Fried Green Tomatoes

Well, not actually the middle of summer- worse than that, it’s the gosh darned end of summer.  Gosh darned, by the way, isn’t something that I actually say.  Here in the heart of the gorgeous, temperate, Russian River Wine Valley, my vines and vines of heirloom tomatoes are well, green.  Mostly anyway.  And, starting to shut down.  Those bushels of ripe red, yellow and green (you know the ones that are deliberately green) tomatoes that we gorge on daily until we can’t stand the sight of them anymore, just haven’t materialized this year.  So, what’s a girl to do?  Pick ‘em green and fry them, pickle them, turn them into relish…. or get her Michelin starred chefs to do it for her…. (are you guys reading this?).

One Big Fat Green Tomato

I’ve been trying out all kinds of recipes for green tomatoes.  And, funny, this is my first year ever to do that.  Usually we just sit back, stay patient, and sometime around mid-July, presto, tons and tons of juicy ripe tomatoes.  Why start with the green ones?  Well, turns out that you start with the green ones because they’re fabulous.   Really, I never knew. 

Here’s one that I’ve been making regularly it’s from Cooks Illustrated (my favorite resource of all time, thank you Christopher Kimball) – it’s amazing with a slow roasted pork shoulder- perferably one that’s totally biodynamically raised and finished by your neighbor on wild herbs…  But if you can’t get one of those, shoot for organic…

Green Tomato Chutney

Ingredients

Directions

• Bring tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, coriander, salt, and red pepper flakes to simmer in medium saucepan. Cook until thickened, about 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours or overnight. Stir in lemon juice just before serving.

These Fried Green Tomatoes have become an absolute favorite of ours this summer.  Don’t cut the tomatoes thicker than 1/4 inch, or the tomato to crunch ratio gets askew.  And, don’t use coarse corn meal or they’re just too crunchy and kind of bitey.  We’ve been eating these with grilled local halibut or, yes I’ll admit it, fried chicken- once you’ve got the skillet going…

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 4 large green tomatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. Discard the ends.
2. Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
3. In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.

I’d love to hear about what you all are doing with your green tomatoes.  And, if you’re having a summer chock full of  ripe, juicy tomatoes, no need to tell us….We’ll talk next year.

Red Car Wine Company Logo

 They were both kind enough and enough enamored of the grapes, that they put our name on the label.  Lovely, but not the same as having your own wine company.  But now, with Farmhouse’s Master Sommelier, Geoff Kruth, and our fabulous Sommelier, Megan Glaab, Joe and I are going to pick a ton of grapes (well, technically Ulises’ guys are going to pick a ton of grapes, but we’ll be there with cameras acting like we’re helping…) haul them over to C. Donatiello Winery, and make some wine. 

If you’ve read many of my other posts, you’ll know that I’m always talking about the “organic nature” of evolution at Farmhouse and in my own life.  I love to explore opportunities and talk about grand ideas, but generally sit back and watch and wait for the right, organic (meaning natural, where the pieces just fall into place and make sense), path forward.  We find that when we push forward, we often find ourselves someplace we aren’t happy to be….Joe and I have been talking about starting a “winery” or “brand” for some time now.  You may or may not know that that’s generally a lengthy, risky and very expensive process.  Often ending up in a mediocre product that’s hard to sell and a lot of bills on the table.  Pretty easy to put off getting started on that idea….  But, we kind of threw it out to the universe- meaning our winemaking friends and staff at Farmhouse- with the idea that something interesting might come back to us. We needed the exact right team, with the exact right credentials and an understanding of how to work with our finicky fruit to produce a wine we were going to love and be proud to sell at Farmhouse…. And, low and behold, we think our dream situation is coming together as we speak. 

Megan Glaab has been with Farmhouse, in the position of Sommelier, for a few years now.  She comes from a restaurant background; her parents own the wildly popular Passionfish in Pacific Grove, CA.  Megan grew up in restaurants, but developed a passion for wine- and more specifically wine making.  Megan received her bachelors in viticulture and oenology at the University of Adelaide in Australia, then came back and worked for such legendary pinot noir producers as Peay and Marcassin.  She and her husband Ryan, have their own small label, RyMe, specializing, not in pinot noir, but lovely and somewhat obscure varietals.  Megan came to Farmhouse for a little “part time” thing, while she was getting her label launched.  But, as so often happens here, part time becomes full time and then some.  But, she seems happy enough….

