Fall Road Trips

“Head out on the highway, looking for adventure.” FALL IS THE TIME TO EXPLORE THE Sierra and surrounding foothills — exploring fall foliage in all its glory. The open road, in your car, convertible, RV or motorcycle, is the best way to experience it. The journeys feature beautiful and historic places, including the shores of […]

Farm Fresh Food

OUR AREA OFFERS AN ABUNDANCE OF fresh, local produce from dozens of small farms around Nevada City, Grass Valley, Auburn, Loomis and Newcastle. Truckee is served by some in Plumas County, such as Sierra Valley Farms, as well as ones in the foothills. The fresh, local fruits and vegetables, meats, poultry and eggs are sold […]

Gold Country Vintage Road: A scenic loop designed with vintage shoppers in mind

GOLD COUNTRY VINTAGE ROAD is a scenic loop designed with vintage shoppers in mind. Starting in Auburn, it winds its way through Gold Country, connecting a remarkable collection of shops, featuring up-cycled furniture, quirky accessories, vintage clothing, chalk style paint, hand-crafted jewelry and more—all at a fraction of what you’d pay in the “big city.” […]

“Kitchen Cabinets”: Friends & family who advise each other in a real kitchen

“Kitchen cabinet” politics is a group of unofficial advisers to a political leader—often more influential than the official cabinet. President Reagan’s “kitchen cabinet” included trusted old friends, as did the group assembled by Andrew Jackson in 1829. Next year, our new President will form his or her own “kitchen cabinet.” The same is true when […]

Tasting note: Smith Vineyard, Nevada City Winery, Montoliva, Bent Metal and Sierra Starr

What’s new at the wineries: SMITH VINEYARD REUNITES WITH “AMIGO BOB” Amigo Bob Cantisano, managing partner of the Heaven and Earth Farm on the San Juan Ridge, is one of the most influential figures in California organic agriculture. “Nature bats first and last,” Amigo Bob told The New York Times Magazine. About 35 years ago, […]

BriarPatch celebrates its 40th anniversary with food, wine and art

THE YEAR 2016 MARKS BRIARPATCH CO-OP’S 40th anniversary, leading to a year-long celebration. It will include special sales, a $40,000 community food giveaway, souvenirs, an art show and anniversary party for owners. Since it opened in 1976, BriarPatch has grown to more than 12,000 owners, and it employs more than 200 local residents, making it […]

Fall Road Trips: Bierwagen’s, Machado and Otow Orchard

FALL IS THE IDEAL SEASON FOR A ROAD TRIP. The trees are ablaze in fall colors, fresh local apples are being pressed into apple cider, the fields are full of pumpkins, and the wineries are less crowded. Here are some places to go: MACHADO ORCHARDS Just off I-80 in Auburn, visit its fifth annual Apple […]

Avanguardia, Montoliva, Coufos and Matteo’s Public featured in The Chronicle

“Six years ago I moved to Nevada County, a derringer-shaped piece of California (not Nevada!), whose handle runs northeast from Auburn and whose barrel climbs due east to Truckee,” writes freelancer Sarah Miller in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. “They do make wine here in this land of redneck hippies and hippie rednecks, […]

Tuscan-inspired Montoliva Winery more than doubling its vineyard

SOME OF THE ORIGINAL SETTLERS OF CHICAGO Park, a bucolic hamlet nestled between Colfax and Grass Valley, were first generation German- and Italian-Americans who came from Chicago in the mid-1800s to reconnect with their agrarian roots. The area became famous for its stone fruit, wine grapes and other fruit. In 1915, pears from a Chicago […]

Where to get fresh, local food in Placer County and Nevada County CA

“MILLENNIALS ARE CHANGING food as we know it,” writes Forbes magazine, citing a report that young adults are willing to pay more for fresh, local food and will go to great lengths to find it. Their preferences have helped fuel a boom in organic food, which broke a record last year, totaling $39 billion in […]

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