Local harvest

The areas around Sacramento hold a wealth of farms. Consultant Mark Linder, co-creator of the Agriculture in the Classroom program for kids, works to foster awareness of agriculture. (He’s currently a partner in the Vande Rose Farms Meat & Fish Market opening later this year in Granite Bay.) I asked Linder about some favorite area farms:

1. I love going to the Clarksburg area because of its rich agricultural history—it reminds me of my home state of Iowa. I’ve known the Heringer family (www.heringerestates.com) there for many years. They’ve recently developed a winery.

2. Near Winters, Stan Lester (www.lesterfarms.com) grows apricots and different fruits and has a bakery that sells pastries using the fruit. Also, the Center for Land-Based Learning (www.landbasedlearning.org) is a working farm that helps high-school students learn about agriculture. They have a fund-raiser October 22 at Copia.

3. In the gold country, my wife, Mary, and I have really enjoyed Spinetta Family Vineyards (www.spinettafamilyvineyards.com). They’re very active in promoting agriculture, and they have some really good wine.