While we were targeting u-pick apples, many of the places were closed. Hale's is really an apple…read morestand. They had apples, apple juice, and pumpkins. The people were very friendly, they had a good variety of apples, and the apples were delicious. It's also conveniently located with easy road access. I recommend Hale's as a great source for apples.

It's harvest-time! What could be better than tasting specialty varieties of freshly picked apples…read morein the countryside? While Dear Hubby and I were in Sonoma County for a quick trip, we had free time on Sunday to get out into the backroads and check out a few apple farms. Hale's is close to Santa Rosa, which made it convenient. They were decked out for Halloween, with various areas sporting giant spider figures, scarecrows, skeletons, and much more. Autumn décor, including pumpkins and apples were definitely part of the scene. Adjacent to their barn they had a station set up with very helpful staff offering samples of various varieties of apples. I loved that they had a number of the favorites I've experienced in SoCal's apple haven of Oak Glen (near Yucaipa). Yes, to Mutsu! Cameo! They also had others that I hadn't heard of, and already can't recall their names. Oh good, I found a chart online - Northern Spy is one I tried and bought. Sundance, maybe? Yikes! Hale's claims to grow 30 different varieties, and good for them. Good for you! An apple a day keeps the doctor away, as the old saying goes. No doctors for me for now - I'm enjoying usually one apple for breakfast and one for lunch. Hale's has kept me going for two weeks now. We especially enjoyed taking in their ambiance with my brother and sister-in-law, who live nearby, but hadn't been before. A great place to visit with family! If you're in the area, stop on by and enjoy the fresh air, the friendly folks helping you taste and purchase the goodness of Sonoma County fruit.

There Chicken pot pies are excellent full of chicken and veggies. And the employees are wonderful…read moreand polite and helpful.

Love the people love the place Yah it is a great location,…read morein a sunny spot with a regular breeze. This is an open air farmers market that feels just like it did 30 years ago If you are picky about your fresh fruit, and fresh veggies, If you are looking for a small curated selection of local and imported wines this is your spot. If you love supporting a local family business run by a blonde energizer bunny who comes to work every day in tennis shoes and knee pads kicks her own butt ensure her customers shelves are stocked and full and make times for mom and pop business's that want to share with her customers this is your kind of market.

If you love mushrooms, stop by on a Friday from 1:00 - 2:00 and you can purchase a large supply of…read morethe freshest, most beautiful mushrooms available in the local area. They usually have trumpets, but they may also be selling maitake, alba clamshell, grey oyster, and possibly other varieties. The mushrooms are already bagged and ready to sell. They post on Facebook what they will be selling on Friday. They also carry nutraceutical products. Staff are pleasant and helpful. Richard recommended that I add paper towels inside the bag to soak up any extra moisture and by doing so, they stay fresh for over a week. I normally buy the 3 pound pre-packaged bag of trumpets for $25. They share the driveway with Merry Edwards Winery. Mycopia is on the right and the winery is on the left.

If you're a mycomaniac then this is the place you want to be on Fridays between one and two. They…read moresell three pound bags of their gourmet mushrooms grown on site for $25-$35/bag depending on the variety. I have seen king trumpet, lion's mane, clamshell (beech), oyster and maitake. Availability is posted on their Facebook page usually the day before. On the plus side, you get amazing and super fresh gourmet mushrooms at a very fair price. On the negative side, hours are very limited and they no longer have assortment bags so you get three pounds of one type. They sometimes sell out before closing time.

Always fresh fruits and vegetables, my favorite salt water taffy!!!! Staff is friendly and helpful…read more When I asked how to pick out a watermelon one of staff took me to the watermelons and showed us what to look for and I learned something useful. I love this place and hope it never goes away. It's Iconic! I live downtown but drive out River Rd., so pretty, it's my secret "treat" myself and ME time. I also would rather buy my groceries here when he's open as I am really shopping locally owned businesses. PLEASE SHOP LOCALLY IF POSSIBLE.