Recently Megan came to us with a proposal.  She wanted to make wine for us!  Just a little to start, one ton of fruit, translating to about 60 cases of finished product.  Geoff was completely on board and thinks Megan is the perfect winemaker to turn our fruit into a wine worthy of our program at Farmhouse…  So, we’re contracting with C. Donatiello Winery to use their equipment and a bit of space in their cellar, buying a couple of one-year-old French oak barrels, and off we go.  Megan’s been sampling the fruit.  She’s found the block of pinot noir, clone 16 that she wants (The Jackson Clone- not a common clone, but gorgeous- more on that later…) on a lovely little slope in the middle of our vineyard.  We sustained a bit of sunburn or sun damage in the crazy heat wave earlier this week, but all in all it’s looking good. 

Joe and me in front of the "chosen" vines

 Here’s a link to a great page Red Car Winery created to showcase our vineyard.  And, here’s an article in our local paper, the Press Democrat,  talking about the trials and tribulations of this particular growing season….  Agriculture would be so glamorous if it weren’t for the actual FARMING component…

The process is just beginning.  I’m going to chronicle the whole thing as we go along.  Get ready for some flips of kids stomping grapes….

One of the best things about owning Farmhouse is our amazing team.  From top to bottom, each individual is not just capable and qualified- they’re entreprenurial, bright and visionary.  Joe and I have the incredible fortune to share our vision with each and every member of our team.   To a person, they not only get it, they drive it.  And the coolest part is that most of them come on board, grow with us, and stay put.  We’ve had Farmhouse almost ten years, and most of the original team is still here, (minus some very scary housekeepers and dishwashers, but that’s another story).  The team has grown and grown, but very few have left.  And those who have gone have moved on to such exciting ventures!

The two most recent are Andreas Willausch and Matt Stamp.  Andreas was our Restaurant Manager and Maitre d’.  He was an incredible asset to us- urbane, sophistocated, well traveled and great at a party (that’s important to us…).   Andreas left two years to pursue his own venture in San Francisco.  And, as of Monday, his vision is open for business!  Bar Agricole is an incredible concept- Leed Platinum certification in the works, superstar Thad Vogler behind the bar and concept and Brandon Jew (from our favorite Quince Restaurant) in the kitchen.  Andreas has the front of the house.  

The Soon-to-Be Leed Platinum Certified Bar Agricole

 Already a favorite with the SoMa (South of Market) crowd and we couldn’t be happier for Andreas!

Matt Stamp, who moved out to Russian River Valley Wine Country, from Omaha Nebraska, last year, recently left us to join the famed, Michelin THREE star,  French Laundry over in the Napa Valley. 

TopSomm 2010, Matt Stamp (the tallest gentleman)

Matt’s wine knowledge, genial disposition and poise made him a tremendous asset to the Farmhouse team.  Matt was recently honored with the title of US 2010 TopSomm, during the innagural US Sommelier Championships.  Competing against nine of the best sommeliers in the United States, in a “grueling” contest of both tasting and service, Matt took the title.  Number one in the whole US.  Said Guild of Sommeliers President Fred Dame, MS.  “Mr. Stamp is one of the most gifted sommeliers I have ever encountered.  He beat the best of the best in the United States and is truly deserving of winning the inaugural U.S. Sommelier Championship and the title of TOP|SOMM.”  Go Matt!

While we never like it when they leave- we do love it when they thrive and achieve new successes.  And, we like it best, when we get to visit them in their great new diggs!

The Grape to Glass event is in its fifteenth year.  It’s really a unique event, showcasing not just our absolutely spectacular wineries and vineyards, but also our incredible farms, ranches and geography.  It’s a collaboration between all of our multi-generational farming and wine making  families, our local schools and farms and all of those who’ve more recently joined our community.  And it really is an incredible event.  So, you might be asking what I had to complain about?   I just think that sometimes an event needs some fresh eyes.  What’s worked for years can get a little tired and need some attention.  And, boy did this event get some fresh eyes this year!

This year's new Grape to Glass Logo

So, first thing after last year’s event, the Board of Directors decided to look for some fresh energy to get behind the whole event.  (No, I’m not on the board).  The super-creative team of Creative Furnace was brought on board to produce the Grape to Glass 2010.  They have a fantastic background, having worked with groups like Wine Brats to create really cutting edge, fun and sophisticated events. 

