Local Food Matters
  • RECIPES
    • All DESSERT DRINKS FERN BAR HANDLINE LOWELL’S SALADS SAUCES/DRESSINGS/CONDIMENTS SEAFOOD SOUP VEGETARIAN
      COLLABORATION

      The Art of Garnishing a Cocktail

      July 6, 2020

      DRINKS

      FERN BAR: Long Thailand Iced Tea

      October 15, 2019

      COLLABORATION

      HANDLINE: Zero Foodprint

      September 30, 2019

      DESSERT

      FERN BAR: Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta

      September 23, 2019

      DESSERT

      FERN BAR: Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta

      September 23, 2019

      DESSERT

      FERN BAR: Churros

      July 29, 2019

      DESSERT

      LOWELL’S: A Visit to Sonoma Swamp Blues and…

      July 26, 2019

      DESSERT

      LOWELL’S: The Best Chocolate Sorbet

      July 26, 2019

      DRINKS

      FERN BAR: Long Thailand Iced Tea

      October 15, 2019

      DRINKS

      FERN BAR: Sipsong Indira Spice Tea & Tonic

      July 26, 2019

      DRINKS

      FERN BAR: Creme de la Femme

      July 26, 2019

      DRINKS

      FERN BAR: @Wimbledon Cocktail

      July 26, 2019

      FERN BAR

      The Art of Garnishing a Cocktail

      July 6, 2020

      FERN BAR

      FERN BAR: Long Thailand Iced Tea

      October 15, 2019

      FERN BAR

      FERN BAR: Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta

      September 23, 2019

      FERN BAR

      FERN BAR: Churros

      July 29, 2019

      HANDLINE

      HANDLINE: Zero Foodprint

      September 30, 2019

      HANDLINE

      HANDLINE: Popotla Verde

      September 2, 2019

      HANDLINE

      HANDLINE: Fish Market

      August 6, 2019

      HANDLINE

      HANDLINE: Oyster Shucking 101

      July 26, 2019

      LOWELL’S

      LOWELL’S: Preserving Summertime with Canned Tomatoes

      September 12, 2019

      LOWELL’S

      LOWELL’S: Fried Squash Blossoms

      July 26, 2019

      LOWELL’S

      LOWELL’S: Cured Anchovies

      July 26, 2019

      LOWELL’S

      LOWELL’S: Our Pizza Basics

      July 26, 2019

      SALADS

      LOWELL’S: Asparagus Salad

      July 26, 2019

      SALADS

      LOWELL’S: Winter Citrus Salad

      July 26, 2019

      SALADS

      LOWELL’S: Fall Apple Vinaigrette and the Seasonal Mixed…

      July 26, 2019

      SALADS

      HANDLINE: Our House Dressing

      July 26, 2019

      SAUCES/DRESSINGS/CONDIMENTS

      HANDLINE: Smoked Honey Vinaigrette

      July 26, 2019

      SAUCES/DRESSINGS/CONDIMENTS

      FERN BAR: Smoked Mushroom Ketchup

      July 26, 2019

      SAUCES/DRESSINGS/CONDIMENTS

      HANDLINE: Mushroom Conserva & Pumpkin Seed Tahini

      July 26, 2019

      SAUCES/DRESSINGS/CONDIMENTS

      LOWELL’S: Satsuma Marmalade

      July 26, 2019

      SEAFOOD

      HANDLINE: Popotla Verde

      September 2, 2019

      SEAFOOD

      HANDLINE: Fish Market

