sustainable farming Archives - The Curated House

The Beautiful Process of Bonterra Vineyards

I love those conversations with a new friend where you discuss something you haven’t touched on yet only to discover you are totally like-minded and passionate about the same things. It’s always such a bonding moment, isn’t it? And so reassuring that this person you were naturally drawn to is somehow “your people.”

Well, I’ve kind of had that experience with a winery. I know, it might sound strange. But here’s my story.

I first stumbled upon Bonterra a few years ago via their Cabernet Sauvignon at a time when organic wines were very hard to come by. I was already on a journey towards cleaner living and determined that doing so didn’t mean I had to give up everything I loved, so I went off in search of organic alternatives to my old favourites on many fronts, including red wine. I had no idea at the time how fortunate I was to find Bonterra, but it was definitely “love at first sip” for us!

Let me interrupt my own story by answering a question I can hear ringing out there in the blogosphere. Why drink organic wine, you might ask? Well here’s three good reasons.

1. Organic wine is made with organic grapes. That means no pesticides or chemicals are sprayed on the grapes at any point during the process. Not only is this WAY better for your health, it also means the body and structure of the wine are not impeded by the chemicals, leading to a brighter, bolder flavour profile.

2. Organic wines contain fewer sulfites than non-organic wines. Sulfites are sulphuric acids that naturally occur in wine as a result of the fermentation process, but most non-organic wines have more sulfites added to them for preservation purposes. Organic wines, on the other hand, never have sulfites added during the winemaking process, making them much cleaner and healthier for your body.

3. Sustainability. According to the FDA, “organic wine is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.” You don’t have to take the FDA at their word, though. Bonterra’s story is a beautiful example of how a beautiful process {including caring for the earth} can result in a beautiful product.

OK, back to our story. Isn’t that a gorgeous photo? The delicate finch lightly perching on top of a bottle of Bonterra wine. A marketer’s dream image. But it’s not just marketing! It’s their real story. Bonterra truly is a winery that is in touch with nature.

In pursuit of creating a truly sustainable, organic and beautiful product, the team at Bonterra decided to approach pest control in the most heart-warming and ingenious way possible. Their brilliant team chose to build birdhouses all around the vineyard, welcoming the local finches and bluebirds to nest in these sweet and humble abodes. The birds offer up their thanks {“paying rent” if you will} by snapping up the bugs that would otherwise harm Bonterra’s crops. They get a tasty dinner, and we get gorgeous, organic, sustainably grown wines as a result!

I’ve already mentioned Bonterra’s Chardonnay {my go-to favourite for roasting the perfect turkey}, but here are three reds that are sure to convince you that organic is simply better in every way, including the incredibly rich and vibrant flavours they offer.

If the bluebirds and finches weren’t enough to get you swooning over this vineyard’s beautiful process, there is more to this heart-warming story. Every winter and early spring when it is time to tame the weeds and grasses that flourish on their pesticide-free property, the vineyard skips the air-polution of lawn mowers and heads straight for nature’s best grass-groomers: SHEEP! They bring in this fluffy herd of mowers and set them loose to trim back the grass and weeds and improve the biodiversity of the soil while they work!

You can see why I feel like they are “our people” now, right? Having just hosted a delightful dinner party last night for some amazing friends, I can tell you that Bonterra’s wines never fail to impress and delight, pairing well with so many of our favourite meals and hors d’oeuvres. I promise to feature some of our favourite pairings with Bonterra’s wines in future posts, but in the meantime I highly recommend popping out and picking up a few bottles for yourself! Once you’ve gone organic, you won’t go back. Not if Bonterra is in your wine rack or cellar!

Wishing you an inspired Thursday!

Heart of The City Farmers’ Market | San Francisco

After a long day of travel, we awoke early to thick fog and the promise of adventure. With plans to see more of the sites over the next few days, we wanted to see what the local organic farming culture is all about and pick up some fresh fruit for inexpensive, healthy breakfasts for our time here. I absolutely love a local, open-air market. The beautiful sights, smells and the warm community feel are all filled with inspiration and the sense of possibility.

A little research led us to an early morning excursion to The Heart of The City Farmers’ Market at the United Nations Plaza just east of the architecturally impressive City Hall. Started 30 years ago, the spirit of this farmer’s market is amazing. Their purpose is to bring healthy, local produce and nutritional education to one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the city while sustaining small, family-operated farms. Over 75% of the food stamps used at farmer’s markets in the city are used here.

The produce is beautiful, the vendors warm and friendly, and the possibilities for the meals I could and would make every week if this market was in my neighbourhood? Endless. Here are just a few shots of the local, organic produce grown in Northern California’s good earth and on display at this Sunday morning market.

Some things were completely new to me, like these Bitter Melons above. The not so bumpy is the Chinese variety and the spiky-bumpy one is the Indian variety. Apparently it offers medicinal qualities {I think she said “good for your liver”?} and can be sauteed up with less bitter vegetables or added to soups. Their colour and texture certainly had me intrigued!

I cannot describe my excitement when we came upon this local honey farm’s offerings. Totally raw {unpasteurized}, their honey is available in a variety of different flavours based on where the bees collect their pollen. I simply had to bring some home and promise to bring you a follow-up post about the 3 flavours we decided to compare.

My guys fell head-over-heels for the cheese from this local, artisinal dairy.

These Dapple Dandy Pluots {a grafted marriage of plums and apricots} were this morning’s breakfast. Their red, juicy flesh is like candy. Incredible! Also like candy to me? The Asian Pears below. Yum. The browner ones tend to be sweeter, so look for more of a caramel-tanned colour when selecting yours.

Tomorrow morning we’ll be having these organic Queen Flavour Pluots for breakfast. I hope they live up to their name!

I wish you could smell the aromatic goodness of all of the herbs piled high on the tables in stall after stall. They had me swooning and wishing desperately I had a kitchen at my disposal while here in San Francisco! So many flavours, so little time.

The view to City Hall from the market in United Nations Plaza.

The splendor and variety of this vendor’s orchids were spectacular.

And the fresh dates…OH the fresh dates. I’m hoping to pop back on Wednesday before we leave the city for a bigger stash to bring home. Glorious sweet goodness. Perfect finish to a nice savoury meal.

The colours, shapes and textures of nature really are art in real life.

I hope this leaves you inspired to explore the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of your own local market! The experience is well worth the effort of searching one out, and the fresh flavours that will no doubt come from your kitchen as a result will be more than pleasing to the palate.

xo
s.

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