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Sweet Thistle Farms Offers Beautiful Outdoor Experiences

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Natali Carrera
Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her twelve-year-old son, husband of 17 years and bargain hunting at Target. She works in the field of education and is also a freelance writer and YouTube vlogger (as a hobby). She's been told "bubbly" is the best descriptor of her personality, though she wonders if what people really mean is that she talks too much. Natali is a lifelong Fresno resident and Fresno State grad.
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Life in the time of COVID has forced us to think differently about how we spend our leisure time or attempt a date night. Many of our favorite options from before COVID are either not an option currently, or carry with them a certain level of risk.

Since experts advise spending time with your household members or small groups and outdoors to minimize risk, I’ve been seeking out unique experiences to share with you here that may bring fun to your weekends while keeping you relatively safe.

This week, I present to you Sweet Thistle Farms — a beautiful, flower-filled farm that allows you the opportunity to pick your own bouquet, pick-up a pre-made bouquet, or even enjoy a special date night complete with wine tasting and charcuterie boxes.

Flowers collected by a friend on her recent visit to Sweet Thistle Farms

Sweet Thistle Farms is located in Clovis just east of Academy off of Shaw at 5365 N. Mendocino Ave. This year’s U-Pick season kicked off last weekend (June 13th) runs each weekend. If you decide to go, flowers range from $1-$3 each or you can fill an entire bucket full for $30.

My friend Amanda, her mother, sister in law and niece filling buckets with gorgeous Sweet Thistle blooms during opening weekend

Sweet Thistle will be hosting a Friday Date Night on June 26th from 5-8pm and it sounds like it may become a semi-regular occurrence during the warm weather months. Local wines will be offered for tasting, Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery will be offering cheese boxes to nibble on and guests are encouraged to pick their own bouquets and bring a picnic blanket to relax on and enjoy the evening surrounded by natural beauty.

If you’re lucky, you may even make a furry friend at Sweet Thistle!

If you visit, please note you’ll be walking through flower fields and will brush against plants, so you may prefer pants and/or tennis shoes. If visiting during the day time, don’t forget sunscreen and water. Additionally, since it is a flower field – there are bees present. Bees are an asset and so important for all of our crops. The bees at Sweet Thistle are much more interested in the flowers than they are interested in you, and are generally not aggressive – however, if you or someone in your family has a severe allergy, please take that into consideration.

Just looking to take a nice drive and purchase a ready-made bouquet? Sweet Thistle has a roadside stand that they regularly replenish with flowers for sale, ready to take home!

For additional details on all Sweet Thistle has to offer, visit them on Facebook or Instagram. Happy picking!

Basilwood Farm now offering tasty bites, cheese-making classes and more!

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Natali Carrera
Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her twelve-year-old son, husband of 17 years and bargain hunting at Target. She works in the field of education and is also a freelance writer and YouTube vlogger (as a hobby). She's been told "bubbly" is the best descriptor of her personality, though she wonders if what people really mean is that she talks too much. Natali is a lifelong Fresno resident and Fresno State grad.
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Basilwood Farm, located just above Fresno in the hills of Prather, CA, is a family-owned and -operated goat farm known for its nourishing skincare products. This fantastic farm is no stranger to FresYes readers—we’ve happily introduced you to it previously. However, with so many new things happening, I felt it was time we circled back to Basilwood!

I spoke with owner Jill Spruance about all the exciting new experiences, products, and people involved with Basilwood’s continued expansion. Read on!

basilwood farm

Basilwood Farm is family owned and operated.

FresYes: Basilwood Farm has expanded to offer so many new experiences for customers and guests! Can you tell me a bit about what’s new?

Jill Spruance: The latest “new thing” in Basilwood is the introduction of Kenzie’s Kitchen! Are we crazy?!? YES! We went through the process of becoming a cottage kitchen this year so that we could offer goodies to customers who wanted to linger out at the farm tables while doing some goat gazing. So Jannine Fitzgerald, (formerly of Firehouse Cookies), came on board as our very own Basilwood baker! Jannine joined the team in stride as though she had been here since day one, and we are blessed by her every single day… Oh, and the kitchen smells ahhhhmazing!

