Wine and food take focus at Jack London park Wine and food take focus at Jack London park

Well into his successful writing career, Jack London purchased his first parcel of land on Sonoma Mountain in 1905. Not satisfied being a “gentleman farmer,” he wanted it to be a place of progressive change where he could model “green” farming techniques and create his version of a cooperative community where all residents would have fair working conditions and a great quality of life. This was his “Ranch of Good Intentions.”

“I hope to do two things with the ranch: To leave the land better for my having been; and enable 30 or 40 families to live happily on ground that was so impoverished that an average of three farmers went bankrupt on each of the five ranches I have run together,” London wrote.

With a shared vision, Jack London Park Partners has built a new partnership with Eco Terreno Wines & Vineyards, focused on supporting Jack London State Historic Park. “There is a clear connection between what Jack London worked to achieve and Eco Terreno’s commitments to caring for the land and giving back to the planet and the people,” said winemaker and winery owner Mark Lyon.

London’s techniques sound like common sustainable farming practices today but at the time they were unheard of to local farmers. "I am rebuilding worn-out hillside lands that were worked out and destroyed by our wasteful California pioneer farmers. I believe the soil is our one indestructible asset, and by green manures, nitrogen-gathering cover crops, animal manure, rotation of crops, proper tillage and draining, I am getting results which the Chinese have demonstrated for forty centuries," London wrote.

Fast forward about one hundred years and Lyon is the winemaker at Sebastiani Vineyards, hoping to one day produce his own label. He purchased a historic vineyard in the Alexander Valley and immediately began transitioning his 149-acre property from a chemically farmed property to a biodynamic and regenerative farmed property.

In 2012, he produced his first vintage of Eco Terreno, a Spanish phrase translating to “ecology of the land.” Eco Terreno Wine & Vineyards now produces just under 5,000 cases of wine annually. Their parcels, Lyon Vineyard and Cisne Vineyard, are nestled against the banks of the Russian River and grow predominantly Bordeaux varietals and chardonnay. In addition to grapes, their farm is home to a vast riparian area, an extensive animal husbandry program, a bee and insect garden, an orchard and a produce garden.

In 2019, Lyon purchased another historic site, this time in Jackson Square, San Francisco. The new Eco Terreno Urban Tasting Room at 140 Columbus was Jupiter Room in 1918, a “black and tan” club for interracial couples to mingle safely, followed by Mona’s, the first lesbian bar on the West Coast, and finally the famed Purple Onion – a launching pad for talent including the Smothers Brothers, Phyllis Diller and many more.

One of the first joint projects of this new partnership is the park’s annual fundraising gala on Sept. 24, where Eco Terreno’s biodynamic wines will be featured.

“Once Upon a Time in a Not-So-Distant Forest,” is the evening’s theme. The gala will begin in the Eucalyptus grove, where colorful forest creatures will welcome guests to an enchanted forest environment. Dinner will be served in the Winery Ruins, naturally accompanied by Eco Terreno wines.

Proceeds of the event support Jack London State Historic Park, which for the past ten years has been operated and funded by Jack London Park Partners, one of the first non-profit organizations to be entrusted with management of a state park on behalf of the people of California. California State Parks and Jack London Park Partners recently signed a new agreement to continue the partnership for the next 10 years.

“Jack London Park Partners’ annual gala is our most important fundraiser of the year, keeping the park accessible and thriving for all to enjoy. We are very excited that Eco Terreno will be part of the evening,” said Matt Leffert, executive director of Jack London State Historic Park.

For tickets and more information, visit jacklondonpark.com/events/jack-london-gala-2022.

798 pounds of fruit to fight food insecurity

Volunteers from the Rotary Clubs of Sonoma Valley, Jack London State Historic Park and staff from Farm to Pantry assembled on July 23 in the park’s historic orchard to glean – or gather – 798 pounds of ripe plums that will be given to people in Sonoma County who are struggling with food insecurity.

“This orchard is such a beautiful place, and it’s a real pleasure coming out to help restore the historic groves,” said Scott Murray, president of the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley. “Helping restore the existing groves, picking seasonal harvests, and replanting the historic peach grove are important environmental projects for the Rotary clubs in this area. This is why the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley together with the Rotary clubs of Sonoma Sunrise, Sonoma Springs, Glen Ellen/Kenwood, and Valley of the Moon and the Sonoma Valley High School Interact Club are all contributing people and resources to this effort. Twenty-six volunteers from across the local Rotary groups have supported the two workdays that we’ve held so far at the historic groves, and we have more work and harvest days scheduled over the next twelve months.”

In 2002 Jack London State Historic Park acquired approximately 600 acres of land from the Sonoma Developmental Center State Hospital. This land included an historic orchard — 110 acres of apple, pear, apricot, peach, cherry and plum trees that were planted primarily between 1908-1912. By the 1980s, the orchard was abandoned.

“We love that these historic trees that we’re working so hard to preserve are also producing food for people facing food insecurity throughout the county,” said Leffert.

In 2007, California Department of Parks and Recreation and the National Park Service partnered on an assessment of the orchard and determined it to be a valuable Historic and Cultural Landscape and that it should be stabilized for future generations to experience. Soon after that, Jack London Park Partners entered into an agreement with the Department of Parks and Recreation to manage Jack London State Historic Park and the nonprofit began working in this historic orchard to stabilize the historic trees. This work consisted of clearing competing vegetation away, pruning deadwood, bracing, thinning fruit, mulching, watering and removal of harmful invasive species — work that continues today.

This includes replanting areas of the historic orchard grid with cuttings taken from the historic trees. These cuttings (scions) are grafted onto rootstock by a grafting expert. When ready, they are planted on the same grid where historic trees have disappeared. By doing this, visitors to the orchard will not only get to see and appreciate the individual trees, some of which are over 100 years old, but will also be able to experience what a pre-World War II orchard landscape would have been like.

In the fall of 2017, Jack London Park Partners planted the first tree in the orchard in over 50 years—a quince seedling grown from a cutting taken from the last surviving quince tree in the historic orchard. To date more than 50 trees have been planted including quince, apple, pear, cherry and apricots.

In 2021, Jack London Park Partners boardmember Sandy Leonard connected the park with Duskie Estes and Farm to Pantry, a nonprofit organization that supports environmental sustainability by rescuing locally grown food and sharing it with those experiencing food insecurity.

“The partnership with the park yields much more than fruit. Together, we are helping to feed people, promote health and nutrition for the community and reduce food waste,” said Duskie Estes, executive director of Farm to Pantry, which is planning another gleaning day on July 30.

In 2021, Farm to Pantry rescued over 350,000 pounds or 1.4 million servings of fruits and vegetables, and it has delivered over 4.5 million servings of produce in Sonoma County since 2008.