This past fall at the Windsor Farmers Market, a little brown haired girl came to the Market Table and asked for her Kidz Bucks. Kids Bucks are $2 coupons given to "Kidz Dig It Club" members – and the catch is – you must spend them on fruits and vegetables. This day I had given out all the coupons, so I decided to hand this seven year old five one dollar bills, then follow her and see what she bought. Accustomed to Kidz Bucks, she immediately said "No, I need Kidz Bucks." I assured her this cash was the same and that we were out of fruit and veggie bucks. She took the money and headed into the market.

I envisioned this little girl would head to the closest bakery or jewelry vendor to con them into letting her spend her veggie money there. With her mother trailing behind, and to my surprise, she went straight to Ortiz Farm. After looking over all he had, she bought a huge purple head of cabbage and a bright yellow sunflower. I was astonished! But the story gets even better. Eric Ortiz had given her a market bag where he had slipped in a free zucchini and a big red onion. She now had a bag, a head of cabbage, a red onion, a zucchini, and a bright yellow sunflower. And she knew exactly where she was going next. The apple vendor. With $4 left she handed a dollar to Ridgeview Farm. This landed her four luscious local apples. Off she went. Next stop was Mike the Fishman. A gentle man with a kind heart, I knew a small free slice of smoasted salmon would be slipped into her bag. But to my surprise, she opted for Oysters. She was now down to a dollar. A big choice had to be made. Where would she spend this last dollar? A look up the little hill, beyond the 4th Street Jazz Band, was Nicky at Flour Creations. She knew the pumpkin custard tart was waiting for her and that is where she spent her last dollar. Veggies or no veggies – there are things more important.

So give a kid a dollar, and they will surprise you with something you may not expect. Maybe an apple, a zucchini, a cabbage, an onion, or a big yellow sunflower and a few oysters. On their face will be what's left of a pumpkin tart. But the huge grin and wonderful memories of shopping their local farmers market will linger forever. The Windsor Farmers Market will open Mothers Day, May 9th with lots of new surprises, including our new "Market Street." Visit www.windsorfarmersmarket.com for the latest news.

Glenda Castelli, Manager
Windsor Certified Farmers Market

After a quick stop for lunch, we headed into west Petaluma Country. As we were familiar with all the area, it was refreshing to see most ranches were still there, despite some crumbling chicken houses and barns that were in pretty bad shape. The Morada's, Dolcini's, Ilemorini's,McClelland's, Peters and the McDowell Ranches were just a few memories that brought me back to the 1950's. New baby lambs danced in the fields with their mothers, while Black Angus cows were feasting on an abundance of green grass. Clover/Stornetta signs hung from ranchers gates to show "this is where we get our milk." Hundreds of blackbirds followed behind herds of cows to reap their dinner of digested grains and a big crow was watching a moving gopher hole waiting for another big worm to emerge.

I was enjoying the ride thinking; this is what I have been teaching our customers at the Sunday Farmers Market — "this is where our food comes from." We passed McClelland Dairy, one of our market vendors, and Larry Peters' Spring Hill Cheese. I jotted down names and addresses of newer ranches with hopes they would join our market or another good cause, "Sonoma County Farm Trails." Silently, Steve was on another mission. He was looking for a barn from years past; one he remembered while delivering the Argus Courier Newspaper in his 1941 Chevy in the late 50's; a barn that housed a car part that he needed to finish a car that he was restoring. When I informed him that we had gone down this same road for a third time, he decided he would go back to where we started and try again. This time, we found Chileno Valley Road, which he felt was the right road. We searched each ranch and still no barn. It was then he admitted, "well, it was 50 years ago — maybe the barn is gone." Calmly I said "How do you know the part would still be there, and if it is, it must be rusted?" He convinced me that ranchers never throw a thing away and that the part is still in there, we just need to find the barn. He again convinced me he would know how to bring the part back to life.

By this time, and after we had used about a half tank of gas, we decided to call it quits for the day. The cows had been milked, the families were heading into supper, and to be truthful, I was getting car sick from driving around in circles looking for a barn that probably was not even there. Steve was finally satisfied that he had found the right road and he would find the barn and the car part another day, which probably will be tomorrow.

Whether it was a dream Steve had of this old barn with the badly needed part inside or just a desire to go for a ride, this day turned out to be very resourceful for us both. It refreshed our memories of our dairy and egg industry in the 1950's, two of our food sources that are threatened today. So here is some homework for you. Pack a lunch, load your car full of kids, grandma and grandpa or a neighbor and take a ride to the farmland of Petaluma. You will see many old Schoolhouses, old trucks, and lots of cows, goats, and sheep. This is what you need to see and why eating local is so important. And maybe, just maybe, you will find the old barn tucked away in the lush green hills of one of the World's Richest Farming Communities. It's one of those free Sonoma County excursions that's "Good for you."

Glenda Castelli, Manager
Windsor Certified Farmers Market