NOW is the Time to be in the Wine Country

The wildfires were national news, and deserved to be. Fire devastation leaves its own peculiar mark on the landscape, hopping over a house or vineyard here and there, but scorching everything in its path a few feet away. There's plenty of it to see in Northern California's wine country. But that's not the reason to go. All of northern California pitched in to provide emergency services and shelter - America is right to be proud of the continued generosity of the people and organizations there.

Though visitors can see the devastation from Highway 101, Rte.12 around Sonoma, and many major roads through the area, what can also be seen are dozens of "We're Open" signs at almost all wineries, shops and restaurants, interspersed with "Thank you, First Responders" hand-made signs everywhere.

The locals there are making a point to patronize their own, but let's face it: Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake Counties - those hardest hit - rely on visitors from out of town to survive.  And now they REALLY need to see your smiling faces.

This is also the time to buy wine, since what's available are last year's whites and reds from excellent years preceding the big burn. Many vineyards have been saved post-harvest (that is, they were harvested and processed before the fire), so the wine industry in this beautiful area will go on.

If your heart was touched by the enormous losses suffered by so many in this area, the thing to do is GO. Taste wine. Stay in a gorgeous spa/hotel. Know that your contribution is a blessing for the thousands of residents and businesses that make the wine country home.  Be part of Sonoma Strong.

It's about the Grass: Stemple Creek Ranch Grass-fed Beef, Baby!

My name is Joanne, and I am an Omnivore. There, I said it. I was a vegetarian for years, but realized one day that the entire world operates by eating something else, and ALL of those somethings were alive at some point, be they plants or animals. I lived on a farm in college, and raised my own meat: beef, pork and chickens. My animals enjoyed full, good lives, and met a quick and painless death (we should all be so lucky). I vowed if I was going to eat meat, it would be from the best possible sources. I'd like to say I kept that vow, but I often bought the cheapest meat I could find simply for lack of alternatives: that's where Stemple Creek Ranch comes in.

Loren Poncia and his wife Lisa  took over the 120-year-old  ranch from his parents in 2001 and expanded the ideas his father had set out years before: improving the quality of the creek that ran through the property by planting trees, improving the soil with more than 20 different types of grasses, and moving his herds of Black Angus from patch to patch to feed (and fertilize).

Hidden away behind the gentle hills off Fallon Rd. in Marin County, Stemple Creek is part of a 10-year soil study, the Marin Carbon Project--as dry land farmers, the Poncias depend on carbon in the soil to absorb rain like a sponge, producing clear run-off into the waterways. Last year, the farm saved the equivalent of auto emissions from 81 cars.

I was at Stemple Creek for a tour, which is scheduled on their website throughout the year (below). The tour started with an outdoor barbecue that left every fervent carnivore in the group sated (coulotte steak, yes!). Loren cooks up several different cuts of beef and there's plenty to go around, even if you're tempted to sneak a piece to Bailey, the very attentive golden retriever. The tour takes in the grounds and gives a lot of history of the place and the ideals which are the driving force of Stemple Creek Ranch.

Loren gets down to grass level to talk about soil improvement

To everything there is a season, and so it is with animals. The cattle wander fertile pastures for  24 months before they reach the valley of the shadow. Some calves are born in the spring, some in the autumn, and each year only a certain number are ready; however, from November to March, less beef is available because the grass quality is different, and Loren takes quality seriously. One of the objections to grass-fed beef is that it's too lean (and therefore tough when cooked). That is NOT the case here; all the cuts were some of the best fat-marbled beef I've ever laid tooth to, perfectly tender and tasty.

Beeeef!

You can schedule a tour or buy pastured, grass-fed Angus beef and lamb from Stemple Creek's Website (www.stemplecreek.com)  and have it delivered to your door. The site also lists all their current purveyors, including:

San Francisco Plaza Farmers Market, Ferry Bldg. Plaza on the Embarcadero, San Francisco, 8AM-2PM Saturday year-round    Ferry Plaza Market 

Marin Farmer's Market, San Rafael Civic Center, 8AM-1PM Thurs. and Sun. year-round   Marin Farmer's Market

The Local Butcher Shop, 1600 Shattuck, Ste. 120, Berkeley, CA    thelocalbutchershop.com/

V. Miller Meats, 4801 Folsom Blvd., Ste. 2, Sacramento, CA   vmillermeats.com/

Thistle Meats, 160 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma CA    thistlemeats.com

Lisa and Loren also rent out a cute rustic cabin on the property through Air B&B--great for a farm stay for families ($175/night): Rustic Cabin

All photos copyright Joanne Orion Miller unless noted