      August 6, 2019

      SEAFOOD

      HANDLINE: Oyster Shucking 101

      July 26, 2019

      SEAFOOD

      LOWELL’S: Cured Anchovies

      July 26, 2019

      SOUP

      HANDLINE: Fisherman’s Stew

      July 26, 2019

      SOUP

      TERRAPIN CREEK: Sunchoke Soup with Roasted Mushrooms &…

      July 26, 2019

      SOUP

      LOWELL’S: A Year-Round Minestrone

      July 26, 2019

      SOUP

      LOWELL’S: Kuri Squash and Apple Soup with Red Jalapeño…

      July 26, 2019

      VEGETARIAN

      LOWELL’S: Preserving Summertime with Canned Tomatoes

      September 12, 2019

      VEGETARIAN

      LOWELL’S: Fried Squash Blossoms

      July 26, 2019

      VEGETARIAN

      FERN BAR: Sipsong Indira Spice Tea & Tonic

      July 26, 2019

      VEGETARIAN

      LOWELL’S: Cured Anchovies

      July 26, 2019

  • COLLABORATIONS
    • COLLABORATION

      The Art of Garnishing a Cocktail

      July 6, 2020

      COLLABORATION

      HANDLINE: Zero Foodprint

      September 30, 2019

      COLLABORATION

      Hail to the Gravenstein!

      August 20, 2019

      COLLABORATION

      BEEKEEPING IN SKIRTS: A Guide to Natural Beekeeping

      June 3, 2019

      COLLABORATION

      Eli Colvin’s One Man Revolution

      February 14, 2019

  • TWO BELLY ACRES
    • TWO BELLY ACRES

      Late Summer Harvest at Two Belly Acres

      February 14, 2019

      TWO BELLY ACRES

      Springtime at Two Belly Acres

      February 14, 2019

      TWO BELLY ACRES

      LOWELL’S: End of the Year Kiwi Harvest and…

      July 26, 2019

      TWO BELLY ACRES

      Autumn Family Harvest out at Two Belly Acres

      February 14, 2019

      TWO BELLY ACRES

      From Whole Vegetable to Whole Farm

      February 14, 2019

  • WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE
    • WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE

      FIELD GUIDE FEATURE: Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary

      November 22, 2019

      WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE

      FIELD GUIDE FEATURE: Estero Cafe and a Recipe…

      August 15, 2019

      WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE

      FIELD GUIDE FEATURE: The Nectary

      July 11, 2019

      WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE

      FIELD GUIDE FEATURE: Solful

      July 22, 2019

      WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE

      FIELD GUIDE FEATURE: Pax Wines

      April 29, 2019

  • SHOP
  • ABOUT US
    • LOWELL’S
    • HANDLINE
    • FERN BAR
    • WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE
  • CONTACT US

Local Food Matters

Celebrating the Bounty of West County with Lowell's, Handline, and Fern Bar

  • RECIPES
    • All DESSERT DRINKS FERN BAR HANDLINE LOWELL’S SALADS SAUCES/DRESSINGS/CONDIMENTS SEAFOOD SOUP VEGETARIAN
      COLLABORATION

