Nice weekend in wine country

Two weekends ago we went to a Slow Money event in Sunol. Dave will blog more about it, but I just had to write about my favorite participant, CropMobster. They are a new company that reduces food waste by sending email alerts announcing surplus foods to anyone who wants to use it, sometimes it is free, and sometimes it's being sold at a very reduced price.  I've seen both cookies and excess kale going to good use.  Anyone can sign up for alerts, and use the food in anyway they see fit, for example, perhaps a neighborhood could schedule a canning party around a batch of surplus fruit that would have otherwise ended up in the compost heap, and the farmer will still make some money.

This weekend Saturday, we went to a party at the HelloCello distillery in Sonoma They had a successful kickstarter to purchase a new still, and it is lovely.   We got to meet the owners, Fred and Amy, and other interesting people. It was a very lively party, the music and food were  great, although we could have done without the 100+ temperatures. They make assorted spirits, try their lemoncello,

 

 

On Sunday we went to the San Francisco Zen Center, Green Gulch location.  It was a spontaneous decision. We arrived too late to listen to the Sunday lecture, however we arrived in time for the tea and tiny farmer's market, where they sell garden vegetables and bread. 

 

Some tips for first time visitors:

• The signs are not very clear - when  you arrive you'll see a sign with parking to the left - park there and walk a few minutes down the path towards the right to get to the farm.
• They suggest you come for the entire Sunday program
• Definitely stay for the delicious vegetarian lunch. We ate soup, salad and bread. I get the feeling this is the usual lunch menu.
• Find the "Office" and ask questions -
• Visit the gorgeous gardens
• Take a class if they are offering one
• Walk to the beach -apparently it's about a 15 minute walk though the gardens

We enjoyed the class on crafting, cultivating and cooking with Lavender. We drank lavender lemon-aid, ate lavender lemon bars, studied different lavender cultivars, made lavender oil, and then picked fresh lavender and learned how to make beautiful lavender wands.

Definitely a recommended destination. The next time we go, we plan to take a bread making class, and spend more time walking though the gardens on our way to the beach.