The Annual Chestnut Harvest

Last Saturday was the annual Permaculture Festival and Potluck at the Zeni Ranch. Located 15 miles down Fish Rock Road and high up on a ridgetop between Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, the Zenis have been working this land for well over 100 years. One of the great things about this continuity is that a discussion with any Zeni about sustainable farming and perennial agricultural systems is usually bolstered by stories of moonshining and revenuers.

But the true stars of this day are the dry-farmed chestnut trees brought to this country from Italy over 100 years ago. Tall and majestic, their branches stretch across 100 feet and more. The chestnuts themselves actually grow inside of prickly seed pods, so it is important to wear boots (to squash them out of the pods) and gloves to avoid getting stuck. Along with three friends that went with me, we were able to harvest almost 20 pounds!

Friends Come To Vist

A couple of friends from San Diego, Marshall and Lois, came up to visit this past weekend. I had a great time showing them around Mendocino and the Anderson Valley because they are both very visual people. Lois is in graphic design and Marshall is a photographer. I saw things I would normally never notice when I looked at things through their eyes.

What's The Best Thing On Our Menu?

That has to be the BAAT!

What's a BAAT you ask? It is bacon, avocado, arugula and grilled BGI Heritage Garden heirloom tomato over a thick slice of fresh sourdough bread. The combination of sweet and peppery Millionaire's Bacon, with the flavor of a garden-fresh heirloom tomato can't be beat. Of course, I may be a little partial since we grew those tomatoes from seed, so I guess you will just have to come and try for yourself.

Fall in the Anderson Valley

Fall is a beautiful time of the year in the Anderson Valley. Trees changing colors and the vineyards turning a flaming red. The last of the grapes waiting to be picked are syrah.

Meadowview Suite Back In Service

After being out of service for more than 2 years, Brewery Gulch Inn's 2-room Meadowview Suite is now back in service. And it's first guest was a gentleman who was part of the ensemble cast of a long-running, ground-breaking television show.

The only rooms at the inn to overlook the meadow that hosts many of the deer, turkeys and other wildlife that visit Brewery Gulch, Meadowview is equipped with a mini-refrigerator, a microwave, a Keurig coffemaker, two televisions (one a large flat panel tuned to the DISH Network) and a stereo system. In the main room, a couch, two leather club chairs and a fireplace make for a comfortable area to watch television, or visit with family and friends. A queen feather bed rounds out this room.

In the bedroom, a splittable king featherbed, leather club chair and a large flat panel television make this a quiet and restful room for sleeping.

Pressing Apples In The Anderson Valley

Last Saturday, I went up to Sarah's family's vineyard to press the fall apples into juice. Norm, the vineyard manager, found a machine that grinds the apples into pulp and a hand-turned apple press to extract the juice from the pulp. We started with a lot of boxes of apples from their trees and those of neighboring farms. First we would grind them up:

Then we would take the pulp over to the press where we'd crank the mashed up apples down until all the juice came out:

It took most of the day, but we filled 40 half-gallon containers with the best apple juice I've ever had.

Paris Flea Market--2009

The annual Paris Flea Market at Sallie Mac in Mendocino started today. A truly unique shop with a wide variety of merchandise, Sallie Mac has been a touchstone in Mendocino for a decade. Recently featured in Oprah magazine, customers travel from across the state to Mendocino for Sallie's three-day event.

Great Day In Elk -- 2009

It's a small community, just a little over 200 people, but they do things in a big way. Every year in August, they host one of the North Coast's best celebrations-Great Day In Elk. The day begins with a parade...not a large one, but one where quality is definitely emphasized over quantity. Everyone falls in behind the last of the parade and follows it down to the Greenwood Community Center. There, music, food, a greased pole climbing contest, a cake raffle and a myraid of other events run into the late afternoon and lead up to a community-wide dance that evening.

It has been a "don't miss" event since I moved here three years ago.

Great For Lunch or Dinner

Now that I've been up here a couple of years, I've developed a few favorite places I like to go. And I have learned that what makes a restaurant a favorite is more than just the food. It is a combination of the food, the atmosphere and here in Mendocino, the owners.

Moosse Cafe is one of my favorites. The owners, Carolyn and Misha, are hands-on. They have imbued the restaurant with their personality. And it flows from them on through their staff. Professional, accommodating, friendly.

