House and Home Fall 2021

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Local Housing Market Active at Year’s End

Organizing and Renovating Your Home Finding a Skilled Nursing Facility

Fire-Wise Landscaping Practices Making the Most Out of Indoor Plants

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Introduction and Table of Contents As the year wraps up and people settle into their homes for fall and winter, we’re looking at how to best nurture ourselves, our homes and those around us.

In this year’s fall House & Home publication, you’ll find everything from an overview of Sonoma County’s real estate market to tips for childproofing your home to growing and propagating plants. We have an article on how homeowners can update their insurance for the next major weather event and a

column about how to landscape while keeping the drought in mind. Toward the end, you’ll also find a small recipes section highlighting dishes from local businesses and community members.

Thank you for reading SoCoNews’ fall edition of House & Home and thank you to the local businesses who supported this section with their advertising dollars.

We hope to see you again for our spring edition.

Navigating insurance for first-time buyers and renters Page 11

6 steps to organize your home office Page 13

— SoCoNews

What’s Inside

Advertising Index

Housing market is good for many but not all

5

Tips for home buyers during a seller’s market

6

Turning your new house into a home

7

Keeping insurance coverage up to date

8

What to remember when childproofing your house

10

Navigating insurance for first-time buyers and renters 11 Tips for a resilient landscape

12

6 steps to organize your home office

13

Finding the right skilled nursing facility

14

How to propagate houseplants

15

Veggies are not exclusive to spring and summer

16

Recipes

17

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Cover Photo: Located on Dutcher Creek Road in unincorporated Cloverdale, this property was built in 2003 and includes over 74 acres of land.

Photo provided by: Healdsburg Sotheby’s International Realty

House & Home October 2021 A special supplement to the Oct. 28 edition of The Healdsburg Tribune, Cloverdale Reveille, The Windsor Times and Sonoma West Times & News

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4 House & Home Fall 2021

Publisher/CEO: Rollie Atkinson

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Managing Editor: Zoë Strickland

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Consultants: Local Design Company All contents are copyrighted by ©Sonoma County Local News Initiative, Inc. PO Box 518, Healdsburg, CA 95448

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Housing market is good for many but not all Sonoma County home affordability stays out of reach for thousands Owning a home in Sonoma County remains a dream for many, but it is also a nightmare for others. County homeowners continue to enjoy record low mortgage rates and steadily rising home equity balances. But buying or renting a home here has never been more expensive — or more out of reach for more families. This is a “two-sidedcoin story” that has defined the region’s housing market since at least the recession of 2008 and the nationwide collapse of the housing bubble.

On top of that, Sonoma County’s recent destructive wildfires and a pandemicimpacted economy have foiled a stronger real estate market recovery and housing cost affordability.

The median price of a home in Sonoma County at the end of August was listed at $780,000 in one local market report. In another report, based on actual sales in the month, that average sales price was $870,000, boosted by the number of sales of “luxury properties” costing more than $1.8 million. In Healdsburg alone in August, the average house price was $1,615,000.

In other local markets for August, the average home price in Sebastopol was $972,500, Cloverdale was $765,000 and Windsor was $760,000. The average number of days on the market was 44.

Local real estate agents and their selling clients had plenty to smile about, as the average sales price was 100% or above the listed or asking price, according to the regional multiple listing service (MLS).

Overall, county home prices are slightly lower than they were a few months ago, thanks to a modest increase in property listings. Historically, Labor Day and the last days of September mark a slowdown of real estate market activity as families settle into a new school year or new job.

Other news about homes and housing in Sonoma County right now includes continued wildfire rebuilding, construction projects to “harden” rural properties with fire prevention measures, pending new state laws to allow auxiliary dwelling units, split-lot zoning, fast-track developments around transit hubs and other issues pitting YIMBYs (yes in my backyard) versus NIMBYs (not in my backyard.)

Homelessness and the lack of affordable rental units are the top concerns (nightmares) for others. While many Bay Area people and others keep shopping for a Sonoma County wine country home, as many as 40% of the people already living here can’t afford the median home cost of $780,000 without a subsidy or sacrifice. The average family rental unit monthly rent is $2,000 and difficult to find.

