Posts Tagged ‘Farm Tours’

Exploring Northern California’s hills and valleys by bus is only the beginning. We take participants right to the source of our local food chain: the farms and vineyards.  Our bus goes behind the gates and beyond the tractors to meet local farmers & vintners. Learn where their farm story began, how they see our local agriculture growing, and their role as a provider to our local communities and restaurants. We literally go from the farm to fork in our bus adventure.

Take advantage of our special farm and wine bus tour day this upcoming May 19th with discount savings on tour tickets.  For this date only, we are offering a special ticket price of $54 per adult ticket – a $15 savings per ticket!  Use promo code: FRESH to receive discount:  http://www.zerve.com/LocalRoots/Sierra

Our Sierra Foothill Farm & Wine Tour focuses on the Placer County area on the Sunday, May 19th bus tour route. We showcase Placer Grown farms and vineyards along a beautiful planned tour route.

Though subject to change, you can expect:

• Transportation from a central meeting location in our 14 passenger executive bus
• A 4 hour bus tour with 5 to 6 different stops
• A trained local guide ready to showcase farms, orchards, & vineyards
• An opportunity to shop at each stop
• A catered, 4 course gourmet lunch
• Local Roots Food Tours reusable shopping bag

Typical stops will be to a indoor farmers market/bakery, a local olive oil mandarin farm, 1 or 2 fresh berry patches/farms, 1 organic produce farm, 1 flower farm and 1 local vineyard with wine tastings. Shopping will be allowed on all stops and is highly encouraged!  Our bus tour is fully guided by our locally trained hosts who will delight you with stories and fun facts about the region. Each participant will be treated to a gourmet lunch, along with complimentary beverages.

Come along and enjoy the beauty of the rolling Sierra’s along with bountiful farms, spring flowers and delicious bites of our local bounty.  It will be a day you will always remember and the opportunity to connect to our local farmers and vintners.  Don’t forget to bring your cameras -  there will be some wonderful photo ops!   For further questions about our farm & wine tours please give us a call:  1-800-407-8918  or contact us via our email:  info@localrootsfoodtours.com

We tour all around different cities looking for what might be a winner and hot topic to talk about with our food tour participants.  Trying to stay ahead of the kitchen mallet as to what is trending compared to what is here to stay in the culinary arena has its perks and challenges.  Local Roots Food Tours has compiled their top finds on what you might experience in 2013 while on your “foodie adventures.”

Top 10 Culinary Trends For 2013:
1.  Chef’s behind closed curtains is a thing of the past.  2013 will continue to bring celebrity (as well as local chefs) front and center hosting special themed culinary events, symposiums and contribute to hands-on cooking classes.  No more hiding behind the frying pan – their talents and passion will continue to be exposed with many culinary events.  We are looking forward to seeing more of our local executive chefs come out and support Sacramento’s Farm to Fork Capital of America efforts by offering some pretty awesome cooking events in and out of their kitchens in 2013.

2.  Restaurant gardens – Whether it be in back alley gutters or a transformed back lot, gardens are popping up all over the nation.  Chefs cite many logical reasons why restaurant gardens are a good idea: cost, convenience, control, sustainability. The concept of in-house farming is hardly new and the trend has hit far and wide—there are countless restaurants tilling their own soil and planting the seeds for vegetables that will eventually appear on a customer’s plate.  A small farm adjacent to an eating establishment keeps that path from farm to table about as short as it can get.  One example we love is share is Mineral Restaurant in Murphys, CA.  Executive Chef Steve Rinauro and partner/co-owner Maya Rinauro have been busy planting, weeding, watering and harvesting their restaurant garden in 2012.  Their farm to table philosophy is lived vivaciously every day in their vegetarian menu.  For those restaurants who don’t have the option of a garden out their back door, buying plots of land in local farms creates a great option.  One local farm in Sacramento, Feeding Crane Farms offers such plots to local Sacramento chefs…..the next best thing to offer local farm ingredients.

3. Nordic food is out – Peruvian and Korean food is in for 2013.
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Many might wonder what actually defines; “Agritourism” Is it a trend or just a catch phrase that is becoming more and more prevalent in agricultural communities? Agritourism is widespread in America. Agritourists can choose from a wide range of activities that include picking fruits and vegetables, riding horses, tasting honey, learning about wine and cheesemaking, or shopping in farm gift shops and farm stands for local and regional produce or hand-crafted gifts. People have become more interested in how their food is produced. They want to meet farmers and processors and talk with them about what goes into food production. For many people who visit farms, especially children, the visit marks the first time they see the source of their food, be it a dairy cow, an ear of corn growing in a field, or an apple they can pick right off a tree.

Northern California is growing their Agritourism and several tour companies offer great options in the form of tours and events in which participants are taken directly to the farms, the cheesemakers, the winemakers and bakers. So many options to choose from……are you ready to go?

