by Laurel Harrison
“The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.” – Henry David Thoreau
When I was in junior high, my mom started keeping bees on our farm. This meant that each year our pantry was stocked with thick, golden honey from our own backyard. To this day, I have a giant mason jar of my mom’s honey in my pantry, zealously hoarded and treasured. This familiar connection to beekeeping made me all the more excited to attend the California Honey Festival in Woodland, CA. Put on by the Honey and Pollination Center at UC Davis, the California Honey Festival was a celebration of all things honey and bee – a weekend of education, fundraising, and all-over honey appreciation.
That Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the VIBee Opening Night Reception for the festival. The event included an open mead bar done by Strad Meadery, honey-themed food from Morgan’s on Main, and a Burning Man-esque bee art car. I had a wonderful time seeing honey represented in such a variety of culinary ways!
The Honey Festival itself was held on Saturday morning, with Woodland’s Main St. shut down to accommodate the vendors and crowds. There were food trucks, craft vendors, educational sessions, kids’ crafts, and more booths on bees than I could count. The festival was packed, with something for everyone who attended.
My personal highlights included the mead speakeasy, honey tastings, and a section devoted to bee-friendly gardening. Because bees are such a vital part of our culinary ecosystem, we would be remiss to not recognize their importance in our foodie musings. All of the delicious tidbits we enjoy, both as a part of our job and on our own time, would not be possible without the hard-working honey bee.
I was so happy to see the community come together to educate and celebrate bees and the honey they produce. I look forward to attending this event for many years to come, and I can only hope it grows more and more successful as it continues.
At the beginning of this piece, I included one of my favorite quotes by Henry David Thoreau – “The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.” For me, honey is a little jar of all those directed sunbeams – an amalgamation of the agricultural bounty that surrounds us here in Sacramento. Through their dedication to the honey bee, the California Honey Festival managed to direct their sunbeams onto the bee world and the local community, shining a light on bee education, production, and preservation. The result was a wonderful, honey-sweet weekend.
#PassThePepper and Give Big!
Today, non-profit organizations in the Sacramento community are encouraging people to participate in the Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s annual Big Day of Giving, a 24-hour online giving challenge to help raise funds for worthy causes in our area.
Food Literacy Center is partnering with Big Day of Giving once again and is encouraging everyone to #PassThePepper and help inspire kids to eat their vegetables. Just $25 will give one kid food literacy education for one week!
It is really easy to help Food Literacy Center meet their goal. Schedule your gift here: https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/foodliteracycenter. Every dollar donated today will be matched by The California Rice Commission.
So how can you #PassThePepper? Head over to the FLC Facebook page, share a post, tag a few friends encouraging them to give and #PassThePepper too!
It is that easy. Make a difference in the lives of kids with one click of a button. We’ll be passing the pepper and we hope you’ll join in!
Beervana: Achieved
A wise person once said, “Beervana isn’t a place. It’s a state of mind, a sense of pure bliss and knowledge. It also happens to be held on the 5th St. Bridge.”
We here at SacFoodies had a great time getting to know more about local breweries and brewers in the month leading up to Sac Beer Week and Capitol Beer Fest, and on Sunday, March 12, we pulled into the final stop on “The Road to Beervana.” We slathered on our sunscreen, grabbed our tickets and made our way CBF!
Laurel: “I had a SUPERB time at Capitol Beer Fest. I was really excited to try a few of my favorite breweries, enjoy the warm weather, and explore new beers with the other SacFoodies. The fact that I could do this all within 10 minutes of my house was a huge plus for me, and my wallet!”
Favorite Beer: 21st Amendment – Blood Orange Brew Free! Or Die IPA
“I like blood orange in most beers (Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose is also a favorite) because it’s refreshing and adds a nice tanginess. This IPA was refreshing but maintained its hoppiness, and I really enjoyed it.”
Favorite Food Truck: Bacon Mania
“To be fair, this was the only food truck I tried, BUT it was after careful consideration of all menus. We had the Bacon Mac n’ Cheese Loaded Fries – the perfect pre-beer food.”
Cheyenne: “Capitol Beer Fest was a blast! We’ve been excited about attending Capitol Beer Fest since we got our tickets in January, so going into it I wondered if I had built it up too much in my mind. Once we got there, though, it was just as fun as I imagined it would be! I’m not a huge beer drinker, so I was very happy that there were so many cider options. I had a great time!”
Favorite Cider: 2 Towns Ciderhouse– Made Marion
“I loved this cider so much! I’m very into ciders that stray away from the classic apple flavor, so this was a great experience. It is made from marionberries, which are basically an ultra-classy member of the blackberry family. It was light and crisp, and the sweetness came through without being overpowering.”
Favorite Food Truck: Bacon Mania
“As Laurel said, we only tried one food spot after a decent amount of menu research. I think that even if we had tried multiple places this still would have been my favorite. Bacon, mac n’ cheese, AND french fries! What’s not to love? This dish was seriously delicious and very filling. We could not finish the order between the two of us and it kept us going throughout the whole event!”
The food trucks were delish, the beer was blissful, and there were even cider options for the non-beer enthusiasts in the group. What more could you ask for?
This year’s Capitol Beer Fest hosted 120 craft brewers and saw a crowd of over 6,500 people. The funds from this event benefited the Runnin’ for Rhett Youth Fitness Program, and will allow over 5,770 children to participate in the program. We love drinking great beer, but nothing beats drinking great beer for a good cause. We absolutely plan on returning to CBF next year, and we hope we see you there!