California state housing officials’ and Association of Bay Area Government (ABAG) housing targets continue to go unmet by local governments. An overall target for unincorporated Sonoma County is 16,800 new housing units needed. The state’s 8-year targets (20232031) include 476 new units for incorporated Healdsburg, 278 units for Cloverdale, 213 for Sebastopol and 994 for Windsor.

Housing construction in Sonoma County faces multiple cost pressures including raw land costs, local government fees, restrictive Urban Growth

Photo Rollie Atkinson

Sonoma County’s houses have been selling at 100% or above the listed or asking price.

Boundary zones, very high hard costs of lumber and other building materials and a shortage of labor.

For long-term solutions, Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed three major pieces of housing legislation into law.

The bills include SB 8, which extends an existing law maintaining limitations on local governments’ ability to “downzone” neighborhoods without planning to increase density in other neighborhoods. Another, SB 9, lets property owners build a duplex on a single-family lot

or divide the property into a total of four units. SB 10 empowers cities and counties to pass ordinances allowing streamlined construction of up to 10 units on a single parcel.

And, for all of the housing issues and challenges listed above, each requires an asterisk to note the added unknowns from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that continues to dominate the local labor market, consumer prices and general economy.

— Rollie Atkinson House & Home Fall 2021 5

Tips for home buyers during a seller’s market A combination of factors, including low interest rates and pandemic-driven decisions by many city dwellers to look for homes in the suburbs, has created a housing boom for much of 2020 and 2021. That boom has created an undeniable seller’s market in real estate.

Just what is a seller’s market?

The financial resource Investopedia defines it as a marketplace in which there are fewer goods for sale than there are interested buyers, giving sellers the ability to dictate prices. Since mid-2020, there has been an extremely low inventory of homes for sale but very high interest among purchasing parties.

Data from the National Association of Realtors indicated that, by the end of February 2021, housing inventory fell to a record low of

1.02 million units. These factors have led to a surge in competition from buyers, including bidding wars on homes and all-cash offers to entice sellers. In December 2020, the median listing prices for single-family homes shot up 13.4% from the same time the previous year, according to Realtor.com, and it hasn’t slowed down much since.

Jeffrey Mezger, a 40-year veteran of the real estate industry and CEO of KB Home, says it’s the best seller’s housing market he’s seen in his career.

So where does this leave buyers interested in relocating?

Here are some tips.

• Consider areas with slower overall price growth. Experts say the southern and midwestern United States offer the best value for home shoppers because of their

meager price growth.

• Get pre-approval or have your funds ready. Speed is the way to go if a buyer is interested in a property and wants to make an offer. Real estate professionals say buyers should be “offer ready,” which means having a mortgage pre-approval letter or proof of funds for a down payment ready to go. Failure to have funds in check can slow down the process or compel sellers to reject an offer.

• Work with a real estate agent. These are complicated times and it pays for buyers to have a professional working in their corner. A real estate agent uses their knowledge to make a timely offer and negotiate on the buyer’s behalf. They also will provide insight into specific neighborhoods, amenities and school districts.

• Eliminate certain

contingencies from the equation. Contingencies are factors that must be met before a sale can go through, according to the relocation site Moving.com. A common contingency is the need to sell one’s current home before closing on another. Asking for extended closing periods or certain home repairs are some additional contingencies that can make buyers less attractive to sellers.

• Make it personal. Buyers can offer a personalized note with the offer that may connect with the seller emotionally and set them apart from others who have made similar offers.

Buying in a seller’s market can be challenging. But some strategies can set buyers apart from the pack.

— METRO

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Turning your new house into a home Historically low mortgage interest rates are helping to drive a new wave of home sales. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates roughly 14% of the population, or around 40 million people, move every year for various reasons.

After moving into a new house, it can take some effort to turn that house into a true home and feel comfortable in your new environs. These steps can help that process along.

