#farmtotable – Artisan Sotheby's International Realty

Virtual Tour of Gorgeous Craftsman Home in Sebastopol

Enjoy a small virtual tour of this incredible home on 3760 Harrison Grade Road in Sebastopol, Ca. Call or email us and we can schedule a zoom call and a more complete virtual tour. This is truly a one of a kind Sebastopol retreat.

This warm and inviting Craftsman home offers a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere while holding on to original roots providing present and future generations with all the modern comforts found in a luxurious home without compromising a relaxed lifestyle. This timeless home features a Chefs kitchen, great room with fireplace, outdoor kitchen, spa, barn, outbuildings and so much more! Retreat to an estate that is saturated with wine country roots.

Offered at $1,575,000
4 Bedroom/3 bath home
2,618± Square Feet
2± acres

Uniting Family Homes in 2019

Family Compound 3D rendering — Family Compound Vision ID 115428455 © | Dreamstime.com

Did you ever notice that trends have their way of circling back? One such trend is a family compound. Defined as a group of buildings in an enclosed area, having a shared or associated purpose, such as the houses of an extended family, a family compound is a trend more families are bringing back into popularity for a variety of practical reasons.

Property Listing: 3500 Sweetwater Springs Road, Healdsburg, California 95448 — 3500 Sweetwater Springs Road, Healdsburg, California 95448

Land in California is scarce, especially property in which to build new homes on. Purchasing a piece of land suitable for multiple dwellings such as our Sweetwater Springs listing in Healdsburg resolves this issue. Breathtaking views sweep through this 480± acre parcel with spectacular panoramic view options for future building sites. Gently rolling ridge top features open sunny meadows, natural springs and incredible views of the Russian River Valley, Mt St Helena and beyond. The perfect canvas awaits to create your dream estate or family compound with vineyard potential. Russian River and Sonoma Coast AVA. Includes two separate parcels with 5 certificate of compliance. This property is currently offered at $2,995,000. Give us a call to show you around and discuss the possibilities.

Finding affordable housing is tough in California all across the state. Sonoma County is no different. The lack of space to build new homes, the recent devastating fires, and an already tight housing market have all made it even more challenging to solve one of humans’ most fundamental needs, a place to live. Creating a family compound makes sense in solving this dilemma. Building a more significant purchase together as a family and developing individual housing on the property for each member becomes a lot more affordable and helps equalize the burden of cost to each individual.

Property Listing: 6484 Bodega Avenue, Petaluma, California 94952 — 6484 Bodega Avenue, Petaluma, California 94952

Finding the right property to create your ideal family compound can have it’s challenges too. If 480± acres is too big for you, we also have an incredible property that is ideally suited for a compound and holds multiple dwellings onsite already. Our Bodega Avenue listing is a tranquil and private 80± acres located in desirable West Petaluma. This flag lot would make a great family compound boasting main house, guest house, and caretakers’ quarters. An ideal property for raising crops with vineyard potential. Suitable for horses includes 3 large barns, outbuildings and spring fed pond. Close to wine country, fine dining, and coast. Currently offered at $2,999,999. This property is a unique spot, give us a call to walk through it and learn more about the multiple opportunities it offers.

Multiple Generations in a family — ID 108767364 © Seijiroooooooooo | Dreamstime.com

The idea of a family compound is not a new one. In the 1900s and earlier it was commonplace to have multiple generations of families living on the same property and sometimes under one roof. The benefits vary. When the kids are small, grandparents are nearby to help; when the grandparents are too old to be alone, they have family nearby to care for them. Sharing expenses and helping each other out. Another possible advantage is the closeness the family feels by living so close together and supporting one another through the challenges and successes we all experience in life.

Contact us today if you are interested in walking through either of the above listings. Both properties offer multiple possibilities for a family compound, potential income, and a harmonious lifestyle.