And the food is creative without being overdone. Organic, fresh and seasonal, half of the menu changes daily. But my "don't miss" item on their menu is the Belgian chocolate dessert.

So if you are up in Mendocino, be sure to stop in for lunch or dinner at the Moosse and tell Misha and Carolyn that Guy says hi.

Garden Setting, Food, Wine, Music -- Winesong! 2009

One of the best events on the Mendocino coast will be taking place this year on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12. Winesong! is a nationally-recognized charity wine auction and tasting attended by more than 1,000 guests from across the country and around the world. They gather in the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens for wine and food tastings, music, and both silent and live auctions featuring rare vintages, special bottles and hard to find vertical collections from cult wineries. And the word is out among wine-loving bidders that Winesong’s vacation packages to leading wine regions offer unbeatable experiences. Trips to France, Italy and New Zealand all feature visits to world-famous wine producers, tastings of older vintages and meetings with the winemakers.

Around The Inn

Sometimes I forget just how zen the inn is. From the temple bells and the herb garden out front, to the flowers and beautiful view of Smuggler's Cove off the back deck, there is just a peaceful and relaxing energy that surround you when you are here.

Dogs Have Birthdays Too!

There is always a reason to celebrate here in Mendocino. Last week, the occasion was the birthday of Blair's twin Springer Spaniels. All of the dogs brothers and sisters, as well as their parents, attended with their owners. An important tip I learned the hard way -- at a dog party, those things that look like brownies may well not be!

The Maltese Falcon

Last fall, a friend of mine invited a few of us to travel down to San Francisco and go aboard the Maltese Falcon. At 289', the Falcon is the largest privately owned sailboat in the world. Its construction called for the biggest private purchase of carbon fiber ever made. The sails can be unfurled and the ship steered from a touchscreen at the helm. It was an amazing experience.

Seldom Scene a hit at Mendocino's Music Festival

Since its inception in 1971, the Seldom Scene has thrived on playing bluegrass a little differently than everyone else. If other bands used a fiddler, the Seldom Scene used a Dobro; if others relied on old standards, the Seldom Scene played rock classics like J.J. Cale's "After Midnight." Through skilled musicianship and an urban approach to bluegrass, the Seldom Scene has become one of the most influential -- if not the most influential -- bluegrass band of their time.

They played tonight to a sold out crowd at the Mendocino Music Festival. More than 2 1/2 hours of incredible music (and two encores). What a show.

The Music Festival continues through July 25th.

Our first harvest

Thanks to help from the Schoenemans and their vineyard manager, Norm Kobler, vegetables were ready to be picked from BGI's Anderson Valley Heritage Garden. Zucchini, squash and beets were the first veggies that will reach the plates of inn guests tomorrow!

Lucky Lulu The Pug

Have you ever met a dog that was just too funny for words? Taylor and I met Lucky Lulu outside of Queenie's Roadhouse Cafe in Elk.

BGI's Anderson Valley Heirloom Vegetable Garden Taking Shape

This past spring, the Schoeneman family (owners of Ferrington Vineyards) was kind enough to offer us some space on their Anderson Valley property to plant an heirloom vegetable garden for Brewery Gulch.

All the plants were started from seeds in the greenhouse and when they became large enough, we moved them out to the garden beds. We planted 12 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, squash, carrots, brussell sprouts, cabbage, swiss chard, zucchini, cucmubers, beets, cress, eggplant, pimiento peppers, leeks, spinach, bell peppers, and kale.

We are just ready to start harvesting the squash, beets and zucchini.

Our amazing chef!

I like to cook. I really like to cook, but I need a recipe to follow. I'm not the kind of person that can look at a few ingredients and create a dish.

Here at the inn we were fortunate to find an extraordinarily talented chef, Rick Anderson, to oversee our kitchen. Rick is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. He served as the executive chef at several East Coast restaurants and as a private chef on a yacht before opening Kendricks at the Quaker House on Nantucket, a restaurant he ran for 8 years. He walked in our door two years ago and elevated the food we offer to guests to new heights.

It has been educational for me to watch Rick practice his craft. I have learned quite a few things that I practice in the kitchen once he has left for the day.