• Create at least one complete and serene space.

Focus on setting up the bedroom so you can retreat at the end of the day. Invest in new furniture or get new bedding to give the room this comforting feeling.

• Create an organizational plan. It can be tempting to want to throw everything in

closets and unpack quickly, but give yourself time to fully analyze where you want to store items, where you may need to paint or reconfigure spaces, as well as any home improvements you want to make before taking out all of your stuff. When you fully unpack, you can immediately enjoy your hard work.

• Hang artwork. Hang a few select pieces of artwork or family photos shortly after moving in. Surround yourself with things that make you feel good.

• Bring mementos. Your first home may bring about warm feelings. While you can’t recreate it entirely, you can use a piece of furniture or a few family heirlooms to make your new space feel homey.

• Rely on familiar scents.

Break in the new space with familiar aromas, whether it’s

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As more people move into new homes, taking time to decorate and think out your plan for the space helps make your house feel like a home.

preferential air fresheners, scented candles or baking your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Moving into a new home

can be exciting. Certain touches can help make the new space feel more like home.

— METRO

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House & Home Fall 2021 7

Keeping insurance coverage up to date For homeowners in Sonoma County, one of the most important things you can do to prepare your house and assets for an emergency is to make sure your homeowners insurance is accurate and up to date.

One way people can do this is by double-checking their insurance limit, said Erica Bishop, a Cloverdale-based State Farm agent.

“Because of the wildfires, I think overall more homeowners and renters are more aware of their homeowners policy and their renters policy and checking in with their agent to make sure that the coverages that they have in place are right for them,” Bishop said.

Historically, the odds of someone imagining they might be in a position where they could lose their home was slim. However, years of fires have increased concern. “(Homeowners) want to make sure they aren’t caught off guard financially,” Bishop said.

For people who are looking to make sure their insurance has them covered

8 House & Home Fall 2021

for any potential disaster, Bishop said that they should be sure to double-check their dwelling coverage. Dwelling coverage, the part of a policy that might help someone repair or rebuild their

“I’m trying to encourage people to make a decision that’s going to help them when the unexpected happens to them.” home if its damaged by a covered hazard, should be in the ballpark of what it might cost to rebuild.

“They as the insured are choosing the limit of their policy — and the limit is the limit — they want to make sure they have enough,” she said.

Bishop said that some people assume that they’re good to go because they have an insurance policy that was put in place when they first purchased their home, but that isn’t always the case.

“A lot of people will match it to their current market value. With an insurance policy, that’s not how coverage works,” she said, noting that the cost of rebuilding isn’t based on the market value of a home. “You really want to be in a position where you have the option to rebuild if you want to.”

As an insurance agent, “I’m trying to encourage people to make a decision that’s going to help them when the unexpected happens to them,” Bishop said, encouraging everyone to reach out to their insurance agents to double-check their limit. “I think it’s really important that the first time they’re hearing about the details of an insurance policy, hopefully it’s not at claim time.

Hopefully we’ve done the work ahead of time and they’re not caught off guard.”

— Zoë Strickland

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Budget-friendly dining room renovation ideas If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then the dining room may be akin to one of its arteries. The mood created in the kitchen spreads to the dining space where family and friends gather to eat and enjoy one another’s company.

Dining rooms can get lost in the home renovation shuffle, as many homeowners tend to focus on renovating kitchens and bathrooms instead. Homeowners do not have to invest a lot of money in renovations to give their dining spaces awe-inspiring makeovers. Here’s how to do so on a budget.

• Lighten and brighten. Dining rooms were once very formal spaces. Dark woods, large pieces of furniture, over-the-top chandeliers, and other details could be found in many homes. But now that houses are being built with open floor plans, dining rooms can blend with other spaces, which have moved to lighter colored walls, flooring and furniture. A fresh coat of vibrant paint can work wonders and it doesn’t cost much. If you can’t remove a floor, cover it with a brightly colored area rug.

can work in modern design schemes or even farmhouse dining spaces.