1. Local Roots Farm & Wine Tours in Sacramento Valley
http://www.localrootsfoodtours.com 1-800-407-8918
Sierra Foothills Farm & Wine Bus Tours take participants on a 4 hour bus journey through the beautiful hills and valleys of Placer County visiting local olive groves, mandarin orchards, organic farms, beautiful vineyards and an indoor produce market and bakery. The opportunity to meet passionate farmers and vintners on each tour stop. Tours include a gourmet lunch which includes farm to fork ingredients from placer county farms and wine tasting at local vineyard. Tours are offered Saturdays and Sundays year round. Custom group tours for private parties are offered 7 days a week.

2. Ag Venture Tours in Salinas Valley
http://www.agventuretours.com 831-761-8463
Van tours planned around the Monterey Bay Region stopping at several chosen organic farms in the prosperous Salinas Valley. Different tour options. Advanced ticketing required.

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The weather outside might look frightful, but the opportunity to explore is more than delightful with events being offered all around our communities. 

December is filled with many chances to go out and explore our hills, valleys and peaks.  Northern California is blessed with farms, vineyards, and the chance to shop locally.   Get out your calendars and plan for a few weekend road trips this December….it’s time to get up and get active!

5 Ways to Explore your Own Backyard:

1.  Twin Peaks Orchards Fruit Tasting Open House – Placer County  http://www.twinpeaksent.com/events.htm

Sunday, December 2nd -  11am – 3pm  Free admission.   Fruit tastings, u-pick mandarins & persimmons, brick-oven pizza, shopping, farmers market, hay rides, and so much more!  Fun for the entire family!

2.  Holidays in the Hills Toy Drive – Placer County Wine Trail http://www.placerwine.com/events.htm

December 8th & 9th:  11am – 5pm;  17 Participating Wineries – Free Tastings with Unwrapped Toy Donation.   Live music, food, Christmas shopping, carolers, chocolate tastings, vineyard tours…..lots of fun in beautiful settings.

Download – Holidays in the Hills Wine Trail Map

Download – Holidays in the Hills Activities List
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Would you like to see where California’s delicious fresh fruit, produce, nuts, and wine come from?  Want to know how vineyards can tell when it’s time to pick their grapes or how to grow the best tomatoes?  Wouldn’t you like to see California olives on the tree, soaking up the sunshine?  We are so fortunate to live in the “Farm to Fork Capital of America”.  Now is time to jump on board the Local Roots Food Tours Culinary Passport bus and explore the cornucopia of agriculture.  Our Sierra Foothill Farm & Wine Tour is being offered to the public, Saturday’s and Sunday’s tours beginning the 1st weekend of December.

It’s mandarin season in the Sierra Foothills and the Mountain Mandarin Growers are ready for business!  Our bus route will point out over 30 mandarin grower farms along our route, stopping at 2 of the growers on each tour.  Nothing says ‘fresh’ like mandarins picked that very same morning and olive oil from the harvest’s first press.  Did you know the 1st mandarin trees were planted in Placer County in the 1880′s?  Sample Northern California’s best and locally-produced vegetables, fruit, oils and nuts…nearly everything we eat right out of our back doors!  Placer County lay riches to 18 family-run boutique wineries – many flock here for a pleasure not found in other regions – the chance to meet the winemakers.

What you can expect on our Sierra Foothill Farm & Wine Bus Tours:

• Transportation from a central meeting location in our 14 passenger executive bus
• 4 hour bus ride with 5 to 6 different stops on planned tour route
• Bus stops at 2 to 3 independent farms, 1 to 2 vineyards and one local produce market
• A trained local guide ready to showcase farms, orchards  &vineyards
• Up close contact with the owners of the farms, orchards and vineyards
• Opportunity to shop at each farm and vineyard stop
• Catered 4 course gourmet lunch all from local farms and bakery
• Unlimited bottled waters, tea and sparkling drinks
• Local Roots Food Tours reusable shopping bag

This tour is fully guided by our specially-trained hosts who will delight you with stories and fun facts about the region and the methods used to coax Mother Nature to grow her bounty.  Our tour bus is fully heated, reclining seats and spacious.  Each participant will be treated to a gourmet lunch, along with complimentary water, tea, and juice.  Each stop includes tastings of the grower’s produce, the vintner’s wine, and of course, the cheese-maker’s cheese!

To Purchase Your Sierra Foothill Farm & Wine Bus Tickets and Details Click Here

The heat has dissipated, the crops are being harvested and the crisp air leads foodies out and about exploring festivals and great food events in the Sacramento Region.  We have found several festivals and food entertainment to go check out.  Go Explore your bountiful Northern California food friendly region!
Click Here for Events

Come out and visit your local farms and you will be able to buy some seasonal products from them. Featured farms are Steamboat Acres-Oganic pears, Fra…ncis Ranch- Organic Vegitables, Double M Farms-Free Range eggs, U-pick pears, Giacoma- Natural Honey, eggs, R. Kelley Farms- U-pick vegitables, Maggi’s Farm-pears, Ceccarelle Hood Ranch-pears

The mission of the Sacramento River Delta Grown Agri-Tourism Association is to promote agricultural sustainability and profitability of local farmers in the Sacramento River Delta area through agri-tourism and agri-education by providing public accessibility to local farms while enhancing the public’s awareness of production agriculture and the enjoyment of the rural farming experience.

