Fun events to kick off the Fall Season
There may not be a Tomato Festival in Santa Rosa this year, but Windsor Farmers’ Market is holding its 13th Annual Tomato & Pepper Fest this Sunday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on the Windsor Town Green. This is a free event where you can taste several varieties of tomato from local farmers. All the tomatoes you taste will also be available for purchase from farmers at the market.
The market has a delicious day planned with tomato tastings and salsa tastings starting at 10:30 a.m. Local restaurants and taquerias will be supplying their best salsas for tasting, pick out your favorites, hot and mild varieties will be available. The Kidz Dig It Club will be having a Kidz Cooking Class at 11 a.m. where the kids will be making little stuffed tomatoes, perfect for a healthy snack or to pack in lunches. At 11:30 a.m. on the Sparks Stage the market has a chef demonstration planned with Chef Luca of Café Citti in Kenwood. Chef Luca will be showing us how to make fresh mozzarella from his Italian family recipe. He will be using fresh cheese curds available at the market from Spring Hill Jersey Cheese to make the mozzarella. WHS Culinary students will be assisting Chef Luca and they will be preparing tasting cups of the fresh cheese with tomatoes, basil and a light dressing for a little taste of what they call a Caprese salad.
Throughout the market vendors will have tables full of fresh tomatoes and peppers piled high for you to take home for canning, freezing and preparing your favorite sauces, chilis and salsas. Libby from Beet Generation Farm will be demonstrating her handmade pepper roaster that tumbles the peppers in a cage over hot embers. The skin on the peppers becomes charred and then Libby puts the peppers in a sealed box where the steam allows the skin to pull away from the flesh of the pepper. When you get home you can easily pull off the skin and use the peppers in your own roasted pepper recipes. Castaneda’s Farm from Fulton will have a delicious pepper assortment available in addition to tomatoes. You will also be able to choose tomatoes from Soda Rock Farms, Russian River Valley Produce, Sayre Farms, Let’s Go Farm, Ridgeview Farms and Min Hee Hill Gardens will have tomatoes, peppers, Min Hee’s fresh salsa, kimchis and dried pepper flakes from seasoning. Don’t miss out on tasting some of the best locally grown tomatoes, local restaurant salsas and fresh mozzarella this Sunday. The Windsor Library will be having their last book sale of the year.
The 17th Annual Pumpkin Jamboree is set for Sunday, Oct. 22 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. There will be fun games for kids like pumpkin bowling, the famous pumpkin car races and pumpkin carving and decorating with the Kidz Dig It Club. All the clothes, hats and supplies will be available for kids and families to build their own scarecrow to take home. WHS Culinary students will be there with their annual bake sale and the Windsor Garden Club will be holding their fall plant sale. Live music with the 4th St. Jazz Band and free balloon animals with Oops the Clown. Plus, the giant pumpkin show started by former Market Manager Glenda Castelli many years ago. This year, she challenged market attendees early in the season to take home seeds from last year’s giants to plant and grow and bring back to display at this year’s event. She offered $500 for the heaviest pumpkin, $250 for 2nd heaviest and $100 for 3rd heaviest. Unfortunately, the seeds from last year’s giants were somehow damaged in drying and growers reported none of the seeds that were given out germinated and grew. So, Glenda has decided to keep the challenge in place and the prize money will still be awarded to the heaviest pumpkins that arrive at the event on Oct. 22, but they no longer have to be from the seeds she originally gave out. So, spread the word, tell everyone you know who is growing pumpkins to work on those big ones for a chance to win $500.
Available at both of these fabulous free events will be mimosas and Bloody Marys from the Windsor Chamber of Commerce. Brunch choices will be available if you would like to eat in the park and the Market will also be full of some of the best local food producers and artists showing their wares. Stay up to date on the Windsor Farmers Market by liking our Facebook page at facebook.com/windsorcertified.
