Shop and Explore Along Sonoma County Farm Trails

You can plan an extra special holiday this year by shopping along Sonoma County Farm Trails, as farmers and producers open their gates and barn doors to offer fine produce, cheeses, meats, and all kinds of delectable goodies. Make your holiday gift-giving easy, too, with handcrafted arts and crafts, gourmet baskets, fancy foliage arrangements, and ornaments.

Taking place on select days and weekends Nov. 12, 2021, through Jan. 1, 2021, the open houses invite you to meet your local farmers, vintners, and artisan producers, meet-and-greet beloved farm animals, and learn more about where your delicious food and drink come from

Many of the farms offer complimentary samples of their fare, so you can discover marvelous flavors like jerky, jams, artisan breads, and ciders at Yenni Ranch in Sonoma; or chestnuts and savory sauces at Green String Farm in Petaluma. Most of the stops are free admission. All you need is transportation, a map of your route, a cooler to keep your purchases fresh, and a love of adventure.

Some farms even let you chop down your own Christmas tree, others will help you craft your own wreaths, and some offer gift certificates you can share with friends and family.

Don’t forget to shop for your own critters, too – some ranches, like Panizzera Meat Co. of Occidental and Tara Firma Farms of Petaluma, offer all-natural dog and cat food.

But do plan ahead. You need to register at the Sonoma County Farm Trails here, and then you’ll receive the list of participating farms with a link to an interactive map highlighting all of the offerings and destinations for each day/weekend.

And make a full event of your outing, by booking a room at one of Sonoma County’s fabulous inns or farmsteads. Check out The Gables Wine Country Inn of Santa Rosa, an elegantly restored Gothic Victorian, circa 1887, featuring 12-foot ceilings, luxurious beds fitted with Comphy sheets and private bathrooms with claw-foot tubs.  Or try a farm stay at Penngrove’s Reis Ranch combining a working cattle ranch with a charming cottage and rooms in a three-story ranch home. For a stretch back in time, Beltane Ranch Bed & Breakfast is an historic Sonoma farm stay inn nestled among rolling oak hillsides where you can tour and taste at the estate winery. 

Details: farmtrails.org.