST
The Carneros Inn in Napa Valley is serenely luxe and pays tribute
to the bounty of the wine country with its restaurants. The Boon
Fly Café (simple, delicious comfort food; don't miss the devil's
food cake) and Hilltop Dining Room (French cuisine) offer some of
the best fare in the area. Even the inn's spa uses local produce,
incorporating crushed olive stones, local olive oil, black perlette
grapes, and goat butter into its sybaritic offerings. You'll find
the wealth of California's fields in one spot at San Francisco's
historic Ferry Building Marketplace. There you'll find, indoors and
out, locally made olive oils, cheeses, chocolates (tip: stop by
Recchiuti Confections), bakeries, flowers, and even an antiques
store, Culinaire, which carries only wares to do with food and
cooking. Don't miss Slanted Door and its excellent Vietnamese
cuisine. Surrounding the landmark building is the outdoor farmers'
market run by CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable
Agriculture) on the Ferry Plaza. Bustling Saturdays at the market
include the 10 a.m. "meet the farmer," a half-hour interview with a
local farmer or artisan followed by a cooking demonstration using
in-season foods. For the past three years, late October has brought
the Marketplace's annual Harvest Festival, with pumpkin carving,
wool spinning, butter churning, olive oil and honey tastings, a
petting zoo, and the pièce de résistance: wine and beer tastings
with more than two dozen wineries and breweries, all California
certified organic. Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is open Tuesdays and
Saturdays year-round, and on Sundays and Thursday evenings (inside)
May through October.
Natural Wonders | California
National Orange Show Festival, San Bernardino, May 24 to 28, (909)
888-6788, www.nationalorangeshow.com, $7 for
adults, $5 for seniors, military, and kids
Gilroy Garlic Festival, July 27 to 29, (408) 842-1625, www.gilroygarlicfestival.com, $12 general admission,
$6 for seniors and children
Lemon Fest, Ventura, September 8 and 9, (805) 642-0605, www.lemonfest.com, free admission
California Avocado Festival, Carpinteria, October 6 to 8, (805)
684-0038, www.avofest.com, free
admission
Indio International Tamale Festival, December 2 and 3, (760)
391-4175, free admission
Temecula Olive Oil Company, (866) 654-8396, www.awesome-oil.com
Rusty Acres Herb Farm, Rainbow, (760) 731-7349, www.rustyacres.com, open Thursday to Sunday
The Vegetable Shop at the Chino family farm, Rancho Santa Fe, (858)
756-3184, closed Mondays
The Carneros Inn, Napa Valley, (888) 400-9000, www.thecarnerosinn.com, from $455
Boon Fly Café, Napa Valley, (707) 299-4870
Hilltop Dining Room, Napa Valley, (707) 299-4865
Ferry Building Marketplace, San Francisco, (415) 693-0996,
www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com;
festival takes place October 26 to 29
Culinaire, Ferry Building Marketplace, (415) 576-1700, www.culinairesf.com
The Slanted Door, San Francisco, (415) 861-8032, www.slanteddoor.com