      The Art of Garnishing a Cocktail

      July 6, 2020

      DRINKS

      FERN BAR: Long Thailand Iced Tea

      October 15, 2019

      COLLABORATION

      HANDLINE: Zero Foodprint

      September 30, 2019

      DESSERT

      FERN BAR: Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta

      September 23, 2019

      DESSERT

      FERN BAR: Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta

      September 23, 2019

      DESSERT

      FERN BAR: Churros

      July 29, 2019

      DESSERT

      LOWELL’S: A Visit to Sonoma Swamp Blues and…

      July 26, 2019

      DESSERT

      LOWELL’S: The Best Chocolate Sorbet

      July 26, 2019

      DRINKS

      FERN BAR: Long Thailand Iced Tea

      October 15, 2019

      DRINKS

      FERN BAR: Sipsong Indira Spice Tea & Tonic

      July 26, 2019

      DRINKS

      FERN BAR: Creme de la Femme

      July 26, 2019

      DRINKS

      FERN BAR: @Wimbledon Cocktail

      July 26, 2019

      FERN BAR

      The Art of Garnishing a Cocktail

      July 6, 2020

      FERN BAR

      FERN BAR: Long Thailand Iced Tea

      October 15, 2019

      FERN BAR

      FERN BAR: Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta

      September 23, 2019

      FERN BAR

      FERN BAR: Churros

      July 29, 2019

      HANDLINE

      HANDLINE: Zero Foodprint

      September 30, 2019

      HANDLINE

      HANDLINE: Popotla Verde

      September 2, 2019

      HANDLINE

      HANDLINE: Fish Market

      August 6, 2019

      HANDLINE

      HANDLINE: Oyster Shucking 101

      July 26, 2019

      LOWELL’S

      LOWELL’S: Preserving Summertime with Canned Tomatoes

      September 12, 2019

      LOWELL’S

      LOWELL’S: Fried Squash Blossoms

      July 26, 2019

      LOWELL’S

      LOWELL’S: Cured Anchovies

      July 26, 2019

      LOWELL’S

      LOWELL’S: Our Pizza Basics

      July 26, 2019

      SALADS

      LOWELL’S: Asparagus Salad

      July 26, 2019

      SALADS

      LOWELL’S: Winter Citrus Salad

      July 26, 2019

      SALADS

      LOWELL’S: Fall Apple Vinaigrette and the Seasonal Mixed…

      July 26, 2019

      SALADS

      HANDLINE: Our House Dressing

      July 26, 2019

      SAUCES/DRESSINGS/CONDIMENTS

      HANDLINE: Smoked Honey Vinaigrette

      July 26, 2019

      SAUCES/DRESSINGS/CONDIMENTS

      FERN BAR: Smoked Mushroom Ketchup

      July 26, 2019

      SAUCES/DRESSINGS/CONDIMENTS

      HANDLINE: Mushroom Conserva & Pumpkin Seed Tahini

      July 26, 2019

      SAUCES/DRESSINGS/CONDIMENTS

      LOWELL’S: Satsuma Marmalade

      July 26, 2019

      SEAFOOD

      HANDLINE: Popotla Verde

      September 2, 2019

      SEAFOOD

      HANDLINE: Fish Market

      August 6, 2019

      SEAFOOD

      HANDLINE: Oyster Shucking 101

      July 26, 2019

      SEAFOOD

      LOWELL’S: Cured Anchovies

      July 26, 2019

      SOUP

      HANDLINE: Fisherman’s Stew

      July 26, 2019

      SOUP

      TERRAPIN CREEK: Sunchoke Soup with Roasted Mushrooms &…

      July 26, 2019

      SOUP

      LOWELL’S: A Year-Round Minestrone

      July 26, 2019

      SOUP

      LOWELL’S: Kuri Squash and Apple Soup with Red Jalapeño…

      July 26, 2019

      VEGETARIAN

      LOWELL’S: Preserving Summertime with Canned Tomatoes

      September 12, 2019

      VEGETARIAN

      LOWELL’S: Fried Squash Blossoms

      July 26, 2019

      VEGETARIAN

      FERN BAR: Sipsong Indira Spice Tea & Tonic

      July 26, 2019

      VEGETARIAN

      LOWELL’S: Cured Anchovies

      July 26, 2019

  • COLLABORATIONS
    • COLLABORATION

      The Art of Garnishing a Cocktail

      July 6, 2020

      COLLABORATION

      HANDLINE: Zero Foodprint

      September 30, 2019

      COLLABORATION

      Hail to the Gravenstein!

