Nothing beats meeting your farmer at their place of business. At a roadside farmstand or on a local farm tour, you can learn about soil health, paint with watercolors, or maybe even feed the goats. Here’s our ultimate guide to where to head and what to seek out this spring.

Tomato Central

Farmer Lazaro Calderon has been growing on the 6-acre downtown Sonoma plot known as The Patch for 25 years — it’s a must-visit for summer’s heirloom tomatoes. 250 Second St., Sonoma. 707-849-7384, instagram.com/thepatch_sonoma

Demonstration Farm

Veronda-Falletti Ranch an urban demonstration farm owned by the City of Cotati, is launching a new vegetable garden this year, with lots of opportunities for the community to participate — from volunteer days to composting classes to sheep-shearing demonstrations and a farm education program for the under-12 set. The farm produces fresh eggs, blackberries, figs and pears. 175 West Sierra Ave., Cotati. 707-6645347, sandyloam.org

From Sheep to Shawl

Windrush Farm

Mimi Luebbermann was looking for a quiet, peaceful place to retreat and write books about gardening when she happened upon an idyllic 25-acre property among the green pastures of rural Chileno Valley. She’d grown up with sheep, and she knew how to knit and spin wool. So, the author reasoned, why not start a sheep farm?

Luebbermann founded Windrush Farm in 1995. With help from her son Arann Harris, she has expanded the operation into an educational hub for children and adults to learn about farm life and fiber arts.

Windrush offers a variety of fiber classes using wool from the farm’s own sheep. Workshops take place in a charming barn-turned-classroom, covering everything from shearing to spinning to dyeing. For the Fleece to Garment series, participants create their own clothing items from scratch and then present them in the farm’s annual spring fashion show.

One year, Luebbermann recalls, a woman even attempted to knit her own wedding dress. “It’s a gala event,” she says. “Everybody brings friends and family, and past students come. It’s a great celebration.” Non-crafty types can book group farm tours to learn about wool production and meet the resident sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas, pigs and chickens. 2263 Chileno Valley Road, Petaluma. windrushfarm.wordpress.com

Stock the Pantry

Known for their pantry items — pickles, jam, shrubs and syrups — plus fresh flowers, produce and veggie starts, Glen Ellen’s Flatbed Farm also hosts yoga classes and art and wellness retreats. 13450 Highway 12, Glen Ellen. flatbedfarm.com

Giving Back

Created to combat food insecurity in the community, Petaluma Bounty Farm grows vegetables, fruits and flowers on a 3-acre ranch just north of town. The farmstand, open Thursdays from May to December, sells produce and blooms on a sliding scale, and discounts are available to those in need. The nonprofit farm is open to the public for volunteering, field trips, educational programs, gardening events, plant sales and more. 55 Shasta Ave., Petaluma. 707-765-8488, petalumabounty.org

Lavender Days

Santa Rosa’s Bees N Blooms is probably best known for its lavender maze, at its height mid-May to mid-July. But this 11-acre garden and farmstand also has a strong educational mission, with classes in healthy soils, beekeeping, and building pollinator habitat. 3883 Petaluma Hill Road, Santa Rosa. 707-293-8293, beesnblooms.com

Spiritual Connection

Starcross Family Confraternity Farm

Set on 92 acres in the coastal hills of Annapolis, this organic farm is part of the Starcross Monastic Community. The serene setting is also home to fruit orchards and two expansive olive groves.

Starcross formed in the 1970s when Toby McCarroll, Marti Aggeler, and Julie DeRossi took monastic vows and moved from San Francisco to rural Sonoma County. There, they created a sanctuary for spiritual reflection and sustainable farming while raising foster children.

The community’s focus eventually shifted away from fostering, and now, Starcross supports itself by producing and selling Sister Julie’s Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and operating a food pantry.

“Farming and caring for our land are constant reminders of how we are all interconnected,” says Starcross operations manager Allison Lovell. “It allows us to live in harmony with the rhythms of the seasons.”

Along with cold-pressed olive oil, the Starcross honor-system farmstand — open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. — sells jams, plum syrup, pickles, dried herbs, and lavender-infused body products. Starcross also hosts weekly meditation circles and invites visitors to explore the grounds on self-guided tours. 34500 Annapolis Road, Annapolis. 707-886-1919, starcross.org

Multigenerational Gem

Oak Hill Farm

Otto and Anne Teller — passionate land conservationists and early adopters of organic agriculture — founded Oak Hill Farm in 1978. Spanning 700 acres in Glen Ellen, the farm now rests in the capable hands of Anne’s daughters Arden and Kate Bucklin, along with granddaughter Melissa Bucklin-Good and her husband Jimi Good.

