Sunset Harvest 2021

I’m finally saying goodbye to my lawn. It’s been harder than I thought it would be. For 20 years, it was a good, if fickle, friend, providing soft landings for my children when they were young, offering me a soothing hit of pseudo-nature-bathing serotonin when fully (rarely) green. I enjoyed hand-watering it on cool weekend mornings, a cup of coffee in my hand, waving at neighbors, fulfilling a nostalgic aspiration inspired by some long-forgotten 1960s TV show. It also prompted pangs of guilt with every drought, mailings from the utility department telling me I was a water hog (a broken sprinkler, that wasteful hand-watering). We loved the volunteer dandelions in spring. We hated the crab grass with its woody tendrils. When the sprinkler system fully failed, I petulantly refused to…

At Stemple Creek Ranch in West Marin, white safari tents and modular cabins sit clustered next to an edible garden in a dell ringed with wildflowers. Farm-to-table meals are grilled over a fire fueled with fallen oak. Guests learn the inner workings of the ranch by day, eat food cooked by Michelin-pedigreed chefs by night, and doze off reading about ecology in their well-appointed tents. Welcome to the future of agritourism. Stemple Creek, which produces grass-fed beef on its solar-powered ranch, is home to the first overnight farmstay and culinary experience hosted by Sagra Farms, a hospitality startup connecting travelers with farms in stunning pastoral locations. Inspired by the decades-long European tradition of farmers hosting guests at, say, olive oil farms or wineries in Tuscany or Provence, the founders of…

1 DILLON BEACH RESORT Dramatically sited Dillon Beach sits at the mouth of Tomales Bay and is now home to a recently revived mini-resort that can serve as a one-stop coastal retreat. There’s a general store with artisanal cheeses, craft beer, and surfboard rentals; tasteful tiny cabins with ocean views; and a restaurant that sources from local farms and foragers. Order an IPA and a bowl of poke and watch the kitesurfers shred out on the bay. DILLONBEACHRESORT.COM 2 THE SHUCKERY On your way to Tomales, stop in Petaluma for a glass of natural wine, a dozen local oysters, and a tin of Spanish conservas at this women-owned, sea-food-centric restaurant just off the courtyard of the historic Hotel Petaluma. THESHUCKERYCA.COM 3 WILLIAM TELL HOUSE The tiny town of Tomales has a newly refreshed inn and…

Remington Robinson almost always has a few Altoids tins in his car. That way, if inspiration strikes—and the light is right—he already has a miniature canvas to paint en plein air. The Colorado artist, who also works as a muralist in the greater Denver area, has gained a massive following for his miniature oil paintings on the inside of the mint containers. He captures the flora, fauna, and landscapes of Boulder and beyond—each painting typically takes a couple of hours. Think poppies at the base of the Flatirons (seen above) or an eagle’s nest at the Continental Divide. “I just love nature and studying the natural laws,” Robinson says. Painting is “a way of really meditating on that and recreating it in a different form.” Each Altoids tin includes the remnants of Robinson’s…

Pumpkin carving isn’t the only Halloween activity on our list: We’ve got our eye on some organic lollipops that are more than just delicious—each one is filled with edible flowers or herbs, like marigolds. They’re an opportunity to connect with your kids in the garden. Amborella Organics lollipops may look like any typical version of the popular candy, but they’re far from it. You can plant the biodegradable stick in the ground to grow the plant or herb that inspired each flavor, from Baby Blue Eyes to mint. The goal, co-founder Taylor Clarke says, is to encourage people to “think about the things they consume a bit differently, and get into nature and have a relationship with plants.” The idea for the pops came from Taylor’s husband, Brennan Clarke, who was inspired to…

Indulge us for a moment to talk about kitchen and bath fixture trends the same way we do food fads. Polished chrome is the standard, meat-and-potatoes choice that will never go out of style. Brushed nickel has a caramel macchiato vibe—big in 2005, but a little decadent and there’s a chance you could regret it later. Unlacquered brass hardware is like a poké bowl. It was suddenly everywhere around 2018 but might not be for everyone. Enter matte black faucets, door handles, and cabinet pulls, which are like the plant-based burgers of hardware design. They burst on the scene over the last couple of years, and they took a minute to adjust to. But they’re surprisingly good. When you mix them with gold and brass, they can be very, very good.…