• Clear out the clutter. It might be time to say “so long” to that large curio cabinet and the knickknacks within it. Curio and china cabinets used to be de rigueur, but plenty of people now prefer more open • Switch things up with slipcovers. Slipcovers can be changed each season to dramat- and airy dining rooms. For those who ically alter the look of a dining room for little want to keep the cabinet, try decluttering investment. Slip covers also protect chairs and inside to only include the very best display pieces and see if the cabinet can be can be easily laundered after spills. refinished with paint or a lightly colored stain.

• Add floating shelving. Floating shelves provide much-needed storage or display space • Improve lighting. Make the chandelier without the need to invest in another piece of the statement piece of the space. Go for a furniture. Depending on the shelving, they bold color or an innovative design. Then add accessories throughout the space that

coordinate with the chandelier.

• Add bench seating. Those who need additional seating may not have to get entirely new furniture. Swap out some chairs for benches, which can fit a couple more guests than chairs.

• Create depth with color. HGTV says that using various shades of the same color in a space can add depth. Coordinate drapes, walls, seat fabrics, and accessories for a cohesive design.

Renovating a dining room doesn’t require a large investment of time and money. A few simple steps can give dining spaces a whole new feel without busting homeowners’ budgets

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House & Home Fall 2021 9

What to remember when childproofing your house It’s not long before newborns who need their parents to cater to their every need become toddlers who can’t wait to go exploring on their own. The curiosity can come quickly, which underscores how important it is for parents to childproof their homes.

The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles says fractures are the most common injuries among infants and toddlers as they develop a sense of curiosity and gain mobility.

Head and mouth/tooth injuries are some additional injuries curious kids may suffer during this period of their lives. This childproofing checklist may help reduce the risk of injury.

• Follow United States Consumer Product Safety Commission crib safety regulations, which include fixed sides, a firm mattress and slats that are no more than 2 3⁄8 inches apart.

10 House & Home Fall 2021

• Install UL-listed carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors on every story of the house and check batteries in detectors frequently.

• Install a temperature guard on the water heater and never set it above 120 F. • Cover all sharp furniture edges and corners with safety padding or specialty bumpers.

• Block all open outlets with outlet covers or safety plugs.

• Place lockable covers on the garbage.

• Install stove knob covers.

• Use latches on any drawers, toilets, doors, or cabinets within the child’s reach.

• Anchor heavy furniture, such as televisions, bookshelves and dressers, to the walls.

• Install safety guards on windows.

• Pull the crib away from other furniture.

• Use cordless window blinds.

Photo METRO

Childproofing your house can help children stay safe as they explore.

• Place gates at the top and bottom of stairs and use them to prevent access to rooms that are off limits.

• Store cleaning supplies, tools and breakable items out of reach or in a locked cabinet.

• When the child reaches 35 inches in height or can climb out of the crib, it’s time to transition to a toddler bed.

• Choose toy chests or other furniture with spring-loaded hinges.

• Inspect the home for protruding nails, bolts or other hardware that can cause injury.

Consult with a pediatrician for other tips on making a home safe for young children.

— METRO

Navigating insurance for first-time buyers and renters Looking to rent or buy a home can be overwhelming before thinking of all of the additional odds and ends that come with moving into a new place.

For renters, one low-cost with a potentially high reward might be investing in renters’ insurance. Renters’ insurance is required in some rental situations, but not all, and can provide insurance coverage for items. Some insurance policies may also cover costs related to displacement from covered weather events, such as fire.

“I think sometimes you just don’t know what you don’t know — there are a lot of tenants out there who don’t even know that renters’ insurance is an option for them. I don’t think they realize how affordable it is,” said Cloverdale-based State Farm agent Erica Bishop.

“I think the other assumption is that it just covers my stuff — which it does, there’s personal property insurance in your renters insurance — and then in addition to that, there’s something called ‘loss of use’ which can help give a tenant some coverage if they find themselves in a situation where the home they were living in is now uninhabitable because of a covered loss,” Bishop continued. “Every renters’ insurance policy reads a little bit differently, but essentially

Photo METRO

It may be beneficial to loop your insurance agent into the home-buying process early on.

they would have coverage in place to help pay for a place for them to stay until they find their next permanent location.”