I won’t go into all of the details about what’s gone and what’s stayed, but I’ll tell you that I’m attending every bit of this weekend event this year.  Historically, the event has had a Friday night component.  It’s now an al fresco wine tasting and live outdoor concert by Nick Palance (If you haven’t heard of him, click the link and check him out- he’s being compared to Andrea Bocelli). 

Nick Palance, who will be preforming Friday evening

 Saturday’s events include a morning Kayak tour led by Guy Davis of Davis Family Winery and starting where the Russian River meets his vineyard, or a bike tour around the Russian River Valley, all leading to the famous Hog In the Fog BBQ.  The weekend ends with a fantastic vineyard brunch on Sunday. John and Duskie of Bovolo and Zazu Restaurant fame (can you say best salumi in the Russian River Valley- probably all of Sonoma and Napa Wine Countries) are now supplying the farm-fresh lunches those hungry athletes.  But, the Hog in the Fog event is what’s got me most interested.  Because now I”m behind the scenes. 

Chef/Owners Duskie Estes and John Stewart of Bovolo and Zazu

 The Hog in the Fog has always been about bringing guests in, from all over the US, to experience a real Russian River Valley Community BBQ.  It’s cooked and served by actual members of our community, who share their produce, time and family recipes.  Most of them are growers or winemakers and everyone brings out special bottles of their most prized wines to share.  Steve Dutton of Dutton Ranch and Dutton-Goldfield Winery is in charge of the NY Strip station- he provides the meat and his popular Dutton Family recipe.  Dutton Ranch also donates the organic Gravenstin apples for Pam Martinelli’s, of Martinelli Winery, famous Gravenstein apple pies (the Gravenstein is what the RRV is known for.  We’ve all grown them for generations and they’re just delicious).  Armand Azevedo, a prominent local grower, heads up the rest of the grill stations.   One change that we are making this year is a commitment to locally grown meat.  The pulled pork is coming from Gleason Ranch (theirs is a really great story of a family who is working to save the family farm and stay in agriculture), the grilled chicken is coming from Fulton Valley Farms and the beef is locally raised.  Another great change is that Mateo Granados (I could go on and on about him and his incredible farm-fresh Yucatan Cooking and secret restaurants…) is going to prepare all of the salads and side dishes for us.  He’s making a Yucatan-style bread salad and a bean and squash salad with a Meyer Lemon vinaigrette, which will be served family-style alongside a melon salad and some incredible sauces – Romesco and Roasted Tomato.  I’ve been in charge of sourcing the incredible list of produce that Mateo needs.  

Here’s the list of the organic produce we’re sourcing from our astounding neighbors:

200 pounds of heirloom tomatoes from Kelley Parsons

60 pounds of Romano Beans, 40 pounds of summer squash and 5 pounds of basil from Tierra Vegetables

20 pounds each of cucumbers, squash, carrots and beets from Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm (it’s my kids school and is probably the coolest school in the world.  Check it out)

10 pounds of red torpedo onions, cherry tomatoes, strawberries and herbs from Quivira Winery

50 pounds of eggplant and 20 pounds of beans from MIX Garden (Mick farms for Farmhouse, and some of this is coming off our ranch)

100 pounds of assorted melons from Love Farms

Artisan olive oil and pomegranate vinegar from The Dry Creek Olive Company

Doesn’t that just make you want to jump up and come out for the weekend?  Farmhouse is full (sorry).  But there are still tickets available for the event click here for a link to purchase tickets and find participating lodging.

The Wine Country Shipping Van, All Refrigerated and Ready

You visit the wineries, purchase a bottle here and there, a case here and there, whatever you like.  You bring them back to Farmhouse, fill out a little form, and voila.  A whole future of memorable evenings is on the way to your door. 

Our guests put together such fun combinations (we always peek, I have to admit that).  We have people that have a theme- all pinot noir from small producers for example.  We’ll see twelve different bottles from twelve different wineries (Copain, Lynmar, Porter Creek and Hartford Court seem to be some big Farmhouse guest favorites- this week anyway).  Some go with all white or all big heavy reds…  I’ve been seeing a lot of that fantastic Martinelli Zinfandel… Or visit each of our eleven Winery Partners and have one slot to spare…Some guests want to make sure they won’t run out of that tiny production wine they’ve fallen in love with- they’ll ship home a case or two of each.

