On Sunday October 1, 2023 the Yolo Land Trust (YLT) hosted their annual fundraiser and the original farm-to-fork event of Yolo County, A Day in the Country. Guests experienced a wonderful afternoon tasting exceptional food and beverages at the beautiful home of Kim & Trish Timothy in Woodland. All proceeds support YLT’s mission to conserve agricultural land in Yolo County.
Yolo County has a rich agriculture heritage. A Day in the Country brings together the community to celebrate this heritage and to show appreciation to the land and the farmer. The afternoon is all about dining and sipping on the abundance of food grown in Yolo County. Featuring nine restaurants, six wineries, two breweries, and three farms, guests had plenty of options to indulge in.
This year was the first A Day in the Country under the leadership of Yolo Land Trust’s new Executive Director, John Currey. John has been at the helm of YLT since January and the event provided the opportunity to introduce himself to YLT supporters in attendance. “My first A Day in the Country was as Lynnel Pollock’s farm in 1997,” Currey shared, “ and it is such a pleasure to be here as the new Executive Director of YLT. I am pleased to gather with our supporters to celebrate the bounty of Yolo County and YLT’s continued efforts to conserve our farmland.”
Celebrating the abundance of food that grows year-round on the rich soil of Yolo County is at the heart of why YLT started hosting A Day in the Country. YLT provides each chef with the seasonal produce needed to create their tasting dish, all sourced from Yolo County farmers. To do this, YLT and Emeritus Board Member, Paul Muller of Full Belly Farm, coordinates with the chefs what produce is in season, the chefs then then use their creative genius to come up with wonderful dishes such as smoked roasted leg of lamb, heirloom and cherry tomato salad, potato and squash gnocchi, and kabocha squash fritters. This year’s event took place a bit later in the growing season than usual and highlighted an array of early winter and late summer produce such as eggplant, cucumber, tomatoes, and winter squash. Food was sourced from eight Yolo County farms – Capay Canyon Ranch, Capay Mills, Cobram Estate, Full Belly Farm, Setton Farms, Sola Bee Honey, Sun Tracker Farm, and RiverDog Farm.
The amazing food is not the only reason guests keep coming back to attend A Day in the Country year over year. Another key feature is the venue, and YLT strives to alternate locations each year. Guests can see part of Yolo County farmland that isn’t always open to the public. There are different landscapes across Yolo County, and by changing the event location YLT is highlighting the different regions where conservation easements and prime agricultural activity can be found – Clarksburg, Elkhorn Basin, Woodland-Davis Corridor, Cache Creek, Southeast Davis, Winters, Western Yolo, and the Capay Valley.
This year, Kim & Trish Timothy generously opened their 5-acre homesite in Woodland to YLT. The Timothy’s purchased the 1930’s English style home in 1997 and have spent many years renovating. A Day in the Country utilized the shade from the century old trees that lined their backyard which backs-up to freshly mowed alfalfa fields. They recently added a patio and pool which offered the ideal space for the entertainment of the afternoon, live music from The Bottom Dwellers.
A Day in the Country is the result of hundreds of hours of hard work by local farmers, terrific restaurants, wineries and breweries, dedicated volunteers, and generous sponsors. All share in the belief that Yolo County farmland should be preserved and protected. A special thank you to Pioneer High School FFA and staff from Bayer for providing key volunteer support, Cobram Estate for donating olive oil and to Setton Farms for donating pistachios for guests to take home, and to Hannah Muller with Full Belly Farm for the beautiful floral bouquets.
Since its small beginning in 1988, A Day in the Country has steadily gained popularity amongst the community as a one-of-a-kind dining experience that connects guests with the importance of conserving agriculture land locally. An anonymous survey respondent reinforced this sentiment – “Love this event! It’s so special. I appreciate all the farmers, chefs, winemakers, artisans, volunteers, etc. Really this is one of the premier events in Yolo County each year. It’s authentic.”
Yolo Land Trust is grateful for the outpouring of support we received for A Day in the Country from Sponsors – Ag West Farm Credit, CAPTRUST, Citrona Farms, Davids Engineering, Inc., ERA Economics, First Northern Bank, Luhdorff & Scalmanini Consulting Engineers, Mariani Nut Company, River Garden Farms, Teichert, and many more. Visit the event website for the complete listing of sponsors. The event was a great success in allowing Yolo Land Trust to gain significant funds to continue their important work of conserving farms and ranches in Yolo County.
We hope you enjoy the event photo gallery and this video re-cap of the amazing time had at A Day in the Country 2023:
Details on A Day in the Country 2024 will be announced to our newsletter contacts first. Be sure you don’t miss any important updates, sign up for our newsletter today!
Thank you to the farmers, restaurants, wineries, and breweries who participated in A Day in the Country 2023.
Berryessa Gap Vineyards
Blue Note Brewing
Bogle Vineyards
Canon
Chez Panisse
Edith’s Pie
Fat Face
Franquette
Fully Belly Farm
Grindstone Vineyards
Kitchen 428
L’Apero Les Trois
Matchbook Wines
Mulvaney’s B&L
Nitty’s Cider
Riverdog Farm
Savory Café
Sola Bee Farms
The Waterboy
Turkovich Wines
