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For more information about
Sonoma County Produce and ranches call Sonoma County Farm
Trails at Phone Number (707) 824-2060 or visit:
www.farmtrails.org
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Note:
Much of Sonoma County typically is not a good place to grow stone
fruits or melons - exception to this are the Crane Melons which need
certain micro climates. Any fruit or vegetable that requires a lot of heat will
typically not do well in most of Sonoma County - especially West
county and near Santa Rosa/Petaluma.
Some farms,
ranches, and orchards are open to the public, although usually only part
of the year. Many apple orchards are located west of Santa Rosa, out in the rural
areas around Sebastopol, Forestville and Graton.
Much of Sonoma county is good for
growing apples, wine grapes, a variety of vegetables, herbs and garden
flowers. It is always a good idea to ask vendors where their produce was
grown.
Farms, Orchards, & Ranches
Crane Melon Barn
is located at 4935 Petaluma Hill Road about 15-20 minutes from
downtown Santa Rosa. This is family owned and operated and every
year come early September those golden fleshed melons hit their
barn for sale. Crane melons are the best melon suited to Sonoma
County's cool growing climate and they thrive in the adobe dry
farmed region south of Santa Rosa. They often have two piles for
sale - each at a different price,
the ones without any blemishes and the ones that are slightly
cracked and need to be eaten sooner.
Note the actual barn that houses their produce. It was built in
1868 - 6 generations of Crane's have been selling produce here.
They are open all year round but the Crane melon season
typically runs from early September through the end of October.
Visit:
www.cranemelon.com
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Dry Creek Peach and Produce are located at 2179 Yoakim Bridge
Road at Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg. They sell apricots, nectarines,
organic peaches (what they are known for - you can see their
peach orchards from the road as you drive by), plums, melons, asparagus, tomatoes, Walla Walla onions,
broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, and the list goes on! Their orchards
and farms are on site (among the surrounding vineyards!) Open Tuesday
through Sunday from 11am to 6pm from June through early September. Phone
Number (707) 433-8121 |
Visit:
www.drycreekpeach.com
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Grossi Farms and Pumpkin Patch are located at 6652 Petaluma Hill
Road at East Cotati Avenue in Rohnert Park. They specialize in organic
vegetables, especially white corn, tomatoes, herbs, lettuce, six
varieties of melons, and gourds. Pick your own pumpkins are available in
October. Pick your own strawberries are available in season. They are
open from mid May through October. Call Phone Number (707) 664-1602 for
hours and more information. |
Imwalle Gardens is always one of our favorites stops when
shopping in Santa Rosa namely because its small, family owned
and you don't have the crowds that you have at larger
supermarkets. In addition, they have a good selection of starter
plants and vegetables when in season. Just because they are a
small family farm does not mean the produce is always top
quality. When buying produce always be very careful -
they get some of their produce from the same companies the
larger supermarkets use - their fruit really varies in
quality depending on when you are there. We've had quite fresh
fruit and fruit they should never be selling. This
"urban" family owned and operated farm is located near Highway 12 at 685
W. 3rd Street within minutes driving of downtown Santa Rosa and has been
here for many years. The staff is
friendly and there are generally no long lines. Prepare for a
cold shopping experience in the dead of winter as the interior
is not heated. Typically an older clientele frequents Imwalle's.
Shopping here is a refreshing experience and a throwback to the
old days when Santa Rosa was a much smaller town for a few
reasons. If you want
rote greetings that sound like they come from a can be sure to
check out the Safeway on Mendocino Ave. If you want to have your id
checked every time you checkout, be sure to visit Lola's. If you
enjoy waiting in long lines be sure to visit G&G Supermarket.
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Kozlowski Farms are located at 5566 Gravenstein Highway just on
the outskirts of Forestville. They sell lots of berries, apples, jams
and ciders. Family owned. They are open daily year round from 9am to 5pm. Phone Number
(707) 887-1587 Visit:
www.kozlowskifarms.com |
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Middleton Farm is located in Healdsburg at 2651 Westside Road at
Felta Road. They sell organic fruit and vegetables. They are open May
through October from 9am to 5:30pm, Monday through Saturday, although
they are closed on Thursdays. Phone Number (707) 433-4755 |
| Pear Man is
located off of Nielsen Road off of Chanate Road just down from
Sutter Hospital (the old Community Hospital). This small pear
orchard is surrounded by residential neighborhoods and bordered
by the hospital. For many years they used to sell pears in the
80's and early 90's and then stopped for about 15 years. Within
the past few years they opened up again and now usually in
August and September you can pull into their driveway and
purchase pears. This is as mom and pop as it gets and their
listing is NOT on any maps and you will not be able to find it
in Google. Look for the home made sign out on Chanate when they
are open for business. |
Certified Farmers Markets
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Cloverdale -- Downtown Plaza at West 2nd Street and Cloverdale
Blvd. Phone Number (707) 894-4623. Open from May through November from
9am until 11am. |
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Healdsburg -- City parking lot at North and Vine Streets. Phone
Number (707) 431-1956. Open June through October on Tuesdays from 4pm to
6pm. Also open from May through December on Saturdays from 9am until
noon. |
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Petaluma -- Walnut Park at 4th Street between D and E Streets.
Phone Number is (707) 762-0344. Open June through November on Saturdays
from 2pm to 5pm. |
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Santa Rosa Downtown -- on every Wednesday from late May through
late August, Santa Rosa closes part of 4th street through downtown and
invites produce and other vendors to setup shop along this street. The
produce section takes up about a block on D Street just off of 4th
Street. The main vendor and booth part of the market runs from the Mall
on 4th Street down to almost Barnes and Nobles. On warm days this market
is very crowded. Lots of local food vendors sell dinners here. More
information is available here:
www.srdowntownmarket.com and at their blog here:
www.santarosafarmersmarket.blogspot.com |
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Santa Rosa Oakmont - at the Wells Fargo Bank Parking Lot at
White Oak and Oakmont Drives. Phone Number (707) 538-7023. Open Saturday
from 9am until noon, year round. |
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Santa Rosa Rincon Valley - on the south side of Rincon Valley
Community Park on Montecito Blvd. Phone Number (707) 538-7023. Open
Wednesdays from 9am until noon, June through October. |
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Santa Rosa Farmer's Market at Highway 12 and Brookwood Avenue
(Veterans Building East side of the parking lot). Phone Number (707)
522-8629. Open Wednesdays and
Saturdays from 8:30am until noon, year round even in inclement weather,
although the number of vendors in this case is greatly reduced. This is the largest Farmer's Market
in Santa Rosa - it includes other artist type vendors besides the
generally local grown produce. This market tends to be very high priced
and the quality of the produce you receive really varies in quality. Can you believe vendors used to bring fruit to this market with
stickers on them - essentially they were buying them from supermarkets
and selling them as fresh produce. A few vendors still
buy their citrus from larger wholesalers and resell at this market.
However, in general much more of the produce sold today is locally grown
compared to earlier years. As with any market, be careful with the
produce you buy - and make sure it is actually ripe. Visit:
http://santarosafarmersmarket.blogspot.com |
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Sebastopol -- New Town Plaza at McKinley Street and Petaluma Ave.
Phone Number is (707) 522-9305. Open Sunday from 10am until 1pm, June
through October. |
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Sonoma Arnold Field Parking Lot - at 1st Street West, north of
West Spain Street. Phone Number (707) 538-7023. Open Fridays from 9am
until noon, year round. |
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Sonoma Plaza at Napa Avenue - between 1st Street West and
1st Street East. Phone Number (707) 538-7023. Open Tuesdays from 5:30pm
until dusk, April through October. |
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