Every summer, Outstanding in the Field hit the road to bring farm to table cooking back to the source.  Their mission is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it.  Owner Denevan and his crew of cooks, servers and coordinators travel all across America and beyond.  They host alfresco dinners at long tables in the middle of farm lands; whether it be a cornfield, pasture or vineyard, they set up a creative long table, chairs and all place settings.  Uniqueness at its finest!  Outstanding in the Field is a roving culinary adventure – literally a restaurant without walls.

Chefs from nearby restaurants in the area they are offering the dinners create dishes from local ingredients.  Just picked berries, organic greens, free-range meats and local wines just to get you started.  Wherever the location, the consistent theme of each dinner is to honor the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table.  It takes a lot of ingredients to make a farm dinner. Some of the more important ingredients are people.  Farmers work hard throughout the growing season, reap the harvest and take it to market for all of us to enjoy. Food artisans and chefs transform the harvest with creativity, respect for ingredients, attention to craft and a desire to give nourishment.  These are the people that make it all possible. These are the wonderful people who have dedicated their lives to work that benefits us all.  They grow, nurture, create, ferment, chop, boil, bake and plant their way into our lives.

The purpose of Outstanding in the Field events is to recognize these contributions to the table.  As the sun sets, guests grab plates, sit down and meet their table-mates.  While consuming their five-course meal with a local wine pairing the guests will be educated on where the food comes from and a chance to chat with new friends until the rooster crows!  This year Outstanding in the Field is putting on dinners in 30 states plus Canada and Europe.  For tickets, visit http://www.outstandinginthefield.com

Those of us who live in Northern California are lucky, especially if you are interested in quality food. We have easy access to so many wonderful artisan food producers and growers. CSA (Consumer Sponsored Agriculture) box choices are aplenty, fresh and seasonal at your fingertips, and passionate people with visions scattered about.?   Three women are just such passionate people whose visions came to fruition. Dubbed the “G.O.A.T. Girls”, they know a few things about goats and goat milk products because they are truly pioneers in what they do, with years of experience behind them.

These successful ladies are Laura Howard of Laloo’s Goat’s Milk Ice Cream.

Surprisingly delicious and creamy, Laloo’s ® is made with 100% goat’s milk. It has that custard-like-old-fashioned-ice-cream-parlor-taste, with superior digestibility. Why goat’s milk? This magic elixir boasts more protein and calcium, and a natural structure with alkaline properties that allow lactose sensitive people to indulge! Smooth, rich and dense, Laloo’s ® rivals gelato, but with less than half the fat. So go ahead, eat twice as much!

Jennifer Lynn Bice of Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery

Redwood Hill Farm is an award-winning, Humane Certified, Grade A goat dairy farm and creamery located in Sonoma County, California.  Family owned and operated for over 40 years, they are committed to making the best tasting and least processed goat milk, artisan goat milk cheese, yogurt and kefir.

and Mary Keehn of Cypress Grove Chevre. 

Today, renowned for its innovative range of fresh, aged and ripened cheeses — many invented by Mary — and internationally awarded for excellence, Cypress Grove is a leader in the domestic goat cheese market.

They’ve recently come together in a campaign to educate consumers about the multitude of health benefits and wide variety of goat’s milk products available to us, and that goats are green.

Rising in popularity here in the U.S., many people wonder if the goat variety offers any benefits over cow’s milk. Since cows and goats are both mammals, their milk is similar on many levels, but there are some differences that may offer advantages to some milk drinkers.

• Goat’s milk is slightly lower in lactose, the sugar in both types of milk. People who are lactose intolerant (who can’t digest this sugar) may find they can tolerate a bit of goat’s milk.

• Goat’s milk has a slight edge in calcium content, but both are excellent sources providing at least 30 percent of the daily value for this vital mineral.

• The proteins in goat’s milk have been shown to be less allergenic than cow’s milk. While a true allergy to cow’s milk protein is not common, for those who suffer, goat’s milk may provide a nutritious alternative.

• Goat’s milk is slightly higher in fat, but the form of fat differs from cow’s milk and may be more tolerable for the intestinal tract to digest.

So now, if your curiosity is peaked, head to one of their websites. Or better yet, head to Corti Brothers, Taylor’s Market, Whole Foods Market, or the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op to pick up some goat cheese or ice cream to try.?   So what’s the G.O.A.T message? Goats are the “greatest of all time”.