And, if guests want to mix the Wine Country Take Home up just a little- they can even include olive oil, jams and other non-wine memories… They tuck right into those fabulous- eco-friendly, recyclable shippers!  No extra cost to mix it up a little.  We love Preston Olive Oil, Kozlowski Jams and absolutely everything up at Quivira! 

Kozlowski Farms Jams, Russian River Valley Wine Country

You purchase it, leave it with us, and they pick it up and do the rest for you.  They’ll hold it for you if you’re not headed home right away (they’re holding some for guests who won’t be home unitl October).  They package it and they ship it to you under perfectly controlled conditions.  Oh, for those of you on Horizon Air, you can carry one case back with you for free.  Then Wine Counry Shipping willl ship the rest for you…

When you get here, don’t hesitate to ask me or my brother or our fabulous concierge team for recommendations for your own specialized take home box.  We love to help create fun, exciting vacations followed by really wonderful (and tasty) evenings at home.

While Catherine’s on a romantic getaway with her hubby, I’ll be manning the helm of the blog machine this week – stand back…  Chatting with our guests each morning at breakfast about their many adventures exploring Northern California, I can’t help but notice that I’m hearing so many of our guests rave about so many of the same activities.  And, not just adventures here in the Russian River Valley, but out on the Sonoma Coast, in the towns of Healdsburg and Sebstopol, up in the Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley, and even over in the Napa Valley – all easy drives from us and all chocked-full of great discoveries.  Now, here’s the catch, everyone knows about our fabulous wines, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah… but did you know that there is so much more to do than drink wine in wine country?  Of course, you can’t come to the Sonoma Wine County without drinking some wine, and in no way am I suggesting you skip the wine.  I’m just saying there’re lots of great finds in addition to tasting all of our fantastic wines!   So, I’ve polled our guests and I’ve polled our concierge team and – are you ready? –  we’ve come up with a list of the Top 10 Things to Do in California Wine Country (imagine reading this with a drum roll in the back ground!) other than WINE TASTING (gasp!)!  Here goes…

1. Blackberries – It’s blackberry season.  They grow everywhere and they taste so good.  Pull over on the side of the road and pick a few handfuls.  You won’t be sorry.  They taste like summer. 
2. Live Music Sundays at C. Donatiello Winery – Yes it’s a winery and yes you can drink wine.  But, in addition to their stellar portfolio of wines, they manage to pull in some of the best acts in wine country for their FREE summer concert series. 
3. Zip-lining through the Redwoods – They’re big, they’re beautiful and you can see them from an all new vantage point – 100 feet up in the air!
   

   Zipping through the Redwood Trees

4. Overlook at Lake Sonoma – Take in one of the most majestic views in all of wine country form the overlook at Lake Sonoma located a the north end of the Dry Creek Valley.  And, if you happen to be there on a Sunday morning, enjoy a Ranger led bird walk.
5. Olive oil tasting at Dry Creek Olive Company – Some of the best olive oil to be found, no designated driver required!
6. Walk the lakes at Riverfront Park – Just a few miles down the road from us, this park is a nesting site for the great blue heron, North America’s largest wading water bird.  Their nests can be spotted high in the trees.
7. Windsor’s Thursday Music on the Green and Farmers Market – Great local produce and great bands.  Bring a famous Farmhouse picnic or pick something up from one of the many vendors.
8. Safari West – Home to over 400 wild and exotic animals. This 400-acre wildlife preserve is part zoo and part jeep safari adventure. Get up close and personal with a giraffe or cheetah.
   

   Getting up close and personal with a giraffe!

9. Segway Tours of Healdsburg – Great itineraries and a travel speed where you can really enjoy the scenery.  Added bonus, you get to brag to all your friends back home that you segwayed your way through wine country!
10. Oysters Hog Island – Have an oyster picnic at a real live oyster farm.  Never mind the fact that these are some of the best oysters to be found anywhere and the view is amazing! 
    

    Have an oyster feed along the water's edge.

Have a great adventure! 

Post by Joe Bartolomei

For some time now, I’ve been asking our fabulous team of chefs to come up with the “Perfect Wine Country Picnic”.  Which, now that I look back, is sort of a lot of pressure.  Not just the “Ok” or “Fine Wine Country Picnic”, but perfect.  Definitive.  A brown tote bag filled with a lovely selection of delectable foods, all prepared by us or our friends.   And, easy to prepare, maintain, tote and enjoy.  So, ok, a little pressure.