For prospective homeowners, Bishop said that one thing someone can do is to bring their insurance agent into the picture early on in the home-buying process.

“When they’re out there and they’re working with their real estate agent, they should also be working with a trusted insurance agent,” she said.

“When they’re placing an offer on a home or even before they do, they can call their insurance agent to see if (the house is) even eligible based on wildfire guidelines.”

Bishop said that mapping is updated every so often to determine how risky parcels in the county are when it comes to wildfire susceptibility.

Insurance policy eligibility based on wildfire risk can also change depending on the insurance provider.

— Zoë Strickland

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House & Home Fall 2021 11

Fire-smart and water-wise

Tips for a resilient landscape If you’ve kept a garden or maintained a landscape here in Sonoma County, you know just how thirsty plants can get in the dry season.

Luckily, many of the guiding principles for having a waterwise garden in our climate have the co-benefit of being firesmart. Many folks are familiar with the concept of defensible space, but keeping that buffer around homes and buildings to reduce the threat of fires doesn’t mean we can’t have beautiful plants in the landscape.

Defensible space can simply mean a properly maintained garden or yard.

Perhaps the most important factor is maintenance. The most fire-smart landscape design in the world is not very helpful for reducing risk if it isn’t properly

maintained. First, you want to keep the plants on your landscape hydrated throughout the dry season.

Summer irrigation, especially with water-wise methods like drip irrigation and greywater, is one of the best tools in your toolbox.

Using highly efficient drip irrigation, along with a properly programmed timer, minimizes evaporation and makes sure that the water you’re sending out into the landscape is reaching its intended target: your plants. As you may have guessed, the higher a plant’s moisture content, the more resistant to fire it will be.

It is likewise important to remove dead plant material from your landscape, from mature trees and shrubs, to

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branches, firewood and debris require less water and like leaves, needles and cones. maintenance in summer Whether on the ground or months compared to still attached to living plants, ornamentals and plants from this dead material is prime fuel other bioregions. Here are some for fires, and if left unmanaged examples of fire-smart natives: can undo your hard work in Trees: Pacific dogwood, big creating defensible space. For leaf maple, oak species, coast this reason, it’s a good idea to redwood choose plants that don’t need Shrubs: Bush anemone, excessive maintenance — after toyon, coffeeberry all, we want to enjoy our Perennials: Yarrow, sticky landscapes, not just work in monkey flower, California them. fuschia That brings us to plant Groundcovers: Creeping selection. There’s no such thing thyme, creeping mahonia, as a fireproof plant, but some purple stonecrop plants are far more combustible Whichever plants you choose than others. These typically have for your landscape, be sure to waxy, oily or resinous leaves or account for your topography, stems. Juniper, for example, is the vegetation or fuel load highly combustible and is surrounding your site, and sometimes referred to by proper spacing as outlined by firefighters as the Sonoma “gasoline plant.”

County’s Fire Ornamental Ordinance.

“It’s a good grasses and berries You can idea to choose find more are similarly high risk, and if you information plants that choose to include and resources don’t need them in your through your landscape, local fire excessive consider doing so department, maintenance sparingly and away CalFire and — after all, we Fire Safe from the home.

Deciduous Sonoma. Be want to enjoy plants will typically sure to stay our have more fire-smart, be moisture content water-wise landscapes, in their leaves in and enjoy the not just work summer months beauty of our than evergreens, watershed. in them.” and less fuel during their This article dormant season. Non-woody was authored by Connor deciduous and low-growing DeVane, Programs Coordinator, plants are good options.

Daily Acts, on behalf of RRWA. It is important to remember RRWA (www.rrwatershed.org) is that fire is part of our region’s an association of local public ecology. agencies in the Russian River Native plant species adapted Watershed that have come to cycles of wildfire burns over together to coordinate regional millennia, and many have programs for clean water, habitat developed fire resistant restoration, and watershed strategies. Natives will also enhancement.

