Our music on the patio continues this Thursday in Healdsburg with a great local blues band, Chord on Blue! We will be preparing the traditional chicken cordon bleu for $10 as well. Grab a plate and a glass of wine inside the store and enjoy the patio and some live music.
Chord on Blue will be playing this Thursday May 9th, and Thursday May 16th from 5pm-6pm.
Check out their facebook page here.
124 Matheson St., Healdsburg CA 707.433.3200
At Oakville Grocery we proudly feature produce from Rudd Farms, a beautiful 7 acre farm atop Mt. Veeder. Farmer Omar works closely with our Chef Jason Rose to decide what to plant and when to harvest. Everything is grown from seed in a greenhouse and transferred into the ground as a seedling. When crops are harvested Farmer Omar delivers us the produce the very next day. Now that is fresh! We had a chance to sit down with Omar and pick his brain about the farm and what’s to come for Spring.
Q: How long have you been working for Rudd Farms?
A: Two years.
Q: How did you first get into farming?
A: My mom put me to work pulling weeds in the garden when I was four years old.
Q: What was your goal with the farm when you started?
A: To design and implement a biological system of production customized to the site at Mt Veeder. Optimizing it’s advantages and minimizing it’s drawbacks.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
A: Producing food for people on such a challenging site as Mt Veeder. Watching folks at Dean & Deluca, Oakville Grocery and PRESS RESTAURANT eat the stuff we grow, oblivious to the fact that the day before I personally plucked it from the ground or pulled it out from under a chicken. The filthy dude in the messed up hat standing next to them in line provided them with something yummy and healthy and they have no idea. That makes me smile.
Q: What was the most difficult thing about working with heritage turkeys? How about the mangalitsa pigs?
A: Heritage turkeys are awesome birds. They’re tough, smart, strong, friendly and they can fly. They will come right up to interact with you. Even let you touch them but they know you have no business picking them up and that’s when the trouble starts.
Mangalitsas are great too. They are such wonderful animals to work with. Low maintenance, easy going, like getting scratched behind the ears. Only draw back is you really can’t move, by force, an animal that’s two foot tall and outweighs you by a hundred pounds.
Q: What is currently growing on the farm? How does the collaboration with the chefs work?
A: Currently we are growing cool season crops like lettuce, spinach, chard, broccoli, beets, carrots, arugula and kale. We are starting warm season crops in the greenhouse like tomatoes,bell peppers and egg plant. The chefs determine what I grow. I grow what’s on the menu as the season allows. We are in constant communication.
Q: What crop are you most excited for this spring?
A: This spring I’m most excited about lettuce! We are trying to provide all the lettuce to all the locations this year. As in two thousand heads of lettuce per week. This will be a challenge.
Q: How do you decide what to plant on the farm?
A: I decide what to plant based on what the chefs want and by what does best in the climate on Mt. Veeder. A lot goes into which variety of a specific crop I choose to grow such as hardiness, yield, disease resistance etc. but at the end of the day it’s about taste. Which means I grow a lot of heirloom, open pollinated crops. These are old genetic lines that were grown for their flavor not for their ability to be stored and shipped. For instance I grow “Bloomsdale Long Standing” spinach because it’s the tastiest damn spinach on the face of the earth. Not because it’s easy to harvest mechanically or ships well.
Q: What items do you currently provide for Oakville Grocery, PRESS, and Dean & Deluca?
A: Currently we are supplying lemons, beets, rainbow chard, spinach, arugula, lettuce, broccoli rabe, carrots pea tendrils and eggs.
Q: What is your favorite thing to cook? How about your favorite after work beverage?
A: I love to cook Asian, Middle Eastern, and Indian food. It’s my “thing”. I cook whatever is in season and right now it’s pea tendrils (the curly top part of the pea plant). They have a sweet earthy aroma and a crunchy octopus texture. I sauté them in olive oil, garlic and salt. Scramble them with duck eggs? Screaming!
Favorite afterwork bev would be Old English 800. I’m from the San Juaquine valley and that’s just how we roll.
Q: If you weren’t a farmer what would you be?
A: If I wasn’t a farmer I’d be dead.
Q: What is your favorite time of day up on the farm? What is your favorite season?
A: Summer mornings when the fog is covering the valley but the farm is just above it and the sun comes up all red over the mountains and there’s no one there but me and the chickens…that’s a a good part of the day.
Q: Who do you admire in the farming world?
A: Fernando and Panco who sweat and bleed with me every day,Wendell Berry, Gene Logsdon, Joel Salatin, Will Allen (google him, you’ll be amazed), Ali Farke Toure, Valton - my one legged seven fingered uncle in Montana who hayed and raised cattle till the day he died and who could have kicked my ass when he was in his 80′s.
