Lotta Food This Weekend

On Thursday August 14, Marin Agricultural Land Trust. (MALT) had a tour of Hog Island Oyster and Straus Dairy. My brother was a guide. My friend John covered the event for the West Marin Citizen. Afterwards, we stopped by his farmhouse in Tomales for some oysters. Hint for oyster shucking: little pressure, lot of wiggle.

I've posted the tour description below in case they remove it.

HOG ISLAND OYSTER CO. & STRAUS DAIRY
Thursday, August 14

Join local oystermen for a tour of an oyster-growing operation. Taste oysters fresh from Tomales Bay while enjoying great views. Eat your own lunch or pre-order a made-in-Marin lunch from Tomales Bay Foods with your registration. Afterwards, carpool to the Straus Dairy where dairyman Albert Straus will talk about his organic dairy operation. Learn about the methane digester and other energy-producing and -conserving techniques used at the ranch. Watch the cows being milked in the dairy that was converted to organic in 1993.
TIME: 11 A.M–3 P.M.
WHERE TO MEET: Hog Island Oyster Co., 20215 Highway One, Marshall (10 miles north of Point Reyes Station). Carpool to dairy from there.
WHAT TO BRING: Water, picnic, shoes that can get dirty
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Easy
COST: $30 / $35 non-members ( $20 additional to pre-order made-in-Marin lunch.)

On Friday my brother and I helped his friend Ray in Olema with some farm work in exchange for some superb tomatoes, plums and other goodies. On Saturday, I attended the West Coast BBQ Championship and Tomato Alley in Fairfield. My friend Donna is a Certified Kansas City Style BBQ Judge. The certification is fairly cheap and only one day. At competitions in CA, there are usually a dearth of judges, so they will also solicit non-certified people to help judge. It was quite an experience. I'm inspired to buy a professional smoker (saw a bunch in Donna's BBQ newspaper).

Organic farm in rural Washington

In June, I visited Ginni Callahan's Slow Boat Farm - Columbia River Kayaking. I reserved an economy car but Thrifty gave me a Suzuki SUV. Slow Boat Farm is on Puget Island in the lower Columbia River. I did a moonlight paddle with her crew. I did a little farm work, and came home with some souvenirs: garlic bulbs, garlic scapes and some apple wood chunks from the apple tree we pruned.