Better than Apple Pie

If Sebastopol California is known for anything, it is the Gravenstein Apple. This tart fruit is synonymous with late summer in Northern California. We are a community that is connected to the land, the bounty it provides, and the tasty treasures that are produced. The history of Sebastopol and the culture are so connected to this palm-sized gem!

The Gravenstein Apple is a tart apple that is yellow-green with some red lines. Due to some characteristics of the tree itself and of the flowers, Gravenstein apples are particularly difficult to harvest and sell. But those same characteristics make for a variable ripening season, solidifying the historic importance of this apple due to the fact that sometimes you can get the apples over a very long period of time.

These beautiful fruits are grown in many places around the world. In Austria, brandy is created from the juice of this fruit. In Australia, this apple is particularly special because the apple season only lasts for a few weeks. In Canada, although grown on both West and East Coasts, it is primarily a backyard fruit and not heavily produced for commercial uses. The Gravenstein was proclaimed the national Apple of Denmark in 2005, and is also grown in countries such as Norway and New Zealand, but not too a large commercial degree. In the United States, the Gravenstein is found primarily on the West Coast. As we in Northern California know, this apple is particularly found in Sonoma County.

In the early 19th century, the Gravenstein Apple was brought to Northern America and has a history of being used as applesauce or dried apples during World War II.

Here in Northern California, the Gravenstein can be harvested in August, yet is often gone by Labor Day. Gravenstein apples are often used as a baking fruit due to their tart and juicy nature. Although these apples ripen and can be harvested earlier than most, they do not travel as well as some of the more well-known apples we see in far-off supermarkets. Although this makes for difficult transcontinental sales, it does provide a beautiful niche here in Nothern California in the slow food movement. Restaurants such as Chez Panisse in Berkeley try and incorporate this fruit into their seasonal menu. For reasons including its ability to grow in Sebastopol’s mild climate, the early harvest, and the tart flesh, Northern California has created this perfect bubble for this beautiful fruit to thrive.

Gravenstein Apple Fair is held in Sebastopol’s Ragle Park on August 11th and 12th from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. This year marks of 45th Gravenstein Apple Fair put on by Sonoma County Farm Trails. Known as “the sweetest little fair in Sonoma County“, this charming festival is held under shaded oak trees in a beautiful neighborhood park. The family-friendly feel, the smell of apples in the air, and the quaint setting, all help to create a true hometown feel and showcase a little bit of everything we love about small-town life in Sonoma County. As Northern California continues to gain notoriety for fine wines, the apple industry faces new challenges, finding a reason to take a moment this August and celebrate the Gravenstein in Sebastopol, California.

Homestead or Hobby Farm

Have you ever wanted to live off the land? Become a crusader in the “farm to table” lifestyle? Get your hands a little dirty to reap rewards that give life to you and your loved ones? Maybe, just maybe, you are ready to take the next step and own and live on (and off of) a hobby farm or small homestead.

One of the main parts of having a small homestead is growing food. This food can stand as a supplement to shopping at the market, or be the only food your family eats! There are so many reasons to start growing food on your property that span from the political, economic, to the environmental. But with increased exercise and healthy eating, it’s hard to argue that the benefits aren’t huge! What’s the best part? All of this is more than possible even when homesteading on a small property.

As with many things, a well-researched plan can make for an efficient homestead. There are a few key elements to understand before beginning your hobby farm.

Know your property – Climate and soil are just as important to a well-working homestead as is the layout of your acreage. Both organization (where living, gardening, and animal-keeping will occur) and environment can factor into, not only a productive property but also an efficient one. Also, what type of different buildings are on your property? What are your neighbors like? How is your land zoned?
Make realistic goals – This well-known advice applies to hobby farms as well. Understanding your end goal will help plan your homestead. What size garden can you manage successfully? Will you keep animals? Will those animals be productive (chickens), or aid in the care of the farm (horses)?
Research what to do once you have produced something – Start learning now what grows seasonally and how to preserve food if there is a surplus so you can enjoy your food all year around. Do you know how to milk a goat?
Be patient – Be patient with your plans, your goals will be ever-changing. Be patient with yourselves, you’re learning and changing, too. Be patient with your seedlings, your chicks, and your property. Things take longer than we expect and there is a good reason for that. Meditation in order to learn and change, yet again.