“Farming is a long-term investment of labor and money, and the rewards are often in the form of stability, satisfaction, and sustainability, rather than financial,” says Bucklin-Good. “As the benefactor of the investments of previous generations, my husband and I are incredibly grateful to have been able to hit the ground running rather than starting from scratch.”

The family’s Red Barn Store, set in a rustic century-old barn among rolling vegetable and flower fields, offers an array of sustainably grown fruits, heirloom vegetables and flower bouquets — all picked daily — plus handmade wreaths and organic nut butters.

The store is open Wednesdays and Saturdays April through December, and on the first Saturday of those months, Oak Hill offers free, family-friendly guided farm tours, focusing on a different topic each season, from cover crops to farm machinery to local bird populations. 15101 Highway 12, Glen Ellen. 707-996-6643, oakhillfarm.net

Beans from Africa

While not exactly a farmstand, Dan Woloz of Four Oak Farm in Santa Rosa has built a thriving business selling unusual seeds and starts — green Mbombo beans from Africa, harlequin potatoes, crosnes, red sunchokes — online via his Etsy site (etsy.com/shop/FourOak) and at the weekly Sebastopol farmers market. “I’m a collector at heart,” says Woloz. “It’s very interesting to see what nature can produce.” fouroakfarm.com

Art Sundays

Covering 5 acres of the original Barlow orchards in Sebastopol, Emmanuel Farmstead grows apples plums, cherries, peaches, pomegranates, and almonds. Visitors can meet the farm’s friendly mini-horses and try an Art Sunday crafting session, sound bathing and a guided meditation. 1406 Barlow Lane, Sebastopol. 925-683-5454, emmanuelfarmstead.com

Easter Eggs

Petaluma’s Farm Barn is a tiny, rural farmstand operated on the honor system, with duck and chicken eggs, honey, jam and crafts. Owner Debra Shaw has lived on the farm all her life, as has her father, now in his 80s. On April 13, Shaw will host an Easter egg hunt in the fields with hand-dyed eggs, arts and crafts, and visits with the animals. 2910 Pepper Road, Petaluma. 707-318-7495, facebook.com/tworockeggs

Apple Blossoms

Farmer Brooke Hazen’s Gold Ridge Organic Farms has 16 acres of heritage apples (over 75 varieties) and a 70-acre olive orchard. The farm store carries fruit, olive oil, vinegar, and an apple cider syrup that’s delicious on pancakes and vanilla ice cream. April 26 and 27 is Apple Blossom Festival weekend — a wonder of spring sights and sounds. 3387 Canfield Road, Sebastopol. 707-823-3110, goldridgeorganicfarms.com

Schoolhouse to Farm

Tenfold Farmstand is the only farmstand we know of located in a landmark historic schoolhouse — a must-visit in rural Petaluma. Owner Catherine Clark has created a welcoming hub for local farmers and artists, including Instagram-famous baker Mary Denham of Blooms End at Neighboring Fields. Check the website and bring your little ones for art classes, music or story hour inside the schoolhouse. 5300 Red Hill Road, Petaluma. tenfoldfarmstand.com

One-Stop Farm Shop

Rusty Hinges Ranch

This farm just outside downtown Petaluma is on a mission to make it easier for people to access local, regeneratively grown food. Founded in 2018 by Suzanne and Jim Kimbel, Rusty Hinges partners with local farmers and artisan food producers to offer fresh produce, meats, pantry staples, dairy products and other farm-fresh ingredients.

The idea behind Rusty Hinges, says Suzanne Kimbel, is to cultivate a healthier planet and healthier people through the power of real food. “Small farms grow more than food,” she says. “They grow community, connection, and the soul of Sonoma County.”

Among the ranch’s signature offerings are its weekly Real Meal Bundles, available for pickup or local delivery. Each kit includes seasonal fruits and vegetables, a pastured protein from the ranch or from one of its partner farms, and a recipe for transforming the ingredients into a delicious meal.

On the second Saturday of each month, Rusty Hinges opens to the community for a day of outdoor yoga, clothing swaps, a guest coffee roaster and visits with the farm’s donkeys, chickens, goats and pigs. Families are welcome to picnic and explore. The Rusty Hinges farm market opens on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons each week. 212 Chileno Valley Road, Petaluma. rustyhingesranch.com

Volunteer Movement

Sonoma Garden Park is a community agricultural park with an expanded children’s garden, plus a Saturday farmstand. Drop-in volunteer gardening hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 19996 Seventh St. E., Sonoma. 707-966-0712, sonomaecologycenter.org/sonomagardenpark

Baby Goats

Spring is baby-goat petting season at Redwood Hill Farm/Capracopia in Sebastopol, where visitors can snuggle up to knobby-kneed newborns on a tour that also teaches about regenerative farming and cheesemaking. A small farmstand offers olive oil, goat milk soaps and flowers. 5440 Thomas Road, Sebastopol. redwoodhillfarm.org

Dried Wonders

Tierra Vegetables

Sonoma County farms are sometimes found in delightfully unexpected locations. Just off Airport Boulevard, not far from the freeway and directly adjacent to a suburban neighborhood, Tierra Vegetables grows an incredible variety of heirloom dried beans and corn, produce, fresh and dried chiles, masa, polenta and more.