6 steps to organize your home office

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As some places of work switch to allowing full or partial remote schedules, now is a good time to evaluate your home office.

Remote working has become popular in recent years, but the “working-fromhome” economy bloomed exponentially as the world was forced to confront the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom, as of summer 2020, 42% of the United States labor force was working from home full-time.

The need for home office spaces has increased as more people work from home.

Many people have retrofitted various spaces around their homes into areas to get work done. More organized home work spaces can increase productivity. Individuals can follow these guidelines to create effective, organized home offices.

Begin with the desk The desk is the primary

spot where work will take place. The right desk accessories can provide visual appeal and also serve practical purposes.

Have cups for holding pens and pencils, baskets and bins for larger items, and store whatever you can elsewhere so it does not lead to clutter on the desk. Store wireless printers in a cabinet or even on a bookshelf so it doesn’t take up real estate on the desk.

Create a printing station While you’re moving that wireless printer elsewhere, designate a space to serve as the central printing hub. This way children who need to print assignments for school will know where to go as well.

Printer supplies like extra ink cartridges and printer paper can be kept in decorative

storage boxes nearby.

Increase your shelving Shelving can help keep items organized and off the desk in home offices without closets or drawers. Look for shelves that blend in with decor but are sturdy enough to be functional.

Organize paperwork Figure out a system that works for you to help tidy up papers you choose to save.

While some papers can be scanned and stored as digital files, color-coded file folders can organize statements and other important documents.

This makes it easy to find the folder you need when looking for certain documents.

Establish a charging station

such as a desk organizer, into an easily accessible electronics charging station where phones and tablets can charge at one time.

Make essential binders HGTV suggests making binders that can store the most important papers for easy access — even in an emergency. Set up a binder for automotive paperwork, including repair receipts, a medical binder where key medical records are kept, a binder for manuals for devices in the home, and one to store financial planning documents.

These organizational tips can help remedy common problems around a home office.

— METRO

Repurpose certain items, House & Home Fall 2021 13

Finding the right skilled nursing facility Humans’ desire to live independently begins in adolescence and continues into older adulthood. Though many seniors can handle the tasks of daily life on their own, others may need varying degrees of assistance.

Seniors have various options at their disposal in regard to finding help to get through daily life. Those who need round-the-clock help typically look to skilled nursing facilities, or SNFs, which are staffed with licensed nurses and therapists who are capable of providing a more advanced level of medical care than home health aides or assisted living facilities can offer.

Seniors who want to plan ahead can shop around for SNFs and make their preferences known in their estate planning. When looking for an SNF, seniors and their

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Local resources for seniors, including resources related to housing, can be found at sonomaseniorresourceguide.org.

loved ones can utilize these tips to find the right facility.

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14 House & Home Fall 2021

• Speak with your health care team. Seniors’ health care teams, including their general practitioners as well as any doctors who may have treated them for specific diseases or conditions, can be great resources. For example, an oncology team may recommend a local SNF that has a strong track record in working with cancer survivors. Many people who stay in SNFs do so as part of a rehabilitation program, and a health care team can provide valuable insight into which facilities may match up well with individual patients’ needs.

• Give location ample consideration. When looking for an SNF, location should not be overlooked. The quality of care a facility can provide should be the utmost priority, but the value of choosing a facility that’s close to loved ones cannot be understated, especially for seniors who will be moving in for a lengthy period of time. Routine visits from loved ones can lift the

spirits of SNF residents. In addition, AARP® notes that regular visitors can scrutinize care and serve as residents’ advocates if they feel their concerns are not being satisfactorily addressed by staff members.

• Visit facilities in person.

Online ratings can provide some insight into a facility, but nothing can replace the value of an in-person visit. The American Health Care Association urges families to observe a facility in person so they can gauge its overall environment and whether or not it seems like a peaceful or chaotic place. Pay close attention to residents and try to determine if they’re wellgroomed. These are things that can only be noticed in person, which underscores the importance of in person visits.

