I thought this would be a nice alternative to the giant, crowded, carnival-like pumpkin patches in…read morethe area and I was right. Peterson's Farm is a small working farm in a hilly rural area just outside of Petaluma. Don't expect a huge parking lot, jumpy houses, sprawling corn mazes and haunted houses. Peterson's is small, intimate, quaint, and low-key. The grounds are very pretty with many trees, barns and fields, etc. However, the patch is rather small and I agree with another reviewer who mentioned the pumpkin selection was pretty slim for early October. They probably have a lot of schools going there to pick up pumpkins during the week. On the grounds you'll find adorable cows, bunnies, ponies, chickens, and geese that you can feed. There are many beehives, a couple apple trees, and a small barn where you can purchase honey and other things like tomatoes and soap (if they have any in stock). The farm is perfect for small children or babies. I wish the areas surrounding the patch were a little more maintained. There are a few dilapidated fences and structures that are laying around in piles and instead of being removed, just have caution tape around them. These "props" did not look good in the background of the photos I was trying to shoot of my toddler picking a pumpkin. Overall this place is really cute and perfect for small children. They have wagons that you can take out to the field to haul your pumpkins back. Luckily, Peterson's doesn't get too crowded on the weekends and there was plenty of parking in their small lot. The pumpkins are reasonably priced according to size, rather than weight. Bring cash because they don't take cards.

Went here today for a hunt through the pumpkin patch. This is a small, family owned farm. If you're…read morelooking for a spot to pick up a pumpkin, have your child (or your friend's children, or your dog, or your boyfriend) pose next to a giant cardboard cutout of Elvira or Frankenstein, or Divine... This isn't the place to go. If you're afraid of dirt and mud, chickens, honeybees, cows, ponies, or, well... REAL LIFE, like where your food really comes from... Don't come here. Like I said, Peterson's is a real live working farm. The pumpkin patch size was on the smaller side, we got fantastic pictures of my daughter sitting around a bunch of pumpkins in, OH MY GOD, the dirt!!! I was totally stoked to come here and am thrilled that my money has gone directly to helping a family farm thrive. My husband and I laughed at a family that showed up dressed, well, for a stroll in the city... The mother all but had high heels on. Clearly, they were really looking for a place where their spawn could jump in bouncy houses and have a Disney-fied experience of a harvest tradition. They never took the kids out of the Armada and split as soon as they realized that they'd be walking in dirt to peruse the pumpkin patch. Peterson's offers educational tours for children on honey farming, and they grow other seasonal delights in addition to pumpkins - tomatoes, persimmons, dried flowers... I can't wait until my daughter is a bit older to bring her back here, perhaps in the spring, so get another gander at the chickens and cows and ponies (OH MY!!!).

Lovely woman-owned business that sells homemade jams in a variety of sizes, traditional and…read morecreative flavors. Lala herself has been present whenever I go or at various local street fairs, patient in explaining her concoctions, and letting my taste so many free samples. I also appreciate that it's not overly sweet - it's subtle, which IMO helps to better taste the fruit. She also holds jam making classes at her store, which looks like it may have once been a residence. It's on a main road though there isn't a lot of typical foot traffic as it's not on the main downtown drag. Consider this the discovery you should make to support a local business and pick up a few jars!

Lovely jams. Wonderful owner/producer. I'm so glad I dropped by. Lala has samples available &…read morethe Winter Strawberry is excellent. Just the right sweetness with strawberry & pears combo. Magic! Not to be missed. Just pass her shop, immediately to the right is a driveway to a few parking spots in the back.

From the moment I stepped inside Sonoma Spice Queen, I was surrounded by the inviting aroma of a…read morethousand good things. It's clear that Sonoma Spice Queen takes the saying 'variety is the spice of life' to heart by handcrafting an assortment of small ‑batch organic spice blends right on-site. I was also intrigued by their tea blends and mixes, some which, according to the kind staff member who patiently answered all my questions, could be enjoyed with just about anything except animal milk. Sonoma Spice Queen makes beautiful gift boxes filled with spices and other local delights like honey and jam, perfect for sharing the love. Your recipient will be thrilled and deeply grateful for your thoughtfulness!

Wonderful store in downtown Petaluma with lots of spices, teas and flavored salts. The shop is…read morebright and airy and the owner is helpful and informative.

Went to the beekeeping class during the day then right after went to the store to get a few items…read moreand check out some of the items I could get to get started. They had so many items to get started for your beekeeping journey. I also got some other items for my home. I will be going back to get started on my beekeeping journey. At the store, I was able to sample a few different honey and I came home with two different types, as well as honey sticks, candles, books (mentioned in the class) and truffle. The staff were nice and accommodating to all my questions. The place was packed with so many things, but not overwhelming packed where you feel like you can't get around. I didn't get to take many pictures inside, but will definitely going back to buy some more items and take pictures

Best honey ever The people are also really great. Their specials are always deliciousread more

What an amazing and magical place to spend a day. Thank you for showing us your incredible farm and…read moresharing your delicious cheese. Loved every second. Highly recommend a visit to all in the area!

