Just ask any of the younger patrons at our recent Soup Night if they like eating local food. Their non-verbal response is shown as they fill up their 6th bowl of potato leek soup!
This year at Sierra Harvest, our Soup Nights feature more than just delicious soup. We now showcase local farmers who have creative and convenient ways to buy direct. At our Soup Night on February 16 in Grass Valley, participants learned new ways to buy produce, flowers, honey, pasture-raised beef, eggs and beans within just a 10-mile radius of the event. Buying direct is a great way to experience the beauty of our family farms, get the freshest, quality products, and support our local farmers and ranchers who work so hard to keep us fed with delicious, locally grown food.
“I don’t like to go into town to pick up a CSA box, but now I know there are local farmers in my neighborhood where I can buy direct” said Daron Sarborough. Daron was one of 140 adults who came through to Soup Night, and was the lucky winner of a Briar Patch Cooking Class for participating in the event with our local farmers. Many guests also brought their children (they eat for free!) and watched them slurp down seasonal soups with local ingredients like Potato Leek and Butternut Squash soup.
If you missed our February Soup Night, don’t despair! Mark your calendar now for our next one on April 6th at the Miners Foundry in Nevada City. You can learn more about February’s featured farmers here:
Riverhill Farm
Alan Haight and Jo McProud proudly produce over 30 different varieties of organically grown produce at their 19-acre farm just 3 miles from Nevada City. They offer a “Friend of the Farm” pre-paid shopping card that customers can use at the farmers’ market and Wednesday afternoon farmstand, with an added 10% value in produce purchases. Learn more at www.riverhillfarm.com.
.
Soil Sisters Farm Soil Sisters Farm is a flower farm and florist in Nevada City, run by Maisie Ganz and Willow Hein. They offer a beautiful Flower CSA, a subscription program that brings you a fresh bouquet of flowers direct from their farm each week of the summer. They also offer seasonal wedding and event design services – www.soilsisters.org.
.
Starbright Acres
Farmers Ken & Aleta Barrett own and operate their sustainable, local, family farm on 3.2 acres in Grass Valley. All of their farming practices are conscientious regarding sustainability and health. Their Farm Store is open every day during the growing season, their Farm Credit program offers an easy (and money saving) way to buy produce and eggs regularly from the farm or farmers’s market. Connect with them on facebook, https://www.facebook.com/StarbrightAcres.
.
Elster Ranch
Elster Ranch, located in Grass Valley, California, was started in 1895 as a dairy and cattle ranch, and operated by four successive generations of the Elster family. Using creative methods to grow build soil health and reduce water useage, they offer pastured raised beef, goat, sheep and more. Find out more at www.elsterranch.com.
.
McClaughry Farms
McClaughry Farms is a small family owned commercial honey bee business located in Nevada County since the 70s. From their 700 hives they, sell honey and bee products produced locally and out of the area. Located at 13465 Colfax Highway near Cedar Ridge, they sell local honey on-site in all sizes, from honey stix and 2 oz. bears to 5 pound jugs and gallon buckets. They rent their hives to other farmers for crop pollination. In addition, they also sell bees and queens and other hive products like pollen, beeswax, propolis, honey pots and beeswax candles. Reach them at (530) 273-HUNEY (4869)