Q:Describe your ideal day…
A: Ideal day is Sunday alone on Veeder setting gopher traps and observing nature to learn how to dance with her better.
Q: What moisturizer do you use?…just kidding!
A: I’m an Oil of Olay guy.
Easter is just around the corner and we have some fun things planned! We are hosting our annual Easter Egg Hunt March 24th from 8AM-10AM at our Oakville location. We will have refreshments and prizes. Stop by with the kids for some fun!
We also have a delicious new Easter menu available at our Healdsburg location. Check it out here!
Here are some fun Easter ideas I’ve been collecting in preparation for the egg hunt! All images are on our Pinterest page as well.
Last weekend I paid a little visit to our friends at Dandelion Chocolate. They just opened a new production facility and cafe on Valencia in the Mission. It is a beautiful space with an open layout, exposed brick, and a cool chalkboard wall. The cafe offers a variety of different hot chocolates (I tried the Mission hot chocolate – it has a kick to it!), delicious pastries, and espresso. My favorite part was the house made marshmallows offered with the hot chocolate. Dandelion chocolate was started by Cameron Ring and Todd Masonis in 2010 after their love of chocolate inspired them to start making chocolate in their garage. Dandelion is made in small batches using beans from all over the world. By doing so they are able to focus on where the beans come from and bring out the different flavor characteristics of the beans. At Dandelion they roast, crack, sort, winnow, grind, conch, and temper small batches of beans and then mold and package each bar by hand. If you’re in Napa or Healdsburg stop by our store to pick up a bar of Dandelion Chocolate, and if you’re in San Francisco be sure to check out their new cafe!
Click on the link below to watch a video and learn more about the bean to bar process!
Bonnie Tempesta is at it again with her new company Boncora Biscotti. Bonnie makes each batch of biscotti by hand in a small kitchen located in Sonoma. In the 1980s Bonnie became known as the “biscotti queen” when she introduced traditional Italian biscotti to the American market. Her company, La Tempesta Bakery Confections, Inc., grew to 100 employees and was making 300,000 biscotti a day! When Bonnie sold the company she moved to Sonoma and was recently inspired to get back in the kitchen and bake again. The generations old family recipe was tweaked slightly for this new venture. Boncora Biscotti are smaller and crunchier, packed full of delicious roasted almonds. My favorite is the biscotti hand dipped in a blend of milk and semi sweet Guittard chocolate. We now carry the biscotti at both store locations and are lucky enough to welcome Bonnie to our Healdsburg store tomorrow, February 2nd, for a demo! So come sample this delicious treat! It makes a great Valentine’s present as well!
Meet the Purveyor!
February 2nd 11-2
124 Matheson St. Healdsburg CA
You might say that we at Oakville Grocery have a slight obsession with kale chips. We have been known to eat an entire bag for lunch. So let us introduce you to Wonky Kale Chips. Owners Jeff and Margaret use local ingredients and original recipes to create these delicious and healthy snacks. Kale is one of the healthiest foods you can eat, full of antioxidants, fiber, and anti-inflammatory nutrients. So you don’t have to feel guilty when you eat the whole bag! Wonky Kale Chips will be sampling their delicious chips at the Oakville location this Saturday, January 26th. Come give kale chips a try!
“Food is fun. It inspires us to create, experiment and play. To make this wonderfully crunchy snack, we season our kale, toss it about and slowly let it dry. The result is a snack that’s crazy good for you in addition to being crazy good. Enjoy these crispy delights and have fun with your food!” Wonky Kale
Demo at the Oakville location January 26th 11AM-2PM
The holiday season is here and I don’t know about you but I am feeling a little behind in terms of my Christmas shopping. Finding that perfect gift for someone can be difficult but one thing I do love are the stocking stuffers, small items that you can have some fun with. They’re the bite size hors d’oeuvres to your holiday meal. We have some great options at the Oakville Grocery that will fill that stocking but not break the bank. We can ship to you too!
Holiday Ornaments: Piglets, Bunnies & Gnomes $12
Oakville Grocery Peppermint Bark Shortbread Candy $9
Oakville Grocery Chocolate: Dark Chocolate w/ Sea Salt $7, Milk Chocolate $7, 72% Dark Chocolate $5, Chocolate with Caramel $5
Oakville Grocery Baby Bib $16
Distillery No. 209 Gin $7
Oakville Grocery Champagne Stopper: $18
Oakville Grocery Picnic Size Olive Oil $9.50, White Truffle Oil $11, Balsamic Vinegar $9.50
Oakville Grocery Olive Oil Soap:
Original, Lavender, Lemongrass Lemon $10.50
Oakville Grocery Stone Magnets $7
Oakville Grocery Olive Oil Lotion: $9
Give us a call or email us at info@oakvillegrocery.com
Oakville: 7079448802
Healdsburg: 7074333200
There is no better way to celebrate the holiday season and the New Year than with a bottle of sparkling wine. We have a great selection of California sparkling wines to help you ring in the New Year. Pair with oysters, caviar, or our smoked trout appetizer and you’re set!