We’ll they’ve finally pulled it together.  We offered our first picnics to guests about two weeks ago.  And, the feedback’s been worth the wait.  I’ve even packed one off to the beach myself- and loved it!  The picnic changes with the whims of the chef, but always includes salumi, olives, local cheese, house-made hummus or something similar, fresh greens and a vinaigrette, seasonal fruit from our ranch or a neighbor, flatbread and the most amazing desserts from Patti (right now it’s a decadent chocolate brownie).  We offer some great wines that you can purchase to take along, or, if you’ll be picnicking at a winery, pick up wine there.

Copain Winery

Our concierge team is equipped with a list of our very favorite spots.  From Copain Winery, up on a hill overlooking the Russian River Valley, to Quivira Winery, deep in Dry Creek Valley, where you can picnic in the biodynamic vegetable garden overlooking their vineyards, to the Armstrong Redwood Forest

Armstrong Woods, Redwood Forest

or, my favorite, out on the Sonoma Coast… we can send you in a million great directions.  Oh, last Monday, we packed up and headed down to Marshall to Hog Island Oyster Company where we added briny, fresh sweet water oysters to the mix. 

Oysters at Hog Island

 (If you visit their website, download their clam chowder recipe.  I brought home 5# of clams and made their chowder with carrots and celery from my garden….So crazy good!  But that’s another post…) 

Summer’s heating up, the produce coming in from our farm is incredible, the winery gardens are in full bloom or full swing, and, doesn’t a picnic just evoke magical images of timeless, laid back, romance and good old fashioned fun? 

I’d love to know some of your favorite picnic ideas and locations- around here, where you are now, or around the world. 

While construction and interior remodel during a recession was truly an excellent experience (the contractors and designers were both on time and under budget… )  selling that new room inventory was a whole different ball of string.  Joe, I and our team, have had to really adjust our thinking to move from a high-end inn to a small hotel (which has actually been unbelievably fun!).  Instead of just sitting back and waiting for the phone to ring (which is what we always did), we had to come up with strategies to get Farmhouse out to new markets and create and expand a new guest/customer base.  We’ve historically been really fortunate with the press and accolades that we’ve gotten, and that’s just driven people to us- oh, and it doesn’t hurt that we’re smack in the middle of the Russian River Valley… Then we could just concentrate on providing an excellent experience for them once they got here…  But at eighteen rooms, rather than just ten, and in a recession to boot, some tactical changes needed to happen. 

So this past year has been truly event filled.  We’ve tried some new things that have been aces and we’ve come up with some really bad ideas (oh well!) We’ve taken our reputation on the road and introduced Farmhouse to some incredible new people-

We’ve reached out to new markets through donations to and participation in various charitable events around the country.  Just last weekend Joe and I attended both the Croquet Tournament for Make a Wish, held at Sonoma Cutrer winery and the Gala for Meals on Wheels at the Fort Mason in San Francisco.  We donated weekend packages to the auctions and our chefs participated in preparing the incredible food served.  We had a great time, met some amazing people and got the word out about Farmhouse to a brand new group of folks. We’ve been getting out and doing a lot more of that sort of thing- turns out it’s nice to get out now and then…

Our trip to New York was insanely cool- we’ve gotten such amazing response from editors.  Just about everyone we met with has committed to a story over the next six months!  I’ll keep you in the loop, but we did get a little  spa story in the May Vogue Magazine already!

Farmhouse in Vogue, May 2010.

We’ve learned, through our new and wonderful friends at Kurtz-Ahlers and Associates that the travel agencies are alive and thriving- if you can connect with the right ones!  We’ve travelled to LA, where we met an extraordinary group of Virtuoso and American Express Centurian Agents.  Talk about incredible knowledge- these agents plan the most exotic and complicated trips for people who really know how to travel!  Luckily they’ve been interested in us and many have visited and are now sending clients our way!  Joe and I are off to Dallas next week to meet with agencies there!

Social Media is King (or Queen, or something).  We’re still totally clueless about how it really works (thank you almost 1200 Facebook Fans for bearing with our lame posts) but we’ve hired an Expert to come in and set us straight (fingers crossed!).

