The official chapter content page is at the CRFG website here: http://www.crfg.org/chapters/redwood_empire
This mini-site is just as a convenience for updates, newsletters and photos.
July Newsletter 2005 (automated Adobe Acrobat pdf download, virus-free)
October Newsletter 2005 (automated Adobe Acrobat pdf download, virus-free)
January Newsletter 2006 (automated Adobe Acrobat pdf download, virus-free)
April Newsletter 2006 (automated Adobe Acrobat pdf download, virus-free)
October
Newsletter 2006 (automated Adobe Acrobat pdf download,
virus-free)
January
Newsletter 2007 (automated Adobe Acrobat pdf download,
virus-free)
April Newsletter 2007 (automated Adobe Acrobat pdf download, virus-free)
July Newsletter 2007 (automated Adobe Acrobat pdf download, virus-free) (lots about citrus)
November Newsletter 2007 (automated Adobe Acrobat pdf download, virus-free)
May Newsletter 2008 (automated Adobe Acrobat pdf download, virus-free)
Sonoma County Museum Hybrid Fields Art Exhibit & Tasting
CRFG Redwood Chapter Haiku Garden/Weather Poetry Slam
LIBRARY
The club has a nice library of fruit books for check-out. Contact Mike below.
EVENTS
An annual event, usually the last week of every January and
open to the public, is the CRFG Redwood Chapter scion (cuttings) and
plant exchange where commonly over 500 varieties of common, rare and
experimental scions and plants from all over the world are available free or
at minimal charge.
There are grafting and planting demonstration classes for beginners, plus experts
and hobbyists to answer questions for more advanced gardeners.
Some cuttings available, like grapes and figs, don't need to be grafted and
can be planted directly in the ground.
Custom trees can be created for attendees on-the-spot by experts for a small
donation.
Bring gallon baggies, tape and pens to mark your acquisitions.
Members get in one hour early for best selection, so join (you can join at the
door!).
Member access 10:00AM to 2:00 PM (volunteers start at 8:30AM), general public
access 11:00AM to 2:00 PM.
A $5 donation is requested of members and non-members alike to help offset costs
of facility rental and insurance.
The 2008 Scion Exchange was January 26th at the Sebastopol Veterans Building,
282 High Street Sebastopol, 1 block SW of the intersection of Hwys 116 and 12
click
here for a map
Photos
Next one is in 2009.
We also have an annual summer scion exchange, particularly
for greenwood grafting, like peaches, avocados and citrus.
Attendance is limited to members, but you can join at the event, or
by contacting membership below. Time and address is sent to members
via the listserv.
Please bring scions of any thing you have in a ziplock bag with a sprinkle of
water.
If you have any ripe fruit please bring some for all to taste.
In 2008 it was at Keith Borglum's orchard. For those of you that did not make
it to Saturdays green wood exchange at Keith's you missed an excellent program
on citrus delivered by our own citrus expert, Louis Hunt. Everything you always
wanted to know about the care, feeding, deseases, and grafting of citrus. Thank
You Louis.
There was a tasting of various citrus from Louis Hunt's orchard, babaco and
some mixed jam from my kitchen, and some great pickled vegetables and salsas
from Keith's kitchen. Some of the members brought trees and plants to raffle,
so most everyone went away with something to plant.
A third annual event open to the public is the annual Plant Sale Fund
Raiser.
The club grafts many interesting trees for sale in 2-5 gallon pots at really
low prices, and members donate a wide variety of fruiting plants.
The Plant Sale for 2008 is Saturday July 26th from 9:00AM until 12 Noon, this
year at the Santa Rosa Farmers Market at the Veteran's Hall across from the
County Fairgrounds on Hwy 12 just east of Hwy 101.
Come early for best selection. As a special project, we have grafted 40 apple
trees from the original Ft Ross gravensteins brought by the Russians to their
colony. Gravensteins have been listed as commercially endangered by Slow
Food
Members get to buy trees in advance (even now) by contacting David at 707-824-1650,
or Keith at 707-576-7250 (below), another reason to join!
September includes Fig Day at Wolfskill Ranch, UC Davis' experimental farm in Winters, including tasing of fig and grape varieties.
September is the annual apple and pear tasting and orchard tours.
In October is a blind apple tasting in Sebastopol.
CONTACTS
at = @ to foil email spam harvesters FYI
Chairperson & main contact:
Phil Pieri
707-795-6574
phil_p_2001 at yahoo.com
Bio-Managers:
Keith Borglum 707-576-7250, or David Ulmer 707-824-1650
keith at borglum.com or davidu9999 at gmail.com
Treasurer:
Michael Lee
mlee at sonic.net
Secretary & Librarian:
Michael Roa
294 Murphy Ave
Sebastopol, CA 95472
707-829-5867
mroa at sonic.net
Listserv Moderator: contact him to get on the emailing list
or go to http://groups.google.com/group/recrfg
Randy Mitchell
shovel at homewine.com
Event Coordinators:
Kalia Kliban, Carlo Bottini plus open to volunteers to help!
Newsletter writer/editor:
Michael Kurland his website (what
interesting members we have!)
mkurland at continentalops.org 766-7102
Hospitality Coordinator:
Savita Wilder & open to volunteers to help!
707-527-8653
Gold Ridge Farm Support and Cider Press manager and SSU Demonstration Orchard
contact
Phillip Pieri
phil_p_2001 at yahoo.com
707-795-6574
Publicity & Web Site
Keith Borglum
707-576-7250
Keith at Borglum.com
Membership
CRFG dues are $30.00 per year, and includes state membership, a fabulous color
magazine, all benefits, and access to an email forum.
Local chapter membership is an additional $5 per year and includes local tours,
tastings, a local email forum, discounts at local farm stores, and gatherings.
We do not give out or sell email addresses!
TO JOIN: COMPLETE AND MAIL:
Membership form
download for both state and local (automated Acrobat .pdf download, virus-free)
Or sign up online for CRFG using PayPal (no credit cards sorry) at http://crfg.org/join.html,
then just send the $5 local membership with a completed local membership form
to Mike Roa above.
Then email Randy (shovel at homewine.com ) to get on the local email list, otherwise
we won't know locally that you are a member until we get a new member list once
or twice a year from CRFG!