Iron Horse Russian Cuvée commemorates the style of sparkling they made for the historic Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Meetings ending the Cold War. This wine is richer and fuller although doesn’t come across as sweet, just creamy.
A perfect sipping wine, ideally paired with briny hors d’oeuvres such as smoked salmon on potato cakes, fresh oysters with mignonette or poached shrimp with remoulade sauce.
Iron Horse Brut X. This wine is extremely dry, bright, and expressive. The dosage is under 0.6% residual sugar – barely perceptible, but adds just the right amount of “polish.”
Serve with anything raw, including oysters, fruit, vegetables, sushi and sashimi, cured and smoked fish.
Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc is dry and crisp. Small lots of malolactic- and barrel-fermented wines are added for complexity. The wine is aged on the yeast lees in the bottle for about two years prior to disgorgement. With its vibrant, fruitful and crisp nature, this sparkling wine will maintain its freshness, structure and refined finish for many years, even decades following its initial release.
Schramsberg Brut Rosé is flavorful, complex and dry, making it both versatile with food and delicious by itself as an apéritif. The character of the wine is most strongly influenced by bright, flavorful Pinot Noir grown in Carneros, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma and Marin coastal areas. A few small lots of Pinot Noir are fermented in contact with their skins to add depth and subtle color to this unique sparkling wine. Chardonnay gives spice, structure and length on the palate.
Schramsberg Reserve is their top Pinot Noir-focused brut sparkling wine. Typically representing about 3% of their annual production, this richly-flavored and full-bodied sparkler is made from only the finest base-wine lots produced each year. Six years old upon release, this fruitful, yet dry, toasty and creamy bubbly will age gracefully for a good 20 years beyond the vintage date.
Roederer L’ermitage 2003 Fine tiny bubbles and a long-lasting mousse are the usual footprints of the L’ERMITAGE cuvée. This cuvée is showing great notes of “tarte tatin”: baked apples and buttery crust, with notes of apricot and delicate vanilla bean. The mouthfeel is creamy, expresses flavors of quince and bread crust, with a clean and crisp yet long finish.
Roederer Estate Brut is crisp and elegant with complex pear, spice and hazelnut flavors. It is fresh and lightly fruity with great finesse and depth of flavor.
Vintage dated each year, the Domaine Carneros Brut Cuvée represents the best of Carneros pinot noir and chardonnay made into a classic sparkling wine. The appellation is 100% Carneros. The Brut was aged in the bottle for three years before release. It will continue to develop further depth and complexity as it ages.
Give us a call at 707.944.8802 or email us at oakvillewine@oakvillegrocery.com
Studebaker Pickled Beets with Smoked Trout on Judy’s Country Crackers
This recipe by our Chef Jason Rose is quick and pleases a crowd.
Makes about 1 dozen
1 jar Studebaker Pickled Beets
12 Judy’s Country Crackers
1 cup Crème Fraiche
1 tsp Horseradish, freshly grated or prepared
1 tsp Dill, finely chopped
½ lb Smoked Trout
Fold in a teaspoon of horseradish, along with a teaspoon of finely chopped dill into a cup of Crème Fraiche. Spread generously over Judy’s Country Crackers, and top with a wedge of Studebaker Pickled Beets and flaked smoked trout. Garnish with some fresh dill and a crack of fresh black pepper.
Part of the fun during the holidays is creating a table that is unique and sets the tone for a fantastic night with family and friends. It helps everyone get in the holiday spirit! Here are a few creative holiday decoration ideas to get you started!
I like that besides a few glass candlesticks these table decorations are low, allowing guests to see each other.
A mixture of succulents and moss give this table a nice modern feel, with that little bit of gold to keep it festive.
Ornaments are not just for the tree! Use ornaments of a similar color palette for a festive table.
Mason jars and luggage tag napkin rings give this setup the perfect rustic, homemade fee.
The perfect kids table! A kraft table “cloth” lets kids get creative while maintaining a cool rustic look that still fits in with the grown ups.
We believe in picnicing year round! Snacks and refreshments become mobile with this perfect little cart. So go outside and enjoy some winter activities.
String marshmallows for a winter wonderland setting.
For the name cards look no further than your backyard!
And a little gift for the end of an evening…I think some holly would be the perfect touch to this package. Happy Holidays!
Images Found
