UCCE is offering two day workshops on Cottage Food Operations:

• May 15 & 22 in Mendocino County 
• May 13 & 20 in Solono County

(sadly, none are scheduled for Sonoma County).

“This workshop series will benefit all new and prospective Cottage Food Operators by providing practical information to support the success of their new cottage food business ventures,” explained UCCE North Bay Food Systems Advisor, Julia Van Soelen Kim.

MAY 7, 2014 the following were added to the list of Approved Cottage Foods:

• 
  Cotton candy.
• Candied apples.
• Confections such as salted caramel, fudge, marshmallow bars, chocolate covered marshmallow, nuts, and hard candy, or any combination thereof.
• Buttercream frosting, buttercream icing, buttercream fondant, and gum paste that do not contain eggs, cream, or cream cheese.
• Dried or Dehydrated vegetables.
• Dried vegetarian-based soup mixes.
• Vegetable and potato chips.
• Ground chocolate.

Learn more at Cottage Food Operations

“Fashion Fiesta” was this year's theme for the Sonoma County 4-H Fashion Revue. The event was held on April 19th, 2014 and was well attended. This year we had 9 different categories for the 4-H members to choose from, they were: Traditional, Upcycled, Wearable Arts (Embellished), Needle Arts, $40.00 Purchased, Textile (Quilted, Woven or Felted), 2 State Fashion Revue Challenges, Denim and Apron, and the most popular County Challenge.

Each member who participated at the event wore an outfit that they either sewed, purchased or created with knitting, crocheting or embellishments.

Modeling before the judges was first on the agenda, where each member would explain how they created their outfit. If they entered the Purchased category they needed to explain how much money they spent for the entire outfit including accessories, which had to be no more than $40.00, what the amount of money saved was and how versatile the outfit would be with the rest of their wardrobe. The Aprons that were sewed for Apron category, could only be made using either the McCalls patterns 6132 or 6476.

For this year's County Challenge category each member took home a pre-cut piece of dye-ready quilted fabric (that was generously donated to the event by Bella Notte Linens) in the shape of a Serape. They were then encouraged to make it uniquely their own, by dyeing the fabric, adding applique, or with other means of embellishment.

After a short break for lunch, family and friends were treated to a Fashion Show by the participants, which was then followed with Awards.  2014 Fashion Revue Results

This was a great day of clothing & fashion for everyone who attended.

On May 22, UCCE Sonoma hosted a centennial luncheon celebrating the signing of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914 which established Cooperative Extensions nationwide.  Those who attended learned about the different programs and research the office is doing by way of a quiz format Power Point followed by a delicious lunch.  Here are is an example (answer below).

Cooperative Extension was signed into law in 1914.  What was the original intent of Cooperative Extension?

1. 
   Increase rules and regulations for farming
2. An extension of the land grant universities to farmers and home makers.
3. An extension of local cooperatives to farmers
4. Develop a confusing acronym

I'll sprinkle in more questions in future Blogs, stay tuned!  B is the answer. More about Cooperative Extension can be found here.

We are proud to present the UCCE Sonoma County 2013 Annual Report.  

This report demonstrates our many accomplishments and increasing collaboration with County partners, extending our reach and abilities to achieve shared goals in Sonoma County.

Read about UCCE Sonoma's longstanding connection with farmers and home makers starting in 1918, with the opening of the Cooperative Extension office in Sonoma County. Catch up on our current efforts to support local agriculture far into the future.

As we celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Cooperative Extension, we look forward to continuing strong working relationships with our partners.