And that all just scratches the surface of our new initiatives and ideas.  We’ve also done something that we’re VERY excited about.  We’ve promoted our amazing Guest Services Manager, Meilani Naranjo into a brand new Revenue Manager position and we’ve hired Tamera Shaw as our  new Guest Services Manager.  Tamera is charged with implementing a host of new programs, all designed to better serve you.  She’s already got a Bell Team in place so we will now offer Bell Service, Room Orientation and Turn Down (starting early June!), She’s expanding retail to offer picnics and a host of cool Farmhouse-style retail items for you and she’s working with our team to bump or level of service to the next level (stuff like this is what I live for!)

The home ranch continues to expand.  We’ve budded some pinot noir grapes to an interesting varietal called trousseau and will be selling that to one of our very favorite wineries, Arnot-Roberts- we’re looking forward to seeing that on Farmhouse’s wine list one day!  We’ve expanded our garden from one acre to two- and have added a whole slew of new vegetables and fruits, all of which will end up on our guests plates.  Our flock of chickens has expanded from 10 to 250.  Yes, that’s a big jump!  We have a good friend, Marc Felton of Felton Acres, who’s brought his flock of Heirloom Breed layers to our orchard.  They’re happily munching grasses, bugs and whatever else they’re finding out there, and the eggs are fabulous!  They’re also nicely fertilizing our apple orchard…

And the very best news it that naive but lucky, we’ve come out of our first year as a grown-up “hotel” stronger, more polished and better than ever.  And, shockng, but true, we had a great time figuring it all out.  Farmhouse has always been, and continues to be, one fantastic adventure.   Joe and I come in every day, excited and enthusiastic about what the day will bring.   And we’re rarely disappointed.  Farmhouse is such an exciting collaboration between our extraordinary team and the new mix of guests that every day brings- It’s a continually evolving entity, and sitting at the helm of the whole thing is one fantastic place to be!

Joe and me in front of the Conde Nast Building.

Susie Dobson, our fabulous PR person, put the word out that we’d be there introducing our new spa.  We gave her a “wish list” of editors and publications- O Magazine, Elle Magazine, Vogue, Travel and Leisure, Conde Nast Traveller, Town and Country, Departures… You get the gist.  And Joe and I were astounded by the response we got.  They ALL agreed to meet us.  Plus, Susie set up loads of meetings with freelance writers and tucked them in everywhere.

Then we got nervous.  Showing them around Wine Country is one thing- it’s easy to get how beautiful, friendly and delicious it is when you can actually see, experience and taste it.  But bringing the Farmhouse to them?  What to do?  So, after much pondering, we came up with a cool little gift bag.  The concept was Farm-to-Table.  And the bag included the makings for an afternoon tea and a mini facial.  Using the same ingredients- carrots, chamomile and honey- all from our ranch.  We offered the chamomile as a tea, the honey as a sweetener and the carrots baked, by Pattie, into gorgeous little white chocolate dipped madeleines.  Then, for the spa/facial component, the chamomile as a bath addition, the honey as a “honey pat” skin treatment (see below for technique) and the carrot tops as a facial spritz (our Spa Partners, Peggy and Loma actually made a carrot-top infusion that we packed and brought.)  We hand stamped some recycled cotton bags, tucked the goodies in with a bottle of Fred Scherrer’s fabulous RRV Pinot and a bunch of fresh carrots (those were interesting to manage- I was obsessed with the tops staying fresh and crisp throughout the trip.  They actually ended up living in the bathtub, slathered with ice.) and volia!  Farmhouse in a sack.   Or something like that…

So, we spent three days, dashing around the city from amazing office to amazing office talking about our incredible new spa and our recent expansions and our never ending plans for what’s next.  We ate to-die-for food in extraordinary environments with great new friends and really lived it up.  But, boy were we glad to get home!

Here’s the Honey Pat Technique:

Autumn honey from the Bartolomei Ranch

The Honey Pat from The Spa at Farmhouse Dip your fingers into a bit of honey and apply it to your face in an upward revolving motion.  Now pat your face with your fingertips as if you were typing a letter on your face.  Once the mask is very tacky, rinse your face with tepid water or mineral water.  Honey is a natural rejuvenator and humectants and leaves you feeling refreshed and invigorated.  Skin ages not because it loses its ability to hold oil, but because it loses its ability to retain moisture.  Honey is a natural hydrator, that is, it seems to have the capacity to maintain or restore the normal proportion of water in the skin.   The Honey Pat feels smooth and leaves the skin lightly tight and firm with a warm feeling and light, pleasant smell.  Because the honey is acid, it helps to rid the face of blemishes and blackheads.