I'm lucky enough to live nearby Mike's and have been stopping by weekly for their fresh, delicious…read morefruits and veggies that are always top quality! I usually take a look around, and leave with my bags full because Mike's also carries a wide selection of other goods we enjoy like local honey, dried fruit, cold drinks, and home-style canned pickles, olives, etc. that do not disappoint. This is also where I purchase our bread because I have not found this level of softness AND freshness in any supermarket. Mike's is a come-as-you-are kind of establishment who's employees leave you alone to shop, but are there if you have a burning question. A typical stop here is around $30-43 for a family of two. Hot tip: Plan ahead, there is NO restroom.

This is one of my favorite farmers markets in the Bay Area. Always great vibes with friendly and…read moreinviting vendors from all different types of local businesses. Open on Sunday mornings. There are a few options for fresh ready-to-go food plus coffee and tea vendors so you can sip and eat while you shop. They also have live music that gets the community dancing and makes the whole market feel lively. You can buy local produce for the week, plant starters for your garden, a new ceramic cup for your office, jewelry for your loved ones and so much more is offered at this market. If you're looking for a way to spend your Sunday morning and a place to find high quality local goods this is your market!

This is a fun farmers market on Sunday open until 1:30 PM in Sebastopol…read morePony rides are $10 I bought some chocolates from the vendor who has a store across the street. I also bought some sprouts to snack on instead of fattening chocolate! I had a great time here a loved the goose and ponies.

We had a good time! The tour was about an hour, and started with us being inside a small pen with…read more4-5 little goat kids that were about a week old. They were so affectionate and friendly! My kids had such a great time. Then we took a tour of the property, visiting the 7 month old kids, and then feeding the older goats with branches and leaves, which were a big treat for the goats since they normally eat hay so they were enthusiastic! We also saw the area where the goats are milked, got a few walnuts from the walnut tree, and walked around the garden. This is a fun tour for kids, and the whole experience took 55 minutes including lining up for hand washing before and after. We bought tickets several weeks in advance though I'm not sure if we needed to. It ended up being our party of 7 in one pen and a couple other guests in another, but they had several other pens available for the kids.

I have very special and indelible memories that spring up when the word Sebastopol is mentioned…read more... retreats and holing up in cabins, long walks and talks with friends, hashing out life in community... long jogs along the Highway there and having sore feet.... the stuff of life! And so is the artisan goat milk cheddar at this small family owned outfit. Phenomenal and a pure delight paired with fresh baguette and some Cab or Zin... Wonderful; can't wait to expand my repertoire of their dairy offerings in time. Solidly delicious

Wife and I have passed a number of times, but on our trip back from Osmosis, I had her stop in…read more People are great. Tons of different pastas and fresh produce - the peanuts are great! A must do from here on! And the food truck outside has an amazing sandwich!!

Bill's is one of my favorite things about living in west county. It's a rustic, roadside farm store…read morebut big enough to be able to buy almost all my staples there. I love getting local produce and eggs from my neighbors chickens. Their veggie starts do amazingly at my place. But the real reason you should shop there is because yesterday when the person who was supposed to drop my groceries had an emergency and couldn't bring them. I was recovering from abdominal cancer surgery so I couldn't go myself. Anthony, one of the owners I believe, offered to drop them off. He came right after work. Never event brought up a service or delivery fee. It's a 5-7 min drive for him but the gesture, for me, is reason enough to shop there as often as I can.

Joaquin's Pumpkin Hunters is the place to go to get in the Halloween spirit…read more Joaquin is a serious business man, as serious as a third grader can be as he proudly announces that the pumpkin patch is his. His father agrees that the proceeds go toward Joaquin's college funds. Joaquin gives great advice about which pumpkins are best, and he will warn you about the danger of the bees and spiders in the patch. The patch is called Pumpkin Hunters because you get to dig through the vines to find the perfect pumpkin (sort of like cut-your-own Xmas tree) and it's a flat rate regardless of size. We usually go to Muelrath Ranches (and they are still a great place, especially if you want to go on a hayride) but we stumbled across Joaquin's when we discovered Muelrath's was closed during the week. Joaquin's is now our new favorite place for for pumpkins but word of warning, make sure you wear sturdy shoes and not cloth flats (like I was). Pumpkin hunting is dusty buisness.