Given that it’s the day before Earth Day, Saturday April 21st is a perfect day for some family-friendly back-to-nature events, and there’s quite a few to choose from. Check ‘em out.
Meet some adorable baby goats at the fourth annual GOAT FESTIVAL on Saturday April 21st, 10am-1pm, at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Good news: this event is free and open to the public. More good news: there’ll be chef demos starting at 11am with Trace Leighton and Daniel Clayton of Origen in Berkeley, then at noon with Adam Dulye of The Monk’s Kettle, or you can chat with NorCal goat entrepreneurs at the 10am “Goat Gab.”
Some more good news: free samples for all! There’ll be gourmet goat products like yogurts, kefirs, caramels, fudge, chocolates, and ice creams from local producers like Redwood Hill Farm, Cypress Grove Chevre, Laloo’s Goat Milk Ice Cream, Happy Goat Caramel, and Kidding Around with Chocolate, and even goat’s milk face creams, lotions, and soaps. Plus go home with a goat cheese guide and samples from farmers’ market regulars Achadinha Cheese Company, Andante Dairy, and Bodega and Yerba Santa Goat Cheese. The baby goats will be coming in from Redwood Hill Farm in Sebastopol—keep up with the goats on their blog here. One Ferry Building at Embarcadero and Market.
Across the Bay Bridge, ROCKRIDGE MARKET HALL is hosting Closer to Home from 11am-4pm in recognition of backyard farms and local food artisans. Pick up some home cooking tips at demos on making fresh mozzarella with Fiscalini Farms, preparing lemon curd and preserving lemons with Market Hall Bakery Chef and Director Neucimar Dias da Silva, and chicken and rabbit butchery with Marin Sun Farms Butcher Shop. Look for the honey harvesting demo from 1pm-2pm with urban farmers Novella Carpenter and Willow Rosenthal, followed by a panel discussion and signing their new book The Essential Urban Farmer. Plus enjoy food tastings from local purveyors including Emmi’s Pickles, Pollen Ranch, McEvoy Ranch EVOO, and Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese. And more goats! There will a goat petting zoo from Havenscourt Homestead. Free to attend; pay for purchases. 5655 College Ave. at Shafter, Oakland, 510-250-6011.
Or head out beyond the Bay Area on April 21st and join the CAPAY VALLEY OLIVE OIL EXPERIENCE with the Capay Valley Farm Shop collaborative. The tour starts at 10am at Grumpy Goats Farm, where you’ll explore olive groves with Pamela Marvel, then learn how to press extra virgin olive oil with Joe Muller at the Séka Hills Olive Mill, and have an optional picnic lunch at 1pm in the gardens of Capay Oaks Farm. Finish with a tasting comparing varietals grown in the Capay Valley. Be sure to take some olive oil home with you. Directions and details will be emailed the week of the event; itinerary subject to change. More info online.
Photo of baby goats from Redwood Hill’s blog.
Event Info
Saturday Apr 21, 2012
