Stuck at home and unable to do the things you love? Tired of the same routine? We have something new that will help you get through the week! It's time to mix up a fresh batch of Sangria and SIP your way through this new SIP lifestyle. Ingredients 4 Bottles of Red Wine 10.5 oz of Jepson Brandy 24 oz Orange Juice 3/4 Cup of Sugar 2 Lemons Sliced 2 Oranges Sliced 2 Limes Sliced In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, orange juice, red wine, and sugar. Float...
In 1913, Julie Golden’s grandfather, Herman Mattern, took ownership of City Bakery in Ukiah. At 23-years old, Mattern, an enterprising German immigrant, grew the bakery quickly, selling hundreds of loaves of bread throughout the county and shipping confections throughout California. This was a source of inspiration when Julie first decided to open The Golden Pig. As someone who suffers from celiac disease (an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten protein found in most grains), it was important to Julie that...
Food fads come and go. Messaging about health and food are everywhere, and one we’ve been hearing a lot lately is the need to practice “Meatless Mondays.” In the conversation around climate change, meat, particularly beef, has been vilified as a major contributor of greenhouse gases. However, the arguments for meat as a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions are exaggerated, and well-managed grass-fed cattle can actually help sequester carbon in soil. It’s true that illegal deforestation of the Amazon...
Eat with the seasons. Local food has more nutritional value. The message is clear that eating local food and buying from local farms is better for your health, the planet, and the local economy. Yet when you shop at a typical grocery store – where most people buy their food, it’s difficult to find food products grown or raised in Mendocino County. Large-scale corporate agriculture has a massive hold over our food system, which bodes poorly for our rural...
Whether you live in the Bay Area or rural Mendocino County, we all appreciate new technologies and services to help us get through the day. It’s no wonder that meal kit delivery services are the fastest growing food industry. Dozens of meal kit services exist, but they all have the same basic offering: order a pre-packaged meal as individual ingredients and cook an amazing meal at home. It sounds so alluring. Meal planning is fun on an enticing website. Cooking...
When restaurants order meat through a distributor like US Foods, Sysco, or even Golden Gate Meat Company, the volume of meat production is so much bigger than one local ranch. Those distributors are dialed into a very efficient system of production, processing, marketing, and distribution. Product availability is the same all the time, hence it is easy to place orders for specific cuts of meat each week. Usually, these distributors have requirements, like minimum orders, as they are also...
It’s not often that you will be enjoying a bourbon at a bar and find yourself sitting next to the distiller who crafted it. This experience could happen at The Golden Pig, as many of the bar’s spirits are locally sourced. Like fine wines and craft beers, craft spirits have unique stories that bring another level to the drinking experience. Tyler Randolph, the bar manager, was inspired to start a whiskey club, similar to a beer club, as a...
Visitors to Mendocino County awe at the beautiful rugged topography, scenic beaches, and diverse microclimates. Part of the North Coast of California, this remote region has offered opportunities and challenges for people seeking to live off the land. Geographic isolation, rough terrain, and limited flat land suitable for crops have shaped our agriculture. The Pomo, Yuki, and other Native American people were the first to live off the natural resources here, utilizing a type of permaculture and highly sophisticated land...
Baby chicks are a symbol of spring. If you visit a local livestock and agriculture store, you know it is springtime when baby chicks for sale are peeping up a racket. Around here, it is common for people to raise a small flock of egg layers in their backyard. Nothing beats eating fresh eggs for breakfast. For small- and medium-sized farms, typically, we purchased day-old chicks from a hatchery and receive them in the mail. Last September, we picked up...
Which came first, the recipes or the cow? The answer to this question may determine whether a restaurant’s menu is Farm Driven or Chef Driven. In a typical restaurant, the food concept is created, a menu is devised, and ingredients are purchased to piece those recipes together, i.e. Chef Driven. The Golden Pig was founded to support its farm, Heart Arrow Ranch, in partnership with Mendocino Meats and other local farms in the area. First, we looked at the farm...