Brother and sister Wayne and Lee James founded the farm together in 1980, and for over 40 years, they’ve dedicated their lives to cultivating a unique variety of crops while forging close ties with the community. That deep level of connection became a lifeline after the 2017 Tubbs fire, when the farm experienced a series of setbacks, including a broken well pump and irrigation issues that threatened the viability of their business. That’s when a loyal CSA member stepped in to create a GoFundMe campaign, which quickly raised $70,000 to keep Tierra afloat.

Though the James siblings — now in their 70s — are in the process of trying to purchase their leased farm property so they can find a successor to take over the business, Tierra Vegetables remains a vibrant part of Sonoma County’s farming scene. “I have now fed a couple of generations of families,” Lee says. “It feels good.”

The Tierra Vegetables farmstand, open Thursdays through Saturdays year-round, features seasonal vegetables from asparagus to zucchini, handmade culinary gifts, and the farm’s acclaimed masa and polenta made from heirloom corn.

Visitors can also take a self-guided tour to learn about Tierra’s sustainable farming practices and environmental stewardship. 651 Airport Blvd., Santa Rosa. 707-544-6141, tierravegetables.com

Farmstead Focused

Achadinha Cheese Company

This family cheesemaking operation (pronounced osh-a-DEENya) is named for the town in Portugal’s Azores islands where co-founder and third-generation dairyman Jim Pacheco’s grandfather milked cows. Pacheco, along with his wife Donna and their four children, milk 100 Jersey cows — known affectionately as “the girls” — and raise Nubian goats, sheep, and other animals on their 230-acre ranch in Petaluma.

Achadinha is known for its farmstead cheeses, including such offerings as feta in sea salt brine, fromage blanc, and broncha, a cow milk cheese ripened on cypress planks. The diets of the family’s pasture-raised cows, which include nutritious brewers’ grain and yeast from local beer producers, impart subtle differences to the cheeses from season to season, depending on what the cows are eating.

“If the girls aren’t healthy, they’re not going to produce a healthy product for us,” says Donna Pacheco, adding that the cows consume very little corn. “If they can digest the food they’re eating, we can digest the cheeses they’re producing.”

Book a farm tour to meet Achadinha’s divine bovines and learn more about the family’s cheesemaking process — yes, there is plenty of sampling involved — or sign up for a hands-on class to get a deeper dive into farmstead cheesemaking. 750 Chileno Valley Road, Petaluma. 707-763-1025, achadinha.com

Michelin Dreams

The folks at the Michelin Guide don’t exactly give out stars for farmstands, but what if the farmstand supplies a Michelin-starred restaurant? That’s the case at SingleThread Farm Store in Dry Creek Valley, from renowned chef/farmers Kyle and Katina Connaughton. 2836 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. singlethreadfarms.com/farm

The Veggie Shack

Patrick Krier of Petaluma’s Suncatcher Farm originally trained as a sound engineer but found his way to farming after a stint at the Berkeley Bowl supermarket. His brightly painted farmstand (complete with Wendell Berry quote on the sign inside) is open weekends starting in April, with salad mix, spinach, new potatoes, medicinal herbs, and seasonal tea blends. He’ll switch to a 7-days-a-week schedule by summer. 4588 Bodega Ave., Petaluma. instagram.com/suncatcher_farm

Olive Oil and a Fire Truck

The colorful fish on the sign for Cloverdale’s Showa Farm is a nod to the owners’ other passion, raising rare Japanese koi. This Alexander Valley farm, open by appointment for tours and picnics, is known for small-batch olive oil and is home to over a hundred goats, sheep, burros, and other critters. Owner Geoff Peters even has a working fire engine for kids to sit on — what an adventure. 26070 River Road, Cloverdale. 301-6757741, showa-farm.com

The Free Farmstand

It’s an idea we’d love to see catch on: Neighbors in a tight-knit rural community in Penngrove bring extra garden bounty to their local Sharing Stand. Chef Laci Sandoval leads the effort, roping in her two young kids to stock the shelves. It’s like a little free library, but for veggies. Try starting one near you.

Abigail Peterson contributed to this article.