Slow Food Nation '08

Saturday, August 30th | 9:00am – 5:00pm (8 hrs)

This journey was for food lovers with an interest in small, organic farms and a desire for salt air and stunning ocean views. Sponsored by the Slow Food South Bay and hosted by restauranteur/author Jesse Cool.

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General Itinerary

• Half Moon Bay – Learn about California’s oldest fishing fleet from Harbor Commissioner Pietro Pravano at Pillar Point Harbor.
• Continue south past Pigeon Point Lighthouse, passing fields of artichokes, Brussels sprouts and English peas on our way to Pie Ranch, an organic farm and educational center, where wheat for pie crust is among the crops under cultivation. Co-directors Karen Heisler and Jered Lawson and ranch manager Nancy Vail will talk about their work with inner city youth.
• Visit Blue House Farm, where three acres of carefully prepared soil yield hundreds of pounds of vegetables and berries distributed through a Community Supported Agriculture program. Farmers Ned Conwell and Ryan Casey will talk about their vision for combining farming and environmental education.
• Harley Farms – Meet artisan goat cheese maker Dee Harley and learn how she put Pescadero on the gourmet map.
• Watch the goats frolic while enjoying lunch in the loft of Harley Farms’ historic barn. The menu incorporates specialties from all the places we visit and more.

Cost: $139

For a longer, slower description, please read on:

Here’s the perfect journey for anyone eager to experience the beauty of the California coast with its growing collection of small farms. After an hour’s drive along California’s scenic Highway 1, we arrive in Half Moon Bay. We’ll stretch our legs as we walk along Pillar Point Harbor and hear what County Harbor Commissioner (and past president of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association) Pietro Pravano has to say about the future of the local fishing fleet. This once-thriving source of wild, fresh fish is near collapse.

Leave the harbor and head south along the coast toward Davenport to Pie Ranch. Ingredients for pie as well as chickens, goats and bees live in happy rotation on this 14-acre farm. Pie Ranch is committed to the transformative powers of small, organic, sustainable farms and the ability of such places to educate all of us about the progression from the ground to the plate.

Next we visit Blue House Farm near Pescadero, where just three acres support 120 different varieties of edibles each season. The land is protected by a land trust.

At Harley Farms, visit the goats and the milking shed before climbing the stairs to the rustic hayloft of Dee Harley’s historic barn for a sumptuous lunch of local specialties, including Santa Cruz Mountain wine. Be sure to save room for Ollalie berry pie from Pie Ranch.

Spend the day in the company of experts, including restauranteur/author Jesse Cool. When Jesse opened her first organic restaurant, critics said it couldn’t be done. Now, with three restaurants, a catering company, and five cookbooks, she’s proven that sustainable cuisine is indeed a viable business. CoolEatz restaurant continues to garner recognition, such as the prestigious Zagat Award for Excellence. Her Flea Street Cafe has won awards for environmental achievement, business sustainability and community service.