On Saturday, after swim practice, I headed out to an event I’d been meaning to go to for the past 5 years. The Hoe’s Down Festival at Full Belly Farm. It was the 19th annual harvest celebration of sustainable agriculture and rural living in the nearby Capay Valley. The organic veggie box we get delvered to the office comes from River Dog Farm, another Yolo County farm just 6 miles down the road.

After an hour and a half drive from Berkeley, a horse-drawn wagon shuttled us in from the parking area. Gastronomically, I enjoyed some polenta cakes with grilled veggies and a tasty hummus wrap. But, there was more to see and do than farm tours, great food and a day in the country. There was the new straw bale house is a stunning example of green building techniques—complete with a beautiful indoor/outdoor shower with some beautiful tilework. There were sheep, pigs (including the one-half ton Cinquo), a milking cow and a bunch of goats, including a little guy who was just one day old.

I only went up for the afternoon and evening, but festivities went into the night, with overnight camping and more workshops on Sunday. Music, dancing and activities for kids of all ages, from crafts and pumpkin carving to wine tasting and organic beer. Lover of wool that I am, my favorite area was the spinning and weaving area, and I didn’t walk away empty-handed. Not that I needed any more yarn… Thank you, Yolo Wool Mill.

Yes, there was sheep-shearing, however I missed it. For the record, I don’t spin. While I have used a drop spindle, I’m resisting the urge to spin my own yarn, despite how many of the cool kids do it. I’ve got plenty of yarn and things to knit as is. No need to add something else to eat my non-existent spare time.

Lastly, doesn’t that guy on the label look like a friend of Franklin’s pal Dolores?

This entry was posted on Monday, October 9th, 2006 at 9:58 pm and is filed under life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.