Capay Valley

Tasting cups of olive oil from Séka Hills

Taste Test Some Olive Oil

Silvia

Séka Hills in the Capay Valley is home to the olive oil mill and tasting room of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. Séka in Patwin, the language of the Wintun Nation, means blue and describes the blue hills that overlook the Capay Valley.

Olive Oil ice cream at the Séka Hills tasting roomWe started our olive oil tasting journey by enjoying the olive oil ice cream. The richness of this creamy goodness was enhanced by adding a pomegranate balsamic reduction. The olive oil cookie added an extra crunch. Overall an excellent tasting experience!

Tasting cups filled with olive oil, vinegar, etc.Next on our agenda was the free olive oil tasting. Standing in front of the bar, our very knowledgeable sommelier informed us of the certified olive oils and other products. 

You first get a cup of water to clear your palate. Next, warm up a tiny plastic cup filled with oil by rubbing it in your hands. Sniff the oil and explore the aroma of peppery, floral, or fruity.  Then, slurp the oil to emulsify it and release the flavors. We tasted four extra virgin olive oils, two infused vinegars (pomegranate & elderberry), honey, and almond butter. 

Sandwich board about the available beef cuts at Séka HillsYou can also enjoy a lunch or buy some gift items together with your olive oil purchase.

The Séka Hills olive mill and tasting room is located at 19326 Rd 78, Brooks, CA 95606. Tasting room hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm.

Have you taste tested olive oils before?

People at the Woodland Farmers Market

A Farmers Market with the Gift of Community, Woodland, CA

Silvia

Strormtroopers greeting people at Woodland's farmers marketFarmers markets are my preferred food shopping sources and I visited many of them in Northern California. It is always a pleasure to browse the fresh produce that grows a short distance away, buy bread with a crust, and get lunch while listening to some music. 

Storytime outside Woodland's libraryNext to the library on First St, the Woodland farmers market presents a small offering of fresh produce. If you are looking for a larger variety of produce you should consider driving to nearby Davis for its more expansive farmers market. Nevertheless all fruits and vegetables offered at the Woodland location are brought to you within an hour away. And, Woodland’s farmers market stands out for bringing together the community while shopping.

The library offers outdoor children’s reading circles, from 10 am to 10:30 am, and the Friends of the library open up their book store in the basement of the Carnegie Library, from 10 am to 1 pm. Furthermore you might be able to have an interesting photo opp; I saw stormtroopers peacefully engaging with the public on my last visit! 

Kids at the kids farmers market stand in Woodland, CAIf you have gardening questions, two master gardeners from the UC Davis are on hand to answer them. Last but not least every other week the farmers market offers the kids farmers market a free event where kids get to shop for their own fruits and vegetables. This teaches future market shopping skills and gives them an appetite for fresh produce.

The Woodland farmers market is open from May to October, 9 am – 12 pm, located on 1st St. in front of the Woodland public library. There is a second market every Tuesday from June to August 10 am to 1 pm at the Woodland Memorial Hospital on 1325 Cottonwood Street.

Where is your favorite farmers market?

Blooming almond grove in Capay Valley

Experience Yolo Snow

Silvia

Art show at Rumsey Hall during the Almond FestivalLast weekend was the Almond Festival in Capay Valley. A 108 year old tradition celebrating the beautiful sight of almond trees in bloom. I heard that the bloom is usually best experienced a week before the festival, around mid February. But maybe because of the unusual weather patterns we had, blossoms held off for a while. They are in full bloom now and it is a spectacular sight!

A plate of BBQ oystersGoing up Rd 16 you will go by small towns that offer various activities, local delicacies, arts and music. We went all the way to Rumsey and enjoyed getting to know the local farmers, were impressed with the art show, and will be back next year for their famous oven fired pizza. We had already decided to stop on our way back in Guinda for BBQ oysters offered by the volunteer fire department. At the Grange Hall, crafts were available and we savored our almGrove of almond trees in bloomond vanilla ice cream.

After we enjoyed the festivities I wanted to stop at an almond orchard and take a few pictures of the Yolo snow and the trees. This turned out to be more involved than we bargained for. Our car got stuck in the mud and it took us a long time to push it out on the road.

The Almond Festival of Capay Valley is always the last weekend in February. 

Have you ever experienced Yolo snow?