Skilled nursing facilities are an option for seniors who require advanced medical care. Finding the right facility requires careful consideration of a host of factors.

— METRO

Spreading the love

How to propagate houseplants One of the easiest ways to liven up a home is to introduce more plants. From there, some plants can be propagated by pulling off a leaf or cutting a stem and rooting them in either water or directly into soil.

For people with a house that’s already full of plants, propagation can be a good way to share your greenery with others.

According to Kate Grenert, the plant care expert at Flourish, a Sebastopol and Petaluma-based business that primarily sells houseplants, some of the easiest plants to care for and propagate include pothos and heartleaf philodendrons — both of which can be propagated by sticking a vine cutting in a glass of water.

“Other plants, such as spider plants and Pilea Peperomioides, produce offsets, or baby plants, that you can just separate from the mother plant to start a new pot,” Grenert said.

Getting started One of the most common ways to propagate a houseplant is through cuttings.

“The area you take a cutting from can differ from plant to plant, but tip-cuttings are most common — this is the tip of the plant where the new growth is emerging,” she said.

“This part of the plant already has a growth point, so you are just manipulating the plant to grow new roots.

“For a tip-cutting, you will want to cut your plant in the internodal space along the stem, between two leaves. It’s best practice to let your cut callous over before placing in your rooting medium. Then place your cutting in water or lightly moist potting soil in indirect light. You can speed things along by providing extra warmth via a seedling heating mat, humidity using a cloche or humidity dome and/or using rooting powder on cuttings placed in soil, but these aren’t necessities. If using soil, keep the soil lightly moist at all times. This method requires a little more attention at the start, but the advantage is that you won’t need to transplant your new plant right away,” she said.

Plants propagated during their active growing season — spring and summer — are easier to propagate, since they will likely root faster.

Some plants, like peperomias, begonias and some succulents can be propagated in a different way — from pulling off a leaf and letting roots grow from there.

You have a rooted cutting — now what?

“When water rooting, it’s ideal to transplant when your roots are a couple of inches long,” Grenert said. “If you wait until they are much longer, the plant may have a harder time transitioning to soil. We are definitively guilty of letting our waterpropagation roots grow longer than they need to be because it’s so fun to watch the roots develop.”

Grenert said that, as an alternative to potting a cutting with roots, people can add nutrients to their plant water to grow the plant hydroponically.

Growing forward After a plant has been rooted and planted into soil, it’s important to pay closer attention to it while it becomes established. This involves not letting the soil get too dry while also being careful not to overwater.

“Increasing the ambient humidity around the plant will help it to adjust. A bright bathroom or kitchen works great for this,” Grenert said.

“Once the plant is more established you can move it to its permanent spot in your house and let it acclimate to the light and humidity there.”

“There are so many different methods, materials and techniques, so experiment a little to find out what works best for you in your environment,” Grenert said.

“You won’t have a 100% success rate, but part of the fun propagating is experimentation.”

— Zoë Strickland House & Home Fall 2021 15

Fresh veggies are not exclusive to spring and summer Spring and summer may be the seasons most often associated with gardening.

But people who love to grow their own vegetables can do so even when the weather outside is frightful.

Various vegetables are hardy and thrive in cool temperatures. That means they can handle frosts in temperatures as low as 25 F without being damaged.

Others are even sturdier in the face of all that winter can throw at them, capable of tolerating temperatures that dip into the high teens.

When looking at what vegetables work for Sonoma County, find out what agricultural zone you’re in — the county as a whole has zones 10a, 9a and 9b.

Growing vegetables in winter requires a different approach than growing in

spring and summer, as gardeners must be ready to prevent damage from frost if temperatures get especially chilly.

For example, the experts at Michigan State University Extension note that gardeners may need to utilize floating row covers to protect sensitive crops from frost.

Gardeners interested in planting winter vegetables can speak with a local garden center professional about which crops to plant and what to do if temperatures push winter vegetable gardens to the brink.

