Reason #62 Why I live in Sonoma County

Posted by Tom Wark on Aug 21, 2006

The FERMENTATION family took a jaunt about western Sonoma County yesterday; a nice Sunday afternoon drive into the hinterland of Sonoma County. Beyond the beauty of the vast pasture land, it was the evidence of this county’s bounty that really put the smile on my face.

Sitting now in my kitchen is a 40 lb box of freshly picked gravenstien apples. these are not the pristine apples of supermarket lore. They have tiny flaws here and there, a nubbin, a tiny bruise, a not of sunburn. But, they are immensely flavorful and varietal in their flavor.

Next to the apples is a large bowl of blackberries and the pie we produced from their siblings that Mrs. Fermentation baked upon arriving back at the homestead. All throughout the cooler, fog glazed reaches of western Sonoma County are wild blackberry bushes that line the road and are now in the midst of showing off their fruit. There’s nothing like ending your day trip with a nice hand-staining romp among the wild blackberries.

We stopped in three locations and jumped right in, harvesting an array of plump, juicy, intensely flavored blackberries. I still have the stains on my hands and the tee-shirt I wore is unlikely to recover. But who cares?

I’m sure there are numerous rural regions of America that provide the opportunity for a Sunday drive that produces a diverse haul of freshly picked goodies that taste of and reflect the destination. Yet in a days drive around West Sonoma and out to the coast I was happy to fill up on our own wines, apples, blackberries, wild salmon and just enough locally produced salt water taffy to feel a tad sick (not so sick that I couldn’t suck down a piece of blackberry pie upon arriving home.

I’m not leaving here.