Your body care product list also continues to grow. What products are your bestsellers, and what are your newest favorites? Is there anything you’re working on you’d like people to look forward to?

Our goat’s milk soap was our first product and continues to be our bestseller. We have added quite a few products to our line-up since we began. A couple of my current favorites are All-Natural Deodorant and Palm Balm. Palm Balm is so new that it’s not even online yet. As far as new things, keep your eyes open as we approach the fall (wink, wink).

Basilwood Farm

This goat’s milk deodorant is a newer product of Basilwood

Basilwood Farm

Basilwood Farm has made a name for itself with exceptional skincare products made from goat’s milk

The upcoming cheese class really caught my interest. What should people know about it?

Our “Cheese, Please!” Workshop is probably one of the most popular events here in Basilwood! It is a three-hour demo workshop where Shelby (the cheese chick) shows you how you can make chevre, mozzarella, and ricotta cheeses from goat’s milk while guests enjoy cheese-y snacks, good conversation, a tour of the farm and soap room, meet-n-greet with the goats, and shopping at The Farm Store. A lot of people don’t realize they can either sign up online OR they can book their own private class if they have a group of eight or more. We have hosted bachelorette parties, family get-togethers, team-building events and work retreats. Every single group brings its own flair and personality to the mix, and we enjoy getting to make new friends.

Your farm is located up and away from the stress of the city, yet currently, so many wildfires are burning. Has your farm or activities been affected?

Every fire season has us on alert up here in the foothills. The current fires are located far enough away from us so as to not pose an imminent threat, but the smoke has definitely kept us inside far more than normal.

So, I have to ask, at the risk of creating a stir: do you have a favorite goat?

Every single one of our goats is a favorite in a different sort of way. Each one’s personality is very distinct. If I had to pick a favorite, though, it would have to be Jasmine. We almost lost her last year due to a very difficult delivery, but the sound of her babies’ chatter kept her going. I was sure on several occasions that she was gone, but she just kept springing back to make sure she was there for those kids. She is by far the most attentive and nurturing of all of the girls, and also keeps her herd in line. She’s a GREAT mom. Even if one of the goats is getting a little too pushy with me, she will get between us and head butt the offender. She’s awesome!

Basilwood Farm

Try to say no to this cute little goat! I dare you.

That’s amazing! Anything else you’d like FresYes readers to know about Basilwood Farm?

We think we have the most incredible customer/friends and local community on the planet! Our Fall Bash is coming up Saturday, Sept. 1, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.. Our fall soaps will be back with a few new ones in the mix! If you haven’t been up to the farm yet, that would be a great time to visit.

…

Basilwood Farm is located at 15759 Morgan Canyon Road in Prather, CA, and can be reached by phone at (559) 332-3276. The farm is open to the public on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and by appointment for private classes and field trips.

For more information about products and upcoming events, please visit the Basilwood Farm website, or give them a follow on Facebook and/or Instagram.

Basilwood Farm

Hey. Come visit me at Basilwood Farm. You know you want to!

All images used with permission, and property of Mariano Friginal Photography.

Enzo Olive Oil’s ‘Fresno Chili’ receives Best in Show honors

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Sarah Soghomonian
TV Producer and fan of all things fabulous.Bulldog Born, Bulldog Bred!
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A local olive oil producer took the top prize at the 4th Annual San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition.

The contest, which is in partnership with The Big Fresno Fair, is open to all olive oil producers in California. Products entered had to be from the 2017 olive harvest. There were 66 entries from 22 different olive oil producers.

Entries were received in two divisions: Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Flavored Olive Oil.

Enzo Olive Oil’s Fresno Chili was named Best in Show for Flavored Olive Oil. Enzo Olive Oil Company is owned by the Ricchiuti family of P-R Farms. A wide variety of their product is available at Enzo’s Table at Willow and Nees in Clovis. You can also find the olive oils in select Vons stores and online.

enzo best in show

Enzo Olive Oil’s Delicate and Bold extra virgin olive oils were named Gold Medal Winners. Enzo also took home a Silver Medal in the EVOO division for Medium and a Silver Medal in the flavored division for their Garlic-Infused oil.

