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By Laura Stec

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About this blog: I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for many years. From eating disorder to east coast culinary school, food has been my passion, profession & nemesis. I've been a sugar addict, a 17-year vegetarian, a food and en...  (More)

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Homestead Faire at Hidden Villa 4/27

Uploaded: Apr 16, 2019

Here's a fun Food Party! for you: on Saturday April 27th Hidden Villa will hold its second annual Homesteading Fair. Sheep Sheering, Beer Brewing, Fermenting and much more. Plus a talk by garden guru Ros Creasy. Don't miss it!



Homesteading Faire celebrates the practice of sustainability and self-reliance through home-scale agriculture and the cultivation of culinary and craft skills. Hear from local experts and passionate enthusiasts and learn to use natural resources in your community.

9:30am - 11:30am Sheep Shearing
Sheep-shearing demonstrations, hands-on wool activities, and local artisans using wool for their craft

10:30am - 2:00pm Food Trucks Available

12:30pm - 4:00pm Homesteading Afternoon
Learn how to bring exciting new skills into your home with booths dedicated to beekeeping, winemaking, natural dyes, cheesemaking, wild foods, and more

Expand your skills with presentations and demonstrations on:
• Fermented Foods
• Natural Dyes
• Homemade Mead
• Fruit Tree Pruning
• Chicken Care
• Sheep Shearing
• Scything
• Beer Brewing

Meet the folks behind some of the incredible small food and farm businesses that support the Bay Area and discover new ways to shop locally and with intention.

Plus, a special keynote speech by award-winning author, photographer, and champion of edible gardens, Rosalind Creasy.

Folks are invited to spend the entire day, or join for only the morning Sheep Shearing portion, or afternoon Homesteading Fair.

All Day Pass: $30/person
Sheep Shearing Morning Only: $20/person
Homesteading Afternoon Only: $15/person
*Children 2 and under are free and do not need to register.

They want the opportunity to be accessible for all. If you are interested in participation assistance, please email communityprograms@hiddenvilla.org.

Those who bike, walk, hike, or run to the farm will be entered for a chance to win a Special Hidden Villa item!



photos by Redwoodhikes.com

Local Journalism.
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Comments

Posted by For The Price Of A Baseball Ticket...Watch Life On A Farm, a resident of Woodside,
on Apr 19, 2019 at 8:44 am

Paying 20 bucks just to witness someone with a pair of electric clippers shear a sheep is kind of expensive...just saying.

Doing the math...5 X $30 = $150 for a family of four to watch life on a farm. Then figure in at least $15 a person for the food truck & you are well over $200.

We've got a friend in Pescadero who does some of these activities as regular projects on his farm. No charge to watch & lunch is free!

Are people so far removed from the agrarian world that it has now become an entertainment outlet?

No wonder some outsiders question modern life on the SF peninsula.

Suggestion...Palo Alto should consider holding a unique historical faire of its own. It could be called 'Ohlone Days' with volunteer actors dressed up as Native California Indians & Spanish explorers. The only questionable drawback would be seeing them using Iphones & Androids to take pictures of El Palo Alto for the closing ceremonies.


Posted by Laura Stec, a resident of Portola Valley,
on Apr 19, 2019 at 9:03 am

Uhhhh..... it's called a donation?

People who don't realize / value how much work events take to put on, are people who don't put on events.

Hidden Villa does say it doesn't want anyone to stay away due to funds - so contact them.


Posted by PA Historian, a resident of Community Center,
on Apr 19, 2019 at 2:53 pm

> Suggestion...Palo Alto should consider holding a unique historical faire of its own. It could be called 'Ohlone Days' with volunteer actors dressed up as Native California Indians & Spanish explorers. The only questionable drawback would be seeing them using Iphones & Androids to take pictures of El Palo Alto for the closing ceremonies.

^^^ This event would have to be held near the Baylands or Foothill Expressway@Page Mill Road for it to have any semblance of authenticity or realism.

Downtown Palo Alto would be unacceptable as would Stanford Shopping Center...way too surrealistic & absurd.

Acorn mush could be served by the concessionaires but most people probably wouldn't care for it while oysters & clams from the SF Bay are probably still polluted somewhat.

The best bet would probably be to have a professional event planner coordinate the efforts. 'Ohlone Days' has a nice ring to it.


Posted by Palo Alto In Retrospect, a resident of Adobe-Meadow,
on Apr 19, 2019 at 3:58 pm

"Palo Alto should consider holding a unique historical faire of its own. It could be called 'Ohlone Days' with volunteer actors dressed up as Native California Indians & Spanish explorers."

Would this be like a Renaissance Fair except with a Palo Alto historical theme to it?

I would suggest that attendees dress up as well and car usage be banned in Palo Alto for the festivity.

After all, the Ohlones & Spaniards did not drive internal combustion automobiles or EVs.

Horses are OK from the standpoint of period authenticity.

Back to topic...I'm going to check out the sheep-shearing demo at Hidden Villa. I've actually done it when I lived in New Zealand. They even have contests (kind of like a rodeo) where competitors who shear the largest number in sheep in a given time frame win money.

I can strip a sheep of its fleece in 35 seconds...we'll see how good these shearers are when it comes to speed as first you gotta (1) catch the sheep, (2) hold it in place, and (3) then shear it. Ain't easy.


Posted by Sheep Smell Bad, a resident of Menlo Park,
on Apr 19, 2019 at 6:28 pm

> I'm going to check out the sheep-shearing demo at Hidden Villa. I've actually done it when I lived in New Zealand.

And you probably reeked of sheep afterwards.

One of the reasons cattlemen of the 19th century despised shepherds & sheep + sheep pull out the entire grass plant when grazing....roots & all. This ends up destroying open range.

Incredibly stupid animals as well.






Posted by Haha, a resident of Another Mountain View Neighborhood,
on Apr 22, 2019 at 10:24 am

Laura, your reply was _almost_ perfect but you forgot the "D". I fixed it below:
"Duhhhh..... it's called a donation?"


Posted by LOL@U, a resident of Old Mountain View,
on Apr 22, 2019 at 4:17 pm

Oh My. The people afraid to go outside are being critical of things going on outside. Those countless days of Doritos, Mountain Dew and Fortnight might not be as satisfying as they thought they would be.


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