Those in Sonoma County can also get insight into some of the best winter crops from the Sonoma County UC Master Gardeners at sonomamg.ucanr.edu.

— METRO

Photo Unsplash

Gardening doesn’t have to stop when the weather gets cold — just switch to vegetables suited for colder weather.

What to Plant

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Though it’s up to gardeners what they want to plant, the following are some popular winter vegetables that can make for wonderful, fresh additions to any dinner table even after the traditional gardening season has come and gone.

• Arugula • Broccoli

• Brussel sprouts • Cabbage • Carrots • Collard greens • Endive • Parsley • Parsnips • Kale • Radishes • Spinach • Swiss chard

RECIPES

Cowboy Cookies Supposedly, these cookies were considered the first power bar of the plains, for they kept well and provided energy for long days in the Old West. I am sure they filled their cookies with lots of different nuts, dried fruit and anything else that was nutritious and sustaining. Here is a basic recipe from my mom’s friend and neighbor, with chocolate chips, and you can adapt and change as you wish. This cookie is light, crisp and simply delicious.

— Gayle Okumura Sullivan

Ingredients: 1 cup sugar (white) 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup butter 2 eggs 2 cups sifted flour 1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 2 cups oats 1 tsp vanilla 1 package chocolate chips (12 oz)

Directions: Blend sugars and butter together in a bowl then add eggs.

Beat ingredients until consistency is light and fluffy.

Sift dry ingredients and then add them into mixture. Mix ingredients thoroughly.

Add in chocolate chips and oats into the mixture and mix. You can personalize the recipe by adding in nuts, dried fruits, coconut or your favorite sweet!

Scoop up cookie batter and place them onto a cookie sheet.

Drop cookies into a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Wait till cool and enjoy cookie perfection.

Sonoma Stuffing The addition of just a few herbs, spices and alliums can turn a classic mushroom stuffing into a lovely cabernet sauvignon pairing. Pancetta and shallots contribute savory notes, while rosemary adds a dried herb element, in addition to the lovely textural notes from the variety of mushrooms. This homemade stuffing recipe shouldn’t be saved for just Thanksgiving dinner.

— Jordan Vineyard & Winery

Directions:

recipe and photo courtesy of:

On a paper-lined baking sheet, dry the torn bread pieces at a low temperature in the oven until just “stale.” Remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 400 degrees F. Leave shallots in the skins and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Remove from the skins and dice.

Decrease the oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, place dried porcini in a non-reactive bowl. Bring 1½ cups seasoned water to a bare simmer and pour over porcini. Cover with plastic to rehydrate. Remove porcini and reserve. Strain the liquid through a coffee filter and reserve.

Repeat this process with the dried cloud ears. Once cloud ears are reconstituted, trim off the inedible stems.

In a medium pan, melt 2 Tbsp butter, add pancetta and render over medium-low to medium heat. Cook until crispy, about 5 minutes per side. Place the cooked pancetta on a paper towel lined plate and reserve.

Ingredients: ½ brioche loaf with crust, torn into one-inch pieces ½ country French loaf, crust removed, torn into one-inch pieces 4 shallots ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms ½ ounce dried cloud ear mushrooms ¾ cup butter ¼ cup pancetta, diced 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 celery ribs, peeled and diced 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped ¼ cup Jordan Chardonnay 1 pound fresh chanterelle mushrooms 1 pound shiitake mushrooms 4 Tbsp black walnuts, chopped ¼ cup parsley, chopped 2 eggs, beaten

Melt the remaining butter over medium-low heat. Add onion, shallots, celery, garlic, thyme and rosemary, and cover. Stir occasionally until the onions are translucent and soft but have not started to brown (about 5 minutes). Remove cover and add wine and reconstituted mushrooms. Cook until fragrant. Add the raw mushrooms and sauté until tender. Add remaining garnish and cool.

Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl with the pancetta.

Add the breads and eggs and combine. If needed, moisten with reserved mushroom liquid. Place in buttered 9×13 dish and cover with foil. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve.

House & Home Fall 2021 17

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