Gold Medal and Best in Show winners have the opportunity to be showcased at the 2018 Big Fresno Fair in October.

enzo best in show

Madera’s Rosenthal Olive Ranch’s Arbosana was also recognized. It received a Silver Medal in the EVOO division.

“The quality of entries into the San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition continues to grow each year, elevating the profile of these awards and further showcasing California’s incredible olive oil industry,” said Stacy Rianda, Deputy Manager II at The Big Fresno Fair. “To be able to showcase these olive oil producers through this competition has been rewarding and we look forward to the continued growth of the San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition next year with the addition of a new award.”

To see the full list of award recipients, click here.

 

Photos courtesy of Enzo Olive Oil

Places to go: Enzo’s Table

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Natali Carrera
Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her twelve-year-old son, husband of 17 years and bargain hunting at Target. She works in the field of education and is also a freelance writer and YouTube vlogger (as a hobby). She's been told "bubbly" is the best descriptor of her personality, though she wonders if what people really mean is that she talks too much. Natali is a lifelong Fresno resident and Fresno State grad.
Latest posts by Natali Carrera (see all)

As a lover of local food truck fare, I’d seen “Bella Frutta” listed on Dusty Buns and Casa de Tamales Facebook pages as a destination for their mobile eats, but I wasn’t exactly sure where or what Bella Frutta was. I kept meaning to find out, but it was just one of those things that kept slipping my mind.

Last weekend, my family, a couple friends and I went to an open house at an amazing house located off of the far North end of Willow Ave. in Clovis. (We’re not looking to move, nor was the house in our budget, but who wouldn’t want to take a peek at a 2 million dollar home with a beautiful view, right?!) On the way to the house, I spotted a gathering of food trucks and thought, “oh, maybe that’s Bella Frutta!” and made a mental note that we could stop for lunch on the way back.

After the tour, we were heading South on Willow and sure enough, the food trucks were still there and ready to make our stomachs very happy. We pulled over and immediately noticed that the name of the building was actually Enzo’s Table.

My son, saving us a table while we ordered from the food trucks at Enzo's Table

My son, saving us a table while we ordered from the food trucks at Enzo’s Table

I’ve since learned that Enzo’s Table is the new name of Bella Frutta, but the location is the same. Enzo’s Table is owned by the Ricchuiti family, a family that’s been farming the Central Valley soil for over 100 years. The store offers locally grown and produced, premium products such as olive oil, nuts, wine and even Fresno State ice cream. (If you have out-of-town friends and family you’d like to send a Central Valley gift to, you can shop and ship Enzo’s products online, too!)

On the weekends, Enzo’s Table gives you even more opportunities to enjoy local fare by inviting food trucks to serve delicious meals made with Valley-grown ingredients (including Enzo’s olive oil). Craft and local business vendors are also present, and on the day we went, the Girl Scouts were there, drawing us in with their cookies.

Food trucks parked and ready to serve lunch on a cloudy Saturday afternoon

Food trucks parked and ready to serve lunch on a cloudy Saturday afternoon

The food trucks (including Dusty Buns, Tako BBQ, Casa de Tamales, Raw Fresno, and many more) and vendors can be found at Enzo’s on weekends between 10:30am and 2pm (though each truck’s hours may vary, as Enzo’s notes on their website).

My delicious Le Grilled Cheese and Market Fries from Dusty Buns

My delicious Le Grilled Cheese and Market Fries from Dusty Buns

My husband, friend Michelle and kiddo - all happy from noshing on Tako BBQ & Casa de Tamales food, knowing Girl Scout cookie dessert is in their future!

My husband, friend Michelle and kiddo – all happy from noshing on Tako BBQ & Casa de Tamales food, knowing Girl Scout cookie dessert is in their future!

If you’re looking for a wonderful place to shop for local, farm grown goodies and staples or eat a fantastic lunch on a weekend, I highly recommend taking the whole family to Enzo’s Table.

{Enzo’s Table is located on the SE corner of Willow and Shepherd in Clovis}