We have been happy CSA members of Tara Firma Farms for 3+ years now and highly recommend for anyone…read morelooking for a local, sustainable farm co-op! The eggs are wonderful, delivery prompt, online store very accessible, and they conveniently partner with other local farms to provide veggies + fruit in addition to their sustainable meats (most CSAs will only provide one or the other). We came across Tara Firma initially via online / yelp searches shortly after moving to the Bay Area in 2016. When my husband and I initially started looking into vegetarianism for animal welfare reasons, I suggested we visit a farm that employs best practices of ethically and sustainably raised meat to help inform our decision. Tara Firma offers free educational tours every weekend and so we drove up one day with our 2 dogs (leashed dogs welcome!) and another family with their 3 (non furry) children for a fun Petaluma outing. The tour was informative and our guide was clearly super passionate about their mission. The farm was very beautiful and the lands idyllic -- we loved the fact that the cows were so free range that we could just barely make them out as a tiny dot in the distant hills. We all enjoyed observing the chicken dynamics around their mobile coop with their rooster guard, and they showed us how unperturbed the hens were when removing the eggs from the nest-- evening letting the children carefully take a couple out. Ultimately, we decided to pursue a vegetarian diet (especially after my husband met the pigs there), but we joined the CSA for their eggs and veggie share + cheeses (sourced from partner farms). We also have purchased meat occasionally for visiting carnivore families and friends, as we wanted to ensure if they were going to eat meat -- they were getting it from a farm like Tara Firma that does it in the right way. The best part of the CSA was their pet share as we realized buying offal from this farm would be a great compromise for our dogs (who were rebelling against our plant-based diet experiment) as we just wanted to provide our dogs protein with leftovers / byproduct without creating additional demand on the meat industry. Our pet share included amazing proteins like heart, tongue, cheeks, as well as more indulgent items like liver and kidney. Even the trotters and bones I would use to make broth in order to flavor / disguise our dogs' vegetarian kibble haha :) We also occasionally received some freezer burn meats, which cannot be sold for human consumption but safe (and very drool-worthy) for our dogs! Unfortunately, the pet share program has been discontinued but there are still plenty of diverse offal options in the farm store! Overall, a great local farm to support and highly recommend a visit!

Their honey is the best I have ever tasted in my life. I am…read morea lifetime customer now. I am ready to reorder. The owners are kind and very helpful.

Best tasting honey & the most pure without anything stripped out of the honey, as other honey…read moreproducers do! Very Thankful for Buddy's Farm

We had a great stop here while in the area on a day trip. It's a cute little shop, not huge inside…read morebut has a nice charm. This is their store, but they make all their product right across the street. You can also pay for a tour over there as well! Ice cream: 5/5 The ice cream was delicious. They have several flavors that look like they get rotated out. Price: 5/5 The price was extremely reasonable. $4 for a scoop and the scoop was large! Customer Service: 5/5 We had amazing customer service here. The gentleman working was extremely personable. He brought out a platter of samples for us to try of different cheeses and butter and he taught the kids some Spanish in the process! He made the whole experience much more fun! If you are in the area, this is a great place to grab some ice cream or a coffee and enjoy the beautiful neighborhood around here.

What a fun stop on our way home from Bodega Bay. The Creamery, which is a fully working industrial…read morecreamery, was closed but the Cheese & Ice Cream shop was open. They offer sandwiches, like their $5 Grilled Cheese, and have a decent amount of deli stuff to go with your sandwich. You can also taste a wide assortment of cheeses that are made on site. Their ice creams, also made on site, are rich and creamy. Delicious after lunch or on a hot day. The guy behind the counter was exceptionally helpful, knowledgeable and service was exceptional. I recommend stopping by if you're in the area or passing through.

Such a cute and unique place to drop by in the Tomales Bay area…read more The meadery is extremely aesthetic with a canopy patio of the bar, tables, and shops. There is an abundance of blooming flowers everywhere, and even a small beehive tucked away in the bushes. We did the tasting for $25 with 4 pours of mead. I was very impressed with the depth and variety of flavors; each pour tasted completely different from the next! Heidrun comps 1 tasting for 3 bottles purchased, which was a nice addition. Our hostesses were super sweet and chill. They were more than happy to explain a little bit about the meads and answer our questions. Would definitely stop by here again! :)

I absolutely love this place! Each mead has a distinct flavor profile and the meads are all…read moresparkling, making them extra special. For the most part the tastings are outside in a beautiful organic setting. If you get the chance, the beekeeping experience is phenomenal and I highly recommend it. I'm giving four stars because the owner has a dog and lets it roam on property unsupervised. There were small children running around and other people with dogs on leash, who may or may not want to socialize. I also had to constantly guard my food and put it away because the dog started to climb on the picnic benches and wanted to eat it when I stepped away to get another taste. This is the 2nd visit that I had to ask for the dog to be retrieved and put on leash; I love dogs but it's slightly annoying to have to deal with this when all I want is an enjoyable afternoon with my own dog. The staff was extremely friendly about it but it's not their dog and they could only do so much.