      August 20, 2019

      COLLABORATION

      BEEKEEPING IN SKIRTS: A Guide to Natural Beekeeping

      June 3, 2019

      COLLABORATION

      Eli Colvin’s One Man Revolution

      February 14, 2019

  • TWO BELLY ACRES
    • TWO BELLY ACRES

      Late Summer Harvest at Two Belly Acres

      February 14, 2019

      TWO BELLY ACRES

      Springtime at Two Belly Acres

      February 14, 2019

      TWO BELLY ACRES

      LOWELL’S: End of the Year Kiwi Harvest and…

      July 26, 2019

      TWO BELLY ACRES

      Autumn Family Harvest out at Two Belly Acres

      February 14, 2019

      TWO BELLY ACRES

      From Whole Vegetable to Whole Farm

      February 14, 2019

  • WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE
    • WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE

      FIELD GUIDE FEATURE: Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary

      November 22, 2019

      WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE

      FIELD GUIDE FEATURE: Estero Cafe and a Recipe…

      August 15, 2019

      WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE

      FIELD GUIDE FEATURE: The Nectary

      July 11, 2019

      WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE

      FIELD GUIDE FEATURE: Solful

      July 22, 2019

      WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE

      FIELD GUIDE FEATURE: Pax Wines

      April 29, 2019

  • SHOP
  • ABOUT US
    • LOWELL’S
    • HANDLINE
    • FERN BAR
    • WEST SONOMA COUNTY FIELD GUIDE
  • CONTACT US
0
COLLABORATION

Warm Spring Wind Hop Farm

by Mike Stevenson February 14, 2019
written by Mike Stevenson February 14, 2019

I always like to joke about hop farming being my “day job” because I work the night shift as a registered nurse in San Francisco. My experience with growing hops all started with home brewing. My mentor was both a flight nurse and a professional brewer and gave me the necessary equipment to make beer at home. After a couple of batches I began to become more interested in the ingredients and where they came from, than the final product. Just after finishing nursing school, I spent a spring day volunteering at a hop yard in Dry Creek Valley. I saw the opportunity to get back in touch with my west county agrarian roots, and the idea was born to build a hop yard on my wife’s family property in West Sebastopol.

17_07_24_hops-81

Warm Spring Wind sits on a gently sloping, south-west facing hillside in West Sonoma County,  and provides premium ingredients for beer and cider making. We believe that the source, quality, and methods involved in the growing of ingredients provide the foundation of flavor for the final product. Within the ¼ acre hop yard, we grow several varieties of hops, including a California Cluster variant that was originally planted after the gold rush and brought back from a wild plant living in a creek near Mt. Shasta. The 325 plant hop yard is hand-farmed, using sustainable methods and minimizing impacts to the land and watershed.

17_07_24_hops-35

Even within a county that proudly boasts over 30 craft breweries, there is often still a disconnect between ingredients, their source, and the beer in the pint glass. I saw an opportunity to bring local ingredients to the craft beer scene and worked with Paul Hawley of Fogbelt Brewing Co to create the Nor Cal Hop Growers Alliance. The Alliance is non-profit group, currently with 36 members made up of hop farmers, brewers, and other industry folks. Last year the organization was able to purchase a hop picking machine that allows a 3 day harvest process to be accomplished in a couple of hours – minimizing labor costs and allowing the small scale hop farming model to be successful. Additional, local hop yards will be coming online this spring, providing more local hops for Bay Area craft brewers.

17_07_24_hops-94

 

FarmingHop FarmHopsLocalWarm Spring Wind
0 comment
0
Facebook
Avatar
Mike Stevenson

previous post
Summer Harvest at Full Bloom Flower Farm
next post
Fall at Full Bloom Flower Farm

You may also like

The Art of Garnishing a Cocktail

July 6, 2020

HANDLINE: Zero Foodprint

September 30, 2019

Hail to the Gravenstein!

August 20, 2019

BEEKEEPING IN SKIRTS: A Guide to Natural Beekeeping

June 3, 2019

Eli Colvin’s One Man Revolution

February 14, 2019

Handline’s Roots and Shoots:  An Exploration of Seasonality

July 26, 2019

Cut Flower Seed Saving with Full Bloom Flower Farm

February 14, 2019

Fall at Full Bloom Flower Farm

February 14, 2019

Summer Harvest at Full Bloom Flower Farm

February 14, 2019

Late Spring at Full Bloom Flower Farm

February 14, 2019

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Newsletter



Back To Top