Images of our new spa taken by photographer Edward Duarte

In partnership with Francis and Alexander (of Auberge du Soleil, Calistoga Ranch, Solage, and Mansion on Peachtree fame, just to name a few) Farmhouse, or rather I, get to announce the launch of our fabulous new farm-to-table spa- Spa at Farmhouse, by Francis and Alexander.  Romantic couples treatments, girls getaways or individual therapeutic healing, our new spa embraces and celebrates it all!  Exciting, huh?  Well, it really, really is for us.  Spas are hard.  Really hard.  I should know.  My brother, Joe and I have been at this for nine years.  And we’re just getting it right. 

Peggy Francis and Loma Alexander

 Joe and I bought the then rundown and oh so creepy (but loaded with potential and a great location in the Russian River Valley Wine Country!)  Farmhouse back in 2001 (Valentine’s Day was our first day of ownership), with an incredibly optimistic business plan and about $.50 to update the entire property and realize our “vision”  (oh my!).   

For what seemed like the worst, but turned out to be the better, we didn’t have the upfront money to simply come in and fix everything that was wrong .  We had to do it bit by bit, as we earned the money.  But, in retrospect, we could have spent millions- and we’d have spent it all wrong. Our first “direction” for the property “Wine Country Chic Amid the Vines” (what does that even mean?) involved a lot of shiny fabric that couldn’t be burned with a blow torch or stained with squid ink…  (apparently we didn’t have much faith in our guests-to-be…)  Although we’ve always emphasized local, seasonal and organic- for ages, we just didn’t know how to take that out of the restaurant and into the rest of the business.

We”ll, through endless fits and starts, we’ve finally come to a point where Farmhouse is a truly Farm-to-Table property-wide.  Meaning that the food and products from the farm, ours and our neighbors,  make their way into every corner of the business.  From breakfast to spa to dinner to the product you use in your after dinner bath, the farm is present.

Early winter honey from the bees on our ranch

Last year we added the Barn, redecorated and re-renovated the Cottages and restaurant- and last but far from least, we’re finally launching the spa we’ve been dreaming of.

The spa has been, by far, the toughest thing to get our arms around.  When we purchased Farmhouse, our then marketing consultant convinced us that we needed a “spa”.  Guests of a “Wine Country Chic” Inn wanted massage!  Well, that sounded good to us.  So we hired a local massage therapist to head it up, got some phone numbers from some local therapists and voila!  Most of our rooms were too small to fit a massage table, so our “spa” moved all over the property, each location weirder, colder and more remote than the last. 

Finally, about 5 years ago, Joe and I decided to give our little spa a home at last.  Still, with no budget, we committed our vast and completely under utilized “event center” (that’s a whole other story) to the spa.  We built some walls, painted them sky blue and yellow (I know, what was I thinking), brought in a wonderful local woman to “manage” it, and called it a day.  With grand dreams of farm-to-table treatments, utilizing our own cream, eggs and honey, Joe and I waited.  And waited.  And, what we ultimately found out was that spa is easy to talk about and as hard to make happen as a Michelin Starred restaurant.  See, we’re learning as we go!

Outdoor massage, fireside on a Barn deck

This time, I think we’ve done it right.  We turned to Myra Hoefer again for the interior design.  Weathered wood floors, creamy wainscotted walls and fresh, farmy accents have evolved our two spa rooms into cozy, warm and simply lovely spaces.  Our great room has been transformed into a haven for relaxation.  Comfy chairs, ottomans and sofas invite guests to choose one of our many lovely spa, art or design books off our huge farm table (or bring a book of their own) and stay a while. 

One of our lovely new spa rooms, designed by Myra Hoefer

Well, I’m so pleased and proud of the partnership that we’ve created and that’s resulted in our incredible new spa!  Please, take a look at our new spa menu, an actual masterpiece by Francis and Alexander.  We think it’s simply delightful- and hope you’ll join us soon and take advantage of one of our new treatments.  They’re all so exciting and will make you feel divine.   ”Catherine’s Favorite” really is my favorite.  Every time I have it my five year old daughter makes me bring her a towel with the delicious scented oil for her to sleep with (cute, huh?).  But the Carrot, Carrot, Carrot is wonderful too.  Loma actually has added a fresh carrot eye treatment and has been finishing it up with a carrot muffin.  So Carrot times 5?  Maybe too much.  Then again, maybe not.