2017 Sacramento Food Film Festival – Tickets Now on Sale!
We’re almost a week away from one of the Sacfoodies’ favorite events of the year, the Sacramento Food Film Festival. From thought-provoking food films, to the small bites and delicious dishes that accompany them, there is just too much to love about this annual festival.
Created in 2012, the Sacramento Food Film Festival was born from the idea that we need to educate the public about our food system, and work together to create positive change. The event brings educational films to Sacramento that are otherwise ignored by traditional theaters – and creates a community dialog to improve food literacy and inspire action to improve our food system.
Here is a taste of what’s in store:
April 1: Festival Premiere feat. Short Film Contest winners
April 4: Featured Film: Sustainable
April 5: Featured Film: City of Gold
April 8: Bourbon & Bites feat: short films about bourbon!
For more information, tickets or even to donate, visit the FLC website at: http://www.foodliteracycenter.org/film-festival
The Road to Beervana – Brewers, Beers, & Benjamin Franklin
By: Laurel Harrison
“Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.” – Dave Barry
Beer and pizza, beer and tacos, beer and gyros . . . you get the picture! In case you missed it, the food truck list for Capitol Beer Fest is up, and here at SacFoodies we’ve already started plotting our beer and food pairings for the event. Until then, take a break from your beer-themed daydreams and bone up on your brewer knowledge with the final installment of our Road to Beervana series.
Read on for a Q&A with some brilliant brewers to find out what they drink, who they want to drink it with (Ben Franklin is a favorite), and, most importantly, what they think you should drink. Cheers!
Yolo Brewing Co.
Jim Schraith: Co-Owner
What is your favorite beer made by another brewery?
It’s impossible to pick just one. We have so many great breweries here.
If you could share a beer with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Michael Lewis and Charlie Bamforth at UC Davis! We are blessed to have such brewing talent right in our own backyard.
What’s your go-to car karaoke jam?
“99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall,” of course!
What beer do people absolutely have to try when they come to your taproom?
Orange Blossom Blonde is our all-time best seller and a must-try. Our Nutty Brown won first place at the California State Fair last year, so it’s also on the list. Our tap list changes weekly so there’s always guaranteed to be something new and fun to try.
Device Brewing Co.
Ken Anthony: Owner/Brewmaster
What is your favorite beer made by another brewery?
Supplication by Russian River.
If you could share a beer with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
My grandfather. He never got to know me beyond childhood. I think he’d be really proud of me.
What’s your go-to car karaoke jam?
“You Give Love a Bad Name” – Bon Jovi
What beer do people absolutely have to try when they come to your taproom?
Pincushion Pilsner. People think we’re an IPA house. While it’s true that we make great IPAs, and a lot of them, our Pilsner is a fantastic craft lager.
EDH Brewing Co.
Dennis Dovala: Owner/Brewmaster
What is your favorite beer made by another brewery?
120 Minute IPA by Dogfish Head.
If you could share a beer with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Benjamin Franklin, he was a home brewer himself. He said, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants to be happy.”
What’s your go-to car karaoke jam?
“She’s A Brick House” – The Commodores
What beer do people absolutely have to try when they come to your taproom?
Our Double IPA is smooth & well balanced. Even the non-lovers of IPA’s love this!
Mraz Brewing Co.
Michael Mraz: Brewmaster
What is your favorite beer made by another brewery?
Zombie Dust and Saison Dupont.
If you could share a beer with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I would share a beer with my grandfather who passed away many years back. He was a fighter pilot in WWII and was from the Czech Republic. His father, my great-grand father, used to be a brewer and they would sometimes brew beer together. I think it would be amazing to hear war stories and drink a great Czech pilsner together.
What’s your go-to car karaoke jam?
Anything reggae these days. I’ve been listening to everything from Iration to The Expendables to The Dirty Heads. Love it all!
What beer do people absolutely have to try when they come to your taproom?
At least one of our sour beers is a must-try! Although we love all of our styles, from our West Coast King Extra Pale Ale to our Coffee Pot Porter, we think our sour beers are really what set us apart and entice people to travel up the hill to see us.
Track 7 Brewing Co.
Ryan Graham: Brewmaster
What is your favorite beer made by another brewery?
My favorite beer from another brewery is Marble Brewing Co’s Red Ale. It was my “gateway” beer and continues to remind me of everything amazing about craft beer.
If you could share a beer with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
If I was able to sit down with anyone, I would pick Benjamin Franklin. One of history’s greatest inventors and the dude attributed with the saying “Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Someone that is a genius and down-to-earth seems like great conversation.
What’s your go-to car karaoke jam?
“Welcome to the Jungle” – Guns N’ Roses
What beer do people absolutely have to try when they come to your taproom?
For the hardcore beer geek, I recommend Mo’Suka when it is on. I think this example of a Northeast-inspired double IPA is among the best in the country, and I can’t personally get enough.
For the uninitiated, I would say our Panic IPA. It has become synonymous with craft beer in Sacramento and it’s easy to understand why. It is full of flavor, aroma and easily accessible – a truly worthy flagship beer.
Check out the full list of Sac Beer Week events here.
For more information on Capitol Beer Fest, go here.
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