So, if you’re ready to make a healthy change and you already have a property, go for it! If you are looking to make a move and start your self-sufficient life, something like our Petaluma listing is perfect since it has a little bit of room for everything, with 80 gently rolling acres, an original farmhouse, caretakers homes and half acre pond. Additionally on the property is a fully equipped horse property featuring three large barns, four smaller barns, paddocks, round pens, 7 cross fenced pastures and over 60 acres of fenced pastures. You’ll be ready to hit the ground running… or planting.

For more tips and continued reading see the links below:

http://www.hobbyfarms.com/hobby-farm-home-portal.aspx

http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/sfn/fall06topten

http://www.weedemandreap.com/6-things-to-know-hobby-farm/

http://pioneersettler.com/11-tips-starting-homestead/

Growing Boutique Wines

Some of the best products come from small-scale endeavors. Wine is no different. In Sonoma County, the boutique wineries are some of the most spectacular, not only for their wines, but also for the ambiance and the passionate people associated with these small grape farms. The small-scale viticulture in the area helps promote a farm-to-table lifestyle and community.

With many of the area’s small wineries being multi-generational family affairs. It takes hard work and a lot of love to make these farms successful. Keeping the operations small and intimate is not only a goal (one area winery aims for the whole process to be a one-man show) but a commitment. This self-imposed size limit the vintner’s promise to the people who visit and drink their wine so that they feel more like family than customers. With the home-like ambiance and the friendly farmers, it’s a good thing there are so many opportunities to visit and taste the wine from the small farms in Sonoma.

There is so much that goes into making a great wine, but not so much that you can’t grow some successfully at home. A lot of the success (as with much in life) is in the planning. Factors such as ripening season, weather, water source and control, sun exposure, and pests all have to be considered, and issues abetted before grapes can really flourish. Only after all the careful planning can you pick your grape!

Now take a minute and think about what you could do with your very own small scale, Sonoma county winery… What if the property was already turn-key, ready for you to move in and grow, harvest, and drink? One property in the area provides opportunity. This 7.32 acre property and home is conveniently located to offer the best of town and country life. Since all of the planning is well past completion, enjoying the 4.25 acres (4,514 vines) of Pinot Noir and 0.25 acres (180 vines) of Chardonnay is just a harvest away. So many of the planning issues have been resolved when you invest in a property such as this, with a water storage tanks for both the home and the crops and the properties own 200 foot deep well.

Caring for your own small-scale vineyard is full of hands-on work that can fulfill your love of the great outdoors. From watering, to fertilizing, and weeding and pruning, there are so many opportunities to use your hands, that making this a family affair, or hiring some outside help, can help maximize the enjoyment factor.

Harvesting your grapes and making your wine can be a learning process. The timing of harvest is just as important as the how. But once you have a fully harvested batch of grapes, ready to make into wine, the real fun begins. Making sure you have the right equipment is essential in a successful wine-making experience (there’s that all-important planning part again). Keeping your area and tools clean and inspecting the grapes has to happen before and during the wine-making process. After making the grapes into juice, fermentation is the process that is a little skill and a little magic (well, microbial activity, but winemaking is definitely a little magic). After fermenting and racking the wine, the wine can be bottles, sealed and shared. The fruits of your labor can finally be realized (and enjoyed, of course).

Now all you have to do is sit back, take a sip, and decide how to share your grapes (and maybe your wine) with the world!

Virtual Tour of Gorgeous Craftsman Home in Sebastopol

Uniting Family Homes in 2019

Better than Apple Pie

Homestead or Hobby Farm

Growing Boutique Wines

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