APPLE FESTIVAL

The county fair circuit has passed and we still have not found chocolate covered onion rings. Last weekend the Gravestein Apple festival was held in Sebastapol. It is a wonderful event celebrating the Gravestein apple. At one time this area was famous for its production of this apple. A lot of the apple orchards are being replaced with grape vines. This festival is a local event that showcases a lot of artisan craftsmen and food vendors. This is not your typical fair food. There were apple fritters, juice, dumplings and of course apple pie. Luther Burbank a botanist and pioneer in creating new strains of plants, did a lot of research in the Santa area. His old jalopy was on display.

We were entertained by a Cajun Zydeco band named the Wild Catahoulas. They got the crowd in a dancing mood. I actually swayed a little bit to the music on my bench. With all that swaying we worked up a powerful hunger. We spotted our good friend Angelo selling tri-tip sandwiches.

We talked to Angelo for a little while and noticed a long line in the food booth next door. They were selling grilled cheese sandwiches. Ms. Goofy said that is what she wanted. Angelo gave us a wink and we got in line. What a great idea. "The BestGrilledCheese.com" takes slices of whole grain bread and slathers them in butter. A blend of cheeses is put between the slices and it is pressed and grilled on the flat top. It is served with garlic sweet potato fries and some home cured pickles. Brilliant! This comination was comforting, oozy, gooey and just plain delicious. Who needs chocolate covered onion rings?