Yolo Land Trust Welcomed Community to Celebrate the Bounty of Yolo County

On Sunday, September 25, 2022, the Yolo Land Trust brought the community together to celebrate the bounty of Yolo County agriculture at our annual A Day in the Country event. A Day in the Country is a farm-to-fork tasting experience of delicious food sourced from Yolo County farms and ranches, prepared to perfection by local chefs from noteworthy restaurants in Sacramento and Yolo County.

The historic River Garden Farms in Knights Landing hosted the 2022 A Day in the Country under shade of large oak trees. It was the perfect venue! We are very grateful to the ownership and staff of River Garden Farms for all their help with the event. The Bottom Dwellers, a four-piece Americana band from Woodland, entertained all. . New this year, guests enjoyed playing rounds of corn hole throughout the afternoon.

This year marked the 33rd anniversary of A Day in the Country, the Yolo Land Trust’s signature farm-to-fork fundraiser. Born from an idea to spread the word about the newly established Land Trust, the first event saw the board of directors inviting non-farming community members to meet with local farmers on a Sunday afternoon at the Hays Truck Museum in Woodland. Each director brought a tray of hors d’oeuvres made with local ingredients. From this humble beginning, A Day in the Country was born.

For 2022, A Day in the Country involved eight of the region’s top chefs who prepared dishes using the freshest, seasonal ingredients from Yolo County farms and ranches. Yolo Land Trust partners with Paul Muller of Full Belly Farm and Tracy Harding of Capay Valley Farm Shop to source the ingredients needed by each chef and to deliver each unique selection directly to the chef. The event is a favorite among the region’s chefs, many returning year after year. This year restaurants from Sacramento included Camden Spit & Larder, Canon, Franquette, Mulvaney’s B&L, and The Waterboy; and from Woodland/Davis we welcomed Kitchen 428, Osteria Fasulo and Savory Café.

Additionally, Yolo County wineries and breweries poured tastings of wine, beer and cider, and other local businesses provide tastings of honey, popsicles, tomatoes and more. It was a true celebration of the abundance of Yolo County agriculture and the recognition of agriculture’s significant role in the County’s economy and quality of life.

Since its small beginnings, A Day in the Country has steadily gained popularity amongst the community as being a one-of-a-kind dining experience that connects guests with the importance of conserving agriculture land locally. Sunday’s event brought together 200 guests plus staff from the restaurants, breweries, and volunteers. It was an intimate gathering that allowed for people to reconnect after the event took a two-year absence from its traditional structure.

A Day in the Country received generous sponsorships from the community, allowing the event to make its return this year. Event sponsors include CAPTRUST, Citrona Farms, Davids Engineering, Inc., ERA Economics, Farm Credit West, First Northern Bank, Luhdorff & Scalmanini, Mariani Nut Company, River Garden Farms, Rominger Brothers Farms, Teichert, Bayer, Capay Canyon Ranch, KSN Inc., Mary-Ann Warmerdam & Bob Falconer, McNamara family, Pacific Coast Producers, Paul Simmons & Michele Clark, Rabo AgriFinance, Somach, Simmons & Dunn, Stoel Rives LLP, Todd A. Montgomery, CPA, TS&L Seed Company, WSR Insurance Services, Inc., Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Bruce & Judy Clark, Diamond Foods LLC, Dominic & Sarah Bruno, Harlan Family Ranch, Harrison, Temblador, Hungerford & Guernsey, Herb & Lynnel Pollock, Alan & Kristen Bennett, Laugenour & Meikle, M. Three Ranches, MBK Engineers, Neal Van Alfen & Pam Kazmierczak, Tom & Meg Stallard, Westervelt Ecological Services, West Yost Associates Inc., Wilbur-Ellis, and Yolo County Library Foundation.

Yolo Land Trust is grateful for the outpouring of support we received for A Day in the Country from everyone – sponsors, ticket purchasers, chefs, restaurants, wineries, breweries, farms, and community volunteers. The event was a great success and provides Yolo Land Trust with significant funds to continue our important work of conserving farms and ranches in Yolo County. Learn more about Yolo Land Trust www.theyololandtrust.org.